by Maren Smith
“I’ve said this once before, Captain Muscles, so pay attention.” I quirked an eyebrow. “Physical strength has nothing to do with the sort of consequences I plan on exacting tonight. They will serve as a reminder for you to lay low in lieu of the threat you’re facing.”
“Right, right, I get it. The threats are real. The danger is real. Did you set fire to Joe’s restaurant? You never answered me dressed as Master Mind-reader.”
“Wow. I’ve gone from Daddy to Master and I haven’t even spanked you yet.”
“Not funny.” She scrunched her nose up at me and I tapped my pointer finger off the top of it.
“Oh, it’s hilarious.”
“Can you please answer my question?”
“No, I didn’t start the fire, but once I confirmed you were safe, I didn’t do anything to stop it either.” I picked up the light green bar of soap from the shelf and set to washing the rest of her body. Lingering on her shapely breasts far longer than appropriate, I felt her shudder and her breath caught in her throat. I’d have lapped those damn bubbles off with my tongue if her body reacted like that again, but I finished with the soap and set to rinsing her off. Forcing my gaze back to her eyes, I found the normal light cornflower blue shade darkened as I stared into them. “I’d never deliberately put your life in danger.”
“I understand that.” She reached behind me and twirled off the knobs ending our shower. “Is there anything else I should know?”
“I paid Mr. Hayden a visit earlier today.” I stepped out of the shower and grabbed a light gray towel off the rack. She followed me out of the tub, her mouth open in awe. Her eyes flashed anger. Wrapping the towel around my waist with flair, I raised an eyebrow at her displeasure. “He won’t be bothering you anymore.”
“Why would you take it upon yourself to go and find my landlord? What’s wrong with you?”
“He needed to be taught a lesson. I wouldn’t say anything is wrong with me regarding my actions.” I pulled out another soft towel, tucking it under each of Caitlyn’s armpits and smoothing it over her body.
“What about my stuff, Kade?”
“That low-life scumbag had already taken it upon himself to pack up your things. Mr. Hayden had half a dozen garbage bags strewn throughout his apartment containing the items from yours. Lord only knows what he would have forced you to do to get them back.”
“You had no right to waltz over there and take charge of a situation that didn’t involve you. My problems are not your responsibility.”
“No, your problems aren’t mine, little girl, but I refused to let some slimy landlord touch you in a disgusting way for his own personal enjoyment. If he’s doing it to you, then he’s going to do the same thing to others. Every inch of your glorious body deserves to be worshiped not violated by that man. He’s a gross stain on humanity.”
“You’re not going to distract me from the point.” Caitlyn blinked up at me, some of her anger was removed but not all of it.
“No one has the right to put their hands on you without your consent.”
“You put your hands on me,” she cooed.
“I’m guessing you enjoy my hands on you, because if you didn’t, you’d have put a stop to it by now. Wouldn’t you?”
“Yeah, I could stop it because I’m stronger now.” She flexed her fingers. “Strong enough to take care of my own shit.”
I believed her gentle teasing about my touches came from a much darker place. She knew if at any given moment she no longer wanted me to touch her, I’d stop. Except when it came to the punishment she’d earned tonight. Caitlyn wasn’t going to love my hands when I got through with her, but it would get us to a better place. Her safety was important. She did matter.
“How did I miss something so obvious?” I shook my head, not needing to read her thoughts this time. “You were going to teach Hayden a lesson of your own, and I took away your thunder.” I jabbed a hand through my hair. “Be irritated at me for taking matters into my own hands, but I won’t allow you to place yourself in such a dangerous position ever again.”
“What sort of position would you allow me to place myself in?”
“I’ll bend you over this tub right now, little girl,” I warned but her lips quirked up at the edges and she smiled.
“Then will you touch me in a naughty way, Daddy?”
I spun her around and guided her hands down to rest on the edge of the tub so her ass popped up. The swift movement caused the towel to slip off her curves, but she stayed still. Her gorgeous hair hung down her back in long damp curls, and I longed to part her thighs and explore what was hidden beneath her other curls. There would be time to explore her body later. Running my hands over her full bottom, I forced the thoughts away. I smacked the center of each of her ass cheeks. The skin flattened and bounced under my palm. Several more stinging slaps hit against each side, and I landed one more on each of her upper thighs. She groaned, but this wasn’t intended as a full punishment. No, she’d be placed over my lap for that, and my cock hardened at the thought.
“I’m so sorry.” Cate arched upward. “I told you I’m not used to being taken care of by anyone. It’s hard to believe all of the things you say.”
“Well, I’m going to drill it into your head either through my words or by spanking your perky little ass. I’m not going anywhere. I’ve got your back, and soon enough you’ll believe me.” I pinched each of her bottom cheeks, and then helped her straighten. She regarded me with curiosity, but I wasn’t sure where her head was.
“What if it takes me a while to believe your promises?”
“Then you’re going to learn to believe me while standing up since your ass will be too sore to sit on.”
“I’ll do my best to take you at your word,” she agreed. “My trust doesn’t come easily, Kade.”
“Do you come easily, little girl?”
Her jaw fell open and a flurry of smartass remarks flew through her brain. Any one of them would be taken as a challenge and the corner of my mouth twitched.
I love a good challenge.
“You-you’re mean,” she stammered. Those gorgeous blue eyes sparkled with amusement. “You’re just trying to turn me on.”
“No, I’m asking a valid question.” I slid my hand into her golden locks, pulling her closer to me and then kissed her full lips. Despite the craziness of the night, she tasted better than the most delicious strawberries in the world, and I damn near devoured her mouth. I broke away first. “Besides, if I wanted you all hot and bothered, Cate, I could find lots of ways to get you there.”
“It’s hard to have a conversation with you. You’re so damn distracting.”
I handed her the fallen towel, but she wrapped her hair up in it. She didn’t bother to get another for her body.
“Oh, I’m distracting?” I scoffed. “Says the gorgeous woman standing naked in my bathroom.”
“You’ve already seen all of me. Towels aren’t necessary,” she yanked the towel off my waist and winked.
“Hm?” I tipped her chin up and kissed her again. “I’m not sorry for handling your landlord, but I would have brought you with me had you honored the agreement we made in the living room.”
“Yeah, I understand,” she rested her head on my shoulder. “I didn’t have a lot of things at my apartment, but I had some sentimental trinkets that were important to me. I’ve got nothing left, Kade.”
“I removed your things from Hayden’s possession. I knocked out his teeth and broke his nose. He was much more agreeable after that.”
“You what?” Her head snapped up. “Do you have my things here?”
“Yes, I do. I wasn’t snooping, but I didn’t want you to have to rifle through garbage bags when you were already upset. I put everything away in the guest room. If you’re missing anything, or you need something just let me know.”
“That was so thoughtful.” She hugged me tightly and I wrapped my arms around her. “I thought you only read minds,” Caitlyn quipped. “I had no idea you
got physical too.”
“Mm. Well, I’ve got a third-degree black belt in Kedo, Taekwondo, and Judo. I can break some bones if I have to.”
“Noted. Thanks for watching out for me.” She kissed me hard, sliding her tongue in between my lips, and we made-out like gobsmacked teenagers. I could kiss her all damn night, but we had other matters at hand.
“Let’s eat dinner, Cate. Then we can address your punishment.”
“If I kiss you again, will you forget the punishment part?”
“Not a chance.” I winked. “But you can kiss me whenever you want to.”
“Hmph.” She sulked for a moment. “Is that what you think I need? A punishment spanking?”
“Yes, I do. Come on, we’ll discuss the details over dinner.” I took her hand in mine and led her out of the bathroom. “We should get some clothes on first.”
“Dinner au’natrual sounds sort of fun, don’t you think?”
“Your beautiful body already distracts me. I think you’re trying to stall the inevitable. Come on.”
She rolled her eyes but followed without further protest. Something shifted between us in that moment, and I hoped she would start to see how much I wanted to protect her even after I turned her ass a pretty shade of pink.
Caitlyn
I stood off to the side of the kitchen table, staring at Kade who sat on a high-backed chair. Authority oozed from his pores, and he held his hand out to me. The hard lines of his jaw clenched and released as he waited, and my pussy followed the same damn pattern. When I’d been bent over the tub earlier, I thought the taps were intense, but the scenario which played through my head during dinner was nothing like the one playing out in front of me. How could Kade arouse me with just one look? He mentioned during our meal that he’d spank me, and that the few smacks in the bathroom would be cake compared to an actual punishment.
“Come here, Caitlyn.”
Ugh. The way my name fell from his lips, his tone was thick with authority and it drove me wild. My feet propelled me forward, and I obeyed his command. Why was it so difficult for me to accept the consequences he hinted at the night I woke up in his guest bed.
“Why?” The question bubbled out even though he made it clear several times. His answer wouldn’t change. I was getting spanked by the incredibly sexy man sitting in front of me, and there was no getting out of it.
“I can’t stand idly by and let you continue down such a bad path.”
“You’re not standing, Kade.” I pointed out with a smug smile, but he jerked me over his lap with one swift tug. My fingers pressed into the hardwood floor and I braced myself.
“And now neither are you, little girl.” One of his hands ran down the length of my spine and he drummed his fingers at the top of my ass. He landed several blows across the expanse of my bottom in fast succession. “Do I have your attention now?”
“Yes, but–” Wrong answer.
He increased the speed of his palm and my nerves lit up with pain.
“Ouch! Yes, yes, you have my attention!”
“I promised to hold you accountable.” He shifted his target down to the lowest curve of my ass and hit it with a resounding slap. Another one and another landed. I lost count at twenty. I wasn’t sure how much more I could handle.
“Ouch! Let me go.” I struggled. There was no comfort against his thighs. “I’ll get another job in another part of the city. I’ll stay out of Devil’s Park forever. Please?”
“It’s not that simple. You’re making promises in order to get out of this punishment, but nothing you can say will make me stop until I believe you’ve learned your lesson.” Kade struck the top of each of my thighs. “You’re caught up in a power struggle. One you have no business being involved in.”
“That wasn’t my fault!” I bucked unable to stay still any longer. My ass and thighs tingled with an uncomfortable sting like I’d been out in the sun too long. I was done.
“Stop fighting me, Cate. Antonio wants you dead. You are in danger. Do you understand me?”
“It really is simple,” I protested. “I hear what you’re saying and I do understand, but I’ve got to earn a living. I can’t just hide away forever.”
“You need to be alive in order to earn a living, Caity-bug.” His grip tightened. “If you can still fight this much, apparently, I’m not getting through to you.”
“Fine, you’ve proved your point. It’s not simple. Blah, blah, blah,” I muttered, but then his hands went to the button of my jeans. “No, wait!”
Kade ignored my protest. He shucked my jeans down to my knees, pulling my panties along for the ride. His palm bounced off the sensitive juncture where my ass and thighs met, and it burned worse than anything I’d ever felt before. Nerves I hadn’t known could be lit up were lit. Every inch of my skin from the base of my spine all the way down to the top of my thighs bloomed with heat. I kicked out my legs as if to escape the onslaught, but Kade scissored one of his legs on top of mine and I stopped fighting. I wasn’t going to physically rebuke. No, I could cause serious damage. In spite of the hurt he was causing me, I didn’t want to hurt him at all.
His hand fell into a rhythm that resulted in aching burning globes. I’d be lucky if I got to comfortably sit anytime soon. When I thought I couldn’t take it anymore, he stopped. I brushed at my eyes, furious at the moisture there, but it was better to deal with my face then acknowledge the wetness between my legs.
“You took that much better than I thought you would.” Kade shifted me upward to rest on his lap.
“Great, one point for me.” Pain radiated off my ass. I tugged off the jeans, but pulled up my panties so I was clad in them and a small cherry pink tank top. The outfit didn’t leave much to the imagination, but since he’d seen me naked so many damn times, it hardly mattered.
“Your life is in danger. Do you understand how serious this threat is now?” Kade wiped away more tears which had fallen down my cheeks.
“Sort of,” I muttered. No, I wasn’t in the mood to be soothed into a better state. I wanted him to fuck me up against the wall and then throw me onto his bed and bring me to one screaming orgasm after another. I sucked at keeping my thoughts to myself. He kissed me hard, claiming my tongue with his, and I moaned into his mouth. I returned his hungry kisses with fervor, embarrassed by my thoughts, but they soon fell to the wayside. He gripped the waistband of my panties and slowly danced the cute boy-shorts down and off my body. I bit down on my lip, the quick spark of pain distracted me and I did something bold. I unbuckled his belt taking each side into one of my hands. I quirked an eyebrow.
“Let go of my belt.”
I slid a few inches through one of the loops in his jeans still holding on.
Kade placed a hand over each of mine pausing the movement. “If you touch Daddy’s belt without permission again, little girl, I’ll take it across those milky-white thighs until I’ve turned them as pink as your shirt. Understood?”
I shook my head and yanked the rest of the belt free from the loops and put it in between my teeth. Something about the repercussions he offered flooded me with arousal, and I wanted to push just a little bit. He sighed.
“You think this is a game, but it’s not. I lead and you follow, Caity-bug.” Kade stroked the corner of my mouth with his thumb. “Open your mouth.”
I obeyed, and he patted my head. My heart swelled with warmth, the same feeling as when he called me the silly pet name. Was it love? I chided my brain and replaced the thought with lust. Kade bent me over the chair and rested his hand on my right hip. One tiny leather strap wasn’t going to be so bad.
“Just because you read my thoughts doesn’t mean you should, you know?”
“I’m not attempting to rifle through your head. I do my best to block out your thoughts, but I can’t help the times you want me to hear you.”
“I don’t want you to hear any of my thoughts. They’re mine.” I snorted. My attitude earned me a big pinch to each of my thighs and I groaned. “Ouch. Well,
my thoughts are mine.”
“Stay on track. You’ve got eight strokes total.”
“Ye-yes, Daddy,” I stammered, then buried my head in between my hands. I was sure the cheeks above my neck were as red as the ones below my waist.
“I wasn’t going for the title during your consequences, but now I’m rock hard,” he landed two strokes in fast succession against each side. “Take the rest of your punishment like a good girl, and I’ll reward you.”
Two more lines of pain snapped across my ass.
“Aw, fuck,” I drummed my heels up and down. “Yes, please. I’ll be good.”
“You’ve got such naughty thoughts running through your head,” he scolded. “Four more to go.”
“Then?”
“Then we can act out all of those fantasies of yours.”
“I’ll try to stay still,” I promised, but the next set of two stung the tip top of my thighs and pain flared through my body. I reached back and grabbed his arm. “No, stop! It hurts too much.”
“You decided to push tonight. This is my response, and it is how I will respond to your antics each and every time. You’ve got two more coming, so you had better get back into the position I put you in.”
Kade was right, I could have released the belt when he’d first asked me to, but I wanted to tease just a little bit, and I’d been pushing to see how far I could go. One thing was certain, I didn’t want him to use the strap on me again. Another thought followed, and it surprised me too. I wanted to be a good girl just for him. My pussy ached with need, and he was the only one I wanted to soothe that need. I let out a long breath, let go of his arm, and turned back around.
“Good, girl,” he muttered. “I won’t let you place yourself in serious situations without a way to get out of them. From here on out, we face things together. I don’t want to punish you this harshly again, but I will if I have to. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, I understand.” I answered quickly. Perhaps he would lessen my punishment. Leather sounded through the air seconds before it struck my left thigh and then my right. I cried, sobs choking out through my lips though I’d intended to be more stoic and then the last two were delivered. My thighs burned worse than anything I’d felt before, but I was also even more aroused. What the hell? Kade took a hold of my waist, and spun me around so I sat on the chair. I winced, but he parted my legs, and knelt down in front of me. Holy fuck. No one had ever gone down on me before.
