If you’re just now starting, the actual beginning is here.

She heard his footsteps, heard him walk by and set the tray on the table next to his chair. She didn’t have to see it to know it would have an assortment of crackers and cheese, thin sliced ham and prosciutto, a small bottle of wine and one glass.

He didn’t acknowledge her as he set down the snack, but then he moved behind her and she thought he would speak or touch her, but nothing happened. She realized that she didn’t actually know if he was even looking at her, and she felt a rush of shame.

But she heard the chair scraping across the floor behind her and realized he was going to spend some time back there. Then his fingers, caressing the welts on her bottom, bringing them back to life. His touch was so gentle that it didn’t actually hurt, but she could feel how sensitive the marks were and she knew that sitting would be uncomfortable.

Right now, she didn’t care at all, just settled into the sensations of his touch. His finger carefully traced each of her welts, then slid between her legs. She was incredibly wet and hot and she quivered under his touch, although he said, “don’t move now.”

She longed to rock back and feel him penetrate her, “Penetrate me anywhere,” she thought, a bit desperately. “Fill this ache…” but his finger teased her clit, arousing her and backing off, then stroking again.

At last, she cried out, “Please, Sir, please may I cum? Please, just once, please, I’ll never cum without permission again, never, never. Please, Sir?”

She was embarrassed by her own desperation but she couldn’t stop. “I’ve learned my lesson, Sir, I’ll be good.”

And the finger was withdrawn. She whimpered.

“You are a good girl,” he said, “and it’s fine to beg. This is not really a punishment, you know. It’s a re-training. Just a reminder of who is in control, who is in charge here. You are an amazingly strong, independent, courageous woman who makes a difference in the world. And when it’s our time, you are submissive to me. Not in control. I love to play lightly, and we’ll continue doing that sometimes, But when I get a clear reminder, as I did today, that you’ve forgotten your place, it’s my responsibility to step up and take charge.”

She couldn’t see him, but she knew he was smiling when he added, “Taken in Hand, my little one.” It was a bit of a joke between them, only because they were definitely not a domestic discipline couple. They had decided early on that was not for them. She smiled a bit too, she had always said she wasn’t domestic enough for DD to be an option for them.

But she also suddenly realized that this talk was probably the prelude to another spanking.

Her instincts were proven correct in the next moment when he said, “I’m going to spank you again. I know this may seem harsh, but I want to make sure the lesson sinks in today, because we have other plans tomorrow. But this time, I want you to ask me to spank you. I’m going to give you ten more, with the belt.

Because she could not see him, she didn’t realize that he had put his jeans on, the ones that he wore around the house all the time. As he said this, he whipped the belt out of the loops and it made that noise that belts make, the one you remember if you’ve ever had a belt used on you before. That sound made her tremble and a little cry escaped her because she knew what was coming.

It was an odd cry, part anticipation of pain, part acceptance of what was to come. In her heart, in this moment, she felt that she might never deserve his love again, that she might never experience orgasm or joy again. It was from that part of herself that she spoke up, grateful that she had this opportunity to mend what was wrong.

“Please, Sir,” she said, voice trembling, but clear, “Please spank me again.” And she waited.