Page 49 of Filthy Little Lies

“Ah, okay. We can talk about honesty later. I’m enjoying myself, and I don’t want to stop just to punish you.”

I roll my eyes. “Always with the punishments. You can’t just keep punishing me.”

“Of course I can.” He leans closer. “And I will. You like it.”

“I do not.”

“Another lie.” He laughs. “If you really want to have your ass blistered this high up over the city, keep going.”

“You are impossible. I’m trying to ask you something.”

He tilts his head, like a cute, confused puppy. “Are you? Then out with it already.”

“You said I have to work for you until you recoup the money you spent to make Ricci go away. But you never told me the exact amount or how my debt reduction is determined.”

“However I determine it,” he says easily.

“No. I mean, for example, the documents I did today. I would normally charge two thousand a document.”

“Two thousand? You’re underselling yourself. You should charge five.”

“It’s not that hard when you have the right typesetting and know what you’re doing.”

“It’s not just the product it’s you, you’re charging for. Five thousand a document. And whatever you’re charging for the IDs, double that. I’m sure you’re underselling yourself there.”

“Okay, we’re getting off track again. Back to how my debt is getting settled.”

“I already told you, when I say it’s done, then it will be done.”

I cross my legs and arms, clenching my teeth as we move again. My frustration with him pushes away the fear of rolling off into the lake and finding a watery grave.

“That sounds a lot more like slavery than a job.” I sigh. None of this is going how I wanted. I’d been planning to bring up the topic on the way home tonight, after his meeting and after he’d had a drink or two.

But I didn’t know we were going to be spending the night high over the city in a death gondola.

“If that’s how you want to look at it, that’s up to you.” He shifts, taking his coat from his knee and laying on the floor between us. “Come here and kneel.”

Flickering my gaze between the coat and him, I decide I won’t give in so easily. Whatever he’s thinking to do, he can just forget it. I want a serious conversation and all he wants to do is distract me.

“Savvy, when your master tells you to kneel, you kneel.” He gently rests his hand on my knee.

“You’re not funny.”

“I’m not trying to be. I told you to do something, I expect you to obey.” He gives a pointed look to his coat. “Kneel.”

“We’re on a Ferris wheel.”

He arches a brow but says nothing.

“The carriage is going to move.”

He nods. “It’s going to move a lot, but I promise you won’t care. Now, are you going to be a good girl and obey, or should I pull you over my knee, bare your ass, and spank you until this ride is over? Everyone will hear you begging me to stop. They’ll hear every time my palm smacks into your ass. They’ll know you’ve been punished.”

Dear. Lord. I press my hands to my cheeks to be certain they haven’t melted off my face. Deciding it’s better to not have a public ass tanning, I slide from the bench, moving cautiously to keep the carriage from swaying too much.

He spreads his knees, making room for me between his legs as he reaches out to cup my chin.

“See, obeying isn’t hard.”