Gina and Paul (Last Chance Program Book 2)
Page 19
Paul saw the fury in her eyes and stood to try to calm her, but he was too late. “If a community college isn’t good enough for you, and if your name means more to you than your daughter feeling good about herself for once in her life, you can go to hell.” She turned abruptly and walked out the door.
Paul started after her, until John called out to him. “I hold you responsible for this, Mr. Parker. This program I heard so much about is either a big fraud, or you have a lot of work to do yet. You better get her head screwed on straight again, because I will not pay for her to ruin her life at a community college. It seems to me you’ve alienated her from her family values. I demand you fix this problem, and quickly.”
Paul was speechless for a moment. He looked toward the door Gina left through, slamming it loudly, and back toward her father. “Mr. Jamison, I think this problem just became bigger than I realized.” He quickly followed Gina out the door, jogging toward the guesthouse.
He wasn’t sure what he’d find when he got to the guesthouse, but he hoped Gina was there. They needed to talk. All in all, he was very proud of her this evening, and he was anxious to tell her that. He hoped she hadn’t gotten upset and left. Her car was still at the main house, but she could double back around and get it and leave.
He got to the house and checked the front door, but it was locked. He knocked, but got no answer. He quickly went around to the back, thinking he’d use his key if he needed to. He was happy to see he wouldn’t have to use the key, though, because Gina was sitting at the little table they’d eaten lunch at several times. She wasn’t crying, as he expected. She was staring straight ahead, and didn’t seem to even notice he was there. That worried him.
“Gina? Are you okay?” He got no response, so he pulled the other chair over next to her and sat down. He took one of her hands in his. “Gina? Talk to me. Are you okay?”
Her eyes seemed to focus, and she looked over at him. “Paul. I didn’t see you.”
“Are you okay?”
She shook her head. “No.” Tears started streaming down her cheeks as she looked up at him. “What just happened?”
“What just happened is I was very proud of you, Gina.”
“You were? But I told my father to go to hell.”
“That’s the only part I’m not proud of, and we’ll talk about that later. But for right now I want you to know that I am very proud of you.” He stood up and pulled her up with him, encouraging her to lean against his chest. “Go ahead and cry, honey. I know you’ve got a lot of hurt and frustration inside you right now. Go ahead and let it all out. Then we’ll talk.” He led them in the house and to the couch, where they sat down and she cried her eyes out on his shoulder.
When she calmed down, he patted her hand. “Are you okay? Ready to talk about what happened?”
“Yes, but can you do something for me, please?”
“Gina, I’ll do anything I can for you. Your parents surprised me this evening, and not in a good way. You handled it very well, and I’m proud of you. What would you like me to do for you?”
“I told them tonight I want to start earning what I get. I was serious about that, but I know I earned a spanking for telling my dad to go—for telling him what I told him. Would you do that now, please so I can concentrate on our talk? If I know that’s coming yet, that’s what I’ll be thinking about, and I really want to talk to you tonight. I have something I need to—or something on my—I just need to talk tonight. Could you please do that first?”
Paul took a few moments to think. He was extremely proud of her and he hated to give her a spanking right off. On the other hand, he understood what she was saying. But he had to also wonder what she wanted to talk about. Could it be that she was having the same feelings he was having? Even if that wasn’t it, he had to wonder if tonight might be a good time to expose his feelings, and let her know he was there for her, no matter what her parents said or did. He also needed to tell her what her father told him about not paying for a community college. That was something else that would upset her.
All these things were running through his mind at once, and he wasn’t sure what to do. Then he looked at Gina, and saw the pleading look on her face. “Okay, honey, you’re sure you want to address the one and only thing you did wrong tonight, before we talk about the roughly fifty or so things I’m so proud of you for?”
She smiled, and nodded. “Thank you. But yes, I’m sure. I really want to get it over with so we can talk.”
“Okay, this one time I will do that, because I agree, we have a lot of talking to do. I have something I’d like to talk to you about tonight, as well.” She looked up at him, with a hopeful expression. At that moment all he wanted to do was take her in his arms and tell her everything would be all right, that he’d be there for her.
He’d just told her he’d do exactly what he didn’t want to do now, though, and he knew it was important right now. She needed to know he was indeed there for her, no matter what she needed. Right now she knew she’d earned a spanking, and he could tell she was feeling guilty about talking to her father that way. He’d been trying to get her to this point, where she did feel guilty after doing something she knew she shouldn’t, so now that she had, he had to show her that a spanking, or suffering the consequences, would end the guilt, leaving her feeling free.
He pulled her across his lap and flipped her skirt up onto her back. He pulled her panties down and had to take a moment. The last thing he wanted to do right now was cause pain to this brave little lady who was doing so well. She’d stood up for herself tonight against her parents. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, gathering strength. She needed him now, and he was determined to be there for her.
“Okay, Gina, I don’t think we need to talk too much about what this spanking is for, do we?”
“No, sir.”
He paused again. That show of respect was almost his undoing. He took another deep breath and reminded himself the sooner they started the sooner it would be over. “Tell me what you’re getting spanked for, Gina.”
“For swearing and being rude to my dad.”
“That’s right,” he said as he started the spanking. It was admittedly lighter smacks than normal, but he just couldn’t bring himself to be harsh with her tonight. As long as it was enough to end her guilt, he’d be happy. He thought he could do that with his words as much as the spanking itself, so he started talking while he spanked. “You did very well for the most part tonight, but we’ll talk about that later. Right now we need to talk about your language and what you said to your father.”
Paul continued talking about her language and respect while he turned her cute little bottom a deep pink. It was just on the verge of turning red, when she slumped over his knees and the tears starting flowing freely. Thank heavens! His hunch had been right. His words did as much to relieve the guilt as the spanking did, and he was sure she felt the spanking was more severe than it was because of the words that accompanied it. It really had been a light spanking compared to most, but that was fine with him. The pain would probably be gone way before she went to bed tonight, but once again, he was okay with that. As long as it took care of her guilt, it was sufficient. He gently pulled her panties back up.
He pulled her up to sit on his lap, and she not only laid her head against his chest and shoulder, but she clutched some of his shirt in her hand and held on as she cried. He wrapped her in his arms and kissed the top of her head. “It’s over, my little one, and you’re forgiven. You rest now and then we’ll talk.”
She looked up at him through her hears. “Thank you.”
He wasn’t sure what she was thanking him for, but she was sure welcome, whatever he’d done, and he told her so. He held her, talking softly to her now and then in the voice he knew she found to be calming. When she was settled again and comfortably situated on his lap, he asked, “Are you okay now?”
“Yes,” she managed to whisper. “I actually feel much better, for some reason.”
“It is,” she said with a big smile. That big smile was exactly what he needed to see, and he hugged her to him a little closer.
“Are you ready to talk?” he asked.
“I guess.”
He could tell she was hesitant with that answer, and looked down at her. “If you’re not ready to talk yet, we can wait a little longer.”
“No, I want to talk, I’m just not ready to give up leaning against your chest and feeling your arms around me.”
“Then we’ll talk like this. I’m good with it if you are. After tonight, you deserve to be comforted a little more than normal.”
“Thank you,” she said as she snuggled in closer against him. He tightened his arms around her and laid his cheek against the top of her head. He had to smile as it occurred to him he was probably feeling the same content feeling she was right now. With that thought in mind, he knew it was time for them to talk.
Chapter Fifteen
“Gina, I’m sorry your parents reacted the way they did tonight, but I want you to know how terribly proud I am of you. You held your ground with them, and that had to have been hard.”
“Actually, it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would have been. I’m not really sure why, but it wasn’t.”
“You really feel strongly about what you said to them tonight, don’t you, about wanting to earn what you have now?”
“Yes, I do. Since we’ve talked, I think my grandfather was a very smart man. He earned everything he had, and he knew what a good feeling that was. It makes me feel good to know that he wanted me to have that good feeling, too. The further we get into this program the more I’m seeing how smart he was, and that he really did love me. He wanted me to feel good about myself, and be happy.”
“You’ve come a long way, Gina. It’s really good to hear you say that.”
“Thank you for not giving up on me. I know I treated you horribly at first, trying to get that clause thrown out and all, but you knew what you were doing. You said I’d be happier if I did this program, and you were right. I’m already happier than I can remember being.”
“How do you feel about your parents right now, though, after standing up to them tonight?”
“You know, that’s kind of odd. I know I did it wrong, telling him what I told him, but over all, I feel good about standing up to them. I feel proud. But should I?”
Paul chuckled. “Remember what I said about your feelings and emotions?”
“That they’re strong and they don’t lie?”
“Yes. Pride is a strong emotion, like happiness, or guilt. Pride doesn’t lie, either. You feel proud of yourself for standing up to your parents, and you should. You’ve seen for yourself how good it feels to earn what you have, and you have every right to want to keep feeling that. It was wrong of them to try to deny you that pleasure. To be honest, I was shocked at what they said, but you stood your ground. Earning your way makes you feel good, and it’s something to be proud of, so it’s worth standing your ground.”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“I was afraid I was feeling proud of myself, but I shouldn’t. I mean, was I feeling good because I told my dad off? I didn’t think that was something I should feel proud of. I mean, he’s my father.”
“You’re right, he is your father and as such, he deserves respect. But being your father doesn’t give him the right to speak to you the way he did, and that’s what you stood up for, and that’s why I’m proud of you.”
“And why I’m proud of myself,” she said to herself.
“And you have every right to be proud of that. You’re not proud of yourself for telling him what you did, but you admitted you were wrong and deserved a spanking for that. That tells me your pride is well placed. You, my dear, are quickly becoming a well-mannered adult, who is ready to take her place in this world.”
“Do you think, really?”
“I do. After tonight I’m even more sure of it.” She beamed when she looked up at him. He kissed her forehead before he realized what he was doing. She looked at him with a rather puzzled expression. “I want to ask you something.”
“What’s that?”
“Tonight at your parents’ house, you seemed pretty upset at the way they were talking about community colleges. Was that—”
“I wasn’t about to let them talk about community colleges that way. They were snubbing them.” Her voice quieted a bit as she added, “And the people who go to them. That’s wrong.”
His heart swelled. This cute little pixie sitting on his lap was thinking of him. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For standing up for me tonight.”
“Well, they were looking down their snobby noses at people like you, and they had no right to do that. They don’t know you the way I do.”
She suddenly turned quiet, and got fidgety. He also noticed she was looking down, not at him. He was pretty sure he’d just been given the perfect time to have that talk he’d talked to Jason and Cheyenne about. “Gina, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”
“Is it about tonight?”
“Not really, but I guess in a way, yes.” He saw the confused look on her face, and knew he had to just say it. He picked up one of her hands and held it as he looked into her eyes. “You see, the last little while I’ve had a rather difficult time concentrating on your program the way I should.”
She pulled her hand away and grabbed his shoulders. “You’re not quitting on me now, are you? Please don’t do that.”
“No, I’m certainly not quitting on you,” he assured her. “In fact, the reason I’m having trouble concentrating on the program is because you’ve become very special to me.”
“I know you want all your clients to succeed.”
“But it’s more than that, Gina. What I’m trying to tell you is I’ve developed feelings for you, personal feelings. I’ve worked with several young ladies and I cared about each one of them and wanted them to succeed, but I’ve never felt anything special for any of them, until you.”
He was having a hard time reading her eyes, something he was usually very good at. She didn’t show any emotion for several long, long moments. Finally, a small smile started at the corners of her mouth, and slowly grew. He was still extremely nervous until she finally seemed to find her voice. “As in you like me?”
Now he saw the twinkle in her eye, and he relaxed a little. With a smile of his own he answered, “Yes, as in I like you.”
She sat looking at him, a big smile on her face, but she still hadn’t said anything to put him at ease. He tried to draw out her feelings. “I tried to wait until you were through this program to say anything, but it’s been harder and harder to keep those feelings to myself.”
“I can tell you why.”
“You can?”
“Yes,” she said as the twinkle in her eyes made a strong appearance. “A very smart man told me your feelings and emotions are very strong and they don’t lie. You shouldn’t ignore them. I know that to be true, partly because the last week or two I’ve had what I believe must be very similar feelings about you, and I’ve had a really hard time trying to ignore them.”
Now it was his turn to smile big. “Are you serious?”
“I am,” she assured him. “I can’t believe we’ve both had the same feelings.” He pulled her in against him for a big hug. After a bit, he looked down at her and gave her a small, tentative kiss. When she didn’t shy away from it, he tried again. This time the kiss had much more passion, and he was ecstatic to see that she was returning his passion. Of course, he quickly took control of the kiss, but she readily permitted him to, and when it finally ended, they were both smiling.
“So what happ
ens now?” she asked. “You can still finish the program, can’t you?”
“I can, as long as you’re still willing.”
“Absolutely,” she assured him. “I’ve wanted to do it even more now, the last week or so. I think I’m doing it for a different reason now, though.”
“I think you are, too, and once again, I’m proud of you.”
“You know me pretty well, don’t you?”
“I think I do. I hope I do, since it’s my job to know you.”
“So why do you think I want to finish the program?”
“Because you’re seeing now that your grandfather was right. I think you’re happier now, and you want to finish it to make your grandfather proud, and you happy. Am I close?”
“You are a very smart man, you know. I didn’t know you understood me this well.”
“I’ve been watching you closely,” he said. “And word of warning, if we’re in a relationship, that will continue.”
She smiled again. “That sounds wonderful.”
“So will the spankings.”
“That doesn’t sound as wonderful,” she said, “but I can handle them while we finish the program.”
“They won’t end when the program ends,” he warned. “In fact, in a way, as long as we’re in a relationship, the program will continue. Not officially. I’ll sign the papers saying you completed that. But I’ve always known that in any relationship I ever have with a lady, I will always feel it’s my job to watch her closely and keep her safe and happy, but also to guide her. That’s probably why I haven’t had many serious relationships in the past.”
“I’m not sure I understand.”
“It takes a very strong lady to allow a man to guide her. She has to trust him, and know that he cares enough about her to have her best interests at heart. But then she has to be strong enough to give him that gift, because that’s exactly what it is, is a gift, if the woman trusts the man enough to let him guide her through life. In our case, even though my main objective will be your happiness, you still have to be willing to allow me that right.” He took her hand again. “Is that something you think you could do?”