“Don't you ever do anything like that again,” he growled down at her. The smile slowly faded from her face to be replaced by a look of confusion and annoyance.
“You mated with me,” she said. “You wanted to be mine.”
“I wanted you to be mine,” he clarified. “And regardless, you don't bite people.”
“I do.” She proved the point by biting him again, a swift snap to his lower forearm.
Wasting no more words on his feral lover, William flipped her over onto her stomach and started spanking her tight, pert cheeks. Each slap bloomed under his palm with red hue. He was not angry with her so much as he was deeply concerned. Though he had not expressly made love to her in the hopes of creating a more submissive dynamic, he had certainly never anticipated the closeness causing more trouble. In hindsight, as her bottom bounced under his palm, he supposed he had been stupid to think he could make love to her and trust her on the very first day. This one needed firm handling.
“You will always obey me,” he informed the back of her head. “Whether we mate or not, I am your master.”
“You're not worthy!” She threw the insult over her shoulder, her pretty face twisted up with anger.
It was obvious that he was not getting through to her. Spanking did not teach her a lesson, it irritated her and further strengthened her rebellion.
He went to the thick leather strap which was coiled in his bedside drawer. Taking a tight grip of one end, William bought the long tongue down across her disobedient bottom. There was a loud CRACK, followed by a yelp of surprise and a deep red elongated rectangle appeared across both her cheeks.
William paused to see how she would take it. She surprised him by staying quite still, her head still to the side which allowed him to see the expression on her face. She seemed to be... listening. Odd.
Knowing full well one cut of the leather would not be enough to settle his hellion, William repeated the process not once, nor twice, but thrice, slapping the leather across her bottom with gusto. One stripe landed across the crown of her cheeks, the other a little lower than that and the third caught the rising underside of her beautiful red bottom.
He had expected her to cry out in protest, but she simply let out a little whimpering sigh and laid still. Against all common sense, the harsher punishment seemed to have relaxed her. She was no longer holding tension in every part of her body. Her eyes were closed, almost as if she were in repose.
“Sarah?”
Long lashes opened slowly. “Mmm?”
“Do we have an understanding?”
A little shrug of her shoulders told him that she had not had enough. Bending to his work, he slapped her gorgeous cheeks again, landing the lash flush with her bottom over and over until her cheeks were bright red and hot to the touch. Had he given a lady of the city such punishment, he would have undoubtedly had a crying, shrieking woman on his hands, but Sarah was stretched out like a cat in the sun, accepting her punishment with good grace.
He tapped her bottom with the leather. “Understand me now, girl?”
“Yes.”
She spoke the little word softly, but he was so grateful to hear it that to his ears she may as well have shouted it. Finally, some form of real submission from the wild little wretch.
Sarah's ass felt as though it had been stung by a dozen angry hornets. Hot and swollen, she had to admit that she had made a mistake. William was capable of more than he let on. When he plied the lash, he was as focused as any big cat intent on its prey.
For the first time since her capture, Sarah felt a rush of true release. Tension she did not know she had been feeling rushed away, replaced by relaxation. Tears sprang to her eyes, not because she was sad or because she was sore, but because she was so relieved to finally feel right again.
William's palm ran across her bottom. His hand was large and comforting, petting her heated flesh. And then it descended between her cheeks, back to her sex. She spread her legs, welcoming the touch, but it was fleeting.
“Don't want you to get any of those dominant ideas again, do we?” He murmured the question down at her.
He still didn't understand nature. His city had separated him from the natural order of things. Poor fool, he was strong and capable, but without understanding, strength was useless.
Sarah clamped her thighs together and rolled onto her side, looking up at him with wet eyes. He let her move, another little triumph for her. Already she was clawing her way back to control, already... the room spun and her face met pillow as he pushed her back onto her stomach, pinning her firmly just above her bottom.