Finding Submission (Service & Submission Book 1) by Megan Michaels Page B

sleeves of his white dress shirt up.
    Avery’s eyes filled with tears while she watching him. When the tears tumbled over her lashes onto her cheeks, her hand swiped at them.
    “I want you to get up. “ Preston waited until she dragged herself to a standing position. “I want you to go get the vacuum and clean up this mess, while I sit in this chair and calm down. Move.”
    Avery stared at him for only a moment before she quickly moved to the closet to get the vacuum. While vacuuming, she kept her head down, but he caught her furtive glances at him through the fringe of her hair, the quick looks from the corner of her eye. At least she looked concerned — which he hoped meant it had finally dawned on her what kind of trouble she was in here.
    Keeping her off balance at that point was a good thing.
    When she finished vacuuming, Preston got up, staying her with his hand while he inspected the area to be sure there were no crumbs and that the orange dust was gone from his couch.
    “Put the vacuum away then come back here and stand in front of me.” Preston returned to the chair he had placed in the middle of the room.
    After putting the vacuum away she returned to him reluctantly, shoulders drooping, eyes downcast.
    “What were your jobs for today, Miss Avery Rose?” Preston reached out and grabbed both of her hands in his, lightly stroking his thumb across the top of her hand.
    She stole a quick peek up at him, then dropped her gaze to the floor again. “Uhm, I was supposed to vacuum and dust the downstairs, then clean the bedroom upstairs.”
    “And…?”
    Preston raised an eyebrow at her. He knew she remembered; she was probably hoping he would forget and let it slide.
    “Uh — I was supposed to change the bed and dust.”
    She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. She knew she was leaving instructions off. It was time to reinforce who was in charge here.
    “Avery. I’m not going to pull the answers out of you. You were told what you were supposed to do. Part of becoming a responsible adult, is admitting when you’re wrong and being forthright when asked questions. I’ll ask it again. What were you supposed to do in that room upstairs, and what were the rest of your chores for today?” He squeezed her hand harder and she winced, the message not lost on her apparently, as she quickly blurted her sins.
    “I was supposed to clean the room, dust, vacuum, change the linens, and move any furniture out of the room that wasn’t needed!” Her chin quivered slightly. “I was supposed to cook dinner, too.”
    He forced himself to stay stern, fighting the overpowering urge to hold her in his lap, the power of it something he’d never experienced before. “And did you do all of those chores?”
    “I did… a lot of them. I really did. Did you see the room upstairs? I even washed the windows — which you didn’t ask me to do.” Her eyes brightened and she smiled down at him, very proud of herself. “It looks really nice.”
    “No, I didn’t go upstairs. But I didn’t need to. You see, I have video cameras strategically placed throughout the house. So I was able to watch your escapades today from work.”
    Avery’s reaction was priceless. She stared and blinked, then stared some more. She opened her mouth to speak twice, then closed it each time, as if losing her nerve.
    Preston smirked. “Well, my dear, it seems like the cat has the mouse just where he wants her. Feeling cornered, little mouse?”
    He chuckled out loud and got up. Avery quickly backed up a step, putting space between them. He, of course, wasn’t going to allow anything of the kind, and stayed close to her, putting a hand possessively on her hip.
    “I think it’s time for the mouse to answer to the cat. I’d like you to take everything off from the waist down, please.”
    “No!”
    Her eyebrows furrowed, the blue eyes darkening.
    “No? I didn’t phrase it as a question. That was an order, Miss Avery. Clothes off. Now . You don’t