by Jenny Plumb
Stepping inside the house, he bellows her instructions. “Just inside the door to the study, you will find her diaper bag and suitcase. Go put them in the car. I’ll meet you out there and install the car seat.”
Scurrying past him, she retrieves Josie’s things. “Thank you, sir.”
He blows out a breath as she passes. “No problem, Jana. You look good by the way.”
Not wasting any more time, she has the bags loaded in the trunk and the baby in her arms. The colonel gets the car seat buckled and leans in kissing Josie and Jana both on their cheeks. “Drive carefully.”
She decides to respect the speed limits with Josie in the car. As if seeing the colonel wasn’t enough for one morning, now she gets to see Macy’s ex, Matt. She can’t blame Matt for not wanting to deal with the colonel. He isn’t obligated any longer. He and Macy divorced over a year ago, and Macy never discusses it.
Stuck in traffic, she picks up her phone and texts her stage assistant that she will be late. It’s annoying that she totally bypasses the theater to get to Matt’s on the other side of town. She always loved this part of town though. It’s older renovated homes. Macy hated it. She and Matt bought it together, but they divorced before she ever lived in it.
It’s a craftsman style, not Macy’s style at all. As Jana pulls in the driveway, she’s shocked at the amazing transformation. It’s lovely. He has done a lot of work, excellent work, on it. Opening the car door, she sees him bounding down the front steps. One thing hasn’t changed; he is still hot as hell.
“Hey, you’re late. I was getting worried, but I didn’t have your number to check on you. I had to call the colonel.” He rolls his eyes as he sprints over and opens the door where Josie is.
“She fell asleep. Why don’t I carry her inside and you disengage that contraption from my backseat?” she states, making her way around the vehicle. He kisses Josie’s forehead as he unstraps her and places her in Jana’s waiting arms. Standing this close to him, she smells his cologne, and looking up at his face, notices his hair is longer and he has a close shaven full beard. Without thinking, she asks, knowing he’s a police officer, or was, “Did you lose your job or something?”
Throwing his head back, he laughs. “No, I did not. Her room is up the stairs, a direct right.”
Entering his house, she’s surprised. She doesn’t know why. She never spent much time with him, but it’s immaculate. The wood floors are original she’s sure, and they shine throughout the house, even the stairs. The furnishings aren’t over the top, but appropriate for this style of home.
Her heels click as she walks up the stairs. She finds an upholstered bench on the landing, along with a beautiful rug. Stepping to her right, she finds Josie’s room. It’s perfect. The colors are pink and lavender, and it has everything a baby needs. Laying her in the plush crib, she wonders if he has a woman in his life. She can’t imagine any man decorating a place like this one without help.
Clicking back down the steps, she is greeted by Matt before she takes the last step. Meeting him eye to eye, he informs her, “I hope you don’t think I was looking to steal anything from you, but I got Josie’s bags out of your trunk.”
Stiffening, her chin juts out. “Why would you say that? Of course I wouldn’t think that.”
Crossing his arms across his chest, he smirks at her. “Well, you know… me not having a job and all.”
Moving away from the banister, she attempts to move around him, but he moves too. “I only said that because I’ve never seen any police officers with long hair and facial hair.”
Tilting his head to the side, he raises one eyebrow. “Yeah. Well, not too many upstanding citizens interact with vice cops while undercover. Might be a little hard for me to blend in with the shady sorts looking like a boy scout.”
Feeling uncomfortable, she decides to make amends of sorts and get out of there. “Well, if that’s a promotion of some kind, congrats.”
Striding under the archway to the dining room, he holds out his arm towards the door, indicating she can leave. She feels dismissed, and it aggravates her.
Clearing his throat, his words stop her just as she reaches the door. “Good luck to you on your latest endeavor with the theater.” She hears his steps, then feels his warm breath on the back of her neck. “In case no one has been kind enough to inform you, this isn’t New York, or D.C., or London. It’s certainly acceptable to dress down… maybe a little.”
Not only has he dismissed her, now he’s insulted her. Somehow. In a way. She can’t think straight. She snaps her head around and glares at him. “Quite possibly all the time you are spending with the lowlifes, dealing drugs, selling their bodies, you forgot how a decent person, in a position such as mine should dress. I need to portray an image of an individual that people can trust and respect. I meet with potential investors every day.”
Chuckling, he backs away scrutinizing her from her head to her feet. “Baby, the Showstopper is a community theater. You don’t have to endanger yourself with those stilettos.”
“Don’t call me baby. I’m not your baby.” Huffing, she reaches for the door handle. “You better take care of the little girl up there. I can’t believe Macy didn’t file for full custody. I would never…” Before she finishes her sentence, her feet leave the ground as Matt’s arm snakes around her middle, jerking her hard into his torso. “Wha…aa…tttt are you doing? Put me down! Now!” Beating her fists on his arm and kicking her legs generates no reaction from him.
“I expected more from you, Jana, I really did. If that is how you talk to others in this community, you’d be best off to pack your shit up and go back to the big city.” Stomping to the couch inside the archway across from the dining room, he keeps her legs pinned against the back of it and pushes her chest down over the cushions holding her there with a hand against the back of her neck. She resists until she grows breathless. “You done now? If you think I won’t stand here all day and enjoy watching you wear yourself out, you’re sadly mistaken.”
Standing still, she pants her words, “Okay, you win. Is that what you want to hear? Of course, being close to a foot taller than me and double my weight is to your advantage.”
She should have kept her mouth shut, because she notices his eyes narrow and his jaw twitch. Sliding to her left, he raises his arm and slams his hand across her pencil-skirted ass.
What the fuck was that? Lurching forward with the impact, she shrieks. Her legs lift off the floor, rendering them useless to aid in any escape. Another smack echoes through the room as his large hand slams into the cloth of her skirt in the same spot as the first. She squawks, louder than the first time.
Close to her ear, he whispers in a no-nonsense tone, “Unless you want to wake my daughter, I suggest you keep it down and take your punishment.”
Gritting her teeth, she growls at him, “My punishment? Who the hell—”
Swats rain down on her backside. She bites her lip to keep from yelling out. It hurts more than she wants him to know, and tears form in the corner of her eyes.
He begins to alternate his swats on each of her cheeks, in a very methodical rhythm. Thinking it’s her pride that hurts more than her butt, she starts to feel something else, and it scares the crap out of her. Wiggling side to side to avoid his palm only intensifies the feeling. She’s turned on, and it mortifies her.
“And one more to remind you to not make assumptions about others without at least getting to know them a little first.” He administers the last smack and the only sound in the otherwise silent room is her sobs. Removing his hand from her neck, he flips her over, sitting her on the back of the sofa. Wrapping his fingers around each of her shoulders, he leans in and peers into her face. “Damn, Jana. It’s supposed to hurt, but not that much.”
As she sucks in a breath between each sob, he steps back without releasing her shoulders and assesses her. She’s fighting for control over her emotions, and he makes it all too easy when he releases her and crosses his arms across his che
st, scratching his chin with his right hand. This change in action has her look at his face. His eyes are pinned to her chest. Redirecting her focus downward, she sees her bigger than average nipples are enormous and poking straight out under her silk blouse.
Jumping off the couch, she underestimates the height and her left heel twists. Matt catches her and puts her on her feet. Flapping her arms to break any contact with him, she groans, “You are a true barbarian.”
He laughs so hard, with his head thrown back for exaggeration, that without thinking, she slaps him – across the face. Her hand stings like crazy, and vibrations start to run up her arm. They hear Josie’s cries, and both turn their heads in that direction. Jana has never slapped anyone before, and he doesn’t look all too happy to have been the recipient.
Dashing around him, she makes it to the door, but not out of it, before she hears his retort. “Well baby, I may be a barbarian, but you, my dear, are a pain slut.”
She gasps. Without turning back, she runs to her car.
Chapter 2
The day didn’t get any better. Once she made it to the theater, over an hour later than usual, the amount of preparations for tonight’s performance multiplied. The damage to the set turned out to be much more than she anticipated. The seamstress Jana hired to repair a few of the costumes didn’t show up until mid-afternoon, and she couldn’t stop thinking about the stupid spanking she received that morning. Only it didn’t feel so stupid to her. Every time she recalled it, her face heated, along with some other regions.
Macy confided to her years ago, that Matt had a few kinks and she didn’t share them. It presented a few challenges in their marriage. Jana never probed her friend for information, and while Macy did share some things, spanking never came up.
She didn’t think it necessary to worry if he would tell Macy about their interaction this morning. He probably felt the same way she did, it never happened. The two of them could never happen. Could they? Her imagination ran wild. He gave her a spanking, no big deal. He did it because he didn’t like her, not because he thought she would like it. And she did. Most of the men she dated in the past were in the theater, artists. It was always about feelings and philosophizing. The physical aspect was mediocre, to say the least.
“Miss Erickson, ninety minutes until show time,” Tanya, her assistant announced, pulling her out of her musings.
“Thanks, Tanya. Everything backstage on schedule?” She should be back there checking on it all, but she can’t stop fantasizing about a shirtless Matt wielding a belt, or any kind of implement, on her naked skin.
“Yes, everything’s working like a fine-tuned machine. There’s someone in your office by the way. I don’t know who it is or how long they’ve been in there, but I noticed when I was on my way here.”
Knowing she would never set any appointments this close to show time, she couldn’t imagine who it could be. Hating to leave the reception area, as she enjoyed meeting the guests, especially any potential donors, she rushed to her office.
Rounding the corner, she sees a man’s back. Her heartbeat speeds up thinking it might be Matt, and when Josie’s face rises above his left shoulder, she halts her approach, sliding across the linoleum floors. Her feet scuffle as she fights to regain her footing.
It isn’t a quiet save, and he twists toward her just in time to witness her doing a spasmodic hand jive. He grins before commenting, “I told you those shoes were dangerous.”
She knows this is so wrong on so many levels, but she can’t stop from smiling back at him. “Yeah, well they just polished the floors today.” Josie giggles and reaches out to Jana. Walking up to her, she takes the baby’s hands in hers and swings them. “Hey beautiful, what brings you out here?” She turns her attention from Josie to him, questioning him with her eyes.
He bounces Josie in his arm. “A couple of things. I’ve read so much in the paper about what you’ve done to this old theater and wanted to see for myself. It’s really something, Jana. You’ve done a superb job.”
Her body heats from his compliment. That’s what she tells herself, but she is proud of her accomplishments with the Showstopper. It was a huge undertaking, but she loved watching performances here as a child and couldn’t imagine it closing its doors. This is what first inspired her to pursue a theater degree. “Thank you. I meant to comment on what you’ve done with your home. It’s beautiful.”
Clearing his throat, he says, “I’m sure you’re busy.”
Dismissed again. His interest was in the theater. Did she believe his interest was in her? A girl can dream. It must be all about that spanking. She never thought twice about him before this morning. Did she? “Yes. I am busy. Thanks for stopping by.”
“And, I brought you these. A peace offering of sorts.” Moving to the side, he reveals a beautiful vase of gladiolas, her favorite. He couldn’t know that.
A hesitant smile replaces the girlie grin she first exhibited. A peace offering? He regrets spanking her? He’s remorseful he turned her on? “Um, okay. They are beautiful. Thank you.”
He grasps her upper arm and twists her to face him. “Hey, I was way out of line to react like I did this morning. I just wanted you to know that I recognize that. In my defense, though, you questioned my ability and desire to take care of Josie. That’s unacceptable, darlin’.” Placing his finger under her chin, he lifts her face. “And I’m sorry for making you feel uncomfortable… and… or embarrassing you.” He lowers his voice before verbalizing his next admission. “And, there’s absolutely no shame in being a pain slut. It wasn’t meant as an insult, more of an appreciation.”
She stiffens, wishing he wouldn’t have said that. Was she a pain slut? “All good then. Let’s just forget about it.” It was better this way. Just because he invoked a desire in her unlike any she’d ever felt, it could never work. He was Macy’s ex-husband. She felt stupid for fantasizing about him all day.
Josie put one of her hands on Jana’s face, one on Matt’s, and pats them. They both smile at this less serious moment. “I’m going to take in as much of the show as the little miss will let me,” he says.
This comment surprises her. “Oh, really? You should have let me know, I would have given you tickets. I had no idea you liked theater.”
He winks at her, and she admires the blue shade of his eyes. Why does he have to be so attractive? Blue eyes, light brown hair, amazing build, he would meet all her requests for the kind of man that she wanted, if she filled out an order form. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Jana. Even barbarians celebrate Christmas, and who doesn’t like A Christmas Carol?” Shifting the baby to his other arm, he heads to the door. Without looking back, he throws out one last comment, “If another opportunity ever arises, I owe you one for that slap you delivered.”
As if he didn’t already have her attention, watching him until he’s out of sight, she becomes so flushed she’s sweating. Glancing in the mirror to her right, she looks as uncontrolled as she feels. Her long curly hair damp with perspiration coils more, especially the strands framing her face.
Hurrying to her desk, she opens her top drawer grabbing her powder and lipstick. Returning to the mirror, she touches up her face and fingers the top of her hair. It’s not like she can run a brush through it, unless everyone wants to see a frizz monster.
She looked more together than she was on the inside. Not one to ever get stage fright, she wasn’t performing, but she made the opening greeting each show. Imagining him sitting in the audience had her stomach doing somersaults. She needed to push him out of her mind. Maybe not the spanking, but him. With a performance every night for the next five nights leading up to Christmas Eve, it shouldn’t be a problem. She had plenty to keep her occupied.
Chapter 3
Over the next two days, she failed at keeping Matt out of her thoughts. She didn’t understand why. Sure, she couldn’t think of anything not to like about him, but she’d never been so fixated on a man like this. It had to be the whole forbidden frui
t thing. You always want what you can’t have.
Everything went smoothly at the theater for the last three shows, so she had no reason to not go ahead with her plan to explore her newfound interest, and quite possibly find someone to explore it with he would meet all her requests – that someone not being Matt. She knew of the adult club, PillowTalk, from Macy. Macy had gone with Matt a few times.
The internet is a valuable tool, and she educated herself by studying PillowTalk’s website. Friday nights allowed singles, and Saturdays were for couples only. The front part of the club had a dance floor, and some patrons went just for the dancing in an adult atmosphere. Clothing in this area, she read, varied from the very risqué, to nude.
You must be a member to enter, and the fees weren’t cheap. It’s a BYOB club. You check-in any alcohol you bring, and they assign it a number you provide to the bartenders. The back part of the club garnered an additional fee, over the membership fee, each evening a member wanted to patronize it. This area had a no clothing rule. They provided towels, but you removed your clothing and put it in a locker. This was the area she planned on visiting. There were private rooms where individuals could indulge in sexual activity, there was a group room, and a few rooms that contained spanking benches.
Macy spoke of it as being a classy club. Hygiene and cleanliness were enforced and maintained. The club employed individuals that cleaned after each use of any room or item. They made themselves inconspicuous as to not take away from the mood and setting. Ensuring a safe environment, each area of the club retained several trained security officers.
Nothing on the outside of the club indicates the activities inside. It looks like an average office building of a dentist or doctor. It’s a little after midnight, and several people enter in front of her as others are leaving. Once inside, she stands in a reception area, complete with a tall, long reception desk. The young woman working the desk is sophisticatedly dressed, and gorgeous.