Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

Maya remained on the bed but made herself comfortable under the covers. She wasn’t entirely sure what was going to happen when her Daddy came back. She had a feeling the hot sex they’d been about to enjoy, was now off the table. The sweet romantic mood had passed.

Which didn’t mean she wasn’t still dripping with excitement. Being in trouble, knowing she was going to be punished, often had that effect on her… right up until the punishment started. And then she’d dry up like the Sahara and there’d be nothing left to cushion the ouchiness of Rick’s stern hand.

But that would be later. For now she was still squirmy, slippery, and very tempted to take matters into her own hand, so to speak. She wouldn’t, but only because her Daddy would consider that extremely naughty behavior, and she was already in enough trouble.

She remembered making the conscious decision to put off telling him, and she wouldn’t lie about that, even to save her butt. But with the lovely evening out, she really had pushed Lisa’s presence to the back of her mind. If she’d been thinking, she’d have at least made sure the bedroom door was closed.

There should have been some embarrassment over knowing her best friend had seen them like that, in such an intimate moment. The truth was, she honestly wasn’t really upset about it. Because of Rick’s position they didn’t go to clubs locally, but once or twice while on vacation, they’d visited BDSM clubs to play.

It had been exciting, knowing all those eyes were on her. Maya liked the attention. It was possible she was just a little bit of an exhibitionist. Not enough to seek it out, but enough that she wasn’t too embarrassed at Lisa stealing a secret peek.

Besides, maybe the sight of them would finally encourage the girl to go and find a Dom of her own. She so obviously needed and wanted one. Maya didn’t really get why Lisa made no effort to find someone.

But then, Maya wasn’t the type to ignore her feelings and needs. When she knew what she wanted, she did her best to get it. Without that agency, she might never have ended up with Rick at all.

He certainly would never have come down from his bench to hit on her. And even with her doing the initial work, he’d been very hesitant to take her up on what she was blatantly offering. She’d practically had to insist, and in the end she’d trapped him in his office and thrown all her cards on the table.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed. “I’m too old for you, Maya. You don’t want someone old enough to be your father.”

She snorted. “You’re not as old as my father, Rick.”

“Maybe not, but it’s close enough.”

“I don’t care about your age, and I’ve always preferred older men anyway. I’m not interested in guys who are still growing up and finding themselves.” As usual when she was excited or emotional her hands tended to wave and gesture.

He ignored the dramatics. “That’s not exactly the only issue here. We work together. It wouldn’t be appropriate.”

Maya was hard-pressed not to roll her eyes, and rolling your eyes at a judge, even one who was off duty, was never a good idea. “I’m sure we can work around that. HR probably has forms to cover the situation.”

He was silent for a long moment, and the weight of his gaze made her want to squirm, but that would look weak. She straightened and looked right back at him.

“You really want to try this?” he asked finally.

“Yes.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure if I were you. I like certain things that aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. You might find that you’ve made the wrong choice here.”

She shrugged. “If it doesn’t work, then it doesn’t work. We can both be professionals and not let it cause problems. But if you’re talking about the fact that you’re a bossy, dominant kind of guy… yeah, I guessed. What do you think got me so interested? It’s one of the reasons I like older men. I find it easier to obey someone who looks like an authority figure.”

He seemed shocked into silence, both eyebrows high on his forehead. She saw a spark in his eyes though, and knew he was going to give in. It took a bit more talking, but he did eventually agree.

Neither of them had regretted it.

Six months of dating was all it had taken to be sure they wanted to spend their lives together, and by their first anniversary they were planning their wedding. After five years he still made her tingle in all the right places. He was every inch the Dominant Daddy she’d known he was too.

She loved it and she loved him. Lisa deserved to have that too. Maya could tell her friend wanted it. She could see the envy in her eyes at times, the hunger to experience, but it didn’t seem to motivate her to do anything about it.

But maybe, having seen Maya and Rick together, it would encourage her to get out there and shop around for a good Dominant of her own. That was a nice thought. She’d have to try to push it a little.

Before she could continue that line of thought the bedroom door opened and Rick had returned. He looked less annoyed, until his gaze landed on her. Then his mouth thinned, and his eyes narrowed. “So, young lady, now that I’ve dealt with our guest… it’s your turn.” He closed the door firmly behind him and moved toward the bed.

A shiver rolled down her back. It wasn’t entirely unpleasant. She did love it when he got stern with her. “Daddy, listen, I think we just need to chalk this up as a very unfortunate series of events.”

“Is that what you think?”

“Yeah huh.” She nodded firmly. “And there’s really no need to punish me because it’s never going to happen again.”

“It definitely isn’t going to happen again, but why would you think that would mean you don’t need consequences?” He crossed his arms over his chest as he stared down at her.

“Isn’t the whole point of punishment to teach me a lesson, so I learn not to do something again? I mean, in this case the lesson is learned for sure.” She didn’t actually think this line of argument was going to work, but she felt obligated to try.

“Sometimes punishment is about teaching, and sometimes it’s about atoning for wrongdoing so we can both move on. You can let go of any lingering guilt and I can let go of annoyance. And I have a lot of annoyance to work through right now, Little girl.”

“But, Daddy, I—”

“The only butt relevant to this conversation is yours, which is about to get a real spanking. One that I can assure you won’t be any fun at all.” He picked up the discarded Valentine’s paddle and she winced. “Oh, don’t worry,” he assured her. “This isn’t what I’m going to be using on you.”

“But my bottom is already sore from the fun spanking. You did spank me a realllly long time, Daddy.” Maybe he’d forgotten. Maybe reminding him that her butt was already hot and sore would make him change his mind.

Apparently not, because he took the paddle away to the closet while saying, “Good, then we can skip the warmup,” which wasn’t what she’d meant at all.

Their large walk-in closet didn’t just hold clothes. It also held a ton of kinky equipment and toys. Some hung from the racks on carabiners, and many more were neatly organized in a set of drawers. It was her job to keep everything neat, maintained, and in its place so Daddy could find exactly what he needed.

That was why he was able to return in less than a minute with the exact implements he planned to use. Her eyes flicked to what he held in his hand and then she pulled the covers up higher. “Those are too mean,” she blurted.

Rick scoffed. “They are exactly the right amount of mean. Now, I want you out of that bed and your nose in the corner before I count to three. Otherwise you can expect to repeat all of this tomorrow night.”

“Daddy, please, I—”

“One.”

“Wait, don’t count!”

“Two…” He extended the word, dragging it out to give her time to move, but it wasn’t until he finished and opened his mouth for the third number, that she moved.

Maya scrambled out of bed and raced to the corner, making it just before he finished the count.

“Nose to the wall, Maya.”

She hated that. It forced her to bend slightly, and it wouldn’t be long before she’d begin to feel it in her lower back. Corner time was the worst, but there were always ways to make it even less pleasant. Her Daddy knew them all.

There was a creak of springs as he sat down on the bed to watch her. “You know, this was not how I planned to spend Valentine’s Day with you. I had a late evening in mind, with lots of pleasure for both of us. Instead, you’re standing with your nose to the wall, waiting to get your bottom roasted.” There was a tsking sound.

She risked a peek over her shoulder. “But it’s a special day, Daddy. It’s our anniversary. Can’t you just let it go?”

“Eyes front, young lady. Don’t make this worse,” he snapped. He didn’t answer her until her face was back where it belonged. “Can I let it go that you made a big decision and then didn’t even bother to tell me about it?”

He snorted. “No, I don’t think I’ll be letting it go. You deserve to have a sore backside for this one, Maya.”

Her lips pouted and she let out a huff of air. “What about after the punishment? We could um, still have a good night after that…”

“Oh, I intend to get my pleasure, Little girl. I’m not the one in trouble so there’s no reason for me to be punished.”

Her mouth dropped open and a sound of protest emerged. She didn’t quite dare to glare at him, so she stared hard at the wall instead. How could he be so mean on their special day? If she hadn’t been barefoot she might have kicked the wall, but there was no sense hurting her toes too.

And just in case she didn’t get the point, he continued, “So, you can look forward to me claiming that sassy ass of yours when it’s nice and sore.”

Even with her head going in and out of Middle space the threat made her clit pulse. She pressed her thighs together with a small moan of need. “That’s not fair, Daddy.”

“It’s absolutely fair. Being in trouble means you don’t get to come. You know that, and if you argue with me about it, I’ll take your bottom with the special lube.”

That wasn’t an idle threat. It would make everything so much worse, and he just loved to use it for punishment. He’d found the special mentholated lube online, and it was made specifically to sting and burn inside, adding a new level of ouch.

It had very quickly become apparent that she didn’t enjoy it at all, so it had been set aside for naughty days. Mostly he used it with plugs, or just smeared some on when he wanted to make a point. The few times he’d actually fucked her ass with it had been so much worse, especially cleaning it out after.

It just wasn’t worth the risk. She clamped her mouth shut and didn’t say another word, until he finally called her over to him.

“I’m not going to bother with a long lecture, young lady. You know what you did wrong, and I’m sure you won’t ever repeat it again. In the future you will make sure I’m in the loop about important decisions, correct?”

She nodded her head with a quick bob. “Yes, Daddy. I will.”

His dark eyes glittered as he stared at her. “And it goes without saying that next time you invite a guest over, you’ll be sure I know they are here, right?”

“Yes, I will. Daddy, we really don’t need to do the punishment part. I promise, I—ack!” Her words turned into a startled squawk when Rick took her by the wrist and dragged her across his lap. After that there was no time to try to talk him out of it.

“Good, now, since you’ve already had a nice long warm-up spanking, let’s just get straight to the punishment. The hairbrush should make my point, and then we’ll finish off with a nice sizzling dose of the strap, just to really nail the lesson home.”

Her backside tightened reflexively, cheeks squeezing in a fruitless effort to ward off the pain. It didn’t help, of course. It never did.

Her Daddy tapped one cheek with the brush, in warning. When she didn’t relax, he slapped the brush down hard, right on the center of her left thigh.

“Nooo! Not the thighs!”

“If you don’t want to start off on the thighs, then you better stop tensing up, Little girl.”

Forcing her muscles to relax, knowing as soon as they did the wicked brush would start smacking, was one of the hardest things to make her do, but the alternative was to pile up more punishment. With great reluctance, she slowly let her cheeks soften.

“That’s better.” And just like that the spanking began. He brought the brush down with a sharp snap, and didn’t pause before bouncing it over to the other cheek. After the first dozen or so, delivered rapid fire, any lingering arousal dried up, leaving Maya with nothing to cushion the pain.

There was a brief pause and she used it to beg. “Please, Daddy! I’m so sorry! I’ll be good forever,” she assured him. It was absolutely heartfelt, if only temporary.

“I’m sure you’ll… try.” There was a bit of suppressed amusement in his voice, but she could hear it. “I think we’re going to continue anyway.” The second series started without giving her even a moment to prepare.

The solid hairbrush smacks painted her backside with heat and sting. There was no pattern that she could adjust to. Rick liked to keep her guessing, and by the time he paused again, she was really feeling the burn.

Again the short break lasted only moments. Just enough time for her to catch her breath, and then he was off again. It was clear that each set of twelve was landing a little harder than the last.

Halfway through the thirties, Maya screeched and began kicking her legs. There was nothing like punishment to push her firmly into Middle-space… and maybe, though she’d never admit it, her emotions bordered a bit younger.

Any hope of taking her punishment like a big girl vanished as tears began to trickle down her cheeks. She clutched at his legs, holding on tight, because without that bit of comfort her hands would have flown back to cover her butt—and that never went well.

Other than the occasional reminder to stay still, to put her legs down, to unclench, Rick let the hairbrush do the talking. At fifty he stopped and let her have a longer break to hiccup and sniffle through. He didn’t rub the sting away, but he did let his hand rest on her hot bottom until she quieted.

“Now, I understand that you were very excited about the day. And I know you didn’t want anything to take away from the romance. Helping your friend, of course, is exactly what I would expect from you. Leaving Daddy out of the loop… is not.”

“Y-yes ,Daddy.” She wiped at her face with the back of her arm. “I won’t do it again.”

“I should hope not. Even if you told her it was fine, and then let me know after the fact, I would have accepted that. Sometimes decisions have to be made in emergencies, and even though you’re my Little girl, you’re also a capable adult woman.”

She tilted her head, twisting a little to look over her shoulder.

He must have seen the question in her eyes. “I just wanted to be very clear that I’m not mad at you for letting Lisa stay here. I expect you to help your friends and I would hate for you to misunderstand my point.”

Maya sniffled and nodded. “I understand, Daddy.”

“Good, because I’m not a fan of the fact that your best friend just saw my whole ass hanging out—among other things.”

Was he… blushing a little? Her strict Daddy judge seemed embarrassed. “I’m sure she didn’t see much…” Maybe that was true, but she doubted it.

He narrowed his eyes and gave her bottom a warning pat. “Uh-huh. Well, however much she saw was too much. And it would never have happened had I known someone was in the house.”

“I guess I didn’t expect her to come looking. That was very naughty of her.”

“Yes, it was. The door being opened, and the bathroom being just a few feet away—I guess it was too much temptation, but she knew better. She probably deserves a good dose of punishment too.”

“Are you going—”

He kept talking over her question, “But she isn’t mine to deal with and you are.” His tone didn’t invite a continuation of the topic.

Maya couldn’t just let it go. “But Lisa doesn’t have a Dom, maybe you should spank her anyway, so she doesn’t get filled with the icky guilt feelings. You know it can get bad when a sub is filled with those, and no one takes care of it.”

“Lisa is not my submissive. I have no right to punish her. It would be an abuse of the very limited authority I have over her, as I just explained to her a minute ago. Now—”

“But, Daddy, it really doesn’t seem fair for me to be punished if she’s getting off free. I mean she’s the one who snuck a look. I didn’t tell her she could do that.”

“That’s beside the point. We’re discussing what you did, not what she did.”

“But…”

“Maya!” There was a snap to her name.

She closed her mouth and dropped her head to stare at the carpet without another word. It was obvious she was only about an inch from getting herself in even bigger trouble.

Rick was silent for a moment, as if making sure she was done. “It’s getting late, so I’m going to finish you off with the strap. Since you want to be sassy tonight, I think I’ll double the number I had in mind.” He gave one thigh a hard slap. “Up.”

Uh-oh.Maya much preferred being punished across his knee. It was embarrassing and encouraged her emotions to swing younger, but it was also comforting. Being bent over either meant he was extra annoyed with her and planned to be really mean… or… it meant he was going to follow through on the earlier threat to take her back hole when he was done.

She winced as she scrambled back off his lap. She loved anal when it came with lots of foreplay and fun, but when it came after a punishment, it was different.

At the bottom of the bed was a dressing bench. When she’d picked it out, she’d been thrilled with the pretty woodwork, the plush seat, and the storage underneath. She hadn’t been thinking about what other uses her Daddy might put it to, but it turned out to be just the right height for her to kneel on, to bend across the bottom of the bed. She’d meant it to be decorative; instead it ended up getting quite a lot of use.

Rick pointed to it without a word. She pouted her bottom lip, giving him her most adorable look but it didn’t do any good. He shook his head. “You’re not getting out of this, young lady. Onto the bench.”

Her feet dragged across the thick carpet as she shuffled around to the bottom of the bed and climbed up. “I really, truly learned my lesson, Daddy. I promise.”

“Good. I’m glad to hear that.” He swept up the strap and moved around behind her. “Knees apart.” He tapped her foot with the leather.

She buried her face in the blanket as she awkwardly shifted her legs a few inches. When he cleared his throat, she grumbled and moved them a little more.

“Maya, I understand that a little bit of defiance is part of who you are, but you know how I want your legs. This is your last chance to get into position. Otherwise…” The words trailed off with the threat unspoken.

There was no way she was going to push any further after that. She was well aware that the special lube was only a few feet away, and easily retrievable. She spread her knees all the way, until she was stretched and nothing was hidden.

Just the way he liked her. It made it harder to clench that way. Daddy wanted her to get the full effect of the strap, but she suspected he also liked the view.

“Much better.” The cool leather tapped across both cheeks. Once, twice, three times it lightly grazed her skin. With each tap she jerked a little, but it wasn’t until after the third that he finally brought it down in a real stroke. The strap landed right across the center of her seat with a loud CRACK that echoed through the room.

As usual the pain was a shock, and it startled a yelp out of her. No matter how many times Rick punished her with the mean leather implement, the first stroke always took her by surprise. She had to fight against the urge to crawl up onto the bed to escape.

Digging her hands into the blankets helped. Having something to hold onto also kept her arms from flying back instinctively when the strap came down a second time. It landed just above the first, and she could almost feel the extra sizzle where they overlapped. The next one landed beneath the first and after that they continued to march downward in fiery lines that left her feet kicking in the air.

The sting was so fierce that she couldn’t think of anything but how much it hurt, and the babble of apologies and promises did nothing to convince her Daddy that she’d had enough. Which was extremely mean, as far as she was concerned. When he did finally stop, she practically melted with relief, but it was short lived.

“We would be finished right now, Maya, if you hadn’t decided to argue. Let me tell you something, young lady, having the shock of my life, realizing someone had been peeping at us while I was sharing intimate time with you, and then finding out it was all because you left me out of the loop on our house guest, has not exactly put me in a merciful mood.”

She was starting to get that. “I’m sorry, Daddy.”

“Yes, I’m sure you are. And you’re going to be even sorrier. I did tell you I was going to double the number because of the backtalk.”

Her bottom cheeks tried to clench, although it wasn’t really effective with her knees spread. “P-please, Daddy. I don’t need anymore s-spankings. Honestly, I don’t,” she assured him. Her voice was watery and punctuated with sniffles as she tried to keep her nose from dripping onto the blankets.

“And who decides how many spankings you need, Maya Aditi?”

When he used her middle name, she knew it was pointless to keep arguing. She didn’t even need to look back to know one of his eyebrows would be high on his forehead. His mouth was likely just a thin pressed line to match. Rick had probably reached his limit for annoyance, which was understandable, all things considered.

She let out a long woe-filled sigh. “You do, Daddy.”

“That’s right. So, why don’t you count these for me. I want to make sure I get the number right. You can start us off when you’re ready.”

That was an extra bit of punishment. He knew she hated counting, but she didn’t argue. “One…”

The strap flew across the very base of her cheeks as soon as the number left her mouth. If she could have sucked it back into her lungs with the sharply inhaled gasp, it would have been gone in an instant. Counting, knowing that she was calling the next strike down across her sore throbbing bottom, was pure misery.

But she had to do it, and honestly, she couldn’t drag things out any longer. Rick’s mood wasn’t getting better, and she was ready for it all to be over. The faster she counted the sooner it would be done, and maybe it wouldn’t hurt so much if there wasn’t time between each for the pain to blossom and grow.

She forced herself to blurt the next number as soon as the stroke landed. It helped to imagine that the force of the leather crashing down across her seat was pushing the word out of her mouth. That worked well enough until he moved down to her thighs.

The brilliant, searing pain of her tender thighs being slapped by the sturdy leather strap took the breath from her, so of course, counting was impossible. Rick was kind enough to give her a full minute to calm herself before he reminded her.

“Come on, Maya. We’re almost done. You don’t want to earn any extras, do you?” His voice was soothing, encouraging rather than strict. It helped and she pulled it together, holding on a little longer.

The end had been closer than she expected. With hiccupping sobs punctuating every number, she managed to count out another five, before he decided she’d had enough. “That’s my girl. It’s all over now.”

He caressed her sore bottom with his palm, soothing away just enough of the burn so that she could catch her breath. She leaned into the gentle touch with a soft sigh of gratitude.