Chapter 8
8
T he smell of Michalis' cologne filled the limo, a warm and musky scent that was both enticing and intimidating. Aurelia's heart raced at the heady scent, her body responding to his masculine presence.
Her mouth was suddenly dry. “A lesson? I don’t understand.”
“You ran away. I told you I would chase you, but you didn’t listen. I am now forced to show you what disobeying me means. Now, are you ready to accept the consequences of your actions, learn from this lesson, or are you going to fight me?”
“I hate you,” she whispered.
“I know. Now, what is it to be? Are you ready or are we going to fight first?”
Was she ready? She could fight him. She didn’t have to take this punishment. He could call it a lesson, call it anything he wanted; she wasn’t stupid, his ‘lesson’ was still a punishment.
She could kick and scratch and make him bleed. Why not? What was he going to do? He’d already said he wouldn’t kill her or beat her, so she didn’t need to be afraid of him. And because he’d said that, she was not afraid. Did he know what kind of power he’d given her? He’d given her the power to refuse without fear of death or beating––a priceless gift if she was willing to take advantage of the knowledge.
Except now he was asking her not to refuse his punishment, even though she didn’t know what it was and didn’t think she deserved one at all; to submit willingly to whatever he had planned.
Her heart hammered in her chest. Michalis was very angry with her, that much was clear to see. If he hadn’t already assured her that he wouldn’t kill her or beat her, she would be a mess right now, truly afraid for her life.
She took her time answering, thinking about what she wanted to do. He’d unknowingly given her a gift, and there was a part of her that wanted to return the favor; to give in and let him punish her, just once, without fighting––her gift––in exchange for the one he’d given her.
Would he understand that if she allowed this, it was a one-time gift, not an apology, and not a promise not to run away again? There was one way to make sure. She straightened her posture and looked him straight in the eye. “I will allow this punishment, Michalis, for reasons of my own. It is not an apology, and it changes nothing.”
A muscle twitched in his jaw. “You can have any reason you want, as long as you learn the lesson.”
Their gazes locked, both angry. Both determined. “Fine,” she hissed. “Ready when you are.”
“Remove your shirt and panties. When you’re naked, kneel in front of me, and we will begin.”
Color suffused her cheeks as she did as he instructed. Slowly, agonizingly so, she unbuttoned her top. As it slid to the floor, she removed her panties, then calmly folded the garments, setting them on the seat next to her. She was extremely nervous, but only a slight tremble gave away her inner feelings as she knelt in front of him.
He guided her hands together in front of her and wrapped a strip of silk around each wrist, then fastened a length of soft, silky rope around each wrist, taking his time with the knots, cinching them tight enough to be effective but not painful.
In between her wrists, he left a foot of loose rope. It seemed counterintuitive to bind someone’s wrists, then give them enough room in between to make them useless, but who was she to point out the obvious?
Her nipples hardened as the cool air inside the limo prickled her bare skin. Tilting her head back, she considered protesting once again then thought better of it when she glanced at his face. He was still really angry.
She hoped she hadn’t made a mistake in trusting him. She would take the punishment––then go back to her room until she figured out her next move. Let him think this punishment was going to keep her from doing exactly the same thing again, if given the chance.
Aurelia closed her eyes and focused on a happy place—anywhere but here—as he retrieved the next item from the cooler. “Get on your hands and knees.”
Reluctantly, she complied without a word.
“Good. You’re learning. Now, reach your hands out on the floor in front of you, and rest your head on your arms, with your bottom raised.”
Again, she complied. The position was humiliating, as she was sure he intended. She didn’t want to be there, and yet she could feel the beginnings of arousal. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping he wouldn’t notice.
No such luck.
He crouched down beside her hip, his hand unerringly finding her center. She was still tender down there, but that hadn’t stopped her from getting wet. “Do you like this punishment?”
She burned with embarrassment. “Can we just get this over with, please?”
“Very well.” He withdrew his finger then showed her what he was about to do next. From the cooler her retrieved a phallus made of solid glass and refrigerated, so that it would stay cold inside her until he was finished punishing her.
Something hot and needy woke inside her. Was he going to fuck her with that thing? Was she supposed to think it was a punishment?
“Spread your knees as wide as they will go, then leave them in that position so that I can insert this.”
Cheeks burning with heat, she spread her knees, exposing her feminine core. Cool air stroked her hot flesh, almost like fingers. Her inner walls clenched in reaction. How could air feel so erotic? She closed her legs, embarrassed and confused.
“No. Have you changed your mine? You wish to fight me first?”
Tears of embarrassment gathered in her eyes and dripped to the floor. This was going to be harder than she thought. “No. I do not want to fight with you.”
“Then follow my instructions. I said spread your knees as wide as they will go and leave them there. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I understand,” she whispered. Her entire body began shaking, unsure if she was more aroused or afraid as she reluctantly complied.
“Good.”
He coated the glass with lube, then positioned the tip at her entrance. She gasped. It wasn’t inside her yet, but the cold tip resting at her entrance was…delicious. Still, she was sore from losing her virginity. She really didn’t want anything in there, making it hurt worse. It was cold where it touched her, almost a relief, but having anything hard inside her was probably going to hurt right now. How could it not?
As Michalis began inserting the device, the invading coldness sent a jolt through her body that made her cry out––not in pain, as she expected, but in pleasure. She moaned. It was a bit like pouring ice water over a sunburn. The relief was instantaneous and a bit of a shock. The unyielding length stretched her tender canal, but it didn’t hurt.
She bit her lip, not wanting Michalis to see how much she was enjoying her “punishment”. If he did, he might decide to remove it. Dear god, it felt good.
Michalis pushed it the rest of the way in, triggering a wave of need that momentarily overpowered her humiliation. Cold! It was cold, and in a place that was never meant to be anything but hot. The pleasurable wrongness had her gasping. She was hyperaware of every inch inside her, even though it wasn’t moving. She knew exactly how deep he’d pushed it, where it was, and how her inner muscles were clenching around it. She couldn’t focus on anything else, her entire being zeroed in on what was inside her. Her pulse skyrocketed. Yes! Yes, please!
Dear god, what was happening? She shouldn’t want him to touch her, let alone fuck her brains out with that thing.
He held the cold shaft in place for a few more seconds before pulling it out abruptly, sending another moan escaping from between her lips. Slowly, he inserted it again. “Does it feel good, wife?”
She stayed silent, refusing to answer a question he already knew the answer to.
“You will leave this in until your punishment is over. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” God, yes!
“Good. I’m going to spank you now. You will remain here, with your bottom raised for your punishment, just like it is now.” He tapped on the flared end of the phallus that was too big to slip inside.
She could feel the vibration all the way to the tip, deep inside her. She had to bite her lip from crying out––begging for more.
“If you try to take this out, you will be punished.”
Shaking with sensations, she could barely nod. He thought she was going to try to take it out? Was he crazy? She may have been a virgin, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have any toys at home. When she got back to Houston, she was going straight to the naughty store. Oh, yes, she was.
Spank!
The first strike of his open hand against her bottom set her on fire, eliciting a yelp of surprise rather than pleasure.
Spank!
He switched to the other cheek.
Spank! Spank!
Her bottom burned hotter with each impact, but the difference in temperature between the icy device inside her and her burning ass sent chaos and confusion pounding through her body.
Was she on fire or freezing?
Her nerves were sending two very different signals to her brain, causing a short-circuit, full on meltdown. Every cell in her body was electrified, and he was just getting started.
“Oh god. What’s happening?”
Her nails dug into the palms of her hands as she attempted to ride out the intense sensations. What was wrong with her? She couldn’t control her breathing, it was choppy and ragged, her hips unconsciously rocking against the cool intrusion.
In response, Michalis spanked her even harder.
“Oh!” Aurelia's cry of both pain and pleasure mingled as a tidal wave of sensations rocked her. She’d never experienced anything like this before, the dual sensations setting off a chain reaction. Her inner muscles began contracting and releasing in sync with every fiery smack on her bottom, sending ribbons of desire spiraling outward, consuming her.
Tears streamed down her face; whether they were from pain or pleasure, she couldn’t tell. All she knew was that she was racing toward the most intense orgasm of her life, and to get there, she needed more––more spanks, more cold intrusion, more everything.
Abruptly, Michalis stopped spanking her and withdrew the device. What the fuck?! Confused, she didn’t protest.
“Get dressed.” He didn’t wait to see if she complied, instead turning to stow the items back in the cooler and snap it shut.
Not understanding, yet unwilling to ask––for answers, for more, for anything––she followed his command and put the panties back on.
Her bottom was on fire, especially without the cold to distract her, but the rest of her was extremely sensitive to every tiny sensation; the slightest brush of fabric against her nipples was almost unbearable.
Since her wrists were still bound, she couldn’t put the shirt on, so she had to get creative. With a little effort, she was able to tie the two sleeves in a knot. Then she worked it around to her back, leaving the bulk of the shirt hanging down in the front. Why he hadn’t untied her wrists was beyond her, unless the ‘lesson’ wasn’t over yet.
She’d be damned if she was going to ask––double damned if it was over. Wait. What the hell was she thinking? Of course she wanted it to be over. Didn’t she?
Next came the shoes. Why the hell not? He said get dressed, and she was wearing shoes when she got in the limo.
As soon as she looked up, as dressed as she was going to get, he reached into his pocket and withdrew a car key. Pressing the button, the doors to the limo unlocked. He stepped out, then offered his hand to help her out. With trembling fingers, she placed her hand in his and allowed him to assist her out of the car.
Once she was out, he dropped her hand, then immediately tunneled his hands into her long hair, slanting his lips across hers, invading her mouth, hot and needy, before she could protest.
Against all reason, she melted into the kiss, her softness yielding to his hard frame. Everything about her said yes. Her aching body, not in the slightest recovered from the near orgasm, rubbed enticingly against his, inviting, demanding more.
Yes, this is more like it! She stood on the tip of her toes to get closer, looping the rope behind his neck so that she could pull him down, sink her fingers into the back of his hair, get as close to him as she could, her breasts plastered against him, his hard length pressed against her belly. Her body was on fire. She didn’t care if they were enemies. She needed him inside her.
Suddenly, he tore himself away. Without so much as a backward glance, he began walking away.
“I––I don’t understand.”
Without turning around, he called over his shoulder, “You will.”
She stood there, on fire, alone, bereft, for a long time. Long enough to think about the lesson he wanted her to learn: enemy or not, he’d made sure they both knew without a shadow of a doubt that she wanted him just as much as he wanted her, and the only way he was going to finish what they started was if she followed him inside on her own.
There was no one around. No guards. No one making sure she didn’t run. And like an idiot, she’d stood there for twenty minutes, staring after him like a wounded puppy. The door to the limo was open, the key lay on the seat. She could try to escape again.
What was the point of running? She argued with herself. She couldn’t get far enough before he caught her again. Not today, anyway. Yes, she could steal the limo. How far would that get her? Assuming it had a full tank of gas, a couple hundred miles, at best? Then what? She would be in the same situation she’d just come from; no money and no phone, with an angry husband determined to catch her again. And what about tracking on the limo? It was modern and full of electronics, including GPS, so she couldn’t hide where she was going. Bottom line? She could run, if she was determined enough. She could take her chances. Which means if I walk back into the house now, it will be because I choose to do so of my own free will.
Oh, that’s messed up. Is that the lesson I’m supposed to learn? I’m supposed to stop fighting if I choose to stay? And if I want Michalis to finish what he started in the limo, what will that mean? That I accept our marriage, too? Want it?
And what the hell are the ropes supposed to mean? Why did he leave them on? They’re useless. She looked down at her wrists, stretched the joining foot of the rope until it was taut, then relaxed. Her chest began to tighten, her heart squeezing painfully as realization hit her. Bound, but free? Or I’m free to go, but I’m still bound?
She began to shake in earnest . Or both?
Rage burned inside her, and bile rose in the back of her throat. “He might think he’s won, but this isn’t over. Not by a country mile.”
Deliberately, she left the car door open and began walking toward the front of the house. If she was going in, she was going through the front goddamned door. Fuck Michalis! Fuck his lessons! And fuck his symbols! He can go to hell!
She smiled grimly.
He thinks he wants me here? He thinks he’s won? Bring it on, Michalis. This game is just getting started.