“I said one, but I’m up for more.”

I shift in my seat. “For twenty thousand dollars, I probably owe you more than just one night.”

He grins. “You said it, not me. I won’t argue with you on that.”

I sigh.

He shakes his head. “Why is this so fucking hard for you?”

“Because I don’t get invited to Thailand. Ever. And the most I’ve ever paid for a plane ticket is three hundred dollars for round-trip economy with change fees and no refunds.”

“You said you would make Phuket work.”

I cross my arms and avoid his gaze. “That was said under duress and in the heat of the moment.”

“So you’ll say anything during sex?”

My blush deepens. No. That doesn’t happen. Only with you.

“I guess we could do a combination of the BDSM club and a payment plan,” I murmur.

He pulls the car into a parking spot and turns off the engine. Unbuckling, he turns and grasps my jaw, forcing me to look at him. “You’re going to Thailand. My way. And you’re going to enjoy it. No more of this payment shit or I’ll spank you right here in the car.”

He’s serious. I shouldn’t let him get away with making threats like that. And yet…it sounds kind of sexy when he says it. Already I feel a warm tingles in my body.

I am in so much trouble.

Chapter 15

DARREN

Past

I can’t believe Bridget. Aside from my mother, I’ve never had to work so hard to convince a woman of anything. It’s crazy that I’m even involved with a woman like this, crazy that I want to fuck her brains out this much.

At first, she doesn’t respond to what I’ve just said, like her breath is caught in her throat. Her skin feels soft beneath my fingers, and I hold off on kissing her because I’m curious to hear what she has to say to the spanking.

It seems desire sparkles in her eyes, and when she speaks, her breath is ragged.

“You’re threatening me,” she states. “You ever heard of the phrase ‘you catch more flies with honey?’”

I envision her lying naked upon a table, honey dripping off her body.

“We can do that, too,” I murmur as I pass my thumb across her bottom lip.

“I just—I don’t want you to get the wrong impression about me,” she tries.

“What’s the ‘wrong impression?’”

“That I’m some gold-digger who can be bought by fancy trips to Thailand.”

I stare into her eyes intently. “You’re the opposite of a gold-digger—and that’s not any better.”

She’s taken aback. “How’s that?”

“You going to Thailand with me should be an easy, done deal. Think of it as a gift of a lifetime. Like you won the lotto or something. Accept it and appreciate it.”

“I do appreciate it.”

“Do you? Then why are you making it such a big deal?”

She looks hurt. Her lashes flutter. “I…”

“The money doesn’t mean shit to me, okay? Frankly, I don’t care if you are a gold-digger. I just want to be able to fuck you when I want, how I want, as hard as I want.”