Traditional Terms

by Alta Hensley

  Coley reached behind and rubbed her butt to remove the sting from the swats. “No, thank you. I think I’ll choose nagging.” She giggled as she pushed him out of the bathroom. “Let’s get going before you get any more ideas.”

  She followed him out of the bathroom and glanced at her laptop sitting in the corner of the room. She paused for a quick moment wondering if she should grab it. She decided against it. The reality that she would be able to actually write this weekend seemed unlikely, and bringing it seemed unnecessary. What Vance didn’t know wouldn’t kill him.

  * * * * *

  The four hour drive to his parent’s house was something Coley had been looking forward to. She loved road trips and couldn’t wait to have this time to get to know Vance even better. Junk food, music and nonstop chatter were a perfect way to spend the day.

  Coley kicked off her shoes as they got on the freeway and nestled into the seat. “So, tell me something I don’t know about you.”

  Vance smiled as he kept his eyes on the road. “Like what? You’ve known me for years.”

  “Like…” She paused and reached for his hand so she could hold it. “Tell me about your past girlfriends.”

  Vance faked choking. “God, no!”

  “Come on! Tell me,” Coley demanded playfully.

  “Why would you want to know about them?”

  “I do. I want to know all the nitty gritty about you. Ex’s and all.”

  Vance let out a big sigh. “Fine. What do you want to know?”

  “Have you ever been in love?”

  “No.”

  “No?”

  “I said the words before,” he confessed. “But I don’t think I ever truly loved anyone. Sad, I know.”

  Coley took her eyes off the passing scenery to look at Vance. “Why?”

  Vance shrugged. “I think it was a mixture of picking the wrong girls and being the wrong man.”

  Coley smiled. “I like that… how you worded that. I may have to steal that line for my writing.” With a giggle, Coley lifted his hand which was encircled in hers and kissed the top of it. “Did you always believe in Domestic Discipline? Did you spank all your girlfriends?”

  “No. I just started insisting on the lifestyle the past few years. All my early relationships were with women who would never even consider the idea. They were overly independent, tried to wear the pants in the relationship, and tried to out alpha me.” Vance took his eyes off the road briefly to glance at Coley. “I hated it. I hated the constant battle. Fighting, lashing out, making up, fighting, and repeating the cycle until you can’t take it anymore and finally end it. Then I would get into another relationship only to do it again.” Vance squeezed Coley’s hand before continuing. “I understand that all couples fight. It’s normal, but I don’t think it’s normal to constantly be in a power struggle which was what I was constantly in with everyone I dated. So I finally decided to change my ways of thinking. Hence, entering the world of Domestic Discipline.”

  Coley loved hearing Vance talk so freely. “So, you never fell in love with anyone who also believed in DD? You didn’t have to deal with power struggles anymore, right?”

  Vance took another deep breath. “This is the part where I was the wrong man.” Vance looked at Coley and gave her a small smirk. “I was the wrong man, because I had no idea how to be in the world of Domestic Discipline. Believe it or not, but it’s a lot more complicated than just pulling a girl over your knee and spanking her. You have to be emotionally connected and invested. I wasn’t either.”

  “I don’t understand,” Coley said confused.

  “I was just a bossy jerk. I didn’t want to give the love, the tenderness or the affection needed. I didn’t realize that to be the Head of Household you have to be a leader. Being a leader is far more than just telling someone what to do. I needed to earn respect. Earn the title. I didn’t understand how much of a man I needed to be. It goes far beyond just knowing how to spank someone for something you disapprove of. So, in the beginning it just made me an overbearing dick.”

  Coley laughed.

  “Basically, I had a lot of learning and growing to do,” Vance admitted. “There’s a fine line between being an alpha and being an asshole.”

  “It takes quite the man to be so self-aware to see his faults. I’m impressed.”

  Vance smiled. “All I know is that I hope to never repeat my mistakes with you. I love you far too much to be that asshole again. I want to earn your respect. Not just demand it.”

  Coley leaned across the seat and placed a kiss on Vance’s cheek. “Okay, next question. Tell me about your parents. What should I expect?”

  “You’ll love them. They’re very old-fashioned and traditional. My mom stayed home with us kids while dad would go off to work every day. Sort of like a 50’s sitcom, I guess. They’re religious but won’t judge you just because you aren’t. They love each other more than anyone I have ever met, and it’s obvious by just watching them. I admire their marriage and hope I can achieve what they have someday.”

  “I can’t believe your parents are still married.”

  “I know. They definitely have done something right all these years.”

  “What else?”

  Vance paused to think for a minute. “My mom is an excellent cook. Nothing gourmet or anything, but she can out cook Betty Crocker any day. My dad was one of those dads who threw the ball around, took us fishing, and spent quality time with us. They both were great parents. I guess I’m one of the few who can say I had a charmed childhood. No past demons for me.”

  “Well, they did something good in raising you.”

  Vance gave Coley’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “I can’t wait for you to meet them. You all are going to love each other.” He paused, just staring at the road ahead. After a few minutes he asked, “Do you want kids?”

  Coley shrugged. “I don’t know. It depends on the day you ask me. I haven’t been one to stay put for long. Stability usually bores me.” She turned to him and smiled. “Blame it on my gypsy soul.”

  Vance smirked. “That’s a good way of putting it.” He glanced over and smiled big. “I love your gypsy soul. I just hope it doesn’t make you run from me.”

  Sadness washed over his face and Coley squeezed his hand.

  “Hey, no getting sad. Just because I like adventure, doesn’t mean I don’t want to share the adventures with you.”

  She turned up the radio when she realized the song playing was one of her favorites. She rolled down the window to let the wind blow her curls and sang off key as loud as she could. The adventure she was living at this moment was by far the best one yet.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Thank you for helping me with the dishes, dear. You really didn’t need to though,” Vance’s mother said as Coley dried the last of the pots.

  What she didn’t know is that Coley was just buying time to avoid the wrath of Vance. Admitting at dinner that she had in fact forgotten her laptop at home had visibly annoyed him. She had told him before leaving that she had packed it and knowingly told a little white lie. She saw his rigid jaw line and his fierce glare. Coley knew that if they were alone, she would be in trouble for sure. She liked knowing that even though he wanted to spank her, and even though she really did deserve one, because they were in the close confines of his childhood home, he wouldn’t. To be honest, she reveled in the knowledge. She liked being able to tease him with the fact that she could act out, and he was helpless. She knew it was bad, but she couldn’t help but find some humor and sick satisfaction in the knowledge. Being a naughty brat was fun. She almost stuck her tongue out at him but decided she was pushing as it was. Although a spanking was not in the cards for the night, she still didn’t want to face his stern look and lecture. At times, that was even worse than being over his knee.

  “I don’t mind at all. It’s the least I can do for such a wonderful dinner.”

  “Well, the boys are in the other room watching a baseball game. Do you want to sit
down at the table and have a little night cap with me? I make a great gin and tonic,” Vance’s mother asked with a mischievous grin.

  Coley smiled. “That sounds like an excellent idea!”

  One drink quickly became two as the women shared stories that usually involved Vance. Coley enjoyed spending time with his mother, to the point where she no longer focused on her boyfriend, who most likely stewed in the next room.

  “So, Coley, I hope you don’t mind me being a little nosey. But I have to ask. Is my son angry at you for not having your computer with you on this trip? I noticed the interaction between you two at the dinner table.”

  Coley took a large sip of her gin, slightly surprised that she had picked up on the dynamic. “A little, I guess. Your son’s just overbearing a bit. But truth be told, I find it really sexy.”

  “He gets that from his father.” Vance’s mother leaned in closer so she could lower her voice to a whisper. “I also know he plans to put you over his knee just like his father would.”

  Coley almost chocked on her drink as she watched Vance’s mother’s cheeks blush slightly as she gave a knowing wink.

  “Oh… I… I mean we… oh Jesus…” Coley stammered. She could feel the blood rushing straight to her face.

  “No need to be embarrassed, dear. I hope I didn’t step over the line. I’m sorry if I was too blunt. I tend to do that,” Vance’s mother apologized with a look of concern on her face.

  “No, you’re not over stepping. I just… uh… I’m just having a hard time finding the right words.” Coley’s face was on fire. She had never been so embarrassed in her life.

  “I see I embarrassed you. I’m sorry. I guess I just assumed you knew that in this household the idea isn’t a foreign one.”

  “Um… actually no, I had no idea. Vance never told me you and his dad practice. I guess I’m just a little stunned.”

  Vance’s mother reached for Coley’s hand and gave a reassuring squeeze. “Well I think I need to start my conversation over. Yes, Vance’s father and I have practiced this lifestyle for a long time. We call it Christian Domestic Discipline. It goes all the way back to the bible. I know Vance isn’t that religious and his views are a little different, but it’s the same thing.” She put her finger to her lips. “Shh, don’t tell him I told you that.” She smiled with another one of her classic winks.

  Coley finished off the remainder of her drink to try to regain some composure. “This is just really new for me. I haven’t wrapped my mind around this yet.”

  Vance’s mother rose and grabbed her and Coley’s glasses and made a fresh drink for the both of them. “I had no idea that you were new to this way of thinking. That really changes everything.”

  “Well, I’m not really new to the idea. My brother has lived this lifestyle for a long time. So, I understand it. I just haven’t been in a relationship where it was involved. So, the idea, and obviously even the idea of talking about it, is still really new to me.”

  She returned with two fresh drinks and sat back down with a smile on her newly flushed face. “I remember when I first was getting used to the idea, too. It takes a lot to be at ease with the idea. Do you love my son?”

  Coley took another drink and could swear that it was twice as strong as the first two. “Yes, I do. I love him very much.”

  “Are you going to be able to fully give yourself to him and his beliefs?”

  “Yes. I want to. I want to try. I’m scared that I won’t be able to, but I’ll give it everything I have to give him that. I’ve come to terms with what he wants and what he needs. I want nothing more than to make him happy.”

  Vance’s mother’s face lit up with pure joy. “I love hearing that, Coley.” She took a large sip of her drink before asking, “So, do you mind if we talk about it, or is it too personal?”

  Coley could feel the alcohol warm her body and suddenly she felt much more open and willing to talk about just about anything. “I would like that very much. I could use all the help I can get.”

  Both women giggled for a few minutes and continued to sip on the third drink which was slowly disappearing.

  Coley decided to be the first to break the laughter. “So, tell me something. Why? Why do you?”

  Vance’s mother paused for a moment, and with a very soft smile replied, “I grew up in a very religious home where the man was the Head of the Household. Now, I have no idea if my father and mother practiced Christian Domestic Discipline, since that was not something we would ever talk about back then. But my father was no doubt the man of the house. So, when I met my husband, it wasn’t something unfamiliar to me. I believe in the bible and the bible clearly states, in several areas, that this is the way of the Lord.”

  Coley leaned in closer, fascinated by hearing that this belief had such a deeper and more spiritual root. “It does? This has been around since Jesus?”

  Vance’s mother giggled. “Yes, I think so. I don’t want to get too Christian on you, but I truly feel this is the way of God. I believe in submitting to my husband as if he is the Lord himself. I believe that he is to love his wife as Jesus loved his followers, and because of that, I will follow his lead as I would follow my Lord.”

  Coley sat speechless. Never before considering herself Christian, it was truly moving hearing and watching someone speak with such conviction.

  “So, for me, it was easy to submit to my husband. I believed in the idea from a spiritual side.”

  Coley looked down at her glass. “I’m not… uh… I’m not Christian.”

  Vance’s mother smiled. “I know that, dear. Neither is my son. I do hope to change that someday, but I understand that you kids today feel the need to challenge all beliefs and ideas. I do have to say, however, that I’m so impressed that you both have embraced such a traditional and old-fashioned belief.” She winked and took a large swig of her drink. “There may be some hope for you both.” She giggled with a slight snort as Coley joined in.

  She got up and grabbed the gin and added more to each of the glasses. Coley looked at the boisterous and now intoxicated woman in front of her and laughed. “Oh, you are going to get us in trouble!”

  She laughed out loud with another snort. “I know!”

  Coley took another drink of her gin with very little tonic. “So, does your husband still spank you?” Coley asked a question she would have never done without the liquid courage.

  “Oh yes. Not as much as he used to at the beginning of our relationship. But from time to time I still find myself over his knee.” She giggled.

  “Why not as much as in the beginning?”

  “Well, my dear. In the beginning you both are spending a lot of time pushing boundaries and setting them. I pushed, he had to push back. I’m sure that you are finding this with Vance. For example, I have no doubt that you didn’t accidently leave your computer at home. Am I right?”

  Coley blushed. “Well, not exactly. I may have done it on purpose.”

  “I understand. You still feel the need to test him. You need to see what you can get away with, and if he is truly man enough to stand by his word. You are testing him to see if he truly is strong enough to handle you. All of which is normal.”

  “I guess that’s true. I just feel the need sometimes to see how far I can go. Does that make sense?” Coley admitted, feeling a sense of relief getting to discuss this with someone so much wiser.

  “It makes complete sense. This is why I got spanked so much earlier on in my own relationship. After time, I no longer feel the need to push. He no longer feels the need to show me who the boss is. We created a rhythm and routine that made our love and our family flow harmoniously.”

  “Do you ever get mad? Like it just isn’t fair that he always gets to be right?” Coley decided to lay out all her issues. Talking to Vance’s mom really did feel good.

  “Oh yes! There has been many a spanking that I went into it angry and it ended with me still just as angry. I have been spanked when I haven’t agreed with the reason or agreed
that I even deserved one. But at the end of the day, it is his responsibility to decide when and why a punishment happens. That is the time it’s the hardest to truly submit to your husband.” She reached out and grabbed both of Coley’s hands. “And you’re right. It isn’t always fair. It isn’t always fair for the man either. He has the burden and the responsibility to be right and just. He has to lead. He has to be in charge. He has the ultimate responsibility to protect and love. He doesn’t get to have an ‘off’ day and just take a spanking to get back in line. He has to always be on the top of his game. He ultimately has to answer to God.”

  Coley had never really thought of it like that. She had never really given thought that Vance had to always be level headed, calm, loving and in control. He didn’t get the luxury of being a brat just because he felt like it. Vance had to lead by example and do his best at all times to never disappoint.

  “So, to me, my dear, I think we as the women get off easy with just getting spanked. The men take on the worry. They take on the concern. They take on the awesome responsibility of being the Head of the Household.”

  Coley took another sip of her gin and took in the information. She had always understood Domestic Discipline. She considered herself pretty knowledgeable of the idea. But not until this very moment, did she truly grasp the concept. Never had she fully seen it through the eyes of such a mature and enlightened woman.

  “Thank you. Thank you so much for helping me see what I thought I already saw,” Coley said barely above a whisper.

  “You are quite welcome, my dear. It isn’t always going to be easy. It isn’t always going to feel right. But trust me when I say, that if you truly give yourself to Vance. If you truly let him love you and lead you, you will never find a greater happiness.”