by T S McKinney
“Please don’t act like you didn’t know your spanking would be bare ass, angel,” I answered with a laugh. Leaning over, I kissed each cheek and whispered, “I thought you wanted to put on a show for the cameras? Isn’t that what you said?” Sitting back up, I allowed my finger to slide between the tightness of his cheeks before stopping with a firm push against his opening. Still wet from lube, it would be so easy to push my finger inside, but I didn’t—only gave enough pressure for him to feel I was there. He’d be too sore for much else for the remainder of the day.
“Well, excuse me, Eli,” he sputtered, “for not realizing you meant to bend me over your knees and spank my bare ass like I was a child!”
He swiveled his head around to stare at me, indignation written all over his face and in his eyes. With his dyed hair, he looked somewhat different, but Ari’s beauty couldn’t be hidden with a box of hair coloring. How could he have ever thought he could do anything to hide himself from me? Hell, when he walked into a room, I knew it before my eyes even found him because every damn nerve in my body would begin to tingle with lust and ownership.
“You do realize this kind of shit doesn’t turn me on?” he huffed indignantly.
The sizzling sparkle in his green eyes and the way his cock continued to plump told a completely different story than the words coming from his mouth but none of that mattered. If Ari said no, then no was the answer. Having said that, I wanted him to acknowledge his desires and not be ashamed of them. I wanted him to trust me enough to let himself go and tear down the walls surrounding his sexuality.
“Of course, I realize that, angel. Every man’s cock gets incredibly hard when they aren’t turned on,” I countered with a bit of sarcasm. I spread my legs wide enough to trap his cock between my legs and then closed them back just tight enough to give him the ability to gain some friction between my thighs with only the slightest movement on his part. I thought about trying to manipulate him by issuing another dare or insinuating he was afraid but smashed that idea out of my head before I could allow it to gain traction. The things I knew about Ari—his perceived weaknesses—could not and would not be used as ammunition against him. I’d already crossed that line once on this trip, and I didn’t intend to do it again. “All you have to do is tell me no and this game ends. Say the words, angel. I would never ask you to do something you didn’t want to do.”
His teeth tugged at his bottom lip, and his face formed a frown. It was clear he would have preferred laying the blame at my feet instead of having to accept responsibility for his own pleasure. The question was—would he be brave enough to cross his own lines or would he hold back?
Finally, he finished his internal battle and snapped, “Do whatever you want. Punish me if you feel like you must, because you don’t scare me. I can take whatever you deem necessary to dish out.”
Nope…wasn’t good enough.
“That’s it. We’re finished,” I countered. “What was about to happen should have been for the pleasure of each of us, not just me. Climb off my lap, angel; this party is over. Let’s get back to the pool before we lose all the good chairs.” Damn, but that killed me to say.
He didn’t budge—just lay there, across my lap with his ass exposed and begging to be spanked. “Just do it already, Eli. I can handle anything you decide to dish out.”
I started shaking my head. “That’s not how this works, angel. You have to want it, and obviously, you don’t. That means it doesn’t happen. End of story. Our game is over.”
He still hadn’t moved, and hope blossomed in my chest.
“I…I thought you weren’t into these…games,” he said quietly. “That’s what you told me, Eli. You told me you weren’t like Seth and Baker but here we are…my ass naked and draped over your lap.”
I considered being completely honest with him, but then quickly decided against it. My lifestyle, very much different than the things Baker and Seth enjoyed in their playroom, was something I would need to set aside if I intended to be with Ari…and I definitely intended to be with Ari if he would have me. With a nonchalant shrug, I answered, “I don’t play the games that Baker and Seth play. The bottom line is that you needed a punishment and spanking seemed a fun way to do it. Having said that, it isn’t fun if we aren’t both enjoying it.” Shit, my omission of the whole truth made me such a fucking hypocrite.
Ari dropped his head and I could tell he was contemplating the situation. If I could see his face, I’d know that he’d have those cute little wrinkles on his forehead and nose—the ones he always got when he tried to figure out a situation that he didn’t understand. After a few seconds, he turned back to look at me, a cute blush staining his cheeks, and mumbled, “Well, I guess it does seem kind of fun.”
“Your dick seems to think so,” I answered, referring to the iron rod trying to burn a hole into my thighs as I kept it trapped there. “But all that stuff going on inside that pretty head of yours needs to be in agreement as well.”
“I…I don’t think I care for pain, Eli. I don’t want to disappoint you, but I’ve been known to faint at the sight of blood.”
I chuckled. “First of all, you could never disappoint me, angel. Never. Secondly, just how hard do you think I plan on spanking you? Blood? Seriously?”
He grumbled something that could have easily been a ‘fuck you’, but I couldn’t help but notice that his ass was wiggling just a bit as he tried to get some kind of friction for his throbbing cock. “You’re twenty years old today. How about twenty firm smacks?”
“Ha-ha. You’re hilarious. How about five soft smacks?” He twisted his head around to look at me again and said, “See? That’s me negotiating. Pretty impressive, huh?”
“Funny. I don’t ever remember mentioning anything about negotiating your discipline,” I retorted. “Now, if the pain turns into something you aren’t comfortable with, your safe word is angel—use it and everything stops.” Fuck, I hoped I wasn’t crossing a line with Ari, compelling him to do something that wouldn’t bring him pleasure. He’d told me countless times he wasn’t into BDSM, so what in the hell was I doing? Just because his body seemed to be saying one thing and his mouth another didn’t give me the right to take something just because I wanted it. After pausing long enough to realize I was being reckless, I gave him two quick playful swats to his ass and then released my hold on him. I moved backward until my shoulders and back rested against the lounge chair and then easily pulled Ari up, settling him between my legs. His back was against my chest and his ass was settled against my straining erection.
I snaked an arm around his waist and nuzzled the back of his neck, placing soft kisses on areas I remembered he found incredibly sensitive. After tugging on his earlobe until a soft moan escaped his lips, I whispered, “Why don’t you take those baggy sweats the rest of the way off, angel. They’re in my way.”
He paused for the slightest of seconds and then reached down to slide them down his legs and toss them aside, leaving him completely naked and exposed. He’d always been so eager to explore his sensual side. I still couldn’t believe we hadn’t taken things any further than heavy petting. I’d held back because I’d known he was special…that he was the one. He’d held back because I’d made him.
As he settled back against me, giving his pert ass an extra wiggle against my throbbing cock, my eyes drifted toward the small camera I’d noticed the first time I’d stepped out onto the oversized deck. “You remember people could be watching, right?”
“Counting on it,” he answered breathlessly. It was easy to see he was both excited and nervous by the prospect of foreign eyes on us. “Sooooo, that was you handing out discipline?” he asked. “Because if it was, you really aren’t like Baker and Seth—not even close.”
He was right and wrong at the same time. While I did enjoy handing out a nice spanking when one deserved it, my kinks lay in a totally different arena. Well, they had. Not anymore. Not when it wasn’t something Ari wanted.
With a laugh that I ho
ped hid my lies of omission, I answered, “You certainly deserved more, but that was a nice start.” Curious, I said, “So tell me about the years we were apart. From what I’ve seen so far, it isn’t what I expected.”
His body tensed. “What the fuck does that mean? I’m successful, damn you! I finished college, first in my graduating class. Then went on to complete my Masters and Graduate programs in record time. After that, I found a successful job that pays well and that I enjoy. What in the hell could be wrong with that? Fuck, Eli, what else could you have expected from me?”
My heart plunged as I realized how insecure Ari still was—always trying to prove himself not to be a child amongst adults since that was the world he’d grown up in. I looked over his shoulder and admired his toned physique—nope, nothing childish about that glorious display of masculine perfection. “Calm down, angel. I was referring to your…lack of sexual experience, not your functions at the firm. I already know how successful you are there, nor did I ever doubt you would be—at anything you attempted.” I kissed the back of his neck. “When I set you free, angel, it was with the knowledge that you’d move on without me, experiment with sex, have a good time. It damn near killed me to do it, but you were so fucking young. I felt like it was my only option.” I grazed his shoulder with my teeth. “You do realize I always meant to come for you, angel. You had to know I could never let you go.”
“Never let me go?” he squawked like an angry hen. “Let me go is what you did, dammit! With barely more than a polite ‘Dear, John’ letter, you let me go and disappeared out of my life.” His angry squawk transformed into an even angrier growl…which I found sexier than a fallen angel. “Then, a few years later, you think you can waltz back in, pick up where we left off, and even fucking question my lack of sexual experience? No, Eli…just, no.”
I growled in frustration, not understanding how he couldn’t see why I left when I did. Sure, maybe I didn’t handle it as delicately as I should have, but I’d been hurt too. It had been more than Ari’s heart in the line of fire. “Come on, angel, you have to understand why I left when I did. We could barely keep our hands off each other. If I’d stayed, something terrible would have happened. Regardless of how mature we both felt you were, the law says otherwise…and I agree. What I felt for you…still feel for you would have made it impossible for me to keep my hands to myself. On top of that, you were so fucking young. I felt like you deserved to live a little before getting tied down with one man.” I felt his body stiffen with outrage yet again. Oh boy, he was about to hit me with angel wings.
“Are you telling me you wanted me to have sex with other men? You’re spouting all these strange words that closely resemble love and commitment, yet the cherry on top turns out to be me having sex with other men? I don’t understand your reasoning, Eli.” His frown deepened. “Well, maybe I understand you were willing to hand me over to other men, but I don’t like it.”
A rumble sounded in my chest. “They aren’t just words, Arizona. I completely understand that you aren’t sure how you feel about me. Hell, I even understand why you’d question it because of how I walked out on both of us, but don’t ever question how I feel about you. My feelings have never changed, even if I wasn’t with you.”
“Bullshit,” he muttered.
It was like battering my head against a brick wall—zero progress with winning Ari back. Why wouldn’t he just do as he was told; it would make things so much easier. A thought occurred to me, causing me to consider stepping into very dangerous water where Ari was concerned. Even now, with him in my arms, stiff as a board and madder than a wet hen, I struggled to keep my urges under control. Could I start something and trust myself to stop it before going too far?
Just how wrong was it of me to use Ari’s insecurities as a weapon against him? It was wrong. I knew it was wrong, but desperation won out over doing the right thing. I had a short period of time to prove to Arizona how much he meant to me and try to win his heart back, and I intended to use every trick in the book to make it happen.
“Why did you come on this trip, Ari? What were you trying to prove? I know it wasn’t just to put distance between the two of us because you were doing a fine job of that already by working out of your home instead of the office. You really weren’t planning on cruising with friends for a birthday celebration because you aren’t with any of your friends. What was your plan?” I chuckled softly and allowed my fingers to toy with his wrist. Automatically my mind pictured ropes or cuffs wrapped around them, but I immediately shoved it to the back of my mind. Well, I tried to. It was nearly impossible because I knew just how beautiful he would be with ropes decorating his body.
“Wh-what do you mean?” he stammered. “I wanted a vacation. I’ve earned it. Everybody gets vacation time, Eli.”
“True,” I conceded. “But I think you had another agenda for this cruise. Be honest, and tell me what it was.”
He blushed and then grumbled, “To get laid.”
I kept playing with his wrist and was thankful he hadn’t tried jerking it away. “That’s all? Nothing else?” I licked the spot behind his ear. “I think there was more, angel.”
“Why do you say that? Do I look desperate, or something?”
“Nope, but you could have easily gotten laid at home. I think you were looking for something else. Maybe to do some…exploring?” When I felt him tense up, I quickly added, “There’s nothing wrong with it, Ari. It’s perfectly normal to want to explore new things. It’s the only way to learn what drives you wild or what to stay away from.”
“Did you do that?” he asked quietly.
“Yep.” Hope exploded in my chest.
“What things do you like?”
“You.”
He giggled and nudged me with his elbow. The action reminded me of how things used to be between us.
“Be serious. If you don’t do the BDSM like Baker and Seth, what kinks do you enjoy?”
“This isn’t about me. It’s about you and what’s going to bring you pleasure.” I slid my fingertip down the plane of his flat stomach, loving how the muscles twitched and jerked from even the slightest touch. “You mentioned earlier that you were interested in visiting the top deck. Do you know what goes on up there?” From the way his skin turned a pretty pink, I had a feeling he had some ideas.
“I’m guessing clothes aren’t involved,” he answered breathlessly.
I wasn’t sure if it was the thought of naked men everywhere or my touches that were overheating him to the point of breathlessness, but I intended to enjoy it—to enjoy him. “You’re correct. Clothes are optional.” With the next sweep of my finger, I brushed the tip of his cock and was rewarded when it jerked in response. “There’s also people engaging in about every sexual act you can imagine. One-on-one. Group sex. Spit roasting. Oral. Spanking. Restraints.” I shrugged, trying to act nonchalant and hoping he couldn’t feel how my heart rate had amped up. “Let’s just say that if exhibitionism makes you uncomfortable, you might want to stay on the main deck…or the cabin.”
“You know you’re really making it hard for me to concentrate, right? Just touch me already! I don’t remember you being such a tease.” He twisted around and looked at me, a naughty grin on his face. “And I wouldn’t worry too much about me being intimidated with naked bodies or men having sex—regardless of what kind. I’m a big boy now.”
My eyes drifted down to his cock and back to his face. “I see that.”
“Yeah, well you could have seen it long before now,” he grumbled.
“How about we forget about the past and only focus on the present-day-fun while we’re here? You came on this cruise for a reason, and I want to be the one you share that stuff with. Is there any chance we could table the me leaving vs. you being too young argument until we are back in port?”
He smiled. “I guess we could…as long as you agree to let me experiment with anything I want while we’re here.”
Whoa! Anything? Anything wouldn’t work for me.
Nope. Not anything.
Hell, anything but that.
“I don’t share, Ari. Sorry. If you need to experiment with other men, then we’re going to have problems.” That wasn’t fair. I knew it wasn’t fair, but didn’t care. It would kill me to see Ari with another man. It had been sheer torture when I’d just thought he was moving on without me. Watching it would be too much.
“That’s fine.”
He climbed out of my arms and out of the chair, causing panic to rip through me. When he merely turned his body around so he could straddle my lap, bringing our bodies and lips so damn close that I had to bite down my dominant growl that tried to escape. He moved his head lower until our lips almost touched.
“That’s fine, Eli, because I don’t share either. While we’re on this ship, we belong to each other.”
I didn’t like the while we’re on this ship part of that statement so I ignored it. “Agreed.”
“And I get to try anything I want.”
“Agreed.”
“I love getting my way!” He did a little bounce of excitement, causing our cocks to bump against each other.
I considered a fun-filled frotting episode but changed my mind and decided to try a quick test of Ari’s so-called desires regarding exhibitionism. He’d mentioned it several times, so I couldn’t help but want to see if he was really ready to put his money where his mouth was…on a much smaller scale than the upper deck.
“Let’s see how brave you are, Ari. Want to?”
His eyes blazed. “I’m very brave, Eli. If you’d stuck around, you’d know that about me.” His teeth clamped down on his bottom lip. “Oops. I was supposed to let that go while we’re on the cruise. My bad.”
I chuckled. “You don’t look very contrite, angel.”
“Tell me why you call me angel, and I’ll adjust my features to show proper shame.”
“Nope,” I answered. “Let’s give you the chance to put your money where your mouth is and prove to me that you’re ready to step out of your comfort zone.” When he merely smiled at me, I held up a finger, indicating I wanted him to wait, and disappeared inside our room. Explaining why I had ropes to tie him up with might be difficult to do, but I was willing to take the risk—the need to see him in my ropes was stronger than dealing with the possible clusterfuck the truth could cause. I fumbled through my costume bag, my hands trembling slightly from the desire flowing through my body, and found the dark green ropes. They’d be beautiful with his eyes.
