His Winter Princess (Blushing Books 12 Days of Christmas 7) Read online

  "Did you actually want wine and I misunderstood?" She replied by putting her hands on his fly. She undid his belt and quickly unzipped his pants. He raised his eyebrows at her boldness. "I suppose not. Nudity and wine is an unusual pairing."

  "You absolutely understood," she said breathlessly in response. "As much as I love wine I'd really like to do other things."

  "Are you sure you want to do this? I don't do one-night stands." Clay took her hands in his and held them away from his now overly tight trousers.

  "I don't know. I've never wanted anyone to do the sort of things I'd like you to do to me." Audra bit down into her lip. The gesture was so sexy it almost made him take the words back. She moved closer so she could rest her chin underneath his.

  "All I know is that you've made me feel more special in just a few days than anyone else I've ever met. I saw you watching me as I served food tonight and it made me feel sexy, and beautiful."

  "You are sexy and beautiful." He nuzzled along her cheek. "But, I want to make sure you understand what will happen next."

  "What happens next?" Audra nearly purred as he traced his other hand up her body until he linked it in hers. "You're talking long term stuff?"

  "If we become intimate tonight, it's the start of a relationship. I can't predict the future, obviously, but this moment means something."

  "You don't even know me!" As soon as the words flew out of her lips, she pulled back, as if something also pulled on her common sense. "I guess, I don't know you either." Audra frowned. "But, I've never felt such a strong urge, strong enough to make me knock on the door and boldly invite myself inside, ever. I don't mean just about relationships. I mean about everything!"

  "Such passion! What? Is it over, though? Is it because I ceased our actions or because I said something you don't want to hear and you are now determined to get your way?" Clay watched her fingers tighten and release as she worked over his questions. She looked so sweet and delectable with her lovely eyebrows scrunched up in concern. She was serious about him without a doubt, but where did she want to go from here?

  "I'm not sure," she finally admitted. "May I please have a glass of wine? I'll go get my things back on."

  Clay watched as she gathered her discarded clothes, then walked up the stairs to the bathroom. She seemed to have more to say, but perhaps a nice, cordial would warm her tongue. He would really love to warm something else of hers, but that had to be her decision. He couldn't force a relationship on her. He felt a strong pull towards her, though, perhaps their discussion would settle the matter.

  * * *

  Audra tied her hair back with the spare tie she kept around her wrist in a fancy silver bracelet created for that purpose. It looked delicate on her, but held one elastic in case of emergency. Her ponytail had come out when his hand tangled in her hair somewhere between the front door and his couch. Technically not an emergency, but she wasn't going to hunt for it now. If she could just relive that moment again, she could honestly die happy. She blushed as she returned to Clay. She’d truly never done anything like this before!

  She drank about half of the cordial in the glass he gave her, but her stomach felt fluttery from the questions she wanted to ask Clay. She let out a soft breath, then picked her drink up and swirled it around. It tasted perfect, just like the wine had, but for now she did it as a distraction.

  "Something on your mind?" Clay didn't miss a beat.

  She bet he’d seen something in her eyes all night. Hell, the sexual tension between the two of them felt palpable even from the first moment she’d stepped into his house.

  "Mmm." She made a non-committal noise and sipped some of her drink.

  "Tell me. Is something bothering you?" He set his drink down but kept his gorgeous gray-green eyes on hers. Damn, this man made her wet in between her thighs just from his stare.

  "Nah-no." Audra shrugged awkwardly and wondered what the hell the problem was. She didn't get flustered from attention normally. If they were out in public maybe, but here in his house they were all alone. No, it was way deeper. The thought of possibly being perched across his rock hard thighs and getting disciplined made her sweat. If he was into the same type of relationship his friends were, at least. "Well, more of a curiosity."

  "Come out with it. You seemed quite unraveled earlier this evening."

  "What sort of things would someone be punished for?" She felt a terrible flush wash over her face and looked away from him. She was sure her face was several shades of pink. "I mean, if two people were in that sort of relationship."

  "Audra."

  Clay demanded her attention with one authority-laced word. She snapped her head around to focus on his face. He had a smirk on his lovely bow shaped lips. Lips that on any other man would look feminine, but his strong jawline and five-o'clock shadow gave them a masculine touch. Clay quirked an eyebrow as he stared and it intensified her arousal.

  "I'm curious, is all." Audra gulped the rest of the cordial and coughed. She covered her mouth with her hand. The alcohol was meant to be sipped and it burned her throat slightly.

  "Would you like some water?"

  She shook her head as she caught her breath. "Uh, no thank you. Coffee would be great though. If you have any."

  "Of course." Clay stood up from the table. His hand brushed across the back of her neck as he moved to the counter. She watched him fix coffee, the seemingly old-fashioned way, with a real pot and dry coffee. Her mouth watered as he set it to brew when the strong scent wafted towards her.

  "Now to get back to your question. Every couple is different. Some have rules in regards to a specific goal or endeavor. One of the lovely ladies you met tonight recently lost fifty pounds from a reward and punishment system with her husband, Beau. Another one of the ladies, Gwen, completely stopped smoking cigarettes from the same sort of set-up with her fiancé, Matthew."

  "Hmm, that's interesting. So, what? Their boyfriends or husbands just decide one day to enact consequences if these rules are broken?"

  "On the contrary. Except for two of the women you served, all the others approached their partners. They felt a deep desire in some fashion to be taken in hand and have ground rules and punishments. It just so happens that the men they approached, all good friends of mine, happened to share their desires." Clay reached up into the cabinet and brought down two large mugs. He then turned towards the fridge and held up a container of cream. "It's egg-nog flavored creamer. Would you like some?"

  "Yes, please." Audra nodded while she processed the amount of information he had given to her. "So, it only works if you have a habit or bad behavior you want to get rid of?"

  "Not exactly. That's one instance that it happens to work very well on, but it can be used to manage a household. Think, for example, of a woman who has been asked multiple times to pay the cell phone bill on time. After six months of re-activation fees her partner tells her the next time she forgets, there will be a punishment. Since they are already in this dynamic she will find a way to remember." He set the flavored creamer down, then went back to the machine to wait for it to finish.

  "Forgetting a bill gets you punished? Wow." Audra snorted at the thought of it.

  "It's not just forgetting a bill. In this scenario the husband has asked his wife for several months to make sure the phones are paid on time. After a few months, maybe not quite as long as six, he would enact discipline if she forgot again. It's about lessons and responsibilities." Clay carefully poured out the hot coffee into each mug then brought them to the table. He handed one to her.

  "I guess I didn't think of it that way." Audra fixed her coffee and took a small sip. The creamer tasted delicious and she smiled. "So, uh, what sort of punishment?"

  "Are you sure you want to know? The swat across Ms. Amanda's behind probably gives you a good idea."

  "I think so." Audra wrinkled her nose at the memory, but the thought of Clay doing the same action made her tingly in between her thighs. Her voice came out breathy instead of firm as she in
tended and betrayed her words.

  "Well, because of her antics at the party, Eric probably put her in the corner when they got home." Clay took a long sip from his mug. "After Amanda stood there and thought about what she did, I'm sure Eric spanked her. Once the wine left her system, of course."

  "What does it feel like?" Audra had sort of thought he was going down that path, but to hear him say the word spanking out loud made her squirm.

  "Submitting to your partner in a way where you know he only wants what is best for you or a spanking?"

  "Uh, I meant... I don't know." That word again! Audra blew out several breaths. Where had all her dignity gone? She stammered like a school girl around him. He was super formal, like one might expect a professor or other man in authority, but it was the glimpses of the man she believed to be underneath the tailored suit and expensive tastes that were getting to her.

  She thought of his hands on her and their lips intertwined. When he’d planted that kiss on her collarbone and neck, then licked down towards her cleavage, she had gone wild with desire. The memory brought another wave of heat over her body. Soon she would need to excuse herself for air.

  Clay reached forward and cupped her face, forcing her to look directly at him. It added to her embarrassment and she was sure her cheeks flamed the brightest pink imaginable.

  "Are you asking because you want to experience it or for some other purpose?"

  She opened and shut her mouth a few times as it suddenly went dry. He released her as quickly as he’d touched her then leaned back in his chair. He slowly folded his arms across his chest, waiting for her reply.

  "I have another question first. Do you engage in the types of relationships you mentioned?" She took tiny sips from the mug so she didn't choke.

  "Yes."

  Audra waited for him to elaborate, but he didn't offer further explanation. Could he possibly mean if they got into a relationship that she could expect the same type of dynamic?

  "I've been thinking a lot about what you described tonight." She leaned back in her chair as well. "Everyone seemed so happy and in tune with each other the tonight. The men and women, you could just feel all the love in the room. Seriously, it was amazing. Even after I ran out, when I returned, no one seemed to judge me." Audra shook her head. "I'm, uh, babbling."

  "You haven't answered my question yet." Clay dropped his arms. "Are you asking for your own sake? Or is it just because you have questions but no real interest there?"

  "I know you hired me just to serve some food at a posh party, but I felt a real connection with your friends. Yeah, I do this winter fairy get-up in a social setting, but I'm not good at going out and actually meeting people like I sort of explained before. So tonight, before everything happened, Amanda gave me her phone number. I found out that she and I have a great love of poetry readings. We're going to the local library together next week to attend one. It's really unusual for me to make plans. I'm not good at keeping them. If she got me to open up enough to want to hang out, then I can't judge her or anything."

  "You're dancing around the question, Audra."

  She rubbed a finger along the mug, then along the table. How the hell did she answer him? Why did his voice alone make her want to beg him for more?

  "I want to know how it feels. The rules, the guidance, the punishments. All of it." Audra risked a glance but then dropped her head down at her confession.

  She heard his chair shuffle along the floor, then found her chin tilted upwards, caught between the thumb and pointer finger of his right hand.

  "Would you like me to give you a spanking?"

  Audra gulped hard. After a moment her breath came out in gasps and she blinked up at him wordlessly. He looked so serious and sincere, but she couldn't bring herself to answer. Finally, she nodded twice.

  "Verbally answer me, please."

  "Uh, yeah." Huge waves of heat washed over her and beads of sweat trickled down from her brow. "Yes, please."

  "Come over to the couch with me." Clay let go of her chin and held out his hand. She hesitantly placed hers in his and let him lead her to the couch. "If you are uncomfortable at any time, for any reason, I want you to tell me. Am I understood?" He dropped her hand, then removed his suit jacket.

  What he did next sent delicious shivers up and down her spine. First, he unbuttoned his dress shirt at the wrist and slowly rolled it up to his elbow. Clay repeated the action with his left sleeve, then sat down on the couch. He patted his thigh, another gesture which sent more shivers, but this time they went all over her body.

  "Yes, absolutely." She licked her lips in wicked anticipation, and hoped he didn't see her do it. Audra hesitated only a moment, then carefully set herself across his lap.

  "I'm going to lower your pants. Is that all right?" He tapped his fingers against her hip.

  Audra figured if they were in a real relationship and she'd actually done something wrong that he would not be so polite and gentlemanly. "Yes, that's fine," she squeaked out a reply.

  In seconds her yoga pants were gently lowered until they reached her knees. She blushed at what she imagined Clay's saw in his line of vision.

  Tonight she wore a lovely lace black garter set, old-fashioned in style to keep the look seamless under her gown, with two thigh highs clipped to the fancy belt. She wondered if he appreciated it. His fingertips trailed up each of her thighs until they reached her bottom. It was covered in equally lacy panties, black with a tiny bow in the front.

  "These need to come down." Without further conversation, he set a hand on either side of her waist and edged her panties all the way down to her knees to meet her pants. "Very nice." He dragged his hand up to the top of her curves.

  "Will it hurt?"

  "It can hurt if it is done strictly as discipline, but luckily for you this isn't a punishment. No more questions. You can ask me later." Clay smacked his hand against each of bottom cheeks swiftly. He repeated the same pattern several times, then stopped to rub each side.

  Audra flexed her toes then relaxed them. He returned to his task and landed five blows on her right cheek in succession. Each one stung like when you snapped a rubber band against your wrist, but it wasn't overly painful.

  Clay continued to target every part of her bottom, from the top of her cheeks all the way down to the lower curve of her butt. His palm moved up and down with vigor and she wondered if he felt the same sting in his hand.

  The intensity waxed and waned depending on the spot. She made little groans of discomfort when her upper thighs were struck, but otherwise she remained mostly quiet. Some places were more sensitive than others, but overall it was more pleasant than she imagined it to be.

  As the spanking continued she thought about what her reaction must have looked like to his guests. Did they think she was closed minded and judgmental? Worse still, did he think her to be that way? No, she rationalized if that were true, he wouldn't allow his time to be wasted with this preview. She really felt a connection to the others and to Clay himself. Did he feel it too?

  Audra sniffled as unexpected tears fell down her cheeks. It wasn't from the pain, but something inside of her shifted. She had thought she would be embarrassed at her response, but strangely she felt peaceful.

  He tugged her panties up her legs then situated them into place. He repeated the process with her yoga pants and smoothed his hand down over her hips and bottom. She found herself slowly turned over and lifted until she could see him. He brushed a tear from her eye with his hand, then shot her a questioning look.

  "I falsely judged your friend Eric when I saw him smack Amanda. I felt outraged that she immediately quieted down and behaved herself. Then after she explained she had too much to drink, then got bawdy after her husband limited her wine, I understood." Audra took in a deep breath and let it out. "I haven't been myself since I moved out of my parent's house. I've been searching for something or someone to help me with things. It's all been building up inside me, and I didn't know how to let it all out.
Yes, it hurt in some spots, but it pushed through something. A wall, maybe? One I've built up and around things instead of dealing with them."

  "One spanking pushed through a barrier? I'm quite intrigued by your response." Clay reached behind her to grab a box of tissues then handed them to her.

  "It sounds silly, but I keep a lot in."

  "I would like to help you get more out sometime. Is that something you would consider?"

  "Maybe."

  He let her answer, hang for a while as she settled down. She relaxed in his arms, and found them to be comforting like the way she used to feel wrapped up in her favorite childhood blanket.

  "What else is on your mind?"

  "You." Audra hesitantly laced her fingers in his and he responded by rubbing his fingertips across hers. "Whenever you touch me it's like little fireworks going off. I'd very much like you to kiss me."

  "Is that so?" Clay leaned down to press his lips to hers, he did it hesitantly at first then deepened the kiss.

  "Mmm." She melted under his touch and moaned softly into his mouth. She loved the way he tasted, but he’d already told her that he didn't do hook-ups. Audra slowly broke away.

  "You're afraid of what kissing me may lead to, aren't you?"

  "I, uh, don't get wrapped up easily. So, I'm a bit overwhelmed by all these feelings and thoughts." She kissed him once more then pulled back again. "I want to go back to what we discussed before."

  "We've discussed quite a bit." He smiled warmly as she stared at him. "Which part do you want to address now?"

  "I think I would very much like to take things to a more intimate level with you. I heard what you said about it being the start of a relationship and I'm okay with that." Audra gently shrugged. "Do you want to take that path with me?"

  "I'm not normally a spontaneous person. In fact, several of my friends would say I am borderline boring at times. But, I can tell you from firsthand experience that life is very precious and short. If you're willing to take that plunge I would love to follow suit." Clay cupped his hand to her cheek. "But, you would have to let me take the lead. Are you ready to do that?"