regret.
âWhat were you saying?â he asked, mouth tight, straining to recall why heâd been irritated.
âI . . . I didnât mean
spying
 . . . like . . . like . . .â
âMy father?â he prompted quietly.
She scraped white teeth over her plump lower lip, the damp drag spellbinding him momentarily, making him forget his anger.
âI donât think youâre like your father, Lucien. At least I hope youâre not. But that man in Paris, he mentioned Ian Noble. I donât understandââ
âIâm not asking you to understand,â he said, touching her cheek and feeling her warmth. âIâm asking you to trust me. Do you?â
She nodded, but he saw the wariness in her eyes. He frowned and picked up the hairbrush from the bed. âDo you at least trust me enough to bend over for the rest of your punishment?â he asked.
Her eyes widened. âYouâre going to spank me with Grand-Mèreâs hairbrush?â
He smiled. âI like to innovate with whatever is available to me, and Grand-Mère will never know. Itâll be our own little secret,â he said, positioning himself next to her body instead of in front of her. âNow bend over.â
Her lips curved alluringly. She held his gaze as she leaned over slowlyâa nimble, sleek seductionâputting her bound hands on her knees.
âWitch,â he accused. Her smile widened and he smiled back. He couldnât stop himself. She couldnât help it if everything she did was sex distilled. âStare at the floor this instant. What did I tell you last time about seducing me during a punishment?â he asked mildly as he rubbed her firm, pink bottom. She stilled beneath him when his fingers brushed close to her thighs at the lower curve of her ass. He was so tempted to dip his fingers into the sweet, wet heaven of her.
âYou said youâd give me more punishment,â he heard her say. He blinked, his lustful trance fracturing.
âThatâs right,â he murmured as he trailed a hand up her spine and felt her shiver beneath his touch. His cock swelled so tight, he didnât think there was room in his skin anymore. He wanted to ride her until the oblivion of climax shook him, abandon himself to her fires. But if he didnât maintain control, both of them would be lost.
He firmed his hold on her shoulder and drew back the hairbrush, the smooth enameled three-by-four-inch back of it facing Eliseâs ass.
âThis will sting more than the spanking,â he said. âWhy in Godâs name couldnât you have asked me for help?â
âI couldnât,â he heard her say in a muffled voice.
âBut why?â he demanded.
A pause. He waited, his arm suspended in the air.
âI was too proud,â he finally heard her whisper.
He swung the hairbrush. It hit her bottom with a brisk pop, the blow shivering through her taut flesh in a way that made his cock jump. He held her steady when she squeaked and lurched forward slightly.
He popped her bottom again and again.
âOoh!â
âIs it too much?â he asked, palming a buttock and rubbing it. She was growing hot. He listened, his ear cocked, ignoring his raging cock.
âNo. Itâs bearable,â she said after a moment, her shaky yet brave response making him close his eyes briefly, shielding himself from the glory of her.
He carefully examined her reddening ass, kneading the exquisitely soft, hot flesh. Yes, she could take a few more, but not much. He would never want to mark her, and she had a very tender, sensitive ass.
âYou will take three more,â he said, âbut Iâm not going easy on you for the last. Brace yourself.â He saw her muscles tense in anticipation. Still holding her steady with one hand and rubbing her ass with the other, he examined her, his gaze catching on the delicious under-curve of