Claimed

She held out her hands as instructed. Her arms felt heavy, and she hoped this stupid lesson would be over quickly. Then she saw the birch switch in his hand. It was shorter than the one he sometimes used on her ass, but looked just as thin and whippy. James flicked it several times in the air, the whooshing sound a menacing promise. Kelsey’s palms tingled and it took all her will not to drop her arms and wrap them protectively around herself.

Just answer correctly. You can do that. You know what he wants. Give it to him, and then you can eat and drink.

James hit his own palm lightly with the switch as he stared down at her. “Question number one. What are you?”

Okay, that was easy. He’d asked her that often enough. “An obedient wife.”

The sudden cut of the switch across her left palm made Kelsey scream in both surprise and pain. Instinctively she brought her hand to her mouth, pressing it hard against her lips as she moaned.

“I chastised you because you forgot how to address me properly. Who am I?”

“Sir,” Kelsey replied as she blinked back her tears. “I’m sorry, sir.”

Damn it. She knew that! It was Obedient Wife Training 101. How had she forgotten?

James nodded. “I forgive you. I know you’re hungry and aching. We’ll start over. Back in position—palms up. Next time I chastise you, don’t move out of position or I’ll put you back in the closet. Now, what are you?”

“An obedient wife, sir.” Kelsey looked down at her palms. The left one had an angry red line across it that throbbed and stung.

“Much better.”

Concentrate. You can do this. Just get through it.

Kelsey’s eyes slid toward the waiting food. She swallowed, waiting for the next question.

“When does an obedient wife speak?”

“When she’s asked a direct question, sir.”

“When your husband asks something of you that you find challenging, do you tell him you can’t or won’t do it?”

“No, sir.”

“What is the proper response?”

“If it pleases you, sir, then it pleases me.”

James nodded. “Very good.” He paused, tapping the switch lightly against his thigh.

“Why do I keep you shaved?”

Kelsey bit her lip, trying to think. He shaved her underarms, legs and pussy every other day. She had to lie down on the bathroom floor and hold very still while he did it. Once he’d nicked her, and then he’d spanked her for causing him to do it, claiming she’d moved, though she hadn’t. He was always rambling on about why he meted out this or that punishment, couching the abuse in terms of his obedient wife bullshit, but what was his specific rationale for the shaving?

She realized she’d just assumed he’d done it because he could—it was just one more way of exerting his power over her, and making her feel vulnerable. Was that the answer he wanted?

Think, think. What is it he’s after? Say what he wants.

“Kelsey. Answer the question.”

She blew out a breath. “Because it pleases you, sir?”

The switch cut across her right palm. She hissed her pain, though somehow managed to maintain her position.

“It does. But that’s not why I do it. I’ve told you before. You must not have been paying attention.” He struck her left palm again, the switch cutting across the initial welt. Kelsey howled in pain.

“Please, sir,” she begged, “I can’t do this. I can’t think. I’m too hungry, too tired. The switch hurts too much.”

“Stop it. You’re acting like a child. Stop sniveling and whining. An obedient wife is honored to suffer at the hands of her husband. It teaches her she is cherished. Now, pay attention, because you’re going to have to recite this rule until you get it right.” He paused, and Kelsey struggled to control her whimpering so she could focus on his words.

“Are you listening?” James demanded.

“Yes, sir,” she managed, her palms on fire with pain.

“The answer is twofold. You are shaved because an obedient wife must be completely accessible to her husband at all times. Female pubic hair is a direct affront to our lifestyle. I am the one to do the shaving because I exercise full but loving control over your body. My grooming you is a testament to my love for you. I care for you in all things. I support you, I feed you, I wash you, I claim your body, your heart and your soul. You belong to me. Now,” James said ponderously, “why do I shave you?”

Fuck. How the hell am I supposed to remember all that? I’m hungry. I’m so hungry. Just get through it. The food is there. He means for you to have it. Just say what he said.

“Um, you shave me because an obedient wife must be accessible to her husband, sir.” What else? Shit, what else? James raised the switch. “Your grooming is proof of your l-love.” The word stuck in her throat. How could he call this love? She stumbled on, the apple and cheese waiting for her. “You care for me in all things. I belong to you, sir.”