by Maggie Ryan
Chapter Sixteen
"That's… that's a baby's dummy!"
"No, this is my Lexie's dummy," he corrected. "Just as your pucker needs training to accept my cock, so does your mouth and throat. You'll suckle your dummy and your jaw will grow stronger. Your tongue will become accustomed to sharing your precious mouth with another object. You will learn to breathe through your nose with more ease."
Despite her obvious trepidation, Max was pleased when she opened her mouth, and he pushed the large dummy between her lips. Bending, he kissed her cheek and tied the ribbon around her head. "This will keep your dummy in your mouth when you sleep."
A soft knock on the door had her head turning, her eyes going wide. Having pulled the bell cord before seating her plug, Max knew who it was. "Relax, little one, it's only your nanny."
"Come in," he called. "Your timing is perfect, Nanny Jenkins. I was just about to tuck our little one into bed."
Satisfied that he'd properly prepared her for her first night of training, he handed the box of anal dilators to Juliette, who stored them in the cabinet beneath Lexie's changing table. As the nanny prepared a cloth, wetting it from the pitcher of water on the washstand, Max bent to kiss his wife goodnight, smiling as he realized that his little one appeared to be drifting off to sleep.
"I love you, Alexandria and I'm very proud of you. You were a very good girl for Papa. Have sweet dreams, little one and I shall see you soon." He stroked a finger down her soft cheek before bending to kiss it, his cock twitching at the sight of her sweet lips distended around her dummy, her eyes fluttering shut. She was a treasure any man who knew her would desire. He thanked God she belonged to him.
*****
After Lord Hollister had left, Juliette smiled as she lifted Alexandria's nightgown and gently washed between her legs. Beneath tightly closed eyelids, Lexie could feel her face heat as the evidence of her arousal was removed, unable to stop a soft moan when the cloth was rubbed between her buttocks to remove the excess lubricant.
"Shh, no need to fret, little one. I've washed enough of your cream from your sweet quim to know you had a very nice atonement session with your Papa. Your backside is barely even pink, and it looks so sweet holding tightly to the plug your Papa put into your bottom. I'm pleased to see that you're being such a good girl."
If her nanny's words were meant to soothe her, they failed. Alexandria felt her entire body flush and her eyes clench tighter with the knowledge that Juliette knew exactly what had transpired even though she had not been in the room. Still pretending to sleep, she moved as little as possible, making small sounds of protest as her drawers were drawn up her legs and over her bottom.
"Good night, Alexandria," Juliette said, as she tucked the small woman in and extinguished the lamp. "Sweet dreams, little one."
Alexandria lay still, her mind churning as she replayed the events of her first day of Atonement. Now that she was alone, in the dark, all she seemed capable of thinking of was the fact that she had a very unwelcome plug in her bottom and a huge dummy filling her mouth. Her jaws already ached, the presence making her mind replay her oral punishment in excruciating detail.
The sight of her Papa's cock had almost taken her breath away. Never in her life had she imagined a part of a man's body could grow to such a size or become hard as iron. It had felt huge beneath her hands when her Papa had pressed her palms to it, and yet had grown even longer and thicker when she'd released it from his trousers. Thinking about how it had both frightened her and aroused her as he'd laid it on her tongue, she felt her quim moistening. Rolling onto her side, she tried to get comfortable, but the plug in her body seemed to be pulsing with a life of its own. She rolled again but found no comfort on her other side. Finally, she flipped onto her back and gave a muffled yelp as the plug seemed to shift. She would never be able to sleep, and her mind and body were both exhausted.
Carefully sitting up, grimacing as her bottom took her weight, she reached behind her head. Untying the ribbon, she spit the bulb out, her fingers massaging her jaw. It would be easy enough to stuff it back into her mouth and retie it in the morning—she was usually awake by the time Nanny Jenkins came to prepare her. Slowly pushing the covers down, she pushed her drawers down to her knees. Just the knowledge that her bottom was bare had her flushing, and the knowledge that it had been invaded had her squirming in embarrassment. Her hands were shaking as she used one to part her small cheeks and the other to attempt to grip the flange. It took several minutes before she was able to begin to pull it from her bottom, both hands now holding onto the plug.
A sharp squeal sounded as the larger bulge met the resistance of her pucker but she bit her bottom lip to keep silent and closed her eyes, giving the plug a hard tug. Another squeal escaped her but she managed to pull the plug free. Immediate relief flooded through her as she lay still. Throwing the plug off the bed, she pulled her drawers back over her bottom and the covers over her body.
A small smile played on her lips as she began to drift into the comfort of sleep. Rolling over, her cheek pressed against the dummy where it lay on her pillow. With a cry, she sat up and groaned. Though she could have the dummy back in place before morning, how was she to replace the plug? Where was it? The room was dark, and yet she knew if she had any hope of not getting caught, she'd have to find it and reinsert it before Nanny Jenkins opened the door.
Her eyes on the door once more, she managed to climb from the tall bed, freezing when she heard noises in the hall. Heart thudding, she didn't move for several minutes before she was convinced she'd remained undetected. Dropping to her hands and knees, she crawled around the floor, her hands sweeping out in front of her in an attempt to find the plug. As she continued to search, relief left her as guilt began to take its place. Her Papa's words of praise, his gentleness even when he'd punished her, the incredible feel of his hands on her body, had remorse flooding through her. He'd said she wasn't a 'bad girl' and yet, at this moment, she felt as if she were the naughtiest girl alive. She had to find it, and when she did, she wouldn't wait till morning. If she wasn't caught, she'd return both items to her body and never again attempt such a naughty thing. The soft sounds of her whimpers floated onto the air as she crawled further and further away from her bed.
*****
Just as the girls did not know the identity of the participants who doled out their Atonement discipline, they were also unaware that as the upstairs became quiet as they slipped into sleep, those same participants met downstairs with Miss Summers. Little ones did not need to consider that their Papas met to discuss additional lessons they wished their student to learn, or to speak their pleasure or disappointment about lessons already taken. They only needed to know they had made a proper confession and shared their journal's contents. They only needed to know that they had been put to bed with bodies that were flushed with pleasure or with bottoms that ached beneath their nightgowns. A few sleeping girls had received the gift of both.
Max entered the dining room to find most of his fellow sponsors already in attendance. Trays of sandwiches, cookies and small cakes were arranged on the table. Decanters of brandy and wine sat beside crystal stemware. There were no servants to attend the gentlemen, despite their station in society. They would serve themselves and take a seat to wait. Atonement nights were the only night each could consider themselves on the same level as their loved one as they waited to be called by the headmistress.
Max filled a plate and poured a few fingers of brandy into a snifter before sitting. Holding the bowl of the glass in his palm, he gently warmed the amber liquor before lifting it to inhale the aroma and taking a small sip. His eyes closed briefly in appreciation of the quality of the liquor and he took another sip before lowering the glass.
"Eleanor provides the best."
Max grinned as Charles Lloyds slipped into an adjacent chair, his own snifter in his hand. "That she does, and I know you mean more than her refreshments."
"My Claudia gave me the good news. Congrat
ulations. I know how it feels to finally find the one who makes you complete. Claudia says she is a very sweet girl." He chuckled and shook his head. "Perhaps she'll be a good role model for my own little minx."
"Thank you, Charles. I must say I'm rather surprised to see you here. You haven't been married yourself for very long."
Charles grinned. "Almost four months now. I'll be attending a conference next week and I've decided that my Claudia will benefit from the knowledge that being wed does not mean she'll be free to frolic about the city while I am absent. God knows, if I left her at home, she'd stir up all sorts of mischief. Even with the threat of termination, my housekeeper can't seem to remember she is to report any naughtiness to me. I swear, the girl had Mrs. Jorgensen wrapped around her little finger the moment I carried her across the threshold."
Claudia was a rare case. Growing up in a family of privilege, she had been allowed to do as she wished without recourse from her doting parents. Having been expelled from one school after being caught sneaking out to drink at a local pub, she'd been brought back to the city and enrolled in the school where Charles was headmaster. There, the girl soon discovered that her antics would not only not be condoned, she'd found herself in his office on a regular basis. For the first time in her life, she was unable to flirt her way out of misbehavior. Batting eyelashes and simpering pouts gave way to screeches and a sore bum as she paid for her choices with a well-administered cane. Where her school marks had been atrocious, under tutelage by the same man who would brook no nonsense, she'd fallen deeply in love.
The threat of being disowned by her family had not stopped her from walking the path she had chosen, or accepting the proposal of a man whom others deemed beneath her station. She'd rejected many such proposals from far more influential men, but her heart had belonged to Charles from the moment he'd shown her that she wasn't just a beautiful woman, she also had the capability of being far more once she applied herself.
"I'd think she'd know by now that her Papa is even sterner than her headmaster," Albert Emerson said as he joined the men. "That was a perfect gate you placed on her rump."
"Thank you," Charles said with a grin. "I don't believe she'll be testing me quite so vigorously for a while. If she can sit tomorrow, I'll be impressed. I might not have known how to wield a rod a year ago, but I can assure you, I've had plenty of practice. I fear the little one forgets at times that her Papa is not just a professor, he's also a very stern headmaster who doesn't believe in sparing the rod."
"I can vouch for our Mr. Lloyds," Eleanor said, as she joined them at the table. "Though our girls never truly graduate, Charles did so a long time ago. He is quite the master of the cane." She placed her hand on Charles' shoulder. "I'll see you now."
The men chuckled as they heard the phrase that had little hearts beating faster and small bottoms cringing. Charles stood, gave handshakes to the men around the table and then offered his arm to Eleanor. When the two had left, Max lifted his glass. "Seems your Penny is being quite the good girl. She was second in the line this week."
"Ah, but she's only been back a few days and is on her best behavior. We'll be leaving next week to visit her parents. Penny tends to forget that her role as my little one does not end the moment our carriage pulls up in front of her old home. Her behavior had me cutting our last visit short. A few days here and I'm hoping not to have to disappoint her family again."
Max nodded. "She reminds me of Lexie, in a way. Both have kind hearts and ready smiles. I'm hoping they become good friends."
"We shall make sure they have every opportunity," Albert said. "These women need others who understand their desire to serve as they do. We often visit Wintercrest Manor. Lord Edward and his wife, Louisa, have become very good friends. When we return, I'll host a party for you and your Alexandria. Now that you're wed, you'll find there are quite a lot of opportunities to socialize with others who share our lifestyle even outside of Eleanor's wonderful establishment."
"I'll look forward to that," Max said, knowing Lexie would need a close group of friends as her training continued.
"I wish it were that easy," a voice said.
Max looked up from his plate, the cookie he'd selected released as he stood. "Jacob, I thought you'd left."
"Excuse me, gentlemen," Jacob said. "Max, might I have a word with you in private?"
Max was surprised, as the men all shared the same proclivities and had no inhibitions discussing those desires within this select cadre. He nodded and the two men stepped away from the table to talk quietly.
"I wish to offer you my apology, Max."
"There is no need, Jacob."
"There is," Jacob said. "What Nanette said was abhorrent. Alexandria did nothing to provoke her. You've found a good woman, Maximilian. A girl who offers forgiveness without even having been asked is a rare thing. I just wanted you to know that Nanette has been quite thoroughly punished." He paused and ran his hand across his face, his struggle for control obvious. "I also informed her that if this... this need to belittle others, if her sharp tongue and snooty demeanor continues, then we shall not wed anytime soon. I deal with the lowest criminals this city has to offer. I see them come into my courtroom and spew their hatred. I have listened to their pathetic excuses, and have seen their need to blame anyone but themselves for their choices. I cannot and I will not go home to the same."
"I understand, Jacob," Max said softly. "I'll hope for the best and be here if you need to get rip roaring drunk."
"You're a good man, Max."
"Thank you. I'll be praying that your Nanette learns to trust that you are the one man who will make her happy."
Jacob nodded. "Perhaps being around your Lexie will help her see that she doesn't need to be someone she is not; that I adore her for who she is."
Jacob stepped away and turned back to the table. "Good evening, gentlemen." Walking away, his shoulders were stooped as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Max supposed that he did.
A few minutes later, Max was seated next to Eleanor on the settee in her office. They had discussed Lexie's first two days, both admitting she'd settled in far faster than either had expected.
"I've begun her training this evening. She is to remain plugged every day, and to nap and sleep with her dummy."
Eleanor nodded and gave him a soft smile. "I understand. I'll take good care of your Lexie." She smiled up at him. "I'll warn you now, you shouldn't expect to see her at the head of the line next week. I expect her next Atonement will not be quite as easy as her first."
He grinned. "I believe she might just surprise you, Eleanor. For a girl who had no knowledge of where her life was leading her, she seems to have settled in quite well. She's a natural submissive and just needs a bit of training to understand that she'll find true fulfillment in her new roles."
"Spoken like a Papa in love, but I'll remind you, while you have dallied with a few of my girls searching for their own Papa, and have now wed your own special bride, I've trained hundreds. If your Lexie is not wearing a ribbon that is beyond pink, I'll be quite surprised."
Max's eyebrow quirked as he grinned. "Are you suggesting that instead of giving my sweet girl a gentle spanking, I should have left her with a much warmer arse?"
Eleanor's hand reached to cup his cheek. Her answer was given to partly tease and gently chastise. "That, as well as not leaving her with a look of compete satiation on her face."
Taking her hand from his cheek, he turned it and kissed the palm. "Now that, Miss Summers, is a decision for her Papa to make."
They had just stood when a knock sounded, surprising them both. Eleanor stepped in front of Max and opened the door. Her practiced ability to control her emotions was the only thing that kept her from turning immediately to gloat.
"Nanny Jenkins?" Max's voice showed his disbelief.
"Excuse me, Miss Summers, for interrupting but I felt this was far too important a matter to leave until morning. I didn't know that Lord Hollister had not yet
left, but it is quite fortuitous that he's still here."
"Is Lexie okay? Has something happened to her?" Max was already striding out the door when Eleanor reached out and caught his arm.
"Maximilian, calm yourself. If Alexandria was injured, I assure you Juliette would not be calmly standing here. Shall we give her a chance to explain? It would not do for you to race upstairs ignorant of what she has obviously come to tell us."
He took a deep breath and nodded. By the time Juliette had told her story, his hands were clenched at his side, his lips a thin line. "Thank you, Miss Jenkins. You were most definitely right in seeking help. Where is she now?"
"Standing in her naughty corner, Sir. I'm sure she's expecting a visit from Miss Summers."
"What she is getting is a visit from her very unhappy Papa." Max turned to Eleanor. "You don't need to say it, I concede you were correct. I assure you that by the time I'm done, my sweet little Lexie's bottom is going to be very well-roasted indeed."
Eleanor simply nodded and watched as the two walked down the hall together. It was a shame but not truly a surprise. Knowing that Max would do a most thorough job of correcting his very naughty girl, she walked to the dining hall and called the next Papa.
Chapter Seventeen
Alexandria couldn't control her trembling as she stood in the corner that Nanny Jenkins had firmly pressed her into. Her nose was flush to the wall, her nipples squashed against it as well. God, what had she been thinking? How had she imagined she'd get away scot-free? She'd seen the evidence of what happened to naughty girls caught out of bed. The skin on her bottom was crawling, her tummy felt as if a thousand angry bees were swirling to escape. Would she feel the cane against her flanks when Miss Summers arrived, or would she be made to make the walk of shame to the headmistress's office? Either way, she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that her bottom was going to burn far more than it had earlier with the six strokes of the strap.