Can I really do this? Can I strike a woman?

Growing impatient with himself, Sean lifted his right hand and brought it down with a loud slap to her right butt cheek. Even he knew it was a lame strike. He vowed to make the next one count, and it did. Moving back and forth between her two cheeks, Sean peppered her with a dozen swats. Her creamy skin was now painted a pink hue, yet Traci remained silent. A case of nerves invaded Sean as he realized he didn't have the first clue about what he was doing. He should have googled today and studied up on spanking techniques.

After delivering another half dozen swats, he stopped to trace his fingers through her lower folds, hoping to get some physical confirmation that he was on the right track. His digits were drenched with one slide through her pussy. She almost bucked off his lap entirely when he brushed her clit. He spent a full minute rubbing her towards an orgasm, but stopped short to ensure that she was focused back on the spanking.

Sean resumed the open-handed chastisement. He enjoyed Traci's urgent gasps as each strike connected with her bottom. Back and forth he went, alternating between spanking and intimate caresses until he heard the telltale signs that Traci was about to come. Desire to bury himself in her hard and fast consumed him. He needed to feel the slap of his body against her naughty bottom as he fucked her.

Sean quickly stood and maneuvered Traci to position her face down across the large dining room table. He pushed the place setting aside in his urgency and Traci seemed to understand the plan. She settled across the table and reached forward to grab the other side while positioning her bottom at the edge. Sean rushed to slide a condom on before he lined up his cock at the entrance of her pussy.

He claimed her in one hard thrust that slammed their bodies together. Sean grabbed her hips for better leverage as he pounded into her from behind which ensured that her pink bottom continued to be slapped by his body versus his hand. Last night they had made love. Tonight, he claimed her—consumed her—in the most primal way. As Traci pushed her ass back to meet his thrusts, his control slipped until he felt like a rutting animal, chasing after an elusive rush. He fought his own urges, and knew he should be more gentle with Traci, but she didn't make it easy for him when she began to make the most amazing guttural noises.

Her loud cry as he felt the walls of her pussy contract in pleasure pushed him into his own orgasm. Sean lunged forward, deep inside her as he came. It was as if his energy left him with the last drop of cum because he collapsed over Traci and blanketed her with his heavier body. They remained locked together until each caught their breath.

Sean used a nearby cloth napkin to attend to the dripping wetness that tracked down Traci's inner thighs. This drew a small giggle from her as he hit a ticklish spot. Spanking her had been risky. He would never have forgiven himself if he'd hurt her. Her laughter calmed him.

They embraced after they righted their clothes. The serene glow that shined back at him from Traci gave him the answer he sought. She had enjoyed her discipline.

"Wow. That was amazing, Sean."

"Double wow. I hope I wasn't too hard on you for your first punishment."

She'd been smiling broadly until he finished his sentence. Her smile wavered. "Did you think that was a punishment?"

"Well sure. It was a spanking. Spankings are punishments. I wasn't sure I could do it, but

I enjoyed it. I loved how wet you were. I can tell it turned you on, too."

"I did enjoy it, Sean, but that's because it wasn't a punishment."

Sean felt their connection slipping away. "I beg to differ, Traci. Maybe you've gotten worse, but..."

"That wasn't a punishment. Period. There are all kinds of spankings. Maintenance, erotic, punishment... that was an erotic spanking. And let's be clear, I did love it."

"I'll bite. How is a punishment spanking different?"

"Length. Intensity. Implement. Mindset. Non-sexual."

"But, Trace, you were starting to whimper and your ass was nice and pink. It was time to stop before I really hurt you."

Her indulgent smile hurt his pride. Despite their age difference, for the first time Sean felt like an inexperienced newbie. Her smile waned. "It's okay. I appreciate you trying. I hadn't expected it."

"Wait. I need to understand. You mean punishments would have been harder?" She nodded. "Longer?" She nodded again. "What implement?"

"If you don't know, I'm not going to tell you." She delivered the message with a naughty grin.

"Fine. It sounds like I have a bit of research to do, young lady. Are you at least hungry now?"

"Starving."

Chapter Six

With relief, Traci closed the door behind her last patient for the week. It had been getting harder to focus on her work in the almost two weeks since she'd returned to Eagle’s Pass after her life-changing trip to Chicago. She wasn't looking forward to her weekend improvement project... getting her own head screwed on straight. She'd been moping and had fallen into a perpetual self-pity party she was finding it hard to dig herself out of.

Sean's grey eyes haunted her and reminded her of what she'd come close to having. As close as they'd become when together, she now felt him slipping through her fingers.

For the hundredth time since returning home, she replayed the events of the last few weeks. She'd known it would make it harder to leave, but she'd been helpless to deny Sean's request to extend her time in Chicago. She'd changed her flight home and once the conference ended at noon on Friday, they had been inseparable. They spent every single minute together until they said their good-byes at the airport that Sunday. She had tried so hard to believe him when he had promised they would figure out a way to stay in touch.

Now almost two weeks later, their daily phone calls and texts had already become shorter and less frequent. Where they had talked effortlessly in person, there was now a strain with frequent bouts of awkward silence. Traci had known, even in Chicago, that the chances of them being able to maintain a long-distance romance were slim. Still, she'd allowed her heart to hope, which made the reality that things were already unraveling that much harder to swallow.