Nate paused for a moment as if waiting for me to throw out my safeword. If he thought I would try to evade this punishment, he was mistaken. When I agreed to his conditions for staying here under his protection, I was aware of what I was getting into.
He struck me again, and I splayed my fingers across the soft carpet. Tension rippled through me, then dissipated. Nate found his rhythm, delivering the punishment slowly and methodically, hitting different parts of my bottom until I was sure every inch of my skin was glowing red.
"Nate!" I gasped as his palm cracked across the full width of my ass.
"You're all right," he assured me.
I was, and that bothered me. It didn't fit with my image of myself as an independent woman to not only accept his discipline, but embrace it. Was I in danger of losing myself if I allowed Nate to take control like this? As my flesh warmed, I stopped debating the rights and wrongs of my situation. My clit pulsed wildly, and I focused on breathing steadily as my arousal grew.
My fists curled as Nate paused, resting his hand against the curve of my backside, his cool skin soothing me.
"How are you doing?"
"I'm…" I stopped to consider. "I'm okay."
"Good girl."
Clearly I had some previously unknown praise kink because those two words uttered from Nate's lips made my heart pound. I shifted on his lap, brushing against his extremely hard and obviously impressive cock. Excitement coursed through me as I realized the effect I was having on him.
"Six more," he warned, "and these will not be so gentle."
My eyes widened. Did he consider the spanking so far to be gentle? My ass was on fire already. How much worse could this get? The answer came a mere second later when Nate struck my bottom with the harshest slap yet. My eyes watered as I let out a cry of shock. Each subsequent blow felt harder than the last. I clenched my fists and tried to focus on my breathing as the pain intensified.
The word cosmetics lay on the tip of my tongue, but before I could decide whether to utter it, the punishment was over. Shoulders shaking as tears streamed down my cheeks, I slumped over Nate's knee. He gently drew me up into a sitting position on his lap. I lifted my ass slightly to alleviate the ache as Nate cradled my head against his chest.
"You're okay, Juliet. Your punishment is over, and all is forgiven."
His words made me cry even harder. He stroked my hair and whispered soothingly as I unashamedly soaked his shirt with my tears. He pressed his lips to the top of my head.
Gradually my trembling eased. I slowed my breaths and loosened my grip on Nate's arm. I hadn't realized I was holding him so tight. He'd probably be bruised.
"Sorry," I said softly as I pulled back from him.
"For what?"
"For making such a fuss." I swiped a hand over my cheeks. "You must think I'm a real crybaby."
Nate shook his head. "Of course I don't." He brushed a stray hair back from my face. "It's good that you show your emotions. I don't ever want you to hide from me."
"Okay." I smiled tremulously. "I guess I was caught off guard. In my head, being spanked was something clinical. I didn't expect it to be so…" Waving a hand around, I searched for the right word. "Disarming."
Nate tilted his head to one side. "Disarming?"
"Yes. You keep making my mask slip. I'm so used to performing for people."
"You don't have to do that with me."
I nodded. I was starting to get that. Nate didn't need me to act a part. Out here on his beautiful vineyard, I wasn't a symbol of an ideal I didn't believe in. The problem was, I didn't quite understand who I was in this environment.
"I'm not sure I know how to stop."
"You'll learn," Nate said. "I did."
That gave me pause. I thought about it for a moment and realized that since I arrived here, the Nate Harrington I saw was not the one who inhabited the glamorous world of L.A.'s richestpeople. He was calmer, happier, more approachable. Perhaps I'd find the same peace he obviously had if I stayed here with him.
I leaned against him, then pushed to my feet, unable to bear the intimacy any longer. It was overwhelming and made me hope for things I wasn't sure were possible. While my head was traveling in the direction of a future with this man, I doubted he was thinking the same way. It was far too soon for that.
"I need to put my new clothes away." As excuses went, it was pretty lame.
