He’d worked so hard to fit in and stay in the shadows. He dreaded exposure and being shunned again like in school. Was it worth the risk when he didn’t need the money? He perused Beth’s face again, her eagerness evident in the glint in her eyes, her bouncing leg. He was not sure he had the heart to tell her no.
“Let me consider it. You may return tomorrow night, and we shall discuss it then. In the meantime…” He stepped to his trunk by his bedroom door and dug through its contents. She’d brought up the spanking club. He had two items that might prove a mild deterrent for her boldness. Of course, he did not wish to punish her too much, as the goal of his designs was always fun.
Finding them, he produced the two items he’d been searching for—a narrow paddle and a leather strap with the end split into two narrower strips and held them up for Beth to see.
Beth’s eyes widened.
“Since you brought up Sarah’s club, I should like to test both of these. This,” he wiggled the paddle, “is narrower than I usually make a paddle. Stiffer than a strap but because of its width, whippier than a normal paddle. The other is something a friend informed me of after he visited Scotland.”
She watched silently.
“Any objections?” Concerned that her silence meant fear, he needed assent. “Have you tried any of this before? Do you know what to expect?”
“No, no, and no.”
Alarmed, he dropped his hands. “Right. I can put these away.”
“No!” She stepped forward and grabbed the tawse he’d made from his friend’s description. “I was simply answering your questions. No, I haven’t experimented with spanking so I do not know what ’tis like. But also, no objections.” She smiled, tugging against his hold on the object.
“Oh.” He let out a breath. “You had me concerned that I upset you.”
“Thank you, Robert. I am not anxious. Mayhap a little nervous. Certainly excited.”
Stepping into her, he forced her back through the doorway toward the bed, making her breath shorten.
I should have known she’d be open to almost anything, but my insecurities interfere all too often. Not tonight.
Sighing with relief, he put his hand against her sternum, just above her cleavage, and shoved.
As she bounced, some parts more than others, he bared his teeth in an anticipatory grin.
She was in for a long night of testing.
****
Beth woke confused. She was lying on her stomach when she never slept in that position. She rolled over and realized why. Her bottom was sore.
The tawse had been too painful, so Robert switched to the narrow paddle. She’d tolerated it well enough, but even light smacks did not excite her much.
After a few, Robert requested feedback.
“It offers a wide variety of sensation, from tingles to pain, quite easily.”
“Shall I continue?”
She lifted a shoulder in a half-shrug. “If you’d like. You are the one with the spanking club membership, after all.” She glanced over her shoulder at him. “Does it please you to spank me?”
“Only if you enjoy it as well.” He set the implement aside. “My membership is for testing such as this, not out of any need to hurt a woman.”
At his aggravated tone, she quickly replied, “I did not mean to infer that. I simply wanted to know what you like, just as you asked me. But I’m sure I can apologize more thoroughly.”
“Oh?”
She slid to her knees and used her mouth to beg forgiveness without words. Sadly, she had to return home after, in order to avoid being seen leaving his house. He’d sent a servant with her for protection.
Lounging on her side in the morning light, Beth considered their history. She’d approached him more often than not, but he’d been in charge of their play. Between school and her enjoyment of physical intimacy, she’d tried just about everything two—and three—people could do together. But always before, she’d been in control and, in fact, most often led the party.
For all his shyness in public, Robert was wondrously dominant in private. Submitting to his wishes was like drinking an extra glass of port. She felt a little off-kilter, dizzy, but also exhilarated.
