Free Lilly Blossoms (Lessons in Submission Book 3) by Maggie Ryan Page B

caught at the look in his eyes, and the burning was joined by a tingling that was spreading through her body. What was he thinking? Was this just a tea party, albeit the most wonderful tea party she'd ever attended, or was this the start of something more? Though too far away to be seen, she looked back towards the house. "May I ask you something?"
    "Ask me anything," Phillip said softly. "I might not be able to give you an answer, but if I can, I will, and I promise, little one, I will never lie to you."
    She didn't ask if he were positive about that promise. Somehow she knew she didn't need to. Yet, what would he think of her questions?
    "Why don't we take a little break before dessert?" he suggested, reaching to remove the napkin from her lap and taking her hand. She didn't pull away as he moved until he could sit with his back against the tree trunk, nor did she protest when he pulled her down to sit on his lap.
    Instead, the moment his arms wrapped around her, she laid her cheek against his chest and said, "Tell me, what really happens in that house?"
     

Chapter Seven
     
    "It's not just a house," Phillip began. "It's more of a school."
    "Like a finishing school?"
    "I suppose it could be considered as such but it's not like any you've probably heard about." Leaning his head against the tree, he clarified. "Eleanor, that's Miss Summers, owns the school. She told me she'd met you that day when you lost your job."
    "Oh, I remember that name… Miss Summers. I didn't know her name was Eleanor. She's a very beautiful woman. I-I thought she might be your wife… or maybe the other woman, Belinda," Lilly confessed.
    "No, little one. First of all, I'm not married, and second, if I were, I promise I would not be entertaining another woman with tea. Mrs. Yardley, Belinda, works for Miss Summers. Eleanor is a friend and a very remarkable woman. She had a dream a long time ago and worked hard to make it come true. She wanted to offer a place where special women could stay in a safe place and learn how to let themselves be the true people they are inside."
    "I don't understand."
    He looked down when he felt her head lift from his chest. "I'll try to explain but first I must ask you to make me a promise."
    "All right."
    "No, don't agree so quickly. What I'm about to share with you is to remain between the two of us. This is the sort of promise that, if broken, would not only destroy the trust I have in you, but might have the power to hurt others. People like Rachel and more that you don't even know." He watched as her nose crinkled and without thought moved his hand to pat against her backside. "And, little one, if that promise is broken, I would find it necessary to turn you over my lap and give you a lesson."
    Her eyes widened, their green growing a bit darker. "A very tangible lesson?"
    "Yes. I assure you that by the time I let you up, your little bottom would be burning and you'd find it very uncomfortable to sit down." He waited, ready for her to jump up and tell him to go to hell but praying that she would remain exactly where she was. His heart filled when she nodded.
    "I understand, and I promise not to speak of anything we discuss. I swear it."
    He patted her bottom again, not to give her a warning, but because the feel of her soft globes against his palm just felt right. "I believe you. Rachel is actually one of Miss Summers's students."
    "Why would she go to school? I mean, yes, she does look very young but… well, when that man untied her bloomers… um, I saw…" He adored the flush that suffused her cheeks and the fact that she couldn't quite seem to get her words out.
    "You are right. She is actually a year older than you." He saw her disbelief and chuckled. "Yes, I assure you she is. I attended her birthday party only a few months ago. As I already told you, the man you saw is not her father, but is her papa—again, by choice. Rachel is also not my niece by blood, but one by choice. The students here are all of