“How long would it take to produce a piece of cloth large enough to hang from a ceiling, and wide enough to reach from wall to wall?”
“That’s about the size of a small sail,” she said thoughtfully. “We’re very busy making new blankets and garments for the winter, but if it’s important...”
“It’s not important enough for you to stop your work.”
“Once the snow falls we’ll have more time. We’ll be happy to tackle it then.”
“Let me know when you’re ready to start, and I’ll give you the details.”
* * *
Back at the house, Ailith had taken everything down from the shelves next to the fireplace. Using a wet cloth, she’d wiped them down, then rearranged the items. Nodding her approval, she walked over to the area with the round table and chairs to eye the sideboard against the wall. Deciding it would be ideal for her clothes, she quickly moved the drink containers to the center of the table, and began exploring the drawers.
All she discovered were a few slabs of thin wood chiseled with symbols, and the tools used to produce them. Placing them next to the containers, she tried to push the piece of furniture away from the wall. In spite of her best efforts, she found it much too heavy.
“Ailith! What are you doing?” Ulrick called, marching toward her.
Startled, her eyes darted up. “I didn’t hear you come in,” she panted. “I’m so glad you’re finally home. Can you move this for me? It’s perfect for my clothes.”
“Why are my runes on the table?”
“Is that what they’re called?”
“Come with me,” he said briskly, taking her hand and pulling her to her feet.
“Where are we going?”
“To sit on the bed. We need to talk.”
“Did you and Magnus decide what will happen to Ivor and Frode?”
“I met the clan in the square, and it was decided the traitors would be banished to the wilderness. They’ll be sent off in the morning.”
“How do you know they won’t come back?”
“They wouldn’t dare,” Ulrick replied, his voice somber as they reached the bed. “Sit down, Ailith.”
“What did Frida say?” Ailith asked anxiously. “Can she weave the cloth? Will it take her long?”
“She’ll have time to do it in the winter,” Ulrick replied, crossing his arms and staring down at her.
“Winter? But I don’t want to wait that long to be married.”
“Neither do I, and we won’t. The ceremony will take place the day after tomorrow.”
“What about the cloth?”
“There will be no cloth.”
“But I really—”
“Ailith! Enough!”
“You don’t need to yell.”
“Yes, I do, and my hand will be yelling against your backside before I’m done.”
“Why? What have I done?”
“When I brought in that tree trunk, I told you the rest of the wood must be saved for winter. Last night you asked for another. When I refused, what did you do?”
She paused, nervously searching for the right words.
“I’m waiting.”
“I only asked a second time because I thought you might change your mind.”
“Ailith, you didn’t ask. You begged, then you demanded, then you sulked. This is your home, but I am in charge. When I say no, I mean no. I won’t put up with my wife behaving like a spoiled child. Is that clear?”
Staring up at him, her pulse racing and butterflies fluttering in her stomach, she nodded her head. “Yes, Ulrick. Sorry.”
“Not good enough.” Abruptly sitting down, he grabbed her arm, yanked her over his lap, and pushed her dress up to her waist. “Try again,” he ordered, blasting his hand against her exposed behind.
“Ow, I’m sorry, Master. I behaved badly.”
“Tell me why?” he demanded, continuing to rain hard smacks from cheek to cheek.
“Ow, oh, Master, please...”
“Tell me or I’ll fetch a stick.”
“I wanted to see what you would do,” she wailed.
“As I thought,” he declared without missing a beat. “Now you know, and that sideboard stays where it is. Don’t try to move heavy furniture again,” he scolded. “You could hurt yourself. Is that clear?”
His lecture had been delivered with a volley of stinging swats, and as he paused his hand, she looked over her shoulder.
“I know I’ve been bad, Master,” she mewled softly. “Thank you for punishing me.”
“I’m not finished. Sit on my lap with your back to me, then drop your hands on the floor.”
“I, uh, I don’t understand, Master.”
“Do as I say.”
Her heart racing, she swiveled on his thighs. The moment she started to lean forward, he took hold of her legs and moved them to either side of his waist.
“Ooh, Master, this is so strange.”
“Be quiet. By the time I’m finished, you’ll have no doubts about my resolve.”
* * *
Shoving a finger into her womanhood, he spanked her bottom with gusto, ignoring her cries and protests until he was satisfied with the redness of her skin. Hearing her cries he almost felt sorry for her, but she’d not only been craving the reassurance of his discipline, it was deserved.
“Pull your cheeks apart.”
He knew the order would make her face as scarlet as her backside, but the humiliation was necessary. Rubbing her clit, he waited a moment, then pushed a finger into her back hole.
“Tell me when you’re close to your orgasm, servant girl,” he growled, plunging his finger in and out.
“Yes, Master.”
As he continued the lewd play, his stiff manhood pressed against her body. Longing to ravage her, the moment she gasped her plea to climax, he grasped her waist and tossed her on the bed. Moving behind her and flipping her on her stomach, he pulled her hips into his pelvis.
“Who is your master?” he demanded, placing his member against her dark entrance and thrusting forward.
“Ooh, Master, you are.”
“Who does this body belong to?”
“You, Master.”
“Your climax is mine,” he exclaimed, rubbing her clit. “Mine to give and mine to withhold.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Do you deserve the pleasure?” he asked, slowing his strokes and pausing the erotic massage.
“Only if you think so, Master.”
“Have you learned your lesson?”
“Oh, yes, yes, Master. I have, I swear I have.”
“You may climax,” he growled, plunging forward and agitating her clit.
As she wailed through her spasms, his cock exploded, shooting a whitewash of tingling sensations through his body. Letting out a long groan as they waned, he slipped out and fell on the bed.
As he closed his eyes and waited for his heart to stop pounding, she curled against him and whispered her undying devotion. Finally catching his breath, he realized she wasn’t the only one who had learned a lesson. Never again would he give her reason to doubt his authority.
* * *
The wedding was held in the square in front of the entire clan, and though the celebration at Ulrick’s home was for invited guests, the settlement rejoiced with feasting and ale.
Their brave ruler had found a magical young woman with golden hair, eyes as blue as the ocean, and who came from a lineage of warrior women fighting for truth and justice.
While the revelry in the settlement continued through the night, the gathering in Ulrick’s home came to an end when he spotted Ailith stifling a yawn. Politely ending the festivities, he led her to their bed, removed her clothes, and put her under the covers.
“Aren’t you joining me?”
“I’ll be right back.”
Leaving her with a loving, languid kiss, he moved outside and gazed up at the myriad stars glittering in the infinite ebony sky.
“Thank you, great gods,
for bringing Ailith into my life,” he murmured. “I will do my best to bring her happiness with every sunrise. I see our little girl in my dreams, and she melts my heart. I ask for the courage, strength, and stamina to rule this mighty clan, and to give my family the love and guidance they need and deserve.”
With heat in his throat and his eyes brimming, he was about to return to the house when a sparkling light blazed across the heavens.
He smiled.
He’d seen such things before, but a moment later there was another, then another. Suddenly myriad sparkling streams were shooting over his head. Even as the wondrous display came to an end he continued to stare, then with a start, he realized he’d been holding his breath. Dazed and overcome, he moved slowly back to the house and crawled into bed.
“Is everything all right?” Ailith mumbled, snuggling beside him.
“We will call our little girl Star, and I believe she will have even greater magic than you.”
“Why do you think so?” Ailith asked, shifting to look at him.
“We’ve been blessed by the gods. Truly blessed. I saw it. I felt it. Ailith,” he whispered, “you were right. Miracles do happen.”
The End
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More Stormy Night Books by Maggie Carpenter
Her Officer in Charge
As a stage hypnotist accustomed to playing for crowds at military bases, wrapping men in uniform around her little finger was a way of life for Bella Montgomery... until she met Captain Vince Valenti and suddenly the tables were turned.
Though he serves in the US Marine Corps, Vince is no ordinary officer. After working for months to track down the operative who has been stealing sensitive documents from military bases across the West Coast, the last thing he needs is a sassy showgirl interfering in his investigation. Yet from the moment he sets eyes on Bella when she arrives to perform for a gathering of fellow officers, Vince knows there is something special about her.
But when Vince catches Bella sneaking around his base unescorted after her performance, he is forced to detain her. Though a brief interrogation confirms for Vince that she is not the culprit—and in fact she confesses that she was only hoping to see more of him—her trespassing cannot go unpunished. Soon enough, Bella is blushing red as her jeans and panties are lowered, then squirming and begging as her bare bottom is spanked long and hard.
While the handsome captain’s firm discipline leaves Bella sore and deeply ashamed, she yearns to experience more of his dominance, and before long she finds herself bound, naked, and quivering with need as she awaits his orders. But there is still a dangerous traitor on the loose, and despite Vince’s best efforts she remains a suspect in the eyes of his superiors. Is she just a pawn in a larger game, or can she truly put both her heart and her fate in the hands of her officer in charge?
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His Willful Bride
For nineteen-year-old Charlotte Winthrop, there is nothing quite so irksome as putting up with the tedious attempts at courtship of one nervous young suitor after another. Having grown up without discipline since the death of her parents when she was a child, Charlotte’s sharp tongue and often less-than-ladylike demeanor have caused her hapless aunt and uncle no end of grief, and they have all but despaired of finding her a proper husband.
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Edward’s plans for Charlotte extend far beyond just spanking, and she is soon kneeling naked at his feet, her beautiful body and bright red, well-punished bottom on full display while he inspects what is his. Though her face burns crimson with shame as she is tied to his bed, spread open and fully exposed, she cannot help quivering with desire and even begs for more as her husband claims her fully.
With every new experience, every blushing climax, and every stern chastisement, Charlotte finds herself falling deeper in love with her handsome, dominant husband. But when a jealous, vindictive woman seeks to come between them, can Charlotte keep her wits about her and trust that Edward is hers forever, just as much as she is his?
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His Petulant Bride
Indulged since childhood by a doting father and a modern-minded mother, twenty-year-old Miranda Witherspoon is accustomed to neither discipline nor disappointment, yet despite her life of privilege her greatest desire continues to elude her. She is determined to marry a man with a title, but so far no such man has taken a lasting interest in her.
When Miranda is invited to the grand country home of Lord Edward Pemberly III for a weekend, she accepts the invitation in spite of the grudge she holds against Edward’s wife, Charlotte, and it is there that she is introduced to Lord Walter Danby. From his newfangled motor car to his confident, witty charm, the tall, dashing lord is unlike any man Miranda has ever met, and though their first encounter is tempestuous, she quickly finds herself utterly captivated by him.
In spite of—or perhaps because of—her sharp tongue and fiery temper, Walter is instantly drawn to Miranda. Her obvious need of taming only increases his interest, and upon learning of Miranda’s past ill-treatment of his beloved cousin Charlotte, Walter takes it upon himself to chastise her properly. After a painful, humiliating bare-bottom spanking, Miranda is left with blushing cheeks, a burning backside, and an intense desire for Walter that has nothing to do with his title.
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Her Doctor in Charge
It doesn’t take long for Dr. Daniel Dupont to come up with a diagnosis and treatment plan for his new patient, the beautiful Lady Sybil Sinclair. The free-spirited daughter of the aristocracy has been drinking and partying too much while eating and sleeping too little, and in his best medical judgment what she needs is a good, hard, bare-bottom spanking.
Not only is Daniel a man who enjoys a challenge, he also finds the petulant young miss quite appealing, so he casts professional decorum aside and makes it clear to Sybil that if she wants him as her doctor, she will be expected to submit to the spanking she deserves. Sybil nervously agrees, and Daniel soon realizes that the appropriate course of treatment for her will require much more than just a properly reddened backside. What his headstrong patient needs is a man bold enough to take her in hand and dominate her completely.
Soon enough Sybil finds herself shamefully on display on the handsome doctor’s examination table, her well-spanked bare bottom fully exposed and her cheeks burning with humiliation as her temperature is taken the old-fashioned way. Daniel’s thorough exploration of her most intimate charms leaves her trembling with desire, and she begins to wonder if he might be the man she’s been hoping for.
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to know her better, Daniel quickly recognizes that there is much more to Sybil than just a silly girl who likes to party, and his passion for her only grows deeper when he learns the truth about her past and the price she has had to pay to follow her dreams. But when it comes to light that the men Sybil works for are far more dangerous than either of them could have imagined, will Daniel be prepared to stay by her side no matter the risk?
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Amanda’s Dominant Daddy
Beautiful, ambitious studio executive Amanda Anderson is used to getting her way in Hollywood, even if that means occasionally using her fiery temper to manipulate those around her. What she is not used to, on the other hand, is being asked out for coffee by a man as devastatingly handsome as up-and-coming actor Braxton Carter.
In spite of her attraction to him, Amanda is doubtful of his intentions and she blows him off. But after an inept valet wrecks her car and Braxton offers her a ride home, she finds herself inviting him in and cooking dinner for him. A passionate kiss leaves her yearning for more, but what truly sets her blood racing is the quiet, confident dominance which he makes no effort to hide.
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Spending time as Braxton’s little girl awakens a part of Amanda that she has hidden away for years, and she delights in his attention as he bathes her, dresses her in cute clothes, and holds her in his arms. Even the spankings she gets when she is naughty remind her that her daddy loves her. Amanda has never been happier or more fulfilled, but after a misunderstanding convinces her that Braxton is using her to advance his career, she is devastated and refuses to listen to his explanation. Can he find a way to win back his little girl’s love and trust?
Rough Warrior Page 21