Can she really do this?

"Across my lap."

She looked up, surprised.

"What?"

"You know the rules."

"But -"

"Thats an extra 5 for making me wait."

Her eyes turned mutinous but she closed her mouth.

Reluctantly she walked over to him, seated in the plush armchair.

They had talked about this but she suddenly wasn't so sure it was a good idea.

Slowly, she lowered herself across his lap.

"Spread your legs."

She hesitated, then opened them.

"Wider."

Damn it, she thought, but dared not speak another word.

Silently, she opened her legs as wide as she could. She felt incredibly exposed and deeply uncomfortable. What the hell was she doing??

"Now we've spoken about this. What rule did you break today?"

She searched her brain but couldn't come up with an answer. They'd been having a fun time, playing video games. He'd been showing her his favorite one, and she was actually starting to understand the rules.

A short, sharp smack landed on her butt.

She gasped, more surprised than anything.

"I asked you a question."

"I'm sorry, Sir. I wasn't stalling. I was just -- honestly, I can't figure out what's wrong."

He flipped up her skirt. Smoothed his hand across the thin fabric of her panties. Pink, with a touch of lace.

"What did I say about wearing underwear at my place?"

"Oh."

Dawning hit.

They had talked about it.

She had felt strange taking them off when she arrived at his place, and had just assumed when he didn't say anything that it was fine. That maybe they weren't playing right now.

This was all so new.

Something she'd thought about, but felt so weird actually putting into practice.

Eventually, they'd settled into a video game, and she'd gotten so lost trying to keep up that she'd forgotten all about her panties.

But she'd won the last point, and had been so excited she'd leapt from her chair and jumped up and down for a good 30 seconds.

She was pretty sure her skirt had flown up in her excitement, and he'd seen what she was hiding underneath.

She lay across his lap, wondering what the hell it was that she'd truly agreed to.

*****

In truth, he had no desire to hurt her.

They had met at a party a few months ago.

She was sweet, shy, a bit flirty but quite reserved.

He'd had an instinct to go slow, to give her a wide berth, and to let her come to him.

They'd gone out a few times, keeping things friendly. First to a movie, then a museum.

She was fascinating. Always had a ton on her mind, excited about a new project at work or a book she'd been reading.

He was content to listen, to watch, and to wait.

He could tell she was skittish, and would need some time to get comfortable.

To learn to trust him.

So he'd been good company, and let her take the lead.

He'd kept things light, teasing her without making a move.

They'd even talked about BDSM once, but he'd played it cool.

He could tell she was a sub, so he'd encouraged her curiosity.

But he never pushed. Never demanded.

He knew eventually, her nature would win out and she would ask to play.

And a few weeks ago, she had circled back to the topic, sharing with him a story she'd written.

He'd smiled, devilishly, knowing this was the opening he'd been waiting for.

And now, here she was, at last.

Ready to begin the game.

Ready to test herself and open herself to a deeper pleasure than she'd known before.

He knew she craved the submission so he played with the idea of punishment, but it was only to brighten the pleasure for her. She did not need punishing. She was glorious.

She liked to be pushed to try new things, and this made it safe for her.

He knew asking her to remove her panties when she visited him was an edge.

And so was being spanked.

Which made it the perfect rule.

Whether or not she complied, she was going to be coming up against her own desires to explore her submission.

He stroked his hand across her panties, enjoying the feel of her warm skin under his palm. He wanted to give her time to settle in, to relax, to trust him.

He was also debating what strength to use.

He knew that for her to want to keep playing, he would need to strike the perfect balance between pain and pleasure.

Better, in fact, to veer on the side of pleasure for now.

She was skittish, and making her crave the spanking was the best way to ensure she came back for more.

"This is your first time, so we're going to start slow. You remember your safe word?"

She nodded.

"I need to hear you say it."

"Red."

"Right. Red and everything stops."

He stroked between her legs, down her thighs, applying a bit of grounding pressure.

"And what if you want things to slow down, but not stop?"

"Yellow."

"Exactly. And what color do you need to be, for me to do anything?"

"Green."

"Right. So tell me, what color are you now?"