Kaylee's Keeper (12 page)

And that’s what this felt like. It felt like hundreds of unending spanks. It felt like forever with unyielding wood burning, snapping and biting into her. It felt so broadly and so deeply and so dreadfully. It consumed every inch of her not just physically, but emotionally and mentally, and in every way she wasn’t prepared for and didn’t know how to endure. There was no holding still and yet, for all her writhing, kicking, flailing and sobbing, the only thing she managed to gain by the time he was done, was a level of unbelievable exhaustion to couple with the pain.

Master Marshall set the hairbrush aside, but he did not let her rise. Kaylee lay limp across his knee, crying so hard that she couldn’t catch her breath, and only in some very distant part of her mind was she aware of his hand, caressing away the hurt.

“You’re all right,” he murmured. “You’re a good girl, Kaylee. Shh, you’re okay.”

But she didn’t feel okay, and she certainly didn’t feel all right. Her bottom was a symphony of agony and fire. She couldn’t think; she couldn’t move. She tried to sit up, but he held her in position and from here, with her nose mere centimeters from the tear-stained carpet and her blazing bottom propped well-up over his knee, all she could do was feel—the burning, the throbbing, the pain as it seemed to swell, only growing hotter and hotter now that the spanking was done.

“It’s all right, pet,” he told her, stroking her bottom around and around, gentle, endless figure eights. “You’re okay.”

Kaylee shook her head, falling limp under a fresh gush of hopeless tears. “No…”

“Yes, you are.”

“I can’t do this!” She wept, her shoulders jerking and shaking.

“Yes, you can.”

“I’m all wrong!”

Releasing her arm and her legs, he pulled her up to sit on his knee. “No. You’re not.”

He caressed her hair, coaxing her head down onto his shoulder while she cupped her bottom in both hands, gasping each breath in hiccupy hitches and keening them out again through tightly clenched teeth. “That really h-hurt!”

“I know.” He rocked her gently back and forth. “Real spankings do hurt. They wouldn’t be much of a deterrent if they didn’t.”

“I can’t do this.”

“Yes, you can. I know you can.” He pressed a kiss on her brow. “Do you know how I know?”

Kaylee shook her head.

“Because, baby.” He kissed the top of her head again, his hands stroking her hair and gently rubbing the small of her back. “At any moment, you could have used your safeword and you didn’t. You accepted your punishment the way good girls should. I’m very proud of you.”

Reaching back, Kaylee touched her bottom, holding it in her tender hands. She groaned and pressed her forehead to his shoulder, lost in the burning surge her own soft touch created. She had forgotten all about her safeword.

No, that wasn’t quite true. She hadn’t forgotten it. She just hadn’t thought to use it.

Why hadn’t she used it?

She sniffled, rubbing her bottom, then sniffled again. “May I please have a tissue?”

He patted her hip and, reluctantly, Kaylee made herself get up off his lap. She stumbled and Master Marshall quickly caught her arm. Her knees wobbled. Her legs felt boneless and just the act of standing made the heat and hurt spread outward. It flowed from her bottom up into her back and down into her thighs. As far from sexy as her spanking had been, for some reason, there was a low throb moving through her womb, growing there now too until she could feel the pulse echoing between her legs.

“Are you all right?” Master Marshall asked, brushing her hair back so he could better see her face.

Kaylee nodded, so exhausted now that it was the only answer she could give.

Holding her arm, he led her first to his desk, where he collected a modest handful of tissues which he gave her, and then to the Victorian settee. He took the pillows off the back, dropping all but one on the floor. The last, he placed at one end and patted. “Lie down, baby.”

“I’m not a baby.” She stared at the couch.

“Lie down anyway. Head on the pillow. Facing right here.” He tapped the back of the couch with two fingers. “Nose to the fabric. This is your corner, and if you come out before I say, I’m going to put you back over my knee. Is that clear?”

“I’m not tired,” Kaylee mumbled, crawling onto the sofa. “Why do I have to lie down in the corner?”

“Because I said so. Tummy down.”

“This is ridiculous.” She rolled from her side onto her stomach and hugged the pillow.

“Nose to the fabric.”

She cozied up to the back of the couch. “I don’t need a nap. I couldn’t sleep if I tried. My bottom hurts too much.”

“Eyes closed,” he replied with a smile and pulled a woven lap-blanket off the back of the settee to spread over her.

“But I’m not tired,” she whined, obediently closing her eyes.

Master Marshall ruffled her hair before he walked away, and just that fast, Kaylee was asleep.

CHAPTER SIX

A gentle hand caressed up and down Kaylee’s arm, coaxing her back to wakefulness. As she stirred, Master Marshall’s low voice joined it, soft and amused as he murmured, “Rise and shine.”

Ugh. Did she have to? Grumbling, she lifted her head to look at him, blinking repeatedly and trying to make sense first of where she was and then of why it was so dark. The sun had gone down. She was still in his office, but the window curtains were drawn and the only light came from the dying fire in the hearth and a portable lamp on the table at the foot of the settee.

Kaylee blinked again. “I fell asleep?”

“Baby,” he smiled and softly stroked her hair. “You slept the hell out of this couch. You also snore.”

Her surprise snapped instantly into disgruntlement. “I do not.”

“Don’t be offended. I thought it was cute. I had to cane a guest about an hour ago. I told her if she woke you, her six of the best was going to double. She took it like a trooper, barely made a sound and you never stirred.”

“An hour a…what time is it? How long have I been—” Rubbing her eyes, Kaylee pushed the lap blanket back to roll upright, but stopped with a gasp when her bottom met the settee cushion. “Oh!”

Master Marshall chuckled, his smile turning distinctly smug. “Are we a little tender?”

Grabbing the back of the couch, Kaylee crawled up on her knees. “Ow…oh wow!”

She touched her bottom, feeling out the sore spots. Only the faintest warmth separated the tender summits from less tender places, like the backs of her thighs. She started to rub again before suddenly realizing not only was she half-naked, but Master Marshall was watching her. The darkness of the room shadowed his features, but not so much that she couldn’t recognize hungry appreciation as his gaze followed her hands.

Her nipples tightened. Warmth, previously felt only in her tender bottom, shifted and pooled low down in her belly. She felt his wandering eyes like a physical caress and, suddenly self-conscious, tugged at her too-short school blouse in an attempt to pull it down far enough to cover her mons. It wasn’t long enough. Blushing furiously, she wrapped a corner of the blanket back across her lap.

Amusement curled his mouth. Funny, how that smile had a way of hypnotizing her. She almost didn’t realize he’d taken hold of the blanket. She caught at the folds of slipping cloth just before he pulled it away, and a glimmer of challenge mingled with his amusement. He said nothing, simply tipped his head to one side and stared at her. By gradual degrees, he increased his pull on the blanket until her hand began to tremble and her breath to catch in the back of her throat. She let go first and the blanket fell away, leaving her bare.

“Stand.” He climbed to his feet as well.

Picking at her fingers, not at all sure what to expect, Kaylee rose from the couch. She stood nervously, trying to hide behind her hands while he paced a slow circle around her. One pass was all he made, then he stopped and pointedly dropped his gaze to her hands. He never said a word; he just looked at her. But oh, what that look did to her insides. The peaks of her nipples began to throb, a pulse echoed as the flow of heat and blood centered between her legs and her clit began to swell. Her heart fluttered behind her ribs and she trembled. Her hands finally just…drifted apart, dropping down to hang limp at her sides while he looked his fill.

He rewarded her with another of those knee-buckling smiles. “Good girl. I have something for you.”

Walking back to his desk, he returned with a beautiful brocade gown. It was full-length, Victorian in style, the fabric so dark and red that it seemed almost black in the dim lamp light. Gold threads cut the darkness with elegant scrolling patterns.

“It’s beautiful!” Kaylee traced the lovely scrollwork with her fingertips, accepting the gown as he held it up to her shoulders. “Is this for my next scenario?”

“Tomorrow is soon enough for that.”

She smoothed the fabric down over her waist and around her hips, turning into the light just to see the decorative gold threads sparkle and shine. “What about tonight?”

He watched her, the softness of his smile beginning to change into something a little more intense. “Tonight I thought you might like to have dinner with me.”

Her heart fluttered a funny little dance and she quickly looked away, afraid he might somehow be able to see it.

“Sure,” she breathed, and then just had to laugh at herself. One would think she’d never been asked to dinner before. And really, he was probably doing it to be nice because she’d had such a crummy first day. She cracked a joke, knowing she had to put it all into perspective before she started jumping to all kinds of crazy, mouth-watering, heart-palpitating conclusions. “One would think you’ve seen enough of me for one day.”

“Oh, I could stand to see more.”

And there it went again, her heart skipping a beat. The warm honey of his tone pulled at her; the easy authority in his smile ensnared her, robbing her of the strength and will to breathe. She tried to cover her sudden discomfit with another laugh, but it came out sounding strangled. She had to force herself to look away again, but it didn’t last. When he spoke, his next question drew her unerringly back to him.

“Do you know what I’d dearly love to see you wear?”

Her hands on the brocade gown trembled. “What?” She sounded breathless.

Though his gaze never left hers, his hand dipped into his pocket. He pulled out a collar and held it up for her to see—a thin strip of black leather with a leash ring at the front and a buckle made to clasp behind her neck.

Kaylee stared at it, unable to find a single feminist bone of objection anywhere inside her.

“Have you ever worn one before today?” he asked, moving toward her.

“No.” There was no sound to the word. She tried to shake her head but, unable to take her eyes off the collar, only managed half a turn.

“One night,” he offered, his voice a dark seduction. “This isn’t a love match. It’s just you and me. I lead, you follow.”

She hugged the dress to her, as if it somehow magically held the power to protect her. From what, temptation? Drowning? She wanted to laugh. She could barely make herself breathe.

“One night,” he said again, offering her the collar, but making no move to put it on her.

She wanted to take it, but her shaky hands refused to move. “What do you want me to do?”

“Submit.” One word, simply and irrevocably stated.

She was trembling, in her hands, in her legs. All over. Not out of fear—no, that would probably come later when she had a chance to actually think about what she was committing to. And to whom. Right now, all she could feel was the thrill, snapping in and out of her like lightning.

“To what?” she asked, not sure she wanted to know.

A corner of his mouth curled. “Everything.”

Her voice became a tight squeak. “
Everything
, everything?”

Those angel blue eyes turned dark and knowing. “Yes.”

She tried to swallow but her mouth had gone completely dry. “As in…” She couldn’t quite make herself say it.

He took pity on her. “As in, from the moment I slip this around your neck until tomorrow morning when I take it off again. In between those two points in time, I intend to take you to dinner, and get to know you over great lengths of stimulating and probably excessive conversation, and when I feel the moment is right, not only do I intend to take you to my bed, but I am going to tie you there and devour you one very slow inch at a time. That is what I mean by everything.”

And there it was, all neatly spelled out for her in scintillating verbal detail.

“Okay.” Her head spun. Her entire body vibrated with the need to feel what he was promising. Kaylee had never had a one-night stand before, but in all of her fantasies, spanking and sex had gone inextricably hand-in-hand. From the moment she started filling out The Castle’s online application, she had known she would submit to the sexual desires of whomever she was matched to. Master Marshall wasn’t her match. He wasn’t her Mr. Right. He was simply a very intoxicating, very convenient and very real Mr. Right Now.

“One night,” he offered.

“No strings attached,” she added, letting him know she understood completely. As he had said, this wasn’t a love match and she didn’t expect it to magically turn into that just because he slept with her. This was just a fantasy, one that would, for a very short time, merge with reality.

He slipped the collar around her neck and she actually felt the electric thrill as his fingers brushed her skin. He fastened it, not too tight, definitely not loose. She had never been so aware of any one piece of clothing before, not the way she was of this.

Master Marshall took the dress from her trembling hands and let it fall onto the settee. “Hands at your sides.”

The collar hummed against her skin. Kaylee obeyed, lowering her eyes, following the path his hands took as he began to unbutton her costume blouse. Without a word, he caressed the cloth off her shoulders and let it drop, a discarded flag of surrender that fluttered down around her feet, leaving her clothed only in her bra, schoolgirl shoes and socks, and that collar. Kaylee shivered, though not because she was cold. The air was cool, true—it was a castle after—but the contrasting warmth of his hand as he laid his palm flat upon her chest seared her skin.