Chapter 20

Dolly lay on the bench,growing more tense with each second that passed as she waited for the punishment to begin. Quincy had moved away and though he had just said so, she wondered if he would still want her when this evening was over.

She knew some writers did far more than get a serious spanking for their work, but right now, she was not sure she wanted to continue writing stories about sex, love, and BDSM.

She felt herself shaking hard enough that the bench was rocking but did not know how to stop herself. Then a large, warm hand touched her lower back.

"Settle, pet. I'm right here, remember? I'll be right here every minute. Relax now or it's going to hurt a lot worse."

Quincy's power-filled Dom voice flowed over her like warm liquid honey and she found herself able to breathe again.

Air currents wafted over her back as someone approached. Only from the footsteps she heard, it was not just one person, but many. She heard a murmur of a soft voice and then another and another as the people she had touched while at the Ranch checked in with Derek.

She was unprepared when the first stroke hit her left ass cheek. Her body registered the pain as a thud while her brain instantly associated it with the hairbrush she'd seen being offered as an option of implements. A few seconds later a smaller area was stung sharply and she thought of the wooden spoon. Before she could brace for another, a large slap smacked down in the center, the hand used large enough to cover a good portion of both cheeks.

She tried to count the strokes as they came, but quickly lost track as she worked to breathe through each added bit of pain. The fire on her ass spread to her upper thighs as each person seemed determined to strike untouched territory.

Tears filled her eyes and fell and then she was crying, once again shaking the bench she lay upon. The pain grew and grew, spiraling in a way that caused her to grow more tense, which then caused the next stroke to be even more painful.

And then, all at once, the pain bled away and she was no longer tied down, but floating high in the sky among glitter-covered pink and purple clouds.

"Pet? How are you doing? Give me a color."

"Green, Sir. Glittery green and purple," she said with a giggle.

"All right, then. Here come my ten," he warned softly.

The lines of fire he overlaid on skin that was already burning told her he was using the crop. He spread the strokes out, working to not hit the same area twice.

And then everything ended.

"Breathe, pet," Quincy said as he brushed hair out of her face.

She took a breath and then another, still flying high where nothing hurt, nothing burned, nothing could touch her.

"Flying, gliding, soaring," she sang softly as a soft, fuzzy something covered her. A moment later, hands took the cuffs off her wrists and ankles.

"I'm sure you are, pet." Quincy said as if he were laughing at her.

She hissed when he rolled her over and her super-tender ass pressed against the top of the bench. Perhaps it was her inexperience with punishment and sensation play, but even with the blanket cushioning her, the pain was sharp and more intense than she expected. It also sucked her out of subspace and back into her body.

"Owwie," she yelped.

"Shh, pet. I've got you," Quincy assured her as he lifted and carried her. Somewhere.

Forcing her eyes open, Dolly looked around and found they were sitting on a big chair in the middle of the bar area. The area was still crowded with all the people who had just smacked her ass in punishment.

She wiggled, trying to find the strength to rise and run. But her bones felt like wet noodles and her muscles refused to cooperate with her still discombobulated brain.

"Shh, pet. It's all right. Drink this," Quincy urged as he lifted a bottle of water to her lips.

She drank deeply and tried to relax, but it was difficult.

When Sadie and Erika approached, she stiffened, waiting for them to tell her how much they hated her.

"Is it true you write BDSM stories?" Sadie asked.

"Yes," Dolly whispered.

The Little bounced excitedly.

"Have you been published?"

"Do you use your name or a penname?"

"Where can we find your books?"

Dolly took a deep breath as relief filled her. They did not hate her. They wanted to know about her work. Was she brave enough to out herself to them?

Looking at Quincy, he smiled at her. "Go ahead, pet. You might find yourself with a whole new crop of readers."

Before she could answer, Jaben stepped up. "Quincy, they need you in the infirmary. One of the kitchen staff got burned and the nurse would like you to take a look at it."

Quincy looked at her. "Pet? You going to be okay?"

Except for the fire covering her ass, she felt nearly back to normal. "I'll be fine. Go and do what you have to do."

She wobbled, but surprisingly did not fall down when Quincy set her on her feet and helped her back into the robe she had worn earlier. Then he hurried away, leaving her to face Sadie and Erika and several other women who had gathered.

She spent a few minutes answering their questions, pretty sure her face was nearly as red as she knew her ass had to be.

"I have some business cards in my room that I'll drop at the front desk tomorrow," she promised when the women all walked away, wishing they were allowed phones in the dungeon so they could look her up online.

She excused herself and headed to the bar for another bottle of water when one of the sadists in her BDSM 101 group stopped her.

"If I see myself described in any book, I'll be coming after you with a bullwhip," he promised before smacking her ass hard and walking away.

Dolly cried out and decided this would be a good time to disappear. Earlier in the day, Erika had added Dolly's name to Quincy's room and closed her account out.

Slipping through the crowd, Dolly avoided Sadie, Erika, Master Derek, and the others she had grown friendly with. The elevator was just closing, so she decided to take the stairs.

Pushing through the door into the stairwell, she started up the stairs. Tears filled her eyes at the pain from the robe rubbing against the tender skin of her ass and upper thighs.

She was nearly at the landing when she missed a step. She tried to correct but ended up over balancing in the wrong direction. She screamed as she fell backward and tumbled down the stairs where she slammed her head and everything went black.

Quincy grinned at Valerie Cain, the nurse on duty, and said, "One more patient and I'm sending Derek a bill for services rendered."

"I'm sure he'd pay it, but I have to tell you, this many medical issues needing a physician's attention is unusual," Valerie said as she finished putting together a care kit for the cook's assistant.

The burn was superficial, but because it was over most of his palm, Valerie felt it needed to be seen by Quincy before she bandaged it.

Quincy finished making his notes for the file and planned to return and rescue Dolly from her no-doubt rabid fans. He was not finished with aftercare, but the rest of what he had planned would take place in the privacy of their room.

"Quincy? Are you still here?" Derek's deep voice called from the hallway.

"I'm here," Quincy replied, wondering what had happened now.

Valerie sent the kitchen worker on his way and then started cleaning up the room in preparation for the next patient.

Quincy stepped into the hall just in time to meet Derek as he and Jaben carried a stretcher between them.

"I'm afraid we have another patient for you to check out," Derek said as the passed him and entered the treatment room.

Quincy looked at the person on the stretcher, and his breathing stopped. "Dolly?"

"We're not sure, but it appears that she fell down the stairs just outside the Dungeon," Derek said as they set the stretcher on top of the nearest bed. "The guard on duty heard a scream and when he entered, he found her lying at the bottom of the stairs. She's been unconscious ever since."

"Shall I call an ambulance?" Valerie asked.

"Give me a minute," Quincy said.

"We'll be outside," Derek said as he and Jaben left the room, closing the door behind them.

Trying not to move Dolly too much until he knew what was wrong, Quincy opened her robe and ran his hands up and down her body and extremities. He could not feel any broken bones, and there was no bleeding, other than a small cut on the back of her head. After closing her robe, he looked at the nurse next to him.

"Do you have any?—"

"Smelling salts," Valerie said, handing him a small vial.

"Thanks," he replied as he broke the vial and waved it under Dolly's nose.

She gasped and opened her eyes at once. Another breath and she was coughing.

"There you are, my pet. Where do you hurt?"