Melody quietly walked into their room, removed her clothes, and went to stand in the corner. There was no point in doing anything that would only inflame his anger at her behavior.

Luc entered the room. He closed the distance between them and fondled her backside in a manner meant to arouse. Melody tried to keep from smiling. Even knowing she was in trouble with Luc, his very presence in her vicinity kick-started her libido.

“Luc, I know you’re angry.”

“Do you?” he queried. “Can you tell me why? At this moment I’m having trouble framing for myself all of the reasons I am displeased with your behavior. Let’s see, there’s the whole not telling me the truth about your riding abilities. For the two of you to have gotten up to the line shack in that amount of time, you had to do a considerable amount of loping...”

“Luc...”

“I am speaking, little girl, and you will remain quiet until I tell you that you may do otherwise. As I was going to say, that one I’m willing to give you as trying to surprise me with something that you thought would please me, which it would have. And if that was the only result from today’s little misadventure, I’d be inclined to take you to bed and pound that sweet pussy of yours until you were exhausted and then tell you that you were to remain in our room for the rest of the day.”

Melody snuck a glance at him. The scowl on his face told her that while he might be inclined to do just that at some point this afternoon, that it was very likely only after he’d blistered her backside.

“But that isn’t all you did, is it?” he asked quietly.

“No, sir,” she said in a voice that let him know she was upset and would offer no quarrel as to his decision regarding her punishment.

“Bien. You snuck out of our home, left a note that told me nothing about your plans or even where you were going, and then left your cell phone plugged into the truck to charge. You also rode a mare into a wild stallion’s territory. You two are lucky he only claimed her after you had unsaddled her and left her in the corral. You do know he could have attacked Joker and hurt him badly, don’t you?”

“Why would he do that?” she asked.

“Because he’s a wild stallion and he has no interest in some gelding being in his valley and especially in with a mare he’s come to claim. The fact that you don’t know that tells me I need to educate you more on the behavior of horses in general and wild ones in particular.”

“You’ve given me an excellent education on how a wild stallion mounts his mare,” she said in a seductive, teasing voice.

“Yes, and that seems to be a lesson you’ve taken to heart. But I can also ignore that little bit of foolishness as you didn’t know and frankly Sierra should have known better. I will leave dealing with Sierra in Ryder’s most capable hands—although from what he said, she’ll be lucky if he only uses his hands. So that leaves us with not having your cell phone with you, sneaking off and not leaving me any kind of note about where you were going or when you might return. Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?”

“It’s not like I was alone. I was with Sierra.”

“That’s true, which is why I’m leaning toward not welting your behind.”

Melody whirled around. “Luc, please, no.”

“Where does your nose belong, little girl?”

Melody turned back to face the corner. “In the corner. I’m sorry. I’m upset. I know I had the best intentions about all of this, but I also can see it from your point of view about the not letting you know where I was.”

“Then we are agreed that you are in need of a good, hard, bare-bottom spanking, n’est pas?”

Melody’s shoulders slumped. From his point of view, she had royally screwed up. He saw what they had done, not the secret lessons, but riding off into the hills with no one knowing where they might be as a safety issue. She had learned early on that Luc took issues of her safety very seriously.

“I don’t want to be spanked, but when I look at it from your point of view, I really can’t argue that I shouldn’t be.”

“And we’ve talked about having your cell phone with you when you leave the ranch. That warrants an additional consequence, don’t you think?”

“Luc, please. I was with Sierra so I thought it was fine to let it charge as the battery was almost dead.”

“Ah, yes, but Sierra forgot hers so there was no cell phone at all. Granted, neither of you were in any real danger this afternoon, but there was no way for you to know that. I think after I have finished spanking your sweet bottom you will have need of a reminder for you to be more careful about having a cell phone.”

“Yes, sir.” She was resigned to the fact that riding was not going to be a possibility for a day or two.

Melody heard him sit down on the edge of the bed. “Come here, sweetheart, and put yourself over my knee.”

Melody walked to him, noticing the bulge in the front of his jeans.

Luc smiled. “I want to be clear. If you are leaving Crooked Creek I expect you to either tell me or leave me a note of some kind. When you leave the ranch, I expect you to keep your cell phone with you. Now, over you go,” he said, patting his muscular thigh.

Melody sighed and put herself in position. She had barely settled into place before his hand came down smartly on her upturned bottom. She yelped both at the level of sting inherent in the blow and her surprise that it had come so quickly.

Luc proceeded to pepper her entire backside with hard swats meant to raise color and leave a lasting impression. It didn’t take but a few good swats for Melody to begin crying. She had learned that Luc would never consider the discipline complete until he had brought her to tears.

For Melody the tears came not just because it hurt, which it did, but because she knew he was right and knew she had disappointed him. The latter was what really hurt and was the thing that needed the most amount of attention and aftercare when he was done.

Melody tried to accept punishment from Luc with good grace and with as little histrionics as possible. He had explained to her that he cherished her submission to his authority, but did not expect her not to squirm or kick her legs when he was administering a spanking. The only time the spanking would get worse was if she refused to capitulate to his dominance or if she tried to bring her hands back to ward off the blows.

Luc was well able to keep her in position and to target his swats to where he wanted them to land. Mostly he preferred the fleshiest part of her butt cheeks, but often administered several to her sit spots and her upper thighs, especially when he was having to spank her for something a second time.

She could feel each swat as it landed and as it compounded the ones that had come before. She knew she wouldn’t be able to sit comfortably for at least a day and that most likely having sex with Luc would leave her bottom stinging from contact with his body as he used his cock to stroke her pussy and her back passage.

Once she was crying and her body had lost all of its fight and resistance, Luc stopped. He rested his hand lightly on her behind and waited to see her response to the respite.

When she did nothing other than continue to cry, Luc began to rub her backside soothingly.

“You will not sneak out of our home again without telling me. You will not leave the ranch without having and keeping your cell phone with you. N’est pas?”

“Yes, Luc,” she said through her tears. “I’m sorry. Truly I am.”

“I fear not as sorry as you will be.”

He helped her up, making her stand between his legs facing him. His thumbs rubbed her swollen nipples as he smiled. He reached between her legs and found her wet essence in abundance.

He nodded toward their bed. “You go lie down on the edge and remain there while I go fetch the remainder of your penitence.”

“Yes, sir,” she said meekly as she positioned herself.

Melody was surprised when instead of walking over to the tall dresser and opening the top drawer where he kept various toys and implements, he left their room altogether. When he returned, she could see he had his knife and was cutting into something. The pungent odor of fresh ginger assailed her nostrils. She looked at him with dismay and made to get up.

Luc shook his head and smiled when she relaxed back down on the bed.

“From your reaction, I take it you and Sierra have discussed the uses for fresh ginger other than simply in a stir fry?”

Melody said nothing, but her eyes were transfixed on the root in his hand. It wasn’t overly large, but Sierra had said it wasn’t the size that mattered.

“I asked you a question, souris.”

“Yes, sir. Sierra told me.”

“Good, then you know that when freshly scored or peeled, the ginger root inserted in a naughty girl’s bottom produces an uncomfortable and memorable sensation that tends to ensure better behavior in the future.”

“No, Luc, couldn’t I have Mr. Bumpy?”

He smiled and shook his head. “No. Mr. Bumpy brings you pleasure and further arouses you. Mr. Ginger here will leave you wanting to avoid my having to use it again. Spread your cheeks for me, Melody. Show me where Mr. Ginger needs to go so you will be a good girl.”

Although the tone was soft, Melody knew this was not a request, but was the directive of a man who expected her to obey even though everything in her said to try and either talk him out of it or run away. Knowing that neither would be successful, she turned her head and reached back to grab a globe in each hand.

“Spread your legs, Melody.”

She did so.

“Good girl.”

Luc reached between her legs, inserted two of his fingers into her soaked pussy, and stroked her to bring forth even more of her natural lubricant.

“Such a wet and naughty girl,” he said, encouraging her to respond.

Melody felt him dragging her essence up to spread on both the outside and in the interior of her puckered entrance. She felt the root being gently pushed past the ring of tight muscle. It wasn’t nearly as large as other things Luc had trained her body to take and she started to wonder why Sierra had told her to avoid ginger if she could.

She had exhaled her breath and was breathing normally when the juices from the ginger’s flesh began to produce the desired effect. It felt as though Luc had lit something on fire and placed it there.

“Luc, ow, please take it out. I don’t like that.”

“You aren’t supposed to, sweetheart. That would be the whole point of putting it there.”

“Luc,” she said, reaching back as if to remove it.

Luc swatted her hand away, caught it and the other one as it too flew back, and then spanked her three times. Melody yowled in response.

“You know better than that. What I choose to use to punish you inside your bright red bottom will only be removed by me when I think it has done its work.”

“Oh, God, Luc... it has.”

“Not yet,” he chuckled again. “But it will. You can get up and go back to your corner to stand.”

When she hesitated, he swatted her again.

“Now, Melody.”

She inhaled deeply and stood. Tears welled in her eyes as she looked at him and went to do as she’d been told. The ginger root continued to increase the level of discomfort Melody was experiencing. Normally when Luc put a plug in her before standing her in the corner, it was the external part of her bottom that was the most heated. She was quite sure that at this point the ginger root’s juices were quickly replacing the exterior sting.

God, she hated her body’s reaction to Luc’s commanding presence. Her ass was on fire—both externally and internally—and yet her pussy was so wet she was quite sure she was going to start dripping. Her nipples continued to harden as her clit began to swell. No doubt about it, she was as aroused as she’d ever been.

She stood for what seemed like hours, but in actuality wasn’t more than a few minutes, before Luc came up behind her.

“Does my naughty girl have something to say to me about leaving our bed and sneaking out of the house?”

“Yes, sir. I’m sorry and I won’t ever do it again.”

“And where will your cell phone be when you are not here at the ranch and by that I mean in close vicinity to the house or barn?”

“Fully charged and with me at all times.”

He ran his hands down the sides of her body and she trembled with desire. He wrapped one arm around her waist and drew her body into his. With the other hand, he reached up to gently caress her breasts and play with her nipples.

Nuzzling her neck, he whispered, “Are we in accord about my not having to revisit those two rules with you again?”

“Yes, sir,” she whimpered, weak with need.

He ran the hand that had been fondling her between her legs to stroke her clit and pussy.

Melody moaned. “Luc,” she pleaded gently.

Luc brought his hand back around to lightly stroke her now swollen bottom and to jiggle the ginger root buried in her backside. Her sharp intake of breath and the soft mewling sound she made in response indicated the ginger root had done its job. Luc released her and stepped back.

“Go lie on your back on our bed. I want your sexy derriere on the edge.”

Melody made her way back to the bed, sat down, grimacing as she did so not only from the contact with her punished cheeks, but from the ginger being moved again.

Luc joined her, standing between her legs, opening his fly, and freeing his cock. He knelt down, placing each of her legs over his shoulders before standing and raising her up. Tenderly he removed the ginger from her ass and then lowered her body so that her pussy was lined up directly with his fully erect staff.

Instead of driving into her, Luc slowly pulled her body toward his, impaling her.

Melody cried out as her body produced a massive orgasm in response to his dominant possession of her body.

Luc slid his hands from her thighs up to her hips and ass so that he could hold her steady as he began to thrust in and out with powerful skill and control.

There was nothing for Melody to hold onto but the bedding beneath her. Her hands clenched at it in the same rhythm with which Luc was stroking her pussy. As so often happened when he was making love to her, his ability to make her lose herself to anything but his mastery overtook her entire being. Nothing existed for her but this man, his voice, his hands, his cock.

He fucked her through another orgasm, praising her for her response and telling her how much he loved and adored her. He knew she was incapable of answering him. He had admitted to her once that being able to take her to a place where she could do nothing more than feel and respond was one of the great joys in his life.

Finally, she felt him beginning to thrust faster and harder.

“Come for me, ma souris. Show me how you wish to please me with your response.”

Melody would later wonder why he asked for proof. He knew she was incapable of doing anything else. As she came calling his name, she felt his cum shooting deep within her. Her pussy continued to contract all along his length as he grunted and burrowed into her, ensuring all of his seed would be inside her.

He laid her down gently.

“You crawl up into our bed. You are to remain there, with the exception of using the bathroom, until I tell you tomorrow that you may leave it.”

“Yes, sir,” she said, finding she was far more exhausted than she had thought she would be.

Luc started to leave their room.

“Luc?”

“Yes, sweetheart,” he said, turning to look at her with tenderness.

“I really am sorry I upset you. I won’t do it again.”

“I hope not. Next time Mr. Ginger will remain in your ass for your entire punishment.”