Free Beauty and the Beast (an erotic re-imagining) by Shoshanna Evers Page A

he knew.
    He knew .
    It would be beneficial for her to love him as Frederick, but only because if he ever did turn back into his former state, she would know him. As it stood, if she thought Frederick was someone else, and loved him, then how (or why) would she ever pick a Beast to love?
    There had to be a way for the Beast to convince her to be with him, through Frederick. Her dream had already convinced her to start her training with the Beast, to start to get to know him. But she kept harping on finding Frederick in waking life.
    That would have to stop.
    “Belle, I know you’re concerned about Frederick.”
    “I saw him, I think, I don’t know…” she whispered.
    “But if you mention him to me again, if you continue to search the castle for him, then you will be punished.”
    “That’s not fair,” she said, pushing off of his lap. “He came to me, he’s held prisoner here.”
    “Belle, you need to stop,” he warned.
    “And you said that you didn’t mind if I was with him! Why change your mind now?”
    “You can be with him, if he comes to you,” the Beast agreed. “But stop searching for him. Forget about him, when you are with me.”
    Belle turned her face from the Beast and stormed, naked, back toward the hallway.
    “When you are ready to continue, Belle, you will meet me in the dungeon.”
    Now, she turned on her feet, and glared at him. “I don’t understand you, Beast. You are an enigma.”
    “I am your Master for the next six months,” he said softly, his words rumbling as the animalist part of him shone through. “I gave you a direct order, which you immediately disobeyed.”
    Her eyes widened. Ahh, now she understood.
    But she ran away.
    The Beast waited for a few minutes for her to realize the error of her ways and return, but she didn’t. He could easily grab her and physically take her downstairs for her punishment, but that would be completely in contrast to the point he hoped to make.
    She needed to choose this. So, he would wait until she was ready.
    It was nightfall before he heard the sound of her suite door squeak open. The Beast paused in his tracks, listening.
    Belle stood before him in her dressing gown, looking at her feet sorrowfully.
    “Please don’t punish me, Sir,” she said. She dropped to her knees on the cold stone floor in an unexpected display of submission. “I wasn’t thinking.”
    “You were thinking quite clearly,” he said. “You thought you would test me. That’s fine. I enjoy punishing misbehaving young women. If you’re ready to continue, we shall do so in the dungeon.”
    She hesitated, her eyes wet with unshed tears of terror. Why should she be so frightened? He had already promised he would never harm her, or eat her.
    “I don’t want to go to the dungeon,” she said.
    The Beast raised his brow, giving her a stern look, and she flew down the stairs to the dungeon, suddenly ready to obey.
    Good.
    ***
    Belle stumbled down the long, narrow stairway to the dungeon. Why, why had she pushed so hard? They had been having such a nice time, and she had ruined it all. It helped, a little, to know that the Beast had promised to not ever eat her, and she believed him. Perhaps that was why she finally worked up the courage to face him again. Only took her all day.
    Still, he’d also promised to punish her. Would he spank her again, right now? Or would it be something else, something that required a dungeon, and not just her, overturned on his lap?
    The Beast was right behind her. She felt cornered, and she once again dropped to her knees, hoping it would appease him.
    “I like that, Belle,” he said, the earlier anger from that morning gone from his voice.
    “I want to please you, Sir,” she said. “I know I promised to do what you say. I’m trying, I am.”
    “You may stand,” he said. “Take off your dress.”
    He prowled over to a set of chains hanging on the dungeon’s cold, stone wall. How had she not noticed those before?
    Belle swallowed