She sighed. "They took the Dominants away, and as soon as I'd made it through the orientation, I found Sara. She said we had plenty of time, and took me to Wardrobe, lunch and the spa. I know it seems stupid now. I know it was stupid, but at the time the auction seemed like a good idea. I mentioned it—selling myself—as a joke, at first. I never do anything remotely spontaneous or fun. You know, what they say? Go big or go home. I'm tired of going home." A horrible gasp left her mouth as she realized just how that sounded. "No! I don't mean that. I meant I'm tired of not living large. Of never taking chances. The auction represented that." Her voice petered off as she ran out of words.
"I see." Marshall's expressionless face and the edge to his voice said he didn't really see. "You said that you talk to Sara a lot? Did you two talk about the application process, the bracelets and the programs? The safeword? The security measures?"
Brianny nodded. "Yes, sir. It's amazing. I'm sure there is nothing else like this place anywhere."
She swallowed hard when Master Marshall just shook his head. He was quiet for a minute before he spoke again. "Did you try to find Master Brady, and just never saw him?"
Bri just stared. He was tapping one of his long fingers on the desktop. "I wanted to, but I just kept thinking we would catch up with them soon. Then when we started to discuss the auction, we figured it had worked out for the best, him not seeing me." Again, the silence after she stopped talking was almost painful.
"Okay…" Master Marshall scratched his head. "Let me see if I've got this right. First, you knew all about the Castle prior to your arrival; you understood the application process. Then you filled out your fiancé's application, even though there is a disclaimer in bold at the top that says it must be filled out by the applicant." Bri's stomach tensed, her butt clenched. "Aside from that," he went on, "you told him nothing. Nothing. And left him completely on his own for the whole day. Then, as if that wasn't enough, you made him purchase you at an auction."
When he said it like that, she felt like a worm. The slimiest worm. No, a maggot. She was worse than a maggot. What if Kian had treated her with the same incredible disregard? She wanted to throw up.
"You are very lucky you aren't my submissive. I'm hoping that you received a punishment worthy of such behavior." It was only a brief reprieve from his penetrating stare when Master Marshall looked to Kian for confirmation. "I would be very remiss if I allowed you to behave that way here, however, I will not punish you against your will. I'm sure that you feel terrible about your behavior, and I'd also bet that will stay with you until you feel you've been forgiven. I do not hold grudges. You will be punished and forgiven, but how we proceed is up to both you and your fiancé."
Brianny couldn't look at him anymore. He didn't seem mad. He wasn't angry or raising his voice. In fact, the part of her that wasn't terrified was wondering if Kian was taking note. Master Marshall was in complete control of the situation; and he didn't have to threaten or anything. She was actually torn. She wanted to be held accountable by the man and feel forgiven. But she was so embarrassed, too, and she was afraid that Kian was going to hate her for all of this—that it would prove too much for him to understand. They say the best way to learn a language is through immersion; she wasn't sure it worked the same way in BDSM.
"I am not sure I punished her correctly or fully," Kian spoke up. "And I'm fine with you spanking her. I'd almost like to see that. I hesitate to admit it, but I would like to see her spanked, so I know better in the future. If that makes sense." He turned to Brianny. "But I won't force you, either. It's completely up to you."
"Please excuse me for a moment." She couldn't help but turn to sneak a peek when Master Marshall excused himself and went to the woman in the corner. He said something to her that Bri couldn't hear. She had all but forgotten about Kaylee until then.
"Brianny," Kian said her name, drawing her attention back to him. "What are you going to decide? Do you want to have it over with, forgiven and behind us?"
Bri's mouth was as dry as Kansas in August; her cheeks, however, were not. She'd shed more tears here than in her entire previous twenty-six years. This wasn't a medical procedure. He wasn't a doctor suggesting an experimental drug she had to decide whether or not to try. Although that might actually be an easier decision. What they were suggesting was humiliating.
"He didn't say what the punishment was." Bri's eyes went back to the cane on the wall.
"All submissives want to know what their punishment entails. It's all in a day's work." Master Marshall came back to his desk once again. "If this was another sub, a different situation, I might say ten with the cane. I take disregard for the Castle's rules and safety procedures very seriously. And again, sometimes I don't tell a submissive what they are in for. In this case, I recommend something different. I think a very thorough spanking with a wooden paddle brush would be a very good start, and I'd be happy to let you do the honors, Kian. I can supervise, or talk you through it, if you'd like that from me. Most men don't realize how much their girl can take. Or they feel bad and stop too soon…" He continued to talk, but Bri's attention had drifted away.
She was pretty sure her ass had just crawled away from her and out the door. No, maybe it was her pride that had taken off. They were talking about her as if she were a… She didn't even know anything to compare it to. This totally wasn't the way she'd hoped things would go during this trip. She was pretty sure she'd never been more embarrassed. Bri turned to look behind her again when she heard a sniffle. She realized she couldn't be more embarrassed than Kaylee. Pride was overrated.
Bri started when Kian snapped his fingers in front of her to catch her attention. "You don't even have enough respect to pay attention? The ball is in your court, Brianny. You have a choice to make."
What the hell were her choices? What had she missed? "Is going home and pretending none of this ever happened one of the options?" She didn't have to look at either man to know they didn't appreciate her sarcasm.
"That is always an option," Master Marshall answered her. "I don't think it is an option that you would be content with. You want to be held accountable. You want to be forgiven, even if it's a spanking you have to take. If you want a power-exchange relationship, you have to be honest to both your Top and yourself; you will never be content with less."
"I really didn't mean to cause all this trouble," she cried.
"I'm sure you didn't. Submissives don't like disappointing people; but discipline lets you move on, lets you forgive yourself. This is all about you; you control all of this."
An eternity or two passed in silence until Bri finally managed to croak a reply. "I want to be forgiven."
Chapter Seven
"Good girl. Go to the cupboard over there and get the wooden brush." This command came from Master Marshall again. Bri froze in place, even though she willed her legs to stand. "Don't make me count, because if I do, you'll be getting a lot more than you bargained for." Her legs decided to work after the man's second command. She might have gone slower than was wise though.
Kaylee turned her head to Brianny when she neared the cupboard he'd gestured to. It was only a couple feet from the other woman's corner.
"Ten more, Kaylee." This command from Master Marshall made the slight woman curse and stomp her foot. A low chuckle followed, and Bri knew it hadn't come from Kian. Before she could turn or even think, she heard Kaylee speak.
"I'm sorry, sir. Please…"
"Oh, but you're going to be. Thank you for offering a demonstration. This will be fun, and I think it will work better. Kaylee, help Brianny find the brush and grab the Lexan and the ginger for yourself. You know what? Grab the tawse, too."
Bri didn't think it would be that hard to find a brush, or that she needed help, but she hadn't counted on staring in shock at the complete and almost overflowing stash of implements inside the cupboard. There were belts, and straps of every shape and size. There were long, thin cane-like rods. There were whips. And there were paddles of
many materials: wood, leather and clear plastic. While Bri stood aghast, staring at the collection, Kaylee reached inside and found the items he'd asked for, a second later a wooden brush was pressed into her hand and the doors were closed.
"Come now," Master Marshall called to them, and Bri turned to follow Kaylee. Marshall had come around the desk and taken the chair Brianny had left, then the two men had turned their chairs to face one another.
Bri's knees were trembling when she came to stand next to Kian and he took the brush from her hand. She watched Kaylee as the woman moved around to the other side of Master Marshall. Bri had come up on Kian's right side to begin with.
"Bend over, Kaylee. You know how I want you. Ass high in the air." The woman bent, almost folding herself in half. "Pull your cheeks apart." Marshall sat there, calmly peeling and shaping the ginger she'd brought to him. Bri had been curious about the ginger, and now, seeing its use only intrigued her more. She couldn't see Kaylee's face, but could hear her whimpering. "You will not push this out or your entire punishment will be repeated in front of everyone present at the ball tonight. Understand?"
Kaylee gasped when he pressed the exposed fleshy end of the ginger he'd peeled between the cheeks she been holding lewdly open while he'd prepared it.
"Yes, sir. I mean I understand, sir." She whimpered as he fucked her ass with the ginger briefly, before finally seating it.
Master Marshall helped her to stand again and said, "Kaylee, I want you to tell us why you are going to have your ass paddled." He rested his hand on her hip where she stood. Bri couldn't help but notice she was as naked in the front as she had been from behind. While her breasts were covered by the short white cotton button-up, her pussy was bare. Smooth and bare. If only for a moment, Brianny was thankful for her kimono. She zeroed in on the clear paddle Master Marshall picked up from the floor by his chair, where he'd put the implements while preparing the ginger.
"Not behaving as is appropriate for my position toward guests." If Bri hadn't been so close she might not have heard the reply, because the woman was staring at the floor and speaking softly. An abrupt "sir" was added at the end, as if in afterthought.
"Hmmm, a quandary I'm in." Marshall seemed to take a moment before speaking again. "That is what you were to be spanked for prior to your terrible behavior in the corner. You have been punished in the past for your actions in the corner, haven't you? You had many chances, many reminders to behave, and still openly defied me. The corner is supposed to be a time-out for you to think about your behavior, and put you in a more submissive mind frame. Did you do that?"
Kaylee shook her head in response. Bri watched as Marshall immediately pulled her over his lap and gave her three fast swats. Her bottom clearly depressed and turned red under the paddle. It was amazing, watching the effects through the transparent implement.
"Is that reply acceptable when your Master asks you a question?"
"Ow! No, sir. I'm sorry, sir."
"Are you being a good example to our friends?" He let the paddle rest on her buttocks. "More so, is this a continuation of the previous behavior regarding your station?"
"No, sir. I'm sorry, sir." She turned to look right at Bri. "I'm sorry."
Bri wanted to smile; say something forgiving, reassuring, anything, but her face remained as though turned to stone, and her tongue felt glued to the roof of her mouth.
"So, I am going to paddle you for your behavior in the corner, in front of our guests, and I'm going to have to finish your punishment for your previous ill-behavior. I will let you decide if you want me to punish you for both now to get it over with, or if you would like half now and half later." Marshall's arms rested on Kaylee's back in much the same way they had on his desktop not long before. Bri snapped out of her trance when Master Marshall said her name. "Brianny, why don't you tell us why you want to be spanked?"
"I don't want to be spanked," she blurted.
"Sure you do. It's why you came here. Without it you will not be happy. And unless you want it, and ask for it, it will not happen. Do you understand that?" Bri could only stare at him in silence as she muddled out the truth in his words. "Now, again, please tell us why you want to be spanked, and then ask Kian to spank you."
Never in her wildest dreams, (okay, maybe then) had she imagined herself in a 'for real' scene like this. She was going to be spanked, not simply by the man she loved, but in the same room as another woman was being spanked at the same time, and at the direction of a powerful and all-knowing Dom; Master Marshall, owner of the Castle.
"I lied and disrespected a lot of great people, even the man I love. It was selfish and stupid and I'm really sorry." Bri's voice broke, and the never-ending flow of tears continued.
"And what do you want?" That man didn't give up or get sidetracked.
Bri dropped her chin to her chest, she couldn't look at them. "I want to be spanked so I will feel better."
"Ask for it." Marshall spoke calmly, but his simple command was powerful. "Look at him."
She drew in a ragged breath as she lifted her chin to look at her fiancé. She didn't deserve him. She'd thrust him into this, and he was sitting there so patiently, listening as another man told them what to do. "I'm so-sooo sorry, Kian. Please spank me. I shouldn't have dragged you through this. I should have talked to you. Please spank me." She stepped forward and lay across his lap.
Kian's arms were warm and almost comforting when he pulled her closer to his body, but Brianny cringed when cool air drifted over her bottom as the back of her kimono was pulled up.
"Decision, Kaylee?"
"Both, sir." She could barely be heard as her face was toward the floor, and her hair hanging down over her head.
"Good girl. With the ball tonight, that wouldn't have been very much fun—for you, anyway. We'll get it over with so we can both enjoy the evening."
Bri was trying to follow their discussion, but it was hard to concentrate when Kian brought his hand slowly up her leg to cup her bottom. A tenderness from her previous spanking still lingered, and it would actually have been a pleasant feeling if the cool back of the wooden brush hadn't followed quickly after his hand. She clenched tightly, anticipating the first swat of it. Was she imagining it, or was that brush heavier than she'd thought?
Master Marshall had been speaking, but she'd blocked it out until it registered that he'd told Kian to take her hand. When she reached back to find his hand, a mixed feeling of comfort, oddly enough, and fear came over her. She tipped forward and put out her opposite hand as if to brace herself when Kian adjusted his knee and wrapped his other leg over hers. She started to squirm, wondering how well he had her, and quickly realized she wasn't going anywhere until he was done and released her.
Where the brush had gone during the adjustment Bri didn't know, she hadn't even noticed it had moved until it was resting against her cheek again. She didn't have time to think, react or even brace herself.
Master Marshall said, "Here we go."
And Kian took off as if he'd just been waiting for the words, but now didn't want to be left behind. White hot pain engulfed Bri's backside. She could hardly catch her breath, let alone cry—or even think, for that matter. Each swat of that brush was like an angry charlie horse. The back of the brush was big enough to cover her whole cheek with each whack, but he moved it around as if unsure whether or not he'd cover each buttock sufficiently.
She held her breath and clamped down, trying to hold out, but it seemed it wouldn't be over anytime soon. When she finally took a breath, it came back out in gusty wail. Bri bucked on his lap, helpless to do more than that.
"Owww! Ow. Ohmigod!" If she'd worried about being embarrassed before, it was the last thing on her mind now. She wasn't aware of anyone or anything but that god-forsaken brush. She clearly couldn't take another swat. "Stoooppp. Please. Please, please!"
Her pleading helped. He stopped and rubbed her scorched cheeks. At the first pass, she cried out, but quickly realized the touch helped… until she h
eard Master Marshall tell Kian to tip her further forward and cover the crease where her bottom met her thigh.
As she began to tilt forward, she screamed out. "No, no, no more, please."
But even as she begged and pleaded, the brush fell on her sensitive sit-spots just as angrily as the previous set had. She pulled at her hand, which was still clasped tightly in his, and when she couldn't loosen it in even the tiniest way, she began to try to wiggle her other hand up between them.
Brianny just knew she was going to die right where she was, over his knee, if even one more swat fell. And yet it did… and she didn't. She had no more fight left in her, no more will to live. She'd just rather die right there. If only…
When she stopped fighting and gave up, she realized that Kian was talking to her. As she lay limp, and aching desperately, he continued to paddle her, moving back to her full, rounded cheeks without mercy. Each new swat of the brush fueled an increasingly angry fire. "I might have to get a brush just like this if it will help your behavior. In the future, this is exactly what you will get from me when you behave as you have here." He hadn't raised his voice. He calmly spanked and lectured as if it came naturally, as if he did the same thing every day.
There was nothing sexy about this. Bri didn't feel sexy; she had drool and snot mixed—and probably even spreading—into her hair. "I'm so-so-sorry… please… I'm going to die, Kian. Please."
"You are doing fine, but you will remember this spanking, and hopefully it will help you in the future. You were very inconsiderate and yes, even disrespectful to me. We're almost done." His words didn't come as a reassurance, if that was what he'd been going for—not when each word ended with another evil crack of the brush.
She could do nothing to help herself. "Please…" she whimpered over and over again... until finally she realized he had listened, and actually stopped. It couldn't have been for long, but yes, he had finally stopped. Kian didn't move to let her up. He just released her hand and rubbed her back gently while she slowly calmed. After another minute, or so he removed his leg from where it had been locked over hers. But he still didn't let her up when she pressed her feet to the floor and tried to stand. She hung helplessly over his knee, staring at the stone floor, praying he was done for real.
When The Gavel Falls (Masters of the Castle) Page 79
