She was shaking in her heels as Roman set up. Second and third and fiftieth thoughts were streaming through her mind and it must have shown on her face. When he turned to her his face morphed into a frown and he took her hands in his own.

"Hey, look at me." He cupped her face, tipping her chin up toward him. "I'm just gonna spank you a little, that's all."

Her eyes darted back to the wedge of leather and wood behind him. "Do I have to, y'know, get naked?"

Her laughed, eyes brightening. "Nah, I'm not trying to break you, sweetheart. Just take off the skirt. That's why I had you wear this." Roman ran a large hand over her side, indicating the bodysuit.

It was, she admitted, quite a bit more modest than the majority of those she'd passed taking a beating. He stepped back and Cass fumbled at the zipper to the skirt, sliding the material down and folding it neatly on the chair over which he'd hung his blazer.

A hand to the small of her back guided her to the piece of furniture. She clambered on and he eased her knees on the padded shelves at about the right height (probably meant for people a little taller) for them. Roman pushed between her shoulders and she prostrated over the length of leather. Her hands he clipped to a ring attached to the wood at the end.

"This is a spanking bench," he informed her; she could see him rolling up his sleeves in her peripheral vision. "It's great for getting pretty girls like you on all fours, huh?"

Cass wanted to scowl, but she was indeed bent over and at his mercy.

"You remember the stoplight system they had on the posters?" He started rubbing soft circles from her shoulders to her back. When she nodded, Roman said, "Tell me about it."

"Red it stop, yellow is slow or change or, green is go."

He hummed, hand slipping to massage her ass and Cass jumped slightly though she'd known where he was going. "You ever been spanked before?"

"No," she said into the leather against her cheek. His swat was more surprising than painful, but she flinched anyway.

"What did you say?"

She suppressed a small giggle. "No, sir."

"That's better." He spread his hands to palm her cheeks, fingertips digging slightly into the fleshy mounds. "We're gonna see how you like it now. Ready?"

Her heart was in her throat and she didn't know if it was possible to be ready for such a thing, but she dutifully said, "Yes, sir."

Roman hummed behind her, touches turning gentle before disappearing. She didn't have time to expect the first blow; it landed soundly and she instinctively tried to sit up only to find she couldn't with the bindings at her wrists. He pressed her flat with a hand between her shoulders and slapped twice more, startled little sounds forced from her throat.

"Keep still." The order was punctuated by more slaps. They didn't hurt horribly, but there was a zinging sting to them and heat was gathering where they went. That's better." Both hands beat a steady rhythm into her and she flinched and jolted, hands digging into the wooden bench and toes curling in her heels.

"Ah!" A particularly hard slap at the joinder of thigh and ass tightened her body.

"You okay there, sweetheart?" Roman's voice was cool, observing.

"Uhuh. Yes, sir."

"Good."

They came harder after that, until she was shaking her head back and forth, though she didn't necessarily want to end it. She was sweating, too hot on the inside though her skin felt clammy. Little noises like the ones she'd made when Roman went down on her were escaping her lips and she felt like she was transforming, turning into a pile of raw nerves.

A series of heavy blows landed that had her jolting in her skin until she sobbed dryly, then his hands were rubbing soothingly at her burning skin.

Roman leaned over her. "Good girl. You did so well, sweetheart." She hummed, slowly catching onto the fact that he was done. It could have been five minutes or an hour, she had no idea, but she was settling back into herself with a dizzying buzz at the back of her mind. He unclipped her wrists and assisted her in sitting up, slipped his blazer over her shoulders, half carrying her to his previous seat.

This time she was on his lap, her tender buttocks hanging off slightly. It was nice, curling up against him.

A strange young woman appeared with a can of soda. "Looked like you might be thirsty," she said to Cass.

Roman took it and popped the tab. "Thanks." He slipped it into her hands. "Sip on this. Sugar helps after."

Cass obediently took a sip. "Have you done this a lot?"

"More than you have," he evaded, stroking the back of her head. "How are you feeling?"

"Good. Floaty."

Roman chuckled, the sound vibrating through her pleasantly. With the blazer, his body, the cool, sugary drink, and the stream of hormones flooding her system, she was happy and calm and seemed to exist outside of herself.

They watched as someone was whipped and she commented that that was not something she'd ever be brave enough to try.

"Luckily I don't know how to use a whip anyway," Roman replied.

She hummed sleepily and rubbed the arm around her waist.

She felt like she might have drifted off as well. Roman was talking to the couple near them, lying out of his teeth when he said he was nineteen and she was barely eighteen, but she listened keenly despite the distance from herself, taking in that he'd apparently been here one other time, but was mostly new.

"This one was pure as the driven snow fore I got a hold of her." He rubbed her thigh affectionately. "Lucky for me; I've got a bit of a corruption kink."

Cass giggled. "You sure do, daddy."

Something twitched under her ass and she bit back a gasp.

"Give you one spanking and you're suddenly starting to become a brat." He shook his head. "You sleepy, baby?"

"A little," she admitted.

"Let's get you home then." He set her on her feet, assisting her into the skirt and heels (when had those come off).

Before he dropped her off that night, Cass initiated a a shy kiss. Roman tangled his fingers at the back of her hair and took over hungrily so that she was bright red when they parted.

"I had fun. Thank you."

They did surprisingly well on their end of semester project presentation; Roman was brilliant behind his playboy facade. It almost made her jealous how absolutely easy everything was for him. Meanwhile Cass worked her ass off for every good grade, every merit, every award.

She was quite aware of her own mediocrity. Pretty, but not gorgeous. Smart, but not gifted. Great memory, but not eidetic. Hell, she was even short, but not short enough to be thought of when height came up.

What set her apart was her absolute determination to do her best. And now Roman Godfrey's attention.

People had noticed, of course; how could they not when he would flick her ear in passing or give her some little order. One day he'd told her she needed to pull her hair back because it had grown out enough to cover her face too much. Another he had her remove her sweater and pass the rest of the day in a barely-acceptable tank top. He drove her half the time, and arriving in his mint Jaguar was hardly inconspicuous.

"You're still coming over on Friday," he told her during that last class before break, poking her shoulder before she left class.

"We don't have to work on the project; we're doing well."

He grinned, a slow, Cheshire thing. "Yeah, well, this is bonus time to work on dragging you into the dark side. So you're still coming over. Besides, we'll need to shop at some point."

"Again?" Her brows flew up her forehead to his great amusement.

"Calm your tits. It'll be shorter this time. You just need a dress. Maybe shoes. Olivia's throwing this New Year's Eve party and you're gonna come and let me make you uncomfortable."

"Won't one of the dresses I already have work?" She was not looking forward to another trip.

His eyes narrowed. "Be glad I'm not showing up with a magazine and tailor."

"Now that is excessive."

"That's how Olivia does it." He patted the top of her head.

"You could just order something?"

"Stop arguing. Just accept your defeat gracefully and get your ass to the Jag."

Knowing the end when she saw it, she nodded and sighed, following along.