Kyle’s Bargain (4 page)

“This is nice,” Meg said, taking in the extensive cabinets,
gleaming stainless steel appliances, polished granite countertops, hardwood
floors and all the other built-in conveniences.

“Kind of wasted on me,” Kyle admitted. “I mostly eat out.”
He went to a cabinet, retrieved a couple of miniature wineglasses, pulled out
an amber bottle and poured out an inch or so of thick clear liquid for each of
them.

When he handed her one of the tiny glasses, she asked, “What
is it?” A distinct smell of orange wasn’t quite overwhelmed by an even stronger
aroma of alcohol.

“Cointreau,” he said. “You’ll like it. It’ll help steady
your nerves but sip it carefully. It packs quite a punch.”

Thank goodness she took him at his word and started with a
very small taste. The liquid all but exploded on her tongue. Fire set her taste
buds ablaze and she could feel it heating her throat all the way day. “Yeow.
Wowza,” was all she could say for a couple of minutes. But once the burning had
settled down, it left a nice warmth in her stomach. She took another cautious
sip and this time managed to taste the orange undertones as well as realizing
that it was actually very sweet, almost syrupy. It provided a soothing heat
that spread throughout her system and it did help settle the butterflies
cavorting in her gut.

His mouth crooked into the most gorgeously appealing grin as
he watched her sip with increasing enthusiasm. “I told you you’d like it.”

He took her empty glass, his expression becoming serious
again, and set it along with his own back on the counter. “Let’s don’t put it
off any longer. Unless you want to change your mind?”

“No, but…” All the soothing effect of the liqueur deserted
her at once. Her heart began hammering in her chest and every part of her
shook, even her lips.

“You’re nervous about it,” he said. “That’s why we need to
get it over with. You’ll feel better afterward.”

“I will?” Her small laugh had an edge of hysteria.

“You will,” he promised. “Trust me.” He moved to stand in
front of her. “Let’s go into the living room.”

Once again she followed him through the main entrance hall
and off to the left, into a living room that screamed “decorator’s design” and
so pristine she doubted he ever used it.

“I don’t spend much time in here,” he said as if reading her
mind. “We won’t now, either. Just long enough to get this first punishment over
with.” He sat down on a sofa upholstered in cream-colored leather. “Undo the
button on your pants and lower the zipper then lie across my lap, facedown.” He
scooted back far enough that there was room for her to stretch out along the
seat. He adjusted her hips until her bottom sat raised up on his thighs before
he tugged the loose pants down to her knees.

A tidal wave of emotion rolled over her then helplessness,
shame, embarrassment, fear and an undeniable frisson of excitement. Her stomach
churned through a series of dips and twists while she waited. Tension pulled
all her muscles tight. She fought an urge to cry and wasn’t even sure why. It
felt so unreal, so unbelievable that she’d be in this position. She’d dreamed
about it occasionally and fantasized what it would feel like but she’d never
truly expected to experience it.

Maybe she knew it would be so terrifying and thrilling at
the same time.

Warm strong fingers brushed her hips as he reached under the
hem of her plain cotton panties. She wished she’d worn something more
glamorous, something lacy or silky. She hadn’t really believed her day would
end this way when she’d dressed that morning.” A draft blew a cool breeze across
her bare bottom as the panties rolled down her thighs to end up bunched above
her knees.

“Put your hands down between the arm and the cushions,” he
ordered. “Keep them there. I don’t want you trying to reach back.”

Meg dug her fingers into the opening where the leather
cushioning of the seat met the arm, working her hands down into it until she
could wrap her fingers around the edge of the cushion.

“Feel free to cry, moan, shout, scream and even beg me to
stop. I won’t quit until I think it’s time. But if you really can’t take it or
have a problem, tell me to ‘halt’ and I’ll stop. That exact word. ‘Halt.’
Understand?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Ready?”

“Probably not. Yes.” How did you get ready for this?

One of his arms wrapped around her waist to hold her in
position. She felt him move a fraction of a second before she heard the smack
of flesh meeting flesh and jolted at the impact of his hand on her bottom. A
burning sting spread from the spot of contact, not unbearable, more a surprise
than pain.

Another spank followed quickly, on the other butt cheek this
time. Her gasp was still as much from the shock of impact than anything else.
If this was all there was to it, she could handle it.

He continued to rain slaps on her bottom, alternating sides,
apparently trying to cover as much of the surface as he could. Each one blazed
with a jolting ache and tingle for a moment then the sensation faded. After a
few more they started to bite deeper into the skin and sting. Nothing she
couldn’t bear, though—it was still more discomfort than pain. A bit
disappointing, in fact.

That didn’t last. As the spanking went on, the small
individual patches of irritated flesh began to meld, and the mild stings
combined into a more serious grating. Each further smack added heat to a
spreading burn that dug in and throbbed.

Then he struck harder, his hand smacking her flesh with a
loud crack. A lightning strike of fire tore into her butt and charged deeper.
It smarted enough to make her groan and wriggle in an effort to bear it. It
hurt the way a punishment should. The way she both dreaded and wanted.

It did something to her inside as well. A strange
combination of shame and pride rushed through her. Shame that she had resorted
to criminal behavior and pride that she accepted the punishment she knew he
wanted her to accept. With it came a link between her and Kyle. Something that
maybe had its roots in sexual need but wasn’t really that sort of desire.

Meg wriggled and gasped when another slap ignited a blaze
that spread all through her. It grated. Damn, it just hurt. Maybe she couldn’t
bear this as well as she’d thought.

A surprising thing happened though. The tingling burn in her
bottom started to sizzle. It ignited her blood and the heat rushed to her
pussy, making it swell and rousing a pressure of need beyond anything she’d
ever experienced before, even when she’d slept with David. Her bottom still
hurt, more than ever as he kept spanking areas of flesh already irritated, but
the fire also kept flowing into that place inside her that apparently wanted it
and needed it on some level.

More levels than just the physical. Something deeper inside,
maybe the twisting spiral of guilt over the threats she’d made to Kyle to buy
his time, began to loosen and release, letting her relax mentally even as her
body tensed against the next spank.

He didn’t spare her. He spanked hard enough to hurt and long
enough to chastise thoroughly, but she felt sure he hadn’t slapped anywhere
near as hard as he could have.

She didn’t try to keep count of the smacks but suspected it
was somewhere around fifty by the time he finally said, “Last two. These are to
make sure you remember you did something wrong.”

He definitely hadn’t used all his strength before. The next
spank after that crashed down hard enough to make her jump and drew a long gasp
as fiery pain engulfed her butt and spread out through her body. She had to
tighten her fingers around the cushion’s edge to hold on and would have kicked
out if the jeans and panties hadn’t effectively bound her knees together.

“Hell,” she groaned while the sting slowly faded, tensing as
she waited for the last stroke. It came even harder—a loud slapping sound
accompanied by an explosive burst of pain. Every thought faded into the blur of
anguish it roused. Her entire being blazed with the agony of it. She had to
squeal and try to wriggle away from him, but he held her firmly while she
muttered and groaned and struggled, waiting until the brightest of the pain
faded and she quieted.

Finally she let out her breath on a long sigh when she
realized it was over. She’d taken it. More… The deep fiery sensation still
twisted its way into her gut and lower. Her pussy throbbed and wept. Every
nerve in her body felt alive, zinging with a desire and need for something
more, something to complete and satisfy the arousal.

A surge of elation shot through her. She’d done it! She’d
survived, even absorbed the first part of the punishment they had both agreed
was fair.

If it was turning into a furious sexual arousal, that was
part of the reward for having submitted to the pain. For having submitted to
Kyle. Lord help her, though, that led into some deep waters. She moved to get
up and he tightened the arm around her waist.

“Stay still a moment.” His free hand came down on her bottom
again, gently this time, and began rubbing in circles, massaging away the small
remaining sting. It felt…amazing. The last of the burning pain disappeared, but
the touch of his warm palm and firm, strong fingers roused more heat and sent
the desire spiraling to a point near desperation.

Meg groaned deep in her throat. When he moved his hand off
her bottom and began tugging the panties back up, she wanted to curse, to tell
him to stop, to roll over, pin him to the sofa and demand he take her right
then and there. But this was his time and his show so she just sighed and
lifted herself to help him. Once her clothes were more or less back in place,
he helped her up off his lap to stand in front of him. When she wavered, he
rose and put his hands on her shoulders to steady her. He pulled her against
him and wrapped his arms around her, surrounding her with warmth and strength.
He drew a deep breath that sounded a bit ragged.

She looked up at him to find his face creased with worry.
“Are you all right?” he asked.

“Fine,” she answered. “Just a little shaky.”

“It didn’t hurt too much?”

“It did hurt. Not too much, though. Probably just the right
amount for my first time.”

“You’ve never been spanked before. But have you ever thought
about…wanting it? Fantasized about it?” he asked.

She let her head rest against his shoulder. “Oh yeah.
Frequently. I always thought it was wrong, somehow. Like… I don’t know…weird.
Perverted.”

“It’s not so weird, though, nor unusual. It’s actually
fairly common, even if people like to joke about it and make fun of it.” He
sighed.

“It’s not politically correct these days.”

“Definitely not.”

“Did you…with your wife?” She had died a year or so ago. Meg
wasn’t sure how tender that spot still was for him.

“Yes. Not once she got sick, though.”

“I thought—you seemed to know what you were doing.”

He looked down and then to the side before his gaze returned
to her. “I played quite a bit before I got married. Have done some since.”

“Played?”

Kyle shook his head as a fine trembling rumbled through him.
“Later. Can we discuss it later? I’m— Never mind. By the way, are you a
virgin?”

Heat rose into her face again. “No.”

“Good. One more personal question.” He paused and dragged in
a breath. “You know what comes next. Do you want it to happen?”

“‘It’? You mean sex?”

“I mean sex. I pretty much backed you into a corner on it,
almost forced you into it. I don’t want to do it, though, if the idea appalls
you. Or—hell, if I appall you.”

“I seem to recall I was the one who made the offer,” she
reminded him. “And besides, you’ve got to know you’re the kind of man most
women would fight and claw and trample each other to have. You don’t appall me.
You’ve infuriated me at times. Made me want to strangle you but… Don’t you
know? You’ve just turned me on in a way I’ve dreamed about since before I was
old enough to understand what it meant. How could you appall me? The truth is,
even without that, without knowing you could give me that, I’ve kind of wanted
you, wanted this almost from the first time I saw you.”

“So you used a sneaky, back-door way of getting me, by
offering that deal?”

“Maybe.”

“Hell, I’m not arguing. I’ve been lusting after you since
the first time I saw you too. Even though you infuriated me.” He backed up,
gently disengaging her, but then he took her hand and led her down a long hall
to a bedroom.

The room was beautifully appointed with heavy drapes shading
the windows, shag carpet, dark wood furniture. Oceans of pillows sat atop the
satin coverlet on the queen-sized bed. Yet for all that, it contained few
personal items. A guest room, most likely.

Without releasing her hand, he dragged off the cover,
scattering pillows. Then he drew her to him again, dipped his head and kissed
her. Hard, deep, warm, sweet. His mouth covered hers, claimed it, demanded it,
nibbling on her lips, nipping, licking, sucking.

The fire inside, which had lain smoldering since the
spanking ended, roared to life again. It blazed inferno hot, making her melt
toward him. Meg groaned and parted her lips, inviting him in. Prickly sparks
zipped all through her. His tongue invaded, explored, captured, filled her with
the promise of total completion. He tasted like coffee and Cointreau and fire
and man and every sweet thing she’d ever wanted and never thought she could
have.

His hands sought the hem of her shirt and worked their way
under to run up and down her spine, caressing the skin of her back. She
shivered at the feel and the pulsing, electrical sparks it set off in her gut.

Desperate for the feel of his skin, she grabbed a handful of
his shirt and yanked it from the waistband of his trousers so she could get her
fingers beneath it. Breath sighed out of her as her palms brushed over the
smoothness of his back, caressed the small bumps of his spine and hooked on the
strong shoulder blades. Hunger for him roused a desperate need for more than
just the taste of his mouth and the feel of his hands. She wanted every inch of
him pressed against her, except for the hardness now pressing into her belly.
That part she wanted inside. Sooner. Now.