Chapter 19

• Resentment grew to outright anger and she slammed the pencil down on the desk. She stood up and yanked her panties and pajama bottoms up, wincing a bit when the cotton brushed against her raw skin. The flash of pain made her pause. If she didn’t finish her lines because she messed up and had to start over, there was always the chance James would show her some mercy. But if she didn’t finish because she was being stubborn, even the smallest chance at leniency would evaporate. Sitting comfortably would be a distant memory if he kept his promise of one stroke for every line she didn’t finish.
• But it still wasn’t fair. Dammit, she’d paid the piper with that drawn-out session over his knee. Her bottom was still warm to the touch and sitting on the chair had been hell. It simply wasn’t right for him to keep punishing her.
• Her mind made up, she stormed out of her pretty little bedroom down the hall to their master suite. Here, James’s influence was more noticeable, though her taste still reigned supreme, much like the rest of their house. Ignoring the guilt gnawing at her tummy, she grabbed her Kindle and stretched out on top of the cream-colored duvet. She opened the book she’d been trying to read all week, about a daring female spy and the hard-nosed man she’d been paired with who didn’t take lightly to her putting herself in danger. It didn’t take long for her to lose herself in the story, and she was deep in a world of intrigue and danger when the Kindle suddenly disappeared from her hands.