She relinquished her hold on the warm liquid and allowed it to seep over her lips and down her chin until it dripped to the deck below.

“Goddamn,” the second man, the one she guessed was the steward, said in a hoarse voice. “Fucking amazing.”

“Yeah, she is,” Cole said, his voice tight with pride. “And she’s mine.”

The captain turned as if to go, but Cole stopped him.

“Gentlemen, if you don’t mind. I have a punishment to mete out. I’d like you to stay and observe.”

Captain Mike nodded his head. “As you wish, sir.”

Cole looked in C.J.’s direction. The young steward looked like he’d swallowed his tongue and a little like he was in love. Ren had that effect on men. Who could possibly resist a beautiful, willing, submissive woman who made the art of submission look elegant and spiritual.

Ren’s calm acceptance of Cole’s demands awed the other two men. By the time he was through with her punishment, she’d make slaves of both the other men, which amused Cole since she was the submissive. But then, wasn’t he himself an absolute slave to her every want and need?

She had all the power in this relationship. She had the ability to break him or make him the happiest man in the world. He had control because she gave it and for no other reason. She reveled in it and she was so damn beautiful that his teeth ached.

“Your belt, please,” he said calmly to Captain Mike. Then he looked to C.J. “I assume you have an oar of some type? It must be a smooth piece of wood. Coated and treated with no possibility of splinters.”

“I have a decorative oar, or rather the c-captain does,” C.J. stammered. He looked apologetically in Captain Mike’s direction. “That is, if you don’t mind, sir. The one on your wall is a perfect size.”

Cole stifled his smile. The young man looked so eager to witness what came next that he seemed afraid that if he didn’t proffer the perfect piece of equipment that there would be no punishment.

Mike nodded. “Fetch it.”

Cole decided to tease them a bit and up the stakes. He waited patiently, Ren on her knees in front of him the entire time, his cum still smeared on her face, until C.J. hurried back with the small oar.

He handed it to Cole and Cole inspected it, turning it over and over, feeling for any sharp edges, splinters in the wood or any grooves that would hurt Ren more than necessary.

Then he lowered the oar to his side as Mike handed him the belt he’d been wearing. He turned his attention to Ren, staring down at her upturned face.

“You’ll take your punishment and if you make a single sound, you’ll suck the cocks of both men while I fuck you from behind. And I won’t be easy, Ren. I’ll fuck your ass and I won’t be nice and prepare you.”

C.J.’s mouth fell open and he shifted in agitation but nothing he did could hide the bulging erection he sported.

“On your feet.”

She rose, faltered and then regained her footing. He put a gentle hand to her elbow so she didn’t fall and then guided her toward the railing where he’d fucked her just minutes ago.

“Hands on the rail. Chin up. Legs apart. If you make a single sound, I’ll make good on my threat.”

Mike and C.J. closed in and stood to the side. C.J.’s eyes were wide but Mike’s glittered with lust. Cole knew he was hoping like hell that Ren broke. Cole knew better.

“No lashes to count, Ren. I haven’t decided how many. I’ll quit when I’m satisfied with how your sweet little ass looks. And then I’ll probably fuck you, provided you don’t lose your discipline first. If that happens, I’m afraid your pretty mouth is going to get quite the work out.”

She trembled underneath his touch and he couldn’t discern whether it was in anticipation of the punishment or perhaps because she was turned on by the idea of sucking the two men’s cocks. Regardless, it was all in her hands.

He chose to use the belt first. He handed back the oar to C.J., who took it eagerly, his face flushed with excitement. Cole carefully doubled over the wide leather belt and gave it an experimental pop.

Ren flinched and he smiled.

The first lash was one of the hardest for her not to react to. He knew it and made it purposely sharp. The two men watching leaned forward in anticipation of hearing a sound escape Ren’s lips.

The second, she showed more restraint and took it stoically as she did the third and the fourth. And the next several. But then it became a test of her endurance as he continued to stripe her buttocks, working over the entire area so he didn’t strike the same place two times in succession.

He worked below her buttocks to the undersides of her legs but he didn’t venture above her ass to the small of her back. Ren was especially sensitive in that area and he made it a point never to strike her there.

C.J. looked near desperation by the time Cole discarded the belt and reached for the oar. Mike just looked pissed. Cole gave her a moment to gather herself. The purpose wasn’t to break her down or cause her so much pain that she lost sight of her purpose. And because he knew her so well, by the time the last blow from the oar fell, she would be so near to orgasm that it would take little effort on his part to send her spiraling into the abyss.

He smacked the oar over one cheek, making the globe shake delectably. She jumped but still, not a sound escaped those disciplined lips. Pride swelled deep inside Cole. She’d rather die than show him the disrespect of disobeying a direct order. If indeed she broke and uttered a sound, he would have pushed her too far.

Her ass was delightfully red. Glowing with the marks of the belt and now the wood. He hadn’t struck her hard enough to leave bruises or break the skin, but her ass would be red for hours and the welts would be visible equally as long. Which is why she wasn’t going to cover that delectable little behind for the rest of the day. He wanted to see his mark on her. He’d probably fuck her senseless as many times as he could get it up until he wore them both out. That’s what she did to him. Made him ache from the inside out.

C.J. was nearly beside himself, clearly agitated that Ren hadn’t broken. There was grudging respect in Mike’s eyes. His gaze grew more tender with each blow that fell on Ren’s ass. His lust had turned to something else. He looked as though he wanted nothing more than to gather Ren in his arms and offer comfort—and perhaps praise.

Cole let the oar slide from his fingers. It hit the deck with a clatter and Ren’s shoulders slumped forward. His hands glided over the swell of her ass, red and marked. So very beautiful.

His own cock was about to burst out of his jeans again, so he well understood Mike and C.J.’s frustration. With clumsy fingers, he unzipped his fly, pulled out his cock and pushed into Ren, feeling the warm snugness of her pussy swallow him whole.

She fluttered wildly around him, already in the throes of her orgasm. She threw her head back and he leaned into her, wrapping his arms around her, holding her against his chest as he murmured words of praise in her ear.

“It’s okay now, Ren,” he murmured. “Darling, Ren. Let me hear your pleasure. It’s okay now.”

She moaned softly and then louder. His words seemed to catapult her even further over the edge. She went liquid around him. Hot satin, flowing over his cock, stroking him so intimately that he could feel it in his soul.

“Cole,” she whispered. His name was like the sweetest of endearments falling from her lips. It sent a thrill coursing through his veins. Like a drug. One he couldn’t get enough of.

His name. No one else’s. Her acceptance of his ownership.

He cupped her breasts, rubbing his thumbs over her tight nipples. Then remembering her account of the night at the club with Lucas, he turned her away from the railing until she faced Mike and C.J. He was still buried deep inside her but he’d stilled, wanting to ward off his orgasm so he could bring her to release again.