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Out of Bounds

Chapter Two


 

Spike rummaged in the closet, looking for appropriate clothes.  He had a strong feeling they had best not be anything he was particularly fond of, because as angry as his Mistress was, she could easily leave them in rags.  He quickly settled on a well-worn red silk shirt and an old pair of black jeans.  As he dressed, he felt the Slayer’s eyes on him.

“Underwear, Spike?” she asked lightly watching the vampire pull up a pair of black silk bikini-style briefs, “You never wear underwear.”

“I wear what she wants me to,” he answered, “and she likes to have another layer to take down, particularly when she’s punishing me.”

“Oh,” Buffy said, “I didn’t mean to be nosy.  I’m sorry, I just don’t understand the whole thing with you and Willow…”   

“It’s all right, pet,” he said, smiling at her, “No doubt it’s a bit of a shock, seeing as I’ve been dominating you.”

“Well, yeah,” she agreed, perching on a stool.  “I have a hard time wrapping my mind around you being submissive.”

Spike shrugged and sat on a bench near the Slayer as he finished buttoning his shirt.  “I’m what’s known as a switch, pet, dominant sometimes with some folks, submissive other times with other people.  You like to be dominated, probably ‘cause you have to be in charge and in control all the time, both as the Slayer and as Nibblet’s surrogate Mum.  And I get off on topping you.  Willow, on the other hand, enjoys being on top, and for reasons I don’t completely understand, I enjoy submitting to her.  It just feels right.”

They sat quietly while Buffy tried to absorb this.  Spike could see her struggling with the idea and with the decision she had to make.  He wished he could reassure her in some way, but there was little he could say.

“What’s she going to do, Spike?  I mean, I know she talked about physical punishment but what could Willow do that would hurt either of us?”

“Can’t say what she’ll do with you, Slayer, but normal punishment for me would be getting spanked or caned.”  Spike answered.  “She told me it would be harsh, so chances are it’ll be both.  Don’t make the mistake of thinking it won’t hurt ‘cause she’s not as strong as you or I.  A heavy wooden hairbrush or paddle stings a lot even if she doesn’t use her full strength.  It can hurt like blue blazes if she puts some shoulder into it.  And she’s as good with a cane as the masters at my schools ever were; it’s left me marked for a couple of days on at least one occasion, even with vampire healing.  With what I’ve done and as angry as she is, I dare say I’ll be sleeping on my stomach for a while.”  He didn’t want to frighten Buffy, but he didn’t want her to take this too lightly either.  Spike knew he would be lucky if he got off with only being spanked and caned.  He wouldn’t be surprised if Willow took a belt or strap to him as well.  “The gods know I deserve it,” he mused.  “How could I have been so stupid?  I’m over a hundred and twenty and I’m still thinking with the little head.”

“I haven’t been spanked in years, Spike, not since I was a kid.  Not for real.  I mean, you’ve swatted me, but that’s been sex, not punishment.  I don’t know if I can do this!”  Buffy exclaimed.  “The idea of being spanked by Willow, by my best friend, because I’ve been bad...  It’s humiliating.”

“Yeah, it is,” the vampire replied, “That’s part of the idea.  You’re supposed to dislike it enough to make you think twice before you screw up again.  It wouldn’t be much of a punishment otherwise, now would it?”

“I guess not,” she sighed, “but what should I do?”

“Can’t tell you what to do, Buffy.  You’ve got to decide that for yourself”

“But I don’t know!  How do I decide?”

Spike felt for the young blonde.  There was a limit to how much he could help her with this, but he could try.  “It’s really pretty simple, pet.  How important is it to you to keep Willow as a friend?”

“Really important,” the Slayer answered, her eyes filling with tears, “It’s not like I’ve got so many friends I can throw one away, let alone my best friend.  We’ve been so close, and she’s helped me, helped all of us, time after time.  Oh God,” she groaned and the tears began to trickle down her cheeks, “why did I ever do this in the first place?  I knew better.  I knew Willow would be livid if she caught us.”

“What’s done’s done, Slayer.  Can’t change it now.  Only thing left is to pay the price and learn from it.”  He went over to Buffy and took her hand.  When she looked up at him, he spoke.  “Look, if Willow’s friendship’s as important as you said, isn’t it worth a spanking?”

“I guess so,” she said, sniffing, “If it means not losing Willow I can do it.”

Relieved at Buffy’s decision, Spike puttered around the room for a few minutes, making sure everything was in order.  He and Willow used this as their playroom and it was furnished accordingly.  On one wall was a futon-style couch that would easily fold down into a bed, while scattered around the room were padded benches and stools, some with attachment points for restraints, and a comfortably padded straight back chair suitable for over-the-knee spanking.  There were hooks in the ceiling to which chains could be attached, as well as an A-frame resting in one corner.  Along the far wall was a small refrigerator for refreshments, and a large armoire or wardrobe which served as a toy chest.  Spike couldn’t open the armoire, as Willow held the only key, but he ensured that everything else was tidy, taking special care to set the “school-teacher’s chair” as Willow called it, out in the open space in the middle of the room, with a small table next to it.  He continued to putter for a while ensuring that everything was as ready as he could make it; the less that Willow had to find fault with, the better.  Then Spike sat quietly on a bench near Buffy, waiting for his Mistress to arrive and mete out punishment. 

Fortunately for the naturally fidgety vampire he didn’t have to wait long.  Soon the playroom door opened and Willow stepped in.  She had clearly taken the opportunity to bathe and change out of the business clothes she’d traveled in, as her hair was still damp and she wore an emerald green silk robe and matching slippers.  As she entered, Spike went to his knees, his head bowed and eyes firmly fixed on the floor at her feet. 

His Mistress didn’t normally require this sort of formality from him.  The hours that they spent together as Domme and sub often found him curled up at her feet, but he was always free to look at her, touch her, and even speak to her without permission.  Well, almost always, there were times, like this, when he or someone or something else had angered her and she demanded a stricter degree of submission.  Up till now, though, those times had been few, far between, and brief as well.  Willow enjoyed their intellectual companionship too much to sacrifice it to her need to dominate, but Spike feared that this time things would be different, radically different. 

“Don’t speak until spoken to,” he thought, reminding himself of the proper etiquette for this situation.  “Keep your eyes down, obey immediately, and whatever happens, don’t touch her, Buffy or yourself without permission.”  Not that he thought that permission would be forthcoming.  This was, after all, a punishment session.  “You’re a sub awaiting well-deserved punishment, not a lover playing D & s games.  Best you remember that if you ever want to be her lover again.”   

Once in the playroom, Willow stood in front of Spike and looked the waiting vampire over carefully.  Resting her hand briefly on his head, she spoke to him.  “I see that you’ve prepared yourself appropriately, William, so I assume you’re ready for your punishment.”  Without waiting for a reply she turned and addressed the Slayer.  “What about you, Buffy?  Have you decided what you’re going to do?”

A quick glance out of the corner of his eye showed Spike that the Slayer was sitting on the edge of her seat, twisting her hands together. 

“Yes, Willow,” she replied quietly, “Your friendship is tremendously important to me, so I’ll accept whatever punishment you want.”

“Thank you, Buffy.  I appreciate your decision,” Willow replied.  “I know you didn’t have to come to that conclusion, but it means a lot.  Now, before we start, do you have any further questions, or did William answer everything for you?”

“Spike, or should I call him William?”  Buffy began.  “Anyway, he was a big help and he answered all the questions I asked, but there is still one thing that puzzles me.”

“First, you may refer to him as either Spike or William, as you please.  However, I very much doubt that he will respond to “Spike” right now, so if you really need to address him you’d best say William.  Now about your question, what is it, Slayer?”

“I guess that you and, um, William, do this sort of thing, you know spanking and stuff, for pleasure, so I’m kind of confused about how a spanking or caning can be punishment for William, like he said it was?  Won’t he… get off on it?” she asked hesitantly.

“That’s a reasonable question, Buffy, though the answer is a bit complex.”  As Willow spoke, she crossed to the armoire and unlocked it, using a key from a chain around her neck.  “It’s true that William does enjoy spanking and such in a sexual context, as do I—from a different perspective mind you.  But this isn’t a sexual situation, and I can assure you that he does not enjoy being punished.  Part of that is the head space that punishment puts us both in, and part of it is the selection of implements.”  She picked up a heavy wooden hairbrush from among the items in the cabinet and showed it to Buffy.  “This brush is reserved for punishment spankings, as are certain other items.  They’re mostly implements that he doesn’t really enjoy the feel of, or that can be very unpleasant when used harshly.  More importantly, though, when William sees one of these in my hand, he knows that it isn’t playtime, and that alone ensures that what he feels will be pain, not pleasure.  Oh, he may become somewhat aroused, simply as a physical reaction, but that’s all.”

“Oh,” Buffy said, clearly trying to understand, “I guess that makes sense.”

“It does,” Willow said, smiling, “But it’s not really anything you need to worry about.”  The redhead finished collecting various items from the armoire, and arranged a hairbrush, several canes and other items on the small table Spike had set out.  Then she stepped back to where he knelt.

“Wrists and ankles,” she ordered, tossing a set of cuffs in front of him.

“Yes, Mistress.”  Spike quickly put on the cuffs and returned to his knees.  The buckles bit into his ankles when he rested on his heels, which made kneeling uncomfortable.  The discomfort was minor, though, compared to the realization of what the cuffs meant.  “Oh bloody hell,” he thought, “she doesn’t think I’ll be able to hold still.  She’s going to restrain me even though I’ve never broken position in a punishment from her.  If Mistress thinks she needs to...  Well, she knows me; she’s not like to be wrong.  That means I’m really in for it.”

Then Willow held her hand out to Buffy.  “Come here, Buff.  Let’s get this over with.”

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