Bejeweled and Bedeviled (4 page)

“They’re beautiful.”

Opening the lid all the way, she pulled out the white-velvet
inset displaying the earrings. He took the box from her and placed it on the
table.

“Onyx and diamonds.” She turned to him. “Your birthstone.”

“And yours.”

“I was born in December. My birthstone is turquoise.”

“On the modern and traditional charts, yes. On the mystical
chart, it’s onyx.”

She raised a brow. “It appears I’m not the only one who has
done his research. What else have you learned about me?”

More than you can imagine
. “Most likely no more than
you learned about me.”

She gave him a cynical look before returning her rapt
attention to the earrings. “These must have cost a small fortune.” She traced
her fingertip over the substantial, triangular diamond embedded in a teardrop
field of black onyx. “I’ve never worn anything this opulent. Are you sure you
want to loan them to me? What if I lose them?”

“Not a loan. A gift. One of many you’ll be receiving over
the ensuing weeks. As far as losing them…” He shrugged. “They’re insured.”

He could see she wanted to object. That she refrained gave
him hope that she was capable of change, albeit grudgingly. A good start.
Although her constant questioning of his every action would have to end soon.

“Give them to me and I’ll help you put them on.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to save them for a special occasion?”

He sighed heavily. “Kayden, what were you told about obeying
me?”

“I’m sorry.” She placed the earrings in his hand. “I won’t—”

“Too late.” He returned them to the box. “Apparently words
are not enough. Stand up.”

Grabbing her waist, he helped her to her feet. “The ruler on
your desk, bring it to me.”

She looked between him and the object requested.

“Your hesitation just cost you two additional swats. Instead
of five, you’ll get seven.”

“But—”

“Ten.”

“Ten!”

“Fifteen. Care to try for twenty?”

Compressing her lips, she turned and headed for her desk.
Her skirt, still hiked above her thighs, gave him a tantalizing glimpse of the
firm, pale ass he was about to pinken. He was so going to enjoy this. He
glanced down at his watch. Too bad he couldn’t prolong it. Stay around to savor
it.

He would next time. And there would be a next time. Of that
he was sure.

The best he could hope for now was to leave a lasting
impression. Something for her to think about, give her pause before she opened
that soft-lipped little mouth of hers and questioned him.

Kayden picked up the ruler from her desk. She couldn’t
believe she was going to allow Hunter to turn her over his knee and spank her.
Even more astonishing was that she wasn’t all that upset about it. The spanking
was a recurring topic during the infamous after-work roundtable discussions and
Harley and Morgan had confessed to love having their asses paddled and dared
the rest of them to try it. Kayden’s adamant “No way!” came back to haunt her.
Having the opportunity to find out if spankings were as big a turn-on as her
friends insisted land in her lap, or more accurately
over
Hunter’s, she
wasn’t about to wimp out.

“Twenty.”

Shit
! Pivoting, she marched back to him.

“When I tell you to do something, don’t think, just do it.”
He held out his hand.

The challenging glint in his eyes made her check the
temptation to slap the thin, twelve-inch piece of oak into his palm. Knowing
full well there’d be dire consequences should she succumb to the foolish
notion, she laid it gently across his palm.

“Thank you.” He stood, spun the chair with his free hand and
resettled with knees slightly apart and feet firmly planted. “Pull your skirt
up around your waist.” Not willing to risk his adding additional swats, she
immediately complied.

“I’ll instruct you in the position I prefer only this once.
I will rely on your intelligence to remember. In the future, after you’ve
handed me the implement of your punishment, I will expect you to present
yourself accordingly. Without complaint or hesitation. First you will kneel in
front of me.”

Kayden made a quick descent to her knees.

“Not like that. Slowly, gracefully. Stand and try it again.
You are feminine to my masculine. When you are with me, you will leave behind
the trappings of the independent modern-day woman.”

Had it been any other man who made such an archaic
statement, she would have laughed. But damn it, he was the epitome of
masculinity and every latent particle of femininity inside her was on high
alert and anxious to please. So she stood and knelt again. With all the grace
of a prima ballerina. His pleased smile was the equivalent of roses tossed at
her feet.

“Very nice.” He balanced the ruler between his hands. “Kiss
it.”

She touched her lips to the cool, impersonal piece of wood,
suspecting it would be much too warm and personal in very short order.

“Rise.” He offered his hand for balance and drew her over to
the right. “Lie across my knees, palms flat on the floor and spread your legs.”

“More,” he instructed, using the flat of the ruler on her
inner thigh to guide her legs the right distance. “Comfortable?”

Was that a trick question
? Her naked ass in the air,
her most private parts exposed for his intimate viewing. The man certainly had
a warped sense of humor. “Yes, Hunter.”

“Hunter is never present during punishment.”

“Yes, Master.”

Expecting to feel the sting of the ruler, Kayden jumped when
he palmed her ass. His large, warm hand covered her entire right cheek, his
light squeeze sending a surge of warmth across her flesh.

“You have a beautiful ass. Much more suited to kissing—”

She sucked in a breath when his lips brushed her butt.

“And nibbling—”

Her lungs emptied it in a rush when he nipped her.

“Than spanking.”

She clenched her ass in anticipation of the smack. Received
a chuckle instead.

“I’d say this is going to hurt me more than it hurts you,
but you know how I feel about lies. On the other hand, who will enjoy it more
is up for grabs.”

Enjoy it! Was he nuts?

“Ow!” The first whack to the unprotected half of her ass
caught her off guard.

“Considering where we are, it might be wise to keep a tight
rein on your vocal cords. Unless you desire an audience.”

Damn
. She’d almost forgotten.

“Stay still,” he ordered, sliding his hand up to press her
shoulders down.

She braced for the second swat. It didn’t help. Jarred by
the crack of wood meeting flesh, had it not been for his holding her in place,
she would have arced up again.

The next three landed in random, sharp, ass-heating
succession. Not all together unpleasant.

The next five, each harder than the last, sent a flash of
heat both up her back and down her thighs. Instinctively, she closed her legs,
earning her a firm whack across the back of both thighs. She immediately spread
them back open.

“Just so you know, those two don’t count. Close your legs
again, I’ll add five more.”

Sonuvabitch
. “Yes, Master.”

“How many was that?”

How many? He expected her to keep count? “Eight. No, ten.”

“Which?”

“I…I don’t know.”

He ran a gentle hand over her ass. “I suppose we’ll have to
go with eight just to be sure.” Two more connected.

Somewhere between the thirteenth and fourteenth—she knew
exactly because she was now keeping very good track—another sensation just
below the threshold of pain flickered to life. Arousal. She scrunched her
eyelids.
Damn, it was true.

Hunter must have sensed what she was feeling because he
stopped. Hell, with the unhindered view he had of her pussy, he could probably
see the effect it was having on her.

Her assumptions were validated when he skimmed his hand over
her ass and down to trail his fingers through the moisture between her dewy,
plump lips. She clenched her teeth to keep from shuddering.

“Should I stop the punishment or continue? This once, I’ll
leave the decision up to you.”

Bastard
. He knew damn well she didn’t want him to
stop. He just wanted her to say it.

He flexed his finger, sliding the tip easily into her wet,
aching pussy, reminding her of its presence. Not that he needed to. She was
very much aware of his finger, of him, of the potential pleasure awaiting her
if she told him to keep going.

Cursing him for his smug knowledge and herself for her
weakness, she said, “No, Master. Please don’t stop.”

He never made it to twenty. Four more hard, well-placed
smacks and she was rocketing over the edge, buffeted among the waves of an
enormous orgasm. Were it not for the thick, solid thighs supporting her, she
would have crumpled to the floor.

Physically exhausted, struggling for breath, Kayden hung
limply over his lap. How the hell this man could bring her to such an explosive
orgasm so quickly without so much as the tiniest flick of her clit was
downright amazing. If he was that good with a scrap of wood, she couldn’t wait
to find out what he could do with the massive hard-on cutting across her
diaphragm.

Her face-down position allowing Hunter freedom of emotion,
he let his mask of control slip and took a few moments to appreciate the
beautiful sight her brightly striped ass presented. The emblazoned
MINE
he’d imprinted on her milky flesh, a temporary symbol of ownership in lieu of
the real one to come later, brought a smile to his lips. How he would love to
trace the letters with his finger. But didn’t dare. One feel of her warm
backside would have him hauling her up and pinning her to the desk with his
dick before she took her next breath. With the Herculean self-control he was
known for, he avoided looking at her glistening labia as he grasped her
shoulders and stood her up.

“Give me the earrings.” Suppressing a grin at her hasty
compliance, he followed her to her feet. “Turn your head.”

Removing the small gold hoop from her ear, he replaced it
with the new earring. Moving her head back the other way with a light pressure
on her chin, he exchanged the other.

She raised her hand to toy with the earring. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He pressed his lips briefly to hers.
“Those were for yesterday.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out another
small black box topped with a miniature white bow. “This is for today.” Pulling
her hand away from her ear, he placed the gift in her palm.

“I don’t understand. You just punished me. Now you’re
rewarding me?”

“The punishment was for what you did wrong. The reward is
for today’s progress. Open it.”

She lifted the lid. “It’s stunning.” Her hushed tones went
straight to his loins. Extracting the delicate ankle bracelet from its
white-velvet bed, she discarded the empty box onto the table. Suspended between
her long, slender fingers, she stared admiringly at the three onyx hearts—one
large, flanked by two smaller ones— linked by a delicate gold chain. A Trielle
diamond, his namesake, in the center of each. The only cut of diamond that
would adorn her body from this day on. Though she wasn’t aware of it yet.

“Lean against the table and put your foot on my thigh.”
Spanning her small waist, he guided her there with gentle pressure and waited
patiently while she braced to keep a small distance between the table’s hard
edge and her tender ass. Once she was comfortably situated, he relieved her of
the jewelry and patted his thigh. “Right foot.”

There was a flash of uncertainty in her eyes before she took
her lower lip between her teeth and did as he asked. Hunter was impressed.
Especially since he suspected it was more determination than a true lack of
self-consciousness. It showed her grit. She would need plenty of it in the days
to come. Time was not a luxury in this relationship. He would push her harder
and faster than he had any other woman he’d ever trained.

He ran his hand up the back of her leg from ankle to knee.
Paused to nibble her inner thigh, savoring the telltale quiver of her tender
flesh. Then he fastened the anklet around her trim ankle and adjusted the gems
to the outside of her leg.

“Like it?” he asked, raising his head.

“Very much.” She twisted her leg to better see the hearts.
“Thank you, Hunter.” Her lips spread into a beautiful smile.

“Whatever jewelry I give you is for you to wear. Especially
when you are with me. Some will be visible to the public.” He reached up to
graze the back of his knuckles over the tops of her breasts. “Some will not.”
He slipped his hand inside her bra and captured a pebbling nipple between his
fingers. He squeezed until she bit her bottom lip and then released the
elongated tip. “
All
will be for our mutual pleasure. But none will carry
more meaning than the last piece I present you with. That one alone will be
yours to accept or reject.”

“What is—”

“I’m afraid we’ve reached the conclusion of your first day
of training. As it is, I left myself precious little leeway to be on time for
my appointment.” Lifting her leg by the calf, he set her foot down on the
outside of his and stood. Planting himself between her wide-spread thighs, he
cradled her pussy in his hand and leaned in, causing her to arch back over her
unfinished waffle. “Much too late to appease my growing appetite, but I find I
can’t leave without helping myself to one last, delicious morsel.”

He curled his middle finger and slid it into her wet channel
for a quick, probing sampling. Sealing his lips to hers to muffle her
enchanting little mewls, he used his unoccupied hand to reach behind her and
pluck a strawberry off the plate.

Breaking the kiss, he pumped his finger a few more times
and, satisfied he’d stirred enough of her juices for his purpose, he replaced
his finger with the tip of the strawberry. After several swivels to collect
some of her body’s sweet cream, he extracted the fruit and popped it into his
mouth. A few appreciative chews and it was gone.

Intent on her face, he licked his lips. “My last instruction
before I leave is that you are not to touch yourself here,” he rode his finger
through her drenched pussy lips, “without my permission.”

“You intend to leave me…wanting!”

“An exercise in restraint and obedience I expect you to
adhere to. Don’t disappoint me.”

“How will you know?” she asked a bit too smugly for his
liking.

“I’ll ask. Are you prepared for the consequences should I
discover you lied to me?”

The spark of defiance in her eye faded to a dull glimmer.
“No.”

Bracketing her head gently between his hands, he kissed her
forehead and then her lips. “I won’t be able to see you for the next three days
because of some business matters of my own I need to clear up. I will, however,
be in touch. Expect a call from my personal assistant later today to coordinate
a time for you to visit the club’s private spa tomorrow for your hair removal.
Any questions before I leave?”

“None that can’t wait.”

“If you think of any, you have my private number. As of
today, I’m available to you twenty-four hours.”

She raised a brow. “What if it’s very late? I’m something of
a night owl.”

He chucked her lightly beneath the chin. “That will change,
since I’m an early riser.”

Her brow rose even farther.

Hunter traced the feathery arch with his thumb. “Careful,
love, your control is slipping. Now I really must go.” He planted a firm
goodbye kiss on her lips, and after helping her get her clothes back in order,
he took his leave, fully aware of the emotional havoc he left in his wake.

He’d wait until he was comfortably settled in his limo and
on his way before he called her.

* * * * *

Kayden looked down at what remained of her breakfast. She
distractedly trailed her finger through the mixture of strawberry juice and
wilting whipped cream framing her half-eaten waffle and, sticking her finger
into her mouth, sucked it clean. A mistake, she realized, when instead of
taking her mind off her unsatisfied needs, it only served to remind her of
another finger dragging through another set of lips, leaving behind a trail of
sticky sweetness.

She let her head fall back and moaned.

With the hopes of diverting her thoughts, she made her way
to her desk, trying to ignore the slight tackiness between her thighs. That she
knew a few talented swipes of his tongue would have taken care of the problem
didn’t help matters.