Free The Doctor's Pet by Loki Renard

and for a second she thought maybe he understood what was going on.
    As the tears started to flow, Tessa realized that she couldn’t stop them. The flow only increased until, for reasons she couldn’t quite explain, she found herself sitting at Kirk’s feet, sobbing.
    He made a soft sound and reached down, pulling her up into his lap where she curled up against his chest and hid her face in his neck. He ran his hands over her back, butt, and thighs, gently soothing her through her tears.
    “I’m sorry,” she repeated over and over. He didn’t know what she was apologizing for, but it didn’t matter. He held her close and murmured forgiveness against her ear until she stopped gasping for breath between the sobs that made her whole body shake.
    “Shhh, it’s okay,” he reassured her. “It’s done now. We move on from here. Next time you won’t forget to pay your bill.”
    His kind attempts at soothing her only made her cry harder. Next time she’d have to make the same shitty choice as this time. She could see her life stretching ahead of her, spanking after spanking for something that wasn’t and never had been her fault.
    Kirk held her closely until the tears began to abate, soothing her with his masculine yet tender presence. When she finally stopped crying, he spoke to her again.
    “You don’t like it when I’m displeased with you, do you, Tessa?”
    “No,” she said in a small voice. “I don’t.”
    “I know it doesn’t feel like it now,” he said, pressing a kiss to her temple. “But that’s actually a good thing. It means that our relationship means something to you.”
    “Of course it means something to me!” She lifted her head and looked at him with wet eyes. “We’re sleeping with one another, we’re… I… what do you mean?!”
    “Easy, pet,” he said gently. “I just meant that it means we’re both taking this seriously, and that’s a good thing.”
    “Tell my ass that,” she grumbled.
    Kirk made a small sound of sympathy and rubbed his hand over her still blazing bottom. “I don’t think your butt needs to be told anything,” he said. “I think it’s your mind that needs to catch up with things.”
    “Are you saying I’m stupid?”
    “No,” he replied in warning tones. “I’m saying you’re not used to being held accountable and that you don’t really like it all that much. You’ll see the benefits soon though.”
    He thought he knew everything. He didn’t know a damn thing. Tessa sighed inwardly and curled up on his lap, taking what comfort she could while he was still there to give it.

Chapter Nine
     
     
    The next day, Kirk found himself troubled by the events of the previous evening. There had been a heaviness to Tessa that wasn’t characteristic of her. She seemed to take being spanked very much to heart, more so than ever before. He hoped she wasn’t getting stuck in some kind of self-loathing in which she thought she was being spanked not for her behavior, but for some inherent flaw.
    She was off the roster that day, but he had to work until three o’clock, at which point he drove to her apartment to see her. It was an unannounced visit, but a little spontaneity wouldn’t hurt. He wanted to treat her, show her that there were rewards for being a good girl too.
    He made his way up to her apartment, where he was less than pleased to discover that the door was ajar. Tessa knew better than to go out and leave her place unlocked. And she should have known better than to leave her place open for just anyone to walk in when she was home.
    “Tessa?”
    There was no reply, but there was a general clattering taking place. He pushed the door open and walked into the apartment softly. Someone was rummaging about in the kitchen. Kirk briefly considered that it could be a thief, but as he rounded the corner to the kitchen, he swiftly realized that it was not. Unless, of course, thieves made themselves a grilled cheese sandwich before stealing everything in