Submitting to the Sheriff (Cowboy Doms Book 2) Page 9

  Avery paused in the doorway, scanning the lower floor for a familiar face when her eyes landed on Grayson, the sight of him seated by a table, bringing his hand down with blistering force on Sue Ellen’s bare butt freezing her in place. The poor woman’s husband, Master Brett stood to the side in a rigid stance of anger, arms folded, a dark scowl on his face. Avery couldn’t budge or look away from watching a side of Grayson she hadn’t witnessed before. Even though Sue Ellen’s buttocks were already glowing bright red from his spanking, he continued to smack the abused globes with repeated swings of his arm, not leaving one inch of skin untouched.

  She cringed and took an automatic step back as he moved to the under curves, his swats so hard they shoved the tormented girl forward, almost landing her on her head, she dangled over so far. Sue Ellen’s hair obscured her face, but Avery had no trouble seeing her white-knuckled grip on the chair legs or hearing her sobbing breaths.

  That is not what I want, who I want. Just as Avery made that acknowledgement and pivoted to leave, Grayson halted his punishing hand, his face softening as he gently lifted and turned Sue Ellen on his lap. Tipping her face up to his, the look of remorse on Sue Ellen’s face instead of reflected on Grayson’s, as she would have expected, confounded Avery. After whispering a few words to her followed by a soft kiss, he nudged Sue Ellen up. She wobbled, and he aided her with a tight hold on her hips and that same piercing, steady gaze of close scrutiny that had ensnared Avery when they first met at the diner and then again up in the loft last week. When Sue Ellen steadied, Grayson nodded and turned her toward her husband, baffling Avery further as the woman slid to her knees and bowed her head.

  Confused and unsure of both herself and this harsher side of Master Grayson, she decided to leave, but Grayson looked over and snagged her in his vivid gaze and she found herself unable to look away as he pushed to his feet. His face etched with purposeful intent, he ate up the space between them with long, determined strides.

  Of all the fucking luck, Grayson groaned when he released Sue Ellen to finish making amends to her Master and husband and caught sight of Avery standing near the entrance. He’d been so immersed in first, administering the submissive’s punishment as directed by Master Brett because he’d been too angry with her to risk raising his hand, and second, with ensuring Sue Ellen’s well-being before turning her back over to Brett that he’d forgotten to keep an eye out for Avery’s arrival. He didn’t have to guess at what she was thinking; her expressive face depicted her every thought and emotion. Uncertainty backed by a sliver of fear clouded her eyes, her face turning even paler as he moved to stop her from running away. He couldn’t let her leave now, not without explaining the difference between his friend’s twenty/four seven, sub/master lifestyle and what he could, and would introduce her to here.

  He reached her as she gave in to panic and pivoted, but he halted her with a one-word command. “Stop.” The sexy thin top couldn’t hide Avery’s delicate shudder or the instant rigid outline of her nipples. A foot away from her, he waited for her to face him and then held out his hand. Patience was a trait he’d mastered years ago, but at that moment, it took every ounce of his control to keep a hold on it. “Good girl,” he murmured as she slipped her trembling fingers into his grip, the extent of relief easing his tense shoulders better left for later to analyze.

  “Let’s talk.” Peering around, he opted for the privacy corner for what he had in mind following their discussion. A four-foot, half wall topped with an array of indoor plants partitioned off the cozy nook from the rest of the room. Other than the one, open side where people could enter or get a glimpse of who needed a quiet moment of aftercare, the secluded space offered a combination of privacy and risk of exhibitionism that suited his purposes.

  “I didn’t notice this last week,” Avery whispered, as if speaking louder would land her in trouble.

  Grayson paused in front of the small sofa to give her time to look around before tossing a small pillow on the floor. Taking in her skirt and breast-clinging top, he found the sight of her bare feet peeking out below the hem both sexy and cute, kind of like her.

  Settling on the sofa, he was aware of the fine line he was straddling between showing Avery his preferred, stricter dominant self as opposed to the milder instructor he’d portrayed last week while alleviating her misconceptions about the scene she’d just witnessed. Pointing, he watched her face as he instructed, “Kneel there.” His cock stirred as she faltered and then obeyed, sinking to her knees at his feet, her skirt spreading around her bent legs. She opened her mouth then clamped it shut before shifting her eyes away from his.

  “No.” He used two fingers under her chin to turn her face back toward him. “Talk to me, I insist. I might be stricter than you first thought or care for, but I want any sub I play with to feel free to express her concerns, and her pleasures without fear of reprimand. I’ll let you know when I want you to remain quiet.” Releasing her chin, he sifted his fingers through her loose hair, enjoying the way the dim lighting brought out the red and blonde streaks woven in with the light brown.

  Fisting a handful of the thick mass, he tugged her head back. “You witnessed a punishment scene just now, and yes, I made sure Sue Ellen would hurt for the next few days, just as her Master and husband asked me to. I will treat any woman who puts herself into my hands the way her submissive nature demands, and that sometimes might be at odds with what they think they want. That’s where trust comes in.” He released her hair and reached down to haul her onto his lap. With one arm wrapped around her waist and the other draped across her lap, he held her close enough to see the rapid flutter of her pulse in her neck and feel her warm breath tickle his neck. “I can see the questions in your disbelieving eyes. Ask.”

  “Okay, why? A husband is supposed to love his wife.” Avery’s quizzical tone had turned accusing with the second line, her slim brows dipping into a frown behind her lens.

  “Why, because she’d done something before arriving tonight to displease him so much, Master Brett was too angry to discipline her himself. And, he does love her, very much. Did you see her struggling to get away from me, hear her cry out for me to stop or run away when I released her?”

  Avery shook her head and Grayson knew the second she remembered the look of chastisement crossing Sue Ellen’s face as she knelt in apology before Brett. It’s too bad she missed the contentment the other woman exhibited when her husband lifted her for a hug.

  Watching her closely, he slid his arm over her thighs and down her legs, sliding his hand underneath the skirt to inch it up. “Last week, you watched two other subs getting spanked on the benches, but this time was different because it was me, the one you agreed to explore your interest with. Correct?”

  “I… guess that was it,” she admitted in a subdued tone. “It… you took me by surprise. You looked so…” She shivered and clenched her fists, her eyes following his hand gliding along her leg under the soft material. “Mean, I guess is what I want to say.”

  “There’s a difference between mean and strict. Doms can look formidable, but that doesn’t make them mean. You know I’m not, right?” He reached her thigh and kneaded the tight muscle.

  Avery tried to shift her leg, but he clamped down, holding her still. “Answer me, Avery.”

  “If you want honesty, then… I’m not sure. You’ve been nothing but nice to me, but people aren’t always what they appear.”

  He nodded. “You’re right.”

  “I am?”

  He squeezed her soft leg, getting a kick out of the astonishment lacing her reply. “You are. Actions speak much louder than words. In fact, a demonstration of the difference between a punishment spanking and a playful, stimulating one is in order.”

  Grayson didn’t give Avery time to think, just flipped her over his lap, pinned her legs with one of his and pressed her shoulders down. “Relax,” he coaxed, rubbing his hand over her ass in a soothing caress. “You know the safeword. Use it if you have to. I’m betting
you won’t, though.”

  Chapter 7

  One minute Avery was conversing softly with Master Grayson, enjoying the steady beat of his heart beneath her ear, the corded strength of his arm around her waist and his calloused palm trailing up her leg, and the next found her looking down at the wood floor, his hard thigh muscles contracting under her fluttering abdomen. Her thick, unruly hair fell over her face, a curtain blocking out everything except the few inches in front of her.

  His explanation of the side of him she’d just witnessed had worked to soothe her worries but didn’t prepare her for the heat rushing through her veins as he exposed her thighs and panty-covered butt. A wave of uncomfortable self-awareness sent goosebumps racing across her skin, her breath stalling as her heart skipped a beat waiting for the unknown. Instead of the sharp crack of his hand landing on her vulnerable backside, as she’d expected, her breath exhaled on a whoosh when he explored her buttocks with casual caresses interspersed with tight squeezes.

  “Sir?” Avery’s voice quivered with the surprise and uncertainty his light touch produced. She’d expected pain, not the pleasure sweeping through her, never imagining her butt could be such an erogenous zone.

  “Feels good, doesn’t it, sugar?”

  Grayson squeezed her right cheek, this time a tad harder than before. The discomfort ignited another startling burst of heat that spread to include her pussy. “And a little uncomfortable?” He soothed the throbbing flesh with another caress.

  “Yes. But…” Avery struggled to lift her shoulders and turn her head, but he pressed harder on her back, keeping her pinned in place. She wasn’t sure if the blood rushing to her face was because of her dangling position or the surprising thrill his control stirred up.

  “Just because it’s new or unexpected doesn’t make it wrong or unacceptable.” He swatted her left cheek, the sudden sting wringing a cry from her throat, the instant warmth drawing a shiver down her spine. “Some women get off on a touch of pain.” The next smack heated and stung her right buttock, leaving behind dual sensations of soft, pulsing flesh. “Even a few on much harsher torment.”

  Avery damn near flew off his lap as Master Grayson cupped his hand between her legs and pressed up against her damp flesh. Smugness laced his voice as he said, “You’re wet, which proves you like that small agony. Let’s see how much you can take, shall we?” Nerves skittered under her skin, but embarrassment and curiosity kept her quiet until he demanded a verbal reply in a dark, displeased tone that unnerved her further. “Red or green, Avery. Answer me now.”

  She felt his fingers at the waistband of her panties and pictured the way her bared butt would face the open side of the nook and the possibility of others seeing, watching. Her sheath clenched at the image in her head and aching need overruled insecurities and mortification with little thought. “Green, Sir.”

  “Excellent.”

  Oh, God. It wasn’t the slightly cooler air teasing Avery’s naked buttocks that caused her to shiver as he lowered her panties to rest at mid-thigh, but the sheer decadence of lying over his lap in such a vulnerable pose. Her nipples puckered, pressing against the satin camisole, another reminder the only part of her he exposed were the rounded globes of her fleshy, white butt.

  “Nice.” Grayson stroked her bare cheeks, the difference between his hand touching over her panties and now without that thin barrier shockingly acute.

  The first few slaps did nothing more than tingle and warm her skin, stirring the results of the previous swats. Avery blew out the breath she’d been holding, relaxed and embraced the oddly arousing sensations coming to life with this new experience. She soon forgot about the risk of being seen, her mind centered on his hand connecting with her backside in a steady volley of titillating smacks that warmed her both inside and out. He stopped to rub her pulsating flesh, lulling her into further complacency she should have been leery of. Her sigh of pleasure ended in a gasping lungful of air as he resumed with a harder swat that stung briefly before disappearing. Shifting her hips against the instant burn, she groaned in frustration of a nameless yearning as his leg tightened over hers.

  “Lay still,” Master Grayson admonished, delivering another smack hard enough to bounce her buttock.

  “I’m trying,” she snapped and then cried out as he showed his displeasure with her tone by administering a smarting blow on the under curve of one cheek. “Sheesh!” Avery wasn’t sure if her startled exclamation stemmed from the blistering pain of that reprimand or the way her copious juices oozed from her empty pussy as a result, her response rattling her. Latching onto his leg for added support, he rocked her body forward with two more butt covering swats, each one a touch harder, turning heat into fire.

  “Try harder. I love your ass, sugar.” He tapped a sore area, the lighter touch emphasizing the burn again. “So soft and malleable.” Cupping the plump roundness of her right buttock, he kneaded the flesh he’d just smacked. “And responsive to my touch.” Releasing the tender globe, he again smoothed his palm over her backside, leaving none of her reddened skin untouched.

  A nervous giggle slid past Avery’s compressed lips. “I don’t know what to say to that. No one’s ever…”

  “Never?”

  She shook her head, wishing she had the guts to look back at his face. “Nope, never.”

  “Idiots. You’re better off without them. You like a touch of pain.”

  Avery knew where he was going when he brushed the pads of his fingers over her throbbing buttocks then down to her crotch. She whimpered with the single-digit glide up her seam, moaned as he kept going, dragging the slick juices he’d encountered up her crack, and shuddered from the light press against her back orifice. Embarrassed and appalled at the spark of pleasure she never expected from such a taboo part of her body, she put more effort into shifting away from his hand.

  “Give me a color, Avery,” Grayson demanded, his voice calm and implacable.

  “Um, yellow?” She didn’t want him to give up on her but wasn’t sure what that touch was leading to.

  “Good enough.” Pulling up her panties, he said, “Up you go.”

  Grayson flipped Avery over and held her pressed against his chest, catching her wince when her well-spanked ass came to rest on his denim-covered thighs. Her face was almost as red as her butt, her eyes glazed behind the glasses she was nudging back in place. “I’m surprised those stayed on,” he commented, flicking the corner of the black frames.

  “Me too.” She leaned her head against his shoulder, a sign she wasn’t put off by that light demonstration.

  Reaching up, he cupped one full breast, enjoying the poke of her puckered nipple through the soft satin and the shape and size of her. He couldn’t remember when he’d delighted in a spanking for titillation and tutoring so much, her responses boding well for her acceptance into submission. Taking advantage of her bemused state, he pushed his agenda to get her to open up by asking, “You’re a long way from home, sugar. What brought you to Willow Springs?”

  She stiffened, and he tightened his arm around her waist, scraping his thumbnail over her nipple to keep her teetering on that edge of arousal the spanking had brought her to.

  “I… does it matter?” she answered with an indrawn breath as he circled the turgid tip with his finger, tracing over the bumps of her areole.

  “You tell me.”

  “I needed a change, is all. My job… I wasn’t happy there anymore.”

  Grayson moved to her other breast, toying with that nipple as he said, “From your computer skills, I’m guessing you weren’t waitressing.”

  Avery paused long enough to push into his exploring hand with a small shudder before replying, “No, I… I’m a certified IT tech.”

  It should make him happy she was talking, but instead he found himself frustrated by the bits and pieces she kept tossing out with the evasive replies. Deciding it might be best not to push her for more answers tonight, he nudged her up from his lap. “We’ve hidden behind here long enough
. Come on.”

  Snatching her hand, Grayson led her around the half wall and toward the bar, surprised to see Dan filling drink orders instead of Connor, who usually took the early shift bar tending until later in the evening, when he was ready to play. Ever since his breakup with Annie, though, Connor had been spending more and more time behind the bar and less time with a sub.

  “A little early for you to be taking over, isn’t it?” he asked Dan as he slid onto a stool, pulling Avery in front of him and caging her in between him and the bar top.

  “Connor’s a no-show tonight. But I’m good. Caden will relieve me in an hour when you’re up for monitor upstairs,” Dan reminded him.

  Grayson nodded, removing the toothpick as Dan set his usual whiskey in front of him. “Got it. Thanks.”

  “You look like you could use a drink, Avery. What can I get you?” The lawyer’s dark eyes missed nothing as he took in her flustered appearance and distended nipples.

  “A light beer, thanks.” She squirmed against Grayson, shifting her eyes away from the knowing glint in Dan’s assessing gaze. Smart girl to suspect the other Dom knew about and might have caught a glimpse of her first spanking.

  Grayson pressed his arm against her lower abdomen, pulling her ass against his pelvis, her soft buttocks providing a nice cushion for his erection. After taking a sip of his drink, he turned her face to meet his mouth and let her taste the liquor on his tongue. She sank into the kiss, her hands clutching his forearm as he took his time exploring the inner recesses of her mouth, their teeth gnashing as he went deeper with it.

  The clank of Dan setting the beer bottle down drew them apart, the return of Avery’s glazed expression leaving Grayson satisfied. “Take a drink, sugar. I agree with Master Dan. You look like you could use it.”