“I’m afraid that doesn’t work for me, Sophia,” I respond, menacing but playful. “You see, you agreed to never withhold your body from me, unless I also agreed to it. And since I don’t agree to it, I can have all the cupcake I want!”
“I did, didn’t I?” she says with a laugh as she takes a couple of steps back from me. She thinks she’s clever and I let her think she has a head start on me. “You’ll have to catch me first, though!”
Chapter Twelve
She turns to run and I’ve already lifted her off the ground and thrown her over my shoulder. After smacking her on the ass a couple of times, I playfully admonish her. “Oh, My Angel, you should know better than to run from me. All the rules you’re broken in the last few minutes...I’m afraid I have to punish you now.”
She’s laughing and squealing as she asks, “What kind of punishment do you have in mind?”
“You know, if I didn’t know better, I would think that you misbehaved on purpose just to see what your punishment would be. Maybe you’re one of those ‘don’t ask permission, just get spanked’ types. Let’s find out,” I respond as I hurry into the bedroom and drop her on the bed.
She’s lying on her back and pulls her elbows up underneath her. As she gives me a sexy, come-get-me look, I walk over to the suitcase that holds the fun devices. She continues to watch with curiosity, showing no fear or apprehension with the threat of punishment from me. Granted, it was a playful threat and I believe she knows I would never really hurt her, but this is a bridge we will have to cross soon. This is a part of her training and she’s right, I’ve been very lenient with her so far.
When I retrieve the paddle from the suitcase, her eyes widen and she watches me approach her. Sitting on the side of the bed, I simply state, “Over my knee, Sophia.” I don’t look at her and I make damn sure there is no anger in my tone. I’m not angry at all, but I need her to know that, to believe I would never hit her in anger, and to trust that whatever I do is the best for both of us.
I feel the bed shift behind me as she moves and does as she’s told. She takes her place across my legs, her ass up in the air and her torso comfortably placed on the bed. I run my hand up her bare leg and push her skirt up around her waist. Then, I smile and my heart swells.
“You remembered,” I whisper tenderly to her.
“Of course, Dom,” she whispers back in the same tone.
Her bare ass is waiting for me, just as I instructed. It’s Tuesday and she’s not wearing any panties. She never ceases to amaze me. I rub one perfect, round cheek adoringly and her body relaxes against mine. Moving to the other side, I make sure to give it just as much attention. The paddle I’ve chosen is actually used more for pleasure than punishment, but it’s a step in the trust direction.
It’s black with leather on one side and soft, faux rabbit fur on the other. Turning it so that the soft, furry part will strike her smooth skin, I begin talking to her soothingly. “My Angel, this may sting for a second. I want to know how you feel, what you’re thinking, and if you like it.”
“Yes, Dom,” she says submissively.
Lifting the paddle up in the air, I swing it down and the fur smacks against her skin, muffling the sound and the sting. Using my hand, I rub the spot I just spanked, and then continue this several more times. In between each time, as I rub her skin, I give her positive reassurances about how beautiful she is to me, how I love seeing her in this position, and how pleased I am with her. She hums softly with each strike and denies feeling too much discomfort.
After ten licks, I rub her reddened skin for the last time and help her up from her prone position. Pulling her down to sit in my lap, I wrap my arms around her, nuzzle her neck, and ask her how she’s feeling. Her reaction is very important to me and to our relationship. She needs to feel comforted, protected, and cherished at all times. With this being our first step into the world I’m accustomed to, I need to know that she can handle it. Sometimes, I’m not so sure.
“I feel good, Dom. I feel relaxed and excited at the same time. For the first time in a really long time, I only had one thing on my mind. I just focused on feeling you the whole time. It’s so different,” her voice trails off, and her wistful tone tells me she’s making comparisons. Good or bad, this scene has evoked memories of the other guy, the one who betrayed her trust and made her afraid.
There’s a story there, and I know it’s one I’m not going to like knowing all the details, but the only way I can help her overcome all this shit someone has put in her head is to get to the bottom of it. Tonight may be a bit rough on both of us, but it’ll be better in the long run. For now, she’s had enough, even though the “punishment” was anything but punishment. She trusted me, she didn’t argue, and she didn’t ask me to stop. That’s progress enough for now.
Capturing her mouth with mine, I take my time in making love to her mouth. Soft kisses, running my tongue lightly over her lips, pulling her lower lip into my mouth—all of my slow movements and lavishing attention on her are to demonstrate to her that she is adored. Her soft moaning sigh tells me she feels it, she understands my message, and she’s in this with me. If we don’t quit this now, we will never leave this room today.
Pulling back, she groans in disapproval and I can’t help but smile at her. She’s a beautiful woman but she can just be so cute at times. I playfully chide her, “Don’t groan at me like that. I’ll turn you back over my knee. Oh wait—that’ll probably make you do it more, won’t it?”
She laughs and cuts her eyes seductively at me. “I don’t know, Dom. Try it and see,” she replies with a purr. Her smile is beaming, completely splitting her face in two, and her eyes are twinkling with playfulness. It almost makes me want to stay here, but she said she’s never been to San Diego before and I want to take her out and show her everything.
“Nice try, Sophia,” I narrow my eyes at her in mock warning. She knows the difference between the serious Dom and the teasing Dom, so I don’t worry that she will misunderstand my meaning. “As much as I would love to stay in this cottage and have my way with you in every room and on every surface possible,” I say while wiggling my eyebrows at her, “I really should take you out and show you around San Diego. What would you like to do first?”
“Is there somewhere we can snorkel?” she asks excitedly.
“Yes, I know just the place to take you—La Jolla. We can do a snorkel tour and swim with the leopard sharks,” I say as we stand and I reach for my phone.
“Seriously?”
“Yeah, let me find their number,” I reply distractedly as I look for the tour company.
Sophia starts jumping around in excitement like a little girl. I stop and stare at her for a minute but it doesn’t faze her. She’s far too excited as she begins rushing around the room to change and pack a beach bag for us. I chuckle, shake my head, and walk into the main room to make our reservations. Minutes later, I turn around to find her standing in the doorway, the beach bag in one hand and my swimming trunks in the other.
“In a hurry, are we?” I smirk at her.
“We don’t want to be late, Dom. No matter what time it starts,” she replies with a serious look. She’s not kidding and this makes me laugh harder, which earns me a semi-dirty look.
Actually, I think I just hurt her feelings.
“I’m sorry, baby. You’re just so cute and funny. I can’t help but laugh sometimes,” I explain, still grinning but refraining from laughing out loud again.
“Humph,” she replies and looks anywhere but at me.
She remains in the doorway as I walk toward her. I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her to me, but her arms still hang limp at her side. She’s petulantly refusing to wrap her arms around me in return. Trying to soften her up, I kiss her softly on her beautiful lips, her cute little button nose, and then on the forehead.
Still nothing.
“I’m sorry, Sophia. I would never make fun of you out of meanness. Forgive me?”
She takes a de
ep breath and exhales loudly, relaying her inner war to either skewer me or forgive me. Her arms slowly rise to wrap around me, and when she finally makes eye contact with me, I see the glistening of the unshed tears that she’s fought back. I don’t understand her severe reaction to such a minor situation, but I have to consider that this is a reaction to something that runs deeper than what I see at the surface.
“I have to forgive you. You’re my Dom. It would be disrespectful for me not to,” she replies sullenly.
“Baby, I’m sorry, okay? Really, I wasn’t making fun of you. You are one of a kind. I’ve never been with anyone like you before. I would never hurt you on purpose,” I promise her and myself.
“Do you mean that, Dom?” she asks, searching my eyes with a crestfallen look on her face.
What the hell is going on?
“I always mean what I say, Sophia, and I say what I mean. I won’t lie to you and I expect the same from you. You are special—everything about you is different.”
“Alright,” she replies softly, “I forgive you.”
Pulling her closer, I just hold her for several minutes. I really want to get to the bottom of this, but we need to go because traffic in La Jolla can be very congested. I don’t want to take any chance that would make us miss this tour. She’s far too excited about it and there’s no way we’re not going now.
A thought suddenly hits me and makes me feel even more like shit. She’s never asked me for anything. In fact, she’s been hesitant to take anything from me since the day she started working for me. This one thing that I’m giving her is probably the first thing she’s let me do for her without some level of hesitation.
Lowering my arms to rest below her ass, I lift her from the floor and she instinctively wraps her legs around my waist. She lays her head on my shoulder and tightens her arms around my neck. Carrying her, I take a seat on the barstool and tenderly talk to her.
“Sophia, My Angel, why do I get the feeling you don’t really forgive me?”
She sniffles and I feel like a total asshole. She speaks slowly and her voice is sincere, but strained, as she tries to hide the tears from me. “I do forgive you, Dom.”
“What’s wrong then, baby?”
She hesitates before answering, but I can feel the wheels turning in her mind. She’s trying to formulate her answer so I will give her a minute without adding the pressure of reminding her it’s also disrespectful to make me wait. Doms, by nature, are demanding and expect things to be a specific way. That’s not to say we aren’t also lenient when needed and flexible when the situation calls for it. This is one of those times.
“What you said, Dom. I believe you, but that is just hard for me to believe,” she finally answers. I must admit that I am completely baffled.
“What do you mean, love? I don’t understand. Explain it to me.”
“When you said I’m special, one of a kind, and you’ve never had anyone like me before. No one has ever told me that I’m special,” she whispers so softly it’s hard to hear her. But I know what I heard, and again I have to control my voice so that she doesn’t think I’m upset with her.
“You are very special, Sophia. You’re beautiful, smart, and loving. You make me want to protect and care for you. No one has even come close to that in almost a year and a half, Sophia. So, see, you are My Angel.”
She squeezes me tighter with both her arms and her legs, as if she can’t get close enough to me. Her body shakes as she clutches the back of my shirt in her fists. She’s holding back the sobs, and for the life of me, I still don’t know exactly what all of this is about. I do know she’s in no shape to talk right now without getting further upset.
“Sophia, sweetheart,” I say as I gently stroke her back, “let’s agree to talk about all of this –tonight—after you’ve calmed down and had a relaxing day. I want to know everything about you, but I don’t think now is the best time for you.”
Slowly, she releases her grasp on me and puts a little breathing room between us. After quickly wiping the tears from her face, she nods and agrees to talk later tonight. “I’m going to wash my face while you change into your swimming suit, Dom,” she says as she gets up from my lap. “If that’s okay,” she quickly adds.
“Of course, baby. Go ahead,” I reply thoughtfully.
This snorkeling trip is just what the doctor ordered. Or, in this case, just what the Dom ordered. Sophia is quiet on the ride over to La Jolla Cove, but she is also much more affectionate. Siting in the backseat on the way to the office this morning, she sat on her side of the car and had her seatbelt on. Now, she’s as close to me as she can get without actually being in my lap. Both of her hands are clasped around one of mine, almost as if she’s afraid I will get away from her and she’s holding on with everything she has.
When I pull my hand free of hers, sadness overcomes her face until she realizes that I’m putting my arm around her to draw her into my side. She willingly comes to me, wraps her arms around my waist, and lays her head in the crook of my shoulder. She has the happiest and most peaceful look about her—just the way she looked on the beach when I snapped the pictures of her.
After listening to all the safety instructions, we finally enter the water. Sophia comes alive again while looking at all the fish, leopard sharks, stingrays, and sea lions. For me, it is equally exciting to see Sophia in a skin-tight wetsuit. It’s actually giving me some good ideas for scenes we can play out when we’ve worked up to that in our relationship. The thing about wetsuits is they seem to enhance all body imperfections. In Sophia’s case, she looks like she was airbrushed into it and it only accentuates her beauty. In my case, it does very little to hide the most obvious bulge I get from looking at her.
Good thing the Pacific Ocean is so damn cold.
After the tour concludes, we are able to keep the wetsuits for a while longer to just enjoy the water on our own. Every few minutes, she thanks me again for bringing her snorkeling. After several hours, my rumbling stomach reminds me we haven’t eaten since breakfast and I finally convince Sophia it’s time to turn our gear back in and head back to dry land. She has been more animated and talkative than I have ever seen her as she describes everything she saw and how incredible it was for her.
We take a short walk to a local restaurant and ask to be seated in one of their sidewalk café seats, since we’re not really presentable for a more expensive restaurant at the moment. Sophia is still smiling and glowing with happiness and I’m proud to be the man who gave her that look. Pulling her hand to my mouth, I kiss each knuckle, then turn her hand over and kiss her palm.
“What was that for, Dom?” she asks innocently.
“For being you,” I answer truthfully. I have no other reason. The slight pink tinge of embarrassment creeps up her neck and into her cheeks again. “How can you still be embarrassed in front of me?”
She shrugs, as if her answer means nothing, and says, “I’m not used to getting compliments. You always give them and it embarrasses me.”
“Well, I will just have to keep complimenting you until you get used to them. Don’t you think?”
The waitress arrives with our food, saving Sophia from actually answering that question. My plan is already devised in my mind. It’s time to fully initiate Sophia into my world.
Chapter Thirteen
As I suspected, Rich Daltry was just intentionally wasting our time and jerking us around. He had every intention of signing the contract after Sophia backed him into a corner. Instead of just telling us before we left his office, he waited until we left to sign and fax the contract back to my office. After our snorkeling adventure and a late lunch, Sophia wanted to walk and window-shop. While we were strolling down the sidewalk, Dana called to tell me our legal department had approved the contract.
“Looks like we have some time open for a couple of days, Sophia. There’s somewhere I want to take you,” I intentionally leave the pertinent information out.
“Wherever you want to go is fine with m
e, Dom,” she squeezes my hand as she answers.
An hour later, we’ve showered, dressed, packed, and the private jet is being readied. Sophia still hasn’t asked me where we’re going and I’m sensing that she trusts me a little more. My internal smile finds its way to my face and she catches me grinning for no apparent reason.
“What are you smiling about, Dom?” her tone has a teasing admonition in it.
“I was just thinking about you and how you must trust me now,” I reply bluntly to gauge her reaction.
“I’m learning to trust you. I do for the most part. I guess I’m just still waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
“This is me, Sophia—I’m an open book. I’m not hiding from you.”
“I haven’t seen you get really mad yet, Dom. I don’t know how you’ll react when that happens,” her eyes are wide and her voice has a twinge of apprehension in it.
“It doesn’t matter how mad I get, Sophia. I would never raise my hand to you and hurt you. That is not the kind of man I am,” I assure her, although I know my words mean little in this case. If I reassure her and show her, she will eventually learn to take me at my word.
“Why are you being so patient with me?”
“I’ve already told you. I am your Dom. I know what you need, even before you do.”
Back on the private jet, Tucker takes his place in the cockpit with the pilot, Steve, while Sophia and I take our seats. Susan is busy making the final preparations before our flight but takes a moment to bring us a drink. Sophia sips on hers and keeps glancing at me every few seconds. It’s killing her to not know where we’re going, but I have a feeling that knowing would make her even more nervous.
Taking her hand in mine, I simply state, “Calm, My Angel. You’re with me, you’re mine, and I take care of what’s mine. Remember?” This tactic works and she obediently complies with my order.
Her Dom (Dominic Powers #1) Page 11