by Maggie Ryan
“This is fun,” Jewel said. “Thank you, Gabe. I’ve never gone fishing before.”
Stringing her catch on a line, he grinned. “You are an amazing woman, Jewel. What would your friends back home think if they saw Lady Gardner on a riverbank, dressed like a man and so excited about catching her own supper?”
“Probably that I’ve quite lost my mind,” Jewel said with a giggle. “I wouldn’t be surprised to discover that English women think that any fish served on a fancy china plate just leapt there of their own volition, but I don’t care. They don’t know what they’re missing.” Gabe wrapped his arm around her as they walked up the bank towards their camp.
While Gabe cleaned the two fish, Jewel poured a can of beans into a pot and set it in the embers of their fire. Once the fish were sizzling in the iron skillet Nettie had loaned them, she watched as Gabe poured coffee grounds into another pot, filled it with water and placed it on a flat rock. It wasn’t a fancy meal by any means, but it was absolutely perfect to Jewel. Accepting a tin plate from Gabe, she settled herself on a quilt, took her first bite, and gave a soft moan.
“This is delicious!”
Gabe chuckled. “They say that eating food you’ve caught and prepared yourself can turn anything into a gourmet meal.”
Forking another bite of steaming fish into her mouth, Jewel shook her head. “I beg to differ. I could catch a hundred wild boars but will never consider chitlins as anything other than offal. But it was very brave of you to try them.” She shuddered while Gabe laughed.
“Babe, you’d be quite surprised to learn what’s in a great many dishes enjoyed by different cultures. In Mexico we have a soup called menudo that is quite delicious.”
Cocking her head towards him, she asked, “Do I even want to know what’s in it?
“Probably not,” Gabe admitted.
With their meal finished, she moved to sit in front of him, her back to his front as they watched the stars begin to appear.
“Jewel?”
“Hmmm?”
“If you could take a holiday… I mean a real holiday… where would you want to go? Back to England to visit your family?”
Jewel was quiet for a few minutes, considering his question. Shaking her head, she said, “No. I have no desire to return to my father’s home. He made it quite clear that I was nothing but a disappointment to him. The only reason I’d ever consider returning to England would be to see my grandmother again.” Turning to face him, she sat cross-legged between his legs and smiled. “You’d love her, Gabe. She comes from aristocracy and yet is one of the most non-judgmental women I’ve ever known. She could have easily disowned me as well but instead, told me that I had a choice. I could either stay in England and live my life groveling for forgiveness I’d never be granted, or I could leave and find my own dream.” Lifting a hand, she laid it against his chest. “If not for Gram, I would never have met you and for that, I will always be grateful.” She knelt up and kissed him before sitting back and laying her head against his chest.
Gabe’s arms wrapped around her and his hand began to stroke down her back. “I hate the fact that you had to go through such heartache but am also grateful that your journey led you to me. But, you didn’t answer my question. And don’t tell me that this is the perfect holiday spot. Though it is beautiful, there must be someplace in the world that you long to visit, to experience.”
Lifting her head, she smiled up at him. “There is… you’ve never really spoken about your home. Someday I’d love to go to Mexico with you.”
He looked surprised and yet hesitant as he shook his head. “Surely you have some other destination in mind?” When she shook her head, he shrugged. “My home was nothing like yours. I didn’t grow up in some castle with servants… Ow! What was that for?”
Jewel sat back, rubbing the spot on his arm where she’d swatted him. “Gabriel Vasquez, if you think that I care about that, you don’t know me at all. Money, titles, and servants do not make a home… even when it is a castle, which I assure you, I did not call home. I’m far happier in one room of the home we’ve built together and share with many others than I ever was in any of my father’s houses. Besides, I want to thank your mother for giving birth to such a sweet little boy. To let your father know that he raised such an incredible man. To learn more about your family and…” She stopped speaking, seeing his head shaking.
“Gabe? What’s wrong?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Where else would you like to visit?”
Her teeth captured her bottom lip. “Oh… I see.” Moving to turn around, to hide her face that had flooded with heat, she blinked rapidly to keep the tears at bay that had suddenly welled.
Gabe’s hands kept her from turning, moving to cup her cheeks, turning her back to face him. “No, querida, you don’t understand…”
“I do, and it’s all right. A man doesn’t take women like me home to meet his family.” Her attempt at a laugh failed miserably, the sound more of a strangled sob. “I understand… I do. After all, my own father and people who had known me my entire life considered me a whore. England and Mexico may be thousands of miles apart but I’m sure they share a great deal of the same morality. I can only imagine what your family would think of me. Hell, I’m not only that whore, I own a whorehouse full of fallen women!”
Before she could continue, she found herself flipped over, her cheek pressed to the quilt on one side, her legs stretched out behind her and her pants being unbuttoned and yanked down to rest at her knees. “Gabe! Let me up! I didn’t do anything wrong!”
“Ah, but you most certainly did,” Gabe countered, slipping the button free of its loop and peeling back the flap of her underpants. “You’ve not only jumped to conclusions but you’ve cursed, lied, and most importantly denigrated the woman who I love with my whole heart.”
Smack! Smack!
Though it had grown darker, she was quite sure that two vivid handprints now decorated her bottom.
“You can’t spank me for telling the truth!” Jewel said. These weren’t the playful smacks he often gave her as foreplay. These were intended to hurt… and they did! “But I didn’t mean to insult you or your family…”
His palm descended to rest on her bottom, his fingers splayed wide. “Jewel…” When he didn’t continue, she turned her head back to see him shaking his head again. Before she could speak, he’d flipped her again, settling her on his knee.
“Gabe?” she asked, never before seeing the expression on his face or having a spanking stopped mid-spank.
“How could you think that?” he asked. “How could you so badly misjudge me?”
“I didn’t…”
“You did. You just told me how your father basically threw you away and that if it hadn’t been for your grandmother, you’d have spent the rest of your life being miserable and feeling judged. And yet… you just accused me of the same thing.”
“I didn’t…” Jewel repeated only to find herself removed from his knee and sitting on the quilt as he stood.
“The very fact that you don’t even realize that that was exactly what you did, proves my point.”
“Where are you going?” Jewel asked, rising to her knees as he began to walk away.
“I need some time,” Gabe said.
“Gabe, please don’t leave me alone… not like this!”
He looked down at her, his face as sad as she’d ever seen it. “Go on and get into the tent. I’ll be back in a little while quer… Jewel.”
She watched him walk away, the darkness swallowing him within a few steps. She had no idea what to do, but her heart was breaking. “Gabe… oh, Gabe, I’m so sorry,” she whispered, her tears overflowing to run down her cheeks. It wasn’t the fact that he’d spanked her… he hadn’t really. It wasn’t even the fact that he’d walked away… sometimes he’d wait to punish her in order to cool down from being angry at something she’d done, but never once had his stepping away made her feel so totally alone. No, what had her
heart shattering was the fact that he’d started to call her querida but stopped… he’d changed the endearment that he only used for her that never failed to make her feel so loved, so desired, so special.
Standing, she began to walk towards the tent but stopped short. She’d been looking forward to sharing the small space with Gabe. If she obeyed him, if she crawled into it alone, it would leave a memory she would never forget.
“So, child, what are you going to do? Stand there and have your own little pity party or show the man you love that you were wrong?”
The voice in her head could have been Nettie’s or her grandmother’s, both women ones she trusted for advice. It didn’t matter which, they were correct. She reached down to pull up her pants, not caring that the lowered flap of her drawers was trapped within the fabric. Turning, she walked towards where Gabe had disappeared. She had no intention of closing her eyes until she’d attempted to heal the hurt she’d seen in the eyes of the man who owned her body and soul.
Chapter 7
It was a sound that guided him to her. Pausing at the top of the embankment, she watched as he tossed another pebble into the water. He was sitting on top of the rocks where he’d taught her to fish. Yes, he’d walked away and yet had stayed close… ready to come to her aid, to keep her safe even if he was angry. Taking a deep breath, she walked down to the river’s edge.
“You’re right. I was judging you and your family and I’m so very sorry. You’ve never once treated me as less than a lady. You’ve given me respect, kept me safe, made me feel secure and so very loved.” She paused as he’d yet to look at her or to say a word. Stepping to the rocks, she looked up at his profile.
“Please, Gabe. I know I’ve upset you and that you’re mad but…” She tried to catch the sob before it left her throat, not wanting to appear the victim. She wasn’t. She was the one who had caused this… the one who needed to fix it. “I can only ask that you forgive me. Gabe, I never meant to damage us… the gift that you’ve given me. I-I would rather die than know that you… you don’t want me… don’t love me any…”
He had leapt from the rock before she could finish, his arms wrapped around her, pulling her to his chest. “Don’t,” he said, his face buried in her hair. “Don’t ever say that… don’t ever even think it. I have loved you from the moment I saw you and won’t stop until the day I die.”
“But… but I hurt you…”
“Yes, but only because I realized that despite what we have, down deep inside you are still that little girl, the one who was made to feel ashamed for nothing more than loving a man.” He paused to lift her chin with his fingertips. “Granted, he is an asshole unworthy of a single glance from you, but still, you offered him your heart. I will be eternally glad that even though it caused you pain… it brought you to me.”
Jewel sank her forehead against his chest, tears continuing to stream down her cheeks but the vise that had constricted her heart had disappeared. Gabe continued to hold her, to stroke her back, to let her cry… just as he always did. Sniffling and swiping the tears from her cheeks, she pulled back.
“I don’t deserve you, Gabriel Vasquez.”
He chuckled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “That’s not true either but you do deserve a spanking.”
Jewel felt her bottom clench and her tummy begin to flip. She smiled wondering what her father or her stuffy friends would think knowing that not only was she a very successful madam of her own brothel, a partner in a gold mine, but that her insides turned into molten lava knowing that this man wouldn’t ever hesitate to bare her bottom and roast it when she forgot that she was very much loved.
“I do,” she admitted, “but, Gabe?”
“Yes, querida?”
Hearing the word, she smiled and shook her head. “Nothing…” Knowing that he wouldn’t let it go and yet not wanting him to ever know how his not completing the endearment earlier had hurt her, she said, “Um, just that you need to make it hard so that I won’t ever do anything so stupid again, all right?”
“If that’s what you need,” he said, taking her hand and leading her back towards camp.
Shuddering but not with trepidation, she squeezed his hand. “It is.”
Gabe helped her remove her boots and, this time, had her step out of her pants. He chuckled seeing that she hadn’t closed the flap when she’d dressed to come after him. When she’d begged for his forgiveness, he was surprised, thinking she’d always known she’d receive it. God, how could she not know that she was his entire life? She was the only woman to hold his heart in her hand and yet his had threatened to shatter when she’d stated she’d rather die than live knowing he didn’t want her… didn’t love her anymore. He drew her down beside him on the quilt, not having the need to position her as she immediately crawled across his lap.
Smoothing out the lowered flap, he reached in and pulled her bottom completely free, running his palm over the plump cheeks. When he chuckled, she turned her head back.
“You know, some people would consider it quite rude to laugh at a poor girl’s derrière before you smack it.”
“Sorry but it is really a compliment. I was just thinking that if museums had these sort of paintings hanging on their walls… one with your beautiful cheeks framed by that white rectangle, the imprints of my hands giving the canvas a splotch of color… they’d have a far larger clientele.”
“You say the most romantic things, Mr. Vasquez,” she said, giving him a smile before settling her cheek on her folded arms.
“I’m glad you think so, Miss Gardner, but I’m going to blister your ass for the lies you told.”
Smack!
“You are not now…”
Smack!
“Nor have you ever been…”
“A whore.”
Smack!
“You broke one of your own rules even using that word.”
Smack!
“Yes, you own a brothel, and yes, the women you’ve taken in make their living pleasuring men, but, that is not all they do.”
Smack! Smack!
“They only have to look at you, to hear your story to know that they can and should have dreams of their own. If they choose to remain a gem, that’s fine. But if they choose to leave us, it is because you’ve assured that they not only have found their own dream but that they have funds to allow them to have a future they’d never allowed themselves to imagine.”
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
“Ow! Gabe! That hurts!”
“Does it? Good,” he said, continuing to spank her. “Perhaps you are learning a much needed lesson.”
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
“Now, let’s discuss your jumping to conclusions, shall we?”
“No! I mean, it’s not necessary. I…”
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
“It most certainly is,” Gabe countered. “Why would you ever think I would be ashamed of who you are? Have I ever given you a single moment of doubt that I think you are the most wonderful woman I’ve ever met?”
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
“No! But… I didn’t mean it that way…”
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
“That’s exactly how it sounded. Jewel, I don’t care if you’re the Queen of England or the scullery maid, I love exactly who you are. Every single inch of you from the top of your head to your toes is perfect in my eyes.”
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
“Especially this little bottom, which I must say, is becoming quite rosy.”
“Gabe! I’m sorry. I just…”
When she didn’t complete her sentence, his hand moved to rest on the center of her ass, the flesh definitely having grown warmer. “Just what?”
“No… nothing…”
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
“Just what, Jewel?”
“I… when I said I wanted to go to Mexico… to see where you grew up… to meet your family… you… you didn�
�t seem pleased. I-I thought that… I was wrong to judge people I’ve never met, but, Gabe, you haven’t really ever talked about what you did… where you came from before we met.”
His hand rested on her behind again, gently stroking across her tender flesh. “You’re right, I haven’t. But, it’s not because I am worried about what my family would think of you… of us. Frankly, I don’t give a shit what anyone thinks. It’s just…”
“Just what?” she parroted, turning her head around to look at him. “Gabe? I love you and nothing will ever change that.” She smiled and shook her head. “Don’t tell me you had to flee your country because you were… what’s the word? A bandana?”
Gabe’s bark of laughter had her attempting to push up off his lap. “No,” he said when he finished chuckling. “We’re not done here. But, querida, though the word you are looking for is bandido, I was cleared of being an outlaw.”
“What? You really were an outlaw?”
His hand landed with another smack on her behind. “You’re not listening. I just said I was cleared of the charges.”
“Gabriel, you can’t just leave it there! You have to tell me the whole story!”
Yes, it was time, he supposed. She’d shared the truth of her own life. She deserved to know the truth about his. He just prayed that when she did, she’d not judge him too harshly and wouldn’t stop loving him for his actions.
“I will,” he said, bending down to kiss her cheek. “But first, I have to finish blistering your butt… just as you asked.”
“Wait… maybe I changed my mind!”
Smiling, he shook his head. “Doesn’t matter, querida, I not only love you, I know exactly what you need to free you of that guilt.” With that, he pressed a palm between her shoulder blades to lower her torso back to the quilt while his other hand lifted from the surface of her bottom.
The woods echoed with the sound of smack after smack as he gave her what she’d asked for. By the time his hand rested again, she was sobbing. Flipping her over, he sat her once again on his lap, adjusting her so that the opening in her drawers was turned to the cooling night air where it wafted across the flaming buttocks framed within it. He rocked her as she cried, releasing the rest of her guilt and doubt that she’d allowed herself to embrace. Once she began to sniffle, he pulled a cloth from his pocket.