Authors: Renee Rose
Deathless Love (8 page)
He woke the following day around noon, arranged for Kate's body-work session, and then picked up his phone to text her. Fox and Stella had forced him to learn to text, and now that he'd adopted it, it was hard not to appreciate the ease cell phones—and internet for that matter—had brought to their lives. When he texted her with the information, she replied, “Thx 4 panty $$. Does it have to be Victoria's Secret? How bout Target instead?”
He snorted a short laugh and texted back, “Victoria's Secret. Bring receipt to prove.”
His phone buzzed with her quick reply. “ALL panties? What if I want pjs?”
He texted back. “Pjs?”
“Pajamas.”
“I know what pjs stands for.”
“U want me 2 buy 100 $$ in panties???”
He smirked as his thumbs typed, “Changed mind. Williams-Sonoma. 100 $$ in wooden spoons.”
Her reply came instantly, “Panties it is!”
He chuckled and texted back, “Get at least 1 pair panties. Then treat yourself—however.”
“But has 2 b @ VS?”
“U want those panties pulled down, don't u?”
“No.” Then a second text came through, “Yes.” Then a third, “Kind of. :)”
He smiled at that and sent her a smiley face back.
He spent the rest of the week inventing quick, easy errands for her to run for him. He wanted her to feel like she was helping him out, so that it wasn't just a big, fat favor he'd done for her. But he also knew she was extremely busy with her graduate studies, so he didn't want to add to her stress level. He was able to limit his contact with her by having her drop off the goods she'd picked up for him at the bar before he got there, and swearing he didn't need his car during the nights.
She showed up early to perform on Friday and plopped down at the bar. She was wearing a small, fitted t-shirt with a picture of a dachshund that said “I
He brought her a ginger ale with lime and she tossed a slip of paper across the bar at him. He picked it up. It was the Victoria's Secret receipt. She had a little bit of a naughty-girl smirk on her face and he couldn't help but grin.
“Do I get a fashion show?”
She nodded, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.
“Mmm… lucky me. Tonight?”
“Yep. It's all in the car.”
He lifted and lowered his lips quickly to show her what she'd just done to his fangs and she giggled. “It's a date, then,” she said, sliding off the bar stool.
He left Stella in charge of locking up after closing time because Kate looked absolutely wiped out. She'd put her all into her performance, as usual, and didn't look up for anything but bed by the time they had turned on the fluorescents to shoo customers out. “Come on,” he said, putting an arm around her waist and leading her out to his car. “I'll drive you home.”
“Thanks,” she sighed. She stared out the window as they drove in silence for a while. He could feel tension coming from her, but he wasn't sure what it was about. Then she volunteered, “My master's thesis proposal is due on Monday. I'm supposed to meet with my committee.”
Ah. That explained everything. “How's it coming?”
“It's not.”
“What is your thesis about?”
“Something about how music boosts mathematical abilities in children. Except I haven't worked out what my angle is, exactly.”
“Well, what are you thinking?”
“I don't know!” she snapped defensively.
“You must have some ideas,” he pressed.
“I don't, okay? I don't have a clue!”
“Just tell me where you want to head with it.”
“Jesus, Dom, would you leave it alone?” she snapped. “This fucking conversation isn't helping!”
He swung the wheel and pulled the car over to the side of the road, turning off the engine. She looked at him in astonishment. If he could have worked out how to make it happen in the front seat of his car, he would have spanked her right there. But it seemed impossible.
“I'm going to ask you to try that again,” he said coolly.
Her eyes were wide and he could feel her nervous tension galvanizing into fear. Her face flushed. “I-I'm sorry,” she stammered. “I'm just stressed out, that's all. I didn't mean to take it out on you.”
“Rephrase your previous statement,” he prompted her.
“Okay…” she said slowly. “I'd rather not talk about my thesis right now because I'm wound up about not knowing what to propose.” She blinked a few times, like she was trying to keep from crying.
He started the car. “Better.”
He let her sit in silence for the rest of the ride, fidgeting under the pressure of the tension between them. When they got to her place, he walked her to the door and paused in the doorway after she entered.
“Vampires need an invitation to enter,” he said. “Wait—” He held up his hand to silence her when she opened her mouth. “You should know that if I come in there, I'm going to spank you. So if you invite me in, you're giving your consent.”
Chapter Five
She swallowed. “Come in,” she said, her voice a little hoarse. She felt both fear and thrill at the same time. He looked around as he walked in and she found herself embarrassed that it was such a cluttered mess. He sat on the sofa and patted his lap. “Come here.”
Her belly jumped. She was nervous—very nervous. Her palms were sweating and her heart was pounding in her chest. She crossed the room and stood in front of him. He pulled her gently down, so that she was lying across his lap. He adjusted how he was sitting so that her face didn't hit the armrest of the sofa and then he tucked a pillow under her face.
She lay there in the completely submissive position, waiting. The anticipation was killing her. Her bottom clenched.
Ouch.
His hand came down on her upturned bottom. She gasped. He started spanking her slowly. Then, as it started to get intense and she started wriggling, he increased his speed and force, sending her into a near panic with the inescapable pain. She reached back with her hand to try to protect her offended cheeks, but he caught her arm and bent it gently but firmly behind her back, holding her easily in place. She was gasping for breath.
“Stop! Dom, please! Stop! That's enough! I'm sorry, okay?”
He stopped spanking and rubbed her sore bottom. “Who is in charge, here?” he asked softly.
“You are, Dom.”
“That's right. That means it's not over until I decide it's over.” With that, he started paddling her again, his hard slaps unrelenting in their intensity and speed.
“Stop, Dom! Dom! Dom, stop! No! Dom!” It was not the pain so much as the helplessness and her inability to get away from the pain that caused her to panic. She started struggling wildly to get off his lap. She couldn't breathe. She felt like she was having a panic attack. Just when she was at the point of completely freaking out, he stopped spanking, flipped her over and cradled her in his arms.
“Shhh, shh. You're all right. You're just scared. You can trust me, Kate.”
She struggled to get off his lap.
“No,” he held her easily. “You see, that's why I wasn't finished.”
She didn't see anything. She couldn't see what the hell he was doing, or where he got off hurting her like that or not stopping when she asked him to. She
was
scared. And she was pissed. And she wanted to get the hell off his lap.
He pressed a hand firmly over her sternum, his eyes studying her with concern. “You're okay, Kate. Do you want me to take the pain away?” he asked gently.
She swallowed. That would be with vampire hypnosis. But yes, he needed to take it away right now. She nodded.
“Look into my eyes.”
She obeyed and the pain was instantly gone. The pain was gone but not the swirling emotions. He was still watching her closely. “Please let me go, now,” she said in a small voice.
He blinked at her. Then he shook his head. She felt panic and rage rise up again. “Are you going to do that to me again?”
He shook his head. “Not unless you want me to.”
“I didn't want you to do it in the first place!”
“I know.”
Then why did you do it?
“Why did I do it?”
She hadn't asked the question aloud, but somehow he'd heard it. She stared at him sullenly.
“I did it because I know you like to be dominated and there's a certain release that can result from getting spanked to tears. You seemed pretty wound up, so I thought it might help. Obviously we didn't get there.” He shrugged. “I don't know, I probably shouldn't have tried it—we don't have that kind of relationship established. There's not enough trust between us.”
She stared at him open-mouthed as that sunk in. She was shocked. She had expected some sort of lecture about her bad behavior. Somehow hearing that he'd been doing it for her changed things.
“You're not mad at me?”
He shook his head. “No,
bambina
. When I'm mad, you'll know it,” he said, dangling his index finger and middle finger down in front of his mouth to indicate fangs.
She smiled reluctantly. She considered what he'd said. “What kind of release?”
“I don't know—spanking can be a way to let go of stress or guilt or even self-loathing you might be holding.”
“Catharsis.”
He nodded. “I would say it's one part catharsis and one part surrender. You must trust me enough to know I'll take care of you when you let go.”
“Do I get a safe word?”
He shook his head. “No. It's about surrendering your control. You have to believe I know how to read your limits.”
She looked at him, considering that.
“I got it right this time, didn't I?” he challenged.
That was true. He had stopped exactly when she had panicked completely.
“I want to feel it again.” She was nuts. Certifiably crazy.
He pointed to his eyes and she met them, drawing in her breath as the fire returned to her backside.
“Are you ready to finish it?”
She noticed he didn't ask her if she
wanted
to finish it. Because she didn't. But she rolled over on his lap anyway. He pulled her back up to standing, though.
“Pull down your pants, Kate,” he said, the soft command in his voice sending a ripple of fear and delight through her whole body.
She unbuttoned her jean shorts, pulling them slowly down.
“Panties, too.”
She peeled her panties down, feeling completely exposed. For some reason, she covered her lady parts with her hand, though he was already intimately acquainted with that particular part of her body. Her belly was doing flip flops.
“Over my knee,” he said softly.
She bowed her head and awkwardly leaned over his knee, realizing that she'd greatly preferred when he had pulled her into position himself, rather than having her put herself there. There was something completely humiliating about it.
He started up again slowly, striking one cheek and then the other, and as he picked up speed and she felt the intensity of the burn increase she again started to struggle and panic, but he didn't even pause. If anything, it seemed he was striking her harder. It occurred to her that with his vampire strength, he would never need a whip or a paddle—his hand alone could probably easily bruise her if he wielded it with one ounce of his true strength. So he was using restraint—for him this was probably quite gentle, even though for her, the pain was so intense that tears were running down her face. That thought helped her calm down. But then, that meant it could get much worse if he wanted it to, didn't it? Oh God, she was an absolute wreck, and there was nothing she could do.
She tried to wriggle away, somehow dodge the punishing hand that kept spanking her over and over, but she was a complete captive—she couldn't get away from the pain and it wasn't going to stop until Dom decided it was over. She realized that there was nothing she could do but ride it out until it was over. The tears turned into full-fledged sobs and she wept—for the position in which she found herself, her mismanagement of her time, the stress of the paper looming over her head, the difficulties of navigating this new relationship with Dom—everything. And as she felt it all flowing out, even as his hand kept striking her blazing bare butt cheeks, she gave up the struggle and went limp, exhausted. At that moment, his hand paused, then he gave a few more cursory smacks before he started gently rubbing her bottom.
“You found it,” he said softly.
She had?
She had. Her sobs took on a half-laughing sound. In spite of the tears and the pain, she did feel very different. She felt relieved, released. There was a glowing feeling—much stronger than a post-sex glow—much more vibrant. And now that Dom had pointed it out like an accomplishment, she felt absurdly proud of herself. Like she'd just won a marathon or something.
He started to pull her panties back up, but she reached back and stopped him, kicking her shorts and panties off.
“Aren't we going to—?” She was still a hiccuping, teary mess, but she wanted sex and she wanted it right then.
“Abso-
lute-
ly,” he said with enthusiasm, as if she'd just offered him a Christmas present. The fact that he hadn't been expecting to have sex with her made her realize with a jolt that she'd just had a punishment spanking. He lifted her off his lap and stood up partway, placing his shoulder at the crease of her hip so she folded over his shoulder in a fireman's hold. He carried her easily like that, rubbing and patting her sore bottom as he walked to the bedroom and laid her gently down. “How do you want it?” he asked fangily.
Seeing those fangs made her arch in anticipation—she loved seeing the physical manifestation of his arousal—it was so much more attractive than your average hard-on. She pulled off her shirt and watched him swiftly divest himself of clothing. He wanted to go slow, caressing and kissing, but after the intensity of the spanking she was interested in nothing less than full penetration. She pulled him off her nipple and shook her head. “Fast and hard. Please?”