49. Keegan
Of all the stupid fucking bullshit I’ve ever heard, this tops the goddamn list. I pinch the bridge of my nose, disgust rolling through me. I rarely give out punishments when I’m angry, for damn good reason. But this? I can’t let it stand.
You cannot claim loyalty and love, and then turn and yank it away when someone doesn’t dance to the music you hear.
And fuck if I’ll let my Boy ever make someone feel less.
He’d never accept it with Cole. Just because his former Master is undergoing a process of learning who he is…
Fuck. I look away from Marcus, ashamed of my Tease for the first time in our relationship, and I hate it.
I gesture for him to follow me, unable to speak until I calm down. I focus on my breathing as we head toward our suite. I’m damn glad that he knows to give me this space, because I’ve fucked up once before in our relationship when it comes to punishments, and I will not do that again.
However, that does not mean I’ll make this easy.
He will fucking learn that he can’t claim love if there’s no acceptance behind it.
And it’s the one thing I can give back to Sandro, for not only forgiving me, but embracing me.
I may not have understood the Martelli ways, but after paying my dues, he never once disrespected me, or my relationship with Marcus.
I point to the bed, letting him sit for a moment as I start preparing for his punishment. I open the closet door and take out a blindfold. Without a word, I put it on him. Then, turning back, I head to the closet again. This time, I unlock the case where I keep some of the more interesting toys.
After the rice incident, I decided that I didn’t want to have to ask the kitchen for rice each time, not to mention dealing with cleaning up afterward.
A quick online search led me to a kneeling pad that mimics the fun—for me—of the sensation.
I grab both pads. Taking them to the large bathroom, I lay them down.
I make sure they are far enough apart that he’ll have to stretch his body.
I then backtrack and grab the instrument he hates the most, mentally thanking Sandro for the information.
I knew it would come in handy at some point.
I’m still not a fan of using instruments, but fuck if it isn’t worth it at times.
Placing it to the side of the doorway, where it’ll be hidden by the open door, I decide it’s time to invite Marcus to take his punishment.
Snorting softly at the thought, I head back toward him. I take the blindfold off, wanting to look in his eyes. He doesn’t hesitate to meet my gaze, although red stains his cheeks, and the shame on his face is obvious. It doesn’t matter, though. Not when he needs this lesson reinforced.
I cup his cheek gently, blowing out a breath to rid myself of the last bit of my anger. Still, my voice is steely as I say, “I am disappointed in you, Marcus.”
He flinches at the use of his name, and while I feel for him, he needs to know how seriously he messed up. His eyelids close, as if the pain is too unbearable. I kiss his forehead, trying to reassure him. Letting him soak in my love, I try to put into words how I feel.
“I need you to understand that what you did crossed a line. It was hurtful to someone you claim to care about. What if that was Cole? After the trauma he’s been through? What if his friends made him feel like shit because he wasn’t acting the way they believed he should? How would you feel?”
His sharp indrawn breath is enough, especially when he opens his eyes and I see the panic and guilt warring inside him. Shaking his head, he opens his mouth, but I stall him. I’m not interested in hearing his excuses right now.
“No. I’m not done yet. Remain silent, because you haven’t earned the right to defend yourself.
The mere idea that you think you can… This is the man who saved your life.
More than once. He took a bullet that was meant for you.
And he stepped in to try to protect your daughter.
He has done everything he could, and the moment he opened up…
the moment he offered vulnerability, friendship at being on the same level as you, you all attacked.
“What did he do to deserve that? Where is that loyalty that he swears his Boys have? You ask him to be Il Padrone, but you’ve turned your back on the values he taught you.
So, while I’m tempted to give him the right to punish you, I won’t force him to take up that mantle.
Instead, I’ll stand for him, since he didn’t. ”
Marcus’s shoulders drop and he nods, accepting what’s coming.
It’s not going to be fun for him, but he’ll take it.
And afterward, it’ll hopefully help him let go of the guilt.
Because that, at least, Sandro and I have always been in agreement with.
Once a punishment is over, that’s it. The slate is wiped clean.
I take his hand, helping him off the bed before stripping him and leading him toward the ensuite.
It’s still crazy how much room there is in there.
And while I’m sure we’d both feel more comfortable in our room, I need him to feel the distinction between the warmth of what we have and the coldness of the bathroom.
He grew up forged in ice, and his family’s failure honed that, but Il Padrone offered warmth. He turned from it. And now it’s my turn to remind him of that.
“Alright. Hands and knees.”
His whimper as he follows my instruction is a shot of pleasure to me.
The sadist in me doesn’t play often, but fuck if he hasn’t earned this.
The pads must be biting into both his knees and hands, especially the way I have him stretched out to make sure he is touching both.
It’s a balancing act, because he knows better than to go off the mats.
I partially close the door and grab hold of the cane. Swallowing, I touch it lightly. Sandro taught me to use it properly, but I’m still not overly experienced with it. And this will be the hardest use of it yet. Still, he’s earned his stripes.
“Alright, before we begin, I have one more direction. I want you to come. I’m not going to do anything to help you with that.
But one hand must remain on the mat at all times.
And the punishment only stops when you orgasm.
Because I want you to remember that you got pleasure from someone else’s pain.
So you can pleasure yourself while you suffer. ”
It’s a slight riff on something Lio did to Ignacio, but fuck if that wasn’t a lesson that stayed with me. The mindfuckery of such a punishment… And this is the perfect time to use it. Especially, as I’m making it worse since I refuse to offer any help. He’ll have to do it all himself.
I let him get started, as he takes one hand to begin stroking himself. It’s a pain-filled groan he gives me as his weight shifts on the unforgivable mat. But that’s what I want. To have that pleasure, he has to cause himself pain.
As his breathing speeds up and his cock becomes half-hard, it’s time to step up the next part of the punishment. Carefully, I line up the cane with his ass, and using my wrists for control and power, I smack him with it—hard.
Cold caning. No warm up. Just pain.
“Fuck!” he screeches as he falls forward, his hand coming off his dick to slam down on the pad, as his weight is unbalanced.
“Remember, this won’t end until you come,” I grit out again, as I begin to lay the stripes down.
It doesn’t take long before he’s crying, because I’m not gentle. I pause every three to give him a slight break, and he catches on to my rhythm. Exactly as I planned. So the next time he thinks there’s a pause, and he speeds up his strokes, I keep going.
It forces him again to be off balance, and his erection flags. Tsking, I pause, careful as I don’t want to do any major damage, but fuck if I’ll let him get out of this.
“You’re going to want to push through. Find your balance, Tease. Because if you don’t, this won’t end.”
He’s panting and his body is taking on a sheen from sweat, but he nods, his hand shaking as he strokes himself again.
I’m sure the lack of lube isn’t helping either.
For a moment, I consider offering some, but it would only hurt him if he loses his balance again.
I can’t imagine skidding on that raised pad with a slippery hand. Ouch. I’m not that sadistic.
Once I’m satisfied that he’s fully erect again, I restart. I lay down stripe after stripe. I vary the rhythm and the strength of each hit. Thankfully, he does find his balance. Desperation works, I guess…
“That’s it, Tease,” I murmur. “Show me you can follow instructions. That you can take your punishment.”
His breath hitches, and I know he’s finally getting close. Thank fuck. I let my rhythm become steady, as the marks are already deep enough and I don’t want to push him too much harder now that he’s close.
I wish I could see his face, to watch the confusion of pain and pleasure dance on his expressions. Next time I do something like this, I’ll definitely make sure I have a mirror where I can see him. Because fuck wouldn’t that be intoxicating…
He moans, his entire body shaking now with the need to come, and the stress of what he’s being put through. Bracing myself, I give him a hard smack as I demand, “Come! Come for me, now!”
And that’s it. He breaks. Both as cum splatters on the floor and he begins sobbing, begging. That’s exactly what he needed.
I stamped my ownership on his body and soul. And now, it’s time to put him back together. To remind him how much I love him. Because I do…just as I know Sandro does. And he’ll forgive Marcus. But first, my Tease had to see what he did wrong, and, like he’s been taught, take the punishment.
I let him sob as I gather what I need for aftercare. The cream for his bruises. The wet towel to clean him. Eventually, I manage to get him up off the floor and help rub him down, pulling him into my arms. As I guide him into the bedroom, he sighs in relief.
“Thank you,” he whimpers before another round of tears fall.
Stopping for a moment, I kiss him lightly, tasting the salty regret on his face. I resume walking toward our bed while whispering, “Always, Tease. I love you. And I’ll always be here to help guide you.”
Because that’s what this is. It’s not about cruelty. It’s not even just a punishment. I gave him what he needed: a way to work out the guilt. And now I reap the benefits by being able to spoil him, to give him the aftercare he deserves for being such a great submissive, and for suffering for me.
We opened our dynamic for Carter, and I’m so grateful for that. But Marcus still owns part of my heart. Not more or less than Carter, but his place will never be in doubt. Even if he fucks up occasionally… Because that’s all of us in life.