Ali cocked her head to the side and studied him. “You are a natural leader. So what does that make me? Some sort of submissive “whatever you say dear” woman?”
“Don’t worry, Ali.” He smiled as though he’d read her thoughts. “I’m not going to tie your apron to the stove…unless you want me to.”
A warm knot formed low in Ali’s belly at the thought of being totally under Griff’s control. Where did that thought come from? She was a modern woman. Almost a lawyer.
“It’s in my nature to take the lead whether at school, work, or in a relationship. I used to feel like I ought to back off, not be so forceful, but once I realized there was nothing wrong with my instinct to take charge as long as I was respectful of others, it all fit together for me.”
Ali digested all of this. Griff continued. “I also have a natural desire to take care of those who are important to me, particularly my partner.”
The warm look in his eye heated the burn deep within her. She did like it when he took care of her. That explained her contentment when they were together.
“So, I’m your sub?” Just saying it sounded so kinky and deviant. About as far from her suburban mom role as she could imagine.
Griff smiled. “Sure looks that way.” He closed his book. “Maybe you need a lesson in being a good sub tonight.”
“But, what about our assignments?”
Griff raised an eyebrow. “Are you questioning my decision, little subbie?”
Ali’s stomach flipped and flopped. She glanced down at the stack of books on the table and realized that until they’d spent some time upstairs, she’d never be able to concentrate on anything else. “No…sir.”
“Good girl,” he said and led her to the bedroom.
Unsure of what to do, Ali simply stood with her hands clasped in front of her. Griff held her in the circle of his arms and kissed the top of her head. “Thank you for your trust, Ali. I promise to always put your needs before mine and to always take care of you. Do you trust me to do that?”
“Y-yes,” she said, looking away from his gaze.
He tipped her face up, forcing her to meet his eyes. “I know you’re nervous, Ali. I’d be worried if you weren’t. But, you’ll have a safe word and you can use that any time and I’ll stop. I won’t be mad. This is about the two of us, learning together.”
The idea of a safe word made her feel a bit better. “Can I just say stop?”
“No, I’m sure you’ll be saying that plenty.” Griff grinned at her. “It needs to be a word you wouldn’t ordinarily say in that context.”
“How about estoppel?”
“Perfect. Now, let’s get started.”
“Wh-what do I do now?”
“Take off all your clothes, fold them neatly and put them on the chair over there.” Griff indicated an overstuffed chair in the corner.
Ali did as he instructed and returned to stand before him, her eyes down, waiting for his next command. “Go get my backpack and bring it to me.”
Ali looked up at him questioningly. He swatted her ass with his open palm. “Do as I say, Ali. Your questions will be answered soon enough.”
When she retrieved the backpack, she watched with interest as Griff opened the long zipper. Inside was an assortment of implements, including the flogger he’d used on her just a couple of days before.
Ali watched in silent fascination as Griff removed each item. First was the flogger. Griff swished it through the air. The whoosh it made tightened Ali’s stomach. Griff touched her shoulder and turned her away from him. The flogger splashed over her bare rear end three times.
“Hmmm,” Griff said. “That’s nice, but we’ve already used the flogger. Let’s see what else is in the bag of tricks.”
She stepped over to look into the bag with him. “Oh no, little Ali, turn back around. I want you to be surprised.
Ali turned and stared at the wall, her pussy pulsing with each movement behind her, anticipation building in her nether region.
“Ah, here’s what I was looking for.” Before Ali could register his words, a hot swat landed on her left cheek.
“Ouch!” She turned and glared at him over her shoulder. “That hurt.”
“That’s the idea, Ali.”
Was Griff losing patience with her? Was she too much of an amateur for this? “I’m sorry,” she said and resumed her back-to-him position.
“What did you say, Ali?” His low tone sounded ominous and too late Ali realized what she’d said. Yet another apology.
“Oh, I’m so—oh, I shouldn’t have said that.” She hopped from foot to foot with nervous energy wondering what her punishment might be.
Griff arched a brow at her and tsked. He found a straight backed wooden chair and sat on it, then motioned for her to get across his denim covered lap.
He rubbed his hand over her flesh and a pulse deep in her core thrummed. His strong fingers continued to massage her backside and just when she started to relax into his touch, his palm cracked down on her cheek. A volley of swats moved from side to side.
“Oh. Ow.” She wiggled across his lap until he pulled her tight against his muscled stomach.
A firm smack to the center of her ass caught her attention. “Hold still, Ali.”
There was nothing menacing in his words or tone, but Ali knew she did not want to disappoint him by not doing what he ordered. “Yes, Griff,” she said between swats.
He continued to swat across her bottom and thighs with his palm. The spanks on her thighs were particularly stingy. Ali lost count of how many times his hand had landed on her backside, but based on the burn across her flesh, she suspected her backend was a rosy shade of red.
As though he’d read her thoughts, Griff said, “You should see your bottom, Ali. It’s all red, like a rose.” He squeezed her left cheek and tingly sensations shot across her ass and down to her pussy.
Griff’s fingers moved along her crack and into the wetness of her core. “Oh, Ali girl, you’re all wet. Do you like being my sub and getting your naughty ass spanked?”
How could she admit to such a thing? She simply spread her thighs apart further and hoped that answered his question.
In response, he moved his fingers deeper into the heat of her pussy. Two of his long digits moved in and out in a slow rhythm until she moaned. His fingers retreated from her pussy and slid up to her bottom hole, his passion slicked fingers tapping against her opening. “Did you like it when I fucked your ass today, Ali? Did it make you feel like you were mine and mine only?”
Yes, that was exactly how it had felt. All afternoon Ali had been trying to put into words what it had felt like to have his cock inside that taboo opening.
“That is how it felt, Griff. I never imagined it could be like that.”
“It felt that way, Ali girl, because you are mine and mine only.” He swatted her bottom again. “And mine to punish as I see fit, isn’t that right?”
“Yes, Griff. Whatever you say.”
He rubbed her back with soft circles and she thought perhaps the spanking was over. She was wrong. It was simply a break in the action. As soon as Griff finished massaging her back, the paddle landed hard in the center of her ass.
Successive swats to her sit spot had her gripping his calf and biting her lip to keep from crying out. “Let it out, Ali. I told you not to hold back.”
How could he see her when she was hanging upside down over his lap?
The swats came faster and harder. “Let it out, Ali.”
From somewhere deep in her soul, a tidal wave of emotion came crashing forward and tears streamed down her face and guttural moans emanated from her throat. “Damn Dirk to hell,” she said and the vehemence of her words frightened her.
“Atta girl,” Griff encouraged. “What else?”
“He’s a horrible father. A horrible person and he never treated me right.”
“Exactly.” Griff said, lifting her to snuggle against his shoulder. “But who is here now to take care of you? To
protect you and love you?”
“Y-ou are, Griff.”
“Damn right.”
Chapter Seven
“I sure hope you can help me. I just don’t think I have any other options.” The stress the woman seated across from Ali felt was palpable. The real weight of her responsibility as a lawyer landed on her shoulders heavily. This woman was counting on her and Griff to help her with her problems, and not just as a sympathetic shoulder to cry on. Even though Ali was in the trial advocacy student clinic and not a full-fledged lawyer, the woman seeking her help was a real person with serious problems.
She wished Griff was with her. He was supposed to be, but Professor Dearing had suggested he observe a trial that morning, so instead of being there to reassure Ali during her first client interview, he was likely sitting on the edge of his seat in the courtroom, salivating for his chance to try a case.
Ali flipped through the paperwork in the woman’s file and snuck a peek at her name since Ali had been too nervous when they met to remember it. Melanie Clayton.
“From the looks of things,” Ali reviewed the notes Professor Dearing had left in the file, “we ought to be able to file your petition for bankruptcy in the next few days, though the whole process will take a few weeks, possibly longer.”
“Will it make the phone calls stop?” Melanie’s face was tense with anxiety. “They call at all hours, harassing me. As though I’m living like a queen or something instead of working double shifts to try to make ends meet.”
“Bill collectors?”
“Yes. They’re horrible. They say the most disgusting things to me, like I’m some sort of deadbeat or freeloader.”
Ali could sympathize. Though she’d never gotten so far in debt to have bill collectors harassing her, she’d had some lean times since the divorce and it gave her a new understanding for the stress her client was feeling.
“Once we file the petition for bankruptcy, a stay will be issued which means that all collection actions must stop, including the harassing phone calls.”
“Well, that sounds nice, but who’s going to tell the callers? All they care about is finding out my bank account numbers or when they can expect a payment. It’s so humiliating. It’s like they don’t have any soul at all.”
Ali stopped staring at the notes in the file and took a good look at her first client. She was an attractive woman, well dressed and she carried herself with dignity. She scanned the documents in the file, including Melanie’s resume. She’d had a steady work history with several long stints as an administrative assistant at major corporations.
“I hope you don’t think I’m prying,” she said, smiling at her client, “but you’ve been steadily employed for the last ten years. What happened that got you to the point of filing for bankruptcy?”
Melanie had been holding it together pretty well as they’d gone through the formalities, but tears welled in her eyes in response to Ali’s question.
“I was in a car accident. My car was totaled and I was off work for a few weeks.”
“What about insurance?”
“I was in the process of a divorce. My husband was supposed to pay the auto insurance, but he took my car off the policy and I had no idea until I filed a claim.”
“Oh dear.” Since her own divorce, Ali had a whole new appreciation for the slimy things people could do to each other. “What about the car that hit you?”
“He says it wasn’t him.”
“What do you mean? How could it not be him?”
Melanie sighed. “I was unconscious after the accident and didn’t see the other driver. The police wrote him a ticket for failure to stop at a stop sign, but when I contacted him to get his insurance information, he said it wasn’t him. Said his car was stolen with his wallet in it. Said the guy who stole it used his ID.”
“Do you believe him?”
“Hell no. But what can I do? I called the police department and when the officer who wrote the ticket finally called me back, he said that he’d checked the guy’s driver’s license and thought he looked like the picture, but he couldn’t identify him otherwise. He said, ‘I wouldn’t know that guy from Adam if I saw him on the street.’
“That’s all he did?” Ali was stunned.
Melanie wiped the tears from her eyes and gave Ali a withering look. “The police aren’t always the good guys they are made out to be on TV.” She glanced at Ali’s new suit and shiny shoes. “I don’t suppose a nice rich lady like you would know anything about that. What are you doing here anyway? Oh, I know, you put your husband through law school and now it’s your turn. Isn’t that nice.”
Ali bristled. “As a matter of fact, part of what you said is true. I did put my husband through law school. But now we are divorced and, like you, I’m worried about how I’m going to pay my bills.” She paused to calm herself. “Regardless, I am qualified to handle your case and I believe that my partner and I can do a good job.”
“I’m sorry,” Melanie said. “It’s not your fault. This has just been so unfair and I just don’t know what else to do.”
“I’m sure it has been. But let’s do what we can to make the best of it. Tell me more about what happened after you talked to the police.”
“There was nothing for me to do. My insurance wouldn’t cover it. The man I believe caused the accident was lying and the police were no help. I tried to manage all the bills, but I had to keep paying on a car that was totaled and I still had to find a car to drive to get me around.” She dabbed at the corner of her eye. “I tried to keep up with all the payments, but it just got to be too much.” She shrugged and looked up at Ali. “And now I’m here. I can’t even afford a real lawyer. Sorry, no offense.”
“None taken. I understand. I’m sorry that things have worked out this way, but we’ll do what we can to at least get you some relief from the harassing phone calls and the debt. Give you a fresh start.”
“Thank you,” Melanie said, some of the anxiety lifted from her expression. “Thank you so much.”
The two women stood, and Ali walked her client to the door and shook her hand. “We’ll get this paperwork ready for you and call when it’s time for you to come in and sign it.” She squeezed Melanie’s shoulder and hoped she was reassuring.
When she returned to her office, Griff was in her chair, his feet propped on the desk. “Can you help me with my briefs?” he winked at her.
“Griff!” she stage whispered. “Stop that. I thought we agreed to remain professional when we’re at school or the clinic.”
“That was professional.” He lowered his feet and pulled her down to sit on his lap. “I was hanging out with some lawyers down at the courthouse and they’re all a bunch of smart asses. I think I’ll fit in just fine.”
It had been two weeks since Griff had moved in with her and much as she liked to think they were fooling people, she’d heard the whispers and seen the knowing looks around the law school whenever she and Griff were together. She had to admit, it made her a little proud to be known as Griff’s girl. Was that what kids called it these days?
Still, she was uncomfortable with PDA. What would Professor Dearing say if he knew? Or if he walked in on them right now?
Griff spun the chair around so their backs were to the door and kissed her until she could hardly catch her breath. She reached up and started to loosen his tie.
“Hey, I’m working.” Griff stilled her hand and set her on her feet in front of him. “This feels like sexual harassment.” He gave her bottom a playful squeeze. “Tell me about our new client.”
“Bankruptcy?” Griff scanned through Melanie Clayton’s file. “Yawn. I was hoping for a medical malpractice case or a neighbor dispute. You know, something where we’d get to go to trial, or at least end up on Judge Judy.”
“The people on Judge Judy don’t have lawyers. That would cut back on the freak show aspects.” Ali looked across the desk at him. “Besides, this woman needs our help. She really got a bad deal.”
&nbs
p; Griff rolled his eyes, but kept reading. He didn’t have a lot of experience reading legal files, but he had a wealth of common sense and something about Melanie Clayton’s case seemed off.
“She’s had a steady work history. Decent salary. No kids. Why bankruptcy?” He turned all the pages over as though he was looking for more. “Drugs? Gambling?”
“No, that’s the interesting thing. She was in a car accident, but insurance wouldn’t cover it.”
“Would you please elaborate, Ms. Stewart. Remember, we’re working together.”
“I wrote it all in my notes.” She gave him a saucy look. “If you weren’t so impatient, you’d have seen them.”
“You’re getting pretty sassy, Ms. Stewart. Must be that fancy suit.”
“Maybe.” She tipped her chin up in a show of impudence.
“Then maybe you ought to take it off and stand in the corner while I read your notes.”
That got her attention. She clasped the edges of her jacket and pulled them close over her chest. “No, Griff. Please. I shouldn’t have been disrespectful, but please don’t make me do that here in the office.”
Her eyes were huge and pleading. He almost felt sorry for her, but he already had a mental picture of her standing in the corner in nothing but her high heels, her curvy ass on display just for him. The specter of possible interruption just added to the excitement.
“Lock the door, Ali.” He held her gaze until she stood and did as instructed.
“Good girl.” Her compliance always gave him a thrill. He wondered if she knew what an honor it was for him to know that she trusted his judgment. “Now I want you to stand here in front of me and take off all your clothes, then go straight to the corner while I finish reading your notes. You know, if your handwriting was better I’d probably be able to get this done sooner.”
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