Liv's Journey (15 page)

As she looked up at his set face, tears began to flow. He wouldn't forgive her. She'd been unforgivably idiotic. He was going to walk out and never come back. It was over, and she'd killed it. A little sob escaped her. "I-I can't say anything to mend it, can I? I'm very sorry, Trey. You'd be right to turn around, take the damned money and leave me here."

He appeared to think about that for a minute. To Liv it felt like an hour, but he finally spoke. "That might be the way some men would handle it, and there's nothin' wrong with the idea. It's temptin'. But I'm not ready to walk away yet."

Hope sprang up like crocuses in spring. "You're not?"

He shook his head and dropped his arms, giving her a little shake. "That doesn't mean you're goin' to get away with your bad behavior. It's time for that punishment spankin' you've been hankerin' to have."

She cringed. "I suppose I deserve it."

"You called me an asshole this mornin’, too. I didn't forget."

Her head dropped toward her chest. He was going to take his pound of flesh. Dread made her shiver, though the room was warm. "I'm sorry. I can't seem to help but fuck up lately."

"Somethin' tells me that you behave impulsively like this more often than just lately."

"I dunno. Maybe." She thought about it. "Yes."

He released her arms and took a step back from her. "What do you think you deserve?"

"I…um…a spanking?"

He nodded. "Anythin' else?"

She tried to lighten up the moment; it was incredibly tense. "A muzzle? So that I don't say such stupid things again."

He snorted. "Nope. I plan to use that pretty mouth. Think again."

"I dunno. What more can you do to me, save beat me into a pulp?"

"You know I won't do that. I wouldn't harm you. Not ever, no matter how pissed off I am."

She sighed. "I know."

"Go stand in the corner." He pointed to an empty corner on the other side of the room.

"You mean like a kid's time out?"

He nodded. "You behaved childishly. Go on."

The look on his face was calm but firm. He wasn't furious at her; he had decided on what he wanted and was going about getting it. His cold determination was more frightening than a temper tantrum might have been. Dragging her feet, she moved to the corner.

"Pull your pants down."

She turned back to him abruptly. "You have got to be kidding."

"No, I'm not kiddin’. This is part of your punishment."

"It'll be humiliating!"

"Yup."

Her temper flared. "You're being mean, Trey Journey."

"Nope. You deserve to be punished. This is for callin’ me an asshole this mornin’."

She'd done it. Guilty as charged. And actually, this was a lesser punishment than what he'd threatened in the morning. She turned toward the corner and unfastened her pants, then pulled them down to her knees.

"Panties, too."

Liv groaned inwardly. It was humiliating to stand there with her pants and panties around her ankles. But she cooperated. Cool air from the air conditioner wafted over her behind and legs.

"Now stand there and face the corner until I tell you otherwise."

"C-"

"Silently."

Heaving a heavy sigh, Liv kept her eyes on the corner. She could hear him moving around, zipping compartments in the backpack and unzipping them. There was a loud clap, as if something flat had smacked skin sharply, but she didn't dare turn to see it. It made her jumpy, though, as she pondered what it could be.

The chair cushion sighed as he sat in it.

She felt his eyes on her. Time dragged on. Liv wondered how long he was going to have her standing there, her butt hanging out.

"H-"

"Quiet."

She focused again on the wall. The paint was a soft blue, pacific, but her insides roiled with tension and frustration. Time passed and she shifted her feet nervously, feeling more and more foolish as the moments wore on.

There was another loud clap, and she jumped.

"Turn toward me and take off your clothes," he said.

The sound of his voice, mellow, sure of himself, was so much better than the silence preceding it that she almost smiled. Then she remembered that she was still being punished and she wished she could shrink herself into invisibility.

She shot him a look, begging not to be humiliated more, but he was implacable. He'd seen her naked, but it was still a big deal to disrobe for him, especially since it wasn't for making love. She wasn't sure what he had planned, but she set about taking off her clothes.

When they were folded neatly in a pile, she turned back to him, her hands covering her belly, fingers knotted together. He eyed her for a long time, and her skin grew hot under his scrutiny.

It was then that she noticed the paddle in his hand. It was oval-shaped and looked like wood-backed leather. It had a handle that fit perfectly in his grip. Her bottom tightened as she stared.

He smacked the paddle into his free hand, and she realized that was the loud clap she'd heard while facing the corner. It looked and sounded painful, even though Trey didn't flinch.

"Go lie on the bed, face up, with your legs spread."

She groaned. More humiliation. "Please, Trey…"

"Go on. This is for the money."

There was nothing she could say to defend herself on that score. She'd screwed up royally, barely averting disaster. Punishment was deserved. At the same time, she knew that she could say no. If she did, he'd walk away and end their affair. End it with absolute finality. She wouldn't even get the last two days of her Texas stay with him. Those two days were precious. She wanted every minute of them. Her love for him would be satisfied with no less.

Before she could dwell on it any further, she got onto the bed.

"Knees up. Spread your legs."

Her response was a whimper, and to allow her legs to fall open. Liv couldn't remember ever feeling so exposed and vulnerable. Even gynecological exams were more dignified, with their white paper blankets and little paper jackets.

She panicked a little as he approached. "You're not going to paddle my…"

"No, darlin'. As weird as it might sound, it's possible that you'd like that. This isn't about anythin' you can enjoy."

"I'm scared, Trey."

"Good."

She scrunched her eyes closed, her whole body tensed. He knelt on the bed between her feet and pushed her knees further apart.

"You have a pretty pussy, angel. Very pretty."

"Oh God," she moaned.

He didn't say anything. He didn't have to. The paddle spoke for him. The first whack on her inner thigh hurt something fierce, coming so quickly and in such an unexpected place. The skin on her inner thighs was tender, completely unused to any kind of impact. But Trey didn't take the time to warm her up. Instead, he applied the paddle a few times on one thigh, then moved to the other, and back again. Over and over.

Her thighs were burning, tearing. Her flesh must be shredded. She began to sob and cry out with each stroke of the leather. Liv kept telling herself that he wouldn't do her actual harm. It was just pain. Pain would go away. But, the excruciating nature of this pain was undeniable. Crying steadily, she begged him to stop.

"Tell me that you'll do your best to obey me in the future, Liv."

The words were hard to form and she was incoherent, mindless with the agony. "Yes! Yes, sir! I will do what you tell me. I will!"

"Have you learned your lesson?"

"Yes! Please stop! Please!"

He did. "Alright, darlin'. You've had enough. Open your eyes and look."

She did.

"No bruises," he pointed out. "No cuts or scrapes. Nothin’ but an even red blush from your knees to your pussy."

The pain hadn't stopped with the cessation of the paddling. Her skin was itchy, stinging fiercely, and hot as a stove top. This would not go away in an hour, maybe not even in a day. Each time she took a step, rubbing her thighs together, it was going to hurt. Oh no, she'd never make such a stupid mistake again.
Never
.

"Don't make me do that to you again, Liv."

She shook her head, trying to get herself back under control. She wiped her eyes with a corner of the comforter. He handed her the box of tissues from the bedside table.

"When you're less upset, we'll do somethin' more pleasant on the bed." He rubbed a hand up her lower leg and back down again.

It was hard to think of lovemaking. She was still in so much pain, but she knew Trey could give her pleasure to outweigh the hurt.

They sat there until her panting and sniffling stopped. He held her hand for a little while. If he'd taken any pleasure in whaling on her, Liv couldn't see it. He looked tired.

Eventually, he stood up and slowly removed his clothes. Their gazes met. "Put your mouth on me, Liv. I don't want to hurt you by ridin' between your legs tonight."

Giving him head was something she wanted to do anyway, so it was an easy order to obey.

He joined her on the bed and she got to her knees, moving to position herself between his legs. Her thighs hurt with any movement, but the reminder of her foolishness made her more determined to get past it and on to other, happier things.

* * *

She bent to lick him and he grew hard within moments. Liv was so beautiful, even awkward because of her painful lesson, she was like a dream lover.

He reached down to wrap her long hair over a fist. It was silky and thick. Tugging lightly, he guided her rhythm to match the growing urgency of his need.

Her head bobbed, her tongue busy, and she pressed her warm, wet center against his shin and rubbed. She moaned around him and the vibration thrummed like rolling thunder along his nerve endings. He was getting there.

She rubbed against him again, as her tongue wrapped around the head of his cock and her fingers milked him with each upstroke.

"Yeah, darlin'," he murmured. "That's my angel."

Her answer was to move faster on him in both places.

He resisted, wanting to draw the sensation out as long as possible, but he didn't want to resist past the point of pleasure and into something autonomic. She was moaning on him continuously now, and he knew she was ready.

The moment was ripe. His hips lifted off the bed and he slammed his cock deep into her mouth, touching her throat. She rubbed a little more on his leg, and then paused in her ministrations as she orgasmed with him. His mind spun as he rested back on the bed, catching his breath. He let go of her hair, and she allowed the semen to run down his cock and into the mat of fur at its base.

"No, darlin'. Swallow. Lick it up now."

She hesitated.

"It won't hurt you, and I'll like it a lot."

Carefully, she took the viscous fluid in her mouth, tasting it, letting it slide down her throat until he was clean.

"Better. Next time swallow. It feels good when you do. And I’ll do it when I pleasure you."

She nodded.

"Come crawl up here with me. I'm tired, but I want to tell you somethin’."

She lay beside him, moving gingerly as her thighs rubbed together, her head resting on his shoulder, body pressed against his side. He knew she must still have some pain from the spanking, but she wasn't whining about it. He liked that about her.

"Liv," he said. "Angel. You're a very special woman."

She stiffened. "Don't say it."

"Don't?"

"I don't want to hear the word."

He rubbed her back. "What do you think I'm gonna say?"

"Goodbye. I don't want to hear it."

"Okay. I won't say it."

Her head rose and she peered at him. He looked down at her and smiled. She must think him a total cad if she thought he could experience her as he had over their five days and then walk away. As it was, he wasn't sure what he was going to do about their relationship, but he knew how he felt about her, and he knew he didn't want it to end.

"I wasn't gonna say that anyway."

"You weren't?"

"Nope."

She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder again. "What were you going to say?"

"I love you."

Her head popped up again, her eyes wide. "You do?"

"You're just full of questions."

"Trey! Don't tease."

"I'm not. I love you."

Slowly, a smile grew on her face and she tightened her grip on him. "Oh, Trey. I love you, too. With my whole heart."

"I tend to think my whole heart is involved, too," he told her. "Although, it might only be a part. What do you think? Left ventricle or right?"

She smacked him on the chest. "Bastard."

He covered her hand with his own. "Uh, uh, uh. No names."

"I didn't mean it."

"Doesn't matter. You might end up in the corner again."

"I'm sorry."

"Mind your tongue. I won't tell you again, darlin'."

"Yes, sir."

She slid her hand down his chest and across his abs, reaching down for his half-hard prick. It only took a few gentle strokes before he was hard again. She did that to him, turned him on with nearly everything she did.

"You're bitin' off more than you can chew," he told her. He was mindful of her sore inner thighs.

"You didn't spank the
backs
of my thighs."

"Uh, no. No, I didn't." It was an invitation he wasn't inclined to resist.

* * *

* * *

April, 2011

It was almost time. Liv peered out the window at the garden full of guests. Many were Trey's relatives and army buddies, and many were her friends and professional contacts. Gabriella had surprised everyone by accepting the invitation to attend. She sat quietly, modestly dressed, in the back on the groom’s side of the aisle.

Liv’s mother was escorted in by a uniformed army officer, and she sat gracefully. Her beauty still drew notice, even though she was over 50. Liv thought she'd never live up to that standard again.

But those self-deprecating thoughts were for another day and time. This was Liv's day to shine. Her perfect day.

Trey stood there in his formal uniform, looking tall and handsome. He turned and said something to Ace and his older brother chuckled. Deuce put in his two cents as well, and the men stood there grinning. Trey brushed down the front of his jacket and Liv realized that he was nervous. It was endearing to think of her calm and deliberate Trey getting butterflies.