‘Will they, Lucy? I thought you were writing this story.’
‘I get the exclusive. It’ll be picked up by, shall we say, less sympathetic commentators. You ought to be prepared for it. You’ll get it in the neck.’
‘They won’t care about me, not with His Nibs in the picture.’ But he sounded as if he was trying to reassure himself.
‘Well, we’ll see. And yes, I admit, that was starting to burn. But I didn’t want to look like a wuss.’
He laughed. ‘I’d never accuse you of being one of those. But will you please put that fear aside and be upfront with me about how you feel? Please?’
‘All right. I’m sorry. I guess I’d been starting to really feel it for about the last twenty strokes.’
‘Good. That’s worth recording,’ he said. ‘Of course, your tolerance will probably build over the course of these sessions, but we have a starting point. Now, if I carry on, will you tell me the moment it gets really too much?’
His grave tone made me nervous and I laughed. ‘I think it should probably be obvious.’
‘Probably. But do you promise?’
‘I promise.’
He resumed spanking me, the clap-clap-clap of it sounding monotonous, while the effect on my nerve endings – and my libido – was anything but.
‘Ow, ow, please, no,’ I wailed after a couple of minutes of this. My skin felt tight and almost numb, but the tissues beneath held a deep burn that would last longer.
‘Thank you,’ he whispered, rubbing at my shoulder. ‘You see, it’s not so difficult to tell me when to stop.’
‘I feel like a failure,’ I admitted. ‘I bet those submissive girls can go on for hours.’
He laughed, his fingers still pressing into my unprotesting flesh.
‘Hardly hours,’ he said. ‘You did marvellously well, for a beginner. Your bottom colours beautifully too.’
Something about this knowledge flooded my sex, which was wet enough all ready. I was shocked at how turned on I felt. Was this what it took for me? Physical chastisement? He would see me for what I was, and I felt humiliated. And even more turned on.
‘Would you like to see it?’ he whispered.
‘Oh … I don’t know.’
But, still bent over the chair, I heard a rustle and a click then he came around and shoved his phone under my nose.
My bottom was indeed as red as the sunset over the hills. I sucked in a breath at how sore it looked, even though it was my own bottom and the pain was perfectly manageable, and fading fast.
‘Gorgeous,’ he said, with lust-laden appreciation. ‘Listen,’ he crouched lower, speaking into my ear. ‘If you like, I can … touch you.’
I wasn’t sure what he meant at first, then I realised that he had noticed how wet I was between my legs and the rush of mortification roared in my head as I said, ‘You already have, haven’t you?’
‘That was different. We were carried away. This is one popular way to end a spanking, if it isn’t a punishment. I thought you might like …’
‘No. God, no. I’m fine. I just want to get dressed and get out of here.’
I was up and running to the chaise where he’d piled my clothes, making damn sure he couldn’t see my face, which must have been every bit as scarlet as my rear.
‘I didn’t say you could get up,’ he said sourly.
I was too busy fighting my way into my knickers to reply.
‘You missed an important part of the lesson,’ he continued. ‘You’re supposed to thank me after a spanking. I should make you get back down and take some more for that.’
I whirled around to face him, fumbling with my bra clip.