Bound, Spanked and Loved: Fourteen Kinky Valentine's Day Stories (40 page)

The well-dressed man passed a small black bag to the slaver who’d just released me. The coins inside clinked together. Guilt assailed me. It sounded like my stepfather’s entire life savings, including the dowries he’d saved for me and my stepsisters, was in that purse. I didn’t know which option was worse—that my family was now destitute because of me, or that the well-dressed man had simply purchased me as his slave. But he’d inquired about the girl caught outside of Gerrardsville, so it must be the former.

“A pleasure doing business with you, sir,” one of the slavers said. The rest of them climbed back on the wagon or their horses. I heard the flick of a whip, and then the horses took off, pounding up the mountain in a cloud of dust.

I kept my gaze on my feet, afraid to meet the well-dressed man’s eyes. I was so ashamed to have caused my family so much trouble.

“Those girls are to be auctioned tomorrow. I am glad I found you in time, Nora.” He grasped my chin and forced me to stare into his dark-brown depths.

He was the handsomest man I’d ever met, with tanned skin, dark hair, wide, sensual lips, and a prominent square jaw. For a moment, my throat dried up, and I couldn’t swallow, let alone speak. When I finally found my voice, I said, “Thank you for finding me, sir. I am most grateful, and I am anxious to return to my family in Gerrardsville.”

His thick, dark brows drew together. Behind him, a horse whinnied and stomped. My eyes widened at the sight of four other men on horseback. I hadn’t noticed them until now. He hadn’t come alone. Good God, my stepfather had probably borrowed money to finance this search party.

“How many days until we reach Gerrardsville from here?” I asked.

“We aren’t going to Gerrardsville, Nora. I’ll send word to your family that you are safe, however.”

Confusion spread through me, along with a sickening worry. The intense, serious gleam in this man’s eyes unnerved me, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

“But I thought you were sent by my family. I thought...” Oh God. Who was this man? What did he want with me?

“We are headed for Marystown, Nora. To your new home with your new husband.”

“Husband?”

He guided me toward the only vacant horse. After assisting me into the saddle, he swung up behind me and pressed his body close to mine. His nearness frightened me, but, at the same time, I longed to lean back into his warmth.

His lips brushed my ear. “My name is Luke Holsten. The man you were promised to.”

I tensed and tried to slip to the ground, but he wrapped his arms around me securely.

“We will reach Marystown in the late afternoon tomorrow if we ride straight through the night. I suggest you behave yourself, little Nora. You don’t want to add to the punishment you already have coming.”

Chapter Two

––––––––

“W
ait, please. The other girls.” I gulped at the thought of what would happen to them after tomorrow’s auction.

“What about them?” Luke snapped, urging his horse down the curving path.

“They don’t deserve this. Isn’t there something you can do? Please, I beg you.”

“What would you have me do, Nora? Buy them all myself and bring them into my home as servants?”

“Yes!” My heart thumped against my rib cage, and my hands trembled as I clutched my cloak. I couldn’t in good conscience let those poor girls end up auctioned to someone who might beat them, or worse. Slaves didn’t have any rights. Luke would be a kinder master to them than any man who bought them off the auction block. Surely my stepfather wouldn’t have promised me to a horribly cruel man, no matter how wealthy.

“You have a lot of nerve, little runaway, to ask such a thing of me after the stunt you pulled.”

“Please. I’ll do anything. I’ll...I’ll obey you and try my best to please you, sir. I know it was wrong to run away, and surely I deserve to be punished. I won’t fight you. I will submit to whatever punishment you give me.” I tried to sound brave. He’d mentioned I had a punishment coming anyway. If my stepfather had found me in Cousin Neville’s compound, he would have thrashed me for running off. Though I trembled at the thought of enduring a spanking or a whipping from Luke, I was prepared to make amends for the trouble I’d caused.

Luke remained silent for a while. I held my breath, praying he’d help the girls. The wind gusted upon the mountain with an eerie howl that had me leaning back into my husband-to-be. Despite the tension radiating from him, his arms were a welcome refuge compared to the back of the slavers’ wagon.

“Jesus Christ,” he hissed, then pulled his horse to a halt. “I despise slavers and would have killed them all, but they outnumber us, and I’ll not risk any harm coming to you.” After another string of curses, he barked instructions over his shoulder to his men, ordering them to follow the wagon and buy the rest of the girls. He withdrew a purse similar to the one he’d used to purchase my freedom and tossed it at the nearest man.

They took off in a flash, riding hard up the dirt path in search of the wagon. Luke’s arms constricted around me as he adjusted his grip on the reins. I stared at his black leather gloves and tried to think of something to say, but it felt awkward to strike up a conversation with the man I’d tried to escape marrying.

“How did you find me?” I managed to ask.

“We received reports of slavers in the area and suspected they would be headed this way. The mountain towns are the most barbaric settlements around.” His voice hardened. “Do you have any idea the kind of life you would’ve lived had you been sold at auction, Nora?”

My face heated with shame, and I lowered my head further. “I’ve an idea, and I thank you for finding me, sir.”

In a flash of movement, he wove his gloved fingers through my hair and jerked my gaze to his. “You would have been starved, beaten bloody, raped, bred with other slaves, and eventually worked to death.” His hold strengthened, and I winced, and as quickly as he’d grabbed me, he released my hair and rearranged me in his arms.

I knew he spoke the truth about what would’ve happened to me, and relief flooded me to have been rescued, even if my rescuer intended to punish me later.

While we awaited the men’s return, Luke fed me bits of dried meat and gave me a canteen of cold water. His kindness moved me, and soon I felt much better, having something in my system besides stale bread for the first time in days.

“Thank you, sir.”

“Do you want more?”

“No, thank you. I’m full now.”

He withdrew a handkerchief from his jacket and dabbed at my face where a rivulet of water had rolled down. His gentle touch made me want to cry. After what I’d done, I didn’t deserve any gentleness. My tears soon followed, and, damn him, he wiped those away, too.

“Shh, Nora. You’re safe now. Don’t cry.”

“I’m so sorry for running away. I never imagined slavers would catch me. I’d only meant to hide out at my cousin’s compound for a few days, until the date of our wedding passed.” I sniffled. “I am selfish and foolish.”

His arms tightened around me briefly, then he tugged the hood of my cloak around my face, warming me further. “You did a selfish and foolish thing, Nora, but that doesn’t mean you are a selfish or foolish person. I happen to know you are a very lovely girl with a good heart; you only made a bad decision. You’ll be punished for your disobedience, but you will also be forgiven, little one.”

A harsh gust of wind descended from the sky, and he turned his horse to face the opposite direction and shielded me from the cold with his body. The heaviness of my guilt almost had me looking forward to my punishment. I feared the pain and the humiliation of being chastised, but oh how I wished for the forgiveness he’d promised.

The moment Luke’s men returned, each with a frightened looking girl seated in front of him, we rode hard through the countryside for Marystown. Hours later, we paused for a quick meal and to water the horses, during which time I tried to reassure the girls that Luke would be a fair master. Of course, convincing them of this was difficult when my intended kept shooting me displeased looks. I supposed he had a lot of reasons to be upset with me. The cancellation of our very public wedding ceremony had likely caused him embarrassment, he had undoubtedly taken offense to my rejection of him, and the trouble and expense of tracking me down had combined with the rest to put him in a serious mood.

As Marystown came into sight, I counted the days in my head to calculate the date. The tenth of February. I vaguely wondered if the people of Marystown celebrated Valentine’s Day, or if Luke had even heard of it. Perhaps I could manage a gift to surprise my new husband in honor of the holiday. Perhaps such a gesture could move him to forgive me for all the grief I’d caused him. We certainly weren’t starting our marriage out on a cordial note.

The houses in Marystown were more modern than Gerrardsville. Larger, too. The streets were cleaner, the solar lamps more abundant, and the people dressed in quality clothing. Many of those walking past the shops appeared fashionable, dressed like the richest in Gerrardsville. The place held more color, too, with many of the houses painted in bright shades of red, blue, yellow, and pure white. Massive greenhouses dominated the far end of the town, looming clear domes brimming with greenery. My breath caught at the sights surrounding me. I couldn’t wait to go exploring.

“Your friends will be freed, Nora. I don’t keep slaves, but they are welcome to stay at our estate and work as paid servants.”

Warmth spread through my chest at his words. Tears burned in my eyes.
Please let him be a kind husband. Please don’t let him hate me forever.
I swallowed hard and turned to peer into his dark, unfathomable gaze. “Thank you, sir.”

An odd look briefly crossed his face before a young boy rushed up to take the reins from Luke. The boy guided the horse through the gates of a resplendent courtyard then Luke swung down from the mount and assisted me to the ground. Unused to riding horses, my legs and bottom ached, and I wobbled momentarily. Luke caught me, wrapping an arm around my waist and ushering me into his mansion. He walked so fast, I barely had time to glimpse the outside of his massive estate.

To my dismay, he passed me off to a maid with orders to bathe me and see that I rested for a few hours. He also whispered something in her ear that made her blush. Too tired to argue, I followed the red-faced maid upstairs to a rustic but beautifully decorated master bedroom, where I luxuriated in a claw foot tub that had real running water, just as Ella had promised.

Though welcoming, the maid spoke little as she helped me wash my hair and scrub away the dust from the road. My family had never retained servants and I felt awkward, not knowing how to interact with her or any of the many servants I’d seen bustling around the mansion on my way upstairs. I supposed I would learn. After all, this grand brick mansion was my new home.

Had I not run away, Luke and I would’ve married in Gerrardsville before traveling to Marystown. He had been scheduled to arrive three days prior to our nuptials, and I’d run off a mere two days before I would’ve met him.

I desperately wished to mend the rift between us. Flutters rose in my stomach at the thought of tonight. We hadn’t had a wedding ceremony yet. Would he take me before we spoke our vows? Were we to have a quick, private ceremony, or did he wish to plan a public one?

Rumors spread like wildfire from village to village. The traders who traveled between settlements liked to talk, and I had no doubt every last person in Marystown knew I’d attempted to escape marriage to Luke Holsten.

He was the wealthiest resident of this town. Everyone probably thought I was mad to have run away. But if Luke was so desirable a husband, why hadn’t he already found a match here in Marystown? How on God’s green Earth had my stepfather convinced Luke to marry me?

This last thought played over and over in my mind, and my nervousness over the impending evening made my breaths come faster and my legs tremble in the water.

When I announced I was ready for bed, the maid gave me a mortified look and dipped into a nervous curtsey.

“Begging your pardon, my lady, but Master Holsten wishes me to shave you for your wedding night.” She swallowed hard and turned tomato red. “Your privates, that is, my lady. He wishes you completely bare below the waist.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but then I remembered my promise to obey Luke in exchange for his rescue of the other girls. A flush heating my cheeks, I watched as the maid gathered a small razor and a container of shaving cream. She paused before the tub and nodded at the edge where she’d placed a folded towel.

“It will be easier if you sit on the towel, my lady, and spread your legs.”

I felt an odd mixture of humiliation and arousal as the maid worked the razor over my nether hairs. It wasn’t her touch that had me aching but the idea that Luke had ordered her to shave me, and the knowledge that I would be so bare and vulnerable before him when he claimed me as his wife. Or when he undressed me for punishment. When I imagined him meting out discipline, I pictured myself with my skirts thrown up over my back and my underthings yanked down to my ankles.

Mercifully, the maid was quick and had my privates, as well as my legs and underarms, shaved smooth in about five minutes. Once out of the bath, I dressed in a long, white nightgown constructed of thick silk, soft but warm and with ruffles adorning the neckline and the ends of the sleeves. I’d never owned a garment so lovely.

As I moved toward the bed at the maid’s urging, waves of heat from the fireplace wafted against my ankles. After spending days in the freezing cold, I reveled in the warmth.

Sleep claimed me the second my head hit the soft pillow. Traveling through the night on horseback had left me exhausted, and, by the time I awoke hours later, night had fallen.

I moved to the window and stared out, unsure if Luke wished for me to leave the room. Staying put until he summoned me or came to speak with me himself seemed like the smartest course of action, so I remained in the room, curled up in a large chair near the window. The faint glow of solar street lights blanketed the village below, and stars sparkled in the vast dark sky.