Pucked Up Love

by Lili Valente

  She truly is my favorite. She’s my home base, my safe space, and the only proof I need that there is something more powerful than I am looking out for my best interests. So many stars had to align in order for Hailey and me to cross paths. I pulled a hamstring just in time to end up on our team’s physical therapist’s schedule on the last day of Hailey’s internship, mere minutes before she was to walk out the door and never come back.

  Even securing the internship in the first place was a long shot for an eighteen-year-old. Hailey was the youngest applicant to ever score the position. Her college advisor tried to discourage her, insisting writing the internship essay would be a waste of her time, but Hailey applied anyway.

  She’s stubborn, my girl. And she believes in herself. And she isn’t about to take no for an answer if she thinks there’s even a shot in hell of convincing someone to say yes.

  I’m not really surprised when my doorbell rings just after four o’clock and I open the door to find Hailey standing on my welcome mat, wearing her raincoat even though there isn’t a cloud in sight.

  No, I’m not surprised, but I am instantly awash in warring emotions. Will the ex-boyfriend is thrilled to see her, but Will the submissive professor isn’t happy about having his direct order ignored. He’s not happy at all, and at least for now, he’s the one calling the shots with Hailey.

  So instead of throwing open the door and ushering her inside the way I usually would, I cross my arms, lean against the doorframe, and cast a glance down my nose. “Is it Monday, Miss Marks?”

  Trapping her bottom lip between her teeth, Hailey shakes her head slowly back and forth. “No, Mr. Saunders, it’s not Monday, but I have a compelling argument as to why we really should reschedule lesson two for today. I made a list and everything.” She threads her fingers together in front of her and rocks back and forth in her high-heeled pumps, blinking her big blue eyes. “So I was hoping I could come in, and present my evidence?”

  “You could have texted the list,” I say, not budging an inch. “Or emailed.”

  “Well, yes, you’re right… I could have…” The skin around her eyes tightens, and I can see her wheels spinning as she tries to figure out a way to avoid obeying orders. She’s cute as hell, and a part of me wants nothing more than to pull her inside and show her how much I’ve missed her during the few hours we’ve been apart, but that would be rewarding poor behavior.

  Instead I say, “Why don’t you do that, and we’ll discuss your list via the proper channels.”

  A stricken expression flashes across her features. “No, please, Will. I’m sorry I bent the rules, but I’m new. Which means I need more one-on-one instruction, not less. If you let me come in, maybe you can teach me some new strategies. Ways to helps me stay disciplined in times of temptation.”

  “The best way to resist temptation is not to let it in the door to begin with.” I stand firm even though Ex-boyfriend Will is shouting for me to quit being a dick and let her in. “I’m going to have to ask you to leave, Curious.”

  Hurt flickers in her eyes, but it’s soon banished by determination and that stubborn jut of her chin I know so well. “But I don’t want to leave. And I don’t think you want me to leave, either.”

  “No, I don’t want you to leave,” I answer honestly, “but I do want you to learn to respect boundaries I’ve put in place for your protection.”

  “But I don’t need to be protected from you.” She fiddles with the belt holding her coat closed. “And I’m ready for another lesson. I promise. I even came prepared…” Slowly, she slips the tie loose and parts the front of her coat, revealing tiny white lace panties, a white lace bra, and nothing else.

  Instantly, I’m hard, my cock thick and aching behind the fly of my jeans, but I’m not amused. Just a few days into her training, and she’s already trying to top from the bottom, already trying to take the reins and see how far I’ll let her steer us off course.

  But this isn’t my first time at the power-play games, and I’m not about to give away the upper hand so easily. That isn’t what Hailey really wants, anyway, not deep down. She’s simply testing my limits, my word, and making sure it’s safe to put herself in my hands.

  Which means, no matter how much I want to indulge her and my own need to have her under me again, there’s only one way to handle this situation.

  Lips pressed into a tight line, I reach out and calmly, but firmly, close her coat, wrap the tie back around her waist, and secure it with a knot. When I’m finished I step back and point to the end of the hall, “Go stand by the potted plant with your nose to the window.”

  Her eyes go wide. “What?”

  “Go stand by the potted plant with your nose to the window until I give you permission to go home. Mr. Stubblefield and the Yangs are out of town, so no one should bother you, but if anyone asks what you’re doing, tell them you’re admiring the view and leave it at that. Everyone who works in the building knows you’re on my approved guest list.”

  “You’re kidding,” Hailey says with a shaky laugh, but the worry flickering across her features makes it clear she knows I’m not.

  I shake my head, which summons a sigh from her lips.

  “Shit,” she mutters. “I screwed up. I’m sorry.”

  “You did. It happens. Just take your punishment like a good girl, and we’ll move forward from here.”

  Her nose wrinkles, and her upper lip curls into an irritated squiggle. “I don’t like being a good girl. I’m a grown woman, not a girl.”

  “Noted,” I say, fighting a smile. “We can see if you enjoy being a bad grown woman better than a good girl tomorrow during our scheduled lesson. But tonight, you need to take your punishment.” And with that, I shut the door in her face, grinning at the affronted gasp from the other side.

  I adore Hailey, and in real life, I definitely prefer not to get on her bad side.

  But this isn’t real life, this is the game, and Dominant Will enjoys teaching a submissive her place, especially a hard-to-handle submissive. Dominant Will can’t wait to see if Hailey obeys orders, already plotting what kind of punishment she’ll receive tomorrow night if she refuses to do as she’s told.

  The thought of Hailey draped over my lap with her ass bare to the flat of my hand is so erotic, in fact, that I almost hope she chooses to disobey.

  But when I peek outside ten minutes later, she’s there at the end of the hall, with her trench coat wrapped around her and her cute little nose pressed to the window, and I immediately realize I was wrong.

  Seeing her taking her punishment like a good submissive is way better than any other outcome. Knowing that she’s on board with this, on board with my control and my rules and me leading the way through this new-to-us experience, is a turn-on like nothing else. Because it means there’s real hope. Hope that Hailey is enjoying this experiment as much as I am, hope that we’ll be able to make power exchange something that’s organic to our relationship, hope that before too long we’ll be a couple again and that it will be the two of us against the world, the way it’s meant to be.

  I’m so fucking happy—elated really—that it’s hard as hell to shut the door. I want to touch her, kiss her, to show her with my body how proud I am of her for being brave enough to put herself into my hands.

  But that will have to wait until tomorrow night. If I’m going to maintain control of my headstrong girl, I have to show her that when it comes to the game, my word isn’t to be questioned.

  Instead of slipping outside to surprise her, I wait exactly forty-three minutes—a punishment weighty enough for her to know that I mean business, but short enough to keep her legs from going numb—and shoot off a text—Thank you for your obedience, Curious. You can go home now, and I’ll call you tomorrow to talk details for Lesson Two.

  After a beat, bubbles fill my screen, indicating her impending response. The bubbles go on and on, making me wonder what kind of opus she’s writing, but when the text pops through, it’s only four words: Okay. See you
tomorrow.

  I bite my lip, but I can’t resist replying, You’re taking this awfully well.

  Hailey shoots back an angry cat emoji, making me laugh, followed by, That clearly wasn’t my ideal outcome, but…I get it. At least I think I get it.

  What do you think you get? I ask.

  You’re serious, she replies. This may be a game, but it’s a game with rules you take seriously, and you expect me to do the same. If I don’t, this won’t work. And it won’t be as much fun, either.

  My lips curve. If you were having fun out there, I wasn’t doing my job properly.

  No, I wasn’t having fun. I was pretty pissed at first. She sends through three angry cats in a row, followed by a ball of fire and a skull and crossbones emoji. But while I was standing here with my nose pressed to the window, I realized that—in addition to feeling mortified and worried someone we know might show up in the hall and ask what the hell I was doing—I also felt…safe. It’s nice knowing exactly what to expect. I follow the rules and things go smoothly; I disobey and there are consequences. It’s like the rules are a safety net, even when I break them…if that makes any sense.

  I lean against the wall near the door, wishing I were outside having this conversation with her instead of locked on my side of the divide. But she’s right, the rules are important, so I let my thumbs do the talking. It makes complete sense and I couldn’t agree more. The rules are our safety net. The more you see me obeying the rules, the more you know you can trust me. The more you trust me, the freer you’ll feel to let go. And the more you let go, the more fun we can have together.

  Bubbles fill the screen for a good thirty seconds, but again, her eventual reply is only two sentences long. I like the sound of that. See you tomorrow, sir.

  This time I have to move away from the door, striding deeper into the apartment to keep from reaching for the knob and joining her in the hall. I want to kiss her sweet, obedient mouth. I want to squeeze her ass and tell her how proud I am of her for being open to this change, this adventure, this new way of loving each other. I want to carry her to my bed and celebrate her success with half a dozen orgasms and an all-night cuddle session.

  Instead, I remember the rules and tap out, See you then, sweetheart. Get home safe, and then I head out to the balcony, watching the street until I see her blond head emerge from the lobby door and head west toward the river.

  “Tomorrow, Curious,” I murmur, electricity prickling across my skin as I start whipping up a lesson plan she’ll never forget.

  Chapter 14

  Hailey

  Despite being plagued by a level of sexual frustration I haven’t experienced in ages—maybe ever—I’m shocked to find that, once again, I sleep like the dead, and awake filled with energy and ready to take on a grey and drizzly Monday.

  After all, the faster I get through my work, phone calls, and a hefty number of emails, the sooner I’ll be headed over to Will’s for Lesson Two.

  Or maybe he’ll want to come back to your place, since your headboard is so tying-you-up friendly…

  The thought makes me blush, grin, and hurry through breakfast so I can tidy up the apartment and put clean sheets on the bed, just in case. I’m still not completely comfortable with submissive Hailey’s giddiness at the thought of being tied up, but I’m enjoying myself too much to care.

  Even yesterday, standing with my nose pressed to the window, taking my medicine for disobeying Will’s orders, was strangely erotic.

  The knowledge that I was standing there because Will had told me to, and that he was monitoring my obedience, thinking of me, controlling me even though he was nowhere in sight, was almost unbearably arousing. My nipples were hard throughout the duration of my punishment, and by the time I left his building, my panties were wet.

  And we won’t even discuss what happened when I got home and finally had my vibrator in hand and the privacy to take the edge off.

  Suffice it to say those batteries don’t have much life left in them.

  Neither did I by the time I’d fantasized about Will taking me from behind in the hallway of his building, with my coat shoved up around my waist, the city of Portland spread out beneath us, and the chance that we might get caught making my blood rush in a way that had me questioning what I’m into sexually.

  Do I want to get it on in a public place? Would the risk of being discovered really make me come so hard my knees would be reduced to jelly?

  I have no idea, but my lessons with Will have put all sorts of new things on my radar, filling my head with terrifying, exhilarating, bliss-inducing possibilities.

  At work, I expect to be distracted and on edge as I wait for word from Will, but I’m a productivity powerhouse. I’m so focused that by the time my first students arrive at nine-thirty, I’ve already answered all my work-related emails, shot off an order for new crash mats, and called the cleaning service to schedule the semi-annual gym deep clean.

  I’m just Hailey at work—not submissive Hailey—but the sense of calm and safety that filled me yesterday lingers throughout my day. Shutting off the constantly vigilant side of myself to experiment with Will seems to have quieted my hyperawareness in general, and I marvel at how much easier it is to focus.

  I’ve always assumed that restless, constant assessment made me an alert and productive human being, but by the time Will’s phone call comes through after my three o’clock class, I’m rethinking things even more radical than my sexual preferences.

  “I’ve had one of my best work days ever,” I confess to Will, tucking into my office for privacy as the girls from my pre-teen class gather their things. “I’ve been so calm and focused, getting twice as much done in half the time. It’s blowing my mind a little.”

  “In the good way, I hope,” Will says, a smile in his voice. “It’s like that for me, too. The game improves my overall focus. I always play hockey better the day after a scene.”

  My brow furrows. “Wow. So if we’d been doing this sooner, you might have won an Art Ross trophy by now?”

  He laughs. “Nah. I haven’t been playing at that level yet. But maybe this season. I’m already off to a good start, scoring big. Coach says I’m hitting my prime.”

  I perch on the edge of my desk with a grin. “Oh, I would agree. You’re definitely in your prime.”

  “Stop,” Will warns. “Or I’m going to have to come over there and fuck you on your desk before we go out tonight.”

  Nerve endings humming at the thought, I whisper, “Well, I am sitting on my desk right now… But wouldn’t that be against the rules, sir?”

  “Not if the desk-banging was part of your punishment, Curious. Tonight’s lesson is all about seeing if you enjoy being bad, remember?”

  “I do remember. And I can’t wait.” I tap my toes on the carpet in a spontaneous dance of anticipation that isn’t like me. But then, maybe I don’t know myself as well as I think I do. If these lessons accomplish nothing else, they’ve certainly broadened my horizons. “So what time am I seeing you, sexy?”

  “Five-thirty. I’ll bring dinner over to your place.” He clears his throat before adding, “I can’t wait. I missed you last night.”

  “I missed you, too.” I smile, chest warm and full, overflowing with hope, happiness, and anticipation.

  “Good. Oh, and Hailey, I want you waiting by the door when I arrive, all right?”

  I hum my agreement. “Of course, sir.”

  “On your knees,” he adds, making my pulse spike, “wearing that little white sundress I like, with no panties on underneath. No bra, either.”

  My eyes close as arousal dumps into my bloodstream, making my skin feel too tight and my soft cotton workout clothes suddenly too rough. “All right. I can do that, sir.”

  “Perfect.” He sighs, the hunger in the sound sending tingles prickling up my thighs. “It’s been a long day. I’m looking forward to seeing my good girl waiting for me when I get home. I don’t have the patience for disobedience tonight. If I came home to a
disobedient submissive tonight, I would be very upset.”

  “Oh, no, we wouldn’t want that,” I murmur, lips curving in a wicked grin as I read his subtext. “I’ll be good, sir, I promise.”

  He makes a sound I’ve never heard before—somewhere between a growl and a chuckle—and says, “Goodbye, Curious. See you soon.”

  “Soon,” I promise, teeth digging into my bottom lip as I tap the button to end the call. Soon, soon, soon…

  Soon I will be in Dominant Will’s presence again.

  Soon I will be in his arms and under his command.

  Soon I will find out whether I prefer to be a good girl or a bad one…

  Chapter 15

  Hailey

  I’ve never been into head games—I prefer to lay my cards on the table in my business and personal relationships—but by the time I get home from work and grab a quick shower, I’m not myself anymore.

  I’m submissive Hailey, the naughty bad girl who’s dying for her master to show her who’s boss.

  After I’ve dried off from my shower and rubbed the honeysuckle lotion Will loves into every inch of my skin, I skip the bra and panties beneath my cotton sundress. But even though it’s nearly five thirty, I don’t pad across my apartment to kneel beside the door. Instead, I unlock the door and turn the knob, leaving it slightly ajar as I cross back to the kitchen table, where the mail I fetched on my way upstairs is spread out across the rough wooden surface.

  Nerve endings humming, I stand beside the table, ears straining and heart already pumping faster simply because I know Will is close.

  Closer…

  Soon to be closest…

  When the elevator dings softly from down the hall at exactly five-thirty on the dot, my heart leaps into my throat, and my head begins to spin. I can’t remember the last time I was this excited, this giddy with anticipation, this deliciously scared.