The man was an unreasonable asshole.
“It’s not up for discussion.” Rafe leaned against my kitchen counter cradling a cup of coffee in his hand. Fully dressed in his jeans and kutte, his hair clean from his shower earlier, he stared at me as though I would just roll over because he said to.
“I have a job. A job that I’d like to keep…no, need to keep.” I brought a sippy cup of milk to Madison who was playing with her dolls near the front window.
“Call in sick. People take sick days all the time.” He took another sip of his coffee. “You aren’t going into work today.”
“What did that damn text say?” I crossed my arms over my chest. I was already dressed for the day, scrubs on, hair braided, shoes tied. Everything had been fine until his damn phone started vibrating on the table, nearly buzzing right onto the floor.
“It was information I needed. And now that I have it, I need you and Maddie to stay home today. Keep the door locked, don’t open it for anyone other than me.” His voice was dangerously low, but I could see the tick in his jaw. Whatever the news that came through the phone, it wasn’t a wish for a good day. “JC will stop by a few times this morning; he won’t hang out but he’ll drive by. He won’t come to the door, so if someone does, don’t open it. Got me?”
“No, Rafe, I don’t get you. I have to go to work, I can’t play these games. There’s no reason for anyone to be coming after me and Maddie.”
“I know, because you’ll be staying home where it’s safe.” He dumped his coffee in the sink and shoved his phone into his back pocket.
“Why wouldn’t I be safe at work? There’s security there.”
He laughed. “Yeah. Okay. You stay home. Got it?” I wanted to scream at him. “Don’t go getting Maddie all worried because you want to have a hissy fit. Just do what I’m telling you to do. I’ll be back later and we’ll figure something else out, okay?”
He slid his hand up my neck, behind me until he was gripping my hair at the base of my head, pulling me to him. His lips pressed down on mine as he ground his pelvis into me. His entire body pressed against me, making me soften under his touch.
Once he broke the kiss and stared down into my eyes, I couldn’t help but watch his lips as he ran his tongue over them. “Damn, woman, you taste even better pissed off.”
Regaining my senses, I pushed back from him and tried to give him a good glower. There was no way I could stay home. I didn’t call in sick even when I was sick for two reasons: I needed to save what sick days I had for when Maddie needed me home because she was sick, and because any unused time was paid out at the end of the year.
“I’m going to work today. You got it?” I snarled at him with my hands on my hips. His lips curled into a slow smile, and he nodded.
“Oh, I get it all right.” He stepped closer to me, pinning me against the counter by placing his hands on the countertop on either side of me. Leaning in as close as he could, he whispered in my ear, “I get that you don’t remember that little spanking I gave you yesterday and are looking for a reminder. Which I’m happy to give you, except Maddie is over there playing. So we’ll have to go to your bedroom for it, and, baby, that little spanking I gave you was nothing. There are lots of ways to remind you who’s in charge around here.”
I would have been completely pissed off at his threat if my panties didn’t fucking dampen just by his description. There was no mistaking that he would actually do what he promised, and I was pretty sure the reality would not be as sexy as the fantasy. The hand spanking had turned my insides hot, but I had a feeling his belt would only be lighting a fire on my ass and nowhere else. And if I was wrong, I wasn’t ready to know that either.
“I don’t want to lose my job.” I decided to whisper my fear and keep my attitude in check. The little tick was back in his jaw and I knew him well enough by then to know it meant trouble if I pushed.
“You won’t. And if that prick of a doctor gives you fucking trouble, I’ll deal with it.” He reached his hand into my back scrub pocket and pulled out my phone. “Call in sick. Now.” He pushed off the counter and handed me my phone.
While I made the call, he watched me with raised eyebrows and his arms folded across his chest, showing off the muscles there. As though I needed any reminder as to his build. I felt every inch of his body pressed against me as we slept.
“Mommy’s not going to work?” Maddie bounced into the kitchen, her pony tail bobbing behind her as she made her way over to us.
I finished leaving my message on the employee call-in line and squatted down to her level. “Yep, you and me are going to spend the day together. Right here at home.”
“But I was gonna finger paint today!” she whined. Maddie spent more time at daycare than she did home with me, did it really surprise me that she’d miss her friends if she didn’t go?
“You can finger paint here with your mama,” Rafe announced from behind me.
Maddie looked up at him and gave him a pout. “It’s not the same.”
“It will be fun,” he said with a pointed look down at her. “You’ll stay inside with your mama coloring and playing. And you won’t give her any trouble. Got me, little girl?” His voice hadn’t hardened during his dictate but she must have seen how serious he was being.
“I don’t want to stay home today.” My little girl was braver than I would have given her credit for as she gave his attitude right back at him. Her eyes narrowed on him, as though daring him to argue more with her. He obviously had never taken on a five-year-old before.
“You can see your friends tomorrow, baby girl. I promise.” I scooped her up in my arms and planted a big kiss on her cheek. Of course she wiped it off, she was mad at me.
“Put me down, Mama.” She shoved away from me and I put her back on her feet. “I don’t wanna finger paint.” She turned and walked away from us, leaving her dolls on the floor as she went to her room and slammed the door.
“Thanks,” I muttered to Rafe, and tossed my phone back on the counter.
“She can’t always get what she wants.” Rafe shrugged.
I looked at him with my mouth open. “Why not? You seem to think you can,” I shot at him. The tight lipped smile that curled over his lips didn’t give me a warm feeling.
“She’s a little girl.”
“What about me then? I’m an adult.” I thrust my chin out at him. Screw him and his demanding things; he wasn’t my owner. He wasn’t anything to me. Why the hell did I call in sick, I shouldn’t have listened to him.
“You may not be a little girl, but you are my girl. And if my girl doesn’t knock off some of her attitude, she’ll find herself bent over again.”
I wanted to lash out at him, to scream for him to get the hell out of my house, but damned if he didn’t step up to me and wrap his arms around me.
“I’m not your girl,” I mumbled into his chest, the patches on his kutte pressing into my cheek.
His chest rumbled when he laughed. “You keep saying that, but you have no idea how wrong you are. You became mine at that bar. I know it’s hard to start taking orders when you’ve been on your own for so long, but I’m protecting you. You can’t go outside today.” His voice no longer held the threat in it. “I’ll be back after lunch and we’ll figure all this out. But I need you to listen to me. I’m not fucking around. You and Maddie need to stay inside.”
“Are you looking for the guy who killed your friend?” I pulled back to look in his face. His features hardened at the mention of his dead president. “You are.” I sighed. “You say you want me to hide away to keep me safe while you charge into danger like some lunatic?”
“I’ll take care of my business and you take care of yours.” His hands dropped from around me and he took my hand, dragging me to the front window. Pulling the curtain aside he pointed to the guy sitting on a motorcycle across the street. “That’s JC. He’ll be around, he may just be sitting there or he’ll drive around, but you are not to leave this house. If he tells me you stepped one toe out of that door, I promise you, you won’t be sitting anytime soon.”
I yanked my hand away from him and marched to the door, unbolting it and flinging it open. A flood of morning sunlight poured into the living room. “Stop threatening to beat me.”
He shook his head and walked over to the door. “I don’t beat my women. But I will be disappointed if you don’t stay inside where I said.” The muscles in his jaw relaxed and he gave me an almost pleading look. “Promise me you’ll do what I say and stay safe.”
The concern settling in his dark eyes, and creased brow broke through my irritation. “Okay.” I relented. “We’ll stay inside. But when you get back, we need to figure something else out. I can’t keep taking days off.”
His lips covered mine in a slow, warm kiss that spread more heat throughout my body until my arms wrapped around him and I held him close. My lips parted for him as though they were completely under his command. His hand brushed across my breast, teasing my nipple to a hardened peak before he pulled away.
“Good girls get rewards, just remember that.” He gave me one quick peck and pushed the screen door open, stepping out into the sunlight. I watched him from the window as he hopped onto his bike. Someone must have dropped it off for him last night, but I hadn’t heard anything. Then again he had worn me out pretty good before I finally fell into an exhausted sleep.