There was a five-alarm fire blazing on her ass. Searing and scorching her skin. Sylvie punched and scratched at his leg, but she was weak as a kitten and her feeble attempts to ward him off scarcely fazed him at all. Her stomach churned in protest as it pressed against his unyielding thigh. Her head was pounding. It felt as though it would explode any minute. She had what her brothers used to refer to as a ‘killer’ hangover. She used to taunt them the morning after they’d gone off on a bender. She’d barge into their rooms, banging pots and pans, and yelling at the top of her lungs for them to get their sorry, hungover asses out of bed. She’d thought their misery laughable. But having a hangover didn’t seem quite so funny now that she had one! It was awful! She felt like shit! Not just regular shit, but shit that had been stomped on and squished. Perhaps a little mercy would be in order here! Especially considering how bad she felt—like death was imminent! But the sadistic son of a bitch wouldn’t let up on her. He was relentless in his desire to punish her for her ‘foolishness.’ He’d been ranting about her misbehavior for the last 20 minutes, haranguing her for breaking his precious rules.
OK, to be fair, she had to admit that this was a misery of her own making. But what was she…a three-year-old? He was displeased…so what? Get over it already!
Connor repeatedly reprimanded her for breaking rule number 2, insisting it was the most important rule of them all. She’d disregarded her personal safety!
Big fucking whoop!
She’d been out after dark without his permission and without being accompanied by him or someone designated by him to look after her. ‘That is wholly unacceptable!’ he informed her. A volley of hard whacks imparted the lesson to her cringing behind.
Sylvie’s legs pedaled wildly, kicking and scissoring the air, in a vain attempt to break free of his hold. She used every ounce of her strength, but she couldn’t escape him. Desperate, her fists repeatedly pummeled his calf, but with little effect. She punched him harder, but instead of relenting, it just made him spank all the harder.
The little minx was trying to kick him. Evidently he wasn’t spanking hard enough! He lifted his right leg and threw it over both of hers, trapping and immobilizing them. His left hand was pressed into the small of her back, holding her in place. She was going nowhere! Sylvie rocked and squirmed as he beat out a painful cadence on her vulnerable backside. She sobbed and wailed and begged him to stop, but he ignored her.
Connor intended to put an end to this kind of unruly, rebellious behavior, here and now. And if roasting her bottom was the only way to get through to her, so be it!
He informed her that she’d trashed rule number 5 too. The one concerning personal behavior and always acting like a lady. Drinking yourself into a stupor? Not allowed! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
Sylvie yowled as he continued his painful ministrations, crying piteously as her ass turned from blushing pink to scalded red.
He’d warned her weeks ago that her days of swearing like a drunken, foul-mouthed sailor were over. But did she listen? No! Smack! Smack! Smack! Instead of being contrite and begging his forgiveness for her misdeeds, like she should have, she’d been a defiant brat and cursed him. He had every intention of curbing her deplorable behavior. Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
She’d also flaunted the portion of rule 5 that dealt with associating with anyone who could be a bad influence or who might encourage her to act in a manner he disapproved of. That included any and all assholes who tried to pick her up in a bar! He’d told her that the only time she was allowed to set foot in a bar was when he was with her. What part of that didn’t she understand! A little reinforcement was in order! ‘No drinking! No bars! No bar scene!’ he reminded with every resounding wallop. ‘Understand?’
Sylvie whimpered and nodded. He was using his hand and that fucking hairbrush of his to beat an excruciatingly painful rhythm on her poor defenseless bottom. She was horse from screaming and begging him to stop. She’d lost count at 25 smacks. He must have delivered 60 by now, yet showed no sign of letting up.
‘Answer!’ he ordered, whacking her hard with the hairbrush for emphasis. A scarlet oval bloomed on her posterior.
‘Yes!’ she hiccupped.
He paddled her six more times while she screeched like a banshee. ‘Yes, what?’ he asked firmly.
‘Yes sir,’ she choked out, hating him. Her head was hanging a few inches from the floor. She tried to maneuver herself closer to his leg. Just a little further and she could sink her teeth into him.
‘It seems that you’ve decided to ignore rule number 6 as well. You remember that one…it has to do with maintaining your health. I thought I was very clear about this. You’re to eat a healthy diet. That means no skipping meals!’ he said, using the hairbrush for added emphasis.
‘Stop! I can’t take anymore!’ she begged.
‘Don’t interrupt!’ Smack! The hair brush connected with her right bottom cheek. It stung something awful. Like a hive of angry bees were attacking her ass. Smack! This time it was the right cheek that felt his ire. ‘As I was saying, according to the rules you agreed to, you’re supposed to exercise, get enough rest, and limit your alcohol consumption. Isn’t that right?’ he asked, waiting for her answer.
‘Yes sir.’ She wanted to tell him to go fuck himself! To take his rules and shove them so far up his ass… ‘Aargh!’ Her backside exploded in pain. He paddled her six more times. They were the hardest yet. It was agony! The skin on her rump was alternately, crawling and tingling, burning and prickling, as the brush repeatedly bit into her aching rear. She felt as though she’d sat in a patch of stinging nettles. Sylvie was sure she’d never be able to sit again as long as she lived.
‘Now that I have your complete attention, let me make one thing perfectly clear. From now on you will follow this rule to the letter. You will eat three meals a day. Exercise. Go to bed at a decent hour. And under no circumstances will you set foot in a bar again. Have I made myself clear?’
‘Yes sir. Perfectly.’ She was seething, but she was in no position to argue. Not with her dangling naked over his knee the way she was, her ass an exposed target.
‘I’m profoundly disappointed in you young lady. Remember rule number 7…fidelity? Obviously not!’ Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
Her butt was on fire. She could feel the flames, the blisters rising, her skin charring and peeling away. Sylvie could scarcely breathe she was crying so hard. She hung her head dejectedly. She wanted it to be over, wanted him to stop. But she wasn’t in control. He was, and she loathed him for it. He was a fiend! A cruel bully! She didn’t understand what was happening. He’d thrown her out of his house and banished her to New York, so he could be rid of her. So why was he doing this? What was the point? He didn’t want her yet he continued to restrict and restrain her. She was a possession he refused to relinquish, even though he had no further need of it. The penthouse was a prison, luxurious yes, but a prison nonetheless. And he was her jailer, her keeper. He and his toadies! Something inside him was dark, grotesque, and twisted. She was going to get as far away from him as possible. She wanted him out of her life!
Connor threw the hairbrush down on the bed. The lesson was over. Sylvie’s bottom was a mottled mess, red and purple ovals covered both cheeks and her thighs. He didn’t like hurting her, but in this instance it was warranted. She’d done something that put her in harm’s way. He couldn’t allow that. The thought that something might happen to her petrified him. But what kept him up at night, what scared the hell out of him, was knowing that her life might be in danger because of him. This was all his fault. Connor knew he should send Sylvie home to her family. Some place off the grid, out of harm’s way. But he couldn’t. Sylvie belonged to him. He knew it was selfish, but he wouldn’t let her go. Not now! Not ever! He’d just have to keep his distance, stay away. Not likely! He was like a horny adolescent with her. He’d spent the last three weeks thinking about burying his cock in her. Every time he thought about her, he had to jerk off.
It didn’t register at first. It took a moment before Sylvie realized he’d finally stopped beating on her. His discipline might be done and over, but her rage was just beginning. Indeed, it was boiling over.
Connor lifted her up gently and was about to sit her down on his lap and comfort her when he saw a fist flying toward his face. He was too shocked to react until he felt it slam into his nose. She might be small, but she had a hell of a right! Before he could grab her, her left arm swung up and connected with his chin. He stared at her dumfounded. What the hell was she doing? He stood up. A second later she raised her knee, but this time he turned away just in time. She missed her intended target…his crotch. ‘Oh no you don’t you little wildcat. What the hell is wrong with you?’
‘You’re wrong with me you son of a bitch! I’ve had it! I’m leaving!’
‘No you’re not,’ his voice rose in anger. ‘You’re not going any place! You can’t leave! I won’t allow it!’
‘You have no fucking say in what I do or don’t do Mr. Hudson!’ she spat the words at him.
‘The hell I don’t!’ he shouted back, incensed by her insolence. ‘This is my house. And in my house you will follow my rules. I will not have you swearing in my home. I thought I’d made that quite clear, but I guess I was wrong. I obviously didn’t spank you long enough or hard enough to curb either your filthy mouth or your surly impudent attitude. And how dare you raise your hand to me! I think another session over my knee is both warranted and necessary.’ He reached for the hairbrush.
‘Take your rules and shove them up your ass! I’m out of here. I am not living in this place another minute and I’m certainly not going to allow you to abuse me again!’
‘I didn’t abuse you!’ he challenged her. ‘I spanked your ass because you behaved like a total imbecile last night, drinking yourself sick, and wandering the streets alone late at night. And the way you’ve acted now only reinforces that opinion. You’re irresponsible; you need constant supervision to keep you out of trouble.’
‘For your information buster, I wasn’t wandering the streets alone. There was a man who was following me who wanted to take me home, but before he caught up to me I met up with your friends. They offered to see me home. So you needn’t have worried. I survived on my own in the city before I met you and I’ll do just fine without you too.’
‘Sure you will,’ he said sarcastically. ‘You did a real fine job last night! I’m told you were so out of it you couldn’t even make it into the building under your own steam. That you were lying on the sidewalk and had to be carried inside by one of the guards. You lady… need a keeper! And what do you mean you were with my friends?’ he asked, looking at her askance; not sure whether he should believe her or not. It was probably just a drunken hallucination.
‘What are you, hard of hearing?’ she asked indignantly. ‘I told you, I met up with your friends last night. They were coming from a party at your club or something. I can’t remember exactly. It’s someplace down the street. They saw me walking home and pulled their car over when they realized it was me. We chatted a few minutes and they offered to take me home. It was no big deal!’
A look of genuine concern flashed across his face, before he resumed scolding her. ‘Who exactly did you see last night?’ he demanded to know, frowning, his teeth tightly clenched, the muscles of his jaw twitching.
What difference did it make who she saw? What was he jealous? His friends were so not her type! They were snooty, supercilious jerks…the lot of them!
He tapped his foot impatiently while he waited for an answer.
Last night was pretty much a blur. Did he really expect a report on where she’d gone? What she’d done? Who she’d seen? By the irate look on his face, he did! She looked down at her hand and tried to recall who she’d seen. ‘Drake was there,’ she said grabbing her left thumb. Then she held up her index finger. ‘And I’m sure I saw Nathan.’ She looked at her middle finger, grimaced, and stuck it up in the air in a one-finger salute. ‘Unfortunately, Alex was with them. Behaving like an arrogant asshole…as usual!’ She extended her ring finger, ‘Victor was there.’ Then her pinky. ‘And so was Sean.’
The news didn’t please him; Connor looked grim. It boggled the mind! There were over 8 million people in the city and she had to run into them? He hadn’t anticipated this happening. The fact that they knew Sylvie was living here concerned him. Even though he kept telling himself it shouldn’t! He’d known these guys since grammar school. Some of them since kindergarten. They were his friends for God’s sake! If he couldn’t trust them, he couldn’t trust anyone! At first he thought the cops were wrong. He’d felt sure that the fire that killed his parents was nothing more than an accident. That the murders of four women he’d known and cared about were just macabre coincidences. But no matter how much he tried to convince himself, he knew it wasn’t true. He was the link that connected all of them: his parents, Marisol, Tara, Callie, Ariel, and the reporter Ernestine Shaw. He’d been racking his brain trying to figure out who would do such a thing. Who hated him enough to kill the people he cared about? It was obvious it was someone he’d known a long time. It terrified him to think that a person he knew: a neighbor, a class or teammate, an old acquaintance, a business associate, even a longtime friend could be a cold-blooded killer. What he didn’t understand was why the person hadn’t attacked him directly, instead of executing those around him. The cops believed the killer was male. Hell, they believed it was him! But when Connor thought about the murders of the women he’d dated, it seemed to him as though they were done out of jealousy or spite. Like something a spurned female would do! He tried to shake the thoughts away; he had more pressing matters to deal with at the moment. Like who the man tailing her in the middle of the night was? Certainly not anyone he’d hired! Sylvie had round-the-clock protection. Not just his best security people, but outside contractors as well. At any given minute of the day, there were at least eight ex-special forces, Navy Seals, MI6 or CIA types watching over her. They’d turned the place into a veritable fortress. So why was it that this group of tough as nails bodyguards was unable to ride herd on one little slip of a girl? He’d assembled the best security detail money could buy, yet Sylvie had managed to outwit them. Sometimes she was too smart for her own damn good. The more he thought about her wandering the streets with a deranged killer on the loose, the angrier he got. ‘Do you want to tell me who the guy who followed you home last night was? Someone you picked up in a bar?’ he growled.
‘That’s none of your business!’ she snapped glaring right back at him.
‘The hell it isn’t!’ he barked. ‘I won’t have you hanging out in bars and picking up strange men.’
‘You have nothing to say about it. I’m a free agent now. You’re just my employer. After work my time is my own. I’m free to do whatever I please. You’ve no right to tell me where I can or cannot go and who I can or cannot see. My social life is my own. It doesn’t come under your jurisdiction.’
‘That’s what you think! You live under my roof and you will follow my rules and do as I say!’ His tone of voice was ominous, but Sylvie wasn’t cowed.
‘Wrong! You’re not the boss of me Connor Hudson! You can’t tell me what to do anymore!’
‘I’m your employer,’ he reminded her, eyes dark and angry.
‘A situation easily remedied! I quit!’
He stared at her, stunned. ‘Are you crazy? Have you completely taken leave of your senses? You’re going to give up your home and your job, because you’re in a snit over a spanking?’
‘This isn’t my home Connor! This is the place you banished me to after you got tired of having me around! It’s a prison where you keep me locked away. You think you can throw me away like a piece of trash and then somehow still control me? Well, I’ve got a news flash for you… no way José!‘
Connor was trying to curb his temper, but he was seething inside. ‘You are not leaving Sylvie! Period! End of story! Do you understand me?’ He grabbed her by the wrist. ‘I won’t allow it. You’re mine!’ He jerked her to him, so violently she lost her balance. But his strong arms caught and enveloped her. She tried to push him away, but resistance was useless. He had her!
He pulled her close, bringing his lips down on hers; first crushing, then devouring them like an animal ravenous with hunger. His insistent tongue pressed against the seam of her mouth demanding entry. When her lips parted his tongue invaded. The portal was soft, warm, and inviting. He savored the taste of her. His tongue teasing and probing. Tangling and entwining with hers. One hand cupped her bruised bottom and began to stroke it, his fingers gently inserting themselves between her legs. She was wet with arousal. Connor pulled back and looked down at her, his eyes filled with lust. He felt an overwhelming need to see her splayed open before him, his cock ramming into her depths. He maneuvered her back two steps and they tumbled onto the bed.
She was shocked when the full weight of him landed on top of her, driving her throbbing crimson ass into the mattress. What the fuck was he doing? The man confused and confounded her! One minute he wanted nothing more than to be rid of her, to drive her away. And the very next he was trying to seduce and lure her to his bed. She wanted to fight him off, but didn’t. She could feel the length of his rigid manhood pressing against her belly. He wanted her. It was as though the past few weeks had never happened. After everything that transpired, all the drama and heartache, she still wanted him. Still loved him. He was an affliction for which there was no cure!
Connor reached down to unbutton and unzip his jeans. Freed from its prison, his cock slapped against her belly in greeting. He lifted himself slightly and skinned the jeans down over his ass and thighs, pushing them all the way down to his knees. Sylvie’s mouth watered as she reached out and grabbed a handful of his bottom and squeezed it. She loved his ass! Connor moaned and dragged his cock across her mound. It was time to get reacquainted! Using his toes, he worried the denim down his calves and wiggled free of the jeans, kicking them off the bed. He gave her an impish grin, then smothered her face in kisses. He captured her lips in a scorching kiss then nibbled and nuzzled her neck. She had the softest skin. Sylvie squirmed beneath him, her clit tingling. He rubbed his naked body against hers, their skin igniting in a raw, primitive, elemental heat. He kissed his way along her shoulder, then down her collar bone to her heaving breasts. He took one in his hand, cupping and caressing it, while he teased the other with his mouth. The nipples pebbled at his touch.
Connor’s fingers pinched, twisted, and plucked one while his mouth feasted on the other. He sucked it hard, teeth nipping at the little gumdrop, tongue licking over and around the throbbing tip. Sylvie moaned and squirmed as he began rhythmically suckling her breast. God! How she missed this! Missed him! He continued the delicious torment as she writhed beneath him, her bottom ablaze again. His legs insinuated themselves between hers and gently forced them apart. He released her breasts and pushed himself up on his elbows to look at her. Sylvie’s eyes were luminous with desire. He’d almost forgotten how beautiful she was! Connor claimed her lips in a searing kiss. She trembled, heart pounding frantically in her chest. Her body ached for him. She wanted him! Wanted to feel him inside her! Connor’s tongue traced the soft curve of her lips, then penetrated her mouth again. He moved it in and out ever so slowly, then suddenly plunged it in forcefully, filling her mouth completely. She was his! He was claiming her! Every inch of her!
He slithered down her body till his head came to rest at the apex of her thighs. He smiled at the downy hair that covered her mound. She hadn’t gotten waxed since arriving in the city, kept cancelling her appointments. He preferred a shorn, hairless pussy, she knew that; but he wasn’t going to spoil the moment by arguing about it now. They’d fight that battle another day. He buried his nose between her legs and breathed deeply of her scent. He spread her legs wide, lifting them onto his elbows. His mouth found her throbbing clit, pink and pearlescent, begging for his attention. His tongue danced over and around the hypersensitive little button, before turning his attention to her slick wet folds. He licked at the hot velvety slit, lapping up her creamy nectar. His tongue circled the opening, then penetrated her passage. She rode his tongue as it plunged in and out of her. Sylvie groaned in pleasure, her body quivering and begging for release. Connor’s fingers pinched and kneaded her clit till she thought she’d go out of her mind. Then it happened, the earth began to move. The air was electric, the room spinning wildly around her. She shuddered as tremors began radiating from her core. Her eyes closed. She was caught in a whirling maelstrom: twisting, turning, twitching, her body pulsating and contracting in ecstasy. As the last tremor subsided, his fingers pulled away and his tongue withdrew, leaving her empty and bereft. She whimpered, wanting more.
Sylvie opened her eyes when she felt him moving on top of her, then sighed in contentment when the head of his cock came to rest against her nether lips. ‘Please,’ she whispered, panting. ‘Fill me. I need to feel you inside me.’
That was all the encouragement he needed. He drove into her with the force of a battering ram. She groaned as his cock pierced and stretched her. He withdrew then plunged into her to the hilt, his thrusts long and hard. She bucked, rising up to meet each stroke; their hips pumping, gyrating, and undulating with frenzied excitement. Her muscles clenched and unclenched, rhythmically squeezing his cock. He groaned in pleasure, withdrew, then drove into her again, burying himself deep inside her. She arched her back and began grinding against his pelvis as he speared her again and again. Their bodies moved in unison, skin rubbing against skin, raw, hot, sweaty. The rhythm built as he pistoned in and out of her. The feeling so intense she felt herself teetering on the razor’s edge between intense pain and profound pleasure. Connor was breathing hard. He couldn’t take much more of this. He pulled back then slammed into her again, impaling her on the thick stiff column of his arousal. The force of his powerful thrusts lifted her off the bed. Sylvie let out a moan then reached down and cupped his sack, her fingers gently kneading the flesh. Connor groaned. His muscles tightened, body jerking as he exploded in a violent, mind-blowing orgasm. Sylvie tensed her muscles, gripping his cock as it erupted, spurting his hot seed inside her. She began to throb and tingle, the feeling spreading as wave after wave of pleasure sent her over the edge. It was the big bang theory of the exploding and expanding universe only it was happening inside her. 1000 tiny explosions emanated from her quivering core, sparking and careening through the entirety of her body.
When it was over, they lay quiet in each other’s arms, exhausted and content as the last ripples of release washed over them. They wanted to savor the moment, make it last…but they couldn’t. Reality was encroaching!
