They need daily maintenance—at least three times a day for maximum fitness. Lucky for you, you have a machine for a lover who is more than willing to sacrifice anything and everything else in his life to ensure your health.”
Her hands raised, rested against his cheeks before he could kiss her into oblivion again. “Thank you, Braun. For making it pleasurable. I-I'm sorry I tried to keep it a secret. And I’m sorry for being such a bitch, and a coward since...well, since the day we met, I guess. I’ve been a mess and you...you didn’t deserve to be treated like that.”
Huh. That’s an unexpected leap forward. Braun turned his face, nipped sharply at the fingers closest to him. “Apology accepted, little one. From what I can gather, you don’t deserve the way you’ve been treated all your life either. Why don’t we call it a clean slate from here on, start fresh?”
She blinked up at him, obviously baffled. “That’s it? Just...forgiven?”
He cocked his head. “Were you expecting me to lose my temper, Bodie? Find my best cane and give you a dozen lashes for being scared and defensive?”
The color leeched from her face. “Um, no. Maybe not the cane.”
Ignoring the rush of desire in his veins, the primal urge to spread her wide and sink deep, Braun studied her face. Took several moments to read through her expressions what she couldn’t say.
Was it actually possible she felt the submissive urge to make reparations through physical penance? Many submissives often believed forgiveness wasn’t truly achieved without some form of punishment to reconnect them to their Dominant and, as he’d just said, wipe the slate clean.
Once punishment was doled out, everything was indeed forgiven.
But was she ready for that level of intimacy between them? It solidified their bond as Dom and sub, would seal their fate together for as long as they were meant to be. The affinity would be more than sex, more than even the scene they’d done together.
Engaging his dominant voice, he said simply, “Ask me for what you need, little one.”
Her eyes darted away from his and she licked her lips nervously. “Actions have consequences. My behavior was rude sometimes, and hurtful. Being scared...” She swallowed hard and dropped her hands to her sides. “Being scared isn’t an excuse for how I’ve acted, even if it is the basis for it. I’m going to try harder not to be that person any more. But I think I’d feel better if,” another quick swallow, “if you’d let me show you how sorry I am.”
He nodded slowly, unwilling to go too easy on her if this was what she needed. “I can do that, Boadicea. All you have to do is ask.”
He was sure there was a choice curse on her tongue when her eyes flashed toward him again. Expecting the full barrage of profanity to explode from her inner bitch, he just waited for hell to rain down on him and possibly bite him on the ass.
Instead, the fire in the blue dulled to a simmer and she suddenly looked terribly young and overwhelmed. Her voice was barely audible when she said, “Please, Master Braun, would you spank me?”
His cock thickened, threatened a revolt if he didn’t fuck her soon. But some things were infinitely more important than chasing the next orgasm. “That’s my brave girl. Come on then, while your courage remains intact.” He pressed his lips to hers, then slipped off her and sat patiently on the edge of the bed, patting his thigh in invitation.
She crawled off the bed to stand next to him, shaking a little but standing tall. She showed no resistance when he drew her gently over his lap, adjusting her so her biteable ass perched perfectly in the air. Her hands gripped his leg for dear life, a flotation device in the midst of a shipwreck.
Aware of her bare skin, Braun started rubbing soothing circles over his intended targets—the meat of her buttocks, the curve beneath—to get the blood rushing to those areas. “How many do you think is appropriate for your transgressions, little one?”
“I don’t know, Sir.” She sounded miserable. “Fifty?”
“Fifty would leave you in a sorry state, Bodie. While this is punishment, I’d rather not maim your pretty derrière when I have plans for it. Twenty, I think. That should cover you running away, mouthing off, striking Masters of the club, and generally being a stubborn, impolite little subbie, shouldn’t it?” Gradually, he upgraded from soothing circles to light