Theo found herself torn between burgeoning lust and utter discomfort that such a fine specimen of a man hovered over her as she watched the blatantly erotic displays. Her husband would be furious if he knew she’d witnessed such things in the presence of another man. Well, he’d likely be furious if he knew she was there at all, but needs must. Under the current circumstances, it had become imperative she comprehend how to pleasure him and how to keep him tied to her bed—perhaps even literally, should it be required.

Next, they rose and shifted to another room. There they watched a man strung up by his wrists as a lash flicked across his back at the command of a beautifully dark and exotic woman. “Oh.” Theo gasped as they sat down. Her buttocks tingled with each snap of the whip.

Miranda chuckled. “Do not fear. He is enjoying every moment of his punishment. Let me explain.” Miranda pointed to the woman wielding the whip. “Miss Lash is an expert wielder of all whips and paddles. Her subject attends The Market to be punished for his trespasses each week. He gives over control to her, admits his wrongs, and takes the punishment she dictates to help him feel better.”

“Does she always whip him?” Theo’s voice hitched softly.

“Not always, but mostly. Tonight he must have been very bad, for she has commanded a round of figging as well as lashes.”

“Figging?” Theo didn’t understand.

“See how his cheeks are clenched? Look carefully and you will see a nub poking out from between. It is ginger root that has been pared and shaped for insertion into his bum. It causes a fiery burn inside, and as each lash of the cat-o’-nine-tails falls, he can’t help but clench tighter around the root, making it burn more.”

“A-a-and he likes this?” Who could have imagined a man enjoying such a thing?

“Oh yes. He’s quite ecstatic. In fact, I believe you shall see just how much he enjoys it if we tarry a moment more.” Miranda nodded toward the display.

Three more lashes fell over his arse, and then he cried out and shook violently. Theo watched, confused, until she saw Miss Lash reach down and pump his rod much as she herself had done to Stone the night before. Only this man ejaculated his seed all over the floor.

Theo could not stop the images of herself in a similar position from popping into her head. And the telltale excitement that percolated inside had her squirming in her seat. Could Miranda tell? What of the brute looming over them?

“On to the next display,” Miranda announced, and marched out of the space.

Next, they found a room with a group of men and women. Theo heard the guard grunt behind them as though he disapproved of their viewing such a thing. How ridiculous, considering what they previously witnessed, so she ignored him.

Behind the glass, three men and three women gathered in two groups. One group had a fine-looking fellow with blond hair treating two women much the same way as the earlier display, except, to Theo’s shock, one of the women was on the bottom. The other woman straddled her head and ground her pussy against the other’s mouth while the man fucked the one on the bottom. It was arousing and outrageous, and Theo made herself tear her eyes away to look at the other group.

Her breath grew labored as she watched the next group of two men, one dark and one lighter. They took turns pushing their cocks into the woman. While one occupied her lower down, the other filled her mouth. This had Theo’s thighs rubbing together as her nipples pressed into her chemise and corset. Every shift of her weight, every movement jostled them slightly and sent sparks of desire straight to her hot, wet center.

She whipped out her fan.

---

Stone watched in silent shock as his sweet, innocent wife took in Linc and Wolf’s activities.

Activities he’d once participated in.

Her fan worked hard to cool her pink cheeks as her chest rose and fell. From his vantage point over her shoulder, it appeared her breasts would spill out any moment. He wanted to catch them for her and then squeeze those ripe nipples until she squealed in pained delight.

His cock throbbed inside the tight leather breeches he wore for the occasion. He’d donned an old pirate’s costume, sans the accessories, to offer some kind of menacing presence. Covered in black from head to toe, he hid in the shadows of his hood and mask.

But damn his black heart, he wanted to toss Miranda out and bend his wife over so he could take her right there. The idea tempted. Too much so. “Leave us.”

Miranda instantly obeyed his command, even as a confused Theo rose to follow her.

“Ah, ah, ahhh. You, my sweet, will stay where you are.” He pitched his voice lower than normal, adding a soft Irish lilt. But the steel tone of command remained, and his wife obeyed. So, she was not so unlike her sister, then. Hope burned within his chest right where he had been told his heart should be.

“Please excuse me, but I really should go.” Theo again tried to rise and leave.

“You have been a very naughty girl, haven’t you?” He blocked her departure.

“Me?” she squeaked.

“Yes you, pet. You have been a very bad girl. Does your husband know where you are?”

Even by the low lighting in the viewing room, he could see that she paled. “W-who are you?”

“Who I am is not important now. Please address the question. Does your husband know where you are?”

“No.” She choked on the word.

“What would he say if he knew you were in a place such as this?” Stone didn’t have to work hard to convey his displeasure.

“H-he might be angry. But I swear it was well intentioned. He would understand that. I think.” She bit her lip and dropped her gaze.

Did she suspect who he was? He let the soft brogue slip away. “Yes, I think he would. However, he might also understand that many of your scrapes start out in such a way, wouldn’t he?” He reached for her, pulled her into his arms, pressing her breasts against the muscled plane of his chest, and secured her wrists in one hand behind her back.

“Oh no. Stone.” She wilted against his chest.

“Shhh. Now do not fret, pet. We will make all right soon enough.” He needed the room he’d arranged. Not one of the viewing rooms, but one of the private spaces. He snatched the laces from his pirate’s shirt and secured her wrists. Then he tossed her over his shoulder and went in search of the blue room. And make no mistake, they would come to terms.

---

Theo tamped down her panic. While Stone was not happy about her presence there, he did not seem irate. Though the fact that she was currently arse over ears and being carried through a brothel might suggest that she should retain a bit of her trepidation.

A door opened and closed. Lights turned up, and then she was on her feet. Hands still bound, she took a step back from the man she believed to be her husband. “Stone?”

“Yes, Theo, it is me.” Visual confirmation came as he pushed back his hood and removed his mask to reveal the emerald-green orbs she had come to love.

“I can explain everything.” She stepped toward him. Could she make him understand? Perhaps he already did?

“No need, wife. Your sister explained it all this morning.” He quirked a brow in punctuation.

“She told?” This idea dismayed Theo more than the knowledge that Stone knew of her plans at all.

“She had little choice in front of her husband. I would hazard a guess that they have much the same relationship we shall.” Stone slid his cloak off his shoulders and let it flow to the floor.

“They do? We shall?” Theo swallowed and stepped back.

“Quite so. And just as Lizzy received her punishment this morning after I departed, you will receive yours now.”

“Punishment?” The word squeaked out, even as her pulse thrummed. She grew light-headed when she reflected on the man who had been bound, whipped, and—she swallowed again—figged.

Stone captured her wrist and pulled her against him. “Easy now. I can see you’re imagining the man from earlier. That is not how I intend to go about things—yet. If you enjoy it or benefit from such activity, we may consider it. But for now, we shall start simply. A basic spanking for a wayward wife will more than suffice.”

“Thank you, my lord.” She struggled to get the words past her parched throat and leathery tongue.

“Mmmm. I do like the sound of that on your lips. But, when we are alone, I prefer you call me Master. Is that clear?”

Theo nodded.

“Say it, pet. Say, ‘Yes, Master.’” He led her to the bed.

“Yes, Master.” Water. She would kill for something liquid. “May I have something to drink, Master?”

“Very nicely done. You may.” Stone glanced around the room and then spotted a pitcher of wine and a few glasses.

He walked over, poured a glass, and brought it to her. He held the crystal to her lips and let some of the ruby liquid slide down her throat. It tasted divine and wet her mouth.

“Now, we need to prepare you for your spanking.” He glanced around the room and focused on a piece of furniture Theo had never seen before. It was oddly shaped, much like a bench, but too tall and narrow to be comfortable. Stone led her over to it and had her lie down on her stomach along the length of the padded seat. Then, to her relief, he untied her hands.

Oh, fleeting joy.

Doubt assailed her when he secured her arms to either side with leather straps that buckled. Then she felt a similar latching down of her ankles. “Stone? What are you doing?”

“What are you to call me, pet?” He sounded stern, harsh even, to her ears.

“Master.” Fear made her voice higher pitched than normal, almost squeaky.

“Very good. This is a spanking bench. Many upper-crust houses have them for disciplinary purposes with servants and children. It is easier for you to take the spanking if you cannot fight me. Also, I do not want to injure either of us.”

“Are you sure this is necessary? I promise I won’t do anything like this again, Master.” To her horror, she could feel telltale wetness seeping from her eyes. She was crying.

“Oh, pet.” He sounded so sweet when he called her that. “I’m afraid it is necessary to help you remember not to do such things. But never fear, you will feel better about it all once this is over. I promise you will feel amply punished, and I shall not feel the need to be mad any longer. Do you trust me?”

Did she trust him? She paused for a long, agonizing moment and considered the question. Deep inside, a small flame of warmth sprang to life. She did trust him. He had never intentionally hurt her and treated her only with care—sometimes too much care. “If it will help, Master.” She rested her forehead against the padded bench and closed her eyes.

---

Stone raised her skirts and found the drawers she usually wore beneath them. “In the future, you will not ever wear these. Do you understand me?” God, his cock ached. His wife lay strapped to the bench as she quivered in anticipation and fear. Never had he imagined doing this with the woman he’d married, but she so sweetly complied, submitting to his will until he was rapidly losing the ability to imagine not doing it with her.

He found the slit in her drawers, reached inside, and rent the fabric until it hung from her hips and thighs in ragged remains. Her cunny glistened with desire. He wanted to kneel before her, splayed on the makeshift altar, and feast. But first, he needed her to understand she could not do such things as meeting with a madame and visiting brothels without consulting him. There were consequences for her actions.

“Please count for me, pet. Ten swats and this will all be over.” He rubbed her buttock, and she flinched. He rubbed the other side until she relaxed, and then he drew back and struck with lightning speed.

“One,” she yelped.

“One what, pet?” He rubbed the afflicted area.

“One…swat?” Theo sounded unsure, and he knew he needed to explain.

“One, Master. Always finish with Master so I know whom you are addressing.”

“Yes, Master. That was one, Master.”

“Excellent.” He smacked the other cheek.

“Two, Master.”

By eight, tears streamed down her face and her juices dribbled down her thighs. Stone wasn’t sure he could finish the punishment before he buried himself in her pussy. If he took her bent over, each thrust would imprint the memory of the spanking on her.

He landed the next to last blow across both cheeks.

“N-n-nine, Master.”

And then the last.

“Ten, Master.” The relief was evident in her tone and the way her frame relaxed.

He rubbed the rosy-red area again. “You did very well. While I would like to say this is the last of such events, I am certain it will take a few more reminders for you to fully comprehend what you should and should not do without discussing it with me. Now, we must make up.”

He leaned over, kissed her on the cheek near her mouth, and then moved away. He circled back to where her arse tipped up to give him the best access, and knelt down. Using his tongue, he scooped up a dribble of her juices from her inner thigh. She tasted as sweet as he remembered.

Then he followed suit on the other side. Her legs quivered, but she remained silent. He grabbed her red bottom and spread her cheeks wide, ignoring her groan at his touch. He knew his hands would rouse the burn, but if she proved to appreciate a bit of pain with her pleasure, she would learn to like the sensation. Even crave it. Then he slid his tongue from her clit to her rear hole in a long, leisurely swipe. She gasped but had no path of retreat.

He repeated the motion over and over again until she futilely tried to push back into his tongue. Their mutual excitement escalated, and he pressed two fingers deep into her quim while he licked her clit. She squirmed but went nowhere as he manipulated her pleasure.

“Stone,” she cried out, and he smacked her stinging rear.

“Say it.” His command rang out in the room.

“Master,” she whimpered and pressed against his fingers still lodged inside her. She could barely move, but she took what little she could get.

“That’s it. Do you want to come?”

“C-come?” She continued to wiggle.

“Orgasm. Do you want me to make you feel good?” He urged her on and twisted his fingers deeper inside her.

She moaned again. “Oh yes. Please, Master. Please make me come.”

Her begging did him in. He latched on to her clit, stuffed a third finger inside her, and pushed her over the edge. She screamed out her pleasure in long wails of excitement punctuated with a plea to her master. To him. Satisfaction curled in his belly like a dram of whiskey.

As she came down from her peak, he notched his cock against her cleft. “Hear this, pet. You are mine.” He thrust into the warm grip of her cunny. “You belong to me, this pussy belongs to me, your pleasure belongs to me, and your arse belongs to me. Do you understand this?” His muscles trembled with his restraint.

“Yes, Master.” Her voice was loud and clear and so goddamned sweet.

He couldn’t hold back any longer. He had not intended for this to occur tonight, but he couldn’t stop his natural response to his wife’s temerity and her excitement. He fucked her hard then. Gripped her throbbing cheeks and pumped into her until his every muscle vibrated with his own orgasm. Eyes sealed shut, he saw fireworks that would rival Covent Garden’s display. He continued to thrust into her until his prick softened and she had succumbed to another wrenching orgasm.

Sated for the moment, he slipped from between her thighs and reached for her straps. Once she was unbuckled, he helped her rise and stumble to the available bed. They lay side by side for a bit. Her skirts tangled around his boots as he wrapped her in his arms.

“Master, while I’ll agree that I am without question yours, I would also stake my own claim on you. You, my lord, are mine. I own you, your pleasure, and all it entails.” Then she pressed a kiss to his chin followed by one to the exposed flesh of his chest.

Delight spread over him like a fine cloak and warmed him. They belonged to each other. “Yes, Theo. I also belong to you. Never doubt it.”

They lay there, quiet in the aftermath of what they had shared, and reveled in the peace. Never had he experienced such utter calm and contentment.

After a space of time that he could neither count—nor did he care to—he rose from the bed. “Come, my lady, we should return home. I had intended to conduct this interview there, but as you can see, I became carried away with events.”

“Yes, Master.” She made to rise.

“Sweeting, my lord will do in company, and Stone at home. Master will be reserved for the bedroom.”

“But we are still in a bedroom, Master.” Her eyes twinkled with pleasure as she rose and smoothed her skirts.

Stone couldn’t contain his laughter. The cheeky wench was right.

They gathered their things and quietly slipped out the back of The Market. Stone wanted to get his wife home where she belonged.