Page 40 (1/2)
CHAPTER
One
The one thing Mariela could count on to never let her doas dance Dance was the one thing she could turn to and lean on when things were hard The one thing guaranteed to h thick and thin, life’s ups and downs, it had always been her rock Until today, when the rock crumbled
She took a deep breath, moved into position, and ju her technique lacking, she repeated it again and again until, exhausted, she leaned against the barre and let a string of curses fly
“Bad day?” someone asked from the hallway
Mariela lifted her head and forced a smile at Andie Lincoln, RACK Academy’s newest chef “You could say that”
“In that case, I ca and tell me if it sucks”
Mariela pushed back from the barre and wiped the sweat from her forehead with a nearby towel “Isn’t that e have men for?”
“Yes Well, that and sex But Fulton always likes everything I rown a second head and says he doesn’t understand why I feel the need to improve upon perfection” She tilted her head “So now that I think about it, nah, that’s not e have men for We only have them here for sex”
Mariela laughed, glad that Andie had shown up to drag her away fro ballet session “Okay, let ht there”
“Just come like that No one’s here yet”
Mariela looked down at her leotard and tights Not really dining rooain the students for the fall session wouldn’t arrive for another week She threw her towel back over the barre “You’re right What kind of icing are we talking about?”
Andie started chatting about buttercream versus crea and baking were not her things That’s what chefs were for
Andie pushed open the tooden doors that led into the dining area “Okay, go have a seat and I’ll bring the samples out to you”
Mariela looked around the area and breathed a sigh of relief at finding there was no one else in the dining area And by no one else, she meant the headmaster, Lennox MacLure Other than Andie and Fulton, he was the one other person on the island that housed the acade tomorrow
Unfortunately, she hadn’t sat down for h the door She dropped her head and pretended to be horribly curious about the pulled thread on her tights
She expected hinore her After all, that’s what he did best But even with her head down, she could sense him approach her
“Marie,” he said, calling her by the nickname only he ever used
She looked up and, like always, he took her breath away Dark and dashing, as her best friend Winnie had described hiray eyes, he looked like he belonged between the pages of a historical ro as an evil pirate or maybe an unrepentant rake
“Lennox,” she said, cringing because she knew her raspy voice gave her away
“You are aware the dining hall has a dress code?”
She waited for him to soing to enforce the dress code when there were only four people on the island But the s follow-up
“What?” she finally asked
“The dress code,” he snapped “You’re in violation of it”
“Oh od You’re serious”
“We have rules and regulations for a reason”
“Right, but since there are only four of us here” She trailed off, assu her intent would be clear
“You thought you didn’t have to follow the rules?”
She couldn’t believe he was being such a dick over sooad hiured since there were only four of us, you wouldn’t care if I wore a leotard and tights into the dining room I mean, seriously, who do you think it will bother? Not Fulton or Andie And you typically don’t give me the time of day I could probably sit on your desk, buck naked, and you wouldn’t lift an eyebrow”
“I would have thought by now you’d be well acquainted with the expectations I have of my employees”
He knew just what to say to shut her down There was little else he could have said that would cut as deeply as the unnecessary reminder that all she was to him was an employee
“It’swith a tray in her hands “She wanted to get cleaned up, and I told her it didn’t matter since there are only four of us here”
Mariela stood up “No, it was my fault I knew better”
She turned and walked out, not waiting for either of the
• • •
LENNOX WATCHED MARIE walk aith a lump in his throat the entire time Yes, he was an ass He shouldn’t have reprimanded her for her casual attire, but hell, as aarea in that dance outfit like it was nothing at all How could she not knohat the sight of those skintight clothes would do to him?
Hell, why did she think there was a rule that only street clothes could be worn in the dining hall? Technically, the rule stated no fetish as allowed, but that outfit she had on could in no way be considered street clothing
Even though she’d left the room, he could still picture her perfectly She was petite and he liked that about her Liked that she was small and dainty compared to hiine her tiny body beneath him Hoould feel to take possession of her
He clenched his fists as the i to his ih he’d seen her naked before, to see her in dance attire like she’d worn today did nothing but mock him
He pictured it all too clearly Her lithe body, s Hoould they feel wrapped around hith No, th
For he knew the rush that ca control of a submissive was only th she had willingly laid aside And he had no doubt that as siven her subifts
Yet even though he kne a it would be, he could not allow hiive it to hi time that he need only look at her and she’d be on her knees But it was an offering he could not accept
He no longer allowed hie in his Dominant nature Ever In fact, he’d buried it so deep within hi, he wasn’t sure he could revive that part of him What he did knoas that he could not take the chance of finding out The last time he’d freed that need within hiain Especially with Marie
If the end result was she thought him a coldhearted bastard, so be it He could live with her scorn What he could not live as the responsibility for another woman’s death
“I feel as though I should apologize again, Sir,” Andie said, and he realized he’d been staring at the e for several seconds “But I’m not exactly sure what for”
“Has Andie been causing trouble again?” her Do up behind her “Do I need to take her over my knee?”