Chapter Thirty-Six
Kitty
Once Mike was dead, the other lions told His Majesty they’d take care of things, and that he should take care of Kirsten. One look at Kirsten told me she was there to support His Majesty, and not the other way around.
She met my gaze as I was thinking it, and she looked to Squatch and Brooke before looking back to me. I had the sense she’d made sure I was being taken care of, and that she was relieved to find I was.
The walk back to the SUV didn’t seem to take as long, and I breathed in relief when Brooke’s people met us at the edge of the parking area and escorted us to her vehicle.
Brooke’s booster seat had been in the middle of the back seat for the trip to the slaughterhouse, but it was behind the driver’s seat when we returned.
Squatch’s voice came in my head. Thank you.
I had my people move it, said Brooke. Kitty should be between us.
I’m okay. I’m tired, but I’m not traumatized.
No, you aren’t, Brooke said. Still, it was a new experience, and a shock to the system. I reveled in it, and I’m happy to be strong for you in this.
I was more tired than I realized, because I was asleep before we even made it back to a main road. They tried not to awaken me when we reached the airport, but I vaguely remember Squatch carrying me onto the plane, exchanging my corset for a soft t-shirt, and fastening me into my seat. Later, they awakened me before landing, and I managed to pull my skirt down and walk to a truck with a prospect driving it.
I had no idea when Squatch had arranged for someone from the MC to pick us up from the airport, but I was grateful he’d thought of it. Brooke would’ve had her people take us home, but it would’ve taken longer, and I desperately wanted a safe, quiet bed inside the MC’s stronghold.
The prospect asked, “Where to?” once we were in and pulling out of the parking lot.
I said, “The clubhouse,” at the same time Squatch said, “My house.”
He looked at me and I told him, The clubhouse feels safer. I don’t know if that’s true, but I need to be able to completely relax and sleep.
Both would be safe enough for today, but yes, in times of danger, we go to the clubhouse.
He doublechecked that my seatbelt was secure and told the prospect, “Clubhouse.”
Squatch
Once Kitty was in a deep sleep in my bedroom at the new clubhouse, I went upstairs to see who was in the control room. I was too wired to sleep, and I needed to talk to someone. It was nearly six in the morning, so the only people up were whoever was on patrol and whoever was overseeing our assets.
Mad Dog was leaned back in the chair, coffee cup in hand, watching the monitors cycle through.
“Surprised to see you in here, Prez.”
He shrugged. “I took this shift in case something came up while we got the two of you home. How’d she handle it?”
“Better than I expected.” I sighed and sat in the second chair. “Better than she should have, I think. Maybe it’ll hold, or maybe she falls apart in the coming days.” I’d explained the barest amount of what we were walking into over the app, so I took the time now to tell him the full story, from when I redirected Mike’s words to the sound system until we’d left the slaughterhouse.
“Do you think she’s going to feel guilty about the part she played in getting him executed?”
I shook my head, looked to the ceiling, and closed my eyes. “I don’t know. Maybe. She seems to have come to terms with it for now. I’d think that if Brooke was worried, she’d have warned me, and she didn’t.”
“I’m going to put extra people at Blaze when she’s there for a while, and I want her protected when she goes out.” Mad Dog talked while he watched the monitors. “Either you or Freckles. He’s a prospect we can afford to send out, and he’ll kick anyone’s ass who gets near her. You good with that?”
“So long as she’ll agree to it. If she has an issue with him, she’ll lose him. It’ll be safer to send her out alone than to have her trying to shake her protection instead of paying attention to her surroundings.”
He grinned, still focused on the wall of monitors. “I’d tell you to pull your woman in line and make her mind, but then I remember who we’re talking about.”
I blew out a breath. “She really is going to have to listen to me when it comes to security. Velvet has been known to go against your orders more times than I can count, but when it comes to safety, she doesn’t fuck around. Kitty and I will need to come to an understanding, but it probably won’t happen this week.”
I grabbed a paddle with holes in it from the clubhouse before I returned to my room. She’d have the choice between paddle and belt the next morning, because I was pretty sure my kitten was going to need some therapeutic tears to help deal with her emotions.
The daily morning spankings worked far better than I’d hoped. I only got rough with her one or two mornings a week, but she never knew which mornings — and every time she presented her ass, she reminded both of us just how much power she’d given me. I would never abuse that power, but wow, it felt good to wield it.
She’s my kitten, and it’s up to me to make sure we both remember it.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Kitty
I sat in the window seat in Squatch’s living room, and felt tiny. It was made for Squatch, which meant it felt like I was a child sitting in a grown-up’s chair. I’d made coffee, put chocolate in it, a lot of milk, and then put it over ice. It was so freaking hot outside, it was unbearable. I’d sat on Squatch’s patio at first, but had given it up in less than five minutes. This was the best of both worlds — a view of the woods behind his house and air conditioning.
It’d been two days since the execution. I should’ve gone back to work the night before, but Bobcat had told me he needed to handle a few security issues before I came back. If I’d known it was going to be a few days, I wouldn’t have changed to get rid of the marks on my ass from the spanking Squatch had given me. He’d whaled on my ass with that horrid drilled paddle, but fuck, I’d needed it. Something about crying while my big Sasquatch holds me in the safety of his arms makes everything in the world right again. It shouldn’t, but it does.
I assumed I’d go back to work that night, but Bobcat hadn’t contacted me yet to let me know what time to come in. Did I talk to Squatch about this, or stick with Bobcat? My gut told me to keep it up with Bobcat, at least for now. He’s my boss. His decision.
Except I knew that wasn’t the case. Mad Dog would have the final say, but if Squatch didn’t want me going back to work, then I was out of a job. I didn’t think he’d do that, though. Or I desperately hoped he wouldn’t.
I had something else to talk to Squatch about, and I had no idea how to bring it up. He’d told me, while we were at the beach house with Brooke, that if I screamed out loud I’d get the belt. I’d screamed once, and he seemed to have forgotten it. I know I should’ve been relieved, but it felt as if he’d lied to me. Or rather, as if he’d made a promise he hadn’t kept.
And yet, there was no way I could bring it up to him. It would be like asking him to whip me with his belt — which I’m not opposed to doing if we’re playing, but punishment is so much different. It was impossible for me to ask, and yet, if he was going to let it go, it changed who we were to each other.
But we’d had sex before he left to handle shit. Oh, who am I kidding. We didn’t have sex, he fucked me into the mattress. It’d started out sweet, as it sometimes does, but then it’d been me draped over the bed, him standing behind me, fucking me hard enough he’d have probably killed a human woman.
And I’d loved every second of it.
Except that I’m supposed to be punished before we have sex. And then, there’s no orgasm for me, which usually means no sex.
I heard three engines drive onto our road, and I pulled them apart in my head. Two of Squatch’s motorcycles, and his truck. His brothers had moved our things out of the apartment and in
to his house, but they hadn’t brought any vehicles.
My car had been stolen in Atlanta, and I only had liability insurance on it. I’d complained to him the night before that I felt a little trapped here, without my car, and pointed out I needed a ride to a used car lot, so I could buy another. He’d given me his spare key to his truck, and told me I should drive it for a few weeks, until we figured some things out. In the meantime, he promised to tell his brothers to be on the lookout for a dependable car someone wanted to sell.
And he’d followed through on bringing the truck. I closed my eyes and leaned back, more relieved than I wanted to admit because this meant he wasn’t going to try to keep me locked up.
Squatch came inside ten minutes later. I expected he’d have at least two of his brothers with him, but he was alone.
He didn’t walk to me and kiss me. He stepped into the room, stood, and stared at me until I opened my eyes and looked at him.
“You seem unsettled.” His deep voice settled me a little. This place didn’t feel like home, but having Squatch here helped.
“It’s a big house. I’m used to a small apartment now. The last big house I lived in belonged to my father.”
He looked at me at least thirty seconds this time before responding. “And you lived in a huge bedroom on the top floor there, too.”
I turned and looked out the window. “Yeah, now that you mention it, but I hadn’t thought of it.”
“There are empty houses in the compound. If you want to look at all of them, I can sell this one and buy another. We can make it our house from the start, and not my home that you’ve moved into.”
I shook my head. “No. I want to go through the process of making this my home, too. I love the floorplan, the views, the energy.”
“We need to have a serious talk. I’ve put it off as long as I can, but I’m still not comfortable doing it with the mood I sense you’re in.”
I turned back to him and met his gaze. Was he waiting to punish me until I was in a better frame of mind? “Maybe I’ll be more settled once we have it.”
Again, a long pause before he responded. “Perhaps you will.” He turned and walked to a chair that hadn’t been in this room before. It was in a corner, kind of off to itself. It was armless, with a low back. It seemed too small for him until he sat in it, and then it seemed to fit. Not comfortably, but as if he was more, somehow.
“Come here, Kitten.”
Every square inch of skin on my body erupted into goosebumps. Even my scalp. If I’d had fur, it would’ve been standing up.
When I was standing before him, he nodded. “Good girl. This will be where you’re punished. Nowhere else. Tell me why we’re here.”
“Because you told me not to scream with my voice, Sir. To do it in my head. I let one scream out.”
“That’s right. What do you do now?”
“I strip and kneel, Sir.”
“Yes. In the future, when I send you here or call you here, you’ll remove your clothing at the coffee table. Clothes folded on it, shoes placed under it. You won’t come into this corner with your clothes on. You didn’t know today, so it couldn’t be expected of you. Please return to the coffee table and strip as efficiently as possible.”
Right. This wasn’t about me turning him on. How had he put it? The ritual of punishment.
I looked at the chair again as I undressed and folded clothes. It was basically a wide box with a low back. It didn’t have four legs. My instincts told me it was to weigh it down, so it was more equipment than chair. If the base was heavy, there was less danger of it tipping over. If he’d actually attached it to the floor, there was zero danger of it falling.
When I returned, he was leaned back, his legs straight out in front of him. The top and back were upholstered, with plenty of cushioning and padding. It matched the rest of the room enough I hadn’t realized what it was for, when it’d shown up.
I put my hands on my thighs, palms up with my fingers relaxed. Usually, I put my hands behind my back, but it’s my choice unless he instructs otherwise. Today, I wanted my hands in front, for some reason. I looked to his mouth. No eye contact when I was on my knees to discuss a punishment.
His deep voice vibrated its way straight to my clit, and I tried to rein in my arousal.
“I will probably send you to kneel before I come to the corner, in the future. You’ll have from five minutes to an hour to consider why you’re here. The base of this chair is storage. Among other things, there’s a container of rice. There’s enough room behind the chair for you to kneel on the hardwood floor.”
I felt my brows furrow. “Rice, Sir?”
He nodded. “One of my brothers tells me it’s the perfect way to make a point without bringing sex into the mix. I’ve decided this is how I’ll deal with punishments surrounding your safety, in the future. First, we need to deal with the scream, and then we’ll handle a much-needed discussion.”
He stood and motioned to the chair. “Your knees go in the seat, your hips go over the back, and your hands get placed on the floor behind the chair. It won’t be comfortable. It wasn’t designed to be comfortable.”
I kneeled on the seat of the chair, and stretched up a few inches to get my hips over the back, but the floor was too far down for my hands. I looked at him, unsure of what to do, but he only crossed his arms and waited for me to do as I’d been told.
I leaned down to show him there was no way my hands would reach the floor, only they did.
But barely.
Uncomfortable was an understatement. This put most of my weight on my hands, and my legs were now straight and angled down in a desperate attempt to keep me from falling forward and landing on my head. I had zero control from this position. I wouldn’t even be able to kick my feet around much without being in danger of falling forward.
I heard the swoosh of his belt being pulled through the loops, and he stepped into position. I wanted to ask him how many, but he hadn’t told me so I didn’t think I should.
“In truth, I’d expected you to scream more than once. My plan was seven for the first scream, and three for each one that came after. I’m pleased you managed to only scream once, but we still have to deal with it.”
“Thank you for following up, Sir.”
“You’re welcome. We’re here because you couldn’t keep silent, so it seems fitting that you take these licks without engaging your vocal cords.” His deep voice was suddenly in my head instead of my ears. Talk to me this way, if you must. Scream this way, if you must.
Yes, Sir.
Taking a belt without a warmup isn’t even in the same ballpark as feeling that fire once you’re ready for it. And fire isn’t an exaggeration — it felt as if he painted me with red-hot flames. Or perhaps white-hot. Once. Twice. Three times. I screamed in my head and clamped my mouth closed, but when the fourth hit, my scream came out my throat despite the fact my mouth was still sealed closed.
“That’s three more, Kitten. You’re going to have to do better or we’ll be here all day.”
Fear was like a stone in my belly. If I screamed every fourth strike, we would, indeed, be here all day. I managed to keep from screaming again until the eighth strike, and then I figured I may as well get it out of my system, so I opened my mouth and screamed long and loud — but only once.
He stopped before the final strike — the thirteenth one. Well, assuming I could keep from screaming when he delivered it, anyway.
“You know this one’s going to be harder. If you scream, you’ll get four hard ones all at once. Tell me you understand.”
I understand, Sir.
Good girl.
I took a quick breath and held it when I heard the belt sail through the air. The line of fire forced tears to stream from my eyes, but I was holding my breath, which meant no sound came out.
Squatch’s bare arm came under my boobs and lifted me. Another arm went under my thighs, and I was in the air and being turned over. He sat in the chair, cradling me in his ar
ms. “Breathe, Kitten. It’s okay to make noise now. You did good.”
He must’ve taken his shirt off before he whipped me, because I sat on his denim-covered thighs, but leaned against his bare chest, the heat of him soaking into my bare skin. My bottom and thighs hurt something awful — swollen and tight. Hot. Bruised. And did I mention hot?
Tears streamed down my face now, and I sobbed and hiccuped into the hard muscles of his chest.
I’m sure he held me for a good fifteen minutes, long after I’d stopped crying, before he kissed my forehead and told me, “You seem calm now. I need you to kneel again, Kitten. Arms behind your back. Grab your elbows.”
I got into position, and he touched his booted foot to the inside of my knee. “Spread more, Kitten. Enough so those lovely lips spread and your clit peeks out.”
He waited for me to comply, and continued. “We’re still in the corner because of the importance of this conversation. We’re going to go over important rules, and you’re going to get a short experience of what will happen should you defy me on these rules, so this corner seems fitting.”
He paused as if he expected me to respond, but he hadn’t asked a question, so I remained silent and stayed focused on his lips.
“Our rules say you obey me when it comes to sex, but only for sex. We need to add to that, so you obey me when your safety is in question.”
I looked into his eyes, realized what I was doing, and focused on his mouth again. “I’m not sure I’ll agree to that, Sir.”
“I’m not sure I care, Kitten. If I give you an order to go inside, or to stay with one of my brothers so he can keep you safe, and you go against my order, you’ll be punished. Call me an overbearing bully if you want, but that’s the way it’s going to be.”
“Did you tell Bobcat not to let me come back to work, Sir?”
“I did not. That’s actually Mad Dog’s doing, and it’s temporary. We’re upgrading the security system, and we’ll be adding to your personal security when you return. He worries someone from your ambush will try to take you again, and I have the same concerns. They know Brooke can find you in South Carolina, so there’s a chance you end up in Canada or Russia or Australia this time, far enough away she might not be able to locate you.”
Squatch (Rolling Thunder MC Birmingham Book 4) Page 28