Sterling must understand finally where this is going because he hesitates for a moment. But he does as I say and pulls the draw strings on the bag open. Slowly, he turns it over and lets the grains of rice inside fall to the ground. The sound of them falling is the only noise for several, glorious moments, and we don’t take our eyes off of each other until the bag is empty and every last grain has hit the floor.
The corner of my lips twitch as he watches me, waiting for his next command. “Very good, Sterling. Now . . . take off your pants and get on your knees.”
Sterling breathes in deeply, finally hearing the command he’s been waiting for. He undoes his belt, taking his time to guide his zipper down. He steps out effortlessly, holding his jeans as well as his boxers out to the side and dropping them in a dramatic show. Then, he sinks, slowly, to the ground. I tilt my head as I watch him shift to the edge of the rice in an attempt to angle himself off the sharp grains.
I lunge forward, snatching him up by his T-shirt and dragging him forward till he’s right in the middle of the pile. “Now, now, Sterling. We mustn't go easy on ourselves. Right?” I whisper in his ear. “After all, the punishment must fit the crime. And you’ve not gone easy on yourself—in here.” I tap his temple and he squeezes his eyes shut.
“You’re right." He bows his head. “I’m sorry.”
“No, you’re not.” I sneer. “But you will be.”
I drop my hold on his shirt, letting his weight sink fully onto the bed of rice. He winces, biting down on his lip to stifle the noise.
“How did you even have this in here?” he asks, incredulously.
“A good dom is always prepared,” I quip, settling back on the bed. “But we aren’t here to talk about me. Are we?”
Sterling, still bowing, shakes his head slowly.
“Now I want you to stay there while I read. Until you feel compelled to change the way you're currently thinking. Understood?”
“Yes, Ezekiel.” There’s no hesitation in his voice, but another tear streams down his flushed cheek. I sigh in disapproval. I can already tell he’s going to be stubborn today. I scoot back on the bed, leaning against the headboard and pulling a book off my nightstand. I open the book to the spot I’d last left off, letting my eyes skim over the text, but I’m incapable of retaining anything.
All I can focus on, all I can think about, is how still and obedient Sterling is being, as he kneels on the rice beside my bed. And how incredibly hard I am while he does it.
The subtle glow behind the blackout curtains lets me know that the sun has long since risen. And I can tell by the exhaustion in Sterling’s eyes that he needs to sleep. And yet he hasn’t broken.
Sterling stays stock-still, even after an hour of torment. The only shift in his position is when he starts to nod off, jerking his head up before falling over completely.
I slam my book shut with a resounding thud. “Sterling, when are you going to put an end to this?”
I’m no stranger to the torment he enjoys putting himself through. This isn’t our first time in such a session. And honestly, I’m going easy on him. But I fear pushing him harder, given his current state.
Sterling stiffens his upper lip, raising his head and puffing out his chest. As if to show he has no plans of stopping.
“Fuck this,” I growl. I throw the book on the bed, jumping to the ground and shoving him down. “You want me to go harder on you, then I will.” I wrap my hand around his throat, lowering myself to him and kissing him hard.
Just as he’s letting himself sink into the kiss, I push him away, shoving his face down into the rice and laying him out on the ground before me. “You want degradation? I’ll make you feel degraded. I’ll chew you up and spit you out for acting this way.”
I undo my jeans with one hand, reaching my other between his thighs until I find his balls and tug. Hard. He cries out, the noise somewhere between a moan and a whimper.
“But only me, do you understand that? I will not allow you to degrade yourself like this. And I will not be a participant in your wallowing in self-pity.”
I lean forward, reaching to the nightstand before us and grabbing a small bottle from the inside shelf. I pop it open, coating myself in the smooth oil. I keep my eyes on Sterling as I do, tracing the way he’s laid out before me, pinned down under my knee now against his ass, with the rice and herbs and crystal shards pushing into the side of his face.
Good fortune indeed.
I pour more oil into my palm, removing my knee as I spread his cheeks and coat his entrance. He lifts his ass towards me, begging silently for more. I smack him, eliciting another cry as I force his ass back down. “You won’t get it until I’m ready for you to have it. Stop humiliating yourself and take what I give you when I give it.”
He stays still beneath me and I spread his cheeks again, working my thumb over his tight hole and prepping him to take me. He bites down on his lip, trying hard to keep hisdesire under control. His hips twitch with the effort, primal need building inside him as I work him more fervently.
When I cannot wait another moment longer, I pull back and tug his hips up off the floor, lining myself up with his entrance and sinking myself into him.
“Fucking hells,” I breathe, the sound coming out like gravel. I rock in and out of him a few times, teasing as I slow my rhythm. I want to see how long it will take him to react. How much I can toy with him before he cracks. It doesn’t take long before he’s arching his back for me, chasing after my dick with each inch I retreat.
I take the opportunity to strike, shoving him back down into the rice. I slam into him, over and over. My hand presses to the side of his face, pushing him deeper against the floor as I imagine the imprints decorating his skin with the most beautiful of patterns.
“Is this what you wanted, Sterling? To feel used and abused by those around you? To be shoved into the ground like the filth you are?”
