Page 34 of Ranch Rules

Every bone in her body was tense, waiting for what he would do next.

Thomas turned to Nate, his tone musing. “What to do with such a bad little girl? I could tie her hands, of course, but she needs to learn self-control.”

Natalie cringed as her entire body flush with embarrassment. She dropped her eyes to the floor, unable to bear looking at either of them, knowing that if Lora wasn’t looking, she’d still hear every word.

But Nate didn’t answer. The next thing she heard was Thomas’s deep, masculine voice commanding, “Bend over the chair.”

The unexpected order forced her, against her better judgement, to look back up. She blinked at him in confusion. “I... what?”

“You heard me.” And before she could react, he stood up and in one quick stride moved to stand behind her, his hand came reaching around, delivering the hardest wallop she’d ever experienced. The sound echoed throughout the room, quickly followed by her yelp of pain.

This was hell. As close to hell as she ever wanted to be. The last thing she wanted to do was follow his order, to submit herself to more harrowing smacks, but if she didn’t he would force her to. It made the knots in her belly tighten and her heart pound. There was nothing she could do. She was helpless. Half-naked, and powerless to stop him from administering whatever punishment he deemed necessary.

The tears welled in her eyes anew and began to stream down her cheeks as she took tiny baby steps toward the chair. Natalie, her lips trembling, bent over and placed her hands on the seat, tentatively pushing her bottom out. Her eyes felt magnetically drawn to Lora who was still draped over Nate’s lap. She found the other woman looking right back at her, nothing but sympathy in her pretty face.

Natalie braced herself, but it didn’t come right away. Instead, she saw Thomas walk around the desk, heard the sound of a drawer being opened and when he was standing back in front of her he was holding a ruler. She tensed, but he surprised her by putting it atop the desk. The next thing she saw was his hands reaching for his belt buckle. A gasp wrenched from her.

“Don’t move an inch,” he warned, his voice cutting through her like a whip and making any such thoughts vanish. “If you had only been still, your spanking would nearly be over now. Instead, you have a much harder lickin’ comin’.” Thomas didn’t say another word, but the sound of his belt as it slid through the loops of his jeans didn’t require further explanation.

Natalie could feel her breath coming in short gasps and she did her best to calm her nerves. She could do this. She could be still and take the spanking she had coming. Only, as someone who’d never been spanked before coming to the ranch, the sight of his looped belt dangling from his hand made her feel faint.

When she felt him move behind her, every muscle in her body tensed. “Please, don’t,” was all she could manage before she broke into sobs that made her body shake. She didn’t know how long she stood like that, crying until her heart felt like it would break, but when Thomas pulled her away from the chair, turning her to face him, she noticed that Lora and Nate had gone. She must have been crying too hard to hear them leave.

“Hey, now.” He used a finger to wipe her cheek, speaking to her in the same low, gentle voice he’d used with the horses earlier. “What’s all this?”

“I... I c-can-can’t d-do th-is!” she managed before beginning to cry all over again.

Thomas held her, rubbing her back with soothing circles and murmuring comfortingly into her hair.

When she was all cried out, she sank into his comforting embrace, utterly exhausted. When she felt him pulling her toward the chair, she didn’t fight or protest. Then he was sitting down, pulling her atop his lap. She immediately burrowed into him, hiding her face in his rather damp undershirt.

He gave her a moment to hide, to inhale the scent of his skin and listen to the sound of his heartbeat, both which were oddly comforting. Then he hooked a finger under her chin and was lifting her chin toward him.

“I’m sorry,” she offered meekly.

“You know we’re not done with your whippin’.”

Natalie flinched at the reminder. “I know.” The words were little more than a whisper. But as a thought hit her, she couldn’t resist asking, “Why did you stop?”

“It would have been cruel to continue when you were...” She had a feeling he’d been about to say hysterical, but he ended with, “needing a minute.”

She considered his reasoning. She would have pointed out that plenty of people—herself included—would consider what he was doing to her cruel, but he clearly took no enjoyment in punishing her. He was carrying out a job he’d been assigned to do, just like she did when she defended someone she didn’t entirely agree with. And more than that, he’d shown her concern and kindness just now. She just didn’t know what to make of it.

“You ready to get this over with?”

Sniffling, Natalie nodded.

“Okay. Over the chair.”

With regret that was equal parts dread of what was coming and reluctance to leave the warm shelter of his lap, she stood up. He followed suit, moving to the side as she positioned herself as he’d ordered, with her hands planted firmly on the seat of the chair and her bottom pushed out. As she waited, the knots in her belly tightened until it felt like a vise in the pit of her stomach.

He let her wait. And not knowing when he would start was added punishment, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he knew. She fidgeted her hips, her anxiety heightening the longer she waited, knowing he was behind her, looking at her red rump and planning where to strike. She wanted to look over her shoulder at him, but after the fuss she’d just put up, she didn’t dare. He’d cut her slack once, but Natalie had a feeling it was a one-time deal.

She heard it before she felt it. The belt smacked against her ample behind, and the pain that followed was like a line of fire burning across her buttocks. Natalie cried out as the ache sliced through her, clenching her eyes shut and using every ounce of self-control she possessed not to reach behind her and grab her smarting ass.

“Good girl,” his voice reached her ears, giving her the strength she needed to stay in place.

The next one cracked across her cheeks, just below the first lash. “Yeow!” she howled.

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