by Piper Stone
“You sure? I don’t mind showing off my pretty wife and buying her lunch.”
“Yeah, I’d really rather just stay home tomorrow. I have a lot to do,” she said. “But I’ll take a rain check and we can do that another day. I’m sure there will be more shopping to do.”
“There always is,” he said, resignedly.
“And aren’t I lucky that I have a husband who makes the big bucks?” She sighed happily and nestled closer.
“You sure are,” he agreed. “Would you do something for your big buck?” he asked.
“You mean my big buck earner?” She elbowed him. “What do you need, I’d do anything for you.”
“And don’t you forget it.” He elbowed her back. “Can you send all our obligations to our online calendar? I’m not sure if I’m coming or going the next few weeks.”
“I will, and I know, right now, sir, you are coming... to bed with me.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, and kissed her.
Walking back from the bus stop the next morning, after getting Tyler off to school, she shivered in the bitter South Dakota air. Her friend, Stormy, loved the cold; but Lily simply loved the town too much to leave and just had to put up with the miserable winters. Her folks lived here, running a bed and breakfast on the outskirts of town. She grew up here and wanted Tyler to grow up here. Last year she’d been terrified that his dad would gain custody and move him to California. Then, of course, she would have had to move to California. She didn’t want to move to California, she wanted to stay right here in Blizzard, and luckily, thanks to a better custody agreement, she had her kid home for the holidays. This would be a magical Christmas season.
Shivering, she sat down with another cup of coffee and her to do list. First of all she needed to start something in the crockpot so she had food made for lunch in case she got busy. Lily heard her phone chirp, and saw Stormy’s number. “Hi, there. How’s my godson this chilly morning?”
Stormy had given birth to Elliot a few months back and was taking an extended maternity break from her store, although she was easing back, now that the holiday season had started. “Not sleeping, as usual,” Stormy said, “but by now I’ve forgotten what a full night’s sleep is, so who cares, right?”
“If you say so,” Lily agreed. She remembered those days.
“Anyway, are you going to have time to help me co-host the holiday open house at Bindi’s Barn? I really need someone who has my back in case I have to go feed the kid or something,” she said. “Cade has a night class that evening and can’t take him.”
“What day again?”
Bindi’s Barn was Stormy’s little boutique pet store downtown, and she’d been the first to give Lily a job after Jason had left her alone with a toddler. They’d become very close.
“Okay, I’ve got you on the calendar,” she said. The days were filling up fast. She shared it with Sam, and went to the freezer to find some chicken to make him the chicken, rice, and mushroom dish he loved. And of course, Christmas cookies for dessert, if she got them made. After Sam went back to work, she’d go through her outfits. She had her day planned out, and, looking at her calendar, the entire holiday season.
Sam showed up a few hours later, looking handsome as ever in what she called his lawyer suit.
She felt festive in her green leggings and red sweatshirt, but festive wasn’t glamorous like he was. She didn’t care, she threw herself in his glamorous suited arms. “Welcome home!” she said. “You hungry?”
He growled and pretended to gnaw her shoulder, “Starving!”
“I’m not on the menu!” she protested.
“You should be.” He smiled at her, his blue eyes warm and loving today. She liked them like that. When they turned ice blue, she knew she was in trouble. Unlike some of her friends, when she was in trouble with her husband, he didn’t just gripe or give her the silent treatment. Nope, she went over his knee until her bottom was as red as the sweatshirt she was wearing right now. Luckily for her, it didn’t happen often.
“Come eat,” she said. “Unlike you, apparently, I have work to do this afternoon.”
“Funny,” he said. “Sit and eat with me.”
“I have to finish the cookies,” she said. “I’ll watch you eat though, while I cook.”
He got two bowls from the cabinet and repeated, “Sit and eat with me.”
“Sam,” she started, but gave up. If he wanted her to sit and eat with him, then she would.
“If you don’t eat, you’ll get scrawny; then people won’t think I’m a good lawyer who can support you, and they won’t hire me. Our lifestyle depends on you eating,” he explained solemnly, as if that made sense at all.
“Do you sit around the office all day and think up nonsense?” she asked, as she poured them each a glass of water.
“Pretty much. Nothing else is going on there.” He tasted his chicken. “Just the way I like it, thank you. They’re putting up the lights downtown today. Maybe we can go take a drive by tonight, if we aren’t busy.”
“I forwarded you the calendar,” she said. “Tonight is free and that might be fun. Are we going to put lights up this year? On the outside of the house?”
“Do you want to?” he asked. “I hadn’t thought of it.”
She shrugged and got up to get the cookies out of the oven when the timer went off. She smiled, their first holiday together as a family. She was so happy to be home and have some time to do the holiday right this year.
“I looked at the calendar,” he said, picking up both their dishes to rinse and put in the dishwasher. She put the hot cookies on wax paper to cool, and then looked at him expectantly.
“And?” she asked. “Did I miss something?”
“We have a lot going on,” he said.
Lily beamed at him. “We do, isn’t it great?”
“Well, if it makes you happy it makes me happy, but I have something that will make both of us happy,” he said, pulling out a paper from his inside jacket pocket and handing it to her.
“What is it?” she asked, putting down her spatula to take it.
“Read it,” he said, and loaded the dishes into the dishwasher, then poured another glass of water before sitting down again.
Lily read it with a sinking feeling in her stomach. This should be fun, this should be a good time, but, she just couldn’t. “Sam, why didn’t you talk to me about this? I can’t go next weekend. I have a hundred things to do,” she said, trying not to whine. “Plus there is Tyler and, well, I have plans.” Plans that did not include a rustic cabin in the woods for a long weekend. She just couldn’t.
“It’s our first Christmas together as husband and wife, and I want a few days alone with you just to celebrate us,” he said calmly. “We have all sorts of activities and parties to go to, Tyler to enjoy, family, and I want a few days alone with my wife.”
Lily pulled up her calendar. Yeah, no. True, she didn’t have to work, but there were several other things going on. Sure, none were essential, but, did she really want to leave this time of year? No. She wanted to be home.
“I’m not sure I can,” she said, looking at the tablet in front of her.
“Lily, did that sound like a question?” Sam said it in his lawyer voice. The one she only liked when he was using it for her and not against her.
“Sam,” she mimicked. “Do you not understand I have plans?”
“What on that list is more important than our relationship?”
Well, he had a point, but, “I can’t let people down.”
“You are not essential to any committee or anyone but me, and Tyler,” he said.
“Tyler! What about Tyler? He can’t go to my mom’s. She is slammed that weekend with holiday people.” There, something he couldn’t refute.
“He’s going to Lucas and Talia’s. She’s taking him to school with her on Friday and watching him for the weekend.” He’d thought of everything.
“Sam,” she started.
“Lily, we are going.�
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And with that, just as she figured too late she would – about ten seconds too late – she ended up over the counter with her leggings at her thighs. How did he do that?
“Sam!” she shrieked it this time.
His big, large hand held her down by pressing on the small of her back.
“No!”
“I don’t care if you go with a sore butt or not, but we are going and you are not getting up until you make that decision,” he said and his other big, large hand landed on her bottom, making her shriek again. “Poor Lily, her husband loves her so much he wants to spend a few days alone with her,” he said as his hand came down again.
She tried to wiggle, but all she could do was kick her dangling feet. “Sam, no, please,” she begged him, knowing it was futile.
He didn’t even bother to answer, but smacked her four more times while she kicked and wiggled.
Why didn’t she want to go on this vacation with him? Who knew?
He smacked her hard again. “What are the most important things in your life?” Then he smacked her again and again.
“I can’t think when you do that!” she yelled.
“Try,” he said. “Important things.”
“You! Tyler!” she squealed. This was starting to hurt. “Sam, no; please, no more!”
“The best way to your brain is with a sore butt,” he said and didn’t stop. Naturally.
Her feet flew up trying to block his hand. “No! My brain is fine!”
This was not how she wanted to spend the afternoon. Sure, he’d spanked her much harder in the past, but still, she felt every smack and every sting, and already dreaded pulling up her leggings. Not that he seemed inclined to let her do that very soon.
“Think again then,” he said and seemed to find a rhythm.
She could not wiggle or kick hard enough to stop him. “About what?” she wailed. Her bottom hurt too much to think.
“What’s important.”
Why did he never even get out of breath? He was a sedentary lawyer who sat around all day; yet, he could paddle her and act like it was nothing while she squirmed and by the time she wiggled and begged and usually cried, and the spanking was over, she panted as if she’d run a mile, if she wasn’t sobbing and dancing the sting away.
“Sam!”
“Anytime, Lily.” His big hard hand came down again on her already sore and stingy bottom.
“What?” What part of a spanking made her brain not work, did he not understand?
Patiently, as his hand repeatedly came down again and again, he repeated, “What is the most important thing?”
“Ow! Stop, not there!” Important, think, Lily, make it stop. “US!” she shouted.
“There you go,” he said almost approvingly. “I knew a pretty red butt would make your brain work.”
“It worked! Stop! Please!” Why wasn’t he stopping?
He finally did, but still held her down with one hand. “I’m going to get your phone, and you are not to move. Do you understand?”
She nodded, wanting to rub her bottom and blow her nose. But more than she wanted to do those things, she did not want another spanking.
He went to the other counter and brought her phone over. “Start making calls to cancel your appointments next weekend,” he said.
She started to stand up.
“No.”
Stilling, she asked, “No what?”
“I want to sit here and enjoy the Christmas colors, your red butt, the green leggings at your thighs. It is the season to be jolly, after all. You just stay in the position, and I’ll have one of your cookies while I watch and listen.”
“Can I rub first?” she asked.
“Dial first,” he said as he reached over her and got a cookie.
“They’ll be better after they’re decorated,” she complained.
Sam smacked her bottom, but lightly. “Start dialing, wife. We have a weekend to plan.”
Chapter 2
“Are we going to do lights, Sam? I can help put them up? And a big giant Santa like that one?” Tyler was having a blast looking at lights, and Lily felt a twinge that she had missed doing that with him last year while he was at his dad’s. She was only going to focus on this year.
“Yeah, Sam,” she teased. “Everyone needs a giant blow up Santa!”
“I don’t know about everyone,” he said, “But we will see what we can do to put something outside.”
“Lucas and Kevin will probably help. Cade if he’s not too busy with the baby,” Lily reminded him.
“When we get home, I’ll call them and see what we can arrange. Want to do a little party? Feed them, do some drinks? Get the girls to come too?” Sam asked, looking at her with a smile that made her melt.
“I’d love to,” she said. “We will have to—”
“Check the calendar!” both her guys said in unison.
Lily laughed, but wondered if she was getting carried away, with scheduling and plans and parties. Maybe this weekend getaway would be just what she needed to remember what the season was all about. She squirmed a little on her slightly sore butt. Yes, it definitely was. She had a reminder of that very simple fact.
“Look, Tyler, Peanuts!” Sam slowed as they drove by a themed house.
She’d have to get the classic show out, and show it to him. One more thing to put on her calendar. That would be a fun thing though. Well, most of it was fun, that was why she was doing it, right? Creating the perfect Christmas for her little family.
They drove around another half an hour, then she saw Tyler was starting to get sleepy. “Want to hit a drive-thru for hot chocolate and head home?” she asked Sam.
“Sounds great,” he said.
“It just needs to start snowing and things will be perfect.”
“Like last year when we got snowed in for a week?” He smiled and pulled into the proper lane.
“Well, maybe not that much snow, there’s a lot of stuff to do before Christmas,” she said.
“As long as you’re having fun with it, and not getting carried away.” He put their order in, and pulled forward.
She looked back and saw that Tyler had gone to sleep. She’d reheat his hot chocolate for him in the morning. “Sam,” she said softly. “I can’t tell you how happy I am, and how much fun I’m having this year. Thank you.”
“The lady with the sore butt says thank you,” he teased quietly.
“Well,” she started, but what could she say? “Yeah. She does.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, and pulled out, heading home. “It is nice to have a family Christmas. I never really thought I’d have one,” he confessed. “But now, I do, and I’m just going to follow your lead on all these activities and things, except for our weekend. You’re the one who made my house a home.”
Lily felt her eyes well with tears as she put his cup in the holder to cool. “That was such a sweet thing to say,” she said. “All I want is to make you happy, you know.”
“I know,” he said, reaching over to ruffle her hair. “You’re doing a pretty good job of it.”
“Pretty good?”
“Keep trying,” he suggested. “You’ll get better.”
Lily reached over and punched his shoulder, lightly. “I appreciate your faith in my ability to improve.”
“Look.” He pointed out the town’s Christmas tree, lit up on the hill in front of the courthouse. Standing at least twelve feet tall and decorated with huge blue and silver balls, it was breathtaking in the dark night. Sam pulled over and switched his headlights off so they could enjoy the view.
“It’s beautiful,” she breathed.
“Yes, you are,” he said, and brushed her cheek with a finger.
“And we are going to have a fantastic Christmas season,” she said.
“Let’s just try not to get overwhelmed,” he said.
“All I can do is try,” Lily told him.
“The paddle and I are here to help if you need it,” he reminded her and
started the car up again.
“That’s just really comforting,” she sighed.
“Funny, that’s not what you say when you and your red butt are dancing around the room.” He headed toward home.
“Shh!” she warned him, glancing toward Tyler in the back seat.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, reaching over to pat her knee. “I’ll behave now.”
“See that you do!” Sipping her hot chocolate, she watched the lighted houses slide by. This was all she’d ever wanted. She’d thought she wanted it with Jason, until he cheated on her and left her, then moved to California with his new wife Britt. He wanted to be an alpha male, but unlike Sam, instead of turning her over his knee, paddling her and loving on her after, he’d given her the silent treatment or threw hateful words at her. Spankings hurt less. Sometimes she forgot that while in the middle of it, but never after. She loved the dynamic that she and Sam had. She wasn’t afraid of him like she had been with Jason, fear of his moods, fear of his hateful words, fear of not pleasing him. This was what happy felt like. This is what having a real family was like.
Sam carried Tyler in to bed and Lily started the coffee on the timer for the morning, and took another look at their tree. It did need presents under it. Tyler had been right. She’d do that tomorrow. But right now, she quickly texted Talia and Stormy, and added Talia’s husband’s brother, Kevin to the text, asking if they could come over Thursday night to help put up the lights and whatever decorations she thought about between now and then. They could have the best decorated house on the block!
Sam came back in. “Here, I have a present for you,” he said.
Her eyes light up, “You do?” Then remembered. “Is Tyler asleep?”
“He is.” He handed her a pink bundle and she took it, shaking it out.
“A stocking?” she asked.
“To hang on the mantle. I have one for me and one for Tyler too,” he said.
“Mine says, ‘Santa, define nice.’ Seriously, Sam? I can’t hang this on the mantel!” Lily looked at him trying not to laugh. “Besides, I’m always nice.”