"Back up. Rewind. We handled this all wrong, apparently."
"Apparently." Slade's voice was dry and worried.
"We brought you here to get you away from the ranch. To take you on a date. To show you that, to us, this is a real relationship, no matter how unconventional it may be. We brought you here because, even though you can't see it, you are stressed beyond what today's situation called for, and you needed a break."
"We didn't tell you that, because we have a little thing about control," Slade cut in jokingly.
"You mean because Blake has a little thing about mind fucking." I knew they wouldn't care for the curse word, but I was out of fucks to give at the moment. There was no other word for it. Blake liked to mind fuck. Psychological torture is an apt description.
"That, too."
"Well, that just sucks," I informed them both.
"Well, we see that, now. Hindsight is twenty-twenty."
"Back on topic." Blake redirected the conversation, just as the waitress returned with our drinks. I had never in my life been so grateful for an alcoholic beverage. I took three long gulps, leaving the glass half drained, and set it down on the table in front of me.
"Okay. On topic. And that topic is?"
Blake sighed. Deeply. Deeper than I had ever seen the poor man sigh. It twisted my insides just to watch. "When you came here, we took control. Even to get you here. We came on strong and didn't back down. We had a plan, and we carefully orchestrated that plan. And we're not apologizing for that. It needed to be done at the time." Blake stopped, and Slade took over, grabbing my hand off the table and holding it in his lap. I let him.
"We will probably continue to act this way until Christmas. We're Dominants. It's who we are. But at some point, little girl, the ball is going to have to be in your court. We aren't going to force you to stay. That wouldn't help you achieve the growth that we want for you. Do you understand what we are saying?"
I answered him with a blank stare. Did he even understand what he was saying, at this point?
"What we are saying, baby girl," Blake began. "Is that you have some issues in trust and forgiving yourself and maybe some abandonment issues, as well. And we are willing and ready to help you work through those things, but you are going to have to take the first step. We have laid all our cards on the table. You know exactly what we want. What you need to figure out, now, is what it is that you want. Do you want to go back to Arizona and start again, from scratch, and work on creating a new and better life for yourself, there? Or do you want that new and better life to be at the ranch, with us, Nan, and the kids who so desperately need someone like you in their lives?"
There it was, the kids. A package deal. I knew it came down to that. And I even understood why. Work ethic and the ranch went hand in hand. It was ingrained in us from the day we arrived. Being there and not contributing was not an option. It didn't matter how old you were.
I wanted to be there. I wanted these men. It wasn't a question in my mind. What was a question, however, was could I ever trust myself to be what those kids needed? Could I ever learn to forgive myself for those times that I wasn't?
I knew that's what they were asking. I knew it's what they wanted. I knew that shit in my soul. What I didn't know was if I could do it.
Out of words, I heaved a loud sigh. The waitress brought our food. Conversation had reached an impasse, and we all stared at our full plates with disinterest.
Finally, I spoke the question that had been lingering, all night. "So, am I still getting punished?" I took a bite of my enchilada and waited.
My pussy clenched and my butt tingled at their response, spoken in unison. "Oh, you better believe it, baby girl."
Inwardly, I heaved a sigh of relief, knowing, finally, that the night's events were not hinged on the answer to their question. I didn't have an answer. Not yet. I knew that whatever the answer ended up being, the events that transpired this evening would play a big part in that.
I also knew that they knew that.
Blake
Well, that had almost turned into a shit storm of epic proportions. And this was only half of what we had planned for the evening. Hopefully, with all the cards now on the table, the rest of the plans would be better orchestrated.
Slade caught my eye across the table, and I knew we were both thinking the same thing. What if she decided not to stay? What if making working with us an ultimatum had been a mistake? I knew in my heart that it wasn't. The point of the ranch providing equine therapy wasn't just for the horses or the foster kids in our community and neighboring ones. It was about us, too. Everybody involved got something out of it, horses and humans, alike.
Working with the kids had changed me in ways that growing up at the ranch hadn't. It had taken Nan's lessons and cemented them with practical life application. It had worked for Nan, herself, for Slade, for me, and it would work for Merry, too, if she just gave it a chance.
Slade gave a slight shake of his head, and I knew he was telling me not to get in mine. It would always be my downfall. Merry and I were a lot alike in that way.
I turned my attention to my dinner. The small restaurant was new and casual, but the food was cheap, filling and authentic. I would have killed for a margarita or even a beer, but there was too much hinging on how tonight went to risk it, in any way.
We all ate in silence, cleaning our plates and draining our glasses. Despite the earlier confusion, coming out tonight had been a godsend. For all of us. We needed the break before the storm of people descended on the ranch. Merry, especially.
When every bite of food and drink was gone, I paid the check, and Slade took Merry out to the truck, with me close behind.
When the door closed behind me, I buckled and turned to Merry. I didn't want to tell her our plans. I still needed that modicum of control. I didn't want any more scenes like the one that had transpired in the restaurant.
"We aren't going home, tonight, baby girl. And that's all you need to know."
I watched her face change as she processed the information. I saw the questions looming on the tip of her tongue. She didn't ask them. She knew better.
Wordlessly, I put the truck in drive and pulled out of the lot, turning towards the city. We had an hour drive before we reached the hotel.
Chapter 16
Slade
Merry's nerves and inner struggle had been tangible for the entire trip into the city. Her eyes closed as she leaned against my chest, giving the illusion that she was mellow and relaxed, but her body told a different story. Her fingers curled and uncurled. Sometimes, she made small fists and then released them, stretching out her fingers as if it was some sort of therapeutic exercise. Her legs had a nervous twitch that shook the cab of the truck as she bounced them. Her eyes never opened, and she never spoke, but she was wide awake.
She didn't even open them when Blake pulled into the hotel, leaving the truck running while he went and checked us in, running right back out and pulling the truck into a spot on the far end of the hotel near where our room would be.
"Little one," I said, shaking her gently from where I stood, having gotten out of the truck. "We're here. It's time to go in now. I can carry you, if need be, but it's time to go."
Finally, her eyes popped open, and she met my gaze, slowly shaking her head as she unbuckled and allowed me to help her down from the oversized cab. The walk to the room was a long one, and Merry's silence had my nerves on edge, but once we got to the room, things were going to change.
I would take control in whatever way I needed to. This punishment was going to leave a mark, both physically and mentally.
Blake opened the door with the keycard, and I gave Merry a gentle push over the threshold as the door clicked closed behind us.
Merry took a seat on the bed. Blake and I stood in front of her, waiting for her to break her silence. She didn't.
Finally, Blake stepped forward, ending what might have turned into an epic stare down. "You, baby girl, asked to be p
unished. And punished, you shall be. Tonight, my dear, is all about trust. Trusting yourself, and trusting us. You are going to follow our instructions to the tee, and if you have questions or concerns, you better speak up now, because I promise that we plan to push your limits, tonight, and arguments in the heat of the moment will not be accepted. So, speak up now, or forever hold your peace."
Merry's eyes had widened to the size of saucers as Blake spoke. She listened quietly, taking in every detail. She looked even more nervous than she had in the truck, but finally, she nodded. "I trust you. I'll obey."
Blake nodded and looked at me, handing over the reins, so to speak. "Take off your clothes. All of them. Fold them up, and put them in the drawer. You won't be needing them tonight."
Her eyes never left my face as she wordlessly pulled her sweater over her head. Sitting on the bed, she removed her boots and then her socks. Her jeans came next, revealing a sexy lace thong that matched her bra. I motioned with my finger, and those also came off. When the pile was stashed safely away for tomorrow, she stood there naked, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, and waited.
I pointed to the bathroom. "If you need to use the facilities, now is the time. Otherwise, wash up like you were getting ready for bed."
She moved quickly to obey, and Blake and I sprang into action, removing items from Blake's duffel bag. Restraints, paddles, plugs, and the like. We unceremoniously dumped the pile on the bed and waited for Merry to return.
Her steps were light as she came out of the bathroom, looking very shy, and walked over to the place she had earlier occupied on the bed. When she saw the pile that waited for her, she gave a gasp of surprise. I watched, with growing arousal, as her eyes scanned the pile.
"See anything that tickles your interest, little one?"
Her face was flush with emotion, and she gave a little shake of her head, but her eyes and her glistening mound belied the truth as she burrowed her face into my chest.
I held her for only a minute before gripping her shoulders and stepping back. "There is no hiding tonight, little girl. Tonight, you will learn what it will mean to be Blake's sub and my little girl."
"We will take turns using you to our liking and punishing you in our own ways. And then, we will punish you together and take you that way, as well. Do you understand?"
Her head bounced up and down. I nodded to Blake, and he moved to stand behind her, landing a sharp slap across the meat of her buttocks. "Answer your Daddy correctly," he warned.
"Yes, Daddy! I understand!" she squeaked, just as he poised to strike again. His hand fell to his side, and she looked at me with tear-filled eyes. She was beginning to see how serious and difficult the night would be. But she had no idea.
I held out my hand, and she took it. As we walked by the bed, I grabbed a small maple paddle from the pile and continued our trek, leading her to the bathroom. She was trembling as I positioned her in front of the sink.
"Now, little one, I know that one of the things you regret is the way you yelled at those kids today. And I know from Blake, this is something that you have struggled with in the past. I agree that you are right. There are much better ways to handle our problems, and those kids are likely yelled at enough as it is. It's our job to create an example for them to emulate."
Tears were already streaming down her face. I set the paddle on the bathroom counter in front of her and reached for the small bar of complimentary hotel soap. I'd have preferred something bigger, but this would have to do.
"When you choose to let your temper run away from you, this will be the result. I will strip you naked and haul your little butt to the bathroom, where I will soap your mouth and paddle your butt cherry red."
She whimpered, but I wasn't finished. Closing the space between our bodies so that her backside pressed against the front of my jeans, I leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Every time you open your mouth to yell, you're going to taste bubbles, and your little bottom is going to ache with the memory of my paddle. You are going to remember what happens to naughty girls who can't control their mouths."
Her eyes met mine in the reflection of the mirror, and she watched in silence as I slowly unwrapped the bar of soap and ran it under the water, waiting as a nice film of lather formed around it. When I was satisfied, I used my free hand to turn her body toward me. "Open," I instructed tersely.
She obeyed, and I inserted the soap between her lips and pushed her mouth closed around the soapy rectangle. Her chin trembled and her eyes watered, but her gaze never wavered from mine.
"Turn around and face the sink, again. Bend at the waist. You're going to hold that soap between your teeth while I paddle your cute little bottom."
Merry
When I asked to be punished for yelling at the kids and losing my temper, soap had never crossed my mind. But I shouldn't have been surprised. Slade was a big believer in letting the punishment fit the crime.
The clean scent of the soap assaulted my nostrils, and I gasped for breath through my teeth, careful not to let the bar fall from its place. He hadn't said so, but I knew that it wouldn't end well for me if it did.
He hadn't started spanking yet, and this punishment was already pushing my limits, just as they had promised. The cool wood rested against my backside, and I waited.
The first stroke of the wood paddle accosted my backside with a fury that rivaled no other. Wood was so unforgiving. The blasted paddle fell again and again, eking out its punishing rhythm across my cheeks, while I clamped the soap firmly between my teeth, praying that it wouldn't fall.
"You are going to remember this paddling, baby girl, every time you think about flying off the handle. I want your bottom to throb with the memory of tonight and your mouth to form a grimace as if the soap is still resting between your lips." I had no doubt that it would, for a long time to come.
The paddle connected hard across my sit spots after each word he spoke. I could picture the flesh flattening under the strength of the paddle and bouncing up pinker than before.
I lost count of how many times it fell, as my only focus had become keeping my mouth tightly closed. The skin was on fire, and the pain was inescapable, but the soap gave me an outlet of mental escape. I knew it wouldn't last long though. The soap was a punishment in itself, and as the bubbles begin to fill my mouth, I started to cry. Each punishing blow of the paddle brought a new wave of tears. Slade had long since stopped lecturing. He had already said everything there was to say. That was his way—and what I expected from him—but even the lectures that I despised would have been a welcome distraction, at this point.
When I finally saw the paddle come to rest on the smooth marble countertop again, I heaved a trembling sigh of relief. It felt like it had been forever, but I knew only a minute or two had passed.
When his hand rested on my shoulder, I turned to him, begging with my eyes for him to remove the offending bar.
"Open, little one," he whispered, kissing my forehead and pushing stray hairs to rest behind my ears.
I opened, gagging as I did so, and nearly wept with relief when he took the bar between his fingers and extracted it, dropping it into the sink.
I watched as he took a small paper cup from the wall dispenser and filled it to the rim with water.
"One rinse," he stated, handing it to me. "Make it a good one."
Tipping the entirety of the contents into my mouth, I held it there, swishing vigorously until Slade raised his eyebrows and pointed at his watch. Then, I spit. "You said make it a good one!"
"So I did." Slade laughed. "So I did. Come here, little one, and give me a hug."
I melted into him, leaning against him as my legs shook from the energy I had exerted to stand still for my spanking. The soap had been horrendous, but I knew I was going to think good and hard before I lost my temper on the kids again. Slade comforted me, whispering in my ear, petting my hair, and rubbing my back until I was calm and less shaky on my feet. Then, he held me at arm's length and spoke the words I h
ad been dreading.
"Okay, little one. Blake is waiting for you. It's time for the next part of your punishment."
I wanted to say no. To adamantly insist that the spanking and soap had been more than enough to ensure that I would think twice, but I knew there was no point. Slade knew it was enough. Just like I knew that tonight wasn't just about the outburst at the barn.
Instead, I simply cast my eyes at the floor and stared down at my feet as I shuffled out of the bathroom and over to where Blake sat on the bed, near the pile of torture devices they had poured out of his duffel.
Blake said nothing. My cheeks burned, and tears pricked my eyes. I knew what he wanted. Bringing myself to my knees, I knelt on the floor in front of him. "I'm ready to accept my punishment, Sir."
"Good girl," Blake purred, and I relaxed a bit in the knowledge that he was pleased with me. "Now, stand and bend over the bed."
I obeyed, and I could feel both sets of eyes watching me. Slade must have exited the bathroom shortly after I did. The cool air from the overhead fan brushed my skin, giving me goosebumps all over my body. I swallowed thickly and waited for movement from behind me. Lying here, fully exposed, with a red bottom, tear-streaked face, and glistening pussy was excruciating. The silence and the not knowing was a punishment in itself. And they knew it. And I knew they knew it.
Finally, Blake stepped to the side of the bed and surveyed the pile. "Turn your head to the wall," he instructed sternly. I closed my eyes and turned. He didn't want me to know what he was choosing, and I didn't want to know.
I felt the bed shift under his weight, and he sorted through the items, choosing several, but I did not turn to look or even open my eyes, until I felt him come to stand behind me, resting his hand on the small of my back.
I whimpered as his finger pressed against the threshold of my back entrance, and my cheeks burned with shame. It was one thing to let Blake play with me back there, but to do it in front of Slade was a different matter. And yet, it was a matter I had no choice in.
Winterland Daddies (Second Chance Ranch Book 1) Page 14
