“You can be annoyingly and refreshingly forthright,” he frowned. “You are a walking oxymoron.”
“Just, please, tell me,” she demanded, jumping to her feet.
“Sit down,” he said sternly.
“Sorry,” she muttered, dropping back on the couch. “I’m not very good at waiting, especially not for something…so…”
“The quick answer is yes, but,” he said quickly, and sensing she was about to interrupt him again he held up his hand, “before you say anything, I have to tell you that you were right-”
“I was? What about?” she interjected, a large smile crossing her face.
“I am going to buy several gags with your name on every one of them the minute I set foot on the London streets,” he exclaimed, throwing up his arms in exasperation.
“I can’t help myself,” she said, “I do try.”
“Discipline,” he growled. “Regular, strict discipline. Before I tell you what you were right about, you need to understand that’s what you’ll be receiving.”
“Well, duh, I do know that,” she replied, staring up at him, quickly adding, “sorry, I didn’t that to sound so sarcastic. Yes, I understand that.”
“Just as well you cleaned that up,” he said sternly, then pausing, he took a breath, moved to the couch and sat down next to her, taking her hand in his.
“Brittany,” he began, his voice unexpectedly quiet, “you were right about my trepidation. I did use your misbehavior as an excuse to hit the pause button, because, and I’m ashamed to admit this, because my fears did get the better of me.”
“I didn’t mean to be, uh, nasty to you, but I said those things because it was the only thing that made sense, but I don’t think you’re a coward, not at all, that was just my anger, honest.”
“Thank you for saying that, but in a way you were right. I was hurt very badly, but I was hurt because of something I did. Natalie, that was her name, felt taken for granted, and ultimately she left. It was shocking and inexplicable to me at the time, and it was a while before I realized she’d been right. It has troubled me deeply that I caused her so much pain. I promise you, I won’t make that mistake again. Should we end up a couple, I won’t take you for granted, not ever.”
His heartfelt confession sent a heat to her throat, and leaning into to him she kissed his cheek.
“Duncan, thank you so much for telling me all that,” she said warmly. “It must have not have been easy.”
“You needed to know,” he said, staring at his hands, “and not, it wasn’t, but I’m very happy I did.”
There was a moment of quiet, a warm closeness, before Brittany softly asked,
“So, we can spend these last couple of days together.”
“I would like that very much,” he nodded, “and I’ve been giving this some thought.”
“You mean the rest of the cruise, or…?”
“The or,” he smiled. “When we dock in Tahiti I’m flying back to London, and you’re flying back to Charleston. How would you feel about flying back to London and spending a week with me, seven days to be exact? The first three days will be easy, I always give myself time to adjust before going back to work, but the following four days will be my life as it is. Maybe you’d like to experience it.”
“You’re kidding,” she breathed, hardly believing her ears.
“I’m not kidding, but you’ll be sitting on a very sore backside on that flight, I can promise you that,” he warned.
“I don’t even know what to say, I’m just…totally shocked.”
“Think about it,” he smiled.
“Think about it? You’re kidding me? What’s there to think about? Of course I’ll come with you, of course, of course.”
“Excellent,” he grinned. “It will give us a chance to see if we really might be a match, and we take things from there,” though I’m not quite sure what that means.
“Wow, I can’t believe this, I’m so excited. Oh, you are just the most spectacular man,” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck and covering his face with kisses.
“I’m glad you think so,” he chuckled, “but I’m not spectacular, not at all. I do have a question though, I’m curious about something.”
“Sure, what, ask me anything.”
“Do you make a habit of taking off with strange men and getting drunk when you’re ticked off? It seemed a very easy thing for you to do, almost as if it was a habit. Tell me the truth, have you done that before?”
Dropping her arms from his neck she felt the familiar redness cross her face.
“Um, kind of,” she muttered.
“What does that mean, kind of?”
“Going out and dancing, having a drink, it helps me get over things faster,” she admitted. “Kathy was the one who got me into it. I don’t do anything, I just go out and try to forget about whatever’s bothering me.”
“That won’t fly with me, Brittany. If we have words while you’re with me in London, and I truly hope we don’t, but if we do, you can’t go off galavanting around. Understood?”
“Sure, no problem,” she agreed quickly.
“I mean it,” he frowned.
“No problem, honest,” she insisted.
“This Kathy, I think I’m with your father. I don’t mean to judge unfairly, but those clothes, and…well, it doesn’t matter. She’s not here, and we have to talk about something else,” he said firmly. “You know what that is.”
“Uh, I think so,” she mumbled.
“I must be very strict about this, Brittany,” he said sternly. “You have to learn you cannot manipulate me. You did it once and I punished you, and yet you turned around and did it again.”
“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, “really, I am.”
“Let’s start with, I’m sorry, Sir.”
“I’m sorry, Sir,” she repeated, “but I have to explain. I saw this show about Kate Middleton and Prince_”
“You can stop right there,” he said, holding up his hand. “Whatever the motivation, you still attempted to manipulate me and it must be dealt with. Understood?”
“Yes, Sir,” she sighed. “Understood.”
“That spanking over my knee I promised you,” he began, “you’ll get it, but it will have far more bite, and I have a couple of other things in mind for you, discipline that I hope will make you think twice before you decide to pull any more stunts.”
“Whatever you say, Sir,” she said softly.
“Indeed,” he said, raising his eyebrows. “To start, you’re to go back to your cabin, shower, and change into something you think I’ll like, and come back with whatever you need for the next twenty-four hours. You will not be allowed to leave this cabin. You will consider yourself under house arrest.”
“Yes, Sir,” she nodded.
“You’ll have precisely ten minutes from the time you leave here to pack your bag and return.”
“What should I wear go to my cabin? Those clothes I was wearing last-”
“Those dreadful clothes, they’re gone,” he said, cutting her off as he stood up. “You’ll have to wear that robe, just as you did before, but I will not be escorting you this time.”
“Should I go now?”
“Yes, immediately, and remember, ten minutes. I would advise you not to keep me waiting.”
“Yes, Sir,” she replied, jumping to her feet, and heart pumping she headed for the door.
“Remember, Brittany, ten minutes.”
She wasn’t wearing a watch, so glanced at the clock on the wall, then sending him a nervous smile she headed off to her cabin.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
After a hurried shower, Brittany chose a silk turquoise skirt and short sleeved white silk tank top, but wasn’t sure if she should wear underwear, putting it on and taking it off twice before finally deciding to leave it on. As she hurriedly packed an overnight back with a pink teddy and matching panties, her makeup and other toiletries, she felt her insides trembling. Duncan was the real dea
l, and he’d made no bones about what a strict Dominant he was.
How can I be so excited and so scared at the same time?
Just keep packing. You should take some shorts, or your white sweat suit.
Throwing in the casual clothes she zipped up the bag and headed out, knocking on Duncan’s door several minutes before her allotted time was up.
“It’s open,” he called.
Walking inside she found the living room empty, so moved into his bedroom; he was waiting for her, having changed into a black T-shirt and workout pants. She immediately noticed the drapes were drawn across the windows, and he’d moved an armchair in from the living room, placing it against the wall very close to where she was standing.
“Place your bag on that chair in the corner.”
She moved across the room depositing her bag, and when she turned around he had closed the door and was leaning against it; his arms were crossed and he looked very serious, and stunningly sexy.
“Come back here and stand in front of me,” he ordered, his voice firm and direct.
“Can I say-”
“No!” he snapped.
Hurrying back she stood in front of him, suddenly feeling very young, as if she’d been called to the principal’s office for passing notes in class, which was something that had happened on a regular basis in grade school.
“Your discipline will start with some time alone. You will stay in this room, you will not watch television, or read, or snoop, nor will you open the drapes. You will not remove your shoes, or any other part of your clothing. I will be checking on you from time to time. Don’t let me catch you disobeying me.”
She stared at him in shock.
I thought you were going spank me, to, uh-
“No doubt you were expecting something else,” he sighed, reading her face. “This will put you in the right frame of mind. Any questions?”
“How long?” she asked, then added quickly, “sorry, I guess I already know the answer to that.”
“Indeed,” he replied, raising his eyebrows. “Behave yourself, young lady,” he finished sternly. “I’ll know if you don’t”
She watched him turn and leave the room, and rolling her eyes she flopped down on the side of the bed.
Why am I surprised? This makes some kind of weird sense. Solitary confinement. I’d better do exactly as he said, he could open that door at any time and I’m sure he will. I’ll just sit here and wait.
But Brittany discovered it wasn’t so easy. There was a clock on the desk in the corner of the room, and she’d glance across thinking twenty minutes had passed, only to discover it had barely been five.
She was tempted to risk a quick glance through a teasing crack in the drapes, and drawn by the idea she went so far as to wander across the room and stand in front of it, staring at the enticing invitation. Common sense finally won out and she walked away, moments later wondering if Duncan had left the drapes the tiny bit open to test her.
After pacing for a while she returned to the bed and laid down, closing her eyes, thinking a nap would help pass the time. It worked, but only for a short while; she was simply too anxious to doze off.
She finally propped herself up, stuffing the pillows behind her back, and began to think about her life back home, her friendship with Kathy, then Duncan and her overwhelming attraction to him.
Duncan had been watching her on his laptop, having placed the innocent looking travel clock on the small bedroom desk.
She’d behaved exactly as expected. She’d paced, she’d stood staring at the drapes, clearly wanting to take a quick peek outside, then the attempted nap, and finally she had sat up on the bed and begun to think.
It had taken longer than he thought but the process had worked. Now she’d be in the right frame of mind, she open to him, to the discipline she was about to endure. Closing the computer, he stood up and stretched, drank some water, and headed back into the bedroom.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
When the door finally opened Brittany was so happy to see him she jumped to her feet and hurried across to hug him. He held her for a moment, then gently pushed her back.
“I get it,” she breathed. “I didn’t at first, and it seemed like forever, but then I started to go into this weird think mode.”
“I know,” he smiled. “You did really well.”
“I did?”
“Yes, you did, and later we’ll talk about all those thoughts, at least, the ones you want to share with me, but now we must move on. Are you ready?”
“Yes,” she sighed, “I’m ready.”
“Move back about six feet, turn around, and lift your skirt around your waist.”
His voice was growing sterner, and as she shuffled backwards she grit her teeth.
He’s going to smack my ass while I hold my skirt up. Why do I find the thought of that so embarrassing? I thought he was going to put me over his knee?
She turned her back to him and raised her skirt, and barely breathing she waited…and waited…and though it was only a couple of minutes it felt like much longer before she felt his fingers slip through the sides of her panties. With one, deft movement he yanked them down, leaving them around the tops of her thighs.
“Your discipline is about to begin,” he said, his warm breath in her ear sending goosebumps across her skin.
He held his lips against her neck for a long moment, then stepped back, addressing her in a normal tone of voice as he moved his fingertips over her seat.
“For the next twenty-four hours you will not leave this room. I have told you that I am a strict disciplinarian. If things become too much for you, you will say these words exactly, ‘this is too much for me.’ Repeat them please.”
The tickling of his fingertips was sending a hot wetness into her sex, making it difficult to concentrate.
“This is too much for me,” she managed.
“If you say those words I will immediately stop everything I’m doing, untie you if you’re bound, and disappear. I will have removed myself from this cabin. You won’t be able to find me, and you are not to look. You will pack your things and you will leave. There will be no recriminations, no dramatic goodbyes, no apologies, and we will be over. Understood?”
“Yes, Sir, understood,” she frowned, but I won’t, not in a million years, I won’t.
“Your discipline will begin with a much needed scolding,” he declared, dropping his teasing fingers from her cheeks and stepping back. “Raise your hands behind your head, elbows out, kick off your shoes and separate your feet.”
Taking a deep breath she did as directed, feeling the soft silk of the skirt float against her naked backside. Getting her strappy sandals off her feet without using her hands wasn’t easy, and as she struggled she could feel his eyes on her.
“That took you long enough,” he remarked, as she finally managed to get them off, “eyes on the floor.”
She stared at the carpet, and a second later she saw his feet come into view. He started to circle her, like a great cat circling its prey.
“Brittany you are a very spoiled, immature, bratty girl,” he began, moving around her with a slow, measured pace. “You have lacked discipline throughout your life, and that is going to change. Your constant interruptions show a distinct lack of manners, and you will learn, very quickly, young lady, that such impolite behavior will not be tolerated.”
He paused, allowing his words to hang in the air, all the while continuing his circle, emanating his strict, no-nonsense energy.
“You see your conniving ways and manipulations as clever, but they are the height of dishonesty. Any further attempts at getting what you want through plotting and scheming will be dealt with severely. I have a number canes in my arsenal, and I will not hesitate to use them when necessary. I can assure you, several strokes from any one of them and you will quickly mend your ways. Are we reaching a clearer understanding, Brittany?”
“Yes, Sir,” she quivered.
And she was.
“I punished you for your attempt to manipulate me into spanking you, and what did you do? Tried another scheme just a short time later. You should be ashamed of yourself, Brittany Carter, very ashamed. Clearly you need a strict hand, extremely strict.”
He paused again, and stood directly in front of her. Seeing the goosebumps on her arms he felt a wave of satisfaction; she had just the right amount of apprehension.
“And that, young lady, is exactly what you will receive,” he said soberly, his voice threateningly low, “my very strict hand.”
He held his ground for just a moment before striding away, and any doubts Brittany had been harboring about Duncan’s resolve were vanquished.
Though he had warned her, though he had told her he was a strict disciplinarian and possibly too much for her, she realized she hadn’t totally believed him; she had been convinced she could handle anything he could dish out, but could she?
Maybe he was right? Maybe he is too much for me. Shit, I’ve never been so scared in my life, or so ashamed. He’s right, he’s right about everything. I have been dishonest, and I have gotten away with things, with everything, my whole life. Ooh, he’s going to spank me hard, I know it.
You can always bail, you can always say, this is too much for me, and you’ll be out of here.
Should I? Should I bail now, before it all starts?
Then it’ll be over and he’ll be gone, out of your life for good. You know there’ll be no second chances, no way, not with him.
I have to see this through. I’m crazy about him, and I want him, I want it all, I’m just scared.
You should be.
THE STRICT BRITISH BARRISTER: ACT ONE Page 14