by Livia Grant
The fact that she can stop him at any time should make her feel better, but it doesn’t. She just wants to get it over with. To know once and for all that she has what it takes to live in Corbin’s Bend, at the minimum to be near her aunt and uncle but more importantly, she prays to make it her home with Troy.
Her brain knows it’s way too fast. That they barely know each other, but it doesn’t matter. She knows with every ounce of her being that she is in love with Troy. She has never met a man like him and she’s not willing to throw it away by letting a pesky thing like domestic discipline get in the way. To be truthful, the concept of DD actually sits well with her. It’s just the actual practice when the rubber hits the road that she’s just not convinced she can handle.
She’s startled when she hears the bathroom door opening. She had purposefully chosen to face away from the bathroom so she wouldn’t have to see Troy looking at her as he comes to her preparing to spank her.
She feels the bed dip as he sits next to her, startling her as he lays his right hand on her lower back, tracing the outline of her tattoo.
“Take a deep breath, Hallie.”
She hadn’t even realized she had been breathing shallow in her anticipation. The fact he noticed reassures her.
“Tell me what you’re feeling right now. How waiting here makes you feel.”
“Nervous, I guess. I don’t really know what to expect yet.”
“That’s understandable. Do you want to know what I saw when I came in here?”
She whispers, “Yes.”
“I see the most beautiful woman in the world choosing to trust me by giving her body over to me. I don’t take this lightly Hallie. I really do know that you’re doing this for us, aren’t you? To prove to both of us that we have what it takes to live in Corbin’s Bend?”
“We need to know.”
“Yes, we do. But there is time. Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure. I do have one more request though. We do get to have sex after funishments, right?”
She loves his laugh. “Oh Hallie, just try to stop me. Now, for future reference, when I have you waiting for a punishment or funishment, I want you to spread your legs open a bit more.” She feels his hands on her inner thighs, spreading her open until her toes leave the floor and she is left hanging over the bed awkwardly. “That’s perfect.”
He’s moved around her body so that she can see him as he leans down into her line of sight. She sees he is as naked as she is and that thrills her, especially when she spots his growing erection.
“Let me help you up.” She’s confused. She’d thought he would just spank her over the bed, but he instead sits where she had been laying and pulls her close to stand between his legs, hugging her to him. With their height difference, they are almost eye-to-eye. She can sense him evaluating her readiness to proceed and she’s relieved when he doesn’t ask her again.
“Drape yourself over my lap, resting your chest on the bed here next to me.” He pulls her into position, holding her body close to his with his left arm draped over her waist. She can feel his cock pressing against her left hip and is surprised when he uses his right hand to spread her once again, splitting her legs on either side of his left leg. She feels exposed, which she’s sure is exactly how he wants her to feel. He wraps his right leg around her left, intertwining them intimately, but also helping to immobilize her further. He’s been moving slowly as not to freak her out, but only now does she realize just how vulnerable of a position she’s in.
They sit silently, each of them mentally slipping into their new roles. She knows he’s ready when she feels his right hand massaging her ass, taking the time to graze across her wet folds and clit.
“Keep your hands above your head, Hallie. I never want you to try to reach back to stop me. I don’t want to risk hurting your hand.”
“Oh, but hurting a perfectly good ass is fine?” She meant it to be funny, but her voice is too strained and comes out sassy.
“And here I thought you were smart enough not to sass me when you’re in such a precarious position. It’s a good thing this is a funishment or I’d be adding on for a comment like that.”
“Sorry. I’m just nervous.”
“Well, I’ll let you in on a secret. I am too.”
“You are?”
“I want to be your HoH, Hallie. That means I want you to trust me to always do what’s right for you. I’m nervous that we are rushing you on the punishment thing. There is time for us to ease into this.”
“It’s a funishment and I have a safeword. Please Troy. I need to know.” She can’t believe she is actually begging him to light up her bottom and the strangest thing is she really means it, although she already has one answer. Even draped naked over his lap waiting for his first slap, she still feels safe.
His first spank lands on her right cheek. It’s surprisingly tentative and she’s about to call him on it when his next spank connects with her left side and it’s much harder. He’s methodically slow and steady, using his hand to spread heat to every part of her bottom, but careful not to overwhelm her. She’s conscious of his left hand holding her hip, massaging her gently even as his right hand delivers pain. If she had any doubt about him enjoying himself, it’s gone as she feels his cock pressing hard against her hip.
Just as the heat level is becoming uncomfortable, he stops to intimately inspect her exposed pussy. She’s embarrassed to feel how easily his fingers slide through her lower lips.
“Oh Hallie, honey. You are making me a very happy man right now, you know that, don’t you?”
She says the first thing that pops into her head. “Yes, sir.”
“Oh Christ.”
One minute he’s massaging her ass, bringing the tingle to the surface, the next his hand is crashing down, slapping her harder than before.
“Owee.”
“Shh. Take your funishment like a good girl.” Oh God. He’d said it. She does want to be his good girl.
The next few minutes stretch out for Hallie. The heat is building up, but just as it starts to get unbearable, he moves on to cover a new spot. When he moves lower to where her thighs meet her ass, it gets harder for her hold still.
“Troy, it hurts more there.”
“I know, baby. This is your sit spot. I’ll go easier on it today, but you are gonna hate when I spend time here in the future.”
“Thanks for the warning.” She can hear his chuckle.
She can no longer remain still. She tries to wiggle free of his grip, but he only holds her tighter. Just when she is about to try to push off the bed, the spanking stops and his fingers return to her pussy. This time, he pays a bit more attention to her needs, stroking her folds and finally sliding what feels like several fingers deep inside her.
“Oh God, that feels so good.” Before she can finish that thought, his fingers are moved onto her clit, brushing it lightly to tease her before pinching her clit… hard. “Oh Troy! I’m gonna come.”
And then his fingers are gone. “Sorry, but not yet. I’m not done with you yet.”
Hallie hears the groan and it takes her a few seconds to recognize she was the source of the forlorn sound. Troy’s chuckle should piss her off, but she’s too wound up to care.
She feels the wood on her ass as he brushes the spoon across every inch of her now warm skin. Her anxiety level is rising, but she keeps it in check.
The first flick of his wrist brings the spoon down on her right cheek. It honestly doesn’t hurt as much as his hand had since its coverage area is so much smaller. The next spank is harder. He is once again methodically moving across her bottom, varying his strength when she feels the first sting of tears in her eyes. The heat has built up enough that it’s really starting to burn, but she’s honestly thrilled that she’s made it this long without crying. Surely he is almost done.
“Okay, the warm up is over. Are you ready?”
“What? That wasn’t the real thing?”
“Sorry kiddo, but th
at was a pretty standard warm up. We can stop now if you want to.”
Hallie tempted, but she’s come this far she needs to see this through. “No, sir. I’d like to stop when you want us to stop.”
He answers her with a truly terrifying swat to the center of her right buttock. Before she can even cry out, he puts a matching swat to her left cheek. She can hear her own voice crying out, but it sounds strange even to her. His fingers tweaking her clit come next, giving her blessed time for the fire on her ass to become manageable. The pleasure is building to a crescendo until his fingers are gone and the spoon is crashing against her ass again, this time two quick hard successions to her right side, followed by two even harder in a row to her left. She is fighting to free herself from him, but he is too strong. She is vaguely aware that she could stop this any time. She even remembers the word: butterfly. The word does not leave her lips. Only her moans of pleasure can be heard as he once again ravishes her core.
On and on they go, harder swats with the damn spoon, followed by more insistent attention to her pussy. It’s when he moves the spoon to those damn sit spots when Hallie knows she is in big trouble. The pain is worse, but Troy has moved his left hand from her back to under her body, pressing hard against her clit as his right hand continues to bring the hard spoon against her sensitive sit spot over and over. Pleasure and pain.
The tenderness in his voice pushes her over into her orgasm. “That’s my good girl. Come for me, Hallie. Come on my fingers to show me how much you’ve enjoyed your funishment this morning.”
The contractions move through her whole body, so intense. She is recovering when she feels him slipping out from under her, shifting her to be face down over the end of the bed as she recovers from her bliss. She vaguely hears the tearing open of the condom wrapper, but doesn’t put it together until she feels Troy standing behind her, about to impale her with his cock. He tests her folds to ensure she is ready and then thrusts into her like a man possessed. Hallie is sobbing again, but this time she’s not sure if it’s from the pleasure or the pain as his body thrusts deeply into her over and over again, slapping against her punished skin.
Hallie lays boneless, absorbing Troy’s powerful thrusts hitting spots inside her that have never been touched. She can feel him leaning over her body as he clasps her hands lying uselessly on either side of her head in his larger hands, another intimate connection of their bodies. He is a man possessed as he claims her from behind. Hallie is vaguely aware that he must have a nice view of her red bottom. She’s filled with relief and pride that she not only survived a stricter funishment, but she is about to explode into another heavenly orgasm that she is positive was enhanced by the spanking Troy had delivered.
Hallie crashes into her next orgasm, crying out Troy’s name. He follows her seconds later crying out her name. Tears that had been stored up behind a dam begin to flow. The relief she feels is orgasmic on its own. Troy reads her perfectly and lifts up high enough to begin placing small kisses across her shoulders, neck and back while he remains buried inside her as they recover.
She feels his lips brush across her left ear intimately before he whispers five words that will change her life forever.
“I love you, Hallie Boudreaux.”
* * * * *
The sun has set by the time Troy’s SUV nears Corbin’s Bend. He glances to the passenger seat for the hundredth time since leaving Copper Mountain, checking to make sure she’s still there and not some figment of his imagination. As much as he loves talking with Hallie and getting to know more about her, he was relieved when she had fallen asleep an hour ago so he could admire. She looks so peaceful and innocent as she sleeps and he feels his heart constrict with feelings so intense it scares him. He didn’t know it was possible to feel this way about a woman and he is beginning to dread making it to Corbin’s Bend because he doesn’t want to part with her, not even for a few hours, let alone days.
They are pulling up in front of Aunt Gina’s house when Hallie stirs awake. The smile on her face as she opens her eyes to see Troy gazing at her is amazing. When she realizes where they are, her smile fades. She feels the same way he does.
“Did you have a nice nap?” He tries to sound more light-hearted than he feels.
“I guess, but I hate that I wasted some of our time together sleeping.”
“Are you kidding me? It wasn’t a waste. I got to ogle you while you slept.” He sees tears pooling in her eyes. “Hey, what’s this? No tears now. You came through your skiing weekend with flying colors.”
She swipes a tear. “I’m just being a baby. I wish…” Her voice trails off.
He picks up her hand and kisses her knuckles. “I know. Me too. This is just the beginning, Hallie. Everything is going to be just fine. Just you wait and see.”
He is about to pull her across the center console into his lap when the front porch lights come on. Gina and Adam were waiting for her inside.
Troy exits the SUV and is pleased when Hallie stays put waiting for him to come open her door. He pulls her to stand next to the car, but instead of walking her to the door, he traps her body against the car, staring into her eyes. “I wish I didn’t have to go back to the base tonight, but I do. I have your cell phone though and you have mine. I’m gonna call you and text you and we’ll make plans to see each other again soon, okay?”
Excitement jumps into her eyes. “Actually, if you could come inside, your Christmas gift should have been delivered yesterday after we left and I need to give it to you now.”
“Hallie, you didn’t need to spend money on me.”
“Too late and honestly, it is a gift for me too.”
“Intriguing. We better get going in before your uncle comes out to check on you.”
Aunt Gina flings the door open as they walk up the sidewalk hand in hand. “There you two are. You must have been having fun skiing to be getting back this late.”
Troy and Hallie glance at each other conspiratorially. They had fun skiing, yesterday. Today, they’d requested a late checkout and even though it cost Troy an extra night’s charge, had stayed in their room snuggling, talking and having sex until they had to pack up and leave.
“It was great, Aunt Gina. Troy is a great instructor. I learned so much.” Their eyes meet behind Gina’s back and Troy sees the mischief in Hallie’s eyes at the double innuendo of her comment.
Once in the house, Hallie hugs Uncle Adam and then heads to the desk in the corner of the kitchen where the mail is kept. “Did that envelope come I was waiting for?”
Gina smiles. “Yes, dear. It came yesterday. I put it in on your dresser for you so it wouldn’t get lost.”
Hallie’s smile is like a ray of sunshine. She grabs Troy’s hand and pulls him with her down the hall towards her room. “We’ll be right back.” She shouts over her shoulder to her aunt and uncle. Troy is honestly thrilled to have the chance to say good-bye to her in private.
Hallie rushes to the envelope and then turns, handing it to Troy. “Merry Christmas. Sorry it’s late.”
“We’ve talked about this. You didn’t…”
She cuts him off. “Yeah, I know, but really. I think you’re gonna love it. Please, open it first and then you’ll see.”
Troy turns the non-descript manila folder over in his hands and finally rips it open. When he peeks inside, he sees two tickets, the kind printed for big stadium concerts and theater events. A brief moment of dread hits when he wonders if she had gotten them tickets to see Eddie the Asshole, but he pushes it aside, knowing she would never do that.
Troy pulls out the tickets and knows immediately Hallie was right. This is the perfect gift for both of them.
“Okay, so you were right. This is an amazing gift for both of us. Thank you so much, Hallie.”
She looks nervous. “We haven’t talked about New Years Eve yet, but I thought this would be the perfect way for us to spend the night together in Denver at the Nickelback concert. I hope you don’t mind, but I was kind of hoping I c
ould drive over and since it will be so late, well surely Uncle Adam won’t mind me staying over.”
“You little minx. You had this planned even before we went skiing.”
“But I did good, right?”
“Oh Hallie, you did great. It’s the perfect gift. I’ve been dreading having to say good-bye tonight, but now we only have two days to wait and then we’ll see each other again. And we get to go to a great concert. I’ll make dinner reservations for us for before the concert. Maybe you can plan on staying over a couple nights, that is if your aunt and uncle don’t mind.”
She has fallen into his arms, hugging him tight. “I’ll work on them.”
After several quiet minutes of just holding each other, Troy finally peels apart from her. He sees a vulnerability in her eyes and knows she fears the same thing he does. That these past two days were so perfect that they don’t want to let it end.
He leans in to deliver a heated good-bye kiss, before reluctantly pulling her by the hand to return to the living room. Before he knows it, he’s back in his SUV, headed back to Denver, feeling more alone than he remembers feeling in a very long time. As aggravating as it is to have to be headed into work, he welcomes the distraction that will help him keep his mind off missing Hallie for the next two days.
Chapter Fourteen
“I just don’t get what changed in the last seventy-two hours that has us against the ropes here.” Troy has spent the last two hours trying to sort out what’s gone wrong with the big project he and his team have been working on for over six months now. They were in the final testing phase and should be handing the code over to move into the next phase of production. Instead, they’re all standing around a conference table at one in the morning, hashing out what they know.
“I pulled our backups for the last month to see if I can pinpoint when the bug was introduced. That might help us figure out what the hell is going on.” John Tatum has been on Troy’s team for almost two years, choosing to move to Denver with Troy when they packed up the project team in DC and headed west. Not everyone on the team had been happy with the move, particularly the members he’d left behind in DC. Troy looks around the table of tired people, trying to piece together the problem.
