by Maggie Ryan
She stiffened when he gently spread her legs apart. "Shh, I'm just going to wash you so you'll be more comfortable," he said softly. Cleaning her gently, he noted that she still remained a bit stiff. Putting the washcloth aside, he opened the jar of Arnica ointment.
Applying the cream, he heard her soft moans and watched as the remaining tension in her body slipped away as the cream did its magic to soothe the heated skin. Though she'd not have any bruises, despite the very thorough hairbrushing he'd given her, he knew that she'd not sit without at least a twinge to remind her of the trip across his lap. Capping the jar, he set it on her nightstand and returned the wet washcloth to the bathroom, dropping it in the sink. Returning once more, he expected her to have slipped into sleep and was totally surprised to see her sitting up.
"Whoa, honey, you need to let the ointment dry."
"I, um, need to use the bathroom."
He helped her from the bed and when she returned, he'd pulled back the covers again and set the pillows onto an armchair so they'd not be discovered on the floor the next morning. Venia walked to her dresser and opened a drawer, pulling out a pair of pajamas. He had to grin as he hadn't bothered to wear anything to bed in as long as he could remember.
"How about a gown instead," he suggested after hearing her moan as she shook at the pajama bottoms. "Better yet, sweetheart, sleep naked."
"Naked? I can't do that!" Her statement had him biting back a chuckle.
"Why not? There is no one to see you and, honey, keeping your bottom bare as long as possible will be more comfortable."
Venia gave him a look that seemed to be asking if he were crazy. Putting his arms around her, he bent to kiss her. "Baby, I sleep naked. If you need an excuse, consider this as training for when I join you in bed." He was very pleased to see her smile and nod.
Taking the pajamas from her, he returned them to the drawer as she crawled back into bed and settled on her stomach again. He reapplied the cream and bent to give each cheek a kiss that had her squirming a bit.
"You are almost out of Arnica," he said as he set the jar down. "I'll add that to the list I'm making for you."
"You don't have to do that, I'll pick up some."
"Don't argue, honey. You, young lady, are grounded to the house until further notice." He saw the shock on her face. "Besides, I need to pick up a paddle to keep here and another hairbrush for my place." Drawing only the sheet up, he bent to kiss her cheek.
"I'll make you a deal. You stay home tomorrow and seriously try to get your book started and I'll pick you up for the cook-out at Charles and Violet's tomorrow night."
Her eyes lit up before her bottom lip was captured by her teeth. "What if I don't make my word count?"
"Honey, you still have to eat. If you don't make it, and, Venia, I have every faith that you can, we'll address the issue after the cook-out. Deal?"
"Deal," she agreed.
"I'll let myself out and lock up. You just stay in bed and get some sleep. Would you mind if I borrowed a book?"
"Sure, if you think you can stand reading something else I've written after that horrid moon dust story."
"Not only can I stand it, I'll look forward to it."
"Thank you, Jeff," she said softly. "For both the spanking and the aftercare. I feel as if I've come home for the first time since I've moved here."
Squatting down, he brushed her hair off her face. "Thank you, Venia. Thank you for sharing that. I feel as if I'm home as well. Now, go to sleep and dream of pleasant things."
He stood as she giggled. "I'll try but all I'm thinking about now are the mutant ants that are nibbling across my ass."
Patting her bottom, he grinned. "Lucky ants, they have a beautiful plate for their meal."
He closed her door softly and walked back through the house, flipping off lights. After making sure everything was secure, he pulled the door closed behind him. It had been a remarkable evening and one he'd always remember as the first step taken into a future that he prayed would continue to develop.
He looked at the book he'd borrowed from her shelf as he left her house. It was another bare chested man and a woman with generous curves in his arms. The woman's shape reminded him of the woman he'd just left, naked in her bed for the first time. Though he'd much rather be holding her instead of a book, for the time being, he'd have to content himself in the words she'd written—well, the ones he'd read after taking that cold shower.
Chapter Thirteen
Venia had just taken the first sip of her coffee when the doorbell's ring startled her. Flicking her eyes to the clock, she noted that it was only a few minutes after seven. Smiling, she wasn't that surprised to understand that Lizzy obviously thought it was past time to be filled in on her best friend's activities of late. She'd love to share coffee with her mentor but would need to remain conscious of the time—she had a great deal of writing yet to do.
"I don't have much time," she said after opening the door.
"Time enough for a kiss and a cuddle?"
Finding Jeffrey on her porch instead of Lizzy had Venia's entire face lighting. "I'm sorry, I didn't expect to see you."
Jeffrey grinned and turned as if to step away. "Well, then, I suppose…" He chuckled as she reached out and grabbed the sleeve of his shirt, pulling him inside. "What's the matter? Afraid the neighbors will see a man entering the home of a most respected, proper young woman?"
Venia laughed as her arms lifted to go around his neck. "Professor, I won't even care when they wake up to discover a shiny red Tahoe hasn't moved from my driveway from the night before. What were you saying? Something about a kiss and a cuddle?"
"Well, if you're sure you aren't too busy."
His head lowered and his mouth descended onto hers, all thoughts of neighbors disappearing as his kiss took her breath away. Tingles began to shoot all through her body, her heart racing as memories of the night before played in vivid color through her mind. When his hand moved to cup her bottom, she both moaned and pressed down onto his palm.
He released her mouth and smiled. "Hmm, maybe I need to adjust my statement. If I were a betting man, Miss Varner, I'd gamble that some beautiful proper woman forgot part of her wardrobe this morning."
Instead of feeling embarrassed, Venia met his eyes with her own smile. "I'll have you know, some very intelligent professor encouraged me to wear the least amount of clothing that I could."
"You have no idea how pleased I am that you are such an attentive pupil," Jeffrey said, bending to kiss her again. When the kiss ended, he stepped back a half-step. "You look quite adorable in your gown."
Venia had awakened and climbing out of bed, moaning a bit as her rear took her full weight, she'd felt her face flush remembering she was completely naked. Greg and she had always worn pajamas to bed. Though they had a very active sex life, she'd always put any discarded clothing back on after they made love. She knew it might be considered as silly, but last night had indeed been the first time she'd slept in the nude. This morning, she'd pulled on a nightgown that was light and airy, a white cotton gown that had an eyelet bodice, dark purple ribbons woven through the lace. The fact that Jeffrey had told her she was grounded for the day made it even easier to forego the addition of panties—that and the fact that her butt still hurt.
"Thank you. You might consider me a bit, um, underdressed, but believe it or not, this is what I consider my work uniform."
Jeffrey patted her backside. "Baby, if it helps you write, I don't care if you work in the nude. In fact, just thinking of what you are not wearing beneath your pretty gown has me a bit jealous of your recliner."
She gasped and then giggled. It had been far, far too long since she'd awakened to such teasing and she was gobbling up all his attention. Spying a box he was holding, she looked up and grinned. "What's in the box?"
"Ahh, so it only takes a box to divert your attention from your adoring professor?"
"Of course not, Einstein," she teased, patting a hand against his chest. "It tak
es one of Ange's bakery boxes."
She adored his rolling laugh and the fact that he bent to kiss the top of her head. "Take me into the kitchen and offer me a cup of coffee and I just might let you open it."
They walked hand in hand the short distance to the kitchen. As he placed the box on the table, she poured him a cup of coffee, adding one spoon of sugar and the barest splash of cream. He thanked her and after refreshing her own, she walked towards the table where he had taken a seat. She sat down gingerly, managing not to hiss.
"Let's pretend I'm your lucky recliner, shall we?" he teased, patting his lap. "Come, sit with me."
Feeling like a young girl, Venia moved to his lap which was definitely more comfy than her hard kitchen chair. "I really like the cuddle part of your greeting," she said softly as she laid her head on his chest.
"I like it quite a bit myself," Jeffrey agreed, giving her curls another kiss before reaching for the bakery box. "You remember we talked about awards and consequences?"
Venia sat up a bit, and nodded. "I remember something about carrots and sticks. In fact, I'd say that I remember the stick part quite vividly." She gave a short yip when his hand connected to the part of her hind end that was hanging off his lap.
"A stick that was well-deserved, I'd think." She nodded and shivered as his hand rubbed the spot he'd popped. "You did beautifully last night and I thought it would be the perfect time to show you that carrots can be quite delicious."
He opened the box and she couldn't contain a giggle. Sitting inside was a huge muffin, bright orange and green icing had been used to form fat carrots with feathered leaves on top of the cake.
"That is almost too pretty to eat," Venia said, giving his cheek a buzz with her lips. "But, just almost." She watched him peel off the liner and when he broke off a piece and held it to her lips, she opened her mouth and accepted the bite. "Oh, that's delicious." As he took his own bite, she suddenly sat a bit straighter. "Please tell me that this was in the display case and that, um…"
"That I didn't order it specifically along with an explanation of why my girl deserves a carrot?" Jeffrey offered, his eyebrow lifting even as he held another bite to her lips. "What happened to not caring about cars parked in driveways?"
Venia took the time to accept and enjoy the bite before speaking. When she swallowed, she smiled. "Knowing the Bend, I guess I shouldn't be surprised if my phone rings later and Ange asked how I enjoyed my breakfast."
"No, I don't suppose you should but you can relax. The muffins were in the display case. I simply asked for a bit of decoration to fit the occasion and didn't feel the need to share the fact that you shared so much with me last night."
They finished the treat and their coffee before he guided her off his lap. "I need to get to work but I do want to check on the condition of your bottom."
Feeling her face heat, Venia shook her head. "It's fine, a little tender but we both know it will be a great incentive for me today."
"I'm glad to hear that, but still, I want to give you another dose."
"You want to spank me again? What about the carrot we just ate!"
He shook his head and chuckled. "No, honey, another dose of Arnica. While I do want you to feel the incentive to write, I don't find it necessary to think of you squirming all day."
Feeling a bit ridiculous, she nodded and when he took her hand, allowed him to lead her back into her bedroom. She climbed onto the freshly made bed as he went into the bathroom.
Jeffrey surprised her when he toed off his shoes and took a seat next to her. "How about climbing over my lap? I think you'd be more comfortable."
She waited until he settled against the mound of pillows, his legs out in front. Her stomach began to tingle as she climbed over his lap, resting her cheek on her folded hands, her legs supported quite comfortably on the opposite site. Feeling her nightgown being tugged up, she lifted her hips to allow it to be moved to bunch at her waist. Listening to the sound of the jar being opened, she explained her outburst.
"I'm sorry I overreacted. It's just that when I hear 'another dose' to me it means a second or even a third round of swats. I'll try not to snap at you at least until I understand that you might mean something entirely different."
His fingers began sliding across her bare bottom, working the ointment in gently. "I figured as much. Venia, don't worry about it. We've both been in relationships before and you were married for a long time. There is no need to apologize just as there is no need to try to forget everything Greg meant to you. I'm just lucky that you've allowed me to share your life. We'll develop our own signals and phrases as we go along. In the meantime, if you are ever confused about what you think I mean, just ask. As us stodgy professors are apt to say, there are never any stupid questions."
She giggled and relaxed, enjoying the gentle massage as he continued to coat her bottom. Having checked her backside in the mirror that morning, she knew that the color was gone, her ass once more pale and unblemished. The cream had done its job last night and would continue to work with this new application. Taking advantage of his assurance that he wouldn't mind questions, she asked another.
"What made you think I hadn't already applied the Arnica this morning?"
Before answering, he bent and placed a kiss on her shoulder. "Because, sweetheart, you are one of the sweetest submissive women I've known. I might be wrong, but I just couldn't imagine you thinking it would be proper to give yourself some relief without being given permission first."
Venia nodded. He was correct. When she'd needed any soothing after a punishment, she'd known not to ask. Greg would often bring the jar to their bed and tend to her with his loving hands, but there had been times when he'd specifically stated that her naughtiness had earned her the additional discomfort of going to sleep without the soothing balm. Remembering how she'd been a bit shocked at Jeff's suggestion she sleep naked, she understood that while both of the men in her life were dominants, they were both individuals with different desires and expectations. Just as he'd said he felt lucky that she allowed him to share her life, she felt incredibly blessed that God had allowed her to find another wonderful man to share in his life.
Thinking about permission, she closed her eyes briefly and decided to be honest. "Is that why you gave me such wonderful aftercare? Did you know that no matter how much I, um, need release that I'd feel incredibly guilty if I, um, took myself in hand?"
His light chuckle had her squirming a bit. "I'm not laughing at you, Venia, I'm laughing with the deepest pleasure. To answer, no, not completely. I admit I did have the feeling that masturbation was not something you might indulge in as freely as some women." He patted her bottom and then lifted her to sit on his lap. "But, as for last night, honey, I will always give you after care after such a session. You paid the price without arguing or being defensive and it made me very happy to bring you to pleasure. You might be submissive, Venia, but as far as I'm concerned, the greatest pleasure a dominant man can find is to hold his woman in his arms after he's had to bring her to tears with a punishment and make love to her until she is as weak as a kitten and has screamed out his name again and again."
After another searing kiss that had her thighs wet from her desire, he moved her off his lap. "As much as I'd like to stay and begin teaching you a bit more about my desires, I have to get to work and so do you."
Sighing deeply, she nodded and followed him to the door. He cupped her face in his palms. "I give you permission to use as much of the cream as you need today. I'm afraid it might not provide more than another coat or two, but I'll pick up another jar after work."
"Don't forget to pick up another paddle," she said and blushed when his eyebrow lifted.
"Never fear, Miss Varner. I'd not be a very good professor if I didn't make sure I had all the supplies a naughty student might need."
She watched him drive away, a huge smile on her face. As she threw the bakery box away and washed his coffee mug, she grinned. Though he had given her permission
to soothe the ache in her ass, she noticed he had not given her permission to ease the ache between her legs. After fixing a fresh cup of coffee, she approached her recliner and her laptop. "Listen, Scarlett, if you don't appear the moment I open a new document, you and I are going to have a very serious discussion."
An hour later it appeared that Scarlett was not only AWOL, she had obviously gone deaf. Venia stopped pleading for her return. She was the one who had created the thankless Scarlett and, by God, she could create another, far more cooperative muse. "I hope your ass is sunburned, Ms. Rose," she growled as she deleted yet another file.
Turning up the volume on her tv, she opened another document. Though she usually wrote in silence or sometimes to the radio, today she needed something a bit more distracting. Knowing that the cooking channel would have her paying far more attention to the tv screen instead of her computer screen, she had clicked to the history channel. Having already deleted 'Moon Dust Maiden' and her attempt to develop a story around a top secret laboratory hidden in a cave, she'd opened a new document and entered a line of question marks across the page instead of any title.
Acknowledging that her muse might not be so easily replaced, she'd laid her head against the back of her chair and closed her eyes. To be honest, she was out of ideas and was waiting for something, anything to cause her fingers to begin tapping the keyboard. The next couple of hours passed as she did type, filling page after page of a possible story line. Though she normally would write a chapter and then go back and reread it, for some reason, she didn't even want to do so much as reread the last paragraph. As she typed the words Chapter 4 across the center of the page, she just stared at the rest of the blank page. It was as if she had just run full force into a solid concrete wall. It took her a moment to realize that the wailing sound she heard was not her throat screaming out her angst, but was actually the ringing phone.
