Finding Submission (Service & Submission Book 1) (23 page)

“Hi, Avery. Where’ve you been?”

“I went out.”

“I’m aware of that. I came home to find my truck was gone. You know, the truck I told you that you were
never
to drive.”

Avery dropped her eyes and stared at her feet, her hands nervously rubbing her arms. “I’m sorry.”

“Are you now? Interesting. When did you feel sorry? As you were driving up the driveway?”

“Well, not really.” Avery peeked up at him through her gorgeous lashes. She was guilty as hell, and he wasn’t about to let her off the hook, either.

“Why don’t you tell me then, Avery Rose, when you felt started to feel sorry?” Preston had his hands on his hips, the glare of the headlights from the truck shining on him. He hoped it made him look even more forbidding.

“Well… I felt bad before I left. And I felt bad during the day. But I really was sorry when I was driving home. I mean it. I’m really sorry.”

Preston adjusted his stance. “So you felt sorry and like the bad girl you are, most of the day then. Is that what I’m hearing?”

Avery nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. She wasn’t going to get out of this with a few tears, no matter how bad they made him feel.

“Well, bad girl. How about you tell me where you were, and what you did all day today?”

“Well, it wasn’t all day. I left around one o’clock.” She balled her fists in the hem of her sweatshirt. “I went to get some lunch at the diner and then I went to McCarthy’s Pub and had a few drinks. Then I came home.”

Preston closed his eyes, taking in a slow, deep breath. “So you were at a
bar
. You not only left the house — which was against the contract you signed — but it was also against the law. You remembered that this was against the law at this point, right?”

“Y-yes, Sir.” Her voice broke, tears already tracking down her cheeks.

“So you remembered. At what point of this terrible, awful day did you remember that you would be breaking the law? Truth. I want the truth out of you. Believe me you do not want to receive the belt after the punishment you have coming for this.”

Avery was openly crying now. “I r-remembered when I grabbed the keys this afternoon.”

Preston gave her a grim nod. She’d just admitted that she had decided to defy the law right at the onset. “Avery Rose, I just can’t
believe
that you did this with only four weeks left to go. Well, I’m glad you have such a good memory, because you
will
remember this punishment for the rest of your life. I plan on making this such a memorable blistering that you’ll be talking about this in the nursing home. Now, we also need to address the matter of you drinking and then driving home.”

“No. No! I-I didn’t do that. I had two drinks and I made sure I only did one drink an hour and I was done with my last drink two hours before I got into the vehicle. I didn’t drive intoxicated. I promise.”

“Well, we can at least be thankful of that because I would’ve given you the belt a week after this punishment. You’re going to need time to heal. Come here. Right
here
.” Preston’s finger stabbed at the ground. “Standing in front of me, please.”

Avery, to her credit, was smart enough to be leery of standing that close to him. She slowly meandered her way over to him.

When she looked up at him, he saw true remorse in her gaze, The sight of those tears welling in her eyes tugged at his heart. He wiped at them with his thumbs. “I’m so glad you came back. I was worried about you. Don’t you
ever
leave like that again without a note or phone call — I need to know that you’re safe. I love you, Avery. You’re about to be very sorry that I care this much about you — you’ll feel my displeasure on our bottom for days, little girl. But you’ll never doubt my love for you after tonight.” He kissed her on the forehead and then took a deep breath, finding the inner strength and determination that he needed to be the stern, strict Dom that Miss Avery Rose needed him to be at that moment.

“I want you to take your shoes and socks off right here, and then you will take your pants and panties off.”

“Wait… what?” Avery looked around the yard and driveway. “We’re outside and… what if someone sees?”

“You know as well as I do that we have no neighbors for miles. Your obedience is to be immediate. You’ll not question me or sass me. Am I clear? This is going to be the most serious — I hope — punishment you’ll ever receive from me. Take everything off from the waist down. Now!”

Illuminated by the glare of the truck’s headlights, behind her, she toed her sneakers, then slipped off her socks. She hesitated for a moment, but when Preston started to come her way her hands went quickly to the snap on her jeans. She pushed her jeans and panties off together, then stood naked, her thighs rubbing together in the cool night air.

Preston’s cock never cared whether she was taking her pants off for sex, or if she was taking them off for punishment — as far as his dick was concerned, she was naked and the scent of her pussy was calling to him. Tonight was no different. He was hard as a rock, and had to himself in his jeans.

“I want you to march your little ass to the woodshed. When you get there, I want you bent over the tool bench. You’re going to need something to rest your hips against. I want you to think about what you did today and why you’re getting your ass whipped. Now, go.” With that, he swatted her bottom very hard, sending her on her way.

She yelped, cupping her bottom with both hands, sobbing now. With a little hop and skip, she started her walk toward the woodshed.

Preston watched the pale globes of her bottom jiggling pleasantly as she walked away. Those beautiful cheeks that were now sporting his hand print. He loved seeing his mark — his handprint tattooed on her bottom. It was a feeling akin to ownership — a branding of sorts — seeing his hand print on her backside. It made him want to tackle her before she got to the woodshed, and fuck that behind while staring at his mark on her skin. A possessive urge to own her completely. But not tonight. Tonight, he had to leave much more than a handprint. He would be leaving wide, red lashes from a leather strop on her. It would be difficult. He never liked giving punishments and he definitely didn’t like giving severe punishments, but he would train her to know that he would never allow her to break the law.

Ever.

* * *

Avery walked into the woodshed on shaky legs, the smell of the musty woodshed greeting her as the creaky door opened, followed by the scent of fresh cut wood and leather. She turned and closed the door gently, staring at the leather strop that hung from a hook on the back of the door. She lightly touched it, as if it would attack if she didn’t sneak up on it. The leather was supple. Had he been oiling it? Did he anticipate that she would require this someday soon? How could something feel smooth and rough at the same time? She leaned forward and sniffed it — leather and oil. The strop looked thicker than she remembered.

She didn’t waste any time in moving to the bench — tonight wasn’t the night to be tardy. Moving some of the tools out of her way, she leaned over, the wood cold and damp on her hips. She looked around for spiders. This place probably had tons of spiders. She was always on spider alert. Always. She quickly scanned the ceiling and windows for spiders. No spiders, she could relax.

She only had four more weeks. Four more weeks and now she’d blown it. Now she was standing here with goose flesh rising on her skin, waiting for her stropping.

How bad is this is going to be?

The fluttering in her stomach had her shaking with nerves and yet her sex was throbbing. How did this make any sense? How was she wired that her body would react sexually to a thrashing that she would remember in the “nursing home?” It was a frightening thought.

She knew he wouldn’t like that she’d left. Knew he would use the razor strop — he’d told her he would. But she’d felt caged. She’d needed to taste some freedom. She’d wanted to sit in a restaurant and just have a beer at a bar.

The door opening and closing startled her, and she choked on her saliva.

Coughing like an idiot. Well done, Avery.

Preston was standing over her in a flash. “You all right, Avery? What’re you choking on?”

“My spit.” She continued coughing while he rubbed her back.

“Better?”

“Yes, Sir. Preston, I’m really sorry.” She looked over her shoulder at him. He looked so stern, but yet he still rubbed her back.

“I know you are, girlie. But this was serious. And when I’m done with you, you’ll have no doubt about my feelings on this. You’ll never do this again. Anytime there is a choice put before you, you’ll first ask yourself if it breaks the law. You won’t go down this path again — ever.”

Avery clenched her bottom in response. He was scaring her, but she knew he wouldn’t hurt her. She trusted him. He loved her. She was also quite sure that his thoroughness, his fear of what could have happened to her, and his proclivity for following the law, would make this very painful indeed.

She watched him take the razor strop off the back of the door. He slowly drew the leather through his lightly fisted hand, squeezing the width as it went.

“Bend over the bench. Eyes forward. No sass. No arguing. No talking for the rest of the punishment.”

She swallowed, his form becoming blurry as her tears filled her eyes. She bent over the bench as ordered, looking out of the small window.

“Tell me why you did it. What was your reasoning? I want to hear it before we continue.”

His voice had gone down an octave, a firmness in the tone she hadn’t heard in a while. “Uhm. I was feeling… caged. I had to get out of the house. And I know I could’ve waited to go with you, but I really wanted to go alone. Sit in a restaurant to eat and have a beer or two in a bar. I just needed to feel free and able to come and go as I pleased.”

Preston paused for so long, she thought he may have left. Then she looked over her shoulder, seeing the darkness in his gaze. She didn’t like looking at this Preston — it was easier to look out the window.

It would be easier to look at a spider at that point.

“So you felt caged, you say. That you needed to feel free, to come and go as you pleased. Interesting. Because, last time I checked, as a submissive and a pet, you answer to
me
for your freedom. You come and go as I demand. That doesn’t mean you have no free will — your behavior tonight displayed that, bad girl. But there are ways to ask, Miss Avery. You could have called me and said: ‘I feel like I’m going stir crazy. I need to get out of here and I want to go alone.’ I wouldn’t have let you leave alone, because that would be breaking the law. And, as you’re about to find out, that behavior is never allowed from someone I love, from someone I’m in a relationship with. But you didn’t do any of that. Did you, Avery Rose?”

“N-no, Sir, I didn’t.”

“So, I think to reinforce your submission, and that you’re my beloved pet, my sweet kitty, you will be crated after your punishment today — and you will only have freedom when I decide. You’ve lost the ability to make decisions today. You’ll eat, sleep, walk and go to the bathroom when I decide. You’ll learn from the painful lesson in this room — and your crate — that you answer to me for
all
things.”

A sob escaped from Avery. This was going to be such an awful day. All for a BLT with fries, and a couple of beers.

What was I thinking? He would’ve taken me anywhere I wanted.

“Tell me what you thought when you took the keys. Did you remember what I had said about leaving the property?”

“Yes, Sir. I did remember. I thought of the razor strop when I took the keys out of the drawer.” She swallowed loudly and dropped her gaze, unable to keep eye contact with him. “I knew you would give me the strop in the woodshed, but I still decided that it was what I wanted to do. That it would be worth it.”

“Well, there we have it. I appreciate your honesty. However, that honesty isn’t going to save your bottom today, Miss Avery. It’s my job to make sure nothing is worth a razor stropping. If I do it correctly, you’ll never have to receive one of these again.” He paused and let the words sink in.

After a moment, he nodded his head. “Arms in front of you. Reach out to the other side of the bench, and do
not
reach back. Stick your bottom out.”

He tapped the razor strop on her bottom, as if to judge his swing. Then he brought it down hard, and nothing could have prepared her for the line of fire that lashed across her bottom. She reared up, grabbing her buttocks, yelping as she stood. She turned to look at Preston — shocked, stunned, and totally unprepared for the level of pain a razor strop inflicted. She had received the belt from Preston for lying or outright defiance before — but this was so much worse than a belt. And the
sound
. The sound of that leather striking her bottom was like a crack of thunder. She was gingerly cupping her bottom, looking at him in what she was sure was an accusatory manner. Judging by his response, he didn’t like it one bit.

“Little girl, you’d better wipe that expression off your face right now. You asked for this punishment. You were warned and you chose it anyway, deciding that going to town was worth it. Well, when we’re done, I’ll ask if you still feel the same way. Bend back over. Bottom out.
Now
.”