He lowered to the floor.

She dragged the tip of the switch across his shoulder blades. Down his spine. Drew a zigzag pattern on his back and tapped his butt cheeks. “Now I want you to brace your hands against the wall by the front door but remain on your knees.”

“Mistress?”

“Yes?”

“Do you want me to crawl over there?”

“Knox. Look at me.”

When he turned his head, she saw two spots of color had darkened his cheeks. He’d schooled any anger, but that telltale muscle in his jaw ticced.

She set her hand on his shoulder. “I told you no humiliation. I meant it. Of course you can walk.”

He pressed his lips into her knuckles. Then he rolled to his feet and walked to the wall.

Once he’d dropped into position, she moved beside him. “Ten marks from the switch.”

Knox said nothing.

“You will count them out.” She landed the first blow high on his back.

He flinched and said, “One.”

She bent closer to see how the mark looked. Red, but not too much. She could go a little harder.

So she did.

She laid four marks across the broadest part of his back. Then she gave the last six on his ass. And with those marks, she put more power into it because that part of the anatomy could take it.

Afterward she ran her hands all over the marks, feeling the heat and the sweat on his skin. Last she placed a kiss at the base of his neck. “You did beautifully.”

He grunted.

“Need me to help you up?”

“No. I’ve got it.” Once he was upright he said, “Do I need to ask permission to use the bathroom?”

So he was still a little surly. Understandable. But not acceptable. “No. You don’t have to ask. But watch the attitude,” she warned, “or I’ll come up with a more creative punishment than a switch for that sassy mouth.”

“I apologize.”

“Slip on your shorts. Take a moment. I’ll be waiting for you in the bedroom.”

Shiori presented the Domme carriage and attitude, but inside her stomach churned. Although she and Knox had had sex tonight, this was also the first time she’d used discipline. He wasn’t into pain, so there’d been no pleasure in it for either of them.

But it’d been necessary.

Hadn’t it?

What if he said this was one and done? They’d fucked, and maybe their lust for each other would cool. Would it be easy for him to say he wasn’t interested in Dominant-and-submissive games?

It wasn’t paranoia on her part. From the start Knox hadn’t been convinced he had submissive tendencies. Now, knowing that she could be deliberate in her punishments . . . he’d likely backtrack.

How could she convince him to stay the course? That they’d figure this out together?

She spun back around and was startled to see Knox leaning against the doorjamb, watching her pace.

His eyes weren’t blank or cold, but wary. He’d dressed as she’d indicated, athletic shorts only, so maybe he wasn’t about to get defiant. And because she needed to know if he was all in, she decided to test him. She snapped her fingers.

Surprise? Resignation? Both emotions appeared to cross his face. His steps were measured as he moved forward and dropped to his knees.

Her heart rolled over, and some of her worries faded into the background. She touched the top of his head and he rested his face against her thigh.

“Forgive me, Nushi.”

“We’re done with that, and we can move on.”

“I know. But I . . . broke one of your rules yesterday.”

Her eyes narrowed at him. “Which rule?”

“The only one you gave me.”

“About not touching yourself?”

“Yes, ma’am. I gave in to temptation and jacked off last night.”

“Explain.”

“I observed you from the Crow’s Nest as you taught the brown belt class. You were so fluid and dynamic in your movements, so exacting, and demanded the same from your students. My thoughts drifted back to Monday night. Getting to put my mouth on you and feeling how hard you came. I got so lost in remembering how you taste that I stuck my hand in my pants without really thinking and whacked off.”

“Was it satisfying?”

“As I was coming? Yes. Afterward? No. The guilt ate at me, and I’d decided to lie to you when you asked.”

Shiori counted to twenty before she responded. “You don’t think that I can detect a lie?”

“I’ve no doubt you can.”