Free ReclaimedSurrender by Riley Murphy Page A

“I’m not going to beg. I’m not.”
    “Who are you trying to convince, me or you? You sound
worried.”
    She slowly peeled off the ruined lingerie and handed it to
him. “You’re a bully.”
    “You make me one. Now get in there.” He pointed to the misty
shower stall. “And wash off the fun you had for yourself.”
    She scooted around him, clearly worried that he’d smack her
already reddened ass again. “I’m not doing this because you’re making me. I’m
only doing it because my skin is itchy.”
    “Liar.”
    “Bully.”
    “Brat.” He waited for her to duck under the water spray. “A
straight wash,” he instructed. “No frills or thrills. I catch you attempting to
pleasure yourself without my permission, and you’ll be punished. Do you
understand?”
    She nodded.
    He gave her a few minutes under his watchful eyes before he
went to the sink and washed the oil off his hands. When he was done he changed
his shirt and headed for the door. She must have seen him because she called
out, “Rene? Where are you going?”
    He stopped and spun around. “Out.”
    “Out?” She paused mid-hair-scrub. He could see her frown
under the collective shampoo bubbles that slid down her face. “Do you want me
to stay home?”
    He shook his head. Now she was prepared to be reasonable? He
growled and didn’t bother answering her. He needed to regroup and get the sight
of her lying on his desk slathered in oil out of his head. And there was only
one place to do that. The gym.
    He threw his stuff in his workout bag and heard Alex’s phone
ring. Snatching it off the counter, he absently checked the caller ID as her
mother had the most impeccable timing, but then he did a double take and his eyes
narrowed. The name that came up was MMM… He recognized Michael’s number. And
MMM…? His head fell back and he stared up at the ceiling in the exact spot
where he imagined Alex was showering. He’d kill her.
    Rene let it ring until it stopped. That’s when he noticed
she had five voice mails and ten missed calls. Michael, what an ass. He was
probably drowning at work without her.
    Yeah, well you’re not faring much better here. Running
off to the gym to pound on a punching bag.
    He was ready to tear his hair out. So when the doorbell rang
he was happy. He fully expected to see MMM… on his doorstep. His first thought?
He wouldn’t have to go to the gym to pound something. But he was disappointed
there was no one—
    “Hi, Mr. Tanner.”
    Rene blinked and looked down. Spying the dark-haired imp, he
sighed. “Hey, Cara.”
    Cara lived next door to him and Alex. She sported a cheeky
smile on her face as Sylvia, her mom, came up the walk with a box in her arms.
“Hi, Rene. This is the last one.” She deposited it on the vertical stack to the
right of the door and stared at her daughter who was still grinning ear to ear.
    “Did you tell Mr. Tanner?”
    “You won?” He came down on a knee as he spoke. Cara was so
small it was hard to believe she was nine. Even in this position, Rene was half
a foot taller than she was.
    “Yep. Mrs. McDonald said that you sure must like cookies.
You and Mrs. Tanner ordered more than our whole class put together.”
     
    Alexis had finished showering. She was wrapped in Rene’s
robe and had towel-dried her hair when she heard the doorbell. Going to
investigate, because she thought Rene was gone, she paused at the top of the
stairs, hearing him chuckle. It warmed her to the core. Staying where she was,
she watched and listened.
    “I’m sure Mrs. McDonald would give us a detention if she
knew how many cookies we ate before dinner. Don’t tell anyone, but Mrs. Tanner
eats more than I do.”
    Cara giggled and pushed Rene’s shoulder. “I don’t believe
you. You’re way bigger than she is.”
    “Ouch. Are you trying to tell me I’m fat? Good thing I’m
going to the gym then.”
    “Thanks, Mr. Tanner and thank Mrs. Tanner too, for ordering
so many boxes. I got the ribbon and the