to. Her heart was pounding and her breathing was shallow.
Sam regarded her, a half-smile playing over his lips. He shook his head. “Rae, Rae, Rae,” he said with mock distress. “What am I going to do with you? You can’t even follow the most basic command.”
He had unclipped the dog leash from her collar when they’d entered the dungeon. Now he stood and strode toward her and she saw he still had it in his hand. Before she could react, he clipped it to the collar and yanked, sending her stumbling forward. He walked briskly toward the bed, jerking her along like a naughty puppy as she cried out with dismay.
He sat again and pulled her unceremoniously across his lap while she squirmed and struggled, too frightened to be still. With sheer brute force he held her down, a hand on the back of her neck, his other arm wrapped over her thighs, pinning her in place.
“Calm down.” His voice was almost soothing though his grip remained tight. “I’m not going to let you go until you calm down and stay still. You earned this spanking and then some.” The hand on the back of her neck tightened and his voice was a warning. “I’m starting to think you weren’t sincere. Should we just end this now and I’ll give the NYPD a call?”
“No!” Rae cried breathlessly. “No, I’ll be good. I promise. I’m just—I’m scared. You’re really freaking me out, Sam.” The enormity of what she’d signed up for hit her all at once and, though she knew it wasn’t going to do any good in the end, Rae couldn’t seem to stop herself. She started to struggle again, determined to wriggle off his lap and then make a run for it.
“Damn it, Rae!” Sam lifted her and tossed her onto the bed. He wrestled her down, grabbing her wrists and yanking her arms over her head. He crouched beside her on the bed, pressing her wrists hard into the mattress. “Let’s put an end to this bullshit here and now. You will stick to the terms of our agreement or I’ll call the whole thing off, got it? I’m warning you, this is your last chance to behave. Then it’s back to embezzlement charges and an orange jumpsuit for you.”
He loosened his grip on her wrists, but kept his large hands wrapped around them. “What’s it going to be, Rae? Your choice.”
There was no choice and he knew it. That’s how blackmail worked, she wanted to shout at him. She managed to hold her tongue, however, and nodded meekly. “I’ll behave,” she said in a tiny voice.
He glowered at her a moment longer, but at last his expression eased. He let go of her wrists and unclipped the leash from the collar around her neck. Instinctively she reached for the collar, touching the stiff leather as he maneuvered himself again to sit on the edge of the bed.
He twisted back to look at her. “All right then. We’ll try this again. You’re going to get the spanking you deserve. Not a playful sexy swatting, but a bona fide spanking reserved for naughty little brats. I’ve half a mind to use a belt, but since this is your first punishment, we’ll start easy.”
Rae swallowed, desperately trying to think of a way out of this, but she gave up as the frown began to return to Sam’s face. She scooted along the bed, draping herself awkwardly over his lap, her heart smacking at her sternum. She pressed her face into the bed, her entire body tense with dreaded anticipation.
She felt his hand on her ass and jerked, but instead of spanking her, he began to stroke the skin, moving his hands lightly over her ass, thighs and lower back. She remained tensed, her muscles taut, her hands clenched into fists, but he only continued to stroke and soothe her. After a while, despite her fear, she found herself relaxing, at least a little. Her fingers unfurled and she let out the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.
“That’s it.” Sam’s voice was soothing though his words were not. “Take what’s coming. This is nothing compared to what I’m going to expect of