A Submissive's Gift

by Maggie Ryan

  Taking a sip of her wine, she continued. "I'm also a bit worried that my mother is going to be upset if she ever discovers that not only have I vowed to obey Logan on an even deeper level than most brides, but we've also opened a hotel that encourages other women to do the same. As you know, she's not big on giving any control over to my father. Even though we haven't been close in years, I feel guilty for being grateful they won't be here for my wedding. She'd never understand my need to submit completely. Hell, I haven't even told her what sort of hotel Haven is. God, does that make me a horrible daughter?"

  Helen didn't brush off the young woman's fears. Living a life of submission was not one that the majority of women chose or understood. Even with the growing openness of society, she understood Elizabeth's concerns. "Honey, you couldn't be horrible if you tried. This isn't about your parents or what other people might think, this is about you and Logan. Elizabeth, if you are under the illusion that you will ever meet everyone's approval—"

  "I don't need…" Elizabeth interrupted, and then smiled as clarity filled her. "Thanks. You are so right. I don't need anyone's approval except for Logan's. I don't care what anyone else might think, not even my parents. If I can't submit to Logan and accept his collar, I feel as if I will not be complete."

  "Then, honey, you can let all that worry go. Just think of how you feel with Logan and follow your heart. If you do that, I promise, everything will be beautiful. You are providing a place that those who understand will love and thank you for. Believe me, I've been living a D/s lifestyle all my life, and it would have been wonderful to have such a beautiful place to share romantic weekends, surrounded by others who live and love outside the normal box of what society deems to be acceptable. Love should never be shunned, and I'm grateful that times are changing. You, my dear, are simply a leader of the pack, and I couldn't be prouder."

  Helen's words and reassurance went a long way to remove the last traces of worry from Elizabeth. "Thanks, Mom," she said, hugging the woman who she felt truly blessed would be far more than a mother-in-law—she would be the mother she had always dreamed of, one who accepted her unconditionally.

  "Now that that's settled, I only have one question," Ariel said, her teasing tone warning all that whatever came out of her mouth next would most likely be either totally ridiculous or extremely risqué. Once she was sure she had everyone's complete attention, she continued. "I just want to know if anyone else is sitting on a butt that bears the impression of their name spelled backwards." Stunned silence met her question until Nancy burst into laughter.

  "Oh, God, are you telling us that Garrett doesn't know which side of Harry's paddle he is supposed to use?"

  "I'm telling you that Garrett obviously doesn't care. As he put it, he had two sides to use, and two cheeks across his lap." Ariel's grin told them that she actually found her fiancé quite clever. "He thought it hysterical when he stood me in front of the mirror to show me that my name was clearly visible on my right cheek. Wanna see?"

  Not a one of them was the least bit surprised when she didn't wait for their answer, setting down her wine glass and pulling down her jeans until the fleshy buttock was revealed. The proof of her story was clearly visible, her cheek marked with a distinct impression reading 'leirA'.

  "That's actually pretty funny," Barbara said, her wine sloshing in her glass as she giggled. "God, do these men have their own meetings to think up ways to spank us?"

  Delighted that her sister was definitely one of the group, Ariel rearranged her clothing and grinned. "I can guarantee that they talk. Hopefully not as much as we do, but since they've started with that whole Alpha Note thing and I can't pass a Dairy Queen without my tummy fluttering, believe me, they talk. I guess we can't complain, at least they keep it interesting!"

  Nancy lifted her glass. "Here's to our alphas and fast food. God, we have to admit—we love them both!"

  Laughter and the clinking of glasses tapped together signaled everyone's agreement. Once the short meeting ended, Barbara placed the glasses into the dishwasher as Elizabeth made sure the fire was safe behind a large screen. The woods around the lake echoed with the sounds of laughter as the women made their way back to the cabins—their way made clearer as the door to Elizabeth and Logan's cabin opened, light spilling out as five men happily put aside their cards to join their wives and fiancées.

  Goodnights were given as each couple went to their own cabins. It was an early night, but knowing that the next few days would be a true test of what Haven could be, no one complained as lights were extinguished and heads were laid onto pillows.

  "You okay, Liebchen?" Logan asked, when he heard Elizabeth sigh into her pillow.

  "Just nervous and a little scared," she admitted. Despite her earlier words and the reassurances of her friends, she didn't seem able to chase away the thoughts of what might happen when the place she and they had worked so hard to prepare, the hotel that they had spent the last week in, loving every room, every fixture, every feature, opened to the public for the first time. "What if my dream becomes a nightmare? What if people think I'm just some sort of depraved sex addict?"

  Logan threw back the covers and pulled on his jeans. Elizabeth sat up, watching as he pulled on a shirt and shoes and then held out his hand to her. "Come on, I believe there was one place we neglected to be sure was ready for tomorrow."

  Her confusion showed, but she climbed out of bed and accepted the clothing he held out, dressing in much the same attire as Logan. They left the cabin and he led her to where Ben's ATV sat, the key in the ignition. "Logan, where are we going? The noise might wake everyone up."

  Deliberately ignoring her concern that the ATV's engine would be loud, he lifted her onto the seat. "Schatzlein, I doubt your cries will carry over a mile." As he climbed in front of her and started the ATV, Elizabeth understood. She smiled and laid her cheek against his back as he drove along the shore of the lake to a destination in the copse of trees behind the hotel.

  There was something surreal about the Woodshed in the dark. The building was far enough away from any others that she felt herself looking around, almost as if to see if any of the shadows moving belonged to a sinister character out of a horror film, instead of the simple movement caused by the breeze. Wrapping her arms around herself, she watched as Logan slipped the key into the lock, never even wondering why he had it in his pocket in the first place.

  Chuckling, he pushed open the door and pulled her inside. "I'll keep you safe, Liebchen," he promised, as he shut it behind them.

  If the outside had seemed eerie, the dark interior was even more so. It took her eyes a moment to adjust, and she was amazed that the darkness of the night seemed to be magnified inside.

  "Stay here," Logan directed, giving her hand a squeeze as he left her to walk across the room, avoiding any of the furnishings until he opened the door that connected to the old well house, and flipped on a switch. Soft light fell through the doorway, illuminating the room just enough to chase away any shadows where Elizabeth stood.

  Logan walked back to her, bending to kiss her as his fingers drew the t-shirt up her body. She was soon nude before him, her skin pebbled with goose bumps as the night was chilly. She moaned as his hands ran slowly up and down her body, his touch causing her already hard nipples to go tighter, her tummy flipping with anticipation and her sex moistening with desire. "I promise, you won't be cold long," he said, as he bent to kiss her until she was pressing into him, her body responding to his every touch.

  He led her to the corner where the tall stool sat, easily lifting her and placing her on it. He lifted the slate from the wall, handing it to her, along with the piece of chalk. "Write down what you need to release—tell me why by the time you leave this room, you will no longer be unable to accept the fact that you have created a dream that is magical. Tell me what your heart knows to be true."

  Elizabeth had expected to be led to the barrel for a repeat of that first trip to the Woodshed. Instead, Logan had known that a repea
t wasn't what she needed. This was not a fun interlude, where she had giggled and they had recreated an imagined scene from decades earlier. This wasn't about safety first, not in a physical way at least. This was about feeling safe—safe in her dream, safe in her desires, and safe in her lifestyle shared with a man who would always be by her side, protecting her physically as well as emotionally. She felt tears well as she accepted all he was giving her. When she finished writing her words, she handed the slate back to the man she loved.

  Logan's throat tightened as he read the words on the slate. "My dream is Haven's promise." He nodded, turning to replace the board, and then moving to lift her off the stool and into his arms. "The promise will be kept, Liebchen. It will be shared by those who need to hear it. Lovers will find a place where they can share their unique choices with each other. Every day spent within the walls of your dream will renew the promises they have made to each other. Never, ever doubt that what you have done is to share that dream—that promise."

  Elizabeth felt tears slide down her cheeks as he held her. His words surrounded her entire soul, giving her the peace she needed. "I love you, Logan. God, I love you so much."

  "Liebchen, I will forever love you—every single part of you," Logan said, bending to kiss her as his hands moved to cup her bottom. "Now, it's time to impress those words onto a part of you that needs it as much as your heart does."

  Elizabeth shivered as he led her across the room, very conscious of the fact that he was still fully dressed while her clothing was in a pile by the door. Expecting to be led perhaps to the spanking bench, her stomach flipped yet again when he led her to the stocks. Her eyes grew huge as he dropped her hand to lift the bar. Her heart raced as he set it aside and took her hand again.

  No words were spoken as he positioned her, stroking her cheek before guiding her to bend and place her neck and her wrists into the half-moon shapes. He pulled her hair over one shoulder before bending to pick up the bar which would keep her in place. A moan fluttered in the room as he carefully set the bar into position, placing the iron pins into place, ensuring she was going nowhere until released.

  Elizabeth shuddered, her mind imagining how people of old must have felt, being put into stocks for various crimes in the public square. She felt as if a thousand eyes were watching, wondering at her crime and voices calling out for justice. Her thighs were growing slick as her desire increased, her blood racing through her veins as Logan bent to wrap cuffs around her ankles, spreading her legs wide to hook the cuff's attached chains to metal rings mounted on the floor. She could smell the scent of her own arousal, and blushed furiously when she heard Logan inhale as if drinking it in.

  She couldn't lift her head, but could turn it enough to see Logan walking to the wall, touching implement after implement, as if the choice was the most important of his life. With a shudder, she realized that for this moment, it was. When he lifted a flogger from its hook and ran his fingers through the thin leather strands, she felt her clit swell and begin to throb. This was not the double-ended flogger. There were no soft suede strands ready to caress her skin. This was one of Harry's finest—a flogger meant for one purpose, and one purpose only—to redden a submissive's ass until she was begging for mercy.

  Logan's footsteps echoed in the silent room as he returned. Squatting down before her, he stroked a finger down her cheek. "Ready?" With her slight nod, he bent forward and kissed her gently, before standing and taking his place as disciplinarian, swishing the flogger through the air, knowing that every sound she heard was a moment of delicious anticipation.

  The silence of the room was no more. The first stroke, expertly applied to the center of her ass, had her gasping. The following dozen had her legs quivering, her toes curling against the wood of the floor. As he laid another, the leather strands striking against her tender sit spot, she cried out, her hands opening wide and then closing as she began to fly, each stroke driving her higher and higher, until she no longer felt the pain, just the indescribable pleasure her Dom was gifting her with. Her voice called out her ecstasy, her relaxed hands and unclenched buttocks showing her acceptance of what Logan knew she needed. The strokes became softer, slower until the last was almost a caress against her red hot globes. Logan smiled as he ran his hand across the surface of her ass, her slight hiss combined with her deep moan of need. Her thighs were slick with her juices, the lips of her pussy swollen and open, begging for him to take her.

  Logan allowed his hand to slide down between her legs, loving her reaction as she attempted to arch into his hand, seeking his touch. He slid his fingers through her outer lips, splaying them until her soft inner lips were open as well. As he slid a finger into her pussy, she wailed with pleasure, the bar rattling slightly as she attempted to lift her head, the chains around the ankle cuffs jingling as her feet begin to dance. Logan continued to play for a few more strokes, until she was flooding his hand in preparation of her explosion. Her cry was delicious to him as he slid his fingers from her and went to squat before her again.

  "Ah, Liebchen, did you believe you were done?" he teased, lifting her chin with one hand and presenting his slick fingers to her lips. "You have yet to complete the lesson." She moaned but opened her lips, accepting his fingers into her mouth, her tongue licking every drop of her essence from his fingers, her body shivering, her ass feeling as it were on fire, but the rest of her becoming aware of the chill in the air again.

  Logan tucked the flogger's handle into his back pocket as he went behind her, released her ankles and then released the bar. He set it aside and then helped her to stand, her groan as she straightened causing him to pull her close, his hands and fingers moving down her back to massage the muscles. Feeling her shiver, and knowing it was most likely as much from a drop from sub-space as it was from the slight chill, he lifted her into his arms and walked to the spanking bench. "Stay," he said softly as he laid her down, pulling off his shirt and draping it over her nude body. Elizabeth sighed at the warmth, curling up on her side, watching as he disappeared into the other room. Logan cleaned the flogger and then oiled it, making sure it was ready for the next willing sub to experience its lash. He grabbed two bottles of juice from the refrigerator tucked against one wall, and then joined Elizabeth.

  He sat, pulling her onto his lap, loving her hiss as her bottom connected with his thigh. "Here, Schatzlein, drink this." He handed her the opened bottle of juice, making sure she was aware enough to actually hold it and bring it to her mouth. Satisfied, he opened his own bottle and drank it down, allowing that no play would continue until he was positive she was ready. After fifteen minutes, she had finished the juice and handed him the bottle.

  "Thank you, Sir. I think I can sleep now."

  Logan chuckled and placed the empty bottles on the floor. "Oh, I'm sure you could, but you are not yet done."

  She looked up at him as he lifted her off his lap. Thinking he was going to finally make love to her, she smiled, her sex instantly moistening yet again. When their destination became obvious, she turned to look up at him. "Seriously?"

  "As a heart attack," Logan chuckled, as he stood her in front of the blackboard that Craig and Jason had installed. "I want there to be absolutely no doubt that you will ever question the promise of your dream."

  "How about instead, I promise to show you that you've taught me well?" Liz suggested, her eyes full of the promise of passion.

  "Liebchen," he whispered, bending to kiss her, enjoying the fact that she pressed her entire body against his—as if to remind him what pleasure she was ready to provide. He chuckled as he released her, picking up a piece of chalk and tapping it against the slate. "I promise I will enjoy watching you write every single letter of every single one of the one hundred sentences you will write for me." He grinned as she scowled at him, snatching the chalk from his hand. A pop to her already very tender, bare butt had her giggling as she lifted her hand and began.

  Chapter 15

  Logan stood on the veranda, his arms around El
izabeth as they watched the first car pull up the long drive. "Haven is going to knock their socks off."

  A soft giggle escaped her lips. "I'm praying more than socks come off. After all, that's sort of the entire premise of our hotel, remember?" The giggle turned into a squeal as his broad hand came down against the seat of her linen pants, instantly reminding her of their session the night before. She had indeed written her sentences, knowing that he was seated behind her, enjoying the view of her red, bare bottom as it jiggled with every movement of the chalk.

  He was pleased when, instead of pulling away, she pressed her bottom into his palm, urging him to swat her again. Complying, he watched the car pull to a stop in the parking lot at the side of the hotel. "I'm thinking perhaps my co-owner should remember that all I have to do is pull down her pants to give our guests a personal demonstration on the benefits of signing up for one of the slots for the Woodshed."

  Elizabeth felt warmth flow through her, and could swear she smelled chalk dust. Turning and lifting onto her toes to plant a kiss on his lips, she whispered, "I think you should leave that element of discovery until tomorrow, Sir."

  Knowing she was speaking about their commitment ceremony, he cupped her face, deepening the kiss. "Relax, Liebchen, don't you worry about a single thing, not today, and not what is going to happen tomorrow. This is your dream come true, enjoy your success." She barely had time to nod before turning back to greet the man and woman walking up the sidewalk, their faces showing their excitement.