Page 86 of Dr. Bad Boy

Panic closes around my throat. My job is everything.

She leans over the table and covers my hand with hers. “Think about it this way. What would you advise yourself if you were a client?”

That’s easy. “Don't pick up strange men staying at the Chateau Laurier.”

Ellie laughs. “Good point.” Then she gives me a weird look. “Wait, that's when you met Max? When he wasstayingat the Chateau Laurier? I knew you met there, but I didn’t realize…it was in the summer?”

My cheeks heat up. “Yes.” The answer catches in my throat, because oh my God, I see where she’s going. Hope leaps inside me. “Before he hired my firm.”

Triumph ripples over her face. “I knew it.” She quickly schools her features. “Which is only relevant because then you should have an out, right?”

I nod. “Most firms would have a process to declare the conflict of interest without repercussions.” My voice cracks. I hadn’t thought about it like that.

“Does yours not?”

“No.”

“And you fear for your job?”

“Yes.”

“So again, counsellor, I’d ask you…what you would advise a client?”

29

Max

Our fourth Fridaytogether begins as the first one did. Inspection, then a flogging. The protocol flows smoothly now, and we share secret smiles, too. As soon as she comes downstairs in the heels I’d set out—and nothing else—heat starts sizzling in my veins, and I shift into Dom mode without any conscious scripting.

I never knew I needed some sass mixed in with the submission. It’s not brattiness, either. It’s nothing that needs to be corrected.

It’s just fun. A little nod at our shared fantasies, our mutual kink, and how it’s a little weird.

But a lot hot.

I’ve had some good kink over the years. Learned what I liked, what I didn’t, and found a way to scratch that itch on a semi-regular basis without risking too much.

I’ve never had anything like this with Violet. Each night surpassing the last. Each new idea twisting, blooming into more than I could have imagined.

But tonight I’m not getting all of that.

Tonight feels almost ordinary. I say almost, because it’s Violet. She’s spectacular even when distracted.

I abandon my plans to train her ass further. First I need her fully present in this moment, all her attention on me, so I get her to rise. Once she’s standing in front of me, I drive my fingers into her hair, gathering it in my fist behind her head.

Her eyes flare wide and her breathing changes.Yes, kitten. I see you.

“Where are we at?”

“Green,” she says softly.

“Nothing else matters tonight. Nothing else exists beyond these walls. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, Max.” More soft words. She’s so biddable.

I give her a hard smile. “What do you need tonight?”

“To please you.”

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