A Season for Christmas (Desire and Discipline #3)

Chapter 10

10

Samuel

There was no equipment, no frame for him to hold on to the way the Duke of Kent had the first time Samuel had witnessed Catherine with the flogger in her hand. Instead, he found himself braced in front of the bed, his hands above his head, gripping the carved wooden post that led to the canopy. They’d pulled the draped fabric to the side to keep it out of his way.

He rolled his shoulders, trying to get them to settle into place, which was difficult as anxiousness made him want to tense up.

“Relax,” Catherine murmured, running her hand over his back. “There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“I am not afraid.” Mostly. Fear was not the word he would use, though he could not deny he felt a bout of nerves at the thought of her using him as a kind of whipping boy. He had not been whipped since his school days and had no pleasant memories of that. “I am having trouble reconciling the fact I asked you to hurt me rather than pleasure me. ”

Which was part of the truth. At least a portion of his discomfort came from knowing he’d requested this flogging.

Yes, he’d watched her flog Kent—a duke—so it could not be that bad… Anything he can do, I can do. Surely, it was not a difference of rank that might make such an act palatable.

Catherine laughed softly at his confession but not in a manner that made him feel mocked. It was a warm laugh, a comforting one that said she understood his concerns and was not worried.

“I hurt you yesterday, and you liked it.” She ran her hand down his back, over his muscles, to his arse and gave it a sharp, stinging smack that made him jerk—more in surprise than in pain. Almost as soon as she’d smacked him, her hand returned, rubbing the spot she’d injured and sending a wave of heat through him. His cock jerked.

Samuel opened his mouth to retort, then closed it.

The truth was, the swat she had just given him had not hurt all that much, and his cock had clearly responded, though he was unsure if it was due to the swat or the way she soothed the spot. The lingering sting did not feel bad. And she had hurt him yesterday. With her nails. With the way she’d tugged on his sack. When she’d made him hold back his release.

One way or another, those things had all hurt… yet he’d also enjoyed them.

So, maybe the flogging would be the same. Painful in some regards and enjoyable in others. Yesterday, some of that pain had even enhanced his pleasure, almost as though giving his body a comparison point had made the pleasure even greater.

“I think I see,” he said after a moment, making her laugh again .

“In a moment, you will feel . If you want me to stop at any time, say stop. Eventually, I may give you a word like ‘marmalade’ or have you choose a word to use when you want me to stop, but for this time, ‘stop’ or ‘no’ will be sufficient.”

“Marmalade?” Samuel’s voice rose in confusion. His head turned, though in his current position, he could not twist far enough around to actually look at her. Was she bamming him? But she sounded perfectly serious…

“A word you would not normally say in this setting, yes? So, if you said it, I would know you were asking me to stop.”

“Why would I not say ‘stop’ to ask you to stop?” It made no sense. Why choose another word?

Again, Catherine laughed softly, but for some reason, this time, it made the small hairs stand up on the back of his neck. Some instinct heard that laugh and said… danger.

Her hand ran over his back again, down over his ass, then she reached between his legs and gripped his sack. Samuel sucked in a breath. She was not holding him gently.

“Because sometimes, you might say ‘stop’ or ‘no’ but not truly mean it. Sometimes, I will want to push your limits, and you might not be able to stop yourself from begging. You might even enjoy begging me to stop.” Her grip tightened, and she tugged, making him groan and go up on his toes as the ache spread through his lower back. His movement only increased the erotic agony, though it was instinct to try to pull away because she did not let go.

Bloody hell.

This time, when she tugged, his feet fell back down to remain flat on the floor. His jaw was locked against any words escaping him, but he now understood what she meant. The word “stop” wanted to explode from his mouth because it did hurt… but at the same time, deep down, he did not truly want her to stop. It was not hurting so much th at he could not take it, yet the idea of telling her to stop and having her keep going appealed on a level he found slightly disturbing.

On the other hand, he was not sure he could say marmalade with a straight face while she had his balls in her hand, so they were going to have to choose another word.

Her hand pulled, gripping and rolling his balls between her fingers.

“Catherine…” His voice had a desperate edge to it as he said her name. Stop. Please do not stop. He was not sure which he wanted more.

Laughing softly, she released him, and his body relaxed, shoulders slumping in a way he had not been able to make himself do before.

“If you want me to stop, say stop,” she said again, patting his shoulder before he heard her step back away from him.

His muscles were just starting to tense again when the flogger landed against his upper back.

That… did not hurt at all. Not really.

It felt like a lot of tiny blows coming down on his skin, tapping against it, enough to sting but not enough to register as true pain. The flogger came down again, the thin lengths of leathering pattering against his skin, and he rolled his shoulders as the sensations ran through him.

He liked it.

A lot.

Dropping his head down, Samuel groaned, giving himself over to the flogging. It was almost hypnotic, both the sound and the sensations, like the patter of steady rainfall but without the cold and the wet. Yet, as relaxing as it was, one particular part of him stood, very much not relaxed .

His cock stood at attention, eager and aching as the leather fell over his shoulders and then moved to his buttocks. Rocking up on his toes, he thrust into the air, groaning again as his arousal pummeled him harder than the flogger.

Fuck.

Now, he wanted to go punch Kent in the face.

No wonder the man had let her do this to him.

But unlike Kent, when this is over, she’s mine.

Catherine

Putting Samuel on his back again after she’d just flogged the backs of his shoulders and his buttocks was not exactly cruel, but it was not kind, either. She could tell he had not realized how sensitive those areas would be when he plopped onto the bed. His arse hit first, and she could see the shock on his face, his mouth opening and eyes widening, but it was too late.

His upper body was already falling back.

“Bloody hell!” he cursed, gasping as his stomach muscles flexed, automatically trying to sit back up again.

Laughing, Catherine straddled his lap, using her hands to push him back down again.

He glared up at her.

“A little sensitive?” she asked, her tone light but not mocking.

His glare deepened, anyway.

“You know I am.” His hands grasped her hips, holding her above his cock. His feet were still on the ground, the tops of hers hanging off the edge of the bed and pointing toward the floor. Minute shifts in his body as she watched him indicated he was trying to get comfortable—and struggling with it.

The pressure of his body weight on his sensitive skin as it rubbed against the bedding beneath him would be uncomfortable… but she also intended for it to add to the sensations he’d be experiencing.

“I will make you forget it soon enough,” she promised, smiling as she lifted her knee. One eyebrow raised, he watched her as she turned on his body, so she was facing away from him, hand around his cock, and pointing it up to her pussy. This time, she was going to ride him while facing away from him, giving her access to his sack.

Though she did not reach for it yet. His hands moved over her hips, fingers curving around them as she positioned his cock at her entrance.

He groaned as she sank down onto him, matching her sigh of pleasure. The thick shaft stretched her open deliciously, her muscles clenching as she lowered herself, her body shuddering with delight as he filled her. Bracing her hands on his thighs, she moved herself up and down, rolling her hips as she rode him, letting them both bask in the enjoyment of his initial insertion.

Up and down, up and down, then she reached between his legs and gripped his sack. Samuel jerked beneath her, his hips thrusting upward as he let out a gasp.

“Bloody hell!”

She did enjoy making him sound like that.

Tugging on the tender flesh in her hand, she rose up again, then gave him some relief as she sank down.

She could feel him shifting beneath her but did not realize his intention until his front was hot against her back, his breath on her neck, his hands sliding up to cup her breasts. Catherine moaned, leaning forward into his hands as they closed around her breasts, squeezing the tight buds of her nipples between them. He kneaded the soft flesh, making her whimper as she rocked on his cock, the power exchange between them flowing back and forth.

She was on top, she was in charge, yet she was also very aware that with his hands free, he could easily turn them both over and take control. But he did not. Despite the ability, he chose not to… and that choice to submit to her was a power headier than any she’d ever experienced before.

“Oh, yes.” She leaned back against him, moaning again as his mouth clamped down around the base of her throat, his hands fondling her, massaging her breasts, pinching her nipples, and adding to the tumult of sensation flowing through her. The new position had her tugging on his balls even more, pulling them upward. He groaned, shuddering beneath her, his hands gripping her tighter in retribution. “Yes, Samuel.”

He thrust upward, hard, bouncing both of them on the bed as she arched against him, crying out as she moved.

“Catherine… my lady…” He could not finish the sentence, but it did not matter. She understood what he was asking, what he was requesting, as the ecstasy spiraled up to engulf them both.

Her pussy clamped down around him.

“Yes, Samuel, now!”

She cried out as well, grinding herself down atop him, releasing his sack so she could rub her fingers against the swollen nub of her clitoris. Pure rapture shot through her, from the little bud to her tightly pinched nipples as they throbbed in his grip in time with the pulsing spurts from his cock .

It was pure, hedonistic pleasure—both of them shuddering and gasping together, their bodies wrapped around each other. She fell back against him, still rubbing, as he finished emptying himself into her.