She looked up at him, and her face turned pink. “Okay,” she said quietly.
He frowned at her. “I’m missing something here, or you wouldn’t be blushing. What are you thinking?”
“Honestly?” His stern expression was all she needed to see. “Okay, silly question. Honestly, what I was thinking is you said we could talk before I get so upset that I have a temper tantrum, but I think I was already past that point when you got here this morning.”
He chuckled a little, but nodded his head. “Okay, that’s a good start. That’s what I need to hear about. Let’s not worry about your work right now, and I want to hear why you were that upset this morning.”
They spent the next two hours talking. She explained that she felt anytime she disagreed with him he said she had an attitude. He tried to explain that she needed to learn to talk without being rude. He then started talking to her about her anger issues, without actually calling them her anger issues. As they talked, he once again felt that he was getting to know the feisty little lady even better.
He began to realize that her grandmother was adamant about things she believed in, but was not a soft, gentle person. That wasn't really surprising, since she worked alongside men who were giving her a hard time. Cheyenne grew up with that behavior and never considered it to be rude. She knew her grandmother loved her and cared for her, so she had accepted the harsh truth as her grandmother’s way of keeping her safe. And more importantly, Jason now realized, it was the only thing she'd known growing up, so it seemed normal to her.
The only people Cheyenne ever mentioned as having any parental role while she was growing up were her mother, who left without a word, and her grandmother. That meant she'd never been around anyone with any experience in a normal work setting. As odd as it seemed in this day and age, he felt much of her problem was that she didn't follow protocol because she had no idea what protocol was.
Jason didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but he decided he needed to start with educating this little lady on the basics of manners, which would include proper conduct in an office. He also needed to work on anger management skills, and how to let someone know you disagree with what they're saying, and discuss it without being rude.
He would have to be careful how he accomplished this, however. He knew he couldn't just come right out and tell her what he was going to do. If he told her they would be working on basic manners and proper conduct for an office, she would be hurt, and more than likely combative. He would have to do it through the talking they did, without telling her straight out what he was trying to accomplish. So far they had made great headway by talking. He hoped that continued.
He held her while she recovered. They made small talk, which gave her a chance to calm down and pull herself together. “Are you okay now?” he asked, while rubbing her arm.
“I am,” she replied, “other than I’ll never be able to sit at my desk to work. I am so sore.”
“In that case, maybe we better just stay here and talk a little bit. Maybe you’ll have better luck trying to work after lunch.”
“What do you want to talk about?” she asked.
“I don’t know. Anything you’d like to talk about?”
“Not particularly,” she admitted.
He smiled. “I know you’re not real big on talking about certain things, Cheyenne, and I want to tell you again how well you’re doing. If there’s nothing special on your mind, why don’t you tell me a little more about your grandmother. She sounds very intriguing to me.”
“She was wonderful,” Cheyenne agreed. They spent the next couple hours talking about her grandmother. Jason could easily tell how much of an influence this interesting lady had had on her granddaughter, and he was starting to put more pieces of the puzzle together.
After lunch, she tried working again and was much more successful. Jason watched from the doorway, amazed at how easily she performed her craft, and how good she was at it. He had to leave to keep from laughing when she stood and rubbed her bottom while she read the next section.
Over the next several days, they did a lot more talking, and Jason shared several personal stories from his past of examples of people around him being angry, and how they handled it. She started seeing how being able to control your anger worked out better in the long run. “But how do you do that?” she asked. “I’ve been trying, and you see how it’s worked out.”
“Yes, I do see how it’s worked out,” he said. “Don’t be too hard on yourself. After your first initial spanking for having a temper tantrum, you’ve only received one more. I think that’s a big improvement in a short amount of time.”
“Yeah, but you stepped in twice or I would have lost it,” she admitted.
“True, but you didn’t,” he insisted. “Once I started rubbing your shoulders, you were able to get control of your emotions. All I did was rub your shoulders and ask if you were sure you wanted to continue down that path.”
“And do you know what I would have done if you hadn’t done that?”
He chuckled. “I’m assuming you would have had a temper tantrum. But you didn’t. That’s the part I like to focus on. You didn’t have that temper tantrum. I will add that it’s a good thing you didn’t, because do you know what would have happened if you would have?”
“Oh, yeah,” she said, rubbing her bottom. “But that's something else I'm not exactly sure I understand, either.”
“What's that?”
“Why you keep helping me avoid a spanking. I know you said you'd rather guide me to good decisions, but you also say spanking helps me break my bad habits. So which is it? If spanking will help me break my bad habits, and I can tell you really do want to help me, why do you keep helping me avoid them? I'm glad you do, but I'm a little confused.”
“Let me try to explain that to you. Like I said before, I would much rather guide you to a good decision than guide you over my lap. If I can't help you make a good decision, you will be spanked, and yes, they do help you break a bad habit. If I give you enough of my spankings, you will learn to treat people with respect, and control your temper.
“Something else that's really important, though, is having pride in yourself, and I've also been able to see now how you respond to that. You have reason to be very proud of yourself, but you're just beginning to see that. If I can give you a gentle reminder about something and it helps you make the right decision on your own, I've seen how proud that makes you. I love seeing that. That pride is something that will not just help you out today, but that will take you far in life. Doing the right thing because it makes you feel proud will stay with you forever, and will change your life in a lot of ways. Mostly, it will make you much happier. You'll be happier with yourself, which will carry over into all other aspects of your life.”
She was quiet, again deep in thought. When she looked up at him, she was smiling. “Once again, you might be on to something there. When you rubbed my shoulders different times, it reminded me you were there, and I knew what I needed to do. It felt good then when I did it. I thought it was because I was shocked to learn I could do it, but I think you're right. I was proud of myself, and that really is a good feeling.”
“It's a real good feeling. I've told you to think about what you did to earn a spanking and to think about that pain the next time you are tempted to do the same thing again, but I also want you to remember how it feels to be proud of yourself. That's just as important.”
“I'll try,” she said, obviously still thinking. “It's hard, though.”
He nodded. “I know it is, but you're doing really well. You just need to be patient. You’re making progress. You’re making real good progress.”
“Do you really think so, or are you just trying to be encouraging?”
He caught her eyes before answering her. “Cheyenne, I told you once I will always be honest with you, and I meant that. Like it or not, I’ll tell you the truth. Did I lie about the program when I described it to you?”
“
No.”
“And I’m not lying now. I have been very impressed with the progress you’re making. That’s what I told Dan when I talked to him. He was very glad to hear it, by the way. He wants to see you succeed, you know.”
“Maybe.”
“Let me ask you something. Do you feel any different now than you did before we started?”
“Yes,” she said instantly.
“How?”
She looked at him, puzzled.
“How do you feel different now than before I met you?”
“I feel—” She froze, and he felt her stiffen.
“You feel what, Cheyenne?”
She had an odd expression on her face that was difficult to read. “I feel better,” she admitted.
“Better?”
“Happier.”
A big smile appeared on his face. “Well, there you have it,” he enthused. “To feel happier now, just a little over a week into the program, is fantastic!”
“It is, isn’t it?” She looked up at him and her expression gradually changed into a big smile. “How can that be?”
“In a nutshell, when you stopped blaming yourself for things that are out of your control, it made it much easier to like yourself. You, my dear little lady, are a very lovely, very likable, very talented young lady, and it’s about time you realized that.”
Cheyenne’s eyes grew large, and she sat there staring at him for several moments. “You really mean that, don’t you?”
He instantly had a stern look on his face. “Have I lied to you about anything yet?”
“No,” she admitted.
“And I won’t,” he assured her. He gave her a couple minutes to digest that information before saying anything further. “Now, I think maybe you need to go back and do a little more work. We need to take that back soon and pick up some more.”
“Okay. I should be able to finish it in another hour or two.”
She finished a little over an hour later and he called Dan and set up a meeting for the next morning. He left a little earlier that night, reminding her to be ready by 8:20.
Cheyenne had a difficult time getting to sleep after Jason left. His words kept going through her mind. She’d been trying to guard her heart and not allow herself to admit she found herself being pulled to him. But now he said she was lovely, likable and talented. Those words, and the sincerity in the way he said them, touched her heart like nothing else had. It felt wonderful, but what exactly did he mean? Could he possibly think of her as anything more than a client? She finally fell into a fitful sleep, wondering about his words.
He drove home after listening to be sure she locked her door. He found himself questioning his actions. He meant every word he said to her about her being lovely and very likable and talented, but should he have said them aloud? Should he also have said she was feisty, which he found challenging, or compassionate, which he found endearing, or intelligent, which he found refreshing?
He shook his head to clear his mind. He would love to tell her all those things, but he had to be a professional. He had a job to do before he could explore the possibility of any type of relationship between them. Of all the ladies he’d worked with, this was the only time he’d had these feelings, and he was finding them hard to put on the back burner. But he had to. He was a professional. Besides that, after the life Cheyenne had had, she deserved to be happy, and he felt sure that with his help, she would be.
***
He was happy to see her ready to go when he got there the next morning at 8:20. They got to her office at 8:50. He helped her out of the car and guided her toward the door. Three coworkers greeted her, and she politely returned their greeting with a smile.
They met Ted in the hallway and he also spoke. “Cheyenne, good morning. It must be later than I thought.” He looked at his watch and pretended to need the wall to lean against. “Wow. What brings you here, and before nine o’clock?”
Jason moved behind Cheyenne, ready to rub her shoulders, but she surprised him. “Good morning, Ted. I’m just here to meet with Dan. Traffic was refreshingly light this morning for a change. You’ve met Mr. Jenkins, haven’t you?”
The smile and kind greeting caught Ted off guard, and Jason enjoyed watching him sputter a bit. “Uh, yes, I have. Nice to see you again, Mr. Jenkins,” he said, reaching out to shake Jason’s hand.
“And you as well,” Jason said with a smile, before turning to Cheyenne. “We better get to our meeting with Mr. Miller.”
“You’re right,” she said cheerily. “Nice seeing you, Ted.” She turned and walked on toward the elevator, and Jason couldn’t miss the smile on her face.
Once inside the elevator, with no one else around, he smiled down at her. “Excellent, Cheyenne. You handled him perfectly.” She looked up at him with a look of pride on her face he hadn’t seen before.
They got off the elevator and headed to Jenna’s desk. They were almost there when Dixie appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. “Hey, Shy, you’re awfully early, aren’t you? I didn’t know you were even up yet at this hour.”
“Good morning, Dixie,” she answered. “I’m here to meet with Dan. Is that a new dress? It looks nice.”
Jason had to cough to cover the chuckle he couldn’t hold back. Dixie looked deflated. Speechless, she stood staring at Cheyenne. She finally found her voice, but it was soft. “Thank you. Aren’t you going to say anything about me calling you Shy?”
“Nope. You know I don’t care for that nickname, so I don’t need to remind you. I’m not sure why you feel the need to call me that, but it’s an issue for you to work out, not me, so if it means a lot to you, or helps you feel better, that’s fine. Have a good day, Dixie. If you’ll excuse us, Mr. Jenkins and I have an appointment with Dan.” She smiled at her nemesis before turning and walking on to Jenna’s desk.
Before Jason had a chance to say anything, Cheyenne spoke again. “Good morning, Jenna. We’re here to see Dan.”
Jenna, who had heard the exchange with Dixie, looked shocked, but recovered quickly. “Good morning, Cheyenne, Mr. Jenkins. I need to take this file to Mr. Miller, and if you’ll excuse me a second I’ll do that and tell him you’re here. Can I get either of you some coffee first?”
“No, thank you,” Jason said. “We’re good.”
He led Cheyenne to the couch and they sat down while Jenna went into Dan’s office. Jason leaned over and spoke softly into her ear. “When we get to the car we have some talking to do, young lady.” She looked up at him in alarm. “And it’s all good,” he added with a smile. “I am so proud of you this morning.”
“Thank you,” she said as she blushed. “I hope I can keep it up.”
“Me, too,” he said. “But whatever happens, I’m very impressed so far.”
Dan came out of his office a couple minutes later to greet them. He was smiling as he invited them in. He shook Jason’s hand and invited them to sit in the same two chairs in front of his desk again. Once they were all seated he looked at Cheyenne. “So, I hear you have some completed work for me?”
“I do,” she said, handing him the folder.
“Thank you,” he replied, and put the folder on his desk. “How are you, Cheyenne?”
She studied him a few seconds before answering. “I’m good,” she answered.
“That’s what I’ve heard,” he said. “And I can’t tell you how glad I am.”
“What do you mean?”
“Jason tells me you’re making tremendous progress. I can tell by talking to him that he’s very sincere when he says that. But Jenna just told me she doesn’t know what’s going on, but you seem different.”
Cheyenne seemed surprised. “She did?”
Dan chuckled. “She told me Dixie cornered you in the hall, being her usual rude self, but you rose above her and put her in her place before she knew what was happening.”
“She did, Dan,” Jason said. “I wish you could have heard her. I was so proud of her.”
Both men looked at Cheyen
ne, who seemed to shrink into her chair, her face red.
Jason saw how uncomfortable she was, and led them to a new topic. “Just suffice it to say she’s doing real well. Do you have more work for her?”
Dan understood what Jason was doing, and went along with him. “Yes, I do.” He picked up a folder, but paused. He looked at Cheyenne, and back at the folder. Coming to a decision, he set that folder back down and picked up another one. “Cheyenne, I don’t mean to embarrass you, but I would like to ask you something.”
“What’s that?” she asked tentatively.
“The client, the potential new big client I told you about has moved up his schedule. He wants a few small things within the next week. I’m pretty sure if he likes them he’ll give us a few more, slightly larger projects, and if he’s happy with those, he’ll give us a big project. In looking over what he wants, there’s no doubt in my mind who I’d like to have working on this project.”
She looked up at him with hopeful eyes.
He went on. “I think you could give him exactly what he wants. He’s looking for something a little different, out of the box, but effective. I think he would be impressed with your work. But that would mean you meeting with him and working with him in another couple weeks. I originally thought it would be at least a month, and thought you may be ready to work with a client again by then. But I’m going to ask you and Jason this question, and I’d appreciate an honest answer.”
Jason was a little surprised, but proud to hear her response. “He’ll be honest with you, Dan. He always is.”
“I believe that, Cheyenne, and I’d appreciate an honest opinion from you, as well. Do you feel you’ll be ready in possibly as little as two weeks to meet with him, to work with him without chasing him off? I know you’re early, very early in the program. I wasn’t even going to consider it, but I have to tell you, Jason did wonders with my sister, but I sure didn’t see a change in her like I see in you nearly this quickly. Jenna was impressed, and I can tell Jason is, as well. But I understand if you don’t feel you’ll be ready yet.”
Cheyenne and Jason (Last Chance Program Book 1) Page 11