Betting on Fate by Katee Robert Read Free Book Online

think so. Not when his voice had dropped and roughened when he talked to her, and he’d shown those little glimpses of heat. No, he was affected, whether he wanted to be or not.
    It struck her that maybe he wanted to hustle her out of there because he had a secondary sub set up. The night was young and he was no doubt still wanting to scratch his itch. He certainly hadn’t gotten off with her. Hurt rose, and dampened the strange fog around her. There was nothing in their contract about being exclusive, so of course he’d be seeking pleasure elsewhere tonight.
    She shrugged into her coat, her muscles protesting the movement. All she wanted was to curl up and sleep—to do something to maintain the feel-good sensation currently leaving her body. She paused at the doorway, waiting for… She wasn’t sure. For him to tell her to stay ? For him to rush over and take her against the wall? Penelope shivered at the thought, then forced her spine straight. She’d promised herself that she wouldn’t beg Will for a damn thing, and she wasn’t about to break. Not now, not ever.
    So she opened the door, part of her still expecting him to call her back, and walked out. Nothing. She caught a few curious looks from people as she made her way around the perimeter of the room and to the elevator. The doors closed without interruption, and only then did she allow herself to sag against the wall. “This is so incredibly bad.”
    She’d been doing fine until he bent her over that bench and spanked her with the paddle. She’d heard rumors of the man’s skill with his various toys, but going through the full Technicolor experience…there were no words. By the second strike, she had been fighting not to arch into the strokes, had been relishing the stinging, had never wanted it to end. She’d forgotten everything but the expectation of his next strike, his next touch.
    What had she been thinking, betting away a week of her life to that man?
    She took a deep breath and exited the elevator, winding through the crowd to the front door, her head held high. It didn’t matter that most of these people were strangers and she had nothing to prove to them. She had something to prove to herself. Penelope didn’t make a habit of self-deception, but it was still aggravating to admit that she wouldn’t last another six days without sacrificing things that she couldn’t afford to lose.
    It was too late to back out. Even if Will would allow it, her pride wouldn’t let her give that much ground.
    Which meant she needed something else to occupy her time and keep her focused. If she had business concerns to deal with, it would be easier to regulate her nights. Or that was the theory.
    She was so busy planning, she nearly ran into the man standing in front of her before she realized he wasn’t going to move. Penelope looked up to see Nolan, the general manager of Serve. He nodded as if he’d been waiting for her. “Will wants to make sure you get into a cab all right.”
    She blinked. “I’ve been catching cabs all my life, sugar.”
    “All the same.”
    Another way he was exerting control over her. She bit back a sharp reply, because it wasn’t Nolan’s fault she was cranky. She’d go along with this—for now. But next time he saw her, she’d figure out a way to get the upper hand. “Thank you.”
    “My pleasure.” He opened the cab door and waited for her to slide in before he shut it firmly.
    She sat back, her thoughts swirling as the cab lurched into motion. Will said he had big plans for her tomorrow, but he hadn’t given any indication as to when she could expect to hear from him. Penelope huffed out a breath. No doubt he’d call at the most inconvenient time and expect her to jump at the snap of his fingers.
    Her stomach flipped at the thought.
    God, no . She wasn’t going to give him any more control by obsessing about what tomorrow would bring, or by sitting on her phone, waiting for his call. That was exactly what he wanted.