by Delta James
“No, Jean-Michel. I would have the girls that were of Bae Diogel know that if their heart is called to someone here, I would see them happily mated.”
JD disengaged himself from Megan. He approached Dylan. “Thank you. I will keep her safe and well loved.”
Nick laughed. “You should also see her well spanked. Don’t let her fool you, she did not exactly settle in without a fight, did you?” he said, grinning at her.
“Perhaps it was the wrong beta who was trying to tell me what to do,” she teased.
Skylar excused herself and went to find something with which to celebrate. As they left the study, Jean-Michel said, “Do not worry about the shift you were to take this evening, my friend. See to your mate’s well-being… and see her marked. It may make some of the alphas accept your pairing more easily.”
JD embraced his friend. “I have no words, Jean-Michel.”
“That’s because none are needed.” He leaned down and kissed Megan on the cheek. “Best you learn to mind your mate.”
Megan took his hands in hers and rubbed her cheek along them. “Yes, Jean-Michel. I won’t give you cause to regret this. Thank you.”
He smiled and watched them head to JD’s room. He turned back to his own, anticipating the night ahead. He began to suppress the knot that had formed. Normally it would be difficult for an alpha to fight both the need to mark his mate and to bury his knot deeply within her, but for now, the need to reassure Darby that she was his beloved and not just a vessel for his pleasure was his most pressing need.
He greeted his man outside the door to his suite and sent him to bed, assuring him that he would handle his feisty mate now that he had returned. Jean-Michel opened the door and immediately felt and smelled the ocean breeze through the open window and saw that the sheets had been knotted together to make a rope. He couldn’t decide whether to laugh or rage at her ingenuity.
He crossed the room quickly and looked out. She had not made it very far. She had the makeshift rope she was using gathered up around her, only letting it out as she needed to scale down the wall. Jean-Michel took hold of the other end and began to pull her back in, shouting to his man on the ground to guard the ground in case she jumped and tried to make a run for it.
Darby wailed “No!” as Jean-Michel began to reel her back in. Once he had her safely in the window and the window locked, he turned to her.
“Naughty mate. What did I tell you about trying to run from me?”
“I hate you and I will escape from your clutches.”
In spite of his annoyance with her attempt to leave him, he couldn’t help but laugh. “My clutches? You are a most entertaining mate, even when I’m not enjoying myself by making use of all you have to offer,” he said as he ran a finger down her body from the hollow of her throat to just above the apex of her thighs.
“Don’t do that,” she said and slapped at his hand as her nipples hardened in response.
The smile on his face told her that her response had not gone unnoticed.
“And now in addition to having to punish you for your foolishness with the window, it seems we will have to revisit you pushing or slapping my hands away when I choose to touch you. You, my mate, will find that even an aborted attempt to flee will result in a welted bottom for you.”
“No.”
“Yes. Take my shirt off and go stand in the corner.”
“No, Jean-Michel.”
“Did you think that I would not punish you for going out a window on a makeshift rope, which could have caused you grievous injury?”
“I didn’t really think about it.”
“Well, a good welting should ensure that you’ll think before acting foolishly in the future. I told you to get naked and go stand in the corner. I will not tell you again without you incurring additional punishment.” He pointed to the corner. “Go.”
Darby was finding it hard to reconcile the stern man before her with the man who had brought her so much pleasure earlier in the day. She walked forward and mimicked his gesture of running her finger down his body. She smiled seductively.
“Isn’t there something you’d rather be doing with me?” she said as she moved closer to him and offered her mouth to his.
He bent his head and kissed her deeply, enjoying both the taste of her and her response. She wrapped her arms around him and molded her body to his. His body responded as his already hard cock began to throb. He wanted nothing more than to sweep her up in his arms, take her to their bed, and make love to her for the remainder of the night. However, he knew that she needed him to be strong enough to correct her behavior regardless of how much he wanted her.
As their mouths parted, she was smiling. That was her undoing. He knew that she believed she could seduce her way out of a punishment. He would need to prove her wrong. He began to slowly unbutton her shirt. She purred and nuzzled his neck and brought her hands up so she could bring his mouth back to hers.
He slid her arms out of the sleeves of his shirt and removed it from her body. Once again, his beautiful mate was naked in his embrace. He ran his hands possessively over her buttocks. She winced slightly but rubbed herself along his groin. He growled low in his throat. She was a seductive minx.
He grabbed a handful of her blonde hair, tilting her head back. “I can’t wait to bed you again, mate, but let us first see to your welting.”
“Wh… What?”
He chuckled. “Does my mate think so little of me that she believes I would forego her need for correction to see to my own needs? Fear not, my beloved, I am no such man. Your need for me to prove my love and devotion by seeing to your punishment before seeking my own pleasure will not go unmet.”
He walked toward their bed. Once he sat down on its edge, he pulled her struggling body across his knee.
“No, Jean-Michel. You can’t do this to me.”
“I can and will.” He brought his hand down on her already sore bottom.
“You bastard!”
“Mate!” he corrected her. He continued to spank her—harder with each strike. She thrashed and kicked, trying to get away, but again could not get away from him. “I warned you earlier that if you tried to run from me, I would welt your backside for your trouble. I do not make idle threats.”
He spanked her with both care and strength. Her already sore bottom colored more deeply and swiftly than it had this afternoon. Heat radiated over her entire backside. Again and again he struck the fullest part of her cheeks. Her bottom bounced under his hand. The pain he was inflicting increased as he continued to spank her. She squirmed and struggled, trying to get away from him, but it did no good.
Darby realized that her fighting him was futile. She longed to be able to go to that dark place where nothing could touch her. She was beginning to understand that somehow, she was joined to Jean-Michel and that she might never be parted from him while she drew breath.
Jean-Michel could feel her surrender to his punishment. He stopped striking her bottom and allowed her to catch her breath as he rubbed her backside. She began to cry, silent tears of anguish. It was all he could do not to gather her in his arms and make love to her to assure her of his heart and her place within it.
“I hate you,” she said softly.
“No, mate, you do not. In time you will be able to admit as such, but for now I will take no offense at your words given in grief at what you think you have lost.”
“I have lost everything…”
“You have lost nothing, my beloved, and gained everything. The sooner you allow yourself to believe that and embrace your new future, the sooner our time on our bed will be spent in more pleasurable pursuits.”
Darby felt his hands leave her body and hated that she longed for them to remain. She heard him unbuckle his belt and the belt slide from its loops.
“No, Jean-Michel, please.”
She started to get up but was stopped when he put his one hand on her upper back, gently pushing her back down.
“No, mate. I promi
sed you a welting should you try to run again. You not only tried to run away, but you could have seriously injured yourself with your thwarted attempt to do so out the window. I cannot allow you to continue these foolish stunts of yours.”
“Jean-Michel, please don’t. He used to use a belt on me. He beat me so hard that I could barely move and it took my back weeks to heal.”
Jean-Michel growled in his throat. His mate might not want her former mate dead, but he did. He would see to it once he had Darby settled in New Orleans with him.
“You will never be beaten. Spanked, yes, when you misbehave and welted when it is deserved, but only on your pretty bottom. And you do have a lovely bottom. But you need to learn that when I tell you something, you can believe it. I understand you are afraid, but you need to learn to trust that while I may punish you for misbehavior, you will never be harmed again.”
“You bastard.”
He laughed enjoying that her spirit had returned. He far preferred the spitting wildcat over his knee. “Mate. You are going to learn to use my proper designation when referring to me. Either mate or alpha.” She began to try to wrestle away from him. He swatted her once more with his hand. “Settle down, Darby. I am going to welt you. But if you behave and accept your correction, it will only be five. Continue to fight, and I will give you a full ten.”
“I will never forgive you.”
“I am doing nothing that needs your forgiveness.”
“You’re going to deliberately give me welts.”
“Yes, for misbehaving after I specifically told you that I would should you choose to misbehave again. I do not want to have to keep you under lock and key, but I will do so until you show me that you have accepted that we are fated mates and will cease trying to flee. Do you want to accept the five strokes or do you need me to give you all ten?”
“I hate you.”
“You do not. Choose, Darby. If you don’t, I will choose for you. I will assume that you need the full ten to assure you of my devotion.”
“All right, you win. Just the five.”
“Good girl. See? That wasn’t so difficult. Such a pretty bottom, I hate to have to lay welts across it, but you need to learn before you injure yourself.”
Without any further warning, he brought his belt down across both of her butt cheeks. She screamed in fury as much as in pain. Jean-Michel did not wish to draw out her punishment and delivered the remaining four in rapid succession. Darby writhed as each strike wrapped across both of her butt cheeks and laid down a line of fiery agony. Darby was spent and crying when he’d finished. He gathered her up and brought her into his lap where she collapsed against him and allowed him to comfort her.
“I know, mate. I wish you had chosen to behave so that I did not have to do that to you. If there is a next time, I will not be as lenient. I should make you go stand in the corner and think about why choosing to behave is always a better idea than choosing to be naughty.”
He rocked her in his arms, cradled against him. He stroked her back and held her, murmuring words of comfort and love to her until her crying stopped.
“Feel better, mate?” he asked softly.
“I hate you.”
Instead of getting angry, he laughed out loud. “At some point, mate, I’m going to take offense to that and you’ll find yourself with a mouth full of soap to go with that sore bottom.”
He reached up and took her nipple between his thumb and forefinger.
“No,” she said, hating that her nipple was responding as was the rest of her body. She prayed that he would not put his hand between her legs. She was highly aroused and she was drenched.
Jean-Michel leaned her back and took her nipple into his mouth, sucking and nipping it lightly. He smiled as she moaned in pleasure. She began to struggle anew as he reached down between her thighs and stroked her clit, chuckling at the sharp intake of her breath. His finger continued down to her pussy and was pleased to find how wet she was.
He stood up with her in his arms and set her on her feet. Running his hand down the front of her body, he reached between them to play with her clit while suckling on her nipples. She moaned and fought halfheartedly to get away from him. He slid his other hand down her back to rest lightly on her derriere.
“Shit, Jean-Michel. Don’t start something you can’t finish.”
He laughed. “You’re standing close enough to me to know that I am more than able to finish what I’m starting. And you will always be fucked when I’ve finished punishing you.”
She shook her head. “There’s no way I can lie on my back or ride you.”
He kissed her and smiled. “You will only be allowed to ride me as a special treat. You do not need to get any silly notions about your place in our bed. It will most always be beneath me or in front of me. The latter of which shouldn’t prove too uncomfortable for you. Certainly less uncomfortable than I will be without easing my need for you.” He led her back to their bed. “On your knees, Darby.”
“Jean-Michel, no.”
“Darby, yes. You are my mate and you will not fight me on my giving us both the pleasure and release we need that resulted from your foolishness. I said on your knees.” He gave her a push toward the middle of the bed.
Darby crawled onto the bed on all fours. Jean-Michel got on the bed on his knees behind her and opened his fly. His now fully erect cock pointed right at her glistening pussy. He wasted no time in sinking balls deep into her warmth. As he made contact with her welted bottom she tried to move away. He grasped her hips and pulled her back.
“That hurts,” she gasped.
“I’m sure it does,” he soothed, “but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to have you or that I will not make you call my name in your pleasure.”
He began stroking her none too gently. He watched as she struggled between trying to move away from the contact he made with her welts when he surged forward and the pleasure she received as he did so. He moved within her and relished her response.
He stroked her hard and felt her pussy begin to contract around him. He groaned in response. Darby was incredibly responsive and he gloried in it. He could feel her begin to orgasm and stroked her harder. The strength of her climax caused her to crumple beneath him. It was only his grip on her pelvis and his cock buried deep within her that prevented her from totally collapsing. Without giving her any respite or chance to recover, he stroked her faster to bring her to another. He increased the frenzy of their coupling so that he could finish with her the second time she came calling his name. Then he withdrew from her and she fell onto her belly. Jean-Michel quickly stripped out of his clothes, sprawled on his back beside her, and pulled her to him.
He pushed her hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ears. He was surprised to see tears on her cheeks. He leaned over her and wiped them away. “What troubles you, beloved?”
“Don’t call me that.”
“But you are my beloved, and you will see in time that I am yours. Talk to me, Darby. I would have us share all things.”
“No,” she said as she lay on her side, turning away from him.
He snuggled up behind her, careful now not to press too tightly against her welts. He draped one arm around her middle and held her close as he nuzzled her neck. “In time, beloved, you will turn toward me when you are in distress instead of away. Until then, I will hold you close so that you know I am here.”
Chapter Seven
Jean-Michel held her close. Each time she tried to move away from his embrace, he pulled her back. The last time, he growled at her and simply said, “Enough.” He felt her relax and finally settle into a deep sleep. Once assured she was truly asleep, he allowed himself to nuzzle her before holding her close and sleeping himself.
He woke once to make love to her, rolling her gently onto her back and ensuring her sore bottom was cradled on a soft pillow. There hadn’t been a lot of foreplay as her body was more than ready to once again welcome him. He made sure she was aroused and ready a
nd then gently mounted her, thrusting deep and causing her to climax as he did.
His lovemaking, while still dominating, was neither frenzied nor controlling. It was perhaps the most devastating of all. She clung to him and orgasmed repeatedly. He whispered what she assumed were assurances of love and devotion. She couldn’t be sure because they were either in French, Cajun, or Creole… or some combination thereof. But they sounded sensual and hearing them increased her enjoyment.
As the sun came up, Darby awoke and realized that sometime during the night, Jean-Michel had rolled over on his back and tucked her in under his shoulder. One of his hands rested on the small of her back with his fingers just touching her ass. She started to pull away from him. His hand slipped down to cup her ass and gently pet her… a reminder that he was capable of putting additional sting in her tail if needed.
“Let go of me.”
“Darby, do not start. The game is up, you revealed your true self to me the last time I made love to you.” She said nothing. He chuckled. “Shall I remind you of your devotion to me?”
“I’m not devoted to you. I despise you.”
His hand cracked down on her bottom.
“Bastard!”
“Mate,” he corrected her. “And you will stop lobbing insults at me.”
“If you don’t want to be insulted, leave me the hell alone. And keep that thing away from me.”
He laughed out loud. “That thing as you call it gave you immeasurable pleasure yesterday. You ought to be more appreciative.”
“I don’t appreciate having you wake me up to fuck me because you have a hard-on.”
“I think, my mate, you need a little refresher in speaking more respectfully to me.” He sat up on the edge of the bed and dragged her over his lap before she knew what he was about. He paddled her, reigniting the pain in her backside. “You are going to learn to speak respectfully even if you don’t feel that way. Do you understand?”
He peppered her backside until she was squirming and thrashing about. He relit the painful fire on her backside, but the flame of her arousal blazed forth. His spankings were not only painful, they were humiliating. It was hard to reconcile the pain he was causing her with the resulting state of arousal.