Complete Me (Bound to You Book 3)

by Jane Henry

  Paolo popped open the laptop. He scanned through the conversation she’d had earlier, and smiled to himself. He always thought she was so cute. He sobered when he got to the point where they discussed arguing and fighting. Yes, he was aiming for that, he wanted her implicit trust, but he knew that was something that would come with time. Just as she wouldn’t learn to obey him overnight, he wouldn’t learn to completely meet her needs overnight. He continued reading their conversation until he came to the part of the brewery.

  He frowned. She hadn’t meant to reveal their location, he knew that. It was completely accidental. Still… he couldn’t help but feel unsettled. Private messages were private, though, right? He knew he could trust Winston and Annalise. It was others he was afraid of.

  As he scrolled through the messages on the forum, the screen froze. He clicked, but nothing changed. He waited and waited, until finally a message popped up on the screen.

  Internal server error.

  Whatever. Weird.

  But why hadn’t she said anything to him about revealing their location? Returning to their bedroom, he looked at her sleeping form on the bed, and for one minute contemplated waking her up, and possibly even putting her over his lap. Something like that needed to be brought to him. She should’ve told him. He sighed. He was tired. She was sleeping. He didn’t want to wake her up just to spank her. It didn’t seem right. He would make it clear that she wasn’t to hide things like that from him, though. It had been a few weeks since she’d been punished, and a stern reminder would likely do her good. He’d deal with her in the morning.

  Chapter Two

  Meredith rose the next morning early, but Paolo was already awake. She could hear him moving around in the kitchen, and smiled to herself. It was so different now that he wasn’t the brooding, aloof man he was after the accident. He actually cooked, and cleaned, and it was amazing to see how much stronger he’d gotten with therapy. She stepped out of bed and draped her robe over herself, glancing at her phone. She frowned. A message from Little Lady indicated that the forum was down. Weird. She put her phone down and went to Paolo, who was piling scrambled eggs on a plate. The smell of freshly-brewed coffee, bacon frying, and sliced oranges made her stomach growl.

  “Oohh, that smells good,” she said, taking a seat at the table. The table was small and round, crafted by Paolo’s own hands during their honeymoon.

  “Morning, Sleeping Beauty,” he said, giving her a whiskery kiss on the cheek before moving to pour them coffee. “I was just going to go wake you before breakfast got cold.”

  “I can’t help it if my man wears me out and I need some rest,” she teased. He smirked, clearly pleased.

  “I’ll wear you out, all right,” he muttered, and she giggled. The threat to spank her still made her shiver. He placed a plate in front of her with bacon and eggs, and she waited for him to serve himself.

  “Plans today?” she asked him. It was not uncommon for him to have cabinetry projects he wanted to work on during the weekend.

  “Yes,” he said. “Later, Robbie’s coming over. There’s a new line of hinge boring kits I want to check out.”

  Paolo liked to visit a small, privately-owned tool shop, because they tended to stock better quality tools than the chain stores.

  “Hinge boring,” Meredith murmured, taking a sip of her juice. “Sounds… hmmm. What’s the word? It’s on the tip of my tongue,” She teased.

  He pursed his lips at her as he took his place across from her at the table.

  “Thrilling? Enchanting? Altogether engaging?” he asked.

  “Sure,” she said, swallowing a bite of orange. “Took the words right out of my mouth.”

  “What about you?” he asked. “What do you need to do today?”

  She detailed the list of things she would have to do, and he nodded as they ate their breakfast. He sobered as she finished.

  “Done with your breakfast, bonita?” he asked quietly, and she wondered why he looked so serious all of a sudden. She swallowed nervously.

  “Yes, thank you,” she said.

  “Good,” he said, and his eyes grew stern as he pushed back from the table and crossed his arms over his chest.

  “I thought we’d head over to the brewery later this evening,” he said. “What do you say?”

  Her stomach sank to her toes. She’d completely forgotten to tell him about her slip-up.

  “Oh,” she whispered.

  He quirked one eyebrow at her. “Oh indeed. Something you forgot to tell me?”

  She twisted her hands in her lap.

  “I did,” she whispered. “You saw on the forum.”

  “Tell me.”

  She swallowed. “I accidentally revealed our location to Little Lady.”

  He nodded. “Yes. And an accident like that would be understandable. Things happen from time to time. But hiding that from me is not acceptable.”

  “But I didn’t mean to,” she protested. “It wasn’t really hiding. I just—”

  He held up a hand and shook his head. “What should you have done?”

  She sank back in her chair and her voice dropped. “Told you right away,” she said in a whisper.

  He nodded, stern now, not the faintest trace of a smile on his face.

  “Go get the wooden spatula from the drawer and come back here.”

  Her stomach was twisted in knots and her knees shook as she stood and obeyed. The wooden spatula was heavy and thick, and mostly just used for cooking, but damn convenient when he wanted to make his point without leaving the kitchen. She opened the drawer to retrieve it—and was it her imagination, or did it look even heavier than normal? Lifting it, she slid the drawer shut and returned to him, placing it in his large, upturned palm.

  “Go to the counter and place both hands there,” he ordered. She sucked in breath but obeyed.

  “Ass out.”

  God! She leaned over, lifting her bottom higher.

  Whack! She came up on her toes at the first stinging smack.

  “What do I expect you to do?”

  “Tell you right away when I do something wrong,” she gasped, her words coming out in a rush. “Don’t hold anything back!”

  “Yep.”

  Two more deliberate, firm swats, and he was done. She exhaled. Her bottom stung, but she knew that a few spanks was more of a reminder than anything.

  “My point is clear?” he asked.

  She nodded, meek and repentant as she whispered, “Yes, sir.”

  “Good.” She turned to face him, feeling her cheeks flame as she did so. He looked at her sternly for a minute, then his eyes softened and he smiled. God, he was hot with that damn thing in his hand.

  “You’re a good girl. Now, go take your shower,” he instructed, and as she turned to leave he landed a sharp swat. “And do as you’re told, or I won’t take it so easy on you next time.”

  She squealed, running to obey.

  Damn, it was so much easier to fantasize about him doing this than actually submitting to him, she thought, as she contemplatively rubbed her stinging bottom on the way to the shower. Still.

  She sighed.

  Stern. Sexy. Hot.

  ***

  “Well, this is weird,” Meredith mumbled.

  Paolo was sitting in his chair, picking at a bowl of buttered popcorn, and taking another swig of his beer as he watched the game. They’d visited the Monastic Brewery, and he’d allowed her to text Winston and Annalise a picture. He’d intentionally bought Winston’s favorite, and they’d enjoyed their time together, easing into the day and sharing what felt like a private joke. He loved long weekends with her. Meredith had accumulated a good deal of vacation time at work, and now Paolo encouraged her to take long weekends whenever she could, so they would have more time together. He hated seeing her to go work in the morning, and loved having her return to him at night.

  She’d been good all day and he was glad she’d been good all day, because he was starting to feel drained. He had a large o
rder to fill in the upcoming week, and he and Robbie had worked several times late into the night. The last time he’d worked well past Meredith’s bedtime, she’d been grumbly and irritable when he’d finally come to bed. He didn’t feel like domming her. He didn’t feel like making her behave. But he gave her a sharp swat anyway, and reminded her what he expected. She stopped her complaining, and the two of them had fallen asleep, but now he was feeling less than enthusiastic about his responsibility as dom. It was what he wanted, and how they both liked to relate to one another, but sometimes when he was tired and worn, it was harder to meet her needs.

  “What’s weird?” he asked, eyes still focused on the television.

  She frowned at the computer.

  “The forum is shut down,” she said. “Did you get a message or something?”

  “No,” he said, eyes still on the screen. “But the last time I tried to log on, it said internal error and wouldn’t let me read anything. I figured it was a server issue or something and I haven’t been on since.”

  “Huh,” she mumbled. “But whatever. Hey, do you mind if I have a drink?” He required she ask him before she had any alcohol, but now he wondered why the hell he’d instituted that rule? It was a stupid rule. She could have a drink when they were home. That wasn’t an issue.

  “Sure,” he said. “You know you don’t have to ask me when we’re home.”

  “But I thought you said—”

  He exhaled. “Are you talking back to me?”

  She paused, her eyes widening. “I didn’t mean to,” she said softly. “I just meant… I was trying to…”

  “Meredith,” he said, and even he knew his voice was irritable and impatient.” I changed my mind. Okay? Drink whatever you want. If you go out, we’ll talk, but at home, just have a drink already.”

  She looked hurt, and he could hardly stand it, but to her credit, she swallowed, and simply nodded her head.

  “Okay,” she said in a soft voice. She stood to go to the kitchen, but she seemed to think differently when she got to the doorway. She turned and walked back to him. He looked up at her as she sat tentatively on the ottoman in front of him. “May I talk to you?” she asked, her pretty blue eyes open and trusting.

  “Sure,” he said, taking another swig of beer. He hoped she’d be quick. He didn’t want to miss this part of the game.

  “Well… I really don’t like having to say this and it makes me nervous.”

  “Spit it out,” he said, barely containing his irritation.

  Her cheeks flushed slightly, but she continued anyway, hurt creeping into her eyes but she continued bravely. “It’s been… well, I was hoping that you’d—I haven’t—” She faltered, biting her lip. She suddenly stood, shaking her head. “It’s… no, forget about it.” She turned to go and part of him wanted to let her. Fuck whatever was on her mind. Fuck making her talk. He wanted to be left alone for a while. He wanted to be able to think. He wanted to shrug off the responsibility he picked up every day when she woke up, just for a short while. But he couldn’t. He grabbed her almost roughly by the arm as she turned to go.

  “Don’t you dare,” he said. “No playing games. You have something to say, you say it.”

  Her eyes widened and she winced at his grip. “I don’t want to,” she whispered. “You seem so… grumpy and I don’t know why.”

  “I’m not grumpy,” he lied, feeling grumpier than ever because she’d mentioned it. “I asked you to talk, and so help me, you’ll talk or I’ll pull you over my lap right here and now.”

  Her own eyes flashed. “I wish you would!” She clamped a hand on her mouth and looked abashed. A slight flush crept to her cheeks.

  He looked at her curiously, as his irritation began to abate. He looked at her in confusion. “You want me to punish you?”

  She looked down at her hands, her voice dropping. She looked ashamed and relieved all at once. “Please,” she whispered. “Well, no, not really,” she said.

  Sighing, he tugged on her hand, pulled her hard so that she had to trot over to him, and she fell easily into a sitting position on his lap. She needed him. He had to stop himself from being an asshole, and pull his shit together. He took a deep breath as he put his hand on the small of her back. “I’m sorry,” he began. “I’m just tired, baby. I want some down time. And I need some down time, that’s all. It’s not you. It’s not because I don’t love you. It’s not because I don’t want to do this. It’s none of that. You get me?”

  “Yes, sir,” she whispered.

  He mustered up his self-control and took a deep breath. “So tell me, baby. Tell me why you say you want to be punished.”

  She lifted her head back and thrust out her chin but she twisted her hands in her lap. She was trying, trying to be brave and honest. He had to give her that.

  “I just need to feel you, Paolo,” she said, her voice shaking. “When you—punish me—I know you care about me. You don’t want me to hurt myself. I feel relieved after you spank me, like I’m… in my place and you’re in yours. And when I’m really good, and time passes, I don’t feel that for a while. And I just need you,” she said. “I just need to know… this is still important to you.”

  He ran his hand through her hair, the contrast of his rough, work-worn hand catching a little on the soft curls. She sat quietly, waiting for him, as he continued to stroke her hair.

  “We’ve been here before,” he said softly.

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  “You’re a good girl,” he murmured. “You don’t need to be punished often. And the longer we do this, my hope is that you need to be punished less and less frequently.”

  She nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  “But I can’t have you feeling off like this,” he said, and as he stated the crux of the problem aloud, it occurred to him. Something needed to change.

  “We need some kind of a routine,” he said. “Have you talked to Annalise about this?”

  She nodded. “Yeah. They have a sort of routine,” she said, but she offered nothing more.

  “Tell me what they do,” he said. “Has she told you?”

  She nodded. “Every night before bed, Winston has her kneel, and he asks her if she’s behaved herself. If she hasn’t, he spanks her. And if she has…” she paused, as her eyes twinkled. “Well, he spanks her.”

  Paolo chuckled. “Win-win situation?”

  She giggled. “Um. Yes?”

  There was a wistfulness in her eyes as she looked at him. He smiled. “So she gets a good girl spanking if she’s behaved, and a naughty girl spanking if she hasn’t?”

  “Something like that, yes,” she whispered. “I don’t even know if you’d call it a good girl spanking. I’m not sure if it’s always… sexy. Annalise says it keeps her centered. Reminds her who’s in charge. Things like that.”

  Paolo nodded, as he thought it over. He could see the wisdom in such a routine, a ritual even. “Time we develop our own routine,” he murmured.

  “I’d like that,” she whispered.

  “You need me to spank you.”

  Her eyes shifted downward, but she nodded and bit her lip.

  “My hope is that eventually behaving is something that happens most of the time,” he said. “And if the only time you “feel” me is when I punish you, that could set you up to want to push me. Not good. I don’t want you tempted to manipulate or misbehave. I want you to want to behave.”

  She nodded. “Yes, sir. I do, Paolo. Well, most of the time,” she admitted. “I want to be good, and I want to please you. But sometimes I just—it frustrates me to feel like this but I do feel like—it’s harder to be good when I feel disconnected from you.”

  He smiled. “You do very well, bonita,” he murmured, pleased that despite his being weary and wanting some time to relax, she was trying hard to communicate to him, making it even easier to give her what she needed. “A few months ago you wouldn’t have been able to handle this conversation.”

  He didn’t know what their rit
ual would be, but he wanted time to think it over. “For now, I want you to go do what you need to. I’m going to think about it, and in a little while, before bed, we’ll talk and come up with a plan. Got it?”

  She nodded. “Okay,” she said.

  He met her eyes. “And if you’ve broken any rules, you’ll be punished,” he said. She swallowed, nodded, but didn’t reply. “And if you haven’t broken any rules, tonight, I’ll put you over my lap.” She smiled.

  “Okay.” She laughed. It sounded almost contradictory, he knew, but there was a distinct difference between spanking her as punishment and spanking her because she needed it. He knew this, and so did she. The flavor of the session was different, the tone, the emotions, as well as the after effects, all distinct. It was as different as a goodnight kiss versus a make-out session, or a catnap in the middle of the day versus a long night of slumber. The form was roughly the same, but the intention different. He knew he didn’t want to necessarily mimic the habits of their friends, because they needed their own routine and rituals. But he also knew they had to start somewhere.

  “Go now,” he said. She stood but, before she left, he gave her a hard swat that made her leap.

  “What was that for?” she asked with a giggle.

  He smiled nonchalantly at the screen, waving his hand as if to dismiss her. “Because you’ve got a cute ass,” he said. She scurried out of the room, and he heard her giggle again. It made him smile.

  ***

  Paolo had some thinking to do. He didn’t want Meredith to feel disconnected from him, and he definitely didn’t want her to feel the need to disobey him. No, she needed more from him than that.

  He frowned. More, more, more… when would the demand for more stop? When would he have this all figured out? How much more trial and error would they have to go through? He wanted to put it all down, watch the game, just be Paolo for a while and not Paolo the dom. He shoved the irritation he felt away. If she needed more from him, he’d do his damned best. He wasn’t going to let her down again.