“I forbid you from seeing a fight, and you went anyway. You left the house without telling me. You left Lily with someone else without telling me,” Max said.
I clenched my eyes shut, listening to the litany of my transgressions. Max yanked my pants down, and then my panties, baring my bottom. He laid the palm of his hand against my exposed skin. I could feel the rough calluses on his hand.
“This is your first spanking, but it’s not going to be gentle,” Max warned. “Remember this the next time you want to break my rules.”
He pulled his hand back, and with a grunt, smacked it hard against my bottom. The blow forced the air out of my lungs. I was surprised at how hard he’d hit me, and how painful it was. I screamed when he lifted his hand again, and lurched forward as he struck me.
“Stay still,” Max said, balancing me back on his lap.
Max raised his hand higher, and his palm cracked against my already sore flesh. My arms and limbs flailed, but he held me in place with his strong arms. He struck me three more times in succession, each one harder than the last. By the end, I’d stopped squirming, realizing that it wasn’t doing any good. Just like in all things, I needed to submit to him.
Tears ran down my face. I was ashamed at myself for disobeying him, and for the consequences we’d both have to deal with. Max massaged my sore bottom, calming me down.
“Everything I do is to protect you,” Max said, gently.
I lifted my head and nodded. “I know.”
Max lifted me up, and I curled into his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck.
“Max, I’m scared.”
“Don’t be,” he said, stroking the hair away from my face. “I won’t let anything happen to you. Or Lily.”
I fell into his embrace, and resolved to put my trust in him. I could rest easy knowing he was on my side. Max’s chest heaved as he took a deep breath. I ran my hand over his chest.
“Seeing you out there made me realize how powerful you are,” I said.
Max held me tighter. “Really?”
“Yes, really. And I’m not the only one. I saw your name written on several pairs of breasts,” I said, teasingly.
Max turned me around so I was straddling him. “You’re not jealous, are you?”
“Nope.”
I felt his cock rising between my legs. I pressed my hips forward. “Because you’re all mine.”
Max leaned forward and kissed my neck. “That’s right. Why don’t I take you into the bedroom and show you a few moves?”
Max slipped his hands underneath my bottom, then stood. We kissed as he carried me into the bedroom. Standing over the bed, Max grabbed my waist, then stretched his arms up, lifting me high. He flung me down on the bed, and I bounced on top of the mattress. Max’s arms hulked out as he placed his fists on the bed, and started to climb over me. I lay back, submitting to his large physique. The way he looked at me sent shivering excitement up my spine. I tangled my fingers in his hair as he leaned down and kissed me.
Max’s movements became more urgent. He stood and flung off his shirt, then let his pants fall to the floor. He pulled my pants and panties off of my ankles, then shoved my shirt up so my breasts fell out. I loved when he got like this, wild with desire. I was happy to let him do whatever he wanted to me.
Max raised my leg into the air, and rested it on his shoulder. My other leg wrapped around his waist. With one hand holding tight to my calf, he placed the other just below my belly button and applied a small amount of pleasure. This allowed him to target my g-spot when he slid his cock inside of me. I groaned as he plunged in deeper. He pressed down harder, and I could clearly feel the bulbous head of his cock but against my most sensitive area.
Ecstasy rushed through me, relaxing my muscles. Max pressed his hips forward, then paused, letting me feel his length and girth. He kissed the inside of my ankle, then began to thrust, slowly at first. Gradually, he picked up speed and intensity. The pleasure he produced was overwhelming. I couldn’t think straight. I could barely breathe. All I could do was lie there and submit to his power.
*
“We have to go,” I yelled down the block to Lily. “We’re going to be late.”
“Coming, Mommy,” Lily called.
It had rained earlier that morning, and as we walked to school, Lily made a point to jump into every puddle we came across. This made the walk, which normally took ten minutes, so much longer. I frantically checked my watch, then looked back to Lily to call to her again. The words got caught in my throat when I saw a dark, tall figure standing in front of her. Lily had her head craned all the way back, looking up at him.
The man looked my way, and winked. He wore black clothes, covered with a black trench coat. Sun glinted off of the gold tooth in the side of his mouth. I walked quickly over to my daughter, never taking my eye off of him.
“Can I help you?” I said, pulling Lily to me.
“He says he knows Max,” Lily said.
The man took a step closer to me. His cool demeanor was intimidating. “You call him Max,” he said with a trace of an accent. “He’s not your real father.”
Lily went quiet, and hugged tight to my legs.
“I was married before,” I said, then immediately questioned why I was telling this stranger anything.
“Such a darling little girl. Lily, is it?”
“How does he know my name?” Lily whispered.
“And Jenny,” he said, his eyes resting heavily on me.
“I’m sorry, who are you?” I asked.
“Nico,” he said.
I looked around watching other children walk to school with their parents, hopping in puddles, smiling, laughing. How dare this man come to our neighborhood and scare our children?
“Well, Nico,” I spat. “We have a neighborhood watch here. I’m sure someone is calling the police right now.”
Nico laughed, a slow, deliberate laugh that sent chills up my spine. “I know every cop in this town and the next.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, taking deep, angry breaths. “We have to go. Come on, Lily.” I grabbed her hand and turned to walk away.
“Send my regards to Max,” Nico called after us. “Tell him that if he doesn’t do what we ask next week, you’ll be seeing a lot more of me.”
I glanced back to see Nico turn and walk down the street in the other direction.
“Mommy, you’re squeezing my hand,” Lily said.
I realized how hard I was gripping her, and let her go. “Sorry, sweetie.”
“Who was that man?” Lily asked.
“Someone that works with Max, that’s all,” I said, trying to play it off.
Lily set her lips in a straight line. “I don’t like that man. I don’t ever want to see him again.”
“You don’t have to,” I said. “Now, come on. We’re almost there.”
When I got to work, I texted Max and told him about the strange encounter with Nico. Max came right from the gym and met me on my lunch break.
“What exactly did he say to you?” Max said. We were in the middle of the hospital cafeteria. Many of my co-workers had never seen my bulky, fighter husband before, and the room was full of stares and whispers.
“I’ve told you a hundred times,” I said. “Do you know this guy?”
“I know of him.” Max sat back in his seat. “This is going pretty far up the chain.”
“Okay, that sounds serious,” I said. I felt a panic like I’d never felt before. Was I in danger? Was Lily? “He obviously wants you to throw your next fight.”
Max pounded his fist down on the table, making the silverware clatter. Everyone in the cafeteria turned to stare at us.
“Can’t you do it just this one time?” I asked.
“No, never,” Max said, gritting his teeth. “I’ve seen other guys fall into this trap before. It’s never just one time.”
“You can just do it for now, until you get further into your career,” I pleaded.
Max shook his head. “C
areers aren’t built by taking dives. They’re built by winning. That’s what I do. If I start cooperating with them, and they get caught, guess who’s taking the fall. I’d be done.”
I looked down into my cup of coffee. Though I had a good job and salary, we relied heavily on Max’s winnings. Without them, we’d be in real trouble.
“Look at me,” Max said, gesturing to his broad chest. “Do you think I could get a job at the bank? Scooping ice cream downtown? No. This is who I am. This is all I have, the only way I can provide for you.”
“I know,” I said, soothingly, taking Max’s hand. “Is it true that Nico knows all the cops?”
Max nodded once.
“So we can’t call the police,” I said, grimly. “What are we going to do?”
“I don’t know yet. But I’ll never let anything happen to you or Lily. Trust me on that.”
“I trust you,” I said.
Max and I both went to pick Lily up from school. She walked between us, chattering about her day, while Max and I kept a look out for anyone suspicious. It was obvious these people knew where we lived and where Lily went to school. The skin on the back of my neck prickled whenever I saw someone out of the corner of my eye. But there was no one there but parents walking their children home. When we got safely inside the house, the paranoid feeling didn’t leave me. What if they came here?
I tried to act as normal as possible around Lily so she wouldn’t be afraid. We ate dinner together, then played a board game on the floor of our living room. Soon, Lily started to get tired. She crawled into my lap and rested her head on my chest. I studied her beautiful, innocent face. She blinked, and looked up at me.
“Remember that man from this morning?” Lily asked.
Max perked up, and sat beside us.
“Yes, I remember,” I said, rocking her.
“He was on the playground today,” Lily said. “He tried to talk to me again, but I ran away.”
Max slammed his fist in his palm, then stood to his feet and paced the room.
“He won’t come here, will he?” Lily asked.
I tightened my arms around her small frame. “No, baby, of course not. Let me ask you a question? Do you think there’s anyone in the world as strong as Max?”
Lily shook her head vigorously.
“Max protects us. He protects our home,” I said. “You have nothing to worry about.”
“That’s right,” Max grumbled from the other side of the room.
*
After getting Lily to bed, I closed her door then turned to Max.
“We have to leave,” I whispered.
Max shook his head, stubbornly. “No, they’ll find us. Especially if I try to fight somewhere else.”
“Okay,” I said, racking my brain. There had to be something we could do. “What about the media? You have so many fans. If the public knew what was going on-“
“No journalist in their right mind would go against these guys,” Max said. “The have influence over everything.”
I exhaled, then buried my face in my hands. Max slipped his hand behind my neck, then pressed my forehead to his.
“What you told Lily was right,” he said. “No one’s stronger than me. No one would dare go against me.” He kissed my cheek then walked away.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“Outside. To keep watch,” he said.
Max stayed out on the porch all night. I couldn’t sleep, and would occasionally peek out of the window to check on him. He sat straight up, staring out from our house, barely blinking. There was no sign of fatigue on his face.
Though I trusted Max when he said he wouldn’t let anything happen to us, we couldn't live like this, staying up all night to stand guard, worrying about Lily at school. I didn’t think I could stand the paranoia and stress for much longer.
I tossed and turned in bed, waiting for sleep to come. It was after midnight when I finally gave up. I opened the front door, and Max turned around suddenly. When we saw it was me, he relaxed.
“I couldn’t sleep,” I said, sitting in the rocking chair beside him.
“You don’t need to worry about a thing,” Max said. “No one’s getting past me.”
“I know, I trust you,” I said. “But I was wondering, maybe you can teach me a few moves so I at least know how to defend myself.”
Max took my hand and kissed it. “I think that’s a great idea.”
We moved the coffee table out of the living room and stood in the middle of the rug. Max gave me basic self defense instruction, and showed me how to protect myself in a variety of situations. I paid close attention, listening to every word he said, making sure I completely understood.
The lesson ended when Max had me on the floor, holding me down. I tried desperately to get up, but I was so overpowered.
“I submit,” I said, laughing.
“Oh, do you?” Max said. His hand wondered up my shirt and grabbed my breast. He bent over me, still pinning me to the ground, and kissed me.
*
The week leading up to the fight, Max and I behaved like we usually did for the sake of Lily, though I was a nervous wreck. Every car that passed by our house alerted my attention. When we walked to school, I grasped Lily’s hand tightly in mine and hurried her along the sidewalk. The only thing that helped was Max’s self defense instruction that had started to happen nightly.
I was getting more proficient in the moves he’d shown me, and was gaining confidence. I could even get out of some of his holds. But the lessons always ended the same way, with him pinning me to the ground until I gave up. It was a sweet surrender, though, because Max would pick me up from the floor carry me off to the bedroom.
No matter how much I begged, argued, or pleaded, Max forbid me to go to the fight. He said it was too dangerous, and that was right. But how could I let him face them alone? What if he needed my help?
The morning of the fight, Max took Lily and I to my friend, Susan’s house, which was an hour drive from where we lived. Susan agreed to let us stay in her guesthouse, and best of all, didn’t ask any questions. Once we were settled in, Max checked his watch and said he had to go. I clung tightly to him by the door, not wanting to let him go.
“I’ll be back,” he said, pulling my arms away from him. “I’m coming back.”
“Just be careful,” I said.
“Of course I will,” he said. “You take care of Lily.”
We kissed one last time, and he was out of the door. I watched his car pull away, knowing for certain that this wasn’t the last time I’d see him.
I’d see him at the fight.
I called Clara, Susan’s housekeeper, and asked her to keep Lily while I ran out to get some ice cream. I felt guilty, lying to her, but I couldn’t tell her the truth.
“Her bedtime is eight,” I told Clara as I was going out the door.
“That’s three hours from now,” Clara said. “Won’t you be back by them?”
I smiled instead of responding, and kissed Lily goodbye. Susan let me borrow her car, and I raced out to Chaos Stadium.
The crowd chattered excitedly around me as I took my seat. I envied their blissful ignorance. The lights dimmed, and the crowd hushed. Techno music pumped through the silence, and everyone jumped to their feet. Max marched to the ring, quickly and with determination. He didn’t do a lap with his arms raised in the air. He stood in the corner, shifting on his feet, and jabbing the air. He was serious. He wanted to win.
Max’s opponent was greeted with boos and sneers. His name was Jackson Soles. He was almost the same size as Max, with blond hair shaved closely to his head. When he entered the ring, he did a backflip, which made the crowd boo even harder.
Right when the match started, it was clear Max wasn’t going to let his opponent win. Max hit the ground running, and pinned Jackson up against the ropes. He landed several punches in his side and face. Jackson managed to push Max off of him. When Jackson was freed from Max’s grip, he was visibly wea
kened.
Though Max and Jackson were the same size, Max had the skill. He overpowered Jackson easily. Jackson tried valiantly to fight back, but he was no match. Max eventually pinned him on his back, Jackson’s legs crisscrossed over Max’s shoulder. It was a position I recognized from our lessons. Jackson tried and tried to break free, but eventually had to give up. Max was once again the victor.
While the crowd jumped to their feet, hailing Max as a hero, I slipped out the back. I knew they would be here, whoever ‘they’ were exactly. They would be waiting for Max, but where? I slipped down the hall to the backroom, and saw Jim, Max’s trainer, walking quickly in the other direction.
“Wait, Jim,” I said, grabbing his arm. “Max needs help. Where are you going?”
Jim yanked his arm away from me. “I’m trying to help myself, Jenny. And you should too.” He turned and scurried away from me. He was headed towards the reserved parking lot.
“No, Jim, it might not be safe,” I said, going after him.
Jim burst through the double doors out into the parking lot, then marched towards his car. I stayed behind in the shadows, watching. Before he could make it to his car, five men emerged from behind a white van. One carried a club, and the others reached into their pants for what I assumed were guns. Jim fumbled for his keys and got into the drivers’ seat. The men surrounded the car, and the one carrying the club struck the hood.
“Where is he?” a man yelled.
“He’ll be out soon. Please, let me go home,” Jim pleaded. “I told him to throw the fight. He didn’t listen to me.”
“That’s true, Jim,” the man said. “You’ve always been a team player.” He signaled to the man carrying the club. The man nodded, then swung at a side window, shattering glass everywhere. “Get on your way,” the man said, banging the drivers’ side door.
“Thank you,” Jim said, peeling out of the parking lot.
I watched the men walk back to their hiding place behind the van. Max’s car was parked very close to it. They were waiting for him. Discreetly, I slipped back into the building and rushed to find Max. He was in the backroom wiping down with a towel.
Sweet Submission: Jenny and Max Complete Series Plus Bonus Short Story Page 5
