AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Hands clasped behind her back, she was surprisingly compliant, considering the depth and breadth of her disobedience that day. He took no pleasure in what he was about to do. But he would not allow her defiance to go unpunished. It was his duty to see to her well-being and right now, he needed to instill upon her the seriousness of what she had done.
Removing the crop from his boot, he clasped it in his hand and moved to stand behind her. “Do you have any idea the gravity of your current situation?”
She drew in a ragged breath. “A-are you going to use the cr-crop on me?”
In response, he smacked the crop on the underside of her arse cheeks. “I am. However, when I said ‘the gravity of your current situation’ I referred to the consequences of your childish actions regarding Lord Banyon.”
“I told you I do not wish to marry him.”
Fisting his hand in her hair, he dragged her across the room, sat upon the edge of the bed, and drew her across his lap. He released her hair and wrapped one hand around her waist, keeping her in position close to his torso while he raised the crop. “You are without a doubt the most spoiled, stubborn, and headstrong young lady I have ever known.” He lowered the crop across both cheeks, leaving a thin red stripe. She gasped and gripped his boot between her hands.
“I-I am so-sorry.”
“You forgot something.” The crop impacted again, just below the first stripe.
She twisted her head around to try to look at him, brows furrowed.
“How are you to address me?” he prompted.
“S-sir. I am sorry, sir.”
Three quick cracks with the crop followed. She kicked her feet and swore at him. “If you are truly sorry, you would take your punishment without attempting to injure me or using foul language. However, I believe I have the cure for your tart mouth. We will get to that in due time.”
He repositioned her and clamped her legs between his. In doing so, her bottom tipped up and her thighs opened, revealing the pink folds of her cunny. He took a moment to savor the sight, then refocused his attention on the task at hand.
He commenced to punish her in earnest, lecturing and cropping at the same time. “Not only did you reject the best and possibly only prospect for a husband you will ever have, but you publicly humiliated him.”
“I-I did not kn-know what else to d-do,” she wailed. “I t-told you I did not want to marry a man I do not love.”
“So your answer was to create a public spectacle? Rest assured, Lord Banyon will not marry you now, not after you rejected him in front of some of the biggest gossips in town. Not only did you disrespect Lord Banyon, but you disrespected me as well by defying my instructions. Not to mention the damage you caused to your own reputation by that outrageous display. Or your father’s wishes, which you completely ignored. I thought you had better sense than that, Tallie.”
* * *
What had she been thinking? Zander had always disdained the stuffy rules and expectations of society. A small part of her had actually expected him to be impressed with the way she took matters into her own hands and told that bossy Lord Banyon what she thought of him.
She had made a dramatic miscalculation.
It was not just Zander’s words that cut Tallie to her core, but his tone—a combination of disappointment, shock, and more disappointment. She had wanted him to see her as an adult who could make her own decisions and she had made a muddle of everything.
And that did not even take into account the thunderous burn in her backside from the steady slap of the riding crop. Her legs were immobilized in the vise-like grip of Zander’s thighs. Her hands clung to the firm muscles of his calf as she steadied herself and braced against the punishment of the crop. She wanted to scream out about the pain, but even worse than the ache in her flesh was the agony of her broken heart. She had been so sure Zander cared about her in the same way she cared about him, but he continued to see her only as a child.
What a fool she had been. She had ruined her chance to marry Lord Banyon—though she still did not see that as any great loss—but it was now abundantly clear to her that Zander would never love her the way she loved him. He would always think of her as a foolish child.
Great sobs of grief, pain, and remorse racked her body. Tears covered her cheeks and dampened Zander’s pant leg. Her breath stuck in her lungs and she gasped for air.
All she wanted was for him to care about her, even just a little bit. Was that so wrong?
Based upon her current situation... it was.
So lost in the misery of her own making, she did not notice when Zander stopped swatting her with the riding crop until she felt his fingers probing between her thighs.
“What have we here, naughty little Tallie?” Zander said. “Why, you are soaking wet. I think you enjoy having your arse cropped. Is that true?” Jostling her a bit on his lap, her legs fell wide apart and she knew he could see the shame of her arousal.
He inhaled a deep breath. Tallie whimpered against his leg. She smelled it too, the musky scent of her desire.
She was literally laid bare before him, all of her secrets revealed, her humiliation complete.
“You have not answered my question, Natalia.” Zander’s thick voice sent a thrum of heated longing to her core.
