Fire Princess Read online

  The makeshift room was about the size of a large walk-in closet and void of nearly anything, especially when compared to the clutter on the other side of the coat wall. All the space contained was a dusty old bookshelf which, coincidentally, already had a cushion placed in front of it, and a couch that looked like it had been a recent addition. "Guess I am not the first sub to be sent here."

  "You most certainly are not."

  Autumn jumped. "Sir, I didn't hear you come in. I just got back here and was looking around before I got into position."

  "Calm down, princess. My talk with Kevin didn't take as long as I thought it would. I expected you to take in your surroundings before you did as I directed. You're not in any more trouble than you already were."

  "What did he want to talk about?"

  He pointed at the cushion and only began to speak after she started to do as he bid. "He wanted to give me a heads-up. This lunatic has taken some interest in my sister."

  She stopped cold in her tracks. "Sierra?"

  "Yes. It appears he has deemed her the perfect new journalist to tell his story, and he has demanded she be the correspondent at all his fires. The police think that this is the best course of action."

  "You're kidding?"

  "Unfortunately, no. They believe this to be a small way they can keep him happy and, hopefully, keep him from upping his game in the process." Leland nodded his head toward her destination.

  "She didn't agree to do this, right?" Autumn questioned as she sank to her knees on the plush square.

  "Of course, she agreed. She has no problem putting herself in harm's way for a story, and she has no one to tell her no. No one she will actually listen to."

  "You can. She will listen to you."

  "She won't. She may accept my discipline from time to time when she believes she deserves it, but I am only her big brother. My opinion only carries so much weight."

  "What about Tabby and Mason? They can tell her what a horrible idea this is. She will listen to them."

  "Mason talked to her about it this weekend and got nowhere." When Autumn opened her mouth to argue, he held up a hand. "Enough. She already agreed to do it, so she can't back out. Now, if I were you, I would start worrying about yourself, sub."

  The reminder of why they were there was like flipping the submissive switch. Her eyes instantly fell to the floor next to his feet. "Sorry, Sir."

  "Why are we here, princess?"

  Autumn swallowed hard before she met his eyes. "That's my issue, Sir. I don't agree with why we are here."

  "Explain, please."

  "Usually by this time in punishment, I'm at least a little remorseful, but this time is different. I am not sorry I swore."

  "Why do you think this time is different?"

  "I was in the middle of a heated situation. I had just been told that some lunatic is targeting our shift specifically. I don't believe I reacted inappropriately to the situation. However, I believe you did."

  "You know how I feel about that word."

  She looked at the pillow she knelt on. "I do, Sir, but fu— that word has become a habit. You cannot expect me to all of a sudden quit saying it. It is going to take time, practice, and—"

  "Punishments." Leland finished her statement for her as he crouched in front of her, lifting her chin so he had her eyes. "I am not expecting perfection, princess, but I am expecting you to accept my assistance in helping you to remember our agreed upon rules and my hatred for the word when it comes from your beautiful lips. You need to accept my help, and if that help comes in the form of my hand or an implement being applied to your ass, then so be it. You agreed to this type of relationship, and unless you say your safe word, I am going to deal with you breaking our rules the way I see fit. The way we agreed it should happen." He paused, giving her a chance to tap out before he straightened and took a single step back. "Stand and bare yourself, please."

  "Yes, Sir." Autumn felt her resistance melt away, the regret of her actions filling the void it left in its wake. She slid her pants and panties to her calves and felt the chilled air hit her heated sex.

  He removed his radio from his hip and placed it on one of the shelves before he pushed the cushion to the middle of the room and placed a folded blanket in front of it. "Back on your knees, please. Forehead on the blanket. Ass in the air."

  She did as she was told, and for a long while, Leland stood silently behind her. When her curiosity got to be too much, she spoke, "Sir?" As soon as she moved her head in an attempt to see him, his hand came down sharply on her upturned bottom.

  "You are to stay in the position I put you in until you are given permission to move."

  "Sorry, Sir! I won't move."

  His pant leg brushed against her leg and raised goose bumps on her skin. "I am only going to use my hand. I don't want you to be too sore at work, but make no mistake, princess, we will be finishing this chat at my place tomorrow after shift. Is that clear?"

  "Yes, Sir."

  Her words were still ringing in her ears when the first smack landed. He was not attacking her derriere as vigorously as he usually did, and the fact he took into consideration where they were relaxed her the slightest bit as the rhythmic discipline was applied. The worry caused by the meeting melted away, taking with it the fear she had for her friend's safety. The sensation was euphoric even if it was only for a short time.

  She was just starting to wiggle when she felt the first smack land on her sit spots, signaling that the chastisement would be coming to an end soon, at least for now. A sigh passed through her lips when, after ten on each tender area, Leland lifted her, took her place on the cushion and gathered her in his lap with her pants and underwear still around her calves.

  They sat like that for a few minutes while he allowed Autumn to gather her bearings and, unknowingly, a bit of her sass, too. "I'm sorry I used the word you hate so much, even if I think it was a tiny bit justified in the given situation."

  Leland clicked his tongue against the back of his teeth. "You are wearing my freshly placed handprints on your still bare ass because you let your mouth run without its filter, yet you still continue to sass without worry. Do you know how easy it would be to flip you over and give you another dose?"

  She felt heat rush to her face. "I know, Sir, but I promised when we started this that I would be honest with you, and this is me being honest."

  "I appreciate the honesty, princess, and I hope you appreciate the honesty of my displeasure when my paddle makes contact with this beautiful tush of yours in the morning." He gave her ass a sharp pinch that had her jumping in his lap before he helped her stand and right her clothes. "For now, I will allow it, but know this, sassy one... if you make me regret letting you have an IOU, then I will never take it easy on you again, even if we are at work. Understand?"

  "Yes, Lee."

  "He stuck with his pattern," Autumn grumbled early the next morning as she rode in the passenger seat of the rig.

  "Looks that way," Gwen replied over the wail of the sirens from both the fire trucks in front of them and the ambulance itself.

  Autumn pulled the laptop mounted on the dashboard a little closer to her lap. "According to dispatch, a homeless man was inside the abandoned building when it started and had some minor burns to his arm. He states he was the only one inside the old library at the time."

  She finished talking as they pulled up to the scene. The ancient brick building had flames curling from every one of the visible windows. A small group of men huddled around a soot-covered man on the grass in front of the building. Autumn jumped from the rig, grabbing the bag from the back before her partner turned the rig around and parked it in front of some hedges in case they had to leave quickly. She pushed past the firefighters who surrounded the slightly confused gentleman and listened to his lungs before introducing herself. "Sir, my name is Autumn. Can you tell me what happened?"

  Autumn listen to him ramble off what dispatch had already told her as she handed her partner a bot
tle of sterile saline to pour over the burn on the man's arm. "Lungs sound good, and there is no soot around his nose or mouth," she shared as she shoved the stethoscope in the bag and stood.

  "The burning on his arm is very minor."

  "Good. I will get the cot so we can get him loaded into the rig." She jogged back to the ambulance and threw open the back doors. "Who the hell put this in here?" she called out in disgust as she picked up the charred piece of red fabric that lay on top of the previously pristine cot. As the fabric unfolded in her gloved hands, she realized what it was. "Chief!" Her cry drew more attention than she intended, and in a matter of seconds, she was surrounded by three men in bunker gear.

  "What's wrong?" Leland questioned as he pushed the brim of his helmet back so she could make out who he was.

  "This was crumpled up in the rig. When we left the station, nothing was back here. I instinctively check the back of the rig every time we go on a call. He had to have put it here."

  "Is that our flag?" Jensen questioned as he tipped his head to the side to get a better look.

  "Not ours but a duplicate, yes," Chief Atwood confirmed before talking into his radio. "Dispatch, how far out are those PD units?"

  "Our closest unit is two minutes out."

  "Copy that. Can you make sure an officer comes to the bus we have on scene as soon as they arrive? We have a situation."

  "Ten-four."

  Kevin's arm fell from his mic as he turned back to the group. "He is apparently here. I want eyes open and everyone on red alert. Keep doing your job, but make sure you are careful. No one else needs to know about the flag. If anyone questions why we are on red alert, say the cops think he is here. If this is an inside job, I want this kept as tight lipped as possible."

  "Wait... you think this is an inside job?" Jensen questioned.

  "They haven't ruled it out yet." An officer joined them as the chief finished his whispered reply.

  "What do we got?"

  "Singed flag was found in the back of the rig. Autumn is the only one who has touched it, and she did so before she realized what it was. She also says it was not in the ambulance when they left the firehouse. The arsonist has to be here," Chief answered as the flag was put into a big zipper top bag and sealed with red tape.

  "I will let the guys know the perp may be in the vicinity, but I want radio silence about this. There is no reason to give him a heads-up if he is here," the officer ordered before he jogged to join the newly arrived officers.

  A thuddy, painless swat landed on Autumn's butt. "Get your patient and get out of here, princess. We will see you back at the station."

  Chapter 8

  "Did you get any sleep after the call?" Autumn questioned as they pulled into Leland's garage later that morning.

  "No, a few of us were in the meeting with PD until about thirty minutes before the end of the shift."

  "Oh, Lee. Why don't you go climb into bed?"

  The bark of laughter that escaped from Leland instantly told her that her plan was dead in the water. "Don't think so, princess. You are owed a paddling, and I am not about to let you convince me otherwise. In fact, with how tired you usually are after I'm finished with your ass, it is pretty much guaranteed that I will have a warm body to cuddle with when I do go to sleep. Right after I set that ass of yours on fire."

  A broad smile spread across her face. "Well, it was worth a shot," she said before she swung her door open and ran into the house as fast as her legs would carry her.

  His footfalls sounded loudly behind her as he ate up the distance with his long legs. "I will catch you, Autumn, and when I do, your ass is mine."

  "You have to catch me first!" As soon as she got the words out of her mouth, he grabbed her around the waist, and she was sailing through the air as he sat on the foot of the bed. She landed with a grunt across his knees, ass exactly where he wanted her.

  "No," she cried out at his hand came down on her canvas covered butt.

  "Oh, yes, princess." Leland chuckled as he brought his hand down a few more times. Then he stood with Autumn tucked under his arm and stalked to his side of the bed where he sat once more. He stood her on her feet in front of him. "You didn't plan your escape route very well, girl. You not only trapped yourself in a dead end but also led me right to some of my favorite implements."

  Autumn pushed her unruly, brown hair out of her face as he pulled open the bottom drawer of his nightstand. As soon as she saw the copious amount of implements it held, she started talking. "I won't ever use the f-word again. I promise, Sir."

  "I don't believe that for a second, princess. You said, yourself, that it would be a difficult habit to break. What I do believe is that you will think twice for a while before you use that word again." He reached into the drawer and shifted the items around as if searching for something specific. "What should I use to teach my princess my hatred for this word? Let's see. We have a Ping-Pong paddle, no. I could use the strap, but I promised her a paddling. Oh, here it is!" He pulled out an older, wooden hairbrush. "This is my mom's. I hid it from her when I was a kid so she couldn't tan my hide with it. Found it in one of my old boxes when I moved in. I think we will use this."

  Autumn squeaked when he grasped the front snap of her cargo pants. "I... do, do we have to start bare, Sir?"

  "Of course, we do." When she opened her mouth to speak again, he talked over her. "Are you arguing with me?"

  "But we haven't." She blushed and looked away.

  "Eyes on me, princess. Good girl. Now, tell me why this is any different than the other times I have spanked this beautiful ass of yours. Do you still believe this is an unjust punishment?" He cupped her chin when she tried to look away again. "Talk to me."

  "No, I deserve it. I just." The fire in her eyes grew as she struggled to speak, and when she finally did, the words were less than respectful. "We haven't had sex yet, okay? And you're going to see everything!"

  Before she knew what was happening, she was sitting on Leland's lap, her head tucked under his chin and a sense of rightness settled over her. "You are worried about me seeing your pussy."

  Autumn knew it wasn't a question, but she felt the need to explain. "Well, yeah. You said you liked your girl's pussy bare, and I am far from bare. I haven't had time to get waxed, and I can't shave because the ingrown hairs hurt so badly. If you see it now, you are going to be disappointed because it isn't the way you want it and—"

  The rest of Autumn's words were an unintelligible mumble as Leland covered her mouth with his hand. When she finally stopped talking, he spoke. "I think you are making excuses because you are nervous, and not about the paddling you have coming. Right?"

  "Maybe," Autumn whispered, not truly knowing the whole truth.

  "You have no reason to be scared. Will I see your pussy? Yes, but I have seen glimpses of it before, when I have spanked you in the past. I am a gentleman. When we have sex is completely up to you."

  Leland wrapped his arms tighter around her middle and gently started to rock her. They sat in the silence for a long while before Autumn took a deep breath and stood before him. "I think I'm ready now, Sir."

  "Good girl, princess."

  His praise settled deep within her chest, and a smile tipped up the corner of her mouth as she felt him take hold of the clasp of her uniform pants once more. Unsnapping them, he worked them down her legs and steadied her as she toed off her boots and stepped out of the discarded clothing. She glanced down the front of her body. Her shirt ended right where her panties started so it would provide no coverage for her core.

  "Ready?" Leland questioned as he rested his hands on her hips, waiting for her to give him the go ahead.

  "I trust you, Sir, and I should have realized that before I had a mini hissy fit."

  With a chuckle, Leland hooked his thumbs into the side of her panties and let them fall to the floor, leaving her in only her navy work shirt. "Why are you about to get paddled, princess?"

  "I used the f-word, Sir. I know you don'
t like it, and I agreed to refrain from using it, but I used it anyway."

  "Exactly." He effortlessly pulled her over his knees, letting her head and chest rest on the bed.

  With her firmly tucked into his side, Leland wasted no time in starting her warm-up. His massive left hand bounced from one cheek to the next, turning her previously creamy bottom a beautiful shade of pink. As soon as she started to wiggle in discomfort, he stopped and picked up the hairbrush.

  "Relax your ass, Autumn."

  "I'm trying, but that is easier said than done, Sir."

  "Good girl."

  As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the hairbrush connected with its target. He got two more swats in before she was able to drag in enough breath to voice her opinion of the brush. "Ow! No more! No more!" He ignored her demands and continued his work. He was a master at keeping her on her toes. She never knew where the next swat would land, or if he would decide to be particularly evil and land a couple in the same spot, one on top of the other. "Oww!"

  "It's a stinger, isn't it? I used to hate this thing, but now I have a nice appreciation for it." The only response Autumn had for him was a wail of pain as the brush moved from her butt to her upper thighs.

  The assault on her legs only lasted a short while, but it was enough to get her to reach back in an attempt to save her poor, scorched skin. "Reaching back is never allowed, princess." He landed another hard spank to each delicate area before he moved back to her butt. "Are you going to be able to keep your hands out of my way, or do you need me to hold them for you?"

  Autumn replied by taking hold of his wrist. When his long, calloused fingers wrapped around her own wrist, she relaxed over his lap. There was something about knowing he wasn't going to let her jeopardize her well-being again, even if it was just a few fingers, allowed her to slip deeper into her submission.

  "Ready to finish this? Use your words. A shake of your head does not work here. I have to hear you say it."

  "Yes, Sir, I am ready."

  "Last ten. These are going to be the worst," he warned as he shifted her closer to his side, holding her a little bit tighter.