doubts about that.
I lapped up a few more water droplets, one from his shoulder and another from the soft vee at the base of his neck, before I looked up at him again.
I’d accomplished my goal. There was heat in his eyes now.
He gripped my shoulders, holding me away from him.
“I would’ve run tonight. If I hadn’t been sick, I would have just kept going once I left the warehouse.” Why was I confessing this? Did I want to be punished? Maybe.
“I’m disappointed to hear that, Peter. What did you promise me?”
“To obey you. But I was scared. I didn’t want to see more bloodshed, and I didn’t want to know how far you would go to protect your family’s interests.”
“I’ll go as far as I need to go.”
I shivered. There was a hard edge to his voice, and it was clear he didn’t want me to question him. I should though. I should push for more answers. I should ask him to let me go. Instead, I stood there watching him, waiting to find out what he would do.
“What did I tell you would happen if you disobeyed me?”
“You would punish me.”
He reached for the pants he’d discarded before joining me in the shower. He began to slowly pull his belt from its loops. My pulse pounded in my ears as I watched him. Was I going to let him do this? Would he stop if I said no?
He slid the length of his belt through his hands and then doubled it over. “I want to punish you, Peter. I want to redden your ass so you’ll remember not to ever run from me again.”
He held my gaze, and I swallowed hard. Was this his way of asking my permission?
“Yes, sir. But just so you know, it wasn’t you I was running from. I mean… not…” Fuck. I didn’t know how to explain what I meant. “Not the real you.”
“The man you saw tonight is the real me.”
I shook my head. “No, he’s not.”
Lucien frowned, but I saw that vulnerable look in his eyes again before he took my hand and led me to the bench at the end of my bed. He sat and then gave me a slow assessing glance. “I’m going to give you what you need, Peter. Lie across my lap.”
That command, and the way he looked at me like he needed me as badly as I needed him, did me in. I remembered Sabrina telling me he was more vulnerable than I imagined. Right then, I believed it.
I went to my knees and positioned myself like he’d requested. It was both embarrassing and hot as fuck. Lucien’s hand teased the hair at the back of my neck, then his fingers traced my spine before caressing my ass.
I bit my lip, but a whimper escaped anyway. He slapped my ass, making me cry out. “You know the rules. Don’t stifle any of your reactions. You give me everything, every sound, every pant, every tear you need to shed. I want it all.”
“Yes, sir.”
“This is going to hurt, but you’re going to take it because I told you to. You’re here to serve me, and I’m here to take care of you. When you run, I can’t do that. You defied me, and I’m going to make you sorry for it. Then I’m going to make you come so hard you never want to run again.”
“Please.” Was I really begging for him to use his belt on me? Apparently so, but he was right. I needed to forget the horror of this night. I needed him to force me to surrender. I longed for him to establish his dominance over me, to make me remember how much I liked being his.
When Lucien cracked the belt against my ass, I couldn’t have held back my cry even if we weren’t in private. The second blow stung so badly tears came to my eyes. I’d known it would hurt worse than his hand, but I hadn’t known it would be this bad. He kept going, bringing the belt down again and again. My ass burned, and the pain threatened to overwhelm me.
“Breathe,” Lucien commanded. He ran a hand over my ass. It felt cool compared to my heated flesh, but then he squeezed, and pain shot through me, making me cry out.
“Take this for me,” he demanded. His rough tone made me shiver, but it also made me want to do exactly as he said. I arched my