by Measha Stone
She groaned at the annoyance of it all. Instead of having a hot night of romantic banter and erotic pleasures, she was gagged and ignored.
"Okay, Kelly, come with me." Kendrick's voice, soft and demanding, surprised her. She hadn't heard him come into the room.
She swiped her chin across her knee once more and stood. When she turned to face him, his glare told her he was not pleased with her action.
"Didn't I tell you not to wipe?"
She dropped her head and watched her feet as they shuffled toward him.
"To the bedroom." He let out a heavy sigh and stood to the side as she walked past him and up the stairs.
The room was well-lit, and she was able to see everything he had laid out for them. On the bed were two different paddles. One was long and thick, much like she saw hanging from the walls of college frat houses. The other was short and wide, and appeared to be made of worn leather. Beside the paddles was a long cane and a fat strap. Her eyes flickered over the implements as panic rose in her throat. He'd used the leather paddle on her once, but it was in fun; there was rubbing and kissing after each stroke. She doubted there would be much of that coming her way. Her eyes settled on the cane, and her breath quickened.
His hands rested on her shoulders, before running down her arms where he grasped her wrists. "I had hoped we could play tonight. I was going to lay all of these out for you and let you choose which sensation you were most curious about. But there will be no choices tonight. Tonight is punishment. I will choose, and you will accept. You will receive ten strikes for your disobedience, your disrespectfulness, and your bad decisions."
He walked around her as he spoke, coming to stop directly in front of her. He tipped her chin to force her gaze to his.
"You won't hide from me," he demanded harshly.
"Does the dribble on your cheek embarrass you?" he asked.
She nodded, giving a muffled answer as well.
"Tonight, isn’t about embarrassment though. Tonight, is about taking away your ability to speak since you couldn't control your words yesterday. So," he said with a raised brow as he reached behind her and began to work the straps, "if you don't find this gag to be pleasant, I would suggest you learn from this and control yourself in the future. Agreed?" He brought the straps forward and pulled the ball from her mouth.
The strain on her jaw was relieved instantly, and she moved her jaw around to work out the stiffness. She wanted to rub the spit away, but he hadn't given her permission yet.
"Yes," she whispered, before closing her lips.
His eyes softened enough for her to know she had done the right thing by not wiping her lips.
"I'd let you clean off your mouth and chin, but since you couldn't keep from doing it before, I don't think I will now." Her stomach twisted with the drop in his tone. She disappointed him again.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, keeping her eyes on his as he had ordered.
"I know." He wiped a curl from her eyes and tucked it behind her ear. "Are you ready?"
"Yes."
He pulled out the wrist cuffs he had used at the club from his back pocket.
Disappointment still sat in his expression, and she could feel the negative emotions hovering between them, but he was still being gentle with her. Once each wrist was covered, he slipped his thumb through both D-shaped rings and pulled her toward the bathroom door.
The two short chains were hooked to each end of the pull-up bar he had on the doorframe, and her stomach twisted. He kept his eyes on his work as he raised one of her arms to the first chain, clicking the wrist cuffs into the restraint. She watched his hands as he hooked her to the second restraint, wishing they were on her on her.
She hadn't been nervous at the club. She knew they were there to have fun and the outcome would be wonderful. This didn’t feel at all the same as she stood chained in his bedroom, awaiting his punishing blows.
She worried about being able to take what she had coming. What if it was too much? She calmed herself with the reminder that even though Kendrick was punishing her, he would not hurt her. If she knew nothing else at that moment, but she knew that to be completely true. She felt it in her core.
She decided not to attempt to see which implement he would choose, so it took her off guard when she heard the buckle of his jeans being worked. The sharp sound of the leather belt being pulled from the denim loops gave her a shiver starting at her groin and traveling up her spine.
The first strike of the belt landed on her ass. It was quick and stung like a dozen bees had attacked at once. The second came just as quickly across her back. She cried out with the third, as the heat spread through her ass, and then there was little time to process before the fourth striking across her shoulders. Each blow was harsh, and he didn't pause to rub her or speak to her.
The chains jangled as the fifth strike made her lose her footing. Everything hurt from her wrists to her legs. The next blow struck her thighs and made her cry out again. She tried to keep quiet, to take the punishment with as much grace as she could, but each lash of the leather across her body brought with it a new fire.
The physical pain of the belt was tolerable compared to the isolation she felt from him. Silence filled the space between lashes. She needed his touch, his words, his encouragement, but Kendrick said nothing.
Two more strikes of the belt landed in the same spot as the first, and she bit her lip to keep from crying. Tears burned her eyes. Not from the heat in her ass, but from the guilt bubbling inside her. Before the last lash of the belt, he drew in a deep breath.
She hung her head and braced herself. The crash of the leather across her shoulder blades came down strong and sharp. She gasped, sucking in air as she stumbled forward. The hot pain sunk deeper into her flesh, but she righted her position. Relief washed over her at the sound of the belt dropping to the floor.
He was on her seconds later, his hands frantically working the buckles of the restraints, unhooking her from them, and taking her into his arms.
She hadn't realized until she was flat-footed on the floor with her cheek resting against this chest that she was crying.
He walked her to the bed and sat her on the edge.
"Don't move," he ordered and kissed her forehead.
Her body ached, her skin was tender and tingly, and her eyes were starting to burn from the flow of tears. He made quick work of putting away the implements he'd laid out and returned to her. He sat next to her and pulled her into his chest, leaning against the backboard to support them both.
"I'm sorry," she said again.
"I know. It's over." He kissed her head, and she shot up to glare at him.
"You're dumping me?" she accused. His face scrunched with confusion before his lips cracked into a grin.
"No. I mean it's over, the issue—it's resolved." He pulled her back to his chest. "Why would I break up with you after you took your punishment so damn well?" He kissed her head again and rubbed her arm.
"Because I-I mean…I didn't even listen to you in the living room." She wiped her eyes but kept her head pressed into him. His aftershave enveloped her like a warm blanket.
"I know. I let that one go because it was your first punishment. In the future, you won't be so lucky."
"In the future?" she said more to herself than him. The realization that he wasn’t leaving her left her awestruck.
"You'll mess up again, and I'll get pissed again. We'll fight, and we'll make up. You'll disobey, and I'll punish you. Then you'll obey again, and we can have nights of fucking and ice cream. Just like you like." His chuckle shook her head and she looked up at him.
"Fucking and ice cream?" She grinned up at him.
She couldn’t resist the bulge in his jeans and reached down to caress him, but he pushed her hand away.
"No." His voice was firm, but his eyes remained soft. "I told you, when I punish there aren't any orgasms or fun included."
"Not even for you?" She was surprised. Many of the blogs she read sa
id the dominant had taken his pleasure from the sub after a punishment.
"Not even for me. We're in this together. If you give me pleasure right now, you'll be fulfilling your desire to please me, and that would make this less of a punishment. We both get denied, so you truly learn to be obedient." He squeezed her closer to him when she took a deep breath.
"You wanted me to spend the night, though," she reminded him.
"Yes. I may not allow us physical release, but we can still reconnect. I want you in my bed and in my arms tonight."
"You really nothing like anything I've heard about." She shook her head. "Who ever heard of romance after a whipping?"
He laughed again and pushed her gently from his chest. He ordered her to get under the covers while he went about cleaning up the living room and getting ready for bed.
She was nearly asleep when he finally climbed into bed beside her and hauled her against his body. He was naked; the heat of his skin eased the soreness that had accumulated in her muscles.
Her mind wandered to the events of the night and the worries she'd had about him throwing her away because of her actions. The punishment made her feel closer to him than she was before.
His heavy breathing told her he was already asleep, and she tried to drift away too, but one thought still nagged her. How would they ever handle these sorts of things if they had a family? Would he treat his wife the same way? What if their children walked in while Mommy was tied up and Daddy was marking her with his belt?
The closer she got to him the further away her dreams of having a family seemed to drift.
Chapter 25
"You never mention your family. Did you rise up out of a pumpkin patch somewhere?" Kelly's question caught Kendrick off guard as he finished plating their scrambled eggs.
He slid her plate in front of her. It wasn't long ago she'd sat in the very same chair the morning after her run-in with Ted. The physical attraction he'd felt toward her then had grown into a full out infatuation. He didn't just want to fuck her; he wanted to own her. He wanted her in every way he could want a woman.
She had taken her punishment with as much grace as he could have expected. She hadn't tried to wheedle her way out of it like he thought she might. Sleeping beside her, holding her close to him had given him the best night's rest he'd had in a long time.
She stared at him now with her large eyes and tousled hair she hadn't bothered to fix before coming to the kitchen. She had slipped on one of his t-shirts, which only added to her casual, lazy look. She was as appealing to him all roughed up as she had been all sleek and slick in her evening dress.
"No, I was no miraculous birth."
"Do you have a brother or sister?" she prodded as she brought a heaping fork of scrambled eggs to her lips.
He sat with his cup of coffee. "Both. My parents are retired and moved to Arizona. I see them a few times a year. My brother, Jared, is a cop out in the suburbs, and my sister, Sharon, is somewhere in New York, last I heard. She's an aspiring actress, or screenwriter. Something like that. She roams around a lot."
"Sharon sounds fun." She grinned over the edge of her water glass.
"Tons." Kendrick put his cup down on the table. "Trouble too. Jared and I spent most of college bailing her out of one mess or another. She's the baby," he explained, leaning over the table to grab a piece of toast from her plate.
"It must have been nice to have such a large family growing up." A hint of sadness touched her tone. "There wasn't anyone to bail me out when I was younger." She focused on her plate.
"I can only imagine the trouble you caused in high school." He laughed. The image of a younger, wilder version of Kelly crept into his mind, and he couldn't stop the grin from crossing his lips.
"Oh, yeah." She rolled her eyes. "There's a ton of ways to raise hell in Barrington. My parents were rarely around, so it didn't really matter." She shrugged as though it didn't bother her, but she couldn't keep the regret from her eyes.
He suddenly felt the urge to find her parents and shake them until their teeth chipped.
"You don't see them often." He tried to hide his concern by taking a long drink of his coffee.
"Not any less than when I lived with them." She shrugged again. Something was weighing on her as a dark shadow shifted through her gaze, but she wasn't coming forward with it.
"So, I guess you don't have any nieces or nephews yet?" She appeared to be poking around for something, gauging his reaction to some hidden topic.
"No, not yet. Jared isn't looking for a family, so I doubt that'll happen, and Sharon is too focused on Sharon right now. I don't think she's had a boyfriend for more than a month since high school."
She stared at her plate, her fork hovering over the eggs. Something was obviously going through her mind. She had never been so cautious in her wording. Everything she thought managed to pop out of her mouth.
"Wow!" She gestured to the kitchen clock on the microwave. "It's getting late. I have a class in an hour." Without another word, she pushed away from the table and ran out.
Kendrick followed her for a few steps, stopping when the bathroom door slammed. With a heavy sigh, he headed back to the kitchen. He wasn't sure if he'd ever understand her.
He busied himself with cleaning up the kitchen and making a few calls for work. Two crew meetings and dealing with a new client for a system installation would take up most of his day. Not long ago, he'd used work as a way to occupy his mind, to distract himself from the things he didn't have in his life. After Elizabeth, he hadn't put much effort in finding a new girlfriend or submissive. He'd played casually now and then at the club with old flings, but never had he looked for someone to fill his voids. Kelly was starting to fill those gaps, and it felt good.
She didn't take herself too seriously…or him, for that matter. Although she had thrown herself into his life and demanded the path she was traveling on, she made no demands of him. He knew she probably had a million unrealistic expectations, but she hadn't tried to fit him into any of them. Instead, she followed his lead and let him drive the course.
As happy as he found himself with her, he had a hard knot in his gut that something wasn't right. She was holding something from him.
There was also the Ted issue. They hadn't talked about it again, but Kendrick wondered if she still contemplated helping catch the asshole in the act of drugging a girl.
A damp-haired Kelly walked into the kitchen, sporting the clothing she'd worn the night before. Her hair was pulled tightly into a bun, and her face lacked any make-up. She was radiant. The girl next door had nothing on Kelly's looks, Kendrick thought to himself as she stuffed her cell into her back pocket.
"I'm gonna run. I have to swing by my house for a change of clothes before I head to school." She grabbed the glass of water and downed it. He couldn't help but grin at her.
"I'll drive you. It'll be faster," he offered as they walked to the front door.
She gathered her purse from the closet and shook her head. "No, that's okay. A cab is more willing to break a few traffic laws for a fat tip than you are." She patted his cheek playfully.
"I can drive aggressively." He felt the need to defend his male ego. "I was a cop, and we don't exactly drive Miss Daisy, you know."
"Yes. I know. But you aren't a cop anymore. Now you drive a reasonable car at a respectable speed." She slid her hands up his chest until she cupped his face. The actions made him feel more like a child than he liked, and he pulled his face from her grasp.
He grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and pulled her toward him, slamming his mouth onto hers. He didn't go slow or gentle. He took the kiss. She parted her lips to allow his entry, but he controlled every level of the embrace. When he pulled away, her lips were swollen, and he grinned down at her dazed expression.
"You may take a cab, but you aren't allowed to tip him more for speed." He kissed the tip of her nose. "When you get off work, stop by your place and pack a bag with a few sets of clothes. I don't want you
to worry about hurrying home if you end up spending the night. Come here immediately after. I won't be home until around seven, so make yourself comfortable. And by comfortable, I mean naked." He released her and opened the front door.
She stared at him in silence, her lips twisting into a grin. "I'll see you tonight then." She reached up and planted a kiss on his chin before walking out the door.
He watched her saunter down the hall until she reached the elevator. The doors slid open as if they knew she was arriving and closed as she turned to give him a little wave. He leaned his head back against the door frame and closed his eyes.
Reasonable car, respectable speed? He'd show her respectable speed.
Kendrick stood in front of his apartment door, holding his keys. It was almost seven, and work had drained him both mentally and physically. The prospect of finding Kelly inside was the driving force through the muck of his day. He took a few deep breaths to shake off his stress and entered the apartment.
For a moment, he thought she hadn't gotten there yet. The front hall was dark, as well as the living room. A faint humming sound, and the smell of potatoes cooking gave away her location. Locking the door behind him, he headed to the kitchen.
Wearing nothing but an apron, Kelly stirred a pot on the stove. Her breasts were barely covered by the narrow front, her nipples being the last thing covered by the fabric. She had put on makeup for the day, but most of it had been rubbed off—a tell-tale sign of the stress she endured throughout her day.
Kendrick paused in the doorway, out of sight, so he could drink her in without interruption. He listened to her hum, and his cheeks strained from the large grin that stretched across his face when he realized the tune she was performing was from the latest Disney hit. She caught a glimpse of him and stopped her musical debut, leaning to the side to see the doorway better.
"Kendrick?" She put her hands on her hips. "Were you watching me?" she accused when he stepped into the room.
