Chapter One Hundred and Eighteen

💕Author's Note: Hey, gorgeous! Read ahead by becoming a patron at www.EmendedHearts.com/join

💗💗💗

An out of body experience.

It's the only way I can describe...this.

I bite down on my bottom lip, my teeth sinking into the swollen flesh as a smacking sound echoes in the room, signaling another lash to my ass.

"F-Four!" I spit angrily, even as I shake like a leaf in Fall. "I promise I'll never be late for a session again."

"You sure about that?" Frost smirks mockingly, the words somehow more antagonizing than the pain he just inflicted. And before I can even brace myself, he swishes his stupid crop again.

Whack!

"Ahhh!" The scream rips itself from my throat, the sting sharp and unexpected, erupting from my thigh this time. The motherfucker didn't even give me any time to prepare for the next one.

I try to regain my composure—not that I have a whole lot of the stuff right now—balling my fists as I struggle to inhale like a normal person, because, for the life of me, it's all I can do right now.

"Count!" Frost barks, the sudden loudness of his voice startling the fuck out of me, and my stomach drops to my feet like a stone.

"Fi-five!" I scream back involuntarily, my heart pulsing so fast it feels like I might vomit it right up, my lungs expanding and contracting so rapidly I can barely even speak. "I p-promise...promise I'll never be late...for a session again."

Frost touches the head of the crop to my thigh again, the same spot he just hit. My eyes slam shut as I brace for the impact, holding my breath, but the blow doesn't come like I expect.

Instead, I feel the crop trailing over my skin, curving over my outer thigh to my inner one. The unexpected contact makes my eyes fly open, my legs jerking impulsively, trying to get away from its invasive touch. I grit my teeth and tear my gaze away from him, unable to continue watching what he's doing to me when I feel the crop settle mere inches from my naked core. It takes everything I have to keep my legs steady and my uncooperative feet on the damn numbers.

My pussy pulses almost violently at the sensation...and I'm nothing short of horrified at its reaction. But I'm also confused as hell by it. Especially when I know I'm scared shitless. Utterly terrified out of my fucking mind. I'm barely managing to keep it together, desperation the invisible glue holding me together, keeping me from crumbling into a billion pieces and ending it all right here and now the way I so badly want to.

"Why were you late, Ramona?" Frost asks in a low voice, sounding more sinister and unnerving than when he yelled, the front of his body now touching mine.

My head is still lowered, my eyes intentionally cast to the floor, completely avoiding his. "I thought all you wanted to hear from me during this glorious punishment was counting followed by everlasting promises to be punctual." I try to sound confident, wishing my words came out in a more defiant tone, but the strain in my voice gives me away too easily.

I sense his lips inching closer to my ear, feeling rather than seeing him smirk.

I almost wish I could take back what I said. Almost.

Still, I just had to be a smartass about it, as if that's done anything but get me in trouble so far. I guess I never learn.

"I'm glad you're paying attention," he almost whispers into my ear, not an ounce of sincerity in his tone. I shudder as I inhale, the feel of his hot breath and the weight of the crop on my inner thigh too much to bear, especially given his close proximity.

Too close.

My nipples brush against his shirt inadvertently, and my cheeks instantly go up in flames when I feel them harden and protrude like a pair of traitors, bunching up on themselves as they sit shamelessly atop each of my heaving breasts.

I dare not look up at him, into those blazing, soulless eyes that I can feel all over me, devouring every inch of my nakedness in spite of the darkness around us.

Without warning, another lash finds its way onto my other ass cheek, forcing a surprised yelp out of me. I jerk forward involuntarily, my cheeks clenching against this latest blast of pain. Before I can even get a chance to fully process the intensity, another follows.

And another one right after that.

And then another.

And another.

Precise, sharp blows coming one right after the other in quick successions, each one more intense than the last, maliciously descending on various parts of my ass and thighs. I don't get any time to recover in between. Before I know it, I'm panting, my head swimming, and I actually think I'm seeing stars; little multi-colored balls appearing before my eyes as my vision begins to blur. My chest heaves without restraint and I couldn't stop it even if I tried, the labored action pushing my breasts against him, my nipples grazing his shirt involuntarily and tingling with a strange, diffused heat despite the coolness of the fabric.

"Why aren't you counting, Ramona?" he whispers mockingly in my ear again, the pseudo-question laced with obvious amusement—the sadistic kind, no doubt. "Why aren't you giving me your word that you'll be punctual from now on, since you clearly know that's what I want to hear?"

God, I just knew my smart mouth would come back to bite me in the ass. And, in this case, quite literally.

Another sharp smack rips through the still, silent night, resounding in my ears, the accompanying sting reverberating throughout my entire body. My mouth parts in a silent 'O' this time, my brows furrowing in pain that I can't even voice. In fear that I can no longer hide. That I have no desire to.

I can't believe he would even consider going this far. And for what? Me being a little late? Especially when it wasn't even intentional?! This dude is fucking nuts!

I struggle to breathe, trying to remember how many lashes I got from last count. Thankfully, it doesn't take long.

"Six!" I resume. "I promise I'll never be late for another session. Seven. I promise I'll never be late for another session. Eight. I promise I'll never be late for another session..."

It sounds almost like a prayer; like I'm having some sick, twisted religious experience as I chant a promise that isn't even mine over and over again, but every stroke to my ass seems to reinforce each word more and more, as if he's burying the promise beneath my scorched skin.

Nine.

Ten.

Eleven.

Twelve.

Whack!

Thirteen.

Fourteen.

Fifteen.

Sixteen.

Whack!

It goes on and on like this. We go on and on like this. I feel my head spinning, my senses going from one to a thousand in mere seconds, and soon, I become an immobile pile of overcharged nerves and sensory organs. All I can focus on is the present; the immediate stimuli around me. The darkness engulfing me. Cold air on my naked body. The swish of the crop. Leather colliding with my flesh. The sharp, singular smack filling the entire room, cracking loudly against the backdrop of deafening silence.

Rinse and repeat.

Again and again.

I can barely even keep my head up, my arms aching as each labored breath puts more strain on them in their raised position, like two ropes stretched to their limit, the tension ripping through them becoming more and more unbearable by the minute.

This is, without a flicker of a doubt, the most surreal, unbelievable experience I've ever had. The craziest situation I've ever found myself in. Put myself in.

And in spite of everything I've been through in my twenty-four years, not in a million—no, billion—could I have ever imagined that I'd find myself here, in this desperate, humiliating situation. At this kind of rock-bottom low.

Even though I pretty much saw it coming, nothing could have prepared me for this.

Nothing could have prepared me for him.

***

💕Author's Note: Hey, again! We'll post one chapter every Friday, but there are currently over 140 chapters, so this may take a while. If you just can't wait, you can read ahead by becoming a patron at www.EmendedHearts.com/join

Your support is greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading! And don't forget to like, share and comment! Love ya :).

XOXO 😘

Eme and the hearts @EmendedHearts 💕