“Okay,” I replied, because he was still waiting for an answer. I went back to my computer and tried to get on with typing up more reports, but in the background, my mind was now sparking off in numerous directions all orbiting around the topic of what Rick planned to do with me tomorrow.
The memory of his hands brushing against my nipples a few days ago made my pussy clench. That had definitely not been the actions of a Boy Scout. Maybe he’d held back because we had been in the precinct. At his home, would things be different? Would he stop at the end of the spanking? Or would he push further? The chemistry between us sizzled. It was why I’d gotten so riled up at Mrs. Vanderhosen earlier. I knew it. I felt protective of his time and his energy. Silly me. He wasn’t some kid brother who needed his sister to beat up the bullies for him. He could take care of himself. But that need to help him had burst out in the wrong direction and caused a lot of stress and embarrassment for everyone involved.
Imagine if he felt the same way about me as I did about him. Maybe he’d pull my panties down and spank my bare ass. He would know immediately that I was sopping wet from his firm and strict punishment. And he would decide whether he was feeling generous enough to do something about that or not.
I couldn’t explain my own feelings properly, because I wanted him to touch me, to fill me, to fuck me in every part of my body in turn until I knew what it was like to belong to him, but more than that, I wanted him to take charge—no, I didn’t want it. Wanting things was for cookies or shoes. I needed his dominance more than I needed water. The only thing in the world I wanted was his complete control, his direction over every aspect of my life, and to know that everything I did was exactly what he wanted of me.
The intensity of that thought scared me. Where had it come from? One moment I’d been working away and the next I’d been sideswiped by stuff I’d never really thought about before.
But now I had paid it some mind, I didn’t know how to put it all back in the box and carry on as if I didn’t care that much about him.
I pressed my lips together and tried to keep working. I didn’t want him to know where my thoughts were going right now. We worked together. That was all. Anything else was inappropriate unless he made a move.
But oh, God, please let him make a move on me.
Chapter 10
Avery
At the end of a long shift, all I wanted to do was crawl into bed but Rick had other ideas. When Bob arrived, Rick gave him a rundown of what had happened in the night.
“I’ll head on out and see to her myself,” Bob said. He gave me a look of disapproval. “I hope I can expect better from you in the future, young lady?”
It wasn’t really a question, and his tone of voice made it very clear that I was in the dog house right now. I nodded earnestly. The sheriff scared me like an old bear.
“Yes, sir. I’m really sorry, sir.”
“Good. You apologize to Mrs. Vanderhosen and we’ll take it from there.”
“I’ll drive her over right now,” Rick assured him. “C’mon.”
“Now? But I thought sleeping happened next,” I complained.
Rick leaned close and whispered in my ear, “Bad girls don’t get to pick their own bedtime.”
For some reason, his words, or perhaps the fact no one else in the precinct had heard him, made heat travel straight between my legs. I tried not to openly react. I didn’t need to get into more trouble with the sheriff and there was probably a rule about not being turned on in the precinct.
At Mrs. Vanderhosen’s front door, I shuffled from foot to foot.
“Go on,” Rick told me.
With great reluctance, I pressed the doorbell. I counted to two in my head very quickly.
“She’s not home. Well, we tried—” I babbled, but before I was through, Rick had swatted me on the butt. I squeaked.
“We stay until she hears your apology,” he growled.
My ass was still ringing from that spank when Mrs. Vanderhosen opened the door on the chain.
“Ma’am,” Rick greeted her.
“Hello, officer,” she said, then her eyes fell on me and her face stiffened.
“I came to apologize, ma’am,” I told her. “I’m real sorry for the way I spoke to you last night. It wasn’t fair of me.”
“The only apology I’ll accept is if you find my Tootsie.” Her voice was snippy and I didn’t know how to react. I looked to Rick.
“Ma’am, we’re going to look into it thoroughly. Could you answer one or two more questions? We didn’t get a chance to ask everything last night,” Rick said.
She wavered for a moment, clearly choosing between being mad at me for the way I’d treated her and being open to getting some assistance with her missing dog, who clearly meant a lot to her.
“I won’t talk while she’s here. You’ll have to forgive me, officer, but I can’t have negativity in my home.”
I waited for Rick to go inside, especially given how the boys at the precinct usually danced to Mrs. Vanderhosen’s tune. Instead, he stepped back from the door.
“Sheriff Bob will be along soon to go through it all with you, ma’am. You’ll have his full attention on this case. We’ll do everything in our power to find Tootsie.”
“I’ll speak to him later then. No sense answering the same questions twice,” she told us. Her tone wasn’t frosty when she spoke to Rick, but it was still lacking some warmth. Perhaps that was just how she sounded when she didn’t have a big drama to be a ham over.
On the way back to the car I yawned heartily.
“Now is it bedtime?” I asked him.
He gave a single curt nod. “Sure.”
We went back to his place and I realized I wasn’t going back to work for thirty-six hours.
Sweet.
Then I remembered Rick intended to punish me in that time.
Not so sweet.
I fell asleep on my back thinking this might be my last chance to look up at the ceiling in a while.
Rick
I was proud of Avery for doing the right thing and apologizing to Mrs. Vanderhosen. The cold case file I’d handed her last night must have been a pretty serious wake-up call, but truth be told, it shouldn’t have been necessary. Avery should have just respected Mrs. Vanderhosen from the start and we would never have had any unpleasantness.
I went to bed planning out exactly how I was going to punish her behavior. Obviously, I was going to spank her ass until it was pink, but after that? Before? I thought this behavior required something stronger.
A little voice of doubt raised its head and I wondered if I should be spanking her at all. After all, wasn’t this an abuse of my power over her? She was dependent on me for a job and a place to stay right now. What if she felt cornered into accepting a punishment? I needed to tread carefully around the issue of consent, especially because I planned to give her a strong reminder about how she ought to behave toward the citizens of Snake Eye.
I wondered if I had enough fresh ginger in the refrigerator. I knew I’d used a little in some cooking a few days ago, but I was pretty sure I’d left the rest in one piece ready to be used later. I knew exactly what I was going to do with that, to ensure little miss motormouth never again spoke to anyone so rudely.
If she consented.
There was no way in hell I was going to face Bob’s disapproval if Avery wasn’t fully on board with what we were doing. I was just about old enough to remember what happened to Jake Royston a few years ago. He’d spanked his girl and even though she’d consented, she’d called the cops afterward. They were married now, but there had been a lot of broken eggs before they’d made that omelet.
I fell asleep thinking about what I’d like to do with some eggs and Avery’s ass. I had some remote-controlled vibrating eggs, connected with a strong string, which would be a lot of fun to torment her with.
Rick
I awoke in the late afternoon. I opened my blackout blind. The sun streamed in through my window and I took a mo
ment to appreciate the blue sky.
Every day was pretty near perfect, here, until we got to that time of year when the rainstorms happened. I went to the bathroom and sped through a showering ritual before padding down the stairs. Avery was already down there and furiously cleaning the counter around the coffee machine.
“What happened?” I asked her.
“I was trying to make coffee but the machine didn’t want to.”
I nodded. “Did you put water in the back?”
“Yep.”
I looked at the mess and saw right away what she’d done wrong.
“And you put the lid on the coffee pot... how did you even get that on top of the filter?”
She frowned. “Isn’t that how it’s meant to go? The lid had a hole in the top, see? I thought the water would just go through it.”
I chuckled. “The hole is for steam to come out after the coffee is brewed, while it’s keeping warm on the hotplate.”
She groaned. “Ohh. Oops. Sorry.”
“Why didn’t you wait for me to do it?” I didn’t understand. Was she really so in need of a coffee?
“I wanted to surprise you.”
Her voice was small and the words made my heart clench. That was the most adorable thing anyone had ever said to me.
“Well, you sure surprised me, but not in the way you intended. Here, let me help you clean it up.” I got some kitchen towel and mopped up the last of the water mixed with coffee grounds.
Avery went to the kitchen table and sat down heavily on one of the chairs.
“I was trying to be helpful and I just made everything worse,” she said with a sigh. “I’ve never used a real coffee maker before.”
“I guessed as much.” I finished cleaning the machine then put the coffee on.
“How’s about I make it up to you by making some toast?” she suggested. I paused for a moment, wondering if it was wise to let her near the toaster. I had to trust her. So she couldn’t make coffee... that didn’t mean she would have any problems with the toaster.
“Sure. Toast would be good.”
She hopped up, looking a little brighter than a moment ago, and put some sliced bread in the toaster.
“Butter?”
“In the refrigerator.”
She laughed. “I know that, silly. But do you want any?”
“Sure do.” I nodded.
The rhythmic crunch-crunch of the knife sliding over the toast filled the air. It was followed by a sawing sound when she cut the toast into pieces. I’m pretty sure in all my life I never heard someone butter toast eagerly before.
“Here.” She put the toast on the table in front of me. I cocked my head and raised a brow. “What’s the matter?” She looked confused.
“Plate?”
“Oh. Oops! Sorry.” She rustled up some crockery and arranged my toast properly on it. I nodded.
“Thank you.”
“Enjoy.”
I felt a little mean about the plate when I remembered she didn’t exactly have good role models growing up. But a man had to have standards, and mine included eating off a plate not the bare table. Anyhow, it set the tone for what I intended to do with her this morning.
Once we had eaten and drank, I stood up and held out a hand to her.
“Now we have the small matter of your punishment,” I told her.
Avery’s eyes widened. “I hoped you had changed your mind.”
“Nope. But I’m never going to spank you on an empty stomach. Follow me.”
I led the way upstairs and opened the door to my bedroom.
“Whoa it’s so tidy!” she remarked. I filed that away for later, because it implied her room was not tidy, which was another thing I wouldn’t allow.
“Stand before the bed.”
She obeyed me. I stood behind her and murmured into her ear.
“You were very rude to Mrs. Vanderhosen. What am I going to do with you?”
“Chocolate and orgasms?” She looked over her shoulder and fluttered her lashes. I gripped her chin in my fist and pulled her toward me a little, knowing her neck muscles couldn’t stretch much further.
“I am going to spank you. Do you agree that I should?”
She hesitated for a moment. “Yes.”
“Yes, what?”
“Yes, I do.”
I sighed. “Yes, sir,” I told her sternly. I sat on the bed. “Remove your clothes then over my knee, please.”
She held out one wrist and I guided her over my knees. Her fingers and toes touched the floor, and the rest of her body was stretched out like a bow, with her bottom at the apex.
“Why am I spanking you?” I asked her.
“Because I was mean to an old lady.”
I nodded, then realized she couldn’t see me. “Next time I tell to do something, I want you to do it. I told you not to say anything to Mrs. Vanderhosen. How might you have avoided this spanking?”
“If I’d done as I was told and stayed quiet,” she said.
“Indeed.” My palm cupped one of her bottom cheeks. The soft, supple skin of her ass was just begging for a punishment. I caressed her skin, feeling its smoothness under my hand, making her wait before I struck.
I wanted her to feel uncertain, wrong-footed, out of control. I needed her to give her will to me. To be humble and open to changing her ways. And that started with her not knowing when I would begin, how hard I would make this, or how long it would go on for. By the time she had answered all three of those questions in her own mind, the spanking would be taking effect and she would have no choice but to accept it.
Unless one of us safeworded, of course.
I lifted my hand and heard her take in breath in anticipation. I brought my hand down hard and it landed with a crack. Her bottom cheeks rippled as the shockwave traveled through her flesh. I remained stoic because this was a punishment. I was the pillar anchoring her and guiding her to make better choices. I had to be strong. I held my desire in check and continued to chastise her.
Avery
His hand slammed into me over and over again so fast! The pain built up until I couldn’t keep it all inside my body and I began kicking and shaking my head to try and get the burn out of my skin.
Every new swat seared across my unprotected cheeks, burning his message into my soul. I knew I was wrong to speak so rudely to Mrs. Vanderhosen. I felt very guilty about it. When he punished me like this, he held me accountable. But the fact he punished me instead of sending me away proved he thought I could do better. I was redeemable. I was worth saving from myself.
I didn’t see it, but he did.
The flames in my bottom made my face hot and my breath come in short bursts. The knowledge that I’d let him down but that he still saw fit to correct me brought tears to my eyes. Soon, I was crying. For real. This was definitely not hay fever and now I came to think of it, I wasn’t certain I’d had hay fever last time he’d spanked me, either. It was November, after all.
I sobbed and wailed as hot, fat tears of regret tumbled onto the floor beneath me.
By the time Rick stopped, my ass felt blistered. I guessed it was glowing like a stop light. Worse than that, I felt that uncomfortable wetness between my legs again, along with an ache deep in my core for something I didn’t want to ask for.
“Go stand in the corner and think about what you did,” he told me. It took a couple of seconds for me to feel able to move. I got up, wincing a little as my sore ass moved. In the corner, all I could think about was how much I wanted him to throw caution to the wind and fuck me.
The soreness in my ass was simmering down. What would it feel like to touch? I couldn’t help myself. My hand moved before I really thought about what I was doing and the next thing I knew, I was running my fingers over my cheeks to explore what had changed. Inside, it felt like my ass was covered with glowing embers of the recent fire. All my fingers found was hot skin.
“No rubbing,” he said in a serious tone from wherever he was. I didn’t know if
he sat on the bed or if he’d found a chair or something, but he was behind me, at least several feet away. My hand returned to my side and I felt awkward, like I wanted to stand up straighter and arrange myself better, but I didn’t want to move because I might get into more trouble.
I was still. Alone inside my own mind. An empty vessel except for my thoughts. Hungry for more sensation. More touch. I’d never felt so turned on before. Not even the time when I’d accidentally put the shower head down there while I was trying to check the water pressure.
“Come here, please.” His voice was still so formal and unyielding. That was him through and through. I went to him, standing in front of him and feeling very inadequate under his gaze.
“What do you have to say for yourself?” he asked.
“I’m sorry, and I’ll do as I’m told next time, sir.” I meant every word of it.
“Good girl. Now put your legs shoulder-width apart and clasp your hands behind your back.”
Confused, I did as he told me anyway.
“Your pupils are dilated, your nipples have hardened into little points and you’re shiny with wetness between your legs. You’re turned on. I can take care of that for you. Yes or no?”
I stuttered as my words all got caught behind my lips and the sounds tumbled over one another in their haste to get out.
“Y-uh-yes, please,” I managed.
“Lay back on the bed.”
I climbed onto the comforter and positioned myself so my head was in the center of the pillow.
“Spread your legs,” he growled.
Suddenly afraid of the reality of this situation, I pulled my knees to my chest and shook my head.
“Uh... I’m not on any... and I’ve never... uh...” I babbled.
“You’re not on any what?” he asked.
“Contraception,” I finally spat it out. I wasn’t sure I was even worried about getting pregnant, so I don’t know why I’d said it.
“I don’t believe in unprotected sex before marriage,” he replied. “I always wear a condom. See?”
I was relieved to see that he had a foil packet in his hand, ready to use.
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