The hard, cold look on her face had him instantly aroused. Punishment. That’s exactly what he needed. But how could she hurt him effectively? She didn’t have her tools of torture. She shoved him into the room and slammed the door. Her hands moved to the waist of his jeans. She unfastened his belt and yanked it free of the loops.

“Turn around,” she demanded.

Even without the leather and thigh-high boots, she turned him on. Her commanding demeanor was enough to get his blood pumping.

“Hit me.”

“I’ll hit you when I think you’ve earned it. You owe me an apology.”

His brow knitted with confusion. “For what?”

“Disrespect. Dismissing my concern by putting your hand in my face.”

Had he done that? He hadn’t been thinking clearly. Never did when his past intruded on his thoughts. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry, Mistress V,” she said, reminding him to address her with respect.

“I’m sorry, Aggie. I just…” He turned his unfocused gaze to the floor.

“I know, baby,” she whispered. “Turn around.”

He turned.

When the leather snapped hard against his ass, his body shuddered. She hit him in the exact same spot again. Again. Each time the pain intensified, and his c**k grew harder. He knew there was something wrong with him. This connection between sexual excitement and physical pain. But he couldn’t help it. And Aggie gave him exactly what he needed without criticizing. She understood.

Understood him. He didn’t know how. Wasn’t sure he wanted her to.

She kept all her stinging blows to his ass. He wanted to feel the bite of the leather against his bare flesh, but she hadn’t told him to remove his clothes.

“Is your c**k hard, Jace?”

“Yes.” He sucked the word between his teeth.

“Show me. Unfasten your pants and pull it out for me to see.”

He did what she said, growing even harder as he released his c**k from its confines.

“Very nice,” she murmured. “Do you want me to strike your bare ass?”

“Please.”

“Lower your pants to your knees.”

Trembling with anticipation, he eased his jeans down his hips and thighs.

“Your skin is already really red. Are you sure about this?”

“Ah God, Aggie. Hurt me. Please, hurt me.”

“Well, since you pleaded so nicely.”

The belt cracked as it struck the sensitized skin of his ass. His body jerked, and he gasped. He focused on the pain, needing it as a cover, needing it to blot out the vivid pain that stained his soul black. With each lash, the white hot sensation pressed the darkness deeper, where he could pretend it didn’t exist.

After twenty or thirty strikes, Aggie moved her body against his back. She caressed his stinging, heated ass with her free hand. Cool and soothing. He shuddered with excitement as she continued to stroke him.

“Touch yourself,” she whispered in his ear.

He opened his eyes and caught her gaze in the mirror over the dresser. She was gazing at his reflection, her attention riveted to his hard cock.

“Touch myself?”

“Wrap your hand around that big c**k of yours and stroke it.” She bit his ear. He shuddered again, but didn’t obey. He couldn’t bring himself pleasure. Never had before. Didn’t plan on starting now. “Do it,” she insisted.

“No.”

She backed away. “Are you disobeying your mistress?”

“I can’t, Aggie.”

“Bullshit.”

She went to the side table and pulled out the drawer where Brian kept his toys. Jace watched her warily. What was she planning on doing to him?

She pulled a bottle of oil from the drawer and squirted some into his hand. He resisted as she attempted to direct his hand to his cock.

“Aggie, don’t.”

“You seem to think the only reason you crave pain is because you deserve it.”

“I do deserve it.”

She shook her head at him. “You like it. It wouldn’t make you hard if you didn’t like it.”

“No. That’s not why,” he insisted.

“Baby, it’s okay to like it.”

“It’s weird.” He knew that it was. That’s why he tried to fool himself into thinking he needed the pain for a reason. Not because he liked it. He deserved it.

She closed their combined hands and drew his oiled hand up the length of his cock, pausing at its swollen head. Jace gasped as pleasure coursed through his body, already beyond excited by the throbbing sting in his ass.

“Maybe some people think it’s weird,” she said, “but I don’t. I like that you like it. It makes me hot to see you like this.”

“It does?” She pulled his hand down his shaft toward its base. The pleasure wasn’t nearly as intense as it had been when the pain had been fresh. It was already dissipating.

“Yeah. Tell me what you want, Jace.”

“I want…” He hesitated. “I want pain.”

“And what else?”

She slid their combined hands up his c**k again. He shuddered. “And pleasure.”

“That wasn’t so hard to admit, was it?”

Yeah, it kind of was, actually. He had never wanted to admit it even to himself.

“The faster you stroke yourself the harder I hit,” she said. “Do you want me to hit you hard?”

“Yes.” Their combined hands moved faster over his oil-slicked cock. Pumping it. Faster. “Hit me hard, Aggie. Hurt me.”

She released his hand and took a step back. He waited for the next blow, but it never came. He glanced over his shoulder. “Are you finished?” he asked.

“You’ve stopped moving your hand.”

He bit his lip and closed his eyes, rubbing his palm from the throbbing head of his c**k down to its base. The belt tapped his ass. He stroked faster. She hit harder.

Faster. Pumping it hard. Relishing her response. His pleasure built. His excitement intensified. He worked the sensitive head with his oiled hand, the grooves between his fingers bumping over the rim. She was striking him so hard now his flesh tingled in protest, but he wanted more.

“Ah God, Aggie.” He stroked his shaft even faster, massaged its head until pain and pleasure converged. “Wait. Stop. I’m gonna come. Wait.” He released his cock. The belt fell still. “No. Keep hitting me, please.”

“You stopped touching yourself.”

“Yes, I know. I don’t want to come. I don’t… I don’t deserve it.”