Tearing Down Walls (Love Under Construction Series Book 2) (13 page)

“Doable,” Tony said; Nikki nodded.

“But I will want you up there in her line of vision,” Vic said. Tony nodded; that made him feel much better about the whole thing. “Second: I provide the discipline, I provide the aftercare. I take that very seriously, and that means you can stand in the hallway, but it’ll be me and her in the recovery area. Understood?”

“Yep,” Tony said, not sure he liked that idea, but capitulating, too late to back out. “And I have a rule of my own.”

“Yeah, what’s that?” Vic asked.

“She’ll keep her pants on.”

“Baby, I’ve got a thong on under these shorts. No one will be able to see anything.”

“Sure about that?” he asked. He was beginning to think she was a Grade A exhibitionist.

“Positive. You’ll see; it’ll be fine. Come on, let’s go!” she said. She looked at Vic and said, “Well, this is your dog and pony show. From this point on through aftercare, I’m your sub. Act like a Dom, big boy.”

Vic put his hand on the back of Nikki’s neck and guided her toward the stage. For the first time, she wasn’t entirely sure she knew the man whose hand was on her. Tony was one step behind them, and she was glad. When they got to the stage, Vic said, “Off with the shorts, sub, and present yourself to me.”

Tony hadn’t realized Nikki’s shorts had zippers in the sides, but they unzipped and fell away, leaving her in a satin thong that was, blessedly, fairly modest. That was the point when he started to relax a little. Once the shorts were off, she handed them to Tony and he stuffed them in his waistband. Then, in one fluid motion, she dropped and knelt at Vic’s feet, knees wide and arms laid out on top of them, palms up, head down, a nice arc to her back. Vic couldn’t help but notice how pretty her breasts looked, even under the bustier, and he put his hand on the top of her head and growled, low and warm, “Very, very nice. And beautiful too. Someone trained you well.” He glanced over at his cousin and winked.

Tony was beyond shocked. It seemed there were quite a few things he didn’t know about his wife.

“You will approach the horse and mount it.” Nikki got up without a sound, walked to the whipping horse, knelt on the leg rests, and lay down on its length, a breast on either side. She dropped her arms down the front legs, and Vic cuffed her wrists in place, then cuffed her ankles as Tony watched. Vic swung the horse so that it was at an angle and the crowd could partially see her ass, which was now bare to the world except for the thong up the middle. Vic pointed to a spot in front of the horse, and looked at Tony. “Stand right there. I want her to be able to see you the whole time.”
Gladly,
Tony thought.

A crowd was gathering. Everyone wanted to see the huge Dom in action, but no one had been brave enough to submit to him. Vic walked over to Tony and asked, “Has she explained to you what subspace is?”

“No.”

“Well, at some point she’ll probably go there. Don’t let it scare you; it’s a place between awareness and consciousness, not conscious but not unconscious. It’s the mind’s response to stimulus; in this case, pain. That’s what aftercare is all about; it’s my job to bring her back safely and make sure she doesn’t bottom out. She’ll go there as easily and deeply as she wants and needs, and she’ll come back the same way, in her own time, but someone has to give her a safe place to do that, and I’m that someone. She can’t be left to her own devices. Okay with that?”

Tony swallowed hard. “Yeah, I guess so.”

Vic gave him a hard stare. “Yes or no?”

“Yes,” Tony said.

“Okay. Here we go.” Vic walked over beside and behind Nikki on the stage, where the crowd could see her left side and her ass, and he was facing them on her right side. “This sub’s Dom is standing in her line of vision. Instead of applying her discipline tonight, he’s chosen to allow her to submit to me in order to see my technique.” He was trying hard not to start laughing when he opened his mouth again. “The reason for this discipline is because she has confessed that she has infractions she’s committed against her Dom and should be subjected to discipline.” Vic was purely going on a hunch, and when he saw her stiffen, he knew he’d hit a nerve and his intuition was right.

The minute the damning words left Vic’s mouth, Tony looked at Nikki’s face and could see a battle being waged. Then Vic blasted through what was left of the barrier in Nikki’s conscience, his voice echoing in the large room. “Sub, tell your Dom why you should be disciplined.”

Nikki felt blindsided, her pulse clattering in her ears. She looked up at her husband’s face. He deserved honesty. “Um, those destructed jeans that you bought a couple of weeks ago?”

“The ones I had custom tailored?” Tony asked.

“Yeah. Those. Well, I didn’t realize what they were. I thought they were worn-out jeans and I took them to Goodwill.”

Tony’s eyes were huge. “You did
what?”
he almost yelled.

“Yeah. I realized it the next day and went back over there, but they were already gone.”

“I paid two hundred dollars for those jeans!”

She managed to eke out a sheepish, “Sorry.”

Vic looked at Tony, and Tony shot him a look.
I knew it!,
Vic thought.
She’s a handful and she drives him crazy when nobody’s looking.
“Sub, that will be ten strikes with the sjambok. Is there any other infraction for which you seek absolution?” Vic asked.

“Well, yeah,” she said tenuously. “I’m sorry – yes, sir.” Tony’s brow furrowed as he looked at her. “I wrecked the Yukon last week.”

Her hunky husband growled, “You did
what?
”

“I didn’t actually wreck it. I backed into a post in a parking lot, but it messed up the back bumper. I didn’t want to bother you, so I took it to the body shop and had it fixed.”

“Did you have any intention of telling me this – ever?” he asked, squatting down in front of her so he could look her squarely in the eye. He could see her wilting.

“It was no big deal, and you were busy, and I could take care of it, so no, I guess not.”

“Are you kidding me?” he snarled.

Her shoulders sagged. “Sorry,” she said, her face turning pink. Tony looked up at Vic, and found his cousin fighting laughter. He looked at Vic’s sjambok and nodded.

“Sub, that will be an additional ten strikes with the sjambok.” He was trying hard not to snicker when he said, “And is there any other infraction for which you seek absolution?”

“Well, now that you mention it . . .”

“Oh, good lord, what else have you done?” Tony asked, looking down at the floor. This was just too much.

“You know that saddle at the farm store? The one you told me not to buy?”

“You didn’t . . .”

Nikki’s brain fumbled, wondering if she could justify her purchase at least a little. Probably not. “But it was on sale! And it was the last one. I was afraid they’d sell it. So I bought it.”

“Do you realize . . .” Tony tried to get himself under control. He took a deep breath and started again. “The reason I told you not to buy it was because I’d ordered one for you for your birthday. And you just couldn’t wait, could you?” Tony glared at her.

Nikki couldn’t look at him. “Sorry,” she whispered, looking down at the floor.

“Sub, that will be an additional ten strikes with the sjambok.”

“Can I request that the number be upped?” Tony said, and Nikki’s head snapped up. She stared at him pleadingly, trying to meet his eyes, but he wouldn’t look at her.

“You are her Dom. What is your request?”

“I would ask that the strikes for the last infraction be upped to twenty.”

“Granted. Sub, what would the total of strikes now be for you?”

“Forty. Sir.”

“Very good. I expect you to count them, and I will be checking. I will apply twenty strikes with the paddle to ready you for the sjambok.” Vic took a moderate-sized paddle from the wall. “You will keep silent while the discipline is being administered. What is your safeword?”

“Red, sir.”

“Very well. And do you have a hand signal?”

“Yes, sir.” Vic had given Nikki too long to think about what was happening, and she’d started to stew. This confessional was not something they’d negotiated beforehand. She raised both hands as high as she could in the shackles and fired back at Vic with both middle fingers.

Vic looked at Tony and it was Tony’s turn to fight laughter. “So you think you’re clever, do you, sub? One last chance or you will not be granted a hand signal. What is your choice?”

Nikki made what would be considered a “victory” sign. “Very well. Use it only if needed to request permission to speak. Consider yourself fortunate that I don’t add twenty-five strikes for your little display of willful disobedience and your pitiful attitude. We will begin now.”

Vic brought the paddle down on Nikki’s right ass cheek, then the left, and spread his big hand out to rub in a slow, circular pattern over her entire ass. He motioned for Tony to come back beside him and watch, and he set down four more strikes, rubbing between each set of two. Tony watched, then went back to her head. Nikki’s eyes were closed and there was the beginning of a tear in the inside corner of each one. When Vic was finished with the twenty strikes of the paddle, he gave her ass a vigorous rubbing, and she made her hand signal. Tony was about to ask Vic if he’d seen it when Vic said, “I acknowledge your hand signal. Permission to speak granted.”

A petulant Nikki asked, “Sir, may I have permission to moan, please?”

Vic thought for a few seconds, then said, “After the first twenty strikes with the sjambok. Not during. Your attitude is poor, so you will refrain from sharing your pleasure with us for the first twenty. After that, you are free to moan as much as you like, and make them loud enough for everyone to hear them.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.” Nikki dropped her head again.

Vic took the sjambok in his hand, moved to Nikki’s side, and said, “I will begin to apply the discipline. Prepare yourself.” Tony expected Vic to draw back and whack the daylights out of Nikki’s ass.

Instead, the flick of his wrist was almost imperceptible, but Tony heard the “snap” and saw Nikki jump. Her mouth opened, but she caught herself and made no sound. The second snap made Tony’s stomach wrench, but Nikki took it in silence.
Forty of these?
he asked himself.
I don’t know about this.
He heard another snap, and Nikki jumped again. Two more, and Vic took his hand and rubbed across her ass several times, then started again. By the tenth one, a tear had escaped and was trickling down Nikki’s cheek. “Sub, the count.”

“Ten, sir.” There was no emotion in her voice.

“What is your safeword, sub?”

“Red, sir.”

“Are we good to go?”

“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir,” Nikki answered, swallowing hard.

Vic applied five more strikes, then rubbed, then five more, and rubbed again. “Sub, give me the count.”

“Twenty, sir,” Nikki answered in a shaky voice.

“Sub, what is your safeword?”

“Red, sir.”

“Are we good to go?”

“Yes, please, sir!” she cried out. Tony’s mind started to come unhinged.

Ten more strikes, and Vic called out, “Sub, give me the count.” Nikki didn’t speak. “Sub, give me the count!” Vic barked.

“Thirty, sir,” Nikki said in not much more than a whisper.

“Sub, what is your safeword?”

“Red, sir.” Tears were streaming down her face, and Tony was alarmed.

“Do you need to use it?” Vic asked.

“No sir,” Nikki said without pausing. “And please, sir, may I have twenty more instead of ten? And no count, sir?” Tony found all of it past unsettling, and he winced at the thought of his wife asking for more punishment. Sure, his initial reaction had been anger, but he hadn’t expected this to be so brutal. More than that, the change in Vic’s demeanor was shocking. His speech had taken on the stark precision with which he’d spoken when he first came to the states, and there was a harshness about him that Tony had never seen before.

Without hesitation, Vic said, “Granted. Are we good to go?”

“Yes, sir, please, sir.”

Vic took another strike, and Nikki moaned loudly, so loudly that it surprised Tony. She did the same with the next four strikes, after which Vic rubbed. With the next five she moaned even louder, but for the five after that, she made almost no sound. Tony looked into her face, and saw what Vic was talking about: Nikki’s eyes were half closed and her face had a dreamy, not-there-but-not-gone look. For the last five, she didn’t make a sound, just lay limp and relaxed, her breathing even and quiet.

Vic motioned for Tony to join him, and he walked around to see Nikki’s ass. It was decorated with two even rows of marks on each cheek, so precise that it looked like the stripes were painted on instead of applied by an instrument. Vic rubbed the marks, then motioned for Tony to do the same. Nikki’s skin was hot to the touch, and while Tony rubbed, the marks plumped up into welts under his fingertips. He felt almost nauseous. Vic released her wrists and ankles from the cuffs, reached over and grabbed a blanket from a basket, threw it over her, and picked her up like she weighed nothing.

As he headed back to the recovery room, Tony heard the crowd speaking in hushed tones and realized they were not only admiring the huge, dark Dom, but Tony’s tiny blond wife as well. Vic kicked the door open, but when Tony pushed it to enter, Vic looked at him and snapped, “No!” So Tony leaned against the wall right outside the door and waited.

Vic sat down and gathered Nikki into his lap. There were two bottles of water on the table beside him, and he picked one up, put the cap in his teeth, and turned the bottle, then spit out the cap. Tipping the bottle to Nikki’s lips, Vic said, “Drink, baby, please?” He waited, and then she took a sip, followed by another. Soon she’d emptied half of the bottle. Vic stroked her face and hair and held her close. “Hey, angel, fold your wings and come on back to me,” Vic murmured as he kissed her forehead and kept stroking her cheek.

He heard her mumble something and whispered, “What, sugar? What did you say?”

“Oh, Vic,” she groaned. “Oh, god, please touch me. Please, Vic, I need to come. Please?” Nikki started to writhe and grind her hips, and Vic’s gut clenched. This was part of his responsibility, but he couldn’t, not with her, not with Tony right outside the door. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself. He reached down into the blanket and put his hand on the inside of her thigh, sliding it higher, but when he felt the satin of the thong, he stopped cold. She continued to squirm and beg. “God, Vic, I need it so bad! Please, stroke me, please!”