BPOV
5 minutes after Edward left, Esme was sitting next to me with her arms around me and the bowl of broth forgotten on the table.
"How are you, baby girl?"
"I'm ok mom. No more pain, just a little discomfort. Dad patched me up pretty well."
"Good, good. You take your medicines regularly, pain killers included. OK?"
"Yes Mom. I'm sure your son will not let me forget any of my medicines, especially the pain killers. He is good at both giving and relieving pain"` I joked.
"About that, Bella, I'm so sorry…"
"There is nothing to be sorry about Mom. He apologized to me – both as my husband and my dom." I smiled.
"He did. Both as husband and as dom?"
"Yes mom. He was so sweet, he actually got down on his knees in front of me while I was wearing his collar. He said he wants to give me something that no other dom has ever given their sub."
"Oh my God. I never thought Edward could be so sweet and thoughtful. So dear, did you forgive him?"
"Of course I did. What else could I have done?"
"You could have let him sweat for some time"
"Really mom, how could you? It is your son we are talking about." I teased her.
Esme sighed "I know dear. He is my son, but he has definitely done something very wrong. He shouldn't be forgiven that easily. He should be made to work for your forgiveness"
"I get what you are saying mom. I have forgiven him so easily only because I know he will not forgive himself easily. He will make himself go through hell before he can even think about forgiving himself. He is always so hard on himself, there is no point in me adding to that really. I shudder to even think about what he will let Dad do to him or rather ask Dad to do to him for this."
"Right. That's something I need to talk to you about sweet girl. Bella, let him do that. Let him bear the punishment he deserves. Don't ask Carlisle or Edward to not do that."
"But Mom…"
"I know sweetheart, it is extremely difficult for us to see our men in pain. Believe me, I know that more than you can imagine."
"What do you mean mom? You have seen Dad in pain?" I asked astonished. In my eyes Carlisle can never do anything wrong,
"Yes sweetheart. Not for his fault, but for mine. Do you know what is the worst punishment your Dad has given me?"
"What?"
"When I do something really bad, my punishment is to cane Carlisle double the number of strokes that I would take"
"Oh my God, that's so….I don't have words Mom. That would be beyond painful"
"And if I try to give him lighter strokes, he calls me out and I have to repeat them" mom shudders, "Those are the worst punishments really and I would do anything to be able to avoid them. Coming back to the point – so I do know how it feels to see your husband in pain. But you will have to endure it Bella. Not for yourself, but for Edward"
"I don't understand mom"
"You said yourself that Edward will not forgive himself easily. He is feeling extremely guilty right now. He is angry with himself. He will not forgive himself till he feels he has received enough punishment. And Bella you as a submissive would know very well what happens when one is filled with guilt. Our masters punish us so that we are free of the guilt. Even though, just like us, it is difficult for them to see us in pain. Isn't it sweetheart?"
"Yes mom."
"So if Edward can bear your pain because you need to be punished, it's only fair that you bear the same pain for him. Plus that's the only way he will forgive himself. The question is do you want him to continue beating himself or do you want him to take his punishment like a man once and get it over with? Think about it and tell me. I will make sure your Dad and Edward both abide by what you decide"
I didn't need any thinking for this one.
"I understand now what you are saying mom. I promise I will not stop Dad or Edward now. I will let him take it and then be there for him. Love him and take care of him like he does for me." I stated with conviction.
"That's my girl. Thank you sweetheart. Time for some broth now. You need all your strength for what is ahead of both of you." She handed over the broth of me.
"One more thing sweetie, before I leave you to eat in peace. I want you to know that what you did at the club was absolutely right. Don't you ever doubt that. Yes, it would have been best if you had safe worded before, you know, but no one can blame you for forgetting about that. It is both your right and your duty to support and protect your husband when he needs that, no one can take that away from you. We have always told you that Edward is your husband first and your dom second. So if you need to choose between being his submissive or his wife, you choose being his wife. And that's what you did today. I'm proud of you for that dear. proud of you for standing up to that bitch"
"Mom…" I was outraged. Esme was the most proper lady I know. She must be really mad at Tanya to have used the "B" word for her. That reminded me of something.
"Mom, do you know how Tanya got inside the club? I think she was banned from entering." I asked
"Yes dear, she was indeed banned from entering the club after her episode with Edward. However, that ban was only for 5 years and expired last month. She can never become a member of the club, but she could now enter the club as someone's guest with prior approval from the management. When Carlisle reached the club today, he looked at the guest log and saw her name there. He confronted Garrett right away - Garrett told him that Tanya will come with Kate and Kate will make sure she does not cause any problems. Garrett didn't know that you and Edward were due to visit today, otherwise he would have told Tanya to come some other day. By the time he called up Kate, they were already at the club. Carlisle was coming to get you both out but Tanya was faster I guess."
Kate was Garrett's wife and Tanya's sister. I'm sure she would want her sister to be able to visit her husband's club. But I don't think we can risk having Tanya bother Edward again in the near future.
"What happens now mom? Will she be able to come and go as she pleases there now?"
"Not if your dad and I have anything to say in it. Actually after you and Edward left, Kate herself marched out Tanya from Desire and told her she is not welcome there anymore. Apparently Kate had agreed to take Tanya with her only after Tanya promised that she will leave Edward alone and not try to talk to him at all. Tanya obviously did not care much about the promise she made to her sister, so Kate is in no obligation to keep her side of the bargain."
"Oh that's great. We both like going to Desire and spending time there with like minded friends without worry of ridicule or censorship. I am sure Edward would not have liked hiding from Tanya by not visiting as much as we would have like."
"I am sure that you will not need to worry about Tanya for quite some time now. Garrett and Carlisle both gave her a tongue lashing today and told her that she is being put on a lifetime entry ban in Desire. And that if she tried to contact Edward again, they will use their considerable influence in the community to get her boycotted from almost all major BDSM establishments. You just concentrate on getting better love and support Edward. I promise you that your father and I will not fail again in protecting you both."
"Oh Mom, please don't blame yourself or Dad for all this. You both have always been there for us. Dad actually took care of everything back at the club today and got Edward out before any real damage could happen."
"But the damage did happen dear – what makes it worse is that it happened not in an hostile club but at your own home and…"
"Stop mom…" I interrupted her, "I know where you going. Please, there is no need. I want you to know that whatever happened in our playroom today was consensual. Please don't think even for a second that Edward forced me into something I did not want to do. Even before he started, he asked me for my safe word. Then twice during the punishment he asked me the safe word - I said green all 3 times. Please don't compare him with Tanya, he is nothing like her. I know he will never disregard a safe word. I know that if I had said red or yellow anytime during the punishment, he would have stopped immediately. Even when I said green, he found out a way to lessen my pain and still complete the designated number. You know the last time I said green we still had 10 strikes left. He decided to use his hand instead of the strap. And I swear none of the 10 were more than soft taps on my ass. He loves me mom, he loves me very much. I agree it was a lot of pain, but I still believe he will never really hurt me."
"I know sweet girl, I know. That's why I want to ask you – why didn't you safe word?"
"Because there was no need to. I agreed to the punishment because I did break the rules we have when we are dom and sub. Whatever be the reason, rules were broken by the sub and the dom has all the rights to punish her for that. I did not stop him because I believe that I deserved it. We have mutually agreed on the rules and the punishment that will be meted out if they are broken. I broke a rule, I bear the consequences – it's that simple mom. Moreover, I knew he would take care of me and he did."
"I see your point of view Bella. I'm actually astonished to see the extent of your submission and trust in my son. I don't know many subs who have achieved such heights and maturity in their submission to their masters as you have sweetheart. It's good that you trust him so completely, but Bella even the doms need correction at times. Always remember that he is after all a man and will make mistakes and errors in judgment. As a good sub, your duty is to let him know when he does that. In this case, I believe you really don't think he did anything wrong. So you did not feel the need to stop him. I would really like you to discuss this whole episode with Edward whenever you both are comfortable doing it. I know Carlisle has talked to Edward and he now knows what he did wrong today. You my dear also made one mistake today – only one. I will not tell you what it was. I want you to discuss it with Edward and I'm sure you will realize yourself what your true mistake today was." Mom patted my hand.
"Now be a good girl and complete your broth. I need to leave shortly, I will go get Edward for ya."
"No need Mom, I'm here" Edward said from the doorway.
"Hey, were you snooping on us?" I asked him jokingly.
"Of course not love. Though I will admit I did listen the last part where mom said we need to talk. And I do agree with her baby." He replied.
"I know love. Let's do that after I finish this up" I pointed at the bowl. "What about you, do you want me to whip up something for you, a sandwich maybe?" I was starting to get up when he stopped me
"No need sweetheart, I made a sandwich while you both were talking. Moreover, I don't want you to do anything at all till you recover completely. Let me take care of you, it's the least I can do."
"Edward..' I admonished.
"Ok kids, you can have a go at who does what after I leave" mom interjected, "bye sweethearts. Take care both of you. And call if you need anything"
"Bye mom, thank you for coming over and for this" I pointed to the bowl.
"You're always welcome sweetheart, Edward would you walk me out please?"
"Of course mom. I'll be back in a moment dear"
EPOV
I was just about to enter the living room when I heard Bella defending me to mom. I wanted to step in and tell her that I didn't deserve it, when I heard mom asking the one question that I wanted to ask Bella myself – why didn't she safe word. After listening to Bella's reasons, I was overwhelmed with the trust she still had in me. I understood what Mom was trying to say – Bella needs to know that I messed up and in future correct me. I had originally thought to talk to her about it later, but I guess it would need to be done sooner than later.
While I was walking Mom out, she asked me – "Edward how much did you listen to?"
"Enough mom" I replied.
"Good" she replied and patted my hand, "go explain it to her then"
She was almost at her car when she turned and said the words that would be as close to forgiveness as possible – "And Edward, I am not ashamed to call you my son. I'm proud of you because I know you will face this like a man, admit to your mistakes and make it all better for that sweet girl inside and yourself"
"Thank you mom" I almost chocked on that.
When I reached back inside, Bella had finished the broth and was laying on the sofa with her eyes closed.
"Tried?" I asked sitting next to her.
"Oh no, not at all" she replied opening her eyes, "the nap kind of refreshed me. What about you? It's pretty late. Do you want to go to bed now? We can do this tomorrow."
"Bella, I'm fine. Don't worry about me please. I would like to talk for some time if you are up to it."
"Ok" she replied.
"First – how are you? Any pain?"
"No Edward" she laughed, "I promise I will tell you the moment it gets uncomfortable and I need to take the medicine"
"Ok. You do know that Dad and I talked about what happened when we got back from the club?"
"I thought so. Was he very mad?"
My sweet girl, always thinking about me. "No baby, he was actually very calm. Told me he promised his daughter that he will behave till she gets better. But before I tell you all about that, do you have any questions you want to ask me"
"Actually I did have one earlier, not sure how relevant it is though…" Bella sounded hesitant.
"Sweetheart, you do know that you can ask me anything, right? Let's not worry about relevance." I said.
"Ok – here it goes. You gave me 10 strikes for insulting a dom in the club today. I'm not sure I understand which dom we are talking about."
I winced at the mention of the unnecessary punishment she went through. She looked distressed asking me about it. I understand now why she was hesitant to ask this. She will go at any length to ensure that I don't suffer.
"Who do you think I meant, love?" I took her hands into mine and tried to convey that I'm ok.
"I don't know, for a second I thought you meant Tanya. But then I don't think you would consider her a domme worth respecting."
"Oh, that's why the stink eye and the attitude" I tried to lighten up a little. I was rewarded with a shy smile. "You are right sweetheart, I would never expect you to respect Tanya. In my eyes, she is not a domme but a sadistic bitch who takes pleasure in hurting others" I replied with a good amount of venom in my voice, "I actually meant Dad, you did not leave when he asked you to. Though it does not really matter – he explained to me that he will always be Dad to you, never a dom. Just like mom will never be a sub to me. So I guess you did not commit that mistake and hence the 10 were not needed at all". I sighed, they were just part of the colossal mistake that I made today.
"Dad told me the same thing while he was taking care of me. Do you want to know why I did not listen to Dad and before that to you when you both wanted me to leave?"
I just nodded.
"For exactly the same reason you didn't leave the playroom today when Dad asked you to, even when he threatened to take you to the whipping bench then and there. You couldn't leave me when I needed you, right? Even if that would mean a great deal of pain for you."
I could only nod. She was dead right. I wouldn't have left if she had wanted me to stay, even if Dad would cane me or whatever.
"Exactly. You needed me in the club today and I just couldn't leave you alone with Tanya. When I stood there, I knew I would receive the worst punishment of my life for what I was doing. But for the first time in my life as a sub, I didn't care about breaking a rule, I would gladly take any punishment just so I could support you when you needed me the most. Mom always told me that if I have to ever choose between being your wife and your sub, I should always choose being your wife. So that's what I did – I chose to protect my husband over obeying my dom."
I could not control myself after listening that. A sob broke out and I buried my face in her hair, crying like a child. "And look what reward I gave you for that. I chose the dom over your husband and did not think twice before beating you black and blue. You should actually be calling the police and getting me arrested for assault. Or better hand me over to Dad and let me fend for myself. I don't deserve you sweetheart, I don't deserve your love. You should actually tell me to go to hell and not show you my face ever again."
"Edward please.. please don't cry. It's ok love, please stop. I can't see you hurting, I can't bear that, please" she pleaded with me again and again.
"I am an arrogant, egoistic idiot who was frustrated with his own weaknesses and took it all out on the one person he loves more than life itself. I know I don't deserve you, but I can't live without you Bella. I know I deserve to be thrown out of your life, but I'm still begging you to keep me. I don't know what to do sweetheart. I don't know how to get past this. I'm so confused, one minute I want to go away – the only punishment good enough for what I did to you is to not be able to see your face ever, to live a dead life without you at my side. And the next minute I want to ask Dad to beat me till I am unconscious with pain, do that again and again – but let me be with you." I continued.
"Please Edward stop" Bella begged me, "I know what you need love. I know what will make it all better. You are feeling extremely guilty and the only thing that can help alleviate your suffering is that you endure the punishment you deserve. Edward, look at me please."
I could feel a strength in her voice, she was determined to do whatever it took to see us through this. I looked up to her.
"Edward, this is what will happen - As soon as I get better, we will go to Mom and Dad. We will sit together and jointly agree on what should be your punishment."I wanted to interrupt her, but she continued, "and before you say that you don't want me to be there, I promise you that none of us will be lenient with you. You will get what you deserve and then some. But I will not leave you alone for even a second. I will get you through your punishment, just like you have done for me so many items in the past, Understand?"
"Yes sweetheart"
"And after you have received your punishment, you will not refer to this episode ever again. All will be forgiven and forgotten. Ok?"
"Ok sweetheart" I was feeling better even hearing that I will get the punishment that is due to me.
"It will take me a few days to get better. And I don't want to hear anything like 'I don't deserve you, I am an idiot etc. etc. ' till then. Know that you made a mistake and you will be adequately punished for it. End of the story. No guilt, no self hatred. Got it?"
"Yes Ma'm" I mock saluted her.
"Good. Now tell me what did Dad say."
BPOV
Edward took at deep breadth and started – "My first mistake today was not ending our playtime as soon as I joined you outside the club today. Dad made me see that even doms need some down time. That there is no shame in admitting that to your sub. I was foolish to think that you would think ill of me if I leaned on you for support"
"Edward, how could you think that? I can never think ill of you" I was appalled.
"I know sweetheart. I am so sorry. I know you are my equal, even above me, even when you are subbing for me. I just forgot at that time" he continued "My second mistake was not thinking long enough about the rules you have allegedly broken today. You see sweetheart, when you defied two direct orders from me, you were not my sub and I was not your master. You had already transitioned into my wife. And as my wife you are not required to follow my orders. Rather I am not allowed to give you any orders. Do you get what I am saying baby?" he asked me softly
"So you are saying that I did not break the rule of obeying my master because when I did that we were no longer master and sub, but husband and wife?"
'Yes sweetheart. You did not deserve the 40 strikes I gave you. We have already established that neither were the 10 strikes. They were unfair to you. Do you understand now why I am so angry at myself. I made a colossal mistake baby, I should have thought through the whole thing calmly first and then acted. The whole punishment was a farce – you never did the infractions that you were punished for. And that makes me want to break my hand."
"Edward, you will do no such thing. I have already forgiven you and you will get your punishment. We agreed that no more self lamentations" I reminded him.
"I know love, I'm sorry. But after knowing that you did not deserve what you had to endure don't you want to take back your forgiveness, don't you hate me for doing this to me?" he asked me in an anguished voice.
"No sweetheart" I replied, "because I forgave you knowing that maybe there is some reason that I did not deserve the punishment."
He looked at me with surprise, as if he could not believe what I was saying.
"It is really very simple – if I had deserved the punishment, my master would have never apologized to me. My husband would have – for causing so much pain to me – but never my master. However hard it would have been for him to see me in pain. He would do everything he could to make me comfortable, but would never apologize. When my master apologized to me I knew that is because he has done something wrong. And you know my master is the only one in the whole world who would apologize to his sub – I don't know of anyone else who would admit to his sub that he made a mistake. My master is really unique, only one of his kind - and that is why loving him is so easy." I kissed his forehead then.
"Oh Bella, sweet girl, your faith in me is astonishing. I will make sure I become worthy of the trust you have in me. "
"You are already love. But I understand you need to re-build your own faith in yourself. " we were both silent for some time, just enjoying each other's love. Then I remembered
"Edward, mom said that I did make one mistake today – only one. But she did not tell me what. She said I will realize it myself once I talk to you."
"Yes sweetheart, you did make one mistake. What do you think that was?"
I thought for some time. Edward said that when I disobeyed him I was not his sub, I was already his wife. I was I agree, but that was all in my mind. No one else around us knew that, not even Edward. O\I got it – "I did not safe word before going off on Tanya" I said out loud.
"Yes baby. That was your one and only mistake. Though given the circumstances, no one can really expect you to remember doing that. Hell if you were in any kind of danger, things like master, sub, safe words would not even enter my mind. They would be so inconsequential in comparison to your safety."
I nodded. "So I did deserve 10 strikes of the implement of your choice."
"That you did sweetheart. But in this case I would agree with Dad completely that my hand should have been the implement of my choice. And the spanks should have been of the kind that give you pleasure not pain." He said all serious and then chuckled.
"What so funny about a pleasure spanking?" I asked pouting.
"No, not the spanking. I was thinking I could have used one other way to punish you that Dad suggested." He said with spark in his eyes.
I immediately understood what he was hinting at - the reverse punishment. "No no… you are not going there Edward. I am going to add that in my hard limits right away."
"Add what in your hard limits sweetheart? You don't even know what I am talking about." He laughed again.
"Oh I know all right what you are hinting at. Mom told me about it today. I will never administer my punishment on you ever – it's a new hard limit. "
"Oh come on sweetheart, you have to agree that it would be the most effective punishment" I could see that he was joking, but I was very serious
'Edward, I am dead serious. I will never agree to take this kind of punishment. Moreover, Mom said that this type is reserved for the times when she does something really bad. Do you think what I did today was that bad that I deserve this type of punishment?" I gave him my best pout.
"No sweetheart, you deserve to be rewarded for what you did today" he was serious again. And then he proceeded to do just that, multiple times with his hands and tongue.
It's been a week since then. Edward took care of me the entire week, putting the ointment multiple times in the first few days, giving me painkillers regularly so that I don't feel any pain even for a second, not letting me exert myself at all, carrying me around the house, feeding me and generally pampering me to his heart's contend. I let him do everything he wanted to; because I knew he needed it for himself. He needed this assurance that he could still care for me, that he could still love me. I just basked in the love and care he showered on me.
And now it was Saturday again and we were sitting in Carlisle's study at their home. My backside was completely healed, just a few faint lines remained that I was sure would go away in time, especially with my husband applying the anti-scar cream 2 times a day religiously. At first he had not wanted me to use the cream and that was the only argument we had in the past week. Something about leaving the scars there so that they remind him of this episode every time he punished me in future. But I would not agree to that, not because of any false sense of vanity (after all he was going to be the only one who would ever see them), but because I knew he would berate himself every time he saw them. And I could not have that.
So here we were – Dad, Mom, Edward and I – assembled in Dad's study to decide Edward's punishment as promised. Dad was sitting on his chair on one side of the desk; mom was sitting on the opposite side, with the chair tilted so that both of them were facing Edward and I sitting on the couch. My head was resting on Edward's left shoulder, left arm across my waist holding me close to him. I was holding his other hand and squeezing it in support from time to time. Not that Edward needed any support; he was calm and composed, even a little lighthearted. I, on the other hand, was a nervous wreck. I had promised Edward that I will let him take whatever punishment was decided for him and I was not going to go back on my word. I was determined to see this thing through, but I didn't have to like it. Actually, I was literally falling to pieces inside thinking about what would Dad come up with and how would I see my love in pain. On the outside though, I had managed to hide the agitation and project a calm façade. But I knew my love could see right through me and that is why he had me to close to him, so that he could assure me, not vice versa.
Carlisle cleared his throat and started- "so we all know why we are here today, right". All of us nodded.
"Edward, you know what you did wrong last Saturday. Do you have any questions regarding what we discussed before we proceed further?"
"No Dad"
"From now onwards till the punishment is over, your Mom and I will be in the role of your mentor. Do you both understand and agree to that?" he asked us both.
"Yes Sir" both of us replied in unison.
"Both of you will be respectful to both of us the entire time. I will allow you to voice your opinions freely, but remember to be respectful. If you are not, the privilege of talking freely will be taken away from both of you. Agreed?"
"Yes Sir"
"Very well, let us begin then. We all know what happened last week, so I am not going to rehash it."
I was thankful to Dad for this, I didn't want to go through it again.
"Edward, tell us first what do you think you should be punished for? Be very specific because I am going to write down all your offences and then we are going to decide your punishment for each of them."
"Ok Sir," Edward started, "I think my first offence was not to put a stop on all play when we reached home. I was in no state to be a Dom and I should have realized this." Edward looked up at Dad for confirmation.
"Yes Edward, you should have. Continuing to play when the Dom is not in complete control of all his senses puts the sub in grave danger and you should never have done that. Ok, go on."
"Second offence I think was punishing Isabella while I was still angry. Even if I did not stop all play, I should have left her alone and allowed myself to cool down before facing her again. If I had done that I would have probably realized on my own that my sub actually did not commit any of the mistakes I ended up punishing her for", he uttered the last few words softly all the time looking in my eyes, silently pleading me for understanding and probably….forgiveness. I squeezed his hand lightly to let him know that I understand and have already forgiven him. All this was about him forgiving himself.
"And then my third offence was obviously going ahead with the punishment that she did not deserve." Edward hung his head in shame.
"Edward..sweetheart, please…no" I pleaded with him softly. I couldn't bear to see him like this.
"And Sir, my final offence on that day was adamantly continuing to administer the punishment when I knew in my heart that she was way past her tolerance limit of pain. And that is the offence I have to atone for the most Sir, I broke the one solemn vow I made to her when I collared her – that I would know her limits and would never push her beyond what she could take." Edward finished heatedly.
"But I could take it Edward, I did not safe word." I protested
"No sweetheart, don't try to protect me yet again," he looked up to me then with pained eyes, "we both know that day was the first time you screamed during a punishment. That is not taking it love, that is enduring the abuse because you had no other option. "
"But I did have an option, I could have safe worded and it all would have ended." I argued.
Edward shook his head, "no love, you did not have an option. You are a slave of your love for me. Your love is such that you would endure near about anything if you thought that will give me even a moment of peace and comfort. You knew I was feeling way out of control after the encounter with Tanya, you knew I was disgusted with myself by how easily she could pull me back to feeling like her sub, you knew I needed to take control of my life again and you knew for that I needed to feel like the cold hearted, stern Dom that I was before you. You cannot see me in turmoil and so you decided to sacrifice yourself just so I could get my self-respect back. Tell me that this did not happen Bella, look into my eyes and tell me if what I said is not true" he implored me.
Oh My God, Edward knew me too well… this is exactly what I thought when I was lying on that blasted bench, bracing myself for what was to come.
"Edward….I… I had no idea you knew this." I stammered. I was taken aback by his understanding. "But sweetheart, believe me that this was not the only reason I did not safe word. At that point, I truly believed that I deserved what I was getting."
"I know love, I know…but this was the more important reason, right?" he asked me and I knew I had to accept it. He was being completely honest with me and I could not lie to him.
"Yes" I agreed in a small voice.
EPOV
"And that is why sweetheart, the last offence is my biggest. My own inadequacies blinded me to your love and devotion. As I told you, that day you chose to be my wife, over my sub. And I chose to be your Dom, over your husband. And that is what I have to learn to never forget – that you are first and foremost my wife and I your husband – at all times. And even after choosing to be your Dom, I failed. I knew in my heart that what you were enduring was way way beyond your limit and should have stopped. The rules of this lifestyle be damned - if you did not say Red, I should have said it. Because damn it, we are not just any Dom-sub couple. You are my wife, my reason for living and it is up to us how we structure our BDSM time together. " I concluded.
That's when I heard a small sniffle and remembered that we were sitting in my Dad's study. Both Bella and I looked at my parents then, Mom had tears rolling down her face and Dad looked like he was trying very hard to not let the tears in his eyes fall down.
"Don't you agree Dad?" I inquired softly, knowing that the "Sir" business had to go out the window. The two people sitting in front of us were not our BDSM mentors; they were our parents, today and always.
"Yes Son, yes. I completely agree." Dad choked out.
That's when my mom rushed to us and pulled both of us in a hug. "Sweethearts, I cannot tell you how happy I am. You both have found such great love in each other." She gushed. "And that is what you need to preserve the most while living this lifestyle, so that you don't get caught up in all the rules and what is expected of a Dom or a sub."
"Ok, enough of this now Mom." I was a little embarrassed that my mom was gushing over me – a grown man – like this.
I looked at my Dad then.
"Yes, of course, " my Dad cleared his throat then and composed himself. "Edward, before we go ahead with deciding your punishment," I felt Bella getting stiff in my arms at the mention of my punishment, I want to say that I am so proud of both of you. Please know that Bella, Esme and I have already forgiven you, right ladies?" to which both of them nodded.
"But we understand that to move on, you need to forgive yourselves. So it is only fair that you are allowed to decide your punishment. So tell me what you think should be a fair punishment for all your effences?" Dad asked.
We had discussed this earlier and he knew my thoughts on this matter. He had not agreed with me in the beginning, but I was able to convince him finally.
"I think 50 strikes of the cane on my bare backside should be enough for the first 3 offences and for the fourth one, I would request you to continue using the cane on me till I safe word and then give me 5 more."
"NO..NO..No way" Bella was out of my arms and standing in front of Dad in a minute, "Dad, you cannot allow this, say no please…" she pleaded.
"Bella, sweetheart.. I am sorry, but I agree with Edward on this." Dad said quietly.
"No, no…I will never agree to this. More after the safe word? Dad…how can you say that? You said…you said we will all collectively decide his punishment, how can you let him decide and then agree to his idiotic request?"
"Bella, sweetheart just listen" my Mom interjected. So Dad had already talked to Mom about this. Good, I smiled.
"Sweetheart, you agree that you did endure beyond your limit?" Mom continued.
"Yes, but…" Bella said.
"No buts Bella" Dad interrupted her this time, "you endured beyond your limit so it is only fair that he endures beyond his. Plus, young lady don't think that your Mom and I are going to ignore 'your' not safe wording when you reached your limit. This punishment is as much yours as it is his. Next time you decide to endure beyond what you can bear, remember what he will have to go through. Because, I promise every time you neglect using your safe word, Edward will get the same punishment. I vow to you that even if he has to go through this 100 times, I will make sure that you never hesitate to use your safe word, for any reason what so ever. I don't care how much you love him, I will not let you put yourself in danger. Do you understand?" Dad asked.
"Yes Sir" she managed to say in between tears.
"Edward, you have 20 mins to prepare yourself. I will come to the playroom in exactly 20 mins and you better be on the whipping bench ready for your punishment when I get there." he directed towards me.
"Yes Sir" I replied. There was no doubt in my mind now that I was facing a Dom now, not my Dad.