Free The Marine's Pet by Loki Renard Page A

squirm.
    “Thank you, Sarah,” Earnest said. Sybil and Hannah made similar noises of acceptance, but it was Earnest’s eyes on her that made Sarah feel as though she was being consumed by a flame of shame. She didn’t know if she was forgiven, and intellectually she didn’t care either way, but her emotional self was on a completely different plane, reacting to every glance and breath.
    “Good girl,” Austin said, rubbing her bottom gently.
    Anastasia looked over and caught Sarah’s eye, giving her a warm, commiserating smile. Sarah felt herself blush in response. She would never live this down. She would certainly never adjust to being publicly punished. They had been technically private, but there was very little actually private about it. Everybody knew what had happened to her.
    As minutes went by and the conversation did not turn to her or her shameful experience, nor did any discomfort taint the conversation or the group’s mood, Sarah began to realize that Austin had been correct. His friends did not find her being taken off and disciplined as being in any way odd, or even particularly negative.
    Anastasia came over to sit beside Sarah and Austin. She brought another concoction with her, stronger than the first.
    “These take the edge off,” she whispered to Sarah with a little wink.
    “Thanks,” Sarah said, sliding off Austin’s lap to talk to her hostess a little more privately. The two of them slipped away from the main group a little, just far enough that they would not easily be overheard.
    “The first time Robert brought me to a gathering like this I ended up in trouble too,” Anastasia confided in Sarah.
    “How?”
    “Robert and I had just started this thing we do and I wasn’t entirely convinced,” she said. “And we came to a party like this and it was overwhelming to say the least. Not nearly as refined as this one,” she said with a smile. “And the drinks weren’t nearly as good.”
    Sarah snorted with amusement.
    “In the end I got into an argument with someone about something silly,” Anastasia continued. “And before I knew it, I was over Robert’s lap in front of everyone.”
    “Wow.”
    “Wow was not the word I had for it, especially when the man I was arguing with kept offering advice as to how to make sure I felt every swat.”
    “Oh, my God.” Sarah covered her mouth. “Seriously?”
    “I called him an asshole,” Anastasia said. “That didn’t help matters.”
    “And what happened… did you ever go back?”
    “Well, we host the parties quite often now,” Anastasia said. “And the man I had the disagreement with is sitting over there.” She nodded in Earnest’s direction.
    “Oh, him.” Sarah narrowed her eyes reflexively. “He seems…”
    “I know,” Anastasia said, understanding what Sarah meant without the need for Sarah to finish her sentence. “He seems like a stuffy jerk. And he can be. But he’s actually an amazing master. Those two adore him.”
    They certainly did seem to. Sarah could see that even at a distance, the way they looked at Earnest was enough to make her feel faintly nauseous. Then it hit her. She was jealous. He was undeniably strict and so stern it made her prickle all over, but there was a part of her that was completely curious as to what it would be like to be subject to that kind of control.
    He must have sensed their eyes on him, for he turned his head to look in their direction. Sarah looked away immediately, while Anastasia gave him a little wave.
    “You’re shy,” she said teasingly.
    “Not usually.”
    “I’m pretty sure you’re going to abandon that shyness soon enough,” she said. “Robert’s keeping his eye on you too.”
    “What does that mean?”
    “It means you’ve got more than just Austin to worry about now,” Anastasia said. “In this community, everyone watches out for one another.”
    “I’m guessing that doesn’t mean bake sales and night patrols,” Sarah replied.
    “No.” Anastasia let