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Delilah’s face flashed in Mei’s mind. That was the path she was going down. But Delilah had smiled with fondness at the memories, despite her sadness. Mei knew she was going to have some of the sadness, so why not see if she could capture some of the fondness as well?

Who knew if she would ever want to do any of this with a man again, or if they would want to with her? She should take advantage of the opportunities to experience everything she wanted to while she had them.

“Yes,” she whispered.

“Yes?” The duke sounded surprised, even though he had been the one to suggest it.

“Yes, spank me please, Your Grace.” There. She’d said the words. Clearly and concisely.

The duke froze beneath her for a moment, not even blinking, then Mei gasped as he pulled her against him hard. His hand slid through her hair to cup the back of her neck, his thumb and forefinger pressing against the base of her skull, and he claimed her lips in a kiss that left her melting and breathless against him.

That made it very easy for him to maneuver her around. Mei was not entirely sure how he did it. One moment, she was atop his thighs, kneeling on the daybed, with one leg on either side of him; the next, she was across his lap with her legs hanging down and her upper body supported by the bed.

“Oh!” She gasped the word through kiss-swollen lips, her breasts swelling against the bed beneath her as her nipples rubbed against the silky fabric of her nightrail. Cool air hit her legs and bottom as the hem of her nightgown was pulled up over her hips, and she felt the duke’s warm hand run over the curve of her buttocks. Her skin tingled in his wake, as though in anticipation of his hand coming down much harder against it. She felt dreadfully vulnerable and yet wildly excited.

“I think ten… five for your guilty conscience and five for calling me ‘Your Grace’ when I told you to call me Sebastian.”

“Yes, Your Grace,” Mei retorted because, for some reason, she could not stop herself from doing so. She did not want him just to think he could boss her around, after all.

The duke started to laugh and just barely managed to stop himself, but it was enough that Mei knew she’d amused him, and she smirked.

“You truly are a little minx,” he murmured, rubbing a spot in the center of her right cheek. “Very well. Fifteen then. Five for your guilty conscience, and another five for every time you call me ‘Your Grace.’”

Despite the warning flaring in her mind, Mei was still almost about to ‘Your Grace’ him again just for the sake of being stubborn, when his hand lifted and came down on her bottom.

Hard.

Hard enough to sting and make her gasp, and she rocked forward on the daybed.

She reached out and grabbed hold of the cushion in front of her, bringing it in to hug, needing something to do with her hands as his palm lifted and came down on the same spot in the center of her other cheek.

Hard.

It hurt, and it didn’t, at the same time.

Mei pressed her mouth to the pillow to help muffle her small cries as the duke’s hand smacked against her upturned bare bottom again and again. By the sixth time, it was the only thing keeping her from reaching back to cover herself. Every time his hand came down, she felt the pulse of it through her body, felt the zing that went straight to the center of her pleasure.

She could not decide if she liked it or not.

Yet she did not want him to stop, either.

It felt as though her cheeks were getting hotter and hotter with every stinging slap, and her whole body was aflame with the sensation. His cock pressed against her side as she squirmed on his lap, her toes curling, feet kicking slightly when his hand smacked against a particularly sensitive spot.

Mei gasped and moaned into the pillow, hugging it tighter and tighter as the pain and the burn in her skin grew. The combination of sensations was horrible and wonderful, all at the same time, and when he paused at ten to rub his hand across her chastised skin, she felt her entire body clench.

“See now?” he murmured. “This is a very nice pink bottom. Unfortunately, you had to be sassy and earn yourself a little extra on top.”

Another hard smack to the center of her already pink cheeks, and Mei let out more muffled cries into the pillow as he repeated it on the other side. Then his hand went lower, and she bucked on his lap. The crease between her bottom and her thighs burned. His arm went across her lower back, pinning her in place to deliver the second swat to the other leg, making Mei squeal and buck again.

Then the last, worst, best swat—his palm directly against her wet, swollen pussy.

The sting was far worse than any other swat before it, and her entire body throbbed in response as she cried out again, tears filling her eyes. Her whole lower body felt as though it was pulsing in time with the clenching of her inner muscles. Her bottom was on fire, and so was the sensitive area between her thighs.

Panting for breath, she went limp over his lap. Good. It was over. That was… she did not have the words to describe how she felt about it. Especially when his hand was now moving so gently over her hot skin, caressing, rubbing, sending tingles up her spine.

“Well, little minx,” he said, his voice dripping with sympathy that did not feel sincere. “Have you had enough?”

The urge to call him ‘Your Grace’ again was strong, but Mei did not think she wanted another five swats. She might explode if he gave her another five swats.