by Gray Gardner
“I have no idea what any of those words mean,” he replied, setting the paddle on the nightstand and rubbing her perky, round ass with his hand. He just couldn’t resist.
His touch felt so good, but it made her mad at that moment. “If you’re going to hit me then just do it,” she griped, placing her hands on either side of her head and trying to push up. His hand on her shoulder blades immediately pushed her back down.
“Let’s get this clear, one more time,” he patiently said, swinging his free hand and slapping the tender skin exposed by the cheeky underwear.
“Ow,” she grit through her teeth, still trying to get away.
“I would never hit you. Not in malice, not for my entertainment. Never,” he stated, smacking her a little harder. He smacked her one more time before continuing. “I will, however, give your cute little ass as many spankings as you need to get a point across and so that you learn.”
Mary sucked in her breath as she felt him slowly pull her underwear down to her knees.
“And when you’ve learned your lesson,” he continued in a calm, quiet voice, “you’ll get as many orgasms as you want for being such a good little girl and taking your spanking.”
She closed her eyes tightly as the muscles low in her belly tightened in arousal and the paddle began slapping her bare skin. Just like crying, she absolutely hated how much Mait’s discipline turned her on.
Mait bit his lip as he paddled that round ass bright pink. When those sling-back espadrilles, or whatever they were, quit swinging up in his face he dropped the paddle on the bed and flipped her over, desperate to devour her mouth and other parts of her.
He kissed her like he was desperate. She pulled his body closer as she ran her fingers through his messy hair. He kissed her neck, licked her breasts, then ran his fingers along the soft folds of skin between her legs to see how wet she was.
“Mait,” she huffed, sitting up and unbuckling his belt, then unbuttoning his pants. “I’m wet, okay? You win. I like it when you spank me… or something like that. Now fuck me!”
He smiled as he complied. He’d hide from everyone in the world if it meant they could be together. Hiding from the administration would be a breeze.
* * *
Mary registered for classes for the fall semester, all Frasier-free. He typically taught the undergrads, anyway, so it wasn’t a problem.
She and Nicole bought a dress and had it fitted.
She got her family on the line and had the jet ready to bring them on May 30th.
She got a spanking when Carlson called and mentioned that he’d seen her at the bank and she was forced to admit that she’d gone to try and start a joint checking account for them, then lost her nerve because she thought that he’d see it as her trying to take his money.
He found a new tuxedo.
He booked their honeymoon.
He called his dad and grandparents and told them the time and place.
He came home to find her glowing… no, somber and distant, sitting alone in the dark living room. He dropped his satchel and ran over, expecting something like a foreclosure or maybe even the results of a pregnancy test. But that wasn’t what she was holding.
“Mait,” she softly said, turning and looking at him as he knelt next to her. She swallowed a big knot in her throat.
He brushed her strawberry blonde wisps behind her ears.
“I’m here. Tell me, baby.”
She turned and gave him a horrified look. Then whispered, “I’ve been called to the Honor Council again.”
“What? No!” he shouted, making her jump. He stood and paced around, rubbing his jaw and shaking his head. “How is it possible? We’ve been careful. We’ve been so careful!”
“I don’t know how…”
“Tomorrow is the last day of the semester. Then two teacher in-service days, then grades are due. How does the Honor Council even have time to convene?”
“Must be important. Like an expulsion,” she quietly replied, looking down at the David Yurman bracelet that complemented her new engagement ring so nicely. They’d been close. So close.
“I will not let them expel you, Mary Madeline,” he stated as he paused, swiping his hand through the air.
“What if you lose your faculty position here?” she asked, choking out tears as she thought about being the reason for ruining his whole career.
“Baby,” he said in a calm voice, sitting next to her and pulling her onto his lap. “We knew that this could happen. We knew the risks. And we chose to move forward and live a full life. We can’t fault ourselves for that. We’re happy. So happy. And you know what happens when you fly too close to the sun.”
She wiped the sleeve of her striped LuluLemon hoodie under her nose and nodded, as she felt comforted by his presence and his words. She never knew that she could love someone so much. Or that someone else could love her so much. “Yeah,” she sighed, clearing her throat. “Your wings melt and you fall into the ocean.”
“No,” he corrected her in a professorial type of way. “You get burned.”
She turned her face up from his shoulder and looked at him. “No, Dr. History, PhD, your wings melt because you wanted all of the happiness the sunshine gave you, and you got greedy, and your wings melt and you die!”
“I think you’re wrong, but regardless, I’m a professor of real history, not Greek mythology.”
“It’s Norse mythology.”
“Agree to disagree.”
“Fine,” she conceded, returning his grin as their argument ended in the usual way. They had the wedding-bliss-blinders on, so almost nothing could get them upset. Almost.
Mary’s heels clicked as she walked away from Mait’s car. She threw a thumbs up over her shoulder reassuring him, again, that she was okay and he didn’t have to go with her. Valiant, he was. Smart, evidently not. The whole thing could be unrelated to their forbidden love. He hadn’t been called in by the department head or any of the deans.
She straightened her ruffled skirt and peplum suit jacket as she rounded a corner, in the darkening, dusk hours on campus.
“Mary Madeline!”
“Shit!” she grit out, flying backwards and nearly falling into the mud.
“Sorry, sorry,” Nathaniel quietly said, helping her steady herself on her spike heels and then releasing her as she jerked her arm away. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“What are you doing lurking around here?” she demanded, eyeing the empty campus around them nervously.
“Mait called Carlson and Carlson called me. I was in the library studying for my last final. Why the fuck is the Honor Council calling you in?” he asked, looking genuinely worried.
Still guarded, she cleared her throat and replied, “I have no idea. I haven’t cheated, or helped anyone else cheat. I haven’t stolen anything…”
“Why the fuck is the Honor Council calling you in?” a squeaky whisper sounded from behind her. “And what is he doing here?”
“Look, I haven’t done anything, so I don’t know why we have to do this,” Mary sighed, rubbing her eyes as she looked at her friend, Bunny.
“Don’t worry,” Bunny nodded, holding her arm. “Deep breath. We’ll find out what it is and work through it.
The unlikely trio entered the council meeting room one at a time, taking the appropriate seats: Bunny on the bench with the other council members, Nathaniel in the back with the one other student who was free to come and witness, and Mary in the seat of the accused. Again.
No one came to the side of the prosecution until the bell tower rang outside, marking the sixth hour of the evening. Then the door swung open.
“Son of a bitch,” Mary muttered, her mouth falling open as Will McAndrews walked past, giving her a look of sympathy. Then his face hardened as his eyes scanned the room. He’d found Nathaniel.
Bunny banged the gavel. “Mary Madeline Tucker, first year candidate for a Master of History degree, you stand accused here today of,” Bunny leaned in a
nd frowned. She leaned over and whispered to the other four students, who also looked confused, then she continued. “Uh, of being a… victim.”
“Huh?” Mary eloquently blurted. What was that supposed to mean?
Bunny looked up at her and nodded once, holding up a finger. “And, Mr. William Woodson McAndrews, your accusation states that the… defendant is a… victim? Of what?”
Will stood up, cleared his throat, took a sip of water and gave Mary a sympathetic look as he responded, “Abuse. Domestic abuse.”
Oh fuck. Could he possibly know about the spanking? Mait had never left a mark of any kind on her. Oh God. Did he know about the vicious spooning that Carlson had administered? Mary’s eyes turned to Bunny’s, and judging from the white complexion on her face, she was on the same train of thought.
“Uh, um,” Bunny cleared her throat a couple of times and tried to continue, “Do you… is there any… uh… evidence to support such an accusation?”
Mary felt her cheeks warm as she waited for Will to expose her in the most humiliating of ways. Was spanking even against the Honor Code?
“I believe she has become close to someone who was once her enemy.”
Uh-oh.
“Maybe out of fear, maybe out of desperation, or maybe just a way to feel love and human contact. But she showed up to school with stitches in her lip and everyone saw and no one knows who did it.”
“Oh, you’ve got be kidding me with this, Will!” Mary shouted, slapping her hands on the table and standing up. It wasn’t Mait. Thank God it wasn’t about Mait, but if anyone dug around deep enough they’d sure as shit find something out about them.
“I’m sorry, Mary Madeline. But someone hurt you and you won’t say who. This is for your own good,” he quietly said, looking so sad.
“Honestly, Mr. McAndrews, I believe Ms. Tucker is mature enough to know what is and what isn’t good for her.”
“You saw her,” Will bit out. “You’re supposed to be her friend. Why haven’t you tried anything to help her?”
“Order!” another council member sounded, banging his gavel.
“Apologies to the Council.” Will nodded. “But I can’t sit by and watch this happen to her. It breaks the Honor Code.”
“How?” Mary blurted, shrugging her shoulders at him.
“Because I know who did it,” Will growled.
Damn it. Damn it. Damn it! Mary tried to hide her anxiety as she stood and asked to speak. “In my defense, honored members of the Council, I fell. And as all of my real friends know, I am a little bit clumsy.”
Bunny was nodding her head furiously as Will cringed when she used the word real to describe her friends.
“Furthermore, I went to a hospital to get the stitches and a consultation from a plastic surgeon. If you check the police reports for that date, nothing was filed involving my name. If ER doctors and plastic surgeons at a prestigious hospital don’t feel it necessary to call the cops and file a domestic abuse report, then I don’t see how our Eastland Honor Council can find proof of anything except… I’m a klutz!” She smiled, dazzling the male members of the council and making Bunny nod in satisfaction.
“That’s all well and good, Ms. Tucker, save for one piece of evidence on file at this school. Your disagreement earlier this semester with him,” Will said, standing and pointing dramatically at Nathaniel. Bunny sucked in her breath. “And then everyone’s subsequent arrest on the same date that is, might I add, on file at the police department.”
Not good.
“And if I may paraphrase from this official report, you, Mary Madeline, will deserve everything you’re going to get from him, Nathaniel Worthington.”
Mary looked desperately at Will. Why? Why had he done this? What could she do? She couldn’t deny it because then she’d be lying and violating the Honor Code. Crap.
“And according to Honor Code precedent, past behavior can be grounds for expulsion,” Will continued.
“He’s,” Bunny cleared her throat, “he’s right. And if you’re lying about it you’ll be expelled, too. But it’s not true, right? You fell… right, Mary Madeline?”
Mary rubbed her eyes and tried to find the right words to go on the record. Words that would dubiously describe what happened and make her not a liar while not really telling the truth. Oh God, she really did wish Mait was there.
“Admit it, Mary Madeline,” Will urged her, sounding a little desperate, like his plan to get her to safety wasn’t really working. “Turn him in!”
Mary bit her lip and looked back at Nathaniel, who looked like he might just throw up. She couldn’t. She wouldn’t do that to him. He’d grabbed his ball and apologized to her. He was with Carlson, who seemed so good for him. He even seemed to care about her, too. Was she crazy for not just standing up and pointing at him, shouting, ‘Take him away’?
“I… I hit my head,” she explained very vaguely.
“Mary just tell them!” Will shouted over at her.
“I did! I… I…”
“I did do it,” Nathaniel stated, standing up and shifting his weight as he looked around the room. Determination was etched across his face. Mary knew that he would be expelled before the meeting ended. “Don’t look so sad, Mary. I did it. I was different then, but I did it. You shouldn’t have to pay for that. I’m so sorry.”
“Nathaniel,” she pleaded, but there wasn’t anything to say. Will had forced everyone’s hand.
Nathaniel stood in front of the council. “I’m Nathaniel Worthington, and I used to be a piece of shit.”
A few choked laughs were heard.
“But I’ve changed. I met someone, and I’ve changed. For the better. I did bust Mary Madeline’s lip. She asked me for a ride home from the library at midnight because she was afraid to walk alone. I took her and expected something in return. Maybe I even expected her to be my girlfriend. A pretty girl on my arm at all of my dad’s functions would really impress everyone. But she rebuffed me. And I became angry.”
He took a breath and looked back at Mary, who nodded at him reassuringly.
“So I grabbed the back of her head and slammed her face into my car door.”
Everyone sucked in their breaths and glared at him. Then their stares turned to Mary. Uh-oh.
“Don’t be upset with Mary. She didn’t tell because she thought she could change me. She came to me, brave girl that she is, and talked to me, introduced me to the right people, and God bless her, helped me find out who I really am.”
“And what’s that?” Will huffed, frowning.
Nathanial shook his head and smiled as he held his arms out. “I’m done hiding. I’m done fighting it. I’m gay. Senator Worthington, co-writer of the Marriage Defense Act, has a gay son. So now you know why Mary Madeline Tucker tried to keep my confidence. She is one of the best people I know.”
Mary smiled at him as her eyes grew glassy. Half of that was a lie, but she knew that if she substituted in Carlson’s name for hers most of it would be true.
Bunny stood and nodded at the council members. “Mr. McAndrews, thank you for bringing this to our attention. Ms. Tucker, you are free to go and continue your matriculation here at Eastland University. Mr. Worthington… I’m afraid we need time to convene about this. It seems hateful to expel you just because you were afraid coming out would hurt your dad’s career.”
“He attacked another student!” Will shouted.
“You have been heard, Mr. McAndrews!” another council member shouted.
“The student has accepted the incident and moved on, on the record, so we must discuss what to do in this particular situation. However, seeing as we have our final day of… finals tomorrow, I must suggest that we postpone a decision until the fall semester. All in favor?”
“Aye!”
Mary smiled.
“Opposed?”
No nays, so Bunny banged the gavel and nodded at Mary as she turned and began planning with the council. Nathaniel turned and walked out. She ran after him but foun
d herself outside of the cloisters standing alone under an old cast iron lamp.
“I knew it. I just knew he was hurting you, sweetheart—”
Mary turned and punched Will across the face as hard as she could. He went down immediately, a look of shock on his face. “Go fuck yourself, Will. You just completely ruined someone’s life,” she growled, turning and walking down the path.
“I did it for you!” he shouted, holding his face and rolling on the ground.
“Time wasted, asshole!”
She briskly walked home, got a scolding from Mait for not calling him to come and pick her up, then shoved her hand in an ice bucket for the next half hour as she recounted the night’s events. Mait rubbed her back as the adrenaline wore off and she started to cry.
“Let me call Carlson. I’m sure it will be fine.”
* * *
“I tried not to let him do it but I couldn’t stop him without lying…”
“It’s okay, cutie,” Carlson said, examining her. Worry creased his forehead, though. “Your hand will be fine, just bruised a little.”
“I called everywhere you told me,” Mait sighed, squeezing his phone. “Twice. You still haven’t heard anything?”
“No,” Carlson sighed, holding Mary’s shoulder. “You did what you could. You were limited in your choices, and you did what you could. You know that, right?”
“Yeah, maybe,” Mary responded gloomily. Carlson leaned down and grabbed her into a big giant hug. “I’m so sorry, Carlson.”
“You know, Nathaniel came to me last week and wanted to apologize. He was very mature about it. I don’t think he would run away or do anything rash. He probably just wants to spend some time wrapping his head around the fact that he may be expelled.”
“We’ll postpone the wedding until he comes back, of course,” Mary stated.
“No!” the brothers said at the same time.
“Kitten, we talked about this,” Mait said, looking down at her. “No matter what life throws at us we need to go on and do it.”
“But…”
“He’s right,” Carlson said, standing up. “Nathaniel will come home when he’s ready. You two just focus on you two.”
* * *