Page 34 of I’d Be Honored

Maddie swallowed hard but shook her head, her eyes wide and hungry.

“Listen closely, then. Because if you can’t follow the rules, then we can’t do this,” Hayley spoke with pure steel, a blade she had spent over a decade honing. Maddie nodded, and Hayley continued. “You will do exactly what I say. You will not kiss me. You will not touch me. You will not do anything without my permission. Understood?”

“Yes,” Maddie murmured, barely audible.

Hayley took another step closer. “And if you can’t take it, you are going to tell me to stop, very, very clearly. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” Maddie’s reply was a husky whisper, almost unrecognizable. Her chest rose and fell with quick, trembling breaths that strained against her tight tank top.

“Good.”

Hayley watched as Maddie’s eyes flicked around the condo, taking in the stark white walls and ivory furniture. If not for the laptop on the kitchen table, half-buried beneath piles of contracts, an outsider might assume the place was staged.

Hayley cleared her throat, and Maddie’s attention snapped back to her.

Maddie drifted forward and reached for Hayley, then paused with her hands just shy of Hayley’s waist. She looked up at Hayley, a wicked gleam in her eye as she waited obediently.

“Good girl,” Hayley rasped, her voice rough as she closed the gap between them with a final step.

She gathered a fistful of Maddie’s blonde hair and tilted her head back, exposing the smooth, tanned line of her neck. She slid her tongue down Maddie’s skin, watching as her breathing turned shallow.

Hayley could feel her own heart hammering in her chest, flooding her body with fire.

She wanted Maddie. Bad.

Hayley abruptly released her hold and turned toward the hallway—to her bedroom. With one finger lifted over her shoulder, she beckoned for Maddie to follow. She didn’t bother waiting to see whether Maddie would or not. Hayley knew she would.

Hayley held the door open as Maddie walked through, then gently closed it behind them with a soft click. She turned and looked at Maddie, who stood silently waiting for her next instruction.

Hayley stepped closer and, in one swift motion, gripped the hem of Maddie’s tank top between her fingers and slid it up over her head. She tossed the shirt aside. True to form, Maddie was not wearing a bra. Hayley suddenly didn’t mind.

She met Maddie’s darkened turquoise gaze and held it while she reached forward and cupped her breast with one hand, running her thumb along the curved contour.

Maddie closed her eyes and sighed as goosebumps sprang up across her arms.

At a quiet hum of approval from Hayley, Maddie began to unbutton her skirt—the short, tight white skirt that had been tormenting Hayley all evening.

Her eyes followed the fabric’s path down Maddie’s body as she shimmied out of it. The muscles on Maddie’s thighs flexed with each move as they exposed her bare skin, inch by agonizing inch.

Hayley swallowed hard when she realized Maddie hadn’t been wearing any undergarments.

She trailed her fingertips along the length of Maddie’s forearms before wrapping her fingers around Maddie’s wrists like velvet cuffs.

Hayley looked her up and down slowly, appreciating the woman on display before her. Maddie was absolutely stunning.

She walked forward, pressing Maddie backward with her own body until the backs of Maddie’s knees hit the bed.

Caught off balance, Maddie sat down hard on the edge of the mattress. Hayley placed Maddie’s palms flat against the ivory bedspread and held them there for a suspended heartbeat, a wordless demand that Maddie was not to move.

Hayley waited until Maddie offered a slight, submissive dip of her chin, then released Maddie’s hands and straightened. Remaining close, Hayley wedged herself between her legs, Maddie’s face only inches from the soft spot beneath Hayley’s ribs.

Hayley reached for the hem of her own shirt and tugged it over her head. Under Maddie’s rapt gaze, she deliberately trailed her fingers along the waistband of her slacks before reaching for her belt buckle.

The steady pulse in Maddie’s neck leaped as Hayley slid the leather out of its loops. She paused, checking to make sure Maddie’s palms were still firmly against the mattress. Maddie’s jaw clenched with the effort, but her hands stayed pinned in place.

Hayley locked eyes with Maddie, undid the button, and let her slacks slide down past her thighs with a deliberate sway of her hips. Bracing herself against Maddie’s shoulders for balance, she stepped out of the pooled fabric and settled carefully onto the bed, one knee on either side of Maddie’s lap.

Maddie’s eyes raked across Hayley’s skin, taking in her black lace bra and thong. Any trace of blue in her gaze was long gone, replaced by dark, blown pupils.