Carly's Punishment (Submitting to the Billionaire) by Alicia Roberts Page B

to you, because they don’t have what you do. They’re fake, but you – you’re fresh and real and sexy and sweet.”
    Carly felt herself blush and glanced to her left. Immediately a few women glanced away, pretending they’d never been watching her.
    “Look at me .” Jeff’s voice was dark and commanding, and Carly looked up into his dark eyes. “This is the first date of many. I don’t care what the rules say. I want you, and I want you my way. Do you know what my way is?”
    Carly shook her head, wishing she could pretend not to care, but failing completely in that charade.
    “I want you to be my princess. You d eserve to be treated like one. If you were mine, you’d be with me always and I would show you off, and everyone would be jealous. And then I’d take you home and make love to you, and when you were bad, I would punish you.”
    He let the words sink in, and Carly felt something tighten inside her stomach. Never before had mere words turned her on so much, but there something about this stranger that made her think that he meant every single thing. He would make it happen, she had no doubt, and he would show her an intensity that she’d never felt before.
    She knew without a doubt that if she stayed there any longer, she would find herself in deep water. Already, she felt naked, as though he could see through her clothes to her hardening nipples, and she needed to get away from him, before she dropped to her knees and begged him for more.
    Carly stood up and grabbed her purse. “I have to go.”
    If Jeff was surprised, he didn’t show it. Instead, he stood up too, and held up a plastic swipe card between two of his fingers. He stepped closer, and as she watched, he slipped the card under her neckline and into her bra. She breathed in sharply when he stepped back – the plastic was smooth against her skin, and he hadn’t even touched her when he “gave” her the card.
    “You need to relax,” he said softly, “And you need to be bad , enjoy life for once.” He glanced pointedly at the card that lay tucked between her breast and her bra. “That swipes open the SkyDeck Hotel rooftop pool. It’s beautiful and deserted at midnight.”
    Carly was too surprised to respond, and watched in a haze as Jeff tossed some cash on the table and placed a hand on the small of her back to propel her through the crowded bar.
    Once they got outside, the cool night air was a pleasant contrast to the heat of the bar. Jeff walked her over to a large black limo parked near the curb and opened the door for her. “My car will take you home.”
    Carly shook her head and said, “This is crazy. Is this your car?”
    Jeff shrugged. “The hotel lets me use it.”
    So he was some kind of high roller. Carly’s mind began to race. It would be fun to ride in her employer’s limousine for the first time. Maybe Jeff was right, maybe she should break the rules sometimes.
    Carly stepped into the limo and looked up at her date. “I don’t even know who you are.”
    “I’m Jeff.” He smiled, looking vaguely amused, but she refused to bite and shook her head.
    “No. Why should I trust you and that card? Maybe it’s a trap.”
    Jeff laughed, a big hearty laugh, as though she’d just made a wonderful joke. He leaned down and kissed her cheek briefly, a quick kiss that sent shivers through her veins, and in the same instant, he dropped a business card onto her lap. “Enjoy midnight,” he said, and closed the car door.

 
    Chapter Three
     
    The ride home seemed longer than it was. She registered nothing out the windows, her eyes were filled with visions of Jeff. He was like chocolate – smooth and dark and yummy. She wanted more and he could probably sense it, so it was all the more frustrating when he sent her home alone. She wanted his advances, she told herself she’d fight him off, but she knew that in reality she just wanted to be with him. How could he talk of making her his princess, of making love and punishing