Nobody's Lost (Rescue Me Saga #5)(43)

Control over her level of pain and pleasure.

Control the types of play he introduced her to.

Control how her body responded to him.

He turned to gaze at the implements he’d placed on the bed. He hadn’t given her a chance to choose what she’d like to try. Perhaps being blindfolded, she’d be open to trying things that might have scared her at first glance.

He’d leave the blindfold on.

“We’ll do some more impact play on your ass then.” He took her by the upper arms. “I’m going to lead you to where I want you. Just relax and trust me.”

She moved in the direction he indicated without hesitation. She trusted him so blindly? Of course, that’s what he would want in a submissive—but he didn’t want any attachment to this submissive beyond a couple of days. He couldn’t let her get under his skin, because he’d have to send her home soon.

He sighed.

“Is everything all right, Sir?”

He realized he’d paused longer than necessary. “Yes. I want you to reach out in front of you and grab the iron footboard.” She did so, leaning forward until she made contact. “Good girl.” Her body was bent over slightly, exposing her ass cheeks to him beautifully. The implements were displayed on the bed before her, but she wouldn’t know what he would try on her.

“Remain still.”

He returned to the bed and looked at what he’d selected earlier. Paddle, crop, even the belt. Which should he use first? He reached down and picked up the paddle. It was wider than some, which would blunt the worst of the sting. Still, with enough strokes, the wooden paddle should redden her ass nicely. He hoped she enjoyed it, too, because paddling was one of his favorite things.

He wouldn’t take her too far their first time. He mainly wanted to gauge her limits for pain, so he returned to the foot of the bed where he set the paddle on her back.

“Oh, that’s cold!”

His hand smacked her ass. Man, he loved the feel of his hand on her cheeks. “What were your instructions?”

“Not to speak unless spoken to, unless I needed to use my safeword. I’m sorry, Sir. It just surprised me.”

“You can expect to be surprised by any number of things tonight, Megan. You’re asking to be taught discipline, and one of the first rules of discipline is to follow your Dom’s simple instructions. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Sir.” The breathlessness in her voice made him rock hard in seconds.

He grabbed one cheek with each hand and squeezed hard, bringing the blood to the surface. He kneaded and squeezed her ass for several more minutes until she moaned.

So responsive.

Time to see where her limits lay for the paddle.

*

Ryder’s hand came down in several smacks on each of her butt cheeks. Not hard enough to sting, but her butt soon grew warm. She didn’t count the blows because he hadn’t asked her to the way some of the Doms in her books did. The spanking stopped, and whatever he had laid on her back a moment ago glided down her back to her butt. Flat and hard, it warmed to her body temperature quickly.

Ryder surprised her with a number of light, quick taps that made her butt grow warmer, too. He paused again and she no longer felt the object against her skin until— Thwack!

A scream nearly spewed from her mouth at the impact, but she caught herself in time and gripped the footboard. What the hell had he hit her with? God, it stung.

Wow, this shit just got very real, very fast.

Thwack!

The first strike had begun to burn when the second hit. Her knuckles hurt from gripping the iron bed frame, and she gritted her teeth to keep from screaming.

Thwack!

He’d returned to hitting the first cheek again and once again, it stung, but this time it became a burn much more quickly.

Thwack!

He laid the offending implement on her back again, and his hands rubbed her burning butt cheeks. She wasn’t sure if that made them feel better or not.

“How are you doing?”

“O-okay, Sir.”

“Would you like this paddling to continue?”

How should she answer? No, or hell no?

“Shall I take silence as a yes?”

“Yes, please. May I have another?” God, how cheesy did that sound? She read too many books.

Whatever was on her back remained there, but she felt something small and stingy against her upper thighs and on her already sore butt. It rained four more stinging smacks onto her burning ass, two on each cheek without a pause this time. She blinked and realized her sleep mask was wet with tears.

Crying? Well, this hurt and wasn’t exactly what she’d been looking for when she said she wanted to try kink.

When a ninth or tenth blow struck her, harder than any of the others, she screamed, “Scarlet! Scarlet! Scarlet!”

Ryder’s hands were empty when he placed them on her burning backside and kneaded her skin. She realized the weight of the first implement was gone from her back. She didn’t know or care where either had disappeared to, but wasn’t sure touching her burning ass was going to help. When cool air blew on her cheeks, the skin puckered into goosebumps.

“Ackkkk! I don’t think that’s helping, Sir. God, that burns.”

“When did you start feeling the pain was more intense than you wanted?”

Oh, about the second swat.