“Yeah. Seriously. He proposed this morning.”

Now her mother sounded strident. “And you didn’t call us?” she shrieked, making Shayla pull the phone away from her ear.

Her eyes popped open. She met Tony’s gaze. He was struggling not to laugh and had stopped mid-kiss. “I was going to call you tomorrow. Tony was out of town for two weeks. It was like after midnight when he got here this morning. We haven’t even had time to eat dinner yet tonight. He just got here from work.”

“When’s the big day?”

“Mom, our dinner’s getting cold.”

“Screw your damn dinner! I get put through this tonight by your ex-asshole, I deserve a little forewarning. When’s the wedding?”

Frustrated and knowing her mom wouldn’t be happy without an answer, she looked at Tony. “She wants a date,” she whispered in his ear.

He smiled. “We’re eloping,” he whispered back.

“You said my choice.”

His smile widened to a grin. “Yes, I did.” He kissed her and took the phone from her. “Hi, Karen. How are you?”

Shayla giggled and rested her head against Tony’s chest as he looped an arm around her shoulders and held her close. She reveled in the warmth from his body pressed against hers.

“Yes, ma’am. He showed up here at her apartment unannounced. I took care of him. He didn’t take kindly to it… Yes, I proposed this morning.” He looked down at Shayla. “I love your daughter and I’m not about to let her go… No, I don’t spend money on porn, and yes, I’m still gainfully employed.”

“Mother!” Shayla yelled as she reached for the phone.

He wouldn’t let go of it and arched an eyebrow at her in warning. “Yes, she did seem a little perturbed by that question… James did leave her a check paying her back in full though… Yes, next time the little bastard calls you, feel free to tell him to go screw himself. It’s a cashier’s check… No, I don’t think he can stop payment on it.”

Shayla clapped a hand to her forehead, certain she’d just dropped into the rabbit hole for good this time.

“Yes, she’ll call you back tomorrow morning with more details… No, we haven’t set a date yet. Haven’t thought that far in advance… Thanks, Karen. I appreciate that… Okay, thank you, Mom.” He kissed Shayla. “You, too. Good night.” He ended the call and placed her phone on the counter.

“Did she really call him a little bastard?”

He grinned again. “No, she called him a little fucker. I thought I’d show some restraint and not repeat that back to her. I don’t want Mom to start thinking poorly of her son-in-law before we’re even married.”

* * *

After dinner he helped her clean up the kitchen before leading her to the bedroom. He kicked off his shoes before standing with his arms outstretched.

She needed no prompting. She quickly set to work undressing him, carefully folding his clothes and laying them on the dresser. When he was naked, he pointed to the floor.

Her knees folded without hesitation. She rested her forehead on his feet, a soft sigh escaping her.

This is where I want to be. I don’t care why anymore. It feels right.

“How’s my pet?”

“Better, Sir. Now that you’re here.”

“Good girl. Before we can have fun, you owe me five.”

“Yes, Sir.” Already she felt her pussy clenching, growing wet. It’d be running down her legs in seconds, no doubt.

“Over the bed, feet on the floor.”

She stood and turned to assume her position bent over the bed, her clit throbbing, on fire, aching to feel the first stinging slap across her ass.

He sat next to her on the bed and curled his fingers around her collar, pinning her facedown on the bed. His other hand caressed her ass. “Feet wider, pet.”

She scooched her feet farther apart.

“Good girl.” His hand stilled on her ass as heat built inside her, waiting to be unleashed.

“You’re wet, aren’t you?”

“Yes, Sir,” she whispered, her face aflame at the admission.

“Such a good girl you are,” he whispered, leaning in close, his breath in her ear. “I warned you I would rewire your brain. You were such a good girl to let me.”

The silken rumble of his voice flowed through her body, only serving to make her crave his sadistic touch that much more. “Thank you for training me, Sir.”

He chuckled. His hand continued caressing her ass. “It was most definitely my pleasure, pet. I look forward to many more long training sessions with you throughout the years.” He leaned in even closer, his lips pressed to her ear now, his voice barely a breath. “My next goal is to train you to come just by verbal command. How would you like that, pet?”

She fisted the covers and let out a mewling whine. “Yes, Sir. Please.”

“How would you like to feel me fucking your reddened ass, clamps on your nipples and clit, begging me to take them off and then I make…you…come.” On the last word he delivered a hard, stinging blow to her ass, probably hard enough to make his hand sting.

She let out a cry that was partly pain, but a good deal of pleasure, too.

“Answer me, pet.”

“Yes, Sir!”

“Or we could be in the middle of a scene. Imagine me using a riding crop on that sweet ass of yours and taking you just to the verge of coding and keeping you there. And then I turn the crop onto your vulnerable little clit and begin slapping it until you’re ready to code…and I make you come!” The second blow, every bit as hard as the first, made her gasp with pain.

But his words also made her clit throb.

“I will train you in the fine art of orgasm control, pet. You will get to the point where you won’t be able to come without my command. I’ll be able to torture you for hours, keep you begging for relief, making you crave the pain as much as the pleasure so you can come.” She was glad she didn’t have any paddles at the apartment. Blow number three brought tears to her eyes, yet she didn’t even consider begging for mercy.

She wanted it. Needed it.

Craved it.

“Is my poor pet horny?” he asked, speaking into her ear, her neck still pinned to the bed.

“Yes, Sir!”

“I can tell. I can smell how wet you are. Did you come while I was gone?”

“No, Sir.”

“So this morning was the first time since three Saturdays ago?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Aww, my poor pet.” Slap!

“One more, pet. One more hard one, and then I’m going to play with you until I’m ready to finish you off. Ready?”

“Yes, Sir.”

She barely had the words out of her mouth before he smacked her one last, hard time. She sobbed, relieved it was over and wishing it wasn’t.

He nibbled on the shell of her ear. “Playtime, pet.” He didn’t let her up. He slid the hand on her ass lower, between her legs, and fingered her pussy. “Just as I thought. You’re a very wet girl.” He lightly slapped her pussy, making her gasp.

“Keep those legs spread,” he sternly ordered.

She did, bracing herself. He was more playful than sadistic, however, keeping his slaps on the lighter end of the scale. Relentless, he worked back and forth, between her clit and her pussy, until her whole body was on fire and she began begging for relief.

“Please, Sir,” she sobbed.

“Please what, pet?”

“Please make me come!”

“Try coming for me like this, then, pet.” His strokes grew more regular, the tempo and force slowly increasing until she wasn’t sure she could take it anymore.

Then subspace kicked in. Endorphins flooded her system. She rocked her body in time with his strokes, gasping as she felt her release closing in.

“That’s my dirty little pet,” he said. “You can do it.”

She arched her back, crying out as she hit the perfect angle for his whole hand to make contact with both her clit and her pussy at the same time.

And then it happened. A slow boil that erupted before she realized it. She buried her face in the covers and screamed in relief even as he built to a crescendo that pushed her harder and farther over the edge. When he stopped, she gasped again, startled as the last echoes of her release still rippled through her.

Then, with a hand still on her collar, he stood and stepped between her legs. He lined up the engorged head of his cock with her wet cunt, rubbing the head back and forth between her swollen labia and coating it in her juices.

“Look what my pet did. My pet came from having her pussy slapped.” He slammed his cock home, hard and deep and drawing a cry of pleasure from her. He pulled her head up with the collar. “Fuck yourself on my cock, pet. Show me what you’ll do for me.”

She did, grunting as he bottomed out inside her with every stroke. He released her collar and grabbed her hips. His fingers dug deep into her flesh as he took over and brutally fucked her.

“You are my pet,” he said, his voice a deep, harsh growl. “Who do you belong to?”

“You, Sir!”

“That’s right.” He slapped her ass. “Who does this ass belong to?”

“You, Sir!”

“Who owns your orgasms?”

She sobbed, feeling another climax building inside her and wishing it’d break free. “You, Sir!”

He fell still, pinning her to the bed with his body. He reached around her and found her clit. “Come again for me, pet. Come hard.” He roughly stroked her clit. She was so swollen and sensitive already, combined with his sexy, throaty growl, that she immediately fell over the edge. The feel of her cunt squeezing his cock inside her only intensified the feeling for her and she tried to fuck herself on him but couldn’t because of his weight pressing down on top of her.

“Not yet, pet,” he said. “One more from you.” He bit down on her shoulder, hard, as his hand sped up.

I can’t…I’ll never… Those thoughts faded away as another climax ripped through her, the almost painful pleasure making her cry out again.

“Good girl!” He grabbed her hips again and fucked her hard and fast, coming in just a few strokes before falling still on top of her.

They both lay there in silence for a moment until he stood and pulled her up, helping her onto the bed where he curled his body around hers. “Rest, pet.”

“Yes, Sir.” She closed her eyes.

* * *

“Oh, peeeetttt.” Shayla’s eyes fluttered open. Tony looked down at her with a smile on his face.

She let out a yawn.

He laughed. “You fell asleep on me, silly pet.”

“I’m sorry. What time is it?” She realized the bedroom TV was now on when it hadn’t been.

“After midnight. That’s okay. I figured you needed the rest.”

She snuggled closer to him and pressed the length of her body against his. It felt so good to stretch out naked next to him.

It felt so right.

“I missed you so much, Sir,” she whispered.

He touched her chin. “I missed you, too, pet. I’m sorry you thought I didn’t care.” He kissed her. “And this isn’t exactly the way I planned tonight to go.”

“Sorry, Sir.”

Stop. Stop apologizing.” He kissed her again, on the lips, deeply, sweetly, tasting warm and sweet and so, so good. “I got you something on my lunch break today. Stay here.” He left the bed and grabbed his slacks, pulling them on and nothing else. She heard the jingle of car keys, the front door open, then the beep of his car as he unlocked it with the fob.

A moment later he returned, stripping before getting into bed with that damn, sexy smile on his face.

“Close your eyes, pet.”

She did.

She felt him take her left hand and he slid something on her ring finger. “Open them, pet.”

She looked down, the diamond and amethyst ring winking at her in the light from the TV. Her birthday was February twenty-first, hence the amethyst.

Stunned, she stared up at him. He laced his fingers through her hand and kissed them. “Will you please marry me, pet? I know we settled this, but I realized my proposal the first time around wasn’t the best. I’d actually planned to go down on one knee for you after dinner.”

She squealed, delighted. “Yes, Sir. I’ll marry you and wear your collar and take your spankings and anything else you want me to do.”

He grinned and rolled on top of her. “I do believe you are the perfect pet.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

She packed a bag and things she’d need for work and spent the rest of the nights that week at Tony’s. She had to speak to her landlord about breaking her lease and getting her deposit back. She could still afford to pay the bills there and live at Tony’s if they wouldn’t budge, but it would suck.