PAINFUL PLEASURE [COMPLETED]

34. Dining Table

Do as many inline comments as possible!

AVNEET'S POV

"What's going on with Randeep?" Siddharth whispered in my ear as we made our way to the dining room. His hand was pressed firmly against the curve of my back as we walked with the other girls.

"What do you mean?" I asked cautiously. Of course, he noticed. I can never hide anything from this man. Even if I was hoping that it would not come down to this.

"You seemed to enjoy tormenting him," he replied nonchalantly, as if he wasn't studying my body language and expressions. Waiting for them to give something away.

"He's a sub," I said, as if that were the most obvious thing.

"You want me to believe that's all?" He slowed his pace, creating distance between us and the girls.

"What else could it be?"

"You tell me, Avneet. Why not Faisu or Manjul or anyone else? Why only Randeep again and again?" He questioned.

"Why did you only taunt Randeep while placing the books? Why not someone else?" I snapped, but I had an inkling that I knew why. And his answer confirmed it.

"Because I noticed the patterns of your actions. Something happened, and I want to know exactly what," Siddharth said, losing patience.

"Whatever it was, I dealt with it," I tried to assure him.

"I didn't." He quirked a brow. This is what I was scared of. That even after my teaching Randeep a lesson, Siddharth would want to hurt him too.

"Siddharth," I tried in my calm, soothing voice.

"Don't gimme that tone. Tell me what happened, and I might spare him. Otherwise, I'll have to punish him without knowing the crime, and my calculations might go wrong," he warned, and I knew better than to argue.

"Promise you won't go ballistic."

His gaze darkened. "No."

I sighed. "Randeep groped me at a party."

Siddharth's muscles went taut, and his spine went rigid. He clasped and unclasped his fingers in a fist, as if testing them before punching someone.

"I dealt with it." I placed a hand on his shoulder, hoping, against all odds, that he would calm down.

"How?"

"Ashi is not a nice domme. I knew it. So when they were renewing their contract, I made the lawyer slip a 1-year term period page in place of a 3-month term period. Now Randeep is tied to Ashi for that long. And he hates it."

Siddharth studied me for a few minutes, then burst out laughing. The type of laughter that fills his entire face and brightens it. The type of laughter that reverberates from the throat and rumbles the bones.

The type of laughter that holds the power to bring any woman to her knees. The type of laughter that's music for my ears and soul.

"You did what?" He exclaimed between his chuckles.

"I'm petty like that." I winked.

"I'm guessing Ashi was in on it."

"Happily so."

Siddharth pulled my chair at the dining table, and I graciously took the seat. I was hungry, and I was sure Siddharth was too.

"I'm hungry," Ritika crooned, and everyone agreed.

We filled our plates and dug in.

"At least your sub has table manners," Anushka said.

"I know, right? Mine doesn't. So I can't take him anywhere," Roshni complained.