His Firm Direction

by Alexis Alvarez

  She flinched as if it were a gunshot, and twisted to stare at the entry. But before the knob turned, she heard his voice. “Just me, Cleo. Axel. I’m coming in.”

  Heart pounding, she straightened her body, then arched into a sexy curve and spread her thighs a little wider to greet him. When she heard the door squeak open, felt the small change in the air around her as cooler whorls from the hallway sucked some of the hotter air out, she tensed as if he’d touched her.

  “Fuck.” His voice was hard. “Cleo, Jesus.” The door shut behind him, a sharp crack, and he twisted the lock. She felt him stride over to her, just from the vibrations in the room, she was so in tune with her surroundings by now. He stood by her side. “Nice. Stay like that until I tell you otherwise. Don’t move or talk.”

  She nodded, heart pounding. He moved away, and she didn’t know what he was doing, but when he came back, he stood in front of her, holding the wooden hairbrush in one hand.

  “You didn’t have this waiting beside you,” he observed in a low voice.

  Not sure what to say, she didn’t say anything.

  “I wonder if that means you didn’t want me to use it?” he mused. He slapped the brush once into his other palm, a sharp crack, and she flinched again. “But surely you know I will,” he added softly. “After all, why else would I put it in the envelope with your very name on it?”

  She shook her head, excitement and anxiety building at the same time.

  He slapped the brush into his hand once more. “You might wonder how it feels,” he said easily. “You’re thinking about whether I’m going to use my hand first, or start right in with this. You’ve never felt the brush before, although you’ve pretended to, as Anna, in the play.”

  He walked all around her, and she tensed her muscles, but he reappeared by her head a moment later. “Now’s your chance to see for yourself, Cleo.” He knelt down so he was below her, and looked up into her eyes. It was different to see him below her. He reached up and touched her chin, and she pushed it into his hand, needing the embrace. “This won’t be exactly what you expect,” he said softly, looking into her eyes. “But I want you to try this, for me. For yourself. Yes?” He held her gaze. “You can answer.”

  “Of course, I can answer. Yes, I’ll try it.”

  He laughed. “I like how you don’t really even try to be submissive. It’s actually very enticing, because it means I get to punish you for it. But maybe that’s what you want, hmmm?” He tapped her cheek once, not at all a slap, not even close, but the gesture—which mimicked one—was so patronizingly humiliating that she gasped, her eyes wide.

  “Uh-uh,” he warned, putting his lips to her ear to whisper. “There are still some people out there in the theater. Do you want them to hear you cry if I have to spank you extra hard for your insolence? Do you want them to hear you learning how to be Anna for real, getting the hairbrush on your naked, naughty ass? Answer me.”

  “No, Sir,” she gasped, somehow thinking he’d like the Sir.

  He smiled. “Good answer, Cleo.”

  He walked around her again, this time brushing her skin with his fingertips from time to time; her calf, the bottom of her foot, her waist. Then he was back in front of her.

  “Maybe now you’re wondering how many spanks you’ll get with this brush?” he asked. He walked behind her again and placed it against her ass, just holding it there. “Ten? No, you discounted that as too few. Ten would barely sting even five minutes later.”

  He ran the brush down her thighs and tapped so softly she barely felt it. “How high will he go, you wondered to yourself? Will he give a big number? Surely not something like a hundred. That would be far too aggressive, especially because you’re so new, and we haven’t played together often enough to push that hard. But a nice round number like twenty-five, maybe you thought I’d go for that. Hmmm?”

  He ran the brush over one thigh, then the other.

  “But then you wondered if I’m feeling a little sadistic right now, or want to really push you to do your best later on. Maybe fifty?”

  She sucked in a breath, trembling on the table, so turned on that she could barely hold it back.

  “Or maybe,” he went on, tapping once with the brush, a little harder than his soft tap from earlier, “I don’t even know how many you’re going to get. Maybe,” and he tapped again, with more force, “I’m going to see how it goes. Spank until I think you’re done. How does that sound? Answer me, please.”

  “Whatever you want,” she gasped, wiggling her ass at him, wanting more.

  “Oh, it sounds good?” He rapped her again, harder.

  “Ouch,” she gasped. “That one hurt a little.”

  He laughed. “Poor girl. You have a long lunch break ahead of you, don’t you.” He raised his arm; she could feel the air whoosh past, and she clenched her ass cheeks, prepared for a harder stroke. But instead, he laid the brush down on her skin again and rubbed. “And I like making you wait for it.”

  “Axel,” she begged.

  “I didn’t say you could speak,” he reminded her. “If I were you, with my ass bare and ready for a spanking, I’d be a little more obedient. Do you know why?”

  She didn’t speak.

  He answered, “Because once the spanking is done, I’ll come back to administer extras you earned for bad behavior, starting with that lapse just now. Two extra spanks for each violation. Maybe you think that’s not such a big deal. Wait until you have a nice sore bottom and you’re begging me to stop with each fall of the brush. Then you definitely won’t want an extra two, let alone more. Am I right? Answer me.”

  “Yes, Sir,” she whispered.

  “Good. So, we’re clear. No talking unless I tell you to speak. No reaching back. No loud cries. I only want to hear answers to questions I ask directly, unless you need to say red. Do you understand? Answer me.”

  “Yes.” She gulped and swallowed hard.

  “If you speak out of turn, I’ll add the extras to your tally. Later on, you’ll count them out for me while I administer them, and thank me for each one.”

  God, that got her so hot she could barely hold back. She whimpered and twisted her hips trying to get friction from the fabric against her clit, needing more stimulation.

  He laughed. “You like this so far? Let’s see how you like this next part. Stay still for me, yes? Be good for me.” He almost crooned the words, but his voice was low and strong, and she melted.

  Not allowed to answer, she pushed her hips up, hoping to meet his touch, his fingers, his embrace. When her searching body found only empty air, she made a sound of frustration.

  “Oh, are you impatient?” he said, his voice stern. “Let me show you who’s in charge, then.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  The brush came down, a full, even slap. She could tell it was a light one, as far as his strength went, but even so, the sting was immediate and fierce, and an involuntary yelp escaped her mouth.

  “That’s right,” he agreed. “The brush hurts like a devil, doesn’t it? Even light spanks are powerful. That’s why I like it so much.” He brought it down again, same pressure, on the other cheek, and once again she yelped and twisted.

  “The interesting thing about the brush,” he continued, and gave a sharper spank, “is that there are so many sensations during a session with it. At first, it stings so badly that you don’t know why you ever would have wanted to agree to it. Yes?”

  Since she wasn’t allowed to answer, she just squeaked again and then again when the brush grazed then slapped her left thigh. “Mmmm.”

  “More? Of course, Cleo. I’d be glad to oblige.” And with that, he started up an easy rhythm, left side, then right; harder, then softer. The brush fell like clockwork every few seconds, but she never know where it would strike, or whether it would be hard or light, and the constant change made her moan out in a mixture of discomfort and pleasure. It hurt, but there was something about being undressed for him while he was still fully clothed, allowing him to
spank her with a hairbrush, of all things! Right here in his office! The illicit, kinky, and unapologetically sexy nature got her aroused, even through the sting.

  “After a while,” he said, continuing where he’d left off, “when your master starts to spank harder, you feel panic.” He gave her a particularly hard spank right across the middle of both cheeks, and she cried out and jerked her hips. He did it again even harder, and she turned to glare at him.

  “You don’t like it when I’m the master? Don’t worry, you don’t have to call me Master,” he said generously, smacking her with a flurry of hard sharp swats, alternating cheeks. Then he paused to step to the side and whisper into her ear, “You just need to act like I am,” and laughed when she scowled up at him. He rubbed his hand lightly over her ass, pushing in a few places, as if testing her skin. “You’re turning pink already,” he said, a note of pleasure in his voice. “Does it feel pink?”

  He didn’t wait for an answer, but stepped behind her again. “Ready to go again, Cleo?” He laughed. “Oh, that’s right, I told you not to talk. I’m sure you are, though, yes? And now it’s going to get a bit harder. That was a little warmup, just to desensitize your skin. Now that you’re pink and rosy, we’ll start the real spanking.”

  She twisted again in alarm, her eyes widening, and he patted her thigh. “Head front, ass up and loose. Or else, remember, once we’re done, it’s then that you get the extras. I’d avoid that if I were you.”

  She took a deep breath and tried to relax her muscles. She could say red at any time, of course, right? So why was she filled with such nervous anxiety and the need to please him, to do exactly what he said, when he said it? She raised her hips up, and he murmured, “Good girl. Just like that. Hold it there for these next ten.”

  And suddenly the brush descended with such a fierce lick of fire that she cried out despite her attempts not to. “Axel, fuck! Ow, that one really hurt!”

  He put a hand on the small of her back. “That one didn’t count because you spoke without permission. We start again, and you won’t speak or curse at me. Do you understand me, Cleo?”

  But he came around to her face and bent down to look into her eyes, as if checking her responses for himself, to be sure. “Do you understand me? You can answer.”

  She knew he was looking for nonverbal cues to proceed, but it also felt like a dare, a challenge. “I understand,” she said, her breath coming fast. “Get on with it, already, then. Asshole.” She gave him a triumphant smile.

  He raised his eyebrows and grinned, pleased. “You’ll pay for that.” He touched her cheek, a soft brush of his fingers, and the tenderness of the gesture coupled with the rough play made her head spin.

  Then he was behind her again, and the brush came down again without warning, and again, and soon she was writhing and squirming to get away from the wicked fire. She tried to get away from the volley, but he put one hand onto her shoulders and said, “No,” and she forced herself to stop.

  It was nearly impossible not to shy away, because each time the brush fell, she knew she couldn’t take any more. But then, a split second later, a burst of arousal followed the pain, and she wanted another one, just to continue this scene with him, to keep going to wherever this led.

  When the ten were up, she was so relieved that she almost wanted to cry, and she started to move out of position, but he stopped her. “Did I say we were done?” he chided, and gave her a slap with his hand across her thighs.

  She shook her head, sniffled, and awkwardly got back into the original position.

  “Because now it’s time for your extras,” he announced. “I’m going to give you another ten, Cleo, good hard ones.”

  “Mmm!” she wailed. Ten? She’d earned maybe four, tops! What the hell was this ten?

  “Oh, you have an issue with the number? Too bad you can’t talk to tell me about it,” he said casually. “Because talking just earns you even more punishment spanks. If you’re wondering why ten? Because,” and he leaned down to brush her lips with his, “I want to. And I can. That’s why. You just need to take them for me, understand? I think another ten will get you in the right mindset for practice this afternoon. Although possibly you need even more. You’ve been a bad, needy girl,” he continued, tracing a finger up her inner thigh, stopping at her pussy. “You’ve been teasing me and not paying proper attention. You wanted my attention? You have it. On your ass. With this brush. This afternoon, I want you to focus on the play. And later on, I’ll attend to your… other needs.”

  She whimpered. His words, rough and sexy, tender and harsh all mixed together, made new moisture surge between her thighs.

  “Ten more, then,” he said, stroking her ass with his hand. “Here you go.” And the first one cracked down across her left cheek, making her gasp and whine. She barely had time to react, though, before the brush fell, just as hard, on the other side.

  “Owww!” she cried out, unable to hold back the word, and he continued the rest of the spanking at a brisk pace, the spanks coming fast and hard. When he finished, the burning didn’t and she twisted and wiggled her hips, hoping for relief in the air, but none came. “Ouch! Ow! Axel!” she begged. “Please, it stings. Can I rub it?”

  Axel touched her thigh and traced a path with his finger up to the juncture of her legs, and stopped, tantalizingly close to the spot where she needed attention. “Usually,” he told her, stroking the soft skin of her inner thigh, “there comes a point in the spanking where the sub feels she just can’t take any more. That’s when it gets really interesting, because it’s then, and only then, that the real punishment starts. If I really wanted to punish you, Cleo, you’d get another twenty hard ones, and maybe more past that. How do you think that would feel?”

  She flinched. “It would hurt,” she begged, her voice cracking.

  “Oh, it would hurt a lot,” Axel said, stroking her skin, soothing the burn he’d raised. “And that’s why a brush spanking is such a wonderful threat. Once you know how sore it can make you, how badly it burns, you usually try hard to avoid it.”

  She sucked in her breath, because his silky tone and the working of his fingers was teasing out the arousal, separating it from the pain, drawing it into a flame that overwhelmed the flames in her ass. “Axel,” she whispered.

  “And as the punishment goes on, and my sub is begging me to stop—and I don’t, of course—we eventually reach another stage in a brush spanking. And here’s where the brush starts to get really fun for both of us. If I keep going past that point, get her to deal with the pain long enough to push past it, I can get her right into that zone where she’s fucking flying from the endorphin rush. I think you’d like to experience that. Sometimes it’s a reward for taking such a good hard punishment spanking, and sometimes it’s the goal in and of itself, to get to that space where you’re flying.”

  She stiffened. Although she felt arousal right now, a longer spanking might remove it entirely, and what about the upcoming prac—

  Before her thoughts got any further, he soothed his hand over her skin. “But you’ll get to experience that another time. Right now, I think you’ve been appropriately punished for the circumstances, yes?”

  “Yes!” she agreed, her voice hoarse and wild. “Axel, please, I…” and she lifted up her hips.

  “Please what?” His voice held a hint of humor. “Did you want something from me, Cleo? More spanking, perhaps? Because I can easily…”

  “No!” She twisted to look at him.

  He crossed his arms, the brush still under one hand, and grinned. “Well?”

  “I want you… to touch me.” Her face burned.

  “Touch you?” He raised an eyebrow.

  “Yes, please.”

  “No.”

  “No!?” She was incredulous. “But Axel, you just spanked me! Now you’re supposed to, we’re supposed to have sex, right?” She was so disappointed that she wanted to cry. “I need you,” she whispered.

  “Not now.” His voice was firm. “
We don’t have time; break’s nearly over. Also? You didn’t earn it. You can try again later, Cleo.”

  “Earn it? What do you mean?” She was pissed now.

  He shrugged. “You cursed at me, you didn’t hold position, and you didn’t obey quickly enough. We’ll try again another time and see if you can get it right.”

  “You’re such a shit,” she hissed, embarrassed and upset. She shifted, her knees suddenly uncomfortable, the desk pressing into her bones in a very unpleasurable way. “Ouch, my knees.”

  “Better get you down,” he suggested, tossed the brush to the couch, and helped her to a kneeling position. “Come on, I’ll lift you,” he added, scooping her into her arms and carefully placing her onto her feet. “Watch out in case you get a head rush, okay? You all right?”

  He kept a hold on her shoulders, looked into her face. She swayed as a wave of dizziness enveloped her for a second. “Hey, I got you,” he murmured, pulling her into his arms and holding her to his chest.

  “I’m okay,” she mumbled into his shirt, stepping from one leg to the other. “I need, hold on—” she reached down to rub her knees. “That desk is hard,” she commented. “Next time you need to get me a pillow for my legs.”

  “Noted,” he murmured, reaching down to rub, too.

  “Sit with me,” he said, the words a request, even though they were phrased like a demand, holding out his hand. “Take a minute to get back into reality.”

  “That felt real enough to me,” she retorted, taking ginger steps over to him. “Was it not real for you?” She felt a little defensive and unsure of herself as she stopped in front of him on the couch. “Not real enough to finish it?” She crossed her arms.