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Excerpt

“Addison, look at me.” When she ignored him, he added a softer, “Please?” Only the barest hint of a command lurked in his voice.

With a sigh, she put down her knife and raised her gaze to his perfect, stupid eyes. Goddamn, they were gorgeous. A deep, riveting blue, the color of lapis lazuli. “How can I help you?” she asked, trying and failing to look anywhere but his eyes.

“I know we got off on the wrong foot.” Mason’s gaze skittered away from hers before he added, “And I know it was my fault.”

He didn’t sound like he thought it was his fault. In fact, he sounded like he just swallowed a bug. And he still had that infuriating superior look on his face. Unable to help herself, Addison narrowed her eyes.

Clearly noticing the change, Mason’s brows shot up again. “Are you always this terrible at accepting apologies?” he said, his voice cold enough to freeze water.

Planting her hands on her hips, she fired back, “Are you always this terrible at making apologies?”

Mason’s nostrils flared—the only outward sign he’d even heard her. He took several long, deep breaths, his eyes boring into hers the entire time. At last, he said, “I was rude and I apologize. You can either accept my apology and we can start over, or you can continue being a hypocritical brat. It’s your call.”

“Excuse me?” Addison said, her spine stiffening. “I am not a hypocrite.”

“You’re mad at me for being rude to you when I didn’t even know you were there. But in retaliation, you’re being rude to me on purpose. How is that not hypocritical?”

Never in her life had she wanted to slap someone across the face before. And yet the desire coursed through her like a raging fire. “You were rude before you even knew anything about me, and you did it behind my back.” She did her best to look down her nose at him, even though he loomed over her by a foot or more. “At least I have a reason, and I’m honest enough to do it to your face.”

He reeled back as if she actually hit him. It took him several seconds to recover, which gave her a surge of pleasure. She had a feeling it was about time someone put him in his place.

But that pleasure melted away when he gave her a cool, icy stare and said, “Be that as it may, I’m still one of the Manor’s partners, which makes me your boss. You don’t have to like me, but you will show me the proper respect.”

“The proper respect?” She forced out a harsh laugh. “Respect is earned, asshole.” And despite the voice of reason in the back of her head—the one screaming at her to stop while she was already behind, before she got fired—she gave him the finger.

Mason sped across the kitchen in four long strides. For one fleeting moment, she thought maybe she should turn tail and run out the kitchen’s back door. It was about twelve degrees outside, but hiding in the snowy garden seemed like a much better idea than waiting around to see what that steely glint in his eye meant.

Something kept her rooted to the spot, though. It wasn’t fear. Even though the reasonable part of her brain informed her she should be afraid, she was anything but.

She held her breath as Mason whirled her around, bending her over the counter. Holding her in place with a hand splayed between her shoulder blades, Mason brought his other hand down across the center of her ass.

Addison’s eyes drifted closed.

“Do. Not. Disrespect. Me. Like. That. Again.” He punctuated each word with another hard spank, spreading them around her bottom and the tops of her thighs. Then he kept right on going, kicking it up another gear in intensity.

Holy fucking hell, he was a hard spanker. The Doms at Luciana’s Lair would never punish her quite as hard as she wanted, no matter how she begged. They hardly even left bruises.

But this . . . she’d have to find a full-length mirror somewhere in the Manor so she could check her ass later. He had to be leaving marks, even through her thin cotton pants.

It took all her self-control to hold in a disappointed groan when he finally stopped. Hell, the spanking could’ve lasted several more minutes and she still would’ve been disappointed. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt this good. It was almost like that perfect state between buzzed and drunk, when she felt like her feet were just about to float right off the ground.

Spinning her back around, Mason gripped her upper arms, leaning down until their noses nearly touched. “This is my fucking house. If you want to remain here, I suggest you at least figure out how to hold your tongue in my presence. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, Sir.” It slipped out before she could stop it. She drew in a sharp breath, as if doing so would somehow suck the word back in. But it was too late for that, and she damn well knew it.

Mason blinked in stunned silence for the space of three ragged breaths.

Then his mouth crashed down over hers with enough force to bend her backward over the counter. Her lips parted for him without putting up even a token fight.

No! Bad! Stop!

That part of her brain had zero control over her body right now. Burying her hands in his ridiculously thick hair, she held on for dear life as he claimed her mouth with commanding strokes of his tongue. No one had ever kissed her like this. Like he’d been searching for something his entire life, and she was his answer.

Like she was his only source of air.

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Other Titles Within this Series

REWARDING SOPHIE

Fairford Affairs - Prequel Novella

FIXING OLIVIA

Fairford Affairs - Book One

UNRAVELLING NELL

Fairford Affairs - Book Two

About the Author

Bay Sinclair is the author of ultra high-heat romance with broken girls, sexy Doms, and lots of heart. She writes contemporary romance —though she was one credit away from a history minor in college, and historical romances hold a special place in her heart. When she isn’t writing, she’s an avid foodie in search of the next great culinary adventure, and she drinks entirely too much green tea.

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