Punishing for Pleasure by Avery Gale Read Free Book Online Page A

going to skewer them both. How dare they give him the keys to her baby . She loved him like a brother, but her assistant was one of the worst driver’s ever to sit behind a steering wheel and he’d been nagging her to let him drive her car ever since she’d owned it.
    She would have told them she didn’t have any plans if they had simply asked, but Ash’s barked command grated on her last nerve. Sure she was a submissive, but that didn’t mean she was a doormat. Damn Doms anyway . Just to be cantankerous, she dialed her private number at the office and left a message explaining she’d been kidnapped by a couple of crazies and the authorities should review the tapes from the presentation at the hospital if her staff hadn’t heard from her by morning.
    She’d sworn she’d heard them both growl and Dex’s hands were now gripping the steering wheel so tight she worried it might snap. The muscles along the side of his jaw clenched so tight she wondered if it might shatter as well. Ash took the phone from her hand, switched it to vibrate, and then slid it into his pocket. “That little stunt will cost you ten.” When she turned to glare at him he added, “Be very careful, pet. The tally is already higher than you can cover in one session, you might want to measure your words very carefully.” Sure , threaten me with something I love. What a dumbass . I’ m a masochist , you dim-wit. I like pain…probably ought to be thinking up something else if you intend to call it punishment.
    Meri had already had her fill of men today so they weren’t going to get any huge concessions from her. She’d show them carefully measured words. Let’s see how they like no words at all. She simply turned and stared out the windshield tuning out everything happening around her. Thinking back over the past few hours, Meri wondered how her life had managed to spiral out of control so quickly. Her assistant, Tony, was the only man she’d been near who hadn’t been a total jerk, but even he drained her emotionally. Tony was probably the closest thing Meri had to a best friend, but his love life was such a train wreck the drama surrounding him made the Kardashian’s look like they belonged in Mayberry.
    The hospital administrator had been propositioning her for months, but he had certainly decided to step up his game today. He’d slid his bear paw sized hand down over her ass when he’d greeted her with a hug that had lasted entirely too long to be considered professional. And when he’d pressed her against a yawn-inspiring erection she’d felt herself shudder, a reaction Meri was certain he’d misinterpreted. If the two jerks sitting on either side of her wanted someone to play the pissy-card with, they could start with him if you asked her. Then, just before the presentation started, two members of the board of directors had sidled up beside her to ask if she’d like to join them at their “clothing optional” retreat this coming weekend. The thought of seeing either of them without clothes made her want to stab herself in the eyes with a blunt instrument. She’d been unable to suppress the small shake that had gone through her as that mental picture flashed in her mind again.
    And then…the grand finale had been the fiasco with the reporter she’d seen Kelly chatting with. His sneer and expression of barely disguised contempt by the end of the presentation had surprised her. She’d been so lost in trying to figure out why a stranger would dislike her so intensely she’d almost missed his questions. When the words had finally registered, several seconds had passed when all she could do was stare at him with her mouth gaping open in disbelief. She hadn’t even been able to form a coherent thought, let alone a response fit for a public venue.
    She’d been flustered and Merilee Dillon Lanham did not do flustered…well at least she never had before she’d learned two of her childhood acquaintances had opened a kink club