Lessons in Love

by Kathryn R. Blake

  "I'm sorry, sir," she finally managed to sob. "I'll never question one of your decisions again. I promise."

  He paused for a second. "That's not what this is about. Haven't you heard anything I said?"

  "Ow. Please, sir. I was already hurting. Please, stop. I'll do whatever you say."

  The car had stopped moving, but Paul hadn't gotten out, nor was Rob finished with her punishment. Realizing the driver knew exactly what his boss was doing in the back seat, Pam screamed. "I'm sorry!"

  Rob let a few more smacks fall then gently rubbed her backside to soothe her tormented flesh. Though he handed her tissues, he let her cry out her unhappiness for several minutes before he made any attempt to move or quiet her.

  "Shh, kitten. It's over, but I want you to listen to me carefully."

  Her breathing came in catches, but her angry tears stopped falling. She thought this spanking had been entirely unfair, even though she had to admit the swearing and insults hadn't been her wisest course of action.

  His hand continued to stroke her as he spoke. "You are free to ask me anything you want, at any time, but even if the issue is personal, I deserve your respect. You don't need to agree with me, but allowing you a difference of opinion doesn't grant you leave to insult me, either."

  "I'm sorry." Pam repeated, blowing her nose.

  "So am I. You've had a difficult day, and I didn't want to add to your discomfort, at least not this much. I can understand why you might be upset with my decision, and you may even be right that I made a mistake, but I did what I thought was best to protect you."

  "Why? What could she ever do to me that she hasn't already done?"

  "Your mistakes as a juvenile are in the past. However, making it public that you tried to harm yourself and potentially take your own life last week would create a flurry of publicity you'd find degrading and humiliating, which is something I will not allow. You haven't been subjected to shouting reporters following you about snapping unflattering pictures that would be sold to papers and TV stations for air by the evening news. However, if I hadn't taken steps, your mother would have exposed you to those indignities and worse, simply because of your affiliation with me.

  "I may not be the tabloids' usual fodder, but I'm wealthy enough for speculations about me or my lifestyle to draw reporters out like the smell of carrion beckons vultures, and you would be considered fresh meat."

  "May I sit up?" she asked quietly.

  He helped her straighten her clothing. "Of course."

  Though she understood better why he'd taken the action he had, she was still angry with him for caving to her mother's treachery. However, further arguing would be neither prudent nor wise, since she hurt too badly as it was. "May we go inside now?"

  "Hey." He thumbed fresh tears from her cheeks. "Everything is going to be okay."

  She nodded and glanced away, unable to meet his gaze.

  "I'm sorry if you disagree with me, kitten, but I'm not willingly going to do something that poses a risk to you."

  "I know."

  "But you're still upset over what I did?"

  "I've learned my lesson, sir. I have no right to tell you what to do."

  He sighed. "I was afraid this would happen. The last thing I want is for you to think you can't voice your concerns. You possess a sharp mind and insightful intellect, but telling me to shove it will get you turned over my knee faster than you can say no."

  "I understand, sir. I would like to go inside and use the bathroom, if that's permitted."

  "Right. I get that you're angry with me, so I won't press the issue further tonight. However, we will need to talk this through sometime. I never want you to think I don't value your opinion, Pam, because I do. But I am a human, whose pride can be hurt just as easily as yours. Please keep that in mind."

  "I will, sir."

  Giving a nod, he moved closer to her, and it took all of Pam's willpower not to shrink back. "May I kiss you?" he inquired very softly.

  "That's not necessary, sir."

  "I didn't say it was."

  "I would rather you didn't, sir."

  Respecting her decision, he opened the car door and helped her out. She placed her hand in his, but when he tried to draw her close, she stiffened, so he let her go and stepped aside so she could walk to the door unhindered. He'd made his point more than clear to her, and she was letting him know what she thought about it the only way she knew how.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Dinner was a strained affair, with Pam answering Rob in monosyllables until he finally stopped attempting to draw her out. When she was done eating, she asked to be excused and went to her room to take a shower. Not surprisingly, her backside appeared much pinker than it had at the spa, but the spanking he gave her in the car wasn't one of his harsher punishments.

  Standing before the mirror, Pam took a long look at herself. She'd gained a few pounds since Rob began insisting she eat more, so her figure was a little rounder and her hip bones didn't stick out quite so much. She tilted her head and decided she honestly liked her new haircut, then she examined her nails. Before they had been broken and chewed to the quick, with torn cuticles. Today, they were smooth and polished. Still stubby, but no ragged edges, and her cuticles were neatly trimmed. In short, she prospered under Rob's tutelage. She might not like the consequences he handed out, but she had to admit she felt like a new person. And though she was still pissed as hell at him for caving in to her mother's threats, she conceded even that was done with her welfare in mind. The realization didn't make her any happier, but she could understand why he settled.

  She took a quick shower and put on a nightie. It was early, yet, not quite nine, so she thought she'd read. What she wanted to do was curl up next to Rob and watch a movie in his man cave, but she still wasn't ready to forgive him.

  The knock at her door came at around eleven.

  "Come in."

  He entered carrying the jar as well as her needle, and she groaned.

  "I don't need a shot," she protested.

  "Really? After everything that happened today? I disagree."

  "I'm fine."

  He placed the items on her night table and sat on the edge of her bed beside her. "You're better, but you're far from fine. You were on an emotional roller coaster earlier, and I suspect you would have melted down entirely if you weren't still on medication. As it was, I think you handled things fairly well."

  "Only fairly?"

  He grinned. "Well, I'd say you took a mini vacation from reality at Executive Fashions, and in the car I believe you let your temper get the best of you, but outside those two incidents, I think you managed the challenges you faced most appropriately."

  "Thank you, I think." She crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm still not happy about what you did."

  "I gathered as much from your attitude at dinner along with the fact you retired to your room immediately afterward."

  She shrugged. "I feel like you betrayed me."

  "How so?"

  "By paying her off, you rewarded my mother for making my life a living hell."

  "Language," he warned. "And I didn't reward her. I merely made sure she was dispatched with a minimum amount of fuss."

  "So, what happens if she breaks her word and goes to the press anyway?"

  "She'll lose everything she owns, even her home. I made certain she understood that as long as she kept her opinions to herself and stopped interfering, she would receive a monthly stipend from me. If she violated the agreement, she would find herself in a poor situation indeed."

  Pam lowered her arms. "You're paying her monthly? Why?"

  "As an incentive to follow my instructions. I used the carrot with your mother, rather than the stick."

  "Yeah. I'm the one who gets the stick."

  "Not quite. But you're the one who benefits the most from my attention."

  "Lucky me."

  "Precisely. Now, be a good girl and roll over so I can check out that sexy bottom of yours."


  "I believe you did enough of that this afternoon."

  "Looking at you is something I can never do enough of, in my opinion. Second request. Roll over, or pay the consequences."

  Pam glared at him for a few seconds but knew he would win no matter what she did, so she flopped down and rolled over as she'd been bidden. He lowered her lacy, babydoll panties and swiped the area with alcohol. He'd gotten quite good at giving injections, so she rarely felt the needle anymore.

  Next he surprised her by pulling her panties off instead of raising them. "Okay, onto your back, legs apart, and knees up."

  She turned on her back, but clamped her thighs together. "What do I earn if I obey? A cookie like any other good little bitch?"

  "Watch it," he warned with a tap on her nose. "No, I won't give you a cookie. But if you're a good girl, and hold very still, I may reward you with an orgasm."

  Pam's eyes widened as he bent forward to whisper against her lips, "Would you like me to pleasure you, Miss Weston?"

  The moment she opened her mouth to respond, he swept in to woo her. His lips courted while his tongue engaged hers in a dance that mimicked the act of making love. Within seconds, she grew moist and itchy with a craving for more.

  Though the balm soothed her heated flesh, his deliberate stroking kindled the persistent fire flickering in her groin. He made sure both her back and front were properly coated before he concentrated his attention on her core as his lips, tongue, and teeth continued to tease her mouth.

  "Do you have any idea how much I want to taste you?" he asked between kisses so all she could do was moan while his balm-slicked fingers teased her most tender flesh. Her arms rose to entwine around his neck, and her hips lifted in time with his movements as he brought her closer and closer to a climax.

  "Yes," she murmured, her thighs trembling with the heated desire he inflamed as her tiny nub pulsed with need. Everything in her drew tighter and tighter until she stopped breathing while her body fixated on the exquisite sensations he evoked. Then she let out a soft cry as pure ecstasy flowed through her veins. He lightened his touch but maintained contact while her womb contracted with delightful spasms.

  When she let out a sigh, he moved back a few inches to let her bask in the afterglow of her climax. Then, he bent forward to give her another kiss, and Pam melted. Rob was responsible for so many of Pam's firsts, and if he'd wanted to take her virginity right then, she would have happily given it to him. She figured it was only a matter of time anyway. With her muscles relaxed and her lady parts sated, she gazed up at him with a goofy smile.

  He grinned back at her. "I'll check again tomorrow morning to see if you require another application."

  Her eyelids lowering to mere slits, she asked, "What time will you be home?"

  Gathering his supplies, he pressed the items into his pockets. "I'm not sure. Right now, I doubt I'll be able to make it home tomorrow at all, but if I do it will be late."

  "Oh."

  "I'll ask Mrs. Andrews to see to your shot and use the balm if you need it."

  Pam jerked up, wide awake and shaking her head. "No. Those can wait until you get back, or I'll put the cream on myself."

  His eyebrows rose in surprise. "Feeling shy, are we? She's trained as a nurse, Pam. She knows what to look for."

  "I don't care. I won't let her do that to me. And I don't need that stupid shot."

  Rob frowned down at her. "Behave. She's not going to coax you into an orgasm like I just did. She'll merely apply the lotion and make sure your skin is healing as it should. As for the injection, you will continue to receive it as long as I determine the medicine is necessary."

  "No. I refuse to let anyone else touch me that way."

  He gave her nose another warning tap. "You'll do as I say, young lady, and that's the end of the discussion."

  Terrified by the thought of another stroking her so intimately, Pam gripped his hand. "Please, Rob. Don't make me do this if you're not here."

  He drew her onto his lap. Shaking, she wrapped her arms about his neck and pressed her face into his shirt. "Shh. We'll see. I'll give you call tomorrow night, and we can discuss the matter further, then. All right?"

  Not pleased, Pam shook her head again, but eased her panicked hold. Arguing with him would only make him all the more determined to ensure she did exactly as he asked. He didn't understand how personal these small encounters were for her. The thought of allowing someone else to finger the area between her legs made her eyes burn and her stomach churn.

  "Hey," he murmured, gently wiping her cheeks. "There's no need to get upset about it. We'll talk more tomorrow, but if it makes you this unhappy, I'm not going to insist Mrs. Andrews tend to you unless it becomes an absolute necessity. So, relax, kitten."

  She nodded, but a part of her knew as much as she liked Della, Pam would fight her if she attempted to apply the balm. She didn't like the thought of her giving the shot, either, but that wasn't quite so personal. However, convincing Rob the examination and treatment wouldn't be necessary might be a far more difficult task.

  * * *

  Pam barely wakened when Rob administered her morning injection. She rolled over with a groan and tried to go back to sleep, but when he turned on the light and lowered her panties to examine her, she pushed his hand away and ended up receiving a smack for her troubles.

  "Stop that," he ordered, separating her thighs. "I'm just going to look."

  "That's what they all say," she murmured, letting him do what he wished as he removed the familiar jar from his pocket.

  "Hmm." He dipped his long fingers in the coconut-scented balm. "That's because, despite our best intentions, we can't keep our hands off your luscious body."

  As he spread the lotion about in slow, erotic circles, Pam was tempted to purr, but instead gave a derisive, "Pfft."

  "Watch it," he warned, giving the inside of her thigh a tiny pinch

  "Ow."

  She received a raised eyebrow for her complaint. No sympathy from that quarter. "The area is still a little red from the procedure, but not unusually so, given it was your first waxing. And as sensitive as your skin is, I think you're recovering nicely."

  Though the healing cream cooled and soothed her irritated flesh, it also created another need within Pam. One she wanted only Rob to fill. Pressing her teeth into her lower lip, she met his gaze with pitiful eyes. "But you still think I need the lotion applied twice a day?"

  He straightened and nodded, keeping his spine rigid and straight. "Yes, for at least two more days, I'd say." Pam grimaced at his assessment but didn't argue, since it would only cause them to quarrel.

  "Remember, no swimming," he reminded, capping the jar. "The chlorine will act as an irritant, which will delay your healing and extend the necessity of applying the cream."

  "You never let me have any fun," she whined with an exaggerated pout.

  Chuckling, he placed the used items in his pocket. "Oh, kitten, we haven't even begun to have fun together." When he leaned over to give her a long, sensuous kiss, she melted, wishing he didn't need to leave. "Be good," he warned. "I'll give you a call tonight and let you know my plans."

  When Pam gave a nod, she was so tempted to tell him she loved him, but a part of her worried his reaction would only put a hole in her heart.

  He switched off her light then whispered, "Bye," as he quietly left her room.

  Pam lay in the dark, reflecting on how much her life had changed since Rob Peterson hired her. She was safe and secure with him in a way she'd never thought would be possible, and even though she knew her fairy tale must come to an eventual end, she wished the fantasy could go on happily ever after.

  * * *

  Though it seemed like only a few minutes had passed, the room was light when Pam awoke to Krista bouncing on the side of her bed.

  "Wake up, sleepy head."

  Pam blinked. "What time is it?"

  "It's after nine, way past time for you to be up and about."

  Groani
ng, Pam pulled the covers over her head. "I love you dearly, Krista, but go away and come back in an hour."

  "Nope. Rob warned me you're not a morning person, but there are things I want to accomplish at the Enchanted Mansion today, and you're going to help me."

  The mere mention of Rob had Pam shoving back her blanket to gaze at her friend. "Did you see him this morning?"

  "Who, Rob? No, he was gone way before I got here. Why? You two make up yesterday?"

  Despite her attempt at an offhanded shrug, Pam was certain her blush gave her away. "I guess."

  "Ooh, you did. Didn't you? I'd insist you spill all, but since I work so close to him, I think it could get a little uncomfortable, unless you're burdened by an overwhelming desire to share. Then it's my duty as your friend to listen, of course."

  "No, I'm not," Pam replied firmly as she tried not to grin. "What I want is for you to go back downstairs so I can get dressed — alone."

  "What? No panties again? Naughty, naughty. This is becoming a habit with you, Miss Weston."

  "I'm decent this time, thank you very much, but I'm not entirely awake, and you're much too chipper for me to endure this early in the morning. I would like to get up, take a shower, and wake up in my own sweet time."

  "Spoilsport. Okay, I'll go downstairs and pester Della while you get ready to join us for breakfast."

  "Thank you," Pam answered with a smug smile that was totally ruined when Krista pummeled her with a pillow. They were both screaming and laughing by the time Krista left her to shower and dress in peace.

  Less than a half hour later Pam sauntered into the kitchen to discover Della had whipped up several pieces of French toast and a stack of Belgian waffles for her and Krista.

  "Oh, Della, those look delicious, but we can't possibly eat all that much," Pam protested with a groan.

  "Not a problem, lass. Eat what you will. Someone is coming from the city shelter to pick up this week's collection in about an hour, so it won't go to waste."

  Pam made no effort to hide her surprise. "Wow. Rob supports the local shelter in addition to the food bank?"

  "He's a most generous person who does a lot for the community as well as those who work for him."