by Ivy Nelson
“You seem nervous,” he said as he lifted the glass to his lips for a long drink.
“I’m just waiting for you to yell at me,” she murmured. It practically came out as a whisper.
“Why on earth would I yell at you, pet?” He was being disturbingly nice. “Oh. You mean because you ditched your security and put yourself in mortal danger by going someplace you were explicitly forbidden to go?” His voice was quiet still, but the anger was there again.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“Are you? Or are you just sorry Jim said something, and your secret got out?” Darci winced at the question. It was a fair one, but she wasn’t sure how to answer. He stood and rounded the desk.
Taking her wine glass from her hand, he set it on the desk and lifted her chin, so she was forced to look him in the eye. “Answer me please.”
“A little of both I think,” she squeaked.
His eyes closed. “You promised you were going to do as I asked, Darci. How am I supposed to trust you if you’re going to pull stunts like this?” His disappointment in her was worse than any physical punishment he could have given.
“I’m sorry, Sir. I hate you being angry with me. Can you just punish me so we can move on?”
He stood back and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not sure that’s how it works. Is it going to do any good? Discipline only works if you’re willing to adjust your behavior as a result. If you’re not, then we need to drop the Dom/sub charade and go back to being vanilla.”
A single tear slid down her cheek, and she whispered, “That’s a little harsh.”
When he didn’t respond, she took a deep breath and continued.
“It’s not a charade. I promise. I don’t mean to disobey you or make you angry. I like it when you’re happy with me. I like being yours. I’m just not good at this being caged in thing.” There was still no response from Bradley, and Darci’s fears about him being like Damion resurfaced.
Breathing in again, she decided to be as bluntly honest as she could.
“I’m nervous and worried,” she said. Now she was unsure of how to continue, but before she could figure it out, he spoke.
“You should be.” There was an edge to his voice, and she held up her hand. It was important for him to hear this.
“No, please hear me out. Your anger is reminding me of Damion, and I want to bolt. The difference is, his anger was rarely warranted. He got angry with me because he thought it was the dominant thing to do. You actually have a reason to be angry. I’m not telling you this, so you’ll go easy on me, I’m telling you this because I’m trying here.”
Bradley closed his eyes. “I won’t apologize for my anger. You’re right, I have a reason to be angry. But I will apologize for scaring you. I understand you had a bad experience with Damion. I should take better care to make sure you don’t experience that kind of fear ever again.” He pulled her into a hug.
“You don’t understand how much I wanted to drag you out of there and spank you in the car as soon as I heard what you did.”
“I’m glad you waited,” she muttered. Trying to hold in her tears.
“I’m serious, Darci,” he said, standing back again. “I don’t throw around demands just because I can. You know that’s not the kind of Dom I am. But damn it when I ask you not to do something, I expect you not to fucking do it. Especially when there’s a fucking killer on the loose.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I swear. It was stupid and I shouldn’t have gone alone, but I can’t let this situation interfere with my job, Bradley. Find a way to keep me safe without keeping me locked up. I swear from now on I’ll never go anywhere without security and I promise that I’ll do my best to be more obedient about these things. I just need to be able to do my job.”
“I guess that’s all I can ask for.” There was less anger in his voice now.
“Are you going to spank me?”
“I haven’t decided yet. I think you might like spanking too much and you need to be punished. Go wait in the bedroom for me. I have to take care of some things.” She nodded and headed out of the room. “Darci,” he said, stopping her. He waited until she was facing him again to continue. “I promise to keep your fears in mind. I like you being mine too.” Her lip quirked upward in a small smile as she walked to the bedroom. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. She waited on the floor and vowed to herself to suck it up and take whatever punishment he devised. She was falling hard for Bradley Givens, and she wanted to make him happy.
The next morning, she woke up with stiffness everywhere. Her poor bottom was still sore because Bradley had spanked her. Even worse, she was still aching with need. It was the most intense spanking he had given her. Ultimately, she had been glad for the spanking, and it was nothing compared to the way he had tormented her in bed after it was over. She sank into the pillows and let her mind drift to the previous night.
He had kept her waiting in the bedroom for almost half an hour before he made an appearance. She had been unsure of what he meant when he told her to wait in the bedroom, so she had stripped and was kneeling on the floor just inside the bedroom door when he came in. He seemed pleased to find her this way, but he didn’t say as much. She had been disappointed to not at least get a “good girl,” out of him but he was probably still pissed at her. She had a feeling she would have to work hard to earn a “good girl,” from him again.
He had wasted no time pulling her across his lap. The spanking was different this time. There was no warmup, and there were no pauses for gentle caresses of her naughty bits. Had he run his fingers across her pussy he would have found her soaked. He didn’t though. He just spanked her. Repeatedly, sharp stings peppered her ass cheeks until they she was certain the heat radiating from her bottom could roast marshmallows. She wasn’t sure how long it went on, but it seemed like forever. Abruptly it stopped. “Stand up,” he ordered gruffly. “We’re not done yet, but I need you to tell me if you have any issues being spanked with a belt.” Darci winced. It wasn’t a hard limit, but it wasn’t her favorite thing in the world. “Answer me please.”
She shook her head. “No, Sir. It’s not a limit, but it’s not my favorite implement.” Tugging her closer to him, he gripped a fistful of her hair.
“Are you supposed to enjoy this, pet?” She shook her head. “How wet is that cunt though?” he growled in her ear. Unsure of how to answer, she just whimpered. That wasn’t good enough.
“Don’t make me ask again, or I’ll find out myself.”
She swallowed hard. “I’m soaked, Sir.”
He thrust two fingers harshly inside her and closed his eyes. “Christ baby you’re fucking drenched. Does punishment make you horny?” She whimpered again and nodded. He pulled his fingers from her and ordered her to suck them clean. Then he unbuckled his belt and ordered her to turn and bend over the bed. She gripped the covers expecting the blows from the belt to come immediately. Instead, he paced behind her for a moment. Finally, he folded the belt and stepped closer to her. “You’ll take twenty.”
With no more waiting he pulled his arm back and delivered the first one.
The pain was searing, but her pussy throbbed as a new wave of moisture flooded her. He paused a moment and then gave three sharp smacks with the folded piece of leather. The combined sting of the swats had her jumping up grabbing her ass. Fuck that hurt.
“Back in place. Now,” he bit out. When she complied, the spanking continued. The rest of the twenty were delivered in random groupings with long and short pauses between. He was making sure she didn’t wind up in that head space where the pain turned to pure pleasure. Instead, he kept her right on the brink just between intense pain and bliss. When he dropped the belt, she thought it was over. She couldn’t have been more wrong.
He let her catch her breath and even gently rubbed her stinging ass. But then, he ordered her onto her back on the bed with her legs spread wide. She didn’t think her ass could handle any more, so she was quick to comply. Seconds late
r, his fingers were buried deep inside her, and he had attached clamps to her sensitive nipples. Repeatedly he had brought her to the brink of an orgasm, but he never let her go over the edge.
“It’s about self-control,” he kept telling her as she continued to beg him for permission to come. He denied her every time. His clothes stayed on the entire time he was torturing her. When he noticed that it was after three in the morning his brutal assault on her clit and g-spot had halted.
He kissed her on the cheek and told her to go to sleep before turning out the light and climbing into bed. She had whimpered, practically begging him to fuck her, but he had told her to stop talking, or he was going to bend her over his knee again.
Honestly though the way she was aching between her legs, a spanking might have been welcome despite the soreness. Instead of pushing the issue, she closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep.
Bradley had drifted off with one final warning. “Don’t touch yourself. I’ll be the one to decide the next time you come.”
Crap. Hopefully he didn’t make her wait too long. Now it was morning and she was aching to have him inside her. But he was still sleeping peacefully. It was almost time for their alarms to go off, so she snuggled up to him and kissed the back of his neck.
When she felt him stir at her kiss, she smiled. Maybe it would work. He rolled over to face her and then rolled again so he was on top of her. She raised her hips to grind into his obvious erection. “I know what you’re doing, baby girl. It’s not going to work.” Her hips gyrated back and forth as she ground into him harder. His eyes closed, and she thought her plan was working. It wasn’t.
“Self-control,” he whispered, kissing her softly before rolling off her. “Time to get up. We both have to work.”
She groaned in frustration as he got out of bed. “You’re not nice.”
“Of course, I’m nice,” he said with a grin. “Look at it this way. You’ll be thinking of me all day long.” He leaned down and kissed her again, deeper this time, before heading into the shower.
It was a struggle, but she resisted the urge to slip her fingers between her legs and relieve the ache. She had to at least try to be more obedient, so she climbed out of bed to get ready for work.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Darci would never know just how difficult it had been for Bradley to leave her this morning without fucking her. He was going to have blue balls by the time the day was over. Hopefully the never-ending stream of meetings and phone calls would keep his mind off of it. He knew Darci was suffering, but that was the point. Thinking of the face she made with her pouty little mouth when he made her get up and get ready for work made him chuckle. Now he was arriving at the office, and Adara didn’t look thrilled.
“Sir, the senator wants to see you right away, and I have to warn you he’s not in the best of moods.” He knew it was bad if she was calling him sir. Adara usually stuck to boss. His thoughts flew to Peggy. Had the news finally come out?
“Thank you, Adara. Is he in his office?”
“Yes, Sir.”
Bradley cringed. Definitely bad.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can then,” he said trying to keep the worry from his voice.
“Yes, Sir.” She paused. “And Sir? Good luck.”
Oh geeze. This would not be good. Bradley made his way to the senator’s office.
On his way, he thought about his years working for the senator. It had been a good run. He hoped he wouldn’t get fired, but he honestly wasn’t sure what other options the man would have. Bradley’s involvement with Peggy and with the BDSM community would be a stain on the campaign, and if he wanted to be president that had to be addressed. A feeling of dread had settled on his shoulders as he approached the senator’s door. His hand felt like lead as he raised it to knock.
“Come in,” the older man said. Bradley stepped into the room. “Sit down son.”
Bradley took a seat in the plush visitor's chair across from the senator’s desk.
“Care to tell me why we don’t have a research team together for my bill yet?” Bradley groaned. He had been holding off on that hoping the senator would back away from the idea. Apparently, that wasn’t going to happen.
“I apologize, Sir. The team has been busy getting ready for you to hit the campaign trail next week. If it’s still on your priority list, I’ll get Cassie to put something together today. But Sir, as your chief of staff and soon to be campaign manager, I have to say I don’t think this type of legislation is something you want your name attached to right now.”
“I want it done Bradley, and I want it done yesterday. The police aren’t doing anything to catch this killer, and I want people to know I give two damns and want to prevent this sort of thing from happening again.”
Bradley sighed. “Yes, Sir.” He wondered if he should tell him that he was dating Darci. It would probably be better coming from him.
“Sir, in the interest of full disclosure, I need to tell you my girlfriend is head of media operations for the ACSL.”
“Is that the redhead I spoke to at the benefit last night? She’s a spitfire.”
Bradley grinned. “Yes, Sir. That she is.”
“I don’t care who you see outside the office. Just remember that everything you do here is confidential.”
“Yes, Sir,” Bradley said.
He planned to ask Darci for some advice later.
“Is everything else OK, Senator? Some of the staff said you seemed upset when you came in this morning.”
Atleigh frowned. “I’ll have to apologize to your assistant. I might have taken her head off. It’s personal business. Nothing to be concerned about.”
“I’m here to help with anything you need, Senator. We can’t have you taking heads off on the campaign trail.”
“It will be OK, son, just keep doing the excellent work you always do. Now let’s get this day started. I need to be in the Senate chamber in a little while for some debate.” Bradley rose and shook the senator’s hand. He was grateful that his worst fears hadn’t come true yet. There was still a chance something could get out, especially if the killer struck again but for now, Bradley could breathe easy. He headed back to his office to clear the way for the senator to smooth things over with Adara.
“Adara, the senator says he didn’t mean to take your head off this morning. He’s dealing with some personal things that were clouding his mind. He’ll probably apologize himself later I just wanted to give you a heads up.”
“That’s a relief, boss. I sure am glad he wasn’t calling you in to fire you. But the way he was stomping around I had to wonder.”
“Adara, I didn’t know you cared so much,” he said with a wink.
“Oh, I don’t. I just don’t feel like having to train a new boss right before the campaign gets going,” she tossed back with a smirk.
“I see how it is.” They shared a laugh, and then Bradley explained what the senator wanted.
“It would be insubordinate of me to tell you to use the lousiest researchers we have, but I’m not going to tell you to use the best either.” Adara grinned in understanding.
“I’m bringing my girlfriend in later today to see if she has any advice.” His assistant scowled at the mention of Darci. “Give her a break please Adara, I promise she isn’t the enemy. I think the two of you would really get along if you wanted to.” The frown remained in place, but she nodded, and they moved on.
“I’ll need to talk to Charlie and Sandra too. Find a time all three of them can meet me here today.”
After she had written everything down, Bradley headed to his own office to get started on his day. Bradley looked over his schedule and winced when he realized he was going to need to work very late tonight. So much for finishing what he had started with Darci last night.
• • •
Darci was frustrated and in a foul mood by the time she got to her office. It was going to be a long day given the state that Bradley had left her in. She had to force hers
elf to put it out of her mind as she sat at her desk going over the agenda. Sorting through stacks of paperwork, she organized them according to time slot on her calendar. At least her schedule was full enough to keep her mind busy.
With any luck, time would fly by, and she could get home and convince Bradley to take her to bed. She shook her head. It was crazy how far she had come with him in just a few short weeks. She picked up her phone to send him a text, to let him know she was thinking about him.
Hope you’re having a good day
His response was almost immediate.
Thank you, baby. It could be better, but I’ll get through it.
I’m sorry. How do I help?
Darci pulled a file off the top of the stack while she waited for his response. It came just a few minutes later.
Actually, Adara will be calling you soon.
I might have something you can help with.
What could he possibly want her help with? Had word of his involvement in BDSM come out? There hadn’t been anything in the headlines she had browsed this morning. Whatever it was, Darci knew she wouldn’t say no, so she fired off a quick response.
Of course!
Gotta run baby. I miss you.
His last message made her smile. Even after last night and this morning, she missed him too and was enjoying the game they were playing.
Memories of the previous evening flooded her again, and with them, a fresh wave of need washed over her. So much for putting it out of her mind. Hopefully he would give her some relief when they got home tonight.
Most of the morning was spent on the phone, but Bradley was always in the back of her mind. By the time Adara called to see if she could be in Bradley’s office at three o’clock, she was cranky with need.
