“Thank you, my lord.”
“Ah, such a short memory. Roll over, please, and bring your knees up.”
Again I have forgotten to use his given name. He said he would punish me, and it seems he will. This time, though, I find I face my chastisement with far more equanimity. A spanking might hurt, but he will not harm me. I know this, I am sure of it. And with the pain comes such exquisite pleasure—afterwards.
I twist my body, finding he left sufficient slack in my bonds to enable me to turn to lie face down. I bend my knees under my body in a kneeling position but with my face on the mattress.
“Lift your bottom up, Tally. And feel free to scream.”
I barely have time to draw in a breath before a blaze of fire explodes across both my buttocks. I let out an anguished yell and jerk away from him. Turning my head I see his belt, so recently discarded, dangling from his right hand.
“Oh, sweet Jesus. No more, no more…” My voice is a strangled croak.
“We are not done yet. One more, on each side. You will not forget my name again, I suspect. Get back into position and present your bottom for further punishment. You will learn this lesson here.”
I have rolled to my side, my body curled in a near-foetal position. Stefan stands beside the bed, the belt swinging. He waits for me to compose myself and do as he has instructed me.
And I do it. From some secret, hidden place I did not know I had, from somewhere deep within myself, I discover the courage, the fortitude, the determination to submit.
The remaining two strokes are delivered with ruthless efficiency, searing my buttocks with liquid fire. I cry out with each stripe, but I do not move again. Even after he has finished and the belt lies once more on the bare earth floor, I remain still.
Stefan is moving around the room. The rustle and swish of fabric against skin tells me he is undressing. I am curious, but still too stunned to shift so much as a muscle.
“I am happy to take you in that position, but you might prefer to lie on your back.”
“I am scared to move. It hurts.”
“That will soon pass.” I wince as his palm flattens over my tender, smarting bottom. His touch is gentle now, a slow, light caress that seems to absorb the pain and soothe my throbbing skin.
“Your arse feels hot, and you will have bruises from this night. Your flesh is soft, tender. Were you never spanked before this morning?”
“No, my… No, Stefan. Never.”
Conscious of my error I hold my breath, but this time he chuckles. “I want you to obey me, but I will not punish you again tonight. Best you do not store up further retribution for tomorrow though, would you agree?”
“Yes, Stefan. Thank you.”
“So, do you want to move?”
I manage a small nod and wriggle cautiously back onto my side, then complete the turn. The press of the mattress against my still smarting bottom is uncomfortable but not unbearable.
Stefan stands, and for the first time I catch sight of him in all his naked glory. In all his naked and truly enormous glory.
I have only the dimmest recollection of seeing my second husband so displayed, and my first husband not at all. For sure neither one of them was endowed with even a fraction of my current lord’s size. I would have remembered. Without doubt.
And it will not do. I am a small woman, in every respect. There is no way that he will be able to… That I can…
“No, my lord. You will not fit. You are too big.”
“So quickly you forget, Tally. Have a care. Tomorrow is going to be a difficult day for you as it is. As for your other concerns, you are tight, I know that. It has been a while for you, I realise. We will take this slow, but please be assured, I know what I’m about and we will be extremely compatible.”
He shifts to kneel on the bed, reaching for my knees to draw them apart. I am dreading the next few minutes, but I appreciate the futility of further argument. And surely, despite appearances to the contrary, one man is much like another. I am no virgin, I will survive this.
Stefan has promised.
Chapter Eight
The expression on Tally’s face puts me in mind of a cornered hind I once observed during its final moments as it faced a pack of hungry wolves. The inevitability of the outcome was assured, no serious hope of escape remained, but still the tenuous possibility of some sort of reprieve hovered, tantalising, just beyond the desperate creature’s reach.
