Page 62 of Ruthless King (Mount Trilogy 1)
“Breakfast delivery for Ms. Kilgore. The receptionist said I should bring it here.”
I open my mouth to say that I didn’t order any breakfast, but that would raise questions from Temperance I’m not prepared to answer. “Thank you. Here is fine.”
The delivery guy steps inside, and I open my desk drawer to grab some cash for a tip, but he waves it away.
“We’re all set. Enjoy.”
Temperance turns to watch him walk away. “He was cute. What restaurant is that from? I might need to order some takeout.”
“Uh . . .” I stare down at the plain brown bag devoid of any logo. “You know, that new place I’ve been wanting to try.” I snap my fingers like the name is escaping me, frustrated that there’s no receipt stapled to the bag with a name. “I swear it’ll come to me as soon as you walk out the door.”
Temperance eyes me with a strange expression on her face. “Okay. Keep the cute delivery guy to yourself if you want.”
“It’s not that—”
She holds up both hands. “Hey, if you call dibs, I’m not one to judge.”
“No dibs. All yours. I swear. I’m just flustered from the meeting and all the stress leading up to it. And now I have to figure out how to get out of having dinner with Lloyd Bunt.”
Her expression swiftly changes to disgust. “He asked you out? During a business meeting? That’s just plain unprofessional. Plus, he’s . . . ugh.” She shudders to drive her opinion home, and I can’t disagree with her. Lloyd is the last man I want to have dinner with.
Shouldn’t Mount be the last man you want to have dinner with? My logical brain taunts me with the question.
I tell it to shut the hell up as I tear open the brown bag. “I’m going to eat this while it’s hot.”
Temperance slips out the door. “I’ll leave you to it then.”
As soon as I sit back down in my chair, the plug shifts in my ass and my nipples pucker against my dress. I try to ignore the sensation, but it’s impossible. I’ve spent the entire morning trying to forget how my day started, and my thong is a lost cause. I remember what Mount said about creaming on his pants, and a shaft of embarrassment stabs into me. I wonder if he changed them, or if—
Stop thinking about him.
That’s almost as impossible as forgetting I have a butt plug in my ass.
When I reach inside the bag to discover what I’m having for breakfast, I find a note in familiar handwriting.
* * *
Eat. Don’t leave the building until you’re collected.
* * *
“That motherfucker,” I whisper to myself.
He can’t punish me if he can’t hear me call him names.
Keira
“Girl, are you crazy? You know we can’t have lunch in your restaurant together. Things don’t work that way,” Magnolia argues.
“Stop it. You’re one of my oldest friends—”
“And I’m infamous, which I earned all by myself, thank you very much.”
I think about the note that told me not to leave, and weigh it against the fact that I need more information if I’m going to win my battle to keep my soul intact during this bargain with Mount. I’ve already come to terms with the fact that I’ve lost control of my body.
“But I would really love to catch up,” I say, and Magnolia picks up on my meaning.
“Yeah, I know. I miss being as close as we used to be. Remember how much fun we had that time we celebrated my GED? We need to do that again real soon. After . . . all this. Then we can catch up like old times. Still miss those days. When three o’clock meant getting out of school instead of waking up to start working.”
