by Paige Tyler
Ed’s hand tightened on the gun. “I used to be rich, past tense. When you walked away from the company, so did our investors. I tried hiring other programmers, but no one can write code like you can, much less come up with a creative idea. The money I made didn’t last long after that.”
“You could have tried writing a program yourself,” Steve suggested. Baiting him probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but he had to buy some time. “Oh, wait. You can’t, can you?”
“Smug son of a bitch.” Ed’s eyes narrowed. “You know I never was any good at that.”
“That’s right.” Steve smirked. “The only thing you were good at was taking credit for my work.”
Colleen grabbed his arm. “Are you trying to piss him off?” she whispered nervously.
Steve gave her a quick look. “When I tell you to—run,” he said softly.
* * * * *
What?
Colleen blinked. Was he serious? There was no way she was going to leave him. Especially if he did what she thought he might do—something incredibly heroic but unbelievably stupid.
“You don’t honestly think you’ll be able to pass the game off as yours, do you?” Steve asked Fulton. “I’m already in talks with Innovative Games, and I pitched to several other companies before deciding to sell to them. Anyone you try to sell it to will know it’s my code.”
Fulton ground his jaw as he considered that. “I’ll go overseas then.”
Steve snorted. “Good luck with that. The cops already know you were the one who broke in here and took my hard drives. Colleen called them as soon as she left your place.”
No, she hadn’t. But Fulton didn’t know that. And it was freaking him out. She could see it in his eyes.
“They’re already on their way, Ed,” Steve added.
“Guess that means I better shoot the both of you and get out of here.”
Fulton leveled the gun at Steve and cocked it at the same time that Steve lunged for the weapon.
Colleen screamed.
“Run!” Steve shouted.
Like hell she would.
Fear gripped her as she watched Steve struggle with Fulton for the gun. They were twisting and turning so fast there was no way she could help. She tightened her hold on the gym bag, making her knuckles go white.
That was it!
Repositioning the bag so she was holding it on either end, she rushed forward.
“Dammit, Colleen, I told you to get out of here!” Steve yelled as he caught sight of her.
Colleen ignored him. Knowing she was probably only going to get one chance at this, she lifted the bag and brought it down on Fulton’s head. There was a solid thud as the hard drives connected with his skull. Unfortunately, it wasn’t heavy enough to knock him out. On the up side, it distracted him so Steve could wrench the gun out of his hand. The weapon flew across the entryway, skidding across the tiled floor as Steve landed a solid punch to Fulton’s jaw.
Fulton staggered back, but didn’t fall. Colleen got ready with the bag of hard drives just in case she had to use it again. Steve took care of him, though, delivering blow after blow until the bastard was out cold.
Steve slowly back away, his eyes locked on the man as if he were afraid Fulton would get up and come after them again. Still watching, he picked up the gun and trained it on his former business partner.
“Colleen, are you okay to call the police?” he asked.
She nodded and told him yes, then ran into the kitchen for the cordless phone. When she hurried back after making the call, Fulton was still unconscious. Steve was still standing over him.
“The cops are on their way.” She reached up to brush his hair back from his forehead. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” He glowered at her. “I told you to get out of here. Ed could have killed you.”
“But he didn’t. He could have killed you, too.
Steve scowled at her, then reached out with his free arm and wrapped it around her, pulling her against him. “You scared the hell out of me.”
Colleen held onto him tightly, her face pressed into his chest. “You scared me, too.”
Steve tipped her chin up, forcing her to look at him. “I know you were trying to help, but going after a guy with a gun wasn’t smart.”
She gave him a contrite look. “I know. I won’t do it again.”
“Damn right you won’t,” he growled. “And I’m going to make sure of that by giving you a spanking you won’t forget.”
Colleen opened her mouth to point out that it wasn’t very likely some lunatic would steal his hard drives and hold them at gunpoint again, but closed it at the stern look he gave her. Something told her she wasn’t going to be able to talk her way out of this one.
Chapter Six
Steve had made good on his promise to spank her. After the police left, he gave her a hard, possessive kiss and a heartfelt apology for accusing her of stealing the game, then marched her up to the bedroom and tanned her ass. Colleen had tried to talk her way out of it, but that had only made him send her into the bathroom with orders to come back with the hairbrush. She’d been shocked, but he hadn’t been joking. By the time he was done, her bottom had felt like it was on fire.
That had been almost two months ago. Since then, Fulton had plead guilty to grand theft and assault to avoid the attempted murder charges, which meant he’d be in prison for quite a few years. On the down side, the cops had been a little suspicious about how Colleen had gotten the hard drives back. They didn’t quite believe her story that Fulton had left his door unlocked, or that the hard drives had been sitting out in plain sight. Luckily, the cops had the person they were after, so they didn’t dig any deeper, otherwise she might have been in jail alongside Fulton.
She’d also quit her job at the cleaning company to work with Steve full time. Not only was she doing something she loved, but she was doing it alongside the man she loved, which made it even better.
Since she spent almost all of her time at his house anyway, it didn’t take much work on Steve’s part to talk her into moving in with him. They’d been cuddling in bed after making love one evening when he’d casually suggested it. Moving in together had meant they’d both had to make some concessions, of course. Colleen agreed not to throw all of her stuff willy-nilly all over the place when she came in, and Steve agreed to have the maid only come in once a week to clean the house.
Now if she could just get him to agree to let her bring her nonfat lattes into the computer room.
She’d worry about that later. Tonight was all about celebrating the sale of the computer game, and Colleen had something extra special planned.
Smiling, she stood back and surveyed her handiwork. Not only was the sink piled high with soapy water and pots and pans, but she’d left the breakfast dishes from that morning on the counter, along with the mixing bowl and wooden spoon she’d used for making brownies. And, just because she’d felt extra naughty, she’d left a light dusting of flour and some batter on the countertop. There was even a wet dishtowel draped over the faucet.
The mess, combined with the outfit she was wearing, was guaranteed to get her a spanking for sure.
The sound of the garage door opening made her pulse skip a beat. Colleen quickly picked up the feather duster from the center island, nervously twirling it between her fingers as she waited for Steve to come in from the garage. The door into the kitchen opened, then closed. She chewed on her lower lip as she tried to imagine her fastidious boyfriend’s reaction when he saw what she’d done to the kitchen.
“Wow, something smells good…”
Her boyfriend’s words trailed off when he saw her. From where she was bent over the kitchen table pretending to be dusting, Colleen couldn’t help but smile. That was exactly the reaction she’d been hoping for.
Holding her position for a moment, Colleen let him admire her long legs and panty-clad ass. If she’d been wearing her usual shorts and T-shirt, he probably would have been just as mesmerized
, but she was wearing a French maid costume. Consisting of a black bustier and short, ruffled skirt edged in lace paired with black stockings, garters and some seriously high heels, it was one of the sexiest things she’d ever worn.
Wetting her lips, she spun around to look wide-eyed at him. “Sir! I was so busy with my cleaning I did not hear you come in,” she said in her best French accent. Which wasn’t very good, she had to admit.
Steve’s mouth quirked, and for a moment, she thought he was going to burst out laughing. But then he folded his arms across his broad chest and gave her a look of mock sternness.
“Cleaning, huh? It doesn’t look like you’ve been doing anything but making a mess. I’m very displeased with you, mademoiselle.”
She meekly lowered her gaze. “I am very sorry, sir. I will clean up immediately.”
Colleen put down the feather duster and hurried past him, deliberately adding an extra wiggle to her walk. Giving him a coy smile over her shoulder, she began cleaning the flour off the counter. She didn’t do a very good job of it, so most of it ended up on the floor.
It didn’t take Steve long to put a stop to it. Colleen had barely started when she felt his hand close over her wrist. She turned to look at him and her breath hitched at the scowl on his handsome face.
“This is completely unacceptable, mademoiselle,” he said, his sexy voice taking on that authoritative tone that always made her melt. “Haven’t you ever cleaned a house before?”
She bit her lip. “Once, sir. But I am afraid the master of the house was not at all pleased with my work.”
Steve lifted a brow. “And why was that?”
“Because I vacuumed the rug while he was trying to work so he couldn’t concentrate.” She had to fight not to giggle. “He was quite displeased with me.”
“And how exactly did he show his displeasure, may I ask?”
Colleen looked away. “I’m embarrassed to say that he sp-spanked me.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his brow go even higher. “He spanked you?”
She nodded, her lips forming into a pout as she looked up at him. “He spanked me hard too, the brute.”
His mouth quirked. “If you ask me, he had the right idea.”
Colleen’s eyes went wide, but before she could say anything, Steve tightened his hold on her wrist and was leading her over to the table.
“Wh-what are you doing, sir?”
He turned to face her, an unmistakable glint in his blue eyes. “I’m going to spank you, for making such a mess.”
Colleen still didn’t know how it was possible to get turned on by the mere mention of getting a spanking, but hearing Steve say the words had a decidedly arousing effect on her, and she felt her pussy purr as he bent her over the kitchen table. It helped that her skirt was so short it exposed her tiny string bikini panties right from the start. Something Steve obviously noticed if his sharp intake of breath was any indication.
Abruptly remembering she was supposed to be outraged but what he was doing, Colleen craned her neck to look at him over her shoulder. “Sir, please! You can’t spank me.”
He placed his hand on her back when she tried to get up. “Oh, but I can. Even you have to admit you deserve one.”
She tried to think what a French maid would say in response, but the only thing that came out was a startled little yelp when Steve’s hand smacked against her panty covered ass.
“Owwww!” she cried, trying extremely hard to keep her protest in a French accent.
He ignored her, bringing his hand down on her other cheek, harder this time.
“Sir, that hurts!”
“Spankings are supposed to hurt, mademoiselle,” he said, staying in character. “If they didn’t, they wouldn’t correct your behavior. And you’ve been extremely naughty, my pretty, little maid, which means you going to be getting a very sound spanking.”
Colleen thought about protesting some more, but didn’t. Steve had completely fallen into his role, and she didn’t have to do anything else to get him to tan her bottom. So, with a sexy little wiggle, she lifted her ass higher in the air and waited for him to give it to her good.
Steve took his time, slowly smacking one cheek, then the other until her derriere felt warm all over. Her skimpy panties barely covered her ass as it was, so they offered little protection. That didn’t stop Colleen from protesting when her boyfriend abruptly yanked them down anyway.
No matter how many times Steve spanked her, she still blushed whenever he bared her ass cheeks. Face red, she let out a loud half-yelp, half-moan as his hand connected with her naked bottom.
The smacks came faster now, and harder too, and Colleen quickly found herself dancing from foot to foot. It didn’t help that Steve seemed to enjoy concentrating on her tender sit-spots. Ouch, that hurt!
But as much as the spanking stung, Colleen loved every minute of it. Whereas her pussy usually tingled from a spanking, now it ached with need. Maybe it was the fact that she’d set this whole spanking up herself. Or that they were acting out such a wild fantasy. Regardless, she’d never been more turned on. Was it possible to actually come from getting spanked?
She didn’t find out because Steve chose that moment to stop what he was doing and pull her upright. Gasping, Colleen reached around to rub her red-hot ass. She almost complained that he’d stopped too soon, but forced herself back into character and gave him a pout instead.
“That was a very hard spanking, sir.”
His mouth quirked. “And I’m just getting started.”
Colleen had to force herself not to grin. “But sir, you have already spanked me so hard,” she protested, laying the French accent on very thickly. “My poor derriere is on fire.”
“Good.” Steve’s mouth quirked. “You didn’t think you could get off that easy after you made such a mess, did you, mademoiselle?”
Colleen’s pulse raced as he took her arm and led her over to the counter. Damn, Steve was really great at this role-playing thing. She’d had a week to plan this while he had to improvise. She couldn’t wait to see what he was going to do next. If the wetness she felt between her legs was any indication, her pussy was just as eager.
Her eyes went wide as Steve grabbed one of the big wooden spoons out of the drawer. The only implement he’d used on her so far was the hairbrush, and that had stung like crazy. The spoon looked even more wicked. She bit her lip, torn, half of her eager to see what it would feel like, the other half of her not sure if she wanted to. Maybe they should talk about this whole spoon thing. But Steve was already bending her over the counter. She automatically put her hands out to grab hold of the granite. If she was going to protest, now was the time. But she didn’t say a word. In fact, a delicious shiver of anticipation ran through her as Steve gently rested the wooden spoon against her naked ass and held it there.
“Why are you getting this spanking, mademoiselle?”
Colleen never would have thought strict could sound so dam be sexy, but when Steve spoke to her in that authoritative tone, her knees went weak.
“Because I did not clean your house to your satisfaction, sir.”
“And what happens to naughty maids that don’t clean my house properly?” he prompted.
Oh, God. He wanted her to actually come out and say it? Her face colored.
“I’m waiting, mademoiselle,” he said, his voice bordering on impatient.
She wet her lips. Who knew role-playing could be this much of a turn-on? “They get spanked, sir.”
“Yes, they do,” he agreed.
Steve drew back the wooden spoon, and Colleen held her breath as she waited for it to come down on her poor, defenseless ass.
Smack!
“Owwww!” she cried, not even bothering with her silly French accent this time. The smacks stung way too much for that. “Owwww! Owwww! Owwww! Owwww!”
Steve ignored her protests and her squirming, merely wrapping a strong arm around her waist and holding her more tightly in place as he brought
the wooden spoon down over and over on her ass cheeks. Colleen couldn’t decide if she loved or hated the horrible implement. Next time she dressed up as a sexy French maid, she was hiding every one of the damn things.
By the time Steve tossed the spoon on the counter, her derriere was blazing. Colleen gasped as he cupped her throbbing ass cheeks with both hands.
“Your ass is so red,” he said huskily.
Colleen could only moan as he gave each cheek a firm squeeze. God, that felt good. She opened her mouth to tell him not to stop, but Steve had already dropped his hands and moved around behind her. Her pussy spasmed as she realized he was going to take her from behind, and she waited impatiently for him to unbutton his jeans and push them down.
But Steve didn’t unbutton his jeans and push them down. Instead, he dropped to one knee and gently kissed her freshly spanked ass cheeks. The feel of his mouth on her tender skin was almost enough to make her melt right there on the spot, and she gripped the counter tightly to keep her knees from buckling.
“That feels incredible,” she breathed, her accent gone now.
Steve mustn’t have noticed that she’d slipped out of character—or if he did, he didn’t care— because he hooked his fingers in her panties and pushed them the rest of the way down until they were a silken puddle on the tile floor. As he got to his feet, he ran his hand up the inside of her thigh, his fingers brushing the bare skin above the top of the stocking. Then, with an almost agonizing slowness, he slid his finger into her wet pussy.
Colleen moaned, her breathing quickening in time with his finger as he made a come-hither motion. When he slid out a moment later, she thought she might collapse. She looked at him over her shoulder, about to protest, but stopped when she saw him hurriedly unbuttoning his jeans. She licked her lips as she watched him roll on a condom. Who knew such a simple act could be so sexy?
