28. Chapter 28
Chapter 28
Grace
Victor sounds angry as he shouts my name from the bottom of his stairs, so I quickly say goodnight to Lili and head in his direction.
He is pacing at the foot of the stairs when I reach him, and I touch his arm to slow him down.
“Is everything OK?”
He stops and stares at me for a moment, as if he didn’t realize I was there. “It’s complicated, Mariposa. There are things you don’t know. And some things no one knows. And I suspect they are impacting all of this. We are missing essential information we need to figure out what to do next.”
“What can I do for you?”
He pulls me close for a hug and kisses the top of my head. “Just being here is enough, Grace.”
“You shouted my name to get me down here. What did you want?”
He shakes his head. “It’s hard to explain. Just your presence. Don’t trust Lili so easily. We’re both attracted to her, but we can’t let her get tangled up with us when we don’t know how well we can trust her.”
He’s right, but I’m comfortable with her, so it’s hard not to trust her at least a little. Still, I place a hand on his chest and let the warmth of his body connect with my palm as his heart races. As I take in a slow deep breath, he follows my lead and his heart beat slows to a steady rhythm. I like that I can calm him. “I won’t get tangled up with her, Victor. That’s kind of hard when we don’t even know how long she’ll be with us.”
He nods and kisses my forehead. “You should get some sleep.”
“Yes, Sir,” I murmur even though I’m not ready for sleep yet. “Which room should I take?”
“I would ask you to take mine, but I don’t think you will.”
The admission surprises me. “Would you be in your bed with me?”
He raises an eyebrow. “I honestly hadn’t gotten that far.”
“We really are in uncharted territory here, aren’t we?”
“Something like that.”
My stomach growls and Victor steps back and glares at me. “Lying to me, Mariposa? That’s not good.”
My face turns red, and I inwardly curse my stomach for betraying me. Before Owen arrived with Lili, Victor asked if I was hungry, but I put him off because I didn’t want him to make a fuss. My plan was to raid the fridge later.
He tugs me into the kitchen and points to the counter as he pushes me against it. “Lay your cheek on the counter, Grace.”
I obey as my heartbeat pounds in time with the pulsing between my thighs. “What should the punishment for lying be?” he muses out loud as he caresses my upturned bottom.
I’m not sure if he’s asking me or himself, so I stay quiet.
“First, tell me what you want to eat. I can order something, or I can cook, but whatever it is, you’re staying right there until it’s ready to eat.”
“What can you cook?”
“I can cook anything, Mariposa. Cooking is a hobby.”
I didn’t know that about him, but it shouldn’t surprise me. “What can you make quickly?” I ask, hoping I don’t sound too desperate.
He chuckles. “I can make huevos rancheros .”
My stomach grumbles again and he slams his hand into my ass. The skirt and panties I’m wearing dull the sting, but not much.
“That sounds good, Sir.”
Victor leaves me where I am, and moves around the kitchen, pulling out the stuff to cook with.
Then he’s behind me again. He lays a wooden spoon on the edge of the counter next to me and raises my skirt and hooks his fingers into the elastic of my panties.
“Before I cook, I’m going to warm up your ass, so you have something to think about while you’re eating, Mariposa.”
“Yes, Sir,” I murmur.
After lowering my panties to my knees, he picks up the spoon and rubs the smooth wood over my bare skin. I shudder as he drags it between my legs before pulling it away.
Then he slams it into my left cheek and immediately repeats the motion on the right. He spanks me for what feels like several minutes. Sometimes focusing on one spot and sometimes moving all around. But the pace stays fast and hard with no actual breaks between smacks. A true Victor-style punishment spanking. As he gets further into the spanking, he scolds me. Something he knows I hate but also find effective as punishment.
“Your health and safety are important to me, Gracelynn. As is your honesty. Lie to me again and you’ll wind up with a clothespin on your tongue. How do I trust you to serve me if you lie to me about your needs?”
Tears threaten to spill down my cheeks and I fight to hold them back. “I’m sorry, Sir. I just didn’t want to create more work for you.” My teeth are clenched as I try to breathe through the stinging pain.
“And yet here we are with me having to blister your naughty bottom instead of just feeding you and enjoying a meal together. Wouldn’t that have been better? Sometimes thinking of others means letting them help you, Grace. Remember that.”
“Yes, Sir,” I cry. “I’m sorry. Please, Victor. Cook for me. I’m sorry I lied.”
“Sir. You don’t get to call me Victor when you’re being punished.”
“Yes, Sir, I’m sorry,” I whimper as he peppers my thighs.
The stinging smacks stop and taps the insides of my thighs. “Spread your legs little butterfly. We have a little more to go.”
I spread my legs obediently, and he drags the spoon across my pussy and pulls it away. “You’ve left a wet spot on my spoon, Mariposa. Is punishment turning you on?”
“No, Sir. You are.”
He chuckles. “Good answer. Ten to each inner thigh and five to your wet little pussy and then you can lay here with your punished bottom on display while I cook for you.”
I whimper and nod for him to continue the punishment. “Yes, Sir.”
The inner thighs hurt the worst, and Victor doesn’t hold back just because it’s a more tender area. He does make sure to get through them quickly, and for that I’m grateful.
When he drags the spoon across my pussy again, he hums, and the sound makes me shudder. “I’m going to enjoy these five the most, Mariposa. I almost wish I’d promised you more.”
“You can give me more if it pleases you, Sir.”
He pats my pussy with the spoon and presses a kiss to my shoulder. “Such a good girl. This is a punishment, so you’ll get what I promised and no more. Maybe later we can explore how much pain you can take for me before I make you come.”
He repositions me so he has better aim with the spoon and smacks me hard between the legs. I cry out but stay in place, because staying in place is part of being a good girl, and I know that.
When the final stinging smack has been delivered, he lays the spoon across the small of my back and returns to the stove. “If the spoon falls, you’ll get extra.”
“Yes, Sir,” I whisper, doing my best to slow my erratic breathing.
Victor moves around the kitchen and soon the smells drifting into my nostrils have my stomach growling even louder.
“Oh! I’m so sorry. I’ll go back upstairs.”
I jump at the sound of Lili’s voice, but I don’t move. Victor would have considered Lili being in the house and decided he was comfortable with the risk.
Still, the way I jump sends the spoon clattering to the floor and I close my eyes, waiting for Victor’s reaction.
He squeezes my arm from his position by the stove before he moves a pan off the burner and comes around to pick the spoon up.
“Lili, I apologize for not giving you a heads up about what is happening between Grace and I.”
“It’s fine. This is your home. I’m the one intruding. The food just smelled so good, and I realized I haven’t eaten much today.”
He caresses a hand down my welted ass. “It’s a good thing we don’t have an understanding, or you would be joining Grace over the counter. Tell our guest why you’re being punished, Mariposa.”
My face heats despite being against the cool counter.
“Master Victor spanked me because I lied to him about being hungry.”
“He cares about you.”
“And what’s about to happen now?” Victor prods.
I sigh. “He’s going to spank me again because I was supposed to keep the spoon on my back until he was done cooking.”
Lili gasps. “Victor, please don’t punish her again. I’m the one who startled her.”
Victor taps my behind with the spoon. “Grace knows the rules. If I tell her she’ll be punished for something, then it happens. She knew you were here.”
Lili is quiet for a moment, and then she’s at my side. “Please tell me you’re OK with this Grace. If you are, I won’t say anything else.”
“May I look at her, Sir?”
“Of course, butterfly.”
I lift my head and turn it to the other side so I can see her. “I’m fine with this, Lili. Victor and I may be starting something new, but he knows my limits and my desires probably better than anyone. I want this. My goal is to please my Dom, and when I fail, I want to be punished.”
Lili beams. “Thank you. I will go back to my room.”
“Stay,” I whisper. “If you want to, that is.”
Victor clears his throat. “You did cause this after all. The least you can do is to be here to support Grace through her punishment.”
Lili brushes hair back from my face. “I can do that. May I hold your hands?”
I nod. “As long as Master Victor says it’s OK.”
Victor agrees and Lili comes around the counter so she can hold my hands out above my head.
“You have a choice, Mariposa. Inner thighs or bottom.”
“Inner thighs,” I whisper.
Victor has played this game before. If I choose my bottom, I’ll get way more extra smacks. But if I choose the one I know he really wants, he will reward me with fewer swats.
“Good girl. You please me. Seven to each thigh. Spread your legs nice and wide.”
The first one lands, and Lili squeezes my hands hard as I cry out. Something about having her here makes it hurt less. I’m not sure if that’s really the case or if it’s all in my head, but the punishment is over before I know it, and Victor is pulling me up and into his arms.
“Good girl. You took that well. I’m proud of you.”
I bury my face in his chest, suddenly embarrassed by Lili’s presence.
My shoulders instantly relax when she announces, “I’m going upstairs for a few minutes.”
Victor lifts my face to look at him and kisses me deeply. “Are you OK, Mariposa? We’ve not done a very good job of negotiating what our new dynamic will look like, and I just went with my gut.”
I smile up at him through tears. “I’m good, Sir. That was perfect. I’m sorry I lied to you about being hungry.”
“And Lili interrupting? Did I handle that all right?”
I nod. “It was different, but she was respectful, and I am confident that if I had used a safeword you wouldn’t have gone any further.”
He strokes my hair. “Good girl. Now give me your panties and get your bare bottom on that barstool so I can feed you.”
I hand him the panties from around my ankles and he stuffs them in his pocket. “What did you do with the ones from your desk the other day?” I ask as I gingerly sit on the barstool. My bottom stings as it comes into contact with the cold wood and Victor seems to enjoy my reaction. He winks at me as he returns to the stove and begins to plate food for me.
“I have them upstairs in my nightstand. And these are joining them.”
My face warms as he continues. “In fact, I think that’s a rule. If you’re wearing panties when I have to punish you, I get to keep them.”
“Yes, Sir,” I murmur as he slides a plate in front of me.
“Good. Do you mind if Lili joins us for food, or should I just take her a plate?”
“She can join.”
He kisses my cheek. “I’ll be right back. Go ahead and start eating.”
I slice my fork into the runny egg and fried tortilla and pop a bite into my mouth. My groan makes Victor chuckle as he makes his way up the stairs. I like it when he laughs. It’s not a sound I get to hear often enough.
A few minutes later he returns with Lili, and we sit in comfortable silence eating the delicious meal.
“You’re quite a cook, Victor. May I clean up?” Lili asks.
Victor looks at me and I shake my head. “I’ll do it. You can help if you want.”
Lili nods and Victor squeezes my hand. “I need to go check in with Owen. He should have had time to check the footage and license plates.”
When Victor is gone, Lili takes the barstool he was sitting on and touches my shoulder. “Was it really OK for me to be down here for that? It seems like I’ve gotten you in trouble a lot since I’ve been in your life.”
Her worries amuse me for some reason. “It’s really fine, Lili. In fact, I would say your presence has pushed Victor and I into a new phase of our friendship. Maybe even past the friendship phase. I’m not sure.”
“As long as you’re sure. And I really don’t mind cleaning the kitchen.”
“I get off on service,” I admit as I stand and begin clearing our plates. “I like doing things for my Dom. In the past, that has only been at the club with Victor. It’s thrilling to me to get to do things for him in his home. I’m learning that part of my service to him has to include letting him take care of me sometimes, too.
Lili laughs. “It must be nice to be able to come to that realization with someone you care about. I don’t think it’s ever crossed Phineas’s mind to take care of me beyond making sure I’m pretty for the camera. In his mind, I am a possession he purchased to aid his political career.”
My heart hurts for her. She’s so strong spirited, and the farthest thing from a possession. I hope that when this is all over, she’s able to be free of him forever.
“May I ask how you are an aide to his career?”
Lili rolls her eyes as she scrapes plates into the trash. “My father is a ranking member on several committees in the state legislature. The mayor of Las Vegas needs things from those committees. The relationship is somewhat symbiotic and by marrying me our families are connected.”
“Doesn’t anyone worry about how that looks to the voters?”
Lili scoffs again. “This is the state where conservative Christians run and profit off of the brothels they preach are evil in their churches. The ones who influence elections don’t give a damn what it looks like to voters. There is enough of the right money being passed around to grease the wheels of democracy that it doesn’t actually matter what they think.”
She sounds bitter, and I wonder if she’s always felt this way about politics, or if her illusions have been shattered so much that she is now jaded.
“I’m sorry, Liliana. I hope you’re able to escape and follow your dreams.”
“Will you be staying here while I’m here?”
Her question catches me by surprise. “For a little while, at least. My classes start soon, and I’ll need to be close to campus to attend those, but one of them is online.”
As we are finishing the kitchen, Victor returns. His expression is neutral, which tells me Owen didn’t have any bad news for him, so that’s good.
“Is everything OK?”
“The plates on all three cars were stolen. We don’t know what that means yet, but Owen is digging into it with Luke.”
“What does Luke do? I’ve figured out the rest of you, but not Luke.”
Victor laughs at Lili’s question. “He owns Four Aces VIP Transportation, but lately he helps Zara with her business and leaves the day-to-day operation of the limo service to his management team.”
“Smart man. I’ve used his company before. Had no idea.”
“It’s the best in the valley,” Victor says proudly. The pride in his voice kind of takes me by surprise. Victor and Luke often butt heads, and I’ve often gotten the impression that they are just tolerating each other because of their friendship with Matteo.
Lili winks at me before she turns to Victor. “I’m going to excuse myself so you can finish taking care of Grace.”
My face heats, but Victor flashes a wolfish grin in her direction. “I appreciate your astuteness.”
“I’ve had the pleasure of kissing her, so I understand your eagerness.”
“Oh my god. Can this get any more embarrassing?”
Victor raises an eyebrow. “I’m sure that could be arranged if that’s what you would like, Mariposa. You seemed to get off on Lili watching you take your punishment.”
My face feels like it’s on literal fire, and so do other parts of my body as I bury my face in my hands. “No, Sir. That won’t be necessary.”
“Good. But if you change your mind, humiliation is something I enjoy playing with, as I’m sure you’ve noticed at the club.”
“Emotional and physical sadism?” Lili questions. “That’s an intense combination.”
“Perhaps. But it produces the wettest little subs. Isn’t that right, Grace?”
I hate how right he is.
Lili’s laugh is music I could listen to on repeat. “I’ll excuse myself, but if you ever decide you want to explore having an audience, Grace, I would be happy to indulge.”
I give her a little wave as she heads up the stairs. Victor shakes with laughter as he motions for me to come and stand in front of him. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen your face so red, butterfly. Are you OK?”
“Yes, Sir. This is all just very overwhelming.”
“We should try and sleep. Will you come and lie with me? If something happens, I would rather not have to run all over the place to collect the two of you, and Lili is close enough to my room to hear if I shout.”
“I’ll lay with you.”
“Do you want more than sleep?”
I chew on my lip and look at him, trying to gauge why he’s asking.
“There is no wrong answer, Grace.”
“I do, but I’m not sure how much more,” I admit. “There is still so much unsettled between us.”
“How much needs to be settled for you to come for me like a good girl?”
It sounds like such a logical question. But my brain is mush, and I don’t want to do something that fucks up our friendship. Then again, how much more could an orgasm change things if him bending me over the kitchen counter for a spanking and then stealing my panties doesn’t impact things?
“I’ll come to bed with you, and we can decide what happens from there.”
He offers me his hand and together we walk up the stairs.
“I don’t have anything to sleep in.”
“You don’t need anything in my bed. Strip.”
I hesitate, and he pulls me to him. “Shall I do it for you, butterfly?”
I nod and raise my arms over my head so he can lift my shirt off.
The skirt and bra take him only a few seconds to discard, and my panties are still in his pockets as far as I know. When I’m naked, he pulls the blankets back and points at the pillow. “In you go.”
I climb into bed and watch as he undoes his tie. Suddenly, I want to do something for him.
“May I?”
He stops with the loosened tie still around his neck. “May you what?”
“May I undress you and put your clothes away?”
He understands the nature of my question immediately and nods.
“Thank you, butterfly. You take good care of me.”
I pull the tie from around his neck and then reach for the buttons on his shirt. When they’re undone, I pull his jacket off and lay it on the bed. I’m surprised to be met with a shoulder holster. I shouldn’t be shocked that Victor is armed, but I didn’t think about that when I offered to undress him. He pulls the gun and holster off himself and lays them on the bed next to his jacket.
His shirt comes off next and then I reach for his belt, but he stops me. “Empty my pockets first.”
“Yes, Sir.” I slide my hand into one pocket and come out with his wallet and keys. He points me to a bowl on the dresser by the door and I deposit them there before returning to empty the other pocket. My hand comes into contact with my panties and my face heats again. His phone is also there. I remove both items and put the phone on the charger on his side of the bed.
“Top drawer. Put them with the other pair.”
When I pull the drawer open and find my red panties sitting on top of a notebook. A small gun safe sits next to it. I return to him, and this time he doesn’t stop me from undoing his belt. I pull it free and my pussy clenches as I remember the times he’s used it on me in his office at the club.
“Do you need a taste of that tonight?” he asks, nodding at the leather in my hands. It’s a sincere question and not a threat.
I lay it aside and reach for his zipper. “No, Sir. You took care of me quite well in that department downstairs.”
He chuckles. “I figured as much. Just thought I would check. It’s important to me that you have your needs met, butterfly.”
As I’m about to push his pants down, I realize he is still in socks and shoes, so I bend to remove those, but he slips out of the shoes before I can get all the way down.
He lets me remove his socks and add them to the clothes pile.
When I stand again, I push his slacks down over his hips and lick my lips when his boxer briefs come into view. They hug everything in a way that leaves little to my imagination, and I want to reach between his legs and cop a feel, but I resist. We’re still sorting out how sexual our relationship is going to be, and I don’t want to be too forward.
I go to remove his underwear, and he stops me.
“No fair,” I say with a pout. “If I have to be naked, so do you.”
He laughs. “Is that how submission and service work now? I wasn’t aware the rules had changed.”
I stick my tongue out at him, and he reaches out to pinch my nipple. “That’s enough sass from you, young lady. You’re not usually a brat.”
“No. But I do like to have fun with you.”
His grin is all the reward I need.
“Fine. If the underwear is staying on, where do you want me to put your clothes?”
“You can hang the jacket with the others in my closet. I wasn’t in the casino today, so it doesn’t smell like smoke. The rest go in either the hamper or the dry-cleaning bag.”
I put the clothes in their appropriate places and return to find him lying on the bed with the blankets pulled back, waiting for me to join him.
I climb in and snuggle close to him with a yawn, and he nips at my ear with his teeth.
“We’ll sleep now, and you can come for me in the morning.”