“You need not worry about repayment, Emilia. I truly wanted to spare you and with this bargain, I will be spared the incessant harping and manipulations of the local mamas. I’m quite satisfied with our arrangement.”
She nodded. “I will need direction on how to act. I’ve never—”
“As an innocent, I didn’t expect you to. I will provide that; all you need to do is obey me.”
“I will try my best to do so, sir. Although as with the book, I tend to leap before I look.”
A smile spread across his fine-looking face as he stood up. “Your honesty is refreshing. Do you have any other questions?”
“Yes, since I have promised not to run off, might I go outside?”
He gazed at her thoughtfully for a moment, before nodding. “Feel free to explore, but stay within sight of the main house. I’d hate for you to get lost or absconded with for a second time.”
She felt the blood drain from her face as she thought of being taken and going through that ordeal once again. “I’ll keep close. Thank you, sir.”
He inclined his head and stood, offering his hand to assist her up as well. “Now then, we have one other matter to address before we say goodnight, Emilia. Go to the end of my bed and bend over.”
Chapter Four
Emilia’s eyes grew wide. Hoping she had misheard him, she asked, “You still mean to…? But, you’ve been so kind.”
“I am kind, but I’m also not the type of man who would let such actions go unmet. I told you disobedience would result in swift but fair punishment.”
Her mouth opened to respond, but when his brows drew together in a frown, she thought better and snapped it shut. She glanced at the large canopied bed with its rich curtains and fine linens. It wasn’t hard to imagine lying face down over the end with her skirt raised high on her back, leaving her bottom bared and quivering as she awaited the first swat. Her head angled downward and after taking in the size of his hands, she trembled slightly. They were big, strong, and sturdy looking, with long tapered fingers and rounded nails. One broad palm would cover most of her bottom in a single smack, which was sure to smart greatly.
“Was Alice lax in discussing the rules of the house?” he inquired levelly. “Did she fail to tell you my rooms and belongings were off limits?”
Of course, she hadn’t and she suspected Corbet was sure of that too. With a rising sense of dread, she considered blaming Alice. That wouldn’t be right, though, even if she had been cold to her. Still, she hesitated.
“Don’t compound your mistake with a lie, Emilia,” he warned. “You are obviously educated. If Alice was remiss, which you’ll agree she was not, you still have the intelligence to know right and wrong, and decide for yourself. You erred in your decision and now must face the consequences, which I decide. In this case, it will be a spanking.”
At the sound of his stern warning, her head came up and she met his equally forbidding gaze. She tried bargaining. “I borrowed it, never meaning to keep it, only to read it and return it. I owned up to my misdeed, doesn’t that count for something?”
“Borrow or steal, without permission, it is all the same. I think it’s safe to say you knew very well when you entered my study that you should not be there, much less help yourself to my bookshelves without my leave to do so. Saying you did not would be a lie. And lies will add more strokes, so I suggest you do as you were told and bend over the bed, before you earn yourself more.”
His words had taken on an authoritative edge and displeasure had hardened his handsome features. She had been in the wrong and by the looks of his unyielding expression, further protest would not work in her favor. Resigned to her fate, she moved reluctantly toward the bed, her heart filled with trepidation.
“Wait.” His quiet order halted her mid-stride. She turned, hopeful. His posture appeared stiff, as though he was feeling uncomfortable about this as well. As he approached, she prayed he would forgive her and send her on her way. His next words wiped away all expectation of getting off lightly, as did the firm grasp he took on her arm. “We’ll go to my study for your spanking. Maybe being back at the scene of your crime will help reinforce the lesson.”
Taking up a lantern, he escorted her through the long hall and down the stairs as she walked beside him on sluggish feet. Once in his study, he released her to close the door firmly and light another lamp. He then walked to one of the bookshelves and slid the stolen item into the empty space where it belonged. That simple act caused a lump to form in her throat. When he turned back, his hands fell to his belt.
Expecting his hand, the promise of leather on her tender hind parts made the nagging guilt over her petty crime transform into serious regret and her stomach twisted in knots. She’d gotten the strap from her father before. This was entirely different. Never before did she have to contend with thoughts of twinkling brown eyes and rich wavy hair, or the allure of sensual lips surrounded by a scruff of dark beard. And never had a broad chest and strong muscular arms so distracted her that she tingled in places that were improper to touch to make the ache go away. She also prayed fervently that he would not lift her dress, for if he did, he would surely notice the wetness between her thighs, something as sinful to an unmarried woman as it was tempting.
“Master, please,” she demurred as he took her arm, escorting her to his desk. “Tell my father when I get home and let him punish me. Please, don’t spank me.”
To her surprise, he chuckled. “And wait months, in hopes I forget? Not a chance, little one. You are creative though, I’ll give you that. Over the desk with you now.” His hand was firm in the middle of her back as he prompted her to take the desired position.
She placed her hands flat on the desk before sliding forward and bracing herself on her elbows.
“All the way flat,” he bade, applying a bit of pressure. “Until your cheek is upon the wood.”
Once she was in position, his hand slid down her back and over the thick folds of her skirt at her hips. She closed her eyes, squinching them tightly as she held her breath. In a moment, he would know. What would she say if he asked why she was damp between her thighs? She would rather die than try to explain her reaction, for in truth, she couldn’t understand it herself. She barely knew him, and until tonight, had thought he would use her intimately as his slave. Now, although he vowed to bring her home still a maiden, he was taking it upon himself to discipline her as though she belonged to him. It made little sense, as did the aching heat between her thighs that spiraled into an intense need deep in her core.
“Please, don’t let him notice.” Her lips moved soundlessly with her plea. As his hand lifted the hem of her dress, a tremor coursed through her body.
“You’re shaking like a leaf.” Abruptly, he dropped the material and moved to where she could see him. “Have you never received a spanking before?”
“I have, sir, from my father. He had that right.” She stiffened, surprised when that last bit slipped out.
“So that’s what this fuss is about. I believe our agreement included you as part of my household and under my care? Isn’t that so?”
“Uh…” She’d forgotten about that part.
“Your father was in charge of his household and had the authority to reprimand those in his care, correct?” He didn’t wait for an answer, because he knew it was true. “As I do in mine. Be honest with me, Emilia. You knew what you did was wrong. Did you think you wouldn’t be punished, if you were caught?” He crossed his arms, cocking his head to the side while waiting for her response, his face a mixture of amusement and some small bit of annoyance.
“I didn’t think I’d get caught.” She admitted that hard truth while averting her gaze, focusing on the grain of the wood on the desktop. She wasn’t going to escape his knowing; her body would betray her the moment he lifted the dress. Her only hope was that he wouldn’t make her explain it.
“And that’s the crux of the matter, isn’t it? When you misbehave in your father’s house, it is his right
to chastise you,” he went on to reiterate. “When you misbehave in mine, I claim that right. Don’t you agree?”
His hand sliding into the back of her hair made her flinch in surprise, though his movements were slow and gentle. His fingers fanned out as he tenderly pulled them through her loose curls. It didn’t help the problem with the achiness, in truth, making it much worse as a trickle of moisture began to creep down her inner thigh. It distracted her almost as much as the fingers that brushed her thick red locks off her face and to one side of her head.
When he spoke next, his tone was as soothing as his touch. “I asked you a question, Emilia.”
“Uh-huh,” she breathed out softly, her answer remiss for she had no idea in that moment what she had agreed to. He chuckled low and deep as his fingertips grazed the back of her neck, sending shivers down her spine. She bit her lip to stifle a whimper.
“You agreed I have the prerogative to discipline you when you misbehave,” he supplied for her benefit. “Do you also agree that what you did was wrong?”
“Yes.”
“Then you must accept that a punishment is deserved.”
He stroked the side of her cheek with the back of his fingers. His tender caress caused more wetness to pool between her nether lips. Giving in to the sensation, she meekly lowered her lashes.
In the same low voice, he droned on. “You are also going to behave and take your spanking like an obedient girl.”
Said with assertion, not posed as a question, she couldn’t have answered anyway, especially when the back of the dress whooshed up without warning, sending a rush of cool air over the warmth of her bare, damp skin. She gasped, heat instantly rushing to her face when his hand came to rest on the center of her bottom. Her estimation proving correct, it was large enough to cover most of both cheeks.
She could hear the scuff of his footsteps as he moved behind her. She tensed. Not given undergarments to wear beneath her dress, he could see all of her now, every wet wicked inch. Slowly, his fingers ran lightly over her already sensitized skin. Her muscles tightened in anticipation and she gripped the edge of the desk tighter.
“Are you ready, Emilia?”
“Yes, sir,” she squeaked.
In an instant, a loud crack sounded in the quiet room as his hand came down, colliding crisply with the full curve of one cheek. Another slap from his broad palm quickly followed, landing in like fashion on her other cheek.
“You’ll receive ten with my hand.” Low and determined, his voice was as even as his spanks. “And ten with my belt.”
Four more blows landed each with greater force, creating more heat than the last, and not only on her bottom. A burning ache coiled deep inside her, and the wetness of her arousal that had started as a slow trickle was now running freely down the inside of her thigh. Another four followed, harder still, the swats lower, causing her body to rock and her pelvis to bump against the desk. When he stopped, her body hummed, yearning for more.
Never had she been so aroused, or more embarrassed. She couldn’t imagine why she was reacting so wantonly to a spanking, and didn’t have time to figure it out when the clink of his belt buckle made her breath catch in her throat.
He pushed her dress up further, well above the small of her back, leaving no barrier between her skin and his leather. His hand returned, his fingers gliding over her tingling buttocks, then they moved lower, the tips grazing the soaked flesh of her inner thighs. Dear heaven above!
“You are very wet as the result of my hand, little one.”
Wholly mortified, she couldn’t pretend anymore that he didn’t know. A groan of shame slipped through her lips while her mind cried out for deliverance, by chance, to disappear in a puff of smoke or for the earth to open up and consume her whole. None of that happened. She remained as she was, bared in all her wet glory before the man whose uncompromising authority and masterful touch had made her that way.
“Hush now, for a woman to become aroused from a few swats on the behind isn’t as an uncommon as you might think. The strap won’t be as easy as my palm, however. Spread your legs a bit wider for me now.”
She didn’t, frozen in shock at his request, and having no idea why he would want her to do that. “But—” she choked out, biting back her protest as two hard swats of his hand fell sharply on each stinging cheek.
“I gave you an order, dove. If I must ask again, your count with the belt will be doubled.”
That got her moving. When she obeyed and had shifted her legs twice a hand’s breadth apart, his hand curling around the inside of her thigh spread them further.
“I’ll need you to stay in place for these next ten,” he murmured, as if the intimate caress hadn’t occurred. “A wide stance will help you do that and also keep your balance.”
His hand moved from her thigh, smoothed up over her buttocks, rubbing the hot skin he had previously spanked as he went. It felt glorious, but was gone too soon, swiftly replaced by the sharp bite and loud crack of his belt.
“Ah,” she yelped, her skin instantly on fire from the biting sting. Instinctively, she reached back to protect herself from the next lash.
He caught her wrist and moved her hand back up by her head. “If your hands get in my way, I’ll have no choice except to tie them.”
Emilia quickly moved it back into place, gripping the edge of the desk as before, except now she squeezed so tight her knuckles blanched white in anticipation of the next blow. It soon landed right below the last. She clenched her teeth, while the burning sensation seeped in deep.
“Not quite as pleasant as my hand, is it?” The leather snapped, catching the crease of one thigh.
“No, sir,” she replied shrilly, the high-pitched tone nearly piercing her ears.
“And it’s not meant to be, or it wouldn’t be an effective punishment.”
Droplets of moisture formed on her brow, her knees trembling as the belt struck twice more in lightning-quick succession. The blazing blast not only heated her skin, but sent a jolt shooting straight through to the tingling nub at the front of her mound. She shifted her hips a bit, attempting to bring it some ease as it pulsed insistently.
“Be still. I’d hate to miss my mark while you’re wriggling about.”
An image of the wide leather belt landing between her spread thighs jumped into her head. She bit back a groan. By the saints, she should be in tears with the biting force he was using; instead she found her body craved the next stroke of the lash. As the leather hit across the lower curve of both cheeks at once, then again, it applied pressure to the weeping flesh in between. No longer having the ability to suppress it, her low moan resonated throughout the room.
With the next, the eighth by her count, she heard a low masculine grunt behind her. His hand threaded in her hair, keeping her facing front before she could twist around and see what was wrong. The firm pull on her scalp sent waves of exhilaration rushing through her. She loved it, basking in the control he was exerting over her.
With the final two blows, an intensely erotic vision popped into her head, of Corbet’s taking her as she was now, his cock penetrating deep, relentlessly claiming her channel as he pulled her head back by the hair, her body bowed tight under his complete command as he took whatever he wanted from her. Unable to stop it, a guttural entreaty emerged from her lips.
“Master, please.”
But his belt clattered onto the desk—it was done. She should have been relieved, but instead, her body craved something more, vibrating with a sense of frustration she didn’t quite understand. Her mind, however, was in turmoil. Merciful heavens, what must he think of her now? Twisting her hips, her body reacting like that of a shameless whore when she should have been showing remorse for what she’d done. She couldn’t have been more ashamed of herself, or more confused.
Fighting back tears that had been threatening to overflow, she lay with her head on his desk, facing away from him. She needed to get herself under control. He was a decent man and expected her to act
like the well-mannered young lady she had been brought up to be. She should apologize and beg his forgiveness, promising to be on her best behavior, doing anything he asked from now on, but for the life of her, she didn’t know how she would face him.
From behind her, he said quietly, “Stand up.”
As she pushed to her feet, she wiped her wet face on her sleeve. The breath she took to calm herself hitched loudly, and was followed by a sob that rolled up and out of her chest.
“Sweetling,” he murmured as his hands turned her. Weeping pitifully, she buried her face in his shirt, surrendering to the comfort of the strong arms that held her tight. “Such a fuss,” he whispered against her hair as he stroked the length of it over her shoulders and down her back. After this went on awhile, he drew back, his hands cupping her cheeks and angling her face up to his.
“I’m so sorry,” she blurted out, full of true remorse. “I don’t know what came over me. I’ve never—”
“There’s no need to say any more now.” He wiped at her tears with his thumbs. “You are going to bed, and in the morning, when you are calm and rested, we’ll discuss it further.”
His hands moved over her, adjusting her gown, which she hadn’t realized until now was still caught up around her waist. That she had stood wailing in his embrace while half naked made her face burn as hot as her bottom. Once she was covered, he brushed wayward wisps of her hair from her face and the long skein of it back behind her shoulders.
“I trust that you are sorry, but remember when you find your bed, that this was punishment. You are not allowed to touch yourself tonight to find ease. Is that clear?”
Her response came out in a squeak. “I won’t, sir. I promise.” Then, so ashamed that he would think she would do such a thing, she buried her face right back in his shirt.
“There now, what’s this?” he asked, tipping his head down to see her face. “Ah, such innocence,” he murmured, low and with a slight rasp as though to himself. “After such a fiery response, I’d nearly forgotten.”
Innocence Enslaved Page 6