“Let’s get started then,” he said right before everything went black. He’d slipped a blindfold over my eyes.
I licked my lips, not sure what to expect. Even though I thought I was ready, the first swipe of the flogger caught me off guard.
“Fuck.” The word came out before I could hold it back.
“Pet? Remember the rules.”
I swallowed. “Sorry, Sir.” I clamped my mouth shut.
The next hit, stuck my thighs below my ass, then my back. With each strike, blood rushed to the surface, heating my skin. After the first few, the skin numbed.
There were no thoughts of the pile of audit papers on my desk, the fact I wasn’t sure I liked my job anymore, or anything else. However, I couldn’t get the picture of a certain person out of my head. Because in my head, it was a certain boss I’d been fantasizing about.
So much for getting out of my head.
Chapter 14
Sebastian
Ihad wanted her to go into tonight with her eyes wide open, figuratively, at least.
Last week she hadn’t seen the room, hadn’t seen the implements I used, hadn’t known what was coming. This time was different.
Tonight I’d watched her take in every detail before she stepped toward the cross. No coaxing. No hesitation. She went willingly, understanding exactly what she was choosing.
It mattered.
The flogger was one of my favorite tools. It had the option to tickle or hurt like a son of a bitch, depending how I used it. My first strike hit harder, getting her attention, but then I backed off as I swung back and forth, hitting a new area each time from her back to her calves and everything in between.
After her skin had warmed, I changed my position, and the next strikes were delivered with more force. Her backside had taken on a lovely pink hue, heat blooming beneath every mark.
Mira stayed quiet. Only the smallest sounds escaped her.
Good. That pleased me. A submissive’s surrender created a sacred trust.
I set the flogger aside and kneaded one flushed cheek, the warmth of her skin radiating against my palm.
“Color, Pet?” I asked as I nuzzled into the crook of her neck, my lips nipping her skin.
She drew a shaky breath. “Green, Sir.”
A smile tugged at my mouth. I gripped her hair, guiding her face toward mine.
“Such a good Pet.”
I leaned in until my lips brushed hers. I took advantage, capturing her mouth, my tongue claiming the sounds she didn’t realize she made. It wasn’t a kiss, not really. Kissing was personal, intimate. Something I couldn’t allow myself with her.
This was a lesson in surrender, not an invitation to lose myself. Or at least that's what I told myself.
Still… she met me without hesitation. Every shift of her mouth answered mine, and when I drew back and caught her lower lip gently between my teeth, a quiet sound escaped her.
Such a natural. She didn’t have to try to submit. She simply did.
My fingers traced slowly down the length of her spine, tracing the tremor that followed each touch. Her body read like a series of signals. Tension, anticipation, restraint. All without a single word.
I stepped back and stilled. The only sound in the room was her breathing. She didn't know what came next, but she waited. Her breath steadied, and I carefully reached for the riding crop and smirked. Tonight I'd see how far I could push her.
The first strike landed with precision, just enough to draw her focus sharply inward. She tensed, her jaw tightening as she absorbed the sensation. No sound. No protest.
