Kings and Sinners

by Alta Hensley

  With that, he strode from the room without a glance back, grinning when he heard his father say, “Well, she is his save. I’m going to go back to bed. Good job, boys.”

  Drake passed his eldest son on their way back down the tunnel. “You will remember that she is our responsibility?”

  “Absolutely,” Maddox assured him, “but, Pops, she’s gotta learn that doesn’t mean she can pull stunts like this when she doesn’t get her way.”

  Drake gave him a hard look and then nodded. “Good enough. Good night, son.”

  By the time Adira made it to the house, the men had gone back to bed… everyone except for the man she found standing just inside the front door. She shrieked when she was suddenly lifted and thrown over his shoulder.

  “Put me down!”

  “No,” Maddox said, locking the front door and resetting the alarm.

  “You can’t—”

  “Oh, honey, I assure you I can,” Maddox said, moving across the living room.

  “Look, you ass… Ow!”

  “The only ass you need worry about is your own. And, Adira, you should be very, very worried.” His words had her stiffening for a moment before she began to struggle. Her fists beat on his back and her feet drummed against his abdomen, and yet he knew she was going nowhere except where he decided she’d go.

  “Jennie!” Adira shouted, her hands braced against his back as she reared back. “Help me!” Maddox watched as the older woman shook her head.

  “Sorry, honey, but what you reap you sow. Good night.”

  “Wait! What does that mean?”

  “It means that Jennie believes in karma and that you, young lady, need to pay for what you’ve done.”

  “Pay? How?” His hand patting her ass had her hands beginning to claw at his shirt again, her body squirming like an eel.

  “Settle down,” Maddox said, moving towards the office where the bookcase was already standing open. “Keep it up and the spanking you’ve got coming will only increase. As it is, you won’t be sitting or riding for days… want to go for weeks?”

  “I hate you!”

  “I’ve told you before, I can live with that,” he reminded her as he strode down the tunnel.

  “Where are you taking me?” she asked, still twisting and squirming.

  “You said you wanted to know what’s behind the door… well, you’re going to get your wish.” Keying the code into the pad, he heard the lock disengage. Before opening the door, he paused, an arm locked across her thighs, a hand patting her butt. “You’re also going to learn that I meant what I said. I am in control.” That said, he opened the door and stepped into the room.

  Chapter 15

  The room was plunged into absolute darkness the moment the door closed behind him. He didn’t falter as he knew every inch of the space, having been instrumental, along with his devious-minded brothers, in not only designing it but putting every single item in its place. If he wanted, he could have her in position on any number of pieces before she knew what was happening. However, he wanted her to see everything coming, to wonder what his intentions were, to anticipate every stroke of the punishment she’d earned. With the flick of a switch, light pushed against the pitch black and her quick intake of breath had him grinning. While the other caverns were filled with the most modern of technology, this cavern had been planned to provide a different feel. It could have fit into some ancient castle… well, as long as the inhabitants of said castle were into experiencing pain with pleasure as they explored BDSM.

  “What… what is this place?” Adira asked, her voice soft.

  “Welcome to our dungeon,” Maddox said, moving towards the right.

  “Dun… dungeon?”

  “That’s right, darlin’. Don’t you think that a dungeon is a proper place to attend to a naughty girl’s punishment?”

  “Put me down!” she demanded, the stillness she’d sunk into after entering the darkness fleeing as he continued moving.

  “In a moment,” Maddox said, his steps unhurried as he purposefully moved forward and then slowly turned, allowing her to look in every direction, every corner. If the uneven stone walls, the hanging stalactites, the glimmer of crystals embedded within the rocks didn’t bring an instant picture to mind, the equipment did. Where there might have been an iron maiden in some ancient torture chamber stood a St. Andrew’s cross. No rack awaited to stretch a poor victim but there was a very sturdy set of stocks, the position of the top piece allowing one to see the half-moon circles that would hold wrists and a neck once the bar was lowered and locked into place. Iron rings waited to keep a woman’s ankles secured when cuffs were attached. No scaffold rose from the floor, no noose waited, but there was a pulley system that could suspend a supplicant, wrapped in white ropes used to envelop and enhance portions of her body, tied with a series of intricate knots. The barrel could have held a hundred gallons of ale but didn’t. Instead, it would hold a submissive on its surface as it rolled back and forth… driven by nothing more than the force of a stroke or the thrust of a cock. A complicated leather contraption occupied one corner, the netting capable of supporting a woman, swinging her back and forth as her Dom played or punished every inch of her body. Each piece offered endless possibilities and yet none were his object of choice for tonight. Adira had gone silent and still. She was no longer draped over his shoulder. Instead, her palms were braced where her tummy had been, her head swiveling, her eyes huge as she took in the room’s contents. Maddox changed direction to stride towards a wall, her silence broken as she gasped and then gave a moan.

  “Oh my God… you… you can’t!”

  “I’m not a fan of repeating myself,” Maddox said, his position deliberate so she could only see the wall in front of her. The wall that held every type of paddle, flogger, whip, tawse, or cane you could imagine. Shelves held a variety of objects that could be inserted into a woman’s cavities… any one of three. And these were just the things she could see… plenty more were inside a huge wooden armoire, the surface beautifully carved to draw one’s eyes, to wonder if the positions shown were truly feasible… Maddox knew they were. But that was for another time. Her soft moan had him patting her ass as if reminding himself of his duty. “I’ve already told you that I can, and I’ve also already told you that you can always count on me keeping my word.”

  “Look… we can talk about this. You don’t need—”

  “I most definitely do,” Maddox said, cutting her off and moving again.

  “No! I mean, I’m sorry. I was just angry. Please, Maddox, please just put me down and we can discuss—”

  “I’m not interested in negotiating and, Adira, when we are in the dungeon, you will address me as ‘Sir’ at the very least, understand?” When she didn’t answer, he smacked her ass. “When I ask you a question, you will answer, understand?”

  “This is ridiculous! If you expect me to simply allow you to… Ow!”

  “Not an answer,” he said, after smacking her again.

  “Quit it! You’re just trying to scare me!” Another, harder smack, this time to the back of her thigh, had her yelping. “Fine, yes, I understand! Happy now?”

  Maddox didn’t answer but he did reach his destination. Lifting her off his shoulder, he set her onto her feet, noticing she winced a bit. “Go ahead and lie down…”

  Adira shot him a look of defiance and then made a show of sitting, crossing one leg over the other and reaching down to rub her hand across the sole of her dangling foot. Maddox shook his head. “Keep it up at your own risk. Your instruction was to lie down. Do it now.” When she gave an exasperated sigh and turned, pulling her legs up onto the bench and started to lie back, he said, “No, on your stomach.”

  “Why?”

  “First, because I instructed you to do so, and second, because even though I could give you another spanking using the diaper position, I’m afraid your back and shoulders would be as uncomfortable as your ass will be by the time I’ve finished your punishment.”

>   He watched as her face flushed, knowing she most likely was remembering the position he’d put her in during her last spanking. Her eyes flew to the wall and then back to him. “Now, Adira, turn over onto your tummy, put your arms out in front of you.” Though she hesitated, she rolled to her front. Maddox noticed that despite the accompanying huff she gave, he could see her bottom clenching beneath her panties. “Arms out,” he repeated and when she obeyed, he squatted down beside her and reached for the first cuff.

  “Ever been cuffed during a spanking?”

  “Um… no…”

  “No, what?”

  “What?”

  “Address me properly, Adira.”

  “Oh, right. Um, no, Sir. I’ve never been cuffed.” He was opening the cuff when she continued, “Until you… I’ve never been spanked either.”

  “Ah, I’ll be taking another of your virginities then, won’t I?” he said, chuckling at the instant color that suffused her skin.

  After wrapping the fur lined leather around her wrist, he buckled it, repeating the steps with her right wrist.

  “Too tight?” he asked, not the least bit surprised to see her trying to pull her hands free, noticing that there was plenty of room to ensure they’d not be uncomfortable. “Don’t waste your energy,” he said, moving towards her legs. “You’ll be pulling hard soon enough.” He patted her bottom and then hooked his fingers into the waistband of the bikini panties. “Lift up a bit.”

  “Maddox, please… I am sorry…”

  “Lift up,” he repeated and the moment she did, he pulled the green satin over her hips, baring her buttocks. Tossing the panties to the floor, he said, “Good girl, now spread your legs.”

  “Please… Ow!”

  “Again, I do not like repeating myself. Spread your legs.”

  Her legs shifted apart and he placed the cuffs around each ankle, securing the straps to the rings in the floor. He shook his head at the sight of the soles of her feet. She’d not only be dealing with a tender ass but very tender feet for the next few days. Standing again, he wasn’t surprised to find that despite her trembling and obvious trepidation, he could see a glistening on her inner thighs. She might not have experience with cuffs but this woman was obviously of the ilk to find pleasure in a bit of pain. Then again, she’d be experiencing more than a bit in just a few minutes. He ran a fingertip up her leg from her ankle, seeing her skin pop out into goose bumps as he neared her hips. Her soft gasp was delicious as he stroked the sensitive skin of her inner thigh, the pale flesh chafed from her ill-advised ride.

  “Maddox… please… I know you’re upset and… I don’t really blame you but if you’re determined to spank me, can’t you just do it with me over your lap?” She glanced around slightly. “Is all of this really necessary?”

  Moving to bend over her, his lips at her ear, he said, “Adira, we both know that if I just spanked you, you’d love every stroke and that, my girl, is not a punishment.”

  “Then… what are you planning on doing? Fucking me?”

  “You seem to have quite the one-track mind,” he said, moving a hand to pat at her bottom. “I’m going to discipline you, Adira. By the time I let you up, you are going to understand the difference between a spanking that does nothing but get you off, and one that has every centimeter of your pretty little ass feeling as if you were sitting in a fire—after, of course, being stung by an entire hive of hornets. You are also going to learn once and for all that you are not in control.” Standing again, he moved towards the wall to make his selection. Though her deliberate disobedience in leaving the house and her utter disregard for her own safety earned her at least a few strokes of the cane, he left it in its place. Instead, he pulled one of his favorite paddles from its hook. The wood was thin and flexible and while it looked rather harmless, he knew that its very flexibility would have her begging for him to stop as the wood molded to her flesh after delivering a sharp bite that his palm couldn’t replicate. He moved again to the wall, opening a hidden panel to reveal modern controls, turning up the thermostat as he’d seen her trembling, and though he was pretty sure it was simply her body’s way of reacting to the anticipation of what was coming, he didn’t want her to grow chilled. He almost chuckled thinking that was highly unlikely as he did intend to light quite the fire on her derrière. Anticipation was a good thing and he extended it by turning another knob, lowering the flames in the antique gas lanterns that hung from many hooks around the walls. He could have put a spotlight on the spanking bench but decided that could wait for another day, as did the choice not to turn on the music system. Though he truly loved watching a submissive dance to the tune of a whip while lost in the throes of passion as well as in the notes of some piece of music, again, not tonight. They weren’t here to play… he was here to punish and she was here to learn. Turning back, he saw that Adira was watching him, her cheek pressed to the leather, her fingers stroking the rope that connected the cuffs to the bench. The smile on her lips told him that despite his words, she wasn’t truly concerned. Cocking an eyebrow, he slapped the paddle against his thigh, the crack causing her to give a small jerk, her eyes widening, the smile slipping away.

  He squatted down next to her again, his palm once more spread across her ass. “Do you know what a safeword is?”

  “I-I think so… like red?”

  “Yes, or another unique word of your choosing. You’d use your safeword to stop all activities immediately.” He saw the understanding in her eyes as well as a flare of hope. Patting her bottom, he instantly dispelled that look, continuing, “However, that would only count if we were playing, which we most certainly are not. Since this is discipline, the only one who will decide when we stop is me. Can you tell me why?”

  “B-because you are the one in control… Sir.”

  “Very good. That’s exactly correct.” Standing again, he placed the wooden paddle on the bench between her spread ankles, within easy reach but he’d not use it until he’d given her bottom a proper warmup. For that, he’d use his hand. Rubbing his palm across her nates, he began his lecture. “The first round will teach you that throwing a fit because you didn’t get what you want is not only childish, it won’t get you anywhere except right back here.” Though her head lifted and her mouth opened, he didn’t give her time to speak. He stopped rubbing and started spanking. These weren’t the swats he’d given her earlier… these weren’t even the swats he’d given her after she’d struck out at him on the plane. No, these were harder, each one causing her buttocks to flatten before rebounding, and it took less than a dozen before she was squirming.

  “Ow! That’s too hard!”

  Ignoring her, he gave two quick strokes, each one lifting a cheek and leaving the imprint of his hand on her sit-spots. Though her heritage gave her skin a darker, almost golden color, by the time he paused, her bottom had taken on a decidedly rosy hue. Splaying his palm across her ass again, he could feel the heat beginning to rise. It would soon be blazing.

  “This round is for disobeying me by not staying in bed and thinking about your behavior like I told you to.” He increased both the intensity and the speed, his hand delivering a flurry of smacks all across her bottom, her feet arching and her hands pulling against their restraints as she began to yelp and then wail.

  “Stop! It hurts!”

  Maddox didn’t respond, knowing she could struggle all she wanted but her efforts would not stop her punishment. All they would do was tire her out. Another two searing strokes to her sit-spots had her head arching back and the first curse word erupting.

  “Fuck! Stop… that’s enough!”

  “Watch your language,” Maddox said. “Now, this next round is for purposely setting off the alarm and causing every single person on this ranch to wake and worry about you unnecessarily.” The round wasn’t half done before she changed her tune, going from that of an irate innocent to that of a woman who knew she deserved exactly what she was getting.

  “Please… I’m sorry! I won’t do it
again! Ow! God, you’re fucking killing me!”

  Shaking his head, he rested his hand again. “For a moment there, I thought perhaps I was getting through to you. Obviously not.” Reaching for the paddle, he tapped it against her bottom. “Let’s see if this grabs your attention, shall we?”

  “No! I mean, please! You don’t need that… your hand is enough! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to curse…”

  Crack! Crack! One swat to the center of each cheek had her apology pausing, the shock evident in her expression as he looked at her, and the disbelief at the difference a paddle could deliver evident when she shrieked.

  Crack! Crack!

  “Ow… ow… ow! Please!”

  Crack! Crack!

  “I’m sorry! Sir, please… no more!”

  “Babe, though I do believe that you are beginning to understand, we’ve barely begun. You will never, I repeat, never again run away like some spoiled brat wearing nothing more than your underwear. Have you seen your feet? Your thighs? What the hell were you thinking?”

  “I-I didn’t think!” she wailed.

  “That’s obvious.”

  The paddle was a blur as he blistered her ass, the wobble of her buttocks not being given a chance to still before being set to wobbling again with the next swat.

  “Please! Ow! Ow! I’m sorry, Sir!” she screeched, her head arching back.

  “This last round is for putting yourself in danger by riding alone in not only the dark but without knowing—”

  “I wasn’t in danger! I know how to ride…”

  Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!

  “Arguing during a spanking is hardly wise, Adira,” Maddox said, giving her another four strokes that had her hips jerking from side to side. “Now, where was I? Oh, right, you have no idea where it is safe to ride full out and where doing so could cause Zephyr to step into a hole or worse. He could not only break a leg, he could throw you, land on you… crush you.” Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! “And, that is just not acceptable to me. Do something like that again and I promise you, this paddling will seem like nothing more than a tap of a feather duster on your ass. Understand?”