by Measha Stone
Tension eased out of her shoulders. “Yes. I understand.”
“Good. Now, up on your feet and bend over the bed. I want this ass up high for me.” He patted her bottom and helped her to stand. Tears streaked her red cheeks. The little mascara she’d had on when she arrived was smeared by her crying.
He stood beside her and helped her get into position, pulling her hips higher when she tried to tuck them under and lower her ass.
Standing directly behind her, he unbuckled his belt and pulled it from the loops of his slacks. The worn leather would be more pliable than his firm hand or any paddle he had in his armory, but she wouldn’t find too much relief from it. Not that she had anything to compare it to.
“Ten. You can move up to your toes, but you are not to lift your leg. If you kick out at me, put your hand back to try and cover your ass, I will add another one. Do you understand me, Angelica?” He folded the leather strap in half and tucked the buckle into his palm.
“Yes…sir.”
His cock twitched at the sound of her submission. The stiff tension he’d seen in her when she first lay over his knee softened, transforming her into the obedient woman before him. She kept her feet flat on the floor, her ass high in the air for him. He could see the quilt bunched up in her fists, but he didn’t mind it.
The first lash landed over both cheeks, and she started to stand up with her cry but quickly went back into position.
He moved to her left side and brought his hand back, letting the belt drape over his shoulder before bringing it down again. He didn’t give her time to react before repeating the lash, finding his rhythm. Across her ass, leaving a red line then over his shoulder then back over her ass. He did this eight times, leaving her with one more to go.
Her cries were louder now, the sobs shook her shoulders, and no amount of sniffling could stop her nose from running. But she’d held her position. She’d moved up onto her toes, she had screamed out, but she had not broken position.
“One more, Angelica. Tell me what you’ve learned.”
“That no matter if I’m sorry, there’s consequences for my actions,” she said through watery sobs. “Lying is unacceptable, and I must think before I do things.”
He nodded, though she couldn’t see him. She was staring at the bed, not him.
“What else?” he asked, holding the belt over his shoulder.
She sucked in a breath. “And you won’t hesitate to punish me?”
The right side of his lips kicked up a bit. Quick learner.
“Yes. Now you have one more lick coming to you then I want you to get up, walk over to the corner, and put your nose in it. Your hands are not to touch your ass. Fold them on your head.”
“Yes, sir,” she whimpered. She sounded downright miserable, but he wouldn’t let it sway him. She could have killed herself or someone else with her driving that night. And it still remained to be seen if her actions would start another war between families that had called a truce a long time ago.
Her calves tensed as she moved up to her toes and then back down, waiting for the last strike to land. Taking pity on her, he unleashed the belt, the hardest yet across both cheeks where her sensitive sit spot took the blow.
She screamed out then collapsed into hard sobs on the bed. He didn’t touch her and wouldn’t until she finished her punishment. Then he would hold her for as long as she needed, but first obedience.
He slid his belt back through his pant loops and finished buckling it, giving her a small respite to compose herself.
“Angel,” he spoke her name in a whisper.
She nodded and pushed herself up from the bed. “I’m going.” She wiped her hand across her face before shuffling to the corner. Her hair was disheveled, her face red and wet from crying. When she settled herself in the corner, her nose as far into it as she could get it and her hands folded neatly on her head, he inspected her ass. Deep red with two darker lines crossing the bottom. She’d be sore for at least a day, maybe more.
“You took your spanking like a good girl,” he said softly, coming to stand behind her.
She only nodded.
His fingers touched her bottom, eliciting a hiss from her. “No rubbing,” he reminded her then stepped away.
Settling himself on the bed, against the headboard, he watched her. Her shoulders slowly stopped trembling, and the sniffles disappeared as well. By the time her ten minutes were up, she stood peacefully.
His cock ached at the sight of her. Well-spanked ass on display, submissively obeying his command to stand in the corner. Fuck. He prayed she behaved the rest of the day so he could sink his dick into her that night.
And he wasn’t much of a praying man.
“Come here, Angel,” he said softly. Her hands dropped, fidgeting at her sides and she shuffled to the side of the bed. “Do you want to remove your stockings and panties?”
She nodded but wouldn’t look at him.
“Do you need me to help?” he asked when she didn’t move.
She shook her head and went about shoving the stockings and panties down to her ankles and kicking them away. “Can I lower my dress now?” she asked, still not meeting his gaze.
“Yes, then climb up here and let me hold you.” He put his hand out. “Unless you’d rather I left you alone.” He cleared his throat, trying to eradicate the vulnerability he heard in his tone. She might hate him after what he’d just done.
“No.” She untucked her dress and slip from the belt and scrambled onto the bed, climbing into his arms and snuggling into his chest. “I don’t want to be alone.”
“You did very well for your first punishment,” he said, petting her hair from her face then placing a kiss on her head.
She wrapped her arms around his torso tighter.
“I think I liked last night’s spanking better,” she whispered into his shirt.
He laughed. “I did, too, because last night I got to touch your pretty pussy. I can do that tonight unless you’re naughty again.”
“I’ll be good,” she promised with fervor. “So good.”
Chapter 6
Angel stood in Damien’s living room, holding a cup of coffee. Hunter was due any minute and Ash Titon with him. Just the thought of seeing them made her shake. She put the cup of untouched coffee on an end table and began to pace instead.
Her ass still hurt—a slow, steady burn replaced the sharp white-hot fire she’d felt during and right after her punishment, but it was still uncomfortable when she moved, and sitting wasn’t something she wanted to experience yet.
Damien had made her rest after several long kisses and assurances that he was not going to throw her out. She’d paid the consequence for her actions and, as far as he was concerned, there was nothing else to discuss about it. Aside from getting Bertucci off her ass and trying to stop a senseless war between the families from breaking out.
“You’re going to wear a hole in my carpet.” Damien entered the room, slipping his cell phone into his jacket pocket. He’d showered and dressed while she had napped. Now dressed in a suit and tie, he looked all business.
But just as devilishly handsome.
“What if my uncle decides to send me away? My father has very little power. He won’t be able to stop him. Or what if Ash is angry about what I did?”
Damien stopped her from pacing by grabbing her shoulders and drawing her gaze to his.
“I told you everything will work out. You aren’t going anywhere.”
“My father—”
“Your father has been running around with a safety net under your ass for too long. Just like you said, you’re tired of everyone deciding for you—so now, you’ll have to decide.”
What did that mean?
“You’re being vague on purpose,” she accused.
He laughed. “I am. You’ll just have to wait.” He tapped the tip of her nose. “They’ll be here any minute.”
The doorbell rang as she opened her mouth with a retort.
�
�I’m going to throw up,” she said to herself after Damien left her to let the men in. Pressing her hand to her stomach, she took several cleansing breaths to steady herself.
“Angelica.” Hunter’s bland voice pulled her attention.
“Hunter.” She tried to smile at him, but the scowl on Ash’s face beside him wiped away any hope she’d be able to keep her nerves in check. “Mr. Titon.” She nodded toward him.
“Angel, sit down.” Damien walked over to her and gestured to the chair beside her.
“Uh, I’d rather not,” she said giving him a pleading look. He had to know she’d be more comfortable standing.
“I didn’t ask if you’d rather stand or sit. I said to sit.” He stepped in front of her, blocking her view of the other two men. His voice had been low, so hopefully they hadn’t heard him.
She pressed her trembling lips together and gave him a curt nod. He stepped away as she took her seat. It wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be, until she moved farther back on the chair and the tops of her thighs rubbed against the seam of the armchair. She grabbed the arm of the chair and gingerly finished positioning herself.
When she looked up, she found three men staring at her. Hunter gave an approving nod, and Ashland raised an eyebrow. At least his scowl seemed to lessen a bit.
“I see she won’t need to visit Daniel or Peter’s office,” Ash remarked, keeping his stare settled on her.
Heat bloomed across her face at his telling remark.
“She won’t be seeing either of them again no matter what happens here this afternoon,” Damien said with finality.
“Angelica, are you okay?” Hunter asked the question, stepping between Ashland and Damien. His expression at least held some concern for her.
“Yes. I’m fine.” She nodded from her chair. “Am I able to go home?” She wasn’t sure who she was asking.
“Bertucci is being dealt with, but I would prefer if you stayed with Jaelynn and me for a few weeks. To be sure there’s no blowback,” Hunter said.
Damien went stiff beside her. She couldn’t realistically stay with him. Not when they’d just met. It would be moving too fast.
“My father—”
“Uncle Elliot will talk to him, but you’ll have to deal with him at some point. Uncle Elliot is not happy with you, though, and expects you to make your apologies this weekend. He’s invited you and Damien to dinner.”
Dinner with her uncle. A worse punishment than the belting she’d taken.
“I can do that, but Damien doesn’t need—”
“I’ll be there,” Damien said, placing his hand on her shoulder.
“How did you convince Bertucci to let it go?” she asked instead of rebuffing him for interrupting her.
“We just reminded him of the promise made between the families. Attempting to bring Ash into the fold would anger not only our uncle, but anyone else who’s wanting to move in the territory. And having an all-out war wasn’t what he was looking for. His car has been paid for, and he won’t bother you again,” Hunter clarified without giving enough details to explain everything.
Sometimes she hated not being privileged enough in the family to know the goings-on.
“So, now you make a decision.” Damien squeezed her shoulder. “You can go back to your apartment, and we’ll put a man on the building until we’re sure you’re safe there, or you can stay with your cousin for a few weeks.”
He didn’t want her. His home wasn’t an option.
“The third option would be to stay here, with Damien. He’d be in complete charge of your safety. And, once we’re sure your apartment is safe, you can go home,” Hunter added, not hiding his smirk as well as he probably thought he was.
“Well, there’s the fourth option of staying at the Annex—” Ash started.
“No!” Hunter and Damien declared at the same time, making her laugh. Ash’s lips twitched, but he didn’t smile. She wondered how his wife could stand such a stern, solemn man all the time.
“I’m sorry for lying to you about who I was.” Angel got up from the chair and walked to Ash. As terrifying as he was towering over her, she knew he’d do anything to keep her safe.
“As far as anyone at the Annex knows, you’ve been purchased on a long contract,” he stated. “I can’t let it be known you were able to get through our screening process undetected.”
It had been difficult finding a fake identification card, but she’d managed well enough. The background check, she’d gambled on, but everything came back with no issues.
“Once I find out where you slipped through, there’ll be new protocols in place,” Ash said solemnly. “You can come back to clean out your apartment, but you will not tell the other girls what happened. You’ll tell them you’ve taken the long contract.”
“Of course, I won’t tell them,” she agreed. Celeste and Serena had become friends; she didn’t want to scare them with the truth or hurt them with the knowledge that she’d lied.
“Angel, you have to make your decision now,” Damien stated.
She sucked in her lower lip. No one had ever let her make the final call on what she was going to do. Even her major in college had been picked for her by the dean at the school.
“I’d like to stay here. With Damien.” She rolled back her shoulders and forced a confidence she wasn’t quite sure she deserved yet.
“You’re sure?” Hunter asked, not moving from where he stood.
Damien caught her glare and held onto her. “She’s sure.”
“I expect you at my house while he’s working though. I don’t want you sitting around here all by yourself,” Hunter said pointedly. “Besides, I think Jaelynn needs someone to keep her busy.”
“I am busy.” She broke her stare with Damien. “Three days a week I volunteer a shift at the library either at the college campus or in town. Two days a week I volunteer at the Historical Society Museum, and on Saturdays I volunteer at the daycare on fifth. They are only open for a few hours on the weekends, and have a hard time hiring caretakers for those times.”
Hunter blinked a few times and shook his head. “Well. When you aren’t doing all of that, stop by and see Jaelynn. I have a feeling you may have questions she can answer for you.” He gave a knowing nod toward Damien. “Speaking of her, I’d better get back home. She wasn’t feeling very well after she ate supper.”
“Maybe she’s pregnant,” Damien said on a laugh.
Hunter’s eyes widened at the suggestion. “I better get home.”
“I can do this on my own, Damien,” Angel sighed as he pulled the car up to the front door of the Annex. “I don’t need a babysitter.” As much as she understood Damien’s desire to make sure she was safe since Michael Bertucci could still go against his word and cause trouble for her, she didn’t want him breathing down her neck every step she took.
“It would be faster if I helped,” he pointed out, but she wasn’t giving in. Twice he’d had her bare ass over his knee, and she’d only been with him for one day. She needed to put some space between them. A little independence before he got the idea she was a co-dependent airhead.
“I have a wide-open schedule today, if you have somewhere you need to be, I’m sure I can get a cab—”
“Don’t.” He pressed a finger to her lips. “Don’t start saying things that will darken my mood any more than it already is.”
“I haven’t done anything to upset you. You already punished me for what I did before.” Her voice softened at the end. Just mentioning the punishment, the authority he now held over her made her fall into a more submissive space.
“The idea of you here”—he pointed at the Annex building—“sours my mood.” He sighed. “Okay, you go to your apartment and pack your belongings. I’ll be in the main building.”
“Good.” She smiled and touched his shoulder. “I won’t be long. I only have two suitcases of things.”
Damien led her up the steps to the entrance. Once inside, she walked to the elevators, feeling
his stare on her every step she took.
“Angel.” Jason met her at the elevators. “I didn’t expect you this afternoon.” He glanced down the hall where Damien stood watching them.
“Just getting my things.” Angel pressed the button a second time to hurry the lift.
“Damien Simon took a long contract,” Jason said, but a question lurked in the words.
The doors slid open, and Angel stepped in, feeling a sense of worry when he followed. She pressed the button and held her hand over the panel. “What floor?”
“I’m actually going to your apartment. Serena has a client this afternoon.” He smiled.
“Oh.” She nodded. Continuing the lies she’d told her friends weighed on her, but telling them the truth would go against what she’d agreed to with Ash.
“It’s okay, Angel. I’m aware of what happened,” Jason said as they made their way to her floor.
“Oh?”
“Ash had a meeting this afternoon, and we’re going over the intake process. Changes are being made so another innocent like yourself doesn’t slip through the cracks,” Jason explained.
“I’m really sorry to have caused so much trouble. I’m so embarrassed.” Her cheeks heated.
“I would suggest you learn from this and not get into a situation like it again.”
“Are you following me so you can make sure I don’t tell Serena or Celeste what I did?” she asked when the doors slid open.
“No. Serena really does have a client.” Jason chuckled.
The tension lessoned in Angel’s chest as they made their way down the hall to her apartment. Serena was standing in the doorway with her arms crossed.
“Mr. Jones is here already?” Serena asked with a grim smile.
“He’s early.” Jason nodded. “I figured you’d want to delay meeting with him, so I said I’d come get you instead of just calling up to your room.”
