Chapter 9

Riley

When his lips had brushed against my forehead, it had taken everything in me to still pretend like I was sleeping. His touch was so tender, and I wanted to melt into him and feel his strong arms around me, his warm breath on my skin, and his body pressing against mine.

I wanted all of that and more.

It wasn't until the door shut behind him that I dared to open my eyes.

Had he really carried me to bed?

I stared up at the ceiling, trying to figure out my next move. With the softness of the warm blankets enveloping me, I reached up and brushed my fingertips against the place his lips had kissed.

After all of his hard-handedness, I hadn't expected such tenderness from a man like him.

I couldn't understand why he cared for me. What was his motive? Did he want something from me? Was I just some sort of sick fantasy of his or was this something more than that?

I didn't know.

What I did know was that I didn't trust easily, and it would take far more than a kiss to the forehead to make me completely comfortable around him.

He had said I was his responsibility, but why? What did that even mean? Did he feel like he owed me something?

I didn't want to be a charity case.

I didn't want to be a burden.

I rolled over onto my side, my hand resting against the pillow cupped underneath my head, and tried to quiet my mind, but nothing seemed to work.

I rolled over again, frustration building inside me. Why did he have to complicate things? Why did he have to care? No one had ever dictated my life before, and I certainly didn't want it to start now.

The thought of being someone's responsibility, their burden to manage, gnawed at me for what felt like hours.

I tossed the blankets aside in irritation, the cool air of the room brushing against my skin, doing little to soothe my frustration.

I was used to making my own decisions, used to relying on no one but myself. The sudden shift—to being under Maxim's protective watch, to living within the confines of his decisions and his massive house—felt like a cage, albeit a gilded one.

The more I thought about it, the angrier I became. My life had never been easy, but it had always been mine to control. Now it felt like I was losing the very essence of who I was in the shadow of Maxim's towering presence, and I couldn't allow that.

Unable to lie still any longer, I threw off the rest of the covers and sat up, my breath coming in short, sharp bursts.

It was time I took back some power, time I reminded both Maxim and myself that I wasn't just a passive player in this twisted game.

I would show Maxim that he wasn't the one in charge.

That he wasn't the boss of me.

I marched to the door, ready to demand answers, ready to reclaim some semblance of control over my own life. My hand grasped the cold doorknob, twisting it hard. It didn't budge. I twisted harder, disbelief coursing through me—it was locked.

From the outside.

The fucking bastard had locked me in.

I rattled the knob, my frustration boiling over into anger.

Locked in? Really?

Trying to cool my head, I stepped back, breathing heavily, my mind racing through a mixture of anger and panic. My rage seemed to simmer up all the way from the tips of my toes, steaming right through the rest of me like a fucking freight train.

No, I wasn't going to let this stand. I couldn't.

I scanned the room, searching for another way out. My eyes landed on the window. I rushed over, fingers clawing at the locks, only to find them screwed tightly shut. It appeared as though I was trapped for the moment, but I wasn't defeated—not yet.

I'd find a way out if it killed me.

I looked around, spotting a small toolkit on a high shelf—probably forgotten by a handyman or something. I grabbed a screwdriver out of it, my hands shaking slightly with a swirling cocktail of raw nerves and sheer determination. One by one, I unscrewed the bolts securing the window, the sound of each screw hitting the floor echoing like a chime.

Finally, when the last screw came free, I pushed the window open, the cool night air brushing against my face and I nearly squealed in triumph.

Maxim wasn't going to win this.

I was.

Peering out the open window, I spotted a vine-covered trellis clinging to the side of the mansion. It seemed almost too convenient, like a freaking ladder just waiting there for me to make my escape. Glancing down, I tried to estimate the distance to the ground—it wasn't far, only the second story, completely manageable if I was extra careful.

Taking a deep breath to steady my nerves, I swung one leg over the windowsill, the cool metal of the frame biting gently into my skin. I reached out, grasping the thick vines with tentative hands. They felt sturdy and robust as they entwined tightly with the trellis. I swung my other leg over and began my descent, the leaves rustling softly under my touch.

The climb down was precarious, the vine leaves slippery as the trellis creaked ominously under my weight. I moved slowly, methodically, letting my bare feet find their holds while my hands maintained a firm grip. I tried not to hold my breath the entire time.

It wasn't easy, but somehow, I managed.

Finally, my feet touched the earth, echoing with a soft thud that sounded thunderously loud in the silence of the night. I crouched low, catching my breath, my heart pounding not just from the climb but also from the thrill of escape.

I was free.

"Going somewhere, naughty girl?"

Oh, fuck…

Maxim's voice sliced through the silence like a knife, low and unexpectedly close. I spun around, my heart leaping into my throat as I caught his stern gaze.

He leaned casually against the side of the house, his arms crossed with a completely unreadable expression on his face. I swallowed so hard that he probably heard it too.

He was undeniably handsome, his presence overwhelming in the quiet night. In the pale light, his features appeared sharper, with deep shadows accentuating his strong jaw and high cheekbones. His hair was tousled slightly, as if he'd run his hands through it in a fit of frustration or concern, probably over me.

The sight of him sent a wave of nervous arousal through me.

Caught right in the middle of my escape attempt, I felt a flush of embarrassment and a pang of fear. What would he do now? Would he be angry? Disappointed? The possibilities raced through my mind, each more unsettling than the last until my mind inevitably went to what had happened between us just last night.

Was I about to get another spanking?

My bottom clenched tight.

"I… I just needed some air," I stammered, trying to sound way more composed than I actually felt. My voice trembled slightly, betraying my nervousness, and I couldn't make it stop no matter how hard I tried.

Maxim pushed off from the wall and took a step toward me. His movement was fluid, almost predatory in its grace and my heart hammered even harder with a sudden surge of fresh panic.

"At midnight? Through a window?" he pressed, closing in on me, and I swallowed hard.

"I… was… just…" I began, but he shook his head.

"What did I tell you would happen if you tried to run from me again, little girl?"

My stomach felt like it dropped down to my toes. I wasn't an idiot. I could read the insinuation in his tone.

He was going to punish me. Again.

"But I…" I tried.

"Answer me, little girl, or am I going to have to put you in the corner when I take you back upstairs?" he asked while raising a single brow.

I opened my mouth, my tongue as dry as cotton. I'd never felt smaller in my life, and I couldn't help stepping from one foot to the other, my nervousness billowing over every inch of my body like a fog in the early morning light.

"You said you'd spank me," I finally whispered.

"It was more than that, naughty girl," he warned.

"With your belt," I said, my bottom lip quivering just the slightest bit.

"That's right."

"I don't want the belt," I mumbled.

"It's not up to you, baby girl," he growled, and the power of his snarl rumbled through me with far more intensity than it should have.

My core squeezed tight with need.

I looked around, suddenly feeling trapped despite the fresh air, desperately trying to figure out if there was anywhere that I could run or hide to escape whatever came next and he shook his head.

"Don't even think about running, naughty girl, not unless you want me to drag you into the kitchen and get a wooden spoon instead," he threatened.

As Maxim's hands moved slowly to his waist, my breath hitched in my throat. He began to unbuckle his belt with deliberate, unhurried motions, each click of the buckle resonating like a warning bell in the silence of the night.

I watched, frozen with nervous arousal, a tangle of nerves tightening in my stomach as he folded it in two and let it hang at his side.

This was really happening.

There was no escaping now.

The realization made my knees weak.

"Now, Riley, you're going to strip. I want every inch of clothing off your body before I march you upstairs and mark that defiant little ass with my belt." Maxim's voice was steady, his tone leaving no room for argument.

I didn't obey right away, too startled to say anything in response. He couldn't mean that, right?

That meant that I would be naked.

Outside…

And not just a little naked, like when he had pulled down my panties while I was still over his knee.

A whole lot naked.

Like every inch of me would be naked for what came next.

"Right now," he added, his gaze fixed firmly on me, his expression daring me to challenge him.

I didn't have the nerve to do so, but after a moment my hands began to move, almost like they had a life of their own, shakily undoing the buttons of my shirt, one by one, until it billowed open in the cool night breeze.

I shrugged it off and shivered, simply earning a raised eyebrow from him. Reluctantly, I dropped my shirt to the ground, choosing to lower my hands to my yoga pants next. With a nervous shiver, I paused.

I hadn't really thought this whole escape attempt out. I hadn't even put on shoes before I climbed down the trellis. Why hadn't I thought of that? What was I going to do, run out of Maxim's compound in my bare feet?

Fucking idiot.

I glanced up at him, hoping somehow in these few moments that he had changed his mind and I wasn't about to get the spanking of my life from running from him once again.

I wasn't that lucky.

Maxim looked at me expectantly, waiting.

"Strip, little girl. I'm losing my patience."

Shit. He's dead serious.

With a gulp, I pushed my pants down past my thighs and then my knees until I could step out of them. Standing there in a pair of lacey boy shorts and a cute little bralette, I glanced up at him again and he raised his eyebrow.

"Please? Isn't this enough?" I tried and instead of answering with words, he snapped the belt against his palm. The sound of it striking his flesh was so loud that it made me jump.

I opened my mouth, wanting to beg more just in case he'd give in, but he took a step toward me and immediately, I took one back.

This was a game I wasn't going to win.

"Okay, okay," I squeaked.

Quickly, with him watching my every move, I raised my hands to my upper back and deftly undid the clasp of my bra. I cupped my hands to my chest as the lacey fabric fell away from my skin. I could feel the weight of my breasts drop a little and a lightning bolt of sensation surged right down to my clit.

"Little girl, I'm waiting," he warned, and my heart hammered nervously against my ribcage. I had never felt so vulnerable. My eyes darted to the belt in his hand, the supple length of it gleaming in the moonlight, and I finally let my bra go.

The cool breeze licked at my exposed skin, sending a shiver down my spine and my nipples hardened to stiff points. Maxim eyed them, his expression inscrutable, but I didn't miss how his lips twitched ever so slightly.

Did he like what he saw? Why did I care?

"Panties too, Riley. Keep stalling and I'll belt you right out here instead of in the privacy of your own room," he threatened, and my heart nearly leapt up into my throat.

"Out here?" I whispered hoarsely, my disbelief apparent in every last syllable.

"Don't test me," he warned.

I didn't wait to see if he was bluffing, though. I didn't dare, so I reluctantly dropped my hands to the waistband of my underwear. I whimpered softly as I slowly peeled my panties down my thighs. When the cool air touched my naked pussy, I couldn't help the shudder that racked my body, or the tendril of desire that sliced right down to my clit.

Oh, God…

I was completely, totally naked, and Maxim's hungry gaze roamed over every inch of me. I didn't miss the fact that his eyes lingered between my thighs for the briefest of seconds before they snapped up to meet mine.

My face must have been cherry red. Shame and embarrassment barreled through me in spades, each wave growing sharper and more humiliating the longer I stood there completely bare before his eyes. It only grew worse when I thought about what was about to happen next.

"Now, march that naughty ass inside and up to your room," he instructed.

I was too stunned to move.

"Do you want the belt outside instead?" He took another threatening step forward and I shook my head.

"No, please," I answered, and he crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for me. For a second, I stood stock still, unable to do really anything at all, but eventually my feet began to move almost like they had a life of their own.

It only took two steps to realize something even more shameful than being made to strip completely naked outside after being caught trying to escape.

I was wet.

Very wet.

Not just a tiny bit, either.

I was positively dripping, and I knew I was going to feel it with every single step that I took.

My face turned so red that it practically felt like it had caught fire.

How could this turn me on so much? How was that even possible? I didn't understand it. A part of me didn't want to. Instead, I just willfully ignored it as best as I could, which was hard when my thighs slipped against one another as I walked to the house.

Maxim followed closely behind me, and I was sure it wasn't just my imagination when I felt the heat of his gaze against my bare bottom. The knowledge of it made me move faster, practically darting up the front porch stairs, and his hand grasped my wrist tightly, stopping me.

"Slowly, Riley. I don't want you falling."

I nodded quickly, my cheeks still burning as I made my way up onto the porch. His grip never loosened on my wrist, not even when we entered the house, or when we reached the top of the stairs, or when he guided me into my bedroom and shut the door behind him.

The click of the door closing seemed extra loud, and I turned, looking at him and feeling very, very small.

"Please don't," I begged quietly.

"Too late, little girl."

He took a step toward the bed and grabbed at the pillows, piling them up in the middle. I watched him in silence, my heart pounding so fiercely that it felt like it was going to explode right out of my chest.

My nipples were so hard, and my arousal was dripping down my thighs now. My whole body was a mass of sensation and nothing I did would quell the heat rampaging through my veins like a summer storm.

"Lie down across the pillows. On your belly," he instructed, and I did exactly as I was told. I don't know how I did it. It just seemed to happen without thought.

I didn't dare disobey him now.

I climbed up onto the bed and crawled toward the middle. The moment I laid over the pillows, a quiet gasp escaped me as I realized just how vulnerable my ass would be, a bare exposed target for Maxim to belt as hard as he pleased, and I couldn't do a damn thing about it.

Feeling defenseless, I pushed up against the bed, but I didn't go far because Maxim's hand pressed right down in the middle of my back, pinning me in place.

"Do you understand the danger you put yourself in by running like that? Every step you took outside this property increased the risk, not just to everyone here, but most important, to you."

His words made me feel so small. I just wanted to disappear. The tone of his voice carried something more than just sternness, it carried fear and that hit me harder than I could ever have expected it to.

"I didn't think… I just—" I began, but he shook his head.

"No, little girl. You need to come to terms with the danger you're in so you will fully understand why I'm about to belt this pretty bottom of yours as hard as I am," he continued and my heart beat so frantically that I had trouble catching my breath.

"I'm sorry," I tried, and his hand pressed down even harder against my back, holding me in place for what was undoubtedly going to be a spanking that made the one I received yesterday feel like child's play.

"Riley, do you even grasp the magnitude of the danger you're in? Gregor Orlov wasn't just some random thug; he was set to inherit control of a major part of the Orlov bratva—a position that made him not just influential but extremely dangerous," he explained, and I swallowed hard, his words hitting home and suddenly the danger I was in became a very real and tangible thing.

"I didn't realize—" I began, and his hand slapped my bare ass so hard that my words died on my tongue as both the sound and the sting rattled me.

"That's right. You didn't realize, did you?" he asked, and his tone was full of quiet weariness and much louder disappointment, and that was so much worse than just pure anger.

"Please," I pleaded. My punishment hadn't even begun yet and I already felt like I needed to beg. I waited, chewing the inside of my cheek and squeezing my eyes shut.

"I told you what would happen if you tried to run from me again, little girl, didn't I?"

"Yes, sir," I whispered. The ‘sir' had just fallen out. I didn't even think about it. It just kind of happened and it just sort of felt right.

Maxim was silent, and the air in the room was thick and heavy. I could almost taste the tension on the tip of my tongue.

"Now, little girl, I'm going to spank you with my belt. Hard. I want this to be the first and last time I have to use it on you, do you understand me?" he asked, and my fingers shook so hard that I had to grasp at the blankets beneath me to still them.

"Yes," I said, and it came out in a squeak.

"Good."

The finality in his tone was sobering. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to figure out how I got here, but the whole night tumbled through my mind and instantly sped forward right to this moment as I was lying naked over a stack of pillows, my bare bottom high in the air about to get the first belting of my life.

I gulped.

"Sir, please. You don't have to do this," I pleaded.

"I do, little girl. You need this and I'm going to be the man to give you everything you need. I don't care if you fight me along the way. I'm going to keep you safe and if that means belting your ass until you and I come to an understanding, then so be it," he replied, and I couldn't have felt smaller and more vulnerable than I did in that moment.

"Why do you care," I spat through my teeth.

The bed dipped under his weight as he knelt beside me. My breath caught in the back of my throat, and I shivered, knowing that the inevitable moment the belt would start falling was coming very, very soon.

"Because you're worth it," he said simply, his voice low and steady.

I shivered, not just because his words made my heart swell at least three times its normal size, but also because the smooth leather of his belt dragged slowly across my bare bottom. With a harsh shudder, I whimpered, and he paused.

"Know that I would never hurt you, little girl, but this is going to sting because it needs to sting. You might cry. In fact, you probably will, but when it's over, I'm going to hold you until you're ready to go to bed," he explained softly and even though there was a warning in his tone, there was tenderness too, and I hated how that made my heart melt a little.

"I don't want the belt," I tried one last time.

"I know you don't, Riley, but you're going to get it whether you like it or not," he responded, his voice strangely gentle.

"Whatever," I pouted, and he cleared his throat. I don't know why I was provoking him now. Maybe it was some weird sense of self-preservation, but now that it had started, I couldn't make it stop.

"Little girl," he started.

"I'm not a fucking little girl," I retorted. "I'm a fully grown woman!"

"I know, Riley. That's why you're about to be belted like one," he said, his words low and dangerous now.

I should have heeded his warning.

I didn't.

"Fuck you," I spat out.

There was a long pause.

Silence hung in the air, and I held my breath.

The belt left my skin and a second later, it cracked against the back of my thighs with a fierce snap.

I shrieked and jerked forward, but Maxim's hand pressed firmly down on my back, and I didn't move an inch.

Holy shit.

That was so much worse than I could have ever imagined. A line of burning fire raced across my bare skin, blazing hotter with each passing second. I gasped as the welt slowly rose, the stinging burn escalating until it felt like an all-out inferno.

"Do you have anything else to say to me, little girl, or can I begin the belting I had planned for your little escape attempt now?"

What? Wasn't that enough? That hadn't even counted?

"Please," I tried once more.

Maxim didn't even dignify me with an answer, instead he snapped his belt right across my ass, and another shriek ripped from the depths of my throat.

Fuck, that hurt.

That hurt a whole fucking lot.

What the fuck was I doing? I should be trying to be strong. I shouldn't be letting him know how much his belt hurt with every strike.

I slammed my lips shut, vowing to myself to keep quiet while also knowing it was going to be one of the hardest things I'd ever had to do in my life.

He didn't wait for me to catch my breath, either. Maxim let his belt fly again, and another line of fire joined the first two, the three welt lines crossing in a perfect pattern that was going to hurt for a very long time.

I was able to keep quiet that time, but the pain was almost more than I could bear.

Each lash sent a sharp, searing pain across my skin, a raw and merciless sting that quickly transformed into a burning sensation. Instinctively, I reached back with both hands to touch my ass, hoping to soothe it better. My fingers brushed against a raised welt, hot to the touch and incredibly tender.

Maxim quickly wrapped one hand around both of my wrists, easily pinning them to the small of my back. I tried to fight him, but he was so much stronger than me, especially in this position.

My entire bottom tingled, a mixture of pain and pleasure swirling together and settling deep in my core.

"I can't have you reaching back to block the belt, little girl. I don't want to hurt you. The belt is meant for your naughty little bottom, not for those pretty fingers of yours," he said softly.

I hated how I kind of loved that. He didn't want to truly hurt me.

Because he cared.

I pushed that extremely dangerous thought away and lifted my chin in open defiance. I wouldn't stand for this. I was a proud girl getting her bare bottom belted and I needed to take back a little power for myself, so I provoked him some more.

"Fuck off. Do your worst," I said, the pain of the belt giving me a sense of false bravado.

In retrospect, it was foolish.

Very, very foolish.

Maxim let his belt fly once again, the crack of leather against flesh ringing through the air and then a loud gasp burst out from deep within me. I slammed my lips shut, but I quickly realized that I was only going to be able to keep quiet for a few more strokes at best.

The belt struck again, this time across the center of my bottom, and the pain was so intense that I couldn't stop another gasp from escaping my lips.

Maxim didn't give me a break either. His belt crashed down again and again, covering my ass with myriad welts.

Every blow was met with a yelp, a moan, or a gasp and after only a few strokes, the burning pain across my ass had grown to an almost unbearable level, but still it went on.

Again, the belt struck.

Again, it took my breath away.

Again, pain seared across my bottom.

I quickly realized something else. Those first few strokes of the belt had simply been warning strikes. He was thrashing me so much harder now and a whimper escaped me as he started anew, beginning from the tops of my cheeks and continuing all the way down to the middle of my thighs. Those stung the worst, but it soon grew hard to tell which ones hurt the most because my whole ass was on fire.

It burned and burned, the pain increasing with every stroke until it felt like my bottom was thoroughly scalded.

I'd long lost my vow to keep silent.

I howled.

I cursed.

I pleaded.

I begged.

I screamed.

Still, Maxim kept on lashing my bare bottom with that horrid piece of leather.

It felt like an eternity had passed, but still, the spanking didn't end. It seemed as though it was going to go on forever and I knew without a doubt that he was going to decide when it was over, no matter what I did or said, or even if I cried or screamed.

I wasn't in control.

He was.

A particularly hard strike lashed against the lower curves of my bottom, right where my ass met my thighs and my eyes watered as I cried out.

It hurt so much.

Everything burned.

There was nothing aside from my bare ass and his belt. Nothing aside from its blazing hot lash and the stinging welts it left behind.

"You can't run from me, little girl. Not ever. You're not safe," he said, and a sob rose up from deep within me.

He snapped his belt against my bottom, and I cried out.

"Are you going to be my good girl from now on?"

"Yes, sir!" I wailed.

The lashes began to slow, but the ones that remained were no less fierce.

"Good. Now I'm going to make sure of it," he warned.

Somehow, the belt struck even harder.

Another sob broke free, racking my body and then my eyes watered. I bit my lip, trying to hold my tears in, but it wasn't over. A harsh lash bit into my bare cheeks and I cried out as a single tear rolled down my cheek. Another one followed.

And another.

And another, until a volley of tears was flowing down my cheeks.

The lashes didn't stop.

The belt just kept searing into my backside.

And the tears kept flowing as I sobbed harder than I ever had in my life, but they weren't just tears of pain anymore.

There were other emotions swirling around inside me.

Shame.

Guilt.

Fear.

Regret.

They all flowed through me and mixed with the physical pain, and it was a combination that was too much to handle.

I didn't even realize the belt had stopped falling until Maxim had gathered me in his arms and lifted me off the bed and into his lap.

"Shh, little girl. It's all over now," he murmured, and his lips pressed against the side of my head in a gentle kiss.

I clutched at him like I was drowning in the ocean, and he was my only lifeline.

"I'm sorry," I hiccupped.

"I forgave you before I even took my belt off, little girl," he said softly and for some insane reason, I snuggled in against him, pressing my ear against the hard plane of his chest.

His heart beat steadily and I couldn't help but be comforted by the rhythmic cadence of it.

I sniffed loudly, and his fingers brushed away the last of my tears.

"You were so brave," he murmured, and that sent a new wave of tears through me. "You took your belting like such a good girl."

Good girl.

I had been a bad girl all my life.

I didn't want to be a bad girl anymore.

I wanted to be his good girl.

"Thank you," I whispered, and he pulled me tighter against his chest.

I don't know how long he held me for, but it was a long time. We sat in silence, his steady presence calming me and centering me.

I didn't know what had changed, but it felt like something had.

Instead of thinking about it, I just cuddled into his chest, not dwelling on the fact that I was naked and he was fully clothed, not thinking about how much it stung to have my freshly scorched bottom pressing against his thigh, and not thinking about how perfect this all felt.

At some point, I closed my eyes. When I opened them, Maxim was laying me down onto the bed, his gaze roaming over every inch of me.

"Sleep, little girl. We'll talk in the morning," he promised, and I didn't know why, but his words made my heart soar. He carefully tucked me under the covers, and I snuggled under them.

I gazed up into his eyes, trying to figure out what this was and failing.

He leaned down and pressed his lips against my forehead in a soft kiss.

"Goodnight, moya malyshka," he whispered, and I closed my eyes again, sleep taking me within moments.

I didn't even hear the door shut when he left the room.