She tried not to cringe, not to pull away from him with every ounce of strength she possessed. He was making her do the one thing she didn’t want to, to look directly at him. She nodded tentatively. “I think I do, sir.”
“But you’ve never been spanked? Ever?”
“No, sir.”
“Then you can’t possibly imagine what’s coming next.” He sat a little taller.
She craned her neck slightly to see him.
“First I will finish what I was saying. Don’t you look away even once or I will double what you’re getting. Understand?”
Pepper nodded, resisting the urge to scowl at him.
“This is the way it’s going to be. Pay attention. You’re going to be living in my house. I have separate, self-contained quarters that might suit you. However, given your outrageous behavior just now, you have not earned the privilege just yet. Instead you will be sleeping in the room next to mine. You will be locked in at night.”
She shivered involuntarily.
“When I believe I can trust you, your freedom will be adjusted accordingly. When and if I truly believe you are trustworthy, I may issue an occasional pass for you to return to Rosemoor. How much freedom you gain will depend on your behavior.”
A light breeze wafted between them, delivering the sunny scent of him to her.
“However, when you are untrustworthy, dishonest, or show other elements of being unable to conduct yourself in a seemly manner, I will correct you accordingly. And by accordingly, I mean I will turn you over my knee and paddle your tempting, round bottom until it is the color of sweet autumn apples.”
“I’m sorry about running away.” Her voice was unapologetic. “Everything has been kind of freaky today. I don’t know what possessed me.”
“Understood,” he said. “But that doesn’t get you out of your punishment. Besides, there are other things you’re going to pay for.”
“Like what?” Pepper tried but failed to keep the indignation out of her voice.
“Lying by omission. When I asked you if you’d observed Waking Illness symptoms beyond the common ones, you said no. That was a lie.” Red sparks flickered in his hair.
“You can’t prove that,” she said softly.
“Have you forgotten who I am already? I don’t have to prove anything. Just like I don’t have to prove that Lily’s version of why you were late wasn’t the absolute truth. I don’t need a witness to your foul language to spank you for that. All it takes is my decision that you need to behave better and you will be punished accordingly. That is how I will help you reach the goal of being a model member of my household.”
He held her eyes with his for a moment before lowering his voice and continuing. “One thing you need to know: I’m not commander simply because my father was. I’m commander because I read people with great accuracy. I know a lie when I hear one. I know when people are hiding things. You’d best learn this sooner rather than later. Today will be the first lesson.” Quinn released her from the grip of his knees. “Raise your skirts.”
Pepper froze. No one had ever asked that of her before. He’d already seen her with them tied to her waist. How high did he want her dress? When she hesitated, he bent from the waist and lifted the hem of her midi, rolling it up like a blind. “Hold your arms out at your sides.”
She complied, wishing he couldn’t see the flush of embarrassment coloring her neck and face.
When her skirt was tucked so high that it even uncovered the white lace of her bra, he said, “Now put your arms down to your side and hold this skirt in place. I don’t want anything coming between me and my target.”
With that he guided her to the outside of his knees and calmly turned her over his lap. “Let go of your skirt now and drape your hands in front of you.”
Quinn’s lap was broad and his wide muscular legs easily formed a supportive platform. But he pushed Pepper to the very edge of his long legs, so her head and shoulders dangled freely in the air and her hair tangled in the springy moss below. Her bottom, high in the air, tightened like a drum for him to tap out a rhythm.
He rubbed the thin cotton of her knickers. “Side-tying drawers,” he said, his voice warm with approval. “These have gone out of fashion in the capital.”
When she felt him untie a side ribbon, Pepper stifled an exclamation of shock.
“Fashion ruins things,” Quinn said, unfastening the other side of her underwear. “This style makes it so much easier to give a girl a sound spanking when she needs it.”
A cool breeze blew across Pepper’s naked bum. She was grateful that Quinn couldn’t see her reddening face. He was stroking her thighs, making sure her drawers were pushed well out of the way. Then the first smack fell. It wasn’t overly hard but the shock of it made Pepper blow out her breath.
* * *
Quinn decided the only way to break Pepper’s hold on him would be to train her to his will. Once she was obedient and compliant, her mystique, along with the weakness it kindled in him, would disappear.
More than that, it was imperative for him to establish his authority immediately. Only if she dreaded the consequences of misbehavior would she do as she was told without hesitation. Only when she was obedient to him could he be sure that he could protect her.
It was his responsibility to keep her safe; he’d known that before he even met her. He hadn’t expected to want to protect her so keenly. Nothing had prepared him for the way her guarded courage had drawn him to her.
Still, she’d pushed the limits of acceptable conduct so many times in the brief hours since they’d met, he’d lost count. Maybe now he’d lose count of the number of strokes he delivered.
The sight of her full white moons offered up so lusciously made his cock twitch. He stroked her silky thighs, letting his fingers dip slightly between them. A small moan escaped her.
Finally, he could delay no longer. He delivered a cracking slap to her sit spot. When she gasped, he nodded grimly. He could have her in tears in seconds but that would ruin everything. Her punishment had to be every bit as psychological as it was physical.
Chapter Eight: Reckoning
Quinn smiled at the way the soft white flesh of Pepper’s bottom flattened when his hand landed. A clear red handprint rose across her cheeks. Human-Kedrant mixed women were so small compared to their Devmaerean sisters. He could cover both her cheeks with one hand, but that would end the session too quickly.
“In the future, when I ask you for information, are you going to withhold what you know?” He paused, admiring the outline of the first smack.
“No, Brother Quinn,” Pepper answered immediately. “I promise. I’m sorry.”
“Good girl,” he said. “But when you are being punished, I think sir is a more appropriate form of address.” With that a volley of slaps landed on her bottom.
“Ow. Help!” Pepper jerked like a fish on a line. “Please, no more, sir. It hurts!”
Quinn stopped. “I’m glad it hurts. I’d hate to go to all this effort for nothing. But we’re just getting started. Your bottom isn’t even warm yet.”
“No fair! I didn’t know your rules before I met you.” She tried to keep the desperation out of her voice as she tensed in anticipation of more spanking.
“Are you still holding onto the notion of fairness?” He punctuated his question with a series of light slaps to her thighs.
She kicked her legs and wind-milled her arms. Quinn’s free hand, clamped on her waist, pinned her in position.
When he spoke again, his voice was thoughtful. “What rules didn’t you know before we met? You didn’t know the simple rules of honesty, modest language, and respect for a high-ranking citizen?”
* * *
The stinging in Pepper’s thighs banished her hopes of giving a sensible answer. “Well, yes, I knew those things, but...”
“But? What but? I like this butt right here and it’s going to know what a good spanking is before we’re finished.”
He resumed sma
cking, varying the tempo. Sometimes he delivered fast, hard slaps before slowing to deliberate, strong strokes. Then more scorching spanks followed. The cracks landed everywhere, pushing all thoughts from her mind. She descended into a dark place where the only reality was the pain radiating from her burning buttocks. It came in scorching sensations and bright constellations of color. It deafened her and blinded her at the same time. All she was aware of was the last stroke and the dread of the one to come.
After forever he stopped. Her bottom throbbed and her head spun both from shame and the indignity of being so pathetically exposed.
“You have a beautiful ass,” he said, rubbing her rump in a half-soothing, half-intensifying way. “I plan to spank it often. For the next while I plan to spank it every day. These daily spankings will continue until I’m confident you are genuinely obedient.”
“I will be! Soon! I promise!” she pleaded.
With the heel of his hand he pushed her buttock cheeks apart slightly, brushing her puckered hole. “Your bottom is perfect for spanking. It also looks ideal for fucking.” He flicked a finger against her rim and, to his delight, felt her push back against his teasing, as if asking for more.
He slipped her off his lap. “Time for a little break.”
As Pepper stood, her untied drawers pooled around her ankles.
“Leave them,” Quinn said. “You will have to earn the privilege of wearing such things. Until further notice, you have forfeited the right to undergarments. We will review the status of this situation daily.”
She stood in front of him, allowing her rolled-up dress to slip back into position. Self-consciously, she rubbed her bottom through the fabric.
“Are we going now?” Her voice was small, almost contrite.
“Certainly not,” Quinn said. “We’ve barely started. Now you are going to strip for me.”
“Strip?” A voice she didn’t recognize asked the question.
“Yes, strip. Nudity is part of the punishment. It reminds you not to hide things from me. Given the roughness of the terrain, you may leave your boots on, but remove everything else. Then I want you to think about what you’ve done to earn this punishment while you stand naked with your hands behind your head.”
Naked. The word ricocheted around Pepper’s head. No man had seen her naked since she was a toddler. The few times she’d experimented with sex in the past, she’d never stripped for her partners.
The thought of standing in front of Quinn nude sent a blush of humiliation over her entire body. For a crazy moment she looked around, wondering how she might escape. But she knew she couldn’t. Look where her first attempt had landed her.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and reminded herself that Quinn probably saw dozens of naked female bodies every week. A powerful man like him could have whoever he wanted, whenever he wanted them. She’d just be another pale-skinned conquest that would blur into the memories of so many others.
His interest might even be clinical, like hers was when she welcomed a new patient to her treatment room. She’d seen a lot of bodies in her many years of training and practice. One thing she knew for sure, her figure was well proportioned, a good combination of soft feminine curves and core strength.
Knowing that her body was taut and healthy, she could disrobe with pride. She closed her eyes and slipped her dress over her head. She had only one article of clothing left on.
“Stop there.” Quinn closed the distance between them. He unclipped her bra from behind and slipped it off.
“Hands behind your head,” he said. “For now, I will keep this. You can have this and your knickers back when you’ve earned those privileges.”
She stood, hiccupping slightly from the spanking but inwardly proud that he hadn’t made her cry. Quinn circled around her, inspecting her with an intensity that made her pulse race and her nipples harden.
At last, he stopped in front of her, one finger on his chin. “I see you are trying to avoid my eyes,” he said.
Pepper, who’d been determinedly staring past his shoulder, didn’t bother denying it.
“Let me help you with that.” He loosened the scarf around his neck and shook it to its full length. With two quick steps he was behind her, fastening it over her eyes as a blindfold. “Now you don’t have to worry about what I can read in your eyes. Your body will tell me everything I want to know.”
Without warning he smacked her bottom hard. “You have lots to think about, don’t you, little sparrow?”
“Yes, sir,” she replied, failing to stop a note of resentment in her voice.
“Please watch your tone. I don’t have anything suitable to gag you with out here, but I can assure you, in my home in Rosewyld, there are a few things that slip between a girl’s teeth to remind her to choose her words and tone carefully.”
Pepper’s mouth turned chalk dry. She didn’t want to imagine what he might have in mind.
“I’m sorry, sir.” This time she managed to answer respectfully.
“That’s better,” he said. He was standing in front of her now. Very close.
A twig snapped. He’d moved away but she couldn’t tell where.
“Would you like to share your thoughts of contrition with me?” he asked after a long while. He was off to her left now. Possibly sitting on the log where he had spanked her.
“Yes, sir. I’m sorry now that I wasn’t forthcoming with you.” She dug into her memory of exactly what she’d said about the Waking Illness. “The other symptoms I’ve seen but didn’t mention were loss of appetite, lack of impulse control, depression, and delusions.”
“Right.” He sounded pensive.
Her arms were getting tired, but she decided not to ask if she could lower them. He was in control. She had no freedom other than the ultimate freedom, the freedom of not having to think for herself.
“What else?” he asked as he moved closer.
“Nothing, sir.”
She gasped when he squeezed both her nipples at once in a vise-like grip. “Weren’t you paying attention when I said I can tell when people are lying or holding information back?”
His voice was ice. His fingers were like steel clamps.
“Ow. Yes, sir. Ow. I’m just not sure if it’s related or not.”
He released her nipples and Pepper breathed hard a few times before speaking again.
“Joint pain,” she said. “It’s just that Lily is the only person I know with the illness who has it.”
“Now that wasn’t so hard, was it? I’ll kiss these better.” His lips closed around one nipple and his fingers, gentle and kneading this time, soothed the other.
A heat of damp desire rose between Pepper’s legs as a moan escaped her.
“You like that, don’t you, my sparrow?” His mouth moved to the other nipple. “So do I.”
As he sucked and kissed the one nipple and caressed other breast, his free hand slid between her thighs. “Open,” he said, teasing her aureole with his tongue.
She widened her stance and the long fingers of one of his hands parted her nether lips.
“You are very welcoming,” he said.
Pepper was grateful for the blindfold that hid her eyes that might have shown how much that comment both mortified and delighted her.
His hands and mouth left her breasts and pussy.
“Now I want you to touch your toes,” he said.
“Why?” Pepper whimpered, shaken out of the moment of unexpected desire.
He answered with a strong smack to her upper thighs. “Any more questions?”
“No. No, sir.” She hurried to do as she was told and braced herself for a walloping. All that followed were half a dozen light swats before Quinn helped her back to an upright position.
He wrapped his long arms around her and kissed the top of her head. “You’ve been very brave so far.”
“So far, sir?” The continued presence of the blindfold told her what he didn’t say.
“There is one last punishment.”
“Please, sir, I have learned my lesson.”
“Ah, but the class is not over yet.” He guided her back to the log and eased her over it, face down over her dress that he’d spread out to protect her from the roughness of the bark.
“Drape your arms over the side and spread your legs.”
Pepper sobbed softly, not from pain this time but from the humiliation at being on display like cattle in the market.
When he spoke again, it was from some distance away. A tree branch cracked.
“For your information, I decided to spank you the minute you held back the other symptoms you’ve only decided to share now, under duress. That displeased me enough. When you added swearing and running away to your misbehavior, you increased the intensity of this session. I fully expect by the time we get to Rosewyld tomorrow night, you will have earned another spanking as well.”
“I won’t, I promise, sir,” Pepper pleaded.
“I’m going to take out a little insurance against that possibility right now. You’re about to taste the sting of a switch for the first time.”
Before she could brace herself, a thin branch cut across her tightly stretched cheeks. Pepper howled. Despite her resolution to keep the position, she stood, rubbing her bottom.
“Ow! Please please please. I’m not strong enough for this.”
Quinn wrapped an arm around her shoulders and eased her back over the log. “Yes, you are. Back in position, you’re almost done. But don’t move this time or I will start again.”
“Now count,” Quinn said. “You’ve already had one, so this is two.”
Pepper choked back the shriek this time as the switch burned across into her already stinging bottom. She pushed herself hard into the curve of the log wishing it would swallow her and save her from any more misery.
“Two,” she rasped.
Before she could absorb and release that pain, the switch hissed again, falling where the last stroke had landed, burning like a thousand needles in a single line. Her body folded against the log in agony.
“Three,” she sobbed, with her last scrap of dignity. Her body went limp and tears soaked the bottom of Quinn’s scarf. She cried freely, lost in the torment of her punishment.
Bound to the Commander Page 6