Monthly Maintenance: Selected Stories from Blushing Books Authors

by Blushing Books

  “William!” she screamed. “William!”

  “Yes, dear?” my father’s tired voice floated in from the other room.

  “I forgot the cranberry sauce,” my mother yelled. “Go out and get it before it’s all sold out!”

  My dad shuffled in obediently and took his coat. “Do you want to go, Kelly?”

  “No,” I said. “I think I’ll stay.”

  “OK,” my dad said with a wink, and walked out the door.

  In truth I’d have liked to have gone with him, but was afraid if I left the house I’d miss Marco’s call. But Marco didn’t call.

  “No, that was a telemarketer,” my sister Carrie said when I asked her who was on the phone.

  “And you should be glad. I don’t know why you want that guy anyway. Looks aren’t everything! Brittany! Brittany! Put down Grandmama’s snow globe. I’m not going to tell you again!!”

  As my sister rushed off to extricate the snow globe from the clutches of her three-year-old, my mother picked up the mantra.

  “Carrie’s right, you know,” she said, snapping green beans as she spoke. “There were any number of eligible guys you’ve turned down to date that construction worker….guys who are going places.”

  “Mom, I’m not sure if clawing your way up to middle management is ‘going places,’” I said, growing increasingly defensive of the man I’d just recently abandoned. “Marco may not be in the corporate world, but he’s a darn hard worker and he makes good money.”

  “Don’t snub middle management.” Carrie had returned with a snot-nosed Brittany, who was still fretting over being denied her shiny plaything. “If it weren’t for Raymond’s middle management bonus we couldn’t afford our new membership to Glenn Springs.”

  My mother brightened. “You got into Glenn Springs?”

  “Tennis courts, pool and all!” Carrie said, plopping Brittany down and handing her a cookie. The child considered the cookie and began to cry, forcing Carrie to speak over her. “Of course, Raymond wanted to join the community club to save money, but it’s like I told him, the *better* families belong to Glenn Springs. Besides, I deserve something nice to do on the weekends after taking care of Brittany all week. She’s a handful.”

  As if on cue, Brittany began to wail louder.

  “Geesh,” Carrie said and walked to the kitchen door. “Ray!! RAY!!”

  A moment later my beleaguered looking brother-in-law walked in. “What is it, honey?”

  “I need you to take Brittany,” my sister ordered.

  “But honey, I drove all the way here,” Ray protested. “Nine hours straight. And that was after getting up with her last night. I really need to get some sleep.”

  “And you’ll get some!” my sister snapped. “You can sleep when the men take their nap after dinner tomorrow. But right now I’m trying to talk and I can’t hear myself think over this child.” She picked Brittany up and thrust her towards her dad. The little girl began to kick, landing a solid blow in Ray’s pot belly. He exhaled in an oomph but took the child just the same.

  “Congratulations on the Glenn Springs membership, Ray,” my mother said as he struggled to keep hold of the tot.

  “Oh, that,” Ray said. “That was her idea. It would have been better to join the community club and put the rest of the bonus in Brittany’s college fund. There would have even been money left over for those new golf clubs I wanted, but Carrie…”

  “Don’t start, Ray, OK?” My sister slammed down the potato she was peeling. “ First of all, you don’t need new golf clubs. Your old ones are just fine. A membership in that club will be a better investment in Brittany’s future than putting the money in her college fund. She’ll be meeting the right kinds of people, and it’s who you know, right mama?”

  My mother nodded. “Listen to your wife, Ray. She knows what she’s talking about.”

  Ray, beaten, slunk from the kitchen.

  “The key to a successful relationship, Kelly, is knowing how to assert yourself to your man. Men think they know what’s best, but they don’t. It’s up to us to show them the error of their ways so that things work out for the best.” She turned back to my mother. “Mom, did I tell you that Glenn Springs has a spa? Their cucumber facials are to die for…”

  I listened to their voices droning on and on as I looked through the kitchen door. In the living room, Ray sat bouncing Brittany on his knee.

  “I want mama!” the little voice wailed.

  “Mama’s busy,” he replied. “Just leave her alone.”

  Ray picked her up again and I could see that his eyelids were heavy. The man really was tired. And stressed. And apparently unhappy. I looked at my sister, still sitting there, still droning on about the amenities at the Glenn Spring spa. If she treated him like this in front of family, what were things like at home?

  “For heaven’s sake!!” My mother’s voice interrupted my thoughts. She was holding a can of the cranberry sauce my father had bought, scowling angrily at the label.

  “WILLIAM!!”

  “Yes, dear?” My father’s tentative face was in the doorway now.

  “Does this look like Del Monte brand?” My mother jutted the can inches from his face.

  “No, it’s Libby’s,” my father replied. “They were out of Del Monte.”

  “They? Who’s they?” My mother was practically yelling now.

  My father’s shoulders slumped. “The market dear. They were out at the market.”

  “Oh, so you just went to one.” Mother was tapping her foot now. “Go back out to the other markets and get me Del Monte.” It wasn’t a request, but a statement. And my father, with a sigh, turned towards the door.

  “See,” my mother said to Carrie. “They don’t know what to do unless you tell them. If you don‘t tell them they just do what they want.”

  “And what’s so wrong with that?” I asked. I’d watched and listened to this for as long as I could stand without commenting. “What’s so wrong with your using Libby’s so dad doesn’t have to go back out in those crowds at the store?” I turned to Carrie. “And what’s so wrong with joining a less expensive clubs so Ray can buy clubs with the bonus he earned while you sit around on your big ass?”

  I didn’t give them time to answer. “You know, I think I made a mistake coming here,” I said, grabbing my sweater and car keys. “But I should thank you both for one thing. You’ve proved to me that directing the play means it’s going to have a happy ending.”

  I didn’t walk back outside, I ran. And once outside, having realized that my Datsun was blocked in by my mother’s Ford Escort and my sister’s minivan, I gauged the distance back to my house - eleven blocks - and decided it wasn’t too far to run, even in the dark.

  I’d been in track in high school, running for ribbons. Now I was running for an even more important prize - the future with the man I loved. The neighbors, I’m sure, thought I was crazy as I cut through their back yards and alleyways, setting their dogs to barking and tripping at least two car alarms in my path. But finally, I was home, standing in front of the door I’d walked out of early in the day, all my uncertainty gone.

  I banged on the door. “Marco!!” I cried. “Marco!!”

  The house was quiet and for a moment I was afraid he’d left. But then I heard his familiar footsteps as door opened. He didn’t say anything, just stood there.

  “Marco,” I said, and began to cry.

  “Kelly,” he said. “Baby.” And he grabbed me and held me tight. He looked out “Where’s your car?”

  “I left it,” I said. “I left it at mom’s. But that’s not important. We can get it tomorrow. Right now I need to tell you something.” I was talking very fast, tripping over my words. Marco put a finger to my lips but I took it away, clutching it with both hands.”

  “Marco, I was wrong. I was so wrong. I wanted you to be in charge but I realize now that I wanted to be in charge. I wanted you to spank me but only when I wanted it. But I realize now that that’s not what I want. I
do want you to be in charge. Even when it hurts. Because being away from you hurts so much worse.”

  Marco looked down at me, his face sympathetic. “Are you sure, baby, because for this to work we both have to be happy.”

  “Oh god, Marco, that’s just what I want to hear,” I said.

  He picked me up then, picked me up as easily as if I were a small child and carried me to our bedroom. I started unbuttoning his shirt even before he laid me on the mattress and began to undress me. We were naked in minutes and when he fell between my legs I gripped my thighs around his waist and guided him inside of me with my thigh muscles, something I knew he loved. He was large and hard and virile, thrusting into me so hard that the bed rocked. Then he stopped, withdrew, turned me over and gave me three sensual smacks on my bottom. They hurt, but in a good way.

  “What’s that for?” I pouted.

  “That’s for making me think I was going to have to eat Thanksgiving dinner alone,” he growled.

  I smiled and turned back over, welcoming him again into my body. “You’ll never have to eat a Thanksgiving dinner alone as long as I have anything to say about it,” I purred. And I meant it. This was to be the first of a lifetime of Thanksgivings with the man I loved. And I was thankful. Very, very thankful.

  A Spanking for Christmas

  By Rebecca Jacobs

  A Spanking for Christmas

  by Rebecca Jacobs

  “I’m going to spank the everlasting daylights out of you, Tessa Marie Jacobs McKenzie!”

  “You just go right ahead, William Peter McKenzie, and see if I care!” the tiny blonde put her hands on her hips and glared up at her husband in pure defiance. “You might be able to make me cry and say ‘sorry’, but I’m telling you right here and now that I won’t mean it!”

  “Tess, we agreed to stay out of the middle of this mess with Mike and Nellie…!” Bill ran his hands through his light brown hair in pure exasperation.

  “No, we did not!” Tess stood up to him. “You dictated that we would stay out of it, but I never said I agreed with you. I didn’t agree, and I set out to fix things.”

  “It isn’t your place to interfere, woman!”

  “And why not? Can you think of two people any more suited for each other?” she demanded, her blue eyes flaming.

  “I can’t think of any two people more likely to kill each other on sight!” he replied, his voice angry and sharp. “Good God, Tessa Marie… there’s a blizzard out there tonight! That blasted cabin is isolated in the middle of nowhere. The phone will go down, there won’t be any electricity unless Mike can get the generator to run, the roads will be impassable for at least three or four days…!” he roared.

  “I know,” Tess smiled. “It’s the perfect plan. By Christmas morning, they’ll be madly in love again!”

  “It’s insane. They’re mad as hell at each other, and this plan of yours has probably cost us two dear friends. I warned you not to meddle, woman.”

  He took several steps in her direction, and Tessa’s blue eyes opened wide. “Now, Bill, what if it all works out? What if Mikey and Nellie come together in the spirit of Christmas? You know that Christmas has a special magic…” she backed up as far as she could, forgetting the Christmas tree was there until one branch poked her thigh.

  “I know that I said ‘no meddling’, wife, and you meddled… Hell, you meddled to the point we’ll likely have a funeral to attend, and see another friend in prison for life.”

  “You think Mikey will kill Nellie?” the blue eyes went wide with horror at the thought.

  “Unless Nellie kills Mike first,” was his reply. “No matter which, you’ll be getting a nice sore bottom for Christmas, Tessa Marie.”

  “Christmas isn’t until Thursday!”

  “That’s right, and you are getting a spanking tonight, and every night until you’ve apologized to the both of them in person with me standing right there to hear each and every word.”

  “But, Bill…!!!! They’re both planning to stay there through the weekend!”

  “Which means you’re going to have a very sore butt, doesn’t it?” he stated firmly. “You disobeyed me and meddled in Mike and Nellie’s personal business, Tess. You put both of them in a situation that is bound to be difficult, if not downright unpleasant, and a very sore bottom is the consequence you face for meddling. You take that little butt of yours right into our bedroom, young lady, bare it, and stick your nose in the corner. You are going to have plenty of time over the next few days to regret your actions.”

  “No, I won’t, Bill. Sometimes the end does justify the means… and if getting spanked every day is the price I have to pay for getting those two back together, then so be it!”

  Tess flounced off to the bedroom, and seconds later Bill heard the door slam shut. “Some Christmas this is going to be,” he muttered darkly. He walked over to the window and looked outside. The snow was already several inches deep, and didn’t show any signs of stopping. They were calling for at least twelve inches here, and up at the cabin, they would get twice that amount. Bill closed his eyes and said a prayer for both Mike and Nellie. Both of them were used to snow, but the driving conditions up there had to be next to impossible. Bill tried the telephone at the cabin one more time, and was greeted with the same busy signal. The phone was definitely down… and it would be several days before he and Tess would know the outcome of her meddling. In the meantime, she was going to find sitting difficult. Bill headed for the bedroom, a determined expression on his face.

  ********************

  “It can’t be much farther,” Nellie squinted her eyes against the swirling snow and concentrated on keeping her vehicle on the winding road. She spotted a light up ahead, and was shocked to realize it was coming from Tess and Bill’s cabin. She smiled in genuine relief. It would be just like Tess to call ahead and have someone go in and leave a light burning, and take the winter chill off the tiny cabin. She pulled up, and shut off the engine, then leaned her forehead against the steering wheel and took a deep breath. Driving up here was the absolute worst. There were times she considered stopping, but knew if she stopped, she’d never make it here for Christmas, and she was determined she was spending the holiday alone so that she could ignore the day and all that it implied. She was alone this year. Alone with nothing but her memories, and all they did was make her cry, and she was through crying! She brushed the moisture off her face with her gloved hand, then threw open the car door and was pelted with the swirling snow.

  She tromped through the white stuff, and gasped when it got inside her boots. Why oh why hadn’t she opted for the Bahamas? She filled her arms with as much as she could carry, and then trudged to the door. She reached for the handle, and nearly lost her balance when the door was pulled open from the inside.

  “What the hell?”

  Nellie’s brown eyes went wide in shock! She’d recognize that particular deep voice anywhere, anytime, anyplace! “YOU!” she screamed angrily. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?”

  “I could ask you the same!” Mike Cassidy’s dark eyes snapped angrily. “Give me those before you fall flat on your face.” He reached out and grabbed the bags from her hands.

  “You give those back!” she demanded, attempting to take them. He merely lifted them higher, and she couldn’t reach them… Not when he stood a full 6’ 5” in his bare feet, and she couldn’t even make 5’ in a pair of heels! Not to be outdone, she pulled back her foot and kicked him on the shin. “I said give them back!” she screeched angrily when he howled in pain.

  “You’re still impossible, I see! What are you doing here, Nellie?”

  “I’m spending Christmas here… ALONE! That means, you get your sorry butt out of here, and you do it right this minute NOW!”

  “No way! I’m spending Christmas here. I asked Bill, and he said it was okay. I’m staying.”

  “Well, I asked Tess, and she said it was okay. You are leaving!”

  “No, I’m not.”

  Nellie had h
eard that tone of voice before. He wasn’t budging, and there was no way she could make him budge. That meant one thing. “Fine. I’ll leave. I hope you choke on the groceries,” she added, turning on her heel.

  “You aren’t leaving. The roads were impossible when I got here two hours ago, and they’re worse now.”

  “I’m not staying here,” Nellie replied, stepping outside. She heard him curse, but she ignored him and headed for her car. Once she was inside she would drive away and sit in a snowdrift for the night. She didn’t care! But, she was NOT staying in that cabin with one Michael Andrew Cassidy! The man was purely impossible! She tugged on the door, and managed to get it open. She climbed in, and put her key in the ignition, only to have a large arm reach inside and turn it off, jerk out her keys, and thrust them into a deep pocket.

  “I said you are not leaving.”

  “Give me back my keys, Mike. I’m not staying; you can’t make me stay; if you try it, I’m going to hurt you… real bad!” she promised.

  “Nellie, you’re all sass, but you don’t have the butt to back it up!” he said with a grin. “Now get your fanny out of the car and inside.”

  “No.”

  “Fine. Have it your way!”

  In the next instant, Mike pulled her from the car and tossed her over his broad shoulder. She promptly hit his back as hard as she could with her fists, and in the next instant pain exploded across her left cheek as he reached up and slapped her butt. “OW!” she howled.

  “No hitting, sprite!” The old nickname popped out of his mouth before he could recall it, and Mike wanted to bite his tongue. She wasn’t his sprite any more.

  Nellie was breathless by the time he carried her inside and dumped her unceremoniously on the sofa. “You make me so furious, Michael Cassidy!”