Page 79 of Graciously His

“Ah, ah, ah,” he grins in a way that makes me shiver, “if you won’t choose, I’ll do all three—in that order. Ass. Mouth. Spank. That’s what I really want, Grace, so don’t tempt me.”

Images cascade through my mind and I feel myself trembling at the terrible scene that could unfold if he were to fulfill his promise.

“Please don’t.”

“Such a pretty girl when she begs.” He looks deep into my eyes, his own black and hungry. “Make your choice, love.”

“Th-three.”

He releases me and I almost sink to the floor. I’m as frightened as I am aroused, my underwear already soaked. It’s shameful—and typical.

Nate regards me for a moment, considering. “I’m feeling more generous and less brutal than usual, so I’ll offer you a safe word—or a phrase, as it were—that you can say if you really need me to stop your punishment. Would you like that, Grace?”

Thinking of how some of our encounters have gone, I nod.

If I have some way of stopping him, of slowing him down, that can only be to the good.

Nate seats himself on the edge of the bed and I approach warily, hoping he doesn’t see how turned on I am. His erection is pressed against his trousers, which only makes this feel even stranger. I realise I have no idea how to proceed.

“You’ve made serious transgressions today, Grace. You contacted your mother, who is a known danger to you. You also lashed out at me, purposefully using hurtful language, which you doubled down on when I confronted you. Finally, you slapped me in a fit of emotional outrage instead of accepting my role in correcting you as your loving husband. Do you agree that your behaviour was unacceptable?”

My pussy pulses even as I fight the urge to dispute his claims.

Loving husband…

I’m in no position to argue any further, so I nod.

“Good.” Nate’s voice drops, going smokey and dark. “Now, here’s what will happen. I’m going to help you into position, then you’re going to take as many blows as I see fit to give. You can cry, scream, squirm, and beg so long as you do not personally insult me. You will not try to escape, and you will not lash out at me physically. Break my rules, and we’re back to talking about all three options one after another. Do you understand me, Grace?”

I realise I’m shuffling my feet. I force myself to stop, to look into his eyes. “I understand.”

“And do you accept my rules?”

I take a breath, surprised at the question. I feel like I lost control today and, paradoxically, this discussion is helping me regain it.

So fucked up…

“If I do something by accident,” I say, “or I squirm too much, or say something rude, will you decide I’ve earned more than—”

I stop myself, feeling my cheeks going bright red.

“You don’t want me spanking you then pretending you’ve earned the other offerings. All right, Grace. Since this is your first time, I’ll be lenient regarding the rules.”

Relief makes my knees go weak. “Thank you.”

“That doesn’t mean this will be easy.” He beckons me forward. “I’ll still expect you to take what I give. But if you feel yourself checking out too much or if you’re in too much pain, your safe phrase is… ‘I love you’.”

My body freezes with shock. “W-what?”

“You heard me. Now come here.”

“Nate,” I say, trying and failing to put together an argument with all the clashing feelings inside me. “I don’t accept ‘I love you’ as my safe word.”

“Phrase,” he corrects, then he stands up. I catch my breath, ready to back away, but all he does is take my hand. “‘I love you’ is what you’re getting, Grace. I won’t force you to say it, of course, but it’s there if you need it. And if it’s a phrase you don’t want to say but which I’d love to hear, then all the better. That’ll ensure you don’t use it without cause, and it’ll definitely catch my attention if you do.” He leans in and gives me a soft kiss on the cheek. “Now, come and give me your apology.”

I shudder, feeling myself go wobbly with a mixture of apprehension and anticipation. “Okay.”

“Thank you,” he whispers, cupping my cheek and giving a quiet sigh.