The Night Off

by Meghan O'Brien

  “Turn around,” Nat said. “Let me look at you.”

  Emily pivoted in a full circle, aware of Nat’s scrutiny the entire time. She remembered the first time Nat had asked her to put her body on display. How hesitant she had been. What a difference a little trust made. Tonight she was willing to do whatever Nat commanded without hesitation. Anything to please her. She was safe with Nat because Nat cared for her deeply. Even with all that remained unspoken between them, Nat wore her devotion on her sleeve.

  Completing her turn, Emily stood quietly and awaited the next instruction. She assumed she shouldn’t approach until asked.

  Nat planted her hands beside her hips, leaning back slightly. The movement pulled her shirt tighter over her breasts, outlining her hard nipples. “Tell me why you’re being punished, Emily.”

  “Because I touched myself when you told me not to.” Emily shifted her weight from one foot to the other, feeling naked in every way. “I disobeyed you.”

  Nat raised an eyebrow. “That’s right. You disobeyed me. Why would you do that, darling?”

  She gave the first answer that came to mind. “I missed you.”

  Nat continued to stare at her, unwavering in her silent censure.

  Shifting again, Emily mumbled, “And I was horny.”

  “And you enjoy the consequences.”

  They wouldn’t be playing this game if she didn’t like it. Yet the accusation embarrassed her slightly. “Maybe.”

  Nat smiled. “We both know you like getting taken over my knee and spanked like the naughty slut you are. Don’t we?”

  Emily gritted her teeth. “Yes.”

  “Rub your pussy. Show me what you thought was worth disobeying me. Don’t make yourself come.”

  Fighting to suppress her own smile, Emily set her feet apart and dropped her hand between her legs. She looked straight into Nat’s eyes as she stroked her clit, groaning at the incredible wetness that gathered on her fingertips. Nat dropped her gaze, then grabbed the crotch of her jeans in her fist as though holding back her own orgasm.

  “Does that feel good?” Nat’s attention was riveted on her hand.

  “Of course.”

  Nat’s mouth twitched. “Show me how wet you are.” Emily held out her shiny fingers for inspection, but Nat shook her head. “No, show me your cunt.”

  Emily closed her eyes and spread herself open. The heat of Nat’s stare scorched her flesh. “Like this?”

  “You’re so beautiful.” The mattress creaked slightly under Nat’s weight. “Look at me, please.” When Emily opened her eyes, Nat said, “Taste yourself for me.”

  Emily ran her fingers through her folds, then brought her hand to her mouth. She made a show of licking each digit, murmuring in approval. Though Nat obviously tried hard not to react, Emily delighted at the way her throat tensed and she moved forward on the bed.

  Nat beckoned her closer. “Now give me a taste.”

  Emily dragged her fingers through her wetness before offering them to Nat. She gasped when Nat lunged and caught her fingers in her mouth, sucking hard. When Nat released her moments later, she wobbled on unsteady legs.

  “Get into position, slut.” Nat grasped her forearm, dragging her onto her lap. “Let me see that pretty bottom before I turn it red.”

  Emily scrambled to lie over Nat’s thighs, resting her upper body on the mattress so her ass was within easy reach of Nat’s hand. She turned her head toward the door and picked a spot on the doorframe to study, trying not to anticipate the first blow. Nat touched her gently, simply caressing her buttocks, as Emily steadied her breathing and waited.

  “This will be a harder spanking than you got last time, only because I think you can handle it.” The first smack came as a surprise, forcing a quiet gasp from her mouth despite her best efforts to remain silent. She clamped her lips shut, determined not to give in to the urge to cry out. “How was that?”

  “Go harder.”

  Smack. Nat’s hand glanced off her other cheek, then went back to the first for a slightly harder blow. She knew Nat was taking her time and warming her up. So far the spanking felt no more intense than her first, but Nat had just gotten started. As though confirming that thought, Nat gave her two more slaps, then a third that was loud and painful, landing on already tender flesh with a resounding crack.

  Emily cried out in genuine discomfort. At once the spanking stopped and Nat rubbed gentle circles over her abused flesh. “Was that hard enough for you?”

  Nodding, Emily braced for more. “Yes, mistress.”

  Nat delivered four more licks, alternating cheeks as she increased the force slightly. Emily winced every time Nat’s hand connected, but wiggled her bottom in anticipation of the next blow. Her pussy literally dripped with excitement, pain sharpening her arousal to dizzying heights.

  “Ask me for more,” Nat demanded.

  “More, please, mistress.” Clawing at the comforter, Emily hung on tight as she awaited the next onslaught. She both dreaded and welcomed the pain and the rising emotion it elicited. “Harder.”

  “Tell me our safe word.” Nat rubbed her bottom again.

  Aware that this was simply a formality, Emily answered, “Unicorn.”

  “This is going to hurt, darling.”

  “I know.” Emily took a deep breath. She wanted to feel the ache of Nat’s hand on her skin for days, long after she’d gone. And she wanted to know how much she could take, because it wasn’t even close to not being pleasurable anymore. “Do it.”

  Nat wasn’t lying—the next round of blows hurt. Gone was her gentle lover, and in her place was a strict disciplinarian. Nat delivered the licks precisely and efficiently, never striking the same area twice in a row, but never allowing Emily to catch her breath, either. Within moments she was on the verge of tears, which she suppressed valiantly, until finally her entire body trembled with the effort to hold them inside.

  The blows ceased and Nat once again soothed her bottom by lightly rubbing her cheeks. “That’s my good girl.” Nat grabbed Emily’s hand, prying her fingers away from the comforter. “Feel how hot your ass is.”

  Emily reached blindly for her bottom, cautiously touching her burning skin. She could only imagine what she must look like. The thought made her blush. “Yes, mistress.”

  Nat knocked her hand away, then yanked her legs apart. The cool air hit her exposed pussy, making her very aware of just how soaked she was. She jumped slightly when Nat slipped her fingers between her labia, giving her a few vigorous strokes. “Look at how wet and open that pussy is for me.” Nat pushed what felt like two fingers inside as deep as she could go, taking Emily’s breath away. “This is supposed to be a punishment. You could at least pretend not to like it.”

  “I’m sorry, mistress.” Emily held her bottom lip between her teeth, struggling not to moan as Nat wiggled her fingertips and tickled her inner walls. “I can’t help it.”

  Withdrawing, Nat placed her free hand on the back of Emily’s neck and used the other to deliver a light slap to her exposed pussy. Emily hissed at the sting of the contact, which swiftly turned into burning pleasure.

  “Do you like that, too?”

  “Yes, mistress.” Emily whimpered as Nat delivered a harder slap that landed directly on her labia. “I like it, mistress.”

  Nat smacked her pussy three more times, just hard enough to make her jump and tense up, never crossing the line into true discomfort. Emily breathed in through her nose and out her mouth, proud of the way she was taking Nat’s punishment. She could feel Nat’s arousal heighten with every blow.

  Nat reached beneath her, sliding her fingers up so she could rub soft circles over Emily’s clit. “What do you think, darling? Have you learned your lesson?”

  Wiping at the tears that had already gathered in her eyes, Emily considered saying yes only briefly. But she wasn’t ready to concede defeat. She wanted to make Nat proud. “No, give me more.”

  Nat chuckled and continued to gently frig her swollen clit. “T
hat’s a lot of bravado for a woman whose ass looks very sore indeed. Are you sure?”

  “Yes, mistress.” Determined to withstand as much as Nat was willing to dish out, Emily placed her hands back on the comforter and grasped the material in her fists. “Just a few more. A little harder.”

  “All right. I’m going to give you five more licks. The last two will be the hardest.” Sliding her hand from between Emily’s legs, Nat gave her bottom a vigorous rub, easing the lingering ache. “And when I’m done, I’m going to make you come. Can you handle that?”

  Emily nodded, finding her focal point on the doorframe. Aware that Nat was about to test her limits in a way she’d never done before, she steeled her nerve and waited. Her control had almost slipped during the last barrage, but she desperately wanted to hold it together now.

  “Answer me.” Nat gave her a feather-light swat on the bottom, teasing. “Can you handle that?”

  “I can, mistress.”

  “Good girl.” Nat pulled back and delivered a sharp swat to red-hot flesh. Emily gritted her teeth and grimaced at the searing pain, then cried out when the second blow came, low on her buttocks and more powerful than the first. She was grateful for her prone position, because her legs had turned to jelly. If she were standing she would have fallen already.

  Smack.

  The third blow jolted her and Emily keened loudly, tears spilling from her eyes. Instinct kicked in and she let go of the comforter, reaching behind her to block her ass from Nat’s assault. She’d warned that the last two would be the hardest. All of a sudden Emily wasn’t certain she could take any more.

  Nat captured her wrists and dragged them over her head, pinning her down with incredible strength. Tears rolled down Emily’s cheeks as she surrendered with a choking sob. She knew she could call out unicorn and Nat would immediately become the tender lover who would kiss her tears away. But not only would her pride not allow her to give in, it was exhilarating to simply feel so much.

  “You can do this, baby,” Nat murmured, then walloped her so hard it took her breath away. “My beautiful girl.” Emily’s breath came back in a rush when Nat hit her again, rocking her whole body forward with the force of her hand.

  “Fuck,” Emily rasped, then burst into loud, unashamed sobs.

  Two things happened at once—Nat let go of her wrists to gather her into a loving embrace, and the expanding pressure in her chest dissolved as the weeks of pent-up tension escaped. Boneless, Emily clung weakly to her shoulders as Nat carefully maneuvered her onto her back. Then Nat climbed on top of her and peppered soft kisses across her tear-stained cheeks. “I’m very proud of you,” Nat whispered, pulling back to stare into her eyes. “You did so well.”

  Emily’s heart felt as though it might burst at the sight of Nat’s gorgeous face filled with such tender reverence. She was overwhelmed with a myriad of sensations—the roughness of the comforter against her bruised buttocks, the softness of Nat’s T-shirt pressed into her bare breasts, the absolute safety of being in Nat’s arms—but what stood out above everything else was her absolute certainty that, in this moment, she was exactly where she was supposed to be. The thought chased away her fears, leaving behind one immutable truth: she was falling in love with a woman who might actually love her back.

  “Nat.” Emily could barely talk through her tears. “I—”

  Nat silenced her by entering her slick, open pussy with a cautious thrust. Emily tipped her head back and moaned hoarsely at the intrusion, almost grateful not to have to finish her thought. She didn’t trust herself not to spill her heart completely.

  Suddenly Emily’s bedroom door burst open, crashing against the wall so hard they both jumped in surprise. Colleen stepped into the room, her eyes fierce and dark, with their largest kitchen knife gripped in her white-knuckled fist. Her free hand flew to her mouth as she took in the sight of the two of them on the bed. The shock on her face faded fast, replaced by swift and furious anger.

  “Get the fuck away from her!” Screaming, Colleen brandished the knife like she was ready to use it. “Get your filthy fucking hands off my sister.”

  Emily winced as Nat withdrew her fingers quickly, then she pushed Nat off to the side, putting her body between her sister and her lover. She wrestled with the comforter in a clumsy attempt to hide her nudity, then gave up when she became hopelessly tangled. It wasn’t as though she had any modesty left to preserve, anyway. “Colleen, for God’s sake, put down the knife. Everything’s okay.”

  “Like hell it’s okay!” Steely-eyed, Colleen darted her gaze between Nat and Emily like she was just waiting for the provocation to strike. “I heard him hit you. You were crying.” She took a step closer, chest heaving. “You’re still crying.”

  Emily rubbed the heels of her hands over her face, wiping away her tears. She could only imagine how this must seem. Deciding to address the most obvious misconception first, Emily said, “This is my friend, Nat. She wasn’t doing anything I didn’t want her to, I promise. Regardless of what it sounded like.”

  Nat sat, holding up her hands in supplication. Her skin had gone ashen. “I swear I would never hurt Emily. I care about your sister very much.”

  Colleen’s face twisted into a snarl. “Yeah, obviously.”

  When it became clear that Colleen wasn’t planning to lower her guard, Emily covered her breasts with her arm and bent to fish her teddy off the floor. “Seriously, Colleen, please calm down and give me the knife. We’ve already established that I wasn’t being attacked.”

  Colleen gasped as Emily stood and half-turned to pull the teddy down over her breasts. “What the fuck did you do to her?”

  Emily knew what Colleen was talking about even before she saw her sister’s horrified gaze riveted to her ass. Humiliated, Emily tugged on the hem of her teddy to try and cover the red marks Nat had left on her skin. “That’s none of your business. All you need to know is that it was consensual.”

  “That was consensual?” Colleen lowered the knife, curling her lips in disgust. She searched Emily’s face, then took an unsteady step backward. “That’s fucking sick.” Glaring at Nat with pure murderous rage, she spat her words through her teeth. “You get off on hitting women? Is that it? Well, I don’t know how the hell you talked Emily into going along with your fucking perversion, but you should be ashamed of yourself. You pathetic, fucking dyke.”

  “That’s enough!” Emily stalked over to Colleen and carefully pried the knife from her fist. She opened her top dresser drawer and tossed the knife inside, then slammed the drawer shut. “Colleen, I’m really sorry you’re seeing me like this. Really goddamn sorry. But you’re talking to a woman I care about, a lot, and you’re being completely unfair. Nat didn’t talk me into anything. Let’s just leave it at that.” Blushing at the disbelief on Colleen’s face, Emily glanced over her shoulder and met Nat’s guilty gaze. “Please.”

  “Yeah, fine.” Colleen tightened her hands into fists at her sides. “I come home and hear what sounds like my big sister being raped, but we’ll just leave it at the fact that she’s actually just a disgusting, fucking pervert.”

  “Hey.” Nat finally stood, walking to Emily’s side to rest a hand on her lower back. “This is an incredibly embarrassing and uncomfortable situation—for all of us—but being nasty won’t make it better. So show your sister a little respect. She’s a grown woman who has nothing to be ashamed about.”

  “Respect.” Rolling her eyes, Colleen extended her middle finger and shot Nat the bird. “Yeah, whatever. Have fun being beaten and fucked, Em. I’m going to bed.”

  For the first time since Colleen came barreling into the room, Emily realized that something must be wrong. “Wait, why are you home? You’re supposed to be at campus for orientation. What happened?”

  Colleen’s nostrils flared. “Don’t try to turn this around on me. I’m home, you got caught, deal with it. I know I told you to get laid, but I didn’t expect you to go out and become a goddamn whore.”

  Nat flinc
hed, but Emily simply pointed at her bedroom door. “Go to your room. We’ll talk about this later when you’re not so emotional.”

  “No, I don’t think so.” Colleen ran a hand through her hair, wild-eyed and crackling with anger. “I’ve got nothing to say to you. You disgust me.”

  Until that moment, Emily hadn’t had the presence of mind to feel anything beyond abject embarrassment. The venomous words sliced into her heart anew, unleashing agony like she’d never felt before. The one thing she’d always been able to count on was that her little sister looked up to her. Losing Colleen’s respect was one of the worst things she could imagine.

  Gathering her willpower, Emily kept her voice steady. “I’m sorry you’re upset. I still say we both need some time to cool down.”

  With an angry grunt, Colleen spun on her heels and stomped out of the room. Seconds later, the walls shook with the force of her slamming bedroom door. Numb, Emily walked to her own bedroom door and closed it with a quiet click.

  Nat came up behind her and touched her waist. “I’m so sorry. So sorry.”

  Emily shook her head. “It’s not your fault. It’s mine, I…” She tried to decide where exactly she’d gone wrong. “I shouldn’t have invited you over here.”

  Nat inhaled shakily, sending a shard of pain into Emily’s chest. “I apologize for getting involved in the discussion. I know it wasn’t any of my business, and I realize this was pretty heavy for an eighteen-year-old, but I just…didn’t like her talking to you that way.”

  Trembling, Emily turned and wrapped her arms around Nat’s waist. She buried her face in Nat’s shoulder, unsure what to do next but desperately needing comfort. Gentle hands stroked circles over her back, calming her instantly. “I’m sorry about what she said to you.”

  Nat shook her head. “She was upset. I understand.”

  “I’m mortified.” Emily fiddled with the hem of her teddy with one hand, trying to cover herself without leaving Nat’s embrace. “I can’t believe she heard us. I can’t believe she saw us.”