Maybe, With Conditions

by Mariella Starr

  She headed for the front door since the obnoxious pounding was persistent. Opening it, she found Dalton juggling a large stack of packages. She moved aside as he pushed his way past her and dumped the stack of boxes and bags on the sofa, sat down, and gave a relieved sigh. "Another second and these would have been scattered all over the hallway."

  "What are you doing here?" Nicole demanded.

  He looked at her, steadily refusing to break eye contact. "You didn't believe me? I came to see Matty."

  "He's taking a nap."

  "I'll wait," he said amiably.

  "I'm busy."

  "You can go back to whatever you were doing, I'll wait. I won't disturb you," He began studiously restacking the packages one on top of the other on the hall table.

  She narrowed her eyes. "Are those for Matty? If they are, you can return them. I'll not have you spoiling him or trying to buy his affections."

  Dalton raised his eyebrows. "You still jump to conclusions without getting the facts. It was always a bad habit. As it happens, my Aunt Penny's trip was delayed. She did some phone shopping and I became her errand boy to pick them up. There are some fancy labels on these boxes and bags. I didn't want to leave them in the car in underground parking. From what I've read, the D.C. crime rate is terrible. I wouldn't want to tempt anyone."

  "Suit yourself, I have work to do," Nicole said bluntly.

  "There is one gift here for Matty," Dalton admitted. "I bought him a Xbox."

  "If I wanted him to have one, he would have it," Nicole snapped. "I don't want him exposed to violent games. I don't mind if he plays handheld games, but I'm very selective about what games we buy."

  Dalton opened a bag and pulled out five game cartridges. "I got the Kinect for children, Disneyland, Kinectimals, Sesame Street, and a Lego-based adventure game. All are rated for four to seven-year-olds." One eyebrow rose, again. "They were highly recommended by the owner of the toy store as being non-violent."

  "Fine, but I will restrict how much time he wastes playing stupid games." She left Dalton sitting in the living room while she returned to the spare bedroom she used as a studio. She didn't know why, but she felt a little disappointed. She picked up her paintbrush and began stroking long strands of hair into a portrait she was finishing.

  "Shame on you, Nicole!" Mrs. O'Cleary came into the studio with fire in her eyes and her hands on her hips.

  "What have I done, Dee Dee?"

  "You left your young man sittin in the front room coolin his heels without the dacency to even offer him a magazine or cup of coffee. Indeed, Nicole, I didn't think you could be so rude. I raised you better!"

  "I didn't ask him to come!"

  "Whether you did or not, makes not a twit of difference. He's here," Mrs. O'Cleary said sternly. "There's no excuse for rudeness."

  "Dalton is Matty's father," Nicole admitted quietly.

  "Do I not have eyes in me head, lass? I guessed as much the first time I ever laid eyes on the man. Besides, I heard the yellin and swearin. I was standin out in the hallway, wasn't I? Now march yourself out there and be nice. He is the father of your child. He does have rights to see his son."

  "He forfeited his rights years ago," Nicole, said bitterly.

  "He did nothing of the sort. You gave him no chance to make things right or be a Da to his boy. I pleaded with you to contact him, but you refused. Mr. Calloway is Matty's father. If you're not careful, he might decide to fight for his rights."

  "What?" There was a touch of panic in Nicole's voice.

  "I'm not after scaring you, love, but think on it. It is possible. Unlike you, I read the newspapers and watch the telly news. There have been many paternity suits where the courts gave custody of children to the fathers because the mothers weren't forthright with information and denied them their rights."

  Cold terror gripped tightly around Nicole's heart. She hurriedly dropped her brushes into a cleaning liquid and wiped her hands. She'd heard the whispers after she started dating Dalton. There were always girls in the dorms aware of a male student's net worth. She knew he was from a western ranching background and it was rumored on campus he was worth millions. She also heard about a sizeable insurance settlement after his parents were killed and his grandfather was disabled. She hadn't cared then.

  She would remedy her lack of knowledge now as soon as she managed to get him out of her apartment. She would Google him. It was something she had avoided since the day she walked away from college. Dalton could prove paternity with a simple DNA swab.

  She ran into her son's room where he was still sleeping so she did not disturb him. She wiped the tears from her face detouring to the bathroom to wash away any evidence of the terror she felt, before going out to face her past.

  Dalton stayed over three hours. He connected the gaming console to her television and played the games with Matty. Her little boy was in heaven. A lot of kids at his school had the same games and like all children, he had begged for them a million times. When Dalton was ready to leave, Nicole motioned for him to not forget the bags and packages on the hall table.

  He shrugged carelessly. "They're all games and toys for my son."

  He matched Nicole's flush of anger instantly. "He's my son, Nicole. I've missed five birthdays, five Christmases, and all the other special times of his young life. If you don't want him to have the games right away, pack them away for his next birthday or Christmas. He is my son, too!"

  "Lower your voice!" Nicole snapped.

  Dalton looked over his shoulder, but his son had already run off to his bedroom. He advanced on Nicole and took her by the shoulders. "Listen, brat. Get this through your head. I'm going to be involved in Matty's life. I'm going to be in your life. I'm not done with you, yet. There's still too much between us, and it starts with that boy." He lowered his head to kiss her, but she backed away from him.

  "You can try to run, but it won't work," Dalton promised. As he walked over the front door threshold, the door slammed into his back and he heard the lock turn. Her temper was something to be addressed, but later.

  She had not denied his right to see his son. Dalton smiled. He didn't have time for this nonsense, but he would make the time. He was a father. Nothing was more important than getting to know his son.

  He pulled out his cell phone as he got into a car he had borrowed from his aunt for his duration in Washington. He had arrangements to make. He needed someone to take over his workload at the ranch and his clinic. He didn't know how long this battle with Nicole would take, but he was determined. This time, the outcome would be different.

  The next morning, Mrs. O'Cleary sent Nicole to the local bakery for their favorite pastries. She returned to find Dalton playing roughhouse with Matty on the living room rug.

  "Ready?" Dalton asked jumping to his feet and giving the giggling boy a toss into the air and catching him.

  "For what?" Nicole demanded suspiciously.

  "We're going to the zoo, Mommy!" Matty squealed with excitement.

  "No. I'm sorry, honey, I don't have time to go today," Nicole said staring daggers at Dalton.

  "I want to go, Mommy!"

  "It's okay," Dalton said speaking over the boy's whining and directly to the defiant woman standing in his path. "We can go without your momma. It will be me and you, Matty."

  "Damn it, Dalton!"

  "Mommy," Matty scolded. "You said a bad word!" The little boy held out his hand expectantly while Nicole dug into her sweatshirt pocket and handed him two one-dollar bills. The boy whooped, making a run for his bedroom.

  Mrs. O'Cleary tisked disapprovingly and seeing the confused man in the room, she explained. "Saying naughty words is a bad habit Nicole is trying to break. If she swears, she has to pay Matty two dollars a word for his piggy bank."

  Dalton laughed. "He'll have a college fund by the time he gets to the first grade."

  "You are so funny," Nicole snarled. "Go away!"

  "Nicole," Mrs. O'Cleary scolded sternly. "Go get a heavier coat to wea
r and wrap-up! The sun has melted off most of the mess the last storm left behind, but tis still a cold day for walkin around a zoo. Your head cold still has you snifflin and sneezin."

  "We are not going to the zoo."

  "Matty and I are," countered Dalton. "We can include you or not, the choice is yours."

  Nicole opened her mouth to protest and then clamped it shut around what she really wanted to say as her son returned to the room. She whirled around. "I'll get my coat!"

  When she left the room, Dalton opened his wallet. He took out a twenty-dollar bill and handed it to his son. "Put this in your piggy bank. I'm pre-paying for bad words your momma is likely to say today."

  Matty didn't know what pre-paying meant, or know the value of the bill, but he knew he didn't have many like it in his bank. He looked over to Dee Dee for permission and she nodded her head.

  "Don't let the lass off the hook so easily," Mrs. O'Cleary warned with a laugh as she went into the kitchen.

  Dalton drove through D.C. carefully. It was beyond him how anyone could take this kind of traffic and congestion every day. He concentrated on fast-changing lights and idiot people crossing the street without bothering to check for oncoming cars. He wished he was home where there were only a couple traffic lights near the schools and where meeting three cars at a four-way stop was a rush-hour traffic jam.

  He wanted to concentrate his efforts on Nicole. He automatically glanced in the rearview mirror to check on his son. His son. He looked in the mirror, again, amazed at how much the three-letter word meant to him.

  Sitting in his safety seat playing a new hand-held video game, Matty was unaware of the tension in the front seat. Dalton slammed on the brakes as a car swerved into his traffic lane without signaling and he muttered a few swear words under his breath. This was one of Dante's Circles of Hell—he couldn't remember which one.

  He glanced over to the passenger seat, appreciating the view. Nicole was a beautiful woman. If she were taller, she could have been a model. She was a natural beauty who didn't need makeup or fancy clothes. He had always admired and been attracted to her lack of artifice. It had only taken him one look to realize he was still in love with her. If only he had a clue how to get past her deep-set anger. He was not a patient man and he wanted her. He couldn't help noticing the way her tight jeans hugged her bottom as he had followed her to the car.

  He sighed and noticed she glanced his way. It was going to be a long day. He'd better get his mind on tigers and bears, not the prickly sex nymph sitting a foot from him.

  ***

  Nicole was furious. She'd been forced to come on this outing. She wore jeans and a blouse under her heavy coat, but she was aware of the tingling sensations rippling over her arms and other places. They had nothing to do with the weather, but with the man sitting in the seat next to her. She angrily tamped down her feelings. There was no way she letting Dalton Calloway into her life, again.

  Dalton thoroughly enjoyed spending time with his son. The boy was non-stop chatter and energy, running from exhibit to exhibit. They trailed along behind never taking their watchful eyes from him.

  Nicole kept her distance and nursed her anger. She had not wanted to come on this excursion, but she was not about to trust Dalton alone with Matty. She resented the way he manipulated her to get what he wanted. On the other hand, she was not sure how to handle him, yet. During the idiocy of her youth, she had admired his forceful personality. Now, she found it grating against her hard-earned independence.

  After several hours of walking around the zoo, the last hour with Dalton carrying his son, Nicole said it was time to go home. Matty argued and pleaded as if he would never have another outing for the rest of his life. When he was strapped into his car seat and the vehicle started to move, he fell asleep instantly.

  Dalton smiled as he glanced in the rearview mirror. "He's out."

  Nicole turned around to smile at her sleeping son. "He's exhausted and it is his nap time. We keep him on a schedule. He enjoyed himself."

  "Good, I will see what else is available in this city," Dalton said.

  "Damn it, Dalton, there won't be a next time. I don't want you taking Matty all over the place and spoiling him."

  Dalton glanced into the rearview mirror to make sure the boy was still asleep. "I don't care what you want. I have a lot of time to make up for with my son, Nic. He is my son, too, not only yours. If you don't want to come along, stay home. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of a five-year-old."

  "Why don't you go to hell, you bastard?" Nicole whispered keeping her voice low. "We don't need you."

  "I don't care if you need me or not. He needs me and I need him," Dalton growled. He parked in the underground parking lot adjacent to Nicole's apartment building and unhooked the boy from the seat. He carried him inside as Nicole brought along what she called Matty's activity bag and a stuffed tiger Dalton had bought at the zoo's gift shop.

  She followed as Dalton carried her son into his bedroom and deposited him lightly on the bed. She untied his shoes, as Dalton tucked a blanket around him. Nicole was having a strange reaction to what they were doing together. She was absurdly uncomfortable and a little bit jealous because she was the one who did this with her son, not Dalton.

  They left the boy's room and Dalton pulled the door closed. Nicole had only taken two steps when Dalton hauled her into his arms and crushed her mouth with a kiss. She struggled, but he was devouring her mouth. His tongue was excited her with plunging strokes. His hands cupped her butt to him grinding her into his hard erection through his jeans.

  She stopped fighting and there was no resistance as she reveled in his touch.

  He fisted one hand into the material of her coat, unbuttoned it, and let it fell to the floor. His other hand went between her legs, his fingers stroking, wanting to be inside, but impeded by the rough fabric between them. He tugged her tee shirt out of her jeans and found her breasts. He pushed her bra up out of the way and lowered his mouth to one of her nipples.

  "Which room is yours?" Dalton growled.

  Nicole's head snapped up and she jerked away. "No!" She exclaimed breathing hard.

  Dalton was almost beyond backing down. He wanted her so desperately! "Nic, we need this."

  "The hell I do." Nicole snarled. "I don't need you!"

  Fury surged through him at her denial. He gripped her arm and dragged her down the hall opening the two remaining doors. One was her art studio, the other her bedroom.

  "Dalton, you can't do this," Nicole gasped. "You can't force me!'

  He kicked the door closed and dragged her across to the bed. "I have no intention of forcing you, Nicole, but I owe you this. You've had it coming for a long time! She fought him, but he was stronger. He unsnapped her jeans, yanked them down her legs, and flung her face down on his knees.

  The first blow hit Nicole's bottom before she even knew what was happening. One second she thought Dalton was actually going to force himself on her, and the next second she was facing the floor getting her ass spanked. He may have been striking with his hand, but this was pain. She cried, kicked, and cursed, but he did not stop.

  It took a while for Dalton's anger to settle to a slow simmer. Although his temper had flashed at her refusal, this spanking was not over sex. He would never force a woman. This spanking was for her weeks of stubbornness and pettiness. He knew exactly what he was doing. He spanked her hard, watching as the creamy white skin of her perfectly shaped bottom turned bright red. Still, he did not stop. As far as he was concerned, she had earned this well-deserved spanking for the last five, no six years, and he was going to deliver it.

  He had felt a growing need to discipline her bottom from the moment he first laid eyes on his son. The feelings of frustration only grew stronger with every denial and snap judgment Nicole made of him. She had cost him five years, not counting those developing months he had missed. She had walked out of his life and now acted as if he had no rights to his son and no rights to her. Nicole was his.
Maybe she had not accepted it, but her body said differently. He was not about to walk away and lose her or his son. He was making a statement on her ass and there was no way for it to be misinterpreted!

  By the time he gave the final hard whack, she was sobbing. Tears, although hard to ignore, would not deter him. Not this time! He pulled her to her feet, yanked her jeans up even though she cried out as the rough fabric raked over her burning tender skin, and then he took control of her mouth. He kissed her until she swayed against him powerless to fight anymore. Holding her tight, he gave her a slight shake. "Understand this, Nicole. I will not put up with any more of your foolishness. You are mine. Although it won't happen today, I will be making love to you and soon. Count on it! This spanking was for the years I lost. This spanking is for all the time we lost together. Don't think you can run out on me, again!"

  Dalton stormed out of the room as Nicole collapsed on the bed. She curled into a ball of misery pulling a pillow into her arms and crying into it.

  An hour later, Mrs. O'Cleary came into her room to sit on the edge of the bed and rubbed Nicole's shoulders. "Are you all right, lass?"

  Nicole sniffed and her voice wobbled. "No, Dalton beat me."

  "No," Mrs. O'Cleary chuckled. "I heard enough to know he didn't beat you. He spanked you, which, in my opinion, tis different. A spankin from a man who cares about you means he's beyond talkin and arguin. It means he cares enough to set you straight."

  "He doesn't have the right…" Nicole sniffed.

  "Bullocks, it's all your modern talk," Mrs. O'Cleary said. "When it comes right down to it, darling, do you want a man you can push around? If a man lets you run wild, tis not much of a man. A man has to have the gumption to do what he thinks best. You didn't give Dalton Calloway the chance to do right by you, but you hold it against him because he didn't. You can't have it both ways."