Clover Undercover

THE REAL ME

I follow Luca upstairs and am surprised when he takes a left turn instead of a right to the room I share with Bella. The office has been cleaned out, but that's where Nonna has taken up residence. 

I was expecting to sit in time out or some other baby punishment, so I'm not sure what we're doing when he stops in front of his room and waves me in.

"Take a seat," he says in the same short tone.

I move to sit on his bed and he closes his bedroom door and the sudden privacy makes my stomach twist further.

He walks the length of the room a few times, a short endeavor considering it now doubles as his office, before he grabs a straight back chair that was neatly tucked into his desk and places it in front of me and takes a seat.

Leaning back, he props his ankle up to rest on the opposite knee. He still hasn't said anything and I'm starting to feel even more nervous.

"Let's just cut to the chase," he finally says. "I know you're lying to cover for your sister, and I want to know why you feel the need to do so."

I still can't break cover.

"I'm not lying, I—"

Luca's casual demeanor shifts in the blink of an eye and he's suddenly leaning forward and grabbing a hold of me.

He tosses me face down over his left knee and brings his hand down in three consecutive blows that already take my breath away.

A strange sound comes from me, some sort of mix between an exhale and a whine. I'm not even sure what the hell it was but he seems to know because he says, Uh-huh as if that was what he was aiming for.

"Let's try again, shall we? Except this time, I'm going to spank you three times for every lie you choose to tell me, and we'll keep doing this until you decide you've had enough and want to tell me the truth. Do you understand the terms I've laid out to you?"

I roll my eyes, but nod. "Yes, I understand."

"Good. Now, why do you feel the need to cover for Bella?"

I close my eyes and focus on steadying my voice. A liar can be picked out of a crowd by things as simple as a wavering tone, or unsteady breath.

"I do not feel as though I need to cover for Be—" My eyes fly open and I suck in a sharp breath when his hand comes down in a rapid fire of three more swats before I can finish my sentence.

The heat is already building as I'm still tender from my run-in with him a mere few days ago.

"Luca," I say, shaking my head when my voice shakes.

"Yes, Sienna?"

My mouth instantly falls into a frown at hearing my given name.

Shit just got real.

"I don't know what I'm saying or doing that is making you think I'm lying."

"That's fine," he says breezily. "You don't need to know what your personal tells are."

Dang it. If I knew what it was he was picking up on, I could rectify it and we could be done with this already.

"The only thing you should be focusing on is telling me why you feel it's necessary."

"I don't think it's necess—ow, shi-mmm."

After the three stinging swats, he gently pats my bottom. "Good catch. I didn't want to have to add on for unsavory language."

I bite back a smartass retort because damn this hurts!

"I know you're covering for her, Sienna. Please, just tell me why. Do you not feel she was being reprimanded fairly? Do you feel she isn't safe?"