From Sanctum with Love (Masters and Mercenaries #10)(38)

“No, I suspect she found it very frustrating. Or boring. Did you find my crop boring, Kori?” He asked the question in that oh-so-deep voice he used when he was playing or someone had seriously pissed him off.

“It was very nice, Sir.” She didn’t want to piss him off. Politeness was the way to go.

A horrible crack split the air and she had to bite back a groan because that hadn’t been a boring, sedate crop. He’d brought his hand down and smacked the shit out of her bottom. It stung and then burned, sinking into her and speeding up her blood.

“I’m going to ask you again and you should note that I have eyes and saw you yawn. Did you find my crop boring?” He enunciated each word, biting them off.

“Yes.” She wasn’t afraid of him hitting her again. There were other punishments she wouldn’t enjoy and he damn well knew it. He could untie her and make her sit for the night, watching what went on around her and forced to be silent. He could put her on the damn hamster wheel and make her run all night. There were plenty of punishments even a masochist could hate.

He smacked her again, right in the same spot, the pain shooting through her like a drug. “Yes, what?”

“Sir,” she replied, breathless. “It was boring, Master Kai.”

“Better.” His hand left her. “So now we understand that what we have is an obnoxious brat who’s lied to me in the past and very likely to all of the Doms she’s played with.”

“Hey, that’s not true.” She didn’t mean to lie. She meant to spare their feelings. Wasn’t that a good thing? Even as she thought the words she realized she might be in serious trouble because the Doms of Sanctum wouldn’t view it that way. They would view her lying as a punishable offense because by lying she’d kept them from doing their jobs, from giving her what she needed.

That was a grave offense indeed.

“She totally lied to me,” a masculine voice with a thick Cajun accent replied. “I thought she was helping me learn. Guess I was the fool there.”

Shit. Remy was a friend. She hadn’t meant to make him feel bad. She’d simply wanted to hide for a bit longer. She couldn’t have what she needed. If she found that again, everything she’d worked so hard for would be threatened. Her independence. Her self-worth. She could fall right back into those old patterns of giving in simply to keep the peace. “I didn’t mean to lie.”

She felt a hand sink into her hair but it wasn’t soothing. He twisted his fingers and she felt the burn along her scalp. She hissed at the pain and felt her whole body respond to him. This was how she was wired. She knew some people would think she was a pervert, a complete freak, but god, this did it for her.

“You didn’t mean to lie? Tell me what you were trying to do.” All she could see of him were the tops of his boots. They were black and leather and worn. If boots could be pissed off, they were.

“I didn’t want to hurt their feelings. I swear that’s the truth, Sir.”

“Master Remy, would it have hurt your feelings if she’d told you the force you applied during scenes wasn’t enough for her?” Kai held her head off the bench, just enough to make her uncomfortable but not enough to hurt her.

The man knew exactly what he was doing. He knew the difference between a sore bottom and a hurt neck. One was treasured in her world and the other simply sucked and required a trip to the chiropractor. But Kai was holding her so she felt the bite in her scalp, knew he had all the power, and yet she was also supported.

“No, Master Kai. I would not have been offended. I would have attempted to give her what she wanted,” Remy replied. “I am rather offended that she refused to allow me to try. She obviously wasn’t afraid of me so I have to wonder why.”

“She doesn’t let anyone give her what she needs,” Mistress Jackie replied.

“In her defense, she plays a lot and always talks about how much fun she has with you guys.” Finally a friendly voice.

“Sarah, would you enjoy an evening spent scrubbing toilets while wearing an anal plug lubricated with ginger lube?” Yeah, Big Tag was a giver. “Because I can make that happen.”

“She sucks. She should be more honest with the Doms,” Sarah said quickly.

So much for solidarity.

“You will apologize to every Dom you’ve played with and lied to.” Kai gently eased her head back down. “And if I catch you lying again, you’ll be the one with the burning *. Jared, this is what we do with brats at Sanctum.”

She heard some movement and then felt the whoosh of air caress her skin right before something thin and hard thwacked against her flesh. A gasp made her chest pulse as pure fire licked over her backside.

“This is a cane,” Kai explained. “It’s bamboo, nice and not too flexible. It leaves a mark if you apply enough force.” He brought it down on her again, this time on her thighs. Again, she struggled for breath. “Are you bored now, Kori?”

“No, Sir.” She barely managed to get the words out of her mouth.

“Excellent, then we’re making headway.” The cane came down again and again. “Where are we on the stoplight?”

“Green.” She didn’t even hesitate. The pain was doing its job, heating her up and making her soft. Each strike of the cane lit her up and then brought her back down, sinking deeper and deeper into that soft, fuzzy place of submission.