Every review of the betrothal papers ends with Eleanor bent over Vaughn's desk. She returns each night for the discipline that steadies her. The arrangement binds them through duty and private hunger.
Vaughn spanks her until she counts every stroke. The corrections shift without warning into possession on the map room table. The sessions grow more intense as the deadline tightens. The pattern repeats across study and corridor, each time claiming more. The rival's threat turns each private moment into a gamble they both accept.
Their formal betrothal at the assembly hangs in the balance. She could end the arrangement with one word. Vaughn closes the map room door.
