He let her get about four steps down the hall before speaking. The humor she heard in His voice made her stop and arch an eyebrow, wondering just what game He was playing now.
"Just where do you think you are going?"
she smiled at Him, figuring she'd play along for a minute, just to see what He was up to. The notion that the rules had indeed been changed never entered her stubborn, spoiled mind.
"Uh, duh... to take a shower like I always do when we are done playing."
He walked over to her, His smile widening. He had to admit to Himself He would have been very disappointed if she had been broken that easily. He kissed her forehead and then grabbed her hair, yanking her head back hard. she yelped and tried to pull her hair out of his grip, which only made Him pull harder. His voice was still full of laughter, but she could hear the steel will in it as well.
"Did I say you were dismissed yet, bitch?" He grinned wickedly as He saw her expression change to incredulous surprise and immediate anger.
"No, asshole, and I didn't fucking ask."
He tightened His grip on her hair and lightly backhanded her across the mouth. For a moment, she was too stunned to even speak, and He took that second to push her up against the wall. He slid His hand around her neck, not squeezing yet, just gripping enough to get her attention. He leaned His face to hers, staring her down.
"Next lesson, bitch – you better learn to watch your mouth, and you better do it quickly." she opened her mouth and He quickly moved His hand up from her neck to cover it before she could start yelling and cussing. "I'm fucking serious, Cinderella. The next time you start running your mouth I am going to find out just how many clothespins I can fit on your bitchy little princess tongue." her eyes widened even more as she realized He was totally serious. He wasn't playing the same game anymore, and she had no clue what the new one was. A small voice in the back of her head tried to tell her He wasn't playing, and it was no longer a game at all, but her arrogant parts were still furious over the kitchen scene and were screaming so loud about it all she couldn't hear.
Before she could even register what she was doing she bit down hard on His hand, trying like hell to draw blood. He all but roared as her teeth sank into the soft spot between His thumb and index finger. He ripped His hand away from her mouth and even as pissed as she was, she knew she had just fucked up big time. His hand came up fast and she tensed hard, squeezing her eyes shut, expecting Him to backhand her again. When He didn't she opened her eyes and looked at Him. He had crossed His arms over His chest, and was just standing there, looking at her. The very last thing she wanted to do was apologize, but she was smart enough to know if she did anything else, He probably wouldn't be able to stop Himself from hitting her.
"I'm sorry."
He didn't say anything, just shook his head slowly, His eyes never leaving hers. she thought for a second, and then tried again.
"I'm sorry, Sir."
He shook His head again and put His hands on her shoulders. He pushed down hard, forcing her to her knees, then crossed His arms over His chest again and looked down at her. He spoke through clenched teeth, and she knew she had better get it right this time.
"One last try, princess."
she looked up at Him, and the way He was looking down at her made her drop her eyes. It clicked for her suddenly, the significance of kneeling, and why she had always resisted it. Somehow, the simple fact of being on her knees before him had shifted part of the power in the room, and she knew by the way she didn't want to meet His gaze that the shift had not been in her favor. she forced herself to look up at Him, but couldn't bring herself to lift her chin to do it. she hated that, but the things she hated more were the small tear that slipped from her eye as she spoke, and the sound of submission in her voice.
"I am sorry I bit You, Sir, so very sorry I displeased You." she had to drop her eyes again, had to try to shield herself in some way. she felt too exposed, and not just because she was still only wearing an apron and high heels. she felt exposed from the inside, knew the expression on her face was showing Him exactly what was going on in her head. That had always been another thing that had rubbed between them; she wanted to show Him only the parts of herself she wanted Him to see, and He had always wanted to see it all.
"Look at Me, pet." she raised her eyes slowly, trying to clear her mind of the tangle of thoughts racing through it, trying to hide as much as she could. He smiled down at her, knowing what she was doing and knowing His next words were going to clear her mind very fast.
"Good. And now you are going to prove how sorry you are, by crawling down the hall and getting the bag of clothespins and bringing them back to Me."
she could only stare at Him in stunned surprise, as just about every part of her screamed out an emphatic 'oh no fucking way'. she knew she was going to do it, though. she had to. It was choice time again, either do it or walk out the door, and one thing they both knew was she did not want to walk away from Him. she felt her chin start to lift and she knew He was going to break her down, but she was determined to not break easily. she told herself it wouldn't be any worse than mopping the floor had been. she saw His smile widen and knew He had just read her mind. she managed to keep the smile off her face, but wasn't quite able to keep it out of her "yes, Sir".
Still, it was one of the hardest things she had ever done, to actually start moving, to start crawling down the hall. she gritted her teeth and did it, though, and by the time she was halfway down to the linen closet she was playing her own game with Him, trying to see just how much she could make Him drool watching her. she put all her kitty cat-slut heart into showing off, and she was glad she was facing away from Him, because she couldn't keep the wicked grin off her face.
He knew exactly what she was doing; He knew the moment her head straightened up she was taunting Him. He let her go with it though, because He knew she had neglected to take a simple matter into consideration, and when she realized what it was it was going to be a very good swat on the nose for her.
It took about five seconds, as long as it took her to stand up and lift the bag of clothespins. she looked at the bag, and then at the floor, and as she realized the only way to get the bag back to Him was carry it in her teeth the haughty, spoiled look on her face turned into a twitch of dismay. He couldn't hold back a chuckle as He watched her face. When she looked at Him He grinned, and His arrogance made hers flare bright. she grinned back and put the bag in her teeth, crawling back down the hall towards him the way a stripper crawls across a stage.
she gently placed the bag at His feet and leaned back, kneeling and looking up at Him with a Cheshire cat grin. He had to admire her cockiness, and He realized He was trying to think of the best ways to bring it out, because He wanted her at her stuck-up best when he knocked her flat on her ass.
He knelt down in front of her, opening the bag and spilling a pile of clothespins on the floor. He searched through them all, finding the ones with the tightest springs, and then pinched her lips together and put the first one right in the middle. He smiled sweetly at her as she tried not to jump.
He managed to get five pins on her mouth, and by the time He was done, she could not open her lips at all. she was breathing slowly and deeply through her nose, riding out the wicked pain, determined to not even whimper. He put the tightest pins in his shirt pocket and pointed to the rest, telling her to pick them up. she tried to speak, and her eyes flashed when she realized she couldn't. she looked at the floor to keep Him from seeing the glare in her eyes.
When she was done, He patted the top of her head and told her to clean the rest of the house, starting with the dining room. she nodded her head, smiling even with the clothespins on her mouth. she assumed the housework would involve similar treats as the dishes and floor, and started working happily. It took about ten minutes for her to realize He wasn't it the room with her. she looked around, finding Him stretched out on the couch, facing away from her and reading a book. she turned her attention back to the job at hand, knowing He wouldn't be able to ignore her while she was cleaning the living room. she worked quickly, not only to get done, but to help forget about the pain sinking deeper into her lips. she had never realized how much she moved her mouth before, and every time she unconsciously did, the pain would flare and sink a bit deeper.
she worked quickly through all the rooms, saving the living room for last. she made sure to bend and stretch as much as possible while she cleaned, trying to make sure she looked as enticing as she could while she worked. she thought it was working when He came up behind her. she felt a tickle on her leg and glanced down at the feather duster He was holding, forcing herself to not smile. When He leaned in to kiss her cheek she expected Him to tickle her with it, and yelped in surprise when He popped the handle of it up her ass. The yelp had tugged the pins on her lips to spots where the nerves were still awake, and the pain made her groan. He kissed her cheek again and whispered in her ear.
"I'm going to go take a shower, Cinderella. Make sure you're done by the time I get back."