I raise a brow. “Is that so?”
 
 He nods, eyes dark with affection. “That’s so.”
 
 I tilt my head, letting my fingers trail down his chest slowly. “Try me.”
 
 His jaw tightens, and I see a flicker of restraint in the way his eyes darken just a shade deeper. He’s holding back, but barely.
 
 “You really want to know?” he murmurs, voice low and rough. “You really want me to get that paddle off the wall and spank your ass?”
 
 I nod, lips parted, breath shallow. “I want to know what happens to mouthy girls who push it too far.”
 
 He grabs my wrist, not hard, but firm enough to make my pulse jump. “They get taught lessons,” he says, dragging me closer until there’s no space left between us. “Slow ones. The kind they feel for days.”
 
 My breath catches. “Sounds like you’ve been thinking about this.”
 
 He leans in, lips brushing my ear. “I think about it every time you smirk. Every time you sass me. Every time you walk away like you’re not begging to be caught.”
 
 I shiver, heat blooming low in my belly. “And if I am?”
 
 He pulls back just enough to meet my eyes. “Then you’re about to find out what happens when I stop pretending I don’t want to ruin you a little.”
 
 I swallow hard, heart pounding. “Just a little?”
 
 He grins, wicked and warm. “Bend over.”
 
 I do as he’s asked, turning onto my knees, the little nightgown I wear rotating up as I move.
 
 “Look at these pretty little cotton panties covering your ass.” He tugs them down with one quick pull, sending a gush of warmth toward my seam.
 
 I love that we can still play like this, that he gets into it, that he makes me feel loved and wanted, that he likes to tease and play, that he needs these quiet moments of escape as much as I do.
 
 He kisses the side of my neck. “I want you messy and loud. You understand?” The rough hum of his deep voice on my skin sends chills down my spine and into my toes.
 
 “Say you understand.” He paddles my ass softly.
 
 I don’t answer.
 
 So he does it again, harder this time. “Say you understand.”
 
 I still don’t answer. I know this game. The more I disobey, the bigger the punishment gets,and I like to be punished.
 
 He spanks me harder, the sting of the paddle rippling through my ass, into my thighs, and onto my pussy.
 
 I sigh. It’s the feeling I was looking for. The current of pain that brushes my clit and soaks me.
 
 “Girl, this is the last time I ask. If you don’t answer me, you get this paddlehardon that little pussy. Is that what you want?”
 
 I stay silent, wiggling my ass back and forth playfully, before suddenly and without warning, the paddle cracks against my smooth crease.
 
 “Oh God!” I moan and turn back, letting him see the bruises he’s made.
 
 “You’re so red.” He stares at my pussy, his cock hard as he slides his thick fingers inside of me. “You keep teasing me like this, I’ll show you what happens when I lose control.”
 
 A shiver of excitement runs up my spine. I love it when he gets like this.
 
 He pulls his fingers from inside of me and lands them on his tongue, moaning as he licks my juices off his hand, his gaze never leaving mine.
 
 “I’m not trying to be bad,” I say, voice soft, sweet, and spirited. “Maybe you should show me how to be good.”