Subculture

Subculture Sarah Veitch

ISBN 0 9537953 0 6

Chapter One Travelling by plane was only exciting on your first ever flight, Lisa mused as the Boeing 767 soared towards Malta. She smilingly accepted a mineral water from a stewardess, then opened her holdall in search of images to feed her brain. Ah, here was the photo album of Vitality, the Health Clinic she was flying towards, the plane taking her ever closer to her new job and equally new male boss. ‘You’ll find me a strict disciplinarian, but a fair one,’ he’d said on their second meeting in her Scarborough flat, ‘I run a tight ship.’ That was the only cliché she’d heard him use. Other than that he’d been an unusual man, a surprising man—somewhat disconcerting. Maybe it was his obvious authority or the fact that he was in his late thirties, ten years older than herself. Flying out here to Malta was a wise move, Lisa thought as she flicked through the pages of the leather-bound Vitality album. She hugged herself as she studied the photos of the Clinic’s riding stables and outdoor pool. Turned at last to the back page and saw a tiny sliver of white celluloid protruding from the inside of the book’s leather cover. Curiously she tugged at it—and a glossy standard sized photo slid out. Within seconds her eyes took in the basics of the scene and she reddened and pushed the photo beneath the smooth dark leather again. Good grief! The man was spanking that woman’s naked ... She quickly looked around. Then she let out her breath—no one had seen anything. Cupping a hand to one side of the book to shield it from her fellow passengers, she slid the telling photograph out again. The man in the snapshot was Dr Michael Landers: she recognised her new boss’s sure brown eyes, heavy black hair and slightly quizzical expression. He looked as calm and assured as he had on the two occasions that she’d met him—which was more than could be said for the twenty-something female over his lap. The girl’s palms were flat on the patio. Her dirndl skirt had been pushed up so that it covered her slender back and shoulders. Her white cotton pants were rolled down to her sunkissed thighs. The garment formed a band which seemed to further accentuate her soft young bottom. That same bottom was a fiery red. Lisa’s central core stilled in shock, the way it did when she thought she’d lost her purse or her keys in the city centre. Had she been meant to see this corrective image, or had someone tucked it into the back of the book to gloat over later, and somehow forgotten it was there? There was the usual frisson amongst the passengers as the stewardesses began to bring the lunch trays round. Surprise and shock—and, to her shame, a low rush of desire—had stolen away her appetite. Lisa hoped that the lunch bringers would take a long time to reach her chair. Again she studied the photograph. Why hadn’t the girl put back her hands to protect her silken hemispheres from the painful pounding? Who had voyeuristically wielded the camera, and why? What had made Michael Landers administer such chastisement? The man must see spanking as a sexual act ... Still, the job was only for three months, Lisa reassured herself, for in three months her fiance, Reece would finish his Singaporean project and join her back in Scarborough at her currently sub-let flat. The word sub reminded her of the bare-bummed girl. Lisa winced in sympathy as her gaze returned to the telling picture. Her naked globes were as red as cherry tomatoes—and the fact that the camera man was watching each spank must add to her writhing humiliation and her helpless shame. More traitorous heat rushed to Lisa’s labia, and she hurriedly pushed the photo back. She tried to eat, then she slept. When she next opened her eyes the pilot was telling everyone that they

were approaching Malta, that it was 23 degrees. 23 degrees in March. That was more than twice as warm as it had been when she’d boarded the plane back in England. She loved her native Scarborough, but was eagerly awaiting a more mellow sea and sand. Achille, the chauffeur, drove her to Vitality in Michael’s cream saloon car. ‘The Clinic,’ he exclaimed when they eventually reached its driveway. ‘Home for the next three months,’ Lisa said. As they walked towards the house a slight breeze ran through the acacia-lined circular courtyard. Achille grimaced. ‘For you this is warm but it is cool for us. Our flesh isn’t made for it.’ What was her own flesh made for? For a second Lisa thought of an exposed hot bottom and her sex lips tingled. Then she reminded herself that she was faithful to Reece, was going to be his bride.

Chapter Two ‘Welcome to Vitality!’ As Lisa walked through the chestnut-hued doors, Michael came striding down the hall towards her. His thick dark hair caught the Mediterranean sun and made his brown eyes look even deeper, more compelling than before. Again she felt the heightened awareness she’d enjoyed on both their previous talks. She tried to smile, was aware of her mouth as a sensuous region. As a region which could nuzzle, suck and kiss. ‘I’ve told Carmen my cook to be on standby in case you want a late lunch,’ her new boss continued, reaching for her hand and shaking it with smiling enthusiasm, ‘Though if you’d prefer to rest after your flight ...?’ ‘No, I slept on the plane, thanks.’ Slept and looked at a disciplined girl and got sexually excited, ‘Can’t wait to see round the Clinic. Want to show me the ropes?’ She winced at the unintended use of language. Were spankers also into binding and spreadeagling each others ankles and wrists? ‘I’d love to,’ Michael replied, letting go of her dampening hand. At five foot six Lisa was taller than the average British woman but she felt small and delicate next to his well-toned six foot frame. She didn’t feel afraid, though—just on edge, as if anything could happen. Was more aware of her small soft buttocks than she’d been for quite some time. She followed Michael from the lounge and walked beside him into the Patient’s Reception Room. Was shown his doctor’s surgery and the adjoining suite where she’d prescribe herbal remedies. ‘I feel privileged that I’m going to work here,’ she said. Michael put one hand on her back and turned her towards a door that led to a stairway: ‘Oh, I’ve no doubt you’ll earn your keep.’ What the hell did that mean, Lisa asked herself. They reached the roof and she stared down at the pink and white orchids, reddish-purple poppies and lemon-centred lilies. It was time to remind him of Reece.

‘If only my fiance could enjoy all this,’ she murmured, stretching her right hand out in a wide sweep that encompassed the flora. She watched as one of Michael’s strong hands tightened on the sun lounge balcony. ‘In Singapore, isn’t he?’ Lisa steeled herself to meet his gaze: ‘He is, unfortunately.’ ‘Let me show you to your room.’ It had everything—including a King Size bed. ‘This big bed will be wonderful if Reece does manage to visit,’ Lisa said, reaching out to pat the pink satin spread. She watched as Michael’s shoulders and jawline tautened. “There’s really no need for these constant veiled comments about your fiance. I won’t touch you sexually unless you plead for it,’ he said. He stood up, turned. ‘I hope we’ll see you at dinner.’ Then the door clicked shut. Lisa sat, stunned, hearing his words replay through her sunwarmed flesh. / won’t touch you sexually unless you plead for it. Did that mean he planned to touch her in another more punitive way? After a shower she changed into a turquoise cotton dress and sandals. Then she walked slowly towards the ground floor and her employer’s surgery, intending to apologise. Michael Landers said the silver engraved sign on the door. It was followed by five sets of initials. Lisa gulped—the man had more qualifications than most professionals twice his age. She pulled back her right hand, ready to give a steady knock. Then she tensed and swallowed as a nerve-racking swishing sound came through the door. It was immediately followed by a loud gasp and a female voice pleading ‘Sir, I’ll do better!’ Lisa turned to flee. Then stopped: she owed it to herself to find out exactly what was going on in Michael Landers pristine surgery. After all, the man was in charge of her for the next three months. Holding her breath, the herbalist moved nearer to the doorway and sank down upon one knee. As she did so the doctor’s voice said ‘You don’t deserve leniency. You’ve disobeyed me.’ Lisa waited to hear another swish of what was presumably a belt. When no sound followed she put her right eye to the keyhole, half expecting to find it blocked or too narrow but found that she could see into a portion of the room. A woman lay across the desk, her dress-covered rump towards Lisa. If her slender waist and trim calves and ankles were typical of her age group, Lisa put her at around twenty to twenty-five. As the herbalist stared, Michael flexed a long thin cane between his hands and walked round and round the prostrate female. Then he sized the rod up with the buttocks underneath the black housedress and brought it down. The flesh beneath the housedress flinched a little then wriggled, but stayed obediently in place. ‘How many more, sir?’ the woman whimpered after the cane had again lashed down. ‘How many more for leaving the Aviary door open?’ Michael Landers murmured, ‘Well, I haven’t decided on your final punishment yet, Jamilla, but certainly more than the four you’ve had over your thick dress.’ He smiled, beginning to stroke the woman’s hips through her concealing garments, and Lisa felt a pang of shame or embarrassment go through her on the girl’s behalf. She looked awkwardly at the floor, then looked back again, lest she miss even a second of this unusual corporal conduct. Though she hated violence and harassment she wanted to see ... ‘Lift your dress up, Jamilla. I’m going to deliver the next six lashes over your pretty pants,’ the doctor continued, tapping the black material with the cane.

‘Yes, sir,’ the hapless maidservant muttered. She brought her fingers back slowly and edged up the plain linen dress. Her briefs were of the whitest cotton. They moulded perfectly to her small yet plump bottom cheeks. As Lisa stared, Michael tugged Jamilla’s waistband further up her back so that the material tightened more firmly against her hindquarters. Now the area to be caned was even more cruelly outlined, if not yet fully exposed. ‘Just keep lying like that. There’s a good girl,’ Michael Landers said conversationally and the bottom in question trembled. Lisa stared daggers at his back, and decided he was a patronising bastard. If he ever spoke to her like that she’d probably take the cane to him herself. But Jamilla presumably came from a different culture—a subservient culture. Why else would she be lying across the desk so meekly whilst this tyrant thrashed the soft full target of her arse? The herbalist stared through the keyhole as her employer stood back from the waiting girl and took aim with the cane again. Brought it down sharply over her cotton-clad cheeks. ‘Aaah!’ Jamilla’s hands came back and rubbed quickly at each punished hemisphere, then she just as quickly returned them to the front of the wide wood desk. ‘Now Jamilla, you know you don’t get to soothe your tender bottom,’ Michael Landers said evenly, ‘I’m the one who applies the cold cream to those burning globes at the very end.’ ‘I know, sir. I’m sorry, sir.’ The maid’s voice was low and very much out of breath, could even have been confused for lust-crazed, ‘But I usually only get chastened with your hand or with the wooden spoon.’ ‘Oh, I know what you usually get,’ her boss added matter of factly, ‘It’s all written up in the Punishment Book.’ Christ, the dictator kept a punishment book. This definitely wasn’t some boyfriend/girlfriend erotic fling, then. This man actually chastised his staff for day to day misdemeanours, Lisa thought dazedly. Now Jamilla’s misdemeanours had earned her a sore hot arse. She still had another five strokes to go over her knickers. Lisa didn’t want to think about what would happen after that. ‘I think we’ll lay the next stroke lower down,’ the doctor continued, ‘You know, above your plump little thighs.’ Those same thighs quivered. So did the underswell of the bottom which was about to be thrashed. Lisa wondered what the girl was feeling and thinking about. She must be trying to decide which angle the cane would come from, trying to protect her extremities by pushing her belly against the desk. ‘A feverish stroke for all the finches you let escape,’ Michael said, lining up the rod and applying it smartly to the pantied buttocks. Jamilla groaned and winced visibly as the punisher made swishy contact above her thighs. ‘I’m so sorry, sir,’ she whispered hoarsely in broken English, ‘No more. Please.’ ‘Sorry that you didn’t listen to me week after week when I warned you to check on the wire mesh enclosing the birds, Jamilla? Told you to arrange an alarm system that would trigger if the Aviary door wasn’t fully closed?’

‘I know, sir. I was busy, sir,’ the maidservant whimpered. Her bottom writhed. ‘And now I’m busy teaching you a short sore lesson,’ Michael Landers replied. He brought the cane down across the centre of her cheeks, then gave her two full minutes to recover. When she’d stopped the worst of her quivering he brought the rod smartly into contact with her fleshy underhang. Then he enlivened the area immediately above it. ‘One to go with your panties on. Now where shall I put it? Ah, just here where I’ve been neglecting your sorry flesh.’ Jamilla groaned, the groan turning into a wail as he applied the rod again. Lisa shifted her stance then held her breath. Michael set the cane on the desk then returned to his stance behind Jamilla. ‘Time to pull your protective panties down.’ ‘I’m so striped already ...’ the girl whined. ‘Why do you always make a fuss this early on, Jamilla? You know that it won’t reprieve you,’ said the former surgeon in a languid tone. ‘Couldn’t I just ...?’ ‘You can ask nicely for at least six lashes on the bare,’ ‘And after that ...?’ The girl lifted her head and twisted it back to look at him shyly. ‘After that we’ll rub the cold cream wherever your hot little pussy desires.’ The girl flushed, then looked away and let her head hang back down. Her bare thighs tautened. Lisa flushed in sympathy. ‘As you wish, sir,’ Jamilla whispered, then reached back and pushed her white cotton panties out of the way. They bunched round her upper legs, accentuating the posterior above them. A posterior that was to again taste the merciless cane. Lisa looked curiously at the marks the rod had left. The housedress and knickers had obviously given the cheeks some shielding for they were pink rather than scarlet. The parallel stripes looked vaguely fuzzy rather than clearly defined. Not that that helped matters any, the English girl thought, as her boss picked up the cane and got ready to use it on the Maltese servant. The doctor shouldn’t be treating his staff like virtual slaves. She’d report him to the authorities for cruelty as soon as this session was over. She’d get him struck off every medical register in the land. Lisa moved her own hot limbs around as she tried to get comfortable in the suddenly airless corridor. She’d just force herself to watch to the end to gather as much evidence as she could. The twenty-eight year old pressed her eye more firmly to the keyhole. The former surgeon was now stroking the servant’s newly-bared flesh as if preparing it for sacrifice. ‘Please,’ Jamilla whispered. She was writhing. ‘Oh please!’ She must be begging for mercy, Lisa thought confusedly. Her voice must be cracking with a fear that sounded similar to desire. ‘Just another six, angel, then you can have your release,’ the medical man said coolly. He retrieved the cane from the desk and stood back, then took aim to one side of the Maltese maid’s plump backside. For a moment he seemed to feast his eyes on her tremulous hindquarters, then he brought the rod down

sharply to create a new red line. Jamilla cried out and drummed first one foot then the other against the thick rug, as if she was tap dancing. Lisa waited for her to jump up, to flee. ‘Isn’t it time you thanked your master nicely? Or would you rather have a few extra lashes?’ Michael Landers enquired, raising the long thin cane again. The girl jerked some more, then she murmured: ‘One stroke on the bare for disobedience, sir. Thank you, sir. Please warm my bad bottom again.’ ‘Nice to see that you’re learning the drill at last, Jamilla,’ Michael Landers said evenly, running the punitive rod down her waiting rear. The reminder of the rod’s stern lines seemed to cause the girl’s reddened orbs to jiggle. The doctor smiled, ‘Remember how long it took you to learn the humble words? You took spanking after spanking those first few months ...’ ‘Yes, sir. But now I know better and I ask nicely for the cane, sir,’ Jamilla said. ‘I think you’re really asking nicely for my cock, but you’ll have to wait until your pussy’s really dripping,’ the doctor replied. Behind the door, Lisa gulped—the man was shameless. Did he think that all his female employees were permanently on heat? ‘I beg for stroke two on my naked buttocks, sir,’ Jamilla continued falteringly. She must be desperate to get it over with. ‘You always did obey the dictates of your sex,’ said the man. He used the cane further down her expanse, turning another area of shocking pink into glowing scarlet. Again the maid moaned low and pushed her body forward then Michael Landers tapped each hot cheek in a warning gesture and she slowly and obediently pushed her bare bottom back. ‘Please discipline me,’ she whispered. Her boss moved in to palm her peripheries. ‘Oh sweetheart, you can ask more nicely than that,’ he murmured in a taunting voice. ‘Please apply the rod for a third time to my stingingness. Please leather my bad little bum cheeks,’ Jamilla gasped out in a thin and oddly breathless tone. Was she blushing? Lisa wished she could see more than the girl’s backside, wished she had access to her facial expression and her thoughts. ‘How hard do you deserve it, you thoughtless wench?’ the doctor asked. This was doctor’s orders on a vastly different scale to those most people knew, thought the trainee herbalist. She waited for the bent-over maid to plead for leniency. Instead the girl murmured ‘As hard as my Master desires.’ So he was her Master now. Lisa thought she’d like to substitute the word tyrant. Had this island become part of modern society? Whatever had happened to egalitarian values, to equal rights? She held her breath, wondering how hard Michael would apply the curved cruel cane. To her relief, he

just raised it a few inches before bringing it down smartly. He didn’t pull the rod all the way back like they did in black and white movies during boarding school scenes. As previously, though, the maidservant groaned low in her throat and shook from side to side as if to slough off the torment. Lisa could see that the cane’s bite had brought a new feverish line to the tanned small backside. ‘Good girl.’ Michael fondled her again and Jamilla squirmed, ‘Let me know when you’re ready to beg for the fourth hard stroke.’ ‘Now, sir, please,’ the girl muttered, trying to keep her arse in place. She scrunched up her bum cheeks, obviously anticipating the lash of the cane. When it arrived, she howled and bent her calves back and rubbed furiously at her backside. ‘Say pretty please as you ask me for the next,’ Michael said. ‘But it’s ...’ ‘You’ve done irreparable damage to my Aviary.’ ‘I know! I’m so very sorry.’ ‘I’m making you even more sorry,’ her employer said. ‘Pretty please, sir, I deserve to taste the cane,’ Jamilla said throatily. ‘And so you shall,’ Michael Landers murmured, resting the rod against her raised cheeks as if about to play them like a violin. He moved the cane down her clearly-tormented globes as if trying to decide which soft area to warm further then he lifted the staff and whacked it into the lower third of her exposed soft hemispheres. ‘Aaah!’ the Maltese maid yelled. Her bottom did a wild little rhythmic dance as her belly squirmed across the desk top. Then she pushed her orbs back into their tormentor’s fondling hands. Was the girl hoping to gain leniency, Lisa wondered. Hoping to take her boss’s mind off the hateful hard application of the cane? ‘Please, sir,’ Jamilla whispered, sliding her thighs as far apart at her position allowed for, ‘I need ...’ ‘You need another two tastes of the rod before you deserve release,’ Michael Landers said in an everyday sort of voice. Crouching behind the door, Lisa marvelled at his reserved tone and casual stance. Were these punishments so common that he didn’t get overheated? Her own cotton dress was sticking to her newly-swamped underarms. ‘Master, I beg you to train me further,’ Jamilla gasped reluctantly after much fondling of her secret places. ‘And will you keep your bottom nice and raised for me?’ her tormentor said. ‘Yes, sir.’ With what looked like a supreme effort, Jamilla straightened her thighs and pushed her plump nates up obediently. Tm ready to be striped now, sir,’ she said. ‘I doubt if you’re ever truly ready—you always make such a fuss,’ the doctor replied. Again he took his time deciding where to lay the cane then used it halfway down her helpless arse.

‘Aaah! That went over an earlier stroke, didn’t it?’ Jamilla said when she’d finally let go of her squirming cheeks. ‘It did. You’ve been so disobedient that I’m running out of space to correct you,’ her employer said. He watched her examining her reddened flesh as best she could then said: Tm waiting.’ ‘I deserve to ... deserve to taste the rod for the final time,’ Jamilla muttered, getting slowly back into place. ‘For the final time today,’1 Michael corrected. He smiled at the twitching cheeks. ‘Let’s face it, Jamilla, there’s rarely a week goes by in which you don’t end up over my chair or my desk or my knee.’ ‘Yes, but not like this ... Not the cane ... Just your hand or the wooden spoon.’ Her employer ran the slender rod down her squirming body again. Til admit that a hard caning like this is only for especially disobedient ladies. But you had to learn, my sweet, to pay attention to my orders, not to ruin my Aviary.’ The words seemed to give new fervour to the doctor’s right arm. As Lisa watched, he drew back the rod again then brought it forward to discipline the already snivelling Jamilla. The servant cried out and started to scramble up from the desk. Hesitated for thirty seconds in mid-position, then sank down over the surface and spreadeagled her legs even further apart than they’d been before. ‘Need it,’ she whispered gutturally, ‘Oh Master, please.’ ‘Well, you want it,’ the former surgeon replied, stroking her lust-crazed contours, Til decide what you need.’ He put the middle digits of his right hand between the girl’s labial lips. Lisa peered closer—and was shocked to see them glistening and dripping. My God, the girl had gotten off on this. ‘Oh sweetheart, your bum may prefer a good spanking to a thorough caning, but your pussy loves both of them,’ the man murmured mockingly. Lisa stiffened with rage on her contemporary’s behalf, then noiselessly shifted her position. Would the girl’s ignominy ever end? Okay, so the Maltese maid was obviously excited by the rod’s application. That didn’t mean that Michael Landers had to keep talking her down. The doctor’s middle digits slowly disappeared inside the half naked girl and teasingly stayed there, ‘Is that what you want, Jamilla?’ ‘Sir, please—if I could also have your cock?’ ‘You want my fingers and my cock?’ The man gave a short low laugh, ‘Aren’t you being a mite ambitious? That little hole’s so greedy, isn’t it?’ The teased sex tissues seemed to twitch and bear down upon the source of pleasure. T meant ... your cock instead of your fingers, sir.’ Her boss started to pull his fingers out. ‘Dear me, you’ve upset both exploratory digits by rejecting them. They’re bored with pot-holing now. They’re going away.’ The maid pushed her sex back hard against the retreating fingers: ‘Fill me with something, Master. Please.’

‘Well, my cock is here, of course. But I’m still not sure that you deserve it,’ the man murmured coolly. ‘But Master, you said ...’ Michael Landers smiled down at her striped sore bum. ‘Yes, I said you could have relief. But I didn’t say when. I might have been implying that I’d thrust into you tomorrow or the next day.’ The girl squirmed against the wooden desk as his fingers fully withdrew. She shifted her stance. Lisa strained, but couldn’t see what she was doing. But Michael obviously could. ‘Take your hands away from your clit this moment, Jamilla, and grip the desk again. That’s not allowed.’ Very little was allowed here, Lisa thought. She wondered what would happen when she herself made mistakes, and her bottom trembled. No way would she let him chastise her with a cane. And she’d never plead for his cock like this Maltese maid was doing—never in her wettest dreams. Ordered not to touch herself, Jamilla was now begging her arrogant boss to slide his manhood inside. ‘I’d bring you pleasure, sir. I’d tighten my inner muscles on you so good.’ ‘I might want you to pleasure me with your hungry mouth rather than your hot sex,’ the doctor said. ‘I could do that later, sir—bring you to a second come. I’d swallow every drop down. I’d make you spurt so very hard.’ ‘Don’t be presumptuous about my sexual requirements, girl.’ The man spanked both plump red cheeks and they flinched and quivered visibly. Then the girl pushed her quim back even closer to his trousered groin. Lisa held her breath, somehow not wanting this genital union to happen. Felt disappointment tug at her belly as her boss pulled his suit zipper down. As she stared, he scooped his phallus out. It was excitingly thick and smooth looking. Lisa wasn’t surprised to see arousal glistening on its rounded pale head. Jamilla had obviously also heard the zip being disturbed, for she entreatingly tensed and untensed her punished haunches. Gave a whimper of desire as the man positioned his hard promise at the opening to her sex. ‘I think it’s time that the bad girl did a little beseeching,’ the doctor said. Jamilla trembled with obvious shame and desire. ‘I want you inside me, sir,’ she muttered feverishly, ‘Want every inch.’ ‘All of it?’ Michael Landers managed to sound surprised, ‘Do you think a girl who ruins an entire Aviary deserves that much pleasure?’ ‘No, Master. But I promise never to do it again.’ ‘You can’t do it again, given that I don’t have any birds left,’ Michael said with a short, sharp laugh. Jamilla writhed as if anticipating a further cane-based reprimand. Then she sighed with relief as the man began to slide his hardness in. ‘More,’ she whispered, as he stopped moving with only an inch of his rod filling up her flesh, ‘Please Master, I implore you.’ ‘Imploring are we, now? Makes a change from your usual impudence.’

He hesitated, staring at the portion of his prick that was embedded in her craving conduit, a conduit that obviously wanted to grip his entire phallus. ‘I suppose as I’m here I may as well give you another inch.’ He slid in a little way. The Maltese maid pushed back to meet him. ‘Easy,’ he whispered, ‘I may get bored with your sexual greed.’ ‘Sorry, sir. I’d be grateful for whatever you want to give me, sir,’ Jamilla muttered. Lisa shook her head as she knelt in the stifling corridor. This servant was a feminist’s nightmare, a misogynist’s dream. Maybe she could have a word with the girl later, show her that modern women had options, that they didn’t have to behave in this shameful way. As she stared, Michael thrust forward some more. Jamilla sighed with obvious pleasure, and her entrance seemed to close tightly on his cock. ‘Oh you need it,’ the doctor murmured, ‘You’re so hot, so wet, so desperate.’ He slid his right hand forward and seemed to find her clitoris. ‘That’s it, angel, you rub against my fingers when I move forward into you. But when I move back I’ll pull my hand away.’ He smiled, ‘You’ll just be without the clitoral contact for a second but it keeps you from getting complacent, doesn’t it, my sweet?’ The girl seemed to have lost touch with her voicebox or her language centre. Leastways, she just grunted in reply. Lisa watched as the younger woman rubbed and bucked in an effort to keep Michael Landers fingers against her lovebud. The maid seemed equally keen to keep his full hardness inside. ‘Anything,’ she muttered, and ‘Do it! Do it! Doit, please!’ ‘Stop making such a fuss, girl,’ the former surgeon said, ‘You know I like to take my time.’ He thrust lazily in, pulled part of the way out. Repeated the gesture. Used the same slow sure strokes numerous times. ‘Do you feel my belly slapping against your hot arse, darling?’ he taunted, ‘It’s blushing the brightest red.’ ‘So hot ... So sore ...’ the Maltese servant murmured, voice tremulous with a clear excess of desire. ‘Maybe I should let the new herbalist take a look at it,’ the doctor replied. Lisa’s thigh muscles clenched with dismay at the doctor’s words. Jamilla’s legs tensed with either humiliation or approaching satisfaction. ‘Please don’t,’ she whispered raggedly, ‘You know I hate it when others see ...’ ‘Maybe she could prescribe a herbal infusion to cool a well-thrashed bottom,’ Michael Landers continued. ‘But Master ...’ Jamilla sounded overwhelmed with obvious lust. ‘Perhaps she’d knead a soothing balm over your glowing cheeks.’ The image seemed to trigger something off in the girl. She shoved her clitoris hard against his fingers and did a little pre-orgasmic groaning. It obviously opened up the sound and pleasure pathways, for she then cried ‘Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!’ The climactic cry went on and on, lasting for longer than the listening Lisa would have believed possible. Michael Landers kept his vital digits on Jamilla’s clit as he continued to thrust each pinnacle of paradise out.

‘Oh, you needed that,’ he gasped, ‘You naughty girl, you were just begging for a ...’ He slumped heavily over her back and let out a long climactic sigh. ‘Sounds like I wasn’t the only one who needed that,’ Jamilla laughed, and there was tenderness and power in her voice again. There was also, Lisa realised, a new equality. Again Lisa shifted her stance to keep the circulation going in her legs. What was she to do now? A few moments ago she’d been ready to denounce her new boss to the authorities. She’d thought that he was an overbearing harasser—but now it seemed that this woman wanted to be talked down and thrashed. Presumably the same was true of the lighter-skinned girl in the photograph who had been getting spanked over Michael Landers knee. Confused, the herbalist put her right eye to the keyhole again. The doctor was now helping Jamilla rise from the desk, his lip-curve tender. Smiling sleepily, the maid pulled up her pants and smoothed down her dress. Her eyelids were heavy with satiation, her skin flushed, her movements languorous. ‘Let’s lie down for a little while,’ the doctor said. He led her to a couch. Lisa could only see the end of it from her restricted viewing post. She heard the springs give as they presumably got carefully into place. ‘That’s it. You lie on your tummy, angel,’ Michael murmured, ‘Want me to ring for water? Coffee? Tea?’ ‘Uh uh. I’m too orgasmed out to do anything but siesta,’ the Maltese girl said with delight in her voice. So the punishment and pleasure were over for now. Lisa stood up and backed soundlessly away. She went back to her room and peeled off her cotton shift: after all, it was well-dampened. As she edged down her panties she realised that the gusset was warm and wet. Warily the herbalist brushed her fingers across her labia. The sensation which followed was so strong and sexually sweet that she almost yelped. Maybe a quick session with her fingers would relax her? Making sure that the door was locked, Lisa slid her middle digits round her clitoris and very quickly came. Arriving in a new country had obviously awakened her somewhat sleepy libido, stimulated her lust ... She was re-showered and dressed in a cream lounging trouser suit by the time the 6pm knock came at her door. A light-skinned woman of around twenty stood there. Lisa flushed with shock as she recognised her from the spanking photograph. ‘I’m Carmen. I cook for everyone at Vitality,’ the younger woman said. She smiled and held up her notepad, ‘I wondered if you’d like to order dinner? We normally all eat in the dining room at eight.’ ‘All?’ Lisa muttered, trying to meet the girl’s hazel eyes. ‘Yes—Dr Landers, Jamilla the housekeeper, Marie-Rose the receptionist and Bakar the boy who takes care of the horses and the grounds. Oh, and there’s Ria, our Sex Therapist, of course, but at the moment she’s away.’ ‘I thought Dr Landers employed twenty people?’ Lisa countered, playing for time, trying to envisage eating opposite Michael. ‘He does—a part time dentist, night care nurses, nutritionalists and a book keeper,’ Carmen explained, ‘But they don’t live in.’ Do they get their bottoms spanked, Lisa wondered. She tried to imagine making small talk with the spanked Carmen and recently thrashed Jamilla over the minestrone. Realised she couldn’t yet face them, not just after the caning she’d just seen. ‘It’s been a long day,’ she said softly, Til just have a light snack

in my room.’ The next day Lisa was woken by Carmen’s light knock on the door. After her tray-based breakfast of fresh Maltese rolls with sun-ripe tomatoes she showered then dressed in shorts and a top. Happily she walked down to Reception, intending to ask the receptionist for ideas about the islands sights. She’ d been given a couple of days off to get to know Malta properly so now she’d ... She stopped in the doorway of the room as she saw Michael Landers leaning lightly into the cream-painted Reception hatch. He was sharing a joke with the woman behind the desk. ‘... and he said we get the economy we deserve,’ he finished. The woman, a Maltese subject of around forty, was laughing so much that tears formed at the corners of her eyes. Michael’s own face was creased in smiles, his shoulders relaxed, arms gesturing. ‘Doctor—you should be on the stage,’ the Receptionist said. ‘Marie-Rose, if the government keeps taxing me at this rate I may well transmogrify ...’ Michael broke off as he spotted Lisa standing inside the open door. ‘Ah, just the person I wanted to see,’ he murmured, walking closer. Lisa forced herself to confront his gaze. She wished he was still smiling, didn’t look so nerve-rackingly stern. But I’m a grown woman, she reminded herself as she shifted her weight from foot to foot, and I haven’t done anything wrong. ‘What can I do for you?’ she asked, willing her voice not to falter. ‘You can have a word with me immediately in my surgical rooms.’ At least he wasn’t suggesting she visit his bedroom. Lisa followed him along the corridor to his medical suite. ‘I’ve been finding out a little more about herbalism since I hired you,’ Dr Landers said as soon as they entered the antiseptic-scented surgery. ‘Oh? Good.’ Lisa turned to face him as he closed the door. ‘When I initially consulted you I’m afraid you didn’t conduct the consultation in a professional way.’ ‘I was unprofessional?’ The twenty-eight year old felt her stomach contract as she remembered their first meeting all these months before in Scarborough. ‘How ...?’ ‘According to the herbalists I’ve since talked to, you neglected to take my full medical history,’ Dr Landers continued. ‘You failed to ask what conventional medicine I was on.’ ‘Are you sure? I ...’ Lisa usually asked such vital questions almost immediately. But he’d been so damned attractive and intriguing, and during the session the telephone had kept bleeping, then the doorbell had rung. ‘If I made an oversight I apologise,’ she said, taking a deep breath then forcing her tense mouth into a let’s-change— the-subject smile. ‘Apologies don’t make patients well again,’ the doctor said, ‘Proper procedure is vital.’

‘Next time I’ll follow ...’ ‘This time you still have to be retrained.’ ‘Retrained?’ Lisa muttered, wondering if he was going to send her on further courses. ‘In other words, you’ll have to be soundly spanked,’ her new employer and temporary landlord said, beginning to roll up his jacket sleeves. 23

Chapter Three What was Lisa doing now? Reece paced his Singaporean hotel room. She’d be getting to know her new boss and hopefully finding the real Malta. She might be trying out the snorkelling or windsurfing there. Lisa had always been game for a challenge, Reece thought, smiling ruefully. She was more daring than he. Personally, he loathed the idea of deep sea diving or waterpolo. But Lisa had been rapt to read that Malta had both. ‘I mean, I won’t be working all the time,’ she’d grinned, studying the rainbow-coloured travel guides. Reece wished he could invite her here to Singapore right this minute. It would be different once she was his wife. He’d have the right to take her on longer journeys then—his employer would pay her expenses. She could continue to learn about herbal medicine whilst he put some new corner of the globe to rights. He was the first to admit that he had a traditional streak so wanted her by his side, even though he was trying hard to be a new man. Okay, so he’d never yet bought the tampons, but he could toss a salad and make a reasonable spinach lasagne and dry a dish. He quite fancied the idea of tossing more than a salad right now, Reece looked thoughtfully down at his crotch, and it gave a little twitch of acknowledgment. He wasn’t really horny. It was just that there was so little to do here in Singapore late at night. The entire island seemed to be abed before twelve, which wasn’t much fun if you were the nocturnal kind. And there were so few books here, and the television ended at around midnight and he’d never been a drinker. Reece picked up the notepad by his bedside and uncapped his rolled gold pen. He’d write Lisa a really long letter. As they were saving up to buy a house together they’d agreed not to waste money by talking for hours on the phone. / miss you, Reece wrote, it’s dull here. He thought of the archery and riding that was available on Malta and added / hope that you’re having a more stimulating time. Chapter Four ‘Spanked?’ Lisa echoed. She stared in shocked surprise at the virtually expressionless doctor, ‘Don’t you dare lay a finger on me.’ Far less a palm, she thought abstractedly. ‘Oh, I won’t unless you agree to it,’ said the man. ‘In that case you’ve got no chance,’ Lisa countered, fighting the urge to put her hands on her hips like

some latter day cowgirl. ‘I suspect that I’ve a very good chance given that I’m morally in the right,’ Dr Landers said. Don’t let him unnerve you, Lisa chided herself. She looked at the medical examination couch, at the long wooden desk, at the five leather chairs arranged in a rough semi-circle. After a slight hesitation she sat down on one of them to protect her shorts-clad backside. ‘You consulted me complaining of general fatigue initially,’ she started, looking directly up into his assertive eyes, ‘I asked in depth about your lifestyle, your diet, your state of mind.’ ‘But not about whether I was taking drugs that might conflict with the herbal remedy you prescribed me,’ her new boss countered, his lips grim. ‘That’s usually my next question,’ Lisa continued, thinking out loud. She pictured the scene, ‘As you probably recall, that particular afternoon was really hectic ...’ Michael Landers perched on the low examination couch then stared at her solemnly: ‘And life would be hectic for my staff and patients here in Malta if due to your negligence I had died.’ He’d outlined a just-about-possible picture. Some herbal remedies were startlingly potent, mustn’t be used in conjunction with certain drugs. It was the herbalist’s job to ascertain her patients medical history and steer them through the clashing medical minefield—she’d failed in that. No way was she going over his lap, though. She had to find a verbal means of escape. Tm learning more about herbal practice all the time,’ she began in a rush, ‘Your giving me this job was like a vote of confidence, made me decide to give myself a hundred percent to alternative medicine.’ She sucked in her breath, ‘I decided that on my return to Scarborough I’d gradually give up the counselling service I’ve been offering and sit every level of Herbal Studies Exam.’ ‘You won’t qualify in any of them if I write to the governing board accusing you of negligence,’ Michael Landers said evenly. ‘But why would you ...?’ Lisa gasped. ‘Because I believe that adults should admit to their mistakes and accept the appropriate reprimand.’ Lisa knew that the appropriate reprimand in his book was a stripped sore bottom. She licked her lips, but her mouth remained steadfastly dry. ‘Can I have a drink?’ she asked unsteadily. Watched his tanned hands as they uncapped and poured from a bottle of carbonated mineral water. Realised her own hands were unsteady as she accepted the cut crystal glass. ‘Don’t look like the condemned woman having a final request,’ he joked. ‘I feel condemned,’ Lisa admitted hollowly, knowing that she’d never envisaged such a disquieting scene on this peaceful island, ‘You seemed so pleased when you offered me this Herbal Consultancy that I thought ...’ ‘Thought that I was impressed with your enthusiasm and your knowledge?’ the doctor said when she

tailed off, ‘Yes I was. I could see the books in your flat, the way you’d examined herbs uses as medicine, teas or foods to their roles as gardening aids and cosmetics. I liked the fact that you’d originally trained as a counsellor and were still working as one, understood something about the human mind.’ ‘Yet I made one mistake through overwork and ruined everything,’ the twenty-eight year old concluded sadly. ‘No, you made one mistake that a good hard spanking will put right.’ ‘But even my parents didn’t spank me,’ Lisa protested, looking for another angle to protect her extremities. ‘I’m glad to hear it,’ Michael Landers replied strongly, ‘Spanking children is a form of abuse.’ His words threw her for a moment. Lisa toed the carpet as she tried to figure his philosophy. She agreed that the physical chastisement of youngsters was wrong—but she also thought that it was wrong to punish your subordinates the way he’d caned the luckless Jamilla. ‘1 don’t understand,’ she said at last. ‘Well, would you hit someone under eighteen who looks to you for protection and advice? It’s cowardly and cruel. It’s an act that’s born of stupidity and anger.’ ‘I agree with you,’ Lisa said. She took a deep breath, ‘But it’s also wrong to discipline me because I’m in a childlike position compared to you.’ ‘Nonsense—you’re a twenty-eight year old woman with a counselling diploma,’ her boss countered briskly. ‘And that’s precisely why I’ll feel stupid being bent over your lap and having my ...’ She found she couldn’t bring herself to add the words bottom spanked, ‘Feel stupid being corrected,’ she substituted falteringly. ‘But you deserve to feel stupid because you acted stupidly,’ Michael Landers said, tapping his fingers against the couch. Damn it. He was winning this war. She was running out of verbal fire. Lisa sucked in her breath then played her trump card: ‘I know that you secretly get off on this. I saw you caning Jamilla yesterday.’ Michael blinked twice, then he smiled lazily down at her: ‘It’s no secret that I enjoy roasting a womanly bottom. AH of the staff at Vitality have been recruited because of their sexual submissiveness.’ He waved a hand in the direction of the window which led to the gardens and the stables, ‘I’ve got a veritable sub-culture here.’ ‘But I’m not like that,’ Lisa made herself look at him square on, pushed her shoulders back in what she hoped was a dominant gesture. ‘Oh, but you are. I knew that you had a subservient side the moment I met you,’ Dr Landers said. He clapped his right hand softly down on his left palm three times with hellish slow precision, ‘I bet you used to fantasize about being spanked.’ Damn him again—was the bastard psychic, or did he use this line with every new member of staff? Lisa made a mental note to talk to Carmen, Marie-Rose and Jamilla about the doctor’s conversational

gambits. ‘I might have done,’ she said cagily, trying to ignore the tingle which spread through her groin following his actions and words. ‘Don’t tell me—and then you forced your desires back because you found out they weren’t politically correct,’ Michael Landers continued. He was right again. Lisa fingered the legs of her olive green shorts. She wished that she was wearing more dignified clothes, that she could find the words and expressions to satisfactorily end this talk. T m a business woman now. I believe in men and women being equal,’ she said. Michael Landers smiled. ‘So do I—equal but different.’ He raised his eyes upwards, obviously searching for the right phrases and emphasis, ‘When a woman agrees to being punished by me she momentarily hands me her power. She has to be powerful in the first place or she’d have nothing to give.’ ‘But Jamilla’s a servant, so ...’ ‘A servant who knows what she wants and how to get it,’ the doctor answered simply. He paused, ‘I assume you watched her being caned through a window or doorway. After the caning, did you stay?’ ‘I ... yes.’ Lisa felt caught out, at a loss again. ‘Then you’ll know she cried out louder and longer in orgasm than she did when she submitted to her thrashing,’ the English doctor said. Lisa took a deep breath: ‘But that doesn’t ... I mean, she still wriggled and begged for mercy when the rod fell over her bare bottom.’ The doctor nodded: ‘Of course she did. It hurt like hell, and she felt ashamed. I would too, if I was bent over a desk and soundly beaten. Deep down though she’s submissive so she got off on it none the less.’ He paused, then leaned forward again. ‘Did it excite you to watch?’ ‘No, I thought it was an assault,’ Lisa lied, remembering the traitorous rush of pleasure to her pubis. ‘You’d react by calling the police if it really was an assault,’ Dr Landers said. He smiled over at her, ‘You’re a woman of honour and of courage. You wouldn’t have stood by if you really believed that domestic violence was taking place.’ ‘So I’m honourable yet you still want to spank me?’ Lisa muttered. ‘Very hard indeed.’ Worse and worse. The twenty-eight year old cleared her suddenly tight clogged throat: ‘And if I don’t agree?’ ‘Don’t agree to live by your employers rules whilst you have a live-in job?’ The suited surgeon shook his head, ‘In that case I’ll put you on the next plane back to England and we’ll both forget that this sad little interlude ever took place.’

Lisa looked round the clean, wholesome and hope-bringing medical room. Then she walked over to the window and stared down at the Cactus Garden with its yellow rock backdrop. ‘I don’t want to leave Malta,’ she wailed. She stiffened as she heard the man approach, felt his strong arms on her shoulders. ‘Then come over to the couch now and accept your first ever spanking,’ he said. How much could a palm slap hurt? She’d just force her mind to think of other things. Feeling strangely nerveless and ashamed and just a tiny bit curious, Lisa allowed her employer to guide her towards the couch. ‘Usually I stretch a naughty girl out so that her head hangs down on one side of my knees and her legs are stretched out on the other side,’ he said conversationally, ‘Point is, when the legs are stretched out the thrashing hurts more.’ He looked thoughtfully up at her as he settled himself on the couch, his feet firmly on the carpet, legs parted, ‘But as you’re new to being spanked I’ll let you put your belly across my lap and rest your weight along the couch.’ She sensed him smile, ‘Now isn’t that kind of me? And I’ll stop and start to let you get used to the heat.’ It was to be a long chastisement, then. Lisa stood where he’d guided her. Nibbled her lip as he patted his lap. Til add on an extra punishment if you don’t bend over my knee of your own volition,’ he warned, smoothing his cream suit trousers. The twenty-eight year old considered his words. ‘Make me if you can,’ she said. She braced her sandals firmly against the carpet. Put her hands behind her back. Dipped her head down like a see-nothing-so-fear-nothing ostrich. Squealed with surprise as he grabbed her around the waist and positioned her over his lap and across the examination couch in a virtually seamless move. But surprise wasn’t all that she felt—the sudden rush of blood to her clitoris unnerved her, and she pushed her slim thighs together and moaned. ‘Oh angel, is that pussy you’re so intent on keeping hidden feeling horny already?’ Michael Landers murmured, ‘Will that clit that’s been wearing all these Keep Off signs want to come?’ ‘Only with Reece. You said you wouldn’t touch me sexually unless I begged you to,’ Lisa countered, raising her head from the surgical couch and twisting it back. ‘And I’ll stand by my word,’ Michael Landers said. His prick seemed to be standing to attention, none the less: she could feel the head of it pushing into her shorts-clad belly. Still, he couldn’t help his sexual cravings just as she couldn’t control hers. What they could control, Lisa reminded herself, was whether or not they gave in to them—and she couldn’t give in as she was engaged to Reece. Waiting for the first spank was hellish. It seemed to take an age. Lisa closed her eyes and waited for the palm to fall. Waited. Waited. Waited. ‘Why haven’t you started yet, you bastard?’ she muttered eventually. ‘Are you so keen to feel my palm?’ The voice was low, amused, ‘You’re not going anywhere for a long time so I’m just contemplating your naughty bottom. Just examining the shape of an error-making arse.’ “Thought you’d have seen hundreds by now,’ Lisa spat out into the medical couch, feeling a little of her

spirit reassert itself. ‘But each girl and her cheeks is substantially different,’ her employer replied. He patted and palpated her shorts-hugged orbs. ‘Some backsides know that they’ve done wrong from the start. They jerk and writhe and ... well, sometimes the owner tries to wriggle away before I raise the hardwood paddle. Whereas a bum like yours is a touch arrogant, almost relaxed.’ Lisa certainly didn’t feel relaxed. Her heartbeat was pounding its tattoo through her chest. Her bra-less breasts were rising and falling within the loose confines of her lemon polo-shirt and new lines of electricity were snaking their way towards her crotch. Then Michael Landers raised his palm—and she forgot all about the crotch-based electricity. Felt her attention shift to her bum and analyse the new sensations that were happening there. Mm, that spank had been surprisingly light, surprisingly enjoyable. Maybe this chastisement wasn’t going to be so bad after all. Her new boss spanked on and on and on. His palm flattened first one small cheek then the other, bringing new stimulus to the hidden curves beneath the garments. He said nothing as he punished, his entire focus obviously on her clothed backside. After an indefinite duration the heat began to build substantially in Lisa’s rear. ‘Ouch,’ she muttered, and ‘That was a hard one!’ and ‘Oh! Aaah!’ ‘Just another twenty, I think,’ the doctor said, ‘Then we’ll let you stop and regain your composure.’ ‘What makes you think I’ve lost it?’ Lisa muttered darkly, then yelped as he doled out six much harder spanks. He’d been holding back so far, then—she hated to envisage the force of a no-holds-barred spanking. She shut her eyes tightly and concentrated on keeping quiet as he pained her with the other fourteen smacks. ‘Right, that’s the warm up taken care of,’ he said, sounding pleased with himself. She felt his palm tracing the full swell of her hips, ‘It renders the flesh more supple, prepares it for its proper punishment.’ ‘You mean there’s more?’ Lisa managed, shocked to hear her own voice reduced to a breathless squeak. She searched for her business-like tone, but found it sadly lacking. There was no hiding behind a power suit or a briefcase here. ‘Of course there’s more. You can’t endanger life and not expect a serious reprimand,’ her employer retorted, ‘A bum that’s put others at risk of fever deserves to experience a similar prolonged temperature itself.’ ‘But it already feels quite sore, sir.’ Lisa forced out the hateful words to get herself off the hook. Her clitoris twitched slightly. ‘Don’t forget that it’s your first spanking, so you’ve no yardstick to compare it with,’ Dr Landers said. He continued to lightly stroke her curves. Lisa felt the heaviness increase in her labial region. Forced the whimpers of pleasure back, damned if she’d give him the satisfaction of knowing he was turning her on. ‘Right, I think you’ve recovered,’ the thirty-something said a few moments later, ‘You’re ready to go on to Phase Two.’ ‘Phase Two?’ Lisa repeated. It sounded like the title of a bad science fiction film.

‘Mmm, Phase Two is where I pull down your shorts and spank you over your pants. You are wearing panties, I take it?’ ‘I am, but ...’ Stunned, Lisa tried to remember which pair of briefs she’d put on. She put her palms back to her cheeks to hold the olive cotton in place. ‘You can’t take down my shorts, you bastard.’ ‘Believe me, my dear, I can.’ ‘But isn’t that getting ... rather sexual?’ ‘As I said before, I won’t fuck you unless you plead for it,’ Michael Landers said. ‘You’ll wait for the rest of your life, then, mate,’ Lisa replied, enraged at his conceit and arrogance. She mentally examined her plight some more. If she let him strip off her clothes he’d presumably get even more aroused and frustrated—and she’d let him stay that way. ‘Go on, then,’ she said, taking her hands away, ‘You can always wank in the toilets afterwards,’ she added crudely. ‘Oh I think I can find someone to take care of me,’ Michael Landers said. He probably could. Lisa felt a new unexpected pull of disappointment in her chest. Somehow she hated the thought of him being pleasured by another woman. Sensed that if” she chose to she could make him spasm into rapture and groan with more ecstasy than he’d previously felt. But she was the one to groan softly with shame as he removed her olive green shorts. The awareness of him contemplating her bum in the cheek-hugging peach pants was just too degrading. ‘Like what you see, do you?’ she taunted. ‘Well, I’ll certainly enjoy spanking it,’ Michael Landers said. Lisa buried her face in the surgical couch as best she could. She wished she could put a blanket over her head and just go to sleep till this humbling ordeal was over. Unfortunately her hot flesh was very much awake, ‘I can feel the heat of your arse through your pants,’ her new employer said conversationally, ‘Congratulations. Means your faculties are in working order,’ Lisa snapped. ‘For a girl who’s bent over my knee,’ the doctor continued, ‘You’re mighty uppity.’ ‘That’s medical speak, is it?’ the twenty-eight year old taunted, determined that she wouldn’t be bested by this supercilious man. ‘No, that’s straight talking which is what a naughty bum deserves,’ the former surgeon said. Lisa flushed and held her breath as he fondled that selfsame bum. The peach panties covered her cheeks

from thigh to waist, would hopefully afford her poor bottom some protection. If nothing else it meant he couldn’t stare down at the folds of her labia or her dark dividing crack. He could doubtless see their shape, though, for the knickers were very close fitting. And she could tell that the crotch was already damp. The young woman trembled as he flexed his fingers. ‘Well, I can’t sit around chatting all day,’ he continued, ‘There’s a girl here that needs a damn good thrashing. And my palm is itching to oblige.’ He roasted his right hand against her waiting left cheek. Then he spanked the neighbouring orb. Found a slow assured rhythm. Chastened the lower and upper globes. He saved his hardest spanks for the centre of her cheeks where the flesh was as its fullest. Soon her small spheres started to glow. I can take it, Lisa told herself, pushing her belly forward in a vain effort to avoid the worst of each slap, then arching her body up again before the next stinging encounter. I won’t give him the satisfaction of knowing that I feel anything, she thought stubbornly. Spank followed spank followed spank. ‘How many more?’ she muttered at last. ‘How many more do you deserve for endangering the public?’ Michael asked softly. If she said too few he’d accuse her of being self lenient. The herbalist searched for a suitable figure. Finally she muttered: ‘Ten?’ ‘Ten it is.’ Lisa relaxed across his knees, relieved that her chastisement was almost over. ‘Ten on the bare, my dear,’ Michael said. ‘But you’re a man and ...’ Lisa tried to scramble from his lap but his firm hands held her easily in situ. ‘I could call in one of my female employees to correct you if you’d prefer that?’ he enquired. ‘Christ no, I ...’ She thought of how much more humiliating it would be for the likes of Carmen to chastise her, ‘Alright, you bastard—just do it,’ she said resignedly. ‘And another six spanks for calling your employer a bastard,’ Michael Landers said. He squeezed her flesh through the warmed cotton, ‘Trust me my dear, you’re getting off lightly. I’d have used my belt on Marie-Rose or the others if they came out with insults like that.’ His belt was a matt black leather affair—Lisa’s eyes had been drawn to it earlier. She shivered and swallowed hard: ‘How do they bear ...?’ ‘They can bear it because I’ve built them up gradually over many months.’ There was an absolute certainty in his tone, ‘When they’ve been bad girls I slowly take them to their limits.’ She heard the slight smile enter his voice, ‘Then I take them just a little bit beyond.’ ‘I think I’ve reached my limit,’ Lisa muttered, trying to stave off the moment when he pulled down her panties. ‘Don’t ever cry wolf, dear—it just earns you extra chastisement,’ her tormentor said. She felt his fingers on the waistband of her briefs. ‘Right, let’s see how this wicked bottom is getting on underneath the cotton.’ She winced as her knickers were dragged down and left just below her naked thighs. Winced with shame as he laid both palms over her flesh as if taking her temperature. ‘Lift your head, Lisa,’ Michael Landers said, ‘And look at the mirror on the ceiling. Enjoy the glow of your

recalcitrant rump.’ He had to be joking. He couldn’t have ... Lisa looked up and saw her own face and her back and her scarlet bottom reflected back at her from the ceiling-based looking glass. ‘Pervert,’ she muttered, glancing quickly away. ‘The word would be voyeur—and isn’t everyone these days?’ He shrugged both his shoulders, keeping both hands on her back, ‘I actually installed this mirror for practical reasons. It reassures my patients by letting them see exactly what I’m doing to them during an intimate exam.’ ‘And the band played believe it if you like,’ Lisa murmured. On one level she felt quite pleased with herself—she was still showing him that she wasn’t at all submissive. She wasn’t saying the shameful things which poor Jamilla had said. There again, Jamilla’s bum had trembled beneath the swishing force of the merciless cane, whereas she, Lisa, was just getting a hand spanking. Though some of those spanks had almost made her yelp. ‘Such bold little globes,’ Michael murmured, Til have to double the number of spanks they receive because you’re so insolent. I’m usually more lenient with a new girl but still have to teach her manners and respect.’ ‘If this is you being lenient, I’d hate to see you on a bad day,’ Lisa countered, wriggling shamefacedly over his lap. As if in answer, Michael renewed the spanking with greater zeal. God, how she wished she had her panties back on to protect her! Lisa winced as the man toasted her unclothed flesh. Being spanked on the bare was a whole new experience—the cotton had obviously diffused the earlier slapping. Now his palm made stinging contact with a small section of helpless nude flesh. Dr Landers spanked her centre swell, he spanked to the sides, he spanked below so that his fingers strayed near her quivering thigh tops. His hand rose and fell till every centimetre of her hemispheres was writhingly aflame. ‘Aaah!’ At last Lisa put her hands back, fingers spread over the scalding contours. She twisted her head back, ‘I can’t take much more, honest, sir.’ ‘Then let’s stop for a little rest and a chat,’ Michael said. Lisa kept her hands protectively over her curves, but she put her face down upon the couch again. ‘Do you agree that you were neglectful?’ Michael asked. ‘Yes,’ sir.’ She didn’t want to fight with him any more, just needed to go to her room and touch her clit. ‘And you agree that this thrashing has made you wet?’ ‘It hasn’t. I ...’ She fought to find the words which would save her dignity, ‘You promised no sexual contact, so you’re not allowed to check,’ she added, biting her lip. ‘And I’ll stand by my word,’ the doctor said steadily, ‘But if you’re not telling the truth you’ll have to be chastened further on the bare.’ Tm truthful,’ Lisa lied, feeling another fervent rush of delight to her Mount of Venus. ‘Then stand up with your legs apart and show me that you’re dry as a desert,’ the doctor said.

‘And if I don’t you’ll ...?’ She daren’t even think about his reaction. ‘I’ll continue spanking you till you do. That’s only fair.’ He stroked her bare bum, ‘You have to obey my house rules, Miss Steen. After all, I’m obeying yours by not touching you sexually.’ ‘Right, let’s get this over with,’ Lisa said. She put her palms flat on the couch and slowly hoisted herself back on to her knees. She refused to look at him. Spent a moment reorientating herself before swinging her feet around and onto the ground. Her pubis felt heavy with stimulus, yet surely her desire wasn’t visible to the casual eye? ‘Wider, sweetheart,’ Michael said with a smile. Lisa moved her thighs further apart, further, further. Felt the wetness start to slick from her body and looked down to see the long gelatinous threads. ‘The proof of the pudding is in the eating,’ the doctor continued. His words made her think of his tongue trailing wild sparks across her clit and through the lush folds of her labia. He’d lick gently down each petal then back up again until ... ‘Come on, angel, over my lap for a final twenty,’ the surgeon said softly, ‘Accept a sound thrashing for telling a lie.’ Lisa toed the ground: ‘And after that my punishment will really be over?’ ‘Providing you don’t commit further acts of negligence, then yes.’ Going over his knee again took almost all the courage she possessed. He knew she was sexually on fire, damn it. He might try to touch her clit—and if he did she’d be lost. Suddenly Lisa wanted him to caress that peaking bud, to give it the release it so obviously needed. She’d come so quick. ‘Was I right or was I right?’ Michael Landers murmured starting to stroke her sore cheeks as she lay over his knee. Lisa quivered at the indignity. Suddenly she hated him all over again. ‘Right about what?’ she countered coolly. ‘I was correct in assuming that though your arse hates being reddened your pussy gets off on it,’ her employer said. ‘That’s what you think. I was fantasizing about Reece before ... before you laid a finger on me,’ Lisa lied. ‘Before I laid a palm on your bare arse, you mean?’ He seemed determined to humiliate her. The twenty-eight year old writhed with sexual shame. Her clitoral hood rubbed against his thigh and sensation almost overwhelmed her. Jesus, she was so near ... ‘Twenty spanks on an already sore rump for not being honest,’ Michael Landers said as if pronouncing a legal sentence. His right arm came down across her shadowy buttock crease. The slap seemed to ricochet through her helpless globes to her equally immobile clitoris. Lisa moaned with increasing lust. She pushed down hard against his thighs again and felt her body start to move towards the ultimate pleasure. Bucked forward against his trouser leg as he dished out each echoing whack. Then she flattened her body out for a second, only to push forward strongly again. ‘... five, six, seven,’ Michael said out loud as he added each hard bum spank, That’s it, sweetheart, you just rub against my leg like a little animal, like a dog frigging a lamp post when it’s in heat.’ Lisa winced at his words but their taunting level took her strangely closer to Eden. He spanked, she writhed, she pushed

against his suited leg and groaned. Somewhere between spank fifteen and sixteen she felt the beloved signal go off in her groin signalling climax. Shoved the entire lower half of her body against him, jerking her hips forward with tiny hard movements to keep the stimulus sending the pleasure through. Never before had she felt such a strong focused orgasm. Never before with her own fingers or with her ex-husband or with Reece. ‘Uh,’ she kept muttering, her clenched teeth unable to hold back the grunts of increasing rapture, ‘Uh, Uh, Uuuuuh, Uuuuuuh, Uuuuuuuuuh!’ For long moments after the last frissons had died away, she lay semi-naked over Michael’s lap. She wished that he’d stroke her hair or kiss her neck or tell her she was wonderful. She looked up at him when he did none of those expected things. He was smiling enigmatically down at her, his fingers still circling her slender waist. ‘You okay?’ he murmured. ‘Why shouldn’t I be?’ The hostility in her own voice surprised her. He’d just given her the best orgasm of her existence and her body felt incredibly indolent and relaxed. Yet her mind suddenly longed to hurt this man, to destroy the languid atmosphere. ‘Can I go now?’ she asked in a ridiculously formal tone. Sensed Michael’s slow nod: ‘If that’s what you want, my dear.’ ‘What else did you have in mind?’ she muttered, flexing her wrists against the couch. ‘I could have shown you round the island. I’ve a boat at the Marina.’ She felt his palm slide over her hair, The water is perfect today.’ ‘No thanks. I like my own company and I prefer dry land,’ Lisa lied, rejecting the attractive aquatic image and starting to push back on to her hands and knees. Her crotch was far from dry. Her labia peeled reluctantly away from his leg when she moved away, the tissues making a small slurping noise. Wincing, she again clambered gingerly from the medical couch feeling a strong sense of deja vu. The sense of discord was even stronger as she mused over his invitation. Why was he suddenly being so friendly, so nice? ‘Well, if you change your mind my offer still stands,’ Michael Landers said evenly as she started to pull up her panties, ‘For the next four days I’ve deliberately kept my consultancy time light.’ Lisa refused to answer his hopeful smile. Instead, she reached for her olive shorts and started to edge them carefully over her punished haunches. ‘Really, I like my own company. I’ll be fine.’ ‘Well, enjoy your travels. If you want directions or anything don’t hesitate to knock on my office door.’ Nodding, Lisa made for her room. Her red bottom was tingling and her vulva was sated. For now, her body felt completely right. But the man had said that he took his employees to the limits of sexual pain and pleasure, so she didn’t want to think about the direction he might have in mind. Chapter Five Later that same morning the herbalist tiptoed down the stairs again, intent on leaving Vitality for a few hours in search of the enchantments of Malta. She didn’t want Michael to see her. She couldn’t face anyone just yet. Her clitoral pulsing had ebbed away and the sizzling of her buttocks had faded to a glow that was embarrassingly pleasant. But she still felt hugely transparent, suspected that the other servants in

the house would look at her and somehow know. Not that she was a servant, she reminded herself quickly, she was a valuable employee. An employee with several days exploration time, thank goodness. Glad that her ankle-length pinafore and underlying long white T-shirt covered her recently-spanked curves, Lisa began to tiptoe past the door leading to Reception. ‘Ah. I’ve been looking out for you.’ Marie-Rose came hurrying into the foyer, her round face lit with a motherly smile. ‘Dr Landers asked me to give you this Guide Book,’ she continued, ‘He said that Achille the chauffeur will drive you wherever you wish.’ Lisa beamed back at her. ‘Really, no—I’ll do the free spirit bit and take the bus.’ She hated the prospect of being couped up with any man for the next few hours, had to regain her composure, find her own space. ‘Dr Landers will worry about you being alone.’ The Receptionist licked her full pink lips. ‘Tell Dr Landers that I’m a big girl now.’ Lisa winced as the words left her. A couple of hours ago she’d felt very small indeed. Til give you a bus timetable, then,’ the stockily handsome older woman continued, ‘But be at the stop about fifteen minutes before the bus is due. They’re variable in when they arrive.’ Everything was variable here, Lisa thought as the woman went into the filing cabinet and produced a list of bus departure and arrival times. ‘We’d love you to join us for dinner at eight,’ Marie-Rose added, pressing the pamphlet into Lisa’s right hand, ‘Carmen enjoys trying out fresh recipes for a new guest. She’ll cook whatever you like.’ Lisa thought of Michael Landers presiding at the top of the long polished dining table, and her nipples tingled nervously. But she had to face him some time ... Three minutes after leaving Vitality, Lisa found an English-style bus stop. She’d go to Valletta, the Maltese capital. Would stroll about in the sun and check out the shops. She felt her happiness increase as a creaking coach came trundling round the corner. Then her smile faltered: Bedford Dominant was printed on the front. The herbalist grimaced at the unintentional irony, and smoothed her pinafore dress more firmly over her hot small buttocks. For the next three months she wanted to be in charge. And she would be from now on. She’d simply refuse to make any errors. That way she’d avoid the man’s cane and just taste his medical knowledge and his bounteous hospitality. ‘One to Valletta, please,’ Lisa told the coach driver. He was as remote as bus drivers seem to be the world over. Dropping the few cents he requested into his outstretched palm, she made her way down the half-empty bus. She’d been prepared to spend much more than this on transport—on everything. Michael was paying her a generous salary and had already left a crisp thick bundle of Maltese pounds in her room. Lisa stared eagerly out of the window as the coach drove past crop-heavy farmyards. Didn’t the Maltese keep animals? There wasn’t a cow in sight. When the bus reached Valletta she alighted into a boisterous modern part of her new world. She followed the guide book, till she came to the Sunday Market. Stalls stretched out for as far as her widening eyes could see. There were so many different tourists and accents and goods on offer, so much

to study and ultimately understand. For wasn’t that why people travelled? To get to know the Bigger Picture in the hope that it would help them study the smaller but complex canvas that was themselves. She understood now that a spanking could make her wet. Lisa forced her slender limbs further into the crowd. She felt strangely safe in its midst—unwatched, completely anonymous. Was half-carried past the stalls of cassette tapes, candies, paperbacks, wood and brass. Feeling guilty about orgasming over the doctor’s suited knees, she bought an Aran jumper for Reece. Back at Vitality that night she napped, showered, changed into a dusky pink skirt suit that she hoped warned don’t touch me. Don’t put a hand on my shoulder, far less spank my seat. She brushed her silky hair till its auburn highlights shone in the evening sunshine. Then she applied a little diluted rose oil to her pulse spots and stared at the clock. She didn’t want to go down before 8pm, for that might look too eager. She didn’t want to go down afterwards, for the bastard might try to penalise her for being late. At a fraction before the allotted time, Lisa left her room and traipsed slowly down the stairs and along the corridors. Only her heart was beating fast. As the grandfather clock in the dining hall chimed for the sixth or seventh time, she made her entrance, took in the long rectangular table—Michael, Marie-Rose and Jamilla were already sitting there. All three were leaning forward, obviously caught up in some animated discussion, but broke off to smile at her. Lisa smiled back, and forced herself to keep smiling as Michael pulled out the seat across from his. ‘I hear you took the bus to Valletta,’ he said casually. ‘You seem to hear a lot,’ Lisa replied. She kept her voice equally light for the benefit of the others. Looked up, glad of the interruption as a Maltese youth of around nineteen walked in. ‘Ah Bakar—just in time,’ Michael said with a very slight edge to his voice, ‘Glad that we could drag you away from exercising the horses.’ He turned back to Lisa, ‘Bakar can groom a chestnut roan till it shines, can tempt the tiniest foal into eating to get its strength up. If only his gifts extended to punctuality.’ He looked at the antique gold watch on his strong wrist, and Lisa shuddered involuntarily as she remembered his palm lifting and falling, ‘Well, we can’t wait any longer for dear Dania to arrive.’ He pushed a buzzer that presumably alerted the kitchen staff, for Carmen hurried in. ‘Dania hasn’t graced us with her presence yet. No, just put her starter out. She’ll need all the energy she can find to get through the thrashing which will follow,’ Michael said casually. Oh God, he wasn’t going to thrash another servant, was he? Lisa felt the blood rush to her face and to her pubis at the man’s words. Hastily she spooned up a firm King prawn and put it to lips which felt numbed and strangely slackened. Surely he wouldn’t cane an employee’s bare bottom at the table? If he started to chasten anyone, she’d get up to leave. She wondered who poor Dania was, for it was the first time she’d heard the name mentioned, but didn’t dare ask for fear of drawing further attention to the girl’s absence and buttock-based fate. All five of them were halfway through the main course when a fair-haired girl in a knee length floaty lemon dress rushed in. ‘Problems with the marketing budget figures ... Forgot about the time.’ She looked pleadingly at Michael.

‘Eat your starter. You can have your main course sent up to your room after you’ve had your arse tanned,’ the doctor said. ‘But I’ve never been late before,’ the girl muttered, her face turning the same hot shade that Lisa’s was. ‘And you’ll never be late again if you’re retrained by a thorough whipping,’ Michael Landers replied. ‘It’s just that I couldn’t find the receipts book ...’ the twenty-something female stammered. ‘And Carmen couldn’t serve your meal. And Lisa couldn’t be introduced to you at the start of dinner. And the rest of us couldn’t relax because we didn’t know where on earth you’d gone,’ Dr Landers said. ‘I took the Accounts into the Conservatory and sat by the open door,’ Dania muttered. All the fight seemed to have gone out of her. She spooned up a slice of avocado and nibbled at it dully. Her eyes were downcast for a while, but when they finally looked up they were suspiciously large and bright. Could the girl actually be excited by this public shaming, Lisa thought, forcing down another tender flake of spicy grilled swordfish. Was that why she was squirming in her seat? Silently the staff finished their main course and Dania finished her prawns. Michael buzzed the kitchens and Carmen brought in a trolley laden with wine, brandy and champagne. ‘Bring herbal wine and cider for our herbalist friend,’ Michael said, smiling at Lisa. Lisa sucked in her breath: ‘I’d rather have a brandy.’ God knows, she needed a strong nerve-steadying drink. Her first brandy warmed her mouth, throat, chest and belly, went down fast. Michael raised an eyebrow as she leaned forward to pour herself a second. ‘Let’s all take our drinks into the sitting room,’ he said, then slapped Dania’s hand away as it reached for the champagne. ‘Angel,’ he told her, ‘You know that when you’re due a hard spanking you’re not allowed an alcoholic drink.’ ‘Not fair,’ the girl muttered, pouting, ‘I’m feeling tired.’ ‘Well, a hot sore rump will soon revive you,’ the doctor added, picking up his own glass, ‘Maybe then you’ll start acting like twenty-four instead of six.’ Lisa walked behind Dania into the sitting room. The girl moved with easy confidence. She spoke well, looked good, was representative of the educated English middle classes, was obviously bright. Was she really going to allow herself to be spanked by Michael Landers in front of the assembled staff? In the sitting room Lisa took the armchair nearest the door. Her heart beat fast and hard, her calf muscles restless. She had to be ready for a verbal sparring, ready to flee. ‘Right, Marie-Rose, will you do the honours?’ Michael Landers asked. Lisa stared at him then at the Receptionist, not quite sure what he was implying. Watched the forty year old woman roll up her full length dress sleeves. Then Marie-Rose patted her lap. ‘Come and lie across Auntie Rose’s knee, my dear,’ she said looking fixedly at Dania.

The younger girl sat back further in her chair and glanced frantically around the room as if seeking an outlet. ‘Dr Landers. Aren’t you going to ...?’ she muttered at last. ‘Not this time. 1 want to relax awhile and finish my brandy,’ the former surgeon said. Lisa felt her own features freeze in dismay and shock. She ‘d been shamed enough being spanked in private in his surgical examination rooms. Surely he wasn’t going to let the Receptionist spank the Accountant in front of the other employees? She looked at Bakar the gardening boy, only to find his gaze fixed challengingly on Dania, who remained mutely seated and seemingly immobilised. ‘Get that unpunctual little bum over Marie-Rose’s knee right this minute or you’ll never work for me again,’ Michael Landers said. ‘It’s not right.’ Slowly the twenty-four year old got to her sandal-clad feet. Heels trailing, she made her way across the large square room, hesitating as she reached the stockier woman, then bent over her lap in a series of jerky movements. ‘Please let me keep my pants on,’ she whispered to no one in particular, ‘Oh please!’ ‘She’s especially shy because you’re here,’ Michael Landers said conversationally to Lisa. ‘Well she needn’t be—I’m out of here,’ the herbalist muttered, getting quickly to her feet. She turned towards the door, half-expecting to hear Michael’s steps behind her, feel his strong arms around her waist, forcing her to watch the younger girl’s unveiling. ‘No—stay.’ To her surprise, she recognised Dania’s pleading tone. Lisa looked back at the bent-over fair haired Accountant. ‘You shouldn’t have to ... No one has the right to punish you in a physical way,’ she muttered. She started to leave again. ‘I can’t be part of this. It’s unseemly.’ That’s the point,’ Michael Landers said. ‘The main part of a public punishment is the humiliation,’ Marie-Rose added matter-of-factly, starting to stroke Dania’s dress-covered bottom, ‘So I’ll give her a less severe thrashing if you stay.’ Lisa tried to keep her eyes fixed on Marie-Rose’s face, though her gaze kept wanting to stray to Dania’s lap-held buttocks. ‘I don’t understand,’ she admitted finally. ‘Well, if Dania’s already shamed by having a stranger like you watching, I’ll only give her fifty spanks, whereas I’d normally stop and start until she’d taken a hundred,’ the Receptionist explained. Lisa hesitated, midway between her chair and the door. She stared, open-mouthed, at the matriarchal Marie-Rose, then said: ‘You’re putting me in an impossible situation. This is corrupt.’ ‘Actually, it’s quite the reverse,’ Michael cut in. Lisa looked at him wordlessly, ‘Tell me, if you had the opportunity of watching a willing woman being spanked on film, wouldn’t you take that opportunity? I mean, if no one ever knew that you’d played the video tape?’ Lisa shifted her weight from foot to foot. ‘I might ...’ she managed, ‘Just out of curiosity. But that’s not

the same thing.’ ‘Oh but it is—we’ve all admitted to ourselves that we like to see a girl wriggling under the palm or the cane or the slipper,’ the former surgeon continued, ‘So do you, deep down, my dear. It’s just that you’re still being a hypocrite.’ God, she hated him. ‘This hypocrite is still going to her room,’ Lisa started, making once again for the door. A breathless voice halted her in her tracks. ‘Please—stay for my sake,’ Dania entreated. Lisa turned. Watched the younger girl’s small bum twitch beneath the lemon dress as Marie-Rose palmed it over and over again. ‘I ... Alright, but only because it spares you pain,’ she said hollowly, and returned on tremulous legs to her seat. Looking down at the helpless ramp across her firm knees, Marie-Rose started to push up Dania’s clothing. She folded the dress hem over the girl’s back to reveal a matching lemon crotch thong edged with ivory lace. ‘Oh sweetheart, I think you realised that you were late, that you were in for a spanking,’ the Receptionist said with evident enjoyment, ‘I think you changed into your prettiest panties in the hope of distracting Dr Landers from warming your bum.’ She started to edge down the triangular lemon scrap, ‘What a pity for you that I’m not tempted by girly lingerie. When I have a bad backside across my knee all I want to do is smack.’ She continued to roll the tiny garment from the girl’s small cheeks. Dania groaned. Lisa could see that the Accountant had her eyes tight shut, and who could blame her? Bakar, Michael, Jamilla, Carmen and the palm-flexing Marie-Rose were all staring at her newly-bared rear end. She, Lisa, found her own gaze drawn to the exposed nether cheeks and tensed thigh backs. Admired the way Dania’s hips curved out from a nicely-toned waist. The girl’s flesh was smooth and completely flawless. Lisa knew that it wouldn’t stay pale for long ... ‘Fifty spanks to teach you punctuality,’ the Receptionist said. She lifted her hand strongly to one side and brought it down with a resounding whack against the girl’s nude right orb. Dania cried out and kicked her legs. A spreading red mar k: appeared. 52 ‘A spanking that’s purely for punishment hurts more than one which is partially designed for pleasure,’ Michael Landers said. He was looking at Lisa. She made herself look coldly back. ‘You ordered this,’ she muttered, ‘You’re still to blame. You’re still accountable.’ ‘No, Dania is to blame for causing the rest of us inconvenience with her lateness,’ the doctor said. Lisa winced as Marie-Rose roasted her palm against Dania’s arched left cheek. Despite herself, she stared at the reddening flesh and felt her groin contract a little. Became very aware of her own posterior, still hidden beneath the dusky pink suit. Was it really only a few hours since she’d squirmed beneath Michael’s spanking hand, come like a bitch in heat against his leg? She wondered if it was better or worse to be spanked by someone of the same sex, albeit someone older. It was hard to tell what Dania was thinking as she jerked and whimpered beneath explosive smack after smack. Marie-Rose seemed to have forgotten about the silent watchers and was staring intently

down at Dania as she scorched her with her large and industrious hand. Lisa could see scarlet palm prints merging into palm prints on the blonde girl’s helpless posterior, could see where the harsh red finger marks had strayed onto her tender thighs. ‘Punishing the backs of a girl’s thighs doesn’t excite her the way having her bum smacked does,’ Michael said conversationally between sips of his brandy, ‘But then this punishment isn’t meant to thrill you, is it, Dania my sweet?’ ‘No, sir.’ Dania muttered. She raised her head, ‘How many more am I due, please, sir?’ ‘I think another ten should do it,’ the doctor replied, looking smilingly at Marie-Rose. ‘Four on each buttock and two in the middle it is, then,’ the Receptionist confirmed, hoisting the shamed bare bottom higher across her knee. Dania whimpered anew. ‘The two in the centre will hurt the most,’ Michael Landers added. He was staring at Lisa. ‘I can’t believe you’re doing this,’ she muttered. Can’t believe that I’m watching, she thought numbly, that my pubis has started to throb. ‘Spanks over the crack of a girl’s backside sting like mad and somehow radiate through to tenderise the whole area,’ the doctor said, watching her closely. ‘Save me the Biology Lesson,’ Lisa sneered. She tried to keep her gaze casual as they focused on Dania’s hot flesh. Tried to keep the excitement from her features. Watched as Marie-Rose’s palm rose and fell, making the hemispheres tense and relax again. The Receptionist seemed intent on making the younger girl wriggle and jerk as she turned each fleshy inch from scarlet to deepest crimson. Was she jealous of Dania’s taut and perky posterior? Lisa could tell by looking at Marie-Rose’s ample breasts and waist outlined by her neat black housedress that she’d have a more mature, considerably larger behind. ‘... four, five, six,’ Marie-Rose said as she added each stinging spank. The punished girl was now squirming so hard that she was almost dancing. She flinched, pushed forward, moved the little she could from side to side before arching back. The older woman kept her free left arm over the younger girl’s waist, holding her firmly in place. ‘Seven, eight,’ the Receptionist continued. Then she lined up her palm with the deep dark crevice which divided Dania’s tensing rump cheeks. For long seconds she looked thoughtfully down at the furrow she was about to chastise. ‘It hurts, doesn’t it, my spoilt darling?’ she whispered, ‘And Auntie Rose is about to make it sting lots more.’ She stared for final seconds at the hot red soreness then brought her hand into explosive contact with the waiting divide. ‘ Aaaah,’ Dania half-lifted her bare calves and raised her head, then let all three flop down again in a hopeless gesture. Her fingers moved convulsively against the carpet. Her bum pushed forward as far away as it could from the firm hand. ‘Just one more to go, love, then you can remove yourself from my lap and make your apologies,’ the Receptionist said in a conversational tone. Again she brandished her thick palm over the shadowy

conduit. Dania whimpered and puckered up her flesh. ‘Untauten that little rump or I’ll give it another reason for wincing,’ the older woman warned. Lisa stared at Dania’s closed eyes and opening and closing mouth. Watched the fair haired girl fight to regain her composure across the Receptionist’s ungiving knee. ‘I’m keeping my rear end nice and smooth for you, Auntie Rose, just the way you like it,’ she whispered at last. ‘You mean you’re keeping your reddened arse nice and smooth, Dania, my sweet. Bad girls who’ve been unpunctual have to say more vulgar words than rear end,’ Michael Landers cut in smoothly. ‘Yes, doctor,’ the English girl sighed. She sucked in her breath, obviously trying to find the courage to say the coarser words. ‘I’m not tensing up my reddened arse, Miss,’ she amended, blushingly. ‘Glad to hear it,’ the Receptionist said, and doled out the final flat-handed spank. Watching, Lisa swallowed three times in quick succession. She laced her hands in her lap, then took them quickly away from the vicinity of her pubic patch. Refusing to make eye contact with anyone, she placed her elbows on her chair arms. Had she just witnessed a collective shiver of excitement or of shared sympathy and shame? She looked back. Dania was still being held across the older woman’s knee. Her bum looked like a roasted chestnut. Marie-Rose was gazing at Michael, obviously waiting for her next cue. ‘Dania—hold your skirt up above your waist and go stand in the corner,’ the doctor said finally, ‘We can contemplate your punished globes whilst we enjoy our drinks.’ Hastening to follow the order, Dania scrambled awkwardly up. She tucked her dress beneath her armpits, then she cast a quick sideways glance at Lisa. God, this was embarrassing. The herbalist managed a half smile that was part grimace, then looked studiedly away, stared at the carpet until she could sense that the other girl had turned her back. And turned her bum towards the remaining members of staff. Dania stood near the window holding her garments away from her rear end. Her heated hemispheres quivered gently. The herbalist tried not to notice the puffy full-blooded sex lips which protruded from between the girl’s bare thighs. My God, it was another woman who had given her the spanking. Surely she couldn’t have been stimulated by the slaps? ‘So, Lisa, what’s on the Agenda for tomorrow?’ Michael Landers asked. Not my arse, at any rate! She bit back the retort. ‘I thought I’d check out the shops and restaurants in Sliema.’ ‘And would you like Achille to ...?’ ‘No.’ That sounded abrupt. ‘I don’t like to be tied down,’ she added quickly. Saw the faint smile cross his face as he murmured: ‘Is that right?’ Lisa saw that everyone else in the room was staring at her, noticed that Bakar the stables boy had an obvious tenting of his riding pants.

‘It’s a small island, but there’s quite a lot to see,’ Michael added, topping up his brandy glass and signalling for Carmen to pour the others whatever they wanted from the trolley laden with drinks, ‘A lot of the old trades have been revived, mainly for foreign visitors.’ He rolled the crystal stem within two fingers and looked at her more closely, ‘I suspect that you’re a traveller rather than a tourist though.’ Lisa thought of the Aran jumper she’ d purchased, of the Maltese T-shirts she’d almost bought on impulse at the Sunday market. ‘I suspect F m a bit of both.’ ‘The moment I saw you I thought ...’ For the next half hour they talked of their work, their plans, their lifestyles. Eventually Michael stretched contentedly. ‘Right. Who’s for a stroll in the grounds ...?’ He glanced around at his assembled staff then murmured, ‘Dania—don’t you dare!’ Marie-Rose looked from the girl to the man, then asked: ‘What was she up to?’ ‘Only squeezing her thighs together in the hope of a silent orgasm,’ Dr Landers said. ‘Want me to ...?’ The Receptionist raised her thick right hand again and brandished it in mid air. Dania’s bared bottom puckered and flinched. ‘No,’ Michael said thoughtfully, ‘Her bum’s red enough for this evening, and I’ve a much better idea than that.’ He stared at the girl, who’d now bowed her head again. ‘Dania—go to your room and fetch your Welcome Pack. It’s in your bedside cabinet drawer—assuming you haven’t discovered it already and used it on your tender bits?’ ‘I haven’t touched ... I’ve been working flat out since I arrived this afternoon, sir,’ the accountant whispered, tracing her sandalled right foot around the Persian rug on the floor. ‘Good, then bring the entire pack here without opening it,’ Michael ordered with the merest of smiles. Lisa shifted her weight uncomfortably in her chair. What was the tyrant going to do now? Welcome Packs in hotels usually contained rosettes of soap and a miniature shower gel. If you booked a honeymoon suite you sometimes got fresh fruit and chilled champagne. She had a feeling that any gifts left in Vitality’s rooms might be very different, much more unpredictable or otherwise adult. ‘I think she’s been building up to this for days,’ Marie-Rose said, looking generally around the room, ‘She phoned yesterday to confirm when she’d be here, was still working flat out on another firm’s accounts. I guess she’s just full of sexual tension.’ Michael nodded. ‘Last time she was here,’ he confirmed, ‘I was only halfway through spanking her when she came.’ God, they were shameless. Lisa reached for the brandy bottle, then had second thoughts. ‘Can someone point me in the direction of the kitchen so that I can fetch myself a mineral water?’ she asked hesitantly.

Til get it,’ Carmen said. The cook returned with the green glass bottle and Dania returned clutching a matt grey leather zipped packet at exactly the same time. ‘Good girl. Now open the Pack and lay its contents on the carpet,’ Michael Landers said softly. Lisa could see the young accountant’s shoulders tensing as she squatted down and hastened to obey. Slowly Dania pulled the various items out. There was a cassette tape, a phial labelled Sensuous Massage Oil, a raw silk thigh-length nightie, and a dildo-style vibrator. ‘Hand me the massage oil, then bend over your chair sideways, sweetheart, so that your bare bum’s facing me,’ Michael continued, ‘Come on, don’t be shy.’ Blushing, the twenty-four year old took hold of the phial, and handed it to him. Looked at the chair then looked back at him, eyes wide. ‘We’ve already seen your hot bottom squirming over Marie-Rose’s lap. Don’t have an attack of nerves at the prospect of me oiling your pussy,’ the doctor continued evenly. He turned to Lisa, ‘Young Dania’s been coming here for a week once every three years, yet she still goes all coy at the prospect of being publicly spanked.’ He poured a little of the oil over his middle fingers, then gazed sternly down at the still-crouching girl. ‘Dania, love, don’t play hard to get. A few moments ago you were trying to prime your swollen clit by pushing your pretty legs together.’ The girl’s face pinkened further. ‘Can’t prove it,’ she said defiantly, ‘I was just ...’ ‘Just get yourself over the side of the chair right this minute,’ the doctor continued. ‘What are you going to do to my body?’ she asked. Michael Landers smiled and rubbed his oiled fingerpads insinuatingly together. ‘I’m going to fondle your little sex bud in front of the rest of the staff.’ God, was there no end to this? Lisa hastily drank her first glass of mineral water down. It failed to moisten her mouth or throat, did nothing to assuage the feeling of heat which burned inside her. In fact, she felt hot all over, and her thirty-four inch breasts felt rounder than they ever had before. Her nipples pushed against the jacket of her skirt suit. Her pubis felt selfconsciously heavy and big. She swallowed hard as Michael again ordered Dania to bend over the chair. The twenty-four year old slowly obeyed him. When her lemon dress fluttered down to cover her nakedness, she hastily lifted it again, then went sideways over the wooden arms. ‘Part your legs further, angel. And still further,’ the doctor said. ‘Is this what you mean by a gynaecological exam?’ Lisa muttered. Jamilla, Carmen and Marie-Rose all opened their mouths a little in obvious shock at the sarcasm, and stared at her then at the doctor. Bakar the stables boy grinned. ‘No, Lisa, I call this sexual release. Perhaps you should partake of it more often,’ Michael Landers said, quirking the eyebrow above one dark brown eye.

‘I orgasm all the time,’ Lisa muttered, realising that the brandy had made her words slur slightly together. ‘There’s orgasm and there’s orgasm,’ Dr Landers said. ‘Meaning?’ She was damned if she was going to let this despot away with anything. ‘Meaning there’s the clitorally-centred orgasm you can achieve by giving yourself a quick rub.’ He paused then walked closer to Dania’s now eagerly stretched apart thighs and dripping sex folds, ‘Or there’s the kind of climax I’m going to give this little beauty eventually—the kind where she comes so hard that the electricity sweeps from her belly up to her breasts and downwards to curl her pretty little toes.’ He ran an oil-drenched thumb over the girl’s distended labia, ‘You come really loudly after a long spanking, don’t you, love?’ Dania groaned. Then she nodded. Then she groaned some more. Her sandalled feet half lifted from the ground as her calves tightened in near-ecstasy. ‘Don’t get too excited too quickly,’ Michael warned, ‘Let’s take it nice and slow.’ ‘So close to ...’ the blonde girl muttered. Then we’ll just trace round the outside of those wet hot pussy lips rather than circling your clit too directly,’ the doctor teased. Lisa felt her own womanly tissues tingle at his words. The bastard knew how to increase arousal, how to taunt a girlish tip. She risked a quick glance at Bakar, Jamilla, Marie-Rose and Carmen, was reassured to see that they all had flushed expectant faces and slightly parted mouths. They too were excited by the scene before them, by the girl’s spanked bare bottom and glistening folds. ‘Sweetheart, this oil is totally superfluous—you’re lubricated from rim to cervix,’ Michael Landers said. Lisa watched as he traced his fingers down the younger girl’s sexual curve. Dania moaned and bore back against his slippery fingers. ‘Don’t move without permission or I’ll stop pleasuring you,’ he added conversationally. ‘Please doctor,’ the accountant whispered in a guttural undertone, ‘Oh doctor, please I beg you.’ ‘Please keep me on the edge for an hour? Please teach me a lesson? Let’s be more specific. What exactly are you pleading for, Dania, my dear?’ ‘I need to come—need to come now. Can’t take it,’ Dania gasped, pushing her bare curves closer to him as she tried to take his fingers inside her. ‘Course you can.’ The former surgeon slicked his fingerpads along her impassioned membranes, ‘Remember that time I tied you down on your tummy across my bed and played a feather across your pleading little sex bud? You had to take it for as long as I desired.’ Til do anything,’ the blonde girl moaned. Lisa looked at Michael, wondering what he’d ask for now. ‘I know you will, angel, and I may avail myself of that promise later in my room.’ The herbalist let out an inner sigh of relief—at least he wasn’t going to have intercourse with poor Dania in front of them all. Not that Dania looked averse to the idea: her entire focus had obviously switched to

the overwhelming need between her legs. ‘I wonder what’ll happen if we play with this bit?’ Michael added, running a lazy digit around the girl’s enlarged clit. Dania cried out in answer. Michael repeated the rapturous stimulus and she cried out in mixed elation and anguish again. ‘Please, sir—take me to the limit,’ she muttered brokenly, ‘I need ...’ ‘Tell you what, we’ll do a deal,’ the doctor said, Til keep my finger in place, and you rub against it really sweetly. If you appear to be taking too long, I’ll pull my fingers away.’ He stared as she started to move her hot pubes upon his middle digits, ‘That’s it. Don’t go too fast though. I’ll get annoyed if I think you’re being too greedy. I’ll have to discipline you strictly all over again.’ He kept his fingers motionless as the girl frisked her tender tissues against them and made little mewling sounds, ‘I wonder what I’ll thrash those naughty cheeks with next time? What do you think, angel? Should we make you wriggle under the whip or the tawse or the cane?’ ‘Aah,’ Dania grunted, ‘Ah, ah, ah.’ Lisa recognised the subhuman groans that preceded orgasm. Any second now the girl would ... ‘Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!’ Dania cried. She kept bearing down, her thighs tensing in, her pink bottom puckering. Lisa knew that her eyes would be tight shut beneath the blanket of damp fair hair. ‘That’s it, angel, let it all out. Oh, we should visit you between the annual accounts, or let you come here for a non-working break, shouldn’t we, darling? It’s not right that you go this long without such pleasure,’ the doctor murmured, keeping his fingers in place. ‘Uh, uh, uh!’ Dania snorted, obviously nudging the last of the pudenda-based rapture out. Then she gave a long sigh of complete contentment and flopped raggedly over the armchair, bringing her arms up to fold them under her face. Michael leaned over and stroked her hair for a moment. ‘Let’s get you up to your bed, love,’ he murmured, helping the girl into a standing position, then scooping one hand beneath her legs to lift her into his arms, ‘There, there. It’s all over.’ He kissed her gently on the lips. Then he turned to Carmen, ‘I suspect we’ve all had enough alcohol for one evening. Maybe you could make coffee or tea?’ Michael left, carrying Dania. Carmen left, pushing the drinks trolley before her. Lisa stood up and forced herself to make eye contact with Bakar and Marie-Rose. Til skip the tea,’ she said in a forcedly jovial tone, T ve got some work-related reading I have to do in my room.’ Have to come right now against my fingers, she thought desperately, or I’ll never be able to concentrate on anything ever again. ‘Don’t work too hard,’ the Receptionist said with a knowing look. ‘I ... well, if I don’t see you before I’ll see you at dinner tomorrow,’ Lisa finished numbly. She wondered if she’d be able to face any of them by then. But they’d watched these spankings and canings for months, for years perhaps. Watched and gone to their rooms then met up for dinner again and again. Seen white bums turn red. Seen bare bottoms twitch. Heard the little cries and sighs of their writhing owners. Observed labial leaves gaping open, obviously pleading for further release. As she stumbled

along the corridor, Lisa’s own mound ached and pulsed. She couldn’t bear it any longer. Taking the stairs three at a time, she quickly reached her room. Unlocked the door, raced in, undipped her stockings and pulled down her saturated panties. Rolled onto her tummy and widely parted her legs. She slid the middle fingers of her right hand down, opened her labia. Was stroking each sensation-crazed leaf when her glazing eyes focused on the cabinet drawer. Did it contain a lust-based Welcome Pack? If so, she could use-Quickly she reached over and yanked open the drawer, finding the reassuring grey leather bundle. Threw it onto the bed and unzipped it, then shook the contents onto the coverlet. God, she was going to love this. Lisa picked up and fondled the eight inch smooth creamy dildo, found the base switch and hastily turned it on low. Closing her eyes, the herbalist moved the vibrating phallus along her full bra-held breasts and down her quivering belly. Ran it over her naked pubic patch until she moaned. Nirvana was nearing. Do it, do it, do it, she told herself wildly. Pretend that you ‘re being soundly thrust into by a man. She slid the mock phallus right up her drenched hot den and groaned with desire. Then she groaned again as someone knocked sharply on her door. Chapter Six Lisa froze into position, the dildo against her cervical tip. The knock sounded again. Most of the staff knew she’d gone to her room to read—she had to answer. Maybe Carmen wanted to find out what she’d like for dinner tomorrow night. Hastily, Lisa pulled the arousal-smeared dildo out of her glistening interior, and shoved it under the grey leather Welcome Pack. ‘Coming,’ she called, then winced at the irony. She needed to come so bad ... Kicking her discarded pants and stockings under the bed and smoothing down her skirt, she hurried to the door. Reluctantly she opened it a little way. Michael stood there. ‘Sorry to disturb,’ he said, smiling, ‘This’ll just take a minute. I wanted to talk to you about sexual release.’ ‘I bet you do,’ Lisa muttered, genuine sarcasm entering her voice. Dania had probably fallen asleep on him, and now he was looking for a conveniently oiled vagina to penetrate. He could go to Hell. ‘I wanted to talk to you professionally about sexual release,’ the doctor interjected. She watched the slight narrowing of his dark brown eyes, ‘It’s very important. We have to broach the subject with our patients, even though it’s not the British or Maltese way.’ ‘You mean ask them if they’re having intercourse?’ Lisa strove to keep her voice and hands as calm as she could. The thought of a thrusting thick cock was making her hungry core even more hungry, ‘Surely that depends on what they’ve come to see me about?’ ‘A person’s sex life is always relevant,’ Dr Landers said, shifting the pile of forms he was carrying from hand to hand. 65 ‘But if a woman presents with migraine ...’ ‘It may be partially caused by tension due to a lack of orgasm,’ the doctor replied.

Lisa swallowed before she spoke: ‘I suppose, but ... well, it’s such a delicate subject.’ The doctor’s voice contained a sarcastic half laugh. ‘Isn’t it better to broach the subject than to let headaches mar the rest of her life?’ Put like that, it was hard to disagree. But was he trying to sexualise this conversation for his own agenda? He was still an unknown quantity. ‘Some priests and nuns don’t orgasm,’ she muttered, determined not to let him have the final word. ‘They may not masturbate or have sex, but they come in their sleep like teenage schoolboys,’ the former surgeon said. ‘Do celibates orgasm as often as sexually active folk?’ Lisa had a sudden vision of endless semen-stained laundry piled up in every monastery. ‘No, less often—there’s some truth in the saying that if you don’t use it you lose it,’ Michael replied. ‘Ah—so my migraine patients have gone beyond desire?’ Lisa asked triumphantly. ‘What do you think?’ He looked her up and down then returned to making eye contact, ‘Do breasts with hundreds of tiny sensitive pathways no longer need stroking? Does a firm round backside not yearn to be cupped or squeezed or erotically slapped?’ His gaze locked with hers, ‘Doesn’t a clitoris want to be gently fondled? Doesn’t a warm wet woman want a man deep inside?’ She was going to come in a minute, and she feared the bastard knew it. Trying to gather her hectic thoughts, Lisa let her eyelids flicker down. ‘They ... alright, I’ll ask patients about whether or not they’re having intercourse,’ she said hesitantly. ‘Intercourse isn’t the key word—many women don’t orgasm that way, and even pressurised men have been known to fake it,’ the former surgeon parried. He put his free hand on the right side of the door frame and leaned forward slightly, ‘Orgasm’s what’s vital here.’ ‘And if they don’t come, do I ...?’ If he said she had to act as a sex surrogate she’d take the night flight home. ‘You refer them to Ria, our live-in Sex Therapist. She’s on a Lecture Tour at the moment, but when she’s accepting patients she’s fully booked for weeks ahead.’ He smiled at some thought or memory, ‘Ria also acts as a Sexual Surrogate which is still quite rare.’ And does she get caned like poor Jamilla, Lisa thought dazedly. And do you bring her off like you did to young Dania, then carry her off to bed? Aloud she said: ‘Why don’t you refer all patients to Ria first?’ ‘Because you’ll need to know their sexual history. You’ll have to treat the initial symptoms with herbal medicine whilst Ria works on an underlying orgasmic cure.’ He smiled, ‘You need to know if you’re just treating someone who’s become ill because they hate their job—or if you’re dealing with long term pelvic congestion due to orgasm denied.’ Dealing with it? She was experiencing it now. Lisa cleared her throat, but to her chagrin her voice still sounded hoarse: ‘Right, I’ll get further details from you before I start prescribing,’ she said shakily, ‘Now

I really must read ...’ She stepped back into the room, and the door swung all the way open. 67 i ‘Ah, I see you’ve unzipped your Welcome Pack,’ Michael Landers said. Lisa followed his gaze, saw the first half inch of the dildo sticking out from under the grey leather pouch. The doctor smiled. These vibrators have a six speed setting. An acquaintance in London has them specially made.’ ‘I just wanted the silken nightie—it’s lighter than the ones I’ve brought with me. I’ve never used a sex toy,’ Lisa lied. Her heartbeat quickened, but she stared back at him challengingly. ‘I’ve always been satisfied by Reece.’ ‘I’m sure you have. But he isn’t here for the next three months, so it would be understandable if ...’ He gesticulated towards the orgasmic aid. ‘That’s none of your business.’ ‘It is if you can’t do your job due to sexual frustration,’ the doctor said. Lisa flushed anew: ‘I can take care of myself.’ His words contained a smile: ‘Then what’s wrong with the vibrator?’ ‘I just ... I need a spiritual dimension. Couldn’t climax with a mechanical device.’ Even as she said the words she knew that they were bullshit, that it was the brandy talking. That she just didn’t want this smooth talking know-it-all to win. ‘You can’t orgasm with the best dildo in the world?’ he queried. ‘That’s right. I need a human hand or ... a loving element.’ She winced inwardly at her own pretentious words. He must never know that she could climax at home simply by straddling the spin dryer or by pushing her groin against the vibrating washing machine. Til bet that if someone slid that throbbing dildo all the way up you’d be moaning within seconds,’ Michael Landers continued conversationally. New excitement rushed to her pubis. ‘You’d lose your bet, then,’ Lisa said. ‘What’s the wager?’ he asked. She thought quickly: ‘If you lose I get to paddle your arse in front of everyone.’ That would show him she wasn’t some ineffectual little girl. ‘Then the same rule applies if you lose,’ he countered, raising an eyebrow and letting his eyes flicker down insolently towards her skirt-clad pelvis. Lisa licked her dry lips: ‘No chance.’ She couldn’t bear that. She hesitated, looking for a non-public

payback, ‘You can take a tenth of my wages if I lose the bet.’ She made strong eye contact again, ‘Not that 1 will. It’s just a case of mind over matter.’ She was absolutely bloody determined not to let her body betray her in any way. ‘I’m a fair man. Let’s say you take the paddling in the privacy of this room,’ Michael Landers said. ‘Right. Fine,’ Lisa muttered. She was surprised at how quickly she’d agreed. Her nipples hardened further. She looked numbly at the smooth mock phallus on the bed. ‘Bend over that dressing table stool and lift your skirt,’ the doctor instructed. Lisa stood her ground. ‘No,’ she exclaimed hotly, ‘You don’t get to see me ...’ ‘Alright, play the virgin if you must. Just slide the dildo up yourself without removing your garments, then.’ Shakily, Lisa walked to the low square stool and put her belly upon it. Stretched out her arms and legs. She sucked in her breath and held it as she heard Michael’s footsteps approaching the bedspread. Heard them move towards her skirted rear end. ‘Here’s the thick promise that you’re immune to,’ he said lightly, leaning over her to press the thick hard phallus into her right hand. Lisa arched her belly and pushed the sex toy down, down, down, curved her hand round, trying to find her wet entrance. Dropped the vibrator on the floor and muttered ‘Damn.’ ‘Allow me,’ Michael said. Lisa fought back a moan of desire as she felt his fingers parting her labia, felt the polished nose of the toy getting ready to slip inside her. ‘Mm, you’re nicely oiled already, love. Wonder why that is?’ Michael asked lightly, ‘Could it have anything to do with watching young Dania getting a well tanned arse?’ Lisa gasped as he inched the pretend prick slowly up her. Gasped again as he switched it on. ‘I’m being kind and putting it on the lowest vibrating level,’ he added, ‘Though according to you I could put it on full speed and you still wouldn’t climax, your pussy would still be immune.’ Think of England. Think of herbs. Think of anything but this intensifying urge. Lisa squirmed on her tummy over the stool as the vibrator did its wonderful work inside her. Sensation rushed to her clitoris and to her internal surfaces and built and built. ‘If you were only to last a minute I’d have to give you ten of the paddle. And eight stinging strokes if you merely held out for two minutes,’ Michael Landers said. ‘How long will this test go on?’ She forced the words out through clenched teeth. The feeling in her pubis was damn near close to exquisite. ‘Oh, a mere five minutes,’ her employer replied. She could bear five minutes. She could transcend her body’s needs. She could ... , ‘It’s a hardwood paddle. A becoming tan shade. Has a slight gloss on it,’ Michael continued, moving the mock phallus inside her provocatively. She wouldn’t come. She would not. She’d prove him wrong. ‘Have you felt the paddle, my dear? Warms most of a pert bottom cheek, only with much more force that a palm does. Flattens the flesh beneath it ever so briefly. It’s immensely satisfying, watching the

anguished curves move back.’ ‘You’re sick,’ she forced out. ‘And you’re not?’ He pushed the oscillating phallus gently in and then half out of her needy entrance, ‘I saw the way you stared at Dania’s writhing rump. We all did. Knew that you were one of us despite your dismissive airs.’ ‘Can’t prove ...’ She broke off in mid-sentence and groaned with increasing frustration and mounting lust. God, this vibrator was delectable. New pathways to pleasure kept rushing through. ‘You rushed up here after Dania had been spanked and sexually sated. You’ve obviously taken off your stockings and knickers. Now you’re squirming against this eight inch beauty with a hungrily gaping quim,’ Michael Landers said. Beyond words, Lisa screwed up her eyes and mouth. She couldn’t hold out much more, just couldn’t bear it. If he’d only take the pleasurer from her sex for even a minute, she could get her composure back. ‘Can’t take ...’ she muttered. ‘You’ll be taking my paddle in a moment if you fail this simple wager.’ He nudged the sex toy up her conduit a little further, ‘I wonder if the staff downstairs will hear your moans?’ He held the mock phallus deep inside so that, squirm though she might, she couldn’t escape one glorious second of its pleasure, Til bet the others can picture you being half stripped and thoroughly corrected. Oh sweetheart, I’m going to make those cheeks such a pretty shade.’ She came then, crying out into the rest of the room, her thighs clamping on the pulsating device as if to squeeze out each rush of sex rapture. ‘That’s it, baby. You let it out,’ Michael Landers said. She wanted him to stroke her hair, the way he’d stroked Dania’s. Wanted him to take her in his arms. Instead she sensed him kneeling at her feet. ‘What are you ...?’ she started. Felt something tighten upon her naked ankles. Looked dazedly up as he moved round to her head. He took her right wrist and gently kissed the pulse spot, then bound the limb to the front leg of the stool. ‘I’m about to fetch the paddle. Just want to make sure you don’t try to run away,’ he replied. Lisa tugged at her legs, realising that they were already tied to the nether stool legs. She put her one free arm behind her back. ‘You can’t do this to me.’ ‘I jufet have,’ Michael said. He leaned over, and she breathed in his woodland aftershave. Her belly quivered as she felt his strong hands on her slender left wrist. ‘Some people think that it hurts less if you’re tied down,’ the doctor murmured casually, ‘It’s as if the body submits more easily, knowing that it can’t escape.’ ‘Oh yeah?’ she muttered, trying to hide the renewed desire in her voice, ‘You mean you’re actually doing me a favour?’

‘I just did you one by giving you a pretty spectacular orgasm,’ Michael said. Lisa tensed her thighs: ‘The vibrator did that.’ ‘No, it couldn’t have, love.’ He took a final length of soft rope from his inner pocket and wound it carefully around her wrist, ‘You need the human dimension, you said.’ ‘Oh fuck off,’ she snapped. Knew that on some level she didn’t want him to fuck off, that she wanted him to ... Well, she wanted to experience more excitement. Wanted to find out what he’d do next. ‘There, that’s you nicely tied in place,’ the former surgeon murmured. He stood up and moved back, obviously admiring his bondage handiwork. Lisa lay draped helplessly over the low thick stool. He can do anything to me—anything, she thought, and felt a new rush of stimulus to her recently climaxed parts. ‘Don’t go away,’ Michael parried with a smile in his voice. He turned back as he reached the door, ‘Just think about how the paddle will feel when it makes contact with your taut backside, my wilful darling. Maybe next time you’ll think twice before you put on pretentious airs, before you lie.’ ‘And maybe you’ll get psychotherapy,’ Lisa muttered, as he left her scented ornate bedroom, ‘Get the help you deserve.’ She realised that on one level she herself needed help, for part of her feared the focused hot pain of the paddle whilst another part of her wanted it to happen—how she’d howled with joy during the climax which had followed her first spanking the other day. Never before had an orgasm been quite as sweet or prolonged or all-encompassing. Never, even in her fantasies, had it been so good. That was the upside. The downside was that in a few moments he’d be back to lift up her skirt. She quivered at the idea of such close scrutiny. Feared that her skin wouldn’t be as smooth as that of his previous lovers, or that he’d find her pubic hair too thick and dark. Not that she was his lover, she reminded herself—she was his employee. She was also his intellectual equal, and if it hadn’t been for the brandy talking she’d never have gotten into this ridiculous state. The herbalist stared at the thick carpet then glanced at the door. Had she really just orgasmed against a dildo held by a near-stranger? Had she really agreed to taste a wooden paddle on her naked behind? Footsteps approached. Lisa suddenly realised that anyone could walk past the open door to her room. They’d see her tied over this stool. They’d realise that she and Michael ... She wanted to keep whatever happened between them secret, didn’t want to be a figure of fun amongst the rest of the staff. ‘Thank goodness it’s you,’ she muttered, as the summer-suited doctor strolled nonchalantly in. ‘Have I been missed?’ he smiled, ‘You sound pleased to see me.’ Lisa tried to force real venom into her gaze. ‘You left the door open, you bastard. One of the others could have walked in.’ Michael shrugged: ‘You’ve seen Jamilla being caned and Dania being spanked. Why shouldn’t they see you being paddled?’ ‘Because ...’ There really wasn’t an answer to that. The doctor squatted down by her face. He held out

the punitive implement. ‘Have you seen a punisher like this before?’ Lisa studied the long handle with its oval of smooth glossy wood. ‘Only in 1920’s movies,’ she spat. Dr Landers smiled: ‘And was it used on uppity members of staff?’ he murmured. The herbalist tried to shrug in her firm bonds, then said: ‘I guess.’ ‘You guess right,’ the former surgeon continued, ‘And now I’m going to use it on a modern pretentious young lady. A lady that lies about her sexual desires, that thinks she’s better than the rest of the staff.’ He moved to her rear end and she tensed each sinew, waiting, ‘I’m about to give you eight educational hardwood smacks.’ The jolt of desire she experienced as he put his hand to her skirt hem nearly unnerved her, and she let her breath out in a ragged half-whimper. ‘Save your cries for the thrashing,’ Michael Landers said. ‘I made a noise cause you scratched me with your nail,’ she lied, the words a thick slurred mutter. Could her body really need to climax again this quickly? The sexual heat from the last orgasm had barely dissipated, and yet ... ‘Let’s get that naughty derriere bared,’ the man continued. She felt him edge the dusky pink skirt over her thighs till he pushed it high across her waist and back. The lower half of her body was now totally exposed to him. And to his hardwood paddle, she reminded herself. Never before in her life had she been so openly and wantonly displayed. Desire flooded her inner walls and outer petals, and she wished that she had the vibrator oscillating inside her once again. ‘Now we warm the right buttock for being untruthful,’ Michael Landers said casually. He brought the paddle down on one full orb, and Lisa forgot all about her lust and need to orgasm. ‘Aah!’ she gasped out, pushing her soft belly forward as the heat spread across her imprisoned flesh. ‘Makes an impression, doesn’t it, my sweet? Makes you better,’ the doctor murmured tauntingly. ‘M4kes me hate your supercilious guts,’ Lisa said. ‘I don’t think you completely hate this, though—your pussy is dripping,’ her employer added, with the hint of a sneer in his voice. She wanted to slap him. Tensed both buttock cheeks as she sensed him lining up the paddle again. ‘Not so hard,’ she muttered. ‘Hard enough to end your supercilious ways. Hard enough to teach you some humility,’ the doctor countermanded, ‘Trust me, sweetheart—1 know how much a bossy little bum can take.’ Lisa jerked as the paddle smacked into her flesh for a second time. Her tummy chafed against the padded stool. Her pubis pushed against its welcome edge.

‘Now for stroke three,’ Michael Landers continued, ‘Isn’t this fun? I hope one of the others strolls past and peaks in. In fact, I’m tempted to call them.’ ‘Don’t you dare,’ Lisa got out, trying in vain to twist her head far enough back so that she could see him, ‘I’d never forgive ...’ ‘I suspect you’d get over it once you’d had the orgasm of your life,’ the former surgeon said calmly, ‘But I’ll settle for thrashing you privately for now.’ ‘Settle for that forever,’ Lisa shot back, tensing her cheeks ready for the ensuing thrashing. Her words permeated her brain. What on earth was she saying? She’d just given the impression that she’d let this megalomaniac punish her naked haunches in private again. ‘I mean that this is the only time you’ll get to use the paddle on me, and you must do it without the other staff around,’ she muttered shamefacedly. ‘Depends which bets you lose in the future,’ Michael said. ‘I won’t make any bets,’ Lisa shot back. 76 ‘Perhaps you’ll do something else wrong. Perhaps you’ll deliberately be bad in order to taste my belt then feel my fingers on your pussy.’ The man managed to say each hateful word in a cool conversational tone, ‘Perhaps you’ll again be led by your aching sex, love. By your swollen, throbbing clit.’ As he said the word clit she felt the focused heat being applied to her left buttock again. Before she could cry out the hot pain shifted to the naked right globe so that the smarting sensation felt balanced. ‘Two nice hard fast ones,’ her employer’s voice said, ‘Just in case you got complacent about my rhythm.’ ‘No—just got bored waiting,’ Lisa lied. She puckered up then relaxed her nether cheeks in a useless bid to lessen their anguish. Realised that she had another four to go. ‘Halfway there,’ Michael murmured, as if reading her thoughts, ‘How’s it been for you so far?’ ‘Pointless,’ the herbalist said sharply. ‘Does this bit think it’s pointless?’ She felt his fingers on her achingly distended folds. ‘Don’t touch me,’ she muttered, then felt a new internal ache of disappointment as he moved his hand away. She didn’t want him to know that he’d aroused her, yet she desperately needed to come and come and come. ‘Could I take a raincheck on the other four strokes?’ she said huskily. If he agreed and untied her he’d have to help her to her feet. She could sway against him. He’d look down at her and they’d kiss as if by accident, then he’d slide his fingers or tongue down her body and bring her relief. ‘Only good girls get rainchecks,’ her employer replied smoothly. 77 Lisa felt new rage and frustration sweep through her. ‘I’m good,’ she countered, ‘And I’m a woman, not a girl.’

‘You’re bad because you lie to yourself and others about what you want.’ ‘A mind reader, are you, doctor?’ she sneered quickly. ‘Just perceptive. And I’ll continue to call you a girl as long as you behave like one. Real women know what they want in bed and find ways to ask for it every time.’ ‘You mean you expect me to ask to taste your paddle or your palm?’ the herbalist asked incredulously. When he was talking to her he wasn’t punishing her soft flesh, so she was keen for the conversation to go on. ‘You know damn well that isn’t what I mean. There’d be no power struggle there. You’d have less fun.’ He paused, fondling her raised bareness, ‘Sweetheart, you enjoy the skirmish.’ ‘Don’t enjoy this,’ Lisa said sourly. ‘Getting your bum thrashed? Of course not. But you enjoy the way it makes you especially wet.’ She closed her eyes nervously as she felt the air currents change, knew he’d lifted the paddle again above her bottom, ‘You love the quality of the climax which follows being disciplined. Your arse and nerve endings may hate it, honey, but it’s what your psyche and your pussy craves.’ Before she could argue, he punished her with the hardwood implement again. Lisa cried out and drove her belly forward as she vainly tried to escape an iota of the hot impact. God, he was merciless. She wondered what colour her flesh was by now, wished she could see. ‘It’s colouring nicely,’ the doctor said, ‘You’re lucky that you’re fair skinned, love—means I get the shade that I want quite quickly. Takes longer to similarly chasten a beige-toned bum.’ ‘I’m sure you manage to force yourself,’ Lisa muttered. ‘Indeed I do, and I’ve never had any complaints,’ the doctor said. She thought of the lustful way Carmen had looked in the photo, remembered the satisfied moans and yells of Jamilla and Dania. She wanted to join them in their orgasmic paradise. ‘Let’s treat these naughty hot cheeks to stroke six,’ Michael continued. ‘Oh let’s,’ Lisa jeered. Was aware that she wanted him to break through some barrier. But which barrier, and why? ‘I think we’ll toast the left cheek this time. It’s looking a bit left out, a bit neglected,’ her employer continued. Lisa held her breath. Neglected like her quim was, she thought dazedly, as ignored as her throbbing clitoris and pouting lower lips. She cried out as the paddle made searing contact with one bent-over bare buttock, and writhed madly in her bonds. She’d take the remaining two strokes and beg for ten more if he’d only give the gentlest of rubs at her love bud. Just a little feathery friction to her labia and she’d sing like a bird. ‘Now where shall we lay on the seventh whack?’ Michael Landers murmured with casual cruelty. ‘Want me to draw you a map?’ Lisa said. ‘No, just draw in your breath as the paddle strikes down.’ She heard the taunting tone enter his voice, ‘I like to see you wriggle, hear you groan.’

‘Pity for you that I’m staying immobile,’ Lisa replied. She willed both of her buttocks to stay smooth and relaxed beneath the punisher. Damned herself and him to hell as he doled out the seventh wallop and she jerked and moaned. ‘Last but not least, one stroke of the paddle coming up,’ the doctor quipped. She sensed him staring down at her half naked body. Wondered how her exposed small hemispheres must look. ‘Shall I roast the tender underswell?’ the man continued, ‘Or concentrate my energies on that helpless crack?’ ‘Surprise me. Go on—use your imagination,’ Lisa snapped, trying to take verbal control of the situation. ‘If I was fully using my imagination I’d have you walking to heel in the gardens on your studded collar and lead,’ the former surgeon said. His voice grew dreamy as his musings continued, ‘I’d teach you how to show humility, how to give a paw.’ ‘And I’d teach you what ten years in prison for assault is like, you supercilious bastard,’ Lisa spat out, pushing the exciting yet demeaning image away. Heard his low laugh: ‘But angel you’d have agreed to be trained. I’d have teased your hot wet pussy till you agreed to anything. Till you put your collar and lead in your mouth and brought them over to me.’ ‘Dream on,’ the herbalist gasped out. Wished that his words weren’t making her crotch quite so swollen. Wished that she could assuage the heavy increasing heat between her tied-apart legs. How hard would the last paddling be? Each whack had sizzled and stung, but she sensed he’d been holding back, acclimatising her slowly to erotic chastisement. Would this final hardwood wallop vanquish her? Make her say that she’d do whatever he wished? Lisa wriggled on her belly in an agony of mild fear and anticipation as she waited for the lash. When it came, it heated the dividing crease of her backside. The fire seemed to race through to her lower belly and to her pubis. She shoved her clitoris shamelessly against the edge of the low stool and tried to maximise the friction on her labial lips. ‘Up until now I thought only canine bitches in heat rubbed their pussies against the furniture,’ Michael Landers said amusedly. ‘Fuck you.’ Her words came through a mist of desire. ‘I think you’d like to fuck me, my dear.’ ‘Not if you were the last person on earth,’ Lisa retorted. She couldn’t show the conceited pig that she was unbearably aroused. She wondered if he was about to untie her, take her gently in his strong sure arms. He did. She held her breath as he slung her over his shoulder and carried her across the huge room to the bed. He set her down on her hands and knees atop the duvet. ‘Look in the dressing table mirror at your toasted arse, my sweet. There. Isn’t that pretty?’ Numbly, Lisa turned her head back, stared at the smooth reflection of her naked rear. Both cheeks were a glowing hot crimson. So was her glistening sexual fringe. ‘Like what you see, do you?’ she managed.

‘Very much,’ Michael confirmed. Then touch me, lick me, feel me she thought dazedly. Waited for him to join her on the King Sized bed. And waited and waited and ... Lisa flopped down upon her tummy, leaving her skirt rucked up. Let him stare at her paddled contours. Let him get stiff and stretched. He’d make some excuse in a moment to walk over and touch her. ‘I think I’ll go to sleep now,’ she said challengingly. ‘As you wish, my dear,’ Michael said. The herbalist stared as he turned towards the door. He wouldn’t leave her like this—he just couldn’t! He’d watched Marie-Rose spanking Dania earlier tonight and now he’d paddled Lisa. He had to want to come as much as she. Any moment now he ‘II turn back, she told herself as he continued to cross the long room. Any moment now ... The door opened, closed. He’s calling my bluff, she rationalised. He’ll come back. He’ll cup my sore buttocks. I’ll think up some other wager so that he has an excuse to fondle my clit. She’d come really fast, then order him to leave her alone. That would show him! She’d have the last action and word. No she wouldn’t. Three minutes later Lisa acknowledged that her tormentor wasn’t going to return—at least not that evening. He’d left her with a sore bum and an aching quim. She slid her middle right digits inside herself, gliding in three slender fingers. Longed for a man’s thicker fingerpads. Or a man’s ... She forced back the thought. Remembered the vibrator. Crawled to the edge of the bed then stumbled over to it. God, it’s width felt good. She realised belatedly that Michael might be planning to burst in, hoping to find her using the mechanical pleasurer. Hastily she double-locked the door. Groaning, the herbalist lay on her paddled bum. Her bare curves rubbed against the duvet sending fresh heat to her pubic region. She splayed her thighs far apart, imagining that they’d been cruelly staked there. Then she pictured some man warning her that he was now going to tease her with the machine, but that she wasn’t to come. Don’t wriggle, said the inner voice, or you ‘II make your Master angry. Don’t even moan with pleasure or else he ‘II have to take off his thick leather belt. Please, not your belt, she entreated inside her head. Yes, angel, it’s for your own good. It’ll make you better. But I’m not ill, she parried. Sweetheart, your pussy is all hot and feverish. It’s really sick. Groaning at the images, Lisa positioned the mock phallus at her soaking rim. It went in easy. She switched the base on to its first speed, knowing that she wouldn’t need any more. That paddling and Michael’s teasing words had taken her to the edge and kept her there for an unbearable period. Now it would take so little to make her come. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. The smooth thickness oscillated inside her lubricated void, filling it with increasing

rapture. The tiny movements thrilled through her tummy, her inner thighs, her swollen folds. She was almost there. Master I beg to come. That inner voice again. But do you deserve to come? asked her Master. Have you been an obedient little girl? She pictured his hands brushing lightly over her quivering rump as if he owned it. Or have you been a bad young slave who needs to be stripped and tied and whipped? ‘Aaaaah!’ Lisa moaned as the orgasmic surge shot through. She put her free hand to her mouth to stifle her cries of elation. Kept her right hand on the vibrator’s handle, holding the machine right in. Her paddled cheeks buffed against the cover as she pushed down and down and down to force out the last of the sweetness. Long moments later she switched off the sex toy and withdrew it gingerly from her satiated core. Sleepily, she turned over onto her tummy. She wondered what Michael was doing now. Hoped dazedly that he’d been forced to use some vibrating mechanical vagina. Could you buy such an object? He’d doubtlessly know. He knew how to secure the best mock phalluses, how to effectively lay on a paddle. Knew how to take a previously sensible egalitarian woman to the very limits of disciplined desire. To her limits and beyond? Lisa drifted towards sleep. She knew that if he’d kissed her after the thrashing she would have responded with the kind of ardour she hadn’t felt since she was a teenager. She’d felt the level of lust she’d felt as a seventeen year old petting in the backseat of some boyfriend’s father’s van. If he’d only held her and stroked her hair and moved his hands down to her sexual centre ... But she wouldn’t plead for his caresses, and Michael had said he’d only make love to her if she begged. Chapter Seven She was an engaged woman—she had to concentrate on thoughts of her fiance, and of her work. Shakily, Lisa walked to her new Consultation Suite. It was four whole days since Michael had brought her to a shrieking and moaning orgasm with the vibrator. Four days of recalling the way the paddle had singed her helpless cheeks. The herbalist felt the traitorous frissons snake through her groin at the memory. She had to forget. She was grateful that Michael hadn’t referred to the incident again. At dinner each night since he’d been the genial if slightly formal host, making sure that everyone was well fed and catered for. Not one of the assembled staff had been spanked or teased or stripped. Now Lisa was to meet him for a chat before her first patient—and afterwards to see if he agreed with what she diagnosed. ‘Morning,’ she said as he sauntered in. She tried to look nonchalant. Admitted inwardly that she’d felt so much more in control in Scarborough on familiar ground. ‘Any clues from the case notes?’ Michael Landers asked. Lisa told him what she thought then held her breath until he nodded. ‘That’s what I figured,’ he murmured, looking pleased. ‘When I see the full answers to my questionnaire I should be able to make a more firm diagnosis,’ Lisa added. ‘Indeed. I’ve found that the same complaints crop up time and time again.’ The doctor smiled at her appreciatively, ‘Synthetic drugs don’t always deal with the underlying problem—which is where you come in.’

‘Me and my herbs,’ Lisa replied. She felt ridiculously happy. If only it could always be this way. An hour later the patient waved her grateful way out and Michael smiled his way back in. Lisa felt gloriously infallible. ‘Next,’ she said gaily, looking towards the door. Michael smiled. ‘You have your last consultation at three, after which Achille will be driving the patient home some way across the island. Do you want to go with him for a change of scene?’ He stretched out and picked up one of the thick tomes from her bookshelf, looking down at it intently, ‘He’ll be driving along past the harbour. It’s picturesque.’ ‘Sure. I’d like that,’ Lisa said calmly. She’d been churlish to refuse his earlier chauffeuring offers. ‘Why doesn’t Achille live in?’ she continued curiously. ‘Oh, I only need him part time. And he has a wife—they run a cafe together.’ ‘So only single female staff get rooms at Vitality,’ Lisa murmured, thinking out loud. ‘Ah, so you consider yourself to be single?’ Michael said. She sensed a note of triumph in his voice. ‘No, I’m ... halfway there. Halfway to being married. I just meant ... well, I’m only temporary. I don’t count.’ ‘If you help every patient as much as you helped the woman you’ve just seen then your contribution will count a great deal,’ the doctor disputed, ‘You could stay on.’ ‘No I can’t.’ The herbalist was surprised by the strength of her own response, ‘Reece wants to live in a less out of the way place, less countrified.’ She suspected that she was deliberately misunderstanding her new employer, that he meant she could stay on here alone. ‘And do you always do what Reece wants?’ Michael Landers asked softly. ‘No way.’ Lisa realised that in her relationships she was the one who usually called the shots, the one that men deferred to, ‘I’m a free agent, of course.’ The doctor stared at her steadily: “Then as a free agent you could choose to live permanently at Vitality and further your career.’ And further my submission with you? Lisa turned away from him and towards her notebook, pretending to write down some additional information. ‘I got a letter from Reece today. He’s missing me a lot,’ she mumbled awkwardly. That’s understandable.’ ‘He—I’ll get Achille to show me where the Post Office is.’ Lisa continued quickly, ‘You know, for when I write back to Reece.’ Michael left. Lisa started to write to her fiance immediately. Maybe if she sent some of her words and thoughts to Reece she’d start to feel closer to him. Would overwrite the lust she’d felt when Michael Landers bared her bottom and tied her over a stool and brought a hardwood paddle swishing down.

Her next patient came and went. Then another. Lisa kept hoping that Michael would reappear so that she could enjoy his professional friendship and respect. Suddenly lonely, she fought back the urge to seek him out in his surgery. She settled instead for grilling the inscrutable Marie-Rose. ‘Is Dr Landers busy?’ she asked casually. The older woman nodded: ‘He’s always busy.’ ‘Non-stop work, is it?’ Lisa continued. The Receptionist looked at her more intently: ‘No, he makes time for personal friends.’ Was he seeing someone just now? Lisa kept the question inside. Didn’t want to appear to be fishing for information. Natural curiosity could so easily be confused for personal regard. ‘He runs a tight ship,’ the herbalist murmured, remembering Michael’s own earlier words. She looked back at Marie-Rose, hoping that she’d divulge further detail of the man’s lifestyle. ‘He certainly does,’ the Maltese receptionist said with obvious pride. She turned to the side of the Reception hatch and neatly stacked five coloured records cards, ‘He has a place for everything and keeps everything in its place.’ And everyone, Lisa thought warily. It seemed that Michael had the right to call in to her consultation suite whenever he wished, but he hadn’t encouraged her to reverse the procedure. If she went to see him now she’d feel like she was taking too much for granted or intruding on his valuable time. At the end of her working day she showered, snacked and changed. Then Achille knocked on her bedroom door. ‘Siska’s already in the front seat awaiting the drive home,’ he said lightly, ‘Prepare to hear her life story—she’s a big Dr Landers fan.’ ‘Well, he’s a good doctor,’ Lisa replied. She turned to the dressing table to find her keys then found she was blushing. Michael might have told the chauffeur that he’d spanked her—she knew how boastful and macho men could be. Til just get my bag,’ she added tightly. Achille watched as she reached for her purse: ‘You can charge any expenses to Vitality. Dr Landers is well known around the isle.’ ‘No. I’m self sufficient. I got a generous advance on my wage,’ Lisa said. ‘We all did. Dr Landers treats his staff well as long as we obey,’ Achille replied softly. Was that a dig at herself and her submission? He seemed like a nice family man, and yet ... ‘I obey the rules of good health. I take a holistic approach,’ she answered briskly, checking that she had her keys and her Maltese money. ‘Whole ...? This word I don’t know,’ the chauffeur mumbled, standing in her doorway and moving from

foot to foot. ‘Holistic—means I look at the whole package. Not just a patient’s symptoms but his mindset, background and diet,’ Lisa said. She closed her door and set off down the stairs behind the older man, was aware that she’d sounded unappreciative and churlish in her efforts to seem dominant. Now she felt awkward and guilty. These seemed to be the main emotions she experienced here. Guilt and ... well, a shamed but persistent excitement. A groin-based nervousness about what could happen next. Driving Siska home was what was going to happen next. Throughout the road-twisting journey she praised Dr Michael Landers. ‘She’s his biggest fan,’ Achille grinned when the woman finally left the car. ‘Maybe she’s got a crush on him.’ Lisa joked back. She tensed up her shoulders as Achille stared coolly at her. That had been a cheap jibe to make. ‘He’s made her feel better. She’s grateful. That’s all,’ the chauffeur explained. ‘I’m sure she is.’ That sounded even worse. Where Michael Landers was concerned, it was hard for Lisa to sound neutral. He was just so bloody inscrutable, sometimes made her feel unsure of her essential self. Yet at other times he’d praised her character and her work, and obviously meant it. He wasn’t one of those women-are-merely-decorative men. ‘Malta has many beautiful Churches,’ Achille murmured with a shy sideways glance. That was an obvious cue as to where he wanted to drive her. As he edged the car out on to the quiet road, Lisa decided to take the bait. Td love to see them.’ She hoped that he wouldn’t expect her to cross herself or take part in any ceremony. She respected others rights to their belief system, but it wasn’t for her. ‘1 suppose there are lots of weddings performed here,’ she continued as the chauffeur pointed out two chapels in quick succession. Then she shivered slightly at her own choice of words. Years ago she’d been married in a Church and it had ended in disaster. What on earth had made her think of such formal ceremonies now? She and Reece had already decided on a low key Registrar’s service with just two witnesses and a couple of other close friends. Achille looked at her strangely as he turned the wheel: ‘You think that you and your boyfriend marry here?’ ‘I ... no.’ She realised that she’d been wondering if Michael had ever married on the island. Sucked in her breath—she might as well assuage her curiosity. She had to know. ‘I believe that you’re the only married member of staff, Achille?’ Achille peeped at two other drivers. When his reply came it was somewhat non-committal: ‘I have a wife.’ That wasn’t the information she desired. ‘And has ... has Dr Landers ever had a wife?’ The chauffeur smiled to himself as he drove round yet another corner: ‘Not that I’m aware of. No.’ Lisa looked out of the window, keeping her eyes and mouth impassive. Still, she felt her spirits lift. ‘So

he’s opted to remain a single man.’ The chauffeur gave her a darting sideways glance, ‘He has had many girlfriends.’ ‘Never wanted to make it legal?’ ‘No.’ The chauffeur stared into her eyes, and his gaze was knowing, ‘I think he has yet to find one who likes the same things.’ One who likes being dragged over a knee. One who likes having her panties pulled down and her buttocks reddened. Lisa thought of Jamilla being caned. ‘I’m sure he’s spoilt for choice with such an attractive female staff,’ she murmured, pinkening. ‘Desire and love—they’re different,’ the chauffeur replied. Michael clearly desired her—she’d felt his erection digging into the soft curve of her belly. And if she was honest, she half-wanted him to take her in his arms, take her to his bed. But he probably used his bed as a whipping post. He’d want to tie her arms and legs to its respective sides then lift up her skirt and use his belt on her creamy bottom. He’d want to tease her with his knowing fingers or with a sex toy before he’d let her come. Lisa sighed. Just experiencing his innate authority and sexual magnetism was enough for her. She didn’t need erotic chastisement as well. And if her fantasies were more and more that way ... well, she didn’t have to act on them. They could remain safely inside her head whilst she used her busy fingers on her hungry clit. Maybe it was time to flirt with the man in a conventional way? Back at Vitality, Lisa rifled through her wardrobe in search of something alluring. Impatiently she pushed aside her casual cotton shorts and printed T-shirts. She intended to dress for dinner with especial care. Pretending to be impervious to his charms hadn’t worked, so she’d try a different more seductive tactic. Would use her body language to acknowledge the attraction between them, and try to see their non-working relationship as a flirtatious game. After refreshing her flesh with a lavender-oil bath, Lisa donned her crushed velvet midnight blue dress. Then she added a plaited gold chain which shone rich and assured against her lightly tanned decollatage. She looked healthy and attractive, even if she couldn’t rival some of the raven-haired Maltese beauties she’d seen. Dinner was the usual conversationally-relaxed affair. Was she the only one who felt tense, waiting for something to happen? Lisa ate half of the delicious paella, but her mind wasn’t on her meal. Maybe Michael sensed that, for afterwards he leaned closer to her. ‘It’s still early. I sometimes take my car to the Casino. Perhaps you’d like to join me there tonight?’ Lisa hesitated. She looked at the others. They were talking amongst themselves, not paying her any attention. ‘Sure, it’ll make a nice change,’ she said. The twenty-eight year old was determined to keep her voice casual to the point of nonchalance. She didn’t want him to know that she was pleased. ‘I’ll just get changed,’ she added, wondering if a full length gown was required. She’d never been to a casino before. ‘Please, don’t. You look beautiful as you are.’ He glanced at his own dove grey suit, ‘They have a strict dress code there.’ He looked at her more intently as she swigged down her fifth glass of white wine and accepted a refill from Jamilla, ‘They also have exacting standards in the gaming rooms. No loud voices.

No distractions. No drunkenness.’ ‘Me? Loud?’ Lisa laughed, then hiccuped a little bit, and started in on her sixth brimming glass. ‘As long as you follow protocol,’ Michael Landers continued, coming round to her side to pull out her chair for her, ‘Otherwise you’ll find that they’re not the only ones who are strict.’ They drove through a surprisingly lively part of Malta to reach the casino. ‘This part of the island is known as St Julian’s,’ Michael Landers said. Lisa stared out at the cafes, bars and late night shops. She winced at the loud disco music blaring from each pub, but gazed entranced at the denim and leather-clad young holidaymakers. She’d show Michael that she wasn’t stuffy, that she didn’t have a care. ‘Looks like a girl could have a fun time here,’ she murmured, casting him a sideways glance, ‘I must come back here on my own some day.’ ‘I suppose if you want to slum it,’ he answered tightly. Lisa stared drunkenly at the youthful male bottoms and muscled torsos. At the moment she just wanted to get laid. They parked. She walked shakily up the steps to the Casino. Michael signed her in. ‘Have a nice evening, Dr Landers,’ the doorman said deferentially. Michael put his right hand on Lisa’s elbow. ‘I hope to,’ he murmured in her ear as she swayed. ‘Me too,’ Lisa said light-headedly. She was suddenly conscious of each erotic pathway in her bare arm. Was it his nearness that was making her feel so dazed, making it difficult to think? They walked into the huge blue gaming hall. Lisa looked around it then made her way towards a second doorway. ‘Oh good,’ she said, belatedly aware that her voice sounded excitedly high and childish, ‘A Cocktail Lounge.’ ‘Don’t you think you had enough to drink at dinner?’ Michael Landers asked, coming to stand by her side and again taking her elbow. ‘Obviously not, or I wouldn’t be going up to the bar right now,’ Lisa answered snappishly. Who the hell did Michael Landers think he was—her minder? She wasn’t some weak-willed alcoholic about to fall off the wagon, for goodness sake. Lisa glared at her boss then squinted at the drinks list for long moments, ‘Um, bartender, I’ll have a Velvet Hammer, please,’ she said. Velvet Hammer. The words sounded vaguely obscene and arousing as she rolled them across her tongue. ‘Make mine a non-alcoholic wine,’ Michael said, ‘I gave Achille the night off, so I’m driving.’ He listened to the man’s query, ‘Yes, he and his wife are fine.’ ‘I met his wife today—she looked happy,’ Lisa cut in breezily then she hiccuped again. They have the ideal relationship,’ the doctor murmured in her ear, ‘He’s her master at night and she’s in charge during the day.’ Lisa felt the spread of heat to her face and rush of lust to her clit at his unsubtle inference. Suddenly she needed that drink. The bartender brought a white frothy cocktail over to her on a tray. It tasted refreshingly cool. It went down quickly. Lisa waved the drinks list at a passing waiter. Til have a Pink Blossom this time.’ She turned to Michael, ‘It says it’s got grenadine, cream, benedictine and malibu. Can’t be bad.’ ‘Does it really?’ Michael’s jaw tightened, ‘I thought you rarely drank.’

‘Hell, it’s a gaming parlour. Why not bet that I can hold down six of these?’ Lisa said in her most provocative voice. She fixed her grey green eyes challengingly on his equally unflinching hazel ones, then felt slightly disappointed when he shook his head and got into conversation with the man next to him. After finishing the Pink Blossom and ordering and drinking a Tequila Sunrise, she tugged at his sleeve: ‘Mike—let’s play a game.’ Most of the tables were occupied. They walked past each till they found two unoccupied chairs, two spare places for players. Lisa gazed dazedly around at the sumptuous blue furniture, blue carpet and blue ceiling. ‘Matches my dress,’ she said giddily. ‘Sssh,’ Michael murmured. She watched his long fingers curl into his hard large palms. Going to spank me? she thought and felt new heat rush to the curve between her stockinged legs. Michael bought her a high stack of gaming chips. Lisa reached out but her fingers felt thicker and more numbed than usual, so that she dropped several of the disks onto the carpet. ‘Just do what I do,’ Michael said tightly, picking up the chips. ‘What about when it comes to urinating?’ Lisa giggled. The croupier stared at her expressionlessly. Was he yet another cane-wielding dominant man? She looked slowly around. Why weren’t there any female croupiers in charge of the tables? She’d soon show them that women were equal to men. The chandelier lights seemed to blur together as she followed Michael’s lead and accepted a card. ‘Look for sequences with lots of high or low cards going out so that you can assess what’s left,’ he instructed softly. ‘Maybe if I ask the croupier especially nicely he’ll just tell me,’ Lisa said. She leaned closer to the card-dealer so 95 that her low cut dress showed more of her deep dark cleavage. The man stared for a second then looked just as quickly away. ‘Got this down to a fine art, Mike, have you?’ she asked, giving Michael Landers a wink. The doctor shrugged lightly: ‘Well, I’ve studied the law of large numbers.’ ‘Mm, I’m very partial to a large number myself,’ Lisa said. Part of her was monitoring her own words, was appalled by their crassness. The other part just thought what the hell. ‘I’ve just thought of a large number of my own. It involves your bare bum and a cane,’ Michael said into her ear. The room seemed to still. Lisa could hear her own accelerating heartbeat. A public caning? Even he wouldn’t dare. ‘Stay there,’ Michael ordered. Legs weak with desire, she remained in her seat, staring at the gaming table. Did the croupier know what Dr Landers had just said to her, what he’d threatened to do? She shifted uneasily on her bum, and wished that she’d worn thicker panties. Wished that she hadn’t been quite so loud.

Ten minutes later, he returned. ‘Come with me,’ he said firmly, gripping the top part of her arm. ‘And if I don’t?’ She looked challengingly up into his strong sure features. ‘If you don’t,’ he continued easily, Til bare your bottom here in front of all these strangers and they can watch you begging for mercy as I use my cane.’ ‘You wouldn’t,’ Lisa muttered. Then she flinched as he reached for the knee-length hem of her velvet dress, ‘Alright,’ she added gutturally, ‘Where are you taking me?’ ‘To the Salle Prive—that’s private salon to you. It’s for personal functions.’ He tightened his grip until she got to her feet and stood, swaying, ‘You, me and my trusty punisher are going to have a little party of our own.’ ‘You wish,’ Lisa countered. Her voice sounded unsteady and thick. Her thighs had turned liquid. She felt her labial leaves tingle and swell. She had to put up a fight, she told herself. She had to show this man she wasn’t a pushover. But even as her mind searched for insults she allowed herself to be led through the main hall of the casino towards yet another door. It led into a large empty suite. One of the ornate tables already held a slender rattan with an ornate curved handle. Silently, the doctor pointed to it. ‘You brought it with you?’ the herbalist said, trying to force scorn rather than lust into her voice, ‘Christ, you’re presumptuous.’ ‘I always keep a cane in the boot of the car. One never knows when one may need to use it on a disobedient arse.’ ‘Doesn’t one?’ Lisa sneered, ‘Well, one’s not using it now.’ ‘You’d rather leave my employ?’ Dr Landers asked. He sounded surprised. ‘No, I like ...’ Love working at Vitality, love Malta she acknowledged to herself. ‘Then surely its better to submit to a thrashing?’ her impassive boss queried as they faced each other in the centre of the room. ‘Couldn’t you just fine me?’ Lisa shot back. She had a feeling that she’d used the line before, but her brain felt fogged with wanting. She was getting off on the thought of being caned, even if she didn’t want to experience the actual pain. ‘I find a short sharp shock to the seat is much more effective,’ Michael Landers answered. Lisa blushed. Resolutely she turned away from the long slender punisher. ‘You may as well get accustomed to it,’ her employer continued, ‘It’s about to connect ten times with your naked arse.’ Ten strokes?’ Lisa echoed through a drink-induced haze. ‘That sounds fair, doesn’t it?’ Michael Landers parried, ‘I mean, by being drunk you’ve lowered my reputation here. You have to pay.’

Lisa’s face and female parts heated some more. She was determined to hide her arousal. ‘But the cane really hurts,’ she said, meaning it. ‘You’ve had your bum warmed by it before?’ the doctor asked. Damn. She’d have to be more careful about what she said to this bastard. ‘No, I watched you cane Jamilla,’ she admitted reluctantly. Her boss nodded. ‘Then I’d have thought you’d have tried harder to avoid a similar sore arse.’ He indicated the table, ‘But as you haven’t, you’d better get your belly over there and accept what’s due to you.’ Lisa stared at the dining area then at the slender rage of the rattan. Trepidation rippled through her. She cleared her throat and forced herself to make eye contact: ‘But what if someone comes in?’ ‘It’s unlikely. I’ve told them we want a quiet meeting in here with supper served in two hours time.’ Lisa looked automatically at her watch. Surely he wasn’t going to chastise her for two whole hours? Maybe he planned to make love to her after she’d been thrashed. She was so hot of crotch and nipple and belly she’d probably submit. ‘Can’t take two hours to dole out ten cane strokes,’ she muttered truculently. ‘No, that’s allowing time for extra punishment in case you’re rude or forget to count each stripe,’ her employer answered. He started to unknot his tie. ‘Do you want your wrists tied in front of you or behind your back?’ he asked conversationally. Neither, Lisa thought, feeling hugely conscious of her tender hemispheres. Suddenly she wanted to protect them with both hands and run far away. But she’d agreed to accept this caning in return for remaining on Malta, so she had to obey. ‘Do what you like,’ she said with a last show of defiance. ‘Oh, I intend to,’ her employer said, picking up the long slim rod. He ran it through his fingers, then set it down and took hold of her slender wrists. ‘We’ll tie them in front, I think. After all, we don’t want to pain your arms—just your bottom.’ ‘You’re so charitable,’ Lisa countered watching him remove the raw silk tie. ‘Believe me, when your pants are at your ankles you’ll be glad of every scrap of leniency,’ Michael Landers answered. He looped the silken bond around her extremities three times and firmly knotted the material in place. Then he patted his suit pocket. ‘I’ve got nail scissors here to cut you free if your arms start to cramp.’ ‘My, haven’t you thought of everything,’ Lisa sneered, flexing her newly bound limbs the little she could in their bondage, and wishing that he’d bend her over quickly so that she no longer had to face that impassive stare. ‘If one of us is going to get drunk and disorderly, then the other has to take charge of the situation,’ the surgeon said.

‘And don’t you just love playing the Lord of the Manor?’ the herbalist continued batingly. She’d give him a run for his money yet. Michael tilted her chin with his fingers: ‘If playing the Lord means thrashing some sense into your spoilt young bottom, then yes, I do.’ ‘Oh, fuck off,’ Lisa muttered, turning her face away. ‘I think I’d rather lift up your dress and pull your panties down instead,’ her boss replied, reaching for her hemline. At the same time she felt his right hand on her shoulder, turning her towards the table and pushing her gently down, down, down. As if in a dream, Lisa let her bound arms fall forward and let her head rest in the space between. ‘Right, let’s have a look at the area we’ll be caning,’ she heard her boss say. Felt the midnight blue velvet being pushed up, acknowledged the shift of air currents against her thigh tops above the stockings. Whimpered with lust and humiliation as he started to edge down her protective briefs. What if a silver service maid walked in to set one of the tables? What if a wine waiter appeared? Lisa shivered apprehensively as Michael Landers continued to drag her panties over her newly-raised bum. She felt them slither to her ankles. She was still wearing her black patent high heeled shoes, so her thighs and buttocks felt extra taut. ‘Your arse makes such a pretty picture,’ the doctor said, and she sensed that he’d stepped back to admire her exposed raised rotundities, ‘It’s a pity that your demeanour has been so ugly tonight.’ ‘I’m sorry. Okay?’ Lisa forced out. Now that she was about to flinch below the cane she was indeed very sorry. Fantasizing about being thrashed was one thing. The reality was something else. ‘Apology accepted, but this bottom still has to make amends,’ Michael Landers replied amicably. She turned her head to the side and squinted back, watching him move more to one side of her. He lined the cane up with the central swell of her bare buttocks, and Lisa looked quickly to the front again. She didn’t want to see the rod swishing down. She’d planned to flirt outrageously with her new employer—nowhere in her provocative scenario had she envisaged this. ‘Stripe one coming up—well coming down,’ the doctor said with a snorting half laugh. ‘Such linguistic prowess,’ Lisa muttered into the table. Then she felt the sudden thin brand of pain as the cane seared its path across her defenceless contours, and she pushed back with her bound hands and gasped and squealed. She half scrabbled and half jumped to her feet, and turned blindly towards the door knowing only that she had to escape from this bum-based torment. Michael Landers put his hand on her arm. ‘There’s nine more like that awaiting you,’ he said evenly. ‘Nine more than I’m having, you mean,’ Lisa gasped. She tried to pull her hands apart but the wrist bonds held them in situ, ‘Just untie me, okay, doc?’ she muttered, ‘That bloody rod hurts like hell.’ ‘Of course it hurts. It’s punishment, isn’t it?’ Dr Landers said softly. ‘Yes, but ...’ He’d pleasured her during previous sessions. The erotic charge had made the paddle strokes bearable. If only he’d fondle her fervent folds now.

Michael Landers seemed to know what she was thinking. ‘You’ ve been a naughty girl. You don’t deserve gratification yet,’ he said. ‘And you do?’ Lisa mumbled, staring at the obvious tenting of his trousers. ‘I don’t see why not. 1 wasn’t drunk or flirtatious or rude in a public setting,’ the man replied. ‘No, you’re a fucking saint,’ Lisa shot back. The cane stripe still burnt its memory across the centre of her naked contours. She felt silly and a little scared. She also wanted very much to orgasm. If he’d only let go of that cane and slide his powerful right hand between her thighs. He was staring down at her coolly—but his erection showed that he was hot. Lisa decided to try a different tack. ‘You could kiss it better,’ she murmured, raising her lips to his compellingly. ‘Kiss your arse when I’d rather stripe it with the cane?’ Michael Landers enquired. He brushed his firm mouth against her more yielding one for a magical second. Lisa’s nipples tingled and a new path of pleasure made its way from each full breast to her bared soft belly, then centred in her pubis. She groaned and pressed the full length of her body against his. ‘Had any better offers?’ she whispered shakily. Tm rarely short of female company if that’s what you mean,’ the doctor replied, brushing a tendril of her hair back from the side of her cheek, Though I prefer quality to quantity every time.’ 7’m quality,’ Lisa countered, not sure what he was inferring or why. ‘And I’m especially going to enjoy striping your quality buttocks,’ her employer replied. ‘And afterwards will I ... get a kiss?’ She hated herself for asking, but her clitoris was all but pleading. ‘Afterwards we can do whatever you wish.’ Lisa bit her lip, then turned to face the ornate dining table again. She pushed her bound arms forward and lowered her body down from the waist. Her vulnerability deepened. Going over was more difficult this time—she knew just how merciless the cane could be. ‘Go easy,’ she muttered. ‘I can’t afford to be lax. Every time I think of how rude you were out there my caning arm tightens,’ the doctor said. ‘Try yoga or deep breathing for relaxation,’ Lisa quipped. The rattan seared its way across both hemispheres and she cried out, pushing her belly into the polished wood in a bid to make her rear target smaller. Could she take eight more hot strokes? Her hot bum didn’t think so, yet the alternative was to leave Malta and this sexually-enticing man. ‘Third time not so lucky for some,’ Michael murmured, laying on the third firm stroke. ‘Aaah!’ Lisa levered herself up from the table again. She turned to face her tormentor, started to rub her punished bum against the wood in a vain bid to dispel the concentrated line of fire. ‘It hurts too much,’ she wailed, tugging at her wrist bonds again and wishing desperately that her hands were free to protect her bare bottom, ‘Really hurts.’

‘I suppose I could offer you an alternative,’ her employer said, That is, you take three more of the cane and swap the other four strokes for a bare bottomed spanking across my knee.’ He smiled down at her, ‘I was going to suggest that in the first place but I remembered how much you’d hated your earlier spanking.’ No wonder—she’d been held across his lap and treated like a schoolgirl, Lisa thought dazedly. What did he expect? She hated the thought of being bent across his legs again. She took a small step back. ‘Look at the cane,’ Michael ordered, ‘Then look at my palm. Which one is it to be, my dear?’ ‘Oh just bloody well spank me if you’re going to,’ Lisa muttered, wondering if she’d manage to bring herself to climax by chafing against his leg. She grimaced as he sat down on a padded low stool and pulled her over his suited knee. Closed her eyes tightly as he pushed her dress further up again. Then she winced as he traced the three presumably red cane lines over and over again. They’ve come up nicely. Even if I say so myself, I know how to lay on the cane,’ he said, fingers bringing new heat to each lightly-raised ridge. ‘Got an A-Level in it, have you?’ Lisa retorted, kicking her legs. ‘For a girl whose about to get her bare bottom warmed, you’re not being at all clever,’ Michael Landers replied. He was right, as usual. Lisa decided to say no more. She’d take her spanking and her last three lashes of the cane and then she’d find a way to make herself orgasm. It would be the one pleasurable moment in an otherwise strange and unsettling day. She felt her tormentor raise his palm. Belatedly it occurred to her that he hadn’t stipulated the number of spanks her bottom was getting. ‘How many am I due?’ she muttered, staring down at the plush blue rug. ‘I’m going to spank you till you’ve sobered up and have stopped being impudent and difficult,’ the doctor answered, raising his knees so that her bum was more highly placed upon his lap. ‘Hope your palm doesn’t fall off in the process,’ Lisa said. Part of her wanted to be quiet and just get the session over with. Another part of her wanted to see how far he’d go. She had a feeling that if he spanked hard enough and talked her down enough she’d break through some barrier and would climax more strongly than she ever had before. ‘I’ll call in reinforcements to spank you if need be,’ her boss said. Contrarily, she now wanted him to leave, to stop shaming her. To let her regain her dignity again. Why couldn’t they just have sex without the spanking? Why couldn’t she enjoy a climax without tasting the cane? ‘It seems a long time since I had this naughty backside beneath my palm,’ Michael murmured. It seemed like a long time to Lisa, too—but she was damned if she’d admit it. She heard the smile in his voice as he continued, ‘My hand is looking forward to becoming acquainted with both bare buttocks again.’ There was no answer to that. Lisa trembled with renewed humiliation and pressed her lips tightly together. Then she opened them and gasped as his hand lashed down.

His palm had made contact with the centre of her left nether cheek. Even as she acknowledged the spreading heat, he doled out an equally stinging smack to the neighbouring buttock. God, his arm was powerful. Each echoing smack seemed to reverberate through every cell of her disarmed nether cheek. She was just getting over one spank when he laid on the next one and the next one. Lisa drummed her bound hands against the floor and wriggled about on his suited knees. She promised herself that she wouldn’t cry out no matter how long he spanked her. Then she heard herself whimpering as spank followed spank followed spank. The man was toasting the tender line where buttock meets thigh, the springy lower curves, the upper soft globes. He was whacking with equal enthusiasm at her deep divide. ‘Ah!’ she gasped. ‘Was that a plea for clemency I heard?’ The man kept spanking. ‘Ah! Ow! Aah!’ ‘This hot arse doubles as the cutest music box.’ I can take it, Lisa told herself as her chastisement intensified. But a few minutes later she gasped ‘No more!’ ‘That’s for me to decide,’ Michael said mildly, laying on an additional four spanks. Then she winced as he kneaded her hot sore globes and earlier cane lines. Held her breath when he suddenly stopped caressing her much-stimulated flesh. If only he’d finger the wet pink folds between her spread thighs. She needed release and wouldn’t complain if he slid an exploratory digit all the way inside. ‘I’ve apologised for being drunk,’ she muttered, ‘I’m sober now.’ ‘Sober enough to take the final three cane strokes, my dear?’ he asked lightly. Lisa swallowed. She’d forgotten all about the punishment that remained. She squirmed helplessly in her bondage, all too aware of her burning contours: ‘But I hurt so much,’ she said. ‘You mean your bottom hurts. We must use the right words for things, Lisa.’ She’d heard him shame Jamilla like this with similar verbal games. Lisa had listened, wondering how the Maltese woman could bear it. Now she knew that the man’s syrupy tone both shamed and excited his lovers, taking them to new sexual heights and depths. Her normally slim vagina felt like a greedy gaping hollow. Her gel-slicked labial lips felt swollen to twice their usual size. 106 Tm waiting,’ Michael Landers said. He could wait forever. ‘What if ... what if I don’t say it?’ she gasped. ‘If you’re disobedient? Well, you won’t deserve that kiss.’ As he spoke, he slid one finger between her legs then moved his fingers till they located the hood of her clitoris. Then he moved his leg until her clit was directly against part of his suited lap. Lisa couldn’t tell which part—she had her eyes closed in near

ecstasy. Michael re-positioned himself slightly and increased the pressure upon her rabid sex. ‘I think you have something to tell me,’ he murmured persuasively, ‘Say the words or I’ll move my leg away from this begging bud.’ ‘My ...’ She had to say it, or else he’d remove the source of the pleasure, ‘My bottom hurts,’ she mumbled, heat rushing to her facial cheeks and her nether regions simultaneously. Her body felt so awash with lust that it was becoming hard to think, far less to breathe. ‘How much does your bottom hurt?’ the doctor continued, ‘I think a naughty girl should be much more specific.’ ‘Use your imagination,’ Lisa said. ‘I think I’ll be imaginative with my fingers,’ Michael Landers replied. Lisa groaned and rubbed her bound hands against the rug as he stroked her clit then stopped, started and stopped, repeated the torment. ‘You could put your fingers up me,’ she muttered. Her mind said please, please, please. ‘Is that all you want up you?’ Michael murmured calmly. She shivered with delight as he rimmed a strong digit or thumb around her desire-drenched entrance then pushed it about a centimetre in. She’d always adored the moment of penetration. Usually though, the rash of sensation wasn’t caused by a finger, but by her lover’s rampant cock. Michael was obviously asking if she wanted his shaft inside her. At this moment, every fibre of her being actively longed for it. ‘Surprise me,’ she said, wanting him to make the next move. She waited for him to lift her up and lay her across one of the tables. She waited for his zip to go down. The moments passed. Silence. Eventually she twisted her head back and looked at him, eyebrows and lips moving into a nonplused mask. ‘Is that enough of a surprise for you, my dear?’ Michael said, ‘You mustn’t be presumptuous.’ ‘But I thought ...’ The effort of keeping her body twisted was too great, and she let it flop back down again. Was hugely aware of her exposed sexual folds and her tingling well-spanked rear end. ‘I’m not psychic. You must say what you think,’ the doctor replied calmly. Lisa kept quiet. She felt overwhelmed, confused. Couldn’t he just take the initiative without her asking? She was used to men meeting her more than halfway, yet this bastard obviously wanted her to beg. Til just take my fingers for a little walk whilst you decide what it is that you really want,’ Michael Landers murmured, ‘Can you guess which pathways they’ll oh so hesitantly explore?’ She could feel which pathways they were exploring. The herbalist cried out, voice echoing around the plush warm room, as she felt one of his fingers enter her soaked quim. Then it stirred slowly round. ‘Please keep doing that,’ she whispered, terrified that he’d mistake her silence for censure, ‘Please.’ ‘And would you like the other hand to go adventuring too?’ Lisa tensed. She hoped the other hand wasn’t going to spank her arse—it already felt hectic. Then she

felt something cupping the wet bud of her clitoris, and she relaxed. ‘I’d like ... I’d like the other hand to stay where it is now,’ she said gutturally, keeping her nub rammed against the source of friction, knowing that she was beyond making sarcastic remarks. ‘I think both fingers are happy now,’ the doctor murmured, keeping the warm pressure on her clit and beginning to move the other digit up and down her vulva, ‘I think they’ll stay in situ as long as they get to hear about your bottom and its relationship with the cane.’ ‘The cane?’ Lisa all but slurred, moving her bud against the pleasure-bringing base. She was nearing Nirvana. ‘Mm, my fingers want to hear about all the places on your bare flesh that the rod could land.’ Mind searching and discarding each shameful image, the herbalist hesitated. To her dismay, Michael stopped thrusting his thick digit up and down her. He also took away the palm that was pressing against her clit. Lisa groaned. ‘Oh dear, these poor fingers aren’t getting to hear their bedtime story,’ he said sweetly, “They’ve gotten so bored waiting they’ve gone to sleep.’ ‘No! I—I’ll say what you want—what they want,’ Lisa gasped out, desperate for the friction to re-stimulate her pubis. ‘Tell me where you might receive the last three lashes of the cane, my naughty darling,’ the doctor said. ‘On my rear end,’ Lisa muttered. 109 ‘On your arse, you mean?’ She felt his fingers brushing past her clitoris. ‘I should explain that the fingers like to hear adult language. They don’t play with girls who aren’t humble, or those who are too coy.’ Lisa knew she’d be as humble as was humanly possible if only the source of her future orgasm would stay. ‘I could take the cane on my arse—on my bare arse,’ she amended, then whimpered with relief as Michael Landers started to touch her clit and oiled entrance. ‘Where, exactly, should I cane you?’ he continued, moving a thumb or fingerpad lightly over her lust-logged nub. ‘Could use the cane across the centre of my bott ... of my bum,’ Lisa muttered, ‘With me stripped from the waist and touching my toes.’ ‘I think you’d jump up and try to run away, my dear. I’d have to tie your wrists to your ankles.’ ‘Lower down, then,’ the herbalist substituted, ‘Where my bottom curves in towards my legs.’ ‘I thought we agreed that the word was arse,’ Michael Landers said lightly, taking his pleasing digits away. ‘On my arse. Cane me on my arse,’ Lisa got out, all but begging, ‘Bend me over a table and tie me over it and turn my arse bright red.’

‘Ruby red or crimson?’ the doctor queried, returning his touch to her tendermost parts. ‘Ruby,’ Lisa said gutturally, rocking against his hand like a dog against a lamp post. ‘Good girl. Now I think you should describe that arse’s heat.’ She was going, going. A few more ignominious words would take her over the edge to a new level of rapture. ‘So hot and sore I can hardly bear it,’ Lisa whispered, then ground down upon his fingers and promptly came. Her orgasm seemed to start somewhere behind her aching clitoris. It spread out, pleasure beyond description rippling deep within her lower belly. Every millimetre of her pubic mound was on fire. The electricity travelled all the way up her salve-slicked vulva. It suffused her outer petals and inner thighs. Lisa convulsed again and again, her almost eerie shrieks echoing around the private salon. Michael kept pleasuring her until the very last vestiges of sensation had faded and she curved her body to pull her mons away. ‘Let’s make you more comfortable,’ he whispered. He sounded tender. But hadn’t he used similar words to Jamilla recently? Lisa allowed herself to be repositioned until she was sitting on his knee, her legs to either side of his, her feverish face against his shoulder. Surely she was special to him, she told herself. ‘Is it almost suppertime?’ she whispered dazedly. Heard him chuckle and sensed he was looking at his watch. ‘Don’t worry. No one will come in,’ he answered, ‘Are you hungry?’ Lisa realised that she just wanted to lie in his bed and in his arms. ‘Uh uh,’ she said, closing her eyes and feeling something akin to love for him, ‘I just want to go straight home.’ ‘Home?’ she felt him tense up slightly. ‘To Vitality,’ she said. ‘Alright, let’s get you dressed.’ He set her down carefully on her caned and spanked bare bum. She realised that her climax had somehow robbed her buttocks of the pain caused by the punishment. They just felt pleasantly warm and tingling like her vulva did. ‘Can you stand, sweetheart? Lean against me. That’s it,’ Michael Landers murmured. Lisa stared down at his strong hands as they lifted each shod foot then pulled her pants back, edging them carefully over her cheeks. She smiled as he smoothed down her curve-clinging blue dress. Her flirtation might not have gone to plan, she mused, but the results had been out of this world. ‘Back in a moment,’ Michael said. He took his wallet from his inner pocket and left the room. Lisa sat down and finger-combed her hair, then took a phial of lavender oil from her bag and smoothed a drop of it behind her neck and along her hairline. She was aware of the perspiration which tends to grow with arousal, but she didn’t think Michael would care. Now, surely, they’d stop trying to outdo each other. Now they’d go to his bedroom and make love for the very first time. As she mused, the doctor returned. ‘My chariot awaits,’ he said with an endearingly broad smile.

Lisa stood up and managed a little curtsey. Her panties immediately stuck to her soaking slit. She’d better shower when she reached the Clinic, she told herself. She needed it. He kissed the top of her head when they reached his car, then held open the passenger door for her. As she got in, he drew the rattan cane from his sleeve. ‘I’d forgotten about that,’ she muttered, swallowing. ‘I hadn’t,’ Michael said, ‘This is how I smuggled it out—and, of course, smuggled it in.’ Lisa forced herself to make eye contact. ‘So the management didn’t know?’ ‘Of course not. It’s a highly respected establishment.’ He looked at her evenly, ‘You must learn to trust me, Lisa. I’m very discreet.’ ‘All the time you were ...’ baring my bum, she finished silently, ‘I kept thinking someone might walk in on us and see.’ ‘Of course you did. And that same danger just made your climax the sweeter,’ Michael Landers said. “The discos will still be buoyant here,’ he continued as he nosed the car out into the St Julian’s streets. Lisa stared at the half-drunk youths. They no longer looked appealing. She had a real man here. A man with intellect, sexual prowess and verve. She wanted to tell him so, but couldn’t quite find the words, or the right moment. Still, she’d show him half an hour from now as she undressed him and herself and slid rapturously into his bed. There were downstairs lights on at Vitality when they finally got back. ‘Bakar may be entertaining one of his lady friends,’ Michael said. ‘Hope we don’t disturb some big seduction scene,’ Lisa murmured. She wasn’t too worried. With Michael as her partner she felt that she could deal with almost anything. ‘I think he tells new girlfriends he owns the place,’ the former surgeon continued, a trace of amusement entering his voice, ‘But he’s young and just finding his way, so what the hell?’ He unlocked the door and the two of them walked into the perfumed lounge. ‘Michael,’ a high-pitched voice squealed. Lisa took a step back as a raven-haired woman of around thirty launched herself at the immobile doctor. She wound her arms around his neck and lifted her face to receive his lips. ‘You’re back,’ he said, kissing her, ‘I’ve missed you so much.’ 113 ‘The feeling’s mutual. That’s why I waited up.’ The woman kissed Michael once, twice, thrice. Her breasts were against his chest, her thighs against his thighs. Her crotch was pressed close somewhere in the region of his. Lisa stood swaying with shock and pain and disappointment. She felt dislocated and slightly sick. ‘Well, see you tomorrow,’ she muttered to her clearly distracted employer. Then she fled.

Chapter Eight Good God—she’d run out on him again. Michael stared over Ria’s shoulder at Lisa’s retreating back. She’d been so huggable and sweet after her orgasm in the salle prive that he’d dared to hope ... If she could climax like that just by moving against his fingers, how much more intensely she’d orgasm if he made love to her deep and slow in his King Size bed. He could talk her down whilst staring into her eyes as he thrust inside—every cell in her body would love it. Her vulva would pulse its pleasure even as her mind tried to deny each sexual charge. Feeling temporarily jaded, Michael carefully removed Ria’s fingers from behind his neck. He kissed them lightly. ‘Save these fingers for massaging the patients, darling,’ he said. He watched her lips part then tighten. ‘You mean you don’t want ...?’ she muttered disconsolately. ‘Oh, I do.’ He looked down at her full firm breasts in the sheer silk suit and realised that he would always find her desirable, ‘But I’m involved with someone else.’ ‘That’s never stopped you before,’ Ria said, moving her hands to his waist. But then he’d never met anyone like Lisa before, Michael admitted to himself. The intellectual, emotional and sexual energy between them was almost tangible. He’d never tire of her thoughtfulness, wit and physical charms. ‘So who’s the lucky woman?’ Ria asked, letting go of him at last. He watched distractedly as she walked over to one of the overstuffed chairs and settled herself elegantly within its confines. Her legs looked alluringly slim and long as she put them together and slanted them to one side. She’d always known how to make the best of herself, he acknowledged, taking the chair across from her. But then as a Sexual Surrogate she had to have widespread appeal. ‘Lisa, our new herbalist—that’s who I’m seeing,’ he said slowly. ‘She arrived with me a moment ago.’ He was still coming to terms with Lisa’s abrupt departure. Had she been jealous of Ria? He’d have to explain. ‘So it’s serious, huh?’ the therapist prompted. To his surprise, Michael found he didn’t want to discuss his newest relationship. He shrugged: ‘It has potential, yes.’ ‘And three’s a crowd, right, doc?’ ‘Got it in one.’ He hesitated, feeling he should offer Ria some kind of alternative satisfaction. But that was ridiculous—they were adults who knew the score. Their affair had been mutually pleasant. Neither of them had pretended it was anything more. ‘Gets off on being thrashed, does she, Mike?’ Ria continued. Michael felt his jaw tighten with a rarely-experienced rage. He stared coldly at the Sexual Surrogate until she looked at her nails. How dare she pry into his emotional life or refer to Lisa in this derogatory way? ‘I think we’ll confine our future conversations to work,’ he said, ‘Marie-Rose has a list of patients who’d like to hear from you. Jamilla’s kept your suite aired and Dania’s updated your accounts.’ He

stood up, ‘I’m glad that you’re back, Ria—Vitality needs you. Now I’m off to bed.’ Before she could object, he turned and walked smartly from the room. His prick had been straining when he’d caned and spanked Lisa and brought her off, but now it had deflated. His whole body felt unusually tired. Damn Ria for choosing tonight to return to the Clinic. Damn Lisa for rushing out of the door so fast. Maybe she was still awake and he could talk to her. Perhaps ... He made his way to her bedroom door to find it closed. No chink of light escaped from under it. She’d gone to sleep. He’d better let her rest. Thoughtfully Michael made his way to his room. He locked the door—he wouldn’t put it past Ria to try to join him. She had an enthusiasm for sex that he’d initially adored. Unfortunately her passion was for almost every kind of sexual activity, whereas he only wanted to raise his spanking hand as he pulled down a woman’s pants ... Neither approach was wrong—they just hadn’t been right for each other, Michael acknowledged sadly as he stepped into his en suite shower. Yet at the onset she’d seemed ideal. She’d been a week into the Sexual Surrogacy job at Vitality, and they’d been having a casual discussion in her therapy suite when the talk had gradually turned to CP-style sex. ‘I get the impression that performance pressure is the biggest problem,’ he’d said, thinking of the jaded fifty year old businessmen who came to his surgery. ‘Mmm, I get round that by forbidding penetration,’ Ria had replied. ‘And they get sufficiently aroused?’ he’d asked. Trust me, doc—they get rampant.’ ‘A satisfied customer that hasn’t actually been satisfied,’ he’d said. She’d grinned at him easily. ‘Some of them want different things.’ ‘Such as?’ His heart had changed its beat as images of whipped bare bottoms lifted his libido. ‘You know—watersports, bondage, or to spank and be spanked.’ ‘And do you ... let them spank you?’ he’d asked. He’d hesitated to ask the question, for the last thing he wanted to do was act as a sexual harasser. At the same time he couldn’t let a punishment-for-pleasure opportunity sail quickly by. ‘Sure—if I feel like it I lower myself across their laps,’ she’d replied. He’d inhaled hard: ‘Same here—1 spank my female staff when they disobey my instructions.’ ‘What kind of instructions?’ Ria had said. Her eyes had seemed to glitter in the strong Maltese sunlight. She’d crossed then uncrossed her shapely legs. ‘Rules about record-keeping, punctuality, about not smoking on the premises.’ He saw Ria’s gaze shift to the little table beside her, looked and saw a half-full ashtray, ‘Oh dear, you’ve transgressed already,’ he added in a mock stern tone.

‘Sorry, sir, I forgot,’ the surrogate had murmured throatily. Til still have to take down your pants and tan your arse for you,’ Michael had said. Now, remembering her first thrashing, he looked down at his shaft, which twitched into increasing tumescence. Michael turned the shower faucet onto a cooler temperature: he didn’t want to masturbate under the spray. What he really wanted was Lisa writhing across his knee. Ria had enjoyed being spanked, and he’d gone on to tie her to the coat hooks and tease her clit in later sessions. But she’d refused to be whipped or caned. Which would have been fine, if the spankings had made her temporarily submissive. But they didn’t: they were just a different form of stimulus to her flesh. She hadn’t understood the rules—or had chosen to ignore them. He’d had some interesting sex with her, but she could never be the love of his life. The love of his life was in her room, alone. As was he. Michael turned off the water and briskly rubbed himself dry with a thick towel. Tonight he’d almost told her that he was falling in love with her. Then she’d twisted her engagement ring round her marriage finger and he’d remembered her damned fiance, Reece. Was he, Michael, just a way to pass the time for three months until she joined her partner? He thought that he had a strong affect on her, but was it enough to make her change her long term plans? She’d let him spank and cane her hard. She’d let him use the paddle and bring her to orgasm. They’d talked and sparred and looked at each other and laughed. He hoped that she was beginning to understand about the corporal punishment. He hoped that she realised he wasn’t a sadist—just a dominant man. There was so much confusion about a sexuality such as his own. So much misrepresentation. The ignorant saw CP as domestic violence, yet the two were worlds apart. Wife batterers punched and kicked their wives in acts of rage and undiluted cruelty. Dominant men spanked and teased and brought their submissive lovers to new pleasure heights. Dominant men didn’t physically chasten children. Nor did they spank any adults who didn’t desire to be punished deep down. Lisa wanted to be punished deep down—the strength of her climaxes proved it. As did the fact that she kept coming back for more. She was at the halfway stage now, probably admitting her submission to herself but not to him. He’d read for a while. He couldn’t sleep. As he reached for a medical text the phone rang. Would Lisa call him this late? Eagerly he reached for the receiver. ‘Dr Landers speaking.’ The line crackled—then he recognised the voice of a surgeon whom he’d worked with in London three years before when he himself was still actively practicing surgery. ‘Sorry to disturb you this late,’ his respected colleague said. ‘We’re in the midst of a crisis with one of your former patients.’ He sighed. ‘She urgently requires surgery and insists that she’ll only let you do it. Can you fly over here tonight?’ Chapter Nine What emergency? Lisa rubbed the sleep from her eyes and squinted again at the note which had apparently been pushed under her door some time after she’d gone to bed last night. Called back to Britain on an emergency, it said, Let’s talk when we get back. Then there was a PS: / know I’ll miss you. It was signed simply M.

Had he gone off to London with that dark haired woman he had kissed, Lisa wondered? Nothing had prepared her for the appearance of a rival in Vitality’s lounge. The shock of watching them embrace had affected her almost physically. She’d rushed straight to bed but hadn’t slept for long tension-filled hours. It was ironic, she mused, putting the handwritten letter on the dressing table—just as she managed to push Reece from her mind Michael brought new complications to their tryst. Lisa stood under the warm shower for a very long time, then walked to her wardrobe and gazed at its colourful contents. Nothing looked special. Nothing looked sophisticated enough to match the outfit worn by Michael’s stunning friend. The herbalist studied her dresses and shorts for a while then finally selected a lemon cotton dress with a billowing A-Line. She’d go for a casual summery effect and try to make Ms Red Silk Suit look overdressed. The twenty-eight year old picked up a pair of white briefs and started to step into them. As she tilted her hips forward she caught sight of herself in the mirror. Lisa hesitated, then moved closer to contemplate her small bare bum. Four shadowy spheres testified to where the end of the cane had flicked against her flesh as she bent over the dining table in the casino. The rest of her bottom had returned to its normal paler tone. She’d swayed with desire and dread as he dragged her panties down over her hips, as he tied her hands before her. Remembering, Lisa felt a rush of lust so intense that she had to sit down. She should be in Michael’s arms now or sliding down on his shaft—not alone with her thoughts whilst he winged his way back home. Marie-Rose didn’t seemed surprised to hear the news. ‘Really? It’s happened before. He made quite an impression as a Harley Street surgeon. I’d better cancel his patients for the next three days.’ ‘You reckon he’ll be back by then?’ Lisa’s spirits lifted more. Maybe she’d find that the new woman was his sister or his cousin, that she’d over-reacted. Maybe she was just a close platonic friend. ‘I reckon it would take a war to keep him away.’ The receptionist’s eyes twinkled. Then her gaze moved beyond Lisa. ‘Hi, Ria, when did you get back?’ she asked. ‘Last night,’ the dark-haired woman said. Lisa forced her lips into something resembling a smile. So this was Ria, the Sexual Therapist and Surrogate with the sought-after service. Maybe Michael had just been greeting her warmly in the lounge, the way he’d receive any of his staff. ‘I’m Lisa,’ she murmured, holding out her hand then clasping the other woman’s ringless fingers, ‘Sorry I rushed off so quickly last night. I’d had a long day and was absolutely exhausted.’ A new hope spread through her and she was able to make her smile a genuine one. ‘Happens to most of us in the caring profession,’ Ria concurred with a wry grin. They sat down, Lisa turning sideways in her chair to better observe the other woman’s strong yet sensuous features. Her brown eyes were ringed with a black kohl which matched her hair. Scarlet lipstick with a hint of gloss outlined her full mouth and showed off her almost-even small white teeth. She also boasted a light tan. How old was she? Lisa settled on circa thirty. She realised she’d been staring and added quickly ‘I keep meaning to get fit.’ Then lets use Vitality’s pools and go for regular swims,’ Ria said picking up one of the Clinic’s brochures and flicking through the aquatic photographs.

The herbalist nodded: ‘I swum back home in Scarborough but since I came here I’ve been so busy ...’ Busy thinking about Michael, she admitted to herself. She wondered if the sex surrogate had missed the doctor whilst she was travelling. She searched in vain for a way to bring the topic up. She’d already compromised herself once by asking Achille if the former surgeon was married. She’d be damned if she’d be quite so obvious again. ‘I’ve started to use essential oils in my practice,’ Ria murmured, looking at the inset which introduced Lisa to the brochure, ‘Have you got any tips for giving a full body massage?’ ‘Not really, I’m still learning about that side of things myself,’ Lisa admitted, ‘But they’re really useful for minor aches and ills. For instance, a drop of lavender oil rubbed along the hairline can sometimes stop a tension headache in its tracks.’ ‘I’m dealing with their cocks and quims rather than with their heads,’ Ria said with a wicked grin. ‘And do you actually ... satisfy them?’ Lisa murmured, looking at the surrogate’s long slender legs and pouting breasts, and knowing that she would appeal to men of all ages. ‘If they’re virgins who fear the first act, or people who can’t find a sexual partner then yes, I have penetrative sex with them,’ the black-haired woman replied. She winked, ‘But for every man I take inside me there’s ten I don’t touch yet still send back cured to their wives or girlfriends. Most of them just need to relax, to learn to believe in themselves and their power to attract.’ ‘And do you ... doesn’t your boyfriend mind?’ Lisa prompted. She held her breath, hoped that the woman would say that she didn’t have a boyfriend or that her boyfriend didn’t care. ‘Michael? He can hardly object since he employs me,’ Ria said with a slightly sneering grin. The breeze seemed to disappear from the room. Lisa felt the muscles of her stomach contract. So Michael was spoken for. He had just wanted her as a diversion. Thank God she hadn’t fully made love to him at the casino last night. ‘What lousy luck,’ she murmured, forcing her voice to stay calm, ‘You’re separated for weeks then as you reach Malta he leaves for England.’ ‘We can always write to each other,’ Ria said. ‘But he’ll be back before the post arrives,’ Lisa answered, turning to look more fully at the other girl. ‘He told you that? You saw him last night, then? I didn’t realise ...’ the Sex Surrogate muttered, turning away to set the brochure down. ‘No, I didn’t see him last night. I went straight to bed after the trip to the casino. He pushed a note under my door,’ Lisa explained. ‘He’s always been thoughtful like that,’ Ria toed the ground with one patent heel. Lisa forced out the painful words: ‘So, how long have you been dating the good doctor?’ ‘Oh, many months—ever since I took the position here,’ Ria said.

Lisa nodded—so Michael spanked and satiated all his staff with equal measure. If only he hadn’t looked at her as if she was special. If only he hadn’t written that he’d miss her, and made her foolish hopes lilt. ‘He ... doesn’t strike me as the settling down kind,’ she muttered with difficulty. If Ria was innocent of Michael’s philanderings she had no wish to hurt her. But the herbalist was curious as to how much or how little the other woman might know. ‘You mean because he punishes the staff when they’re bad? He was doing that before me—and he’ll continue to do so. Sometimes I spank young Bakar and I reckon that makes us about even,’ Ria said. ‘And you don’t mind him—well, undressing them from the waist down?’ Ria shrugged: ‘If I’m bored I sometimes watch. It’s a lot better than playing Scrabble. They get so embarrassed having an audience, but they put up with it because he makes them come so overwhelmingly.’ She turned to Lisa, ‘Talking of which, have you been a bad girl and had to be punished by the doc?’ ‘No way—I’m nobody’s plaything,’ Lisa lied stiffly. She stared unseeingly at her patient list then added, ‘I have to go now. There’s a client due in five minutes and I want to do some provisional reading first.’ ‘Poor you—I got back early so I’m a free agent till Friday,’ Ria laughed, as the herbalist walked self consciously from the room. A free agent. The words swum around Lisa’s head throughout the intolerably long day. She had to think positive, she told herself. She was free to be Recce’s fiance again. Somehow had to forget Michael’s caresses. But she couldn’t forget the sound of his taunting or the swish of his rattan cane. Though she’d genuinely writhed under each lash, the situation had excited her. Much as she’d hated the humiliation, she’d adored the spectacular orgasm at the end. There had to be a way to incorporate a little erotic punishment into her love life. She had to find a means to tell Reece that she wasn’t adverse to being spanked. After much musing, Lisa put together twenty photos she’d taken of Vitality and its plush surroundings. Then she slipped in the one of Carmen lying with her skirts raised over Michael’s knee. The girl’s panties were pushed down. Her bottom was scarlet. They take an old fashioned approach to discipline here, she wrote on the photograph’s back. Then she paused. That simply made the act sound punitive. Makes a change from missionary position, she added in a shaky hand and added six exclamation marks. Lisa stared at the envelope for a long time, as she tried to envisage her lover’s reaction. Then she mailed the snapshots with her usual letter and started to watch for the post, eagerly awaiting his reply.

Chapter Ten The hours pass slowly when you’re waiting for someone to return—especially when you’re pretending not to. Lisa normally relaxed between consultations, but now she made cups of tea that she didn’t want then further tidied her already immaculate Consultation Suite. She had to be friendly but untouchable when Michael Landers returned, she told herself edgily. She had to seem unperturbed. Somehow she’d get through what remained of her three month stint here then take her bruised heart back to England, back to Reece. Lisa sighed and added two drops of an anti-depressive oil to the vapour ring attached to her lamp.

She’d have to postpone the wedding for a while, of course—her attraction to Michael had shown her that she wasn’t ready to marry Reece yet. She’d simply tell him that she wanted them to keep dating for a while longer. He’d understand. He was a good man, Lisa told herself. Her heart sank. When people used these words it was usually to make up for some other deficiency in the man’s persona. He’s a good man, they said—and silently added but a little dull and plodding. He’s got a good heart—but he’s never made mine skip an excited beat. A knock tattooed through her door. Lisa jumped, then tried to push the anxious blush from her face. Had Michael returned this quickly? ‘Enter,’ she called, then winced at the double entendre. She must stop thinking about sex. Jamilla hurried in: ‘Forgot to refill the vapour rings in your consultation rooms,’ she murmured, ‘What with Michael away, we’re all out of our usual routine.’ ‘Do you miss him?’ Lisa asked. The openness of the question surprised herself. She hadn’t meant to sound so blunt. Jamilla put down the essential oils and smiled. ‘Of course I miss him. He’s a wonderful employer.’ Lisa sucked in her breath: she had nothing to lose now by assuaging her curiosity. ‘I thought he meant more to you than that.’ ‘You mean ...’ For the first time, the Maltese woman dipped her head as she put the sandalwood and bergamot phials back into her cavernous apron pocket, ‘He pleases me, yes.’ ‘And you don’t mind that he also pleases Carmen and Dania and ... other staff members?’ Lisa prompted, keeping her voice light and even. Jamilla picked up her bunch of keys and took a step towards the door. She spoke quietly. ‘I have all the satisfaction I need, yet no other demands on my time and energy. Why should I want something more?’ Because men and women are more than genitally linked. Because most of us want someone who is special. Because people fall in love. Lisa felt the thoughts swarm round her brain. A holiday romance wasn’t for her—she wanted ongoing passion. Couldn’t bear to just have a partial share in her man. ‘I’m glad life is good to you,’ she said to the housekeeper, meaning it. ‘I think it could be even better for you,’ Jamilla said. ‘Me? Oh I’ll get by.’ Lisa picked up her herbal diary to read over the next patient’s notes. Jamilla left. The patient arrived and soon departed with a relaxing tissane. Physician heal thyself, Lisa thought wearily, as she massaged some diluted geranium and rosewood oils into her own tense abdomen. Then the phone rang. Was it Michael calling from England this time? She’d told Marie-Rose that she was too busy to speak to the doctor. She couldn’t bear to hear his voice, remember his calm insistent tone. Bend over the desk, Lisa. Pull down your pants for me. That’s it, sweetheart. Her tummy lurched its lust. Marshalling her courage and her coolest voice, she picked up the receiver and murmured ‘Yes?’

Marie-Rose’s hesitant words filtered down the line. ‘Don Muscat, a patient of Ria’s, has just turned up at Reception. He’s desperate to see someone. Ria is out shopping, so I thought ...’ ‘Send him up,’ the herbalist said easily. She greeted the fair-haired man at the door of her consultation room. He was about eight years her junior, and had the well built torso of someone who spends three or four nights a week in the gym. ‘Take a seat, Don,’ Lisa invited, her own gaze taking in his white cotton trousers, tan belt and tan coloured polo shirt. He was very pleasing to the crotch and on the eye. ‘Sorry to arrive without warning,’ the newcomer said with an engaging grin, ‘I was driving to my fiancee’s and suddenly turned the wheel in the direction of Vitality. I guess I just wanted to talk to Ria again before I made any final decisions regarding Jill.’ ‘Jill’s your fiancee?’ Lisa clarified. The man nodded: ‘She’s great—she hasn’t done anything wrong. That’s why I feel so guilty.’ ‘Guilty that you’ve ...?’ Lisa prompted, starting to nibble her pen. 129 Marie-Rose had given her the briefest details of the patient—only Ria knew what had really been going on in the man’s mind. ‘I feel guilty that I still notice other women,’ Don Muscat admitted with an apologetic shrug. ‘You wouldn’t be human if you didn’t.’ Lisa tried to give him an encouraging smile, but her thoughts again turned to Michael. She found the doctor so attractive that her pelvis ached with need. ‘Give me a brief version of events,’ she added softly. ‘Tell whatever seems important to you.’ Don Muscat nodded. ‘Well, I met Jill two years ago and we’ve been dating ever since. I knew she wanted to get married and ... I guess on one level I did too. You know, the idea of a shared house, having someone to come home to. But since we set a date for the wedding I haven’t wanted to ... perform.’ ‘And Ria’s helped?’ Lisa queried. Jealousy caused a heavy dragging feeling between her bra-cupped breasts. ‘Sure. She showed me that there was nothing physically wrong, that the problem was a psychological one,’ Don Muscat murmured. You mean she shafted you, Lisa thought wearily. Aloud she said: ‘So what made you seek out Ria’s help today?’ ‘I ... we’d talked and she’d sent me away to decide what I wanted to do about Jill. Last night I decided to end my engagement. I was on my way to see Jill today and tell her when I bottled out.’ Genuinely sympathetic, Lisa leaned forward. ‘You wanted Ria to reassure you that you were doing the right thing?’

‘I guess so.’ He shrugged, ‘Maybe I was just delaying the horrible moment. It’s hard to tell someone you love that you’re cancelling the wedding plans.’ ‘You’ll continue to date Jill?’ Lisa prompted. This was so like her own situation with Reece that it felt almost eerie. ‘I doubt that she’ll have me,’ the man answered then gave a long low sigh. He looked steadily across the desk at her, ‘I’m aware that she may want my head on a stick for changing our plans like this.’ He hesitated, ‘I mean, if someone called off your wedding at two months notice would you want to know them any more?’ ‘I ... I guess not.’ She’d feel as if she wasn’t good enough. She’d feel devastated. Like most women, she’d erroneously blame herself. The fair haired client was looking at her expectantly. Lisa sought to reassure. ‘I’m working as a herbalist here—but I trained as a counsellor before so I can provide either form of therapy. We can talk now, or I can give you a relaxing herbal tissane to drink and essential oils which you can inhale to further de-stress.’ ‘I’d hoped that Ria ... I’ve got all this tension in my neck and shoulders. She sometimes gives me a massage,’ the twenty year old said. ‘I’m not really trained to ...’ Lisa started. The phone rang and she jumped and noticed that the man seemed surprised by her sudden edginess. ‘Hello?’ she said. ‘Dr Landers is back. He’d like to see you in half an hour. Should he visit your treatment suite?’ Marie-Rose queried down the telephone line. ‘No—I’ll be out. I’m too busy,’ Lisa muttered, the words tumbling over each other. Then she slammed down the phone. ‘Sounds like you’re the one who needs a massage,’ the youth grinned, ‘Are you overworked here?’ Til admit I’ve had a difficult few days,’ Lisa admitted. She glanced at the door, knowing that Michael could come through it any second. He was Ria’s now, though—she, Lisa, had to keep away. Driven by panic and anger, she swiftly stood. ‘I’ll give you that massage if you like. 1 know its a bit unorthodox, but I’ve more essential oils in my bedroom and we won’t be disturbed by the phone there.’ She flicked her machine onto answer mode, ushered the man out, then locked the suite. ‘I don’t have a massage couch I’m afraid, so I’ll spread a large quilt on the floor for you to lie on.’ She walked the man to her large and well-aired bedroom with ensuite bathroom and ushered him in. ‘Don’t you just want me on the King Size?’ Don Muscat asked. He looked well worth having on the bed. He looked like a male model or film star. Lisa again admired his taut upper torso and small cotton-clad hips. She wanted to feel him all over, and would do, she told herself firmly, but only in the form of giving him a revitalising massage. ‘A bed is too soft for a massage,’ she explained, ‘When I press down on your muscles you’ll sink into the mattress. We want an ungiving support for your body which will also protect my knees.’ ‘You’re the boss! Just tell me which way you want me,’ the man said, looking with obvious appreciation at her body then at the fragrant room.

Lisa felt a little arc of sparks thrill its way across her groin. Ignoring it, she took the spare duvet from the wardrobe and spread it across the large expanse of carpet under the open window. Thank goodness Michael had been so generous with her bedroom space! ‘This is some room. Is it fun to work here?’ Don Muscat queried. ‘It has its moments,’ Lisa said. She realised that she didn’t want to talk about her work or her employer. She just wanted to lose herself for an hour or two in an uncomplicated act. Take off your clothes then lie down,’ she bid. Another little frisson nosed its way from lower belly to mons at her own directness. Lisa loosened the collar of her turquoise shirtdress and did a little deep breathing as she stared at the man. ‘Yes Ma’am,’ Don replied with a grin. She realised that poor Jill had had lots of girlish competition. And competition from more mature women like herself? She sat down as he shrugged out of his polo shirt, unbelted his cotton trews, and pulled both garments from his body. Hesitated, still clad in close-fitting white briefs, then pulled them off as well. Lisa stayed seated on the bed, drinking in his naked perfection. His phallus was a semi-hard fleshy tube underlined by thick blonde hair. ‘What do I do now?’ the client continued easily. You make me come upon your cock till I forget the past few days, Lisa thought with savage honesty. ‘Just relax on your tummy with your hands by your sides,’ she replied, bringing the ethical side of her persona into the phrase. ‘Yes Ma’am,’ the man said. Again the slight submissiveness in his tone sent excitement to her pinkish nipples. It was true then, that even masochistic women could swing both ways. Lisa acknowledged her own sense of power as she watched Don Muscat lie at her feet, his bare bum an inviting target. If only he was her lover rather than a client. If only she was wearing a belt ... Forcing her mind back into business mode, the herbalist went into her dressing table drawer and brought out a grapeseed base, and two phials of essential oils. ‘I’m going to use ylang ylang to cure your restlessness and rose to lift your emotional tiredness,’ she told the man as she unscrewed the bottle tops. ‘Sounds fine to me.’ He lifted his head to smile at her and Lisa knelt to turn his head slightly to one side. ‘Keep your limbs loose. Don’t talk if you find you don’t want to,’ she instructed. Then she blended the carefully-measured oils into a small china bowl. ‘I’m warming my hands,’ she explained, rubbing her palms briskly together. Now she was ready to knead the tension from his long tanned limbs. Lisa started with his neck, the part of the body which tended to accumulate most stress especially in business people. This man was no exception. Lisa worked at the uptight muscles until each began to relax. ‘Mmm, that smells nice,’ her client murmured, ‘Ria didn’t ...’ ‘Each of us employs our own methods,’ the herbalist said.

‘I prefer your methods,’ the man added softly, his shoulders relaxing. Lisa grimaced—if only Michael would say that. Don Muscat hesitated. ‘Your boyfriend’s lucky—you give a great massage.’ It was a clumsy attempt to find out if she was spoken for, but Lisa didn’t blame the man for trying. The Maltese sunshine and the wonderful herbal aromas made most people feel higher levels of desire. ‘He’s in Singapore. He’s ...’ She hesitated. She shouldn’t really be talking like this. But since Michael had left she’d felt emotionally isolated and a little lonely, ‘I’m postponing our wedding,’ she admitted softly, ‘I’m in the same boat as you.’ ‘Because there’s someone else?’ the twenty year old murmured, curiosity or anticipation in his voice. “There was for a while,’ Lisa admitted sadly, ‘But now I’m alone.’ ‘In that case we could console each other,’ the youth said, stretching each rib. Lisa finished massaging his firm back. She slid her right hand onto his left buttock. Then she warmed more oil in her left palm and applied it to his spherical flesh. ‘There’s a lot of tension there,’ the man continued, and there was clear sexual tension in his voice as Lisa continued her ministrations. She kneaded his well-oiled orbs again and again and again. Then she moved down to his thighs, bringing further moans of pleasure. She spent an equally long time on his calves, delaying the moment when he’d turn over and she’d see his prick. The atmosphere in the room was already far from professional and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could trust herself to do the right thing. ‘Turn over,’ she instructed at last, and her voice was guttural. ‘Your wish is my command,’ Don Muscat muttered, and rolled onto his taut bare back. His manhood was now thick and hard against the blonde hairs of his belly. His balls looked painfully full and dark. ‘I think my shoulders have had enough,’ he continued as Lisa moved towards his upper torso, ‘But there’s some tension in my lower stomach, Miss.’ ‘I think that a nice hard kneading will put paid to that,’ Lisa teased. Lust filtered down to her pubis. It wasn’t the overwhelming desire she felt when Michael told her she had to be punished—but it was enough to make her wet. She used the heel of her hand on his lower tummy, her knuckles just brushing his erection as she massaged his flat warm abdomen. Don Muscat sucked in his breath: ‘Ria usually massages me further down,’ he murmured. ‘You’re a herbal client. It wouldn’t be ethical for me to touch you sexually. It’s different for Ria—she’s a Sexual Therapist,’ Lisa said. ‘No, I’m not your client—I’m Ria’s. What we’re doing is allowed to get personal if that’s what we both want,’ the blonde man replied. Lisa’s nipples elongated further at his words, and her clitoris gave a little hopeful twitch. Why shouldn’t she succumb to her sexual desires? She was through with Michael and intended to tell Reece that she could no longer be his bride so was effectively a free agent—a free agent who fancied this uncomplicated man. ‘In that case, maybe you could massage me—I’m tense all over,’ she whispered. ‘Don’t use essential oils on my pubis though,’ she added quickly, ‘They can irritate.’ She didn’t want to be irritated now. She wanted to take him inside her, take control of the situation. She wanted to show Michael Landers that he wasn’t the only eligible lover in town.

‘Take off your dress,’ Don Muscat said. His voice had gone hoarse with yearning. Staring into his eyes, Lisa slowly undid button after button then shrugged the turquoise garment from her shoulders, waist and hips. She wriggled out of it and sat there in her half-cup lilac lace bra and matching panties. ‘Take these off too, then lie down on your tummy,’ the younger man continued, licking his lips. It was an anticipatory gesture rather than a nervous one—his clear gaze showed that he was well used to bedding women. So used to variety that he hadn’t been able to settle for one special girl ... Just like Michael, Lisa thought savagely. She quickly undipped her bra and pulled down her panties. Then she stretched out, naked, on her softly rounded belly and wondered what he’d do to her next. She immediately became aware of her vulnerable bare bottom, just as she’d been aware of Don’s naked arse a few moments before. Spank me, she thought, or threaten to use your belt before you enter me. Tie me to the four poster and tease my clitoris till I’m forced to beg. ‘You’re beautiful,’ the man murmured. Michael would have said That bum needs warmed. It has to be disciplined. Lisa liquefied between her legs as her submissive thoughts pushed their impact down, down, down. ‘Why don’t you prove it?’ she said gutturally, ‘Why don’t you kiss my arse?’ She was being rude now, being provocative. She waited for her spanking. Held and held and held her hopeful breath. Then she let it out in disappointment as she felt masculine lips against one buttock cheek. ‘Lick it,’ she ordered, and felt his tongue slide between her taut smooth rotundities. The sensation was delicious, even if it wasn’t exactly what she’d wanted. ‘What are you going to do for an encore?’ she murmured, gently raising her naked cheeks. ‘I’m going to cover your arse in scented oils. I’m going to knead it till you ask me to fuck you,’ Don Muscat said hoarsely. The herbalist shivered with anticipation and delight as he tipped a small pool of the oil into his right palm and warmed it by rubbing his hands together again and again. She already knew how wonderful oil on flesh could feel. The times when she and Reece had massaged each other had led to some of their best sexual sessions. If only she’d settled for that ... ‘You’ve a little bruise on your bum,’ her new lover murmured. ‘I wonder how that got there?’ Lisa whispered into the floor-based duvet. Again she held her breath and hoped that he’d ask further questions, but she waited in vain. ‘Don’t worry—I’ll be gentle,’ the blonde youth continued, and she felt him smear the sweetly-scented oil over both buttocks. He obviously had no idea that she wanted him to be rough. Still, his touch was enjoyable sensual, the excitement heightened because he was new and different. And forbidden, Lisa reminded himself. ‘You’ve got a great arse,’ Don Muscat continued, kneading each centimetre of firm flesh, ‘Really shapely.’ ‘It’s had quite a few workouts since it arrived in Malta,’ Lisa said. Been toned and briefly tamed by the palm, the cane, the paddle, she thought lustfully to herself. ‘Yeah, it’s great here for exercise. Ria showed me both your pools. And in town we have access to various watersports,’ the man added enthusiastically. He fondled her bare bum with equal verve. Then he moved to the tops of her legs and smoothed in more of the oil.

‘Go in a bit,’ Lisa whispered. The insides of her thighs had always been hugely sensitive and loved a feather light touch. ‘Here?’ Don queried. ‘Christ, yes,’ the twenty-eight year old gasped. The feeling was exquisite. Each pathway to pleasure started to come alive. ‘I could come just with you doing that,’ she added after a breathless few minutes. ‘I’d rather you came on my cock,’ the naked man said. He’d probably have to tease round her clit to get her there, Lisa mused—she didn’t often orgasm from male thrusting. But he seemed experienced so would probably know where to touch. As she speculated on his prowess, she felt Don’s hands move away. ‘Turn onto your back,’ he instructed easily. ‘What will I do with my hands?’ Lisa challenged, wiggling her fingers around. Tie them behind my back, she thought wildly. ‘Put them down by your sides like you tell your clients to do,’ the blonde youth said. Lisa grimaced: ‘Whatever you say boss.’ She stared up at him hoping to get a dominant reaction. Instead he just poured more oil into his large cupped right hand. ‘Are your breasts sensitive, Lisa?’ he murmured, putting both palms over her mammaries and cupping them firmly in the oily warmth. Normally they weren’t—but the finger-held sensation was reassuringly pleasant and sent little tingles all the way down to her thighs. ‘They have their moments,’ she whispered huskily. She could feel both bare breasts swelling, the bullet-like nipples elongating against his hands. Don Muscat fondled her there for a long, long time. He stroked the soft creamy sides. He gently thumbed her oil-slicked cleavage. Then he worked his oiled hands down, down, down. He massaged her tummy so that the lust filtered to her loins and built there. He traced around the top of her pubis until she moaned for a more intimate touch. ‘What do I do now?’ he whispered with more than a hint of teasing, ‘You said not to get essential oils on your clit.’ ‘Wipe your palms with one of those wet freshening tissues,’ Lisa instructed, jerking a thumb towards the packet on the cabinet top. She felt bereft when he moved away. Then she exhaled slowly as he returned with clean fingers to kneel by her side. ‘Now 1 can massage that tender little lovebud,’ he said. Lisa half opened her eyes, then closed them again as she saw the look of lust on his perfect tanned features. His own desire was fast being matched by hers. She groaned when he slid a finger over her swollen bud for the very first time. ‘Whoa—massage is supposed to be relaxing,’ Don Muscat murmured. He sounded very pleased with himself. Lisa’s thighs flexed with sexual excitement as he teased her clit. She pretended that her wrists and ankles were staked to the ground, that she was his sexual prisoner, that he hadn’t yet given her permission to come.

‘Permission to come, sir?’ she whispered raggedly. ‘Are you going to ... Time I was on top.’ His words brought her out of the fantasy. Lisa opened her eyes and stared. Don Muscat was moving to kneel between her legs. As she watched, he parted her glistening folds and lined up his hard condom-coated cock so that its tip was parallel. He started to move forward on his knees. ‘No. Wait.’ He obviously wasn’t going to dominate her—so she’d go on top. She’d take charge of the situation. She could pretend that he was her sex slave, that he had to do as he was bid. ‘I’m going to ride you like a mule,’ she added, sitting up and staring strongly into his face. She watched his lips slacken with increased wanting. Men always loved something different and offbeat. ‘Christ, yes. Fuck me hard,’ Don Muscat said. He moved eagerly to lie on his back. He put his hands behind his head. His shaft rubbed against his hirsute belly. Lisa positioned herself above him then took hold of his erection in her small right hand. She put the left hand to one side of him, then lowered herself down onto his jerking phallus, felt it opening her all the way up. God, he was big. Shafting the masseuse was obviously a long-held fantasy. Either that or she was just his type. ‘Like that?’ she whispered, starting to move slowly up and down on his cock. ‘Love it,’ the youth whispered, ‘You’re so tight for me.’ She was tighter than usual because she wasn’t so well lubricated, Lisa acknowledged silently. But she was wet enough. ‘Don’t come until I tell you to,’ she said in a pretend-teasing voice. She’d have liked to have made the scenario more real, to have dominated him completely. But he obviously wasn’t into it and the last thing she wanted to do was play games with his head. After all, if you tried CP and found that you craved it, it was hard to go back to having vanilla sex. ‘Yes Ma’am,’ Don said with a sexy grin. ‘If you lean forward I can lick your nipples,’ he added hungrily. ‘In that case I’ll lean back, cause you don’t deserve them,’ Lisa said. She started to push down faster and harder. Don groaned. ‘I can’t hold off much longer,’ he said in a guttural voice. Lisa took his right hand and guided it to her clit: ‘Massage that bit,’ she ordered. She looked up as the door swung open. Michael Landers stood there staring at them both in white-faced shock.

Chapter Eleven Reece peered at the upturned bare bottom in the photograph. His gaze took in both taut globes, their glowing scarlet. Then he shifted his gaze to the seated figure, and grimaced some more. Why was this woman being spanked and why was this man spanking her? And what on earth was Lisa thinking of, sending him this tasteless snap? Slowly he flicked through the rest of the photos, taking in images of the Health Clinic’s pool, herb garden and sun roof. Other pictures showed Malta’s rocky beaches and busy shops. There was only one unnatural photo then—only one note of contention. One celluloid rectangle sent to amuse, amaze or

disturb. Feeling his skin prickle, Reece turned to the bare-bummed photo again, and wondered about his fiancee’s motivation. Could she be hinting that she wanted to be taken in hand? They’d always been egalitarian, both giving and receiving equal pleasure: he’d go down on her then she’d go down on him. He was aware that he often came quite fast, so took time afterwards with his hands to give her satisfaction. He sometimes massaged the hirsute curve of her pubis till she reached her peak. Reece flopped down on his back atop the bed. He’d been glad to see the package from his beloved, had looked forward to replying to her latest letter. What he hadn’t anticipated was this unpalatable polaroid. Was she suggesting that they have sex out of doors with the risk of a stranger watching? They’d already made love twice in his car. He looked at the half-stripped girl for a final time, then tore the photograph into dozens of tiny pieces. Lisa was just being silly or provocative—he’d force the awkwardness that he’d felt on seeing the snap from his weary mind. After a moments thought, he picked up his pen and wrote ‘That outdoor pool looks inviting: He wouldn’t mention the spanking snap, and their sex life wouldn’t change.

Chapter Twelve My God, she was actively betraying him. Michael stared at Lisa as she thrust down upon the blonde youth’s cock. Her breasts were hanging pendulously forward, the nipples enlarged with pinkening pleasure. Both facial cheeks were hot and flushed. She lifted her head and her pupil’s bore into his. Michael took a small step backwards. Was she staring with shock, like him, or was her gaze one of confrontation or rage? His mind searched for words of anguish or disbelief, mere verbal hints at the outrage and shock that were racing through his system. No phrases were forthcoming, and after glaring at them both for another few seconds, he let the door swing shut. How could she? Why should she? They’d been so close before he left ... When the pain came it was so intense that it felt wholly physical, and when Carmen hurried up behind him and touched his shoulder he moved his right arm backwards as if swatting away a fly. ‘Dr Landers, the whole salmon I ordered hasn’t been delivered,’ she said with urgency. He turned to face her: ‘Am I supposed to be losing sleep?’ Couldn’t quite remember walking away from her or moving along the corridor but found himself a few moments later in his sunlit bedroom. Michael reached for his phone, intending to ask Jamilla to bring him up a single glass and a bottle of five star brandy. Then he hesitated—drinking to oblivion had never been his way. Only weaklings and cowards tried to hide from reality in a haze of numbing drugs and alcohol. His work had taught him how to heal bodies, not to destroy his own. Still fighting an urge to crash his fist into a wall—or into that blonde boy—Michael shed all his travelling clothes and stepped under the somewhat soothing shower. Then he put on a new lightweight suit and went down to his consultation rooms to catch up with his letters, faxes and electronic mail. He’d deal with Lisa after dinner in a way that would wipe the slate clean of her misdemeanours. Deal with her adulterous little arse ...

Dinner was at eight. He was there at ten minutes to the hour. He used his right hand to pour wine for Bakar, Ria, Jamilla, was aware that he wanted to use that same right palm to thoroughly warm Lisa’s soft backside. Not that a spanking would be enough this time: she’d have to take the more focused pain of his ferula. That little rubber punisher could turn a girl’s pale canvas to a squirming red. The doctor looked at his pocket watch. Would she dare to show her face? Maybe she’d been drunk when she’d taken that youth to her room and rashly excited him. By now she’d have fully sobered up and had time to feel repentant and ashamed. Michael nodded as Dania took her seat at the table. He’d let Lisa show her contrition by taking his manhood between her velvety lips. That would be after he’d whipped her soundly. His groin tautened at the image, though it did little to ease the ongoing ache in his heart. ‘This is my third glass of wine already,’ Ria the Sex Therapist said as she hurried to the dining table and he poured her her first glass of the evening, ‘I had two in Sliema,’ she continued, ‘Needed the sugar lift—I’d virtually shopped till I dropped.’ She held out her shapely left hand, ‘1 bought myself this ring and a matching bracelet in this little jewellers near the arcade.’ ‘Very attractive,’ Michael said. He was amazed that his voice sounded the same as usual. It wanted to shout its rage. ‘And I also found this backless dress ...’ Ria enthused. Michael looked over as Marie-Rose and Lisa entered the dining room. Ria turned to smile at them, ‘I was just telling Michael that I’ll show him the new clothes I bought after we eat.’ ‘I have some business to attend to with Lisa then,’ Michael said, staring at the herbalist intently. ‘Sorry doc, I’m off duty till tomorrow morning,’ she replied. He stared hungrily at her face, looking for a flicker of deliberate confrontation. Surely she was just doing this to earn herself a thrashing? Just finding out how much insolence and mental cruelty he would take? Til expect you in my consultation suite after we’ve eaten,’ he continued determinedly. ‘I’m digesting my meal for an hour then going swimming,’ the twenty-eight year old replied. Michael’s fingers tightened involuntarily on his fork. He forced his hands to relax, thanked Jamilla for the melon starter she set down before him. Lisa might be trying to tempt him to the pool. He could chasten her thoroughly after she left the water. A wet bare bum hurt more than one which was dry. ‘I may join you there,’ he said tautly. ‘I’ve had a tiring day,’ Lisa demurred, staring at him with the coldest gaze he’d ever seen in a woman, ‘I’d rather swim alone.’ Michael looked around the long linen-clothed table at his staff. Ria was smirking. Marie-Rose was glaring at the herbalist. Dania was nibbling her bottom lip and raking her fork awkwardly across a melon crescent. Bakar was staring at Lisa’s displayed full breasts. They were wonderfully round and firm, the doctor thought, gazing at the tanned smooth globes which beckoned from the deep slashed V of her neckline. He adored the dark secret hollow which disappeared into her dress. He wanted to slide his fingers between the warm spheres then circle them round and round till she moaned with pleasure. His main eroticism would always be focused on the female bottom, but he could still appreciate Lisa’s

cuppable breasts. And she could appreciate his appreciation. He looked up quickly and saw the pride and pleasure in her eyes, the small joy that a woman feels when she sees that a man desires her. So she still wanted him to admire her lightly-clad contours. Did she want him to chasten her soft flesh with equal zeal? As soon as the main course ended, Lisa stood up to leave. ‘Don’t you want coffee in the drawing room?’ he murmured softly. ‘No, I’ve had enough stimulus for today already,’ she answered coolly, and her gaze was as sharp and grey and emotionless as flint. God, she was being brutal. Michael knew all about the stimulus she meant, relived the moments when he’d seen her pushing down upon her new young lover. Oil had glistened on her pubis. Lust had brought its long-lasting heat to her pre-orgasmic face. She walked quickly from the room. ‘Please go and have your coffee,’ Michael said to the others, ‘I’ve some business to attend to.’ Ria got up and made a move towards him. ‘Go with the others,’ he said. ‘But I wanted to ...’ she started. ‘It can wait.’ This can’t, he thought, knowing that he had to re-establish his relationship with Lisa. He wanted her over his knee, then on his shaft, then in his arms. She’d elated his libido and awakened his mind more than any other woman. She could continue to revolutionise his life. He caught up with her as she reached the stairwell. ‘Ms Steen. You’ve been rude and unco-operative today. I’ll have to lift your skirt and ...’ Lisa put her foot on the first step then looked back at him. ‘If you touch me I’ll call for the police.’ There was no daring note in her voice. Her gaze was equally serious. She wasn’t angling for a birching—she was telling him to keep away. Michael stayed his ground. He had to get this sorted out now. ‘If I’ve offended you in some way, please tell me,’ he said stiffly. ‘You’ve ... I just want a professional relationship. Alright?’ ‘But at the casino we ... I felt so close to you,’ he continued, staring into her grey eyes even more intently. ‘You’re close to all your staff,’ Lisa said. ‘If you want me to stop correcting them ...’ He trailed off. It would be strange if he could no longer punish the other staff members. Would they stay with him out of loyalty and just find their masochistic and orgasmic kicks elsewhere? He’d have to think things through and talk to them before he could make Lisa the ultimate promise. Would have to know if they’d be willing to continue working at Vitality and living-in.

Lisa moved up another two steps. She talked as she walked. He stared at her haunches, outlined in the azure silk, and knew that he wanted to thrash them till they trembled. ‘Do what you want with the other women,’ she said over her shoulder, ‘Just leave me alone.’ ‘And if I don’t?’ he countered, still hoping that she’d egg him on, that deep down she wanted correcting. ‘If you don’t I’ll take the next plane back to England,’ she warned. Michael stood watching till she moved out of sight. He’d never felt this bereft before, this cuckolded. Damn her for igniting his love then ignoring it! He looked at his fingers, remembering how they’d felt being gripped deep inside her. She’d been so deliciously silken and whimperingly wet. He’d wanted to make love to her then even more than he had the first time he’d seen her. Wanted her more than he wanted any other woman in the world. And she still desired him, that was the thing—he could feel the sexual attraction sparking between them. He ached for her. Her body had cleaved to his. So what had changed? Still musing, Michael walked to his surgery to deal with the remaining faxes. Then he looked at his receptionist’s hastily scribbled notes. Why had Lisa been given one of Ria’s patients? He phoned through to the drawing room, and Jamilla answered, sounding anxious or slightly scared. They were obviously aware that he’d had an unresolved confrontation with Lisa, that he felt pain and rage. ‘Ask Marie-Rose to come and see me when she’s finished her coffee,’ he said. Jamilla promised to pass on the brief instruction. Either the receptionist was a quick drinker or she wanted to get the encounter over with, for four minutes later he heard a timid knock at the door. ‘Enter.’ He always used few words when he was readying a girl to taste the whip. He found that the guilty party then talked overtime and usually fully implicated their luckless selves. ‘Have I done something wrong sir?’ the forty year old murmured as she sauntered into the room. Her dark eyes sparkled with sexual hunger. Her lips were already parting with desire. ‘You seem to have sent this patient to the wrong therapist,’ Michael said, ‘I demand an explanation.’ He held out Don Muscat’s slender file. ‘Oh, that,’ she said eventually. ‘Yes, that, Marie-Rose.’ He played with the wooden ruler upon his desk. ‘Well, Ria was out shopping and the man was desperate,’ she muttered, shrugging. ‘Are you qualified to recognise despair, then?’ the doctor said. ‘Well,’ her hands made flapping movements, ‘He was a bit down and ...’ Michael was quick to grasp the advantage: ‘Ah, so we’re not talking potential suicide here.’ ‘No, doctor, it’s just ... Though he didn’t have an appointment he’d turned up in person so I figured ...’ The receptionist toed the ground.

‘You figured wrong. He could have gone away and come back to see his usual therapist tomorrow. That way he’d have continued the treatment he’s paid for so far.’ ‘I guess so.’ Marie-Rose looked round the immaculate consultation rooms as if they held the answer, ‘But Lisa wasn’t doing anything so I decided to give her a ring.’ Michael stared at her from the crown of her dark head to her black patent shod feet. Watched the rise and fall of her ample blouse-clad chest and increasingly jutting nipples. ‘And now I’ve decided to bare your bum and punish it for such unethical behaviour,’ he said. He watched as Marie-Rose flushed. ‘I thought that I was showing initiative,’ she muttered, moving from foot to foot as she gazed at the carpet. She’d never been one to submit to a thrashing without a fight. ‘Showing initiative by sending a sexually-confused youth to a trainee herbalist? Showing a complete lack of sensitivity and forethought, I think.’ He opened the drawer and withdrew the two-tailed tawse, then slapped it against his thigh with heavy promise, ‘Didn’t you consider the quandary that you were putting Ms Steen into? Didn’t you realise what the man would desire?’ ‘I didn’t think about it like that,’ the Maltese woman admitted. He watched as her dark eyes widened. “Then we must impress the lesson onto your sensitive extremities,’ he said. He looked around the medical room he was seated in, then looked through the partitioning door to his second medical room. He often punished Jamilla and Carmen here for work-related misdemeanours, but now he felt bored at the prospect of having Marie-Rose stretch out along the chaise longue in the familiar supine way. He was equally tired of bending his submissive partners across the examination suite or over the wooden desk. Restlessly Michael glanced through the large glass portal. There was a low mellow brick wall just a few feet away from Lisa’s window. She might hear the older woman’s cries and see ... ‘As you just get into mischief when you’re in here I’m going to chasten you outside,’ he said, reaching for a plump square cushion. ‘Outside? You can’t—young Bakar might be gardening,’ the receptionist said in a high strained voice. ‘He’ll get to look at more than the lupins then, won’t he?’ the doctor snapped. He wasn’t really angry, just determined. Determined to punish a female bum today. Still seated, he waited for the forty year old’s next objection—there was bound to be one. As one of his longest serving staff Marie-Rose liked to spar for a rear-protecting while. ‘Couldn’t I just apologise to Lisa?’ she asked sulkily. She sat down quickly on the nearest chair as if to hide her bountiful bottom. ‘You can apologise as well, if you like. But you still have to be punished for your presumption, for your mistake.’ ‘You left so quickly that I didn’t have time to check whom Ms Steed should see ...’ the receptionist countered.

‘I flew home to perform emergency surgery believing that I’d left this clinic in capable hands,’ the former surgeon said. ‘I am capable,’ the woman shot back, ‘I just made one small error of judgement.’ ‘And you’ll be even more capable when I’ve thrashed that error-making judgement out of you.’ He watched closely as some inner struggle went on between her brain and her clitoris. When she asked her next question he knew that her clitoris had won. ‘Couldn’t I just keep my pants on this time?’ she mumbled, voice slurred with shame at previous memories. ‘Now you know I need a naked bum to deliver a proper chastisement,’ Michael replied. He walked over to the receptionist and took her right arm. As he’d suspected, lust had robbed her usual strength from her tanned limbs. Gently he helped her to her feet. Together they strode towards the garden, Marie-Rose still muttering that this wasn’t right. ‘You’re going over the wall near the shrubbery,’ he told her as they neared the mellow stone dyke, ‘You’ll bend over it fully clothed and wait for further instruction. I’ll tell you what to do next.’ ‘No change there,’ muttered Marie-Rose, glaring at him sideways, her cheeks hectic. Her pupils were even larger than before. ‘You’ve just earned yourself an extra four strokes of the tawse for being rude,’ the doctor replied. He loved it when his sexual partners held back—it made their final submission all the sweeter. And it intensified the number of whacks they received on their cringing flesh. The woman fell silent as they reached the relevant wall. She looked at him pleadingly. ‘You know what to do,’ he said in an unshakeable voice. His phallus twitched into action as she lowered herself across the dyke, still fully clad in her white blouse and navy pencil skirt. She was a handsome woman, well built without being fat. As she bent, the navy material tightened on her nether cheeks, emphasising their mature full roundness. He knew from past punishments that she had equally firm fleshy thighs. Remembering an altogether more slender and well-toned pair of thighs, Michael glanced back at Lisa’s bedroom window. Was she watching? The lower part of her portal was open, so she could probably hear if she so desired. ‘You’ve brought the Clinic into disrepute, Marie-Rose,’ he said, watching her twitch with shame, ‘You’ve failed in your professional duties.’ He smiled as her clothed parts wriggled some more with obvious trepidation, ‘You’ve left me no option but to administer a sound thrashing to the bare.’ ‘Bare? But we’re outside,’ the receptionist muttered, wriggling some more across the brickwork. ‘Any delay on your part earns you a stricter session,’ he warned softly, ‘So raise your skirt.’ ‘It’s not fair,’ the forty year old mumbled.

‘No, it’s tan—but it’s about to turn scarlet,’ the doctor said. He flicked the leather tawse against her skirted hemispheres, ‘And I can only watch it going crimson if its completely bared.’ He waited for a moment as the woman skulked sheepishly against the dyke, ‘And if you don’t get your skirt off pronto I’ll double the strokes due and turn your arse an ever hotter red.’ As he’d suspected, the threat of further punishment did the trick. ‘Alright. My skirt’s coming up,’ Marie-Rose gasped, putting her ringless hands quickly backwards. They found a crease halfway down the skirt and grasped it, using the purchase to pull the material up. When she’d finished, Michael stepped closer and folded it over her blouse-clad back so that it wouldn’t slip down again. He wanted a smooth bare canvas, demanded that nothing come between her rump and the two tailed tawse. Which meant that she’d have to pull down her pants forthwith. He flipped the implement against the white cotton expanse. Take your knickers off, my dear. You know I thrash you twice as hard if you keep me waiting.’ ‘But Lisa might see,’ Marie-Rose whispered, twisting her head round, ‘Or Dania or Bakar.’ ‘Yes, they might see—just as you’ve watched some of them being soundly paddled,’ Michael said resolutely, ‘Didn’t you spank young Dania just the other week?’ ‘But you asked me to!’ the receptionist said in a rush, still blushing anew and looking at him pitifully. ‘You didn’t exactly spare her, though,’ he quickly replied. He gazed at her pantied rear. ‘And now I won’t spare you. If you give it, you must be able to take it.’ He hit the tawse hard against the grass in an echoing precursor, ‘Pull these pants down nowV Watched as the woman hastened to obey with suddenly clumsy fingers. Saw each centimetre of golden flesh appear. It would soon have an extra glow, an extra warming. Both orbs would radiate a writhing heat. Marie-Rose pulled her knickers down a quarter of the way. Then she stopped and gazed around, obviously looking for watching staff members. ‘Pants right off, then face the front,’ Michael said loudly, still hoping that Lisa might hear. Maybe she’d get so aroused that she’d come down to the garden on some pretext. Maybe she’d spend the night across his knee and in his arms. But for now he had a woman before him that needed chastening. And he had a very strong desire to chastise. He stared as Marie-Rose uncovered the remainder of her generous nether cheeks. His preference was for punishing small, taut, high bums. Sometimes, though, it was nice to have a swing at a larger backside. Especially one which hadn’t been punished for a month or two, and which quivered visibly as he raised the long leather tawse ... ‘Dear me, your arse knows it’s been bad. It’s all a tremble before I’ve even touched it,’ he said mockingly. Was pleased to see the darkening early signs of arousal on the woman’s pubic crease. By the time he’d finished whipping her nates, her sex would be liquid excitement. Her clit would try to get closer to him even as her derriere begged for forgiveness, for release. The forty year old had left her knickers bunched at the top of her thighs. Michael surveyed the scene. Sometimes he liked the panties left there, further underlining the area to be corrected. Tonight, though, he wanted a completely clear canvas on which to emblazon the tawse. ‘Drag your pants down to your ankles,’ he said. He stared as she edged the white cotton to her knees, then let gravity take the garment the rest of the way till it rested on the grassy surface. Now she was

ready to take the long thick leather implement on her defenceless cheeks. ‘It’s been a long time since you tasted this, my dear,’ he murmured, ‘Just recently you’ve been getting off with some mild spankings. But the lack of discipline has obviously affected your decision-making, so the tawse will put things right.’ He lined the two-tailed punisher up with the centre swell of her backside, then laid it on smartly. Marie-Rose had tensed up as he pulled his arm back, but now that the tawse had made contact she visibly relaxed. She’d taken the four-tailed version several times—once after a long hard spanking. He knew that it would take repeated whackings before she fully responded to this two-tailed tawse. But that was what he wanted: to spend a very long time punishing her helpless hemispheres. It was therapy for him. It was equally cathartic for her. The fact that she’d submitted to being chastened out here in the open air would bring them closer. Though not as close as he’d felt to Lisa before she’d betrayed ... ‘I’m going to dole out ten strokes of the tawse then we’ll have a little chat,’ he said, brandishing the leather implement over her soft beige flesh again. ‘Oh, I like our little chats,’ Marie-Rose said acerbically. In the early stages of arousal he knew that she spoke with the heaviest sarcasm. Then, as the heat in her bottom intensified, she became more amenable, more compliant, even coy. ‘Verbal cheek gets taken out on posterior cheeks,’ he warned, before brandishing the tawse above her thighs for a tension-lengthening moment. He glanced back for a final time at Lisa’s open bedroom window: she should be the one writhing under each whack. If only he could tan her arse for causing him mental anguish, for committing adultery. Punish and pleasure her till her whip-based and orgasmic squeals merged into one. But he had to live for the moment, and that meant disciplining his receptionist. Her bent-over buttocks looked helplessly exciting. He’d take her to her sexual heights by forcing her spirit to the depths with his dominant words and acts. ‘This roasting will teach you to think about cause and effect,’ he murmured sagely. ‘Oh, I thought it was meant to empty your balls, sir,’ the receptionist parried in a breathless voice. She made as if to move her legs a little closer, but her high heels had sunk into the recently-watered grassy ground. ‘A well brought up Maltese lady shouldn’t talk like that,’ he admonished, slapping the tawse against his leg in a noisy warning. ‘A learned English gentleman shouldn’t act this way,’ his long-term lover replied. She looked back at him, her eyes wide with daring. She always loved to goad him on, even if she was ambivalent about the resulting severe strokes. ‘Ten of the tawse coming up,’ he reminded her coolly. Then he raised the strap and slapped it across the lower portion of her cheeks. Marie-Rose jerked forward a little way as the tawse licked the sensitive undercurve. But the wall was obviously ungiving and held her squirming round belly in place. ‘Don’t wriggle without permission,’ Michael ordered. He laid the tawse hard upon the centre twice in quick succession, then repeated the whacking slightly further down. He kept the leather away from her thighs as a tawsing there was painful but unerotic. And he made sure that he didn’t whack the area at the top of her bum near her spine. That still left him a large fleshy expanse to lick into action. ‘I’m going to thrash

you till you squeal for mercy,’ he said, watching the twin tails bite into both disarmed globes again. ‘You’re in for a long night, then,’ Marie-Rose quipped. When he’d finished laying on the ten strokes he could see that she was nowhere near true submission. ‘Lisa’s looking out of her window. She’s laughing at you,’ he lied. Watched the woman’s reddening rump tense and untense in an sudden agony of uncertainty. Knew that she couldn’t quite bring herself to look round. ‘Don’t care,’ she muttered, ‘Bet you’ve disciplined her.’ ‘Yes,’ he murmured, ‘But not in a public setting. Not where Bakar, Dania, Jamilla, Carmen and Ria can see.’ He stared with fascination as a trail of liquid lust made its ponderous way from the woman’s sex onto the grass beneath her. Then he raised the implement of her torment again. ‘I’m going to concentrate on the tender underside from now on,’ he said softly, ‘And I’m not going to stop till you’ve really learned your lesson. Oh sweetheart, you can’t believe how much it’s going to sting!’ This time he whacked the leather against her more rapidly than he ever had before. He watched the visible change in her flesh as the heat began to build: first pink then red then redder. ‘Ah, ow,’ Marie-Rose grunted as the tawse slapped against the delicate crease where arse meets thigh. ‘Ouch!’ she added a moment later as the implement seared its way across the deeper downward crease which separated her buttocks. ‘Aah!’ she gasped as he tawsed that sensitive furrow yet again. ‘Surely you’re not whining yet?’ he taunted softly, ‘After all, you said that you could bear being tanned all night.’ Silence ensued. The woman before him twitched and whimpered. ‘I meant what I said. I can take it,’ Marie-Rose eventually gasped out. ‘Glad to hear it,’ Michael said, ‘The rest of the staff are just beginning to enjoy your squirming.’ He watched the colour spread over the back of her neck and knew that her face was a similar shame-filled shade. ‘Time I put that nice plump cushion under your belly,’ he added softly, ‘So that your bum sticks even more fully out.’ He picked up the satin-clad square, ‘After all, an arse that’s being punished should be a fully raised target. And we want the owner of that bottom to know that she can’t escape.’ Feeling his own phallus pulsing, the doctor stepped forward and slid the cushion under Marie-Rose’s soft warm turn. He took his time adjusting it, let his fingers brush her pubis. Smiled to himself as she groaned with growing need. ‘Easy,’ he said, ‘I’m installing discipline, remember? You don’t get to climax for a very long time.’ ‘But it’s been so long already,’ the receptionist whispered, ‘Since Lisa arrived you’ve barely ...’ ‘Any more complaints from you and I’ll tie your hands to your bedposts,’ Michael said coolly, Til tease your clit with an artist’s brush till you reach the brink but I won’t let you come all night.’ He looked round at Lisa’s window, hoping that she’d heard the receptionist’s words. They were true—since he’d met the herbalist he’d been much less interested sexually in the other staff members. He still loved them and cared for them—but he wanted Lisa on the end of his riding crop and in his bed.

‘I need release,’ Marie-Rose whispered, her rump now obscenely raised with the aid of the cushion. Til let you come after you ask nicely for twenty strokes of the two tailed tawse,’ Michael replied. He knew that she could take the first ten—her flesh looked lively but not excessively chastened. From strokes eleven onwards she’d probably start to beg. ‘I’m waiting,’ he murmured. He stared as the arse before him went through it’s familiar love-hate pantomime. It quivered at the shame involved in accepting further punishment. It trembled because it knew its owner was going to ask for the pain. Then the bare bum received instructions from the clit that said do it, do it, do it. Marie-Rose let her head flop down more fully as she cleared her throat. ‘Please chasten me fully, sir,’ she muttered in the most humble tone that she seemed to be able to muster. ‘Is that’s what your bum needs, dear?’ Michael mockingly said. He flicked back the tawse and used it four times so that the wide stripes partially merged together. Then he stayed his hand. Tm bored with thrashing you,’ he said with deliberate coarseness, ‘You don’t seem to be trying. I’ve no incentive to finger that hungry little clit so I’m getting ready to walk away.’ ‘Christ no.’ He’d genuinely left the scene in some of his early sessions with the receptionist when her humility failed her. Now she found the words that would please him, ‘Master, please bring the tawse down as hard as you can.’ Her rump tensed and untensed in growing humiliation, ‘Please turn my arse ruby red.’ ‘Keep going,’ Michael ordered, ‘I want to be sure that your bottom knows it deserves chastisement.’ ‘Please thrash my arse till I beg for mercy,’ the receptionist said. ‘And what way will you beg?’ Michael parried, ‘Will you wriggle over to me on your soft warm belly? Or will you crawl like a bitch in heat on your hands and knees?’ ‘On my belly ... Kiss your toes ... Crawl around so that you can inspect my reddened bum,’ the forty year old said gutturally, ‘I need to come. I’ve got to. I’ll do it any way.’ ‘Yes, you’ ve a hungry little clit, but it’s that rump which really needs attention,’ Michael murmured. He lashed the leather punisher onto her nates again. His lover took fifteen strokes before she gasped out: ‘Master, please. No more. I can’t bear it.’ ‘No more rubbing your clit?’ he murmured with growing sexual desire and enjoyment as he ceased to warm her exposed flesh with the tawse. ‘No more thrashing, I beg you,’ the Maltese woman whispered, parting her juice-slicked suntanned legs. ‘But I like warming your bum. And you’ve been bad, and you’ve admitted you deserve this.’ He traced the leathery tails down her dripping labia then over her buttocks, teasing each tender line. In a few seconds her bottom would cool slightly and her libido would rise, and she’d ask nicely for the remaining five tawse strokes. He’d slowly oblige. That hard won sore-bummed submission would bring her to her climactic edge: it always did so. Then he’d use his fingers or his cock to take her the final way.

Michael set down the tawse and palmed her tormented globes. They’re sizzling prettily,’he murmured, ‘But they deserve to flinch further.’ ‘I don’t think I can bear it,’ the receptionist reiterated, moving her hips the little she could from side to side. ‘Can’t bear five more lashes then endless pleasure?’ He slid his right hand under her belly to cup her mons, ‘Can’t bear to have your clit touched like this?’ ‘Ooooh, that’s ...’ Words seemed to fail her. But her liquid sex had its own body language as it squirmed ravenously against his hand. ‘Five more of the tawse,’ he repeated, stopping the clitoral contact. ‘Couldn’t I take them afterwards?’ Marie-Rose asked gutturally. ‘No, my dear. Continuity is all.’ He straightened up and took a few steps back from her body, ‘But if you’ve had enough for tonight I’ll be very understanding and we’ll just call it quits.’ He began to turn away, ‘Shall I ask Jamilla to bring you extra coffee, my dear, or a liqueur? You couldn’t have finished your after dinner refreshment, you arrived in my room with such haste.’ ‘Stay, please. Take the tawse. Don’t want any coffee,’ the receptionist said in a wild rush. He looked back to see her turning her head towards him, each feature pleading. Her mouth was slack with desire, eyes glassy with lust. ‘Beg for what you want,’ he ordered dispassionately. ‘I ... Please, Master, I want five more lashes of the tawse,’ the forty year old mumbled, her lids fluttering down. ‘And you won’t try to push your belly forward?’ he asked softly, running the leather strap through his hands and staring at her punished posterior. ‘No, Master. I’ll even push my bum further out.’ Her voice told him she was moving close to a convulsive climax now, ‘And I won’t flinch at all.’ Michael lined the punisher up with her behind. The submissive woman always flinched, even when she promised not to. It was human nature. But warning her not to move increased the excitement for them both. ‘Shall I aim all five in the middle, or shall I stripe you with parallel lines?’ he murmured in a low tone, obviously talking to himself rather than to the receptionist. ‘Parallel lines please sir,’ Marie-Rose murmured, ‘Not a concentrated pain.’ ‘Dear me, my tawsing arm feels quite enraged,’ Michael said, ‘Because your bare bum just voiced an opinion.’ He pulled the tawse back and got ready to apply it, ‘You’re here to be thrashed into submission, not to speak.’ ‘Sorry, sir. I’m being better, sir,’ Marie-Rose got out, and he could tell that the admission had brought her even closer to orgasm. She’d sometimes come from simply being whipped and talked down. ‘I hope it’s going to be a silent bum, an unmoving bum, or I may have to discipline it further,’ he said softly, ‘May have to double the number of strokes of the two-tailed tawse.’

‘Please, no more of the tawse, sir.’ Marie-Rose’s poor rump did a little twitching dance, ‘Such a sore bum already. I’ll take a spanking or go stand in the corner if I’m bad.’ ‘I may make you stand in the herb garden.’ Michael elaborated, ‘Use those twin rotundities as a scarlet scarecrow.’ He looked at her puffy pubis, nearing ecstasy like his own. Then he laid on the last five strokes with moderate intensity, strong enough to heighten her submission but not painful enough to momentarily take the long-built lust away. Stepping forward, Michael put one hand on her deep buttock crease before sliding the other under her soft warm belly. Moved some of the vaginal gel up from her labia and circled it gently around her clitoris. She was almost coming already. He could see it in the engorged view her labial leaves presented. He could feel it in the swollen size of her sex. Her thighs tightened with near-rapture as he gently played with her satisfaction source. ‘Lisa’s watching from her window,’ he whispered, fondling her folds, ‘Bakar’s staring over from the greenhouse. Dania’s gazing over from the stable grounds.’ He played her clit with the lightest touch, ‘They’re all looking at your nakedness. They’re pointing and laughing. Bakar’s indicating that he’d like to tease your hot clitoris next.’ ‘Uh,’ Marie-Rose grunted, ‘Uh! Ah! Aaaaaaaaaaah!’ The thought of being tormented by a boy less than half her age seemed to make her humiliation complete and she drove herself against Michael’s fingers and gasped and wailed and yelled. Her orgasm seemed to come in waves, causing her to thrust forward, then move back, then push inwards. She drove her pubis into him so forcibly that he feared that his fingers might break. ‘Oh,’ she gasped out as her thigh-tightening convulsions at last began to lessen, ‘I was so ... Needed so much ...’ ‘I know,’ he murmured into her back, ‘When I suggested we break for coffee instead of a climax, you should have seen your face.’ ‘You can be such a bastard,’ his Maltese lover whispered, easing herself slowly up from the wall, then flopping on her bare knees onto the ground beside it. She put her hands to her waist, obviously intending to smooth her skirt down but Michael told her to keep it in place. ‘Do you want me on my back?’ she asked softly. ‘No,’ Michael said, smiling, ‘I hoped that you’d stay on your knees.’ He paused, searching for the most suitable words, ‘As you didn’t finish your coffee 1 thought that you might like a milky drink.’ He wanted to look down at her chastened rump as she sucked him. He knew that—like her—he would come really quickly. Punishing a bare bum was all the foreplay that he needed. A few sucks from her willing mouth and he’d have release. Assuming that she was willing, of course. He always kept the sexual side light hearted, unassumptive. These woman had agreed to be punished for work-related misdemeanours. That didn’t give him the right to possess their bodies as well. He’d been lucky so far with each session—the correction left them as horny as it did him. Michael’s cock lengthened at the thought of the pleasure yet to come. He’d found that a thrashing often made a submissive woman more keen to lick and suck his phallus. After a thorough chastisement Marie-Rose often took him in her mouth extra deep. Tonight was no exception. Michael stared at her crimson bottom as she unzipped his suit trousers and liberated his throbbing erection. Then her lipsticked mouth enveloped its leaking tip. He watched as the smooth round head of his cock disappeared into her soft sultry mouth ever so slowly. Her bum muscles

tightened as she bent her head forward to take him in. God, he loved looking at a punished arse. Correction made a submissive woman look truly beautiful. He loved hearing her plead and watching her mons get wet. ‘I hope that you’re paying due reverence to my cock,’ he whispered, staring at her chastened rump, Til bear your performance in mind when I next thrash that bare bottom.’ In answer, Marie-Rose ran her free hand under his fluid-filled balls. Somewhere in his sac the ecstatic pulsing started. Michael thrust his hips forward, cried out into the open air and came. Afterwards they dressed and showered together, then rested on his bed in his room. Soon the receptionist was sleeping deeply. Michael lay on his back, body tired, mind awake. Marie-Rose had brought him physical relief, and for that he was grateful. But his psyche was still churning because Lisa had become so uncommunicative and cold. Why had she turned her back on him, on what they’d had and what they could have? She’d threatened him with the police, yet she knew damn well that spanking her bottom wasn’t a sadistic act. Couldn’t she admit to her submissive self that a little buttock-based pain was a prelude to almost endless genital pleasure? Couldn’t she tell that he wasn’t a violent man? Chapter Thirteen Reece smiled to himself as he watched a pair of turtles mating. This Singaporean aquarium was spectacular, and he wished that Lisa was here to share in its charms. She’d also love the country’s verdant parks, and large plush gardens. She’d adore its equatorial warmth. If only she could be here, accompanying him around the island on this, one of his few days off. After lunching in a Cantonese restaurant, Reece began to walk around the gold jewellery shops in search of gifts for his always appreciative Lisa. He watched, frowning, as a male manager ordered a blushing female assistant around. The girl’s lipsticked smile was a travesty of submission. Though women here worked outside the home, they were still seen as subordinate to men. Reece sighed. He hated it when women treated him differently because of his gender. He wished again for the easy equality that he and his fiancee shared. On future trips she’d hopefully accompany him, then continue her own freelance herbalism. It would turn each contract from a somewhat lonely slog into a vacation of sorts. Not that it was all bad here on his own. Reece bought a gold leaf stand in which Lisa could display her many bottles of essential oils. As he waited for it to be wrapped, he thought about his ongoing project. The Singaporean team had proved to be tireless workers, insightful and bright. But the island’s many good points couldn’t make up for its prison’s infamous brutality. Reece shivered as the couple next to him began to discuss a foreigner who’d been sentenced to several lashes of the barbaric Singapore cane. The woman was talking: she sounded Australian. ‘Six strokes with it and the prisoner is unconscious,’ she said. ‘So Saleh was telling me,’ the man replied, ‘His cousin was thrashed for stealing a car. He fainted when he heard the sentence. Saleh saw his back six months after the caning—says he’ll be scarred for life.’ Suddenly the gold looked less pleasing to the eye, the assistant’s smile more mechanical. Reece walked away with his package, trying to push the bloody vision from his mind. He’d read that flogging was common on the island, was mandatory for over thirty crimes.

He’d also read of the way the punishment was carried out. It was savage, even merciless. The prisoner would be strapped to a trestle. The man wielding the cane would ensure that its long thick contours split the skin. Blood would spurt out and the prisoner would scream, then moan, and usually lapse into semi-consciousness. Afterwards he’d need urgent medical care. And it wasn’t just young men who suffered such a fate: any man under fifty could be so brutalised. Reece walked slowly from the store. He knew now that he couldn’t as much as give Lisa a playful slap on the buttocks. It wasn’t respectful. It wasn’t his way. She’d probably had one fleeting submissive fantasy, so sent him that unsettling photo. She’d hopefully forget all about such acts if he never referred to them again.

Chapter Fourteen ‘Does he spank you too?’ Ria asked with a wide grin. Lisa felt her own mouth gape open in surprise. She licked her lips, started to move her hands into an open-palmed delaying tactic. ‘That’s hardly relevant,’ she muttered, looking away. She’d come here to Ria’s consultation suite to give her back Don Muscat’s clinical file. She’d simply said ‘Michael said we should sort this out. Seems I’ve stolen one of your patients’ and Ria had responded by asking if Michael spanked her too. Now Lisa tried once more to put the conversation on a professional slant. ‘Don came to me because ...’ ‘I hear he just came,’ the Sexual Therapist quipped with light hearted innuendo. Her breasts rose against her pale pink silk shirt dress as she laughed. Lisa stared at the moving mammaries, then at their smirking owner. How did Ria know what had happened between herself and the handsome blonde youth? ‘Don ... consulted me because he was tense,’ she continued, ‘Anxious about the situation with his fiancee. I gave him a calming aromatherapy massage.’ ‘And that’s not all you gave him,’ Ria stated flatly. Lisa faced her square on: ‘I was acting in my own time. He wasn’t officially my patient.’ And I’m damned, she thought, if I’ll be called unethical by the likes of you. ‘Hey, don’t get me wrong,’ Ria threw up her hands, Tm not judging you. We’re all having a good time here.’ No, you’re having a good time because you’ve got Michael, Lisa thought. Thinking of Michael pleasuring another woman’s curves made something in her inner belly flip over. Her thoughts were saddening: I’m just trying to hide a very bruised ego and an increasingly lonely heart. Aloud she said: ‘Anyway, Don’s all yours now. I only agreed to see him to keep Marie-Rose happy.’ ‘She was far from happy when Michael found out,’ Ria answered, accepting the cardboard file, ‘I hear,’ she continued with obvious slow relish, ‘That he took her into the gardens and tanned her arse.’ How could the woman talk so freely about such a shameful act? Lisa took a step into the corridor, her mind blurring. She just wanted to escape from Ria’s clumsy attempt to prove that she knew it all. ‘What Dr Landers gets up to with his other staff members is none of my business,’ she said offhandedly.

‘Hasn’t he tried it on with you too?’ Ria shot back. Lisa stopped and faced Michael’s girlfriend again. ‘What has ... what has he said?’ The other woman shrugged: ‘Not much. We’re too busy having fun to talk about other people. It’s just that I know that at one time or another all his female staff have gone over his knee and been soundly spanked.’ Lisa felt her cheeks flame: ‘Perks of the job,’ she muttered, using humour to hide her embarrassment. ‘So it’s a perk getting your bum slapped, is it?’ Ria replied. There was no answer to that. Well, there was—but she was damned if she’d tell her rival that she’d enjoyed the afterglow of the shameful spankings. How on earth could Ria discuss the situation with such equanimity? ‘I’m here to work,’ she said simply. ‘That night when I saw you, you’d both been to the casino,’ Ria countered. ‘Dr Landers showed me how to gamble,’ the herbalist replied. Taught me the route to new heights of rapture. Taught me how to beg for an orgasm after being caned. ‘I’ve played roulette there,’ Ria murmured. Lisa didn’t trust herself to speak, so simply nodded. Michael had probably taken all his woman to the casino, then. Had he chastised Ria in the same room in which he’d caned and fingered Lisa? And had they returned here to Vitality to make the sweetest love? They were talking straight here, so she might as well know. Lisa tightened her tummy muscles and forced herself to meet Ria’s unreadable eyes. ‘Did he chasten you there?’ she asked with hard-won casualness. The Sex Therapist shrugged: ‘He dragged me over his lap in his suite once. I was laughing so much that the waiting patients must have heard us. Oh, and on another occasion he threatened to tie me to a tree.’ Lisa nodded. She had to listen to this in an unemotive state. If she found out that Michael was really a cad it might be easier to start hating him. And hating probably hurt less than unrequited love. ‘The ... correction made you laugh?’ she probed gingerly. ‘Just until he raised his palm. That bloody hurt. Funny, isn’t it, what some men get off on?’ ‘Hysterical,’ Lisa said. She stared more closely at Ria, trying to gauge what the other woman was thinking. Something about her story just didn’t gel. Michael loved to talk a girl down, to dominate. Why would he choose a partner who found his sexual proclivities risible, even daft? ‘So you’re not into this sexual discipline?’ she continued softly, searching her rival’s heavily costneticised eyes for evasion or discomfort. ‘Me? I’m into everything,’ Ria said. She squared her shoulders back, a move which pushed out her generous breasts and showed off the outline of her nipples, ‘I’m a very good all rounder. That’s what most men like best.’ But Michael wasn’t most men. He was unique. He knew what he wanted. Desired someone much more submissive than even Lisa herself. Ria didn’t seem to be at all channelled in that way—the punishment seemed like a game to her. Yet it was real to Michael. He didn’t want to play ... ‘Have you been dating Dr Landers long?’ Lisa prompted. She was beginning to wonder if the therapist was just one of the man’s many sexual diversions.

‘We’ve been close for a couple of years,’ Ria said. ‘You ... um mentioned that he chastens the other staff,’ the herbalist continued, ‘You don’t mind that?’ She’d asked a blushing Jamilla the very same thing. But Jamilla was like Lisa. Each found the situation difficult to talk about. Just saying the words made Lisa’s belly prickle, brought about a new hot shame. ‘As long as he saves some of his energy for me, I’m quite happy,’ Ria answered, leaning back against the opposite door jamb. Lisa felt a strong urge to move away from the Sexual Surrogate. This woman was invading her physical space and her mental boundaries. She’d somehow turned Lisa’s short professional visit into a prolonged affray. ‘Anyway, I’ve delivered the file, so I’ll go,’ she murmured, taking a step back into the corridor and dredging up a wan smile. Ria’s lipsticked mouth widened: ‘Any messages for Don Muscat when I see him next?’ Lisa’s brain tried to think of a quick riposte, but it was dulled with disappointment over the loss of Michael. ‘Just that I hope he resolved his pre-marital difficulties,’ she said. ‘From what I hear, you took his mind off things,’ Ria murmured with a knowing grin. Lisa realised that she was going to have to confront the situation directly in order to get all the double entendres over with. ‘What did you hear, exactly, and from whom?’ As she asked the question she sucked in her tummy muscles and held them tight, then prayed inwardly that Michael hadn’t been discussing her sex life. He’d stood watching for at least thirty seconds as she drove her pelvis down on Don Muscat’s straining flesh. She’d never intended for him to see her that way. She hadn’t thought things through, had acted blindly. Could the enraged and jealous doctor have told the others about her afternoon indiscretion, her ethical lapse? ‘Carmen was in the corridor as Michael left your room,’ Ria said, ‘She caught a glimpse of the two of you lying on the floor. Didn’t Don want a threesome? Is that why you sent Michael away?’ She grinned, ‘There was this time when Michael was pulling down my pants and Carmen came in. I suggested that she join in the action. She ran out of the room all flushed and offended, and Michael tied me to the coat hook and took off his belt ...’ Lisa felt the blood rush to her loins at the image. She could picture her own internal struggle as she waited for the leather band to enliven her taut bare cheeks. ‘I’m not into threesomes myself,’ she admitted, trying not to let the Sex Surrogate see how aroused she was at imagining a swishy male belt connecting with two tethered female buttocks. The mental and real life vision excited her, even if she genuinely recoiled when the actual belt lashed down. Her pain receptors would be murmuring no, no, no and trying to escape the flogging, whilst her wettening sex screamed yes. ‘And I’m not into belts,’ Ria laughed, ‘I mean, I tried it that one time, but only for three or four strokes, then I untied myself and gave him a long slow blowjob.’ She seemed to belatedly take in Lisa’s look of surprise, and added, ‘Like all men, he loves that best.’ Loved it as the aftermath to a punishment session, not instead of one, Lisa thought. She felt strengthened by the knowledge. Not that she wanted to trade arousal secrets with her smirking colleague. No way. ‘I don’t think you should be telling me this,’ she muttered, smoothing her dirndl skirt down over her

restless hips, then lacing her fingers together. ‘Oh, don’t start playing the puritan,’ Ria said. Was she? Lisa hesitated, trying to work out her own motivation. One part of her wanted to know what Ria and Michael did in bed and out of it. Another more sensitive part just wanted to flee. Ria obviously felt compelled to justify herself or break the silence. She grimaced. ‘I’m just being honest, that’s all. Most people are curious about other people’s sex lives.’ She hesitated, ‘So let’s make it a two way street, love. What did you and Michael get up to whilst I was away?’ Lisa felt her lips part with surprise. She wished for the hundredth time that she didn’t end up gaping like a goldfish in Ria’s presence. Did her colleague really expect her to describe such intimate hours? She’d never discuss the spanking, tawsing and caning she’d received from Dr Landers, couldn’t reveal that surreal blend of stimulus and degradation and desire. ‘He and I had a purely business relationship,’ she lied. ‘Still do,’ she added, feeling the tightness in her chest start up again. He genuinely was just her boss now—and it wasn’t enough. ‘So you haven’t fucked him?’ Ria probed. This time Lisa really could tell the truth: ‘No, I haven’t fucked him.’ Though God knows, every cell of her being wanted to. Ria seemed to relax at Lisa’s words. Leastways, her shoulders sagged a little, and her features softened. ‘It’s just that ... well, he’s so handsome and assured that he gets plenty of offers,’ she said. ‘Thought that you didn’t mind?’ Lisa queried, realising that the girl had an Achilles heel despite her hard exterior. ‘Normally I don’t,’ Ria said frankly, ‘I mean, the rest of the staff aren’t exactly his intellectual equals so he’s not likely to stray.’ ‘And I am his intellectual equal?’ the herbalist asked softly. The Sexual Surrogate shrugged: ‘I guess.’ Ria obviously didn’t want to pay her newest colleague a compliment. Lisa tried to figure how the other woman’s thinking worked. ‘So it’s alright if he has sex with other women as long as they don’t overtax him mentally?’ she queried. ‘As long as he doesn’t fall in love with them,’ Ria said. The twenty-eight year old let out her breath. Ah, so her rival was human after all. She wanted a committed one-to-one relationship of the heart, if not the body. ‘Don’t worry—I’ve a fiance in Singapore. I’m not going to steal Michael’s love from you,’ she murmured, trying to produce a reassuring grin. Why did the thought of being with Reece no longer give her pleasure? Was she just too saddened by Michael’s behaviour to take joy in another man? ‘It’s the Clinic that I’m worried about,’ Ria replied. She waved her hand in the direction of the window,

‘This is a great place for me. But Malta’s small—it wouldn’t suit some women. A new conquest might try to get Michael to relocate.’ ‘And you’d lose your job?’ Lisa prompted. ‘Or have to work for a less liberal employer. Michael understands the need for Sexual Surrogates, so he doesn’t interfere in my day to day practice. Plus he gives me time off to give lecture tours throughout Europe. He’s great.’ ‘Great but promiscuous,’ Lisa said. Ria shrugged: ‘It’s not in a man’s nature to just have sex with one person.’ ‘It’s not in a woman’s nature either, but more of us manage it so that people don’t get hurt and jealous,’ Lisa said. She stopped, surprised to find that she and Ria were actually starting to have a reasonable conversation. The rivalry of moments before now seemed dead. ‘How do you feel about ...’ she started curiously. Then she froze as Michael appeared at the top of the nearby stairs. ‘Ah, just the person I wanted to see,’ he said, increasing his stride. Lisa turned to go: ‘Well, I won’t keep you.’ ‘You will. You’re the one I want to talk to,’ Michael replied. Lisa sucked in her breath. Her next words weren’t going to be subtle, but they might put an end to the nagging doubts she’d been having. ‘Sorry, I assumed that you wanted to spend time with your girlfriend,’ she said. His reply might double her feelings of loss and betrayal and humiliation. Still she forced herself to meet Michael’s steady gaze. ‘I thought that you were my girlfriend,’ he said softly. Lisa looked at Ria, noting how the other woman’s facial muscles had tightened into a watchful mask. ‘I heard that you and Ria were an item,’ she parried. She could have added that Ria herself had given her this information, but wanted to save the other woman from that level of disgrace. ‘Oh Ria and I are just old mates, isn’t that right?’ Michael answered, smiling at both of them, ‘We dated a bit, but we never really clicked, did we, Ria?’ Lisa watched as Ria grinned wanly then shook her perfectly coifed head. ‘But we make a terrific work team,’ Michael continued, ‘I dispense the drugs which alleviate the physical causes of impotence to our male patients then Ria arouses them to prove that everything’s working right.’ His smile widened with obvious pride and pleasure, ‘Our success rate so far is a hundred percent.’ The herbalist nodded. She’d only been half-listening to the second part of his statement. The first part reverberated around her brain and warmed her breasts, her pubes, her belly—he and Ria had never really clicked. The woman had lied to try to maintain the status quo, and Lisa had been foolish enough to believe her. She should have asked Michael about their relationship outright.

‘What did you want to see me about?’ she asked belatedly. Michael glanced at Ria, then looked at Lisa with eyes which told of their need for privacy. ‘Come to my surgery and I’ll tell you,’ he murmured sexily. ‘I’ve a patient due any minute ...’ She tailed off. That sounded business-like and rejecting, yet she so wanted them to be close like they’d been after the casino trip. ‘But I’m free in an hour for the rest of the day,’ she added quickly, ‘Perhaps we can go out to lunch?’ ‘Can’t—I’m free now for an hour then have a pre-lunch appointment,’ Michael said. He frowned and went quiet, was obviously thinking, ‘Then I’ve a meeting that I can’t get out of, but I’m available from about 3pm.’ He paused, ‘How about if I come back here then and drive you around 177 Malta? There’s numerous restaurants in St Julian’s, so we can go there for dinner and a drink.’ And then we’ll ... Lisa thought shakily, and her nipples tingled and lengthened with forbidden deep desires. ‘I’ve got some pruning to do later,’ she explained, trying to keep the wild elation from her voice and from her features, ‘So you’ll find me in the herb garden at three.’ In truth, she’d shower and change after taking care of her medicinal herbs, but she’d go back there to meet Michael, would sit in the scented green setting trying to look informal and relaxed. Til look forward to finding you,’ Michael said, and his tone was seriously self assured, even though his half-smile was jaunty. You ‘II look forward to punishing me, Lisa thought with a low hard thrill. She turned to Ria, who was backing away into her room. ‘I love it here,’ she said quietly to the Sex Therapist and Surrogate. She didn’t know what the future held yet, just knew that she didn’t want the other woman to fret about her Vitality-based career. Ongoing worry was the opposite of what the Clinic strove for. Long term anxiety made people emotionally unstable and physically ill. Lisa knew that she wouldn’t try to take Michael from his beloved island—he belonged here. Loved its climate, its varied nightlife and nutritious home grown food. And he had an authority here that would be hard to build in London or another big city. He’d built himself an empire on this Mediterranean land that was perfectly geared to his dominant desires. Even if she ultimately decided to return to Britain, she knew that Michael must stay here in Malta. He was King at Vitality, whereas in England he’d be starting again as a Prince. He was her King for now, Lisa thought, and shivered slightly. She knew that tonight he’d probably thrash her till her clitoris reached fever pitch. And much as she hated the belittlement caused by such whipping, her vulva ached to spasm into release. ‘See you at three then, Mike,’ she said, making her words falsely casual. Til look forward to seeing more of you,’ the doctor replied. His look was clear, seemed to strip away her skirt, her pink cotton panties. As she walked with uneven steps towards the stairwell she could sense

him staring at her small high bum. What excuse would he find to strip it of its protective covering? What reason would be given for birching both tender spheres? The main thing was the resultant orgasm, she told herself with growing elation. She’d have a pulsing shrieking climax, then he’d talk her down further and she’d orgasm all over again. The buttock pain would swiftly fade when he started to dole out the pleasure. Her mind and body would beg for that ecstatic release. After administering to her elderly female patient, she made her way to the herb garden and transplanted a dozen overgrown peppermint plants then returned to the rose-scented Clinic. Her legs and torso felt light as she scampered up the stairs. Yesterday’s papers had arrived, and were lying outside her bedroom door: she got a British broadsheet and a tabloid delivered daily. Liked to keep up with the serious news in Britain whilst also being entertained by the tabloid’s more tongue-in-cheek style. But the tone today wasn’t tongue-in-cheek: it was derogatory and dismissive. SICK PERVERTS INVADE PEACEFUL VILLAGE, the headlines cried. Probably yet another case of child molesters Lisa thought with a shudder as she tucked the papers under her arm and unlocked her bedroom. There she made herself a cup of Chinese green tea. She’d flop on the bed for a while and catch up on the news, then make herself a light lunch, and have a shower. Then she’d meet and hopefully hold Michael in the herb garden some time after three. Settling down with her back propped up with pillows, Lisa raised her cup to her lips and raised her eyes to the tabloid’s opening paragraph. Then she stilled into shock and fear, and put the cup down on the bedside cabinet again. Two perverts have invaded the sleepy rural region ofL—, the report read. Sherri Simms, 30, and her husband Bart, 34, moved to the tiny village last September, They immediately began placing adverts in a sick top shelf national magazine asking for another couple to join them in spanking sessions at their L—home. Lisa set down the paper. She’d have to read the rest, but first she wanted an alcoholic drink—or several. Hurriedly she went to the drinks cabinet in the corner and poured herself an almost neat gin. She drank half of it whilst standing up, and waited for its properties to numb her. Then she returned to the damning report and forced her eyes to take in more of the hate-filled print. Raunchy replies flooded in to Sherri, a teacher at the local primary school, and Bart, a chef who recently set up his own wholemeal bakery in the village. But the couple had more on their minds than teaching maths and baking bread. Perverts from all over the country wanted to get in on the spanking action: the Simms received forty deviant replies in a single week! We can only speculate how many of these letters developed into sick spanking correspondence sessions, but the couple ultimately chose Maria and Leonard Brownleefrom the stately city of York to share their disgusting tryst. At this stage there was a paragraph heading of the word UNNATURAL. Lisa swallowed hard, then slowly read on. The Simms unnatural lust only came to The Daily Word’s notice when a letter intended for the couple was inadvertently delivered to Lavinia Tettler, an elderly neighbour. ‘They were suggesting that Leonard Brownlee spank Sherri Simms whilst their partners watched,’ said Mrs Tettler, a widowed housewife who lives in the retirement flats directly across from the couples £160,000 villa, 7 was sickened to read this cheap filth.’ Lavinia sent the letter to The Daily Word. We found one of the couples adverts in a porn magazine and wrote to them pretending to be into spanking. Within forty-eight hours we received a two page letter back! The couple said that they’d already arranged an over the knee frolic with

another twosome, but that they ‘d bear us in mind for future sessions if it didn’t work out. They added that we sounded as if we understood the spanking scene and that it was wonderful to hear from someone of like mind!!! This last sentence was italicised in bold. The paper sounded very pleased with itself and with its expose. Lisa drank deeply of her gin. The spirit heated her throat and chest, but did little to warm the cold chill in her belly. Sordid spanking story continued on page five, the article footnote said. An hour ago she’d been contemplating the very act that they called sordid! Lisa sucked in her breath, then shakily turned the page. The first thing she focused on was the photograph of a pretty blonde woman holding a kitten. The man next to her had his arm around her shoulders. Both looked relaxed and happy, their eyes and smiles bright. Sherri and Bart Simms hide the dark side of their nature, the caption read. A smaller photograph to the left showed Maria and Leonard Brownlee on their wedding day. Only married two years, yet already their sick lusts are driving them to commit adultery! the caption shrieked. But were they, Lisa wondered. From what she’d read and seen, not all acts of erotic spanking led to intercourse. The couples might only be having sex within the marriage itself. She turned to the damning lines of print. We sent a Daily Word journalist to the couples redbrick villa, the report continued. We pretended that we were the Brownlee ‘s friends, that we came on personal recommendation. The Simms invited us in, and Bart talked openly about the deviant deeds that they were looking to enact. Blonde Sherri, dressed in a clingy suede skirt suit, made us cappuccino, then sat demurely at his knee. ‘Sherri likes to be spanked,’ Bart admitted, ‘And it’s more exciting for her if there’s a stranger watching.’ He paused, then added, ‘Sometimes we do things the other way round, and I spank another woman whilst Sherri observes.’ Sherri then dropped her own coffee cup and Bart joked that she ‘d have to be punished. We were disgusted when Sherri started to lower herself across our male journalists knee! ‘You can take down her pants,’ Ban said. He then looked at our female journalist, and seemed to be mentally undressing her. We made our excuses and left. Lisa bit her lip. She felt exposed just reading this—and she hadn’t been the people named or photographed. How much worse must the Simms and Brownlees feel? She turned to the final paragraph, already knowing that the story must end in devastation. Knowing that four private lives had been made cruelly public, had been wrecked. Yesterday neither the Simms or the Brownlees were at home, and Bart Simms bakery was up for sale, the paper said with mock solemnity. There was no answer when we called at Leonard

Brownlee’s stationery business, and a neighbour said that he hadn ‘t been near the rented premises for days. A council representative confirmed that Sherri Simms had been sacked from teaching at the school. ‘She seemed so nice, too,’ one mother said, ‘And she helped our youngest son move into a higher reading group. But we don’t want weirdos like her teaching our kids.’ Mrs Lavinia Tettler echoed the mother’s sentiments. ‘We ‘re all quiet God-loving Christians,’ she told The Daily Word, “There’s no place for depravity here.’ Lisa stared at the paper. This could so easily be her name, age, occupation and address on its pages! They could be calling her these hateful names. People would stare, point, or silently snigger. The world would know details that only her chosen sexual partner had a right to hear. The herbalist looked at her watch: she was supposed to be meeting Michael in three hours. They would end up doing the things that society damned men and women for over and over again. Much as she loved the ecstatic rush he provided, she wasn’t convinced that it justified forfeiting life as she knew it. Lisa drank down the remains

of the large glass of gin. She had to be alone, free to think without her lover’s seductive persuasion. She had to get out of here now. Throwing her purse into her shoulder bag, she rushed impetuously from the room. Then she sprinted down the stairs, almost knocking over a book-carrying Dania. ‘Sorry—got to go,’ she gasped. ‘Where are you ...?’ the accountant started to query. Lisa shrugged and kept on running as fast as she could. Away from here for a few hours, she thought wildly. Away from the sexual practices that the rest of the world hates. She’ d take a bus to Sliema and find one of the offices which organised day trips. She’d talk to a day tour operator there. 182 183 Just boarding the bus made her feel better. Sometimes physically leaving a difficult scene could help clear her head. After all, every mile that the bus moved forward left her spanker further behind. But as the vehicle rattled its way to the shop-filled district of Malta, her mind still raced with the newspapers comments: weird, perverted, deviant and sick. When she got to Sliema, a youth whistled. His friend, who also looked to be around age twenty, ogled her then winked appreciatively. Lisa realised that the flowing layered skirt and embroidered short sleeved blouse she had on made her look more approachable, closer to their age. If only, she thought belatedly, she’d changed into a more aggressive denim outfit and baseball cap—she wanted to keep the entire world at bay. There again, these men had a simple lust, just wanted to caress her curves and suckle at her nipples. They wouldn’t want to whip her buttocks or stripe them with a cane. The tour operator eyed her with equal desire. Or maybe it was part of the act, to make female customers feel flattered. Lisa grimaced to herself as he grinned lewdly: in that case the man had gotten the situation horribly wrong. She only wanted to be treated as sexual when she felt sexual. For now, she wanted him to sell her a ticket that would take her away from Dr Landers for a few peaceful hours. ‘I’m looking for someplace quiet,’ she said, studying the list of tours. ‘What you want,’ the man said, ‘Is Gozo.’ He held out a leaflet, ‘It’s mainly farming-based, our neighbouring island. The cost includes the ferry there and back.’ A ferry—that sounded ideal. She and Michael would be a stretch of water away from each other. What’s more, she wouldn’t bump into any of the other Vitality staff. Til take a ticket,’ Lisa said. She knew that she was taking a ticket to a much-needed neutral decision ground. There she’d either opt to continue dating Michael or to leave. There was no compromise: she knew that now. She couldn’t be his lover if she wasn’t prepared to be physically chastised. The man didn’t want desire without discipline: every centimetre of his sexual being was a dominant one. She’d have to agree to being punished or admit that their relationship was no more—be labelled deviant or be deserted. And if their time together was really at an end then she wanted to leave Malta on the next plane.

Chapter Fifteen

Was Lisa playing hard to get? Michael paced the path which ran through the herb garden again. It was a quarter past three, and she’d obviously been here. The cut strands of peppermint testified to that. Had she gardened until the last minute then rushed up to her room to shower? Or had an emergency patient arrived? Remembering the way she’d pushed down upon Don Muscat’s cock, Michael stared fixedly towards Vitality. He was strongly tempted to return to the Clinic to look for her now. But if he went in the front door just as she came out of the side door, they could miss each other. She might have decided to show up late so that he’d have an immediate excuse to pull down her pants. A jarring detail sparked in his brain. Some of those mint leaves were already curling. He knelt and picked up some of the plant: the cuttings were limp, turning brown. This mint hadn’t been cut a few minutes ago, but had lain without sustenance in the sun for several hours. Something was wrong, and he intended to put it right. He took the stairs quickly to Lisa’s room. He knocked sharply, though he knew deep down that she wasn’t there, that something had happened. He’d seen her joy when he suggested they tour Malta together this afternoon, prayed that she hadn’t taken ill since then. Michael twisted the door handle and was gratified when it turned in his hand. Slowly the door swung open and he breathed in geranium oil’s sweet scenL A newspaper lay open on the bed at the fifth page. Michael skim read it. Then he turned to the opening of the story. His heart beat fast and hard. God, he felt such contempt for these small minded bastards. By printing a few salacious details they were ruining innocent lives. And ruining any future he might have with Lisa? As the possibility entered his brain, Michael sat down heavily on the sunlit duvet. Had she seen this then fled back to England? Would she really leave without an explanation, without acknowledging the strength of their mutual desire? Michael envisaged Vitality without her and it made for a dull picture. He’d follow and try to bring her back. Or maybe she’d gone to Singapore, to be with Reece: that was a much more delicate situation. But if necessary he’d fly there too—she was meant to be with him. Michael paused. Maybe she’d confided in Ria about where she was going and when she’d return? They’d seemed to be getting close this morning. He’d been surprised, for the Sexual Therapist was much more up front about her desires than the herbalist ever could be. And Ria lived for the moment, whereas Lisa liked to have some of her future clearly mapped out. Still, opposites sometimes attracted—he himself was a planner who’d been drawn to Ria’s free spirit. If she’d been submissive they might have made more than a first class working team. Desperate to find Lisa, he went to Ria’s private room. A note on her door said that she was on Vitality’s sun terrace. He found her there, wearing only a pair of sun glasses and an all-over tan. She was lying on her stomach, and he stared for a fascinated moment at her teasingly bare and deliciously spankable bottom. But he wasn’t here to admire the perfect view. He had a mission that he desperately wanted to accomplish, wanted to draw Lisa fully into his life, his thoughts, his arms. ‘Lisa didn’t keep her 3pm appointment,’ he said urgently. Ria turned onto her back and stretched her arms above her head. ‘Hey, I’m innocent. I haven’t kidnapped her.’

Michael felt his jaw tighten with frustration: ‘She didn’t tell you about a change of plan?’ ‘I worked, had lunch sent to my room, then I came up here to sunbathe,’ Ria answered, ‘You’d better ask Jamilla or Marie-Rose.’ She hesitated, ‘The sunshine makes me horny as hell. Fancy a quickie?’ Michael smiled wryly then shook his head. ‘You could bend me over the balcony and spank me first,’ Ria continued. Again the doctor refused. The therapist just didn’t understand the dynamics of the situation. Lisa would never suggest that he spank her small bare bum. The herbalist would try to talk her way out of the punishment, and her ultimate submission would be all the sweeter. She had an exciting subtlety that the Sexual Surrogate would never have. He left. He hurried down the stairs and spoke to Marie-Rose. She hadn’t seen Lisa either. Nor had Jamilla or Carmen or the stables-based Bakar. Dania was saddling up a horse when he asked the gardening and stables boy about the herbalist. ‘I saw her some time before midday,’ she volunteered, ‘She almost knocked me over she was in such a rush.’ ‘Did she have a suitcase?’ he asked. ‘No, just her shoulder bag,’ Dania replied quietly. ‘Did she say where she was going?’ The accountant grimaced: ‘Uh uh. Fraid not.’ If Lisa was without a suitcase she’d presumably stayed on Malta. The doctor felt his shoulder and stomach muscles relax. ‘Was it wrong of me not to stop her?’ Dania murmured. Her eyes had started to widen with hope and sexual anticipation. Michael hesitated, then he turned resolutely away. Once he’d have taken off his belt and persuaded the aroused young accountant to bend over the balcony. Now he was too wired, couldn’t concentrate. ‘It was wrong, and will be marked up in the punishment book for future chastisement,’ he said sternly. Til tear the page out,’ Dania parried, giving him a challenging stare. Michael smiled as he turned to leave: ‘Such resistance. I’ll bear your vandalistic act in mind when I’m pulling down your pants.’ All roads lead to Rome—and most Maltese buses ended up in Malta’s capital, Valletta. Michael went there before dinner, and sat on the concrete circle across from the wide bus stance. He’d brought a psychology book and a bottle of mineral water, was prepared to wait in the early evening sunshine for a considerable time. He wanted to talk to Lisa when she alighted from her coach. It was better that they had their discussion on neutral ground. Old green buses trundled in. Others left. He smiled at the number of vehicles with the logo Bedford Dominant. He was a Maltese Dominant now, here to take this submissive back to his disciplinary lair.

His gaze skimmed over young women in cut-off cotton shorts, silky dresses and tight frayed denims. There was only one figure and face that he wanted to see ... His body stilled to a single focus as Lisa alighted from the coach. He watched as she strolled around the stance, looking for the connection service. Felt relieved when she joined the queue that would take her back to Vitality. At least she wasn’t planning to flee from the Clinic right this minute. That meant their relationship still had a chance. Slowly he walked forward until he reached her side, could breathe in her jasmine oil perfume. Though he longed to hold her in a tight embrace, he didn’t as much as touch her arm. ‘We have to talk,’ he said. For a moment her shoulders and face stiffened, and she stepped back quickly. Then she grasped her bag more tightly, her voice a murmur. ‘Yes, I know.’ He guided her to his favourite cafe. It had high-backed chairs and a minimum of loud piped music. She ordered cappuccino. He ordered the same. ‘I know why you didn’t meet me,’ he said, as they waited for their beverages, ‘I saw the newspaper lying on your bed.’ ‘I just ...’ Her breasts moved visibly under the embroidered peasant blouse and he longed to use his tongue to tease out the nipples, The journalist’s comments ... both couples lives were destroyed.’ Destroyed was too strong a word, implied giving up because of someone else’s wrong thinking, he mused thoughtfully. But the lives they’d known before were admittedly over, and that was a terrible thing. ‘Well, their lives were thrown into tumult,’ he said. Lisa stared at him. He gazed back at her, rejoicing in the closeness of her beloved features. ‘Michael, they lost their businesses and jobs.’ ‘I know. I know.’ He had to concentrate on her words, not her expression, ‘But that doesn’t mean ...’ Lisa was talking faster and faster. He’d never seen her quite this nervous before, her eyes frightened and sad. ‘They had to give up their homes.’ Michael started to reach for her hand, then thought better of it. It was vital that she realise that he was emotionally here for her, that he didn’t just want the physical act. He had to make her understand that their alliance was stronger than any tabloid’s private probing or public slur. The newspaper was wrong ...’ he started. ‘Of course it was,’ Lisa muttered, ‘Now everyone knows what they were up to.’ ‘And what they were up to was honestly fulfilling their desires.’ He leaned forward as he spoke, trying to show the depth of his feeling in his eyes and voice tone, They were just following their hearts.’ ‘I know, but ...’ She turned her hands up in a helpless half shrug, ‘Being pointed at in the street must be terrible.’

‘Granted.’ He could well imagine the hellish scenario, ‘But do you think the ones who are doing the pointing have nothing to hide?’ Lisa pursed her lips: They’re obviously not into spanking, or ...’ ‘No, but they’ll fantasize about golden showers or go in for wife-swapping or something. Most people don’t dream about the missionary position all their life.’ He watched as she made a snorting sarcastic sound. ‘Some people,’ she said, ‘Don’t seem to be very sexual. When I was counselling, two of my clients said that they had no sexual fantasies at all.’ ‘And that’s their prerogative and I respect it,’ Michael said softly, ‘Just as long as they respect what you and I do on the sexual front.’ ‘Or what you and I did,’ Lisa muttered, twisting the silver identity bracelet around her wrist then absently fingering its engraving, ‘I don’t know if I can continue, knowing that I might have my private life destroyed.’ For the hundredth time that day, he felt the surge of rage that was based on fear—fear that he would lose her. ‘If you end what we have because of some tabloid cruelty then you’re not the woman I believed you to be,’ he said. Her mouth quivered, then she cocked her head to one side. ‘Is that an insult, doc?’ He took her hand: ‘No, I’m sure that you’ll come through for me. I meant it as a compliment.’ ‘The kind of day I’ve had, I could use some compliments.’ He felt a small surge of triumph when she didn’t pull her hand away. Their cappuccino arrived. It was only when the waitress gave Michael an odd look that he realised he hadn’t paid or thanked her. ‘Sorry, Mica, I was miles away,’ he said. ‘Friend of yours?’ Lisa asked as the woman accepted his coins and moved away from them. He nodded, not wanting to be sidetracked. ‘I come here for coffee whenever I’m in Valletta. It’s refreshingly quiet, as you can hear.’ He watched as Lisa raised her cup to her lips then didn’t drink from it. She set it down and looked at him. Her voice was low and hard with tension when she spoke. ‘I just don’t know what to do.’ ‘Come back with me to Vitality now. Forget the tabloids,’ he said quietly, ‘Tomorrow we’ll enjoy that date you broke, then we’ll go on as before.’ ‘Continue doing things that half the world considers sordid?’ Lisa muttered, looking at him through eyelashes that were lushly thick and dark.

‘Continue doing things which give us the greatest pleasure and which harm no one else,’ he countered quickly, squeezing her small soft hand. That, for him, was the be all and end all—his sex life was nobody else’s business, and he knew he was in the right. ‘If half the journalists from The Daily Word surrounded Vitality, could you bear it?’ the herbalist prompted. Michael hesitated, knowing that his honesty was critically important now. ‘I ... might sell the Clinic if they were ruining my business,’ he said slowly, ‘And with my livelihood gone I’d probably have to leave Malta. But I’d survive.’ ‘You’d let them spoil all this?’ Lisa gave a sweep of her hand in the vague direction of the Clinic. Td let them disrupt this rather than give up the sexual life I love and cherish. Yes.’ ‘Then I think you’re stronger than I am,’ Lisa said simply, pushing her cup away. ‘No, I’ve simply had longer to come to terms with my sexuality,’ Michael replied. He searched for the best words, remembering his fears as he reached his late teens. ‘It wasn’t easy in the beginning, you know—realising that I wanted to pull down the pants of each attractive woman that I met, wanted to cane her. I was terrified that I was some kind of psycho, that I’d lose control.’ He stared down at his frothy drink then stirred it round and round, ‘But gradually I realised that there were woman out there who loved to be bared and spanked, that I wasn’t alone in my sexual daydreams.’ He looked at her full on. ‘That really helped.’ He watched as she sucked in her breath. ‘The fantasy side—1 don’t have a problem with that,’ she said shakily, ‘I mean, no one can tell what’s going on in my head cause we still don’t have the Thought Police. But the reality, how did you feel about your actions when ... I mean when you were in bed with a girl you thought you could chastise?’ Michael thought back. ‘Actually punishing a woman helped crystallise things for me. I found out that I wasn’t a monster. That I watched the way her hips moved as I chastised her, listened to her sounds of pain and pleasure, gauged how much of a whipping she could take.’ ‘How big of you,’ Lisa muttered, and he sensed the return of her old spirit. ‘Their bare bums were grateful for any concessions I granted,’ he replied. To the tabloids that would still make you a sadist,’ the herbalist shot back. ‘No, one of my main goals is to take each woman to the heights of pleasure. I punish firmly but am always fair.’ He stared as she licked her lips, looked at the embroidered linen cloth. ‘So you figure the orgasms are worth the risk of journalistic hassle?’ she asked, and her voice was hoarse with longing. Michael smiled wryly: ‘It’s about much more than orgasms. It’s about being true to yourself.’ He let his fingers tighten compellingly over hers, ‘Think about it, Lisa. What’s the alternative? To live a life of denial,

a life of vanilla sex?’ He paused, “There are thousands of men and women out there who are doing that because they can’t find a partner to be dominant or submissive with.’ He stared deeply into her eyes, ‘We’ve been lucky enough to find each other. Don’t throw it all away.’ Lisa nodded: ‘Part of me wants to continue, but the other half is just plain scared.’ Behind the fear there was courage. He had to reach it. ‘Should Oscar Wilde have gone to prison for loving another man?’ he said. ‘No, of course not. That was obscene.’ ‘And the world recognises that now. At least, most of it does,’ Michael continued, ‘Wilde just lived in especially homophobic times.’ ‘And we live in CP-phobic times,’ Lisa added, finishing his thought chain. Michael nodded. ‘People who lead small lives will always try to scapegoat those who follow their dream.’ Lisa reached for her bag, and he could tell that she was making her tone determinedly light. ‘I’m going to follow the cooking smells back to Vitality for dinner. I have to eat.’ She’d obviously had enough CP talk for now. Michael stood up and smilingly jangled his car keys: ‘My car’s parked near the bus station. We could drive to a restaurant if you’d prefer.’ ‘No, it’s been quite a day. I need familiarity.’ Walking closer, he put a reassuring arm around her slender shoulders. ‘Then let’s get you home.’ He drove back. She stared out of the window a lot. They walked to the dining room and ate the food which Carmen had saved for them. As soon as the coffee was cleared away, she stood up to go. ‘Night, Michael.’ She leaned over and kissed his brow. He gazed up at her, his features stern. ‘You still have to be punished for standing me up today, remember?’ Saw her hesitate, a slight energy flickering over her clouded expression, then she turned away. ‘Forget it, I’m absolutely exhausted. I need an early night?’ she murmured, briefly making eye contact. ‘Five extra strokes of the paddle at a later date for suggesting postponement,’ he retorted lightly, then added ‘Sleep well.’ Somewhat to his surprise, his groin didn’t pulse with disappointment as she left the dining room. He suspected that his body—like hers—needed to slow down for a few hours, to prepare itself for a punitive session. It took energy and commitment to spank or be spanked for a very long time. The next morning he was first down to breakfast. He had a feeling that Lisa would be second, that she’d want to talk to him on his own about the future. ‘Just croissants with butter for me, please,’ he told Jamilla when she came to take his order. The housekeeper nodded. He looked over at the door as a female voice said ‘Same here.’ Lisa had entered the dining room. She walked swiftly to the table, her sandals clicking against the sanded wood floorboards. Her movements were easy under the pale yellow short sleeved blouse and matching

pencil skirt. When she sat down he could see that her mouth was relaxed and that the tension in her cheekbones had ebbed away. ‘You look happy,’ he said, his eyes full of more audacious compliments. Jamilla turned to the serving hatch as Lisa murmured: ‘You don’t look so bad yourself.’ ‘That’s because I’ve an obedient staff working for me,’ he replied softly, and she ran the tip of her tongue over her lips then looked away. He wanted her to look at him in bed and go on looking. But first they had to re-establish their relationship, had to have some less erotic fun. She had to have the freedom to be his business partner by day in order that she could more contrastingly be his sexual slave by night. Tm free from 2pm today, and I see that you are too. Let me show you around Sliema,’ he said quietly. ‘Been there, done that. But I’m sure that you can show me some of its backstreets,’ Lisa replied. Til show you more than its backstreets if you continue to be rude,’ he murmured, touching his thick leather belt with obvious inference. ‘Don’t tell me you want to play doctors and nurses?’ Lisa parried with a teasing grin. Their croissants arrived. The coffee arrived. So did the others. Til fetch you at two,’ he said formally before leaving the busy dining room. Throughout the morning he thought of her and of how he would spank her wriggling soft rotundities. And his phallus throbbed inside his summer suit. At the appointed hour he knocked on her door. She was there. She had on tiny jade green shorts and the dingiest white T-shirt. ‘I figured this would do for sightseeing,’ she said tautly, ‘Reckon its okay?’ Her voice tone and jerky movements betrayed her uncertainty. He sought to reassure. ‘It’s perfect. You look great.’ These shorts would edge so nicely down as he unveiled her. He’d have to use all his self control to wait ... But he did wait. He waited for three whole hours whilst they wandered around the sun-kissed shops, and drank earl grey tea at a pavement cafe. Then they leaned over the rail to look at the boats on the barely-ruffled warm blue sea. ‘What do you want to do now?’ he asked, after they’d walked along the promenade eating strawberry ice cream. ‘Don’t laugh, but I want to hail one of those horses with buggies,’ Lisa said. Grinning, he ruffled her glossy hair. ‘Thought you were a traveller rather than a tourist?’ She ruffled his hair back, her eyes dancing mischief. ‘I’m a traveller who wants to have fun.’ ‘Fun in a cart?’ His grimace was real, ‘It’s hardly a fitting image for a doctor.’

‘But you’re an increasingly alternative doctor. And laughter’s supposed to be the best medicine,’ Lisa replied. Ten minutes later a familiar clip clopping sound echoed down the street. Lisa turned: ‘There’s one. I’m going to hail it.’ Michael put his hand on her arm: “The driver will start at a ridiculous price to find out how naive you are. Remember to drive a hard bargain,’ he warned with an indulgent smile. ‘Me, I’m useless at bargaining,’ Lisa said, moving towards the kerb as the horse slowed to an obedient halt. ‘Don’t get in until you’ve agreed a price,’ Michael explained. But Lisa already had her fingers around the side pole, and was pulling her way up into the cab. ‘Hurry up or we’ll drive off without you,’ she cried. As if to underline her words, the blinkered horse took a step forward, and the metal cart wheels turned noisily. Sighing, Michael pulled himself inside the vehicle and sat down. ‘Nice weather again,’ he commented to the driver, ‘How much to take us to Vitality?’ The cabbie named an inflated price. ‘Too much,’ Michael started, ‘We’ll pay ...’ ‘Oh for Gods sake stop being so mean,’ Lisa said laughingly to him. She leaned towards the driver’s white-shirted back, That’s fine. Don’t listen to him. I’ve been meaning to do this for ages. Can you take us the most scenic route?’ ‘Whatever you want, love,’ the man said. It was clear that he thought she didn’t have a clue about money. Michael let his fingers tighten on the rail. ‘You’ve shown me up,’ he said quietly into her ear, ‘You’ve been publicly rude, and lost me the respect of the driver. I’ll have to take it out on your impudent backside.’ ‘Yeah? You and whose army?’ Lisa muttered, turning quickly away to gaze out of the cab. He stared at her with peripheral vision. The heat had rushed to her face, and she was shifting about on the leather. She wasn’t so cool ... The horse clip-clopped on. The little carriage rattled and bounced, and other tourists stared at them. ‘It’s a bumpy ride,’ the herbalist giggled, her words coming through breath. ‘It’s just preparing your bum for the thrashing that awaits it in a few minutes,’ Michael murmured in her ear. ‘You’ll have to catch me first,’ Lisa countered throatily, looking at him with eyes that were dark and wide. Til fashion a lassoo if necessary,’ he said. He looked at her tiny shorts, wishing that he had access this very minute, that he could pull down her underlying pants. At last the buggy drew up at Vitality. Lisa got out first and went up front to pay the driver. ‘Wait there,’

Michael told him, Til bring you some water and food for the horse.’ He hurried to the Clinic’s own stables and got provisions from Bakar, then walked swiftly back to the chestnut animal. Lisa patted it before it ate and drank. ‘Thanks mate,’ the driver said, as the horse finished its repast, ‘He needed a break after that length of journey.’ ‘You can do something for me, too,’ Michael said. He took hold of Lisa’s upper arm as he spoke, and held on tightly. In a moment he’d march her to his room. ‘How much do you want for the whip?’ he asked the man. He thrilled inside as Lisa swayed with desire against him. She caught her breath, lips parting slackly. When he looked at her, she looked quickly away. ‘This?’ the man asked queryingly, holding up the riding crop. It was a lightly thonged one that wouldn’t damage a thick skinned animal. Michael similarly wanted it for show rather than for effect. He much preferred to paddle or belt a bum rather than to whip it, enjoyed seeing thick bands of colour rather than thinner more hectic stripes. The man hesitated, then named a price. Michael halved it, then went into his wallet for the necessary cash. ‘A souvenir?’ the man said. ‘Oh I think I can put it to good use,’ Michael murmured, slapping the implement against Lisa’s clothed arse. He turned and began to walk towards the house, still holding her by the top of one suntanned arm. Her steps felt uneven next to his, as if she were walking on cobblestones. ‘Go to my room and I’ll teach you humility,’ he said softly, and she teetered forward and almost fell. ‘I hope those cheeks aren’t trying to delay their thrashing,’ he added matter-of-factly, ‘Looks like I’ll have to help them reach the house.’ So saying, he stopped and put one arm under her knees and another under her armpits and scooped her into his arms. ‘Bastard,’ she whispered, but didn’t sound as if she meant it. Only when they reached the grounds and she saw a face at an upper window did she beg to be set down. ‘If I set you down, will you go straight up to my bedroom and await your punishment?’ he queried. 200 ‘Yes ... anything. Someone’s looking,’ she replied. He lowered her to the ground but kept his hand on her arm. ‘I’ll hide the riding crop inside my jacket. If I reach my room and find that you’re not there I’m going to show it to the others. I’m going to ask them to help me hunt your shy young posterior down.’ ‘Bastard,’ Lisa muttered again. Her pupils were vast and lustrous, her lips open. Her cheeks were stained the gentlest of pinks. ‘Go to my bedroom now and lie on the bed.’ Michael ordered, ‘Count to fifty then take down these pretty little shorts.’ He hesitated, wanting to make his instructions exact, ‘Next, put them under the pillow. Then pull your panties all the way down.’ He watched as she stumbled on ahead, ‘If you fail to

obey me to the letter,’ he called after her softly, Til have to whip you for at least an hour.’ Chapter Sixteen He’d have to whip her for at least an hour. Shamed heat rushed to Lisa’s groin as she hurried into the Clinic. She skirted around Reception, then swayed at the foot of the stairway, legs languid with desire. ‘Thought Dr Landers came back with you?’ Dania queried, walking up behind her. ‘Oh, you startled me,’ Lisa tried to find her brain, her voice, the muscles which would make her smile work, ‘Yes, he did.’ The younger girl seemed to be waiting for more detail. Lisa forced herself to continue, ‘But he’s gone to give the horse’s drinking bowl back to Bakar.’ She brushed at an imaginary speck of dust on her shorts then tried to meet the younger girl’s gaze. Had Dania seen Michael carrying Lisa? Had she watched him brandishing the whip? The herbalist didn’t want to undergo the public humiliation that the others had undergone, the staff-watched chastenings. She wanted everyone to think that Michael was just her egalitarian boss and platonic friend. ‘Give the horse a drink? You were riding?’ Dania murmured, quirking one strongly-pencilled brow. ‘No, we hailed one of those horses and carts. It brought us back here.’ Lisa turned again to the stairs, anxious to climb them and escape from the Accountant’s probing gaze. ‘See you later,’ she muttered to the younger girl as she made her ascent. ‘Yeah, see you at dinner,’ Dania replied, ‘It’ll probably be the last time we’ll meet, cause the accounts are in order.’ Would she, Lisa, have the hottest bum in the world by then? ‘Right. Good.’ Lisa couldn’t think straight. She reviewed her words as she stumbled up the stairs. ‘I mean, great that you’re finished the work—for you, I mean. But sorry that you have to go.’ She grimaced as the sentences tumbled from her mouth. She sounded as if her system was winding down through a sugar low. In truth, she’d enjoyed fresh air, sun and coffee, had been fed. But nothing could prepare a girl’s body and mind for the thought of a thrashing, far less the approaching reality. Slowly she walked along the corridor to Michael’s room. There was no rush. He was obviously going to keep her waiting for a while, as he’d told her to count to fifty. The bastard obviously wanted to let her trepidation build. But bastard though he was, he made her pubis throb with heat and longing. He could make her submissive side build. It had been many weeks since she’d been fully satisfied by a man—sex with Don Muscat had been enjoyable but not overwhelmingly orgasmic. Now her flesh ached to be kissed and stroked and held. But whipped? Lisa tried to envisage the chastisement as she reached the doctor’s bedroom door. She turned the handle, then walked into the ample space and stared around it. Like her, he had an ensuite bathroom with a separate shower. The herbalist paced the pine-scented rectangular room, noting that most of the woodwork was ebony. The embossed white wallpaper contrasted dynamically with the matt black shelves. A dozen or more martinets and canes were displayed along the wall by the window. She tried to avoid looking at them and at the bed. Were there mementoes from other women here? Proof of a former wife? She turned curiously to the writing bureau and chest of drawers, looking for tell-tale letters and love notes. Wished that she had the courage to go through his cabinets, but knew that she didn’t have the time. In a moment he’d be here to

... she couldn’t bring herself to finish the inner sentence. Sat down on the footstool, then moved to the armless stuffed chair. Would he bend her over either of them before stripping her soft extremities? She felt the first trickle of lust make its leisurely way down her leg. Damn the man—she mustn’t let him see that she was aroused. Lisa wiped the genital juice from her thigh, then reached for a cucumber clean-up tissue. As she pulled a damp square from the box, Michael walked in and looked pointedly at the unoccupied bed cover. Then he looked at her. ‘I expected to see a bum on this bed. A bare bum. Instead I find it fully clothed and sitting on a chair.’ Shame and lust spread through Lisa’s groin, but she forced herself to meet his gaze. ‘Sorry to disappoint you,’ she murmured with forced lightness. ‘Oh, you won’t disappoint me when your naked cheeks are squirming under my palm,’ the doctor said. The herbalist pulled her lips into a challenging smirk. ‘You wish,’ she muttered, fingering the plush chair she was seated in. She shrank back into its depths as Michael strode towards her. She’d make the conceited pig fight for what he desired. ‘Sweetheart,’ he said, his eyes full of passion and certainty, ‘I wish that you were across my lap with your pants at your ankles. And I always make my wishes come true.’ Lisa put her hands behind her back, so that he could find no purchase on either of them. ‘Stalling just earns you much more stringent discipline,’ the man reminded with a knowing grin. ‘Guess I could apologise for being rude in the cart,’ she muttered in a low voice. ‘You can apologise once you’ve got the most tenderised bum in the universe,’ Michael Landers said. He put his hands under her armpits, and lifted her to her feet. Lisa felt too awash with lust and anticipation to stop him. She hoped he’d only punish her posterior lightly before turning his attention to her clit. ‘You have to accept a sore rump before you enjoy a satisfied sex,’ the doctor continued, as if sensing her jumbled thoughts. ‘ Alright,’ Lisa muttered, as he marched her to the ebony-dark four poster, ‘Just get it over with.’ Michael set her down on the duvet, and she stared up at him. He shook his head. Til have to take my time. The situation demands it. You’ve been so very, very bad.’ Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out the riding crop and set it on the pillow above her, ‘Roll over on your tummy, darling. As I remind you of your misdeeds I want you to look at the whip.’ ‘Bet you can’t make me,’ Lisa whispered, trying to push her lightly-clad body deeper into the bed so that it became immovable. She knew that he could turn her over if he really tried. Nevertheless, she was surprised at the speed with which he flipped her onto her T-shirt clad belly, so that her clothed bum was beneath his firm hands. She tried to swat an arm back just to show that she wasn’t daunted, but he took both of her wrists and held them in front of her heaving breasts. ‘Let’s fasten these naughty hands together,’ he said conversationally, removing his tie. He took his time wrapping the material round and round her wrists till they were held together in front of her. Lisa wriggled on her tummy as she stared at the bondage, feeling her mons pulse and swell.

‘Scared that I’ 11 play with my clit? Don’t flatter yourself,’ she taunted, as she pulled her tethered hands away from him. ‘No, I’ve bound them so that they can’t protect your arse once I start to spank it,’ the doctor replied. ‘Thought you were going to whip me?’ Lisa shot back without thinking, then damned herself to hell for such an inflammatory remark. ‘Ah, so you want the whip,’ Michael said. He moved it closer to her face. ‘Look at it, Lisa. Can you imagine how it’ll feel on your helpless bottom? Can you envisage how you’ll beg?’ Til never beg,’ Lisa lied. The flesh around her clitoris surged and tingled. She’d plead for a climax if he started to tease ... But for now he seemed interested in her buttocks rather than her bud. ‘Time we removed those protective little shorts,’ he murmured, sitting on the section of the bed nearest her waist. ‘Who’s weT Lisa jeered, not looking at him, ‘Got a hidden little friend, have you? That’s probably the only kind you can get.’ She vaguely remembered making similar jibes before, when he’d spanked her in his surgery. But a girl had to say something to show that she wasn’t a pushover, even if her words weren’t exactly unique. “This is my friend,’ the doctor answered, reaching for the whip, and Lisa could sense that he was brandishing it over her posterior. He brought it down twice in quick succession, and she tensed. Then she relaxed. The whip hardly stung at all. ‘Let’s try it with your shorts down,’ Michael Landers continued conversationally. The herbalist shivered as he pulled off the jade green cotton, discarding her sandals at the same time. ‘Those panties won’t save your backside much, my dear,’ he said, ‘They’ll hardly get in the way as I spank.’ Lisa twisted her head back. Drat, she’d put on the white cotton thong. It was basically a scrap of material over her crotch and round her waist, with a string which fitted snugly between her buttocks. She’d worn it in case they ended up in bed together, for it was the sexiest garment she had. The bra she was wearing was similarly scanty, just two glossy half cups of underwired white silk. Michael raised the whip and she felt it strike her waiting bum again. The whip line tingled. Then her mons tingled as he started to divest it of her pants. ‘I don’t like any garment coming between your bottom and my palm,’ he said softly, ‘So we’ll just pull these out of the way.’ ‘You can try,’ Lisa muttered, grinding her belly into the duvet to make things difficult for him. But when she felt his strong sure fingers brushing her labia, she bucked and wailed. ‘Good girl.’ He used her sex-charged movement to his full advantage, pulling the crotch thong away from her groin, then edging the tiny pants over her creamy bum and bare extremities. A creamy bum with two light whip marks, Lisa reminded herself. She looked back and felt curiously disappointed to see that the whip hadn’t left its scarlet imprint. She’d felt it a little bit so had assumed ... ‘As I probably said, this whip’s mainly for show,’ Michael murmured as if reading her thoughts, ‘I may introduce you to one of my thicker riding crops at a later date.’

‘Not if I throw your bloody whips on the bonfire first,’ Lisa retorted then wriggled with pleasure as he fondled her silken globes. ‘Angel,’ he promised, ‘The only thing that will be burning in this house will be your little posterior.’ Lisa’s pelvis ached with humiliation and need. ‘Little posterior—is that a medical term?’ she taunted, hiding her face in the pillow as more desire trickled down her legs. ‘This isn’t medical work now, honey,’ Michael murmured, ‘This is personal, given that you showed me up on a sightseeing trip.’ He stroked her from waist to thigh with obvious relish, ‘But doctor’s orders are that your thrashing begins right now.’ Lisa looked up warily as he swung his body around until he was sitting on the other side of the bed with his feet on the floor. He was still an unknown quantity. But when he started to drag her over his suited knees, she figured she knew what was coming next. ‘Oh, no, not another spanking,’ she muttered, one half of her body curious, the other half trying to slither away from the disparaging position across his lap. ‘What do you mean, not another spanking? It’s not as if you get one every day,’ Michael replied. ‘Do some of the staff get that many ...?’ She bit back the thought. She didn’t want to think of him smacking Ria’s suntanned rear or Dania’s pert young bottom. And seeing him cane Jamilla’s twitching bum had made her feel very strange indeed. ‘Sometimes a new employee breaks all the rules for the first few weeks and spends half of her life over my settee writhing under my riding crop,’ the doctor answered. He squeezed her disarmed flesh as he hauled her onto his lap, his grip determined, ‘Carmen was like that when she first came here. She over-roasted most of the meat-based meals.’ And so you roasted her bum, Lisa thought dazedly, and new heat rushed to her own glistening pubes. ‘Don’t you dare tell any of the others that you’ve spanked me,’ she warned. ‘Or that I’ve used the Lochgelly tawse on your exposed arse?’ the doctor replied softly. ‘But you haven’t ...’ Lisa muttered, her voice trailing off as she realised what he was planning next. Tm going to use it after I’ve finished spanking you,’ he said matter-of-factly, ‘It’s a beautiful long hand-fashioned implement. You haven’t tasted its relentless leather yet.’ ‘It’s too much,’ Lisa muttered, staring down at the carpet and wishing that she could stop thinking about her vulnerable raised bottom. ‘For shaming me in the cab? For not counting to fifty like you were told? For leaving your shorts and pants on?’ the doctor said. ‘So sack me,’ Lisa retorted in a dare-you-to voice, and heard his long low laugh. She knew that neither of them wanted her to leave Malta.

‘That wouldn’t be nearly as much fun as spanking this wilful backside,’ Michael Landers said. ‘Oh, I’m having a whale of a time,’ Lisa sarcastically got out. She moaned low in her throat as she felt the man slide his hand between her slightly-parted legs, widening them further. Then he teased a fingertip across her soaking clitoris and she gasped with desire. ‘There, you enjoyed that,’ the doctor said, taking his hand away, ‘I may give you more middle finger later. But for now that wicked little bum is going to writhe beneath my palm.’ The herbalist sensed him raise his arm, and knew that her chastening was about to begin in earnest. She closed her eyes, then opened them wide as the first whack warmed her soft right globe. He was starting off quite hard, then. She promised herself that she would take this like a grown up, that she wouldn’t make a sound. She tried to keep her buttocks untensed, as if she was immune to a smacking. Used all her willpower not to wriggle about on his trousered lap. Still she couldn’t help but flinch as the impassive doctor slapped her orbs again and again. He seemed to favour the centre of each poor bare buttock. Lisa gasped as an especially strong whack toasted her rump crease and the glow radiated through her twin rotundities. ‘You didn’t like that one at all, did you, my sweet? It was much too stingy,’ Dr Landers murmured. ‘Felt nothing,’ Lisa muttered, determined not to be bested by the man. ‘You will,’ her boss continued, stroking her bare bum till she moaned loud and long with desire and her nipples lengthened, ‘I haven’t really started yet.’ God, he obviously intended to spank her for the longest time. Lisa began to wish that she hadn’t been so rude or ignored his instructions. But she hadn’t been able to bring herself to bare her own bottom and lie there waiting for the whip. ‘How long do you intend to chastise me?’ she muttered lustfully. Sensed him shrug: ‘Until you’re truly repentant.’ ‘You mean for the rest of my life?’ Lisa shot back. ‘If necessary,’ her dominator said coolly, spanking twice more at both of her helpless cheeks. ‘They’re turning such a pretty colour,’ he added, palming them, ‘Would you like to see?’ Lisa twisted her head back and stared at the scarlet blurred imprints which covered her helpless small orbs. The deepest red showed where his palm had slapped down forcefully on the centre of her haunches. Numerous lighter marks told where his straying fingers had whacked the lower curve of her bum. Both globes felt very taut and quiveringly tender. She was taking her chastisement well, Lisa told herself, and felt a rush of pride. ‘Picture your arse turning this colour next time you’re rude,’ the doctor said, with a gloating smile. Lisa tugged at her wrists bonds, wishing she could rub her sore nates for a moment. ‘I’m not into visualisation, doc,’ she replied. ‘If you were wise, you wouldn’t be into continually insulting me,’ her emotionless boss said, hoisting her

bottom higher upon his knees so that her labia released a long string of liquid. He fondled her peripheries till she tingled with loathing and lust, ‘You say that you don’t like to imagine your bum being reddened, so you’re obviously into tactile stimulus instead.’ The tactile stimulus consisted of another six echoing spanks. Lisa howled and drummed her bare feet upon the floor. She half-raised her bound arms, then didn’t have the energy to complete the movement. She wanted to soothe her vanquished cheeks with her cool hands. She wanted to come. ‘You could stick your probe up me, doc,’ she muttered suggestively, trying to push her bum back to show him the oiled entrance to her sexual centre. In answer, Dr Landers slid one satisfying digit inside her canal. He pushed it all the way in, then halfway out, causing her to wriggle upon his finger. ‘I like to truly thrash a bum before I give pleasure to a quim,’ he said thoughtfully. Lisa gritted her teeth, wishing that she could overrule the demands of her craving clitoris. Her clit’s insistent message won, and she pushed back desperately against his hand. ‘If you were to ask nicely for your tawsing, you’d be bringing your clit closer to Nirvana,’ he continued, caressing her tender contours. ‘Go fuck yourself,’ Lisa said. She moaned with loss as the desire-bringing digit withdrew from her quim. Now her mons felt unfulfilled and hollow, and her labia ached for a stroking. Wordlessly, she thrust her soaking pubis against his knee, trying to find the exploratory digit again. ‘Is that pepped-up pussy looking for something?’ Michael Landers teased. Christ, Lisa thought, he knew which words would shame her. He also knew the same words could excite. The herbalist whimpered with growing eroticised appetite and fleshy frustration, and knew that she’d have to beg to be satisfied. ‘Please put your finger back,’ she whispered, squirming across his knees as he caressed her sore posterior. ‘Is that what you really want?’ he queried softly, palpating her rosy rump cheeks. ‘No, I want you,’ Lisa whispered raggedly, splaying apart her thighs the little she could across his suited knees. Michael’s voice was smooth as whipped cream: ‘What portion of me, exactly do you crave?’ Her quim was shameless. Blushing, Lisa forced her voice to form the words. ‘I want your cock up me,’ she gasped. ‘I can tell you do,’ murmured the man. He ran a teasing finger round the outside of her vaginal space, rimming the nerve ends. Lisa cried out at the wonderful rush, her hips thrusting forward again and again, ‘But what did we say about the order of things?’ her boss continued, taking his knowing strong fingers away. ‘You said that ... that I had to take the tawse before I could orgasm,’ Lisa whispered, her Venusian mount throbbing harder at the prospect. ‘I’m listening, sweetheart,’ the man replied.

When his fingers did the walking, her clit did the talking. She’d say anything if it meant ultimate satisfaction. And a tiny part of her wondered how far he’d take her, how the lash of leather would feel against her skin. ‘Please use the tawse on me long and hard,’ Lisa half-groaned, hoping that afterwards he’d use his hands on her and his phallus up her. ‘If you insist,’ her boss answered, rolling her gently from his lap. ‘Wriggle into the middle of the bed,’ he continued, as she lay to one side of it, ‘And put one of those soft pillows under your tummy to push your rump up in the air.’ ‘Thought this was a bedroom, not an obstacle course,’ Lisa shot back, but she did as she was told, desperate to have her body satisfied. Then she turned her head to one side to see what her almost-lover was doing next. Michael Landers had reached the various punishment implements hanging from the wall. He went into the cupboard below them and rifled through its contents. Then he brought out a brown leather strap. As he walked back towards Lisa, she could see that the implement was cut up the centre to form two equal-sized long tails. ‘This is the medium Lochgelly tawse, because I’ ve been pleased with your work here,’ her boss said sweetly, ‘Let’s hope for your poor bum’s sake that I never have to apply the heavy version of the Lochgelly to those tender cheeks.’ He paused, ‘Of course, a really good girl would just get the smallest tawse, a mere twenty inches. It doesn’t sting nearly as much.’ ‘I can take any of them,’ Lisa retorted, wriggling on the pillow which raised her hips. Her pelvis was so aroused that she doubted if it could register pain, only pleasure. She felt that she could take any punishment he cared to dole out. ‘Marie-Rose used to be late every morning until she tasted the heavy tawse,’ her employer said, ‘Since then she’s been impressively punctual.’ ‘Probably just bought herself a better alarm clock,’ Lisa said. She buried her head in the remaining pillow as Michael Landers pulled back the tawse. He was kneeling on the bed to one side of her, which meant that the lash wasn’t coming from too high a distance. Nevertheless Lisa felt it make its strong imprint on her bum. ‘Lucky for you that I administered a hard spanking first—means your arse doesn’t feel the leather quite so keenly,’ the doctor said. ‘Hell, you’re a candidate for the sainthood,’ Lisa jeered. She turned her head in his direction, half-wanting him to lay on the tawse with firmer zeal, to mark each inch of her waiting buttocks. She wanted him to break through some inner barrier so that she could fully let go. ‘That the best you can do, doc?’ she muttered, a throaty challenge, ‘It tickles rather than stings.’ She watched as his mouth parted in obvious surprise. Ah, so she could be an unknown quantity too—he wasn’t fully controlling the situation. ‘I usually give the first three strokes lightly, then show no mercy with the other seven,’ Michael said. He

ran the implement teasingly over her glowing rump, ‘But if you insist on nine harder lashes, then that’s what you’ll get.’ Lisa turned her head to the pillow again as he raised the two-tailed tawse. She didn’t want to see it coming down on her defenceless bottom. Now that the moment was near, she wasn’t even sure that she wanted to feel its focused lash. What on earth had made her ask for a harder thrashing? She cried out as the twin tails bit into her waiting flesh. The punisher fell halfway down her bum, reddening both buttocks simultaneously. This second stroke had been twice as hard as the first. Before she could protest, Michael laid on the third stroke then the fourth and fifth. Lisa gasped again, and shook her hips from side to side as her belly scraped against the bolster. Her haunches felt as if they were on fire. ‘Stop,’ she muttered. ‘I was just about to,’ Michael said, setting down the implement and starting to palm her tender contours, ‘I like to have an interval in which I tell the naughty girl what she’s still due.’ He moved forward to kiss the top of her head and stroke her hair, ‘Anyway my arm needs a rest.’ ‘Bugger your arm—what about my bum?’ Lisa muttered, giving him a sideways look. ‘You want me to bugger your bum?’ he joked, then traced a thumb or finger around the puckered anal entrance. The herbalist whimpered. She loved it when he touched her—but she didn’t want his cock in there. ‘No, I mean that my bum’s had enough of the tawse,’ she mumbled, hiding her face in the pillow again. ‘That’s for me to decide,’ Michael replied, ‘And I think you have another five strokes coming up.’ He was obviously going to take her to her limit. Arousal wettened Lisa’s sex-slicked legs. ‘Thought the submissive was really in charge?’ she got out, then realised that for the first time she’d referred to herself as submissive. ‘In this case your clit’s in charge,’ Michael said. As he spoke, he slid his right hand under her and located the swollen bud, teasing it with the lightest of caresses. ‘Just tell me when you want to feel the tawse on your arse again, sweetheart,’ he murmured in a coolly conversational tone. ‘You’ll have a long wait,’ Lisa retorted shakily. Then she groaned with unquenched desire as he pulled his hand away. ‘Shall we play strip poker to pass the time?’ he asked, ‘You’re only wearing a T-shirt and bra, so you’re definitely at a disadvantage.’ She was also at a disadvantage as far as her hungry clit was concerned, Lisa thought. She wriggled about on the pillow, her mons half mad with arousal. He’d tied her hands so that she couldn’t relieve her aching quim. ‘Alright, give me the other five strokes of the tawse,’ she forced out, her voice sounding tensely hollow. But not as hollow as her gaping carnal canal. ‘As you wish,’ the doctor said, picking up the Lochgelly tawse. Lisa sucked in her breath, and waited for its burning impact. When it came, she shoved her belly forward the little she could and bucked and yelled. ‘Was that your way of thanking me for number six? I thought a well-spanked bum would show better manners,’ her implacable boss said.

‘Please give me stroke seven,’ Lisa forced out. Soon, she told herself, tensing her bum, all the punishment would be over, and he’d at last grant relief to her sex. She moaned again as the seventh stroke made contact with her flesh. God, her bum felt hot. She wished that she could see her cheeks again, look at their glowing scarlet. She’d sparred with the man for most of this session, but now she was ready to say what he wanted her to say. ‘Ask prettily for stroke eight,’ her boss reminded, teasing the worn leather over her obediently raised backside. ‘Please use your tawse on me again, sir,’ Lisa muttered fervently. ‘Push your bottom higher of its own volition,’ the doctor countered, taking the pillow away. He helped her move her languid limbs. ‘Yes, that’s better, much tauter. Beautifully raised.’ The herbalist groaned with lust as she moved from lying on her belly to lying on her raised knees with her head on her arms. Her near-lover obviously knew that a rigid rear was a more vulnerable one. The next stroke was somewhat lighter. Nevertheless, the leather still stung its way across her central swell and made her shudder anew. ‘Only two to go,’ her tormentor said. ‘Hey, you should have been a Maths teacher,’ Lisa parried with a renewed flash of spirit. Then she howled as the tawse licked her crimson curves again. ‘Now where shall we put the tenth one?’ the doctor queried, using the implement to trace the earlier hot lines it had emblazoned. ‘How about on your cock, sir?’ Lisa said. In truth she didn’t want anything to mark that cock, or put it off its thrusting. She wanted it to pleasure her needy core. ‘Such a rude girl. You must really enjoy being tawsed,’ Dr Landers replied. He pulled the strap back, and Lisa’s bottom flinched of its own volition. Laughing, he lowered it, then raised the implement again. “That bum must know it’s been bad. It’s very nervous,’ he murmured, voice holding a smile. ‘Might just be taking dancing lessons,’ Lisa said quickly. ‘It’ll dance on the end of this leather in a moment,’ the doctor said. The herbalist wanted action, not words, wanted the final stroke to be over so that the man would make love to her. ‘Spare me the play on words,’ she muttered, looking briefly around. God, he looked wonderful, his dark eyes sweeping over her clothed and unclothed extremities, his black hair falling across his brow. ‘You’ll be using sweetly submissive words when you’re begging for my cock,’ her almost-lover warned, playing the punisher through his hands and staring at her bottom. ‘Maybe I’ll just ask for Don Muscat’s cock instead,’ Lisa said. Then she felt the tawse’s lash and she rolled over onto her back and yelled at him. ‘Aaah, you bastard. That last one was really hard.’ ‘Something to remember this correction by,’ the man kneeling between her thighs said sweetly. As if she

would ever forget ... But now she wanted—no, needed—a more direct sexual touch. ‘Please untie me so that I can hold my punished bum,’ Lisa whispered raggedly, keen to hear his reaction. ‘No need,’ said the man, Til soothe it for you instead.’ He looked down at her as she wriggled upon the quilt, ‘Roll over onto your tummy again, love.’ ‘You won’t thrash me any more?’ Lisa begged. Much as she’d loved being held down and dominated, there was only so much her poor buttocks could take. ‘No, you’ve been punished for tonight. I’m always fair,’ her boss replied. Trusting him, Lisa rolled over then put her head to one side, watching his movements. She gazed at his palms as he gently rubbed the chastened flesh. ‘Later I’ll put cold cream on you,’ he promised gently, ‘But I want you to stay nice and red and tender whilst we make love.’ Beyond words, Lisa spread her thighs apart, scissoring them so widely that her feet reached towards the beds lower corners. She wondered if Michael would ever bind her ankles to the sturdy posts. ‘Move over onto your back again. I want your heated bum rubbing against the bed as I enter you,’ Michael said. Lisa closed her eyes as new lust swept through her. Quickly and silently she obeyed. Moaned as she felt his fingers stroke apart her labial leaves, exposing the opening. ‘Jesus, sweetheart,’ he whispered, ‘You’re so hot and wet.’ ‘Maybe that’s because I’ve been fantasizing about other men,’ Lisa whispered back, but her tone was teasing. She wanted this particular man so very much ... Again she tugged at her bonds. It was exciting not being able to use her hands like this, but it was also frustrating. She wanted to cup his naked arse and weigh his balls in her hands until he groaned with ecstasy. Not that he was naked yet—which gave her an idea. She could ask for permission to undress him. That would be a sweetly submissive act. ‘Sir, if you were to untie my hands I’d be honoured to take your clothes off,’ she murmured smiling up at him, eyes dancing with mischief. Michael Landers sat back on his knees between her parted legs and looked at her consideringly. ‘I suppose you could be trusted to do that,’ he said after a moments hesitation, Though if you scratched me by mistake you’d have to taste the tawse all over again.’ ‘Short nails. See?’ Lisa parried, holding out her tethered tanned arms. She looked at him hopefully, then watched with satisfaction as he started to unknot her bonds. When he’d finished taking off the necktie which held her wrists, he massaged them both then kissed the warm pulse spots. Lisa got carefully up so that she was kneeling close to him, her head beneath his. Staring at his chest, she unbuttoned the white shirt from collar to waist, then slowly peeled it from his torso. Looked at the suntanned flesh and dark swathe of body hair and felt further sparks of sensation stirring in her groin. Submissively she bent her head and suckled at his nearest nipple. Then she moved her lips to his other nipple and did the exact same thing. She wrapped her newly-freed hands around his waist as she did so,

exulting in the warmth of his skin. ‘I love your scent,’ Michael murmured, and the herbalist wondered if he was referring to the rose oil perfume she’d re-applied in the cab to her pulse spots, or to the unique odour of her arousal. Luxuriating in the moment, she moved her hands to his belt and unbuckled it, her fingers fast. She’d waited so long to be on a bed with him alone like this. She could hardly wait. Pushing the leather strap out of the way Lisa unbuttoned Michael Landers suit trousers and carefully unzipped them. The doctor moved his body into a sitting position on the edge of the four poster, and Lisa adjusted her torso so that she could pull his trousers and socks from his feet. Now the only garment which remained on his seated body were close-fitting pure white underpants. They were clearly outlining his thick hard phallus and as Lisa edged the garment down his manhood jerked free. The glans were already shiny with evidence of his arousal. As she tugged the cotton over his thighs, she could see that his balls looked taut. There, doctor—you’re naked,’ she said with some satisfaction, ‘Do you want me naked too?’ She sat back on her haunches, confident that he would soon pull her top and bra off. Instead, fresh yearning flooded her triangle at his next shaming words. ‘No, I want you to keep your T-shirt on. It further accentuates your hot rotundities,’ he said, staring into her eyes till she could no longer bring herself to confront his. ‘Maybe I should have left your briefs on at half mast to further outline your penis,’ she quipped. ‘Angel, I don’t think it needs underlining, do you?’ the doctor replied, looking down at his rigid length. Inwardly Lisa acknowledged how swollen and stiff it was. But her body would soon milk him of his lust and vigour. Feeling more sure of herself, she lay down on her back and scissored her sex-slicked thighs apart. ‘No, I want to fuck you doggy style,’ Michael said. How did the bastard know it was her favourite position? She loved the humbling feeling of her bottom sticking up into the air, her breasts dangling forward like silky pendulums. Her ex-husband had sometimes shafted her that way, and she’d shivered with delight at his long slow cock thrusts. Had hinted that she’d like to be shafted that way more of the time. You didn’t have to hint with this man. He just took charge. He ordered and spanked, and her submissive sexuality responded. ‘Make me assume the position,’ she challenged throatily. Then she thrilled as Michael’s hands encircled her waist and he flipped her over before moving her onto her hands and knees. ‘Any more taunting from you and that red bum gets a refresher course,’ he warmed, squeezing both tender hemispheres. Lisa writhed and groaned. ‘Put it in me,’ she begged. ‘Put what in you?’ Michael enquired. Was he really going to shame her some more? Lisa searched for some coy words that would make her answer less humbling. She found none. She was going to have to talk dirty to the man.

‘Please drive your cock up me and shaft me hard,’ she muttered, staring glassily down at the pillow. Her breasts swelled with unprecedented excitement. Her sex centre was just one yearning dripping gape. Was he looking at her !l labia as he knelt behind her, or was he staring at her chastened nether cheeks? ‘I suppose I might as well shove my cock in this hole now that I’m here,’ Michael said coolly. A slight excitement in his tone betrayed his words. Lisa knew that he wanted this consummation as much as she did, if not more. ‘Shall I guide you in, sir?’ she murmured breathlessly. ‘Such thoughtfulness,’ Michael mocked, skimming his palms over her pelvis, ‘But I think I can cope.’ The herbalist felt him probe at her entrance. God, that felt good. She held her breath then let it out as his phallus pushed all the way in. ‘Aaaaah,’ she gasped frenziedly as rapture spread its way up her oiled interior. ‘Did you say something my dear?’ Michael murmured, Td like you to enunciate properly.’ ‘Fuck you,’ Lisa said, trying hard to keep up the pretence of hating him. ‘I thought it was the other way round,’ Michael sparred. She felt him partially withdraw from her quim and moaned at the loss of contact. ‘Please,’ she whimpered, pushing her hips back against him with unashamed desire, ‘Keep it all the way in.’ ‘I wasn’t sure if you needed ... I didn’t want to be presumptuous,’ her lover murmured. ‘I need it right up me,’ Lisa said. She liked to play word games, to keep the man guessing, but she didn’t want the source of pleasure to be taken away. To her relief, the doctor pushed his skilful manhood deep inside her again. His hardness stimulated her glistening walls, re-sensitised the rim of her vulva. She could feel the top of his shaft near her cervix, close enough to fill her fully yet not so hard against her vaginal top that it gave her pain. As for the pain in her bum, it had dulled to a beautifully warm tingle which began to grow as Michael pushed forward and his belly slapped against her hips and backs of thighs. Tm looking down at your sore bum as I fuck you,’ he taunted. Lisa felt her clitoris give a little twitch. The spanking and tawsing had taken her so close to coming that she could hardly bear it. It would take so little stimulus to send her over the orgasmic edge. ‘You used the tawse so hard,’ she whispered, remembering. ‘It’s for the good of staff relations,’ the man retorted, ‘I had to teach you a lesson you wouldn’t forget.’ ‘Couldn’t you just give a verbal reprimand like other bosses?’ Lisa countered, shoving her hips back against his stomach. ‘No,’ Michael Landers answered, ‘But I can withhold your satisfaction instead.’

223 He stopped thrusting. The herbalist tried to push her sex centre back so that he again filled it to its limit. Laughing low in his throat, her lover held her by her waist so that she couldn’t move. ‘No more cock till you stop being rude,’ he teased mercilessly. Lisa stiffened on her hands and knees. Her loins quivered with long built frustration. Six months ago she’d never have believed that she would beg for a shaft like this. Most of her sexual pleasure had come from her own or Recce’s fingers, aided by her fantasies. She’d rarely orgasmed from intercourse itself. But intercourse preceded by a spanking and a tawsing was a different chain of events. Lisa’s mind played around the word chain, and she remembered the necktie Michael had used to tie her hands in front of her. Her bottom had been so exposed ... ‘I’m being polite. I’m asking nicely for more cock,’ she /J whispered ingratiatingly. ‘Don’t just ask,’ the doctor corrected, circling his cock around her quim but not thrusting it further up her, ‘Beg.’ Damn it. Lisa throbbed upon his ungiving shaft. She’d let him thrash her bare bum and position her on her hands and knees. She might as well go the whole way and resort to begging. ‘I beg ever so sweetly for your cock, sir,’ she gasped raggedly. ‘Beg for a single inch,’ Michael murmured coolly. Lisa felt new tremors of lust sweep through her half-bared frame. ‘1 beg for even a centimetre of your beautiful hardness, sir,’ she amended softly, feeling her nipples lengthen as if stroked by her own humiliating words. Then she cried out as the man pushed his maleness all the way in. It felt as if he’d given her six or seven thick stiff inches. Lisa felt her fingers tighten on the pillow as her libido soared. If he’d only thrust rhythmically for a moment or two, she’d ascend-But the bastard seemed hellbent on keeping her simmering rather than letting her reach her sexual heat. ‘Easy,’ he murmured, ‘Let’s take it nice and slow, dear.’ ‘I need it,’ Lisa gasped, ‘I need it now.’ He might have learned self-restraint through endlessly caning and baiting his staff of submissives, but this much pleasure was all new to her. ‘Need what, exactly?’ Michael derided. Lisa forced her naked hips back: ‘Oh don’t start that again.’ She exhaled hard and long as Michael obliged by pushing his manhood inside her from head to root. ‘Did you see all the punishment implements I have?’ he asked as he thrust up her inner core. Not sure if she could trust her voice, Lisa nodded. ‘I wonder,’ he continued, ‘Which one we’ll try out on you next?’ ‘But I haven’t done anything wrong,’ she said gutturally. ‘No, I mean when you do.’ He bucked forward and back, ‘Let’s face it, you’re bound to make a

mistake eventually.’ Another few thrusts brought her closer to Nirvana, ‘Which means that I’ll have to pull your knickers all the way down.’ ‘Yeah, force yourself,’ Lisa got out then moaned as the doctor’s cock took her closer to a climax. ‘Shall it be the whip or the cane?’ he asked conversationally. ‘No. please, sir,’ Lisa whispered, meaning it, ‘Anything but the cane.’ ‘Just a few strokes of that whippy rattan ...’ he continued. She closed her eyes, remembering its swish in the casino. ‘I’d rather taste the whip or the heavier tawse,’ she all but sobbed. 224 225 ‘You’ve been whipped and tawsed already. I like to give variety to a naughty bum,’ Michael continued, thrusting, ‘I think I’ll use my belt.’ ‘Uh,’ Lisa grunted, as the about-to-orgasm signal started to spread through her mons. ‘I’ll double it in my hands,’ the doctor added. Increasing sensation spread through Lisa’s loins at his cruel promise, and she stiffened on her already taut legs and arms. Til bend you over that wall outside,’ her boss continued, The one that I thrashed Marie-Rose over. I’ll make you pull down your pants ...’ She came then, her wolvine cries echoing around the room for longer than she’d ever believed possible, her sexual centre grinding back against his hardness to massage every second of unrelenting sensation out. ‘Uh,’ she quavered, ‘Ah, ah, ah, aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!’ She stretched her mouth open wide to let the shrieks out, and tightly closed her eyes. As she finished climaxing, the herbalist let her arms collapse forward, her head swiftly following. She put her face to one side of her newly-folded arms, but kept her hips pushed obediently back. He could punish her bare bottom right this minute if that was what he wanted. He could do anything he liked after giving her an orgasm like that. But her new lover obviously just wanted to reach his own apex of pleasure. ‘God, I loved it when you made those noises,’ he whispered admiringly, before increasing his muscular thrusts. ‘We aim to please,’ Lisa murmured, grunting with pleasure as his shaft rubbed at her thrill-led walls. How she loved having him inside her. ‘You could have pleased more if you’d bared your bum in readiness for the whip,’ Michael retorted, obviously keen to stay in charge no matter how close they were. ‘I feared its lash on my poor naked flesh,’ Lisa murmured to increase his dominant enjoyment, ‘1 didn’t know if I could bear such a thrashing, sir.’ She felt a brief rush of power as he ground into her more forcefully and groaned with increasing lust. ‘You’re lucky that I’m a merciful man,’ he continued gutturally, ‘Else I could have stripped you of your

little shorts and whipped you in the cab.’ Lisa whimpered with desire as the image hit her brain. It obviously had a similar affect on her new lover, for he strained forward into her, his exhalation full of held-back groaning. A spasming phallus obviously still required a stiff upper lip. ‘That’s right,’ Lisa urged, shoving her loins against his erection, ‘Let it all out.’ For a moment after he’d come the doctor rested his head on her T-shirt clad shoulders. Then she felt him straighten and take hold of the rim of the condom before edging his manhood out. ‘God, I wish I could keep it in me,’ she murmured wistfully, ‘It feels so right.’ ‘I’m sure we can put it back at a later date,’ Michael said, obvious tenderness or even love in his cultured tone. Lisa sat back in time to see him tie a knot in the condom and throw it in the little metal bucket. She stared at him dazedly. ‘Now take that T-shirt and bra off, and lie down in my arms, my love,’ he said with a slightly smug smile. It was exactly what Lisa wanted to do, and she swiftly did so. A few seconds later she felt her eyelids drift down, and she slept. When she awoke it was late, and Michael arranged to have dinner for two brought to his bed by a blushing Carmen. ‘1 wish I didn’t have patients to see tomorrow,’ Lisa told him languidly after the cook had left. ‘Well, you do,’ Michael answered. He sat up straighter on the pillows and kissed her head, ‘And you must treat them to the best of your ability.’ ‘Or what?’ Lisa murmured, sipping the pink champagne. Her boss smiled coolly: ‘Or you’ll have to be taught a lesson after I take you to St Julian’s tomorrow night.’

Chapter Seventeen Finished! Reece ticked the last event off his task-based list, and turned to his Second-In-Command with obvious relief and pleasure. ‘That’s it—we’ve cracked it. Project completed,’ he said. ‘No loose ends?’ the Singaporean queried. ‘No, that’s what I’ve been dealing with the past two days. I kept waiting for a bigger problem to appear,’ the English man admitted, ‘But it works. You’re free to move on.’ ‘And what will you do?’ his foreign colleague asked. ‘Me?’ Reece thought over his options. ‘I suppose I’ll go back home.’ Home being a room in a hotel. It wasn’t even as if he could stay at Lisa’s Scarborough flat in her absence, as she’d rented it out to another girl. ‘You won’t stay on here for the next three weeks?’ the foreman murmured, moving his hand in an arc to

indicate the island. ‘No.’ Reece felt he’d been here in Singapore long enough. He got bored with one locality very quickly. Every cell in his body craved a change of scene. He also craved his woman. Reece took a bus back to his hotel, his mind full of happy thoughts of the future. Should he phone Lisa and tell her about the change of arrangement? Would she be able to leave Malta and fly back to be with him right now? It would be so wonderful to dip his mouth to those full pink nipples, to lick their salty essence before paying equal homage to her pudenda, thighs and hips. Smiling, Reece took the elevator to his room. He picked up the phone. Then he set it down again as he conjured up a better idea. The kind of idea that would give his beloved Lisa the biggest possible surprise. Voice taut with excitement, Reece spoke to the airline operator about available flight times. A few hours later he set off for Malta to claim his almost-bride. Chapter Eighteen ‘So you agree with my findings?’ Lisa confirmed. She and Michael were sitting in his car. He was driving them to St Julians. She was reassured that he’d started discussing her work as soon as they’d met up, had praised her latest medical success. The herbalist had been afraid that after their lovemaking of last night he’d no longer see her as a colleague. But much as he’d loved her body, he was still thankfully interested in the workings of her brain. ‘You’re one of Vitality’s greatest hits,’ he said now, edging down a sidestreet in obvious search of a parking space, ‘Lots of my patients ask for a referral to you, and most of them have already heard of your track record, have been recommended by a relative or a friend.’ ‘That’s the way it worked in Scarborough too,’ Lisa murmured, thinking back to the onset of her practice, ‘Some had been sceptical about natural remedies until they saw good results in someone else.’ Her heart gave a little flip at the thought of Scarborough, of her life there. She still hadn’t decided what to do next. Oh, she suspected that she loved Michael, and she adored what he did to her sexually. But to give up her country of origin for good? What if their relationship faltered in a couple of years? Where would she go? She had friends and family in England. It took courage to start your entire life anew. Staying with Reece would be the safe option: he was much less volatile than Michael. Oh, their lovemaking wouldn’t be special, but she could channel her energies into her social life, work and hobbies. She’d probably have time left over to do research, to make a name for herself in the herbal remedies field. ‘A Maltese pound for your thoughts?’ Michael asked, and she realised that he was parking the car, was glancing at her thoughtfully. ‘Oh, I was just thinking about the future,’ she said. ‘And?’ His mouth had gone very still, his eyes watchful. ‘And I’ve decided just to live for today.’ She knew that her answer was a cop out, that he wanted her to be honest. But how could she, not knowing the level of commitment he was prepared to make? After all, Jamilla, Carmen and Ria were still

around, and presumably being chastened, whilst Dania was only spared because she’d left. She suspected that she, Lisa, was very special to Michael, but would he be prepared to make her truly his the way that Reece would do? ‘I want you to stay here in Malta,’ Michael said firmly. ‘I know,’ Lisa murmured, then got quickly out of the car. She wanted to defer making her decision. For now it was enough to let her eyes flit over his strong lithe body, his strong spanking hands on the steering wheel. ‘So where are you taking me?’ she continued, walking towards the seafront. ‘To an Italian restaurant near the bay,’ Michael said. They ate. They drank mineral water. Lisa also had two glasses of white wine. She needed the alcohol to help douse her excitement. Every time she met Michael’s impassioned gaze her loins stirred anew. God, her flesh felt so tingling she could hardly bear it. If only he’d find some excuse to march her back to the Clinic right away. ‘There’s a place where we can have tea outside that overlooks the water,’ Michael said as they paid the bill. They’d gone Dutch—Lisa had insisted. She wanted to be his equal in the real world, even if she was sometimes his submissive when they were alone at night. ‘Tea? How thrilling,’ she quipped, hoping that he would angrily order her back to his bedroom. ‘Your rudeness is being noted,’ her employer replied. He guided her to the cafe-bar, and ordered two individual pots of tea. They took their chairs amongst the laughing and chattering early evening tourists. Lisa stared out at the calm blue Med. This is perfect,’ she said. ‘Better than Scarborough?’ Lisa hedged her bets: ‘Just different,’ she replied. Michael nodded stiffly. ‘Don’t worry. I won’t mention the subject again.’ He’d have to mention it with her departure due in a mere three weeks, Lisa thought, a hollow sensation invading her pasta-filled belly. Leastways, one of them would ... ‘Got a light, Miss?’ the youth at the next table asked. He was about eighteen years old. He looked like a younger version of Don Muscat. ‘Sorry—I’ve no bad habits,’ Lisa said. Michael laughed. The boy smiled at them both, then kept the smile trained for a moment longer on Lisa. ‘I’d quit if you’d nurse me through the withdrawal symptoms, Miss,’ he said. Lisa grinned back. ‘After you give up, try eating sunflower seeds as they help reduce the craving.’ ‘Budgie food,’ one of the youth’s mates muttered dismissively.

‘Ignore him. He’s a heathen,’ said the boy. He leaned forward, ‘Are you a doctor or something?’ ‘A herbalist,’ Lisa replied. The youth pulled his seat a little closer. ‘A herbalist, huh? My Mum used some Chinese medicine for a skin complaint. That was in London. She noticed results by the second week.’ ‘It’s strong stuff,’ Lisa confirmed, ‘The practitioner really has to know what she’s doing as there can be contraindications.’ “There will be contra-indications here soon if you don’t stop chatting that boy up,’ Michael whispered in her ear. ‘Oh stop being a killjoy,’ Lisa said, loud enough for one of the youth’s mates to look at Dr Landers and grin. She leaned forward to continue the conversation and realised that the boy she’d been talking to was staring at her cleavage, at her breasts. But she couldn’t end the conversation right away—that would be like letting Michael think that he was winning. ‘So, how long are you here on Malta?’ she asked casually. Three more days.’ The boy got the tell-tale glow in his eyes that indicated he thought he had a conquest, ‘But if I want to I can stay on for another week.’ The twenty-eight year old nodded and asked a few more questions, only half listening to the answers. She wanted to have sex with Michael right away. ‘Enjoy the rest of your holiday,’ she said brightly, then stood up to go. ‘We’ll be here at the same time tomorrow night,’ the youth cut in. ‘Sans cigarette of course,’ Lisa replied. ‘Probably gone to look up sans in the dictionary now,’ Michael scoffed as they walked towards the Mercedes, his hand on her shoulder. ‘Oh don’t be so fucking superior,’ Lisa replied. She looked up into his face and swayed slightly as she saw the depths of her own desire reflected in his eyes. ‘I’m going to drive you home and give you the admonishment you deserve for such bad behaviour,’ the doctor said evenly, his fingers sliding down to grip her upper arm, ‘Then I’ll give you the orgasm of your life.’ They talked inconsequentially on the journey back to Vitality. Lisa wondered if the pulse in her groin was matched by one in Michael’s. What exactly did he plan to do to her? How long would he tease before he finally granted her sexual release? The last time he’d driven her back from a night out they’d entered the Clinic to find Ria in situ. For a while the Sexual Therapist had ruined their rapport. This time, Lisa told herself, everything would be exquisite. As good as it had been after the incident with the horse and cart. They parked in Michael’s favourite space, then walked together through Vitality’s front door.

‘Let’s get this naughty bum up to my room,’ Michael murmured coolly. ‘Might run away,’ Lisa retorted. ‘If I thought you would,’ Michael parried, ‘I’d tie your arms and legs.’ ‘Can’t you control a woman unless she’s in bondage? Shame on you,’ the herbalist duelled lightly, ‘Maybe I should take my kicks with that youth we met tonight.’ ‘You’ll kick under the pain of my belt in a moment,’ Michael replied. Marie-Rose crossed the hall, going the opposite way. ‘Siria Jaccarini was trying to reach you earlier, doctor. Thankfully her son phoned an hour ago to say that her symptoms had subsided. But are you free to visit if her stomach ache restarts?’ Lisa looked up curiously at Michael. 235 ‘Of course,’ he replied, Til be in my surgery until midnight.’ ‘And after that, can I buzz you in your bedroom?’ the receptionist asked with an enigmatic smile. ‘You can indeed. I’ll sleep with one eye open,’ the man said jocularly. Then he put his right hand on Lisa’s shoulder and started to walk her to his surgical examination suite. ‘I thought that I’d be punishing you in my bedroom,’ he said matter-of-factly, ‘But its best that we’re beside my clinical records in case I have to take an urgent medical call.’ ‘But what if Marie-Rose comes in whilst we’re ...’ Lisa couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence. ‘She’ll see me toasting your buttocks just as you’ve doubtless seen me tawsing hers,’ Dr Landers replied. They entered the first of his two medical rooms. The man sat down on the surgical couch then patted his lap and stared over at her insolently. Lisa took a faltering step back towards the door. ‘Can’t make me,’ she challenged, her heart beating faster. ‘No, but I can call Marie-Rose and tell her of your rudeness. She’d love to see your bare bottom being spanked.’ ‘You wouldn’t,’ Lisa muttered, hating the prospect of the older woman knowing she was due a smacking. ‘Go over my knee voluntarily or I’ll have to phone her this instant,’ Michael said. ‘Bet you’re bluffing,’ Lisa muttered. The doctor reached for the phone and pressed a number. ‘Alright, alright, I’ll do it,’ the herbalist got out. She looked at his face. She stared at his lap. Then she took a deep breath and approached him. The man looked up at her dispassionately.

‘Stretch your hands and feet along the ground.’ ‘Like that?’ Lisa muttered, awkwardly getting into place so that his trousered knees supported her. She let her head hang down and tried not to think of the vulnerability of her waiting bum. A vulnerability that was about to increase immeasurably. Lisa whimpered as the doctor reached for the hem of her skirt. She knew what was coming. He obviously intended to strip her globes of their protection right away. Lust flooded the triangle of flesh between her squeezed-together thighs as he edged up the lace-trimmed garment. She felt him roll it up until it covered her slender back. ‘Cami-knickers—how quaint,’ he murmured, stroking the purple silk pantaloons which she’d been given as a gift by a lingerie-loving boyfriend. It was the first time that she’d worn them. They clung closely to her belly and buttocks, and were intricately fluted at the thigh. ‘You can kiss my arse to pay homage to my pants,’ Lisa whispered raggedly. Til kiss that cute bum with the strap,’ the doctor replied. The herbalist trembled with mild fear and erotic anticipation at his words, then whimpered as she felt his hand on the waistband of her briefs. ‘As you know, I like to thrash a bare bum rather than a clothed one,’ he said. Lisa pretended to yawn. ‘Heard it all before,’ she told him, striving for nonchalance. ‘But have you felt it all before,’ the doctor murmured, ‘Felt each different implement on your unfortunate arse?’ She heard a smile enter his voice, ‘There are so many punishers I can use on you, angel, so many positions. Your rump may be anguished, sweetheart, but it will never have a chance to grow bored.’ It was the anguish which was worrying her, Lisa acknowledged, as she squirmed helplessly across his trousered knee. It was so shameful being this tauntingly half-naked. She sucked in her breath as he pulled the purple silk down over her bottom, let that same breath out again as he dragged the garment over her thighs, calves, ankles and stocking-clad feet. ‘Let’s take this pretty suspender belt off too.’ She felt him unclipping her stockings from the lacy strap and unrolling them. Soon she was completely stripped except for the cream embroidered blouse and underlying cream bra. ‘There, that’s better, isn’t it?’ Michael murmured, shifting her more firmly upon his lap. ‘Better for who?’ Lisa protested hollowly, already knowing the answer. ‘Better for my spanking hand,’ her new lover replied. The herbalist tried to relax each limb to make her disciplining more bearable. Take it easy, she told herself nervously, just go with the flow. She breathed out as Michael’s palm connected with her exposed right buttock. Breathed in before the next spank, then breathed carefully out again. Hey, this wasn’t so bad. Her nether cheeks tingled rather than ached. Her bum felt pinkly stimulated rather than being deepest crimson. She could tell that the flesh was just mildly warm rather than burning to the touch. Then she also realised that she was barely wet between her thighs. She needed more punishment than this, a harder spanking. Well, her flesh didn’t—but her sexual core demanded it. ‘I’m going to give you another thirty spanks then we’ll have a talk about your behaviour,’ her employer

said. ‘One of your talks? I can hardly wait,’ Lisa shot back sarcastically. She knew that she was deliberately trying to provoke him further. ‘Ouch,’ she added, as he treated one buttock to a much harder and more focused spank. 238 Twenty-nine like that to go,’ Michael Landers added. ‘A doctor who can count,’ Lisa jeered, ‘All the nation needs now is one with decent handwriting.’ Til write down the number of belt strokes you’re getting in a moment,’ the doctor said. He spanked her bare bum four more times, ‘Shall I put the details of your beating up on the staff noticeboard, or should I just invite them in to watch?’ ‘No watchers—I’ll do anything,’ Lisa countered, wriggling under another two harder lashes from his flat palm. ‘I’ll summon an audience,’ the former surgeon warned, smacking the tender undercurve four times in quick succession, ‘Unless you agree that you deserve to feel my belt.’ Urgent pathways of desire made their way to Lisa’s quim. ‘Your belt?’ she whispered gutturally, remembering the thick black leather. ‘It’s nice and wide, so it warms quite a large area,’ Michael said. ‘But I only have a small bum,’ the herbalist muttered in a fast-becoming-familiar verbal wrangle. ‘In that case it won’t take me long to redden it all over,’ her employer replied. Lisa quivered as he started to spank her again. His hand toasted the centre of each cheek. It smarted its way across the sides. It warmed the line where buttock curves into thigh so that the helpless flesh tingled. It heated the slender dark crease between her soft spheres. ‘Ouch,’ she muttered, ‘Ah! Ow! Oh, you bastard!’ But her protestations were half hearted—she was saving her main pleas for when she tasted his belt. For she knew that she’d beg for mercy then: it was inevitable. When that cool leather whacked into her cheeks she’d kick her legs and shriek. If only, she thought dazedly, she’d been able to get off on watching romantic films or peeking at other couples in steamed-up cars. If only her particular turn-on had been talking dirty or dressing up as a maid or wearing a leather suit. It was just her luck that her ultimate pleasure was reached through having her backside bared and vanquished through humiliation and pain. ‘Twenty-eight,’ Michael said softly, smacking her right orb, Twenty-nine,’ he added, spanking its red mate. ‘Now where shall I put the thirtieth one?’ he asked, as if musing out loud. ‘How about applying it to your big mouth?’ Lisa muttered. ‘I can think of a very much better place, a naughtier place,’ her boss countered, before slapping his palm above her firm right thigh. ‘Time to take my belt to you,’ he said and electricity thrilled in line after line through Lisa’s pubic patch. She quivered as she felt him take off the strap around his waist.

‘Isn’t it lucky that this couch is adjustable?’ he asked as he pushed her onto its expanse. Lisa crouched there on her hands and knees as he slid from the examination berth and pulled a lever at the foot of it. The piece of furniture immediately sank a few inches towards the ground. ‘Now, do you want to be tied across it or will you use all your willpower to stay in place?’ her new lover continued with a coolly appraising smile. ‘I don’t need to be bound, doc,’ Lisa replied. In truth, she hadn’t felt the belt on her backside before, wasn’t sure if she could take it. She wanted to be free to jerk away if the punishment got too much. ‘You’re lucky that I’ve eaten well, that I’m in a good mood,’ Michael Landers retorted, ‘Else I might not have given you the option, could just have tethered you in place.’ ‘Most men just use charm to keep their women,’ the herbalist sneered, looking over her blouse-clad shoulder at him. Michael doubled his broad belt in his hands and she looked away. ‘How many do you think you should get for flirting with that youth?’ ‘None,’ Lisa shot back, ‘I don’t see a ring on my finger.’ Til put a ring through your nose and lead you through the grounds with it,’ the doctor parried, ‘Unless you start to behave.’ ‘You’ll have a long wait,’ Lisa said, her nipples hardening at his taunting. ‘I suspect that the bite of this belt will shorten that wait considerably,’ her new lover said. ‘You wish,’ Lisa countered, then the leather swished into her flesh and she groaned loudly. ‘Ouch, that really stings,’ she added, fighting the urge to rub her new-seared bum. ‘Of course it stings,’ the doctor replied, ‘It’s purpose is to teach you obedience.’ There was no answer to that—at least none that her lust-dazed mind could conjure up. Knowing that a sore bum ultimately led her to a hot-quimmed pleasure, Lisa shut her eyes and waited for the second buttock-heating lash. She didn’t have long to wait. The bastard was obviously finding his rhythm. She yelled as the strap emblazoned a thick band across her raised hot orbs. This time she put her palms over her reddening bum, small fingers splayed over both hemispheres. Quickly she rubbed at each globe, trying to massage the worst of the heat away. ‘Oh dear,’ Michael Landers murmured, ‘Such naughtiness. I may have to tie you down for protecting your arse without permission,’ ‘I could call for help,’ Lisa said. ‘You mean you want to involve the others?’ her employer queried, his voice containing a note of surprise and a cool smile, ‘Yet you were so against my phoning Marie-Rose.’ She sensed him turn away, ‘Well, if you’d rather 1 had a tete a tete with her about your bad behaviour you can get off this couch right away.’

‘No! Don’t tell anyone about what we do,’ the twenty-eight year old replied, rearing back on her haunches and turning to stare at him, her face hectic. She hated the prospect of the other staff discussing her ignominy, Til take my thrashing, sir,’ she added thickly, ‘And promise not to touch my tender bum.’ Obediently she got back onto her hands and knees then waited, forcing herself not to pucker up her posterior. ‘Stick your arse up higher, sweetheart,’ Michael said, ‘I want to get a good swing at it.’ Lisa groaned with humiliated desire, and felt the familiar wetness trickle its trail from her vulval rim. ‘What if I don’t?’ she challenged throatily. ‘Then I’ll have no option but to bend you over that stool in the corner and tie you to it,’ her employer said. The herbalist sucked in her breath at the erotic image, but decided she couldn’t face the reality. Reluctantly she obeyed the man by pushing her hemispheres higher into the air. ‘Be gentle with me, sir,’ she begged to increase their mutual enjoyment. ‘My belt doesn’t like being gentle,’ Michael said. He brought the leather down on her fleshy parts again, making them flinch and quiver. The stroke was only hard enough to warrant a gasp, but Lisa let out an impassioned yell. ‘No more,’ she pleaded in a somewhat theatrical tone, ‘Please, sir, no more—1 can’t bear it!’ Then her stretched-open mouth snapped shut with shock and disbelief as the surgery door burst open and Reece rushed in. 243

Chapter Nineteen ‘What the ...!’ Reece dashed into the room as he heard his fiancee’s urgent pleas for clemency. Then he stopped as he took in the sadistic scene. ‘Get off her,’ he yelled, crossing the room in a few quick strides, homing in on the tyrant. The other man stayed the arm holding the belt then let the leather strap fall silently to the floor. Now his face was completely unprotected, a shocked white target. Reece balled his right hand into a fist and pulled it back. He was bringing that same fist smartly forward to connect with the stranger’s jaw when someone or something grabbed his arm and pulled at it wildly. Only half aware of what he was doing, he tried to brush the intrusion away. ‘No!’ yelled Lisa’s voice, ‘Reece, don’t hurt him!’ Belatedly he realised that his fiancee was the one clinging strongly to his nearest jacket sleeve. ‘But Lisa.’ He turned to stare at her blouse-clad but otherwise naked body, ‘The bastard was hurting you. If 1 hadn’t arrived ...’ ‘He ...’ He saw more colour come into her face, but couldn’t tell which emotion had caused it, ‘He wasn’t ... That is, I wanted him to.’

/ wanted him to. Reece tried the words out in his head. She wanted the man to strip her below the waist, to beat her? She wanted her beautiful golden flesh to be whipped bright red? He stared down at her white knuckled fingers still gripping tremulously at his clothes. The poor girl wasn’t thinking straight. She must still be traumatised by the ordeal that this savage had put her through. ‘You’re safe now,’ he said softly, This brute can’t hurt you any more. You can tell me what happened.’ He put his arms around her waist in a gesture of comfort, but she stiffened and started to pull away. Reece looked over at the suited man who’d remained surprisingly implacable, ‘You’d better get out of here,’ he said, ‘Before I lose my temper and knock you into the middle of next week.’ ‘This is my surgery. It’s not what you think,’ the man replied. Reece stared from one impassioned face to the other. Lisa was staring up at him, still holding onto his arm as if she feared that he’d attack the sadistic man again. ‘Get dressed,’ he told her gently, ‘I’ve come to take you home. My project finished early. We can catch a flight within the hour or find a hotel room here on Malta for tonight.’ Lisa bit her lip. She flushed. He watched as she inhaled hard then obviously gathered her thoughts together. ‘I don’t want to go,’ she said softly, ‘Reece—I’m so sorry. I want to stay here with Michael. We’re in love.’ ‘You love ...?’ He looked over at the older man, and the older man stared back concernedly. ‘But I just saw him beat you,’ Reece said dully, ‘You were begging for help.’ ‘He was ... it was foreplay. It’s what I wanted.’ Lisa whispered, obviously meeting his gaze with some difficulty. A few weeks ago she’d wanted him, Reece thought. She’d said so in her postcards and her short but friendly notes. ‘How can you want a violent man?’ he asked dazedly. Again he could see the struggle for composure taking place on his fiancee’s normally serene wide-eyed face. ‘He’s not violent—just dominant,’ she murmured softly. ‘Dominant with his bloody belt,’ Reece said. ‘It’s not ... in a way I asked him to. It’s complex.’ Reece felt his brain flood with increasing loss and disappointment: ‘It sounds totally bizarre to me!’ He tried to get his head in order. He couldn’t just give up on their relationship like this. He’d had such plans for them. ‘Look, something strange has being going on here. Maybe you’ve been brainwashed by this bastard. Come back to Scarborough and have a few weeks off work and then ...’ ‘My life and work is here now,’ Lisa countered quickly. ‘But you only flew out on a three month contract,’ Reece said. ‘And I intended to return home after it,’ Lisa muttered, reaching for her floor-based skirt and kicking her panties under the examination couch, ‘Until I fell in love.’

‘You fell in love with this ... thing? A man who thrashes you until you beg for mercy?’ ‘The begging was a bit of play acting. I wanted him to do what he did,’ Lisa said. She turned to the man she’d referred to as Michael, ‘Can you leave us for a while? Yes, honest, I’ll be fine here. I owe Reece an explanation at the very least.’ Muttering that he’d be next door if he was needed, the man looked from one to the other then reluctantly left the room. Reece watched as Lisa pulled on her skirt. She winced as it rubbed against her presumably sore bare buttocks. ‘I used to fantasize about this,’ she muttered, indicating the carpet-based belt, ‘Though I tried hard not to.’ She paused. ‘But when I found out that Michael was into the same thing I just couldn’t resist ...’ With a lurch of understanding, Reece remembered the spanking photo, and how quickly he’d dismissed it. He’d been such a fool. That photo you sent. You hoped that you and I could ...?’ he queried. Lisa nodded. ‘I was trying to find a compromise at that stage, I guess.’ Reece thought of pulling a woman across his knee, of actively hurting her. He shook his head. ‘I could never do that.’ He watched as his fiancee—his ex-fiancee—leaned back against the surgical couch. ‘I know that now, I should have written to you or phoned you,’ she admitted haltingly, ‘But it’s only been in the past couple of days that Michael and I have fully become lov ... that the relationship’s reached a more serious phase.’ ‘Him whipping you like you’re a dog looked pretty serious!’ Reece said, glaring. He heard the grating tone in his voice, and wished that he could be man enough to walk away with his integrity intact. But he wanted to make her feel worse than she obviously did already, to hurt her just a fraction of the way she’d wounded him. ‘You’re sick, do you know that, Lisa? Really deviant,’ he said coldly, before walking out of the room and the Clinic, and out of her life.

Chapter Twenty A percentage of the world would always see her desires as being deviant, Lisa admitted to herself as the days turned into weeks and she came to terms with what Reece thought of her sexual preference. Some people based their judgement on tabloid headlines. They mocked or ran from everything they didn’t understand. How could it be wrong to do something which gave you and your partner equal pleasure? A dominant and a submissive made for a sexual whole, like yin and yang. She waved her final patient of the morning out then smiled as Michael walked smartly in. ‘Got time for a restaurant lunch?’ he asked, setting down some folders on her cabinet. Lisa looked at her watch. ‘Has Carmen’s cooking fallen into disrepute, then? I was just going to ask her to make me an omelette so I could dine out on the balcony.’ ‘She’s nursing a sore bum for leaving yesterday’s party barbecue unattended,’ Michael said shaking his head sadly, ‘It set the bushes alight.’

Lisa felt the familiar flicker of excitement thrill through her mons at his disparaging words and the accompanying bare bottomed image. But her brain registered jealousy and disapproval at the thought of his palms on Carmen’s rump. ‘Now that we’re ... an item I don’t want you correcting other woman,’ she said with hard won honestly. She watched as Michael fingered his leather belt. ‘I’ve always kept strict discipline here. It’s what my staff expect. They’d be mutinous without it.’ ‘And I’m mutinous knowing that you touch them intimately,’ Lisa said. ‘You don’t have the right to ...’ Michael started. ‘Yes I do. I gave up Reece,’ Lisa retorted, glaring at him across the desk. ‘Mr Conventional? By the looks of things that wasn’t much of a hardship,’ her employer said. She didn’t want to lose this man, but she had her own moral standards. Lisa stared down at her notes as she searched for a solution which would suit both of them. Sex with Michael was exquisite, but she wanted to be special, not one of the many women he was sleeping with. ‘I feel so jealous when I think of you entering someone else,’ she muttered disconsolately. Michael stared at her as he perched on the edge of her desk. He pursed his lips together, then absentmindedly ran his fingers through his hair and across his jaw. ‘I’m not a saint and I’ve always been a free spirit,’ he said slowly, ‘But I can promise that after I’ve chastened them I’ll only please them with my fingers or by using a multi-headed vibrator on their sexual parts.’ ‘And what’11 they do for you, doc?’ Lisa prompted, imagining Jamilla on her knees licking Michael’s manhood. Her employer thought some more: ‘And they’ll only grant me the exact same pleasures back.’ Lisa nibbled her pen as she envisaged the scene. She quite liked seeing the other girls being chastised and enjoyed hearing their orgasmic groaning afterwards. Michael’s suggestion made for a fair compromise. She could live with that. ‘But will that be enough for them?’ she asked, knowing how much a woman could miss a man’s skilful thrusting. Michael pursed his lips: ‘If it isn’t, I’m sure they’ll find a use for our rampant friend Bakar. And I can strongly suggest that they use their tongues to please each other. Most women I’ve met have Sapphic tendencies.’ ‘Not me,’ Lisa cut in quickly. Her employer smiled. That remains to be seen, my dear.’ He looked at the clock, ‘But for now I have a luncheon reservation at two.’ ‘Bon appetit,’ Lisa said. Michael leaned closer: ‘Will you help me honour it? I can have you back here for your next patient’s appointment at four.’

She’d wanted to catch up on some work-related research, but how could she resist the offer of his excellent company and equally enticing food? The restaurant was busy, their corner quiet. ‘By the way,’ she said after the waiter poured the wine, ‘If you’re getting to finger the female staff then I have the right to do the same to Bakar, if he desires it.’ ‘You’ll be too busy nursing a scarlet bottom,’ Michael replied. Lisa blushed at his words and at the helpless picture they created, but tried to hide her lustful shame. ‘Promises, promises,’ she murmured, then looked covertly at her ringless hands on the white-clothed table, ‘I’m a free agent, my love, so you can’t stop me from sleeping with someone else.’ That’s why I brought you here,’ Michael said gently, To ensnare you.’ Her heartbeat quickened as he pulled out a small black velvet box. ‘Would you consider the most loving kind of captivity?’ he continued. He opened the lid to reveal both an emerald engagement and a gold engraved wedding ring. Two rings—if you accept, that puts you doubly in my bondage,’ he said. ‘I love you,’ Lisa murmured softly. She could tell that her eyes were shining. ‘I love you too, you temptress,’ Michael murmured, ‘Does that mean yes?’ ‘As long as I don’t have to use the word obey in my wedding vows,’ Lisa replied, smiling. ‘Your obedience goes without saying,’ her employer said. ****** The ceremony was small. He gave her a silver-handled cane as a wedding present. She promised him access to her derriere for an hour for refusing to take the more traditional vows. ‘Wonder why they call it a honeymoon?’ she murmured, as he carried her over the threshold in a Parisian hotel suite. ‘Because a bride tastes as sweet as the finest honey,’ Michael said, kissing her soft lips, ‘And because I’m about to pull your pants down to see the very full moon.’ He laid her down on the bed on her tummy, then walked towards the leather luggage near the door. ‘What makes you so sure I’m wearing pants? Should a diagnostic doctor be so assumptive?’ Lisa murmured, kicking off her shoes then rolling insolently onto her back. She watched as Michael unzipped one of the suitcases that they’d had sent ahead of them, then she licked her lips as he brought out the long thin silver-handled rattan. Why had she offered her hindquarters for a full hour? Even allowing for verbal sparring, he’d get in numerous strokes ... ‘Oh dear, 1 put you on your tummy and you’ve moved without permission,’ the doctor said softly, approaching the King Size. ‘A wife must do as her husband bids,’ he added confidently. ‘A Victorian wife, maybe. Not a modern one,’ Lisa shot back. She shivered as his large hands spanned her waist and he rolled her firmly over onto her belly. She trembled as he started to peel off her shortsleeved white satin jacket and matching pencil skirt. This modern wife is still due a whipping,’ Michael laughed, pulling down her white silk panties. ‘Yeah? By you and whose army?’ Lisa asked throatily as she felt him knead her bare buttocks as if

preparing them for the cruel cuts ahead. ‘Oh sweetheart, this is all I need,’ her new husband murmured, raising the long cane then bringing it down on her disarmed bottom. And Lisa knew that it was all she needed for a life filled with love and discipline 252