Chapter Two

Catherine’s POV

I let out a shaky breath as he moved closer to me. Unable to move, I simply swallowed and watched him keenly, as though I had never seen him before. He was dressed in his favorite faded shirt and shorts, his long brown hair fell across his face and he pushed it back without taking his eyes off me.

Again, my eyes drifted back to the long whip he held and I briefly wondered where he got it from. Of course, he had hit me several times in the three years we had spent together but never with a whip. He only used his hands, making sure he hit me in places where my clothes would properly cover. The thought of the painful-looking whip against my bare flesh made me tremble and I closed my eyes, not wanting to behold it anymore.

“Open your eyes, Catherine,” he commanded in an icy tone. “I said, open your eyes.”

Slowly, I forced my eyes open and tried to focus anywhere apart from the whip but I couldn’t. The trembling spread to every other part of my body as tears filled my eyes.

“Why did you disobey me?” he asked, holding up the whip.

Two giant tears escaped from my eyes and I swallowed hard, my chest heaving. “I’m so sorry,” I gulped, moving back a little.

“I asked you a question Catherine and I demand an answer.” By this time, he was only a few inches away from me and my body quivered the more.

“I was… I was running late for the presentation.” I began, still moving away from him until I felt my back against the wall.

He didn’t stop walking towards me until there was no room between us. I could feel him breathing down on me. Suddenly, my legs couldn’t carry me anymore. They immediately gave way but before I could fall, Alex held me by my neck, pulling me up.

“No, no.” he shook his head, tightening his hold. “You stand and give me a proper answer.” Using the whip, he traced my cheek, while his other hand still gripped my neck.

“Please Alex,” I sobbed, the tears falling down my face in torrents. “I’m sorry I disobeyed you. I couldn’t afford to miss the presentation, no one else could handle it if I wasn’t there.”

“You lying sneaky whore!” he spat, slapping me across my cheek. “Suddenly, you think you are some brilliant lady whose job is to save her company? Do you think you are good? Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news Catherine but you are not good at anything. The only reason you get to handle such tasks is because you mess around with your boss. You are dumb Catherine and you will always be.”

His words hit me so deeply that I felt my heart break. The presentation had gone smoothly and we signed a contract with the client but all of that seemed worthless at the moment. I looked up in surprise when he suddenly released his hold on me and moved back. I was about to let out a sigh of relief when I saw him lift the whip.

“Strip.” The one word was spoken so softly that I had to strain my ears to hear it.

“What?” I uttered, hoping I didn’t hear him right.

“Pull off your clothes Catherine, every single piece of clothing.”

“Please Alex, I promise not to ever disobey you again.” I pleaded, clasping my hands together.

“Okay,” he nodded.

“Okay? You forgive me?” I asked eagerly, my heart beating so fast.

“Yes, I have” he nodded.

“Oh, thank you, thank you so much.” I gushed, throwing my arms around him in pure relief.

“I love you so much Catherine, you know I do,” he uttered, hugging me back.

“I love you too,” I whispered, taking deep calming breaths.

“That’s why you have to strip Catherine, to pay for disobeying me.”

“What?” the temporary relief I felt got frozen immediately. I stepped away from him and looked into his green eyes, hoping he was only joking. “I thought… I thought you’ve forgiven me.”

“Yes, I have forgiven you,” he smiled, walking around me, stopping occasionally to trace my cheeks with the whip he held. “However, you got to be punished. You see, forgiving you without giving you your due punishment is simply encouraging such behavior next time. That isn’t right, is it?”

I nodded numbly, not knowing what else to do.

“Now, strip.”

This time, I didn’t try to plead. I simply pulled down the side zipper on my pants and stepped out of it. Next, I began to unbutton my shirt one at a time. My hands trembled violently and it took me a long time to finally get the buttons undone. I stood there in my black lacy underwear, my red hair falling around me like a curtain.

I saw his eyes lit up as he stared at my underwear. For some reason, he always bought sexy underwear for me. He’d come home with tons of them, asking me to wear them and walk around the house for him to see. My clothes however were what he always had issues with. They were either too tight or I was revealing too much even when I wasn’t.

“I want you in your birthday suit.” He muttered, turning away from me.

“WH…what are you going to do to me?” I asked fearfully.

“No questions Catherine, no questions at all....just shut up and do exactly as you are told."

Slowly, I pulled the black tong and stepped out of it. Reaching for my bra, I unhooked it and let it fall. My body shook as I stood naked before him, unable to take my eyes away from the whip. I watched him keep the whip down and then brought out something from a small bag. My eyes widened when I recognized the object he held. They were a pair of handcuffs!