Wrong. His world had been turned upside down the second Shiori Hirano had walked into his life.

“Hey, bartender.”

That voice. Not just in his head. He closed his eyes. How was he supposed to think rationally now? He turned around and faced her with a smile. She wore the platinum wig and a light blue mask. “Hey, Mistress B. I wasn’t sure if I’d see you tonight.”

“I wasn’t sure if I’d make it here after being gone all week.”

“Was it a successful trip?”

She smiled. “Very.”

“What can I get you to drink?”

She cocked her head. “Surprise me.”

Was this some sort of test? Knox looked at her and saw that smirk on her lips. “By surprise do you mean . . . ? Am I choosing what you want to drink? Or what I think you’d like?”

“Astute man. How about you make me what you think I’ll like.”

“One blue-balls special coming up.”

She laughed, crumpled up a bar napkin, and tossed it in his face.

Knox remembered Amery had whipped up a concoction called a dirty-girl lemonade. He closed his eyes and latched on to that memory, seeing the bottles lined up on Ronin’s bar. Vanilla vodka. Triple sec. Chambord. Sour mix. Lemon-lime soda. He found all the booze and mixed the drink at the end of the bar, away from her curious gaze.

He added two cherries and a slice of lemon to a cocktail sword and dropped it and the straw in the glass. After setting down a cocktail napkin, he put the drink in front of her.

“What is it?”

“Oh, no, Mistress. That’s not how this works. You taste it and tell me if I passed your test.”

Those golden eyes turned serious. “How’d you know it was a test?”

Knox leaned in. “Because you hope that I’ve been paying as much attention to you as you’ve been paying to me.”

“You are cocky.”

He smiled. “Try it.”

When she pursed her lips around the straw, his cock stirred as he imagined those lips at the base of his shaft as she deep throated him. Would she make that same sexy little humming noise as she just did after tasting his drink?

“Wow. Knox. This is very tasty. You did well. What is it?”

“A dirty-girl lemonade.”

“Cool name, too. I thought you’d serve me a screaming orgasm.”

“Oh, I’d like to serve you that. But not in drink form.” What the hell had possessed him to say that? And why was flirting with her becoming as easy as fighting with her?

She bit into a cherry. “Behave or I might have to take you into the naughty room.”

“And what would you do to me in the naughty room, Mistress?”

Her gaze slowly moved from his eyes, over his lips and throat, stopping midway down his chest. “I’d take your shirt off.”

“And then?”

“And then I’d put my hands all over you. Letting my fingers dig into every muscular groove in your biceps and forearms. Then I’d stand behind you and tell you to flex so I could admire all the dips and grooves in your shoulders and back as well.”

His heart had accelerated and his cock was hard, even just from her phantom touching. “After that?”

“I’d want to taste what I’d just touched. So I’d start over and use my mouth.”

“I don’t see how that’d be punishment, Mistress.”

“I planned to be naughty with you in the naughty room, not punish you.”

“Uh, can I get a drink down here?” someone asked from the end of the bar.

No. Go the fuck away. I’m busy.

“Knox? You have a customer.”

He forced himself to wait on the Dom and his sub. By the time he returned to Mistress B, the moment had been broken.

Or she’s broken you. All she had to do to get you eager to follow her like a tail-wagging dog was give you a little dirty talk?

Knox busied himself for the next ten minutes restocking areas that didn’t need to be restocked. When he noticed she’d finished her drink, he returned and picked up her empty glass. “Can I get you another?”

“No. I’m good. I’ll wander and see who’s here.”

“You’ll be disappointed there aren’t any male subs here tonight.” He shrugged. “It’s been slow.”

“You saying I should just go home?”

“I’d never presume to tell a Mistress what to do.”

She laughed. “High marks for saying that with a straight face.”