Man's Best Friend

Alice opened her eyes to see him smiling at her.

"Good morning, gorgeous."

"Good morning, handsome lover."

She yawned, stretching luxuriantly, and snuggled up to him. There was nothing better than waking up in his arms, feeling safe and warm and loved. It would be wonderful to do that every day ... no, don't get ahead of yourself, Alice. Just enjoy it while you can. Past experience told her that it wouldn't last. She tried to suppress the negative thoughts as he kissed her tenderly and reached out to caress her breast.

Laughing, she pushed his hand away.

"Can we just cuddle for a bit? I need a shower before we get started again, I'm a right mess!"

She was. Her hair was all mussed up, she smelt of sex and sweat and there were dry patches of his semen still clinging to her thighs and belly. He thought she looked absolutely adorable.

"Of course."

He slid his arm around her waist and she sighed happily. They chatted about plans for the day ahead, unaccustomed to the luxury of having free time together, even if they weren't quite alone, with her German Shepherd, King, lying contentedly on the carpet at the side of the bed. They debated whether to catch a film, or go out for a meal, then she mentioned that she hadn't seen a live band in years. They pored over the local gig listings, and discovered a mutual love of a band who were playing in town that night. Greg punched his details into the ticketing site.

"Sorted. Two e-tickets for tonight, doors open at seven-thirty."

"Thank you!"

She kissed him on the forehead.

"It's lovely being able to do all these things with you. You've changed my life already, you know that?"

"You've done the same for me. I'm happier than I've been in a long, long time, and I hope I can make you that happy, too."

She hugged him.

"You do. I just feel so comfortable with you, as though I have the freedom to be myself, do all the things I've always wanted to but never dared."

She giggled.

"Especially in bed!"

"Like last night, you mean?"

She blushed slightly.

"Mmmm, yes, among other things. I've never let anyone watch me like that, and I was really embarrassed at first, but seeing you watching me and touching yourself was a huge turn on."

"For me, too. I've never experienced anything like that."

She sensed that he was ready to open up a little.

"Not even when you were married?"

He hesitated, then plunged on.

"No. I loved Isobel, and she loved me, but she was never very adventurous in that way, and didn't like anything that was at all ... unusual."

"Clive was the same. Did you ever talk about your fantasies?"

"She said that she didn't have sexual fantasies, and I believed her. She'd just never thought about it, I think. She was horrified when I told her one or two of mine."

"What kind of fantasies?"

It was his turn to be embarrassed.

"Um, well, you know, being a bit rough, spanking - that kind of thing."

"Oh, OK. And she wasn't into that?"

"She hated the idea, and I didn't want to push her into anything she didn't want to do, so the subject never came up again."

"That's sad. I'm sorry."

"It's OK. I tried to tell her that it's really more about erotic imagination, trust and power games than inflicting pain on someone, but it just didn't appeal to her."

Alice was quiet for a minute, then said, slowly.

"You know, I find the idea of giving up control quite appealing. I think I could be submissive in that way. Not in real life, where I'm quite assertive, and certainly not when it comes to Chloe. But with the right person, yes, I could be."

"Why do you think that is?"

"I'm not sure. The obvious reason would be the fact that I've had to be strong and in control of everything for so long, and it would be so good to relinquish that and have someone else take control. Most importantly, it would have to be someone I would trust to take care of me. To be honest, though, there's also the thrill of doing something taboo and naughty. I used to fantasise about those kind of things long before that part of my life. Even as a kid, I was the one volunteering to be the tied up prisoner in our games!"

She smiled at the long-forgotten memories.

"I was very innocent then, and later on I was much too shy to ask for anything naughty. The one guy who made me come before you was an older guy, and he treated me roughly in bed. The trouble was, he treated me like that out of it, too, and I soon wised up and left him. Then I met Clive, and it was all lights off and missionary position, because good girls didn't do that sort of thing."

"That's sad, too. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It means that with you I feel as though I'm just beginning to explore my sexuality, and it's incredibly liberating. How about you, what would you get out of punishing some innocent girl's pert, inviting little bottom?"

He chuckled at her choice of words and coquettish smile, but his heart was racing, too.

"Little minx! Well, you just put your finger on it, so to speak."

He frowned, and addressed her question more seriously.

"I think I'm the opposite, really. For the last few years my life has felt out of control, all the old certainties crumbling away. I suppose I retreated from the world because I felt that my life was over in a way. When I met you, everything changed, and you made me feel that I could be strong and protective and in charge. I don't really know about spanking in particular - typical alpha male fantasies, I guess. Watching too much porn as a teenager!"

"Did they have porn that long ago?"

"Watch it, missy! If your tongue gets any further into your cheek, it'll stick there!"

"So, what else did teenage Greg fantasise about?"

"Oh, tennis stars in short skirts, women who actually liked sex. Just seeing a girl naked. Getting a blow job. I wasn't very imaginative then!"

"And now?"

"Well, all of those things still, obviously! But lots more besides, much darker things sometimes ..."

Now they were getting to the crunch. She just needed to encourage him to be completely open with her.

"That's OK, I have those sort of fantasies, too. Being tied up, used and abused, taken in every way possible, and loving it ... is that the kind of thing you think about?"

He couldn't meet her eye.

"Er, yes. Tying someone up, spanking her, forcing her to have an orgasm, making her give me a blow job ..."

His voice tailed off in embarrassment. He'd never admitted these thoughts to anyone, hardly even to himself. They didn't sit well with his strong belief in gender equality and how he'd been taught to respect women. He went on, hurriedly,

"Of course they're just fantasies. I'd never want to humiliate a woman or force her like that in reality ..."

She stroked his cheek and spoke softly.

"Not even if she wanted you to do all of those things?"

He looked wonderingly in her eyes.

"Um, I don't know. Yes, maybe, but ..."

She put her finger over his lips, silencing him, then teased him with a wicked grin.

"Some dominant you are - you're just a pussy cat!"

His frown disappeared in an instant and he growled at her, playfully grabbing her and sinking his hooked fingers into her soft flesh until she squirmed, laughing, out of his grasp.

"Easy, tiger! I'm off to have that shower."

He grinned, feeling a lot easier in his mind for their conversation. He loved that they could talk about their deepest desires so openly, without fear of judgement, as adults. He wanted her more than ever right now.

"Mind if I join you?"

"Mmm, that would be nice."

He admired the view as she padded barefoot towards the bathroom. He loved her slender back and the way her hair cascaded down it, almost to her backside. He climbed out of bed and followed, reaching around her to show her how the shower worked. The cubicle was small, barely large enough for two, and there was much bumping of body parts and giggling.

She reached for a bottle of shampoo, but he stopped her.

"Let me."

Surprised, she allowed him to take over, squeezing a generous measure into his hand and spreading it over her head. His hands were very gentle at first, then much firmer as his fingertips massaged the shampoo thoroughly into her scalp. It felt lovely, and she reflected that it was yet another first. Nobody had ever washed her hair, at least not since she was a child. It was so nice, having Greg take care of her. She could definitely get used to this.

He washed her hair twice, then took the shower gel and began to soap the rest of her body.

"Hey, I can do that. I'm not a baby, you know!"

"Yes, you are, you're my babygirl. Keep still."

She submitted with a grin, loving the feeling of his hands all over her slippery skin. It was time to let him be in charge.

"Lift your arms."

She giggled as he washed her armpits, tickling her, then moved on to her breasts. Those big, strong hands felt so good on them. She couldn't resist teasing him, though.

"I think my boobs are all done now."

"Oh, I don't know. I want to make sure they're squeaky clean. You can't be too thorough, you know ..."

He was certainly thorough, washing every inch of her from fingertips to toes. When the rest of her was cleaner than it had ever been, he finally focussed his attention on her inner thighs and what lay between, one hand cupping her bottom while the other soaped up her sex. It felt wonderful, but she didn't want him to finish her off that way. Not today, anyway. She had something else in mind.

"Just rinse me off, please?"

Slightly disappointed, he gave in with good grace, lifting the shower head off the wall and chasing the suds away from her skin. Soft rain fell on her pussy, filling her with warmth and pleasure and her resolve almost dissolved with the soap as he made her squirm in delight.

"Enough, enough! Thank you. You take care of me so well."

She took the shower head off him, and twisted the ring at the top. The gentle flow turned to a strong jet, and she grinned.

"Your turn!" she giggled over the noise of the shower, and turned the jet on him.

"Oy!"

He got a mouthful of water as his surprised yell turned to a comical splutter, then she turned the jet on his genitals. She erupted with mirth as he tried to cover himself, then when he grabbed at her, abandoned her weapon, dropping the showerhead on the floor of the cubicle, and fled with a shriek of laughter.

He grinned as he turned off the shower and bent down to pick up the head to replace it on the wall. She was like a child, sometimes, mischievous and full of tricks. He loved it, but at this rate she'd wear him out! He wrapped a towel around himself and padded back to the bedroom, where he found her innocently towelling herself dry, a butter-wouldn't-melt look on her face.

"Right, you little tease! You're in trouble now!"

She felt very daring, flirting with danger, deliberately provoking him.

"Oh, am I? What's my big, strong man going to do? Put me over his knee?"

She poked her tongue out at him, but there was a challenge in her eyes, sparkling with mischief and something else. His pulse was racing now. Would she really let him do that?

He grabbed the towel from her grasp, seized her around the waist and pulled her across his lap. She screamed in mock fear and giggled as she tried - but not too hard - to escape from his firm grip. He swatted her bare bottom with the palm of his hand, and she sighed dreamily.

"Mmm, don't stop. Please."

He hesitated.

"Are you sure? I was only teasing ..."

"Were you?"

"Um, no, not really. But I don't want to hurt you or upset you."

He was serious now, and she knew that she'd struck a nerve. She needed to be honest with him.

"The idea of a man hitting me in anger is horrible. But ... I have to admit that I've fantasised about being spanked ..."

"I would never hit a woman for real."

"I know, and that's why I trust you. Violence against women has nothing to do with sex, let alone love. Being spanked by someone who cares about me and my feelings would be something completely different."

"A loving spanking?"

She nodded vigorously.

"That's exactly it! That's my fantasy."

He stared right into her eyes, sending a frisson of delicious fear and arousal through her.

"Mine, too."

He moved around to sit on the end of the bed.

"Come here."

She swallowed nervously. Moment of truth time ... she wanted - needed, even - to know what it would be like.

Still naked, Alice padded around to where he sat, gesturing meaningfully at his lap.

She draped herself over him, and he manoeuvred her into a position where her head and shoulders were supported by the bed. Her nervousness faded a little as she realised that he was going to great lengths to make sure that she was comfortable, taking good care of her. Mmmm, that felt nice, lying over him, especially when he began stroking her back.

"We can stop at any time you want. If you're at all uncomfortable with it, just say so, and I'll stop immediately, OK?"

"I will," she promised, and turning her head to look at him, murmured, "But I do have quite a high pain threshold, so don't hold back too much."

He could hardly believe his ears. This girl was full of surprises, and he was completely under her spell. He was also determined not to abuse her trust, and wanted to make it as good for her as for him.

"I won't. That naughty little bottom of yours needs to be taught a lesson ..."

He put his left arm over her back and gripped her tightly. How odd, that she felt so safe with him in such a vulnerable position.

"Spread your legs. No, keep them straight. That's it, on tiptoe."

Oh, God, that position pushed her backside upwards and opened her up, completely defenceless. She'd never felt so exposed, knowing that he could see absolutely everything, including her arousal. She prayed that he would treat her well ...

She flinched slightly when his right hand made contact with the taut skin of her bottom, but his touch was a caress, not a blow. He stroked her gently, all over, and spoke softly.

"Good girl. You have a beautiful bottom, it feels so good under my hand. Do you like that?"

"Mmm, that feels good ..."

"Do you like being stroked here, too?"

His fingers trailed along the soft skin of her inner thigh, almost touching her pussy.

"Mmmm, yes."

"How about here?"

She gasped as his fingertip traced a path between her spread cheeks, and momentarily brushed the supersensitive nerve endings of her anus.

"Oh!"

She'd never let anybody touch her there. She'd been brought up to believe it was dirty, but somehow with him it was loving and incredibly intimate. And yes, arousing.

"Yes."

His crude words resonated through her body, and thrilled her to the core.

"Would you like me to take you in that hole some day, my naughty little girl?"

Somewhere deep down she knew that she would let him do it, that he'd be careful not to hurt her, and she relished the idea of giving that gift of her final virginity to him. Her voice was the merest breath of a whisper.

"Yes."

"Bad girl!"

She yelped in surprise as he smacked her, although in truth it was little more than an experimental tap.

She was expecting the second blow, on her other cheek, which was just hard enough to sting a little, but when he kept his hand in contact with her flesh, rubbing it soothingly, she wriggled with delicious pleasure.

Now he began to spank her gently. Deliberate, measured strokes, giving her time to recover from each one with that reassuring stroking. So careful, so loving. She could feel a warm glow spreading from her bottom to her pussy, which was becoming very wet indeed. He was holding back, mindful not to hurt her, which was very sweet of him, but ultimately a bit frustrating. Time to up the ante. She turned her head and smiled sweetly at him.

"Is that all you've got?"

He smiled grimly, knowing exactly what she was up to, and loving her for it.

"No, babygirl. That was just the warm up ..."

"Owwww!"

Shit, that one smarted! She revelled in the tingling sensation, the knowledge that he was fulfilling not only his own fantasy, but her own, too. She gritted her teeth for the next blow, which landed right across both cheeks, sending shockwaves through her bottom and a current of desire directly to her clit, as though it was wired directly to her burning flesh. She could feel his cock, as hard as iron against her stomach, proof that he was highly aroused by what he was doing to her. Yes!

Greg realised that she wasn't going to ask him to stop - the opposite, in fact, she'd deliberately provoked him into spanking her harder. The feel of her flesh quivering beneath his palm and the sight of an actual handprint on the now blushing, roseate curve of her bottom excited him beyond measure, but also filled him with compassion and love for her. This time, he followed his soft stroking of her sore skin by slipping his hand between her thighs and deliberately stroking her pussy. God, she was incredibly wet! She moaned and thrust her sex into his hand as he caressed her, and he pushed two fingers into her, meeting no resistance whatsoever.

She couldn't believe it, she was teetering on the edge of orgasm! Just as she was sure she was about to come, his hand withdrew, leaving her hanging, and a hard spank landed at the top of her thigh, right on the sensitive crease where it met the curve of her bum. She gave an involuntary cry and squirmed wildly, but his firm hand in the small of her back prevented her from getting away, and then before she could prepare herself a second blow landed very close to her pussy, and immediately his demanding fingers pushed deep into her. She shrieked in surprise as the climax hit her like a bolt from the blue, her body shuddered uncontrollably, the stinging instantly morphing into ecstatic release, burning through her in a wave of unnameable sensations.

His hand closed over her sex again, his fingers, gentler now, seeking out and finding her clit, and before she knew it she was coming again, pure joy this time, helpless as he drew more pleasure from her body than she believed possible. Still his relentless fingering continued, and aftershocks coursed through her until it was too much to bear, verging on pain, and cried out desperately.

"Stop, stop! I can't take any more!"

Instantly he was drawing her up and into his arms, where she curled into a foetal ball and sobbed against his chest.

"Oh, God, Alice, are you all right? I got carried away, and I didn't mean to spank you that hard ..."

She looked up at his concerned face, and he was astonished to see that she was smiling and crying at the same time.

"Don't you dare apologise! It didn't really hurt that much, It was just unbelievably intense, I've never experienced anything like it!"

She hugged him so tightly that he could hardly breathe, and he wrapped his arms protectively around her.

"Oh, Alice, you're amazing! I love you ..."

He caught his breath. He hadn't meant to say that, it had just slipped out, but he'd known it for a while. He couldn't imagine life without this crazy girl, and he just hoped that he hadn't frightened her off by blurting it out.

She lifted her head from his chest, searching his eyes, and knew beyond doubt that it was true. Her heart surged in elation, and her smile was radiant.

"I'm head over heels in love with you, too, Greg. And I love the way you make me feel so safe and warm."

The kiss lasted for a long, long time, both of them basking in the new-found revelation of their deepest feelings. When they finally came up for air again, Greg smiled ruefully at her.

"You're not exactly safe with me, though, are you?" he said, deliberately stroking her still-smarting backside.

"Yes, I am," she insisted, her face serious now, "because you take good care of me, even when you're spanking my poor bum. I can indulge my fantasies without feeling like I'm some kind of pervert, I can let go and I know that you'll never abuse that, and you'll never hurt me for real. I've had to be strong and in control for so long, and you can't imagine how good it feels to give up control and be at your mercy."