The next message vibrates the phone against the bed, and I snatch it up again.
Dog:I’d get you on your knees next. Make you look up at me with that bratty little mouth you’re so proud of.
I swallow, hard.
My skin’s flushed, thighs pressed tight.
I start rubbing my thighs together beneath the blanket, slow and instinctive, chasing the friction without even thinking. My nipples ache under the thin cotton of my shirt.
I should stop. This was supposed to be bait. A hook. Nothing more.
But my breath is ragged and shallow, my fingers gripping the phone like it’s the only thing holding me together.
I type, smirking faintly:
Me:Easy, puppy. Didn’t think you had it in you.
Dog:Say that again and I’ll make you whimper it into the mattress.
Dog:Twice.
God.
I clench my legs tighter. My toes curl. I’m too far in, and I know it.
But I also know I have to pull myself out.
Focus.
There’s too much at stake.
I breathe in hard—shaky, uneven—and force myself upright. My body’s still humming, still aching, but I lock it down the way I was trained to.
I switch tactics.
Me:Come get me then.
There’s a pause. Then:
Dog:What?
Me:Where are you, puppy?
Dog:I’m at the clubhouse. Why?
Me:I’m out back behind the Novikov estate.
The typing stops.
Dog:What the hell are you doing out there?
Me:Battery’s dying.
Me:Are you coming or not?
Another pause.
My heart hammers against my ribs.