Alex did her best to concentrate on anything other than the sounds that were coming from behind the bedroom door. She had never heard what it sounded like from the other side of the door, and it unnerved her slightly. Her heart went out to Michaela, knowing first hand just how much a spanking from their Mistress hurt. Since it was Michaela's first spanking, Alex knew that Olivia was only using her hand. Olivia was strong, and even a hand spanking was very painful, but Alex knew full well that Olivia loved them and would never harm them. However, Michaela didn't know this yet, and was carrying on as if she were being chased by an ax murderer.
Olivia was doing her best to ignore Michaela's sobs and screams, and concentrate on giving her naughty little submissive a sound spanking. Michaela's right hand was now trapped in the small of her back after she tried to reach back and cover her bottom to block the spanking. If Michaela was being honest with herself, the spanking was incredibly painful, but she had certainly endured worse beatings in her life. However, her emotions were all over the map and it was causing her reactions to the spanking to be heightened. The only thing she could focus on was that she was a complete disappointment. She so desperately wanted to please Olivia, and she had failed.
"Please no more!" Michaela pleaded through her sobs, finally giving in to the inevitable and going limp across Olivia's lap. The realization that she could plead for mercy and not be torn apart for it didn't even dawn on her.
When she felt Michaela go limp across her lap, Olivia delivered five final swats to Michaela's cherry red bottom and then ended Michaela's first spanking. She immediately scooped her sweet little submissive up into her arms and cuddled her close to her heart, rocking slowly and stroking her short red hair.
"That's my good girl. It's all over, baby. It's all over. No more spanking. You did so well, lovey. I'm so proud of you." Olivia cooed tenderly in Michaela's ear just as she always did for Alex, rocking slowly, kissing Michaela's forehead, and waiting for her sweet little submissive to come back to her, assuring Michaela that her punishment was over and that she was forgiven and loved.
Michaela clung to her Mistress for dear life and tried to make sense of what was happening. Was her punishment over already? Why had Olivia only hit her on her bottom and not the rest of her body? Why was she praising her for taking her spanking like a good girl? Years of abuse had taught Michaela not to cry out when a beating occurred. Today she had screamed and sobbed and tried to block Olivia's hand. Surely she was going to be punished further for that.
"Come in, princess." Olivia looked up when there was a soft tap at the bedroom door.
Alex walked into the room and placed a bottle of arnica on the bedside table.
"Ma'am, if she doesn't want to sleep by herself tonight, she can sleep in the bed with you and I can sleep on my mattress." Alex offered kindly.
Olivia shifted Michaela so that she was sitting on one knee, and she pulled Alex down to sit on the other, cuddling both of her beloved girls. Alex reached across and took Michaela's hand.
"Thank you for the offer, angel. We'll let her decide later. I'm so proud of both of my girls." Olivia smiled, kissing Alex's forehead while she rubbed Michaela's heaving back.
Michaela cried herself to sleep in her Mistress's arms. She hadn't even realized that Alex was there holding her hand. Olivia gently laid Michaela on the bed and quietly left the room to allow her sweet little submissive to rest.
When Michaela woke up, she felt the pain in her bottom and began to cry again. She was so confused and it scared her. Olivia heard her sweet little submissive crying and hurried to the bedroom.
"Oh, sweetheart," Olivia cooed and scooped Michaela into her arms, "it's okay, baby girl. I gotcha. You're safe."
"I don't understand!" Michaela sobbed on her Mistress's shoulder.
"What don't you understand, my love? Maybe I can explain it to you and help you understand it better." Olivia rocked Michaela slowly.
"I screwed up. Why didn't you scream at me and beat my back and breasts and face? Why didn't you punish me for crying and making such a fuss during my punishment? Why do you feed me when I haven't done anything to earn it? Why do you hold me when I am sad or when I get scared? Why do you call me a good girl? Why do you thank me when I do things for you? I don't understand why you're so nice to me. I am nothing." Michaela burst into fresh tears, afraid that Olivia would be angry with her for questioning her.
"Baby, take my hand and I want you to squeeze it when you feel calm enough to listen to me and truly hear what I am going to say to you. You can cry as much as you want, but I want you to squeeze my hand when you are ready to listen." Olivia ordered kindly, taking Michaela's shaking hand in her own.
Michaela just sobbed. She was afraid to squeeze Olivia's hand. She knew what Olivia was going to tell her. She was going to tell her that she was an ungrateful little bitch and throw her out in the street. Or she was going to tell her that she was going to be beaten and starved for questioning her. Submissives weren't allowed to question their Dominant's actions. They were supposed to shut up and do as they were told no matter what. It took several minutes, but Michaela finally worked up enough courage to give Olivia's hand a tiny squeeze, knowing that if she squeezed too hard she would be punished for it, and she never wanted another spanking ever again. Her bottom hurt. Michaela braced herself for whatever Olivia was going to say.
"That's my good girl," Olivia kissed Michaela's forehead, "I am proud of you for asking me those questions, angel, and I will do my best to answer all of them. Do you know the difference between a spanking and a beating, sweetheart?"
"No, Ma'am." Michaela responded honestly. In her mind, it was all the same.
"Well, a spanking is what I gave you today. It is a punishment given on your bottom with my hand, or sometimes an implement, when you break a rule to help teach you a lesson and remind you to behave like the good girl you are. Your bottom is a fleshy area where a sound spanking can be given safely and not cause you any lasting harm. I know your bottom hurts a lot right now, but you will be perfectly fine in a day or two, especially after I give you something called arnica cream before we go to bed tonight."
Michaela sniffled sadly. What was arnica cream and why was Olivia going to give it to her? She hadn't done anything to earn it. Submissives had to earn kindness, and if they didn't earn it, it was proof that they were worthless. Michaela had never managed to earn a Dominant's kindness.
"A beating is something very different, and it is illegal for a Dominant to beat their submissive. Your face, neck, and other bony areas aren't meant to be struck because they are very delicate and could break, and if someone hits you with an object or kicks you in an area such as your kidneys, it can cause kidney failure. I know you don't believe it right now, honey, but I am going to spend the rest of my life proving to you that submissives are just as worthy of respect, kindness, and love as everybody else. You don't have to earn my kindness, love, and respect. You had it the moment you stepped foot in this apartment. You don't have to earn the right to eat. You need food in order to live and be healthy, and I will never take something you need away from you. I may take away your ability to sit comfortably for a while, to help you learn a lesson, but I will never take away food, clothing, bathroom privileges, medical care, or any other necessity."
Michaela began to mull these words over in her mind, but Olivia wasn't done talking yet.
"Now, let's talk a little bit about your punishment today. The reason I told you that you were a good girl for your punishment is because you were. Spankings hurt a lot, and when something hurts you, it is a natural reaction to cry and want it to stop. I am not the least bit angry when one of my girls cries during a spanking or pleads with me to stop. You fought me a little bit, which is why I had to restrain your hand, but I did that to protect you, not because I was angry with you. Struggling and kicking while you're over my lap throws your body off balance and I didn't want you to hit your head on the floor or against the bed."
Michaela sat in shock. Her health and safety had never been a top priority to anyone. If Olivia loved her so much, maybe she could learn to love herself one day.