Sebastian

by Megan McCoy

  Putting her beside him, he put one arm around her shoulders, listening to her trying to control her breathing, and after a few minutes asked her, “Did you learn your lesson?”

  She looked at him, and shook her head. “What?” she gasped out.

  “Snooping,” he prompted. “Going to do it again?”

  “You spanked me,” she said wonderingly.

  “You deserved it,” he reminded her. Well, that was a failure. She was focused on the spanking still and not on why she got it. He didn’t fail often and felt disappointed that he did this time. Next time, he would do much better. Next time? He was already thinking next time.

  Maggie stared at him, then dropped her eyes, still in disbelief. Why was she embarrassed? He was the one who spanked her! He should be the one embarrassed, ashamed of himself or something.

  “Maggie, are you all right?” he asked her, almost gently. He never sounded gentle, so that made her look at him again, almost startled. “Are you okay?” he asked again.

  “I don’t know,” she said truthfully. She needed some time alone to process this, but he didn’t seem inclined to let her up, keeping his arm possessively around her. Truthfully, she just wanted to cuddle against him right now. Would he allow that? Tentatively she put her head against his shoulder and he reached over and stroked her hair. She liked that. “Why did you do that?” she asked.

  “Why? You wanted and needed it,” he said, back to his old matter of fact terse self.

  “Because actions have consequences,” she said, rather than asked. “Do you spank everyone who needs it?”

  He gave a short laugh, “No, just adorable snoopy neighbors who deserve one.”

  He thought she was adorable? Maggie wasn’t certain how to process that. “I’m sorry for snooping,” she said. “And for the poop bag on the porch.”

  “Then the spanking worked,” he said as if he were pleased. “And you’re forgiven.”

  Maggie shook her head, still in a wondering haze.

  “I have to go to a Chamber of Commerce dinner tomorrow night,” he said. “If you aren’t busy would you like to accompany me?” He looked at her with his brown eyes, softer than she’d seen them.

  Startled, Maggie’s brain went into high gear. Was he asking her out? “I don’t have practice or a game tomorrow,” she thought out loud. “Sure, I’d love to go.”

  “Good. It will be nice to have pleasant company and not go alone,” he said.

  “I guess that’s one of the downsides to being a hotshot, having to go to those sorts of things?” she asked, marveling they were having a conversation right after he spanked her. A normal conversation, as if she hadn’t been wiggling over his lap a few minutes ago.

  “I don’t usually mind attending,” he said. “But I get tired of going alone.”

  “Well, lucky for you, I’m handy and often available and don’t mind rubber chicken at all,” she teased him.

  “Good thing, because that’s probably what we’re getting,” he said, and actually smiled at her.

  “I’m sorry, this is just strange,” she blurted out without thinking.

  “Going to a Chamber dinner?” His eyebrows raised. “You’ll fit in.”

  Maggie giggled, she couldn’t help it. “I do clean up pretty well,” she confessed.

  “Then?” he asked.

  “Talking like nothing just happened!” She couldn’t meet his eyes again.

  “You’re embarrassed,” he seemed to find that funny for whatever weird male reason he came up with in his weird male brain.

  “Of course, I am! You put me over your knee and spanked me like a child!” she all but wailed.

  “Children generally don’t need spanked,” he said.

  “True,” she sighed.

  “You handled your first spanking pretty well.” He stated it like a fact. Her first? What did he mean by that? He brushed her hair back, then patted her knee. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow about seven.”

  Well, she’d been dismissed, hadn’t she? He stood up, and held out his hand. Maggie really didn’t want to stand up, but she took his hand and let him pull her up, then he pulled her into his arms and hugged her. “See you tomorrow, Maggie,” he said. Then swatted her bottom lightly but it still made her jump and squeal. “Behave.”

  She rubbed her bottom and looked at him. “Ow!”

  “Glad I gave you something to remember me by,” he said almost smugly.

  She stepped in and hugged him quickly, inhaling the scent of man and something spicy that she liked a lot, then turned and quickly went out the front door, then flew down the stairs in a hurry to get home. The only thing on her mind was getting to the bathroom. “Simon, I’m home,” she called just a minute later, unlocking her door and closing it behind her. Hurrying into the bathroom, she dropped her shorts and peeked behind her in the mirror. An irrational sense of disappointment swept through her, as she saw her just barely pink bottom. For as much as it hurt, she should have been bright red and at least seen a handprint or two. Next time, maybe, Maggie shook her head, what next time? She was a grown woman who did not need a spanking. Why did she feel like he let her down? Because he spanked her! No, because he didn’t do a very good job of it. It wasn’t like her fantasy at all.

  In her fantasy, she would have gotten a long lecture. Then told to remove her pants because she wouldn’t be needing them anyway. Then go over his knee while he rubbed her bottom and lectured her a little more while she squirmed. Then the spanking would start, gently at first then increasing until she was wiggling and trying to get away. But he would know better and not stop until she cried. Then he’d hold her and comfort her, and one thing would lead to another and... she sighed.

  In reality, a spanking was embarrassing and not really that painful, so why was she craving another one from the man who did it wrong? Would he get better with practice? Giggling at her silliness, she pulled her pants back up and headed out to find Simon and see if he wanted to go to the backyard for a while before bed. She had to figure out what she was wearing tomorrow. She’d seen pictures of the Chamber dinners on TV and people dressed up. She had some dress up clothes, she was certain. She’d just have to dig them out of the back of her closet and make sure they weren’t musty.

  Her thoughts whirled as she shoved hangers around in her closet. Why was she irritated at Sebastian? Because he spanked her, was the obvious answer. But she was all by herself with her own little thoughts and knew that wasn’t true. She was irritated at him because he’d done a piss poor job of it. And because she was all by herself, she could just say that. Well, not out loud probably but certainly in her brain. She’d dreamed all her life of a strong alpha male who would spank her when she needed it, and the one time it actually happened, well, while at the time it felt a bit stingy, it wasn’t anything like her fantasy. Whose fault was that? Yes, Sebastian Jones. All his fault. She had half a mind to march over there and give him the other half of her mind. Would she? No. He’d dismissed her. Made it very obvious that he was done with her for the night. Maggie Carpenter would not go where she wasn’t wanted, she shook her head and pushed more hangers around. She’d go simple, she decided. Light gray pants, with a rose-colored blazer and a blush pink blouse. She had gray pumps somewhere, she was certain, and a light airy-fairy gold chain with sparkles all over it her mom had given her, and she’d never worn. She rarely wore jewelry but had a few nice pieces. There. She’d be dressed by seven tomorrow. Now she needed to get her mind off the tall next-door neighbor who stomped all over her fantasy. At least until seven tomorrow evening. She had an entire night and day to fill between now and then.

  Picking up her phone, she hit Cambry’s number, “Hey there.”

  “Hi, Maggie, how are things there?” Cambry asked.

  “I was going to spend part of the day out with Mom tomorrow. I promised her I’d pick her green beans. I was wondering if Ryan wanted to go with me?” she asked.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, he would probably love to, but he’s still on
the scout trip,” Cambry said. “They won’t be back for a few more days.”

  “That’s right, I’d forgotten about that. Well, there will be more green beans later in the summer, I’m sure,” Maggie said.

  “Yeah, picking green beans. That’s what my techno nerd child looks forward to doing,” Cambry said laughing.

  “Well, he’ll indulge his favorite aunt anyway.” Maggie chatted a few more minutes and hung up. So much for the distraction of the child. She’d go pick green beans in the cool of the morning, she decided, and then come home and work on some lesson plans and projects for next year. This would be her fifth year teaching and she needed some fun new things to do in her classes. Then she would stop, shower, get dressed and wait for that lanky disappointment of a man to come over. At least she’d get to ride in his fancy car and people watch. She always enjoyed doing that. Her disappointment in his lackluster performance wouldn’t affect her enjoyment of a night out on the town. She refused to let it. Maybe it would come up on the way home. Maggie laughed at herself. What would she say, “You didn’t spank me right!” Yeah. No. That wasn’t going to happen. She’d just put it behind her and pretend it never happened. Adults could do that.

  She wondered briefly, if the only other man to smack her bottom, her big brother Ben, had ever spanked Cambry. He’d gotten mad at his annoying little brat of a sister a few times and swatted her butt to send her on her way. Was that where she’d gotten her fantasy? That was kind of disgusting now that she thought of it, and decided to pretend she never did. Would Cambry put up with being spanked? No. She couldn’t imagine.

  “Simon,” she walked to the back of the house and called, “You ready for bed?”

  Silly question. He was always ready for bed. “Since Ryan deserted me, you can go with me to grandma’s tomorrow and sit on her lap while I pick green beans. You’ll eat them, and she’ll want to help, so you can entertain each other,” Maggie told him. He wagged his tail and headed to the bedroom. She sighed and followed him. This was not how a night after a spanking should end.

  Sebastian laid in bed and stared at the game on TV. This was not how a night after a spanking should end. He should have her curled up in his bed, physically exhausted and emotionally content. But first he’d given her a spanking that hardly counted as one, and then he’d sent her home. He rarely messed things up, but he’d messed that up badly. Why she’d agreed to go out with him tomorrow night was beyond him. Maybe she was such a newbie, she didn’t know he messed up. A man could hope. It didn’t matter though, he needed to rectify his mistake. He would never back down from a challenge. What happened tonight? He needed to figure that out, first of all. He knew how to spank. He’d been doing it since his first girlfriend who had flung herself across his lap at any opportunity. His mom had decided her four boys needed to learn Spanish and after a half-hearted attempt to teach them her first language, hired a tutor. A hot tutor, but none of them wanted to tell Mom that. He had his first kiss within the month and was enjoying all her assets not long after. He’d left for college at the end of that summer but remembered fondly all the lessons she’d taught him, up to and including how to properly spank a willing, and not so willing sometimes, female. He spoke a little Spanish, too.

  Disappointing a willing female was something he hadn’t done before, at least he hoped not. She’d wanted it, he knew many women had spanking fantasies. So, why hadn’t he fulfilled that for her? Shirking on any task was not the way he lived his life. What had happened? He ran through the scenario in his brain and had no other answer than, he didn’t want to scare her off, but that made no sense at all. None. He’d never had a well and properly spanked woman get up in a flounce and leave. No, every single one needed him to hold and cuddle her after, a part he really enjoyed despite his seemingly cold exterior. But he’d held back on her and now felt like he’d let her down. He had, he’d been too busy thinking of himself and his needs and not hers. Why? What was so special about this little female?

  Sebastian turned his analytical side on. She was adorable, yes, but he’d had adorable before. He usually didn’t go for cute, athletic types. He preferred them tall and elegant, classy and well-educated. His idea of fun was watching that elegance turn into a sobbing mess of begging and kicking.

  Maggie was short, over eager like a puppy, but hit it on the well-educated nail. She’d intrigued him from the time she’d marched over to confess to breaking his window, bravely and nervously, just like a little kid. He’d even given her a key. No woman, none, had ever had a key to his house. Well, his mom, but she didn’t count, and even she didn’t anymore. So why did he give one to sweet little Maggie? He liked her? Of course, he liked her, what wasn’t to like?

  Shutting the TV off, he shut his eyes. He had to work tomorrow and needed to sleep and didn’t need to think about huge hazel eyes and bouncing butt cheeks over his lap. So, of course, that was all he thought about until he drifted off.

  The next evening, he tied his tie, checked to make sure his shoes were polished and his notes were tucked securely in his pocket. He was to give a short speech about the new store: the details of hiring the builders, where it was to be located, using local workers and the boost it would give to the local economy. He’d given twenty of these over the years, so many that they often blurred together, and he needed to get the details right. Last thing he wanted to do was make another mistake. He’d made one yesterday and that was his quota for the month.

  Getting in his car, he drove around the block, so he could park in front of her house and escort her to the car like a proper gentleman. When he pulled up, he saw her sitting on the porch swing, pushing gently back and forth. She looked adorable, in her pink jacket and her hair piled up in some kind of messy bun thing. She had on tailored pants and he realized he’d never seen her dressed up. She’d worn shorts every time he’d seen her, except for the night he’d made her change into jeans for the hospital. Shorts were a good thing, because she had spectacular legs, but the pants were probably a better fashion choice for a dinner. She had on low heels and a huge smile for him. Good. She wasn’t mad at him.

  “You look wonderful,” he told her.

  “You always look wonderful,” she replied and patted the seat beside her. “Want to sit and swing a minute or should we just go?”

  He sat beside her. “Just for a minute, this is very peaceful.”

  “It is. I love our little neighborhood. There’re hardly ever any problems around here, and when there is we just call the Harrison boys’ mom and she handles it,” Maggie said.

  “Harrison boys?” he asked.

  “There’s four of them, they live on the next block over and like to run amuck.”

  “Maybe they need a good spanking,” he said and put his arm around her.

  “I thought you said kids didn’t need spanked,” she teased.

  “Oh, that’s right, it's just naughty women,” he smiled and enjoyed that she looked almost startled. In her defense, he didn’t tease often.

  His watch alarm chimed, and he shut it off saying, “It's time, let's go to this.”

  “Looking forward to it,” she said, picking up her purse with one hand and putting her other in his hand. Okay, they would hold hands going to the car. He wasn’t sure what to make of that, but decided he enjoyed it.

  Opening the door for her, he took her elbow as she almost stumbled getting in. “Been a while since I wore heels,” she laughed. “Thank you.”

  “Anytime,” he said and got in on his side. He already had his car programmed for the hotel where the dinner was being held. They headed down the street, both of them ignoring the elephant that sat directly between them.

  “So, what’s going on at the dinner tonight?” she asked.

  “I’m talking about opening the store,” he said. “Basically, the same thing I said on TV the other night, only with more words.”

  “That must be hard for you,” she murmured.

  “What must be hard?” Sebastian felt confused.
/>   “More words. You aren’t the chattiest of people, you know,” she said.

  No, he didn’t know that. He thought he talked just enough. “If you ever need me to talk more, just tell me.” Would that work?

  “Is that all it takes?” She laughed and poked his arm with a finger. “Just tell you?”

  “Yes,” he said and nodded his head decisively while she laughed again.

  “If you turn down here, there’s a shortcut to the hotel,” she said. “See, I’m just as smart as your machine,” Maggie added when the car recalculated as they turned.

  “You are.”

  Maggie giggled again. Was he being silly on purpose? Well, so could she. “Now if you hear me say, ‘oh you're my kid’s dad’ tonight, that only means he’s had a student in my class, not that I have a bunch of baby daddies.”

  “Good to know,” he didn’t even crack a smile and for some reason that made her laugh again. She was looking forward to getting to know him better. Breaking through his ice would be fun for her. She hoped. Even if Mr. Jones was a lousy spanker.

  Chapter 4

  Maggie clapped along with everyone else as Sebastian finished his speech. “See, I knew you could string words together coherently,” she whispered as he sat back down beside her.

  “Was there ever a doubt?” he said, and picked up his wine glass.

  “Yeah, many times,” she said, and clinked hers to his. “Good speech, Mr. Jones.” It had been. She had no clue how many jobs an equipment store would bring to town, and heaven knew, just like every other place in the country, they could use more decent jobs. “What number will this store be?” she asked.

  “Number?” He looked at her puzzled.

  “How many stores does your family own?”

  “This will be one hundred forty-eight,” he said, “over seven states.”

  Her ears rang just a little. That was a good amount. Was she half way sort of almost dating a millionaire? Or was he a lowly peon working his way up in the company like everyone else? If he was rich, he wouldn’t have bought a house in her neighborhood. They were comfortably middle class there, and there were very high-end houses worth quite a bit more within a mile of hers. Why wouldn’t he have moved there? Interesting. She needed to know more about this man, and she knew just how to do it.