by Golden Angel
The request made his chest ache. He didn’t know whether or not Vivian had the same emotions for him as he did for her, although he did think she must feel something for him, even if her emotions were grounded in the lust that had been trained into her. But that one little request made him hope for more.
“Of course, love, if you want I’ll stay for a bit,” he said, tucking the covers over her. He crawled onto the bed beside her, allowing her to snuggle up to him.
“I really am very sorry about Lord Rawlings,” Vivian said. Gabriel found it completely natural to have her head resting on his shoulder. Tracing his fingers over her lips, he pressed a kiss to her forehead.
“You shouldn’t be sorry for his actions, Sunrise. The man’s an utter bounder. Just don’t disobey my orders again.”
“I won’t,” she said earnestly, tipping her face back to look at him. Gabriel took the opportunity to steal another kiss from her, and enjoyed the way she pressed herself against him as he did so. When he pulled away, she nibbled on her swollen, lower lip. “Gabriel? What did . . . what did we do tonight?”
“Sodomy. Also known as buggery,” he said with a yawn. Vivian’s eyes got big and he laughed, pressing another kiss to her forehead. “You’ll become well acquainted with it, living with me, love. I want you in every way I can have you as many times as I can manage. But that’s for after the wedding. Now go to sleep.”
Vivian had heard others talking in whispers about sodomy and buggery before; she’d always thought it was a bad thing. It had been both wonderful and awful, just like her punishments. She didn’t know that she would ever understand why her body craved such things, why they fulfilled her so completely, but the dichotomy satisfied her in a manner that she didn’t think she could receive from pure pleasure. Her entire bottom throbbed, inside and out, and she shifted uncomfortably as she felt some of his seed leaking from her body and onto her thigh. She supposed it should be strange that she wanted to be held and comforted by the man who had strapped her and then taken her in an unnatural manner, but she felt warm and secure held by him. The tender regard that he treated her with was everything she had ever wanted—and she had started to secretly think the punishment and the pain was everything she hadn’t known she wanted.
Closing her eyes, she enjoyed the feel of his arms around her as she drifted away into sleep, thinking how much nicer it was to be here in Gabriel’s arms rather than back at the school alone.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
VIVIAN AWOKE WITH A WHIMPER AFTER SHE’D rolled onto her back, which had caused the ache in her bottom to flare to life with a sharpness that almost felt like a blow. Immediately she turned onto her side, but the damage was done. Her poor buttocks felt incredibly sore, throbbing dully as she clutched her pillow and breathed through the pain.
Vivian wondered if there was something wrong with her that she had enjoyed last night so much. Waking up alone, without Gabriel’s strong arms and reassuring presence, she felt vulnerable. It had been wonderful falling asleep with him wrapped around her, secure in the knowledge that she had been forgiven for her ignorant but indiscreet disobedience.
Rolling onto her stomach, Vivian winced as her legs moved and various muscles protested—muscles she hadn’t even known she’d possessed until now!
There was a light knock on her bedroom door and it pushed open; Vivian stifled her groan, peeking out from her pillow to see a pleasant-faced young woman in a maid’s dress entering the room. She was not the maid who had been attending Vivian for the past few days.
“Good morning, miss,” the young woman said cheerfully, seeing Vivian was awake and studying her as she went over to open the drapes covering the windows. Sunlight spilled into the room, indicating Vivian had slept later than she normally did. “My name is Penny. Lord Cranborne has hired me to be your personal maid. I’ve brought some cream that should help your bottom. He said you would have need of my services starting today.”
“Oh . . .” Vivian couldn’t think of anything to say. She felt horribly embarrassed that her new maid was already aware she had been strapped the night before, and yet the promise of some relief for the swollen skin of her bottom made her eager. When she thought about it, it seemed like another sign of how Gabriel cared for her; ensuring she would have what she needed to heal without having to explain to her maid why she needed it, ensuring she would have a maid who would understand and already have her orders.
Penny’s self-assurance as she pulled Vivian’s covers down and nightdress up, revealing the still-reddened cheeks of her bottom, was all too familiar to Vivian, and she submissively fell into the other woman’s ministrations immediately. She sighed as the cream was smoothed into her hot skin, cooling it slightly and providing much needed surcease from the throbbing sensation. It was rather relaxing, after a few minutes, to feel Penny’s fingers deftly stroking the cream into her cheeks.
The cream helped immensely. She was able to pull her drawers over her hips with only a little bit of wincing— although her new silk undergarments were quite soft against her abused skin—but she hissed a bit as she sat in front of the mirror for Penny to do her hair. There was something emotionally satisfying about the ache and discomfort in her poor bottom, even though physically it was still painful. It was as if Gabriel was constantly there with her, his mark on her skin. She’d spent so many mornings at the school looking for proof of the previous night’s punishment and not finding any that it was almost validating to have such lingering effects now. Gabriel would be on her mind all day, as the state of her poor bottom wouldn’t allow for anything else.
And she was grateful to him for providing a maid who didn’t bat an eye at the condition of her buttocks. Penny hummed as she ran the brush through Vivian’s hair, as if it were a completely normal morning, allowing Vivian to lose herself in the pleasure of having her hair brushed and thinking about her upcoming wedding.
When Vivian sat down at the breakfast table, much later than her usual hour, Gabriel was there waiting for her. He’d already gone for an early morning ride, a much more vigorous one than usual, as he’d had excess energy to work out after the extremely erotic dreams that had haunted him the night before. Apparently spending himself only once had made his desires rouse further, rather than sating them.
He stood and greeted her, smiling as she gingerly lowered herself into the seat beside his while he prepared a plate for her from the selections arrayed for them. After last night he was sure she would be famished, and he loaded it with all of her favorite things. When he lay the plate in front of her, Vivian looked at the contents and beamed at him, as if she was surprised by his knowledge of her preferences. Gabriel gestured to the footman to ply him with more coffee as he sat down beside her.
“How are you this morning, Sunrise?”
Color rose in Vivian’s cheeks as Gabriel watched, fascinated. Perhaps it was her pale skin or red hair that caused her to blush so easily; he was still astounded by how quickly her cheeks could turn such a bright pink, despite the fact that she was no longer innocent in so many ways.
“Fine, thank you,” she murmured, her eyes flitting around the room at the footmen lining the walls.
Gabriel chuckled. “Believe me, love, the staff of my father’s house are quite familiar with seeing a woman who has been soundly disciplined.” His look became sterner. “I won’t tolerate lying, either.”
“I am fine,” Vivian hastened to say, her face turning even redder, the color clashing adorably with her hair. She stared down at her plate, unable to say the words while she was looking at the other people in the room. “The, um, cream my new maid used was, um, quite effective as long as I’m careful about how I move.”
Laying his hand atop hers, he felt her pulse begin to pound beneath his fingers as he leaned in. He curled his fingers around her wrist, enjoying how frail and small her bones felt in his palm, the slight tremble of her body as her breath quickened and announced her arousal.
“And what about your sweet bottom, Sunrise?�
�� he whispered in her ear. If anyone were to walk into the breakfast room at that point, they would have seen nothing but Gabriel whispering into his fiancée’s ear; even her shocked gasp wouldn’t have truly surprised any bystanders. After all, two days before their wedding, of course a man with Gabriel’s reputation would be saying something scandalous to his bride. “How does that feel this morning?”
The stammer in her voice as she reassured him in a half-strangled whisper that she was sore but unharmed was absolutely delightful. Gabriel found himself becoming aroused all over again by forcing her to speak with such impropriety first thing in the morning; it was obvious she was shocked by his plain speaking as much as by the location and time of day for their conversation. Once they were married he was going to have a wonderful time introducing her to the pleasures that could be had over breakfast.
By the end of breakfast, Vivian was visibly shifting uncomfortably on her seat, from sitting so long during breakfast. When Gabriel suggested a walk through the garden, she accepted with relief. While walking might be slightly uncomfortable, it was far preferable to sitting.
Saturday morning dawned bright and fair, although Gabriel was already up and riding, trying to work off some of the pent-up energy he’d accumulated over the past two days. Seated on Lucifer, who danced impatiently beneath him as if sensing his master’s mood, Gabriel stared off across Hyde Park.
Today he was finally going to marry Vivian, to claim her, and she would be his from this point onward. He would cherish and pleasure her, punish and torment her, and ensure she never felt the need to dally with another. As a former rake, although he already considered himself reformed, he knew how easily the women of the ton could pick up and discard lovers when their husbands were inattentive. That would never be a problem for him and Vivian. He would pamper her, adore her, and show her all the beautiful ways pain and pleasure could mix, finishing the education the school had begun.
For the past two nights he’d pleasured himself while remembering the feel of her soft flesh against his hands, the tight grip of her asshole as he’d deflowered it, and the hot seat of her bottom as it pressed against his groin while he buried himself inside her. The events of that evening were all he thought about whenever his mind drifted, and it seemed to be drifting quite often. He could hardly believe that tonight he would finally have Vivian as his wife and be able to enjoy every single part of her body. The ache in his groin made him shift in the saddle.
Lucifer stamped his foot impatiently and Gabriel laughed. His mount was as high-strung as he was.
Leaning forward, he patted the glossy black neck of his agitated steed. “Let’s run, Lucifer.”
With a kick and a shout of laughter, they were streaking across the park, straight into Gabriel’s destiny.
vivian’s wedding morning was quite different from Gabriel’s, although she was up nearly as early. Her body had fully healed over the past couple of days; certain spots were still tender when pressed, but the color had returned to normal and she could sit comfortably—cushions always helped. Penny had made herself completely indispensable. She was skilled at elaborate and flattering hairdos, and she was becoming quickly devoted to her kind and beautiful mistress.
It was through Penny that Vivian knew exactly what was going to happen to her tonight. The talk her mother had given her the evening before had been entirely uninformative. “Lie back and let him do as he pleases.” As if Gabriel would do anything else.
Even though her bottom had ached, she had felt a small surge of feminine satisfaction every time she’d sat down and been reminded of her punishment. It made her feel safe and watched over, cared for, even though she supposed in some ways that made no sense. Her pain and pleasure was a little secret between her and Gabriel. He’d touched and taken her body in ways she’d never even known existed, awakened cravings inside her that both horrified and enthralled her, and at the same time shown her every care and courtesy, revealed his playful nature, been so generous to both her and her family. She’d fallen in love with him. What she didn’t know was whether or not he felt the same for her.
She supposed he must feel something. The strictures he put down for her seemed to indicate so. And he touched her and held her so tenderly, seeing to her pleasure as much as his own. Diana and Henrietta had told her that all the ton was agog at their love match and Gabriel’s reformation of his previously wild ways. That, too, must mean something.
“There, miss,” Penny said, pinning the last wisps of Vivian’s hair into place. The elegant coils wrapped round the back of her head, making her neck look even more slender and long than usual. Her hair was like a flame in the early morning light, her eyes standing out large and stark. “You look beautiful.”
Just then there was a knock at the door and Vivian’s mother entered without waiting. Her eyes immediately went to her daughter, and the baroness cried out with wonderment and surprise at Vivian’s beauty. “Oh, my. Oh, darling, you look glorious.”
“Thank you, Mama,” Vivian said, smiling as she rose to greet her mother. The baroness dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief, sniffing as she looked her daughter over.
“I sent for a tray to be brought to us. I thought you might like to have a nice private breakfast,” her mother said, smiling proudly.
“That sounds lovely, although I’m not sure I can eat. My stomach feels as though it’s spinning,” Vivian said with a light little laugh. Although she made it into a jest, she told the truth. Her nerves were quite agitated. In only a few more hours she would be a married woman, a countess and a future marchioness. She would no longer be poor. And she would be married to a man who enjoyed strapping her with his belt and then shoving his cock up her backside.
A tingle of excitement zinged through her legs at the thought, even though she knew it was perverse and wrong. It had felt natural and right with Gabriel. She enjoyed the mix of pleasure and pain she’d become accustomed to at the finishing school, and even more so when it was shared with him. But she still couldn’t help but feel anxious about it all. Behind closed doors, he was more than willing to show her exactly what he wanted from her, and she was quite sure she could more than satisfy him there; her debut into society as a married countess seemed much more fraught with hidden dangers.
“Of course, dear, I remember I barely ate a thing before my wedding,” her mother trilled excitedly. “It’s perfectly natural to feel nervous. But you must eat something, we can’t have you fainting during the ceremony.”
“Of course not,” Vivian murmured as she seated herself at the small table across from her mother. Penny let herself out of the room to give them some privacy. Heavier foods seemed completely unpalatable, and Vivian only put a few slices of toast and fruit on her plate instead of the eggs and kippers she usually preferred.
It was reassuring to hear her mother had been anxious on her wedding day as well, although the idea of fainting during the ceremony certainly didn’t help to calm Vivian.
Over breakfast her mother chattered with excitement as Vivian tried to choke down her food. She didn’t understand why she was so nervous; after all, it wasn’t as if Gabriel would jilt her—he’d paid for her schooling and training just to marry her! And yet some nervous part of her worried he’d change his mind at the last minute. Then what would she do? Now when she pictured her future, his face was the first thing to pop into her mind, and she wanted the vision of her life she now had, with Gabriel and his strange brand of pleasure and eventually his children. Her view of the future had shifted considerably since she started her training at the school, but it was a shining vision that filled her with a deep well of satisfaction.
The wedding was painless, although perhaps not as swift as either Gabriel or Vivian would have liked. All of her doubts and insecurities had melted away when she’d entered the church and looked down the aisle to see him. Even from that distance she’d been able to recognize the look of possessive hunger on his face, the way he seemed to focus so completely on her that it was as
if nothing else in the world mattered. And at that moment, nothing else had mattered to her but him, and she’d practically floated on her father’s arm. The other people’s faces and shining clothes went by in a blur.
She didn’t see Emily dabbing at tears with a lace handkerchief, or the jealous countenance of Lady Astoria, the lustful glances of several of the lords in attendance, or even the bouncing joy of her younger siblings. They were part of the crowd, part of the scenery she must walk by to join Gabriel, standing at the alter watching her with an expression that made her feel breathless.
When she put her cool hand in his, heat surrounded her palm and fingers, despite their gloves, and she almost sighed as a feeling of rightness stole over her. Gabriel was just as affected, staring down into the fathomless depths of her eyes. From the moment she’d walked in the room, he hadn’t been able to look anywhere else.
Gabriel barely heard a word of the ceremony, ignoring everything the priest said except for when he was expected to recite his vows, and Vivian hers. Vivian nearly faltered when she saw the smile that crossed his face as she promised to love, honor, and obey; she knew from the predatory look in his eyes when she said “obey” he heard it in an entirely different manner than most men would. And, as usual with Gabriel, that immediately made the area between her legs ache in a way that had become intensely familiar.
Their wedding breakfast was a torment. Gabriel amused himself by never relinquishing his hold on her, whether it be her waist, her hip, or her hand, and drawing small, teasing circles with his fingertips over whatever part of her he happened to be touching. Once or twice he even managed to brush the side of her breasts, making her breath hitch. Fortunately, no one seemed to notice how closely he was pushing the bounds of propriety—well, except for Lady Audrey, who gave him a sharp look, but Vivian felt fairly sure her new mother-in-law had only seen her reaction, not what Gabriel had actually done.