“How many?” I ask again.

This time she answers. “Five.”

I cock my head, watching the red mark darken and the welt form on her skin. “Five?”

“The number of seconds it took me to decide to douse you and that stupid little slut,” she snaps.

I respond with another slam of my belt. She calls out again, and the sound unlocks something absolutely fucking feral in me. I want to hear that sound again and again.

“Three more, then, Kat. Arch that ass up. Show me how much you want this.”

On command, Kat’s spine curves away from me, and her ass angles up, her thong sliding deeper between her ass cheeks. I rub my hand over her skin, over the red already marking her. Then I slam my belt back down again.

She buries her head in the sheets, her cry turning into a moan as she thrusts her ass back, demanding more.

I could do it quickly, get it over with. It would be easier on her. But I like to see the red marking her. I like to know she feels the burn, the sting. I like watching the way her body shakes, the anticipation as she waits for the next one.

Slap.

A loud moan tumbles from her mouth. The sound is wild, fucking unhinged.

“Again,” she rasps.

“Beg.”

“Fuck.” Her voice cracks, and her hands fist the sheets as she wiggles closer.

I grip the back of her skirt for leverage, waiting for the words.

“Please, Axe? I need it. Do it again.”

Slap. I make it the hardest, pulling a sob so visceral from her it sends my pulse into overdrive.

Shaking, Kat pushes up on her elbows, but I steady my hands on her hips, forcing her to still. “Not yet, Kitty,” I rasp, my eyes trained on that thong sitting between her ass cheeks, the wet spot forming on the fabric.

From my side table drawer, I pull out a small bottle of cream and squeeze a glob into my hand, then lather it on her skin where a cluster of deep red welts is forming.

“Hey! Ouch. Stop it!” she snaps. “That hurts.” She tries to squirm away, but I hold her in place.

“You’ll feel better,” I tell her. When I’m done tending to her ass, I pull her up and turn her around. Tears streak her face. A fresh one slides down her cheek ,and I catch it with my thumb, then suck it into my mouth.

She grabs my hand and presses it to her chest. Her heart thumps wildly against my palm, and her eyes spark with desire as she peruses my body from my face to my dick. “What now, Axe? Do you go back downstairs and find another little blond bitch to fuck now that I’ve gotten you all riled up?”

I slide my tongue over my teeth in irritation. “That’s exactly what I’m gonna do. And tonight, when I come into my room, you won’t be in my bed.”

She purses her lips, a scowl marring her face as she pushes me away and climbs off my bed. With an angry huff, she throws open my bedroom door and stalks out. But rather than leave my apartment, she drops onto my couch and lies back, flinching when her ass hits the leather cushions. She moves her hand up her thigh and pulls up that little skirt.

“You don’t want to touch me?” she asks, spreading her legs, softly moving her fingers over her black panties.

My fucking mouth goes dry. Seventeen. Seventeen. “No. I want you out of my head.”

“I get that,” she whispers. “Sometimes I can’t get you out of my head either. Want to know how I forget about you for a little bit?”

Forget? There’s no forgetting Kat. My heart does a cartwheel in my chest, and my feet propel me towards the couch. Standing over her, I watch intently as her fingers disappear into her panties, as they slide over her pussy. Fuck. I want nothing more than to rip those damn panties off.

Reading my mind, she lifts her hips and tugs them off. She tosses them to me, and mindlessly, I pocket them as she spreads those legs again so I can get a view of her sweet little cunt. And fuck. Fuck. This is what I’ve been seeing every time I close my goddamn eyes. Kat on her back, spread out, pussy weeping and ready for me to take.

“This is the only thing that seems to do the trick,” she rasps, her eyes not leaving mine.