Defending it All: Dark Romantic Suspense (Punishment Pit Book 5)

by Livia Grant

  “Tiffany? I’m waiting.”

  This time he paused long enough for her to form heartfelt words. “I said I’m sorry.”

  The next set began immediately. Tiffany didn’t like the trend she was noticing. Each new burst of swats with the wicked hairbrush got harder and longer. By the time Lukus stopped again, he’d laid down twenty-five fresh wallops, and her tears had changed into sobs.

  Mingled with her weeping was a long string of repetitive Ows, ending in another wailing cry of, “I’m so sorry.” He allowed her to rest just long enough to calm, although the continuing onslaught against Brianna’s ass and accompanying howls made that difficult.

  She was just about to hope it was over when the next layer of heat came fast and heavy, spreading like wildfire across her entire bottom and upper thighs. The rhythmic strokes allowed Tiff to anticipate the cadence of her doom. As her punishment continued, her agony crested, and she began panicking that she wouldn’t be able to handle the intensity of a true Lukus Mitchell punishment. Her body reacted by flailing against the restraints with all her strength, desperate to escape the pain as she cried out. “It’s too much! Oh God, please stop. No more!”

  Lukus delivered several more thudding cracks against her exposed globes before stopping. He surprised her by moving into the space separating the naughty subs, kneeling directly in front of her, blocking the sight—but unfortunately not the sound—of Brianna’s continuing punishment.

  Tiff wasn’t prepared for the moisture she saw in Lukus’s own eyes as he pulled out a small cloth from his back pocket, using it to dab at her tears before having her blow her nose. Watching him struggling to check his emotions strangely helped her tamp down her own fear. She was reminded she was not enduring this alone. They were in this D/s relationship together.

  It helped even more when Lukus cupped her face in his hands, gently caressing her damp cheeks with his thumbs. “I know you’re sorry, baby. But you flat out defied me. I had very good reasons why I told you to stay home. I didn’t just make the decision on a whim, or to piss you off. When I give direct instructions, I expect to be obeyed—without question. Is that understood?”

  Tiffany’s mind was racing. Her brain still rebelled at the word obey. It was such an old-fashioned concept. It felt out of place in today’s world. Yet, her insistent need to be dominated by the strong man in front of her could not be denied. She hated the powerful pain, but cannot deny the intense intimacy she felt with Lukus now, when she was at her most vulnerable—strapped down, forced to bend to his will. She hated the guilt and shame she felt for disappointing him. In that moment, she knew she’d submit to anything just to maintain the extraordinary connection she had with this man.

  “Tiffany?”

  With a heaving sigh, she answered with a shaky voice. “Yes, Sir. I understand. Your instructions were clear. I’m so sorry I didn’t listen.”

  “I’m sorry, too. I mean it when I say that punishing you like this isn’t easy for me, baby. In fact, I’m surprised to find I’m hating it, but that doesn’t mean I won’t do what needs to be done. We’ve talked about domestic discipline. Tonight’s punishment has less to do with me being your Dom and more to do with being your HoH. You broke a key rule we agreed to about obedience, didn’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “What other rules did you break tonight?”

  Tiff remained silent, her heart thumping in her chest. His scolding tone of voice, his choice of chastising words, the steely glint in his eye—they all pushed her deeper into submission.

  “I’m waiting, Tiffany. What are our other rules you consented to? Name them for me.”

  “Dishonesty. I won’t be dishonest with you, either by telling you a lie or by omitting the truth.”

  “Yes, that’s one. Another?” he asked.

  “Disrespect. I won’t treat you or anyone with disrespect. That includes getting too snappy or sassy.”

  “Good. Another?”

  “Disobedience. I will obey you, and defer to your decisions,” she said.

  “Yes. We’ve established that you disobeyed tonight. I’ve already punished you for that. What is the last basic rule you agreed to?”

  In her precarious state, Tiffany struggled to remember the last rule. She remembered it starts with a D. He’d made them all D’s to make it easier to remember. Then it hit her.

  “Danger. I won’t put myself in danger.”

  He looked both proud and wounded at the same time. “Very good. Remember what I said about this one when we talked about it?”

  “Yes. You said this was the most important rule.”

  “Exactly. I didn’t tell you why before, but I will tonight. This is the most important rule because I love you, Tiff. The thought of something bad happening to you scares the hell out of me. I’m your Dom. Your HoH. It’s my job to keep you safe. You made that impossible tonight by not only disobeying me, but because in doing so, you put yourself in danger.”

  She couldn’t stop her rebuttal. “But how was I supposed to know that? You still haven’t told me why it would be dangerous to go out. If you don’t tell me the details, how do I know?”

  “You don’t have to know. You just have to obey.”

  “Just like that?”

  “Yes, baby. Just like that. Obey. Period.”

  She wanted to fight back, but she couldn’t deny the warm wave of security coursing through her body at his stern dominance. The term “taken in hand” flitted across her brain and she finally understood exactly what it meant. Lukus was taking her in hand, and her body melted in response.

  He continued on. “Even if you didn’t know about any external danger tonight, you absolutely knew you were drinking, and then were planning on driving home. We’ve discussed driving safety. Use your Bluetooth. Obey traffic laws. No texting while driving. Don’t park in dangerous places, especially at night. No drinking at all for at least two hours before driving. Were you planning on walking home from the club?”

  “No, Sir. But—”

  “Did you have an alcoholic drink tonight?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “Did Brianna have an alcoholic drink tonight?” he asked.

  “Yes, but—”

  “There are no buts, Tiff. You disobeyed. You disrespected me by basically deciding that my rules didn’t need to be followed. I’m curious: if you hadn’t been caught, would you have been dishonest by trying to lie to me? You definitely broke the danger rule by going out, and then planning on drinking and driving.”

  The burn still throbbed across her tender ass, but it was the flare of disappointment in Lukus’s eyes that hurt the worst. She had let him down, and she’d do anything to fix it—to wipe the slate clean and get his trust back.

  “I really am sorry, Lukus,” she whispered.

  “Tell me why you did it. I need to understand your thought process.”

  Should she tell him the truth? She didn’t want to make things worse, but she also knew he could tell when she was lying, and since that was a rule in and of itself, the truth spilled out.

  “I was disappointed about not being able to go out, and you didn’t give me any clear reason or details. Then, when I kept trying to phone you and texted, and you didn’t answer, it really pissed me off. I had no idea where you were, or what you were doing. Hell, I still don’t, and that just doesn’t seem fair to me.”

  Lukus surprised her by grinning. “Good girl, telling me the truth. Here’s the deal. I’ll try my best to talk through decisions with you outside of the bedroom, but there will be times, like today, when that won’t be possible. Regardless, I expect your submission and obedience. I have to know I can trust you.”

  “You can trust me.”

  “I see you trying, baby, and I hope you see me bending too. But we agreed what the consequences would be when you get off course and need a correction.”

  Something in the way he said correction told Tiff hers wasn’t over yet. Considering the guilt weighing on her, she couldn’t say sh
e disagreed with his assessment.

  Lukus spoke again. “Let’s get this over with. I’m going to make sure you get the message to put your safety first loud and clear, so we never have to repeat this discipline.”

  She was about to ask what that meant when he stood, putting the crotch of his jeans only inches away from her face. She watched him unbuckle his belt, slowly pulling the wide leather from the loops of his jeans in a slow-motion swoosh. The flicking sound as the leather snaps out of the last loop might as well have flicked her clit, because the sheer act of watching him prepare to belt her naked bottom launched a fresh wave of sexual submission at being taken in hand.

  Lukus stepped away to resume his place behind her. It was then she was reminded of the room’s other occupants. While her Dom had been calming her and talking, the other Dom in the room had moved to the next phase of Brianna’s submissive discipline. It looked like Markus had meant it when he said he would find punishments his pain-slut wife would hate. The look of dread in Brianna’s eyes informed Tiff he’d succeeded.

  Markus had wheeled over a tall metal pole with several hooks at the top. It looked exactly like an IV stand you’d find in a hospital room, only instead of an IV, a bulging bag of what looked like soapy water hung on it, with a clear thick hose connecting to an oversized bulb attachment Markus held in his hand. The frightened look on Bri’s face gave away her suspicion about what was going to happen to her next.

  While Markus spoke, Tiff comprehended that the punishment enema may have been going inside Brianna, and the belting may have been applied to her own ass, but the best friends would be made to feel the pain of both.

  “I’ve prepared a new recipe for your enema tonight, Brianna. In addition to taking your two quarts, I’ve added glycerin and peppermint soap to enhance the lesson. I’ve also added a larger bulb attachment in hopes you’ll be able to hold the liquid without an embarrassing accident. Because you girls decided to get into trouble together instead of talking each other out of the poor decisions you made tonight, Lukus and I have decided to link your final lesson with each other. Tiffany, you will watch as Brianna takes her punishment enema like the naughty little girl she behaved like tonight. Then Brianna, you’ll hold every single drop while you watch Tiffany get a lashing with her Dom’s belt until he thinks she’s learned her lesson.”

  Lukus’s voice reinforced his stern resolution to the plan as he added on. “If you both take your punishment like good subs and we think you’ve learned your lesson, I’ll take Tiffany home to give Brianna and Markus some privacy as Bri expels. If we don’t think you’ve learned your lesson, we’ll add to your punishment the humiliation of expelling with us all here in the room. Understood?”

  Bri’s face portrayed her panic at the thought of having to expel with Tiffany and Lukus in the room. Tiff had no words to describe how much she didn’t want to witness that either. The girls answered in unison. “Yes, Sir.”

  Tiffany had a front-row seat to Markus’s final preparations for his wife’s humiliating punishment. Brianna had closed her eyes, refusing to meet her best friend’s gaze. Markus lubed up the thick, long nozzle meant to go into Brianna’s behind. He squeezed the attached bulb, showing Tiffany that, as large as it already was, it would expand once inside his wife’s ass.

  He approached Bri, placing one hand gently along the small of her back while lodging the nozzle against her rosebud. “It’s going in now. You know what to do. Take it in.”

  Bri scrunched her face at the intrusion, releasing a long grunt as the largest part of the deflated bulb pushed past her tight anal ring.

  He allowed her time to adjust to the invasion before releasing the clamp, launching the punishing solution into his wife’s body. Time passed with no change, but at the one-minute mark, her eyes flew open with alarm.

  “Master, something’s wrong! It burns!”

  “That means it’s working, sweetheart. The soap and glycerin are meant to cause extra bloating and cramping. An added benefit is the peppermint in the soap, which adds a burning sting. It’s hard to find punishments that don’t make you want to orgasm. I’m hoping this will be a deterrent you’re actually going to hate.”

  As she wiggled her ass in a misguided attempt to get away from the wicked liquid, Tiff was convinced Markus had struck gold in the discipline department. Again, the weights swung from Bri’s nips, increasing her discomfort.

  For the girls, it took an eternity for the liquid to flow into Bri’s bowel. Conflict nagged Tiff. As much as she hated watching, she knew that the second the bag emptied, she would feel Lukus’s belt on her already chastised bare bottom. Brianna began crying from the cramping and internal burn. It was with relief that Tiff saw Markus clamping off the hose before pumping the balloon nozzle.

  Bri couldn’t contain herself. “Oh God! Please… Master. I’m begging you. Please let me go to the bathroom.”

  “Not until you watch Tiffany receive her belting. Remember that you manipulated her into leaving the house tonight. She’s receiving this belting in part because of you. I want you to witness firsthand the consequences of your actions,” Markus said.

  Brianna’s face filled with guilt.

  Tiff didn’t have time to reassure her because the first crack of the belt landed square in the middle of her ass, striking both lower cheeks. The burn left in its wake seeped deeply into her already tender bottom. She managed to remain quiet for only the first three lashes. By the time the fourth landed lower, on her upper thighs, she lost it. All she could think of was escaping the pain. She struggled against her restraints fiercely as the sight of Brianna grew blurry before her. The next particularly strong stroke had hot tears cascading down her cheeks. Tiff felt the panic consuming her as the pain became unbearable. Regardless, Lukus kept up a relentless, rapid pace, without permitting her a break to collect herself.

  Her out-of-breath begging through sobs was next. “Please… stop… I promise… I’ll be good… Oh God, I can’t… no more… it hurts too much… I can’t do this… please… I’m so sorry!” The panic in her voice escalated.

  Tiff saw Brianna turn her eyes to watch Lukus before returning to Tiff.

  “Listen to me, Tiff,” she said. “Remember what I told you. You’re fighting it. You need to relax into it. Let your brain stop thinking about the pain. Remember what I told you to think about instead?”

  Her words distracted Tiff briefly. She didn’t remember immediately what Bri was referring to, but when she did, Bri’s naughty suggestion went to work on Tiffany’s whirling mind.

  I need to think of submitting to Lukus fucking me hard. Taking me right here while he has me laid out, helpless.

  Thoughts of being taken hard as she was restrained to the punishment furniture shot a jolt of excitement through her sex, distracting her. Throbbing suddenly consumed her pussy, allowing the panic to recede. Tiffany remembered how passionately Lukus made love to her. She let the memory of their intense intimacy help her yield to the pain. The pain across her thrashed bottom was excruciating, yet surrendering induced a sense of peace. She welcomed the same feelings of submission she’d felt when tied up at The Punishment Pit, at Lukus’s mercy. This was no different. He was in control. She needed to submit and trust him to guide her through.

  With time seemingly standing still, she was uncertain how long the punishing lashes lasted. Relief came when she heard his heavy buckle hitting the floor.

  Brianna’s face contorted in pain from her intense cramping. Markus had been stroking her lower back to help calm his wife through Tiffany’s discipline. Now he moved to help Lukus unbuckle Tiff’s wrists and ankle restraints. Markus released the waist strap while Lukus stepped away, returning with a thick terry-cloth robe which had been hanging on a hook near the door.

  Lukus wrapped the robe around her before scooping her up into his arms, bride style. She snuggled into the crook of his neck with renewed sobs, this time from relief. He hugged her possessively, heading to the door of the dungeon.

  “I’
ll call you tomorrow, Markus. I’ll send the robe back with Tiff in the morning. Night.”

  As painful and embarrassing as the punishment session had been, Tiff felt proud of herself for coming through the punishment not only alive, but guilt-free—and horny.

  Lukus settled her into the front seat of his BMW, securing her seat belt for her since she lay limp. He kissed her gently. “I’m so proud of you, Tiff. You took your punishment so well.”

  Suddenly exhausted, now that the adrenaline rush was over, she let her eyes droop closed, a sly smile on her face.

  “Thank you, Sir. Is it time for my reward?”

  Lukus chuckled. “What reward would that be?”

  “You, silly. I want you so bad, honey.”

  “So sorry. No orgasms tonight, baby. Remember? Twenty-four hours.”

  Tiffany pouted but was too tired to be angry. She dozed, barely waking when they got to her townhouse. Lukus parked in her garage, carrying her up to her bed and tucking her in. Dozing off, she remembered the most important part of the whole eventful day.

  Lukus Mitchell loves me.

  Chapter Ten

  Lukus

  Lukus awoke as the first sunlight peeked through the gauze curtains in Tiffany’s bedroom. He was comforted at the feel of her naked body wrapped tightly in his arms, her head using his chest as her pillow.

  In the quiet morning, he allowed himself time to rehash the disastrous day before. It had started with finding Dylan beaten and ended with Lukus beating the ass of the woman he loved. The irony was thick, even for the Master of Masters. Not for the first time since he’d met Tiffany, Lukus questioned his life choices. Eventually, he rejected feeling guilty about how he had treated Tiff, knowing he’d corrected her completely out of love.

  He was thinking through his plan for the day when her alarm went off. She stirred as he silenced it.