Birching His Bride (Domestic Discipline 1) Read online

  So she had to be bad, bad enough that he'd realize his disciplinary measures didn't work on her, bad enough that he would let her go away and stay with friends or family, live the life she wanted.

  Edwin watched a strange array of expressions flicker over his wife's pretty face, too quickly for him to interpret any of them. He truly did want to know why she'd gone out of her way to make tonight miserable for him, it wasn't something he would have ever expected of her. That kind of antagonizing stunt wasn't in Eleanor's usual personality. It had been a calculated ploy but for what benefit? She had to know that she would be punished.

  "Are you going to apologize?" he asked. Not that it would stop him from disciplining her. She deserved it, nay needed it. Hugh had been right, let her get away with little things and she would run with the freedom. Eleanor needed constancy, she needed to know where the line was and that she would always be disciplined for crossing it - or in this case for playing complete havoc with it. But if she apologized he would go a little lighter on her. Just a little.

  But the obstinate creature shook her head, her teeth releasing her lip as her chin jutted forward. "I know of no need to apologize."

  "Really?" He took a deep breath and raised his eyes to stare at the ceiling for a moment in exasperation. "Unacceptable Eleanor. Even for a prevarication I expected better from you." Especially since it was quite clear to both of them that she knew exactly what she needed to apologize for, now she was just being obstinate.

  Chapter 7

  The tension that Eleanor was feeling was almost overwhelming. She didn’t know what to do; she owed Edwin an apology because truly her behavior had been rather abominable when it came to the dinner menu she’d planned. But she also felt like she should continue her defiance, show him that she wasn’t just going to give in because he’d brought out a birch. No matter what kind of punishment, spanking, birching, she couldn’t give up if she was going to convince him that it would be less trouble to just let her go her own way.

  Which meant that she was going to have to take the birching and then keep up her behavior. Not a pleasant prospect but surely that would show him that he should be the one to give up. Maybe if she brought it up now he would give in.

  “Why should I apologize for creating a dinner that all of our guests and I enjoyed?” she asked haughtily, trying to stifle the vestiges of her guilt. It was hard to be haughty when she was completely nude and Edwin was not, but she did her best. Crossing her arms under her breasts she lifted her chin, pretending that she didn't notice and didn't care about her lack of clothing. “If you don’t like the way I plan a menu then perhaps we shouldn’t share meals. Or a house.”

  Edwin stiffened. Where had this come from? He’d rather thought that he and Eleanor were doing quite well together, other than her apathy when it came to taking any responsibility towards running the household. But he thought their relationship had been growing, that she was actually beginning to feel some affection for him as he felt for her, despite the circumstances of their marriage. She certainly hadn’t had any reluctance about sharing his bed every night once he got her there, although she admittedly required some coaxing, but he'd thought that had been a show of maidenly virtue. Which was quickly shed once her passion was aroused.

  “Is there something about our marriage that leaves you unsatisfied?” he asked softly, his voice almost a warning. Since deciding upon Eleanor for his wife he had known that he would not take a mistress, he saw it as disrespectful towards her and he certainly wouldn’t countenance her taking a lover, no matter how discreet. Was that what tonight’s dress had been about? Did she want a house of her own so that she could meet a lover there?

  “Not unsatisfied,” she said slowly. The flash of hurt she’d seen on Edwin’s face had surprised her, but she didn’t want to add to it. “But this is not the kind of marriage I had imagined. I don’t think I should get a birching just for planning a menu that you didn’t like!”

  Something tense inside of Edwin relaxed. Just more manipulations. That he could handle. He wasn’t as surprised now; Eleanor had wanted her way when it came to getting married, which he had some sympathy for, and now she was lashing out because she hadn’t gotten what she wanted. Still, he couldn't let her behavior go unacknowledged, especially since she'd piled insult onto injury tonight. He'd obviously been too lenient with her, curious as to what she was planning; that ended now.

  “You aren’t getting a birching because you planned a menu that I didn’t like, you’re getting a birching for deliberately disrespecting me by purposefully choosing each dish to ensure that it was something I wouldn’t enjoy eating. You did it willfully and maliciously after having an entire conversation with me about my eating preferences. I realize that this might not be the marriage that you would have chosen for yourself, but instead of trying to work on our relationship – which I think could be quite enjoyable for both of us with very little effort – you are wallowing in self-pity and doing your best to sabotage it.” Eleanor's jaw worked, but no sound came from her mouth. The expression on her face showed both guilt and a stubbornness to hold to her position. "From now on things are going to change. You have had plenty of time to accustom yourself to being married and I have tolerated your behavior for long enough. There will be no more handing your responsibilities onto Mrs. Hester, you will behave yourself with propriety and you will dress as behooves your station. When you do not, you will be punished."

  "That's not fair!" She pouted her lower lip at him, although it was almost ludicrous looking as she was obviously more furious than upset. It was hard to look like a victim when every inch of her body screamed her desire to wring his neck.

  "It's more than fair and you know it." Grimly, Edwin gestured with his hand, twirling it and indicating that she should turn about. The hot flush of anger on his wife's cheeks, the glittering sparkle in her bright blue eyes and the sight of her naked body was having its usual effect on him. He was going to enjoy giving her bottom a well-deserved thrashing and then indulging in their usual evening's pleasures. "Turn around and bend over the bed Eleanor, or I will tie you in place and your punishment will be much worse."

  Looking at the determination on her husband's face, Eleanor knew that he was speaking nothing but the unadulterated truth. Now her lower lip truly did tremble as she finally realized that she may have pushed him too far, although even now he wasn’t reacting from anger. She'd expected a spanking, but nothing more than that! And he would tie in her place?

  It suddenly occurred to Eleanor that perhaps she’d misjudged Edwin; the hard look on his face made it clear that he was more than willing to follow through with his threat. This was certainly more than she’d bargained for! Yet she was no longer the same young woman who had acceded to the punishments her father deemed necessary and Edwin certainly treated her differently in other regards. Perhaps she could convince him towards leniency or even distract him entirely.

  "Please Edwin, I am sorry," she said, putting the small amount of guilt that she actually did feel into her voice to convince him of her sincerity. Looking up at him pleadingly, she stepped forward, her hands dropping to her sides and revealing her body, hoping to distract him with her nudity. She’d had plenty of time to learn how appealing she was, physically, to him. "Truly, I am, it was malicious and wrong and I wasn't really thinking." Placing her hands on his chest she peered up at him through lowered lashes, feeling triumphant as she felt his body shift under her hands, saw the flash of arousal as he looked down at her.

  "Apology accepted," he said, his voice tight as he controlled his impulse to forgo the punishment, throw his wife down on his bed and ravish her senseless. It seemed Eleanor had found a new way to be manipulative; it hadn't taken her long to go from innocent to seductress apparently. In other circumstances he would have been quite pleased to have her approaching him this way. "Now turn around and go bend over the bed."

  "But Edwin!" she protested, shock clear across her face that he wasn't taking what she was offeri
ng.

  "Just because you have found it in yourself to admit that you did something wrong doesn't mean you won't have to reap the consequences for it," he said sternly. It was so close to something that her father had said to her before that Eleanor gaped at him, unable to think of a single rebuttal. "And tempting me with your delightful body just shows that you are still trying to manipulate the situation rather than showing any true remorse. If you want to convince me that you truly regret your actions then you will do as I say and take your punishment like a good wife."

  Now she was truly torn. Eleanor didn't want to be a good wife because if she pleased Edwin then he would be less agreeable to living apart from her. Already he'd shown himself to oppose such an arrangement and she knew that she hadn't been a very good wife at all. Yet she also didn't want more of a punishment that she'd already earned.

  Deciding that there was no point in antagonizing him further at present, which would only increase this punishment, she slowly turned and walked towards the bed with her head down to show her contriteness. Truly, however, she was contrite that she'd thought Edwin would be this easy to handle. There would be no quick agreement from him, this contest of wills was going to be a long and drawn out affair. She would have to prove over and over again that she would not be managed by him or deterred by his discipline before he would accept that she would not be the wife he wanted and would allow her to go her own way. Obviously the idea of living separately did not yet appeal to him. It would be easier for her to do so if she avoided incurring any particularly large punishments.

  The sight of his wife - finally - moving obediently to take her punishment had an effect on Edwin like he'd never experienced before. It wasn't that he wanted to punish Eleanor, at least not to the level that he felt was needful for today's transgressions, but he didn't think any man would be unaffected by the vision Eleanor presented. Completely nude, bent over the bed and braced on her forearms, her hair still in its elaborate coiffure so that the long line of her back was displayed, and the creamy swell of her buttocks being offered up for his pleasure and punishment; the throbbing in his cock was becoming painful as he struggled to control himself.

  Although unintended, the wait for Edwin to move towards her was having a rather salutary effect on Eleanor. Tense anticipation wracked her and she heartily wished that she'd decided earlier to take the long road, rather than try to rush her goals with the demonstration she'd made that evening. Or she could have been more subtle. Thrown in a few dishes that she had known he liked. But no, she'd been impatient and overconfident, and too impetuously sulky to thoroughly think through the consequences of her actions.

  When she finally heard the rustle of clothing as Edwin moved towards her she actually felt relieved. Waiting for her punishment was torturous, especially since she couldn't help but spend the time castigating herself and Eleanor certainly did not like to dwell on her failures. Not that she'd ever had many. She'd even handled her father better than she'd managed Edwin; what was it about the man that threw her mind so badly off center?

  A finger stroked down the center of her back, making her shiver - and not with fear or cold.

  "Just get it over with," she said waspishly, feeling a little flare of anger that he would try to arouse her at a time like this.

  "Very well," he said, sound rather amused. Eleanor didn't dare look at his face because if he did look amused she wasn't sure she could keep a hold of her temper. Her husband's hand curved over her bottom, squeezing the flesh hard, just on the edge of roughly and she tried to ignore the heat that it kindled at her core. "First you're going to get a spanking for that dress - which you know was inappropriate. If the rest of your new wardrobe is anything like that then you will make the gowns more decent with a fichu."

  Biting her lip Eleanor glared at the bed cover beneath her face. Her body was feeling rather conflicted at the moment. The way Edwin was palming her bottom was quite arousing, she felt angry all over again as he dictated how she would dress, and yet she also felt ashamed of the way she'd looked tonight in front of their guests. Despite knowing that he was correct she resented that he felt the need to inform her of what she already knew, what she'd already decided. Now it would look like she was doing it to follow his orders and not because she was intelligent enough to realize that the dress hadn't had the effect she'd intended.

  "I had already decided that anyway," she muttered, unable to keep the words in even though she was sure he wouldn't believe her.

  "I'm glad to hear it." There didn't seem to be any insincerity in his voice, but the approval grated on her anyway.

  Blast him, she didn't need his approval.

  SMACK!

  Eleanor gasped and rocked forwards on her arms as Edwin's hand came down hard on her right buttock, followed by a quick cracking spank to her left.

  SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!

  It was as if he'd separated her buttocks into quadrants, his hand coming down on each of them in turn. Lower right, upper right, upper left, lower left.

  Digging her fingers into the bedclothes as her bottom began to heat, the hard smacks stinging and burning, Eleanor couldn't stop the small distressed sounds that her husband's spanking elicited. His hand was very strong, very firm, and as powerful as a board. Bending over the bed like this was much less intimate than being over his lap, removing the distraction of having his hard body pressed against her.

  SMACK! SMACK!

  The slaps to the sensitive crease between her thighs and buttocks rocked her forward again and she gave out a little cry, burying her face into the bed sheets. That bloody hurt! And yet...

  As Edwin rubbed his wife's buttocks, admiring the pinkish hue they had taken on, he also noticed that beneath those rosy cheeks her womanhood was beginning to dew with wetness. Knowing that she couldn't see his face he grinned, thanking whatever saint was responsible for his luck in having Eleanor to wife. Still, she would feel roundly disciplined by the end of this session, of that he was determined. Digging his fingers into her flesh, he almost groaned at the soft sound she made, a cross between pleasure and pain as he further abused her bottom.

  Raising his hand again he brought it down hard, his eyes lingering over the darker pink of his prints every time he landed a fresh smack on her flesh.

  "OW!" Eleanor thrust her hands back, covering her bottom protectively. "I thought you were done!"

  "Not yet, now move your hands Eleanor."

  "But I'm sorry! I won't wear a dress like that again, I promise!" Despite her words, Edwin noted that his wife sounded much more outraged than remorseful. She was mad because she thought he’d stopped and she was willing to say whatever she needed to make that a reality.

  "I'm not saying you can't wear it, just not where anyone other than I will see you," he said as he took her hands by her wrists and put them back on either side of her head. As he leaned forward to do so she turned her head just enough to glare at him, making it obvious that she currently had no intention of allowing him to enjoy the sight of her in such a revealing garment. Edwin manfully swallowed the laugh that threatened and raised one sardonic eyebrow at her. Flushing, Eleanor turned her face back to the bed and put her hands around it to keep him from being able to see her at all. "Ten more."

  His wife made a little sound, which he decided to ignore although he was fairly certain that she'd just cursed at him. At least she hadn't done it loudly enough for him to hear, in which case he would have felt obliged to add to the number of slaps her buttocks would receive.

  Eleanor struggled not to cry out as Edwin peppered the last flurry of spankings onto her already hot and pain-filled bottom. To her frustration, despite the fact that it hurt and was incredibly undignified, not to mention infuriating, one part of her body seemed to enjoy it. Even though she wasn't over his lap she knew that she was moist between her legs, her sheath priming itself for him the same way it did when he caressed and kissed her. The strange response was the worst part of the punishment as far as she was concerned, especia
lly because she was quite sure that her husband's all-too-observant eyes couldn't fail to miss the evidence of her arousal.

  Once he was done she let her weight drop onto the bed, ignoring the tears that were already sparking into her eyes. Reaching back she rubbed at the hot, tight skin across her punished globes, trying to soothe the ache. Almost immediately Edwin had her wrists in his hand again.

  "Absolutely not, Eleanor," he said in a cold voice. "I know you know better than to rub." It was easy for him to wrap the long fingers of one hand around both of her wrists, holding her arms so that they bent at the elbow and her hands were pressed against the small of her back. "Do you need me to hold your hands during the birching?"

  "No," she said decisively, shaking her head as if to shake the tears from her eyes. Somehow having Edwin hold her in place so easily only made the situation more humiliating and she knew from the birchings she'd received at her father's hand that she could hold herself in place with nothing more than sheer determination.

  For a moment Edwin held onto his wife's tiny wrists, marveling at how slim and bird-like her arms were. Part of him wanted to continue holding her in place, enjoying the domination over her, but if she wanted to try and control herself then he was inclined to let her. Besides, he would have a better view of her luscious bottom if he could step away a bit. The idea of tying her in place was extremely appealing, but he didn’t want her to associate bondage with pain, not unless she required it. Reluctantly releasing her, he picked up the swishy birch. The branches were quite whippy and he knew they would sting but not cause any undue damage.

  "Spread your legs," he ordered. "And point your toes in."