His blunt question didn’t have her backtracking. “No, I don’t.” She even had the audacity to place her hands on her hips as she snapped back at him, silently challenging him. She was brave with the factory at her back.

He grinned, loving a challenge. “Lock the door.”

“Fine.” Lily went to the door, about to make her escape.

“From the inside, Lily. And, if you think to disobey me, have no doubt I will punish you in the other room in front of every man and woman busy working. We really don’t want to disturb their work even further, do we?”

“I don’t suppose so.” Lily reluctantly locked the door.

“When I asked you to lock the door, you knew which side I wanted you on, didn’t you?”

“Yes.” Lily slowly turned back to face him.

“I see. You were being cute. I like cute; you being a smartass is not cute. For future reference, it pisses me off.”

“I’m sorry, Sir.”

Shade’s eyebrows rose at her fake meekness.

“Good try, but I appreciate the effort.” He grabbed the ruler he kept on his desk. “Come here.”

Her feet carried her around the desk, standing next to his chair.

“Lean over my desk,” he ordered.

Lily did as told, her posture one of angry defiance.

“Now, if you answer my question, you’ll get a pass. If not, well, your bottom will tell you that answer, won’t it?”

Lily nodded.

“Why were you snippy with me?”

“Because I didn’t want to get your coffee?”

Lily’s attitude had the Dom inside of him bristling, but he had a feeling what the problem was because he was suffering from the same one.

He raised the back of her skirt and Lily threw him a heated glare, making the blood rush to Shade’s cock.

He stood up, looking at what he had uncovered. Shade froze, staring at her perfect ass.

Every man, whether he admitted it or not, had a part of a woman’s body that lit a fuse to their dick. He was a definite ass man, and damn, hers was the best he had seen.

He stared at it hotly, imaging just how he was going to fuck her from behind so he could feel that ass against his stomach, but then Lily shot straight up, her skirt falling back in place before she hurried to the corner of the room.

Shade burst out laughing. “Smart move.” He sat back down at the desk, leaning back casually, linking his hands together over his flat stomach. “You’re quite a surprise with your sexy little panties. Those red ones of yours always drove me crazy imagining them on you. Now that I’ve seen you in that pair of purple lace, I have a new favorite color.”

She flushed angrily as she stared at him across the small distance of his office.

“So, are you going to tell me what’s wrong, or are you going to stand there the rest of the day?” he probed.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” Lily burst out. “Everything is bugging me: you, Georgia, Jewell, the church. Name it.”

Shade leaned back farther in his chair, his smile widening. His woman didn’t deal with frustration well. He was able to give himself some relief, while she was too innocent to give it to herself. He wasn’t about to enlighten her, though. He had never been accused of being stupid.

“How about we take one issue at a time. How am I bugging you?”

Her mouth opened and closed. “You’re getting on my nerves, bossing me around. You never do what I expect you to.”

“Like what?” he asked curiously.

“Like not cashing in my IOUs, not touching me, and when you come in a room, you just set my nerves off,” she finished.

He hadn’t touched her for the past two weeks, waiting for her to decide when she wanted more. He understood her convictions; while they weren’t his own, he was aware they were an integral part of her personality. Her beliefs had helped her survive a nightmare, and he wouldn’t tarnish the very thing that had saved her for him.

“Okay, we’ll tackle that problem last. What has Georgia done now?”

“She made a face at me this morning when I came in late. She’s not a nice person.”

Shade nodded. “I can agree with that. She isn’t, but she is a good worker. Were you late?”

“Yes,” she said sulkily.

“Why?” His eyes narrowed on her face. She looked worn-out and pale.

“I was tired,” Lily admitted.

“So you’re angry at Georgia because you were late, and she made a face at you when some bosses would have at least said something to you about being late,” he reasoned.

“I may have been wrong,” she admitted after a brief pause.

“Now that’s settled, let’s move on to Jewell. What did she do?” Shade had to admit that that one had him stumped. Georgia soured his stomach, but as far as he knew, Jewell was friendly with Lily.

“Nothing,” she admitted grudgingly.

“Then how is she bugging you?”

“You have her IOUs.” She stopped talking suddenly, narrowing her eyes on his expression. “Or do you?”

“I do. And that bothers you?” Shade pinched his lips together to keep from laughing.

“Yes.”

“All right.” Shade opened the desk drawer before reaching in and pulling out the slips of paper. Opening them, he counted out several of Jewell’s IOUs before putting the remaining ones back in his drawer. “Here, you can have them.” He handed the slips of paper over.

Lily stepped out of the corner, taking the papers before hastily returning to her safe space. Shade didn’t burst her bubble of satisfaction by telling her he didn’t need to use an IOU for what Jewell would eagerly be willing to give him. Lily’s reasoning sometimes boggled his mind, although the longer he was with her, the more he was coming to understand her naïve thinking.

“Next up, what’s bothering you at the church?”

Lily stared down at her hands. “Pastor Dean can’t find anyone to run the church store. No one outside the church wants the position because it doesn’t pay. No one in the church who would do okay at it wants it because it doesn’t pay, and the few people who did volunteer did terrible. Jordan Douglas told everyone in her bible study class how much money someone made who came in the store. Marie Newman told Lark Jackson he didn’t need a new coat, that the one he had was just fine. He had on a thin jacket! Laverne Thomas told Willa to keep the clothes she was donating because the way her weight fluctuates, she would probably need them again in a couple of months.” Lily blew out an angry breath.

“So the job needs someone who is qualified to judge based on financial need if the people coming in require help, be sensitive to their privacy, and work five days a week all for free?”

“Yes! Oh, and they need to be nice.”

“I know the perfect person,” Shade said ruefully. Lucky had been right; he had mentioned a month ago that Lily wouldn’t be able to walk away from the church store.

“You do?” Lily asked hopefully.

“Yes—you. I can’t think of anyone more qualified.”

“Me? I can’t take the job,” Lily protested.

“I don’t see why not. It will give you the opportunity to use your degree in a way which will really benefit those in need, especially children, which is what you wanted to accomplish. You’ll have a better sense of what’s going on in their homes than a social worker with limited time. Anyone who arouses your suspicions, you can tell Knox about. You would be sensitive to their privacy, and you never gossip. But, most of all, you have the most important qualification—you’re extremely nice.”