Page 86 of Hidden

At noon, he watched as Lathen, Savko, and two other agents piled into the SUVs to take Director Upwood to his plane.

Then he made his way back to his office and did his best to plow through the stack of paperwork that waited for him at the end of a thirty-day rotation.

Peter finished his paperwork in record time, but still he didn’t rush home. They had talked about Carrie being in the right head space before they went to the party tonight, but Peter also needed to be in the right frame of mind to give Carrie the experience he wanted to give her. He wasn’t hoping that she would suddenly turn into some kind of twenty-four/seven submissive, but he hoped to give her a positive power exchange experience since her forays into the world of submission weren’t exactly positive.

Since the stranger who seemed to be following them had shown up at Exposure, Gage had been monitoring Carrie during the day, but since she was off until Monday, she’d been mostly staying at his apartment. Today, though, he knew from Gage that she was shopping with Darci for something to wear. He Gage a text letting him know he would be home soon, then sent one to Carrie with his first set of instructions.

I’m going to be home at 5:30. You have an hour to get ready for a nice dinner out. Please wear a dress… and no panties.

A smirk formed as he hit send. Less than a minute later, his phone rang.

“You expect me to get to your place, get dressedanddo my hair and makeup inan hour?”

“That’s exactly what I expect. You should probably get going if you haven’t already.”

“Fine.” She huffed into the phone.

“Fine? You might want to think about how you speak to me from now on, little one. I’ll see you soon.”

Without another word, he hung up. A few seconds later, his phone dinged with a text alert.

I’m putting you on so many roller coasters you’re going to be sick for a month mister.

He grinned and immediately fired back.

I prefer Sir, but mister works too. Sounds a lot like Master.

Her response made him laugh out loud.

In your dreams, PETER.

Slipping his phone back into his pocket, he headed to his SUV. Traffic was heavy this time of day, and he had one stop to make.

By the time he pulled into his apartment complex parking garage, he was the buzz of excitement for tonight. He hopped out of the SUV with a bouquet of morning glories in his hand and made his way to the elevator.

Gage was standing outside his door. “Thanks, man. We’ll see you in a few hours.” Gage gave him a one-armed hug and headed down the corridor.

When Peter pushed open the door of his apartment, he heard a loud curse, and something clattered to the floor.

He called out to her. “Carrie, is everything OK?”

“Damn it. You’re here.” She came rushing out of the bedroom in a t-shirt, her hair piled on top of her head. She was gripping her finger and looked to be in pain, so he quickly closed the distance between them.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m fine. I just burned my finger.”

“Let me see,” he said with a frown.

“Are those for me?”

He looked down at the flowers he had forgotten he was holding and smiled.

“They are but let me see your finger.”

Her arms flew around him, sending him stumbling back in surprise.

“Thank you,” she whispered as he wrapped an arm around her to prevent them both from falling. After a brief hug, he pulled back and looked at her. “You’re welcome, but don’t make me ask again. Finger. Now.” He watched her carefully as he took on a purposefully dominant tone. Obediently, she lifted the injured hand for him to inspect. The third finger was sporting a bright red mark that was fast turning into a blister. What had she done? Gently, he led her back into the guest bathroom and set the flowers on the counter. Her curling iron was lying on the ground in front of the sink, so he kicked it aside as he unplugged it and turned the cold water on.

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