be with him today but wasn’t, he’d never balked when she’d earned a trip over his knee. He’d spanked other women over the years and always grimly delivered it. Even with Sarah, who he’d only spanked one time, he’d not held back. All of those women were familiar with being punished, but he didn’t think Teri was. Oddly, he liked the idea of being her first, of her submitting to him and trusting him.
“You’ve never had a hand applied to your bottom before, have you?” He lightly swatted one cheek and then the other. “And, no, this isn’t that kind of spanking.”
“No,” she admitted shakily. “Are you done yet?”
Since she’d been a spanking virgin he probably should be, but she hadn’t demanded he stop. She hadn’t tried to get up. With her sense of independence and love of challenging him, he hadn’t seen her as a submissive…until now. She was a natural at it. And that certainly pleased him. An alpha dominant like him needed a woman like her. At least for now.
He pulled his mind back to the present. “I don’t think you’re ready for this to end yet. You know you did wrong. You want to be held responsible.”
“That’s silly. Of course I want this to end,” she protested. “I don’t need--”
He cut her off by spanking her in earnest. His hand rose and fell in hard swats over every inch of her bottom. It turned crimson, heated all over, and she wiggled the delicious butt back and forth, side to side. All the time she cried out, sobbing. Still, he had a strange feeling that she believed she’d needed something like this for a long time. But he wouldn’t be cruel, not really hurt her.
Breathing hard and struggling not to take this intimacy in another direction, Seth finally eased her off his lap. He found he hated letting her go, but he needed distance from her now. A lot of distance. The instant she stood before him rubbing her sore bottom, he stood. As she looked at him with a trembling lower lip and tears trickling down her face, his arms ached to pull her into his embrace. He couldn’t do it. Wouldn’t do it.
With a bare glance at her, he headed for the door. “I’ll expect dinner on the table at 5.”
“Maybe I won’t feel like it.”
Even after she’d been spanked, she dared to sass him. He should turn back and spank her again. But a smile sliding onto his face surprised him and he continued walking away. “Five o’clock, darlin’.”
Chapter Three
“What ya grinning like a fool about?”
Seth froze and instinctively bristled at being startled out of his thoughts as he walked into the equipment building. His foreman and friend, Walker Fremont, leaned against the seat of Seth’s four-wheeler. Clearly he’d been waiting for him and he didn’t look happy. No doubt because of Teri. His friend had a huge chip on his shoulder when it came to women, for damn good reasons. Even more so because he’d been around Seth through all of the crap Sarah had dumped on him. The man was fiercely protective of him.
“Nothing.” Seth forced the all-too-rare smile from his face. He hadn’t realized he was still smiling since walking away from Teri. She frustrated him on many levels, but her spunk had lightened his spirit for the first time in months. Which was dangerous. He couldn’t let himself have feelings for her, certainly nothing soft and warm, and nothing even hinting at getting romantically involved. But, damn, his body wanted her, bad.
“She’s bad news.” Walker stood, stretching to his full 6’3” height, his shoulders stiffened. “I don’t understand why she’s still here.” He reeked of intimidation, threat, but not to Seth. No, Walker, owed him for giving him a chance at a decent job. Ex-cons didn’t usually get so lucky. But Seth had enough dark secrets and problems in his past. They trusted each other, respected each other, and would have each other’s backs without question. Both men knew it without ever having had to