Chapter 4 Pleasure

She was tired and stressed, a bad combination.

Ashley groaned, wiping her sleepy eyes and looking at the clock. It was almost late, and she was still at her desk, doing yet another task provided by Damien. Her life had changed since she signed that damn contract. Late hours, hidden duties, and relentless pressure from her domineering boss.

She stretched her arms, feeling her muscles hurt from sitting for so long. Her stomach grumbled, reminding her that she had not eaten since noon. She rose up with a long groan, intending to fetch food from the break room, but paused as she passed Damien's office.

The door was slightly ajar, and she noticed the drawer on his desk was open. A bar of chocolate poked out from the side of the drawer, drawing her attention. She was too stressed to fight the impulse that she was feeling.

"Just chocolate," she reminded herself. *He won't notice*

Without hesitation, she crept into the office, her heart beating as she grabbed six bars from the chocolate. She immediately unwrapped one, took a nibble, and enjoyed the taste. For a little period, she relaxed and enjoyed the stolen gift.

Damien sat in another room, viewing the security camera on his laptop. His brows tightened as he noticed Ashley in his office, munching into the chocolate on his desk. A slow, menacing smile appeared on his face. He turned off the feed and got up. This would be fun.

Ashley was on the 7th chocolate bar when she heard the door creak behind her. She froze, her heart racing. She slowly turned around to see Damien standing at the doorway, arms crossed, with a somewhat happy expression on his face. As if he was happy she stole from him, again.

"Enjoying yourself?" he said, his voice low and intimidating.

Her stomach sank. "I... I was just..."

"Stealing from me again,." Damien interrupted her, leaning closer.

Ashley swallowed hard, the chocolate now harsh in her mouth. "I..."

Damien's eyes darkened as he closed the gap between them, his bulk towering over hers. "You didn't mean to? Or couldn't control yourself? Any new excuse?"

Her breath hitched as he hovered over her, the tension between them palpable. "It was just chocolate..."

Damien grabbed her wrist and pulled her close. His breath was hot on her neck as he muttered, "Yes. And you enjoyed it, clearly."

Ashley's heart raced, and her body trembled as he tightened his grasp. "I... I'm sorry..."

"I wonder who opened the drawer." Damien whispered his lips touched her ear, sending thrills down her spine. "You need to learn your lesson since you're not so smart."

"Did he set her up?"

Before she could voice her thoughts, Damien whirled her around and bent her over the desk, his palm firmly pushed on her back.

Ashley gasped as he raised her skirt, her ass almost bare to him except the black lingerie she was lucky to have chosen as her underwear that morning. Her head whirling as she tried to grasp what was going on.

"What are you doing?" she asked, terror and excitement rising in her chest.

Damien didn't respond. Instead, he brought his palm down hard on her ass, hard, causing her to shout out in horror.

"That's for having the gut to enter my office when I wasn't there," Damien muttered, his voice low and threatening.

Ashley's body jumped at the sudden pain, but she also felt something else, something she didn't want to admit. A weird sensation swept through her, making her clenched her legs together.

"You want me to stop?" Damien asked, caressing her ass. "How many chocolate did you eat?"

"Seven,"

Another harsh smack landed on her ass, causing her to yelp again.

"What the..."

Smack!

Smack!

Smack!

Her flesh burned at the collision, but the sensation numbed the pain . Her mind raced, attempting to understand the contradictory emotions coursing through her.

"Stop!" she shouted, attempting to push herself up, but Damien kept her down hard.

"You don't get to tell me to stop," he continued, his tone frigid. "You signed the contract. And I'll punish you as I see fit."

Smack!

"Why are you doing this?" she asked quietly, her voice trembling as she tried to stop her tears.

Damien bent down, his lips touching the back of her neck as he murmured. "Because you should understand that your actions have repercussions."

Ashley's breath came in ragged gasps as he went on, the distinction between agony and pleasure blurring in her thoughts. She despised the fact that a part of her was reacting to him, that her body was betraying her at this moment.

"Do you understand?" Damien inquired, his voice low and forceful. " That is the seventh."

Ashley nodded hurriedly, her words barely audible. "Yes."

"Good." Damien slipped his hand up her back, pulling her up to face him. His eyes blazed into hers, filled with a dark intensity that caused her heart to beat. "Next time you think about stealing from me, remember this moment."

Ashley swallowed hard, her body shaking from the pain and pleasure pursing through her body, unable to speak.

Damien grinned while pushing a strand of hair away from her face. "Go back to your office."

Ashley walked back to her desk, her knees wobbly. Damien had chastised her, spanked her like a child, and though her butt was on fire, she had wanted more. Sh*t!

She slid into her chair, shaking as she wrote the remainder of the paper she was working on. But her mind kept returning to that moment in Damien's office, the way his hands felt against her ass, the weird combination of terror and excitement that had swamped her senses.

She got a new message.

"You can go home now, but I expect the report to be ready tomorrow morning. Don't disappoint me."

Ashley stared at the message, her heart still racing from the earlier encounter.

"There is a thin line between pain and pleasure."