A Samurai's Punishment

"Another night, perhaps."

My heart swelled with joy at the thought of enduring another round of sensuous torture from my new liege.

Ikumi proved to be full of other surprises; she leaned down, her lips seeking mine for a slow, gentle kiss.

All of the aches inflicted by the long ride faded. The lingering pains from the battle fled as well. My fears over my fate, my shame at my failure, the sorrow that had engulfed my heart since the battle...

All of it crumbled beneath the soft, gentle touch of the young noblewoman who had claimed and used me.

Tears blossomed in my eyes. Shame flared again and I blinked the moisture away, but she smiled and caressed my cheek.

"It's all right. It's natural, when you experience something like this for the first time. New revelations, new vulnerabilities. New weaknesses, new strengths."

Her deft fingers undid the bonds. Unsure of what I was permitted to do, I simply kept my arms where they were, until she laughed and kissed me on the forehead.

"You can move and touch me, Reizo. You have earned it."

My shaking hands rose to wrap around her slender body, holding her close. The contrast between our bodies was stunning, of course; the lithe, thin young woman had utterly broken and dominated me, despite my far greater size and strength. Somehow that made the submission and surrender all the more beautiful. All the more...revelatory.

"Thank you, mistress."

"In moments like this, Reizo, you can use my name."

"It...doesn't feel right. You are still my liege, after all."

"Very well. If you insist on such decorum even when you have spilled your seed inside me..."

I let out a shaky laugh and brushed my fingers along the back of her neck and back, exploring every inch that I could reach of her lithe, pale form.

"There is another important step, Reizo," she said, her voice growing firm.

My heart skipped a beat at the notion of another test.

We both sighed as she slipped herself off of me. She reached beside the bed to a little basket, and withdrew a small clay pot. Removing the lid revealed a waxy, white substance that looked to be some sort of balm or lotion.

Without further explanation, she tenderly rubbed it against my wrists, soothing away the lingering aches from the ropes and working the lotion into the thick red welts left upon my skin.

Ikumi repeated the process on my other wrist before unbinding my ankles to tend to them as well.

The strange little ritual swelled my heart as much as her soft, kind words had, and my eyes nearly watered again by the time she smeared some of the lotion over my neck, easing the lingering embers of pain left by her nails.

"Thank you, Ikumi," I murmured, allowing myself that one little indiscretion.

She set aside the lotion and then curled up against my chest, her fingers dancing over the muscles of my arm.

"Of course, Reizo. Just as a samurai must tend to his blade, I must tend to you."

She kissed my jaw and I shivered when her thigh brushed against my half-erect shaft. Despite the agony of that climax, her beauty and raw sensual power ensured that my lust could not truly fade.

"Can I ask an impertinent question, my lady?"

"You may."

"Will this...will this happen again?"

"Of course. If you wish it." She nibbled on my ear. "Remember: I still have to punish you for moving despite not being told to."

My cock stiffened further.

"Yes. Of course..."

"There will be rules, however. While my handmaidens and closest bodyguards are well aware of my...appetites, it is important that you remain discreet. No bragging to your fellow samurai, no banter over drinks with your comrades."

"Of course not, my lady. I would never betray your trust."

She raised herself up and smiled down at me.

"Good."

Her dark eyes drifted down between my legs and the warmth in her dark eyes shifted to a mischievous gleam.

"But perhaps we need not wait until another night for the next round of punishment."

I gave her the widest, brightest smile I had displayed in years.

"I am but your loyal samurai, my lady. Whatever punishment you deem fit, I shall gladly endure."

She kissed me again, soft and slow, before rising to proceed with her wicked work...

**

The next morning, I stood at Ikumi's side within the council chambers of her castle, clad once more in the immaculate red and black armor of a Clan Oka samurai. Before me sat other samurai of Clan Oka, along with several of her vassals and the province's leading merchants, who had arrived for the weekly meeting with their liege.

"Before we begin with today's meeting," Lady Ikumi said crisply. "I wish to announce that I have chosen Reizo as my right hand. He served Lord Oka faithfully, and avenged my beloved uncle, spilling rivers of barbarian blood in the name of vengeance and justice."

Her dark eyes tilted up at me. To the other members of her council, the expression was one of stern pride.

But I caught the heat in her dark gaze, the subtle promise of more wicked punishment.

"I am certain that his blade will claim the lives of any others who stand before us," she said, before turning her imperious gaze to her councilors. "And now to business..."

I stood, still and silent through the rest of the meeting, my body ablaze with pride at her words.