Owning Violet (The Fowler Sisters #1)(38)

I’m not sure. I don’t remember. How sad is that?

So I shoved the bra-and-panty set into the back of my dresser drawer, forgotten. Until I had a minor panic attack last night over what I should wear for Ryder. He wanted something sexy, something that would slay him …

“Take it off.”

I blink him into focus. “What?”

“Your bra.” He waves a hand at me. “Take it off, Violet.”

My fingers shaking, I reach behind me to undo the clip on my bra. I fumble with it, feeling many times the fool as he levels me with that cool, noncommittal stare. He appears completely unfazed by my standing in front of him almost naked. But I can feel his eyes on me. Lingering and hot, almost like a physical caress.

“My panties next?” I ask, letting the bra dangle from my fingertips before I drop it onto the floor.

“Yeah.” His voice is faint and he clears his throat. Another tell that he’s not as unaffected as he appears.

A tiny surge of power runs through me and I take a few steps toward him, so close I can smell his cologne, see the way his lids lower over his eyes as he not-so-discreetly drinks me in. “Do you want to help me?”

He slowly shakes his head. “You seem perfectly capable of undressing yourself.”

How could I forget he likes the anticipation? I hook my fingers into the waistband of my panties and slowly slide the thin fabric past my hips, down my thighs, until they fall to my feet. Carefully I step out of them and stand tall, completely naked save for my favorite black Louboutins.

“Sit on the couch,” he says the moment my gaze meets his again. “Now.”

I turn and go to the small couch that sits in the corner of his office. It’s more the size of a love seat and a deep, velvety blue color, reminding me of a dark twilight sky. I perch on the edge of it, watching as he goes to his desk and plucks the tie I gave him from the box, holding it stretched out between his hands before he approaches.

Nerves flutter in my belly when he stops directly in front of me. I lift my head, my gaze meeting his for a brief moment before I let it drop to the slash of red he holds in both hands. Fear trickles through me, icy cold, and I wonder what he wants to do to me with that tie.

“We only have forty minutes,” he murmurs, twisting either end of the tie around his fingers. Back and forth, winding the fabric up before letting it unfurl. I watch, mesmerized by his long fingers, the crimson silk so vivid against his skin. “Think that’s enough time for me to make you come?”

I nod shakily, excitement and fear taking away my voice.

“I know for some women it takes … time. They need the buildup. The foreplay. I enjoy that, too, but with our limited schedule …” He lets the tie unfurl completely from one hand, so that the fabric drops like a flag of red surrender in front of my face. “Would you let me tie you up, Violet? So I can do whatever I want to you?”

My mouth is dry. My brain is … completely empty, save for one stark image. Me sprawled on the couch, Ryder’s big body between my legs, the tie wrapped around my hands. “Is th-that what you want?”

He shakes his head, his expression grim, though I swear there’s a light sheen of perspiration on his forehead. I’m glad to see it, because so far there have been minimal clues that he’s even affected by me. “It doesn’t matter what I want. What do you want?”

I lick my lips, searching for an answer. The thought of being tied up, unable to stop him from doing whatever he wants, both excites and terrifies me. I want to say yes. The practical side of me is screaming no, but …

“Tell me.” He caresses my cheek with his fingertips and I lean into his hand, closing my eyes. His touch is so gentle but his words are so stern. “Do you trust me?”

I open my eyes and stare up at him. “No. I don’t know.” It’s true. Can I really trust him? What if he uses this moment, this affair, against me? I’m putting everything at risk, especially my reputation.

And to me and my family and our business, my reputation is everything.

He smiles. “Good answer. You shouldn’t trust me. Not completely. But I can promise that I won’t hurt you. That’s not my intention here. You can put a stop to this at any time. This is all for you.”

All for me? No man has put my pleasure ahead of his before. But doesn’t Ryder want anything out of it? He’s talking as if this is some great sacrifice. “I understand,” I say with a small nod.

“Good. Now.” He pauses. “May I tie you up? Just your wrists.”

Another small nod and a shaky sigh. “O-okay.”

He reaches for my hands and lifts them above my head. “Lie back,” he urges softly and I do as he commands, my arms resting on the edge of the back of the couch. He steps close, his chest brushing against my face as he wraps the red silk around my wrists once, twice, three times before tying the fabric into a knot. “This is loose enough that if you really struggled, you could break free. Or just tell me to stop and I will.”

I test the knots, jerking my wrists against the binding fabric. My butt is sunk into the cushion and my legs are slightly spread, heels braced flat on the floor. Ryder steps away, his eyes roving over me, from my arms bound above my head down to my chest, my breasts pushing upward because of the position I’m in. His gaze drops farther, to the spot between my legs, and he smiles.