“No bare bottom?” someone asked.
I touched the waistband of my pants nervously. Was I supposed to be naked?
Smack!Another hit right into my ass. Nope. I was okay with the extra layer of protection. It gave me a nice barrier. This would probably hurt like hell otherwise.
But why did I have the tiniest inkling like I wanted to feel his hand on my bare skin?
Whack!His hand landed right on my ass, and for the briefest moment, I swear I could feel him cup my ass and squeeze it. But then the touch was gone.
“How was that?” he asked. He hovered over me, his mouth next to my ear.
“Tender,” I said. “Dr. Evans, I came to ask—”Smack!I steadied my breath. He was not making this easy. “The deadline to register for the Crossing Collaborations Contest is next week, and I truly don’t think you understand the gravity of the situation.”
“Is that so,” he said, a smirk in his voice. “My choice, you said?”
That’s what ‘dealer’s choice’ meant. “Correct.”
“My choice,” he said, leaning down, whispering in my ear, “would be your bare ass and my hand. But we can’t all have what we want, can we?” The words made me feel light-headed, and when he stood, his body no longer hovering above me, it felt like I was losing my balance. “But this will work.”
Wham!The shocking impact of a wooden paddle ricocheted through me. Even the extra layers of padding couldn’t protect me from the searing pain.
This will work?That was the euphemism for it.
I tensed up, arching my back, suppressing the urge to resist another strike, and Dr. Evans stood still. “I can stop at any time you like.”
It was like he was challenging me. Quit now, you weak link. He didn’t think I had it in me.
But I did. I would prove it to him.
“I’m fine,” I said. “Do it again.”
“Oh, she’s a bad girl, huh?” a male voice called out.
Dr. Evans raised his brow at me. “Again?”
“Yes.”
“Ask nicely,” he said. A warmth crawled through my stomach at the demand. Damn it, did he actually want me to ask him?
“Please,” I said.
“Please what?”
“Please hit me again,” I whined. And there it was again, that smile. It spread across his lips, and for the first time, I knew he was pleased with how he had me. My cheeks flamed at the realization that I wasn’t upset with where we were either, not even with him humiliating me, making me ask for my punishment.
The Crossing Collaborations Contest would be worth it.
This time, he leaned down, putting an arm under my stomach.
“Please hit me again? Who, Mara?” Dr. Evans asked.
“Please hit me again, Dr. Evans,” I whispered.
And he swung back, winding up, for that final thud on my ass.Whack!The paddle landed on me. My knees shook and he held me up with his arm, and the crowd clapped.
“We’ll resume after a break,” he told them, his arm still around me.
As the crowd began to disperse, Dr. Evans helped me stand, his hands on my hips to help me balance.
