I started trembling.

“Anya, listen to me, mark this, there is no turning back.”

My hand started to slide away from his face but he moved quickly, caught it and held it there.

“You had our chance tonight, babe. And you got to your knees beside me. There’s no turning back. You can’t give me that, all of that, and take it away. You need to get this, baby, and right now I need to know you do.”

It was a test. Tonight wasn’t the usual bossy. It was a test.

And as far as Knight was concerned, I passed.

I stared at the planes and angles of his shadowed face.

“Anya, do you get this?”

I licked my lips.

“Baby –”

“I get it, Knight,” I whispered.

He held my eyes and even through the dark I could feel them burning into me.

Then he dropped his head, forehead to mine before he slid his nose along mine.

“I love you, Anya, you’re the only woman who’s had that from me and you’re the only one who ever will.”

He meant that. Every word. To his soul

He meant it.

This rocked me so deeply I closed my eyes and my body tightened under him and all around him.

Call me crazy, but I liked that.

His lips came to mine and my eyes opened.

“Go. Clean up. I wanna eat you then f**k you again.”

“Okay, Knight,” I whispered and he slid out.

“Hurry,” he ordered gently then rolled off me.

I rolled out of bed.

And as my man told me to do, I hurried.

Chapter Fourteen

Happy Birthday

The elevator doors opened, I took in a deep breath and walked out.

I was tipsy, not drunk.

Lemon drops.

But my legs were trembling. My stomach in knots. That tingle had spread up my spine, the back of my neck and over my scalp and also along my waist, my bottom and down my inner thighs and it wasn’t leaving.

And I knew I was already wet.

This was because I’d been naughty.

And this was because it was one thirty in the morning and thus for the last hour and a half, it had been Knight’s birthday.

He didn’t tell me.

After Kathleen’s facial Wednesday, when we were gabbing, she’d asked in passing, “What are you getting Knight for his birthday on Sunday?”

I didn’t know it was his birthday. And I was so thrown by this I didn’t even remember what I said to her.

I was in a panic.

What did you get the man who had everything or could get it for himself?

I went to the mall twice since then, bought him things and none of it was right. None of it was good enough. None of it would mean anything.

Then it came to me. Something I knew he would like.

It was August, two and half months after Knight claimed me for good because I let him. My spa was opening in a few weeks. My apartment was a full on mini-spa because that was all I did there. My stuff and some of my clothes were there but I didn’t need them since Knight had since totally spoiled me. New silky, lacy, satiny nighties. New jeans. Dresses to wear to Slade when we went. Shoes. Tops. He’d ordered me to, “throw all that shit away, babe, I catch you in any of it, you earn a red ass” meaning my underwear when I came home to bags and bags of seriously sexy undies.

And I had a new car. A two-seater Mercedes. Black. He said it was not flash, just class, but it certainly was flash to me. We had words. I refused to accept. Knight refused to accept my refusal. This went on a while. Then he got sweet and I couldn’t keep refusing. Then he bitched about how hard it was to give me “fuckin’ anything”. Then we had more words because I informed him a car wasn’t exactly “fuckin’ anything” it was, “a f**king car, for f**k’s sake, Knight!” (that was me yelling).

At this, he burst out laughing which made me angrier. Then he shut me up and swept away my temper by kissing me, though that only worked because that led him to doing other things to me.

So now I had a sweet crib, a sweet ride, sweet kit and a sweet day job.

And a sweet life.

And Knight.

Knight just had me.

And I didn’t know how to give him more.

Except this way.

So I’d planned. I texted him when he was already at work and told him Sandrine had called and we were going out. The truth was, I was out for drinks only with both Sandrine and Vivica. No dancing. No men. Just the girls in a back, corner booth, lemon drops (me), martinis (Viv) and cosmos (Sandrine). We’d cabbed it so we were safe.

Knight called four times which I didn’t pick up, and left two texts.

So I didn’t bite off more than I could chew, I texted him back twice too, telling him I couldn’t hear the phone ring over the music but assuring him we were fine and I’d get a taxi.

Then he sent one last text.

Ass. Home. Now.

That was thirty minutes ago. I was pushing it, I knew.

But I was being bad.

And I was hoping that I’d succeeded in not biting off more than I could chew.

I pulled my key from my purse at the door, inserted it in Knight’s lock, turned it and sucked in another calming breath, wishing I’d had one last lemon drop for courage before I pushed it in.

It barely clicked behind me before Knight, wearing dark gray suit pants, shoes and a tailored slim-fit shirt the color of the deepest, darkest raspberry, prowled out of his study.

I stopped dead when the vibrating heat hit me.

“You went out with Sandrine?” he whispered and it was sinister.

I commenced, or I should say continued the game.

I flipped my hand in front of me, starting to take a step and saying airily, “We were fine, honey.”

“Stop… right… there.”

I stopped and focused more on him.

“You went out with Sandrine?” he repeated in his scary whisper.

“Honey, seriously, we were –”

He cut me off. “Without a man on you.”

“Like I said, we were –”

Another interruption as he crossed his arms on his chest. “Did you get my messages?”

“I couldn’t hear them over the music,” I said softly then offered, “I got your texts.”

“So you know I wanted your ass home three hours ago.”

“Knight, we were –”

“Dress off, panties off, leave the shoes,” he growled and my belly dropped.

“What?” I whispered.

“Right there, take your f**kin’ dress off, your panties off and leave your shoes on. Then walk your ass into my study and position on my desk, ass to the door.”