Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Kronos
Leaning against the back of his seat, Kronos’ eyes flitted closed. He had no business bringing a mortal to his parlor. He’d never done so in all the centuries he’d brought them to his realm, so what had possessed him to buck the trend with Kristina?
The answer came to him as soon as he opened his eyes. Catching her lower lip between her teeth, the reason was kneeling right by his feet.
He wasn’t entirely certain what it was about her that had rewired his logic and permitted him to break the few rules he’d held dear, but there was irrefutably something.
Something not only about the way she looked, but about her smart mouth, as well.
The way her lips often yelled no, when her body so vehemently said yes.
The fact that she was a magnificent contradiction.
She was the challenge he’d long yearned for but had never met in person.
Until then.
He spread his legs against the side of the vast chair before reaching forward to beckon her. “Come here.”
One index finger summoned her, and his cock hardened when she crawled closer. With her silky mane of blonde hair and long, slender limbs, she could easily have been mistaken for a feline, and when she settled by his shins, he swore he saw seduction in her eyes.
“What do you want me to do, Master?” Her gaze fell hungrily to his shaft, her intentions obvious.
“I want you on all fours.” He smirked at the way her expression fell. Apparently, his kitten had thought she was there for carnality, and much though he appreciated the thought, he was happy to disappoint her. “Between my feet.”
“But I am between your feet, Master.” Her gaze flitted to his.
“Not like that.” He gestured for her to turn. “I said on all fours, and I want your head on this side.” He snapped his fingers by his left knee. “And your toes by my right foot.”
She glanced toward his feet as though the instruction didn’t make sense.
“Do you need further clarification, Kristina?”
He was doing his best to maintain his composure, but watching her faltering expression was more stimulating than it should have been. Sitting there naked meant that every throb of his engorging cock was there for her to witness.
“I… d-don’t understand, Master.” Her attention darted from the swelling organ to his face.
“This is the outcome.” He intentionally slowed his words again, attempting to quell his rising ardor while he explained. “Whilst I am keen for your understanding, it is not essential, little one. Now kindly do as you’re told.”
He had no plans to intensify her penance. There had been no plan to bring her there to punish her at all, but if she kept stalling and taunting him with her furtive glances, then she would leave him no choice.
As though she sensed the ultimatum, she turned between his feet as he’d suggested, her head falling as she shifted onto her hands and knees.
From his position on the chair, she looked sublime.
Her hair tumbled forward, her breasts hanging beneath her as her flawless back rose to create the perfect place for him to rest.
“Thank you. Now we both have time to think.” He lifted one leg, placing it gently on the small of her back. He hadn’t intimated his intentions to use her as a footrest, so he watched her reactions with interest.
She stilled at the move, her head rolling in his direction. “What are you—”
“Silence.” His tone was soft, but firm. “I have no wish to enforce your compliance again, but you know if you force my hand, I shall.”
Wide-eyed, she glared at him, her cheeks reddening through the curtains of her glorious tresses.
“You can’t mean to use me this way,” she whispered, heaving in a breath as though his one calf was somehow harming her.
Kronos was taking every care to make sure she was looked after. She would tolerate the weight of his ankles while he rested—that was the price of her insubordination—but he wouldn’t do anything to harm her in the process.
“Do I need to use that silencing spell?” he barked, vexed that she’d spoken despite his caution.
Her brows knitted at his query, and shaking her head, she shifted her attention back between her palms.
“Better,” he praised, although his voice remained terse. “And yes, this is precisely what I intend.”
He raised his right leg to reiterate the point, placing it lightly beneath her shoulder blades to help distribute his weight. “You make the most incredible footrest, so while I think, you shall be useful.”
She panted at his verdict, her spiking heart rate confirming that acting as his footrest had not been what she’d expected.
No doubt she’d assumed he would tug her back over his knees for another chastening with his palm, and naturally, that had been a tempting proposition.
Kronos hadn’t been joking about requiring time to think, though, and the best way he knew to ruminate was to take the weight off his feet in his parlor.
Normally, he would have done so once his mortal companion had been suitably tired out and put to bed for the night, but with Kristina’s antics and Shelley still to see to, that rest might not be forthcoming.
That was why he’d brought her there, breaking his routine while simultaneously humbling the woman who’d been sent to both enthrall and confront him.
“And do not forget my order.” Fidgeting on his chair, he eased his head back onto the rest at his neck.
“While you bear my feet, you shall also think upon your mistakes, little one. There will be no more defiance at mealtimes, and, if you’d like to sit comfortably again, you shall learn my rules by heart. ”
She blew out a breath; the only passable sign of defiance he’d allowed her.
His lips curled at the sound. It was oddly consoling to know that even as he humbled her, she was still filled with rebellion.
Knowing that she was well as she endured was reassuring and meant he could focus on deciding what to do next.
When he’d responded to her initial message, he’d assumed Kristina was like all of the other women he’d captured and curtailed; feisty at first, but easily sculpted. In the limited time he’d had her there, though, she’d systematically resisted every convention he’d set.
She’d woken earlier than he’d anticipated, contesting his sleeping charm. She’d taken her first spanking better than he’d imagined, and whether she understood her body’s response or not, her eagerness to ride his cock afterward suggested she hadn’t loathed the ordeal.
Then there were his feelings. He frowned at the awareness, grateful that she couldn’t discern the gesture.
On a long enough timeline, he’d grown fond of Shelley and the others, but he’d never experienced the same sense of longing that bloomed in the pit of his chest for Kristina.
He’d definitely never known anything as intense, let alone as fast as the rush of emotions she inspired.
It wasn’t only that he yearned to be inside her again, though clearly, her physical allure was a motivation.
It was also her beguiling nature that held such appeal.
The fact that she was such an intelligent paradox roused him just as much as her fabulous body did.
In Kristina, he’d found a woman he wanted to know better as well as dominate.
His gaze settled on her, trying to read her body language and see if she was coping with the weight of his feet.
Focus fixed on the rug between her hands, she appeared steadfast and calm.
Only her racing pulse revealed what she might have been truly feeling beneath his heels, although whether its acceleration was motivated by anger, arousal, or some other emotion, he couldn’t say.
He needed the benefit of her alluring eyes to be able to read her properly, and that wasn’t an option for the time being.
“How are you doing down there, little one?”
His brow rose as the question left his lips.
Even that need to check in with her was unusual.
Normally, if a penalty was due, he’d have had no qualms about delivering it in a timely manner with the appropriate levels of vigor.
With her, however, he wanted to know she was managing, not only so that he could revel in her dismay, but also to ensure her safety.
“Am I allowed to speak, Master?”
He could hear the resentment in her tone, but his erection strained at the way she asked for permission to answer. Despite his spiraling responses, she was still falling into line wonderfully, and she was doing so in record time.
Everything she’d achieved in such a short time amazed him, setting her head and shoulders apart from those who’d gone before her. All that accomplishment had led them to that moment, with her acting as his footrest while he contemplated how to proceed.
“Yes, tell me.”
He attempted to keep his tone even and not reveal how badly he wanted her, though she’d noticed his interest before he directed her to her hands and knees.
“I can’t believe you’re making me do this.” Her shoulder muscles tensed at the admission, shaking as though all her angst was trapped in them.
“That wasn’t the question.” He glanced to his right hand, instructing his riding crop to materialize in his palm.
The crop was custom-made for the purpose of keeping his pretty footrests in line, its handle elongated, allowing him to reach the tantalizing ass on display without needing to move in his chair. “I suggest you answer me.”
Unaware of his devious scheme, she shook her head. “I don’t know what you want me to say. This is horrible!”
He couldn’t resist the smirk that painted his face.
“I want the truth.” His reply was intentionally gruff. “Are my feet too heavy for you?”