6

Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run

Chapter 229 Punish Me

"Scarlett, you've left me with no choice. I'm going to have to punish you," Jax said. He lowered his T-shirt covering the note he'd written to her on his stomach.

Jax was standing near her motel room's door. She wasn't getting out even if she'd been at her best physically. He was too big, too strong and there was no getting past him. It would be up to her brain to get her out of this.

Scarlett thought about telling Jax she had no idea what she'd done to be in trouble with him. She rejected that idea. It might just make him angry. She could try confessing and pleading for mercy. By the stern look on his face, mercy was unlikely.

What words could she say that would get her out of this? They didn't need to be true. They just needed to save her from Jax's punishment.

Did she really want to escape whatever Jax was going to do to her? It depended on what he was going to do to her. It might be . . . interesting. It could even be pleasurable. Still, it wasn't in her to give in—at least not so quickly.

Scarlett's back began to ache from standing, so she walked to the bed and used the wall to carefully lower herself to the bed. She already had the pillows in place to support her back. She used her arms to help lift her legs to the bed. After tearing or straining the muscles in her back, lifting her legs was difficult and painful. It was something she and her physiotherapist were working on.

"I am challenging the idea of punishment. When you came to my room last night, you were so drunk. It annoyed the hell out of me."

"So, you are going to make this my fault?" Jax asked, crossing his arms over his chest, still standing near the door.

Scarlett took that as a clear sign, this wasn't going well for her, but she continued.

"If you hadn't been drunk . . ."

"Really? You think this is a winning strategy for you?"

"It's not looking good," she admitted. "When you came in, you fell face down on my bed. I was worried that you would choke to death on vomit or die of alcohol poisoning. Sack was going to take you home and watch over you, but he looked so tired, I thought he might fall asleep and something might happen to you."

"So you happened to me?"

The way he put it and the man bun were too much for her. She giggled, wrapping her arm around her stomach so the muscle pull would hurt less.

"When you fell on my bed and I decided I should take care of you, you just looked so cute all passed out or sleeping I'm not sure which so . . . I thought about drawing on you to pass the time. I had to stay awake and that seemed a way for me to stay awake."

"Try the truth," Jax suggested.

"Will it work?"

"Give it a shot," he replied. "There's a first time for everything."

Could she actually get out of this without any punishment? Did she really even want that? It was a difficult decision.

"It was your fault. You just looked so sweet and sexy with your blonde hair sort of over your face. I found myself wanting to touch you. I couldn't control myself."

"Uh-huh," Jax said skeptically.

Scarlett looked into his laser blue eyes.

"You know how hot and sexy you are," she said. She was trying to assess how this truth was going down with Jax. He was trying not to smile. That could be a good thing. "I couldn't resist. It was beyond my control."

Jax began to walk slowly toward the bed with his sexy hip swaying walk. Scarlett's eyes widened with alarm. It was much better when he was near the door outside touching range.

"You wanted to touch me while I was asleep and defenseless."

Scarlett looked at the floor. This wasn't good for her.

"Yeah. When you put it like that, it's bad."

"How would have you have felt if I had done that to you?"

"Violated. Taken advantage of and very angry."

Jax let the silence stretch out between them, letting her words linger.

"Scarlett, you have my permission to touch me anywhere you want, any time you want whether or not I'm asleep, awake, passed out or in a coma."

"Do I have to give you the same permission?"

"No."

Maybe this was it. He was just scaring her with words and making her feel bad. He'd made his point. Further punishment was unnecessary. She had learned her lesson.

"Do you know why I am not requiring you to give me the same access to your body as I'm giving you to mine?"

She shook her head.

"Because you are shy with your body. I understand that and I respect it. I would never take sexual advantage of you."

He wasn't done making her feel terrible. She couldn't complain. She deserved it, but she wanted to explain so he didn't think she was . . . She couldn't come up with a word. She just knew that she felt horrible.

"My intentions started out good. I was truly worried about you and I thought Sack might fall asleep. That is the true reason I took care of you. I had him prop you up on your side so if you threw up, you wouldn't choke," she paused and bit her lip. "I told Sack that if you threw up, you were sleeping in it."

Jax laughed.

"Now that I believe."

"Sack gave me his number and told me to call him and he would come over immediately and clean you up."

"Now what really happened with the artwork?"

Jax sat down on the bed, careful to avoid sitting on her feet.

Jax's proximity was having an impact on her breathing. Some of the oxygen seemed to have gone out of the room and she felt hot all over.

"In all honesty, I'm not sure whether I drew on you to give you payback for showing up drunk or if that was just my excuse to let me touch you. The part about you being so sexy and hot was true."

"Of course," Jax said chuckling. "I have decided to forgive you."

"Thank you," Scarlett said. She began to breathe again. She was shocked that she'd talked her way out of her predicament and the truth had been the key to the result. Who knew?

"How did you think you were going to get away with it?"

"Didn't really think that far. I'm sure I would have cleaned you up, but you woke up before I could do that. Then you brushed your teeth and wanted to kiss."

"Back to my fault?" he asked with a grin.

"You're just too virile and sexy for me. I was temporarily overcome with insanity."

"That is the oldest trick in the book—flattering someone to get out of trouble."

"Jax, we both know it's not flattery. It's fact. You are a very . . . sexy . . . man," Scarlett said with a sigh.

Jax laughed.

"You make it sound like a bad thing."

"It would be a lot easier to resist you, if you were just average."

"I think you may be the first girl who has ever tried to resist me."

Scarlett had no doubt that was true. Jax was just too spectacular. Resisting him was like trying to resist gravity. It didn't mean she wouldn't keep trying.

"This is partly my fault. I should have taught you a lesson when you were doing all the braiding. Maybe if you had learned your lesson then, you wouldn't be in the mess you are in now."

"You said you've forgiven me."

"I'm still going to punish you. You are going to lay in bed. I am going to slowly lift your T-shirt up past your knees, past your thighs and up to just below your breasts, so you tummy is exposed. I'm going to paint you while I'm straddling you. Don't worry; I'll keep most of my weight off your body."

Scarlett's eyes were round with fear. Part of her was excited by the punishment, but part of her was terrified. It was tough as hell resisting a man like Jax. She'd never had to fight to resist a man; he was the first.

Jax grinned at the expression on Scarlett's face.

"Lucky for you, I am going to give you another option. A mystery punishment."

"What is it?"

"It's a mystery."

"I was hoping to trick you into telling me." She added a smile, hoping that would convince him to reveal the mystery punishment.

"Scarlett," Jax said her name, making it sound almost like a growl.

She felt shivers all the way up her spine.

"It isn't the loofah thing or the tongue drying thing."

"Out of the kindness of my heart, I am not doing the loofah thing or the tongue drying thing tonight unless you beg."

"Is the mystery punishment better or worse?"

"Scarlett, pick or I will pick for you."

As much trouble as she was in, she couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement. Was she turning into some S & M freak?