by Madison Faye
“Good girl,” I said, running my palm over her heated flesh. “Let these remind you that you put yourself in danger tonight, and that, Bailey, is never a good idea, nor will it ever be something I let go without blistering your ass.” I finished her spanking with another round, covering every inch of her ass and thighs with smacks of my hand until her skin was a mottled red and hot to the touch beneath my palm. Only then did I reach to pull her shorts up and discovered that her pussy was glistening, her labia swollen, her clit standing at attention. Lifting her, I set her on my lap, ignoring her hiss of pain, adding the fact that her nipples were hard little points to the evidence that while she might not find the pain of a spanking to her liking, something about the act had aroused her. That was a very good thing as far as I was concerned. Putting my arms around her, I held her to me, my cock wondering why the hell it wasn’t already buried deep within her.
Chapter Seven
Griffith
“Shhh, it’s over,” I said softly against the mass of curls that covered her head. The head she had buried beneath my chin as she sobbed against my shirt. As I held her, stroking the hand that had spanked her down her back, I couldn’t help but think of how this could have turned out. Bailey might not agree, but while she might find it a bit uncomfortable to sit for a few hours, at least she was lucky. I’d been drawn into this case because of women who hadn’t had someone step in to keep them safe. Forcing the case from my mind, I inhaled the smell of vanilla in Bailey’s hair as I rocked her.
“I-I’m sorry,” she finally whispered. “I just wanted…”
When she didn’t finish, I prompted, “Wanted what?”
Her head moved against my chest, and though she spoke, it wasn’t to give me a clue as to what she wanted.
“Nothing.”
“It’s not nothing,” I countered. “Talk to me, Bailey.”
Her head shook again. “It doesn’t matter. You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll never go back.” I took the hand she had lifted to swipe at her face into mine, holding it as I lifted her chin so that she was forced to look at me.
“Just as you don’t get to decide when a spanking is over because that is my job, neither do you get to decide I don’t need to worry about you.” I paused, watching her eyes fill with fresh tears. Softening my voice, I bent down until my forehead touched hers. “Bailey, not only does it matter… you matter. Worrying about you? Hell, don’t you know that’s my honor?” The tears spilled over to track down her face, yet I knew these weren’t from pain… well, not physical pain. I tucked her into me again, holding her silently, allowing her time to work through the emotions of all that had happened. I had no idea how much time had passed when she gave a deep sigh and sat up.
“Thank you,” she said.
“My pleasure.” When I grinned, she reached out to swat my chest where her head had just been laying.
“Not for the spanking,” she said. “I meant for… well, for everything else.”
“You’re welcome,” I said. Looking over at the clock on her nightstand, I couldn’t believe it was after four. “It’s late and I know you’re exhausted, but I think we should discuss some of those kinky things you want.”
Color flooded her face. “Nope. So not happening.” Pushing her hands against my hold, she looked up at me. “If you’re done, I’d like to get up.”
Letting her up wasn’t what I wanted, but I didn’t have the right to force her to talk either. Before I let her go, I leaned forward and kissed her forehead. The moment my arms opened, she was off my lap, her hands moving behind her to rub against her ass. That was something I had the right to stop.
“No rubbing.”
“Why not?” she asked, her feet shifting a bit as if that would relieve the fire I’d started.
“First because I said so, and second, because I want that burn to last long enough to imprint itself on your brain as well as your ass.” When she rolled her eyes, her hands still rubbing up and down her punished ass, I reached out and pulled her hands to her sides, keeping my hold on her wrists as I continued. “I’m serious, Bailey. You looked like a lost lamb walking around that club, and my heart almost stopped when I saw you sitting at the bar totally unaware of how many men were just drooling at the possibility of having you. Tonight I came closer to the edge than I’ve ever been. When that bastard touched you… I wanted to rip him apart with my bare hands.”
I waited for her to speak, her expression stirring things inside me, yet she just shook her head. “I really am sorry, and I can’t ever repay you for saving me from making a huge mistake, but… I… this… is a lot to take in. I’m not saying we won’t talk, but… please, not now.”
“That’s fine,” I assured her. “We’ve got plenty of time. I’m not going anywhere.”
“You mean that?”
“Have you ever known me to say anything I didn’t mean?” I asked, not giving her time to respond before continuing. “Besides, you’ve not only stated quite clearly that you are mine, you already claimed me, remember. So, I’ll give you time, but just know that when you’re ready, I’ll answer any questions you have.”
I watched her eyes wide and her lips turn up for the first time in hours.
“You will?”
“Not only will I, I’ll throw in some personal, hands-on demonstrations when necessary to make sure you’re satisfied with the answer.”
Her head canted to the side as she gave me a long look. I waited for her to speak, her expression stirring things inside me I’d never felt before. “Then may I ask my first question?” she asked.
“Absolutely,” I said. I couldn’t wait to school her in all sorts of activities that would quite possibly shock her, but most definitely teach her that there was no shame in enjoying kink as long as it was done safely… and, of course, with me.
“What did you do with my roomie?”
Roomie? Scanning the room, looking for evidence that I’d totally missed signs that she lived with some asshole who let her go out to a sleazy club alone, putting herself at risk, my gaze swept over the dresser, the nightstand, passing and then returning to the bed—the dog bed sitting between the two. I read the gold embroidered letters A N D… The remainder of the name was concealed by a blanket draped over the cushion.
“Anderson, huh? Or do you call him Griff?” I said with a grin. “I don’t know whether to be honored or not.”
“What?”
Her gaze followed mine. “Really?” she said, shaking her head. “Conceited much? I didn’t name him after you. You are not the only Anderson in the world.” Rolling her eyes, she moved over to the dog bed and, with her foot, pushed aside the blue plaid blanket, exposing the rest of the embroidered name—Anderson Cooper. “White fur, big blue eyes?”
“Oh, my bad,” I said, thinking about that saying about people who assumed. Something about making an ass out of themselves?
“Then again, I can see where you might have found a common bond.” Smiling, she punched my arm. “Coop has a pretty big head too.”
“Cute,” I said, chuckling. “Guess I deserved that one. Coop’s fine. Last time I saw him he was in the kitchen, chowing down on a dog biscuit.”
“Shit!” Bailey said, pushing past me. “He’s probably eaten the whole box by now.”
I followed her through the house and reaching the kitchen had to agree that perhaps leaving the dog alone might not have been the best idea. Not only had Cooper consumed all the Milk-Bones, but from the appearance of the box, he’d inhaled quite a bit of cardboard along with his snack. Pieces of soggy paper were stuck on his fur, broken bits of the dog treats scattered along the tile, crumbs everywhere.
“Wow, you’d think Cooper would have better table manners,” I said.
“You’d think you’d have more sense than to leave a puppy unsupervised,” she snapped, shaking her head.
“A puppy?” The dog was the size of a small horse.
“Yes, and if he gets sick, you’re going to clean it up!” she said. W
hen she started to take a step, I bent and scooped her off her feet.
“Put me down!”
“Until the crime scene has been secured, I’m afraid it’s off limits. I’ll take care of everything.”
She stopped squirming to look up at me. “You always do—take care of things, I mean. It’s fine. You’ve already gone above and beyond the call of duty. I can do it.”
“I know you can, but no. This is my mess. I’ll clean it up.”
“Let me help at least.”
Instead of setting her on her feet, I turned and carried her back the way we’d come.
“What are you doing?”
“What I promised to do earlier,” I said, entering her room. Bending, I placed her on the bed. “Under the covers, if you please.”
She looked up at me, her mouth opening as if to protest, but closing when I gently eased her back.
“You’re about to drop, Bailey. You’ve had a long day. I’ll clean up the mess and keep an eye on your puppy. Just sleep and we’ll talk tomorrow.”
Nodding, she slid her legs beneath the sheet and turned onto her side, one hand slipping under her cheek, the other moving to lightly grip the quilt as I pulled it up to her chin. Bending, I brushed her hair back and she gave me a sleepy smile. God, she was so fucking perfect. I kissed her cheek. “Good night, Bailey.”
“Griff?”
“Hmmm?”
“Remember you said I’d claimed you?”
“Yes.”
“If my master barges into my house, and my daddy spanks me and tucks me into bed, what exactly does my dom do?”
This wasn’t a question I could answer easily. Hell, it wasn’t one that even had a simple answer. This was the same girl I’d known years ago. The awkward teenager who’d lived next door to me, the one my friends teased had a crush on me. The girl who’d come to me with questions on why boys were so stupid. The one I’d taunted with lines from a silly poem to get her to smile or to rile her up. The same jade green eyes looked up at me now, but that freckle-faced tomboy with a cap of unruly red curls had grown into more than a stunning beauty. She’d become a woman who had been brave enough to acknowledge that a deep-seated desire within her demanded she take a chance and explore the possibilities.
Squatting at the side of the bed, ignoring the protest my cock was making as it strained against the front of my jeans, I brushed her hair back from her face, playing with those copper-colored curls that I’d teased her about. I loved the feel of the silky strands between my fingers, was picturing the soft curtain they’d form around my body as she sucked my cock.
“Answer me this first if you will. You know all those questions you can’t find answers to in any book or film? The ones you went to perhaps find answers to tonight? All those naughty little things you start to imagine when you climb into your bed?” Her cheeks pinkened but she gave a little nod. “And is there a man who follows you into your dreams? A man who makes your heart pound, your blood race and your nipples harden? A lover who guides your hand to slip down between your legs to play with your sweet little pussy? The one murmuring into your ear, saying delicious, naughty words, urging you to run your fingers over your throbbing clit until you come? Does this man have you desiring that you submit? That you give yourself to him, allow him to teach you that all those things you imagine can come true and that the pleasure you find is far more than you’ve ever dreamed? You know that man?”
“Yes—I’m looking at him now.”
My cock had been hard for what seemed like forever, but with her words, with the look in her eyes, it went from hard to painful, throbbing with the need to sink into her, to be the dom she was looking for. “It will take a lifetime to learn all that your dom will do.”
“Stay, Griff. Stay and teach me,” she said, the request given so softly and yet full of a yearning that I couldn’t wait to fulfill.
Wanting nothing more, I nodded, pulling her up, cupping the back of her head, pressing my mouth to hers, demanding she open her lips, to allow me… A strangled howl broke through the soft mewls she was making.
“What the fuck was that!”
“Cooper,” Bailey said with a groan, already pushing the covers down. “I’m hoping he’s just whining because he needs to go out.”
“I’ll take care of him,” I said. “Don’t move! I’ll be back.”
“Hurry.”
Chapter Eight
Bailey
“Ummm,” I murmured, turning toward the man’s—my dom’s—heat, my hand lifting to run through…
“Ugh! Gross!” I sputtered, my hand dropping to swipe away at the drool that now covered my chin. “Get off me!” I said.
I sat up, opening my eyes. “If you were really woman’s best friend, you’d so not be waking me up already.” Pushing Cooper away, I slung my legs over the edge of the bed and rolled to sit. A slight twinge helped to get me to my feet as well as brought a flush to my face with the memory of not only what had happened the night before, but what hadn’t happened.
Shit!
Even as I looked around, I knew that what I feared was true. Griff was not sleeping beside me. Groaning, I fell back on the bed. Of course he wasn’t. Why would he be when the last thing I remember is telling him to hurry back so that he would make the claim I’d voiced a reality. And what had I done? Instead of jumping up to change into something sexy, to spritz a bit of perfume on all those erogenous zones before posing on the bed with a come hither expression, I’d fallen asleep. The only male in my bedroom had been a puppy. Granted a huge, heavy puppy at almost one hundred pounds, but technically Cooper, an English Mastiff, would not reach his full height or weight for another few months.
“Thanks a lot,” I said, ruffling his fur. “I love you, buddy, but did you really have to go and ruin what was going to be the best night of my life?” When his head cocked to the side, I had to smile. “Don’t try those puppy eyes on me. And while we’re at it, you should be ashamed of yourself. What sort of guard dog lets himself be bought by nothing more than a bone?”
A loud bark and the clicking of his toenails as he turned to dash out the door had me shaking my head. He’d obviously forgotten we were fresh out of doggie snacks. When I turned the corner, he wasn’t in the kitchen looking for a bone; he was at the front door, standing on his back legs, his front ones braced against the glass. Since his barks weren’t growls and his tail was whipping back and forth like some sort of metronome gone mad, I knew he wasn’t alarmed. And when I saw the person standing on my porch, the man who was holding a grocery sack with a huge box of Milk-Bones sticking out of the top, I knew that the man who’d stolen my heart now owned my dog’s as well. I was halfway to the door when I realized I was still wearing a pair of sleep shorts and an old t-shirt and hadn’t even brushed my teeth. Lifting my hand to my head, I groaned. My hair was sticking up all over in a tangled mass.
“Bailey, open the door.”
“No!” I shouted. “Go away… no, wait! Don’t go… I mean, wait! I-I need… I need to go to the bathroom.”
“Okay, but let me in. The food is going to get cold.”
“Bones don’t get cold,” I said, regretting saying the word the moment Cooper started barking and scrabbling at the door again. Reaching out, I grabbed hold of his collar and pulled him away. “Cooper, get down and for God’s sake, hush!” Looking out the door, I saw that dog treats was not all Griff was holding. When he lifted the other bag, I heard my stomach rumble.
“Are those what I think they are?” I asked, saliva pooling in my mouth.
“I don’t know? Are they?” he said, giving the white bag a little shake. “Open the door and find out.”
Well, it wasn’t like he hadn’t already gotten an eyeful of me in my rumpled, just out of bed state. And since he’d looked directly into my eyes and my Medusa head of twisted snakes hadn’t turned him to stone, I figured what the hell. Besides, it looked like he had brought my all-time favorite breakfast. Reaching out, I flipped the latch and opened the do
or.
“Gimme!” I said, reaching for the bag even as Cooper barreled into him.
“Whoa! Now I know where he got his manners. Cooper, sit,” Griff said, chuckling as he lifted the bag too high for me to reach.
I huffed. “Good luck with…” What the heck? Cooper had not only lowered his paws from Griff’s shoulders, he was now sitting at his feet. “Wow! How did you do that?” I asked.
“He knows who the alpha in this little pack is.” When I just rolled my eyes, he chuckled and shook the box of bones. “Or at least he knows that obedience garners rewards.”
“So if I want my own treat, I have to sit at your feet?”
The look he gave me, the grin that tugged at the corner of his mouth had me forgetting the chill of the morning air as heat flooded through my body.
“No,” he said, the words making my face blush with embarrassment at the direction my mind had gone in. I began to step away when his arm lowered and snaked around my waist.
“As my sub, you won’t be sitting at my feet. You’ll be kneeling,” he said. Bending down, he brushed his lips lightly over mine. “And the only treat you’ll be enjoying is the taste of my cock as I fuck your throat.”
I’d been positive that nothing in the world would ever make my mouth water as much as the aroma of maple and bacon donuts I could smell in the bakery bag he held, but looking down, seeing the bulge in his jeans, feeling it press against me as he tugged me closer, I discovered that I’d been wrong.
I’m not exactly sure how, but we did manage to make it inside. And let me state again that I really am a very responsible dog owner, but, let’s face it. As much as I loved my dog, I was sure I’d not love him staring at me while I took my first class in submission. Grabbing the box instead of the bag, I began opening it as I walked toward the kitchen. “Come on, boy, look what Mama has,” I said, grabbing a handful of the bones from the box. If a dog could smile, Cooper did as he bounded toward me. Opening the back door, I let him have the first bone and then tossed the rest as far out into the yard as I could. Cooper tore after them and I shut the door. “Those aren’t going to keep him occupied for very long, so we’re going to have to make this fast.”