Page 73 of Puppy on a Leash

“Can you move to straddle me, pup?”

It wasn’t a familiar feeling, but I wanted him to show his strength, to show he could move on his own even when his gaze was hooded, his face flushed, and his ass was sore.

I gave him two seconds to bob his head in assent. Another two seconds to move on his own.

I moved my hands to his ass right away, kneading and spreading his cheeks. Jaime sniffled. He wasn’t crying, but his eyes were starting to get a shimmery quality to them.

“Color?”

“Green, Sir.” His voice was wet, but it was steadier than I would’ve thought.

“Good pup.” I raised my hand to hit his right cheek and left it there for a beat, feeling the warmth radiating and spreading across the skin. I did the same with the left one, noting the way his breath caught, the way he trembled, swaying toward me. “Do you want to try the other position we talked about?”

I didn’t project my voice when I asked. For once, it was a good thing that Erika hadn’t listened to me when I’d suggested microphones for the workshops. The question wasn’t meant for an audience, and I didn’t care about them hearing it and analyzing Jaime’s response to it.

“Yeah.” Jaime swallowed, his throat bobbing up and down. “I’m good.”

I watched him and all the ways his face showed what I was doing to him—what I was putting his body through. It was the determination in his eyes that sealed the deal and had me moving him off my lap and on his feet before me.

“Now.” I addressed the audience again. “When the goal for a spanking is release, pleasure, or fun, having a sub sprawled over your lap or in any position that allows for plenty of contact gets the best results.” My gaze flicked to Jaime. This part was supposed to be for the people watching, but I found myself lifting my hand to his jawline. There was a hypnotic quality to him I couldn’t quite put into words. “But sometimes, or if you’re that kind of Dominant, most of the time, spankings might be about discipline, punishments, and a dash of humiliation. And if so, you might not want them to get comfort from being on your lap.”

Jaime’s pupils dilated. He gasped. I’d discussed this with him before, even though it was supposed to be organic. Ev had had a point. Negotiating everything up here involved more risks. I’d left out the standard questions, but I had discussed the general idea and the structure of the workshop with Jaime beforehand.

As oddly natural as it felt to be with him, I had to remind myself that we didn’t have a long history between us. I might’ve been watching him for longer than I wanted to admit, but I didn’t know how he behaved in close quarters with a Domm; if he would say yes to the humiliation when I presented it to him mid-scene because he was drunk on endorphins.

It sometimes happened with a sub, and the last thing I needed on our already rocky foundation was to have him regret something we did after he’d recovered and the endorphins were back to regular levels.

“Get on the floor, pup.”

“Yes, Sir.”

It was good to know he recovered fast. His face looked just as flushed, but his voice had lost that watery quality. He was more graceful than I expected, too, as he moved toward the three cushions I’d strategically placed on the laminate floor. One for his head, two for his knees.

His back arched beautifully, the black rubber reflecting the light overhead. I’d always favored leather for myself—and to honor the history of it in kink—but I could appreciate the way the plastic-like fabric clung to the skin, covering while leaving nothing to the imagination.

“Now,” I said to the people watching. I caught a few with their hands under their pants and made a mental note to test the waters of humiliation further by letting Jaime know once we didn’t have an audience. “The thing about spanking is that it forces you to stay near. When you’re whipping someone, you can add detachment simply by moving farther from your masochist. Or by emphasizing the fact that you’re not touching them. It gets trickier to achieve that when your instrument is your own hand.”

With any other sub, I’d circle around them, build up the anticipation. However, circling around Jaime meant giving his thoughts time to seep through and sabotage him. With that in mind, I kneeled beside him, by his hips, and kept talking with one hand on him.

“That’s when mind games come into play.” I lifted my hand and hit the darkened skin. Jaime’s jaw opened in a half scream. It served both purposes. “There’s been no difference between the force I’ve used now and the force I was using when he was on my lap. But right now, your sub will feel more exposed, more vulnerable. They don’t have any way to seek friction that distracts them from the pain. They can’t easily reach you, even if they’re not restrained.”

Jaime’s breath quickened. I gave him just enough time to slow it down. “Still green, pup?”

“Yes, Sir.”

SEVENTEEN

jaime

Truthfully? When Tony had talked about spanking me while on my knees and elbows? And when he told the people watching about the mind games and shit?

I didn’t think hemeantit. Well, I knew he meant it, because he’d been all business when we’d met up here earlier. It had been harder than usual to get on his nerves. But I thought it was all talk. I thought I’d somehow be immune to it.

Yet in what felt like a matter of seconds, all that existed was Tony. I existed as an extension of his body, a vessel for him to maneuver as he wished. The pain? It was there, but it was different. I couldn’t focus on it in the way that I did most of the time. I felt the result of each swat and each time he massaged my skin under the false premise that he was soothing and not having fun with the bruises already forming.

I couldn’t remember the last time someone had given me bruises.

I should be more concerned about it, but the thought of asking him to stop or even slow down? I couldn’t imagine anything more dreadful. It didn’t make sense, but there was certainty in the back of my head that it would be the thingI regretted most. It was another new feeling, another new sensation to war with.

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