《Under The Scarlet Moon》 Chapter One Chapter One Harris & Hartley was three blocks down the street. I had ten minutes to make the trip with a portfolio of the most important drawings of my career tucked under my arm. Exiting my office building, a st of Chicago cold wind whipped my face, and the damp pavement made me turn my heel. St! I was on the cement, looking up at six half-amused pedestrians, while the contents of my portfolio spilled, the breeze taking away a sheaf of papers like propaganda leaflets tossed into the sky. I failed to react until they were sailing down the street, where they met KC Gable¡ªa hip looking twenty- something actor/biker/all around unusual person¡ªwho, at the moment, was the only one on the street kind enough to retrieve my valuable documents. Witnessing his painstaking efforts to fight the wind¡ªand do it with a manly poise which made it look as though he plucked paper from the air as a regr practice¡ªI didn¡¯t bother to rise from my awkward sprawl as quickly as I might have. He approached me, trying to put my drawings back in order while I stared at his muscled chest and the slight swagger of his slim hips. He was wearing leather pants and a white tee shirt. I¡¯d never seen a man in leather quite so close. He certainly wouldn¡¯t fit with my circle of downtown friends. KC¡¯s dark hair was trimmed short on top, shaved close at the sides, while a neat goatee outlined his lips and chin. Peering into the depths of his brown eyes, the shudder of fright that went through me was distressing, since I had no idea where it came from. Men like him had never attracted me before. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, as he held my papers in one hand and lifted me to my feet with the other. ¡°Dickerson said I should wear a short skirt,¡± I started to ramble, as my less than graceful rise was hampered by the tiny skirt beneath my pert suit coat. I¡¯m sure I showed my ass to half of Chicago. ¡°Says it would distract their attention.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s Dickerson?¡± KC asked. (This all before I knew his name, or he knew mine.) ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry, just my associate¡ªwho sometimes has nomon sense, and neither do I right now. We have an important meeting¡­¡± I checked my watch hurriedly. ¡°Three minutes. I will bete. Thank you so much,¡± I caught his eyes again, shaken even more. He was standing close, looking amused. I found his gaze unnerving. ¡°I think I got them all. The papers,¡± he said pointing to drawings, as he noted my bewildered look. ¡°You okay? You want to sit a minute, maybe? Have a cup of coffee?¡± ¡°No, no, I don¡¯t have time. But thanks.¡± ¡°I was just going into the diner,¡± he said, pointing to McGill¡¯s, a retro 50¡¯s coffee shop where I often ate lunch. ¡°No, thanks. I do have to fly¡ªif I could.¡± Iughed. As I moved on, I turned back to see him staring at me. I waved, smiling, then turned to face the wind and fought my way down the street to Harris & Hartley. An hourter I returned to the offices of Ripley & Wingardt, Architectural Engineering, much less rattled and moreposed. About to walk through the formal doorway¡ªthe site of my earlier reckless plunge to the ground¡ªI suddenly gazed into the coffee shop window next door spotting my benefactor of the day. I smiled. He smiled back, and then, in a move so impulsive I have no idea where it came from, I changed directions. A minuteter, I was standing by his table. ¡°You¡¯re still here? Still offering that cup of coffee?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± he said. He was handsome, bold and refreshingly different from any man I¡¯d ever been with.¡°KC Gable,¡± he offered his hand for me to shake. ¡°Gail Henry.¡± ¡°Did you get the job?¡± he asked next as I slid onto the vinyl seat opposite his. ¡°Job?¡± ¡°Job? Contract? Assignment? Your appointment was about money?¡± ¡°Yes, it was. And I¡¯m not sure,¡± I paused. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I didn¡¯t botch the whole deal.¡± ¡°Rushed inte, your hair a little messed,¡± he turned his head to inspect my short red curls, ¡°but not too much, it does go back in ce pretty easily. But then there was the run in your hose.¡± I almost blushed. ¡°I was in too much of a rush to change.¡± ¡°You probably keep an extra pair of pantyhose in your purse.¡± He was amazing. ¡°What is your angle?¡± I asked, nervously trying not to spill the coffee just poured in my cup, while at the same time inspecting my sanity. Why was I having coffee with this man? KC shrugged, saying, ¡°Nothing. I observe, make judgments, and see if I¡¯m right.¡± ¡°That sounds pretty smug to me.¡± ¡°Well, try me then,¡± he quipped. ¡°We¡¯ll see how well I do. Ask me what I¡¯ve observed about you.¡± He intrigued me: the charm, the smile, the leather, the look of casual confidence as though nothing could rattle him. Even if he was impossibly young for a thirty-two year old professional woman, this could be intriguing. ¡°Okay, tell me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re an architect, that¡¯s pretty obvious. But getting to your position hasn¡¯t been easy. In fact, it¡¯s been a fucking bitch for the past few years, maybe even longer. Sometimes you¡¯re worn out. You¡¯re often weary. And you never have enough time for anything. You have a wealthy family, but they¡¯re distant and not too supportive; and I don¡¯t think you¡¯re in a rtionship now¡ªnor have you been for some time. Once, maybe twice you were serious about a man, but they were soplicated that you gave up and let your work consume you. You probably have a small but perfectly designed apartment in an expensive neighborhood. You eschew your family money and spend only what you make while a handsome trust fund/inheritance sits in the bank waiting for you to im it.¡± He stopped abruptly, perhaps in response to my shocked expression. ¡°Enough?¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing,¡± I whispered so quietly I¡¯m not sure he heard, but I know he understood. ¡°What did I get right?¡± ¡°A lot,¡± I vented a deep sigh before beginning, ¡°the overworked architect¡ªwhich was probably pretty obvious from this morning¡¯s fiasco, but the family, the men, even my apartment, you were almost dead on¡­ I have, however, had four serious rtionships, and almost married twice. But I haven¡¯t had anyone special for over four years. There¡¯s no trust fund¡ªnot yet anyway. But my parents are filthy rich and they travel everywhere but to Chicago¡ªwhich is really all right with me. I see them in their New York condo once a year at Christmas.¡± ¡°And your apartment?¡± ¡°One bedroom, loft style and it¡¯s perfectly home. The most perfect ce on earth, and usually the only ce I really like to be.¡± He smiled. ¡°So, where do you like to be, KC Gable?¡± ¡°On my bike or at the theatre.¡± ¡°Really?¡± I¡¯m not sure I was surprised, except that for a minute I think I viewed him as a regr person. These two bits of information put him in that other world again where I felt odd and ufortable. ¡°What theatre?¡± ¡°ACT¡ªActors, Creators and Technicians Workshop.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with it.¡± ¡°Experimental theatre, probably not your interest.¡± ¡°And why not?¡± ¡°You have an interest in avant-garde ywrights?¡± ¡°No, at least not that I know of. But it sounds interesting.¡± ¡°Maybe you should stop by.¡± And maybe this was going too far, I was thinking. Overstepping the bounds of a friendly ¡®thank-you¡¯ sort of chat. I had little desire to pry into his world even though he seemed to have so easily stepped into mine. ¡°Maybe,¡± I offered a vague reply. The moments intervening seemed ufortable for me, though KC appeared perfectly content. I finally asked, ¡°Do you always do psychic readings on women you pick up off the street?¡± ¡°No. Just the interesting ones. My upation makes me curious to peer into people¡¯s minds.¡± I really liked his gentle wit, the bold eyes, and beyond his obvious physique, his hands. I probably stared at them too long but I was fascinated by their strength. They were thoroughly masculine, and my imagination was inspired to take a few interesting flights of fancy wondering how they would feel on my flesh. ¡°So, what do you see in my mind beyond the obvious,¡± I asked when I looked up again. It was an almost flippant question, which revealed much more than I asked for. ¡°You know I haven¡¯t a clue about you, or anyone,¡± he sniggered, ¡°I make up stories. Some probably hit the mark while others are so far-fetched they¡¯reughable.¡± ¡°So what would you say is inside my mind?¡± ¡°Honestly? I imagine you a sexual maverick inside your perfect apartment¡ªa seething lioness underneath that staid librarian exterior.¡± (Ooo, that bit!) ¡°You like certain crudities but you don¡¯t tell your lovers what they are because they would shock them.¡± (How could he get this close to the truth without knowing me?) ¡°What kinds of crudities?¡± I asked. ¡°Oh, spanking, maybe bondage, perhaps, a fascination for leather¡ªbut then that might just be me. I love leather.¡± I was sure he did. The leather jacket at his side was expensive and well worn. But spanking? Why would he say that? This conversation was suddenly making my clothes itch and my skin hot. ¡°I think you¡¯re scared of what¡¯s inside, and that¡¯s the kind of material we put in our ys. For a lot of people it¡¯s their crazy emotions¡ªbut I don¡¯t see you as an emotional person, not in the crazy sense.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m crazy about sex?¡± I tried to joke as I said it. ¡°Hummm¡­maybe not crazy, just pent-up because you don¡¯t get everything you need. I¡¯d see your mind being very quirky.¡± ¡°But why would you mention spanking? That seems kind of odd.¡± I hoped he didn¡¯t know the wild panic that suddenly grabbed my stomach and twisted it like a screw. ¡°Just came to mind.¡± ¡°You ever spank a woman?¡± I made myself ask. ¡°Few times.¡± ¡°For what reason?¡± ¡°Mostly for sex, and asionally because they deserved it. Spanking was the simplest way of dealing with their neuroses. Some women need the discipline.¡± That word¡ªdiscipline¡ªmade me quake as much as the mention of spanking. ¡°You think women are neurotic?¡± I tried to squelch my rising feelings and sound sane. ¡°No, but the interesting ones are,¡± he replied simply. ¡°My, you are quite a find.¡± ¡°Am I?¡± N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. ¡°I think so. But then, I really don¡¯t know what to think about you.¡± ¡°Maybe as a friend would be okay.¡± ¡°All right.¡± ¡°I know,¡± he chuckled. ¡°Right now, you¡¯re thinking, I hope my other friends don¡¯t suddenly walk by and see me with this guy.¡± ¡°I was not thinking that!¡± I retorted. ¡°Maybe not, but I¡¯m not your usual kind of guy, or even your usual kind of friend.¡± ¡°And maybe that¡¯s okay.¡± I was actually telling myself this and believing my thoughts. But I wasn¡¯t sure what I wanted tomunicate to KC Gable. ¡°How old are you?¡± I suddenly asked. ¡°Twenty-six. Is that a problem?¡± ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be?¡± I said, sounding flustered. I wondered why I bothered to ask. I may not know what I wanted from him, but I was turned on. I think my face was flushed and I tried ignoring that. But the grinding in my belly, that was something else. Luckily, it wouldn¡¯t be obvious to him. ¡°You know I¡¯d better go. I¡¯mte again.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t seem to mind beingte this time.¡± ¡°No, I needed the break after that presentation.¡± ¡°All bad?¡± ¡°Not really, I think we actually sold the guy, but it was not a first ss performance.¡± ¡°I imagine it wasn¡¯t.¡± He imagined many things. I shook my head in wonder. He just seemed to know everything about me from the inside out. On any other day, KC Gable was a write-off kind of guy. He would be forgotten long before my head hit the pillow. But either fate, or psychic forces, or just a little ident of life had pushed him in my path, and I knew I wouldn¡¯t be forgetting him that fast¡ªor the panic that was finally easing off. ¡°Here,¡± he said, pushing a business card across the table. ¡°It¡¯s the theatre where I work. If you want to drop by, you¡¯re wee.¡± ¡°Thanks. And thanks again for rescuing me this morning.¡± I tried to drop some bills on the table but he pushed my hand back to my purse. ¡°On me,¡± he said. ¡°Then thanks again.¡± I had to get out of there fast since I was quickly losing my practiced poise. My body and brain had not been this challenged or this excited in months. And my prior conceptions of the men who could seduce me had been abruptly altered. Chapter Five(1) Chapter Five(1) My schedule was filled with appointments, a long list of meetings, and at least three hours blocked into work on blueprints for a tiny industrialplex that was taking up half of the firm¡¯s resources. I buried my head in my drawings,ing up for air only to sit back and stare at my work from a different angle ¡ªand to take a bite of my tuna sandwich. A few times, I caught myself staring out the window at the grand hotel across the street. Sometimes I looked inside the rooms behind the ss and timber, wonderingly. If only I could peer inside their private spaces and see what went on inside. Every room was a little world, another drama. Was that what KC thought about so much? As soon as I realized what I was doing, I immediately stopped. Thankfully, these indulgent reveries were bing less frequent¡ªespecially since I was expending so much energy on cutting them out of my mind. KC Gable was just a passing fancy, nothing more. Three weeks, it had been a good rush. And I¡¯d even turned the corner on my mise, as he had called it; feeling freshly inspired to do the work that Ripley & Wingardt had hired me to do. This was one of my more lucid moments. Hearing a sudden knock on the door, I absently said, ¡°Come in,¡± thinking it was my secretary with more specs from my boss. I swiveled on my drafting stool doing an immediate double take seeing KC Gable standing in the center of my office. He looked as reasonable there as Banquo¡¯s ghost. I even pressed my fingers to my mouth as if to squelch a cry. ¡°Did you get my note?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes, yes I did,¡± I said. My voice must have sounded much too haughty considering his reply. ¡°So, when did you start with the rich-bitch airs?¡± he sneered and responded tersely. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that I had,¡± I answered. ¡°Listen to yourself, Gail.¡± Any wall I¡¯d erected to keep him out was no more than paper-thin. He was rattling around inside me already. ¡°So you got my note. What happened next?¡± ¡°I decided not to see you.¡± ¡°And why¡¯s that?¡± I shrugged having no immediate answer. ¡°If that¡¯s your decision, why didn¡¯t you call and say so? I think we¡¯ve gone too far for this shabby kind of ending.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It was just easier,¡± I paused, seeing his prating stare unchanged, ¡°and now you¡¯re pissed, aren¡¯t you?¡± I could read his anger as well. ¡°In a manner of speaking.¡± He moved further forward until he was standing right in front of me. Nervously, I blew a lock of red hair off my face and when it didn¡¯t stay, KC took his hand and gently pushed it back. ¡°I want the truth, Gail.¡± He almost looked worried about my answer. ¡°Are you serious about what you wanted, or was that just my imagination? Has this three weeks and our talk in the theatre been about nothing?¡± ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t your imagination¡­¡± I admitted. ¡°It¡¯s not about nothing¡ªit¡¯s very real.¡± Yes, he was inside me and more pervasive than ever. ¡°Then let¡¯s clear up the problem, now. No hesitations.¡± I was mesmerized, in an unthinking ce. ¡°You want the spankings?¡± he asked me. I cleared my throat. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You want the discipline?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I replied. With every question, my body was moving full speed ahead, racing far faster than my brain¡¯s ability to keep up. But it didn¡¯t matter; any thoughtful consideration of his questions was N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. unnecessary. I would have answered the same way. ¡°And all the denial is just bullshit? Is that right?¡± ¡°Yes. I guess it is.¡± He knew the answers. I didn¡¯t have to speak. KC read from my brain, finding pages I¡¯d marked ¡®secret ¡¯, exposing the truth. I suppose that¡¯s easy with a woman as confused as I have been. ¡°If that¡¯s so, Gail, then you need to decide now if you want me part of the picture?¡± I couldn¡¯t answer. ¡°We¡¯ve been seeing each other for three weeks. If all I am is an amusing sideshow, tell me now. I won¡¯t try again. I won¡¯t rescue you from bars, or peer into your soul, or bother you when youe to my theatre. I don¡¯t like being rejected, especially by women who ask for favors. There are plenty of ces in my life where I can y the fool. I certainly don¡¯t need another one.¡± ¡°KC, no. It¡¯s not a game, not a game at all. I was just afraid. After Friday night, I was petrified. It took so much courage for me to see you the next morning, and when you weren¡¯t there, I¡­ I couldn¡¯t do it again.¡± He had his warm hands on my knees sending a flood of sexual intensity through my body. Every bit of me was quaking. All that I¡¯d denied thest three days came pouring into my head and between my thighs. Even my bottom started to tingle. ¡°So, you so want more?¡± ¡°In the worst way I want more.¡± ¡°From me?¡± ¡°Yes, from you.¡± He stared around, I think for the first time noting the surroundings¡ªmy ultra modern office with its crisp lines and cold form. Banks of windows surrounded me on three sides. He humphed amusedly. ¡°A liquid prisoner, pent in walls of ss¡­¡± he mused. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Shakespeare. Fits, don¡¯t you think. Or perhaps you¡¯re more like fire under ss.¡± ¡°Pent?¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°Maybe so.¡± Heughed again, to ease the tension that seemed to be splitting the air. ¡°I suppose I look as out of ce here as you do in my theatre.¡± I breathed a little easier. ¡°So what? Might shake a few people up to see you here, or you just might get called the new mail clerk, but I don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡± ¡°I am.¡± I wasn¡¯t even trembling, not my legs or hands. Though, my head was pounding and my crotch was frantic with lust. But I did want this man. ¡°Good. Then tomorrow morning we¡¯ll talk this out. I¡¯ll see you at the theatre ten o¡¯clock.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be there.¡± ¡°And since you¡¯ve pressed the point, I suppose here is as good a ce as any to start your discipline.¡± He turned again as though he were looking for something. Having spotted what he wanted, he moved to my desk and swiftly confiscated my thick wooden ruler. A shock wave of desire swept my system as though he¡¯d just hit me with an electric cattle prod. ¡°Here? Now?¡± ¡°You know of any better time? This is one you¡¯ve earned.¡± No. Of course not, I said to myself silently, while my mouth managed a hesitant, ¡°No.¡± I stood. Everything in my was body quaking now, toes to knees to crotch to shivering shoulders. Spanked in anger has its own thrill; though it¡¯s often gone too quickly to appreciate the feelings. Spanked for discipline was something else. Time makes the erotic feelings emerge and mine were soaring now. KC sat in a straight-backed side chair while I zoomed to my inte to inform my secretary that I didn¡¯t want to be disturbed. I suggested that she go to lunch and she agreed. Then turning toward KC, I offered him a quavering smile. ¡°You think this room is soundproof?¡± he asked, as he motioned me to his side. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how much.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll wait until your secretary leaves.¡± I felt only slightly better with that decision; but all my fears seemed swept away once I went over KC¡¯s warmth from the moment my thighs and groin touched hisp. My sexual juices started to flow so much I could hardly keep from squirming against him. As he raised my skirt¡ªand this time it was one of my shortest ones, Dickerson¡¯s doing again¡ªI felt the air on my skin, the immediate cool, and every small move of KC¡¯s hand as he inched the tight fabric over my hips. Finding my panties in the way, he slowly drew them over my ass and let them dangle at my knees. Bared atst, my butt twitching, I waited, not daring to breathe. I remembered his hands. Every time I saw them they fascinated my imagination¡ªeven minutes ago when he gripped the ruler as he looked at my stunned expression. I could imagine the picture of us now¡ªme draped over his thighs, KC picking up the ruler gentlyying it on my ass¡­ I wasn¡¯t wrong in my fantasy. He was as tender with the wood as he might have been with his bare hand¡ªrunning it over the surface of my skin gently until he finally drew it back and let it fall with the swift flick of his wrist. Smack! The burn was instantaneous! I sucked in air and refused to cry. No telling who might be outside the office. I could only hope for privacy, but it wasn¡¯t guaranteed. The next strikended with as much force as the first, and the stinging burn began to effect my body. He struck repeatedly, bringing the ruler down fast. He changed his pace and direction, and even the intensity so I couldn¡¯t guess what he¡¯d do next. For a time, his aim drifted to my thighs where the sting was so great I almost lost my cool and started toin. Sensing my distress, KC held me tighter as my body started to rebel, my feet began to kick in maddening fury. ¡°Hush!¡± He almost whispered themand, though it was an unbending one. He bore down harder now, his strikes repeated swiftly directly on the center of my ass, until I did cry out. I immediately swallowed my tiny wail. Then, secondster, KC stopped. As mybored breathing subsided, the erotic heat in me began to build. With KC¡¯s hand on my hot ass, I couldn¡¯t stop the raging torrent. I squirmed to meet his sincere caress, quite sure that my body was taunting him to the same state of erotic need; but to my distress again, there was no sexual climax to this spanking. Having raised my arousal to a torrid pitch, he abruptly pushed me off hisp and had me stand. ¡°Turn around,¡± he said when I was on my feet. My ass to his face, he inspected the damage, his hand merely grazing the skin. I wanted to beg for his touch but I wouldn¡¯t dare. ¡°So. Tomorrow, you¡¯ll be at the theatre at ten,¡± he reminded me. The order was coldly stated, and he started toward the door. ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± I asked with a pitiful whine as I turned back to him. He knew what I wanted and knew what it meant denying me. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s all today. I have work to do, and so do you. Pay attention to your butt, Ms. Henry. Might just teach you all sorts of things this afternoon.¡± KC left me standing in the center of my office, bewildered once again. I was so in need of him, hating him for not screwing me on the spot that I almost failed to lower my skirt as he opened the door. Thankfully, I shook myself awake and quickly restored some decency. *** In the morning, my journey to the theatre was much easier than any I¡¯d made before. There seemed to be a certainty about our rtionship that I now trusted. His thorough probing of my thoughts in my office had set me straight atst. Then his hands had done the rest of the work with both gentleness and the coarse severity required to discipline. I was no longer allowing myself the luxury of confusion. My mind was clear. Going to the theater inpliance to his order, every desire for this umon lust engaged brutally in my loins¡ªnothing held back now. I opened the door and the door gave way, and the ckness poured on me again. The ce seemed to swallow me whole. I felt released. KC met me inside the ck box, and with a firm butforting hand, led me to his apartment. I noted first that his bed was mussed with the look of erotic disorder as though he¡¯d spent the night with a woman inside the messy sheets. Since KC took the lone chair for himself, his bed was the only ce I could sit. ¡°Still scared?¡± he asked. He seemed much more pleasant than when he came to my office. ¡°Yes. Scared to death, but I am here.¡± He smiled warmly. ¡°Good,¡± he replied as though I¡¯d passed some exam. I don¡¯t know how things changed from there. We were awkwardly drinking coffee one minute talking about a lot of nonsense neither us was really listening to¡ªI think we weremunicating with bodies and the backs of our minds where a more honest conversation was taking ce¡ªand then suddenly, we were on the bed, stripping clothes away and bing close, closer than we¡¯d been. We kissed. We weren¡¯t just ass to groin or ass to hand, but face to face and cock to crotch. My wanting was immeasurable, a seeking sort of desire that poured out on him. I was so ravenous I should have been self-conscious, but I don¡¯t think men worry about a woman¡¯s passion in the middle of sex. KC certainly had no problem with my unrestrained behavior. Regardless of my own eagerness, KC was definitely in charge, exactly as I wanted him to be. He kissed me first before I kissed back. He struggled with my clothes before I searched to find his skin. He clutched my mound before Iid a finger on his cock. When I did find that hefty meat, my curiosity drove me down to explore it with my mouth and inspect it with my tongue. I drank its richness, tasted it potent salty, sweaty state, while my nostrils breathed the essence of KC inside my lungs. Maneuvering my bottom end with his hands, he had me straddle his face while I worked his prick with my mouth. He teased my snatch with his tongue poking me so I was shrieking and everything in me spasmed. Still, he did nothing but y his heartlessly sweet game of cat and mouse with my anxious pussy. As his stalk grew proud and the head became engorged with blood, my insides seemed to cry aloud. Still, he kept me titited feeling as though I¡¯d die without that cock¡¯s first strike. When he finally pushed me around and we were mouth to mouth again, we locked so tightly in our embrace that I could hardly move. But I felt him firm between my thighs. Hey on top thrusting as my head fell back and my breasts arched to meet his lips, and I came, shuddering slowly. His ejaction followed closely afterwards. Yes, this was likeing home, like finding who I am again. KC¡¯s apartment has the most amazing ceiling filled with a dozen theatre lights in the unusually high rafters. By daylight, there¡¯s not much to see, not as lovers after sex lying side by side in a sunny room. ¡°What¡¯s it like here at night?¡± I asked, fixated on the possibilities those lights suggested. ¡°You¡¯ll see for yourself soon enough,¡± he answered ¡°Oh, that must mean I¡¯ming back,¡± I said happily. ¡°I thought we had that figured out,¡± he snapped at my remark as though he was annoyed I¡¯d even asked. I pulled up on one elbow so I could look at his face. ¡°KC this is all really weird. I don¡¯t do things like this and I¡¯m not used to any man, let alone someone like you.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t start it, Gail,¡± he reminded me. I fell back against the sheets. Suddenly KC was on top of me, taking my hands in his and pinning them above my head. My crotch went off again, wanting him. As he bent down to kiss me, I don¡¯t remember, ever, knowing such tenderness. I was breathing hard, feeling as though he¡¯d sucked me into him, looking him in the eye and being scared. ¡°Tell me, Gail, who started this with you?¡± he asked. ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Who was the first man who spanked you?¡± The question gave me instant shivers, tremors I¡¯m sure he could feel with his groin locked tightly on mine. ¡°That was a long time ago.¡± ¡°Tell me about him,¡± he insisted. ¡°I¡¯d rather not say.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because he¡¯s in my past.¡± ¡°As though the past doesn¡¯t live inside you?¡± I felt as though I was on the edge of a razor ready to slip. ¡°Why¡¯s it so important?¡± I wondered as my fear increased and my breathing grew morebored. ¡°Because I asked.¡± Because he asked, I repeated to myself. After such nurturing, loving tenderness, he was tugging at me; pulling, tearing, wrenching me away with him back in time. ¡°You want to walk out on my questions?¡± he asked. ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to walk out.¡± ¡°Then answer me,¡± he smiled rather charmingly, like a handsome pirate, ¡°Besides, you¡¯re in no position to bargain.¡± I should have figured that, t on my back, his body bearing down on me, weight, strength, animal intent overpowering me. Finally, knowing he had me conquered, he rolled away. And moving off the bed, he took a chair beside me, saying with the same enchanting smirk, ¡°Talk, Gail. Just spit it out.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say.¡± I tried. I really tried, but the words forming inside my mouth seemed stuck, destined to remain garbled and crowded behind a locked door. Seeing me hesitate KC talked instead, ¡°I thought we had this handled. That we had decided what you want. I give orders, you obey,¡± he made his case calmly and I knew I¡¯d already lost. ¡°You want to argue with that, we¡¯ll try the belt¡ªit¡¯s wide and leather and very effective. Or maybe a cane would get you talking?¡± ¡°No, please,¡± I finally pulled up, resting my back against the headboard, while I pouted like a naughty kid. ¡°You know I¡¯ll never get to work this way.¡± ¡°Oh? Is that important?¡± he shrugged. ¡°Well, not really,¡± I confessed. ¡°I took the morning off, just for you.¡± ¡°See? I¡¯m only giving you want you want.¡± Chapter Five(2) Chapter Five(2) I thought a long time before I began to speak. I stared at my toes and then KC¡¯s face, then my toes again. I took a deep breath. ¡°Rossi,¡± getting the name out was the worst. Getting that done, maybe I could do the rest. ¡°He was a professor in the Architecture Department and my advisor. I did drawings, lots of them off the cuff, but nothing by the book. I hated studying. But I liked original design¡ªexcept that my creations were too outrageous to produce, ¡®undoable, impractical, he said. Filled with ws and ignorant mistakes,¡¯ I deign to quote. He was a particr man, with peculiar ws; but I didn¡¯t see any of them, especially since I needed his approval to get my degree¡ªand I was in total awe of his skill and abilities as an architect. He was handsome, ruthless, unconventional, twenty years my senior andpletely in charge of me. He began as my senior advisor, and transferred himself to my graduate sses. He insinuated himself into my life a piece at a time¡­¡± I stopped. How much should I say? Each remembrance took me further back, each word seeming to incriminate me as though I were confessing crimes not post-adolescent sexual confusion. ¡°Go on,¡± KC prompted me. ¡°His first move felt like ckmail, though I knew he had been advancing on me for a good reason. I would have failed that semester at the end of my junior year, and I wouldn¡¯t have gone back to school. I wouldn¡¯t have had the guts or the tenacity to recover from the mincemeat I made of myself. I wasn¡¯t on drugs, but it probably looked as though I were. I did hit the bottle asionally, but I wasn¡¯t getting drunk. I waszy, and irresponsible,pletely undisciplined, and scornful of anyone¡¯s attempts to enforce rules with me. ¡°But then, it came down to survival. I hated my parents. I didn¡¯t want their money, and when I finally faced facts, I realized that without a career I couldn¡¯t afford my life, and without some structure to my life I¡¯d never have a career. Rossi got to that point with me in one very remarkable meeting¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re failing, Miss Henry,¡± the professor rounded his desk and strolled about his ungracious student. ¡°Despite your attempts this summer, you are still only slipping by in this discipline. Perhaps that alone is the problem here, you think?¡± He came on her eye to eye. She didn¡¯t blink, but she was shriveling inside worried that he spoke the truth. ¡°You don¡¯t think of architecture as a discipline, but a hobby you ignorantly suppose is going to pay you big bucks. You¡¯re used to a pampered life; you¡¯re used to your fancy clothes and jet-set summers and dinners in expensive restaurants. But the only way you¡¯ll have that life now is to mooch off your parents. I was given to understand that you didn¡¯t want that. You sat in my office a few months ago, practically crying your eyes out, pleading with me to keep you in the department in spite of your failing test scores and your less than adequate skills in sound architectural design. You promised me results; you gave me little. You took off in the middle of an assignment, offering me slipshod blueprints aspensation for my time. You should be embarrassed working alongside the other students who have worked hard and raised their grades. What¡¯s worse¡ªyou just don¡¯t seem to get my message.¡± ¡°Oh, but I do now, sir; and I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Sorry is not enough.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s all I can say.¡± ¡°Maybe you should try waiting tables, Miss Henry, because that¡¯s all you¡¯ll be good for¡ªthough I¡¯m not even sure you¡¯d be good at that. You have no stamina. You have no focus. You can¡¯t seem to organize anything, and you¡¯re unreliable. Other than a smattering of artistic talent, I can¡¯t really think of anything to rmend that I keep you in the department.¡± She sighed distressed by his remarks, ¡°I ask for just one more reprieve, sir. Just this one thing.¡± He waltzed about her trembling body inspecting every sensuous line¡ªadmiring, yes, but critical. Perhaps she was just too beautiful¡ªgleaming auburn hair, naturally curledshes, green eyes, and porcin skin. He¡¯d never seen a more wless creature. He¡¯d seen many lovely female students though a cloud formed around her and she breathed discontent and frenzied misbehavior. There was a yful, even childish aspect to her restlessness, perhaps still a child inside her womanly frame. He was stirred by her as much as annoyed. ¡°And what assurance would I have that you¡¯ve changed any of your bad habits, Miss Henry?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know that I could give you anything but my word.¡± ¡°That has proven to be worthless,¡± he reminded her. She gulped nervously, palms sweating, heart beating rapidly, even pounding at her temples. She knew she woulde to this kind of miserable end eventually; by living as though some angel would suddenly swoop down to rescue her, she ignored the facts of her failure for months. ¡°I would try again, sir, more sincerely than I ever have.¡± He stood before her, hands behind his back, staring into her eyes¡ªthey were nearly the same height, though he seemed to loom over her with his impressive stance. ¡°The only way I would consider your request is if you¡¯d put yourself in a strict probationary program with me, allowing me liberties with your life that you would not ordinarily give to any man.¡± ¡°What would that mean?¡± she asked, feeling both bewildered and curiously aroused. ¡°I have a rather anachronous point of viewpared with the rest of this politically correct feminist- oriented university. I rarely, and I mean rarely, practice my beliefs with students; it¡¯s normally not feasible at all, unless there is a strict understanding between the student in question and myself. I have found, however, with women like yourself, who have a difficult time with discipline and structure that utilizing some time-honored means of guidance¡ªmeaning rules and punishment---can often make a difference between sess and failure. ¡°I make no demand for these measures, they would bepletely voluntary on your part; you would sign an appropriate waver stating so, but if you need to pursue your future as an architect with this institution¡ªa fact which you seem to insist on¡ªthe only way I would allow you to continue here would be in a program with rigid disciplinary standards, including appropriate corporal punishment for any failure toply with the demands I¡¯d make.¡± ¡°Corporal punishment?¡± ¡°As in spanked, paddled or caned on your bare behind.¡± ¡°If I mess up?¡± ¡°If you mess up,¡± he paused and then continued, ¡°as well as when I see fit, just to keep your behavior on the straight and narrow. In addition, I would put some stringent limitations on your extracurricr activities, your study time and other areas of your personal life. I would, Miss Henry, own your existence until youplete your exams next spring. You would not only finish all the requirements of your senior year, you would, as well, make up what you could not adequatelyplete this year, including retesting in those subjects where your grades are marginal. You would be prepared for graduate study¡ªwhich is almost required for the kind of work you want to do.¡± He stopped, took a deep breath, and finally finished, ¡°It¡¯s up to you. If you¡¯d like, you can think about it for a few days, but no more than that. If you agree to this, we need to get started immediately.¡± Her mind whirred while her body seemed to fill with the strangest feelings of longing. Perhaps it was his attention to her, his willingness even to suggest something this astounding. As she considered the n, her thighs and bottom began to tingle with a delightful physical sensation. All this took herpletely off guard, as the whole scheme was utterly preposterous. And yet, she was seriously considering agreeing to the professor¡¯s proposal. She thought fast, right on her feet¡ªrash thinking was something she did do well, although it tended to get her into trouble. But with Professor Rossi? What trouble could there be in ensuring her future sess? ¡°I¡¯ll do it, sir,¡± she answered him much faster than he expected. N?velDrama.Org holds this content. He nodded his head, truly amazed that she would agree. ¡°All right, then. You understand that I will insinuate myself into your life until you¡¯ll likely be sick of me. That might be difficult for you given the streak of independence that seems so important to you.¡± ¡°Perhaps, perhaps not,¡± she replied. She was thinking in advance of the professor, measuring her physical and emotional response to the proposal and to him. Something in his manner had been intriguing her for months, though she¡¯d ignored the erotic implications. He was a professor, but he was also opening a door¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m doing this, Professor Rossi, but I will. Maybe it¡¯s foolish, but it couldn¡¯t be any more foolish than a lot of other things I¡¯ve done¡ªlike spending three years in this university and leaving with nothing to show for it. I need my career. My time is running out. I¡¯ll be miserable if I don¡¯t graduate.¡± ¡°Well then, we¡¯ll start today. You can take your first punishment now. Consider it a measure to wipe the te clean so we can start fresh.¡± ¡°Now? Start now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°W-Wasn¡¯t,¡± she started to stammer, ¡±there something I¡¯m supposed to sign?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s necessary, we can take care of thatter,¡± he said. ¡°For now, this will be private¡ªoff the record.¡± He had grabbed something from a nearby closet, a spanking paddle. She watched in anxious awe as he clutched it with a fierce resolve. Her heart leapt again, while her sexual body shivered in anticipation. ¡°The building is empty except for the two of us,¡± he whispered. ¡°This is about your bing more disciplined, about learning to submit to my requirements,¡± he spoke so softly. Each word seemed carefully chosen, each awakening another ce of sensation. She was enthralled by the look of his hand, and the paddle, even as her mind was enthralled by the sound of his voice. ¡°I can get you what you desire. I can make your life heaven or hell. You¡¯ll learn the most amazing things about yourself; more than you ever thought was there.¡± He paused, letting that thought settle with her. ¡°I sense you¡¯re already feeling it.¡± ¡°I am,¡± she whispered breathlessly. ¡°Mind you, this will hurt, but the implications will feel so good that you¡¯lle to ept the treatment as part of you. Now step forward, Miss Henry, to the front of my desk,¡± Rossi instructed, as he moved behind her. ¡°I want you to raise your skirt and bend over. I¡¯ll lower your underwear.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not wearing any underwear,¡± she blushingly answered. Her voice sounded so tiny it was hardly there at all. ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll have little to do but redden your ass.¡± Following the order, she moved the short two steps required. Anticipation made her legs weak and her hands trembled so that her palms began to sweat. Bending over, she slowly fingered her white denim skirt, and drew it over her hips. The material bunched about her waist. Her physical response was rming. She had no idea that this would turn her on, but every feeling in her was sexual. He could have fucked or spanked her and it wouldn¡¯t have mattered at the moment. When the paddle struck, her first response an immediate, ¡°Ouch!¡± ¡°Hush, youngdy,¡± Rossi snapped. The paddle struck again as a bright and stinging warmth spread across her ass. Another strike, the sensation became more vivid. More smacks, and she was struggling to stay put, struggling to keep quiet when she was about to scream. The paddle struck again, until there were twenty strikes and a swathe of red across her ass as brilliant as the evening sun. More and she might have been tempted to bolt the room¡ªbut temptation didn¡¯t have time to breed. Rossi knew how far to take her, how to start and when to stop. He also sensed the desperate desire beneath herpliance. He understood her natural inclinations and the inner workings of her mind and what would lure her to him. He had so little to do to have her inside his grasp¡­ I stopped talking, measuring the silence, wondering what KC would say, but I wasn¡¯t about to say another word until he spoke. He squirmed in his chair¡ªleather pants making a soft rustling noise. ¡°This is only a tiny piece of the story, isn¡¯t it?¡± KC said. ¡°Yes,¡± I answered. ¡°So what¡¯s going on in your life right now that you need me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± ¡°Oh, but I think you are. You¡¯re just chicken to admit it.¡± ¡°Maybe. Couldn¡¯t we just go on the way we have been for a while?¡± I suggested. ¡°We could.¡± But he wasn¡¯t so sure. ¡°Tell me about you right now?¡± he probed more. ¡°I¡¯m confused,¡± I admitted. ¡°And my spanking you will set you straight? My fooling with your life will cure you?¡± ¡°It might.¡± ¡°Okay, then, Gail,¡± he nodded. ¡°You have a project to do, by when?¡± ¡°Day after tomorrow.¡± ¡°Then get to work and do it. One slip up, your ass will get the cane. You won¡¯t be sitting pretty. That clear?¡± ¡°It is.¡± I thought that¡¯s what I wanted. This kind of toughness. I wasn¡¯t sure though if it weren¡¯t the consequences I was interested in¡ªnot the sess. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!