Carnal Indulgence (Desiring the Forbidden Book 3) (8 page)

“It doesn’t frighten me in the least, little girl. You’re the only girl I’ve wanted for a long time, and after we’ve married and I’ve collared you, you’ll be stuck with me forever. Happily.” He kissed her lips gently, weaving his hand into her hair, pulling it roughly until the burn and tug had her head tilted back. “
Mine!”

***

Maddox stared at Tabitha Gains, using his best flinty, stern professor glare. Her long silky brown hair hung past her shoulders, and she chewed on her lip, her brown doe eyes were bright, he was sure, with the beginning of tears. He’d been through this before with countless students, including his fiancée and Sassy. The women wanted the fun of being in school, meeting new friends, busy social life with drinking and parties, but when it came to studying and assignments, they missed the correlation that if they failed their classes, all these activities would end with their expulsion.

It took great discipline—balancing fun and studies. Many just need a stern talking to, and they would immediately fly right again, others learned the hard way by failing and coming back years later as dedicated students. In the case of his Libby, and Dylan’s Sassy, however, they learned by some good old-fashioned over-the-knee discipline.

However, this wild woman standing before him didn’t belong to him, so he’d do his best to scare her with a stern lecture.

“So, Tabitha, did you study at all for the test last week?”

Her eyes darted to the ceiling and floor, anything to avoid looking at him. “Yes…kinda. I did a little bit.”

He stood up from behind his desk, the sudden movement startling her, her back stiffening as he walked by her seated in a chair near his desk. He knew that just the change in his position, towering over, and the very act of walking close enough that his tweed jacket brushed against her—all of these would increase her anxiety.

Ms. Gains appeared to respond just as he had hoped; he’d continue with the admonishment she seemed to be surrendering to.

He sauntered around his desk, his back to her, pausing to stare out the window—only for a moment—increasing the tension before turning to face her again, his hands on his hips, jacket pushes aside. “Which means, Ms. Gains, you studied immediately before the test? Am I correct?”

“Yes, Sir.”

Oh, a ‘yes, sir.’ A splendid sign.

Maddox sat back down in his chair, resting his ankle on his knee, elbow on his desk with his forefinger and thumb bracing his face. “Is this how you were raised? Were you taught to believe that education is something that comes second to your social life?”

“No, Sir. Education was…is a top priority in my family, Sir.” Tabitha brushed at some nonexistent lint on her skirt.

“I seem to remember that you went to a private school too. So am I correct to assume that your parents are paying for your college tuition, young lady?”

Tabitha’s eyes jerked up. “Yes, Sir, they are.”

“So would I also be correct in assuming,” Maddox leaned forward draping his clasped hands between his knees, penetrating her with his gaze, “that your father wouldn’t be pleased with a phone call updating him on your mid-semester grades?”

Her long delicate throat visibly worked to swallow. “Yes, Sir, you’re correct. He wouldn’t be pleased. Y-you’re not calling him, are you?”

Bingo! He had her right where he needed her.

As if contemplating that very thing, he sat for what he assumed to her was an interminably long time, watching her reaction carefully, waiting for the perfect time to respond. Then it happened, her eyes glistened with tears, her lip trembling until her small white teeth bit down on the plump lip.

“Tell me, young lady, don’t you think you deserve to be scolded for this irresponsible behavior. Shouldn’t you receive the censure of some variety for your blatant disregard for your education?” He dipped his chin, raising his eyebrow.

Silent tears tracked down her cheeks now; she quickly brushed them aside. “P-please don’t contact him, Sir. I p-promise I’ll do better and…maybe I can do extra credit work to bring my grade up? M-may I, Sir?”

And it’s in the basket! Score!

Not wanting to relent too quickly, he regarded her, keeping his face expressionless. “I’m not sure leniency would be best, a stern reprimand from your father may be in order.” He paused briefly. “But it seems the good talking-to I’ve given you today may be enough, and I’ll forego calling him—for now. I suppose, time will tell if I’ve made the right decision. And if need be, I can always contact him in the future.”

She brightened minutely, nodding in agreement. “It won’t be necessary; I promise, Professor. I’ll bring my grades up, and I’d still like some extra credit work…if you agree.”

“Good girl, Tabitha. I believe you, and let’s get you this work so you can get back on track.” Maddox opened the folder in the center of his desk, pulling out the prepared extra credit project for her. Not all students responded to dominance and authority, but most surrendered just as Tabitha had.

F
riday. They’d made it through the week, and tomorrow Libby and Maddox would be talking to his mother on the phone about the wedding. Libby’s stomach rolled just thinking about the conversation. She didn’t anticipate that it would go as well as Daddy thought.

She didn’t have a bad relationship with Pam, but she would describe it as difficult. The undercurrent existed, with little jabs and comments about the age difference being made. Maddox never failed to defend her, rebuking his mother when he overheard them. The trouble was Pam knew to make most of them in his absence.

Libby vowed she’d let him be the one to talk and dictate what the plans were; she’d be a silent observer, only speaking when questions were directed at her. Her cell phone rang while she was deep in thought and without looking at who was calling she answered thinking it was Maddox.

“Hello.”

“Elizabeth? This is Pam. Maddox’s mother.”

Libby rolled her eyes at the formal introduction like she wouldn’t recognize her voice. “Hi, Pam. How are you? Maddox isn’t home yet.”

“Oh, is he having trouble at work? He’s usually home by now.”

Pam always jumped to the negative for everything; it didn’t matter what they were discussing. Maddox had never had trouble with his job, but it seemed they had to assure her of his professional stability often.

“No, Pam. He’s okay. Just working late, he’ll probably be here before we hang up.” Libby remembered her conversation earlier in the week with Daddy. She’d end this call quickly, letting him call his mother back in the morning.

“Well, that gives us older women time to talk while he’s gone.”

Libby gritted her teeth—the sarcastic dig wasn’t even veiled today. “Pam, I won’t be able to speak long. I’m in the middle of cooking dinner and have another engagement in an hour. So it’ll be better if we call you tomorrow.”

“Nonsense. We’ll talk while you’re cooking. This won’t take long. So this wedding you two are planning, are we involved in the process at all or are we just attending.”

We
referred to Pam and her husband, Maddox’s dad, David. “Of course, you’re involved. It’s just we’re still deciding on things yet, and Maddox was going to call you tomorrow to discuss it in more detail.” Libby paused, gathering her courage. “Pam, really I need to go, and I’d rather have this talk tomorrow when I can focus, and Maddox is present.”

Pam sighed loudly on the other end of the phone. “
Fine!
Just tell me one thing, is this wedding going to be a proper wedding in a church, or are you doing the weird outdoor wedding thing?”

Libby’s anger rose, and she desperately wanted to respond with sarcasm, but restrained herself from doing so. “I think it would be best to discuss this tomorrow, as I’ve already said, Pamela.”

“Oh, so it’s Pamela now. Interesting. And from the avoidance, I’m going to assume that the answer is one of those hippie, outdoor weddings.”

“It’s not going to be a hippie wedding; those went out years ago, as you well know. This is going to be classy and elegant; we’ve spent a lot of time planning this.” Libby went from angry to hurt, feeling the tears rising, the familiar sting behind her nose alerting her.

“I knew it!” Pam covered the phone, muffling her voice as she shouted to her husband. “David, they’re having one of those stupid outdoor weddings, didn’t I tell you she’d ruin this too?”

Speaking of which, where the fuck was Maddox?

“What do you mean ‘ruin this too?’ What else have I ruined?” Libby knew she should have just hung up when she had the chance, but her future mother-in-law went too far this time.

“What haven’t you ruined? This charade of the older cougar with the younger guy is going to backfire on both of you. This is his first wedding, not his second like with you. He should be able to decide to have it in a church if he wants to.”

“We’ve discussed this; he
wants
an outdoor wedding. I’m well aware that this is his first wedding and wouldn’t dream of denying him any dreams or desires he has for his wedding. I’m more than a little insulted that you think—”

Daddy!

Maddox had come home, snatching her phone from her hand. “Mother, we’ll talk to you tomorrow. Put Dad on the phone, please.”

Maddox pointed to a kitchen chair, mouthing “Sit.” Libby didn’t hesitate, moving quickly to obey.

“Hi, Dad. I don’t have a clear idea—yet—of what just happened with this phone conversation, but Mom upset Libby, and I’m not tolerating it. I’ll call again tomorrow so we can all discuss the wedding, but I need you to smooth things over for me before then.” Maddox ran his hand through his wavy brown hair, exasperated.

He walked up to Libby rubbing her back gently. “Yes, she’ll be okay. I just don’t like coming home to her yelling and upset. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Bye.”

He clicked the button, ending the call, placing the phone face down on the table. “So what part of don’t talk to her did you
not
understand?” He shrugged his suit coat off, draping it carefully over the back of the chair at the kitchen table.

Libby shivered, she loved watching him take his suit jacket off, his lean hips now braced with his hands, and the outline of his cock hardening was visible through the thin dress pants. She fought the urge to reach out and glide her finger over the ridged hardness.

“Eyes up here, Elizabeth.” His deep stern voice rumbled through her core.

She reluctantly dragged her gaze up, not liking the disappointment she could see there, the slight shake of his head as he watched her, waiting for an answer.

“I thought it was you calling, I didn’t even look at the screen, and I just hit the button. I tried. I did try to get off the phone; you know how she is.” The wrung her hands explaining this to him, biting on her lip.

“Which is why I told you—clearly—to not talk to her? Don’t worry, my father will take care of her, he knows how to handle her—it’ll be an easier conversation with my dad and I participating.” He dropped his head, shaking it in disbelief. “You know I can’t let this bit of disobedience go. It was your responsibility to obey. You should have been firmer, quickly ending the conversation. You were more worried about my mother's reaction than obeying my directive.”

Maddox walked over to the desk in the dinette, opening a drawer, pulling out a legal pad of paper, plopping it in front of her with a pen. “I’m not spanking you; it’s not that serious. But you’ll write lines while I finish dinner. Then we will discuss, once again how we’ll approach my parents tomorrow.”

“Yes, Daddy. And thank you.” She touched his arm lightly. Maddox looked out for her, protecting her and doing his best to prevent stressful situations, she tended to be the biggest obstacle to his goals. It had taken four years to get her to this point; she figured another four years and maybe she would go for longer periods with no punishment—she hoped.

“Always, sweets.” He kissed the top of her head, grabbing the pen, writing:
I will always obey Daddy, even if others become angry.
You’ll write this sixty times. The next time this occurs, you’ll know how to respond, or you’ll find yourself over my lap.”

He turned to walk toward the kitchen, only to stop, pointing toward the floor. “Oh, by the way, stand up, and drop your pant and panties to your ankles. It’ll keep you focused. I’ll lock the doors, so Brandon doesn’t come through unexpectedly.”

Libby hated directives like this. They were the type of orders that got her into trouble—every time. She knew that she should immediately stand, letting them puddle to her feet, but it felt so damn childish and humiliating that she cringed just thinking about sitting on her bare bottom on the hard wooden chair.

“Do you need incentive, babygirl? Take them off, Elizabeth. Now.” His voice dropped to a lethal growl, spurring her into action.

She stood, undoing the button and zipper on her dress pants, shimmying them over her backside and hips, letting them drift down her legs, hooking her thumbs into the skimpy thong, dragging it to her knees.

Maddox stood fixated, staring at her bare pussy, he groaned deep in his throat, walking up to her. “Good God, you look so beautiful.” His large, hot hand cupped her moist sex, his finger gliding through the slick lips.