Taming Naia (5 page)

The crowd actually applauded, but very quickly silence once again reigned. They were hungry for the show, for the caning. It was such a base notion but Naia understood it. She wondered if it wasn’t strange that she understood such a thing.

The man moved to stand very close behind the girl and cupped one buttock.

“He’s asking her permission now,” Liam said. “It’s about to begin. Are you ready?”

The girl nodded as did Naia.

The man stepped back and to the side so the crowd had a good view of the girl’s waiting bottom. With his hand, he slapped both cheeks several times, the sound crisp in the otherwise quiet room. Once satisfied with the soft pink hue, he measured the placement of the cane, tapped it several times against her, then raised his arm. Naia wondered what the cane would feel like against her own backside and braced herself as it came down on the girl’s tender flesh. The girl expelled a breath and her body would have been catapulted forward but for the bench. She counted the first stroke into the microphone. Naia swallowed.

Another stroke landed on the girl’s trembling cheeks. Naia closed her eyes for an instant, imagining it was she up on the stage, being watched as if she herself were being publically punished.

The crowd remained hushed, watching, listening. Each stroke was followed by the girl’s forced exhale, a grunt, and as the punishment proceeded, a more pained noise. As she counted, the microphone amplified every breath, every moan, every sound from her lips, and Naia found herself mentally saying the numbers along with the girl, not wanting it to stop.

The willing captive counted as her bottom was striped with red welts. The difference between the force of the strokes was palpable as she neared the end and the man brought the cane down harder. It was incredible, the sound of the cane moving through the air followed by the sound she made, the silence of the crowd followed by the faintest of exhales. Naia closed her eyes for a moment, savoring the sound of the girl’s shallow, quick breath in time with her own.

Sooner than Naia wanted her to, she called out the final number. The public punishment was at an end and, as if the crowd had also been holding its breath for the duration, there was one moment of complete stillness before the joint exhale.

The microphone played the girl’s sobs into the space and Naia watched as her dom put the cane down and walked close behind her. He spoke to her so softly that his words weren’t picked up but her apology was clear as she begged his forgiveness and thanked him for her punishment, for his leniency.

Lenient. That was not how Naia would have categorized the severe caning of the poor girl’s bottom.

The curtains closed and the crowd broke instantly into conversation. The line at the bar grew and Naia turned to face Liam who stood back, his gaze intense as he studied her reaction.

The only light in the office was that from the two lamps in the sitting area but his eyes were bright with hunger. “Come here, Naia.”

She walked over to him wordlessly, her every step cautious.

“Turn around,” he said. Her eyes wide and her heart racing, she did as he said. It took all she had for her not to look to see what he was doing. Wordlessly, he began untying her corset. “I’ll put you in leather myself, of my choosing, but I don’t like you in this. This is not for you, it’s not who you are. Don’t wear it again, understand?”

“I’m not your submissive, professor. You can’t tell me what to do.” It was as though the words came of their own accord and Naia shivered as the temperature in the room seemed to drop by degrees.

He slipped the corset off and with one hand wound the length of her ponytail around and around his palm. He then tugged her closer so that her bare back pressed against his chest and her head was turned up at a painful angle. He brought his mouth to her ear, his breath controlled, even, completely opposite hers. Holding her in place, he stripped her of her skirt. His free hand found her belly and moved slowly down over her lace panties until it found her throbbing sex and closed over it. Naia shut her eyes, willing her body not to react, but failing. When one finger slid beneath the fine material and found her clit, she exhaled.

“Naia,” he said, kissing her ear as his finger moved inside her panties. “Don’t make me repeat myself. You’re not to wear it again, do you understand?” he asked, his fingers rough on her clit.

She pressed her back into him even as her hips thrust into his hand. “Yes, professor,” she just managed.

“I left some business unfinished earlier,” he said, taking his hand from her panties and turning her to face him. Still holding her ponytail, he tugged so that it forced her face up and her eyes had to meet his. “Tell me what you want.” His mouth closed over hers as soon as he said it, taking her lower lip between his and nibbling before forcing her mouth open, his tongue probing, consuming her kiss, her breath, her words. “Tell me,” he said, still kissing her.

“You. I want you inside me. I want you to fuck me.”

He let her mouth go and lifted her easily into his arms, carrying her to his desk and setting her on the edge. Towering over her, he kept his gaze steady on hers. He leaned his head down and took one nipple into his mouth, the other between his fingertips. Kneading the one, he tasted the other, licking first, then sucking and nibbling lightly with his teeth so that she arched her back, thrusting her breasts into his mouth and hand.

“Oh…” she began, placing her hands on his head, pulling him closer. “That’s good. That’s so good.”

He straightened and brought his mouth back to hers, kissing her hard. “Put your arms behind your back,” he whispered, opening a drawer. She did as he said, kissing him back. She expected him to bind her wrists, but when she felt leather wrap around first one, then the other arm just above her elbow, her breath caught.

“I like that,” he said. The way he’d bound her arms forced her to sit upright, forced her breasts to jut up and out. “Now,” he said, lifting her slightly with one hand, he pulled her panties off with the other. “Let’s see how you taste, Naia.” He pressed her back against the desk and bound as she was, she struggled to get her hands under her. She watched as he knelt between her legs and pushed them apart. His fingers combed through the small triangle of dark hair before settling on either side of her pussy, spreading her lips open. His tongue found her clit and she closed her eyes as he began circling the hard nub.

“Oh…” she moaned when his mouth closed over it and he sucked. One finger found the wet entrance of her pussy and plunged deep inside her. She called out, wanting to wrap her hands around his head, bury her fingers in his hair and tug him closer to her. “I’m going to come. Oh…”

It was only another moment until orgasm overtook her as he sucked her clit and worked his fingers inside her. She lay back on the desk, unable to support herself any longer as her hips bucked beneath his mouth and she called out his name, wrapping her legs over his shoulders and around his neck, holding him to her the only way she could with her arms bound behind her.

Only when she lay still and her legs released their hold on him did he rise, placing his hands on either side of her face.

“Open your eyes, Naia.”

She did as he said to find his dark form hulking over her. He kissed her then and she could taste herself on his lips and tongue.

“You taste so good,” he said. “Are you ready for me to fuck you now? Like I wanted to when you were bent over the desk earlier, your ass red from your spanking.”

“Yes. Oh, yes,” she said even as he pulled her farther forward so her hips were at the edge of the desk.

Pushing her thighs wide, he unzipped his pants and, without a hint of gentleness, he thrust his cock deep inside her drenched pussy.

She cried out, his cock too thick, too big. “I can’t be gentle, Naia,” he said, pulling out and thrusting in deep again.

“I don’t want you to be,” she said, wanting to wrap her legs around his hips but unable to as he kept them pinned while he pumped into her faster and harder. She lay back and closed her eyes, on the verge of her second orgasm.

“No. Open your eyes. I want to watch you come this time. I want to see you.”

She did as he said and never once let her gaze drop as he thrust into her. She called out as her pussy tightened around his cock, waves of orgasm pulsing through her body. His cock throbbed when, as he buried himself deep inside her, orgasm stilled his body over hers.

He was silent as he drove her back to the hotel. Every time she glanced at him, she could see his eyebrows were knitted together like he was processing something, reasoning something out. It was a quick ride and when they got there, he didn’t cut the engine. Naia turned to him.

“Professor?” she asked, unsure where she stood even after the scene in his office.

“Naia.” His gaze met hers, giving nothing away.

“I meant what I said. I want to try with you. With us,” she said. She had a bad feeling.

He studied her for a long time without speaking.

“Naia,” he began, then looked away. Dread filled her belly as she realized what was happening. “What I want is so very different than anything you’ve ever known. I’m not sure…” he said, looking at her with what she thought to be something akin to pity in his eyes.

“Oh, my God.” The realization that she was wrong, that he didn’t want a relationship or to even try, slowly seeped through her. “You… what just happened meant… nothing to you?” she asked, not sure she wanted an answer at all. Just then the valet opened her door and they both turned to him.

“Ma’am,” he said, holding out his hand to help her out, his eyes darting from her to Liam. The tension between them was palpable; she was sure he felt it too.

“Just a minute,” Liam said. The valet closed the door as Naia’s eyes pooled with tears.

“Go to bed, Naia. You’ve had a long day. I have to think about things.”

“What
things
do you have to think about? How many times are you going to reject me in one night?” She wiped at her tears, not wanting them, not wanting to shed them over him. Had she been wrong? Was she so blinded by her feelings for him that she didn’t see how cold he was?

“I’ve had relationships with women who thought they wanted what I want. They don’t work.”

“Then what was that in your office?” Anger was better than hurt. “What, wasn’t it good enough? Wasn’t
I
good enough? This was a mistake, an awful mistake and I am so sorry I ever thought
I
owed
you
an apology.” Wiping roughly at her eyes and nose, she opened the door, but before she could step out, he grabbed her arm and held her.

“It’s not like that.” His voice was low, almost calm.

“What do you expect me to believe? I’m human, professor. With feelings. Do you have any idea what those are or is that not something you deal with in your BDSM world?”

His grip tightened and she could see he was trying hard to control his growing anger.

“Let me go. I want to go,” she said, feeling she was on the verge of a humiliating breakdown. “What, do you want my safe word, is that it?”

He let her go then and turned away from her.

“Good riddance, professor!” she said, slamming the door shut and running inside.

* * *

Liam sat in his SUV for what felt like a long while.

“Fuck!” His fist came down hard on the steering wheel. He had to clear his head. Pulling onto the highway, he drove.

He had feelings for Naia, there was absolutely no denying that. But did he really want to involve her in his world, submit her to his dark desires? She was young and pure and clean. What he wanted and needed from a woman was something entirely different from what she had ever experienced. His last girlfriend had claimed she’d wanted it too. She wanted to be a part of his world. But that hadn’t lasted six months. The one before her, three months. He too was human and he knew very well about feelings. And given the extent of his feelings for Naia, could he handle it if she, like the last two, decided she couldn’t do it after all? Decided she didn’t want his lifestyle or him?

“God damn it to hell!” he cursed.

Naia White had the power to bring him to his knees.

* * *

She refused to stay in her hotel room thinking about last night. Degrading was the word that kept coming to mind every time she thought about it. How could she have been so wrong about him? She was sad and mad and hurt and embarrassed. It was just too many feelings to process and, quite frankly, she didn’t want to deal with them.

By midday, fed up and annoyed with herself, she got showered and dressed and took herself out for lunch.

Several hours and two glasses of wine later, she headed back to her hotel. She’d spend the evening reading her new book and wouldn’t think of him at all.

Stepping into her room, she set her bags down and headed for the phone, which blinked with a message. Picking it up, she listened to the voice of the girl at the front desk. Someone had stopped to see her, waited an hour, but when she hadn’t returned, he’d left a package for her and gone. Would she like to have it delivered?

Her heart raced. Would she like it delivered? Hell, yes.

She dialed the operator asking who had been there, if he’d left a name. He hadn’t and the girl who was working the desk at the time had gone home. She settled for having them send the package up.

Her hands shook and her stomach felt heavy as she took the package from the porter a few moments later. Setting it on the edge of the bed, she saw that her name was written in his fancy cursive handwriting. It had been so long since she’d seen that writing that she had almost forgotten it. She tore the tape off and opened it to find an envelope set upon layers and layers of black scented tissue paper. Slipping the letter out of its sleeve, she opened it.

Naia,

A part of me wants to pretend you’d never come into my club last week asking for what you asked for.

Her heart pounded.

But since that night, I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind. You spoke about feelings last night and accused me of not having any. Well, you’re wrong there. I am a man, human, just like you. And I don’t want to get hurt again. I’ve had relationships with women before who thought they wanted what I had to offer and it’s never worked out, not once.