Page 34 of Surrender
Fiona’s stomach dropped to her feet, and she froze in her chair.
Why had she ignored his rule? How difficult would it have been to ask Rentzaq to tag along to the café? Her pulse accelerated and she struggled to maintain eye contact with her husband. She’d never seen him look so displeased and a quiver raced across her bottom cheeks.
“Is there something you want to tell me?” Merokk asked, still swirling his glass of wine.
She sighed and nodded, hoping he would see her side of things if she explained. “I walked to a café two blocks away with Layla today, and I didn’t take Rentzaq along. I’m sorry.”
She shot him a pleading look, praying for his understanding and lenience.
“The city seems safe,” she continued, “we didn’t run into any trouble, and Layla was with me the whole time. She picked me up at the house and also walked me home. Since we didn’t plan to go far and I wasn’t alone, I-I didn’t see any need to bother Rentzaq.”
She held her breath, coldness clutching her as she awaited his response.
His next words came out quiet but infused with authority. “Go straight to the bedroom and wait for me, Betsy. I’ll be up soon to address your disobedience.”
A short while later, Fiona found herself sitting on their bed, but she didn’t remember the walk up the stairs. Her heart hammered in her chest, and her throat felt like sandpaper.
He was going to spank her. As a real punishment.
She thought of the times he’d slapped her ass or her thighs during sex. She’d enjoyed it, even when he let loose and gave it to her good. Of course she wasn’t stupid. An actual punishment would hurt and likely be one of the most humiliating experiences of her life.
Where was he?
Ten minutes passed. Then twenty. Her stomach twisted and churned, and Fiona was thankful she’d eaten a light dinner. She stood up and began to pace the floor, wishing Merokk would hurry up and get it over with—or better yet, change his mind.
She turned at the sound of the opening door.
Her husband strode into the room with his larger-than-life presence filling the enormous space. The first thing she noticed about him was his eyes. While he still appeared quite stern, the raw fury she’d glimpsed in his gaze earlier had vanished.
Her anxiety lessened, if only a little.
He gestured for her to join him on the edge of the bed. With heavy feet, she approached him and cautiously sank onto his lap at his beckoning. Wrapping his arms around her, he placed a gentle kiss on her cheek, causing her heart to flutter. This gesture of affection caught her by surprise.
“You’re not mad anymore?” she asked, drawing back to meet his gaze.
He sighed and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m not happy with you, Betsy, but I have calmed down. I’m disappointed that you disregarded a rule meant to keep you safe. There are a lot of desperate people wandering the streets right now. There’s no telling what could happen if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time, and the fact that you’re the president’s daughter only compounds the danger.” He cupped her face in his large, warm hands. “You’re not to leave the property without me, Rentzaq or another guard ever again. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir. I’m so sorry.” She bit her lip, apprehensive over his next move.
“Let’s get this over with.” He lifted her up, standing her on the floor. Reaching for her skirt, he pulled it down over her hips, taking her panties with it.
Fiona felt like a doll being undressed, especially when her shirt and bra came next.
She fought the urge to cover her exposed breasts. Sure, he’d seen her naked plenty of times, but this was different. His gaze swept over her body, and a heavy sense of vulnerability took her unaware.
It didn’t help that she craved his touch, anticipated it, even, and an unbearable ache had taken up residence between her thighs. A strange mix of emotions and desires coursed through her, and it took all her strength to remain still under Merokk’s intense scrutiny.
A second later, Fiona found herself upended over her husband’s lap on the bed.
Oh God. This was really happening.
She closed her eyes and tried to ignore the throbbing sensation rocketing through her center. If Merokk discovered her arousal, she would be mortified beyond belief. This was a real punishment—how the hell could she be so turned on?
Merokk wrapped one leg around hers and shifted her higher, forcing her thighs to part embarrassingly wide. He placed one hand on her bottom and grabbed her wrists in the other to pin them against the small of her back.
Her heart pounded and pounded. Burning tears formed in her eyes and threatened to spill over, leaving her perplexed. The gentle tone he’d just used with her, as well as the affectionate gleam in his dark eyes, made her feel like breaking down, but she didn’t understand why.
She supposed he was right. There probably were a lot of desperate people on the streets, some of them perhaps looking to blame the US government for surrendering too quickly, or even those who were angry about the terms of the Kall-Earth treaty. The First Daughter would make an excellent target, now that she thought about it.
