"I will not have it."
"You, my darling, will have whatever I say you will have," Dom stated. "I will not have a frigid wife in my bed."
Shannon's eyes narrowed. "Would you rather have one with a knife under her pillow?"
"Are you threatening me?" he asked.
"I am telling you that if you force me to do what I am not willing to do, I will be filled with resentment."
"There are many things I will have you do where you will not be willing at first." Dom narrowed his eyes. "But I will not tolerate being threatened."
"You threaten me continuously."
"And I will continue to do so. Mistress Aida? Do you have the bath prepared? I wish to scrub off the dirt of the road and then sink into a soft bed."
"Yes, darling, the vessel is hot and filled with your favorite herbs."
"Excellent. Come, Shannon," Dom ordered, holding his hand out to her. "Let us bathe and discuss the consequences of threatening your future husband and king."
"I do not wish to bathe with you nearby," Shannon sulked.
"You will not be nearby. You will be in with me."
Shannon gasped, shaking her head. "That is indecent! I cannot!"
"Since when do you comply with social convention? Come now, or you will be carried."
"I shall not."
"Very well," Dom sighed, standing slowly. He had reached her in three long strides, heaving her easily over his left shoulder. Shannon shouted and pounded his back as he carried her up the stairs and into the bathing area. He smacked her cloth-covered rump three times before setting her on her feet.
"You—"
"Watch how you address me, Shannon. To show disrespect to me before the subjects will not fare well for you."
"They are not your subjects," Shannon said, pushing away from him.
"I am a ruler worthy of respect and regard." Dom closed in on her, his eyes darkening. "You will not embarrass me before another king's people. Understand? And do not even consider screaming. That behavior is coming to an end."
Shannon clenched her fists, her face registering tension. She swung her fist, only to have it caught in his hand.
"Must I take a strap to you now to remind you not to strike me?"
"You are a loathsome cur, Domitri d'Gavril!"
"I am at that," he chuckled. "I do think a little reminder of proper behavior is in order before we proceed with our baths."
"Remove your hands from me!"
Shannon's command was ignored as Dom pulled her over to the dressing chair and sat down. He yanked her effortlessly across his lap and tilted her body forward to force her hands down on the wooden floor. She kicked and struggled, uttering curses as the skirts of her travel gown found their way over her head. The sound of tearing as he removed her braies had her shrieking in anger.
"Calm yourself. I will purchase you new ones. Now, what is this beautiful, white thing before me?" he said, cupping her firm bottom in his hand before patting it. "It is much lovelier when it is colored red, like a rose. I still see remnants of the plank." He traced the faded bruises along her sit-spots.
"Release me!"
"I will release you when I have completed my task. Shannon? Did you try to bite me again?" Dom tsked, raising his hand. "I am sorry, but you just made this much worse on yourself. It is time to take deliver what I still owe you from the woods."
"No!"
Shannon cursed as the flat of his hand fell like bolts of lightning across her backend. The smacks came thick and fast, while her begging became more desperate. His hand alternated between her right and left mounds, relentlessly slapping her buttocks until her pleas for mercy could be heard throughout the house. He paused, shifting her on his lap before looping his right leg across the backs of her knees to hold her in place.
Wordlessly, he started working on the lowest part of her flaming bottom and the tops of her thighs, which, judging by the agonizing sting, were areas he had not previously warmed. Shannon wept as she lay across his lap, and spewed out promises to control her temper, mind her mouth, and obey him without question. Still, the spanking continued; his hand a tireless instrument that delivered the worst pain she could imagine.
Or so she thought. Dom paused again, this time unbuckling the wide, leather belt that held his tunic in place. He placed it on the dressing stand after pulling her to her feet. Remaining silent, he turned her to face the wall with her hands on her head, giving both of her buttocks a final series of hard, alternating smacks. Shannon's tears ran into the fabric of her sleeves.
"You behave as though this punishment is a surprise to you," Dom stated firmly, tucking the backs of her skirts into the top hem of her shoulders. He tore away the shredded remains of her braies and ran his hand across her crimson globes. "This punishment is far from over. Stay there."
It felt as though an eternity had passed before he called her over to him. The heavy belt in his hand swung in menacing arcs as he pointed to the narrow table. "Lean across that and keep your hands forward. This will be one spanking you will remember for a lifetime, my girl."
Shannon squeaked as the belt landed across her tender bottom. Her mind collapsed and her face screwed into a grimace. The strap landed twice more, leaving streaks of red-hot pain in its wake. Dom took his time at first, allowing Shannon an opportunity to compose herself between strokes. After six, however, he took a different approach. It was time for him to settle the score for her behavior.
The lashes poured down upon her, overlapping mercilessly over her sensitized flesh. Shannon jumped and twisted, bringing her hand back to cover her searing posterior. Dom caught it and pinned it to the small of her back.
"No, you are not going anywhere until I am finished with you," he said, when Shannon tried desperately to push herself up. "Give me your other hand." Bawling like a baby, she obeyed. "Normally, this spanking would be over by now. But not this time. This time you really crossed the line. I will not have you biting or striking me, nor will I have you verbally defying me before witnesses."
Shannon sobbed until she felt as though there was no air left in her lungs. The belt continued to fall across her bottom and the backs of her thighs, and her kicking, lifting of legs, and begging for forgiveness were ignored. It was not until she stopped her struggles that the whipping ceased.
"I do not wish to spank you to get you to surrender, Shannon," Dom said dryly. "Nor do I want to make it so that you cannot sit for the remainder of our journey, but I promise to do whatever I must to your backend to teach you about manners and control of your temper."
"My temper?" Shannon stood up angrily. "It is you who is taking your temper out on my arse!"
"Have I told you to stand up?" His hand collided soundly with Shannon's rump. "Have I?"
Shannon's shoulders caved in as she looked at Dom with defeat. "No, Sire..."
"I think a taste of the rug beater is in order," he said, lifting a conveniently placed instrument from a vessel in the corner. "I expect that, by the time I am finished with you, we will have a better understanding about public behavior and the expectations placed upon you."
"Dom, no. I promise—I swear—I will not behave this way again. I beg of you, not that."
"Count six out for me, and make sure you don't miss any. I expect to hear proper respect in your voice this time."
"Domitri, mercy! I beg you." Shannon managed to gather enough strength to start crying again. The rattan rug beater sliced across the span of her throbbing flesh, and she released a loud cry.
"Shannon?"
"One, Sire..."
The next one felt even worse, as though it had sunk under her skin and left behind a nest of stinging bees. "Two, Sire!" she wept.
"Good girl. Continue."
"Three, Sire! Dom, please…"
"Must I begin again?"
"No! Four, Sire. Argh, five!"
"This is the last one, Shannon."
The swooshing sound of the braided beater preceded the final snap as wood met flesh. Shanno
n gasped out the number before collapsing upon the flat of the table.
"Will I have to spank you again, Shannon? Are you finished with your temper tantrums, defying me in front of others, the verbal insults and attempts to strike me? Should I plan on administering a reminder every week to keep you in hand?"
"I'll behave. I promise," she cried.
"We will see. I will ask Mistress Aida whether I may purchase this delightful rug beater from her," Dom said swishing it through the air. "I believe it would be a useful implement to teach you how to behave."
"Yes, Sire."
"Look at me, Shannon!"
She attempted to stop her breathless weeping enough to be able to lift her eyes to her future husband and king.
"I don't want to ever spank you like this again. Do you understand that?"
Shannon nodded.
"Know this. I will do it again if necessary. And each time, I will be more severe as well. "
She did not respond, her tears flowing down her face as she lowered her eyes.
"Now undress."
Shannon wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve before slowly obeying. Her humiliation made her want to hide under the table, but she dared not risk another spanking for disobedience. She slipped the kirtle over her head and stood, ashamed, in her chemise, stockings and slippers.
"Remove it all, Shannon," Dom ordered, leaning back in his chair.
Tears flowed down her cheeks. When did he become so cruel? She avoided his eyes as, one by one, her garments fell to the floor.
"Lift your hands atop your head and keep them there," he ordered. "Turn around. Slowly."
Shannon felt her body temperature rise as she displayed herself before her husband-to-be. A strange tickling grew between her legs as well. Was she aroused? How could that be?
"Beautiful," Dom praised, walking to stand before her. "Absolutely beautiful."
His lips suddenly crushed hers, and he plunged his tongue deep into the recesses of her mouth. His arms held her steady and she moaned as he firmly squeezed her bruised, tender buttocks. She felt his cock pressing into her stomach and pulled back.
"You will not pull away from me, druid," he whispered, his mouth grazing over a pebbled nipple. "Your body is mine."
"We have not said our vows yet," Shannon said fearfully, stiffening as his lips pulled upon her taunt nipple. "You promised that I would not be taken until my wedding day."
"Aye, I did say that. There are other ways of meeting my needs that I will exercise."
"You will not couple with a whore!" Shannon snapped. "I forbid it."
Dom raised his face to look at her closely, his hands gripping her bottom tightly. "Did I just hear what I thought I did?"
Shannon remained firm. "Yes. I will not be sharing you with another woman. If you wish to have one in your bed, it will be only me."
"That certainly changes things, does it not?" Dom asked, pulling away from her. His dark eyes twinkled. "How do you propose to meet my needs, since you forbid me a whore and deny me your cunt?"
"Sire! I am most offended. I am not some cow that you have purchased to breed."
"I beg pardon to your sensibilities, madam. What would you have me call your sex, then? The warm cave that you deny me until the day we are wed; what would you have me call it other than cunt?" Dom asked.
"I know that the term is widely used and accepted, it just offends me greatly."
"You continually surprise me. Even after a most thorough spanking, and standing here before me, naked with your arms on your head, you still continue to find something to argue about."
"Are you going to beat me again?" Shannon asked fearfully.
"I did not beat you. I spanked you. A beating would have marred this lovely skin," Dom said, running his hand across her shoulders and back. He smacked her rump. "Spankings take place here. And here," he slapped the backs of her thighs lightly. His hand crept to the dark opening between her thighs. "Sometimes even here. Do not move."
She stiffened at the feel of his fingers pressing to her privates. "Please, stop."
Dom sighed, pulling his hand back. "Step into the bath. With all those herbs, you will begin to feel as if you are on the menu as a stew tonight. Give me your hand so you do not slip."
Shannon looked at him with confusion and reached for his hand. How could he go from being so demanding and harsh one minute, to being gentle and understanding the next? Likewise, how could her body ache so badly from the pain of her spanking, yet still long for his touch? Why did she feel obligated to try to prevent it? Carefully, she lowered herself into the lukewarm water and covered her breasts with her hands.
"It's cold," she whispered.
"Heat it up. You have my permission," Dom said, stripping his clothes from his body. Shannon averted her eyes and tried to concentrate on her conjuring. It was not working.
"I cannot summon my gift," she said quietly, looking down into the water.
Dom lowered himself into the large tub in front of her, and stretched out his legs to wrap them around her naked hips. "Look at me."
"I cannot. You are unclothed."
"You have seen my bared chest before. Everything else of interest is hidden beneath this layer of rose petals." He flicked at the flowers with distaste.
"I am ashamed," Shannon admitted. "I am truly sorry for my behavior and for embarrassing you in public. Please forgive me."
"You have been punished for your transgression and all is done with. You must stop being angry with yourself once you have been forgiven, Shannon."
"You were so harsh with me. My behavior must have made you very upset."
"It did, but you have learned, yes? My darling, you must understand that a queen who shows disrespect to her lord and master is an example to his subjects to behave the same way. If they believe I cannot conduct my household in a manner befitting my position, how could they respect my ability to run a country?"
"I did not consider that. I am sorry."
"Uncross your arms and turn your back to me," Dom ordered. "Do not fear me. I promise not to hurt you."
"You already hurt me."
"I toasted your bottom and your pride," Dom answered, "Both well deserved. Why must you press me to repeat myself? Did I not tell you in the beginning that doing so would result in swift, firm punishment?"
Shannon sighed, shifting her body awkwardly in the narrow tub. She bit her lip as Dom pulled her back between his spread knees, and grimaced as she felt his cock nudging her back. He wrapped his iron-hard arms around her and forced her to lean against his soft, lightly furred chest.
"This is pleasant, yes?" he asked.
She hesitated before slowly nodding. The feel of naked flesh against naked flesh was comforting and sensual. Her aching bottom, pressed into the muscles of his thighs, twitched with anticipation. Of what, though?
"Heat the water. Slowly," Dom coaxed, running his broad palms over the tops of her arms. "More. Good girl. I can take the heat."
Shannon briskly inhaled the scent of the floating herbs as they began to simmer in the steamy broth. Rosemary, sage, lemon grass, rose petals, and cardamom cleansed both the body and the senses. He was correct—she did feel as though she was part of a savory stew. She allowed herself to lean against him, finally relaxing in his embrace.
He started humming in her ear as his hands continued to stroke her arms. Shannon felt her eyes grow heavy, and drew her knees up to her chest to better cuddle into his body. She felt his fingers lightly tease their way down her abdomen, to the swells of her hips, sending tingles up her spine. They moved to the welted flesh of her pulsating hindquarters, stroking gently as though not to disturb the marks from her discipline. His hand slowly slid to the tops of her thigh, caressing her smooth flesh in long, languid motions. Entranced by the warmth of the water and the scent of the herbs, Shannon felt her body relax. Her legs parted slowly to invite his gentle hands between them.
His lips grazed the nape of her neck and nibbled upon her shoulders, while
his hands inched towards her inner thighs like a cat stalking a mouse, little by little, until they rested on either side of her pussy.
Shannon's breathing turned ragged and her heart pounded as his hands slid upwards, just grazing over the top of her mons and gliding up towards her breasts. He roughly grabbed the left one and kneaded it in his hand. She was certain that he could feel her heart hammering in her chest as she squirmed under his ministrations. She hissed as his thumb finally brushed against her nipple, pinching and rolling the little nub, before she gave in and arched her back to thrust her mound into his hand.
"You like that?" he asked, his voice rough.
Shannon could only nod her head, lost in the sensation. She moaned softly as he moved to her right breast, where he discovered the stiff peak begging to be touched.
He suddenly paused. "Hmm, I wonder," he muttered.
"What is it?" her voice was breathless. Why had he stopped? Was something wrong?
"Turn to face me," Dom ordered. He moved his mouth to her breasts and closed his lips over her right nipple. Shannon released an audible sigh of pleasure as he drew her gently into his mouth. He flicked his tongue against the bud and suckled more, until the crinkled pebble strained high into the air.
"Hands behind your neck," he commanded, pinching her left nipple with his fingers. He continued suckling at her breast as he released the other one and allowed his hand to descend down between her legs once again.
"Wait!" Shannon panted.
Dom frowned. "What is wrong?"
"I... I don't think I can do this," she whispered. Shame flowed through her.
"Do you fear that I will harm you? I promised not to take your maidenhood." His voice was still rough with lust, but it was also kind.
"Yes," Shannon said softly. "I also fear myself, and not being able to gather the courage to stop you. This cannot be."
"I made you a promise that I would not force myself upon you," he said. "Did you not enjoy my mouth upon your breasts?"
"I did," she blushed, looking down.
"Would you like for me to continue? We can stop at any time if you wish. My objective is not to frighten you into frigidity." He looked seriously into her eyes. Shannon's heart fluttered, seeing the truth behind the dark, concerned orbs.
Her King's Command Page 10
