Fine or Punishment (Twist of Fate Book 1)

by Mira Margrave

  Candace fixed her with a quiet serious look, but a smile was still playing around the corners of her lips. “All these questions sound like excellent conversation starters over, let’s say, a dinner.” She winked but when Violet rolled her eyes, she quickly continued. “But to tide you over until then, let me give you a teaser or two of delicious information you could get by giving me a chance.” Her tone took on a more official tilt as she dropped tidbits of info in quick succession. “I’m a freelance programmer. That’s how I can pick up and move whenever I feel like it. Both parents are alive and kicking back at home, and they’re both high school teachers. I have two brothers. Both younger, both assholes.” Her smile widened here, gentling a bit before she continued. “I love them to bits.” After that, she shrugged, her voice dropping in pitch again. "But I hear ya, you want a bit of slow burn romance with your kink. Don’t worry, I've got you covered. Romance is my middle name."

  She winked again and Violet was too frozen to shake her head. Her mouth fell open when Candace leaned a bit forward, slowly and casually. Violet’s nails scraped against the front desk as she half expected a kiss, but Candace moved to whisper to her ear instead.

  "I'll let you deliver the rest." She said, her breath ghosting over Violet's ear and making her shiver in response. Candace leant back and shot her a pleased look before turning away to leave. By the time the door closer behind her Violet was still shaking.

  It was her fault. All of it.

  She couldn’t blame Candace for her confidence.

  After all, even when she thought she was going to be kissed in broad daylight, in a very public library, after the work she put in forgetting her previous weakness, she still didn't move away.

  She would have to do better in the future.

  **********

  Candace wasn't kidding.

  The next afternoon, almost as soon as Sheila left, a delivery boy brought Violet a single red rose. There was a card but it–unhelpfully and in direct opposition to the rose–read 'Romantic as fuck. Boom.'

  Violet couldn't resist rolling her eyes, though she put the rose in water immediately and took it home at the end of the day. Only because it would be a shame to let it go to waste, of course.

  Two days later, Sheila informed her on her way out that there was a package delivered for her during the morning shift and it was awaiting her attention in the office. Feigning disinterest, Violet waited for a few minutes before going to check what it was.

  She convinced herself that the attention was inconvenient and futile all the way from the front desk to her office, though her footsteps quickened as soon as she was out of sight. She closed the door behind her and moved over to the considerable package on the desk, tearing into it with impatient fingers.

  There was a picnic basket inside, nestled in a checkered blanket. When she opened it, Violet found a box of chocolates filled with sweet liqueur, fresh strawberries and cream. She was almost touched before she pulled the strawberries out and noticed a riding crop right beneath them.

  Of course.

  Her tongue flew over her dry upper lip, but she forced her heartbeat to slow down. There was another folded note that was sure to be as silly as the first one.

  Weston, here's almost everything you need for a romantic afternoon. Only thing missing is me and you can find that right here.

  Under that, Candace had written her phone number in big, bold numbers, as if making sure Violet would be able to read them. After a long minute of staring at the note–and the brash, daring handwriting that was so similar to the woman herself–Violet pulled her own phone out and added her as a contact. She sent a short 'No' in response before she reconsidered and sent a second message.

  V: Thank you for the strawberries, however; they're delicious.

  She expected she'd get a sad smiley in response or something equally ridiculous, but Candace surprised her again.

  C: The only thanks I need is a picture of you biting into one

  C: Your lips closing over it, teeth scraping the surface

  C: Juice spilling into your mouth

  Violet's mouth fell open though she told herself her heart didn't stutter in response. And she definitely didn't twinge at the sheer audacity of this woman. When she didn't respond for a few long minutes–and honestly, what could she say to that?–she got another message.

  C: I also accept cream and chocolate pics, I'm super easy

  C: Though I guess you know about that last bit XD

  Violet still didn’t respond and that ended up being the last of Candace's messages for the day, though Violet kept checking until the end of her shift. Only every couple of hours or so, and only because she had to be sure the woman got the message.

  There won't be any picnic, riding crop included or not. That was the end of it.

  Or it wasn’t the end of anything as she found out next Monday when she received a plain white envelope. It was delivered by Shawn–a preschooler in Sheila's reading club–claiming it was given to him by a 'tall pretty lady' just outside the library who told him to deliver it to the blonde librarian lady and to 'not ever never ever look inside'. After delivering the message, Shawn gave her the sealed envelope and ran off to Sheila munching on a candy bar that was no doubt payment for his work.

  Looking around quickly to make sure she wasn't seen, Violet ripped into the letter and pulled out a sickeningly pink card. In the middle it sported a couple of pandas kissing in a giant heart surrounded by at least a dozen smaller, even pinker hearts. Violet opened it just to stop looking at the horrifyingly sweet image but the insides were worse. A lot worse because Candace seemed to have moved on from short messages to full on limericks.

  There once was a woman with a mighty need

  A depraved fetish she was destined to heed

  One stormy night, her wish fulfilled

  Another pervert, bent over and thrilled

  And now she had a willing arse to knead.

  Flushing so hard that her ears warmed, Violet shoved the embarrassing note into her purse. Then, after a few moments, she decided that this wasn't good enough because she remembered the note each time she glanced at her purse so she took it to her office hoping she would forget about it entirely.

  She half expected Candace to tease her about it by sending her another message, but her phone was still miraculously quiet. In fact, Violet had predicted the woman to keep pestering her once she got her phone number, but Ms. Kane had shown unexpected restraint. Surprising but not disappointing. Most definitely not.

  Because of that silence, Violet had to wait until the next day to confront Candace about her horrible lack of poetry skills.

  It was late morning and Violet had practically stopped looking for the next show of attention from her admirer. More than a week had passed and she learned the M.O. by now. If she was going to receive anything it would have happened by now. Sheila was due to come in in about twenty minutes or so, and Candace liked to give Violet time to process her little gifts. She probably loved the idea of Violet stewing helplessly.

  Having already given up on a possible surprise, Violet almost had a heart attack when the woman in question strolled in casually like she hadn't been unsuccessfully wooing Violet for the past couple of weeks or so. Even more shockingly, Candace didn’t swagger straight to Violet, but instead opted for waving at her casually before moving into the library and disappearing between the shelves.

  Heart caught in her throat, Violet had no idea what to make of that. She was sure the woman wouldn't be able to resist the urge to tease her mercilessly, dropping all sorts of innuendo. Maybe she was letting Violet simmer again, making her wait for the half-baked come-ons. Oh, that woman is devious.

  Still, she wouldn't give her the satisfaction of being nervous, Violet decided. She brought up her phone to check her hair in the reflection quickly, before fixing her blouse. Her top two buttons were undone, but so what? If that pervert wanted to look, let her. It was no skin off Violet's nose. She was free to leer as much
as she wanted to; Violet's decision to ignore her was rock solid, even if it took a few stumbles for her to get there.

  "What? No, I wasn't!" She heard Candace speak somewhere in the library, though her tone was nervous, her words coming out in a rush.

  "Yes, you were! I just saw you!" Another voice joined in the discussion and Violet closed her eyes in silent prayer. Mrs. Burke. Violet had forgotten she was here at all. "I saw you rip that page out of that book, girl! You're still holding it!"

  Ripping the page? What in the world? Violet had half a mind to go there and yell at Candace herself. If she was actually destroying the books, then Violet would seriously be done with her. Not that she wasn't serious about it now, because she totally was.

  "No, ma'am, it's just a piece of paper. I'm putting it inside, not ripping it from the book!" She said and though Mrs. Burke muttered something a bit more quietly in response, as if she was calming down, Candace's voice took on a note of panic when she continued. "I-it's a-a bookmark of course." Another mutter followed by another rise in Candace's pitch. "I don't have to show you anything! If you insist, I'll show it to Miss Weston. There's no need to threaten me with the umbrella, Mrs. B- fine, ok fine, I'm going, I’m going!"

  A few second passed before she shot out into Violet's vision still nervously turning around, though she seemed to relax after a quick glance. Apparently Mrs. Burke wasn't following her with that umbrella.

  Violet had to hide a smirk when Candace walked up to her, her hand pushing that wonderful waterfall of hair from her face as she gathered herself.

  "I don't want to hear about it." She said in warning and Violet couldn't help but grin openly at her. Candace looked a bit struck even before Violet opened her mouth to respond.

  "Why not? I thought getting smacked by women was something you enjoyed a lot." She couldn't help but tease though she was careful to lower her voice.

  Candace eyes widened before she let out a pleased bark of laughter. Then her expression settled into something a bit more familiar–pure devious sadism–and Violet knew she was about to get teased right back. Her traitorous heart had no excuse to skip that beat in response though.

  "Depends on who's doing the smacking, Weston. And Mrs. Burke has nothing on you."

  Violet's mouth flattened in a thin, amused line. "High praise indeed."

  "That umbrella is a poor choice of tool anyway. I much preferred a hand. I could even accept a paddle but that's as far as I go." Candace started offhandedly but she must have noticed an expression of interest flying over Violet’s features because she grinned wolfishly again. "You like paddles as well?" Violet tried to school her face into a mask of disinterest, though it was hard. She might have had a fantasy or two about that as well. Candace could not be allowed to know about that under any circumstances.

  At least Violet could take small comfort in being right about the innuendo. And leering, she noticed, catching Candace’s eyes dropping down for a fraction of a second.

  She shook her head in response, worried that her voice might betray her but Candace didn't need her help to continue. "Perhaps I'll send one with your next little shipment then."

  Violet's eyebrows skyrocketed. "First a riding crop, now this? Are you buying these to send over or do you have a stash at hand?" Both possibilities were disturbing. First one meant Candace was awfully presumptuous but the second one meant that she wasn't a stranger to the lifestyle.

  Violet fought off an urge to scrunch her face in distaste. Thinking of Candace bound or bent over by another woman wasn't pleasant for some reason. Not that it would be any of Violet’s business, of course.

  Before she could give it further thought, however, Candace was speaking again.

  "I got the crop as a gift when I bought my last vibrat–"

  Violet waved her away viciously, her hand wild in the air. "Too much information, oh my God." Definitely too much. She didn't need to give her dreams any more ammunition. They seemed hard enough to shake already.

  "You asked." Candace smirked before she continued. "But I wouldn't mind buying some toys, just to see if that tempts you to invite me to your office again."

  Violet let out a strangled breath. "You're still sending those then?" She asked as if she hardly noticed Candace's efforts, and not taken each of them home to be examined again and again.

  "Why wouldn’t I?" Candace shrugged. "I'm enjoying teasing you immensely. And I think you enjoy it too."

  Violet thought to disagree but she didn't think she could make it convincing. She could admit that Candace's wooing–while leaving much to be desired–still broke the monotony of her day.

  That didn’t mean she was ready to jump into a relationship however. The idea was laughable. This woman was a wildcard, completely unpredictable. Not to mention annoying. Yes, that's what she was–annoying.

  Not Violet's type at all.

  "Enjoy it? I almost died of embarrassment after reading that limerick of yours." she said finally, shoulders shuddering in an exaggerated show of disgust. "What were you thinking, sending that poor excuse of a literary attempt to a librarian? I had to burn it so no one would see it again." She lied easily. The card was still safe in her nightstand drawer.

  Candace opened her mouth in mock shock, her hand flying to her chest. "How dare you? I spent five whole minutes on that poem, thank you very much. It was a confession of my gentlest feelings for you and this is how you repay me? Honestly, I'm half convinced I shouldn't give you the other one now." Her voice wavered from the effort, but she managed to get her rant out without laughing once. She looked ridiculously pleased with herself when she finished but Violet couldn't concentrate on that quite yet.

  "Th-the other one?" She repeated, half intrigued, half terrified. Without another word, Candace just pointed to the book she carried over. There was a piece of paper peeking from the pages, no doubt the one Mrs. Burke saw. So she was trying to leave her another note, this time in person.

  It would have been cute if it wasn't yet another butcher attack on poetry.

  Curiosity getting the better of her, Violet reached forward with unsure fingers and pulled the paper out, before unfolding it and reading.

  There once was a woman not to blame

  For her desire to submit to a lovely dame

  She stripped and sassed gruffly

  She was warned and spanked roughly

  Her poor arse had been left aflame.

  Wow, Just wow. This time she had a hard time taming a grin of her own, especially when she could feel Candace watching her, drinking in her reaction.

  "Well, you're certainly not coy." She said quietly, thankful that Mrs. Burke hadn't picked out her books for now. She didn't want to be interrupted, not yet. "And I can definitely discern a common theme in your work. You also seem to always finish with a verse about asses. How fascinating."

  Candace wasn't even remotely cowed, but Violet didn’t expect it by now. She already knew better.

  "That was for your benefit. I remember how big of a fan you are." She grinned, showing teeth. "You’re welcome."

  "You're ridiculous." Violet said and took her book to check it out. When she handed it over, Candace shot her one last smile before responding.

  "You don't seem to mind, Weston." She drawled and inclined her head before turning away to leave, practically skipping on her way out. Perhaps she didn’t want to overstay her welcome, instead choosing to quit while ahead.

  Violet smiled at her back, her shoulders sagging a bit anyway.

  Mrs. Burke was nowhere in sight. Candace didn't have to leave yet.

  Chapter 4

  Candace Kane was trapped.

  Deceptively casual, she was leaning against the front library desk, one elbow supporting her weight, but her fingers clenched around the two lidded paper cups in her hands when she was addressed again.

  "Who's the other cup for?" Mrs. Burke demanded, eyes twinkling with interest above her glasses. Candace didn't even know how she found herself in this situation. She was just
trying to ask Sheila if Violet would be arriving soon but before she knew it, Mrs. Burke materialized from God knows where and started asking questions. A lot of questions.

  "Er–it's for Weston, ma'am." Not that it was any of Mrs. Burke's business but Candace saw no harm in responding to her.

  "Do you bring her coffee often?" It wasn't coffee, but only because Candace didn't know how Violet took hers. She didn't know yet anyway.

  She opted for hot chocolate instead as a small show of appreciation. Who wouldn't like hot chocolate at the start of their work day? Plus, it might mellow Violet out before she received Candace's second little gift of the day.

  That, however, was definitely not up for sharing.

  "No, this is the first time." She said, turning to the front desk fully, and fixing Sheila with a look, trying to signal her disinterest with the conversation. The other librarian wasn't even pretending not to be listening to the little exchange, but Candace was still unconcerned. Mrs. Burke was a pain in the ass but nothing she couldn't handle. She took a leisurely sip of her hot chocolate.

  "Are you gay, girl?" Mrs. Burke chimed in again and Candace had to stop herself from spluttering. So much for being able to take the interrogation.

  She let out an unladylike snort trying to keep all the chocolate in her mouth instead of spraying it all over the library equipment. It wouldn't do to make a mess. Violet would be pissed at her and very likely not in the fun way.