Dealing With Discipline (34 page)

“Irene.  I’m going to spank you
now.  And you’re going to count each one as I do so.  If
you miss any they will not count towards the total.  Do you
understand?”

“Yes,” she whispered, feeling
lightheaded.  The hand on her bottom was rather gentle and
yet… how could Hugh do this to her?

How could Alex allow him
to?

SMACK!

The painful, smarting blow
to her bottom made her yelp, bringing her back to the harsh reality
that no matter how surreal the situation might feel it
was
really
happening. 

“Irene, you have to count.”

“One.”  The word was blurted out
and she felt a shocking surge of gratitude that Hugh had reminded
her to count rather than making her start over.  It was a
revelation to realize that she felt gratitude rather than anger at
what he was doing, but it was as if her fury had been wiped away by
resignation and the realization that she had no support from her
white knight.  

SMACK!

"Two!"

The word almost choked her as she
heard Alex suck in a breath, reminding her that this punishment was
being witnessed by a man she'd thought would save her from
it. 

SMACK!

"Three!"

Counting gave her something to do as
Hugh alternated between her cheeks, igniting a slow burn that grew
in between the sharp sting whenever his palm impacted against her
flesh.  Every smack seemed to hurt more and more as he covered
her bottom with his palm, turning every inch of creamy flesh a
bright pink that slowly began to darken towards red.  Tears
smarted in her eyes, her fingers clutched at the cushion on the
bottom of the chair.

"Eighteen!"

SMACK!

His hand landed on the spot where her
thigh met her bottom, the immediate pain was sharper and much more
intense than she'd experienced so far and she let out a gasping
yelp.  Several tears dripped down her cheeks but she was too
busy squeezing the chair's cushion in a reflexive grip so as not to
reach back and attempt to cover her bottom to wipe them away.
 

Fingers stroked the sore spot that
he'd just smacked.  "Irene, this is the last time I will
remind you."

It took her a moment to realize what
he was talking about and then she frantically tried to remember
what the last number she had said was.

"Nineteen."

SMACK!  His hand landed on the
sit spot of her other leg.  

"TWENTY!"  

She moaned as he put his hand on her
bottom, gently touching the flaming skin.  Was it over?
 Slumped over the arm of the chair she felt the tears well up
and spill over. 

"Sometimes, especially for a lengthy
punishment, it's best to allow a few moments for recovery and to
let the initial sting sink in," Hugh explained, reminding her of
Alex's presence yet again.  It was amazing how easy it was for
her to forget that he was there and each reminder brought a new
wave of humiliation. 

Especially because now, as Hugh
caressed the hot skin of her bottom, she could feel that strange
tingling between her legs that announced her inexplicable reaction.
 A kind of despair followed her embarrassment.  How could
her body react the same way as it did when Hugh kissed and caressed
her?  

"We're halfway through, sweetheart,"
Hugh said almost comfortingly, rubbing his hand on the small of her
back, which was exposed and untouched.  She did take comfort
from his tone and touch, even as she whimpered at hearing that her
ordeal wasn't over yet.  

There was forgiveness in the way that
he spoke to her, even as he prepared for the second part of her
punishment.  Forgiveness that she craved.  Unlike the
incident with Rex, she’d known from the beginning that she had done
something wrong.  She'd hated the way Hugh had looked at her
when he'd come upon her and Alex in the garden, the way he'd looked
at her when he'd asked for an explanation and she hadn't been able
to give him one.  This spanking felt merited and she felt
strangely safer, despite Hugh's talk of paddles and other
instruments of torture, she believed him when he said that he
preferred a spanking.

And now that she knew a spanking
didn't necessarily mean a frightening cane that resulted in evil
looking welts and broken skin, the terror that had accompanied her
first spanking had completely dissipated.  It didn't make the
spanking hurt any less, but it meant that she wasn't shaking in
fear of what was to come, she just had to endure what was
happening.

"Spread your legs again Irene," he
said gently but implacably.  As she'd rested her legs had
drifted back together, her bottom clenching as her body attempted
to assimilate the burning pain of her punishment.  A shudder
went through her body as she complied, exposing her glistening
pussy again.  The coppery curls around her pink lips were dark
with moisture, make his cock throb in response.  "This will be
twenty-one.  Don't forget to count."

SMACK!

"Twenty-one."

In some ways Hugh knew that it might
be more effective if he were to enforce the counting without
reminding her, but he wanted to encourage her cooperation and
submission to the necessary discipline.  Since she seemed to
be doing so, he intended on making it as easy as possible on her -
as easy as he could anyway.  He correctly interpreted her
acceptance of the punishment as indication of her feelings of guilt
as well as her realization that Alex wasn't going to protect her
from it. 

SMACK!

"Twenty-two."

For this second round Hugh had
moderated the strength of his slaps, not wanting to overwhelm her
now that her skin was already dark pink and smarting.  He was
spreading the spanking out over the entire expanse of her bottom,
doing his best to cover every last inch of her creamy skin.
 From his position at the desk, Lord Brooke was watching with
a kind of scientific fascination.  The kind of fascination
that Hugh had felt whenever he'd witnessed or participated in one
of Eleanor's punishments; not at all sexual, but rather a kind of
astonishment and the desire to see the results.  

All in all it was a very reassuring
experience for Hugh.  Time and again Alex had shown nothing
more than a brotherly interest in Irene.  He was still
concerned about Irene's actions towards Alex, but her submission to
the punishment helped to allay some of those
concerns. 

SMACK!

"Thirty" sob "four."

Irene's legs kicked out every so often
and he would lightly smack the back of her thigh to get her back
into place.  The blows were so light that he didn't even have
to explain to her that they weren't part of her punishment, she
would just let out a pathetic little whimpering sound and move
herself back into position.  This was a much more controlled
and less passionate punishment than her last one, on both their
parts, and yet it didn't dim Hugh's erotic interest in the
least.

The way her flesh jiggled, the hot
temperature of her skin, the swollen lips of her pussy and the
sweet slickness of her sex all combined to excite him immensely.
 Alex's presence helped him to hold his impulses in check,
otherwise he might be testing the level of wetness between Irene's
lips in between smacks to her bottom, which had turned a bright
cherry red under his hand.  

SMACK!

"FORTY!"

There was a measure of triumph and
relief in Irene's voice as she counted out the last of her
punishment.  Her quivering body slumped, small sobs wracking
her frame.  She didn't even hear Hugh asking Alex for some
privacy as her husband lifted her up from her position bent over
the chair and wrapped her in his arms.  Although her skirts
had fallen back down they didn't provide much cushion as he cradled
her onto his lap, her face tucked into his
shoulder. 

The sudden comfort only made her cry
harder.  It felt so nice to be cuddled and soothed, to hear
Hugh's deep voice telling her what a good girl she'd been and how
proud of her he was for admitting her wrong doing and taking her
discipline.  She clung to him, whimpering every time her
bottom shifted and pressed against his hard thighs and even harder
cock. 

It was obvious that he'd become
aroused during her discipline.  She hated that the area
between her legs tingled incessantly now that the actual spanking
was over.  The respite only allowed her to focus on the very
different burning in her core, a needy burn that rivaled the fiery
surface of her bottom.  

"I'm sorry," she whispered.  "I
truly am."

"I know sweetheart," Hugh said,
kissing the top of her head.  While he might not understand
why she'd put herself in such a compromising position with Lord
Brooke, he truly believed that she regretted her actions even
before her punishment.  The 'why' of the incident still
bothered him, but he was enjoying their current closeness -
especially after her coldness since her last spanking - too much to
bring it up. 

Perhaps that coldness
partially explained her desire to find some affection with a
trusted childhood friend.  The theory helped to quell Hugh's
jealousy somewhat, especially since Irene was currently curled up
in
his
 lap
and seeking comfort from him.  

Once her crying had subsided Hugh sent
her up to their room.  "I'll join you there shortly," he said,
giving her another kiss on her forehead before gently pushing her
out into the hall.  

Lord Brooke stood there, obviously
intrigued by the obvious closeness that was being exhibited between
Irene and Hugh despite the fact that she was obviously walking
gingerly due to her burning backside.  "Good night,
Irene."

"Good night, Alex," said a much
subdued Irene, not looking at him as she passed by.  There was
a slight coolness to her manner, as if to save her pride or
possibly due to Alex's lack of support for her.  His usual
stony expression covered any reaction he might have had to her
diffidence. 

Both he and Hugh watched as she slowly
walked away and disappeared around the corner.  Although Hugh
desperately wanted to join her immediately in their bedroom, he
also recognized that he needed to see Lord Brooke on his
way. 

"Is she going to be alright?"
 Alex asked, his frowning features showing his concern as he
peered after the subdued redhead. 

"Very," said Hugh.  A
small smile quirked his lips.  "I was adamant that Edwin not
go into too much detail about his relationship with my sister, but
both he and Wesley assured me that spanking a wife is a very
different matter than spanking my sister and I've found that to be
true.  It incites an entirely different kind of reaction and I
can guarantee that before she goes to sleep tonight Irene will
be
very
 well."

"I believe they hinted something
similar to me," murmured Alex with a faint smile, looking
reassured.  "I appreciate your discretion."

"As I do yours."  Hugh hesitated
but he had to ask.  "Do you know what happened
tonight?"

For a moment Alex seemed to struggle
with himself, emotions flickering across his face.  It was an
unprecedented display as far as Hugh could tell. 

"Much as I hate to admit it, I think
my wife might have been right about something."

"Lady Grace?"

"Ah.  Of course you're acquainted
with her, being Eleanor's brother."  Alex leaned back against
the wall, closing his eyes for a moment as if gathering himself.
 The resignation that settled upon his hard features made Hugh
feel rather sorry for him.  While Hugh had never particularly
liked Grace, he hadn't disliked her either.  He'd never really
had an opinion on her marriage, although he'd always been surprised
at the fact that her affairs didn't incite stronger condemnation
from Society at large.  "Grace once told me that Irene
idolized me.  She seemed rather jealous and spiteful at the
time, I thought she was just making things up to be angry with me.
 She wanted me to be less friendly, which of course I was
unwilling to do as I've always taken care of Irene the way an older
brother would."

"Hm."

"Grace said Irene's feelings for me
went beyond that kind of relationship."  Alex shook his head,
as if he trying to shake the new revelation from himself.  He
looked at Hugh, his eyes apologetic.  "I certainly never
thought Grace's accusations had any basis in reality, but
tonight... Irene seemed determined to try and push past our usual
interactions.  But I could swear that she wasn't, isn't,
attracted to me.  We just don't have that kind of
connection."

"But she does idolize you," Hugh said
with a sigh.  "I think that much is clear.  She expected
you to side with her and to save her from... well, me."

"I think inviting me to stay and learn
from your methods was probably the best approach you could have
taken," Alex said.  The look they exchanged was full of male
sympathy for each other's positions.  "Although I appreciate
how difficult it must have been for you."

"If it means she doesn't continue to
look at you like you're her hero and I'm a villain, then it will
have been worth it," said Hugh dryly.  He was still feeling a
bit affronted that he'd been cast in such a role, although
logically he supposed that he could understand it.