Secrets Shared by Raven McAllan

made him laugh. He loved her quirky sense of humor.
    “It should be four things.”
    She raised her eyebrow, in the sexy come-hither way he’d noticed before. “How come?”
    “Secret passage.”
    “Yeah, okay. After food, though.”
    “I promise you’ll definitely get all the food you need,” he said gravely, and winced in a theatrical manner as she thumped his shoulder. “Salami? Frankfurter? Sausage and, er, kidneys?”
    “In your dreams.” She’d picked up his innuendos. “Steak and chips will do.”
    He raised an eyebrow. “And how do you like your steak?”
    “As steak, plain and simple, no sauces and nothing else. And stop sniggering. Or your hot dog will be mince. Just saying.” Jess grinned, let the tip of her tongue show between her lips and winked.
    There was no two ways about it. She definitely had a great way with innuendo and play on words, even if it seemed to be frequently at his expense. Never in a bad way, more he understood, to deflect his interest from something she didn’t want to talk about.
    “Let’s go then.” He took her hand, and was pleased she curled her fingers with his. “And feed you before you get grouchy.”
    Jess sniggered. She’d definitely found her sense of humor again. “Yeah, starve me and release the beast. And I tell ya, it wouldn’t be a pretty sight.”
    “Damn, I have fantasies about releasing it and training it to play with me.” He stroked an imaginary mustache. Her snort of laughter was the best thing he could have heard. It showed genuine amusement, not horror, worry or annoyance. His fingers scraped his skin. If he did get a chance to play with Jess, he’d need to ditch the six o’clock stubble. It was at the scratchy, itchy and mark the skin stage, not the sexy stubble that stings in a sensual way one.
    Play? Maybe I’d better not say that to her . Somehow David got the impression that might not be an expression Jess would take kindly to.
    “Ready?”
    She glanced down at the shirt she still wore. “Am I okay in this?”
    David looked to where she gestured. “Well, you can ditch it and go topless if you want?”
    She blanched and shut her eyes. “Er, no thank you. Baby steps, not big grown up ones. I’ve already gone farther than I’d ever dreamt possible. In fact…” She moved her fingers toward the buttons. David halted her.
    “Leave it.” There was enough command in his tone to register. She let her hands drop immediately.
    “Good girl. It looks perfect on you just the way it is.” He ushered her out into the hallway and along another corridor.
    She looked at him with puzzled eyes. “This is new. Where does it go to?”
    “The offices. In the new part of the house. Where does your passage go?” He did his best to slip the question in casually. She looked up at him, and to his delight waggled a finger in his direction.
    “Eh? Oh, nice one. I’ll tell you what. If you find the passage, you’ll see where it goes.”
    It’d been worth a try. “True, I’ll let you know when I do. I love a challenge. Hold on, if we turn down here, we can go along to the dining room without walking through the main club. I’ll ease you in lightly. You know, like a light spanking, enjoy it and not be worried.”
    “You reckon? I’m not so sure.” Jess stopped walking and turned to him. There were shadows in her eyes, and their vibrant green irises were almost gray. “I’m no fan of corporal punishment in any shape or form.”
    That he had to take her up on. “Are you sure about that? That it’s corporal punishment? Can you look me in the eyes and tell me truthfully that when I tapped you, you didn’t feel turned on a little bit? Are you saying that if I’d’ve put my hand inside your jeans and touched your pussy, my fingers wouldn’t have been wet with your juice? Pull the other one. Remember, I’m not the plonker. Yeah, I’m human, and I’ve made mistakes, and I’m sure I’ll make plenty more. But if it were corporal punishment