"Okay then, something you liked about it. I think mine is that the spanking seemed to have a good effect; she apologized and was forgiven. There don't seem to be any hard feelings now." He nodded to the three as they left the cafeteria, the daddy holding the girl's hand.
"I like the way he comforted her, after, you know? He held her on his lap and just cuddled her." Bri didn't look at Kian. She occupied herself with the microscopic strawberry seeds on her plate.
"Yes, I agree. That looked nice." He reached for her chin and turned her face toward him. "What do you want to do today?"
Bri didn't answer because they were interrupted when her sister, Sara, came to their table, talking quickly. "Here you are. I was going to ask you to share breakfast with me, but I didn't get a chance. I really wanted to visit with you." She looked at Kian and back to Bri, leaving no doubt in Brianny's mind as to what she wanted to chat about. She rolled her eyes as she continued to speak. "Jackson is making me work in the implement return station in the dungeon as a punishment. I hate that place. I'd almost rather be spanked than work down there."
"Why? I mean, you probably get to watch some pretty hot scenes." Bri fell into her normal comfort zone, the one she shared only with her sister. She stiffened for a moment when Kian rested his hand on her thigh, reminding her of his presence.
"It's tedious. After every use, I have to check each implement and make sure it's clean before returning it to the rack. If it's not, we send it home with the customer and replace it with something new. The station has to be manned twenty-four hours a day. Thankfully, Jackson won't make me stay there more than an hour or two. I hope." She patted her round tummy. "He doesn't know what to do with me nowadays. But, it would go against his whole, 'You need to rest and stay off your feet' campaign for him to make me stay there longer." She looked over her shoulder, as if leery of getting busted there chatting. "I'd better go—you two will be at the ball, right?" Sara tossed a smile at Kian.
Bri shrugged, looking to Kian for his reaction before she agreed. Her sister smiled once more. "I'll look for you later, okay?" she said, before running off.
"Hey, what are the tears for?" Kian asked, only a moment after Sara had gone. Brianny reached for her napkin to wipe them away. Why was she crying? As she dabbed at her eyes, Kian turned her chair to face his, and cupped her face in his hands. "Baby, what is it?"
She shrugged and pulled away from him. "I don't know," she mumbled. And she didn't. Except, maybe… "I'm just happy, I guess. After what my sister went through… I'm just happy she is doing so well. You know?"
"The scar?" Only one of Sara's burn scars had been visible—the one on her neck. "I know you told me before, about her accident—being burned. I don't think you told me how, or anything else."
"I barely know the details. She came to stay with me after the accident. It was awful, and what you could see, on her neck, that is the least of it." Brianny took a deep breath and shook off the memories. "But she is so much better; she's happy, it's more than just the physical healing. She has found her place, and Jackson makes her happy."
"She came in here to find you, and complained about having to do such a tedious task as a punishment. And that makes her happy? You women are curious creatures. It's no wonder men are so lost." Kian winked at Bri, and chuckled as he ran his hands up and down her arms.
"She loves Jackson; I'm so glad she found him again. And now she is going to have a baby. I'm going to be an aunt! I mean, I know she told me about the pregnancy, but seeing her makes it feel real." More tears snuck out, and trickled down her cheeks. She wiped them away as if disgusted. "I don't know why I'm being so silly, so emotional."
"It's okay, baby." He kissed her temple. "Now, what do we want to do today? After we visit Master Marshall that is. Perhaps we should wait until afterward to decide."
"What do you mean?"
Chapter Six
"I'm serious," Brianny repeated herself. "Why do we have to talk to him?" She scrutinized the familiar face of her fiancé. He seemed to be amused, mischievous even, with that little sparkle in his eye. Yet, contradictory to that, the planes of his cheeks and his strong jaw showed no intention of smiling or relaxing.
He stood up and reached to take her breakfast plate. "We should definitely go get it out of the way."
"What? You're not funny, Kian," she blurted, forgetting the Castle's rules about anonymity until he touched his finger to his lips, warning her.
"I am not trying to be funny. It isn't a laughing matter, quite frankly. I have punished you for your deception so it's resolved between us, but you broke Castle rules, and Master Marshall said he wanted to see you today. If nothing else, if you don't respect me, you should respect the founders of the Castle."
"You are serious—I do respect you. Oh my God. Wait, what did he say to you, exactly?" She followed Kian across the cafeteria with her coffee cup and some stray silverware. She dropped them into the dish return tub beside his and they rattled against each other loudly, but Bri couldn't be bothered with that just now. In fact, if her coffee cup morphed into a UFO and zapped Kian, absconding with him right there in front of her, she might not even notice. "This is Sara's fault. I didn't even want to do it. I have to go find her first. No, maybe we can get the bus… we can leave…"
Kian stopped her in the hall just outside the cafeteria. He grasped both of her arms just above the elbows, and looked down into her eyes. "Stop it, Bri. You need to calm down. I am going with you, and you are going to be fine. You owe Master Marshall an apology. I think you will feel much better once you've apologized and this is cleared up. I'm sure it won't be easy, but I will be with you." He pressed his hand to her cheek, just connecting with her, centering her. He patiently stroked her hair trying to soothe her.
"Nooo… he is going to hate me." She shook her head. How come crazy things like this worked for her sister, but not her? Bri was always the one to get busted. She stepped forward and pressed her forehead to Kian's chest. He leaned down to kiss the top of her head, and continued to thread his fingers through her hair.
"Excuse me." A petite, reddish-blonde came up to them. "Hi. I'm sorry, but I overheard you. You've already missed the bus. I guess I should introduce myself first. I'm Sinclair. I didn't mean to eavesdrop; I mean you guys are talking right here in the hall… and I was just over there." She pointed to a box of stuff sitting outside the door of the candy store. "I dropped a bag of jelly beans and it's taken me hours to clean them all up. Where's a Little Maid when you need one, right? Anyway, I only interrupted to help. I know both Sara and Master Marshall. In fact, Sara mentioned you to me. I'm not sure what it is she did, but I'm sure she meant well, and really, it's not worth you stressing about it. Master Marshall is fair. Your husband is right; you will feel better after you've talked to him." Sinclair's eyes were bright green and cheerful. She was really very cute. Bri imagined her dressed as an elf in a mall, instead of the simple tunic and collar she was wearing. She'd brighten anyone's day.
That didn't help Bri, however; it added to her embarrassment. "Oh my gosh. Thank you." She rubbed her soggy eyes, feeling a lot like a toddler, over-emotional and—wow, the image of that daddy in the cafeteria cuddling his girl planted itself in her head again. She stopped herself short of shaking her head, as if it might clear it up a bit. "I'm sorry. I don't know what the matter with me is, but I appreciate your kindness."
"No problem." The sweet little elf smiled, dazzling Bri with her warmth. "We subbies have to stick together." She gave Brianny an exaggerated wink.
"Oh God. I can't imagine a bunch of you women banding together if Br—Blossom and Sara can come up with this much trouble on their own." Kian chuckled and caught Bri's fist as she swung back to hit him in the chest.
"It's been known to happen, so beware." Sinclair waved as she turned back to pick up the last few jelly beans.
Kian reached around Bri, tucked her under his arm and steered her down the lantern-lit hallway she knew led to Master Marshall's office. What could reall
y happen? A sudden recollection of the brochure for the Castle and, more importantly, Master Marshall's office, tickled her memory. Nobody left his office without a spanking.
A sales pitch. It had to be. "Did he say what time? Can we find Sara first?" Why hadn't her sister warned her about this possibility? She turned to look back, trying to remember in what direction the stairs to the dungeon were. That was where her sister had been headed.
"I'm not sure it's necessary. You are a big girl. I think you can handle this, but if we get there and you talk to Marshall and still want Sara, I will get her myself."
"Wait a minute. When did you talk to him? You ratted me out. This is between you and me, and what—you went straight to him and complained?" Bri pulled out from under his arm and spun around to glare at him.
"If this was between you and me, you wouldn't have needed your sister, the Castle, or better still—to sell yourself in the auction. As my mom always says, 'You made this cake, and now you are going to have to eat it.'" Even though his words were as painful as the waxing she'd had at the spa the day before, he hadn't raised his voice even a little. "I did not seek him out to tattle on you. In fact, I didn't seek him out at all. Your brother-in-law introduced us. The very same brother-in-law who introduced himself to me, because you had ditched me."
Like trying to hold water in her hand, Bri's anger dribbled away. The self-loathing and self-pity didn't sit any better than all of her anger had. "I didn't plan to ditch you. I didn't even know we would be separated. After you went with the other Dominants, Sara found me, and the rest of the day just rolled by. The only thing I did purposely was not going to the Meet and Greet, because I wouldn't have had the courage to go through with the auction if I'd seen you. I know it was all a mistake now. I'm really sorry, Kian." She stepped closer to him, pressing her face to his chest again, seeking comfort and forgiveness.
Her fiancé wasn't the type of man to hold on to a grudge. He pulled her in and hugged her tightly to him. "I know you are sorry, baby, and you already been forgiven by me. It's behind us."
"I don't deserve you." She sniffed as he began to walk, leading her along under his arm again.
"Stop it right now. You're feeling pretty sorry for yourself, and it's not necessary. I already said it was over. I've forgiven you. We are both going to grow from this experience. Even so, that doesn't excuse you from breaking the Castle rules. I'm sure whatever Master Marshall chooses will be a punishment equal to your crime. And as soon as it is over, you will feel better. So let's get it out of the way. Then we will have most of the afternoon to explore before the ball. Okay?"
Brianny couldn't do more than let her mouth hang open. She couldn't have spoken then if her life depended on it. They had come to stand outside his office door, and she could clearly hear a woman inside. Counting?
"Four. Thank you, sir." Only a moment went by before it was heard again. "Five… Thank you… sir." Each one seemed to be a little more spaced out. "Six" came as a yelp, and would have been almost unrecognizable, if the previous ones hadn't been heard.
A masculine voice came next, the lower tone not carrying enough to be heard through the door as the higher pitched female voice was doing.
"Thank you, sir," came again; this time more of a squeal, as if it had been forgotten.
Bri's heart hammered in her chest, pumped in her ears and muffled the lower masculine voice altogether. Her breath hitched in her throat. Panic settled over her like a glass dome—like the glass cover from her grandmother's antique clock. She wanted to run, or yell, but everything was frozen around her. Like in a bad dream, her feet wouldn't move and her voice wouldn't break free from the swollen lump in her throat.
"Hey. Come here." Kian pulled her to the chairs along the wall. Taking a seat himself, he tugged her to sit on his lap, hugging her. "Tell me… what is going on? Talk it through. I'm here with you. Talk to me." His arms were warm, and safe. She didn't deserve him, and yet she hid her face in his neck and took the comfort he offered. "Brianny. Talk to me."
"I can't do this. I made a mistake." She'd ruined everything. It would never be right again. She couldn't go through with this. Why couldn't she have been happy with Kian the way he was? They were happy together. He was an amazing man.
"Baby, you don't even know what you are afraid of right now. I'm going in there with you, and I'm sure nothing is as bad as you are imagining. You should know by now, nothing happens here without your consent. Aside from that, this is what you wanted, right?" His question remained unanswered.
With a creak, (probably engineered to do so, as the dungeon dripped constantly, but no water ever appeared), the massive wooden door opened inward. Master Marshall led a schoolgirl with red-rimmed eyes and curly pigtails out, his gentle hand at her elbow.
"Next time I won't be so lenient, Miss Cherry."
"No, sir. Thank you, sir."
Bri almost missed it. If she'd turned her face away a moment sooner, she would have missed the self-satisfied smile that adorned Cherry's face before she skipped away.
"No running in the halls, Cherry," Master Marshall warned, and then finally settled his intense blue eyes on Bri instead of the unrepentant schoolgirl.
"Hello, Blossom. Master Brady. Come in." He backed into the doorway behind him and gestured for them to come inside. Bri's knees trembled, and possibly would have collapsed if Kian hadn't been holding her hand. "That's ten more," Master Marshall called out, confusing Bri. Her chin snapped up to look at him as he sat down behind his impressive desk.
His comment caused another to gasp, and Bri turned to find the culprit. It was a woman behind them in the corner who had gasped at Master Marshall's proclamation. She wore nothing below the waist except a very red bottom, and a simple white dress shirt that did nothing to hide her lower half. Her beautiful long brown curls hung loose down her back. That must be Kaylee, Master Marshall's wife, or submissive, possibly both. Bri couldn't see her face because she had her nose pressed into a corner, but she was positive it was Kaylee.
Bri and Kian settled into chairs across from Master Marshall. He was gorgeous in much the same way her Kian was. They both had sharp blue eyes and blond hair. Master Marshall was taller though, as far as she could tell. He didn't look as frightening as Bri would have thought, and she remembered the way she'd been comforted by his encouraging smile the night before at the auction.
"I'm sorry. It has been a busy morning." Marshall nodded toward Kaylee, and then shuffled some papers around his desk. "I have your file right here, but it obviously needs some clarification. I'd like to hear what you have to say about it." He didn't sound angry. "If you, for some reason, would prefer privacy, I'd be happy to ask Master Brady to step into the hall." He was obviously speaking to Bri; the look he directed at her was almost parental and caused her bottom to squirm. Okay, no, it caused her whole body to squirm.
Her processing system had a three second delay. His pointed and probing gaze demanded an answer. He wasn't simply studying her. What the hell was the question? "I… I… uh… no, I don't want him to leave." She gripped her fiancé's hand and looked briefly to him, to confirm he wouldn't leave her alone. Kian gave her hand a simple squeeze as a response, but kept his eyes on the Master of the Castle.
"Very good." Master Marshall tapped the paper in front of him on the desktop, presumably her file, and looked from her to the form and back again. "So, you are related to Sara. Sisters?" At her nod, he continued, "You came to visit her and didn't tell your fiancé anything about the Castle, the auction, or your—"
"I didn't know about the auction prior to my arrival," she explained, trying to take some of the heat off of herself. It backfired, if the rise of his eyebrow was any indication. "Sir..." she squeaked, hoping to lessen the affront.
"Duly noted." He spliced his fingers together and rested his hands on top of the file in front of him. Her eyes stayed on his hands, then moved only as fae as the peg behind him where twin canes hung, crossed like mounted swords, patiently waiting for the next na
ughty girl's backside. "So you came to see your sister. What I want to clarify here is your motive. No… I'm not sure that is the right word. I want to make sure I understand the situation, anyway. So, let me see, your sister is due to have her baby soon. I'm assuming that is the reason you visited, or that is the reason you told Master Brady you wanted to visit. You knew that the Castle was a BDSM resort, and didn't tell your fiancé, then you filled all of the paperwork out as if you are experienced—and you are not. Why didn't you tell Master Brady? Were you were afraid he wouldn't approve of visiting such a place? Help me out here. You are interested in a power-exchange relationship, if I understand this correctly. Would you mind starting from the beginning so we can clear this up?"
She looked from Marshall's hands, back to his eyes. He had a reassuring and comforting look on his face. Brianny took a deep breath. Where to start? "I did come to see my sister, and hopefully my new niece or nephew too. I talk to her a lot. Sara is the only one who ever understood me. I want what she has. I love Kian." Bri's eyes filled with tears as she looked toward him again. "I can't imagine my life without him. But… I could never tell him what I wanted. I mean, I hardly know. We figured, Sara and I, well, we thought that using a visit to her and coming here would be the easiest way to explain it. I mean, I wouldn't have to try to think of what to say. You know?" She looked back and forth between the two men again.
"And when you got here, did you try to explain it or talk to him?"
"Everything seemed to just happen so fast." She struggled to think of something to support her excuse, but Master Marshall didn't give her long enough.
"The bus arrived at around ten thirty yesterday morning. I'm pretty sure you could have found some time to get together and discuss it. And the Meet and Greet? The auction? You said you didn't plan to take part ahead of time, so how did that come about?" He was thorough, if nothing else.
When The Gavel Falls (Masters of the Castle) Page 78
