by Maria Lake
And so Josie's family had let her stay where she wanted, all because he promised to do his duty.
Only he had obviously failed if Josie was now selling herself down at the Saloon.
Darn it, he should have known better-- if she was having money problems-- but he never would have suspected her of going out and selling herself--
His temper flared red, but angry as he was with her, he was even angrier with himself. Before he knew it, he was down the street, and turning onto Pointer Lane.
Sam took a long hard look at the Holiday Saloon. He'd be happier if it was never built. It'd be a lie to say he wasn't familiar with the place, but he'd never touched the girls. He'd gotten stuck having an occasional drink there to celebrate a business deal. He knew the kind of men that went there, but he also knew he could hold his own against them. He'd go in there and drag her out if he had to. Lost virtue or not, he'd made a promise to her father and he was keeping it- he'd be sadder about it, but he'd still marry her.
Sam clasped his hands together, and then looking at them, he remembered another promise he had once made-- a promise he'd made to Josie about what she could expect from him if she went near the Saloon.
Oh, he'd marry Josie Lanshaw all right, but his bride was going to have a very warm bottom first. Josie had better hope that rounded seat of hers was as well fleshed as it looked. The Holiday Saloon wasn't for good girls, and Josie was about to find out how much of a mistake it was to be bad.
Chapter 26
Resolute, Sam strode purposefully down Pointer Lane, and swung open the doors of the Holiday Saloon.
If Sam had expected to rush upstairs to haul Josie out of one of the bedrooms, he was shocked to see her sitting in a chair with one hand holding cards fanned out in front of her face.
“What is the meaning of this?” Sam bellowed.
Shocked, Josie jumped up, nearly knocking over the table. “I-I'm only playing cards Sam. Not up right now, but I can still turn things around--”
“What are the stakes?” Sam asked Buck Miller.
“Do you mean what they're playing for, or what she's pledged?”
“Do you take me for an idiot?”
“Simmer down Sam. At the moment, the gal's had a slight setback, but she's put up her ranch. I'm sure it'll turn out fine.”
“And if it doesn't?”
“Well, depending on the hand, she could wind up a little short.”
“And then?”
“I'm sure we'll find a mutually beneficial form of repayment. I'm sure we can even figure out a way to give you a cut out of it.”
“Well, that's a problem,” Sam said.
“Is it now?” Buck asked, his hand covering his holster.
“Seems to cut into my rights as fiancé. Josie didn't have the right to go and gamble the ranch away.”
“Now, this little beauty didn't tell us anything about any betrothal. And she ain't wearing a ring.”
“That's because I have the ring right here, don't I, darling?” Sam said, taking the ring out of his pocket and putting it on the table.
“Not a good sign if she took it off, Sam. I'd say she called the engagement off.”
“You'd say, but I don't,” Sam replied.
Josie looked at the ring. It was absolutely beautiful. How Sam could afford something like that... but how could she accept something like that without...
“It's okay,” Sam said, putting his hand over hers. “You can put it back on. I forgive you for taking it off.”
“Forgive her for taking it off? The look on her face is that it's never been on.”
Sam smiled. “If you were a lady, would you wear a ring like that to go gamble in this saloon?
“If I were a lady, I wouldn’t set foot in this here saloon.”
Sam grabbed him hard by the wrist.
“Easy there Sam, just stating a fact,”
“It's a nice gesture Sam,” Buck interrupted, “but a little too late. Your little friend here has a lot riding on this hand. If she's lucky, she gets to walk out of here none the worse than when she arrived. But if it's a bad hand, well there's a bunch of gents here who are eager to cover any shortfall she might have.”
“And the likelihood of a shortfall?”
Buck Miller shrugged. “Bidding's already started, so no time's wasted, if that's what you're asking.”
“So you're really that sure?”
“Still taking offers if you'd like to toss your hat into the ring.”
“Except I brought my own ring.”
“To buy her out of a tight spot. Your chivalry is touching but anyone can toss down a paste ring.”
“It sure ain't paste, and it isn't chivalry. Miss Lanshaw's my fiancé, aren't you, Josie?”
Josie nodded vigorously.
“Sure she'd agree to that, gets her off scot-free. She'd agree to anything if it undid the mess she got herself into.”
“Anything? I don't think so.”
“Well it's hardly any skin off her back if she goes along with you.”
“That's where you're wrong,” Sam replied evenly.
Sam turned to Josie again. “Do you remember what I told you would happen if you ever set foot in this place?”
Josie's eyes widened. Of all the times for him to remember that.
“You want proof that we're engaged?” Sam asked Buck, dropping his hand to his belt.
“Easy there Sam--”
“It's not my holster that I'm going for,” Sam said, undoing his buckle. “Now, if I was just her foreman, I wouldn't have a job left after what you're about to see.”
Josie watched, transfixed as Sam gave a sharp tug on the end of his belt, pulling it out of the loops of his pants.
There was a sudden sharp snap as the end of Sam's belt connected with the table.
“You know what I promised you, Josie. If you accept it, put your ring on.”
Josie looked at her hand. It wasn't a guaranteed outcome. If she won, she could pick herself up and leave. If she lost, well, she didn't want to think about that.
She looked up at Sam. That chiseled jaw and that hard mouth set in a firm line. She couldn't say she didn't deserve to be spanked. She couldn't say she hadn't been warned. She couldn't say it wasn't going to hurt more than the time she'd fallen off the roof of the barn when she was a kid. And she looked into those warm brown eyes of his. And she couldn't say she didn't love him. For years she'd wondered what it would be like to be married to him. And now that wish was about to be granted.
Slowly Josie picked up the ring and cradled it in her hand. “I accept,” she said, sliding the ring onto her finger.
Sam nodded. “Stand up, Josie.”
Wordlessly, she rose, standing by as Sam took her place in the chair.
“If you'd only listened to me,” Sam said, quietly.
Josie nodded, ashamed.
“You're taking part of your punishment here, and the rest at home. Let's make no mistake about this, it's a thick belt, and it will hurt.”
“I understand.”
And with that, Sam pulled her down across his lap, and fisted his belt into a loop.
Josie closed her eyes tight, bracing for the impact. This was it- the moment she'd been both dreaming of and dreading for years. And taking the spanking might be the only way she could get herself out of this mess. Publicly submitting to Sam was an acknowledgment that they were betrothed, which meant that he had a real interest in the ownership of the ranch.
She had seen Sam's sleeves rolled up plenty of times, had often admired the swell of muscles in his thick arms. She had a feeling she wasn't going to view his arm so favorably as she heard his belt whistle through the air.
She heard the slap of the belt against the back of her skirts, and her head popped up in shock.
Sam saw the look on her face and gave a low chuckle.
“Wasn't expecting it to feel like that, eh? Well, better get used to it- more's still to come.”
And Josie turned her head to watch
him take aim again. A startled yelp escaped her lips, and she turned away before the belt again thudded against her bottom.
She lay there completely stunned. All those feverish imaginings had never prepared her for this-- a spanking that didn't hurt at all.
So, it was to be a sham punishment after all, Josie decided, realizing that her many layers of underclothes were absorbing the blows from Sam's thick leather belt. She could feel only the slightest impact, which was enough to signal her to kick and attempt to thrash, and cry in a manner that was consistent with the severe whipping that she was supposed to be receiving.
Again and again, Josie cried out, wiggling her limbs in pretend agony as Sam continued to snap his belt against the seat of her dress. She even threw in a few good swear words, as she cussed Sam and his ancestors. Sam threw one leg over her after that, pinning her tighter to his lap. If that was a warning, she didn't heed it, needing her act to look and sound as authentic as possible.
Being pressed so tight against Sam's lap was a mixture of good and bad. Despite her many petticoats, she was aware that she was no longer lying against a flat surface.
On the good side, she'd likely become a mother pretty quick after they married. On the bad side, a bulge like that-- why, a whipping would probably hurt less than being rammed with such a beast. And unlike whipping, she could expect that bedding would be a nightly thing. Surely, Nellie's tales of the goings on between men and women had never included men with parts as big as what Sam possessed.
It wasn't long before her confusion and fears about marriage led to real tears.
She hadn't even known she was really crying until she heard the hoots and hollers of the men who had served as their audience.
“There, that's it for now,” Sam said, resting his arm against her.
“For now?” Buck asked.
“I promised her the rest of it at home. And that's something between a man and a woman. I've no doubt that shes nice and warm right now, and you've had enough of a show already.”
Buck noted with pleasure that Josie Lanshaw's legs were still kicking around. He had no doubt that her bottom was nice and rosy. Well, it would be even redder before the day was through. His hand lifted from his thigh as he wondered whether she'd have to bare her bottom back on the ranch. Deciding the answer had to be yes, he let his hand settle over the tented front of his pants.
“Hurts?” Buck, he asked Josie gruffly.
She nodded. “Expected it would,” she said sniffling.
“Hate him for it?”
“I suppose I should, shouldn’t I? Except I know I deserved it.”
“Well,” Buck said, one hand stroking his chin while the other stroked himself under the table, “after a show like that I feel like I should pay you the entertainer's rate.”
“Happy just to get the deed back,” Sam replied.
“Except the game's still in play,” Buck reminded him. “Go on, Miss Lanshaw, tell us what you've got.”
Josie looked at both men in shock.
“I can't,” she said, “Sam-- I--”
“It's going to be okay,” Sam said, but his eyes were on Buck Miller.
Buck gave a quick nod.
“Yes, Josie, it's going to be okay,” Sam whispered.
Josie cast an apprehensive glance at the cards that she'd placed facedown on the table.
“Can you do it?” She asked Sam.
“You know I can't- if I touch your cards, then they'll say I cheated. But, I think this hand is going to come out in your favor.”
Taking a deep breath, Josie turned her cards over. It was a respectable hand but it wasn't guaranteed.
She thought her heart stopped as she watched Buck Miller casually flick over his cards.
Josie stared in disbelief.
“You won,” Sam said. “Now let's get out of here.”
Buck Miller handed her the deed, her watch, her lucky silver charm, other bits and bobs of family jewelry, and a stack of bills.
“What's this? Where did you get this kind of money to put in the game?” Sam asked.
“She didn't. This here's her winnings on that hand. Would've been more if she hadn't owed so much from before.” Buck clapped Sam on the back. “Consider it a wedding present. That was a hell of a spanking, expect the rooms upstairs will be full up for the rest of that day. More'n makes up for what she would’ve fetched.”
Josie reached for the money, but Sam gave her a light slap on the wrist.
“Unless you're planning on donating that dirty money to charity, you'd best leave it.”
“But the ranch, and the bills and--”
“And I've got more'n enough to settle those. We don't need no gambling money to pay those debts. C'mon, Josie,” Sam said, taking her hand in his, “it's time to go home.”
Chapter 27
Standing near the hitching post, Josie watched quietly as Sam began to loosen her horses. He'd already walked his horse over from the other end of town. They hadn't said a word to each other since exiting the Holiday Saloon.
It was Sam who broke their silence.
“Well, now that you've been to the saloon, can we safely say you won't try it again?”
Josie looked up at Sam sweetly. She didn't mean to twist her fingers behind her back as she answered him... it was only... well, scary as it had almost been, she'd won nicely in the end.
She gave Sam a quick nod. “I've learned my lesson,” she said, trying to seem contrite. She batted her eyelashes at him, hoping that might cause him to get flustered enough.
In truth, she wasn't sure he'd like the lesson she learned. She had learned that there's a real thrill to high stakes gambling, and winning was enough to wash all of her earlier fears out of her memory. Not to mention the excitement in having tricked Buck Miller into thinking she's been severely punished, when in truth she'd gotten off without any discomfort to her bottom at all. In a way, all her worries had been silly. To think she had spent all that time thinking that Sam might really spank her...
Sam looked down at her, his eyes half closed. “If we are to keep to our act, I'll have to take your horse home on a lead rope.”
“As if I'm a child? Are you mad? I can surely ride my own horse as well as any man!”
“Not if you've had the thrashing that we put on over at the Saloon. Your bottom would be in agony in saddle.”
Josie blushed to hear him use the word bottom, but she quickly rallied. “Well, if I can't sit in the saddle, how am I to return home?”
Sam answered her by hoisting her sideways over his own horse and then joining her in his saddle.
“I look like a fool,” she hissed, aware that people were pointing at her. Her belly was over the horse, but her head and arms were hanging down one side, while her legs dangled down the other.
“Might as well get used to that position,” he said amiably, “you'll spend at least the next mile or two like that until we are out of sight of the town.”
Silently, they rode out of town, Josie mortified by her position.
“Why couldn't you at least put me over my own horse like this?” She complained.
“And have you accidentally fall off? No, this was the only way I could keep you safe.”
But she wasn't sure how safe she felt. On one hand, he would keep her from falling. But on the other hand, she was quite close to his lap, which was spread wide in the saddle. She could feel the heat of him on her own body, and that made her feel terribly unsettled.
She thought again of the sham spanking. To think, all those nights with those wild dreams, and in the end, her spanking had only been a bit of play acting. That ought to have made her quite happy, yet somehow... somehow she felt oddly let down.
Chapter 28
Sam had said he'd set her on her horse as soon as they got far enough from town, but a few miles into their ride, he announced that he'd changed his mind.
Josie demanded to be let down. “You've no idea how embarrassing it is to be over the horse like this,” she com
plained, aware that Sam had a prime view of her jutting bottom. Layers of petticoats or not, she felt like his gaze must be burning through her dress.
“Think I've got some idea about your embarrassment, which is why you'll stay in that position. Besides, arriving like this'll save a bit of explaining once we get back to the ranch. We've still got business between us that'd be best to take care of immediately.”
“Ranch business?”
“Nope. I'm referring to that spanking I promised you.”
Josie lifted her head up, just enough to eye him incredulously. “I already got one back at the saloon.”
“And that was a pretend one. I promised you one at home, and this one's gonna be a real one.”
Josie gulped. Had she really felt dissatisfied that he hadn't spanked her? She should've been happy about it. Sam was really calm about it, and somehow that worried her more. Eager to think about anything other than how sore her bottom was to be made, she quickly searched for another topic.
And there it was, plain as day, sparkling on her finger.
“I don't understand. My ring-- how did you--?”
“Come up with the idea of marriage? It sure didn't have anything to do with your decision to gamble. It was something I'd been thinking about for a long time. Didn't think it would have been respectable until after you were out of mourning. I rode out this morning to talk to the preacher, and then I bought the rings.”
“Rings?”
“I also got wedding bands. Two gold rings, one for each of us. It was only when I was out in town that I found out about you in the Saloon.”
“I'm sorry. I thought it was a good way to earn some money real quick, and--”
“And there's usually something wrong with the ways you can earn fast money, isn't there?”
“Daddy played cards, and so did Grandad.”
“But if they made a mistake, at least they were burly enough to get out of it. You, on the other hand are only five feet and a few inches. And very female. Buck Miller knew exactly what he was doing. You were about to lose everything-- this ranch, whatever jewelry you'd brought with you, and then some. You realize how Buck Miller expected you to pay the rest of it off?”