Liars and Tigers (20 page)

"I don't buy it,"
Alex said. "Try again." The paddle scorched her rapidly, not allowing
her time to recover before the next stroke landed.

"I wanted to see what
you would do!" Misha bawled, panting for breath. Alex immediately stopped
the paddling.

"What did you
say?"

"I wanted to see what
you would do," she wept into her arms. "Jack always threatened me but
never did anything. I never felt safe because of it."

Alex placed the paddle on
the bed and sat next to her, knowing that her bottom felt like it was on fire,
and that every inch radiated with a scalding, burning sensation. "This is
going to end right now, Misha. The lying, the broken promises, the
self-destructive behaviors are over. If I have to, I will blister your hide
every single day until these habits are broken."

"I'm sorry."

"Starting now, every
Sunday night will be set aside for maintenance. You will receive a good, long
spanking to ensure that you remember the consequences of bad behavior. That
will be on top of anything else you have earned for the week. You will start
keeping a punishment book and document it every time you break a rule, lie, or
do anything else that you know I frown upon. Am I understood?"

"Yes, sir," Misha
whimpered.

Sir? She
actually called me sir?
Alex cleared his throat. "Your grounding is still in
effect as well, except that you will be restricted to this room."

"I can't stay in your
room," Misha sniffed.

"You can, and you
will. There is no way you can climb out of these windows, and it will allow me
to keep an eye on you at night when you feel inclined to roam around. What do have
to say for yourself, young lady?"

"I'm sorry,"
Misha repeated.

"Darn right, you're
sorry. My dad is coming to visit us this weekend. I expect you to be on perfect
behavior and show respect to him and Jack, got it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Very good." Alex
was satisfied. "I have one last question and I want an honest answer. Do
you feel you have been disciplined enough for what you did?"

Misha broke into tears,
shaking her head as she buried her face in the soft comforter. "No,"
she confessed. "I still feel guilty."

"Hmm," Alex said
thoughtfully, "we will talk about this tomorrow and if you still feel this
way, we will step it up. Right now, you are to go to bed."

"Please, Alex,"
Misha turned to him, "don't leave me. Spank me more if you have to, but
don't go away right now."

"I'm not going
anywhere, baby doll, but I am not going to spank you again tonight. Your bottom
took about as much as it could, and I am not going to inflict damage, no matter
how guilty you feel. That would not be responsible."

"I need to know you
love me."

"Misha,
sweetheart," he stretched out next to her, "spanking you until you
can't move is not going to be the thing that proves I love you. The fact that I
am still around to spank you does. Not many men would have put up with this
garbage for any amount of time unless they loved someone. Do you get it?"

"I get that you are
even more insane than I am. I would never have put up with me," Misha
sniffed.

"I think that you act
this way for two reasons," Alex said softly. "One, to test. The
other, because you want discipline. In a way, the rebellion is your only means
of controlling the events in your life, but it's a destructive one. What would
happen if Rodin started rebelling?"

"He's a tiger. He
wouldn't understand the deliberate intentions."

"Just say for a moment
that he did. Say he wanted proof that you were committed to him, and started
clawing and biting, running off and maybe even hurting someone. What would
happen to him?"

"Oh, my God,"
Misha whimpered, "I would have no choice but to lock him up."

"How does that make
you feel?"

"Sick to my stomach. I
could lose him and… you stinking bastard." Misha rolled away from him.
"You're trying to tell me that is how you feel when I do stupid stuff
against your wishes."

"By George, I think
she's got it," Alex exclaimed. "Yes, that is exactly how both Jack
and I feel. We are sick to our stomachs, fearful and even a little bit panicked
at times. I don't enjoy punishing you, no more than you enjoy locking Rodin up
in his crate, but it's necessary if I want to ensure your safety and
well-being."

"Alex?"

"What?"

"Make love to
me."

"No. You were just
punished and I am not going to have you think you get a reward after
discipline," he said firmly.

"You're a mean
man."

"This time I will
agree with you—because I want, more than anything, to make love to you.
But I have a belief system that I won't compromise, not even for my own
benefit. Sleep now. We both have work in the morning."

***

Misha ate her breakfast the
following morning perched on the far edge of a stool, and spent the ride to the
facility bracing her bottom from hitting the seat. The conversation between her
and Alex was sparse and limited to small talk, leaving him second-guessing his
decision from the night before. He watched, Kena sitting quietly at his side,
as Misha walked away with Rodin on his leash without saying goodbye. Her short
steps were slow and clearly difficult, confirming the degree of tenderness
remaining from her paddling.

"Morning, Boss,"
Jack came up from behind him.

Alex turned. "I have a
problem."

"Yeah, I know. What
has she done this time?" Jack appeared to be amused.

Alex explained the previous
evening's events as they crossed the garden area to the offices. He held the
door for his old friend and sat at his desk while Kena went straight to her
blanket.

"Give her some time to
lick her wounds," Jack advised. "She is feeling guilty and just needs
some space to work it out."

"Something has
changed, though," Alex lamented. "I can't put my finger on it."

"Then let it be until
it shows itself. She recovers from defeat pretty quickly. I suspect she will be
talking your head off by this evening."

"Do you think
so?"

"You already owe me a
hundred bucks. Wanna make it two hundred?" Jack gave a lopsided smile.
"I'm surprised that you didn't jump her bones, though."

"I'm not going to go
into details about that part of my love life, but I don't believe in rewarding
after a punishment. It's too confusing and sends the wrong message."

"Not to sound crude,
but a tiger would just mount his females without concern for their pleasure. It
is the ultimate form of dominance."

"It is?"

"Where have you been,
boy? It's universal. Everything she does mimics a felid response. Why would
this be any different?"

"I didn't consider
just doing it," Alex confessed, drumming his fingers on the desk. "It
never crossed my mind."

"Not at all?"
Jack winked. "Are you actually saying that your body didn't respond to the
raw power exchange?"

"You're a
pervert," Alex reprimanded. He recalled the uncomfortable twitching of his
cock as the punishment grew to its pinnacle. Jack was right. Again. "Go to
work, I'll figure this out."

"No prob," Jack
chuckled, standing up. "I hear that your pop is coming this weekend. Is he
prepared for your tiger and her cub?"

"Dad's a tough old
geezer, just like you. And much more of a charmer. He will adore her. I'm going
to have a BBQ Saturday, so I expect you to be joining us."

"Are you seriously
going to make me sit through picture sharing?" Jack groaned. "You
know every time he comes back from a long trip, he's got a carousel full of
slides he insists on showing us."

"If I have to, so do
you. Be there at three. I'll have the fridge stocked with beer for you."

"Fine," Jack
sighed. "I'm in the snake pit today if you need me."

"Be careful,"
Alex warned.

Jack laughed. "I would
much rather deal with the vipers than Miss Misha today, that's for sure."

Alex absently fiddled with
his computer, considering Jack's words. It dawned on him that Misha may have
interpreted his refusal as a form of rejection, rather than what he had
explained. He quickly left the office in search of his tigress.

He found her leaning
against the bars of a holding cage, scratching a young lion behind the ears.
Silently, he locked the door behind him.

"Misha?"

She jumped up quickly.
"He just came out of surgery, the vet had to pull a broken tooth and he's
still groggy. I…"

"Calm down." Alex
held his hand out for her to take. He pulled her close. "I love you."

"You're not mad?"
she glanced at the lion.

"Should I be? I'm
surprised you weren't in there, though."

"I don't know how he
recovers from a general. Sometimes they get scared and attack out of fear. I
didn't want to risk that."

Alex was genuinely
surprised. "Does this mean you heard my concerns after all?"

"Yes. I don't want to hurt
you anymore. I'm really sorry."

Without warning, Alex
suddenly pressed her compulsorily against a wall and crushed his lips to her
mouth. He held her wrists above her head, restraining her with his hands as he
claimed her. Fervently, he shoved her pants down her legs, tugged them off over
her boots, and released his stiffened cock. Without a sound other than a primal
growl, and driven by pure instinct, Alex plunged himself in to her soft, moist
receptacle. Still standing, he wrapped her legs around his waist and held her
tightly against the wall while sinking into her. He made the act about him, a
powerful reminder that she was his, and his alone. He stopped mid-plunge and
pulled out. Before Misha could say anything, he grabbed a handful of her hair and
bent her in half so he could impale her from behind. The site of her bruised
bottom from the previous night's paddling stirred him onward. He fucked her;
there was no other word he could use to describe the act. It was hard, furious,
demanding and animalistic and he loved it.

 
"Take it all," he ordered
hoarsely, "take every inch of me and remember how I feel inside of
you!"

Misha braced her arms on a
rail, struggling not to crumble under Alex's weight and potent lunges. She
panted for air, eagerly accepting his unexpected display of dominance.

"Deeper," she
finally gasped out. "Go deeper."

With a loud snarl, Alex
exploded within her, bruising her hips as he forced her bottom back into the
cradle of his pelvis to milk every drop from his engorged cock. He collapsed
across her back, his fingers still digging painfully into her hips. He waited
until his cock softened to remove himself from her, and then turned her
partially naked body to face him.

"When we get home
tonight, you are going to get a proper fucking. Don't even think about arguing
with me."

He tucked his cock back
into his pants, kissed her swollen lips, and left.

Misha numbly pulled her
panties and trousers back on, stunned by Alex's display of mating. She had
never been more aroused in her life. She made herself as presentable as
possible and then went about her work, this time with a happy smile.

"I hear you had a
tough evening last night." Jack's voice echoed from the door leading into
the isolated enclosures. "Where are you?"

"In the meat room. Its
lunchtime," Misha called back.

Jack walked in and
immediately noticed the disarray of her clothes and hair. "You okay? The
cats didn't ruffle you up, did they?"

Misha blushed, lifting a
cleaver to hack off a chunk of fat from the deer carcass on the butcher block
in front of her. "I was rough housing with my tiger."

"The two or
four-legged kind?" Jack asked, his eyes twinkling.

"It's none of your
business. Grab a couple of chickens," she ordered, pointing to the
refrigeration case. "Don't pluck them, the cats enjoy the process. I also
want to try those new supplements, and see if they like it."

"You're changing the
subject."

"I'm not changing the
subject. The subject is simply none of your business."

"Are you looking
forward to meeting your future father-in-law?" Jack snickered, tossing
several beets, grasses and berries in the basket with the meat.

"Will you please stay
out of my love life? What is with you?"

"Girl, I've known you
since you were a sprout. I can see the changes happening in you and want to be
part of it. You know you're like a daughter to me."

"So you've told
me," Misha commented, picking up the heavy basket and starting toward the
Bengal enclosure.

"Have I done something
to piss you off?" Jack asked, following her in.