Tears prickled in her eyes. Her entire body vibrated with a mix of fear, anger and humiliation.

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Then his deep, soothing voice drifted to her. “The first few spanks are hard. You can get through them, Angel. Breathe through them. Loosen up your body. Count them out loud.”

The whole time he spoke his hands caressed her backside. Then he stopped and smacked her left cheek hard, up by her hip. He bit off, “Count.”

“One.” Please only let there be one more.

He mirrored the spank on the opposite cheek.

“T-two.”

Her head buzzed. Her butt was on fire. Her face burned like she’d spent the day at the beach. By the time she’d counted twelve smacks on each side, a strange kind of anticipation began to build. She wanted to feel his hard palm connecting with her flesh. Would the next blow be harder? Or softer?

It will be what he chooses. Enjoy it. Revel in it.

Bennett murmured, “That’s it. That’s what the bite of pain can do for you. Get your mind to shut off from everything but how I can make you feel.” Then he administered the hardest hits yet.

By the time she’d reached number twenty-two, that restless need for release had her rubbing her thighs together. She wanted to tell Bennett to finger her clit with his free hand.

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“If you’ve got time to think about tellin’ me what you need to get off, then I’m not makin’ it clear just who is in charge.”

Was the man a mind reader?

Then he smacked the back of the left thigh, up high by her pussy. Oh God. This was torture.

Delicious torture.

“Count!” Another round of rapid-fire smacks.

She’d drifted off into that happy place again and hadn’t kept track. “I…I—”

Bennett barked, “Don’t. Move.” His hand left her back and both hands gripped her hips as he hiked her ass in the air. More spanks. Not as hard as on her ass. He stroked his fingers up her slit before he spanked her again.

Everything stopped. No more spanks. No more barked orders. Ainsley felt Bennett staring at her ass.

Then he caged her body beneath his and that deep voice rumbled below her ear. “Your pussy is wet. Really wet. Do you know what that means? That means you liked your first spanking. And you took every blow so beautifully. Almost regally.” His warm lips grazed her neck and she shivered. “Goddamn your ass is hot, woman.” He chuckled. “In many ways. I wish you could see how pretty it looks. How your pink thighs and red ass frame your pussy.”

Bennett’s words sent a thrill through her.

“Good behavior is rewarded. Get on your hands and knees on the end of the bed.”

She didn’t meet his gaze; she just did what she was told. In that moment of foggy pleasure, she understood she’d needed freedom from choice. How could that feel so freeing? Why did she have the urge to weep with gratitude that he’d shown her what’d been missing?

The bed jiggled. Ainsley chanced a look between her legs when something soft brushed the insides of her thighs. Oh. Wow. His head was right below her…

Bennett yanked her down until her pussy was right on his mouth. He feasted on her, spreading her open with his thumbs. One minute that wickedly talented tongue was fucking so deep she swore she felt the tip tickling her G-spot. The next minute he suckled her pussy lips, then speared them apart with his tongue. He lapped at her delicately, making greedy masculine sounds, teasing the flesh hiding her clit with firm-lipped bites. And finally, he sent her rocketing into bliss when he sucked directly on her clit.

The orgasm blew her doors off. Ainsley threw her head back and practically screamed. The strong pulses zipped from her clit to her pussy to her fiery bottom, making everything—her skin, her sex, her butt—throb in sweet, torturous synchronicity.

She experienced that shivery sensation again. Her head became heavy. Her well-used body whispered for her to lie down. She was vaguely aware of Bennett moving from beneath her.

Then his fingers were under her chin, lifting her face up. “Eyes on me, please.”

Took her a couple tries to remember how to open her eyes and Bennett laughed softly. She smiled at him. The way he looked at her made her feel like a goddess.

“Hey, beautiful. Such a blissful look I put on your face.”

“It was…” Beyond words because she couldn’t finish the sentence.

“Do you remember when you said you wanted to lick the cleft in my chin?” Bennett bent so they were nose-to-nose. “Do it now. You came all over my face, so I want you to lick your taste from me.” He tilted his head back, but kept his hungry eyes on hers.

Her tongue darted out and flicked the sexy cleft. She playfully bit down as she lapped her juices from his chin. Once she finished, she dragged her mouth up to his and outlined his lips from corner to corner. She sucked at his full lower lip and let her teeth scrape the fleshy inside as she slowly released it. “I taste good on you, cowboy.”

His dark eyes held a dangerous look. “You’d be a real challenge for me, wouldn’t you?”

“Probably.”

“Good thing I live for a challenge.” He smooched her nose. “Don’t move.”

Ainsley heard him rummaging around behind her. Any desire to sleep had fled. She wanted more time with this man.

More than just tonight? Would you come back to the club if he asked?

The bed dipped and the heat of his body called to hers. “This is cold but it’ll help.” A sticky substance splatted across the top of her butt like icy raindrops. His callused hands spread coolness over her flaming ass, toning down some of the hotness, and she couldn’t help but sigh.

“Know what I normally do, after I’ve reddened a woman’s ass like this?” His finger traced her butt crack. “I fuck it. Hard and fast. While she’s in that hazy place where the line is blurred between pleasure and pain.” He pressed his finger against her anus and she involuntarily clenched. “I’d like to force this tiny hole open to take every inch of my cock. But you have a hard line on no anal, right?”

“Right.”

“So I guess we’ll just have to do it this way.” Bennett impaled her pussy in one masterful stroke.

Yes. Yes! She loved it from behind. Something animalistic about that male power driving into her, experiencing sex at its most elemental level.

And the way Bennett hammered into her defined primitive. His hips slapped her butt, every thrust a reminder of her stinging ass. Every thrust a reminder this time wasn’t about her pleasure. Only about his. He controlled it all. She didn’t have to think, just feel.

His voice was hoarse. “Almost there. Jesus, this is so good.” A feral groan sounded and Bennett rode her hard as he came.

After he pulled out, Ainsley fell face first into the mattress. When Bennett rejoined her on the bed, she made the time out sign above her head.

Laughing, he stretched alongside her, propped on his elbow, trailing his fingers over her spine. “You did very well.”

He’d warned her they’d talk when they were done. But really, what was she supposed to say? A play-by-play so soon after the game ended was unnecessary.

“You’ll want to sit in a cool bath tonight. And probably tomorrow.”

“Thanks for the tip.”

Bennett’s hands stopped caressing her. “Don’t get snippy. If there’s a problem with what happened, let’s talk about it.”

“That’s the problem, Bennett, I don’t want to talk.”

“Hmm. That is a problem.”

Then Ainsley found herself on her back with a grinning Bennett above her. “What so funny?”

“This. I’m not known for bein’ a big talker in my life outside the club.” His lips toyed with hers. “So I’ll just say this straight out: I want to see you again. I can finagle a guest pass outta Cody.”

“So I was a good submissive?”

“You were a great submissive. Didn’t give me nearly as much lip as I figured.”

“You sound disappointed.”

“There is something to be said for an inventive punishment scene,” he drawled.

Ainsley set her hands on his lean cheeks. Her fingers continued a southerly descent, stopping to trace his collarbone. Her palms rested on his pecs and she glanced up to gauge his reaction. “Is this permissible, Sir? Within the realm of your control?”

“I’ll ignore that smartass remark this time. But yes, sub, you may continue.”

She ruffled his chest hair and fingered his nipples until he hissed. “I like your body. Sorta sad I didn’t get to touch it as much as I wanted.” She dragged her knuckles down to his groin. “And this appendage is why the term penis envy exists.”

“As much as I love flattery, you haven’t answered my question.”

“That’s because I don’t know what to say when you tell me you want to see me again.”

“Easy. Say yes.”

She frowned. “That’s it?”

“Yep. I’d like to explore this pull between us. I have a feeling it’ll be explosive.”

“Maybe that’s what I’m afraid of.”

Bennett tipped her face up. “Afraid of me?”

“No. Afraid of myself. Of letting—”

“Go?” he supplied.

“No. Afraid…”

“You don’t know what you’re afraid of, do you?”

Ainsley shook her head.

“Let’s try this again next weekend. Maybe we can figure it out together.” He pressed a lingering, gentle kiss on her mouth. “Say yes. Please.”

She found herself whispering, “Yes.”

“Thank you.” He rolled off the bed and dressed quickly. “I’ll leave you alone. I know you prefer time to think, although if I have my way, you’ll lose the ability to think entirely whenever we’re together.”

Chapter Eight

Ben’s hair was still damp from his shower when he heard the first knock on his door. Who was the early bird? The event didn’t start for an hour.