Chapter 20

GRACE

A knock echoed through the room, and Haven called out, “Come in.”

A man strolled in, dressed in a sharp suit. His hair was black as night, and his eyes were a deep, dark brown. He was lean, not as muscular as Haven, but still in good shape. He glanced at us and flashed me a warm smile. His lips remained closed, making me wonder if he was a vampire.

“What brings you here, Clark?” Haven asked, sounding slightly irritated.

“I brought the new contracts you asked for on Friday. And who’s this?” Clark asked, his gaze shifting to me.

“She’s my human,” Haven replied, raising an eyebrow.

Clark mirrored Haven’s gesture, his gaze bouncing between us. I felt a frown tugging at my lips. Why didn’t Haven introduce me as his girlfriend? It felt like he was reducing me to a mere blood bag. Had he lied to me?

“Too bad. We could have had a lot of fun,” Clark chuckled.

He handed the documents to Haven, bowed, and left the room. Haven carried the papers to his desk and began reading, seemingly forgetting my existence. Perfect. I sighed and focused on my own work. If he wanted to act like a jerk at work, so be it.

When lunchtime rolled around, I grabbed my bag and headed for the cafeteria. Haven glanced up at me, offering a small smile, but I ignored him. I pressed the elevator button and waited. I felt a presence behind me but refused to turn around. He could keep dreaming.

“What’s wrong, Grace?” he asked. “I can smell your anger. What happened?”

“Nothing, Mr. Silver. I’m just going to grab lunch. I’ll be back on time. Do you want to take your break too?” I responded, still facing the elevator.

“You never call me that,” he said, sounding annoyed.

“Maybe I should,” I retorted, spinning around to face him. “Since I’m your human, I should call you master all the time, but that wouldn’t be appropriate, would it? So, Mr. Silver it is.”

He stared at me, taken aback, before his eyes narrowed. Well, two could play at this game. The elevator doors slid open, and he grabbed my arm to stop me from leaving.

“Don’t go, Grace. We’re not done here.”

“I’ll see you after my break,” I shot back, pulling my arm free and stepping into the elevator.

Just before the doors closed, I caught a glimpse of his eyes shifting to a fiery red. Oops. I was in for it now.

But it didn’t matter. I’d made my choice, and I was sticking to it. I couldn’t let him belittle me in front of everyone. I’d told him I wanted to be his partner, and I expected him to treat me as such. Nothing more, nothing less.

I grabbed a steak and some salad and found a seat at a table. I ate my lunch with the few other humans who worked for the company. Judging by how empty the cafeteria was, it seemed like most of the employees were vampires.

The cafeteria was spacious and modern, with large rectangular tables and vibrant chairs.

“Can I sit here?” a man asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

I looked up at him. He had striking gray eyes and bright red hair. He was as muscular as Haven. Just thinking about Haven made me smile at the man standing before me.

“Sure,” I said.

“Thanks. You must be new. I’ve never seen you before. What’s your name?” he asked as he sat down.

“Grace, and you?”

“Ashton. Is this your first day?”

“Yes. I just started as Mr. Silver’s PA,” I replied.

He looked surprised before nodding. “I see. I work in marketing, so...if you have time, I’d love to show you around.”

“That’s very kind of you. I’d love that. I actually wanted to work in marketing.” I smiled at him.

He returned my smile, and I noticed a faint blush on his face. Cute.

“Really? Well, we’re on the tenth floor, so don’t hesitate.”

“I’ll remember that.”

We chatted casually, and I learned a bit more about him. He was twenty-five and this was his first job after college.

The company seemed to offer a lot of opportunities to young people, and there was a strong sense of community. Everyone seemed to love Mr. Silver because he offered better salaries and vacation time than other companies.

“You’ll love it here,” Ashton concluded.

“I believe you. I have to get back, but let’s have lunch together again tomorrow.”

“Sure.” He grinned. “See you around, Grace.”

I waved at him and headed back to the elevator, feeling a bit nervous. I took a deep breath.

I’d been bold to leave the way I did, and I was sure he’d punish me for it. I braced myself and walked back into the office.

Haven was sitting at his desk, and to say he was furious would be an understatement. His eyes glowed a fiery red, and he was signing papers with a bit too much force. Serves him right.

I walked to my desk and set down my bag. I focused on my computer and resumed my work until I felt him standing behind me. I tried to calm my racing heart as I waited for him to speak.

“Grace,” he said.

“Yes, Mr. Silver?” I asked, turning to face him.

“I’m angry, Grace. Very angry. So if you don’t tell me what’s going on right now, your punishment will be even worse,” he said in a low voice.

“Why did you tell Clark that I was your human as if I was nothing more than food? I didn’t appreciate that.” I frowned.

His eyes instantly shifted back to green, and he flashed me a smile. I didn’t understand why he was taking this so lightly, so I furrowed my brows even more.

“Don’t get upset, sweetheart. I did this for you. Vampires might be a lot of things, but loyal isn’t one of them. Clark isn’t from my lineage, so he can’t be trusted. If he knew how much you mean to me, he might try to hurt you just to get at me.”

I was taken aback. Really? Was this how vampires operated? Were they that untrustworthy? Haven didn’t seem to be, but then I remembered Silas.

“So...you’re not going to tell anyone here that I’m your girlfriend?” I asked.

“The vampires I created already know, and they can’t spill the beans because I’ve forbidden it. If they disobey, they’ll die,” he said. “Your safety is my top priority.”

I gave him a smile, feeling reassured that he truly cared about me. He returned the smile, but it quickly morphed into a smirk.

“Darling...while I get why you were mad at me...I’ll have to punish you for not trusting my judgment and for coming back to me smelling faintly of another man. Who did you have lunch with, Grace?”

I swallowed hard as I looked into his intense green eyes. He wasn’t going to let this go, so I might as well confess and accept my punishment.

“Ashton from the marketing department. He sat next to me during lunch, and we got to know each other.”

His eyes narrowed at me, so I dropped my gaze. I hadn’t done anything wrong with Ashton, but I had enjoyed his company. It was nice to chat with a kind man and feel carefree.

I could always speak my mind with Haven, but...he was very possessive. I knew that from the start.

“Do you like him?” Haven asked.

“He’s nice, and he offered to show me around the marketing department. You know that I want to work there, so...”

Before I could finish my sentence, I found myself over Haven’s lap, and he was sitting in my chair. He lifted my dress, revealing my lace panties and garters for the second time that day.

“I’m going to spank you twenty times for not trusting me, for running off when I told you our conversation wasn’t over, and for talking so much about another man. You’re going to count each one, and when I’m done, you’re going to say, ‘Thank you, Master. I won’t do it again.’ Do you understand?”

“Yes, Master,” I said, my voice shaky.

“Good girl.”

He began by caressing my left cheek before spanking it hard. I started counting. My butt was sore by the time he finished, even though he never hit the same spot twice.

When he was done, I was sure my butt was bright red, and tears were streaming down my cheeks.

“Twenty. Thank you, Master. I won’t do it again,” I said, sniffling.

“I certainly hope so, darling,” he said, his voice husky.

He opened a drawer and took out some lotion. It felt cool on my burning skin, and his hands were so gentle. I would endure any kind of punishment if he treated me this way afterward.

When he was done, he handed me a tissue for my eyes, and I tried not to ruin my makeup more than it already was. He pulled my dress back down over my butt, and he sat me on his lap before pressing his lips onto mine.

“Go freshen up. We’re going out tonight,” he said against my lips.

“Where?” I asked.

“It’s a surprise.” He smiled at me.

I kissed him softly before getting up to go to the bathroom. I couldn’t wait for our next date.