by Taylor Lee
Nianzu stared at Bai, his eyes wide with anguish. It was clear from his devastated expression that Bai’s words struck him harder than any blow received from the Rongue Ri. He dropped his head to his chest and whispered, “Yes.”
“Do you understand, Elena?”
Elena met his gaze and shivered, a ripple of fear swamping her. He was regarding her with a casual ruthlessness that made her quake. She was stunned by his cruelty to Nianzu and frightened, but she knew she couldn’t give in. She looked away and didn’t answer.
Bai’s voice was soft, ominous. “I asked you a question. Please answer me.”
She sucked in a breath. She lifted her chin, a defiant gesture belying the terror simmering in her belly. “I… I want to talk to Wan first…”
Within seconds he was standing beside her. One minute he had been sitting behind his desk, the next he was standing next to her, a dark threatening presence. She was terrified. Quaking with fear, she remembered his eyes in the saloon, the knife flying from his hand.
He loomed over her. “We’ll try this one more time, Elena. I asked you if you understand. Do you?”
Trembling violently, she clung to the arms of the chair. She tried to swallow, but her throat was so dry she couldn’t. Struggling to find her voice, she finally nodded and whispered, “Yes.”
“Good. I’m glad that you do. Now you may leave. Go to your chambers. Stay there until I give you permission to leave.”
He turned to go back to sit at his desk, but stopped when she stayed in her chair. He stood beside the corner of his desk considering her. He waited until she glanced up then said softly, “Good night, Elena.”
She stood up and almost fell she was shaking so hard. She grabbed the back of the chair to steady herself and held on until she was sure her legs would hold her. She didn’t know which emotion she felt was stronger; her fury or her fear. She stood for a moment, then looked up at him. Swallowing hard, she said in as firm a voice as she could muster, “Good night, Nianzu, Bai.”
She turned to walk out of the room. When she walked by Nianzu, she stopped and put her arms around him, hugging him tight.
“I’m sorry. It’s my fault. And you are the one who got hurt. I’m sorry.”
Nianzu nodded. He dropped his head closer to his chest and whispered, “It’s okay.”
She walked out of the room with her head held high. It wasn’t until she closed the door behind her that she collapsed against the wall, shaking with fear, furious tears running down her face.
Chapter 17
Elena spent most of the day deciding how she would deal with Bai. They had turned a corner. She was afraid of him in the past, confused about how she felt about him, not clear what to do. But after last night, she knew she had to stand up to him and she needed her grandfather’s support. After thinking about it for most of the day, she concluded that only Wan could make Bai pull back, leave her alone. When her grandfather returned, she would insist he make Nianzu her bodyguard again. Nianzu wanted to protect her because he cared about her. Unlike Bai, he didn’t treat her as a wayward child he needed to control.
Although she had never been more frightened of Bai than she was last night, she came away determined he was not going to get the best of her. Watching the way he treated Nianzu was infuriating, but instructive. The more Nianzu apologized and cowered before him, the nastier Bai was. She refused to cower. Everyone else might be afraid to cross him, but she wasn’t. Unlike Nianzu and the rest of the men, she wouldn’t show him her fear. The more she thought about it, the less afraid she was. She just had to wait until her grandfather got back. Between the two of them, they would put him in his place.
Making the decision bolstered her courage. She no longer cared about Bai’s orders, his pompous decrees. If he thought he could send her to her chambers like a child, he was mistaken. He was not her boss. By God, if she wanted to leave her chambers, she would.
Elena looked at the clock, surprised it was after three in the afternoon. She hadn’t had anything to eat, having ignored the breakfast and lunch trays of food Angel left at her door. She was hungry, but she knew she would go crazy if she stayed cooped up in the villa any longer. She refused to wait until Bai gave her permission to leave her chambers. She needed to ride, and ride hard. She knew she couldn’t convince Nianzu to ride with her and made up her mind to go by herself. Bai would be angry, but when her grandfather got back they would confront Bai together. She pulled on a pair of riding breeches and an open necked shirt like the cowgirls wore. She crammed her wild curls under her cowboy hat and headed to the barn. She assumed one of the Sing Leon brought Zhenqui back from the Golden Horseshoe. Relieved to find her in her stall, Elena went hunting for her tack.
She was saddling Zhenqui when she heard a noise. She whirled around to see Bai standing in the entryway to the barn, his amber eyes gleaming like a predatory animal stalking his prey. She had not heard him come up and fought to stifle the wave of fear that crashed over her. All her brave resolve fled at the sight of him. Her heart beat so loudly against her chest she was sure he could hear it. Her hands were shaking so badly she was afraid she might drop the saddle. It took every ounce of her courage and strength to turn back to Zhenqui. She lifted the saddle on Zhenqui’s back and began to cinch the straps.
Bai’s cool voice was like shards of glass scraping her screaming nerve endings. “Where are you going, Elena?”
She buried her fingers in Zhenqui’s mane to steady herself. Without turning around she said as calmly as she could, “None of your business.”
“Ah, but it is. I asked you a question.”
His calm arrogance infuriated her. So much so that she was no longer afraid, just angry. She turned and glared at him.
“So?”
His dark gaze locked on her. “Elena, I told you to stay in your chambers until I gave you permission to leave.”
“And I’m telling you to go to hell.”
She turned her back on him and finished tightening the straps on Zhenqui’s saddle.
“Elena, please go back to the house.”
The fact that he asked her rather than ordering her, even saying please, gave her courage. She knew she had to take a stand, hold to it. Clutching Zhenqui’s reins, she tossed her head and glared at him. A surge of adrenalin helped toughen her stance.
“I am done taking orders from you. You are not my boss. You may be able to intimidate everyone else, but not me! I am a guest of my grandfather who happens to be your boss. I’ll do what I want when I want. You aren’t stopping me. Now get out of my way.”
Grabbing the pommel, she put her foot in the stirrup and swung her leg up, mounting her horse in a fluid movement. With a quick tug on the reins she urged Zhenqui closer to the entrance, clicked to signal go, and prepared to run over Bai if she had to.
Just as he did last night, one moment he was at the entrance to the barn, the next he was beside her. With arms much stronger than hers, he reached up and dragged her off her horse. She shrieked in surprise, struggling against him. Zhenqui gave a startled nicker and trotted out to the courtyard.
Elena knew how to fight, but Bai held her in a body lock, her back tight to his chest, her arms pinioned helplessly at her sides. All her kung fu skills were useless. She kicked furiously but he trapped her tight against him.
She choked back a frustrated sob, demanding that he put her down.
His voice in her ear was soft, ominous. “I asked you a simple question that required a simple answer. Now let’s try this again, Elena. Where were you going?”
“Goddamn you, Bai. Put me down, you fucking bastard!”
“Ah, that is naughty language from a spoiled little girl. Didn’t anyone tell you nice little girls do not talk like that?”
She twisted as hard as she could and managed to break his lock. She faced him, her face flaming with fury. “You fucking son of a bitch! Goddamn you. Get out of my way or I’ll scream!”
He smiled at her, but his eyes were narrow and hard.
Tears of rage filled her eyes. She screamed a fierce spirit yell and spun around. She aimed a full roundhouse kick at his groin, but he was too quick. He caught her leg and twisted it, flipping her to the ground.
She jumped up and leapt at him shrieking with rage. He caught her in mid-flight. Once again, he yanked her up against him, her back to his chest. His grip was so tight she could barely breathe.
His voice was a harsh whisper in her ear. “Didn’t Lei or Wyatt tell you that kung fu masters learn how to control their anger? That they don’t throw temper tantrums when they are trying to fight?”
Outraged, she bucked against him. “Let me go, you goddamn fucking son of a bitch!”
She couldn’t stop her torrent of tears, she was too angry. With a furious twist, she broke free. Whirling around, with all her strength, she reached out and slapped him across the face.
Seeing the rage in his eyes, she jumped back assuming a fighting stance. She was shocked at the red welt on his face, but more than anything she was frightened by the anger smoldering in his eyes. Certain he would hit her back, she threw up her hands to protect her face.
He shook his head a cruel smile crossing his face.
“Uh uh. Do not worry. I do not hit women. And I do not fight with little girls.”
His smile broadened, became softer, more dangerous. He added with a wolfish grin, “However, I do spank children, particularly naughty little girls who are begging to be spanked.”
She was shocked and stepped further back. “You wouldn’t dare!”
He moved toward her as she backed away. He was easily six inches taller than she was and twice as strong. His smile terrified her. Ragged fingers of fear raced through her.
“Oh, my god, what are you doing?” Her voice shook with alarm as he kept coming toward her.
“What I told you that I will do. And, Elena, the only way to spank children is on their bare bottoms. You will need to take off your pants – and your drawers.”
“What?” she shrieked. “You can’t be serious. Get away from me! Now!”
He continued inexorably toward her, his eyes glinting. He reached out and grabbed her. His arms were much stronger than hers. She fought him helplessly, unable to break free.
His voice was harsh, a gloating whisper in her ear.
“I told you to take off your pants, but never mind. I am pleased to take them off for you.”
With a quick tug, he began to unbutton her pants. She fought wildly against him but he was too powerful, too strong.
He warned her. “Stop fighting me or I will rip them off. When I am finished, I will send you back to the house without anything on your naked ass.”
She was horrified. “Stop, stop, Bai. Oh my God, you don’t dare. You can’t do this to me. You can’t! You mustn’t!”
His responding chuckle terrified her. He dragged her over to a hay bale continuing to unbutton her pants as he moved to sit down. For the first time she understood he really intended to spank her. And, oh God, she didn’t know how to stop him. She burst into tears of anger and frustration, frantically fighting to break his grip. To her shock, he sat down and pulled her down across his lap. She fought harder trying to wriggle away.
“Uh uh, over my knee, like the little child you are. This is how naughty children are spanked.”
He turned her over his knee and pulled her pants down. To her horror he pulled down her drawers and she was naked, her bare bottom spread across his lap. She writhed, screamed, fought against him as hard as she could. But he was much too powerful. He clamped her thrashing legs between his strong ankles. With one big hand, he gripped her arms and held them captive behind her back. Ignoring her frantic pleas, he began to spank her hard, his bare hand striking her equally bare bottom.
She screamed first in fury, then in pain. Sobbing hysterically, she begged him to stop.
“Bai, stop! Oh, my God, please stop! You are hurting me! Oh, my God, this hurts so much! Please, please stop!”
~~~
The first hard spank left a flaming scarlet handprint on one pale white cheek. Her screams and outraged cries inflamed him further. He rained swat after swat on first one cheek then the other, from her pale thighs to the sexy dimples above each round perfect globe. He didn’t stop spanking her until her ass was rosy red, hot and stinging.
When Bai first turned her over his knee, as angry as he was, he couldn’t help but stare at her gorgeous ass. The erotic sight became even more glorious when her ass glowed a brilliant pink, heating his blood to a boil. When he finished spanking her, he grasped her hips to stand her upright and his hand slipped. Telltale wetness between her legs shot a blaze of lust to his groin. His cock swelled in response.
He dragged her to her feet. Ignoring her sobs and pounding fists, he held her close to him and chortled. “Don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy that.”
Desperately trying to free herself from his grip, she shrieked, “What… what do you mean?”
“Why are my fingers wet?” he said, rubbing them against her cheek. “Hmm, even though you are crying your eyes out it appears you like being spanked. I think you like having a bright red ass, don’t you, Elena? Ah yes. I will remember that.”
“Oh, my God, oh, my God. What are you… what are you saying?” She sobbed hysterically.
As much as he wanted to humiliate her, break her, make her cry harder, the stronger emotion he felt was desire. No, on second thought, it was lust — hard, fierce, raging lust. He grabbed her. Roughly twisting his hand in her hair, he jerked her face up to his. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips full and sensuous, her hair a tangle of curls cascading down her back. He slashed her lips with his, driving his tongue deep in her mouth. Her taste, her exotic scent mixed with the rising smell of her musk lit a raging inferno inside him. Clasping her hot, flaming ass cheeks in his hands, he ground her hard against him. His cock was rock hard, long and thick, flaring against the tight flap of his trousers. She gasped and fought to break free. Her struggles aroused him, stoking the burning embers of desire that were minutes from spiriling into an uncontrollable fire. Groaning deeply, he spread her legs and rode his throbbing cock up hard between her naked thighs. Through the raging din of his lust, he heard her moan in response. The sound electrified him, shooting much needed perspective to his lust driven brain. Damn. Goddamn. Merde. Christ, he reminded his raging body, this is Elena.
He struggled to control himself. He fought the urge to throw her to the ground. He wanted to rip open his trousers, thrust his pounding prick up high in her naked pussy. He wanted to take her, claim her. With a harsh groan, he restrained himself. Heaving her back, he held her away from him. She was shaking. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She stared at him in dismay. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw his erection bulging in his pants.
He saw the confusion in her eyes. It angered him. The last thing he wanted to do was defend himself, explain her desire for her. He gave a contemptuous snort. With a cruel laugh he said, “The fact I get an erection from a chit of a girl like you gives you an idea of what I do with a real woman.”
Seeing his distain, she hid her face in her hands, sobbing bitterly. Her bottom was stinging, throbbing. But when the cold air struck her hot cheeks a wave of sensation flooded over her. Oh, God, she didn’t understand any of this. She didn’t understand her body and she didn’t understand his. She didn’t know why he kissed her, touched her the way he did. Most of all, she didn’t know why he stopped. The only thing she did know was that she wanted to get as far away from him as fast as she could, but instead clung to him, burying her face against his shoulder, trying to hide her nakedness.
He reached down, pulled up her pants, then shoved her away from him. His face twisted with scorn. “I’ll be nice and not make you walk across the yard naked unless you want to show your beautiful red ass
to everyone. No? Too bad. It is quite a sight. It shouldn’t be missed.”
He laughed, an ugly sound.
“I asked you this before politely, but you chose not to obey me. So I will say it again. Let’s see how you respond now. Elena, please go back to the house. Now. And, Elena, as I told you last night, do not leave your chambers without my permission. Perhaps you will listen to me this time, oui, cherie?”
She backed up, trying to get away from him. But he grabbed her chin and hauled her face up close to his. His breath hissed dangerously. “One more thing, Elena. If you ever, ever, speak to me that way again, I will spank your bare ass so hard you will not sit down for a week. Do you understand me?”
Elena stared at him shaking so violently she could barely stand. Then she turned and ran to the villa, tears streaming down her face.
~~~
Bai struggled to control his emotions as he watched her flee to the house. His body was rigid, his legs shook with the remainders of an adrenalin rush. He walked out to the courtyard to get Zhenqui, who was standing patiently by the barn door, her reins dragging on the ground. He led her back to her stall, took off her saddle, and prepared to rub her down. As he worked, he got control of his passion. With a huge effort, he started to shake off his fury. Christ, he was glad he spanked her. Goddamn, did she need it. And he did, too. Every fierce spank on her ass had loosened some of his rage. For the first time since he saw her crouched in the saloon, captured by two killers, he began to release his anger. With every swat, he began to find his breath. By the time he spanked the hell out of her, for the first time in twenty four hours, he could breathe fully.
At base, Bai knew he was out of line kissing her, forcing himself on her – especially when she was vulnerable, smarting from the ignominy of having her bare ass spanked. His lust surprised him, frankly shocked him. He was aware of his anger, but, Christ, just the thought of her ass — her firm, plump beautiful round cheeks — made his prick rock hard. And flaming crimson and hot? Goddamn, there was nothing more erotic then a beautiful ass spanked bright red.
