Page 77 of Hideaway

“It will hurt,”he explained unnecessarily, wholly certain of what her response would be.

“I know, sir.”

“As you wish, though I dare say you’ve quite removed any element of dominance from this session,”Cade conceded moodily as he walked to return the flogger to its appropriate place.“You merely have me playing the sadist for your own personal needs. Truthfully, I feel quite used,”he lamented with a tone of playfulness.

“Caden Ashford, exploited at the hands of a woman? My, what a novel experience that must be for a man who gets off on dominating the weaker sex.”

“Watch your tone, love. I have yet to determine my choice of weapon, and your continued provocation ensures that you will not appreciate my decision,”Cade threatened darkly as he continued to test and consider multiple implements around the room.

“My apologies, consider me fully submissive and at your disposal, sir. Happy?”

“As a matter of fact, I am, though you likely won’t be in such a cheeky mood much longer,”Cade remarked as he came into view holding the first item Kara touched upon entering the Hideaway—a thin, flexible cane.

Fucking. Shit.

“Satisfied, love?”he asked pointedly as he turned the cane in his hands, gratified to see a glimmer of apprehension appear in her eyes.

“Terrified,”she answered truthfully. Kara knew that she’d asked for pain, she’d asked for marks, but she had never asked forthat.

“Finally, she shows some capacity for self-preservation,”Cade commented with a sardonic roll of his eyes. Kara merely glared in response.“Has your resolve faltered, or are you still intent on continuing?”he asked, striking the cane against his thigh loudly for emphasis.

Kara flinched, both at the movement and at the thought of the cane on bare skin.“Yes,”she answered softly after the smallest hesitation, her eyes locked on his.

“To which question?”

“Both? Yes, my resolve is slightly shaken as you brandish that weapon so menacingly, but yes, I want to continue.”

“Do you remember your safe-word?”

“Thornfield,”she confirmed after a shaky breath, aware that she was now past the point of no return.

“Good. I’ll remind you a final time that I am to be addressed as‘sir.’The next time you experience a lapse in the appropriate respect you won’t enjoy the outcome,”he responded firmly.

“Yes, sir,” Kara agreed hastily.

Cade traced the tip of the cane along her skin, sliding it down her neck, circling her breasts, trailing across her abdomen, grazing the softness at the junction of her thighs before continuing lower down her legs—adjusting her senses to the feel of the rod. He hoped an introduction of intimacy before pain would help to lessen her apprehension.

Slowly, Kara warmed to the sensation of the cane gliding across her skin, welcoming it as an extension of Cade, caressing her body as he would with his hands, and she opened herself to his exploration. Having thoroughly christened the front of her body, Cade moved behind her to continue his attentions. Kara felt the tip of the cane travel down her spine and shivered as it skimmed the delicate nerves along the center of her naked back. Cade paused when he reached the curve of her bottom, dragging the cane across the fullest swell of her backside back and forth as though he held a bow and her body was an instrument to be played.

“I am going to hit you here, Kara,”he warned, his voice rough and full of emotion.“Take a deep breath, love.”

Racked with anticipation and dread, Kara inhaled shakily. As she exhaled, the first searing strike of the cane sliced across the tender skin of her backside, leaving a cruel, red stripe in its wake. Kara cried out. She hadn’t meant to, possessing every intention of enduring the pain in silence, but she could not contain her body’s instinctual reaction, her courage surmounted by the overwhelming agony so new and unfamiliar. Kara had known pain in her life, but somehow Cade’s version felt like an entirely new variety of sensation.

“Are you okay?”he asked, a hint of concern in his tone.

Kara nodded, unsure if she could trust the strength of her voice to speak.

“Answer me,”he commanded, unsatisfied with the slight nod as proof of her well being.

“I’m okay, sir,”she answered weakly.

Satisfied, Cade stroked her gently with the cane, perhaps an inch below the first blow, as he prepared her skin for the next strike. When he hit her the second time, Kara gasped sharply, clenching her teeth to keep any louder reactions at bay. She felt more prepared when Cade aligned the cane with her skin the third time. Biting her lip as the blow fell, she was able to remain silent, much to her satisfaction. She whimpered softly as the fourth strike took her by surprise. After Cade delivered the fifth cut of the cane to the lowest spot on her backside, Kara felt tears on her cheeks. Every nerve in her body cried out against the injustice of Cade’s assault, but her resolve held firm. Tensing for the next blow, Kara was startled when she felt the cool touch of Cade’s lips, rather than the cane, on her burning skin.

There were five lovely marks, perfectly spaced red lines against pale skin, and Cade delivered a soft kiss to each. They belonged to him. With every strike, every kiss, Cade felt as though he took complete possession of Kara as well.

After the brief reprieve, Kara once again felt the touch of the cane on her skin, this time aligned with her upper thighs. Considering the introductory period concluded, Cade made no attempt to ease the blows on her thighs, bringing the cane down harshly and swiftly as he marked her with consecutive stripes. Kara counted the blows silently, envisioning where the next would fall. She preferred the rapid succession of strikes; it allowed her to focus less on the point of pain and more on the culmination of stinginess that spread through her legs. Transcending the previous agony, Kara endured five cuts of the cane to the backs of her thighs with little more than a whimper. She allowed herself to relax slightly as the strikes of the cane subsided, assuming Cade had met his quota with a total of ten blows. The sound of the cruel implement slicing through the air once more caught her off guard, a belated warning of anguish to come. An unfamiliar shriek escaped her lips as the cane landed diagonally across all five of the stripes etched into the back of her thighs.

Fucking. Sadist.

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