Read Online Trust Me (Rough Love #3) by Annabel Joseph - Free Book Online

only underlined the fact that we had tough shit to talk about. I watched her undress and fold her clothes with shaking fingers. When she was done, and sitting where I’d told her, I stood in front of her and buckled her collar around her neck.
    “How was the Louvre today?” I asked. “Aside from meeting Vinod Sushil?”
    “It was good. Nice.”
    “Nice?” I grimaced and stepped back from her, crossing my arms over my chest. “What did you see while you were there?”
    She let out a soft, slow breath and looked up at me. “I saw a lot of things. I did what you asked. I spent the day there looking for inspiration.”
    “Did you find it?”
    “I found a customer. Vinod’s interested in producing some of my designs for his spring lines.” Her chin lifted a little. Her fingers glanced over her collar before returning to her lap. “That’s what you told me to do. I did everything you told me to do.”
    “And something you knew you weren’t allowed to do.” She paled at my sharp voice. Her lips tightened. If I’d had any lingering doubt of what she’d done, or why Vinod found her in tears in the Modern Impressionist area, her guilty expression washed those doubts away. “Confess it,” I said. “Don’t play games with me.”
    Tears rose in her eyes. “Today of all days, I thought you’d be happy.”
    “I’m happy about some things. Not so happy about others. Say it. Tell me what you did.”
    “I went to see Simon’s painting,” she said in a rebellious tone. “I don’t get to Paris that often, and it was right there—”
    “I don’t care to hear your excuses. Who do you belong to?”
    “You.” Her voice trembled on the word. Maybe I was being too scary. I felt a scary intense love for her, even though she’d disappointed me.
    “You belong to me,” I agreed after a heavy silence. “And what is my rule about Simon?”
    “I hate when you do this.”
    “Do what? Hold you accountable for the rules you agreed to follow?” I hooked a finger through her collar’s O-ring and gave her a shake. “Do you want to take this off? Are you done with me?”
    The tears that swam in her eyes welled over and fell as she shook her head. “No, Sir. Of course not. It’s just…he made that painting for me.”
    She looked very sorry, and very guilty. “Sit up straight,” I said, not willing to let her cry her way out of this.
    “I’m sorry I went to see it. I should have asked your permission first.”
    “I would have said no. Did you enjoy seeing it?” I looked at her hard. “Was it worth getting punished over? You’re to have no contact with Simon Baldwin. None. Zero.”
    “I know. It was just…the history of it.”
    “What history? The history when he abused you? When he used you and pimped you out so he could get high?”
    “He’s sober now.”
    “I know he’s fucking sober.” Wrong thing to say, Chere. Wrong thing to do, defending your bastard ex.
    “I made that rule for a reason,” I said out loud. “How long were you in a relationship with Simon?”
    “Ten years.”
    “How many times did you try to convince yourself you had to leave him?”
    She put her head in her hands. I yanked her face back up and glared at her until she squeaked out an answer.
    “Hundreds of times. More times than I can count.”
    “You are not to have anything to do with him. ” I drew out each word in icy emphasis. “Nothing to do with him ever. No thoughts, no memories, no fucking contact whatsoever. Is that or is that not the rule?”
    “It’s the rule, Sir.”
    “I made that rule for you, Chere. For your well-being. Your sanity. Now I’m pissed off for three fucking reasons, and I’m going to tell you what they are before I bend you over and punish your ass. One: You disobeyed me. That’s the first thing, that you allowed it to happen in the first place. Two: I had to drag it out of you, when you should have admitted what you did right away, as soon as we were alone together. Three…”
    I