After the Fall

Mariah woke to sunshine on the bedspread, a dull and not entirely unpleasant ache between her legs, and Michael's erection rubbing against her backside. She didn't know how he was awake so early after his exertions late last night. He was not only awake, but raring to go.

He nuzzled the back of her neck. "I know you're awake."

As always, his voice so close to her ear sent little shivers down her back.

"Yeah, because you woke me up."

"I just wanted to say good morning." He draped an arm over her side to fondle her breast.

"I didn't order a wakeup call."

He tweaked her nipple. "Isn't it a little early for you to start earning more spankings? You've still got a bunch left over from yesterday."

"You can't be serious."

"Oh, but I am."

"I haven't even had a chance to do anything since you spanked me yesterday."

"Yet you managed to earn another spanking within hours. Remarkable, isn't it?"

"You're just making stuff up so you can spank me."

He pinched her nipple sharply and held it. "What happened after your spanking yesterday?"

"You went cave man on me."

"By that, I assume you mean that I fucked you senseless. I needed that, and so did you. If it was physically possible to fuck you any harder, I would have, and I'd do it again. What happened after that?

She squirmed, but he didn't release her nipple. "You continued acting like a knuckle dragger and locked me up."

"Exactly, kitten. I left you locked up nice and safe with an entire wing at your disposal, complete with a kitchen, wine selection, and entertainment center. Imagine my surprise when you were the first thing I saw when the elevator door opened."

"You couldn't possibly have been

that

surprised. Did you really expect me to stay locked up?"

His fingers tightened on her nipple until she sucked her breath in through her teeth. He held it a few seconds longer before releasing it.

"Yes, that's exactly what I expected. I expected to come home to find you safe and comfortable in our wing where you have everything you need. Especially since we had just talked about the condition of following my directions without question about security matters."

"

Your

wing," Mariah corrected. "And you didn't tell me not to unlock the gates."

"That sort of nonsense is exactly why you need a spanking. You knew perfectly well not to do it. But, I'll make you a deal. Tell me how you did it and I'll take five spanks off the total."

"What's the total?"

"Forty."

She rolled away and scowled at him. "You only said forty because you wanted to be able to take away five and still give me thirty-five spanks."

"Very astute, but now it's forty. So do you want to get it back down to thirty-five or not?"

"I just turned the dials in the panel in the hallway floor."

"But how did you know there was a panel in the floor?"

She gave him a sly look. "I'll tell you if you take five more off the total."

He grinned at her and shook his head. "What am I going to with you? Fine, five more off if you tell me, but I'm adding five for extortion. So now it's thirty-five spanks if you do tell me, and forty if you don't."

"If anyone ought to be spanked for extortion, it's you."

He looked amused. "Do you want to spank me, sweetheart? Go ahead."

She had absolutely no desire to spank him.

"Well, kitten? Do you want me to lie across your lap? Bend over the bed?"

When she didn't answer, he smiled and kissed her forehead. "That's what I thought. This is why you get spanked and I don't. I very much enjoy spanking you, but I have no desire to get spanked. You don't even want to do it. You, on the other hand, might not want to get spanked, but do you think I've forgotten what it does to you? Remember your spanking by the pond when you were dripping wet and needed so badly to come? Last time was different, of course. You weren't supposed to enjoy that."

"I didn't!"

"Good. Now, do you want forty spanks, or are you going to tell me how you knew about the panel?"

"I didn't know about it specifically, but there had to be something like that. It wouldn't make sense to have gates intended to protect someone inside the wing if there was no way to operate them from inside the wing."

"How did you find the panel?"

"I just started at the gate and worked my way back, looking at the walls and floor. The gap between floorboards is slightly different where the panel is."

"I see."

"Since I gave you all that extra explanation, I think you should take off five more spanks."

"I'm sure you do. I'll take off two more spanks, so your total is thirty-three, unless you manage to earn some more between now and the time I spank you."

"You can't spank me that many times for one thing."

Michael snared her by the waist and dragged her back towards him. "I can and I will. If I put you in a secure area, I expect you to stay there."

"If you have unreasonable expectations, you're sure to be disappointed."

The words were barely out of her mouth when he yanked the sheet down and brought his hand up between her legs to land a sharp smack. Caught off guard, she yelped.

Michael frowned. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I didn't realize you would still be sore."

"I'm not sore," she snapped.

He rolled his eyes. "Of course not. So you won't mind if I do this?" He cupped her pussy and squeezed gently.

She glared at him. "

If

I were sore, it would be because you were a total barbarian yesterday, even before your encore last night."

Her scowl deepened as his chuckle turned into a full-throated laugh. "A barbarian, huh? I seem to remember a certain little somebody who was awfully eager for a good, hard fucking by the barbarian. Positively feral, in fact."

The heat in her cheeks told her that she must be turning a brilliant shade of red. She sat up and scooted away. "Don't be smug. And thanks for reminding me, smarty-pants. You lied to me."

"What did I lie to you about?"

"That's a really long list, Michael. But last night, you said I would get a turn to touch you."

"As I remember it, you managed to do quite a bit of touching. I seem to remember having to hold you down because you wouldn't stop. But by all means, sweetheart, go ahead and touch."

He laid back on the pillow and winked at her. The smile she gave him in return made him wonder if he'd overplayed his hand.

Mariah's smirk was more show than substance. Michael's comment about her enthusiasm the night before had thrown her off balance. The reminder that he hadn't let her touch him like he said he would was the first retort that came to mind. If she had really been so... feral, as he put it, she worried that her control was slipping. With control in mind, she decided to be the predator instead of the prey.

She crawled over to him slowly, hips dipping and breasts swaying. He wished she had further to crawl, but too soon she was kneeling beside him. She ran her finger down the length of his cock, with just a hint of fingernail skimming the skin. A thigh muscle twitched, and she looked up at him with a grin.

He could feel his erection returning fully even before she bent down to his cock. The ends of her hair brushed his hips and curtained his view. He waited to feel her mouth, but all he felt was her breath, so hot and moist that her open mouth had to be millimeters away. As soon as he raised his hips, she pulled back. When he relaxed, she returned to hovering over his cock. Wise to the trick, he laid impassively until she blew cool air across his shaft, causing gooseflesh to form on the tops of his thighs.

"You're not doing very much touching," he groused.

She crawled over his body, straddled his hips, and folded her arms across his chest. He raised his head to see her better. Her chin was resting on her forearms and her ass was high, swaying like a lazy cat making up its mind to pounce. She sat up quickly when he put his hands on her arms.

"Nuh-uh. It's my turn to touch."

"Then touch me already."

"Are you always this grouchy when women touch you?"

"I'm grouchy because one woman isn't touching me."

She leaned forward and brushed her lips over his. "Where's this terrible woman?"

When he didn't answer, she traced his lower lip with her fingertip. "Not speaking to me?"

She kissed him slowly and gently. It was nothing like his aggressive, devouring kisses. He wanted to kiss her

his

way, but these kisses had a sweet sensuality that was beguiling. Wanting more, he pushed down the urge to take over. She nibbled at his lower lip, then ran her tongue along the top of it. Just a little after he wished she would, she pressed her mouth firmly to his. When her tongue darted in, then out, it was just a whisper. A second later, her tongue was back, curling against the roof of his mouth. Another kiss -- deeper, slower. Her tongue teased his, coaxing and tangling with it. As soon as his tongue strayed past her teeth, she sucked it deeper.

He combed his fingers through her hair, up from the nape of her neck to the back of her head, pulling her harder into the kiss and smothering her moan against his mouth. When his arm clamped over the small of her back to pull her down onto him, she raised her head.

"My turn to touch, remember?" she admonished.

"You

are

touching me. Don't push me, kitten, or I'll have you on your back in a heartbeat and your little pussy will get sorer than it is now."

"You can dish it out, but you can't take it. Is that it?"

She leaned down until her lips were brushing his ear. Her voice was soft and throaty. "Remember all those times you've teased me? It's your turn."

He groaned and thrust upward, but she had already raised her hips. Her tongue traced the contours of his ear. She laughed softly against his ear when he shivered. Straightening her arms to raise herself, she let her hair fall around them like a curtain, carrying the sandalwood and gardenia scent of her shampoo. He could see her eyes moving across his face, taking in every feature as she traced his jawline with her fingertip. She ran her fingers back along the side of his head, combing through his hair.

"Your hair's so soft."

"My hair's not soft."

The corners of her mouth quirked up. "I'm sorry. What I really meant to say is that your hair is coarse and manly like steel wool. I hope you won't mind if I run my fingers through it anyway."

She ran her hand through his hair again, fingertips caressing his scalp.

"Would you get on with it?" he growled when he caught himself leaning into her touch.

"Of course. I can't imagine why I thought you might like another kiss." She shifted her position, then raised her head with a gasp when he swatted her ass.

"Give me the kiss, you little tease."

She fitted her mouth to his, tilting her head further to kiss him deeper, rubbing her breasts against his chest. His groan resonated inside her mouth, driving her on until she was kissing him hungrily. When she moved back, he pulled her closer. She countered by reaching down to wrap her hand over the head of his cock, massaging it until his arms dropped away.

She sat up to watch him while she licked the musky slickness from her palm. "Don't you want me to get further than your mouth?" she asked, reaching down to gather another taste.

"You're going to pay for this."

She smiled sweetly. "But not before you do."

Before he could get any other ideas, she swooped down and kissed his chest. He held her loosely caged with his hands on her back, but he didn't interfere as she dropped open-mouthed kisses across his chest, licking the salt from his skin everywhere she kissed. He yipped when she licked at his nipple, and she froze, looking up at him with the point of her tongue still pressed to the tiny nub. When he didn't say anything, she started moving her tongue again, flattening it to lap across in a single swipe.

"Hey!"

She stopped and looked up. "You don't like that?"

"It's just... Never mind."

After a moment of uncertainty, she decided that if he wanted her to stop, he could say so. She closed her teeth gently around his nipple and ran her tongue back and forth across it. She heard him suck in his breath. He

did

like it. Pushing her luck, she moved across to his other nipple, sucking it softly and backing away before he could complain again.

Feeling pleased with herself, she returned to kissing his chest, backing down his body as she went. His cock bumped the underside of her breasts as she kissed her way down his stomach. She paused at his bellybutton, her tongue circling and then dipping into it.

"Damn it, Mariah, come on."

Ignoring him, she trailed kisses across the top of his hip, stopping occasionally to suck at his skin. Before his restlessness grew too great, she wiggled her way between his legs, stopping when his cock slid between her breasts. She squeezed her elbows inward so that her breasts pressed around his shaft. He raised his head to look, swore under his breath, then scooted up to prop himself up on pillows to see better.

"Do it again."

She put her chin in her hand and tilted her head, pretending to think about it.

"Kitten..." he warned.

With a grin, she repositioned herself. This time, she rested her elbows beneath her so that she could bring her hands to her breasts to squeeze them around his shaft. When she looked up, he was watching with a hot, hungry look that gave her an anticipatory shiver. Her head dropped, obscuring his view, but before he could protest, he felt her tongue on his cock. She couldn't reach it well, but her fluttery licks made his hips rock.

Giving in to her own impatience, she sat up between his thighs and wrapped her hand around his shaft. His cock jerked when she squeezed it. God, he was hard. She shifted, squeezing her thighs together. She stroked upward from his base, watching the clear bead of fluid form at his tip. When she reached the top of his shaft, she closed her hand around the head of his cock, slicking her palm and fingers as she caressed it. A little thrill shot through her when he groaned.

With her hand slippery, she stroked up and down his cock in long, smooth movements: slow all the way up, fast all the way down. His hips rose on every downstroke. When she noticed that his gaze was riveted on her hands, she watched, too, fascinated by his engorged cockhead disappearing and reappearing through her hand. She tried to imagine how it must look to him as her hand worked up and down his shaft.

"Kitten..." His voice was harsh, strangled. "If you don't get your mouth on my cock right now, I'm going pull you down on it myself."

She lowered herself between his thighs. Keeping eye contact, she lapped the length of his cock.

"Your mouth. Now."

After a quick swirl of her tongue around the head of his cock, she took the tip between her lips and sucked him in until the head of his cock rested in her mouth.

"Deeper."

Her lips sank slowly down his shaft. Too slowly for him. He shifted and she felt his hand on her head, pushing her mouth down his length and removing any illusion that she was in control.

"Playtime's over, kitten. Suck."

The demand brought a rush of wet heat between her legs. She sucked diligently and enthusiastically without further urging. With Michael's hand on the back of her head, she couldn't move up and down to allow him to slide in and out of her mouth. She tried to regain some movement by forcing her mouth down further, but his hand moved with her and she found herself trapped there. Unable to do more, she relaxed into the rhythm of her suction while she kept her tongue busy beneath the underside of his cock. She barely noticed when he took his hand off her head.

He fought the impulse to push up into her mouth, trying to ride the steady pleasure without accelerating toward the inevitable finish. When he felt the vibration of the sounds she was making, it was too much to resist. His hips rose and he thrust against the back of her throat, prompting her to begin sliding her mouth up and down his cock. Reaching for her head again, he threaded his fingers through her hair to guide her, moving her mouth faster and faster up and down his length.

When he moved so fast that he lost his rhythm, she took over, backing off to lavish attention on the head of his cock with her mouth while she pumped his shaft with her hand. The waves of suction pulled at him, drawing him on towards the climax he fought to fend off. He gasped when she started tonguing the underside of the flared ridge. His hands tightened in her hair, but he let her maintain her pace as long as he could. His control began to slip when she started to roll his balls in her hand.

She began rocking her head again, and it was more than he could take. He pushed her head down and thrust his hips up, fucking her mouth to his climax. He held her there while she gulped around his cock. Each spurt was another pulse of pleasure, sustaining his orgasm until he was spent. His head fell back on the pillow and he released her head.

"That's my good girl."

In response, she made one of those satisfied sounds he liked to hear. He smiled to himself. She laid her cheek on his thigh and softly mouthed his softening cock, unwilling to give it up just yet. A few times, her tongue touched a spot that made him jump, but everything else was gentle pleasure, like a warm, softly rolling sea.

She sighed and nuzzled him when he stroked her hair. He enjoyed the contentment she got from sucking his cock. There wasn't any other time she was quite like this. She wasn't this peaceful even after he fucked her to exhaustion.

He wanted to tell her he loved her, but he knew it would spoil the moment. Since the first time he said it, she had practically snarled at him every time he tried to tell her. The first time, she did worse than snarl. He planned talk to her about it today, and he knew she was not going to be happy about that. He recognized the irony of his eagerness to talk to her about their feelings. If she didn't try so hard to avoid these conversations, he probably wouldn't see the need to talk about it at all. Her persistent refusals and evasions only made him determined to find out what she didn't want to tell him.

He doubted she was going to be happy about some of his other plans for the day, either, but he was pretty sure she would end up enjoying them. Given an inch with her "turn to touch," she'd taken a mile. He was going to thoroughly enjoy making her pay for being such a tease. Keeping Mariah on edge sexually was something he wanted to reintroduce, anyway.

He had been thinking a lot about things he missed from the way things started between them, before all the ugliness. When he remembered what made him happy then, he realized that a lot of it was about things he wanted to see her enjoy, like showing her the fox family, or surprising her with a picnic, or even something as simple as making sure she had her favorite drink. He had been excited about plans for new surprises. During their estrangement, he had stopped thinking about things like that. He suspected the loss was his more than hers.

She was proving to be an intractable challenge, but he didn't believe that was the primary source of their problems. In the beginning, he was pleased by the relative ease with which she adapted to his demands. Too late, he was realizing that she had simply ceded those particular fields before he pressed his conquest. Where anything else was concerned, she was fighting him over every inch. Was fighting the right word? Resisting, maybe. In retrospect, he could see that he had confused her resistance with rejection. Of course, there had been genuine rejection after that goddamned transmitter implant that he still couldn't bring himself to have removed.

His thoughts were interrupted when Henry jumped up on the bed. He'd had the grace to make his exit earlier, but this seemed to him like a good time to come back and socialize. He snuffled Mariah's hair.