Page 241 of Dirty Discipline, Vol. 1

“Good girl. I’ll get you in the bath.”

She blushed. “I can do it.”

He didn’t look happy, but he nodded. “I’ll let you get undressed and climb in, but I’m leaving the door open and I will be checking in constantly.”

“Okay.”

He carried her into the bathroom, setting her down on the counter before he tested the water. He’d even put bubble bath in. When had anyone run her a bubble bath before?

“You were really worried about me?” Reggie asked.

“Of course I was worried about you.” He turned off the water, then spun to clasp her face between his hands. “You collapsed in front of me! You chose to compromise your health and your safety. Believe me once you’re well enough, you’re going to realize just how unacceptable that behavior is.”

Reggie narrowed her eyes at him. She did not like that sound of that at all.

“There are consequences for your behavior, Reagan. Now, bath. Let me know if you need me. I’ll get you something to wear.”

She undressed, then climbed into the bath, thinking about his words. Yeah, he was threatening to spank her. But he’d also been scared about something happening to her.

And that meant the world to her.

When it came time to get out, she just didn’t seem to have the energy. “Alex?”

“Yeah?” He was there immediately, staring down at her. Had he been on the other side of the door this whole time?

“Can you help me out?”

“I thought you’d never ask.” Relief filled his face. Reaching in, he drew her out and set her down so he could briskly dry her. To her surprise, he didn’t try to grope her or stare at her.

Probably just as well, since she was so tired she barely knew her own name. He carried her into the bedroom and slipped a large T-shirt over her head. It went halfway down her thighs.

Then he tucked her into bed and sat beside her. “I’m going to get you something to eat and you’ve got to take your antibiotics.”

“I’m not really hungry.”

“You’ll eat, even if I have to feed it to you.”

“I really don’t want to be a bother. I should go back to Kelly’s.”

He clasped her face between his hands. “I’m not happy with you, Reagan.”

Panic stabbed her. Was this when he told her that she was too much work? That she should leave?

“But you aren’t going anywhere. You’re staying here so I can take care of you and ensure your health. All you have to do is listen to what I say. Understand? I’ll take care of the rest.”

It was so tempting to let him . . . and what choice did she have? Well, she could make a fuss and force him to take her back to Kelly’s. But she didn’t want to go. She wanted to be here with him.

Finally, she nodded. “Okay.”

Relief filled his face. “That’s my good girl. Just rest.”

Chapter Seven

The next week was a period of enlightenment for Reggie. For the first time in her life, she felt cherished, protected, even loved. Not that Alex ever mentioned love. But he took such good care of her, making sure she ate and rested. The way he seemed to meet each of her needs before she even realized them surprised and delighted her.

In fact, life would have been perfect for Reggie if it hadn’t been for two things. One was the fact that Lance continued to call her, using different numbers that she kept blocking. She only knew it was him because she’d started listening to one of the voicemails he’d left.

She’d managed to keep it a secret from Alex so far by keeping her phone off and only turning it back on when he was out of the room. But she was going to have to change her number. She hadn’t had any calls from those resumes she’d sent out, so she didn’t think she’d be losing out on a job.

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