Chapter 22: A Little More Pepper "Seventeen," I whispered between rasps. "Seventeen!" His cold hand rested on my ass, and I anticipated another hit, but it didn’t come. I sighed in relief, but tensed when his finger ran through the middle lace of my panties, settling just at the crack of my ass. "You’re dripping." "I-It’s a natural occurrence!" Ares let out a low, breathy chuckle, kissed my ass, and lifted me away from the seat. He pulled my hair behind so that he could see my face. "Sit." "I-It hurts!" "Then let the pain remind you about testing me." He rested his hand on my neck, and the threat hung in the air. "Your stubbornness will get you in bigger trouble." "I’ve never been obedient." "You’ll be." His voice held a dark promise. I peeled myself off him and sat. I clenched the rear console like my life depended on it, pain biting through me like spikes. Julian was suddenly back and started the car, driving out. The alcohol in my system had worn off, and suddenly it was a wake-up call. I can’t believe I let him do that to me. Were we acting? W-We had to be, right? I was in turmoil with myself, and the long hour was an endless feat of trying to balance my butt in a way it wouldn’t hurt. The car came to a stop, and I snappily grabbed the door handle, but Ares’ words stopped me. "I have somewhere to be." I gulped. "It’s late." "It’s important." "Am I needed?" "Not this time." In those places where I’m not needed as his secretary, I wonder what he does. A private business, maybe? Not wanting to think too much about it, I opened the door and scurried away. I had no idea how I made it to the top floor. I did my best not to walk funny and earn myself more embarrassment. I stepped into the foyer, breathing heavily as I leaned against the wall, ass burning, insides coiling from a feeling, and most of all pissed at myself for letting something like this happen. What the heck was I thinking? ~☆~ I rose from the bed like a zombie, strolling sluggishly to the bathroom to pee. After I finished, I peered into the mirror. I look like shit. My hair was like a bird’s nest, my eyes red, and my lips were cracked. I turned to see my ass peeking from my pajama shorts. I applied a cooling balm last night, and it worked wonders. It only stung now, a quiet reminder of last night. I did my best not to think about it, but... I can’t get the image of Ares King spanking me off my mind. I was never the kinky kinda girl. Dan and I had never done anything like that when we were together. I couldn’t deny that this intrigues me, and I liked it. "No, no, no!" I slapped my cheeks to wake up. "Behave, Catherine Lane, behave!" Last night was an act, nothing more, nothing less. I brushed my teeth and washed my face. After that, I strolled out of my room, hooking my glasses on the neckline of my cami. I spot Loki, casually strolling. "Hi, Loki!" I drawled sweetly. The cat disregarded me and pounced on the tree house. Maybe Ares’ DNA was imprinted on him; the familiarity was uncanny. "No belly rubs for you," I grumbled, making my way downstairs. My steps slowed when I saw Ares sitting in the kitchen area, going through his iPad. He was still in yesterday’s clothes, tie off and sleeves of his shirt rolled, revealing his corded arms. "Good morning." His only response was a nod. I frowned. "When did you get back?" 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂 "This morning." "I see." I walked to the fridge, anticipating his attention, but it never came. I took out a bottle of water and leaned against the counter as I drank. Whatever he was doing seemed more important, and I don’t know why that riled me up. This was the Ares King I knew, the impassive walking hump of ice who didn’t consider shit about anybody, yet here I was getting worked up over his usual self. I blame this on the last week of his undivided attention, even though it was for the public. I put on my glasses. "Want some eggs and toast?" "Mmm." Mmm? Is that all I get? I mumbled under my breath and began cooking, purposely beating the eggs with force, resulting in sharp noises. I hummed a loud tune, throwing a look over my shoulder, but he remained engrossed. I huffed, pressing the lever down, and the bread disappeared inside the toaster. "Coffee?" I didn’t get any response, so I made one anyway. I fixed his plate when an evil idea flavored my mind. Hehe. With a smirk plastered on my lips, I placed his breakfast in front of him. Just as I guessed, he drank the coffee first, before grabbing his fork without looking and ate the egg. He grimaced and shot me a questioning look. "Oopie! I must have added too much black pepper." He coughed loudly. "I’ll get you water." I swirled, giggling as I opened the fridge. When I turned, Ares was already in front of me. He pressed a hand at the small of my back and yanked me close, the water hitting the floor. "You can’t do anything. We’re not in public." "Do you want to test that theory?" "Take your hands off me." His fingers curled around my throat, and my pulse raced. "What was your aim in sprinkling pepper all over my breakfast?" I mustered an innocent face. "It was an honest mistake." His grip tightened, and I chewed the inside of my mouth. "It’s the truth." He leaned toward me. "Liar." When his lips brushed mine, I closed my eyes, expecting a kiss, but it never came. "The news was right. You did get married!" I flashed my eyes open, and Ares wasn’t looking at me but behind. "You’re interrupting, Athena."