Chapter 16 Atticus
Atticus
“Maybe I want to play a game, get my ass turned bright red, and get my throat fucked, sir.” Phoenix stares up at me with a trace of defiant mischief.
The way she says sir sends a clean shock through me. Still, I have a part to play. I cross back to the bench, sit, and point to the ground between my feet. “Crawl.”
This time she obeys—kind of. She crawls slowly, pausing every few paces. When she kneels on her mark, she looks up and meets my gaze instead of keeping her eyes cast down.
I take the back of her head and correct her posture. She huffs—enough to grate on my nerves but not enough to earn punishment. She’s making me work for full control. Good girl. It wouldn’t be satisfying if she gave in too easily.
“We’re going to play a game called Treasure Map. Ever heard of it?”
She shakes her head and tries to look up. I hold her down.
“I’ve hidden a present for you in this room. Your job is to find it. I’ll give you directions that you will follow exactly. If you mess up or disobey me, you start over. Do you want to play?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. The rules.” I let go of her head, and she immediately looks at me and rolls her eyes.
“Rules?” She pouts.
“Yes, Kitten. More rules.” I grip her chin—firm enough to make her wince, but not hard enough to bruise. “You don’t stand unless I tell you to. You don’t speak unless I ask a question. Every time you mess up, the punishment gets worse.”
“Fine,” she continues to pout, but all it does is turn me on.
I shift her forward until her weight is off her heels and on her knees, the perfect specimen with her ass in the air, and slap her bare skin. “What did I say about speaking?”
She stays quiet, so I spank the other cheek.
“You said not to talk—” she blurts.
“Unless?”
Her eyes widen. “Unless you ask a question, sir.”
“Color?”
“Green, sir.”
“Good girl. Any questions before we begin?”
“What did you hide?”
“A gift,” I say simply, then move to the far wall. “Ready?”
“Yes, sir,” she says, shifting onto her hands and knees.
“Take three moves forward.” I lean and watch the way she moves—the hint of her breasts at the neckline, the slight shake in her thighs.
“Now left two paces.”
She shuffles two, then sneaks forward one.
“Stop. Back to the start.”
She shoots me a heated glare—enough to earn the next punishment. I say nothing, push her to sit up, and rip the white shirt straight down the middle. “Only good girls get clothes.”
“But I—”
Her protest dies when I push her forward and smack her ass again. “Make me correct this one more time and it won’t be your ass I’m spanking. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
I have her crawl the room for another fifteen minutes, resetting her every few instructions. My handprint glows on her creamy skin. Tears trail down her cheeks and her mascara runs. She looks ruined in the best possible way.
Almost. That lipstick will be wrecked soon enough, though.
“Okay, Kitten. Three more steps forward and reach into the top drawer.”
She follows the instruction, and warmth settles in my chest—the clean line of control when everything obeys me.
I don’t break my little kitten. I tame her.
I own her—at least for now. We’ll see how long she lasts. The others might have a claim too, but here, in this moment, she’s only mine. She bends to my will alone and it’s the most erotic thing I’ve ever seen
She sits back on her heels with two black velvet boxes in her hands, eyes on the floor first, then rising through her lashes. She doesn’t dare speak.
“Come here, Kitten. Bring the boxes.” She hugs them to her chest with one arm and crawls to me with the other.
I spread my thighs so that she can kneel between my feet and hold out the boxes.
“Which would you like to open first?” I ask.
“The smaller one, please. Sir.” The words are barely a whisper.
“Color?”
“Green.” Still quiet. I tip her chin to meet her eyes. Nothing but need and desire. There’s no fear, no trepidation. She plays her part perfectly and as far as I can tell, loves it.
She truly loves every depraved second.
It makes my heart—no. Not that. It makes my brain stutter for a moment, pause for just long enough to stop and think about what it all means.
This girl submits beautifully to my control, soothes Storm’s rage, challenges Con, and matches both Mav’s playful nature and his depth. She really is the perfect woman for all of us.
But keeping her means that we’re playing with fire. I’ve seen how trusting someone turns into disaster, how affection sours.
And yet…even knowing that, I don’t want to let her go. How do I keep someone who enthralls me enough to risk everything?
How do we all?
“Good girl,” I murmur, running my thumb over her cheek. I hand her the smaller gift. “Open it.”
She lifts the lid and I smile when her eyes go wide.
It isn’t my first choice—a true collar will have to wait. I will collar only one woman in my life, and Phoenix hasn’t earned it.
I don’t know if she’ll ever earn it.
Destroying me is one thing, but the others… When the time is right, she’ll run—or she won’t. I refuse to make commitments until then, even though part of me loves the idea of her wearing my collar.
And a huge part of me rejects the idea that anyone else but her will ever be good enough to even consider giving a collar.
I take the box and lift a dainty gold chain from its bed of velvet. The pendant is a phoenix—sleek swirls and lines—with a diamond at the center. Only a few carats. Phoenix isn’t a woman for big, flashy rocks.
“Do you like it?” I hold it up. “Be honest. I’ll know if you lie.”
“It’s perfect,” she says, reaching out, then jerking her hand back.
“No, the necklace is just pretty. You. You’re perfect. Would you like to wear it?”
“I…I don’t…no one’s ever bought me jewelry.” She frowns. “I don’t think I even own any jewelry.”
I ignore the stab in my chest and nod, motioning her to turn and lift her caramel hair. The necklace settles just below her clavicle and catches the dim light.
“Would you like to see what’s in the other box, Kitten?”
Her fingers rest on the pendant and her gaze is faraway. I don’t need to hear in words whether or not she likes it. And yet—
I can see what it means. I wish I had bought her something more expensive, now.
“It’s just a necklace, Phoenix.”
“I—” Her lips clamp shut. “No, it’s not just a necklace. It’s…you don’t understand—”
“Tell me.” It’s not a question.
“I want to thank you for this gift first.” Her pupils are blown. I run my thumb over her bottom lip, smearing that dark pink.
“You will, Kitten. I should confess—the other gift benefits me as much as you.” I hand her the box.
Inside, on a red silk pillow, rests a silver plug with a crystal base. Her eyes go wider and she bites her lip.
“Stand up and go to the black bench on that wall. Legs spread with your hands flat on the bench.”
Like the perfectly obedient girl she is, Phoenix doesn’t move—until I add, “Now, Kitten.”
In seconds she’s there. I take my time, letting anticipation chew through her.
Her pussy gleams even in low light. I run two fingers down her spine, over her ass, to her wet heat. Then I follow with the plug.
She whimpers. The metal is cold—I kept it in the freezer before boxing it. I wanted chilled pressure on heated skin.
I drag and twist the plug through her pussy until it’s slick and heavy.
“What’s your safe word, Kitten?”
“Titans.”
As she answers, I press the plug into her ass and watch her body tense and then relax around it.
“My greedy little kitten likes to be filled. The question is: do I fuck your pretty little pussy first, your bratty mouth, or make good on my promise?”
“What promise, sir?” she asks, voice quivering.
“The night we punished you, I promised to show you how pain gives way to pleasure.” I draw small circles over her clit.
“While I watched Maverick fuck your pretty face, I promised to lead you into subspace and hold you there until it broke you—until you could see sound and taste color. Kitten, I can make you float in a sea of pure ecstasy, if you’re brave enough to let me. ”
“Please,” she breathes.
Our game has her warm already. A few smacks with the paddle—maybe the belt—and I could put her on the St. Andrew’s cross. I’m not ready for the whips tonight, but she can take a flogger, clamps, and the alternation of tongue, cock, and strike.
Phoenix is the kind of woman who will wear my lashes with pride. My goal isn’t just to make her come or hold pleasure back. I want her to feel everything—each sensation melting into the others until she can’t tell them apart.
“I don’t know. Do you deserve it?”
“Yes. Please, sir. I’ll be so good for you. I’ll do anything.”
“Anything, really?” Hearing her beg while her cunt clenches around nothing makes me light-headed. My cock has never been harder. If I bring out the flogger, we’re in for a long session. I have to pace myself.
I take off my shirt and pants, place them over the chair, and step behind her again.
“I still don’t know if you deserve it. You were such a fucking brat.” I slam into her. She gives a silent scream. “That’s it, Kitten. Not a sound.”
I thrust into her over and over. Her body shakes with need and answers perfectly, every time. She tries to keep control. She doesn’t come. She doesn’t make a sound. Her stubbornness drives me to push harder.
Then I pull out.
“No—” she whines.
I slap her ass, then land a sharp smack to her pussy so hard that she clenches her teeth.
“I don’t know if you deserve nirvana today. You were such a bad girl—and look at this mess you made.” I circle to the front of the bench and show her how wet my cock is from her. “What am I going to do with you?”
“Let me make it better,” she says, eyes on my cock. “Let me clean up my mess. I can show you how good I can be. Please?”
Has any woman ever begged sweeter?
“Do it.”
The instant the words leave my mouth, her hot, greedy lips seal around my dick, swallowing me down. God, this woman sucks cock like she was made for it. Her whole body leans into it, but her hands never leave the bench.
“Good girl,” I pant. I wasn’t planning to come down her throat, but maybe I should. It would clear my head for the punishment that has to come next. “That’s right, Kitten. Show me how much you want me to punish you, fuck you, claim you.”
She sucks harder. Her cheeks hollow as she swallows every inch.
Just as I’m about to tell her to stop and put her on the cross, a loud banging rattles the door.
“Fuck off,” I yell.
The door opens anyway, and Con stands there, pissed.
“That is not fucking off,” I say.
Con doesn’t look at Phoenix. He knows in this room she is mine, not ours.
“I’m sorry, man. I can’t. Cops are here, demanding to talk to all of us at once. Lawyers say comply, but don’t answer anything.”
“Fuck. Okay, let me deal with her and then—”
“They want her, too.” Con looks even more upset about that than I am.
“Of course they fucking do.” I sigh. “We’ll be out in a minute.”
Con closes the door.
I hate ending a scene, and I hate that once again I don’t get to take care of her after. Even more, I hate that she’s probably going to end up getting the care she needs from Storm or fucking Maverick.
“Stand up, Princess.” The tension crawls back into my shoulders, knot by knot.
“No,” she says, staying put.
“Phoenix, the scene is over. We need to—”
“No.” She slams her hands on the bench. “I didn’t use the safe word. You haven’t finished either. Fuck me. I don’t care if you come inside me or down my throat, but I’m not leaving this room until you are at least sated, if not satisfied. Until you give me what we both fucking need, sir.”
“Phoenix—” It’s a warning; I expect obedience.
“No.” She meets my eyes with wicked determination. She needs this as much as I do.
I may not get to take care of her after, but I won’t leave my little kitten wanting—unless it’s deserved.
“Fine. This has to be fast, so I won’t take it easy. It’s going to be fast and brutal.” I line up behind her, the head of my cock at her entrance, then lean over her, chest to her back. “Remember that you asked for this.”
“Like you would take me any other way,” she scoffs.
There she is—kitten back in brat mode—giving me the perfect excuse to pour my irritation and anger into her tight body. Here I am, thinking I’m taking care of her, when really she’s taking care of me.
“Good girl.” I kiss the nape of her neck and push into her. I’m brutal, chasing my high and making sure she follows.
She tries to swallow her sounds again, but that’s not what I want anymore.
I push harder, faster, until every one of them breaks past her lips.
I force her body to come for me, again and again, stretching one orgasm into the next.
Sweat slicks her back while my heart pounds in my chest and my thighs burn as I drive into her.
When she drops from hands to forearms, I know she’s close to the edge, and I give in, spilling into her tight heat.
My lungs burn as badly as my thighs, but there’s no time to rest. I take her to my shower, and we run our hands over each other in silence, washing sweat and sex away, then step out and dress.
She leaves the plug in and shoots me a saucy wink before walking out.
A rare smile pulls at the corner of my mouth as I think of all the ways I’m going to punish her for that later, and I’m still smiling as we walk into the living room.
“Oh, look.” A short, fat cop reeking of cheap cologne and failed departmental hierarchy glances up from his phone with an annoyed look. “Here’s one chick they haven’t killed yet.”