Her soft hot breath travels across my skin and brings my cock to life. “That last slap was for being sarcastic.”

“And the others?” she asks, risking more punishment.

“Those were owed to you from our fun first night on the beach. Satisfied?” I grab her by the elbows and lift so she can regain her balance, and then I scoop her up in my arms. Her legs are still spread open as I carry her around to the front side of the couch and take a seat. “For the rest of your punishment, you have two choices because I’d like to sit down and enjoy my view of your beautiful pussy. Would you like to bend over the coffee table or lie across my lap?”

“Your lap, please.” She hesitates for a moment and then adds, ”Master,” to the end of her sentence.

I urge her to flip over so her stomach is across my thighs and then I lean down and whisper, “I love you, Grace.”

“I hope so.”

“Don’t doubt me.”

“Why do you want me to cry?”

“Because you need to let it out.”

“I did let it out. Back at the hospital.”

“Grace, five minutes of tears is not crying. You refuse to give in to therapy, fine. I’m not going to insist on anything.”

“But you insist that I cry here tonight. Because you’re hitting me.”

“I’m spanking you, Grace. Something that turns you on. It’s erotic. It’s not about hurting you. And this is not about making you cry. You will cry because it’s natural.”

She stills. Perhaps to think about this. “Do you want to know what I did in Colorado?”

“No.”

She stays silent for almost a minute after that answer. “Why not?”

“Because if you wanted me to know, you’d have told me before I left for work.” I trace a fingertip down the backside of her thigh, into the soft cavity behind her knee—this makes her stifle a giggle—and then continue down her calf where I squeeze and knead the muscles there until she moans. “Feel good?”

“Yes. So good.”

I smack the back of her thigh. A quick downward motion, barely touching her skin, and then a retreat.

It stings my hand so I know it stings her thigh worse. She wails a complaint, but I immediately slip my fingers between the open folds of her pussy and stroke her gently there. “Better?”

She makes a sound that is halfway between a moan and a growl and I smile because she has no idea whether she should cry or come.

But then she sniffles and I know I’m on the right track.

My fingers leave the warmth of her pussy and trace a wet trail up her spine. She bucks a little, but tries her best to be still. “You’re perfect, Mrs. Asher. And if you only take one thing away from tonight, let it be this. The spankings are about trust.”

She takes a breath like she wants to say something, but then she stops.

“Tell me, Grace. If you have something to say, tell me.”

“I’m not very good at this.”

“Neither am I.”

Her head turns and she relaxes. Her face pressed into the cushions of the couch. “That’s funny. You’re the one with all the experience.”

“Yeah, but I’ve never done this with a woman I cared about before. It’s new for me too. Before you, Grace, this domination stuff was about sexual release and satisfaction.”

She lifts her head from the cushions and tries to look at me. “And now?”

“I told you. Trust. You don’t trust me. And to be quite honest, I don’t trust you either. I feel like you’re perpetually on the verge of walking out. I can’t live like this, Grace. I can’t. I need to know if you’re in or not.”

“I’m your wife. I’m in.”

“You’re my wife on paper, that’s it. I want you to be my wife, Grace.”

“Will spanking me make me your wife?”

“Do you hate it?”

“No. It’s just demoralizing.”

“But effective. I have you here, face down in my lap, talking to me about things you’d rather not. That’s not demoralizing, that’s progress. This relationship is a give and take. I hate to say this, sweets, but you’re been doing a lot of taking.”

She balks and tries to lift her upper body, but my hand is swift on her bottom. The crack sounds off simultaneously with her yelp. “Stay put,” I order her. “I’m not fucking around. You earned this spanking. Now it can be pleasant and sexual, or it can be harsh and demoralizing. It’s your choice.”

“How is it my choice? You’re the one who gets to dole out the punishments.”

“And you’re the one who gets to decide when you get punished and what form that takes. Do you want to be punished like this?” My hand smacks down on the back of her legs, right where they meet the upward curve of her ass. But before she can cry out, I’m rubbing her and slipping my fingers inside her pussy. “That feels good, Grace. It’s not about pain, it’s about control. You resist my control because you don’t trust me. And I’m telling you right now, you’re making both of us unhappy by doing that.”

“You want to leave me.”

“I don’t want to leave you. I love you. I married you. I want to fuck you and boss you around and make you have my babies. I want to keep you forever. You’re the one who’s got one foot out the door. I want you to commit, Grace. And the first step is to submit.”

She’s silent for a few moments as my words sink in. I don’t want to say this. In fact, I’m terrified to continue. But it needs to be out in the open. It needs to be done. “Are you willing to do that? Or do you want to end this marriage?”

Chapter Ten

#EpicQuestionsCount

DO I want to end this marriage?

My instant response is no.

But… I stop myself from saying the word. Because he’s asking me an honest question and that deserves some introspection. I became his wife under less than ideal circumstances. I don’t even remember it. As far as I’m concerned, this is the first time I’ve had a say in this marriage at all.

“Grace?” he prods.

Maybe I did say ‘I do’ in Vegas. But that was hardly my choice. Because honestly, if he had asked me in the morning if I wanted to marry him, my answer would’ve been no.