The night after my escapade as Mrs Claus, I had a follow-up game planned. It can be hard to keep the excitement going in an eternal marriage, so I didn't want to waste a brilliant opportunity.

I waited until Nessie was fast asleep and Edward and I were alone in our room.

Lying on our bed, I asked him casually, "where did you get to last night?"

Edward looked confused, "what do you mean? I was with you. It was last night when you left that note on my piano and . . ."

I interrupted him, "I didn't leave you any note last night."

He grinned, obviously assuming that I wanted to enjoy the memory of last night by having him tell me the story. Sometimes we did talk about the games we had played and enjoy them for a second time.

"My mistake," he said. "Last night I found a mysterious note asking - well, more ordering really - me to attend the grotto."

I nodded. Edward climbed onto the bed with me and lay down on his side.

"Naturally," he went on, "I obeyed instantly and trotted off to Santa's grotto. Once I got there I found Mrs Claus, who was really very stern." He kissed my neck and began to run his hand up and down my leg. He loved being my naughty little boy. "She told me that I was on the naughty list and scolded me for being such a bad boy. She made me promise to be a good boy for you, my love, and to make you very happy indeed." His hands were not so much wandering as marching rapidly to their destination.

I slipped out of his way and rolled on top of him, pinning his hands above his head. Edward looked up at me hungrily.

"Is that all?" I asked, "she just scolded you?"

Edward bit his lip, and looked delectable. "Well, no," he admitted, "she also put me over her knee and gave me a well-deserved spanking." He paused, before adding, "She did say that you should probably spank me more often, to stop me being so cheeky."

I laughed, did he want to play again already? I slid off him and sat on the edge of the bed.

Without any further invitation, Edward lay over my lap.

I gave him a few light swats.

"Did she indeed?" I asked, "do you think that I should spank you more often?"

"You should discipline me as you see fit," he answered meekly. Edward does meek so well!

"Hmm . . . maybe I should just spank you every day, first thing in the morning, to remind you to behave yourself," I suggested, absentmindedly swatting his backside as I spoke.

Edward arched himself up in the perfect position for spanking. He was enjoying himself.

"Is that all that happened, yesterday?" I went on, "you visited Mrs Claus, she scolded you and warmed your backside up. Was that it?"

Suddenly, Edward tensed. We both knew that a spanking was most definitely not all that he'd got from 'Mrs Claus' last night. Obviously, I knew precisely what had happened. But, if we were still talking about Mrs Claus in the third person, that meant . . .

I dealt a handful of slightly harder swats, just enough to make his ass sting. Edward gasped at the smacks and the twist this scene had taken.

"Please!" he said. "I'm beginning to think I made a big mistake, and starting to feel genuinely scared."

I gave him one last hard smack, then said "go on."

"Er. . . last night . . . I showed Mrs Claus how I planned on pleasing you, Bella, love."

I chuckled and cracked my hand down on his very eager bottom a few more times. Edward was stretching up to meet my hand, urging me to be a bit harsher.

"Did you run the hoover round, put on a load of washing, demonstrate your helpfulness around the house?" I asked, cruelly, "or was it something else?"

He whimpered then. He usually enjoyed the teasing and trying to wheedle out if these play punishments, but he didn't want to have been unfaithful, not even in role play.

So I helped him along, "Edward, did you spend last night fucking Mrs Claus?"

I had to give him a handful of encouraging swats before he answered.

Eventually he stammered out, "well, yes, but at the time . . . um . . . I thought that she was you."

"That," I said, bringing my hand down fast, "is a terrible excuse."

Edward gave a little moan, he wasn't sure what to say any more. He was still enjoying his spanking, but it was starting to feel a bit too deserved. He was on the brink of worrying that I was genuinely mad at him. What if yesterday had been some kind of a faithfulness test, and he'd failed?

"Alright," I said, giving him a good hard smack, "you know that you belong to me, right?"

"Oh! Yes, Bella, entirely to you, I swear it!"

"Did you make Mrs Claus happy last night, dear?"

He grimaced, I gave him a bit more stinging encouragement and he gasped, "yes, Bella, I . . ."

I cut him off quick, before he got so caught up in this role that he actually apologised for pleasuring me. I gave him a swat hard enough to stop him speaking.

Edward whimpered, he was torn between enjoying the memory and fearing the idea of having cheated. I smacked him just a couple more times. Then I said, severely, "well, there's only one thing for it." I pushed him off my lap.

Edward fell to the floor, and caught himself on his hands and knees. In his grovel-ready position, he looked up at me nervously and said "what's that?"

"You'll just have to make me a lot happier than you made Mrs Claus, won't you?"

Edward smiled in relief and excitement, "yes, my love," he said, "that I can do."

He did make me very happy indeed, many, many times. Making love to a flustered vampire, desperate to prove his love for you, is a pretty wonderful Christmas present.

Finally, we were lying in a tangle of arms and legs, satisfied and snuggly.

"Was that alright?" I asked.

Edward laughed, "alright?" He said, "Bella, my love, that was amazing!"

"You were a bit upset about the cheating accusation," I reminded him.

"Mmm," he sighed appreciatively, "that was terrifying. But, a very nice kind of terrifying." Then he heard himself and scowled a bit. "I don't mean that I like the idea, at all. I really, really hate it and would never be unfaithful to you, at all, ever! But, the thrill of getting caught . . . er . . . I liked that a lot."

"You like me setting you up?" I asked him.

Embarrassed, Edward gave up and his his face against my back, "too strange?" he mumbled into my skin.

I laughed, "nope, I just wanted to check before I do it again."

"Mmmm," Edward sighed again, "I love you."