Ciaron O'Connor 01 - His Gentle Persuasion

by Alyssa Bailey

  She tried to make her voice as reasonable and kind as she could, to show her concern.

  "Please?"

  "I won't go." His words hung in the air of the late night. Slowly and with focused deliberation, he leaned over and kissed her hard. When he lifted up, he looked at her seriously, a warning in his words and countenance. "You won't always win."

  "I rarely win. I'll take what I can get." She turned and felt the firm slap of Ciarán's hand on her borrowed, pj covered rump. "Hey." She looked into his face and scrunched up her nose as she rubbed her offended cheek. She had forgotten Jocelyn for a moment and now her face flooded with embarrassment. She chanced a glance at Jocelyn and found that she had no reaction to the scene. Or none that she showed, anyway.

  She resumed her return to the chair she had vacated earlier to curl up on its cushioned seat. Katie hoped that he would be a man of his word about not trying to find the car. She thought of her stinging cheek and decided it had been more than worth the swat. She also came to the realization that she did not want to live her life without him in it.

  Jocelyn spoke for a few more minutes, finished her makeshift dinner and left to take a shower and go to bed. That brought Ciarán back to the fact that Katie was once again sitting curled up in an armchair, a throw over her legs. She squirmed a bit because the one little swat did what she now noted happened every time. Katie was tingling and damn if she wasn't aroused. She had experienced this at the very beginning with Stuart, but that was quickly replaced by more pain and mental anguish than any arousing effects. It was only getting stronger with Ciarán.

  He turned to scrutinize her with a determined and stern face, saying, "And you, young lady, need to go to bed. I am unaccustomed to having my words ignored or challenged."

  Ciarán spoke with the O'Connor man in charge voice. However, after that gentle kiss, Katie didn't believe he was enormously intimidating for he had already shown his hand as an imposter. She was sure that he wasn't used to being challenged and decided to play the game for a while. That is, at least until she learned more about him. She needed to know when to zig instead of zag. He was complicated, but that made it more fun.

  "I know you aren't, but I have a well-respected job with plenty of responsibilities and I have worked hard these last four years. So I am not inclined to give over my autonomy to a man just because he is used to being obeyed. And I don't think you would want me to roll over at every indication that someone wanted me to."

  Katie looked into Ciarán's face with a look of gentle defiance and for a moment, it appeared as though he would demand obedience, but then he broke out in a burst of laughter.

  "You and Jocelyn are two peas in a pod. I am not sure I will be able to cope with another Jocelyn. It was one concern to put up with her obstinacy aimed at Liam, but when the woman I care about points hers at me, I am at a loss as to how to deal with it. But I will learn quickly."

  Kate realized that Ciarán had declared he was interested and that she was in some way special to him once again. Not sure she had understood him correctly, she looked at this man to see if there were any sign that he had misspoken.

  When she didn't see any, she said, "You honestly care about me? More than a friend?"

  And just as quickly blushed when she thought, maybe his laughing and joking were an indication that it was all for fun and now she would have put him on the spot.

  Ciarán stopped laughing and said, "Katherine, I would not have brought you back here during this family crisis if I didn't care about you. More than a friend. I wouldn't have tried to tell you in so many ways that I care tonight if I did not want you as part of my life. I wouldn't have insisted you go to bed because it was late or suggested you stay here instead of going home. Telling you to change clothes might have still happened, though." He smiled. "But I'd have just left. In fact, I would not have been near as familiar with you as I have if you were not special to me. You are mo chroí, the woman of my heart. I need you in my life."

  Ciarán returned to the chair and picked her up to replace her on his lap. She snuggled in again as she had earlier, feeling as though it was the most perfect place for her to be. She trusted this man as she had not trusted any other man before besides her father.

  "But how can you be so sure so soon? It has only been a few months. I mean, what if I am not okay with being bossed around? I work as a nurse; I would not give that up. And what about this spanking thing? What if I don't like the macho beat your wife, routine? There is a lot about you, Ciarán O'Connor that I might not be good with."

  "No one beats anyone. It was a bad usage of words. I guess if you thought that spanking was not for you, on the rare occasions it would be used, we would need to talk about it." Then after a moment of contemplation, he said, "Listening to you, I wonder how rare it would be because you seem to push the envelope a lot."

  He flashed a quick upward lip motion but then became a bit more serious. "I believe the fundamental precepts of domestic discipline would keep our relationship on solid ground. It is important to respect and honor each other and to stop problems right away. I absolutely trust in its principle applied judiciously. I believe it will bond my relationship with my wife. Part of my creed I guess for life. I don't want hard feelings and shouting matches with my wife."

  Ciarán paused to kiss her and think for another moment while idly stroking her hair to relax her as they spoke about something he suspected she was frightened to experience or even ponder.

  "If you aren't too tired I can answer your questions about domestic discipline and how I see it. Not too long, though, deal?"

  "Okay, so tell me how it would be different than a non-domestic discipline lifestyle."

  "Most of my siblings and my parents have some component of domestic discipline in their marriage but that is not why I believe in it."

  "I'm not sure I understand what you are saying."

  "They each have a consensual type of relationship where they use spanking to help things. In domestic discipline, spanking is only one tool. There is the withholding of treats, like outings, or orgasms but not love. Never love. It totally depends on the couple."

  Katie's face communicated that she not only understood but also was unhappy with the information, moving to sit on the sofa and placing a pillow in her lap as an unspoken barrier between herself and Ciarán.

  "I have been um, smacked in a relationship before but I never enjoyed it."

  "Spanked?"

  Katie nodded.

  "Never enjoyed it? Even the sexy kind?"

  "I don't know what that is really. I know what I thought it was but it wasn't that."

  "That explains it some. Look, I know I have feelings for you and that you have them for me. I don't want to give away too much of Liam and Jos' marriage choices, but they do practice it for health, safety, and harmony. When Jocelyn is too wound up to calm down or settle her own self sometimes, Liam helps her by either making love or smacking her bottom. She agrees to the method and it isn't often used. If they use it erotically, I wouldn't know, but many do that as well. I would. It can add zing to make sex better. If that is not something that you experienced, then you don't know the best part of spanking bared asses. Liam is the head of their home and Jocelyn follows his lead, but she is an equal partner in their marriage. I know it sounds confusing, but it works."

  She instinctively knew this was an important conversation even though she was uncomfortable with it. Stuart didn't call his brand of D/s domestic discipline so there was a chance that this was different. However, it did sound like a power exchange of some kind. She had heard that a healthy lifestyle of this type if done right, gives power to the submissive partner. Or, in this case, the spankee, she thought.

  "Do you—I mean, have you, um, you know… with other girlfriends?"

  She reached back and almost rubbed her bottom as it tingled and her mind swirled with questions.

  "Yes. I practice DD in all my relationships and with a few women. It worked fine but I have never cared fo
r anyone the way that I care for you, Katherine. It didn't really matter before, not like it matters with you." Ciarán waited for a moment before continuing.

  "I will be the head of my household but that is so there is always a place that the buck stops. I would be the expected provider in all areas. However, I would defer to my wife in areas she was better at, like medicine. But what I say goes, and even if you didn't agree, you would need to either follow me or have some explaining to do."

  "Oh. Okay, so say I got you mad, would you want to, you know?" Again, she started to reach back to her bottom and stopped herself but continued to squeeze the tingle in her buttocks.

  "Spank your ass? Before we are married? Not if you got me mad and I would never address consequences when I was angry. However, if you purposely risked your safety, or bratted, yeah, I would probably paddle your bottom. If we were married and you intentionally risked your life or safety, you bet. You would know it was coming, trust me. This is not a secret society type of arrangement. We make the rules together before we were married."

  "Okay, but—married?"

  "I am sure I love you, Katie."

  Ciarán put out his hand inviting her to sit in his lap again. She did and wiggled a bit to settle in. She felt his reaction to her wriggling and was not surprised when he anchored her bottom to one spot. He reached down and kissed her gently.

  "If you could ever love me, don't you think we might want to get married at some point?"

  "Oh, right. You do? Are you sure?"

  She snuggled in again, inhaling the scent that was only Ciarán. He did not respond quickly but waited. It was a little scary but she could trust Ciarán, right? She had always liked the concept of sexy spankings, you know, to spice up the bedroom, but that wasn't the only kind on Ciarán menu.

  "Katie, get out of your own head for a moment. You are over analyzing all of this."

  "I can't help it. I mean, I might love you too, and it would hurt."

  Ciarán laughed. "It isn't supposed to be comfortable, not this kind anyway. It is meant to get your attention."

  "Oh. I don't know if I would be okay with worrying if you were itching to swat me and not for fun in the bedroom." She hesitated to finish the sentence.

  "You would not wonder; you would definitely know if you crossed the line when you crossed it. We would talk." Ciarán smiled then. "Unless you liked them and then the fun kind would be more common." Ciarán's voice was low and dangerous in a way that made Katie shiver with glorious anticipation.

  He continued in a thoughtful tone. "I think you have things in your past that someday you are going to have to tell me, but not now. Have you spoken to Jocelyn yet?"

  Katie shook her head.

  "Well, she is flamboyantly defiant. You just stand your ground. I think she baits Liam because she likes the excitement of the conflict. We would not knowingly risk our women. I would never hurt you." Ciarán added, "I don't expect that it is something you need to worry about unless you imagine it is a deal breaker, and at that point we will discuss it. Right now, I need you to go to bed. Please, honey? I am tired, you are tired and Liam will come back soon, maybe in a mood but hopefully not and if all are in bed it will make it easier for him to automatically go to sleep, too."

  Katie had snuggled into Ciarán's shoulder and she said, "The 'please' was nice but are you always this bossy? I mean, Ciarán, no one has told me when to go to bed since tenth grade."

  She kissed his neck and ran her hand down his jawline sensing him tense from what she was quite sure was arousal. Note to self, I have a lot of power over him even if he doesn't want to admit it even to himself.

  "Nope, sometimes I am even bossier, but only to those I care about." He kissed Katie in a way that she never had been kissed before Ciarán. He was cradling her head and caressing her face so gently with his work-roughened fingers it made her breathless.

  "We have to go now before you are not taken home tomorrow but established in my bed for good." Katie moaned her frustration.

  "Mmm, that would be nice, but I don't suppose my pop would be too happy about that before marriage." She kissed him back and felt the bolt of anticipation and the strong desire to be with this man.

  "Nor mine."

  Ciarán picked her up and quickly deposited her in Kelli's room before more than they had planned to happen, happened. Katie smiled and snuggled into the soft bed and contemplated how euphoric she felt. It might not be as bad as she thought. But she could not tell him about that dark little interlude in her life. Amazingly, for a time span so short, it sure had taken up a lot of her life. She fell asleep with a smile, dreaming of a big Irish rancher.

  Chapter Five

  The Stabling

  Katie walked in on a heated discussion between Jocelyn and Liam. Liam got up and left not happy with his wife.

  "Everything all right?"

  "Yep."

  Jocelyn was sitting at the table and turned to talk to Katie.

  "I am happy for you and Ciarán."

  "Excuse me? You knew we were dating."

  "Right, but, I mean, Ciarán is taken with you. You know that, right?"

  Katie sat and had her yogurt and fruit with coffee and didn't answer.

  "Ciarán needed a good woman and one who is strong in her own right. I think that could be you. I know I am prying, but I think you care for him too. Am I right?"

  Katie nodded.

  "Anything that I can help with? I am not jumping into your relationship and you can tell me to butt out. In fact, Liam would not be happy about it, but I think whatever it is that is keeping you from releasing fully into this relationship, we could work through. I would hate to know that you two didn't get your happily ever after because of something that could have been resolved.

  Tears raced down Katie's cheeks as she tried to keep the emotions back but her fight was overwhelming and she needed help.

  "I have had help before but it seems I might need more." Katie poured out her heart about the needs she had that made her seek out a dominant man and what happened when she found him in college. She left out the worst part; the end. Katie just said he was mad when they broke up and she changed colleges.

  They talked more and Jocelyn said she would help anytime Katie needed it.

  "But think about if Ciarán has demonstrated any of the characteristics of this Stuart guy. Is he abusive? And please do not bring up that he has swatted your butt because I assure you that is very different than what you are talking about. Think about life with Ciarán and what he offers. Then if it is what you want, go for it. And Katie, if you take on Ciarán, tell him the whole story, not just the watered down version I just got." With a hug, she left Katie to think about it all.

  The next day was July Fourth. Katie and Ciarán had watched the parade, laughing at the antics of the floats. They walked through the small town talking. These days they talked a lot. Katie would share everything except things pertaining to her previous experience with Stuart. She disclosed she had previously had sex with several other men, boys really, she clarified.

  "And there were some things that I anticipated liking in the bedroom that didn't turn out the way I had hoped. I don't know if I didn't do them right, or if I don't like it the way I thought I would."

  "Hmm, that is an interesting topic. Care to elaborate? I might have a few of my own but if yours are too kinky, I might need to sit down to hear them."

  "Stop it. You are going to make me not say anything." Ciarán apologized and waited. "Well, I am kind of embarrassed so don't watch me while we walk. I'll talk to the sidewalk ahead of me, okay?"

  "Whatever you want to do I am comfortable with. I don't want you to feel like you need to talk about it at all right now. But if we marry, I am going to want to know beforehand if I have designs on a dominatrix, which I should say right now, would never work for me."

  Katie laughed nervously and with a reddened face. "You don't need to worry about that with me. I don't like to tell people what to do, when to do it, where
to go, or how to live."

  "Good, but I don't think we understand that type of lifestyle the same. I can't worry that my woman would not be able to deal with things if I didn't tell her how to handle it. That is way too needy for me and I am not into it at all. I don't want you to cling in a destructive way. That would be unhealthy for us, believe me. I am sure it works for others, but not me."

  "Good."

  Katie folded her arms in a defensive move that stiffened her back and put up a physical and emotional wall. Ciarán quietly waited for her to take a deep breath, blow it out, and rub her upper arms, signaling her readiness to speak.

  "So, I thought I would enjoy submitting in the bedroom, you know doing my partner's bidding, but only during sex. I found it was hard for a man to stop there, so I didn't care for it after all. The bondage was an idea I had toyed with but it seems that people take it too far. I don't want to be bound for a long time and left alone. Then, and you will love this one, I thought that sensual spanking would be great, but it didn't feel sexy, just painful. Finally, I tried toys, but they were not as I expected because they were useless or hurt and not in a fun way. So, guess I am not into any spice in the bedroom."

  Katie noticed that Ciarán had stiffened at some of her disclosures and she realized he read between the lines in some areas. She waited to see if he asked questions she was afraid to answer, but she was relieved when he let her sensitive areas drop.

  "So, how was it when you had no spice, just sex?"

  "I can't say after that, he was the last boyfriend I had, but before him, it was ho-hum."

  "So, what you are saying is I need to liven up your sex life or it will be ho hum."

  "Well, I am saying is I don't know if I can spice it up well and maybe excellent, non-spicy sex was just that, not spicy but still good."

  "I'll work on it to make it exciting, satisfying, and safe," Ciarán said with a laugh.