Page 81 of Dominion
He walked over to the couch and sat down. “Come, Ashley.”
“Woof,” she said, barely louder than a whisper, wringing a half-smile from him. It had been her joke since the day he interviewed her and had told her to sit. He hadn’t laughed then, and yet she’d persisted, just as she’d persevered despite his repeated rejections of her affection.
She walked to stand in front of him, her chin dropped, hands clasped behind her back.
“Why am I punishing you?”
“For—” She cleared her throat. “For lying.”
He waited.
“—sir,” she added.
He said nothing, keeping his face blank.
She nibbled her lip. “I should have known you would listen to and value my feelings on the matter. You always have.”
Her words came as a relief to him.
“Ben?”
He raised an eyebrow expectantly.
“Would you make me stay home with the kids?”
He grabbed her waist and pulled her to sit on his lap. “Make you?” he asked. “Is that how you think things work around here?”
She fidgeted with her hands.
Taking her chin, he lifted her face to his.
“I don’t know. It’s just—your sister-in-law…”
“That’s what Shayla wanted. She never had an interest in getting involved with Leon’s company; that’s why he left it to me. Shayla wanted to be well cared for, so she could devote herself to her children.” He studied Ashley’s blue eyes. “Did you think it was a shifter thing? Is that what this is about?”
She shrugged. “Well, it’s part of my fear. But also I’m just not ready.”
He nodded slowly. “Look, I know I’ve been an asshole. I ran Stone Tech like a dictator, and it was my way or the highway. But with you—” He broke off, his throat closing with emotion. “You expected more of me, you believed I had a heart. With you, I thought I’d changed.”
Ashley’s lip trembled.
“Don’t make me into that guy again. Do you really think I’d make you do anything that made you unhappy?”
A tear spilled down her cheek and he thumbed it away. “No. I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m really sorry.”
Ben liftedher from his lap, deftly turning her face down over it, her bare bottom angled perfectly for his punishment. Goosebumps raised on her flesh. She reached for one of the throw pillows, wrapping her arms around it. The first few spanks stung the worst, the shock so much more than what she expected.
She realized how much he held back when he spanked her in fun, because each slap of his hand connected now with force enough to make her lose her breath. She meant to hold still, but found herself twisting and bucking, trying to wriggle her way off his lap. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close.
“Do not kick or I’ll take off my belt,” he warned.
She crossed her ankles, squeezing them together to keep from kicking. The warning actually came as a relief—it meant he hadn’t planned on using the belt later. Not that it mattered at the moment, his hand was doing enough damage. It came raining down swift and hard, first one cheek, then the other, then square in the middle.
She clamped her lips together to keep from crying out as he spanked her over and over again. She buried her head in the couch cushions, biting at the fabric. “Ow… please,” she found herself begging, despite her resolve to take it like a good girl.
Firm smacks continued to fall, the burn setting in from the previous ones making it all the worse.
“Ben… oh! Please,” she whimpered, her cheeks throbbing now as he continued to spank her ceaselessly.