Irritable

by Joanne Locker

  "And you haven't met anyone else?" Kelsey found that very hard to believe. Cleve Blankenship was a handsome, sexy man.

  "No one I was serious about. And you, Pebbles? You said that your husband has been gone for ten years... I can't believe you haven't found someone else in all that time."

  "No one. I wasn't looking, and I discouraged anyone who might have been interested. I needed time to cope with losing the three people who mattered most to me in less than a year."

  "Three? Your Mom, too?" Cleve wanted to know.

  "Yes, she found out she had terminal cancer a couple months after we lost Dad and Steven. She didn't care to live and wouldn't fight. I nursed her through it... and it was a hard thing to do. Are your parents still living?"

  "Yes, they're retired and living in Florida. They're fortunate to be in good health." They talked a while longer and their ice cream was long gone. Cleve finally pushed his chair back and said, "Come on over here, Miss Pebbles. You asked for a spanking and you're going to get one right now."

  "But, Cleve, I don't drive like that normally!"

  "And you won't do it again once I'm finished with you," he promised. "Come here and make it easier on yourself." He could see her thinking and trying to decide what to do. It was plain as day that Pebbles didn't want another spanking, but she didn't want to make the spanking worse by arguing with him and she clearly remembered the first spanking he gave her. To his satisfaction, Pebbles got up and walked over to him. He decided then and there to make the spanking more symbolic than painful. She'd already accepted that she'd earned it and that was an important part of a spanking in his opinion.

  Kelsey wanted to sink through the floor as Cleve helped her lie over his thighs, but she couldn't very well think of a good excuse to talk him out of the spanking. She'd driven like that on purpose... just to see if he cared or would say anything. She only had herself to blame for what was about to happen.

  Cleve didn't spank overly hard, just enough to sting, and he scolded, making her answer his questions. When she hesitated, or got a bit flip, Cleve spanked harder. It didn't take long for Pebbles to admit she was wrong to test him in that manner. Cleve gave her a dozen more spanks on her sit spots and then stood her on her feet. As spankings went, it was very mild. Cleve was determined not to ruin his chances with the redhead. There was a mutual attraction there and he wanted to explore it. He was too hard on her over the manure and he wasn't going to make that mistake again. He also wanted to keep the lovely redhead safe, and he still felt she was in danger.

  *****

  Another poor woman was tortured and raped while he and Pebbles were having their ice cream and Cleve simply couldn't shake the terrible premonition that it was the young man from the grocery parking lot targeting women. He turned in the description and had the police artist draw a composite, but nothing turned up when they ran it although the two surviving victims said the drawing looked similar to the man who attacked them. Cleve warned his pretty redhead to keep her doors locked and she promised she would. He took to calling her several times a day to make sure she was all right. That was fine unless Pebbles was immersed in her work, and then she scolded him right and left for breaking her concentration. Cleve didn't keep her on the telephone at those times and by the time he went to see her after work she was in a decent mood again and did her best to placate him for speaking so sharply.

  Cleve was pleased to discover that Pebbles could cook and he started having dinner with her nearly every evening. He took her out several times, too, but both of them enjoyed staying in. They spent quite a bit of time together, but neither of them seemed to want to rush the relationship. Cleve went home and slept in his own bed every night. It had been a long time for both of them and they wanted the timing to be just perfect.

  It was nearly a month later when Cleve arrived one day after work and found the patio door of Pebble's condo open. He couldn't help but wonder if she was testing him, and that thought sparked his temper.. "Why is this door open, young lady?" he called out as he walked inside. Kelsey was in the kitchen and jumped at the sound of his deep voice.

  "Cleve! You startled me!"

  "I'm going to do more than startle you, young lady," Cleve promised. "Why is this door unlocked and open?" he demanded, walking over to the kitchen to face her.

  "I simply forgot," Kelsey explained as she stirred the spaghetti sauce. "My editor called and I hurried inside to get the telephone. I forgot to go back and lock the door."

  Cleve nodded and reached into the ceramic jar on the counter beside the stove and took out a wooden spoon. "You come with me," he took her hand and pulled her over to the kitchen table and gently pushed her down over its shiny surface.

  "No, Cleve! My dinner will be ruined!" Kelsey tried to get up but he held her down and cracked her with the wooden spoon. "Ouch!" She was wearing shorts and they didn't cover much. To her horror, Cleve pulled her shorts down and her panties came with them. She was completely bared and Cleve started spanking with the wooden spoon, making sure that each crack hurt like the very devil. "Owwwww! Stop it! Cleve! It wasn't deliberate!" she cried out, but he was a man with a mission and continued to spank until she was howling and crying and begging him to stop, and promising she would never do it again.

  Cleve wanted to make his point, and he took his time administering a spanking that he hoped would make her remember the next time. When he released her, Kelsey was furious with him. She jerked up her panties and her shorts and when she saw the mess on her stove she whirled on Cleve and said, "Get out! Get out right now! Get your stubborn sanctimonious cop ass out of my home!!!" He watched as she picked up the pot of sauce and dumped it in the sink. The pan of pasta was next. She took garlic toast from the oven and dumped the burned mess in the sink too. "GET OUT!" she snarled at him once again and Cleve realized he'd made a huge mistake. He should have listened when she told him that dinner would be ruined, but he'd decided she was simply trying to get out of the spanking she deserved. "If you don't go right now I am going to call the cops and have you tossed out!" she threatened and Cleve headed for the door. Pebbles needed some time to cool down before she did something she would regret.

  "Make damn sure you lock this door, young lady!" he got in the last word. He took about three steps before he heard her slam the patio door so hard it shook. She locked the door and then flipped him off before pulling the drape to block his face. Cleve stomped home and looked in the cupboard to see if he had a can of soup. He tried to call her an hour later and she didn't answer the telephone. He left a message, apologizing for ruining dinner and told her to call him back. An hour after that he realized she wasn't going to. He went to bed, mad at Pebbles and her damned temper, but most of all, he was mad at himself. He'd let his fear get the best of him and he ruined dinner. He knew how much work she put into making her homemade sauce... and the spaghetti noodles, and in the space of one spanking he'd destroyed an afternoon's work. It would be a while before the feisty woman forgave him... "But she'd better make sure she keeps her doors locked!" he growled into the darkened bedroom.

  *****

  Kelsey stomped around her house for at least two hours after she sent Cleve home. She'd worked so hard to make her special spaghetti sauce from scratch, and she'd taken the time to make the spaghetti noodles, too, and because she forgot to lock a door one time, he'd insisted on spanking her right then and there and no matter that the sauce boiled all over the stove, making a huge mess. No matter that her noodles were cooked into a mooshy clump! And no matter that the garlic toast was burned black! The man was a complete Neanderthal, and with her luck, he would probably spank her again because she flipped him off!!!

  It wasn't as though she left the darn patio door unlocked on purpose, either! She had to run inside to answer the telephone, and then Elise kept her on the phone forever, and she simply forgot all about locking the door. Besides, she'd lived here for two years now and didn't lock her doors... Not until Chief Cop threw a fit and insisted she start. Her terrible t
emper reasserted itself and she marched from door to door and unlocked each and every one. "So there too, Chief Cleve Blankenship!"

  Kelsey was so angry that she started cleaning. She burned off as much of her temper as possible, and then decided to go into her office and work. For a few terrible seconds she was tempted to unplug her headphones and let her music blare, just to irritate the snot out of Cleve... but she knew he would simply come back and spank her again if she did. No, she was going to concentrate on her work and try to calm down. As upset as she was, she would never go to sleep. Working always settled her if she worked off of her emotions and let them flow.

  Kelsey lost herself in her work, and the earphones allowed her to play her music as loud as she wanted without disturbing her picky neighbor. She worked for some time and suddenly realized that something didn't feel 'right'. She had the feeling of being watched and whirled in her desk chair to find someone standing in the room with her, a knife in his hand. Kelsey immediately recognized the man from the grocery parking lot and her eyes went wide as she realized that Cleve's instincts were right. She'd unlocked the damn doors and practically invited the man inside and now she was going to have to fight to protect her life. He wasn't making any attempt to hide his identity and he would kill her when he was through violating her. "What do you think you are doing here?" she demanded, not about to show fear.

  "You know why I'm here, bitch. We would already have had our fun if that friend of yours wouldn't have interfered." He brandished the knife and took another step toward her.

  Kelsey took off the headset and jerked the cord out of her computer, filling the room with blasting music. Her only prayer was that Cleve would hear the music and come running.

  *****

  "Damn!" Cleve rolled over and sat up. It sounded as though little Pebbles was spoiling for a fight. He was in the mood to give her one, he decided and got out of bed and pulled on his sweat pants and a t-shirt. He slipped his feet into a pair of slippers, and headed for his keys and the front door. If he was a betting man, he'd lay down odds that he'd find the doors unlocked.

  He tried the front door and was inside just that quick. He immediately heard screams and sounds of struggling coming from upstairs and took off running, taking the steps three at a time. The noises were coming from Pebble's bedroom, and he walked in the room in time to see the bastard hit her in the face with his fist. The tiny redhead was fighting with everything she had but she was no match for the rapist's strength. Cleve didn't have that problem. He kicked the knife from the bastard's hand, then jerked him off the bed and threw him against the wall. When he tried to get up, Cleve used his fist and put all of his strength into putting him down. The rapist collapsed in an unconscious heap on the floor. Cleve picked up the telephone and called for back-up while cradling Pebbles in his arms.

  "It's all right, honey. I came. I heard you and I came," he said over and over while she cried. "Are you injured? Did he cut you?" Cleve asked, trying to examine her for injuries while keeping an eye on his prisoner. He'd sent for the paramedics, too, for Pebbles; he didn't give a damn how much the rapist suffered.

  "I'm okay," Kelsey whispered even though it hurt to talk. "Thank you."

  "You were so smart to blast that music, honey. You know my temper," he grinned, and kissed her uninjured cheek carefully. "I love you, Pebbles Sherwood," he said in wonder. "I really do love you."

  Pebbles squeezed his hand and held on tight. She was in terrible pain and felt like she was going to be sick. Not a very romantic response when a man says those words for the first time, she scolded herself. She was safe and she knew she always would be with Cleve in her life. He came when she needed him most.

  Officers arrived and Cleve took charge, giving orders right and left. He made sure the paramedics saw to Pebbles first and after examining her, they insisted she go to the hospital and be seen by doctors. Cleve told her he would be there as soon as he could, and she squeezed his hand in answer. Cleve kissed her again, unmindful of the others watching. He intended to make Pebbles his wife and his fellow cops would need to get used to seeing him kiss her when they were together.

  Chapter Five

  Kelsey was not happy that the emergency room doctors were insisting she spend the night at the hospital for observation. They gave her some medication to help with the pain, and while nothing was broken, she had considerable bruising and they wanted to keep an eye on her to make sure nothing else showed up. Kelsey insisted she would be fine at home and was trying to get out of bed and get dressed when Cleve walked into her room and settled the matter in his own way... by giving her bottom a firm little swat and telling her to get her fanny back in bed or he'd open her gown and spank her bare tush in front of the nice nurse. Kelsey wanted to be indignant, but the young nurse's expression made her giggle instead. The nurse left the room, half in a huff that a man dared to spank her patient and relieved that he talked Kelsey into being cooperative and staying in bed.

  "How are you, honey?" Cleve asked, kissing her right cheek again. Her pretty face was so bruised and swollen and had to be sore.

  "They gave me a pain shot and I feel great right now. They said it would make me sleep, but I'm wide awake," she announced with a giggle. "Did you see the nice nurse's face when you swatted me? Wasn't it funny?"

  Cleve smiled when she closed her eyes and went right to sleep. The shot was working, but he knew she would feel like hell when it wore off. The man inflicted a lot of pain on her, and she'd managed to get in a few good shots, too, according to the paramedics that were charged with hauling him to the ER. Cleve didn't give a damn and hoped the son of a bitch couldn't move for days without hurting.

  Cleve glanced up a few minutes later when another man walked into the room wearing sweats and said, "I'm Kelsey's Doctor, Paul Malone. You are?"

  "Cleve Blankenship, the man Pebbles is going to marry when I can convince her of it," Cleve stood and offered his hand.

  To his surprise the other man grinned and whispered, "I can't believe Kelsey lets you get away with calling her that. She does seem to get a bit irritable at times."

  "I have a good cure for that," Cleve said quietly, but didn't elaborate. "How is she doing? I know you're not supposed to tell me without her permission, but is she all right?"

  "Her tests were all good and we'll release her in the morning if she feels like going home," Paul answered with a smile. "I came to see if she was still in a lot of pain, but it seems as though the shot is working. She's going to need some care over the next few days. Can you see to it without setting off her temper?" he asked directly.

  "Done."

  Paul looked at him speculatively, and then nodded. "I think you are exactly the person Kelsey needs in her life."

  "She's the person I need in my life, too," Cleve replied. He spent the night in the chair by her bed and when she woke in pain, he held her hand until she drifted off again.

  "I don't like hospitals, Cleve. Will you call Dr. Paul and see if I can leave now?" she asked at five AM.

  "It's too early, honey. Let the man sleep a couple more hours and I'm sure he'll let you leave. If you wake him up right now he'll make you stay another day or two to get even with you," Cleve teased her.

  She closed her eyes. "I think of my Mama when I have to be in one of these places, and all she went through. I don't want to start crying and make a fool of myself. So, I'll probably start getting real irritable and snapping at everyone. I don't want to be like that. It's a habit I got into to keep from crying."

  "I'll stop you, honey. Just hold my hand and we'll talk."

  She immediately took his hand. "Tell me what happened to him. Did you realize he was the guy in the parking lot at the grocery? He admitted he let the air out of my tire, and he was furious when you interrupted his plans for me."

  "He found out where you live by following you. He had a complete list of victims in his van," Cleve said, but he didn't mention that he claimed he'd simply walked into Pebbles' home because the door was unlocked
. He was still trying to control his temper over that! The little fool... She'd been so angry with him that she put her life in danger. What if she had already been in bed instead of working so late? What if he had been out in the living room watching television instead of in bed trying to sleep when she pulled the cord to her headphones? He forced himself to remain calm. They would discuss this later.

  "It's my fault he got inside the house so easily, Cleve," she confessed. "I was angry and in a temper and I unlocked the doors just to spite you. How stupid. How very, very stupid that was!"

  "It wasn't smart," Cleve agreed.

  "I know you're going to spank me." She looked at him and tried to pout.

  "Oh, you bet I'm going to spank you, young lady." He saw her eyes widen and he quickly added, "But not until you're all better. Right now I just want to baby you and take care of you and be thankful you weren't seriously hurt." He'd read the reports and seen the pictures of his other victims. Pebbles was luckier than she knew.

  Cleve was true to his word. He drove Pebbles home in his car and took care of her for the next few days. He slept in the same bed and was there when she had nightmares, and he was there when she gave her statement to the detectives. He cooked soup and she didn't complain even once, swearing it was delicious. Her bruises turned a rainbow of colors but each day saw an improvement in the way she felt.

  Kelsey had butterflies in her stomach but she knew what she had to do and she was determined to get it over with. When Cleve returned with their dinner she had the table already set and glasses of soda poured to go with their pizza.

  "You look upset, honey. Are you in pain?" Cleve asked worriedly. "Were you afraid while I was gone?"

  "No. I am doing all right, Cleve. If you must know, I am trying to work up my courage to ask you to get my spanking over with tonight. I hate having it hanging over my head," she explained when he looked at her in surprise. "I feel so guilty, and I need to get past this once and for all so I can move on and think about other things."