"I think you wanted to be punished."
"I…uh…"
He held his hand up, the small gesture stopping me before I could get my words out.
"No lies, Juliet. We need honesty between us if this is going to work."
I lowered my gaze to the floor. "Yes, I wanted to be punished. I wanted to know how it feels."
Nate stepped closer. Putting a finger beneath my chin, he applied gentle pressure until I looked up at him.
"Don't hide from me, Juliet. Being curious is nothing to be ashamed of."
I nodded half-heartedly. Nate tightened his grip on my chin.
"I need to hear it out loud, Juliet."
"Being curious is nothing to be ashamed of."
"That's right." Nate unbuttoned the cuffs of his dark-gray shirt and rolled up his sleeves. Nerves fluttered in my stomach. "Now shall we get on with it?"
Swallowing hard, I nodded as Nate walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Come here." His voice held that quiet command that did funny things to my insides. I scarcely wanted to admit the effect he had on me.
I crossed the room, trying to maintain my composure. There were only a few paces between us, but it seemed to take forever for me to reach Nate. When I stopped in front of him, he cocked his head to one side and regarded me closely.
"Do you remember your safeword?"
Of course I remembered. It was only twenty-four hours or so since I'd come up with it. I bit back a snarky retort, knowing false bravado would only make things worse.
"Cosmetics." I hated the faint tremor in my voice as I spoke.
"Good. Use it if you need to, but be aware, I won't tolerate you wriggling out of punishments before they've even begun. Are we clear?"
"Yes."
"Yes, what?"
I hesitated. Did he expect me to call him sir, or master, or something like that? No, that wasn't what he was to me.
"Yes, Nate."
Seemingly satisfied with that, he held my gaze for a moment and then patted his knee. I frowned.
"I want you over my lap," he said when he realized I was confused.
"Oh." My lips parted. I felt like an idiot, but for some reason, I hadn't expected that. I took a moment to mentally preparemyself. Then knowing I was only going to tie myself in knots if I overthought this, I lowered myself carefully over Nate's lap. I braced myself with my palms on the floor. Nate helped me to keep my balance as he lowered my leggings and panties just enough to bare my bottom. He rested a hand at the small of my back, a gesture that helped steady my nerves.
"My rules exist for a reason, Juliet. Respect is non-negotiable. We need to work together if I'm going to keep you safe and disrespecting me affects that. Do you understand?"
"Yes, I understand."
"Good and I want you to know that once this punishment is over, I consider the matter closed."
It was reassuring to know that we'd be able to draw a line under my bad attitude and move forward. Lying over his lap with my bottom exposed brought mixed feelings to the forefront. On the one hand, I was embarrassed by the strangeness of my situation, and on the other, I enjoyed a sense of security unlike anything I'd experienced before.
There was no time to untangle my emotions as Nate delivered the first sharp spank to my right buttcheek. I gasped sharply, caught off guard by the effect the sting of pain had on me. My chest tightened.
