"Ow! Max, please stop, it hurts!" He could hear in the escalating pitch of her voice that the sting was beginning to spread despite her thick clothing. She continued to struggle against him, even though his legs had locked hers under him. Ideally, he'd have wanted to lower those pants and apply his hand directly to her bare bottom, but having kissed her that day, he didn't want to cross too many boundaries too soon. He had enough time over the next couple of weeks to encourage her to be comfortable with him physically.
"Of course it hurts, Elise. Just as your feet have been hurting all day. You should count yourself lucky that, as this is your first spanking, I'm not going to swat you enough so that the smarting lasts as long as the sting in your heels!"
In his mind, he calculated how many swats he'd given her, and decided that another ten should suffice this time. She wasn't sobbing, although she was clearly feeling the heat spread, but he hadn't expected her to. He wanted this lesson to be a sharp reminder of the need for her to abide by what he said, rather than an outright punishment.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Quickly, he brought his hand down for the remainder of the spanks, taking care to ensure they were spread evenly over her bottom. When he finished, hearing her sharp intakes of breath, he turned her over so that she was back in his arms, with her head in the crook of his neck.
She tried to jerk away from him, indignation glowing in her eyes. "I didn't deserve that, Max, I really didn't!"
He gently stroked her shoulders with one hand. Interesting that she wasn't shocked at the idea of a man who spanked, or even that she might be on the receiving end of it in principle, although maybe that was because of what she knew of her sisters' relationships. Rather, she objected because she didn't think it was deserved!
"Really?" He traced a finger down her jaw. "So, you don't think that failing to tell me you were injured is a big deal? That risking infection on day one of a two week stay in the Arctic is 'looking after yourself'?"
Her cheeks developed the same red colouring that he sincerely hoped was also gracing her bottom.
"Well, no..." she admitted, "but I explained why, and I said I was sorry."
"And in some situations that might be fine. But not out here. Out here, the Arctic doesn't give second chances, or listen to explanations or justifications. It's black or white. Do you see? If we'd had much further to go today, if those sores had become infected straight away, you could quickly have developed a fever and I wouldn't even have known the cause to be able to help you."
She was silent, processing his words. Slowly, she nodded, still saying nothing, but her eyes expressed her regret. As he saw understanding in her eyes, he felt some of the tension fall away from his own shoulders.
"Will you stay here in my arms for a few more minutes?" he asked softly. "Let me comfort you and take care of you. We'll talk about this more later, but I want to make sure you're okay right now."
Although she still said nothing, he felt her relax into his arms and he smiled.
Chapter Three
Silently, crouching and trying to blend into the landscape as best they could, they watched as a single, lone Arctic wolf padded along the still snowy path, sniffing as it went, in its pursuit of food. Even from the distance of their hiding place, the beauty of the animal was unmistakable, from its white luscious fur to its penetrating dark brown eyes.
The shutter on Elise's camera snapped again and again as, through the lens, she tracked the progress of the solitary creature, lost in her own world with her camera and the wolf, yet knowing that Max was only inches away from her and ready to offer protection as needed.
Suddenly, the wolf paused, tension rippling through its fur. Max placed a warning hand on Elise's shoulder, silently ensuring that she knew to remain absolutely still, even though he knew that Elise recognised the signs as well as he did. The wolf hadn't sensed its human company, which, with the power of Elise's camera, was still at a safe distance. Instead, it had sensed a different sort of prey and was readying itself to strike.
Like lightning, the wolf leapt from its position into the gathering of trees nearby and they heard the snarls and cries of its attack. Through the lens, maximising the magnification, Elise could see that the wolf had found a stray caribou that had left the safety of its pack. Elise knew the caribou didn't stand a chance against the wolf. The wolf had the caribou cornered against the trees. Contrary to popular belief, the wolf wasn't one of the fastest creatures and didn't rely on speed to capture its prey. Instead, it relied on stealth and stamina, placing itself between its prey and the only escape route, and prepared to wait for as long as it took.
Elise took no pleasure in watching a kill such as this, but she'd witnessed enough of it in her career to accept that it was part of the cycle of nature. Although her camera could capture every detail, she took care later to choose only those photographs that showed the beauty of the creatures, with the kill being a necessary adjunct to survival in the natural world, rather than publishing any gratuitous shots designed to shock.
It didn't take long. The wolf was known for feasting as quickly as possible and gulping its food source down in the shortest time. Although they'd been watching the wolf for hours, within minutes it was all over and Elise knew she'd taken more than enough photos to provide the basis for at least one of her articles.
As the wolf strolled away, its hunger satisfied, Elise turned to Max, her face flushed and excited. "Did you see?" she asked, wanting to share the moment with him.
Max grinned down at her, whilst keeping one eye carefully on the retreating wolf, wanting to ensure that it didn't suddenly change its course and advance towards their hiding place. "Sure did," he said. "Do you think you got enough shots to use for one of the pieces?"
"Definitely! I know it took ages," she added, "but with the shots of the wolf beginning to scent out the caribou, right through to his retreat, I should easily have enough for the basis of one piece."
As she clipped the protective cap over her camera's lens, Elise relaxed and rolled her shoulders back and forth to ease the aches that had formed after the morning's exertions. They'd spent a couple of hours trekking off the beaten path to locate signs of wolf activity and another couple of hours huddled in their safe hiding spot, watching and waiting with her camera poised. Even under normal circumstances, Elise knew she would be sore from the physical activity, but today it was worse as her shoulders and back were storing pent up tension following the previous night. After the spanking, although she'd known he had wanted to talk things through with her, she'd fallen asleep in his arms and woken in the morning to find that he'd made up her bed for her and tucked her in snugly under the covers so that she was warm and safe. Although he'd broached the subject again over breakfast, she'd avoided the topic and changed the subject swiftly. It wasn't that she was particularly embarrassed or even self-conscious. It was more that she needed some time and space to get her own mind more settled and at ease, which she'd tried to do during their trek that morning.
"Here," Max reached out and placed his hands on her shoulders, slowly but steadily working his fingers into the knotted muscles. "Wow," he commented, "those are some real knots. I've got some lotion back at the cabin that we can rub into you tonight to help."
Gratefully, she smiled up at him as her body relaxed more under his probing fingers. "Mmm... sounds perfect." She gasped as he found another clenched knot deep under her right shoulder blade and increased the pressure to manipulate the tight muscles and ease the tension. "You're pretty good at this..."
He chuckled softly. "Glad I can help. But tell me," he added, his voice suddenly distinctly more serious, "how much of this tension is the physical result of the last few hours, and how much is because of last night?"
Quickly, she turned her head to look over her shoulder and found him looking down at her tenderly, his eyes gentle but concerned.
"I know you didn't want to talk about it this morning, and I tried to give you some mental space," he continued, as
he massaged her shoulders, "but I don't want things to be awkward between us, or for you to have concerns about being around me. We should talk it through."
"But it's not awkward! At least, I didn't think it was..." she trailed off.
"I didn't think it was either, but I figured that might only be my perspective. Unless you talk to me about how you're feeling, I can't be sure that you're not upset or angry with me." He used his grip on her shoulders to turn her around to face him and she saw the worry on his face. She reached out to place her hand on his jaw, wanting to reassure him with physical touch.
"I'm not angry or upset. Well, I suppose I was upset a bit last night, but not with you. I was upset with myself more than anything else. I should have known better. I've been looking after myself for so long, I know that it's foolish to take chances like that."
As he still looked sceptical, despite her reassuring words, she tugged at his arm. "Okay, let's talk. Why don't we start to head back to the main track though? Despite the bandages, I don't want to push my luck with these boots. So if you don't mind," she added dryly, "it might be better if we have a slow walk back to the cabin."
"I was going to take a look at your feet before we set off again anyway. But," he warned, "don't think that you can change the subject again. That was a one time only reprieve, okay?"
Smiling, she rolled her eyes up at him. "Yes, boss!" She gave him a mock salute. Elise perched on a rock behind them, so Max could check the state of her heels for himself.
* * *
At leisure, they made their way over the rocky ground and he helped steady her over the worst of the slippery boulders where the warmer temperatures had turned snow to slush but where there was still the danger of ice. Grateful for his help, Elise took Max's hand as she tentatively made her way over the rugged terrain.
As they approached the main track that would eventually lead them back to the cabin, Elise took a deep breath, knowing that her temporary reprieve was over now that they didn't need to concentrate quite so much on steadying themselves over uneven ground. Max had been content to let them make their way in comfortable silence, but now she knew that he would expect her to talk to him.
"You know," she said, breaking the silence but still keeping hold of his hand even though they were now on the relatively even ground of the main track, "it really wasn't that I was avoiding talking to you completely. It's just that I wanted," she paused, "or maybe needed, to get my head together."
He nodded and squeezed her hand as they walked in the bright late afternoon sunshine, grateful for once that June in the Arctic meant near continuous sunshine even though the temperatures remained cold and inhospitable.
"I can understand that, I really can. If you haven't been spanked before, or at least not as an adult, then I can see how you'd need some space mentally and emotionally. But," he continued, looking down at her as they walked hand in hand, "at the same time, it's much better to talk quickly. I know it's just early days and we haven't known each other long. I was worried that the longer we didn't talk, the less you would want to talk..."
He paused when she laughed, though as he looked at her, he saw that her expression was rather bittersweet.
"Elise?" he asked, clearly confused at her reaction.
She fell silent and, pausing their walk, turned to him. "I'm sorry. I know it's not funny. It's just that...well, it's not the fact you spanked me that had me worried. Weirdly, it's the fact that I wasn't worried about it that scared me."
She saw his brow crease in confusion and went on. "You know how my sisters' relationships work. Although I've never had a relationship with that dynamic, I suppose that because of them and seeing how happy they are in spite of, or maybe because of, that dynamic, I don't worry that it's abnormal or makes me less independent. Trust me," she added, "I saw all my sisters go through huge amounts of self doubt in the early days of their relationships as they struggled to accept that having that dynamic brought them happiness. Seeing them work their way through it emotionally and intellectually... well, I suppose it meant that I worked my way through it, at least in theory, with them."
Max took her hand and led her over to a small clearing where a couple of logs had been strategically placed by the park rangers to be available as seats. He sat down close to her and wrapped one strong arm round her back, tucking her closely into his side.
"Now you've got me really confused. I still want us to talk about last night." Seeing her about to protest, he swiftly placed one finger to her lips. "Let me finish, sweetheart. I heard what you said and, believe me, I'm more relieved than you can imagine, but at the same time there's a big difference between getting comfortable with someone else's relationship and then experiencing it for yourself. But we can get to that later. I want to know why, if you weren't upset at me spanking you, if you accepted that, why you felt you needed the distance this morning?" His voice was gentle, and the arm he had around her held her close.
Sighing, Elise leaned closer into his body, knowing she was going to confide in him the secrets she hadn't even told her sisters, drawing on the strength his embrace offered.
"It was more what the spanking represented..." her voice trailed off and she rested her head on his shoulder, not quite wanting to meet his knowing gaze. She shifted, slightly uncomfortable that she was exposing her emotions and feelings so quickly to this man. "I guess... well... from the little I know about it, from what my sisters have said, it... that is, the spanking... well, it's always seemed to me to be such an intimate act, something that's private and happens between two people who trust each other."
She peeked up at him, but his expression was unreadable and he gently squeezed her hand, knowing there was more to come and encouraging her to carry on.
"Well, a few months ago I made a mistake. I trusted a man I shouldn't have trusted. It was foolish, and I told myself that I wouldn't make such a bad choice again, that I'd think things through properly before giving that kind of trust to a man again. When you spanked me, although it was painful, I trusted you not to hurt me, and that scared me. I was, maybe still am, worried that I'm trusting too quickly again. The fact that I just seemed to accept you spanking me, even though we barely know each other, scared me. I mean, we've kissed and, although it's been such a short time for us, I was hoping we'd use our time out here to get to know each other properly. But the spanking just sent my brain into overdrive a bit and I needed time this morning to get myself back on track and appreciate that you and this," – she swept her arm around, indicating the beautiful setting around them – "are so very different from the bad situation I found myself in before."
She looked up at him properly this time, blinking back tears from her eyes. With a groan, he lifted her so that she was fully in his arms and let her bury her head into his neck and shoulder as he kissed her head through the thick wool of her protective hat.
"Oh, Elise, sweetheart, you should have told me earlier." He rocked her soothingly. "And I should have guessed..."
"There's no way you could have guessed," she protested, not wanting him to take the blame for her own worries.
"Really?" He pulled back so he could look down at her and raised an eyebrow at her protests. "Just because I'm the one doing the spanking doesn't mean I can't understand how much trust it takes to be on the receiving end and accept that; and trusting someone that much... someone you haven't known so long... that's a pretty big ask on my part. Although," he added with a smile, "I can't deny it... I'm glad that despite your worries there's something in you that does trust me enough to accept that so quickly. I haven't exactly hidden just how much I like you, Elise, and how attracted I am to you. I promise you though, my intentions are honourable."
She smiled up him, tightening her arms around his neck. "It worries me a bit though, Max."
"Shh... It's okay. I promise you I would never hurt you. You know I'll spank you to keep you safe, but I would never take advantage of the trust you give me. Tell me though, what happened with this guy that's m
ade you so reluctant to trust again?"
She couldn't stop the shiver that ran down her spine, and a frown crossed Max's face as he recognised the flicker of fear that she couldn't conceal. "Elise?" he asked, instinctively sensing that there was more to the story than she'd initially told him.
Elise stared down at the ground, fidgeting with the zipper of her jacket as she stalled.
"Elise..." he said warningly.
She drew in another deep breath. "His name was David," she started, hesitantly. "I met him in Kenya. He was working for one of the Non-Government Organisations out there. I was flying back and forth so much, it was nice to have company out there when I wasn't working." She paused, looking away from Max as she bared her soul. "I thought he was a decent guy. At first he reminded me of my brothers-in-law. He seemed to have the same confidence, a kind of old-fashioned guy, if you know what I mean? He'd open doors, carry bags and do all of that stuff that I used to laugh at but it was actually quite nice to have someone want to do those things."
She glanced up at Max, who nodded at her words. "It never ceases to amaze me how few men will do those things anymore. Don't even think about trying to do those things for yourself while you're with me," he added. "It'll just make me cross."
"I think a lot of guys are worried women will get angry with them for offering to help," she commented. "I've seen it happen more times than you'd think."
"Probably. But carry on; so what happened?"
"Well, to begin with, it was all fine. The usual story, he was charming and charismatic and seemed genuinely interested in what I was doing out in Kenya. But then, pretty quickly it began to go wrong. He got controlling, wanting to know exactly where I was and whom I was with. At first I didn't think anything was weird about that, that he was just concerned in the same way Alex, Tom and Luke get worried about my sisters. But it soon became apparent that he didn't just want to know where I was, instead he wanted to stop me going anywhere or seeing anyone. He wanted me to stay in his rented house rather than finish the project, so that I would be there each day when he came home. When I refused, he got angry." She stopped talking and stared into the distance, remembering that last, horrific night with David.
Elise's Story: A Bentley Sisters Novel Page 5