Page 71 of Stone
“Not a chance.”
“If you don’t and I’m forced to, trust me in that you won’t be able to sit down for a week.”
“You’d do that?”
“You bet your sweet ass I would. Anything to ensure your safety. That’s what I was hired to do.”
His words of being hired bothered me more than they should. The playfulness had been amazing, almost as if the barriers had been knocked down. But this was a reminder that I’d been a job to him.
I glared at the knife, the stream of sunlight sliding in through the thick canopy of trees highlighting the metal blade. I could tell by the look on his face there was no getting out of this. While he pissed me off, what bothered me even more was the fact my pussy was throbbing.
What kind of woman had I turned into?
“You’re a horrible person. I just want you to know that.” I offered the proclamation as I ripped the two items from his hands. What in the hell did I know about cutting a switch? Maybe if I mutilated it I could get out of this.
“So you keep telling me.”
All I needed to do was to look up at the huge tree in front of me. There were enough limbs and fallen twigs to create hundreds ofswitches. It was best not to give him any ideas. I knew how his mind processed things.
I studied the knife then the piece of wood, gritting my teeth as I tried to figure out how the hell to peel away the bark.
“You don’t need to take that much off, Dani. Just the skin. The reed is the perfect size already for maximum flexibility.”
“Fine.” I chipped away at the bark, absolutely floored I was following his instructions.
“Do you want to know why I didn’t pick a dead one?”
Why did his voice have the sound of happiness all over it? I lifted my gaze, ceasing all movement.
“Keep going. I’m sure you don’t want to prolong the anticipation.”
I must have had a sneer on my face since he offered a bright smile in response.
“As I was saying, you need a recently cut branch because it’s still alive and as you continue peeling, you’ll notice the hint of green on the inside. That’s the cambium, a thin layer of living cells that allows for either bending in the sense of shaping wooden pieces of furniture or art, or in this case, providing the perfect measure of pain when inflicting punishment.”
There was absolute glee in the man’s voice. How had I ever fallen in love with him? “Let me ask you a question.” I didn’t stop. I had a feeling he’d only add to the number of strikes he offered during my… punishment.
“Of course,” he said, still joyful. Still grinning. “You can ask me anything.”
“How is it that you know so much about switches and their uses as well as the perfect kind of wood to use?”
He shrugged as if his knowledge was no big deal. “Let’s just say I’ve dabbled in issuing punishments from time to time.”
I wasn’t certain whether I was hurt or shocked. I lifted my gaze once again, realizing he hadn’t taken his eyes off me. “Is that so?”
“Yep. That’s so. There is a technique involved in all my methods of discipline.”
“I don’t think I want to know.”
“Well,” he offered as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his swim trunks. “You’re going to find out shortly.”
I continued peeling away the bark, grumbling under my breath the entire time. He was torturing me with this on purpose, but even worse, the warmth between my legs kept growing. Damn him. I shifted from foot to foot, almost nicking my finger.
“Be careful. My knife is sharp.”
As soon as I peeled away the last of the bark, he edged closer. “Is this good enough?”
“Let me see.” He took the switch from my hand, taking a step away and rubbing his hand down the reed. When he swooshed it in the air, I jumped from the sound it made.
