Hooked (Decadence Nights Book 1) by Maddie Taylor

conspicuously empty when he returned. With a pile of work waiting on his desk, he got right to it, leaving his door open. A few minutes passed before he heard her in the outer office.
    “Olivia, come in here, please.” He didn’t have to raise his voice or call twice, hearing her chair roll across the floor as soon as he’d asked for her. When she appeared in the doorway, he added, “Bring the package with you.”
    Through the open doorway, he saw her cross the room, losing sight of her for a moment as she retrieved the box. Only a few seconds ticked by until she reappeared, stepping into his office almost hesitantly, long box in hand. He refrained from grinning, just barely, at his little imp. She knew exactly what he wanted, as if he would miss such an obvious blunder. He’d perceived her game in an instant; Livvy didn’t make those kinds of careless mistakes.
    “Come in and shut the door.” As she pulled the door closed, he ordered, “Lock it.” He saw her stiffen a moment later the soft snick of the lock echoed in the quiet room. With her back to him, he heard her take a slow, steadying breath before she turned to face him. When she started to approach, he stopped her.
    “Stay right there.”
    She halted mid-stride, then moved back. Cheeks flushed, her hands clasped the box in a white knuckled grip that he expected would crush the box any minute. She fidgeted slightly, shifting her weight restlessly from side to side as she waited. She was the picture of a naughty child caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
    “The contracts you gave me earlier were unacceptable, Olivia. Imagine if Sister Ernestine at St. Lady of Benedict’s got Mr. Armenture’s will leaving all his worldly possessions, not to his wife, but his three mistresses instead.”
    She blanched. He wondered if she just now caught the irony of her gaffe.
    “Do you have anything to say for yourself? This is quite unlike you.”
    “I’m terribly sorry, Sir. I’ll have the new contracts to you in a jiffy.”
    “You seem a bit tense. Is there something you aren’t telling me?” He stood and walked around to the front of his desk. Perching on the edge, he leaned back, crossing his ankles in a laidback manner. He then proceeded to remove a cloth from his jacket pocket and nonchalantly cleaned his glasses.
    “Only that I’m very sorry for my carelessness and it won’t happen again.”
    “Open the package for me. A special order, one I hadn’t expected to need so soon, but it seems it will come in handy today.”
    She peeled off the packing tape and opened the flap. Looking inside, her face went pale and her eyes shot to him.
    “Remove the contents, please, and bring it here. I’ll need to inspect each item before I use it on such a valuable possession.”
    Backhanded praise, if he’d ever heard it. She frowned, as he knew she would.
    “Come along, Olivia. Don’t add procrastination to your list of misdeeds today.”
    She removed the items he’d selected expressly with Livvy in mind. The first a riding crop, with a wide flapper on the end. She gave it a cursory glance obviously having seen one before.
    He held out his hand. “I’ll take that. What else do we have?”
    Her brows gathered fiercely as she withdrew the Dragon Cane. Denser, with greater flexibility, it was less likely to fracture than other rattan canes. It also had a handle, which made for a better grip and less slippage, which could lead to injury. The idea of an unintentional mark on her fine ass was unthinkable. Palm outstretched, he silently asked for the cane as well.
    “There should be one more item.”
    “What in the world?” she whispered as she held up the Broom Brush, which was a modern day birching rod.
    He relieved her of the implement and the box, setting the latter on the floor out of his way.
    “I’ll explain while you strip.”
    Visibly, she swallowed, but her fingers began working the buttons on her blouse.
    “This brush, sweet Livvy, is inspired by