Page 28 of Brutal

I pull her toward the guest room, and even though she tries to match my pace, I’m moving too quickly for that. She stumbles along, fighting to stay upright. When we’re in the room, I shove her hard into the wall.

I see her wince, and even that reaction feels like a triumph. She thinks she’s so fucking above it all. Don’t I get enough of that shit at work? I don’t need my own fucking slave to think she can undermine me.

I find the nondescript chest with my toys in it, pulling it out of the closet. All of them are expensive, and most of them are unused. I could’ve gone to a local kink club, but people talk even when they’re supposed to keep their fucking mouths closed. I can’t be seen at a BDSM club, especially right now when my standing at the company is apparently weaker than I want to admit.

That thought brings a scowl to my lips, and I look at the coiled leather whip in the chest. It doesn’t look that appealing, though. It doesn’t seem like it’ll send enough of a message. The cane, on the other hand…

I exhale slowly. I don’t need a wooden spoon to beat her into submission when I have a gorgeous cane that was designed to do just that.

“Ever heard of bastinado?” I ask with a dark, humorless smile.

She wraps her arms around herself and scowls at me. “No.” She looks around, as if she’s trying to learn something about me from the guest room.

Fuck yeah.

I finally have something over her. “I want you to lie down on the bed, face down, with your feet hanging over the edge of the mattress,” I tell her. “Then I highly suggest you don’t fucking move, no matter what I do.”

Mimosa eyes me warily, but she continues to do her pretending-to-play-along thing, so she gets onto the bed. Her feet are just at the edge of the mattress.

I roll my eyes and grab her ankles to pull her down a few inches, leaving her feet hanging off the mattress. “Not so good at following directions after all, are you?”

She doesn’t respond, which is irritating even though it should be a good thing.

I grab the wooden cane from the chest, taking a deep breath. It’s small, unassuming, and when I’d first seen one, I hadn’t been too impressed. A few online tutorials had convinced me, though, and I’d bought it on a whim.

That, and a lot of other toys I’ve never been able to use before.

I feel like a kid on Christmas morning — at least, the stereotypical Christmas morning. My Christmases had always been depressing and miserable, and I?—

I force myself to stop thinking of the past. My mood is already sour enough. I don’t need memories to make it worse.

I step in close, slowly trailing the tip of the cane along the sole of her foot as I try to decide where I want to strike first. It makes her twitch, and I distantly wonder if she’s ticklish.

On some level, I know it’s stupid to do this when I’m pissed off. I could do some real damage.

Maybe I want to.

“If you struggle, you might cause permanent damage,” I say cruelly.

Mimosa’s shoulders tense, but that’s the extent of her reactions.

That’s not going to last long. Because no matter how much she pretends, I don’t believe she can withstand the pain. She isn’t a little masochist like Chase’s bitch.

I take a breath and swing the cane.

I think part of me expects her to remain stoic. Despite my certainty, I’m still afraid she’ll be able to endure it without reacting.

She doesn’t.

Mimosa lets out a loud, long wail, just from that first swing to the soles of her feet. Her back arches, and she pulls her feet away from the edge.

“Stop that,” I bark out, grabbing her by the ankle. “Put your fucking feet back. That was just one stroke. For fuck’s sake, it was just a test swing.”

Mimosa hunches her shoulders together, and I see her shake her head minutely.

“No?” I ask, torn between that sadistic amusement and anger. I don’t know which is stronger, but either way, I’m not going to be denied. “I will tie you down and make sure you can’t walk ever fucking again if you don’t put your goddamn feet down and hold still.”

“F-fine,” Mimosa mutters. She uncurls her body until her feet are extended again, but she’s completely tense.