Page 119 of Dark Duet: Platinum Edition

He smiled and shook his head, just before he grabbed the back of my head and pulled my hair hard enough to let me know I was in trouble. “How about for talking when you weren’t asked to speak, touching me as if you have the right, looking at me without being told, and most importantly, for consistently addressing me improperly?” He gripped my hair tight. I whined sharply behind my closed lips and my eyes reflexively shut. “Now, you tell me, Kitten, do you deserve to be punished?”

There could not possibly be any good answer to his question. Even silence would be thought of as another infraction. My mind raced to find a way out of the situation, but I knew the damage had been done.

I cried miserably, but I opened my mouth and replied, “If it’s what you want, Master, then yes.” I kept my eyes closed, mindful not to look at him unbidden, and he released my hair.

“That’s a good answer, Kitten. Later, I’ll show you exactly what I want. In the meantime, show me how much you want to make me happy.”

Chapter Seventeen

He made me walk – with traces of his semen on my chin and neck – naked, sobbing, and on shaky legs up the steps of the dungeon and out into the civilized surroundings of the mansion above. I hesitated strongly at the top of the steps when I heard the unmistakable murmur of people in conversation. Caleb pressed his hand firmly against the curve of my bottom and urged me forward, but I only leaned back and tried to step down. Propping me up with one hand, he delivered a powerful, ringing slap across the delicate flesh of my ass, and I couldn’t help but cry out loudly and lurch through the door. Six sets of eyes turned toward me at once. They displayed a mixture of surprise and amusement.

The strong desire to run surged through me, but Caleb held my hair cruelly in his grasp. As I was forced to kneel at his feet, I instantly grabbed hold of his pant leg and hid.

“Well, this entire day just became more interesting,” said an unfamiliar voice with a southern drawl. His comment was met with resounding laughter.

“I apologize,” said Caleb. “She’s not quite house broken yet.”

I was too scared to be outraged. Above my head, sitting at a table, was a group of men and women. They didn’t seem to have a problem with a man dragging in a naked and crying woman. I couldn’t imagine a more horrifying scenario.

When the laughter subsided, a familiar voice spoke. “Will you both be having breakfast with us?” It was Felipe – there was no mistaking the strong, assured inflection of his voice, and of course, there was the Spanish accent. My heart skipped a beat. What would happen if he told Caleb about last night? Had he told Caleb about last night? What if it was a test – andIwas supposed to tell him?

“No, not this morning – but perhaps for dinner. I need time to make her suitable.” He finally let my hair loose. I made no attempt to move; cowered against his legs, I felt oddly protected.

“Of course,” said Felipe. “Celia will help you.”

Caleb made me travel the rest of the way upstairs on my hands and knees, while the others looked on and remarked on how obvious it was I was new and how fun it would be to get a hold of my sexy ass.

Heat crawled all across my body, but I kept my head down and focused only on getting as far away from this emerging situation as possible. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I also worried about what was going to happen to me next. I realized my deepest hope was for Caleb to take me upstairs, bathe me, feed me, and hold me as he filled my ears with reassurances. I wanted him to remind me he would never let anyone hurt me, but as he forced me past the door to my room, my hopes seemed more and more unlikely.

A little further down, we rounded a corner and my knees were finally given respite as they met with a small, carpeted alcove. Caleb stepped in front of me and opened the large wooden door. I hesitated for only a moment, not knowing why, but then crawled across the threshold. The room was not what I expected. If ever I imagined a room for Caleb to call his own, it would have been this one. It seemed inundated with his ominous taste.

The carpet was a deep burgundy. It was so dark I almost mistook it for black. The bed sat high, covered in the blackest of spreads, turned down to reveal crimson silk sheets and pillows. The headboard was black as well – a large, tall, square thing. It gave the bed an obviously-masculine tone, and attached to its center were two thick metal loops. The door shut behind me and the room was drenched in darkness. I swallowed hard.

A small clicking sound and the light of a bedside lamp scarcely lit the room. I dared not make a sound or movement, though the urge to turn and look at Caleb was intense. My eyes stared forward, catching sight of a leather-clad bench of sorts. There was no television, no stereo, and no phone, but there were books. I noticed them in a corner bookcase, their spines showing they’d been thoroughly read and enjoyed. I suddenly ached to know their titles. I wondered what he read, what made him happy. There was also an odd piece of furniture standing in front of the stark curtains. I knew from a glance I was best left unaware of its purpose. It formed the shape of a large X, and at the top of each corner rested the same metal loops as the headboard. I shuddered in spite of myself.

“You embarrassed me down there.” My entire body tensed at the sound of his angry voice.

“I’m sorry, Master,” I whispered low. I struggled desperately to stay perfectly still. I treated him as the sort of predator to only attack moving prey. I heard the distinct sound of a buckle being undone and the swish of a belt being pulled from its belt loops. I started to shake.

“You’re going to learn what is expected of you, Pet.”

Everything in my body screamed for me to run, but somewhere inside my head a small voice whispered there was no escape – only obedience.Only obedience will make him happy. I nodded absently.

He didn’t say anything further. He simply pressed my forehead to the ground and laid his belt down across my backside in quick succession.

At one, I clenched my jaw and forced my hands under my knees to keep from trying to take the belt.

At two and three, I was rocking as I wailed into the carpet.

Four, and I attempted to place my hands in the way of his belt by shielding my buttocks. My fingers brushed across raised welts.

Five, six, and seven, he held my hands tight against the small of my back.

Eight and nine left me screaming out loud and panting.

He stopped for a moment, long enough for me to tell him how sorry I was, that I would obey, that I would be good – I promised. A few more and he finally seemed satisfied.

He let my arms go, but I knew better than to follow my instincts to get up. I grabbed my wrists and held them at the small of my back, just as he had them. I heard his soft laugh over my sporadic whimpers and sobs, and for some reason, my body became slightly more at ease.