"N-no… n-n-no… N-NO!... P-P-PLEASE… N-N-NO!"
"You're safe, my love. I'm right here. You're safe, little one. No one is going to hurt you. Open your eyes, baby girl." Olivia rolled over in bed to gather her frightened submissive into her arms. A quick glance at the clock confirmed that it was a little after two thirty in the morning.
Alex's baby blue eyes snapped open and gazed fearfully around the room until they landed on Olivia and Alex began to sob as Olivia rocked her and gently brushed her hair out of her face.
"You just had a nightmare, princess, it wasn't real. I promise you're safe right here in my arms. Just breathe. That's my good girl." Olivia soothed lovingly.
"P-P-Please… n-n-not… th-th-the… kn-kn-knife!" Alex sobbed fearfully.
"No one is going to hurt you, angel. The only knives we have are in the kitchen and we only use them to cut food, not feet." Olivia assured her kindly, knowing exactly what Alex had been dreaming about.
"I-I-I'll… b-b-be… a… g-g-good… s-s-slut! P-P-Please… n-n-not… th-th-the… kn-kn-knife!" Alex sobbed, still trapped in her nightmare.
"Look at my hands, little one. Just look at my hands. There's no knife, I promise." Olivia held up her hands for Alex to see.
Alex stared at Olivia's hands in front of her for a long while until she finally was able to calm herself enough to stop screaming and became aware of Olivia's gentle voice in her ear reassuring her that she was safe and loved.
"C-C-Cig-Cigarettes?" Alex sobbed fearfully.
"No, baby, there are no cigarettes, because we don't smoke. No cigarettes, no whip, and no knives, I promise. And you, my good girl, are definitely not a slut."
"T-T-Time… o-out?" Alex blushed lightly.
"No, sweetie, you don't need a time-out or a soaping. You had a nightmare and weren't fully aware of what you were saying, so I'll let it slide this one time. But I don't ever want to hear you refer to yourself as a slut again, do you understand?" Olivia gently wiped Alex's tears away with her thumb.
"Y-Yes… M-M-Ma'am. I-I'm… s-s-sorry."
"That's my good girl. You are all forgiven, my love." Olivia kissed Alex's forehead.
Olivia spent some time gently rubbing Alex's bottom to soothe her and the submissive blonde went back to sleep fairly easily. Olivia laid awake for another thirty minutes watching over Alex until she too went back to sleep.
The next day, Olivia dressed Alex in jeans and a comfortable top and loaded Alex into the car. She let Alex fiddle with the radio while they drove to their destination and Alex held tightly to Olivia's hand as they walked through the parking lot and into the grocery store, feeling the butt plug inside of her body as she walked. Alex whimpered fearfully and pulled back a little, suddenly frightened by the crowd of people. Olivia gently stroked the side of Alex's face to soothe her.
"You're safe here with me, little one, we're just here to get groceries. Do you remember what we talked about? What are the rules for today?"
"S-S-Stay… b-by… y-you… k-k-keep… o-o-one… h-ha-hand… o-on… th-the… c-c-ca-cart… a-and… o-only… g-get… wh-wh-what's… o-on… th-th-the… l-l-l-list."
"That's my good girl." Olivia kissed Alex's forehead.
Alex walked on Olivia's right side and held onto the cart with her left hand as they walked through the grocery store together and Alex obediently retrieved each item her Mistress told her to get, trying to prove that she was helpful and useful. The butt plug inside her body kept her slightly stimulated, making her have to concentrate harder on her task.
"Oh, no, baby, I asked for the red jar, not the blue one." Olivia corrected kindly when Alex returned to her side with the wrong item.
Olivia glanced around to ensure that they were alone, then she carefully bent Alex over the cart and gave her one healthy spank to the seat of her jeans. Alex winced, but she did not cry out, and the light sting was already gone as she hurried back down the aisle to retrieve the correct item. When their shopping was complete, they made their way up to the check-out counter and waited in line for their turn to pay. A rather large man came up behind them to wait in line and Alex whimpered in fear, once again clinging tightly to Olivia's hand. Olivia gave Alex a tender kiss to her temple.
"You're safe, my love, I promise."
When they arrived home, they put away the groceries and then Olivia took Alex to the bedroom where she gently pulled Alex's jeans and panties down to her knees and guided Alex to bend across the bed.
"Just breathe, baby angel. Such a good girl." Olivia soothed as she gently removed the butt plug from Alex's body.
Alex sagged on the bed in relief as the plug was removed from her body and Olivia used a tissue to gently wipe the lube off of Alex's delicate skin. Alex had held the plug inside her for a little over an hour and Olivia was very proud of her sweet little submissive. Olivia guided Alex up from the bed and gently pulled her panties and jeans back into place. Then Olivia took Alex out to the couch, sat down, and cuddled Alex on her lap. Alex wriggled into a very comfortable position and happily snuggled down into her beloved Mistress's arms while Olivia rocked her and rubbed her bottom.
"M-Ma'am?" Alex's voice penetrated the peaceful silence.
"Yes, little one?" Olivia smiled.
"I-I… l-l-liked… th-that… t-t-tr-training." Alex admitted with a light blush.
"I'm so glad you liked it, sweetheart. You did so well, I'm very proud of you." Olivia praised.
A few days later, Olivia walked into the kitchen and found Alex pouting at the table with a pen and a few blank pieces of paper in front of her.
"Alex, glaring at the paper won't make it go away, sweetheart." Olivia had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling.
"I-I… d-d-don't… w-w-want… t-to!" Alex complained.
"You never want to, that's why it's a punishment. Do you remember what you're supposed to write?"
"'I-I-I… w-w-will… a-al-always… s-s-speak… r-r-re-respect-respectfully… t-to… m-my… M-M-Mistress.'"
"Good girl. You'll write that fifty times, then you can be done. If you want to argue with me about it, I can wash your mouth out with soap first and then you can write it one hundred times."
Alex huffed an annoyed sigh and picked up the pen. The last three lines were less than perfect, but still acceptable considering the fact that Alex's hand was getting sore. When Olivia released Alex from her captivity at the table, Alex got up and walked over to curl up fetal on the couch. Olivia became concerned when she heard Alex quietly crying and she walked over and sat down on the couch next to Alex's body.
"Hey, baby, why the tears?" Olivia asked with loving concern, gently rubbing Alex's back.
Alex crawled into Olivia's lap, wanting to be cuddled, and held on to her Mistress for dear life as she continued to cry on Olivia's shoulder. Olivia reached underneath Alex's t-shirt and gently rubbed her back.
"There, there. It was just lines, baby, not the end of the world. You did so well, I'm very proud of you." Olivia soothed, growing more concerned as Alex began to sob in her arms.
"M-M-Ma'am… d-d-don't… g-g-get… r-rid… o-of… m-m-me!" Alex begged.
"Look at me, baby girl. Now." Olivia spoke a little more sternly.
Alex responded to Olivia's tone and her head snapped up.
"There you are, my beauty. Now I need you to listen to me very carefully, my angel. Can you tell me why I made you write lines? What rule did you break?"
"I… g-g-got… m-m-mouthy… w-with… y-you."
"That's right, you were frustrated and spoke to me very disrespectfully, and you had to write lines as a consequence. You are allowed to be frustrated with me, but you are not allowed to be rude. When you need to be disciplined, what kinds of consequences can you earn in this house?"
"L-Lines… s-s-spanking… m-mou-mouthsoaping… re-re-restriction… o-or… t-time-o-out… i-in… th-the… c-c-corner." Alex pouted, having experienced all of these consequences in the past and not liking any of them.
"That's right. Those are the consequences for naughty behavior, and I will always make sure you have consequences for naughty behavior because I love you very, very much. You aren't bad, you are a good girl who sometimes makes naughty choices, and when that happens I have to correct your behavior. The one thing I will never do is get rid of you. No matter how you behave, you belong to me and this is your home. You could earn a consequence every single day and I would still never get rid of you because you're my girl and I love you more than anything."
"I-I-I'm… s-s-scared… M-M-Ma'am." Alex whimpered.
"That's okay. It's okay to be scared. Can you tell me what you're scared of?"
"Th-the… t-t-trial."
"I know you're scared about the trial, baby. I wish I could fix everything so you didn't have to go through it, but I will be right here with you every single step of the way."
"Y-Y-You… kn-kn-know… wh-what… I… d-did… t-to… th-that… b-b-boy. H-ho-how… c-come… y-you… d-d-don't… h-h-hate… m-me?" Alex looked up and seemed genuinely confused.
Olivia sighed, realizing that Alex hadn't really taken in a word she'd just said.
"Down on your knees, little one." Olivia gently patted Alex's bottom.
Alex obediently slid to her knees at Olivia's feet. Olivia took both of Alex's wrists in a dominant grip that made Alex feel safe.
"Look in my eyes. Good girl. Now, this time I want you to listen to me and hear what I'm saying to you. No matter how you behave, I will never get rid of you, and I will never hate you. Repeat what I just said."
"Y-You… w-w-will… n-ne-never… g-get… r-r-rid… o-of… m-me… o-or… h-h-hate… m-me… Ma'am."
"Good girl. What happened to that boy wasn't your fault. You were a prisoner acting against your will. Repeat what I just said."
"W-Wh-What… h-h-happened… w-wasn't… m-my… f-f-fault… M-Ma'am."
"Good girl. Now repeat all of it."
"Y-You… w-will… n-n-never… g-get… r-rid… o-of… m-m-me… o-or… h-hate… m-me… a-and… wh-wh-what… h-h-ha-happened… w-w-wasn't… m-my… f-fault… M-Ma'am."
"One more time."
"Y-You… w-will… n-never… g-get… r-rid… o-of… m-me… or… h-h-hate… m-me… a-and… wh-what… h-happened… w-wasn't… m-my… f-fault… M-M-Ma'am."
"That's my good girl. Come here." Olivia welcomed Alex back onto her lap to cuddle her and Alex happily snuggled down into Olivia's arms.
A few days later, Olivia received the phone call they had been waiting for.
"The trial is set to start Tuesday at nine o' clock in the morning." Barba said.
"We'll see you at eight thirty on Tuesday, then." Olivia sighed.
"Hey, try not to worry too much. She's ready, we've got this."
"I know, but I'm going to worry anyway. She's my responsibility."
On Monday night, Olivia gave Alex a warm, soothing bath, dressed her in her pajama pants and top, and sent her out of the bathroom with an affectionate spank to her bottom. Alex knelt down on her mattress on the floor by the bed to wait while Olivia took her own shower and got dressed for bed. Olivia then sat down on the bed and Alex knelt at her feet, smoothing lotion on her legs as usual. With all of that accomplished, Olivia scooted back on the bed with her back against the headboard. Alex climbed up on the bed and obediently draped herself across Olivia's lap, settling in comfortably as Olivia gently pulled down her pajama pants to her knees, revealing Alex's bare bottom, her skin soft and slightly damp from the bath.
"Do you understand why you're getting a spanking tonight, baby love?" Olivia inquired as she gently rubbed Alex's bare bottom.
"T-To… re-re-relieve… m-my… a-anxiety… a-about… th-the… t-trial… t-to-tomorrow… M-Ma'am." Alex replied.
"That's my good girl. Lay your head down now."
Alex laid her head down on the bed. Olivia raised up her strong right hand and brought it down sharply, making Alex wince. For several long minutes, the only sound in the room was the echo of bare hand to bare bottom until finally the first whimper escaped Alex's lips.
"Just relax, sweetheart. You're going to have a nice sleep tonight with a red bottom and everything is going to be okay. We will get up tomorrow morning and face the day together. That's my good girl." Olivia soothed, feeling Alex melt over her lap.
Alex took in a big, deep breath and let it out as her bottom began to sting terribly.
"Tell me how you're feeling, little one."
"I-I'm… s-scared… M-Ma'am. I… d-don't… w-want… t-to… b-be… t-taken… a-away… f-from… y-you… a-again. O-ow!" Alex whimpered.
"Tomorrow isn't a placement trial, sweetheart. We will go to the courthouse together and come home together."
"U-Unless… th-they… f-find… m-me… g-guilty. Ow!"
"Nothing that happened at the warehouse was your fault, little one. Repeat it."
"O-Ouch! N-Nothing… th-that… h-ha-happened… a-at… th-the… w-w-warehouse… w-was… m-my… f-fault."
"Again."
"N-Nothing… th-that… h-happened… a-at… th-the… w-warehouse… w-was… m-my… f-fault."
"One more time."
"N-Nothing… th-that… h-ha-happened… a-at… th-the… w-wa-warehouse… w-was… m-my… f-fault."
"Good girl. You let Barba worry about what is going to happen tomorrow. The only thing you need to focus on is being my sweet girl. Now let's get you settled down for bed, my angel." Olivia reached over and picked up the hairbrush from the bedside table.
Alex wasn't sure when Olivia stopped spanking her. Eventually, she became aware of Olivia's gentle hand underneath her pajama top rubbing her heaving back and she could no longer hear the sound of the hairbrush striking her bare flesh. Olivia gently scooped her crying submissive into her arms to cuddle and comfort her. Olivia cuddled and comforted Alex for a long time until Alex finally stopped crying.
"Time for bed, my love."