by Abby Blake
He could see that she was feeling quite vulnerable as she waited nervously for him to begin. He drew out that feeling, caressing her ass softly as he waited for her to relax slightly. Finally some of the tension seeped from her rigid muscles.
“Why are you being punished, Sophie?”
She seemed surprised by the question, even lifting her head to try and see him, but he stopped her from moving as he waited for an answer.
“Because I let fear rule me…and I hurt you and Adrian and Malcolm by assuming things that weren’t true.”
“That’s correct,” he said, still caressing her smooth flesh, “but why are you here allowing yourself to be punished?”
“Oh,” she said, perhaps understanding now what he meant. “Because I want to make amends. I want you all to know how sorry I am, and I want to explore a future with all three of you.”
“This is punishment, Sophie. You aren’t going to enjoy it.”
“I know, Sir,” she said, surprising him just a little. A part of him wanted to skip this and go on to something far more fun, but as Malcolm had mentioned earlier, submitting to a spanking would prove that she was ready to explore the Dom-sub lifestyle they wanted to live.
“Count them out loud, little sub.”
* * * *
Sophie gasped as the first slap landed on her bottom. Despite Alex’s warning that she wasn’t going to enjoy it, she hadn’t truly thought about how much it might hurt.
“Count for me, Sophie,” he said kindly, rubbing over the sting on her ass.
“One,” she whispered breathlessly, the realization that she had no idea how many times he meant to slap her buzzing through her brain.
The second slap was even harder, her breath stuttering from her mouth as she tried to cope with the pain. He caressed her again, his callused fingers making her skin feel even hotter. “Two.”
“Three,” she managed a moment after the next slap cracked against her left butt cheek.
Somehow she managed to keep counting, her eyes filling with tears as she lost the fight to hold in her sobs. They’d reached ten when Alex stopped. He caressed her ass and spine gently as she desperately tried to pull herself together.
“What is your safe word, Sophie?”
She managed to mumble the word “red” in between sobs.
“Would you like to use your safe word, sweetheart?”
“No,” she said quickly, panic streaking through her at the thought she might fail. She’d consented to this. She was going to see it through. Damn it, no matter how much she cried, she was going to see it through. He caressed her again, his touch warm and loving. It seemed almost surreal that she would feel so connected to him at this moment. “No, Sir, I don’t want to use my safe word.”
“Good girl,” he said, making no move to continue. “Only fifteen to go.”
A small sane little voice inside her begged her to crawl off his lap. Her ass was already on fire. Fifteen more slaps wasn’t something she thought she could endure.
But then she realized he was waiting for her to do just that, to use her safe word and take control of the situation and prove once and for all that she wasn’t meant for the lifestyle her men wanted to live, and it somehow gave her the strength to relax against his thighs. She dragged in several more deep breaths and finally managed to stop crying.
She could feel something suspiciously like relief run through him a moment before the eleventh slap landed on her ass. She said the word loudly, no longer dreading the next hit, eagerly awaiting it as she finally understood that it was her submission, not her pain that Alex wanted.
By the time they reached twenty she realized she was unconsciously lifting her ass up to meet him halfway, the intensity of the blows increasing even though the pain didn’t.
Sophie was crying again by the time they reached twenty-five, but this time it was different. No longer was she crying from the pain and, perhaps humiliation, of being spanked, but now she cried for something deeper, a realization, or a clearer understanding of how Alex, Adrian, and Malcolm’s world worked.
“Thank you, little sub,” Alex said quietly as he lifted her out of the awkward position and encouraged her to curl up on his lap. She tried to wipe her eyes on her shoulder, not wanting to mess up his clean shirt, but he wrapped his big hand against the side of her head and held her pressed against his heart. She listened to the steady beat, her tears flowing once more as he held her as if she was the most precious thing in the world to him.
* * * *
Alex woke to Sophie’s clock radio, and was more than a little surprised to realize he’d slept so long uninterrupted. Since taking over Viper’s Dungeon, most nights he struggled to sleep for more than an hour or two at a time. He probably wouldn’t mind it if Sophie was in his arms each time he woke, but the first real chance he got to have her all to himself he’d slept a full night instead.
He probably would have been disappointed except that a decent night’s sleep did wonders for his ability to think rationally. They’d both needed rest, and maybe even a chance to think clearly on what happened yesterday evening.
The feeling of euphoria still buzzed in his mind, the relief that they hadn’t misread Sophie a little disconcerting in its strength. Perhaps, when it came to a woman he wanted to keep, his confidence as a Dom wasn’t as clear-cut as he’d once thought it to be.
“I’m too comfortable to get up,” Sophie said, snuggling back into his embrace. She’d been nearly asleep by the time he’d cleaned her up and tucked her into bed. He hadn’t hesitated in divesting himself of clothes and crawling in beside her. He’d pressed her beautiful, naked body against his own and slept soundly for the first time in ages.
Now that they were both fully awake though, his cock was very forcefully reminding him that he held a naked woman in his arms. She wriggled back against him, her soft ass cheeks pressing deliciously against his erection.
“Behave,” he said, pinching her nipple quite hard. The soft moan that escaped her did nothing to settle him down. “We don’t have any condoms.”
“I do,” she said, reaching into the drawer beside the bed. “There was one left over the other night. Banana flavor I think.”
His imagination already had him buried balls deep inside her before that last part registered.
“Only banana?” he asked, hoping against hope that it wasn’t the only condom they’d not used that night.
“What, you prefer strawberry?” she asked with a soft laugh.
“I’d prefer a condom without a sugar-based flavor.” She rolled over and raised an eyebrow in question. “We can’t use that one for intercourse. The sugar can cause a pH imbalance in the vagina and cause thrush infections.”
“Seriously?” she asked with another soft laugh. “Why would you know something like that?”
He felt himself blush slightly and was glad they hadn’t yet turned on the lights. It was true that he tended to over research everything, but he’d felt it his duty to know anything that might cause a sub unnecessary discomfort.
“It’s my job to make sure everyone at Viper’s is aware of the dangers and hazards of our lifestyle.”
She grinned and leaned up to kiss his cheek.
“Well in that case I thank you for the timely warning.” She unwrapped the condom, winked at him, and then slid down the bed.
His breath caught as she slid the condom into place and then opened her mouth over his cock. “Oh, sweetheart,” he said with a soft groan, his hands tangling in her hair, “I like the way you think.”
* * * *
Sophie glanced at the clock on her cell phone as Alex turned the car into the laneway behind her bakery. They were only ten minutes later than usual, but she could already imagine the concern they’d caused both Adrian and Malcolm by being late. Of course they would have made it here much sooner if Alex hadn’t waylaid her in the shower to return her banana-flavored favor.
Fortunately, Adrian was grinning when she stepped out of the car. Malcolm
looked a little bit less confident until she moved into his embrace and kissed him good-morning. His arms tightened around her as Adrian moved to press a kiss to the back of her neck. His hands traveled down her back and rested lightly on the slightly tender flesh of her bottom.
“Do you feel better after your spanking, beautiful?” he asked, apparently rather confident that she’d gone through with it last night.
“I do, actually,” she said, feeling a little surprised. Even when they’d talked about it last night and suggested that it would be a good way for her to make amends, she hadn’t truly believed it would lift the guilt that she’d felt for the way she’d treated Alex that morning in her bedroom. It was a strange feeling, kind of like the relief she felt when she’d finally paid off her car loan and had owned the vehicle outright. Both then and now it felt like she had a new beginning.
Now she just needed to make amends to Adrian and Malcolm. Considering that her bottom still felt a little raw, she at least hoped they’d give her a few days off between spankings.
“Have a great day, sweetheart,” Alex said as he walked around the car, and then pressed a kiss to her cheek. It was obvious that Malcolm and Adrian had no intention of letting her go, but Alex didn’t seem to be jealous or even concerned by their behavior. “Did everything go okay last night at the club?”
“Mostly,” Malcolm said with a nod. “The cleaning crew has a new worker who seemed more interested in watching the scenes than doing her job. Hopefully it’s just a ‘new to the lifestyle’ thing, but I got several complaints from members about her poorly done cleaning so it might be worth mentioning to her boss.” Malcolm tilted his head and shrugged his shoulders. “Other than that everything went smoothly.”
“Thanks,” Alex said with a smile. “I’ll call the contractor when I get home.”
He was back in his car and reversing down the laneway before it occurred to Sophie that it was a rather strange hour to be making phone calls. “Does he remember it’s only two in the morning?”
“Of course,” Adrian said as he took her keys and opened the door for her. “Most cleaning contractors work nightshift so it’s probably the best time to contact the boss now anyway.”
“I suppose that makes sense,” she said, trying to wrap her head around the idea that she wasn’t the only one who didn’t work nine to five. “Coffee?”
Adrian and Malcolm both grinned but shook their heads.
“You’re already behind in schedule,” Malcolm said as she hurried to switch on the ovens and get organized for the day. “We just wanted to say good morning. We won’t stay.”
“It’s okay,” she said quickly, again noticing that none of her men were trying to interfere with her day-to-day life. Even Alex, who’d essentially been the reason for them getting here a little late, had apologized very sincerely when he’d realized the time. Considering the fact that her pussy still tingled and the feel of his tongue was still very clear in her mind, she seriously wasn’t objecting. “To be honest most days I could probably start a little later now that I have the daily routine worked out.”
“So why don’t you?” Adrian asked.
She shrugged. “Until now I didn’t really have a reason to.”
“And now?” Malcolm asked warily.
She gave him a smile but didn’t stop what she was doing. “Now I find I want a little more time to do other things.”
Adrian grinned, but Malcolm looked upset by her admission. It seemed that he might explain what was going through his mind, but then he shook his head slightly and said, “I should get going. Have a good day, Sophie.”
He kissed her quickly and was gone before she could interpret what had just happened. She blinked several times before turning to look at Adrian.
“He’ll be okay,” Adrian said, moving toward the coffee machine. “He’s very concerned that you’ll feel overwhelmed between the three of us.” He waited a few moments before adding, “He told us why you left him.”
She blushed, a little embarrassed to share such failure with someone who hadn’t known her back then. “I suspect he glossed over the ‘judgmental and stupid’ parts of my decisions.”
“Not really,” he said, surprising Sophie in the process. “He was actually brutally honest about the failures on both sides, but he did mention that you’d been very young at the time.”
“Twenty-two isn’t that young,” she said stubbornly, unwilling to blame immaturity for her baseless fears and cowardly decisions, “but I think I understand life a little better now. I’m not sure I’ll be any better at relationships, but I’m brave enough now to believe I won’t lose my independence the way I’d once feared.”
“You hurt him deeply.”
“I know,” she said sadly. “I hope I can make it up to him.”
“Beautiful, you already have. Allowing Alex to spank you, accepting that you were wrong and submitting to your punishment was the most perfect gift you could have given him…given all of us.”
“But you and Malcolm weren’t even there,” she said, feeling confused. Surely they expected to hand out their own punishments as well.
“It doesn’t matter that we weren’t there. Last night when you submitted to Alex, you submitted to all of us.”
“So why did Malcolm leave when I suggested I want to take time off?”
“Your ex-husband is a complicated man,” Adrian said with a wink, his demeanor suggesting that he was the opposite, “but I suspect he doesn’t want you making changes in your life to accommodate us. He doesn’t want you giving up something you love.”
Sophie gave Adrian a sad smile. “That’s just the thing,” she said as she moved to the sink to wash her hands so she could make coffee, “I no longer love it the way I once did.”
“Because of us three?”
“Not really,” she said, trying to get the thoughts clear in her head. “You and Alex may have been the catalyst, but you’re not the reason I want things to change.” She reached for the coffee mugs, quickly making them both a coffee before moving to stand beside him. “For the first year or so I was living my dream, tweaking my recipes, striving for excellence, but now everything is just a day-to-day routine.”
“You’re bored?”
“Not always. Occasionally I need to add something new to the goods that I sell, but these days it’s more a type of maintenance. You know, delete the recipes that aren’t selling and replace them with something that might, but it’s not the challenge it once was. Even the catering isn’t all that much of a challenge. And I can’t expand or grow the business without working more hours.” She leaned against him as his arm threaded around her waist. “I’ve been considering hiring another baker for a while now. I just didn’t have any real reason to take time off until I met you and Alex and discovered your connection to Malcolm.”
“Can the business afford to hire an employee?”
She smiled at his practical question, his qualifications as an accountant obviously coming to the fore. “Part-time, definitely. Full-time, maybe, but since I’d rather keep working at least four days a week myself, even if the business doesn’t grow, it should be fine.”
“I can take a look at the numbers if you like.” As soon as he said that, he rolled his eyes and laughed softly. “I’m very glad Malcolm wasn’t here when I said that. He would likely see it as me trying to take over your life.”
“It’s okay,” she said quickly. “I realize that was just my friend offering to help.”
“Correct.” He pressed a kiss to her lips. “And there is absolutely no obligation to accept, especially if it makes you uncomfortable.”
She cuddled closer to him for a moment, just enjoying the simple feeling of a few quiet moments with a man she was learning to love.
Love.
The thought didn’t really shock her. She wouldn’t have gone to bed with Adrian or his brother if she hadn’t felt a connection to them. She just hoped she wasn’t reading more into the relationship they wanted than was actually
on offer.
“You know, I just realized I have no idea what Alex did before he bought Viper’s Dungeon.”
“He hasn’t told you?” Adrian asked, sounding rather surprised. “I guess you two have had other things to talk about.” He nibbled on her neck, holding her tighter as she giggled and squirmed away from the ticklish feeling.
“So are you going to tell me or not?”
“Not,” Adrian said as he released her. He drained the rest of his coffee, and then headed for the door. “You’ll just have to ask him yourself.”
She mock frowned at his teasing, but didn’t try to stop him from leaving.
“Lock this behind me,” he said as he waited for her to follow him to the exit.
“Yes, Sir,” she said with just a hint of sarcasm. She had no intention of working here in the middle of the night without making sure she was locked in safely. But Adrian turned back to her, his eyes darkening with arousal as he pulled her toward him.
“It sounds perfect coming from your mouth.” He kissed her until her knees trembled and her breathing stopped. He grinned as he pulled away, touching her face with his fingertips as he proved he’d recognized her words for what they were. “One day soon I hope you’ll truly mean it.”
He’d already turned away when she finally found her voice.
“Adrian,” she asked quietly, glad to see him turn back to face her. “Do you think it can work? A relationship with all three of you?”
He smiled but then turned very serious. “I don’t think it will be easy.” He stuck his hands in his pockets and then winked at her. “But nothing worth keeping ever is.”
Chapter Eight
“Visitor for you,” Cooper said as he opened the door to Malcolm’s office.
Malcolm raised an eyebrow in disbelief. He was the security officer. When the club was closed, the only people to get into the building without his approval were Alex and Adrian Copeland. Everyone else went through him.
