Cowboy’s Demands: Brides of Juniper Junction, Book Five

by Jones, Celeste

  “Roy,” I licked my lips and looked around nervously, “I-I don’t belong here.”

  “Minnie.”

  His tone said it all and I pulled up short, remembering his words from earlier. And knowing Roy, he’d not only keep his word and spank me in the middle of the lobby, but we’d still end up staying in the hotel and everyone would stare and know I’d been a naughty wife.

  I might as well make the best of it.

  Roy took two glasses from the tray and handed me one, then thanked the waiter. Touching the rim of his glass to mine, he said, “Welcome to the GrandHotel, Mrs. Gantry.” When he took a sip, his eyes studied me over the rim of his glass. Heat moved through my body and I gulped down some lemonade in an effort to cool myself.

  But, I took too much and began to choke, drawing the attention of several of the people relaxing in the lobby.

  Roy, calm as always, took my glass and patted me on the back until I breathed normally.

  “Th-thank you,” I said when I was able. “I-I’m just not used to this sort of treatment, I guess.”

  “I know, darlin’. But you’d better get used to it. Besides, we’re here to enjoy ourselves. Please stop fussing.” He slipped his arm around my waist and leaned in close. “Besides, I don’t expect us to spend much time outside our room anyway.”

  I gasped and blushed furiously.

  “For one thing, you’ve got a spanking coming your way.”

  “What?”

  “You’ve repeatedly questioned my decisions, despite my assurances that I’ve got everything under control. It seems to me, the best way to prove to you that I am in control, is to take control, and put you over my knee.”

  I swung my head around and stared at the wooden chair. Roy chuckled and turned my face back to him. “No, my dear. It won’t be here, though if you continue to doubt me, or yourself, then it may come to that.”

  He smiled as though it was the most common topic of conversation.

  “Come on,” he said, tucking my hand in the crook of his arm, “let’s go check in.”

  When the man behind the desk looked across the counter at me, I was sure he could see that I was not supposed to be there. He’d likely hand me a broom and tell me to get to work.

  Instead, he smiled at us congenially and when Roy said we were Mr. and Mrs. Gantry, the nice man perked up even more. “Ah yes, the honeymoon suite.”

  He tapped a bell on the desk and a uniformed man came and took our bags. I startled and nearly stopped him, but Roy put a hand on my arm to calm me.

  This was all very awkward for a humble maid, but slowly I started to believe I might be able to get used to it.

  No, I chided myself. That was a bad idea.

  Remember your place, Minnie. How many times had I been told that? Especially when Miss Elizabeth and I had become friendly back at Pendleton House. The other servants had been quick to remind me of where I fell in the pecking order and it was toward the bottom. Not the top.

  But I couldn’t help feeling just a tiny bit special when Roy took my hand and we followed the porter to our room. The honeymoon suite.

  Oh my.

  * * *

  I had never seen a bed so big. And there it was, smack dab in the center of a huge hotel suite. A blush covered me from neck to hairline when the porter entered the room ahead of us and set our bags next to the massive bed.

  The bed I’d be sharing with Roy. If I could find him in the great expanse of mattress. I giggled nervously and then blushed even more furiously. I peeked at Roy to see if he’d noticed but he was talking to the porter and handing him a few coins.

  When did Roy become such a big spender?

  On the other hand, where was there to spend money in Juniper Junction?

  Still, it was a side to him that I hadn’t noticed before, which is what made his big spending at the box social shocking and it all made me a little uncomfortable. Of course I was pleased that he’d been kind to the porter and gave him a gratuity. That was a sign of generosity and gentlemanliness that I liked very much.

  Once, when I was very young and had just started working in the Pendleton household, an overnight guest had given me a copper coin. I’d never had money of my own before and that had seemed like the biggest treasure on earth. I’d hidden it away and occasionally, when I was certain no one could see, I’d take it out and examine it. A penny. A single cent. To me it was wealth.

  I shook myself and pushed away those old thoughts. This was a new day. My wedding day and I would not sully it with unpleasant things.

  Then why are you so worried about Roy and his spending habits?

  Before I could answer the question I’d posed to myself, the porter left the room and Roy came to stand by my side. He turned me to face him and gazed down at me with a hunger that filled me with a dizzying mix of nerves and excitement.

  His hand slipped around the back of my neck, his thumb stroking the delicate area beneath my ear. The one he liked to kiss after he whispered something scandalous to me.

  I loved Roy with all my heart, but in that moment, I felt completely out of place. Like a fraud. All dressed up in a fancy gown with flowers in my hair and silk stockings that felt funny and didn’t really fit right. Not to mention the first-class train car and then the extravagant hotel.

  “What is it, my little dove? Why are you so worried?” His thumb continued to stroke that spot by my ear in a very distracting manner. His voice was slow and seductive and made my insides feel like they were melting.

  “This is a fancy room, Roy,” was all I managed to say, despite the whirl of my thoughts. If I told him what I was really thinking, what would he say? Would he be offended? Was it rude to question the elaborate trip he’d planned for us?

  “Are you feeling uncomfortable, Minnie?” His other hand reached around to my back and opened a few of the buttons holding my wedding gown in place. The tips of his fingers grazed the sensitive flesh between my shoulder blades and I gasped. Then all the breath in my lungs stopped moving and I wondered if I might faint.

  “Th-this is a lot of n-new things for me, all in one day,” I said, wetting my parched lips.

  “And more to come,” he whispered in my ear, now using both hands to open my dress. His fingers seemed to sear every bit of my flesh that they touched. I clutched at the lapels of his jacket to steady myself.

  “I… um… Roy… um. I-I d-don’t belong here. This is for a fancy girl. And you should have a fancy girl. Someone who is smart and sophisticated and knows how to act… you know… in a hotel.”

  He stopped undressing me and the smooth, sultry tone in his voice hardened. “I’ve given you ample warnings today, Minnie.” He took hold of my arm and pulled me to stand next to the huge bed. My dress was open in the back and falling loose, no doubt he could see my corset. I tried to push the sleeves up, but he moved too quickly and soon had me spread across his lap as he perched on the mattress. The many layers of my wedding dress were heaped up onto my back.

  “Roy!” I shrieked then bit my lips, fearing others in the hotel would hear my protests.

  “I know this is our wedding day, Minnie and I hadn’t planned on disciplining you so soon, but I’m a firm believer that you ought to start out as you intend to live your married life and I intend to discipline you whenever it is necessary. And right now, it’s necessary.”

  “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” I protested, though my words had no effect on him and when he opened the slit of my drawers and pulled the panels aside to expose my bare bottom to him, I simply buried my face in the quilt of the bed and wished to heaven I could go back in time and keep my mouth shut.

  Smack! Roy’s palm landed square in the center of my bottom and sent reverberations across the flesh of my backside. Again he swatted. And again and again.

  I whimpered into the crisp linens of the bed, certain I had ruined not only my wedding day but any possible chance at happiness Roy and I might have had. We were an unlikely pair as it was, and now this.

 
Roy did not hold back and his hand made every inch of my backside hot. After two more swats he stopped. I sobbed into the bedcovers, utterly miserable.

  I blamed the fancy hotel and the first-class train ride. I knew I didn’t belong and now it was obvious, even to Roy.

  The room was eerily silent, except for my ragged breathing. I waited and wondered what he’d do next. It was a good thing my bag was still packed. It would make my exit that much faster.

  I heard a soft cooing sound. Lifting my head, I looked toward the window, wondering if there was a dove outside. But then gentle hands lifted me and Roy held me in his arms, speaking soft words of love to me. Cooing, actually.

  Mystified, I looked into his face. “Aren’t you mad at me?” I asked in a hoarse whisper.

  “I was unhappy that you continued to talk badly about yourself and that you did not believe me when I said you belonged anywhere you pleased. But you have been punished and I heard many apologies from you, so I know you are sorry. Now it is forgotten and we move on.”

  He stroked his hand up and down my back, massaging the exposed skin until I relaxed against him. “That’s my girl,” he said when I rested my head on his shoulder.

  “You belong with me,” he said. “And if I ever hear you say such things about yourself again, you’ll be going over my knee for more than a few little swats. Understand?”

  A few little swats?

  I blinked and then nodded. “Yes,” I whispered. “But, Roy—”

  “Don’t you ‘But, Roy’ me, little girl. Or there will be additional consequences.”

  His face lowered until our lips met in a slow kiss that took my breath away and made it hard for me to remember what I’d been worried about. My hands moved up to cup his face as well, the scruff of his beard brushed against my palms.

  The kiss deepened and Roy’s hands circled my waist, pulling my body tight to the length of his.

  There was particular hardness pressed to my belly.

  Was that—oh my!

  I whimpered and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue into my mouth.

  When our tongues met, something like a bolt of lightning shot through me and seemed to land directly in the spot between my quivering thighs. I clung to the lapels of his jacket and then slid my arms around his neck, giving myself over to the delight of his kisses and the passion building within me.

  More whimpers and I felt a wave of desire move through me as I reveled in the sensation of being kissed so intimately by my husband.

  I thought I had angered him, disappointed him. That he’d want nothing more to do with me, but that wasn’t the case at all. There’d been punishment, but then tenderness.

  Married life was very confusing.

  Tapping in the background distracted me momentarily and when it became more insistent, Roy pulled away, his eyes half-lidded as he gazed down at me. “I’ll be right back, little Minnie. Don’t you move.”

  I wasn’t sure I could leave that spot even if I wanted to, his kisses had left me rather dazed and dizzy and I had a bit of trouble focusing as I watched him answer the door to our suite. I heard whispers and then Roy stepped aside while several hotel employees entered the room. I gasped and reached behind me to hold together my opened wedding dress. My face flushed at having so many strangers in our private quarters, though I seemed to be the only one who noticed. The hotel employees did their job as though I wasn’t even there.

  Regardless, it felt invasive and embarrassing. Did they know what Roy and I had been doing? What if they’d returned while I was over Roy’s knee? I had to be grateful for that, at least.

  As I watched, a large copper bathtub was brought into the room followed by hearty men with buckets of steamy water as well as buckets of cool water.

  My back ached just watching. I knew the drudgery of carrying heavy buckets of scalding water up a flight of stairs, not to mention the worry about touching the hot metal or spilling any of the contents. When Roy gave each of the workers a coin for their efforts, my admiration for him grew even stronger.

  Once they were gone, Roy turned the lock on the door and leaned against it, arms crossed over his chest and a heated look on his face.

  “Come, little wife. It is time for me to bathe you.” He crooked his finger at me and I reared back with a gasp.

  “Bathe me?” I squeaked. The thought of it did strange things to my insides, but surely I ought not to want him to do such a thing.

  “Why yes, you are mine, are you not? And I like to take care of what is mine.”

  “B-but, y-you can’t bathe me,” I protested, though imagining my handsome husband running a soapy cloth over my body sent spikes of heat all through me.

  By this time, Roy had crossed the room and knelt in front of me. I had no idea what he intended to do, so I stood stone still and waited. I nearly fell over from surprise when he reached beneath my skirts and removed one of my shoes. “Rest your hands on my shoulders, dear. I don’t want you to lose your balance.”

  My legs quaked when Roy repeated the process for my other shoe. Even more disturbing was the fact that when he was on his knees, his face was very close to my lady parts. I could feel moisture gathering between my thighs and squeezed them together to stem the flow.

  If this is what taking off my shoes did to me, what was going to happen once I was completely naked?

  The mere thought of it had me swaying from side to side.

  “Although I’d like to take my time unwrapping each tantalizing inch of your body, sweet Minnie, I fear your bath is getting cold.” He shook his head as if chiding himself. “I did not expect them to be quite so fast with the bath.”

  “Bu-but then I would have been … um… out of my clothes… when they got here.” More heat suffused my face.

  “I would have hidden you behind that screen,” he nodded toward a folding partition which I hadn’t noticed yet, “and thought about your delightful naked body waiting just for me once we were alone.”

  “Roy!” I shrieked, barely able to catch my breath at the mere thought of what he suggested.

  And yet, those quivers between my thighs heated to a fever pitch imagining myself waiting behind the screen for my husband’s command to join him.

  “Come now, Minnie. Let’s get you into the tub.” Roy kissed me again and distracted me with the play of his lips while he finished undressing me. Before I knew what had happened, I was naked in his arms.

  He bent at the knees and scooped me up, carrying me to the tub and gently placing me in the sudsy water.

  Ahhh. After the stresses of the day, it felt wonderful to be surrounded by warm, scented water. I leaned against the back of the tub, closed my eyes and let out a contented sigh. The sensation of luxuriating in the massive tub outweighed my anxiety over my nudity. At least for a moment or two.

  I heard Roy moving around next to the tub and opened one eye to spy on his actions. He took off his jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, revealing the taut muscles of his forearms. I squirmed against the bottom of the tub. He was so handsome. Sculpted like a statue with dark good looks. How had I ever managed to catch the attention of someone like him?

  Then I glanced around the massive hotel suite. Where did he get the money for something like this?

  But that thought vanished as quickly as it entered my head when Roy knelt next to the tub and dipped a thick cloth into the water, then lathered it up with a bar of lavender scented soap.

  * * *

  Roy

  My hands shook a bit as I dipped the cloth into the water. It took every ounce of my self-control to hold back from climbing into the tub and fucking her against the shiny copper while water sloshed all over the floor of the bridal suite of the Grand Hotel.

  No. I would not, could not, defile her in that way. Not tonight at least.

  Tomorrow, however, would be another story.

  My cock throbbed and I shifted a bit to accommodate my thickening member. I’d been the first to kiss Minnie and I’d be the last a
nd only to do so. The same with fucking her sweet virgin pussy. It was bad enough that I’d ordered up the bath as soon as we’d gotten into the room, instead of allowing enough time to woo my sweet bride, but I’d been fantasizing about bathing her for weeks.

  Months, possibly.

  From the moment I first looked into her deep brown eyes, I was smitten. And smitten advanced to fascination which transformed into love. A love more profound than I had ever experienced or thought possible.

  Was she the most well-behaved or attractive woman I’d ever met? Far from it. Was she the sort of woman my mother back in St. Louis would have chosen for me?

  Oh hell no. In fact, a scathing letter from her will no doubt be waiting at the post office for me when we return to Juniper Junction. Posey will have to wear gloves when she handles it because it will be so hot with anger and outrage.

  Was that part of Minnie’s appeal? Knowing how much my uptight family would disapprove? Just like they disapproved of my decision to become a lawman.

  “Lawman? The only career acceptable to someone interested in the law is… the law. Become a lawyer, son. There’s a seat waiting for you at any of the best law schools. Harvard, Yale, Princeton. I’ve got friends who can make that happen for you, Roy. Don’t waste your life chasing criminals.”

  I was born with an innate sense of fairness and justice which made no sense to my father. “You can’t make any money as a cop. Well, not as an honest cop.” And then he’d gone on to praise a precinct captain he knew who had been pocketing kickbacks and shaking down business owners for years.

  “Now there’s an entrepreneur for you. A real go-getter.”

  It had been a bitter disappointment to me when I’d finally gotten a position with the St. Louis Police Department and learned that the precinct captain my father had talked about was part of a rampant culture of graft and corruption.

  I’d been naive enough to think that if I didn’t participate in those activities, I’d be unaffected by the dishonesty permeating the force. I was wrong. I’d spent months tracking down clues to a series of robberies by a notorious and wily criminal known as The Dandy due to his fancy clothes and charming ways. Though I was new on the force, I’d had an interest in catching him since well before I’d gotten a badge.