Page 34 of The Pirate's Daughter

Her eyes dropped to the strap in his hand then back to his. “You’ll whip me for this?” The fear back in her voice made him wonder if she was accepting hisdecree.

“For your acts of piracy I’m going to spank you. Soundly,properly, but only with my hand. For all that stomping of your foot, you’ll get three with the strap on top of the spanking. I counted four stomps, so twelve.” He sat back and stretched trying to prepare for what came next. “If twelve doesn’t break you of the habit, I’ll increase it nexttime.”

“But, I didn’t stomp my foot atyou,” Mia said as Devin took a firm hold on her arm and started bending her forward over his knee. “I didn’tstompatyou.”

“No stomping is acceptable,” Devin told her as he put more effort into pulling her across hislap.

“You said don’t stomp atyou,” Mia wailed as she landed hard over his thighs. Devin adjusted herforward.

She kicked and twisted. Swinging her fists wildly, she managed to strike his leg, his ribs and his arm. “Mia,” he snapped, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to still herfight.

“I don’t want this. I don’t,” Miascreamed.

“Mia, do you want me to take a batten to you? Stop.” He could understand her want to fight, having never been punished before she might fear the reality of it. But he felt there was something more. “Stop Mia, or I’ll punish you a secondtime.”

“I don’t want this,” shewailed.

“Then you shouldn’t have acted behind my back and condoned an illegal act. You did both and now you must be held accountable.” Devin felt the winds spilling out. She didn’t kick her legs as wildly any longer, she was wearing out,tiring.

“I did the right thing,” she sniffed, looking over her shoulder athim.

“You did the righteous thing, the wrong way. And if you were so sure it was right, why didn’t you tell me what you did?” As he suspected, she didn’t think she should be punished because she didn’t think she had done anything wrong. He knew from experience that if he punished her and she didn’t know why, she’d only learn to resent him. Certainly, even a child needed to know what he did wrong to deserve chastisement or he came to hate histormenter.

Devin watched the emotions play in her features. She was trying hard to find another justification for what she did other than she didn’t like that it didn’t end to her satisfaction. He didn’t want to steal from her the victory she’d gained, not just for herself but for this particular cause, but he couldn’t condone how she went about it. Yes, his way was limited, yes more often the men who acted contrary to the laws prevailed, but as he’d told his officers, laws were all they had to keep the world fromburning.

“Don’t hurt me, please,” Mia begged and squirmed over hislap.

“Mia,” Devin sighed. “I’ve told you, spankings hurt. And thiswillhurt as I intend it to make animpression.”

“No, don’t,” she whined and tried again to twist off hislap.

“Enough.” Devin took a deep breath and reached for the hem of her dress. As soon as he lifted it, she squealed and kicked her legs. He put his arms round her waist and lifted enough to pull the skirts up to her back, before reaching for the ribbons that held her drawers closed. The cut of the drawers exposed a good portion of her sweet ass, but exposing her like this was part of the punishment. A sharp tug and the sides fell away. Again, Mia squealed and she nearly kicked him in the head when her right leg came up. Devin lifted her and moved her forward so she lay over only his left knee. Pushing her legs down, he put his right over both of hers. “You won’t act behind my back, Mia, not ever,” Devin said before lifting his right arm and landing the first hard volley of blows to her quiveringflanks.

Mia cried out in surprise that quickly turned to distress as he continued to bring his palm down. She tried once to put her hand back to block him but he aimed lower until he captured her hand and pinned it at her side. “Stop,” she cried squirming first forward thenback.

“You’ve earned this Mia,” Devin said putting more force and speed into each swing of his arm. The sound of his hand cracking down on her flesh rang out. He placed five spanks on her right cheek all in the same spot then five to her left one right on top of thelast.

“Stop, Captain. Stop.” Mia screamed, sobs starting to choke out herwords.

“You won’t act behind my back again.” Devin’s emphasis on the worst of her crimes again. Had she only come to him, suggested she might be able to stop Gillmore, he could have at least praised her ideas although he couldn’t have condonedthem.

The skin on her ass was starting to turn a rather nasty shade of red over the fullest portion. Mia pleaded with him to end this, but she’d stopped struggling. Devin dropped his eyes to the place between her legs. The pouting, hairless lips covered her sex completely. No signs told of any arousal on her part. Though he suspected she’d not find any pleasure in this, he’d not been certain. He was now. It was time though to make an indelible point and bring this to an end. He still had to make her know he wouldn’t tolerate her stomping her foot like a child. She might enjoy pain as part of sexual pleasure, but she’d little real tolerance forit.

Devin dropped his aim to the lower curve of her ass and landed several hard smacks there, bringing up color, but not trying to bruise as the paddle had. Mia’s wails were refreshed with his new onslaught and he continued until she again slumped down sobbing. He added a few random spanks then reached for the strip ofleather.

“You’re correct Mia, I did say to not stomp atme, but I also said that you’re too much a lady to stomp at all.” He took a good hold on the strap, about center so the end he would use was short and controlled. “You stomped at least four times which at three each should mean twelve, but I was not clear so you’ll get only six.” He waited to see if she’d acknowledge his words. All she did was shake her head no and cry. “Six then,” Devin said and aimed carefully as he flipped the strap back and brought it down on the back of her thighs with nothing more than a flip of hiswrist.

Mia screeched as the red line came up on her skin. It faded almost as quickly and Devin landed the second. Again Mia yelled. Devin let those lines fade then gave her the third stroke. She now sobbed so hard she made it difficult to take aim. The fourth line bloomed and Mia went limp, crying and choking. Devin made fast work of delivering the last two, glad now he’d reconsidered his original decree of twelve. Mia couldn’t have taken them and he didn’t know if he could’ve delivered. Despite not putting much strength into the punishment, the back of her thighs were far tenderer and easily more vulnerable than her ass. He promised it would hurt, but he didn’t want to harmher.

He set the strap aside then lifted his leg. She slipped back a bit before he lifted her to lie securely over his lap. Running his hand over the tortured flesh he was struck by both the heat and the less than smooth feel beneath his fingers. Just his hand caused damage. It was clear she would be bruised come morning. “Mia,” he called pulling her closer to his body as her tears seemed to be coming in torrents and she continued to gasp and choke. She had hold of his leg, was now using his pants’ leg to wipe her face. “Mia?” He knew she heard him. He didn’t know if she would listen. “Mia?”

She sniffed and raised her head before sinking him with her words. “Why do you hateme?”

“Mia,” Devin gasped, then moved to roll her to her side and pull her up against him. She stayed stiff in his arms even as he rested her against his shoulder. “I don’t hate you. I didn’t punish you with hate or even anger in my heart ormind.”

“You hate me,” she insisted. “Put me ashore someplace. Please just let mego.”

“Mia, I don’t hate you.” He was lost. After what they shared these last weeks, how could she come to that conclusion? He jostled her a bit so she lay back in the crock of his left arm, but he kept a hand on her hip to keep her sore ass from resting on his lap. “Mia, why did I punishyou?”

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