“Lannea,” he started, nervously.
“It’s Laney!”
“Lannea,” he continued stubbornly. “I have always prided myself on being a man of my word, and I don’t think I treated you very fairly last night. It’s come to my attention, that, ahem, it was unfair of me to make threats I didn’t plan on carrying out.” Laney could see beads of sweat forming on his brow, and she knew he was nervous, although she hadn’t quite figured out why, or what exactly he was getting at. If anything, the more he spoke, the more confused she became.
“What are you saying?” Her voice was flat and unaffected. She watched as he realized how unclear he was being, took a deep breath, and started over.
“I’m saying, I like you, and despite the fact that we got off to a rocky start I think you are sweet, and funny, and breathtakingly beautiful and I’d like to get to know you better, if you’ll let me. I’m completely new to the world of dating, and I’m not very good at this. I understand now what I said that hurt you and why it did. All I’m asking is that you give me a chance to right the wrong, and…” He paused, searching and when he spoke again, she got the distinct impression that the words he spoke were foreign to him, borrowed from somebody else. “And put my money where my mouth is.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Are you saying…what I think you’re saying?”
“I’m saying, I’m home tonight, and if given the chance, I’d love to make it up to you.” The door jingled, alerting them to a new customer. Josiah blushed, flustered, and left in haste, tossing a half hazard wave over his shoulder at her.
Laney just stared after him, her jaw agape, still trying to make sense of the conversation as she played it over in her mind. It all jumbled together with very little of it making sense at all. The only things that stuck out in her mind was that he had called her breathtakingly beautiful, had seemingly offered to spank her, and what was that about being new to the dating world. Wasn’t he in his thirties? How was an attractive man in his thirties new to dating altogether? Normally this would have raised a major red flag, but something about his words rang true, and his innocent charm told her there was more to him than met the eye. The whole thing had obviously been extremely hard for him, and she realized with a shock that he invited her over, but hadn’t told her where he lived. Not that it would take much for her to figure it out, she supposed, but it didn’t matter anyway. She wasn’t going.
Chapter 5
Lannea stood on Josiah’s doorstep, unsure of why she had come. It hadn’t been hard to figure out where he lived, and she need only look for the police car parked in a driveway where she hadn’t remembered there being one before. Not quite ready to knock, and still considering chalking her being here up to a temporary bout of insanity, she pulled her thin sweater jacket tighter around her body. It was unusually cool for late August, a remnant of last night’s storm.
She stood there, shivering, more from nervousness than from cold and argued with herself. Am I really that desperate for a spanking?
I must be, I’m here aren’t I? I should just go.
No! You need this! You’ve needed this for a long time, and if the hot and charming although strangely naive cop is the only one seriously offering, then so be it. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
She raised her hand to knock. A gift horse? I’m not sure this is a gift horse. We barely know the guy. He’s probably some creepy psycho serial killer, and the polite innocent act is all a ruse. She lowered her hand.
Matt and Julie don’t seem to think so.
She raised her hand again. This was ridiculous. Was she really standing here in the cold having an argument with herself? She was, and she was getting nowhere with it. Time to fish or cut bait. Which is it going to be? Unbelievable. She was still talking to herself. This had to stop. It was time to fish. Holding her breath, she knocked.
Josiah answered quickly, and hot damn. He was shirtless, clad in only a pair of well-worn button-fly Levi’s. The uniform did not do him justice, she realized. The breath she had been holding came out in a stunned whoosh. Who cares if he turns out to be a psychotic serial killer? You’re going to let him spank you, right? Right? I mean, what a way to go!
“I assure you, I’m not a serial killer of any sort, psychotic or otherwise.”
Her eyes widened, and she felt herself turn purple. She had said that out loud? Oh my god. Kill me. Just kill me right now, she thought to herself, careful not to speak aloud this time.
“But, I will spank you, if that’s what you decide you want.”
Frozen in place from the utter humiliation of even being there in the first place, she raised her eyes to meet his. She saw only humor, and kindness, and that effortless charm of his that was going to be the death of her. “I…I don’t know what I want. I don’t even know why I’m here.”
“Fair enough. Why don’t you come in? I was just about to try some of that wine that was in the welcome basket. Would you like a glass?”
Her brain went numb at the mention of the welcome basket. Josiah had one? Well, of course he did. Which meant he also had…the Corbin’s Bend paddle. It was the very object of all her dreams and fantasies. Her throat went dry. Would he want to use it on her? Would she let him?
“Lannea?” he interrupted her wayward thoughts.
He was still standing there with the door wide open, waiting for her to accept his invitation. And she was still standing there like an idiot gaping at his bare chest, and agonizing over a stupid paddle. Geesh.
“I’d love some wine, Joe, thanks,” she said, stepping into the house with an evil smile. Brat much?
Josiah just smiled patiently and took her sweater, gesturing her to take a seat on the oversized leather sofa that filled much of the living room side of his great room. He stepped into the kitchen area, to get the wine, and she took the opportunity to take in her surroundings. It looked just as she would have imagined it to look with big cozy manly furniture in dark brown leather. The décor was minimal, and kind of hodge podgy while somehow all still looking good together. Her eyes went to a picture on the wall opposite the couch. A large wooden frame surrounded a photo of a large group of people. She squinted at it, counting a total of nineteen adults, mostly women, and about the same amount of children. Josiah himself stood off to the side next to a bearded man who almost looked to be his twin. The man was surrounded by three modestly dressed women, and between the four of them, she counted a total of nine children. Nine children? What were they, catholic? Except, that didn’t really explain the absurd man to woman ratio.
Josiah came to sit beside her on the sectional, and handed her a glass of sweet smelling red wine. “That’s my family about a week before I came to Corbin’s Bend.”
Lannea nodded, searching for a politically correct way to phrase the many questions running through her head, and coming up blank. “Tell me about them.”
“I will— later. But, that’s not why you’re here, is it?” Just like a cop, he cut straight to the chase.
She would have made small talk for hours. She was a pro at beating around the proverbial bush. “I’m not really sure why I’m here.” It was the truth.
The look he gave her cut to her core. “I think you do.”
“Well, I’m not going to just let you spank me! I don’t know anything about you. If I wanted to be spanked by a virtual stranger, I would have just called up Vance Foster, and availed of his services! Well, before he got with Ettie anyway.” She added the addendum to clarify, but it hardly mattered since Josiah was too new to Corbin’s Bend to get the reference, anyway.
Josiah was just regarding her blankly, with that evenly amused look of his that she was beginning to grow quite accustomed to. “Point taken,” he stated mildly. “Why don’t you just calm down a bit and drink your wine. It’s really quite good, and you haven’t even tasted it yet.”
Laney glanced down at the glass she had forgotten she was holding. Obediently, she took a sip. It was quite good, but that wasn’t surprising. Ever
yone knew that Brent had impeccable taste, and he was the one who decided what went in the baskets. She took a few more sips, and looked up to find Josiah looking at her expectantly.
“It is good. Thank you.” She smiled nervously.
“You’re not making this easy.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Ever since you got here, you have been all polite and pleasant. It’s a side of you I haven’t seen before. I have to be honest. It’s a bit unnerving.”
She nearly spit out her wine. “I’m sorry? Are you actually complaining because I’m not insulting you? Really?”
He laughed out loud, and crossed his arms over his chest. His lean, tan, chiseled chest. “Yes, I think I am. It would be a lot easier to give you what you came for if you were being your usual bratty self.”
She hmmphed at him and drained the rest of her glass. Her mouth opened, but no witty remarks or scathing insults came to mind. She closed her mouth unnerved. For Laney to be speechless was a rare thing indeed. The tension and awkwardness in the room were tangible. They sat there for a few moments, both unsure to what to say or how to proceed.
Just when Laney was seriously considering cutting her losses and running out the door, Josiah broke the silence.
“Listen, sweetheart, why don’t we save the small talk and life stories for later, and get to the main event? You and I both know why you came here, and it wasn’t to give me your life story. Now, if you’d prefer, I can tell you all about anything you want to know about me, but to be perfectly honest, you’re wired so tight, I doubt you’d hear a word I said anyway. So why don’t we agree to save the other stuff for dessert and get straight to the elephant in the room?”
Laney stifled a laugh at his over use of clichés and euphemisms, and briefly wondered where on God’s green earth this man had come from. Regardless, she had to admit he made a good point. Even if he told her right now, it wouldn’t mean a thing, and she probably wouldn’t remember the conversation five minutes later anyway. Truthfully, she couldn’t remember a word they had said to each other since she had come in, or if they had said any at all. All she could think about were Josiah’s hands on her bottom and what it would feel like to finally be spanked after so long. And Lordy, if the man didn’t have fabulous hands. They were big, and soft without being girly soft. Lacking the hard calloused skin of a day laborer, but clearly belonging to a man who was also no stranger to an honest day’s work. She had dreamed about hands like those.
“Lannea?” His words cut through her reverie, bringing her back to the present. He was looking at her expectantly, and she realized he was waiting for her answer.
“Okay, Joe,” she said with a sly wink. “You win. Let’s save the small talk for later, and go right to the elephant in the room. “Where do you want me?”
This was a problem he had not expected to have in his first week at his new home. A beautiful young woman ready and waiting for him to spank her. A beautiful young woman he hardly knew.
He realized a small part of him had actually been hoping she would chicken out. He certainly wouldn’t have held it against her. He knew without a doubt, that if he was the one to chicken out, she would most definitely hold it against him.
Not that he would have considered bowing out. He was many things but a chicken-shit-fool was not one of them. If a gorgeous woman comes to your home and asks you to spank her, you spank her. Period. End of story. And he really did want to— Lord, did he.
Josiah, pull it together, he told himself. He hadn’t actually thought she was going to show up, or to be perfectly honest, he might have called Hiram for a pep talk of sorts. It didn’t matter what he would have done, or could have done, she was here now, and she was waiting for his instruction.
He pointed up at the loft area where his bedroom was. “Go upstairs to my room, and find a corner to stand in. I’ll be up in a few minutes.”
She looked as if she wanted to question him, but she said only “Yes, Joe,” before clamping her lips shut and heading towards the stairs. He had a perfect view of the loft from where he stood. He watched as she slowly walked all around his bedroom, pausing at each corner as if to consider it. It was obvious she just wanted to snoop around for a moment. He decided to let her, he had nothing to hide, and he was enjoying the view. He watched as she finally settled on a corner opposite of the bed.
Josiah locked up the house, just in case anyone came by, he didn’t want them to get a show. Not that it would have bothered anyone but him. He spied his phone sitting on the kitchen counter where he had left it, and for a moment, he considered texting his brother for advice. But that was silly. He was a grown man, with a beautiful woman in his bedroom waiting for him. He didn’t need to call his big brother for advice. It was a spanking. Surely it couldn’t be that difficult.
He was being ridiculous, and he knew it. It was nothing but a case of nerves. Fear of the unknown. Only way to get over it was to jump right in, with both feet. He took the stairs two at a time.
Standing there, even in jeans and a fitted tee shirt, she was stunning. He found himself wanting to see more. What would she do if he told her to take her pants off? His cock sprang to attention at the mere thought of it. Hold your horses, he told himself. Down boy. One step at a time.
“Come here, Lannea,” he said, sitting on the bed and patting a spot on the bedcovers beside him. “Why did you come here tonight?” It was imperative to him that they opened the lines of conversation at least enough to discuss the spanking he would give her and the reasons behind it.
“Because you told me to.” She smirked.
Oh, now she wanted to brat. Obviously, she didn’t plan on making this easy for him. That was fine. Two could play that game.
“I gave you a free pass downstairs to make all the smart ass little remarks you wanted to, and you had nothing to say. Well guess what, we’re upstairs now, and every little comment you make now is going to make your ass smart a little bit more. Your free pass is gone. Are we clear?”
“Yup,” Lannea breathed, looking a little awed. To be honest, Josiah was feeling a little awed himself. He had no idea where this stuff was coming from— just as he had had no idea where his original threat had came from.
“Yup is not an acceptable response when I ask you a question, Lannea. The proper response would be ‘Yes, sir’.”
“Yes, sir,” Lannea mumbled, her eyes downcast.
Josiah frowned. He didn’t like that. He hooked his finger under her chin gently lifting her face until her gaze met his own.
“That’s my good girl,” he said, careful to keep his voice soft and approving. “Now, once again, why did you come here?”
“Because…because you said you would spank me if I came, and…it’s been a long time. A really long time,” she admitted, leaning forward to lay her head on his shoulder.
“How long has it been, Lannea? Tell me the truth.”
“It’s been…probably about three years, since I was in culinary school.”
Josiah nodded gravely. “You need this pretty badly, don’t you? Probably have for a long time.”
Her lip quivered, and he wasn’t surprised to see tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she nodded.
“Tell me, Lannea. Say it. I want to hear from you why you need me to spank that perfect little bottom of yours.”
“I…” She faltered before continuing. “The year Mac spanked me... It was the best year of my life. I was the person I wanted to be for the first time ever. I was focused and responsible, and happy. Now, I’m none of those things. I’m a mess!” The last part came out in a loud anguished wail between noisy almost gut wrenching sobs.
Josiah’s heart quickened. He certainly hadn’t expected that she would cry before he even started to spank her. Not quite knowing what the proper protocol was, he did the only thing that made sense. He gathered her into his arms and scooped her into his lap, cradling her close as she sobbed into his chest.
Laney couldn’t believe she had fallen apar
t like that, just when she was about to get what she so desperately wanted.
She was so embarrassed and terrified that he would see her as weak or fragile, and decide not to follow through. She wanted to say something, to give him some sort of signal that she was ready to continue. But she felt so good cuddled against him. His chest was warm, and hard, with just the right amount of hair. And he smelled so good, a mixture of peppermint and something else she couldn’t put her finger on.
“Are you ready to begin, naughty girl?” he murmured into her hair. His fingers ran lightly up and down her back as he held her. It was so very relaxing, and she imagined that she could spend a lot of time like this, with him.
“Hmmmm.”
“Lannea, I asked you a question. I think you’re fine now. Are you ready for your spanking, or do you need a few minutes still?” Josiah’s voice was stern but kind, and deliciously dominant in a backwards sort of way.
“Yes, sir, I’m ready.” Her heart beat hard and fast against her chest, and her breathing was shallow with need.
“Stand up.”
She obeyed, every nerve in her body standing at attention, not knowing what to expect.
“Remove your pants please, and position yourself across my lap.”
She did so, quickly. At least her pants were all he had asked her to remove. She lay across his lap, and couldn’t help but giggle at the absurdity of it. She had known this man for less than twenty-four hours, and here she was laying half naked across his knees, waiting for him to spank her. It seemed so wrong, but in a strange way, it felt so right.
Josiah rested his large hand on the middle of her bottom, right across the crease that separated her cheeks. She felt him stretch his fingers out to span the width of her bottom, and gasped when she realized he could almost cover her whole ass with one hand. Her cheeks clenched in anticipation, and her throat went dry. She could almost hear his satisfied nod. His hand left her bottom and the butterflies took up residence in her stomach.
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