Sloth, p.15
Sloth, page 15
Still, because of the meeting that morning, Martie thought it prudent to at least leave a note, giving the owners a heads-up as to her plans, just in case they were still in the building. There was no need to push her luck.
∞∞∞
When Martie returned to work around 3:00 PM, she was surprised to find an old-fashioned parchment letter waiting on her workstation desk along with two small Christmas gifts. One gift box was black velvet with red velvet ribbon, and the one was a small red box with a black satin ribbon. The letter was written in a gorgeous script, as if penned with quill and ink.
Dear Martha,
You have been a very, very naughty girl. If you truly want to make amends for your poor behavior, you will need to be disciplined every day for the next twelve days, starting this evening.
If you consent to this arrangement, open both gifts set before you. You may only keep one gift. Once you’ve chosen which gift you wish to keep, simply follow the instructions you find attached to that gift. Leave the unchosen gift behind on your desk.
Merry Christmas,
Secret Santa
Heart thumping with anxiety even as a smile tugged on her lips, Martie reached for the black one first, and then untied the fancy red velvet ribbon wrapped around the ebony-colored velvet. She expected it to be jewelry by the length and width. However, to her surprise, it was a silver dinner fork. She read the small note tied to the utensil with another red ribbon.
“Wear a dress. I will pick you up at 6:30 PM.”
Huh. She laid the fork on the desk and picked up the other gift.
This package was more of a square than a rectangle, and the black ribbon decorating the red box was made of satin. It was smooth to the touch, and for whatever reason, it reminded her of Nicholas.
She opened the present and found a small yet beautiful Christmas tree ornament. She gently lifted the crystal star from the satin bedding by the black ribbon meant to hang the ornament. Attached was a small note:
“Wear comfortable pajamas. I will pick you up at 7:00 PM.”
Now that was intriguing.
Martie figured the fork with instructions to wear a dress meant dinner. But a tree ornament with comfy pajamas sounded divine. A fancy dinner sounded exhausting after her emotional day, and she wasn’t even sure she had a nice dress to wear.
When 5:00 PM came around, she cleaned up her work area so she could head home. When completed, she took the tree ornament with her and departed. She left the fork behind on the desk.
Chapter Four
At 6:30 PM, Martie walked outside her shitty extended-stay motel wearing her pajamas. She chose warm, fuzzy sleep pants that had pictures of cute penguins with little scarves and snow hats, and a black tank top to match. And since it was freaking cold and snowy, she had her own scarf and snow hat on as well, and a sweatshirt and coat, and fuzzy socks under her snow boots.
Because she didn’t want to be presumptuous, she didn’t pack a traditional overnight bag. Rather, she packed her black leather weekend bag, which she often used as an oversized purse and laptop case. It was big enough to hold everything, but small enough not to freak Nicholas out if he didn’t intend for her to stay overnight.
“Hey cutie! We’re digging the pants!”
She turned to see some construction crew guys making their way toward her from the parking lot. The four rough men in their stained jeans and steel-toe boots laughed as they neared. Martie sighed as she recognized the group from previous run-ins. They were handsy, to say the least. Usually she would have just waved and left, thus effectively avoiding them, but she was waiting for Nicholas, and had purposely gone outside early to avoid having him come collect her from her room. Damn. She was stuck.
The men’s broad smiles indicated they were going to fuck with her. Martie cautioned herself to not run her mouth lest she get herself into a dangerous situation.
The man who reached her first put his arm around her. “Hey lady! How are you? We haven’t seen you in a while! You haven’t been avoiding us, have you?” he slurred into her ear.
She offered a tight smile and leaned her head away from the whisky-laced breath. “Oh no, not at all,” Martie deadpanned with a tight grimace. “Why would I ever do that?”
“Hey, what are those?” another guy asked. He knelt in front of her, practically shoving his head into her crotch as if to better see the print on her furry pants. He then rubbed her thigh. “Soft,” he murmured, caressing one of the penguins.
The other men laughed and lit up cigarettes, and Martie regretted her decision to come outside and wait for Nicholas. She’d done so to prevent him coming into her small room, which was embarrassing enough with its dingy furniture and smell of stale cigarettes. But she had no real money coming in, and hell would freeze over before she asked her parents for financial help, so she just had to bite the bullet for a couple of weeks until her paychecks came in and she saved up some cash for an apartment.
“We’re heading to the bar to have some drinks. Wanna join us?” a third man asked.
“Oh, no, thank you,” she said quietly. “I’m waiting for my ride.”
Asshole squatting before her was still rubbing on her leg. He leaned close, his nose in her crotch, and inhaled deeply with an audible flair.
“You smell tasty,” he announced, much to the amusement of his friends. Asshole #1 laughed in her ear as Asshole #2 buried his head again for another whiff.
Thankfully, Nicholas’ silver Mercedes pulled into the parking lot. Martie exhaled in relief.
“Gotta go,” she chirped, quickly jerking away from the drunk guy hugging her while accidently tipping over the pervert guy still kneeling before her.
With a sharp grunt, her molester fell back on his ass with a jarring thud. His friends roared with laughter while the fallen one cursed her. Thrilled to be away from the men’s reach, she waved over her shoulder as if to say sorry and ran to the car. Being the ballsy fuckers that they were, two of the guys actually waved back as if they were all friends.
Nicholas hadn’t even slowed his vehicle to a stop yet when she caught the handle, opened the door, and jumped right into the moving car. She slammed it shut with a huff.
Now safe, she awarded Nicholas a bright smile, thankful that he’d decided to show up early, and by doing so, rescued her from the drunk assholes groping her. It wasn’t something she couldn’t handle, but as a woman living alone, she was tired of always being on guard, always having to find a way to finagle out of awkward situations with men who didn’t honor boundaries.
Nicholas didn’t return the smile. Rather, he stared at her, then stared past her to assess the men helping their friend off the ground. The group stumbled into the motel lobby.
“You’re not staying here anymore,” Nicholas said.
She snorted. “Well, until you pay me my first paycheck, it’s all I can afford.”
“Then you can stay with me until we can find you a suitable place. Or just live with me, period. Whichever makes you the most comfortable.”
“Seriously?” she asked.
“Very.”
“Thank you.”
Martie bit her tongue to keep from squealing with joy. She hated that damn motel. And by staying with Nicholas, she would have more of an opportunity to convince him that she loved him so incredibly much, and to show him how grateful she was that he was giving her another chance.
“Buckle up.”
She did as he asked as he pulled away from the motel.
Martie sank into the warm seat with a sigh. She’d planned to be on her best behavior for the next twelve days to show Nicholas that she could be good, and that he could trust her not to run from their relationship again. She was a mature woman now—one who could face her problems and work through them instead of fleeing at the first sign of trouble. And she would take her nightly discipline without complaint too. Honestly, considering how she left without notice, and pretty much ghosted him for two years, she was getting off pretty lightly with only twelve days of punishment.
The soft sound of Christmas music made their quiet car ride magical, especially as the snow started to fall. It was a white Christmas, and it was beautiful. The streetlights glittered the landscape like a winter holiday card.
It didn’t take very long to get to Nicholas’ home, and she was kind of sad that her ride was already over. She was safe and comfortable. She could happily sit in the car with him all night and just drive around. However, remembering the gift in her bag, she supposed that Nicholas already had their night planned out.
Nicholas owned one of those grand Victorian era homes that was on the town’s historical registry. The cobblestone street was lined with old-fashioned wrought-iron gas lamps, and the whole neighborhood was decorated for the season. He pulled into the small carriage house garage in the back. Once he turned off the engine and exited, Martie did not move. Remembering how Nicholas was a very traditional HoH and all chivalrous like, she waited for him to come around and open her car door. He unbuckled her seatbelt and helped her out, took her bag, then guided her up the porch stairs into his elegant home.
The interior of the house was as gorgeous as she remembered, and with it being decorated for Christmas, even more so. There was greenery and mistletoe and ribbons throughout the vintage living room, and a huge evergreen that reached the ceiling. Beside the tree was a stepladder and boxes of ornaments.
The house smelled of warm sugar and spices with hints of citrus fruit. Beyond the open pocket doors, in the dining room, was a small setup of appetizers and sweets. Hot chocolate and spiced apple cider waited next to mugs.
“Make yourself a plate of food while I restart the fire.”
Nodding, Martie put down her purse on the sofa chair and did as she was directed. As she filled her plate with traditional Christmas treats, ones she knew Nicholas prepared by hand—candied rind and little mincemeat pies and such—Nicholas got the fire roaring.
She settled into a cushion on the couch, wrapped herself in a warm, knitted blanket, and ate while Nicholas went upstairs to change. Truth be told, she was starved. Being on a tight budget pretty much left her buying and eating mostly cheap ramen noodle soup and boxed macaroni and cheese. It was nice to have something more substantial.
The next hour or so went by in a quiet blur. One thing she enjoyed about Nicholas was how he celebrated tradition. He was an old soul. To reflect the change from Advent to Christmastide, the tall Christmas tree was now lit with white lights instead of the purple ones that had been on since the Feast of St. Nicholas on the 6th.
It was interesting how Nicholas observed the Winter holidays too, keeping mainly with the church customs that were long abandoned by most modern folks. While Martie was not overly religious, Nicholas was, and as far as Nicholas was concerned, today was only the first day of Christmas. Just like the song, there were twelve days in which to celebrate the occasion. The holiday didn’t end until Epiphany.
She figured that was why he’d chosen twelve days to spank her. A “gift” that Martie was quite happy to receive, especially if it meant resolving her major fuckup.
Both in their pajamas, and wearing red Santa hats, she and Nicholas ate and drank and hung delicate crystal trinkets on the Christmas tree with care. And when they finished decorating the humongous fir, they changed out all the purple, blue and rose candles around the house for white, silver and gold candles. Soon, carolers knocked on the door and they listened to the group sing a couple of songs.
Now that everything was decorated accordingly, they sat on the couch, snacked some more, and chatted lightly about safe topics. Nicholas asked after her parents. After responding on their health and happiness, Martie asked him how his business was doing. She also thanked him again for hiring her.
“I was surprised when you came into my office a couple weeks ago,” Nicholas admitted. “Not only because I hadn’t seen you in years, but because you asked for a job. You were always so adamant about not working for me back when we were together.”
Martie laughed. “I didn’t want you to get tired of being around me. Anyway, I figure it was easier to stay out of trouble if I didn’t.”
“Ah. Now I understand. You wanted to be able to get away with naughty things when I wasn’t around.”
“Duh.” She nodded adamantly. “I think you enjoyed spanking me too much.”
Nicholas chuckled. “Sexy spankings, yes. But I never enjoyed disciplining you. It actually bothered me—”
“Not as much as it bothered me, I promise. Me or my poor ass.”
He awarded her a cute smile and shrugged. “All you had to do was behave.”
Martie snorted. “Not easy. I have impulse control issues, remember?” She sighed. “But I’m in better control of myself now. I don’t lash out as much—or as fast—as I used to. I spent the last two years trying to better myself, be as calm and patient as you always are. I’ve been meditating. I walk away from conflict when I can.”
“Like you did with the AI Project Lead?” Nicholas asked with a note of sarcastic censure.
She burst out with laughter. “I said when I can!”
He winked at her.
“The point is, I’m trying to be a better person—one that doesn’t need to be spanked as much.”
Nicholas nodded. “While you might have not enjoyed the initial punishment, you often told me how much you treasured the time we spent together afterward.”
Knowing where this conversation was leading, Martie lowered her gaze. Those tender moments after the discipline were incredibly special to her. He held her while she cried, told her how much he loved her, and she felt free of everything—there was no hard feeling, no guilt. Just love. And then that feeling of love easily took on a carnal edge every damn time.
“Look at me,” Nicholas instructed tenderly. “We have nothing to hide from each other.”
A stirring command, the way he said it. She peered at him from beneath her lashes.
“Do you remember what it was like lying across my lap?”
She didn’t want to remember, but she couldn’t help it. Her mind flooded with images and tingles erupted in the naughtiest of places. Damn him.
Nicholas moved closer and closer, closing the cushioned gap between them. He swiped his thumb over her lower lip. She shuddered.
“Mm, it seems you do, naughty girl.”
What was wrong with her? She was teetering on the brink of an orgasm from mere words and memory alone. Had it been so long since she’d had an orgasm?
Well, actually it had—at least a satisfying one. While she’d had orgasms from her own hand, they always felt empty, like something was missing.
Martie figured it was because she was living in her parent’s house, and honestly, how relaxing could it be when one was afraid mom or dad would come knocking at any second. Even in the shower, she feared she would lose control and her climax would echo through the house and alert her parents to her deviant self-passions. Not that they would care—they were not prudes, but still, how embarrassing.
Nicholas leaned over and placed his mouth next to her ear. His warm breath caressed her neck, and his scent enveloped her. The slight distance between them grew thick with anticipation and electrified with sexual tension. She resisted the urge to melt into him.
It was of no use.
She was weak.
Her body responded to him in ways that made her a little dizzy—the rapid, shallow breathing, the moisture that seeped between her sealed thighs. Her surroundings blurred until there was nothing but him.
Unable to fight it any longer, she succumbed to the desire to be enveloped by his strength. And she did what came naturally to her, even after two years of being away.
Martie positioned herself over his lap.
He welcomed her, helping her to get into a position that was equally comfortable and safe for the administration of a spanking.
She shivered as he caressed the curve of her body. “You’re beautiful,” he commented. He then fit one hand behind her thighs and the other hand under her pelvis and lifted so her ass went high enough in the air for him to pull her pajama pants down.
Martie felt her face flame as she imagined what he saw as he pulled her panties down as well—probably a pussy that was wet, glistening with her desire, possibly even running down her thighs.
She peered back at Nicholas to find him studying her.
“In the future, never be afraid to come to me for anything. Even if you think it might upset me. Just tell me. There is nothing you can say or do that would make me love you less, and while there should be some apprehension concerning discipline, it should never be so strong that you feel the need to hide things from me. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
Martie wasn’t sure how many smacks he gave her. She stopped counting after three, unable to think much beyond the stinging pain. There was no warmup. And she was two years detached from the Domestic Discipline lifestyle. She’d forgotten how much it hurt. And her body was simply not used to it anymore.
Out of reflex, she reached back to protect her tender rear from the worst of it, but Nicholas stopped smacking her ass just long enough to pin her wrist to the small of her back with his free hand. Then he resumed.
She held her composure as long as she possibly could, but she hissed her discomfort, and not long after, actually begged and pleaded for him to stop. She swore she would tell him anything and everything that ever popped into her head from that moment on—forever more—if he’d just quit punishing her. She even promised she’d never leave his side. Hell, she promised she’d never leave the house ever again, if that was what he wanted.
He was unmoved. He did not relent.
By the time Nicholas finally ceased bringing his palm down on her tender seat, she had long resigned herself to the suffering, and was too exhausted to fight it anymore. Instead, she cried.
Nicholas let her stay over his lap and simply rubbed her back until the worst of her sobs had settled into quiet hiccups.
