Page 104 of Dirty Discipline, Vol. 2

“Check out the bedroom.” When she strode into the other room, he flipped the security lock, then followed her. “What do you think?”

“It’s perfect.” She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed his cheek. “You might not be so great at designing a hotel lobby, but your torture chambers are chef’s kiss brilliant. Everyone will love it.”

“Glad you think so. Now—”

“But why did you have housekeeping stage it?” She centered the towel swan on the bed, then narrowed her eyes at the minibar. “Our reopening isn’t for another two weeks, and I thought we were going to wait for photos until all the themed suites were finished.”

“It isn’t staged.” He cupped the back of her neck and tangled his fingers in her hair. “We’re staying here until Monday morning.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. We don’t have time.” Frowning, she tried to move out of reach, but he tightened his grip on her hair. “Mark? What are you doing?”

He tugged her hair, forcing her head back until she had to meet his eyes. “You and I are taking the weekend off. You need an attitude adjustment.”

Flushing, she tried to look away, but he wouldn’t let her. “Is this about the spa? If it is, I’m sorry. I should have said something first.”

“Thank you.” Still holding her hair, he encouraged her to sit on the edge of the bed. “That’s part of the reason, yes.”

“But—”

“If you’d given us a chance, we probably would have agreed with you, but you didn’t, and it isn’t the first time.” He crouched to make sure she was paying attention. “You don’t own Club Apocalypse, Kendra. As much as we value you and your work, decisions like that aren’t yours to make.”

After letting out a soft sigh, her shoulders drooped. “You’re right. I owe all of you an apology.”

“And you’re going to deliver one on Monday, in person.”

“Agreed. Now, can we get back to work? I still have—”

“When was your last full meal? You know, where you sit at a table and eat something nutritious? Antacids don’t count. Sierra told me about how many you’re eating.”

“Um…” She lowered her eyes, then tried to wriggle free. “Maybe last week?”

“And you’ve stayed up all night working…how many times?” He clamped his hand on her shoulder, forcing her to stay still. “Maybe I should ask how many times you haven’t. And don’t lie. I share a bed with you—when you bother to come to bed at all.”

He jerked her to her feet and tugged on her pants. To no one’s surprise, they slid to her ankles without being unzipped.

“That was completely unnecessary.” She scowled and tried to reach for her trousers, but he made her stay still.

“This is why we’re staying here until Monday, Kendra. You’ve lost weight because you’re not taking care of yourself.” He touched the dark circles under her eyes with a gentle fingertip in a vain attempt to smooth away her worry. “You have literal suitcases here.”

“Rude!”

Softening his hold on her, he pulled her into his arms. “Maybe so, but I love you, honey. I won’t watch you do this shit to yourself anymore.”

Kendra

She held herself still and tried to blink back tears. Mark was right about everything. In fact, she couldn’t even be mad at Sierra for telling on her. It was almost a relief in a way too—or maybe she was grasping at his order because it gave her an excuse to take a fucking nap.

“What do you have in mind?” she asked, using his shoulder for balance while she kicked off her shoes and pants. She didn’t bother asking if he’d let her put them back on. He had that look in his eye which told her he wasn’t screwing around.

“Domestic discipline.” When she frowned and opened her mouth to reply, he laid a finger on her lips. “Not domestic as in I expect you to cook and clean though. You’re going to have other chores.”

“I think we’ll both thank you for not including cooking. I’m truly best with a corkscrew.”

“I know.” He smiled and kissed the tip of her nose, then pulled the pins from her hair and loosened the neat chignon. “You’re the only person I know who can burn boiled eggs.”

“Truth.” He turned her to face away from him and massaged her shoulders, nearly making her moan. “So, what are my chores?”

“We’ll talk about those later.” He kissed the sweet spot under her ear, then stood and got something from the closet. “This is what you’ll be wearing for the weekend.”

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