Maybe he was going to pay off my father so that he could buy me.
I chewed the inside of my cheek. I wouldn’t be bought because I wasn’t for sale. Pridefully, I lifted my chin and stared back at him.
He sipped his coffee quietly beside me and I did the first thing I could think of. I swept my arm up toward his chin and caught the underside of his coffee mug. I had thought I’d catch him by surprise, but he was seemingly ready for me. He angled the cup away from him, catching my wrist with his other hand as the hot liquid splashed on his arm instead of his face like I was trying for.
“Kasia,” he rumbled threateningly and the pitch of it made my stomach drop to my toes. In a feat of betrayal, my nipples hardened into sensitive little peaks, and I knew that the fabric wouldn’t hide them this time.
“I’ve given you more chances than I should have, but I’ve run out of patience. I’m going to have to punish you for this,” he said, his voice decisive and sure, grabbing my hand.
“Unhand me,” I demanded, but I couldn’t keep my voice from trembling and revealing just how out of my element I was.
The way he said ‘punish’ echoed in my head, over and over again like it was playing on repeat. He seemed like a man of his word, and I was left with the sudden feeling that I shouldn’t push him further to find out what that meant.
“No. It’s time I scalded that pretty little bottom far more thoroughly than you scalded my arm,” he said fiercely.
I yanked my hand away, trying to break his hold on me. His fingers tightened, digging into my flesh only a little as he jerked me forward. His strength was no match for mine and despite everything I tried to do to prevent it, I landed facedown across his lap. The force of it made the air rush out of my lungs in a surprised huff. His arm wrapped around my waist as I tried to push myself back up. I cried out as he pitched my body forward, pushing me over one thigh. His other leg slid over the backs of my knees, pinning me in place.
It all happened so quickly that I didn’t really grasp what he meant until he had me in position like this.
He meant tospankme.
No. That couldn’t be right… Could it?
My mind fought tooth and nail to accept the reality of what was happening. It was shameful and shocking and nothing I could think of would explain this other than he was going to punish me.
Physically.
My mouth opened and closed as I tried to figure out some way out of this and came up with nothing. For several moments, he just held me there in place while I struggled. I kicked my feet against the floor. I reached back and tried to pry his hand from my waist, but that did nothing. I was trapped over his knee about to get the first spanking of my life.
He cleared his throat.
My heart dropped.
“Have I done anything to hurt you? To make you think that I meant to do anything more than to just protect you?”
“Let me go,” I spat. I renewed my struggles, kicking the floor and thrashing as much as I could. Despite all of that, I hardly moved even an inch.
“You’ve tripped me down a flight of stairs, ran from me, and tried to splash blazing hot coffee on my face for what reason, Kasia?” he scolded. I jumped when his free hand settled on my bottom. His palm was surprisingly warm even through the fabric of my sleepshirt.
For some reason, that one moment made this real.
“I can take care of myself,” I spat. His palm smoothed over my backside, and I stilled. Maybe he wasn’t serious. Maybe he just wanted to show me that he could get the upper hand, that he could subdue me and that he was the more powerful one between the two of us.
Maybe if I just gave in and answered his questions, he wouldn’t spank me after all.
“Can you? I found you and barely even lifted a finger. You need my help, little girl, and you’re going to accept it. The only thing left for you to decide is how sore your bare little bottom is going to be before we leave this hotel.”
My mouth went dry. I swallowed, trying to move past the bundle of cotton balls that had appeared in the back of my throat.
He’d called melittle girl.
That should have made me furious. I should be telling him off, that I was a grown woman who didn’t need his help, but I couldn’t bring myself to be even remotely angry. Instead, I felt small and embarrassed.
Like a little girl about to have her bottom spanked.
“You can’t mean to… to do that…” I whispered, unable to even utter the word.
Spanking.