by Rita Lawless
"Thank you, but I've already seen him. When do you think I can talk to Emily about money?"
Zander frowned. "I hate to interrupt her on her vacation. Why don't I try to get hold of her later tonight and see if she has a set fee for a double?"
"I'd appreciate it." The two men shook hands again before Leroy put on his hat. "I'll see myself out. Sorry to have… interrupted."
Leroy grinned and Zander cut his gaze to Justice. She was a deep shade of red. "I'll see you tomorrow, and I hope to have an answer for you." Zander made for the door. He didn't want to tell the man that he talked to his sister every night, since she called to check on Miss Agatha's condition.
Once he was gone, Zander turned to Justice. "Now, let's get you out of those clothes." He wasn't happy with her lack of enthusiasm.
"Why is Emily in Galveston when Miss Agatha is sick? She didn't say anything to me about going out of town."
"That's because she planned to cancel and Miss Agatha wouldn't let her." He started to walk toward the couch. The way she studied him made him feel a little better about the situation. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. "Aren't you going to undress for me?"
"Don't you want to know how I came to be in the house with a strange man?" She scooted toward the end of the couch, and Zander turned to follow her.
"Later. Get naked."
"He was at the front door when I pulled up," she said. "If I didn't know better, I would say he was trying to knob to see if it was unlocked."
That made Zander stop in his tracks. "You think he was trying to break in? Why did you let him in?"
"Because he seemed to know everyone. He said he was here to see you and Emily, and he called Matchstick by name. I knew you wouldn't be far behind."
"That was dangerous," Zander said, staring down at her. "You shouldn't have done that. Even if I wasn't far behind, he still could have hurt you before I got here."
"He didn't seem threatening just—I don't know, just… off."
"Hum." Zander ran his hand up and down his thigh. His cock, which had been rock hard not ten minutes earlier, was starting to stir again.
"We'll discuss your reckless behavior later," Zander said. "Right now, I want you naked."
"So you've said," Justice said, seductively. "When I'm naked, what are you going to do to me?"
"What do you want me to do to you?"
Justice spread her legs wide, and Zander's cock, which had gone from rock hard to flaccid, went rock hard again.
"Get your sweet behind in the bedroom so I can fuck your plump pussy," he said. "I won't tell you again, Justice. Go."
His little vixen didn't stand, though. She ran her hands up and down her thighs. "What if I don't? What are you going to do then, Mr. McMillian? Probably nothing. It seems to be as if you're just not into it right now, despite your words."
Zander narrowed his eyes at her. They had played this game before and it always ended with fantastic results. He let the silence drift off, the sexual heat flowing between them.
When she licked her lips, he took hold of his belt buckle and undid it. She didn't move as he slid the belt out, doing it slowly, inch by agonizing inch. When it was out, he doubled it up.
"Do as I say, Justice."
"Or you'll what, punish me?"
Zander didn't answer at first. It was purely by accident they had discovered their mutual love for spanking, mixed with a little rough sex and bondage. The first time he'd spanked her was when she had run from him. They had sex immediately afterward. Both of them had come hard.
The second time had been a few months later, and he'd just been joking around, slapping her ass while he was taking her from behind, until her plea of, "Harder, please, slap my ass harder," had spurred him on. From hand spankings, they'd moved to hairbrushes, wooden spoons, belts, riding crops and finally, a cane.
Last year for Christmas he'd given her a beautiful ivory hairbrush he'd found in an antique store. They'd only used it that one night, but the results had been perfect. They'd gone down by the stock lake, and the sound of the brush slapping against her ass had reverberated in the December night. He still shivered when he thought about that orgasm. He hoped she did, too. He wondered if she'd brought it with her for this trip, because he'd like to try it again.
Zander's favorite way to spank her was while she played with her pretty pussy. He loved it when she came while he was spanking her. Her screams of pure, unadulterated, pleasure filled him with need, and when he took her afterward, they usually came together. During those times, Justice would murmur that he would, "Likely kill her one day. But what a way to go, through orgasm."
"I think it's time to punish you for letting a strange man in the house. That right there deserves a spanking. A big one." She didn't move, and he frowned. "I mean it, Justice."
"Obviously, you don't." She cupped her pussy and moaned. "You haven't moved toward me, which means you're just playing."
He continued to stare at her, waiting for just the right moment.
It came when she licked her lips one more time and moved one of her hands up to her supple breasts.
She cupped it, and then moaned softly before she said, "I guess you're not serious about spanking me. I'll go cook dinner and—"
Zander didn't let her finish the sentence. He practically vaulted across the room, ready to take her over his knee and let her know exactly how ready he was to spank and fuck her.
Chapter Two
Zander caught her so unaware that Justice was on her back before she knew what was happening. She giggled as Zander claimed her mouth, his kiss hard and demanding. Warmth spread through her, settling in her stomach and spreading south as Zander's free hand cupped her hip and kept it in place as he ground his crotch into hers. "Um, good," she whispered against his lips.
"I can't decide whether to spank you, fuck you, or do both," he said as he stared down at her.
"I like the last option," she told him before she nibbled on his lower lip. When she' finished, she licked her lips before saying, "The belt in your hand tells me you were leaning toward number one, though."
"So I was," he said, his voice deep and commanding. "Shall I order you to bare your ass, Ms. Payne? If you're getting spanked, it's a bare ass one."
"You know that's how I like it," she replied. "Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of time. We have to be in town soon to meet Miss Agatha."
As if on cue, a loud, shrill noise filled the air. It took Justice a moment to figure out it was a phone. The sound of a landline was something she hadn't heard in ages.
It rang again. Instead of getting up, Zander lowered his head to her chest, nuzzling her breasts through her clothes. "You going to get that?" she asked, dreamily, hoping his answer would be no.
"I'm going to get these," he said, his voice muffled.
Justice laughed, her body shaking with need as Zander started to move his hands up and down her sides. The right one still clasped the belt, and the feel of the buckle made her shiver. It had been several weeks since she'd had a good spanking, and she could definitely use another one.
The phone continued to ring, until finally, it broke off and Zander's mother instructed the caller to leave a message at the beep.
"Your parents still have an answering machine?" she laughed, her laughter turning into a sharp, deep groan as Zander lifted and pressed his knee against her thigh.
Instead of answering her question, he said, "Open wide."
Justice spread her legs as much as possible, desire taking over every inch of her mind and body… until Emily's voice replaced that of Mrs. McMillian.
"Zander pick up the phone. I called the barn and they said you were at the house. They also said Justice was there. If you're ignoring me to play slap and tickle, I'm going to be pissed."
"How did they know I was here?" Justice asked as Zander pushed himself into an upright position. He stood and walked toward the phone.
"One of the hands probably saw your car as you drove in." He snatched up th
e phone and Justice smiled at his sharp, "You've got lousy timing, sis."
She couldn't hear the other side of the conversation, but Justice listened as Zander gave a few one-syllable answers. Finally, she heard him say, "We're going down to see her tonight. They haven't called, so I'm sure things are fine. She about tore me a new one last night when I told her I was going to sit with her today instead of working."
There was a short pause before he added, "No, Miss Agatha called her to come. Okay, hold on."
He walked to her and held out the phone. "Miss Mood-Killer wants to talk to you."
"Hey, Emily," Justice said as she watched Zander cross to a chair. He sat down and spread his legs. He cupped his crotch and then he sighed heavily. It was all Justice could do to keep from bursting into laughter.
"Have you seen Miss Agatha today?" Emily asked her.
"She was sleeping, but the nurse told me she was doing fine," Justice said. "Do you know why she wants to see me?"
"No," Emily said. "I just know she told me if I didn't take my vacation she'd disinherit me. I'm sure she's going to be angry when she finds out I called mom and dad and they are cutting their trip short and will be home in a few days."
"Oh," Justice said, drawing the word out. "I'll just let you tell her that when you get back." They shared a laugh. "We're going down there in a few minutes," Justice said. "Is there anything you want me to tell her?"
"No," Emily replied. "But if there's a change, call me back."
"We will," Justice said.
"I like that you say we," Emily said.
Justice hadn't even realized she'd said it until her friend pointed it out. "Um," she said.
"Have fun with my brother," Emily said. "I still don't see what you see in him, though. He's a punk. Call me tomorrow, unless you need to call me tonight. Bye."
Justice said bye, and then clicked off the phone. She glanced at Zander. "Sorry."
"Me, too." Zander shook his head. He looked down at his crotch, and Justice couldn't help but laugh. "Let's go eat, and then go to the hospital. After that, we can come back here and continue what we started."
"Will there be spankings involved?" she asked, innocently.
The dejected look he'd had when he glanced at his crotch turned into a wickedly delicious grin as he gazed at her.
"Darlin', there's always spankings involved when we're together. I haven't heard you complain so far."
Justice winked at him. "I'm not complaining, just wondering what I have to look forward to later."
* * * * *
Miss Agatha was sitting up in bed when they came in. She smiled at Justice and held out her hands. Justice took them and squeezed before she enveloped the woman in a hug, taking care not to squeeze too hard.
"Is that barbecue I smell on your breath?" Miss Agatha asked her.
"It is," Justice said. She turned to Zander, who took a step forward and handed his grandmother a bag. The older woman smiled.
"Shut the door, Zander," she instructed him. "I don't want a nurse walking in while I'm eating my dinner."
Justice sat on the counter that was ubiquitous in every hospital room and watched Miss Agatha open the bag. She brought it up to her nose, inhaled, and glanced inside. Then she glared at her grandson. "What, no ribs?"
"Grandma, it would be hard hiding the bones. I promise to do a barbeque when you're home."
Justice noticed that he didn't mention that Miss Agatha's son and daughter-in-law were heading home from their trip. Justice wanted to jump into her reason for being in Bluefield, but she kept quite while Miss Agatha ate the sandwich, and then the pickle. She was opening a small container of potato salad when the nurse Justice had talked to earlier came inside.
The nurse lifted her eyebrow in question. "You know, that meat could be part of the reason you're in here right now."
Miss Agatha glared at her. "Missy, I'm going to die one way or another. I'd rather do it with barbeque on my breath than with rubber, unsalted chicken, which is what they fed me for supper."
Justice bent her head to hide a smile.
"I need to take your vitals," the nurse said. Justice wasn't surprised she didn't argue with Miss Agatha. Not many people did.
It didn't take long for the nurse to do her thing, but Justice felt as if time were dragging. She wanted to ask Miss Agatha about her reasons for ordering Justice to Bluefield. The room was silent until the woman left.
"Grandma, you need to behave," Zander said. "If you're not careful, they're going to label you a problem patient, and you don't want that to happen."
Miss Agatha laughed. "I provide the donations that keep this hospital afloat, so I'll do as I please as long as I'm stuck here." She wagged her finger at her grandson before she turned to Justice. "Let's get down to the reason I asked you to come here. I want you to find the loot."
Justice frowned. "Excuse me?"
Miss Agatha shook her head in disgust. "The loot the bandits took!" When Justice continued to stare, the older woman continued to speak. "The reason Bluefield hosts Bandit Days every July."
Justice tried to think of a nice way to say Miss Agatha has lost her marbles, but she couldn't. She decided to go for broke and be blatantly honest. "Miss Agatha, that loot has been hidden since the mid-eighteen hundreds. Something tells me I'm not going to rush out and find it now."
"Not without my help," Miss Agatha said. She leaned back against her pillows, looking like she'd just solved the mysteries of life.
"Grandma, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you're in the hospital," Zander said. "And the doctor said when you are released, you have to stay with us at the big house for a while." Miss Agatha opened her mouth to speak, but Zander held up his hand to indicate she should stay silent. "We're following the doctor's orders. You may be flippant about dying with barbeque on your breath, but the rest of us would like to keep you around for a while."
Justice watched a myriad of emotions pass over the elder woman's face. Finally, she sighed heavily. "We'll see about that. In the meantime, I have a whole room full of research that I've done on this very subject since way back when. There have been stories in the local newspaper, the Austin paper, the San Marcos paper, and many magazines. I kept them all and I've made charts."
Miss Agatha fixed a stare on Justice. "You're a smart woman, and something tells me you can go over the information and see things that I didn't."
Justice cleared her throat. "Miss Agatha, part of Bandit Days is a contest to see if anyone can find the loot. They haven't done it in the last—what—sixty years since Bandit Days started? And that's not even mentioning that the men who robbed all those banks, did it more than a hundred and twenty-five years ago! If the money was going to be found, someone would have done it by now."
Once again, Miss Agatha fixed her with a stare. But hidden behind that stare was a look that Justice couldn't quite read. She decided to go for the gold, so to speak. "Why does this mean so much to you?"
"I'm not getting any younger," Miss Agatha said. "This story has fascinated me since I was a little girl, and I would love to see it solved sometime in my life."
Justice wasn't sure exactly what to say. She hadn't really thought about the reason behind Bandit Days before. She'd always seen it as a time to watch Zander ride in the horse race, attend the parade, go the dance at the end of the weekend where everyone dressed in period clothing, and, at some point, enjoy some hot sex with Zander.
"I don't think…" she stopped speaking and cleared her throat again. If this was that important to a woman who had been a good friend to her all these years, then what would it hurt to put her research skills to the test. "Fine, I'll do it. Where is the paperwork you've been collecting?"
"It's in the basement of my house," Miss Agatha said. Justice detected the note of triumph in her voice. "Zander has a key. You can stay there. In fact, the two of you can stay here. I'm sure my son is on his way home, and I'll be forced to stay at the big house, like Zander said. While I'm being force-fed no-
salt food and having my blood pressure taken every half-hour, the two of you can reread everything and find the loot. Don't spend too much time hitting the sheets. This is more important. I'd like it to be done before Bandit Days starts. That means you have a few weeks."
A flush spread up Justice's face as Miss Agatha stared at her, and her words about hitting the sheets seemed to echo in the room.
"Grandma," Zander said. "Behave."
"Oh please," Miss Agatha said. "Everybody knows the two of you are playing hide the salami. I'd be ashamed of you if you weren't, after all these years. I'm just saying make sure you devote as much time to solving the mystery as you do to screwing."
"Grandma!" Zander cried, but Miss Agatha was laughing.
Then she waved her hand toward the door. "I'm getting tired, and the two of you have things to do. Go on, now, and bring me something delicious for dinner tomorrow night. I'm sure that doctor won't let me go until your father and mother are back in town. You might as well settle in at my house, Justice. The key is under the flowerpot by the door."
They said quick goodbyes, both of them kissing Miss Agatha on the cheek before they left the room.
"She seems tired all of a sudden," Justice said.
"That happens lately," Zander replied. "She's been doing that for a few weeks now, full of piss and vinegar one minute and then ready to fall into bed for a nap the next."
They made their way down the hallway and out of the building. As they neared Zander's truck, he reached out and took her hand. "You going to stay at her house or my house?"
The idea was appealing, except for the fact that Miss Agatha's house was far away from the big house, and Justice wasn't sure about staying in a big house by herself out in the country. She was a city girl. But, then she remembered the ride from Dallas, and how she'd thought it would be nice to be a country girl. "Hers. Do you want to stay with me?"
"Damn straight," Zander said as he opened the passenger side of his truck. He helped Justice in, shut the door, and went around to the driver's side.