When it dawned on me what he was doing, I started to fight and scream against the hold he had on me but to no avail. I bit at his hand and clawed at his face but he didn’t flinch. As he watched me fight, a depraved smile spread across his face.

“Yes, I want you to kill her. Slit her throat but before you do that…let her know her dear niece sends her regards.” When he said the last, I managed to dislodge his hand from my throat and as soon as I was free a blood-curling scream ripped from the depths of my soul for my aunt. Her death would be my entire fault and if she died, I would die with her.

“Please,” I croaked out when screaming was no longer possible.

“I gave you what you wanted.”

“That’s not what I want. Please…call him back. I’m sorry.”

“What is that you are sorry for?”

“I’m sorry for disobeying you. It won’t happen again.”

“See that’s where you’re wrong. It will happen again because you think you save them. You want to be a hero.”

“No.”

“Yeah, you do,” he replied lazily.

“Please call him back. I’ll do anything.”

“Yes, you will and I don’t need to call him.”

“What, why?”

“Because I never called him.”

I narrowed my eyes when he smiled down at me. “You’re an asshole.”

“And you're a glutton for punishment. Maybe you really do like what I did to you last night." I shook my head but he only grinned. “What did I say about lying, Monroe?” He turned me around so that my back was now facing him. “You have a few things to answer to and I'd like to get started as soon as possible."

"What does that mean?" I was quickly becoming a nervous wreck at the sound of promise in his voice.

"You know what it means," he said while unzipping my dress.

“I won’t allow her to get hurt so there must be some other way you can punish me. Just don't use Willow."

"And what way is that? Should I beat you? As much as I'd like to slap the fuck out of you, I won't. You don't have anything else," he sneered.

"So now you're a beacon of morality and goodwill?"

"No. It means there are better ways to hurt you."

“What are you going to do?” I asked when he peeled my dress off my shoulders and unsnapped my bra.

“Whatever I want.”

“Are you going to hurt me?”

“Yes.” The corner of his mouth lifted. “But you’ll like it.”

“I doubt that.”

He was slipping my panties down my legs when I said that. He stood up straight and the next second, he turned me back around and his head lowered to bite down on my nipple. They were sensitive and always seem to make me want to do things I knew I shouldn’t. My legs shook and I tried pressing them together to hide my reaction but his hand was already there.

“Your body doesn’t lie. Go stand by the side of the bed and bend over. Place your hands around your ankles and don’t move. And Monroe…don’t make me have to tell you anything twice.” I did what he commanded and walked over to bed. I positioned my body to face him and bent over when he stopped me. “No. Turn around.”

I felt my cheeks color as I thought about how the position would expose me to him completely. Still, I did what he said and turned around. “No matter what you hear or feel, keep your eyes on the ground and only speak when I tell you to.”

His tone was all business. Despite his warnings I wanted to turn around to see him. I was afraid of what he might do and wanted him to reassure me that he wouldn’t really hurt me but I knew he would never do that. He wanted me to be afraid of him.

His booted feet suddenly appeared between my legs and kicked my feet apart. I struggled to adjust without taking my hands from around my ankles. The sound of him removing his belt kicked my fear into high gear.

“Let’s start with your first offense. What was it?”

“I went to the game.”

“No.”

A sharp pain spread across my ass as the sound of the hard lash on my skin resonated throughout the air. I let out a loud cry and nearly toppled over. When he caught me, I turned my head but he quickly grabbed the back of my neck, holding me in place.

“That was one. It’s up to you how many you get. What was your first offense?”

“I don’t know,” I cried. My ass was still throbbing when he delivered a second lash.

“Well, let me inform you,” he said, talking over my crying. “Your first mistake was taking that fucking job. Your first offense was letting that clown near you.

“But he –” I felt the leather on my ass for a third time.

“Are you really going to make me repeat myself?” I shook my head quickly. My hair was falling in front of my face with a few strands sticking to my face.

“Good, then we don’t need this anymore.” I heard the belt fall to the floor and I felt a moment of gratitude until he pulled me over to the bed with him and laid me across his lap.  He started massaging my butt and talking to me. “I want you to tell me everything you did wrong today. If you lie or leave anything out, I get the belt again. Begin.”

“I talked to Willow.” Slap.

“I left the house.” Slap.

“I was going to lie to you.” Slap, slap. I tried to ignore the burning pain the licks were causing me but at the last my voice broke and I clenched the sheets in front of me.