Page 271 of Ashes of Sin and Stardust

“I am.”

“I like it.”

A subtle smile played across his lips, his mustache moving with the action. “I know. Come here, stand on the ledge and bend over so I can take care of that poor ass.”

“Did you make me bleed,” I asked, doing as he asked and lifting my butt out of the water. He poured a generous amount of oil onto my cheeks and gently rubbed it in. it stung a little but it felt good.

“A little bit.” He leaned over and kissed one cheek. “You’re going to be very tender over the next few days. Let’s get out of the bath and I’ll get you an ice pack.”I looked in the mirror when we climbed out of bed.

Sweet Baby Jesus.I was covered in dark red and purple marks, and my ass was bruised and red, broken capillaries still leaving bright red splashes of color on my skin. There were little marks down my legs and around my breasts from the clothespins. A little blood welled on my ass as I stood there watching, and it trickled down towards my thigh.

I sighed in contentment.

We snuggled up in his bed, which was a nice treat because his bed was so big and comfy. I lay on my stomach with my head in his lap and he draped a cold pack over my butt, playing with my hair. He’d gotten me a little bowl of ice cream, too.

Finishing my ice cream, I sighed and settled my head down on his lap. I was greeted with a very pleasant surprise of a very hard erection against my cheek.

“Sir?” I whispered.

“Hm.” He continued to play with my hair.

“You always make me come but you don’t come. Why?”

He took a deep breath. “Um... actually I did. You were so deep in subspace you didn’t notice.”

“Aw, man... I missed it?” I’d daydreamed what he would look like when he came. I knew it would be hot and scary.

I looked up at him. My cheek brushed against his belly, and I resisted the urge to press my face into it. Was that weird? He was like a giant huggable teddy bear who hugged back. And about as hairy as one too. The thick curls on his chest extended all the way down, lessening only slightly near the waistband of his boxers.

He chuckled. His eyes were closed and he head his tilted back against the padded leather headboard. From this angle I could see the slight angle of his once-broken nose. “Yeah. Sorry baby.”

“You don’t come much when we play.”

“I do sometimes. I avoid it as much as possible.”

“Why? Most people like orgasms.”

“Oh, trust me. I like them. But I like feeling control over you more. My arousal intensifies that feeling, and I’m not willing to let that go for a few moments of pleasure. Although sometimes I can’t help it.” His fingers left my hair and trailed down my spine, swirling across the tattoo on my hip. “Like when you wiggle and squirm on my lap when I spank you... or when you let out that amazing, gut-wrenching scream–”

He cut off with a choking sound, and I felt him twitch under me.

I wanted to turn my face around and press my lips into his boxers. But he’d told me before that I wasn’t allowed.

Maybe one day we’ll get married, and then he’ll fuck me. That would be amazing.I smiled at the thought. He’d cave eventually even without me trying to seduce him. The way his eyes had filled with hunger when he’d finger-fucked my mouth was testament of that. And I knew from our previous conversations he liked anal sex. There was only so long he’d be able to resist my ass when he spent so much time punishing it.

So instead of wrapping my lips around his cock, I stayed still, enjoying the warmth of his hands on my back, and the sound of his breathing, and the occasional twitch and jump in his pants.

“You know,” he said, after a few moments. “You’ve done really good this week. I know it’s been stressful for you, and I can tell you’ve been really working hard to not have a breakdown.”

“I’ve been writing a lot,” I said. “I carry my journal around with me and every time I feel really angry, I write it down and let myself feel it all the way, and then once it’s written, I try to move on. It doesn’t always work... actually it doesn’t work that often. But I’ve been doing it.”

“Maybe it is helping, little bug,” he whispered. “You were pretty grounded this week. At least, it seemed like it to me. We only have another week before we’re going back to North Carolina. Davie is good to go back to work next Wednesday.”

“How long will we stay?” I yawned.

“Ten days. Then I’m back up here for another round of meetings.”

I’mback. Notwe?I stilled and hesitated, hoping it was a slip-up. He didn’t add anything.

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