“Master Johnson sometimes requests assistance in the night, so he’s asked me to sleep in his chamber,” she said, trying to keep a straight face as she fell back into role. “But he wouldn’t want such scandalous information to get out. So you will keep that to yourself, yes?”
“Of course,” Abby said.
“So if you hear anyone walking the halls in the middle of the night, it’s probably me. No need to check.” Sasha tapped her lips as if in thought. “And if you hear any screams, or moans, or anything like that, it’s just me providing the assistance Master Johnson requires. He told me I have to try to be quieter, but sometimes I can’t help it.”
Julie didn’t even try to contain her laughter. “Deal. As long as you ignore it if there are any strange noises coming from our room.”
They shook on it.
Abby trailed her finger along the doorframe to her room. “I don’t feel like refreshing myself in my room. I want to see more of this place. Can you show us around a bit?”
***
Shit. Shit. Shit. Sasha ran down the hall to the library. Or as quickly as she could move while carrying a tray of drinks. The tour she gave the women had taken longer than she planned and she was ten minutes late bringing the drinks to the men.
Coming to a stop outside the door, she took a deep breath and knocked.
“Enter,” Cole said from inside.
She pushed the door open just a crack. Cole stood near the fireplace. She couldn’t see the other two men.
“Today, if you please, Ms. Blake. I believe you’ve kept us waiting long enough.”
Shit.
She pushed the door all the way open and stepped inside.
“Put the tray on the table to your right and then come kneel before me,” Cole said in a voice so chilling she shivered.
She hurried to do as he asked, still uttering curses in her head as she went to her knees in front of him.
“When did I tell you to have drinks here?” he asked.
“Thirty minutes after you bid me to take the ladies to their quarters.”
“I see, so you did understand?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“And was I not being generous in allowing you time to talk with the ladies?”
“Yes, Sir. Very generous.”
“And yet you thank me by disrespecting my guests here in the library.”“I meant no disrespect, Sir.”
“Whether you meant it or not is inconsequential to this discussion. You were given a command, you did not follow it, and now there will be consequences.”
Damn it all to hell. This was not how she pictured the first day going.
“I asked Master West and Master Covington if they would like to assist in your correction. However, due to the relationships they have with the ladies upstairs, they have passed.”
She allowed herself a sigh of relief. How embarrassing would that have been? Bad enough for Cole to punish her, but for someone else as well?
“Heir Brose arrived twenty minutes ago, though, and he has no issue with helping me.”
Suddenly, there weren’t enough curse words to mutter in her head. Heir Brose was the man who had mentored Cole years ago. People thought Cole was a hard ass, but that was only because they’d never met Heir Brose.
“I’ve decided that since you were ten minutes late, you will get ten strokes. Five from me with my cane and five from Heir Brose with his belt. You will then apologize for being late. Do you have any questions?”
“No, Sir.”
“Tell me why you’re being punished.”
“Because I failed to obey your command to serve drinks in the library within thirty minutes.”
“Very good. Come lean against the mantel and get ready. I’m not requiring you to be naked since there are others present.”
Wasn’t that strange? For the first time since she could remember, other people seeing her scars had not entered her mind. That was very interesting. She wondered if it meant she was almost 100 percent better.
She stood up and walked to the mantel. It was rather low, so she could rest her head on her arms on top of it. She didn’t look to see if Daniel and Nathaniel remained in the room. She assumed they were, since she was to apologize to them later.
There was some faint murmuring behind her. She realized that this would be the first time a Dom other than Cole touched her. She waited for the panic to set in. Looked for signs of the terror clawing her throat or the sweats that she remembered so well. But there was nothing.
She didn’t have time to rejoice in the newfound knowledge, however, because someone stepped up behind her. A familiar hand lifted the hem of her skirt and tucked it in her waistband.
“Hard and fast,” Cole said. “No need to count.”
She only had time to nod before the first one fell. She sucked in a deep breath and braced herself for the second. True to his word, the next four fell swiftly. When he was finished, though, he didn’t move away. Instead, he moved up to stand near her shoulder. To be close to her in case she needed him, she supposed.
She jerked briefly when Fritz ran a hand over her backside. But Cole placed a hand on her shoulder, and she knew she’d be okay.
“Okay to continue?” Cole asked.
She felt Fritz step away, probably waiting for Cole to indicate he could proceed. She could lie. It would be easy and Cole would never know. No one would. But it was more than deceiving Cole that stopped her from doing so. She wanted to prove that she could have another man touch her. That she had grown even further in her healing process with Cole. And she couldn’t do that if she lied now.
“Yes, Sir.”
The air behind her moved as Fritz got back in place. “Counting is not necessary.”