family owns a vineyard in France, and this is one of their most popular varieties.”
“Really?”
I nod, and sit beside her. “Really.”
She exhales. “Listen, Gabriel, if I’m going to—”
I’ve had quite enough. “If you’re going to avoid a spanking, you’ll call me sir or daddy from now on.”
She downs the wine like she’s in a desert dying of thirst, then places the empty glass in front of her. Wordlessly, I pour her another glass.
When she speaks, her voice is a little high and squeaky.
“Can you… repeat that one more time?”
I take a deliberately slow sip of my drink, then lean back and cross one ankle over my knee.
“Of course. I said from now on, you’ll call me sir or daddy.”
“There was another part to that.”
“Ah, yes. That is, if you’d like to avoid a spanking.”
I could get lost in the endless blue of her eyes, staring at me with a mixture of apprehension and arousal. I lean closer to her and place one of my hands on her knee. Just a gentle touch. I left a small window behind us open, and a little wisp of her hair flutters when a breeze rustles through.
“Unless that’s what you want, Miranda?”
“I… I have no idea what I want, sir,” she says, in that throaty voice that makes me hard. I swallow, then squeeze her leg.
“First, we talk about the terms of our arrangement.”
Her bold look disappears, and she suddenly resembles a little girl. Afraid?
“So, you don’t want another woman for the evening?”
She winces, and I realize I’m gripping her knee harder, as if intuitively reminding her she must stay.
“Absolutely not.” I shake my head. “I want you.”
“But you weren’t impressed when I… told you I was a virgin.”
I shake my head. “You misunderstood. I was just surprised is all, not displeased. So, you’ve never had any sex?”
She shakes her head from side to side. “No, sir. I’ve coached my girls, of course. I run a successful business, but I have had to rely on heavy... research.”
According to my research, she hasn’t dated in years. And now that I go over the mental tally of all the very many things I know about her, I have no record of her ever taking on a client. She never mixes business with pleasure. She runs a tight ship, and she makes everyone follow strict, ironclad rules.
Including herself.
I can’t believe I know everything about her, from her history, her alma mater, her family tree, and her blood type. I know what she’s done for work, what her favorite hobbies are, and that she’s got a particular quirk about wearing pink when she works out.
How could I have missed the fact that she’s a virgin? I suppose it isn’t something someone puts down in a record book, but still.
Still.
I feel as if I don’t know her at all.
“Why, Miranda?”
“Why what?”
“Why have you never had sex?”
She looks away. “I suppose it’s cliché, but I… well, I just never met the right guy.”
The need to possess her flares in me so hot and fast, I have to school my reaction. I don’t speak. I’m not sure what I’d say if I could. But the next moment, I’ve got her pinned beneath me on the sofa, the sweet, soft, supple skin of her wrists pressed against my fingers as I hold her arms by her side and kiss her.
I kiss her hard, marking her, so hard she’ll remember me when her lips are bruised in the morning. I slide my tongue against hers, sending a frisson of awareness right through me. When she moans, I get hard.
I press her more firmly onto the sofa, sliding my hand up the length of her dress until I palm her breast straight through the satin fabric. She whimpers when I drag my thumb over her clothed but hardened nipple, until she’s moaning with need and the scent of her arousal fills my senses. For a virgin, she’s so fucking responsive. Hell, maybe it’s because she is a virgin.
I’ll be her first everything.
I kiss her until she arches her back. I glide my hand from her breast, down the length of her body, until I reach the hem of her skirt. Gently, so gently she trembles in anticipation, I slide my hand up her thighs. I moan into her mouth at the feel of her soft, warm, supple skin. She parts her legs, and I drag my finger to the apex of her thighs, and I groan when I find she’s not wearing any panties.
“You