Phoebe flushed and her nostrils flared, as they always did when she was angry or embarrassed. "Nobody else called, Hiram. Nobody!" She stomped her foot for emphasis.
He only raised his eyebrows at her. She was getting a spanking tonight, that was a sure thing. One down, one to go, he thought, smiling to himself when Lucy stood up, immediately coming to Phoebe's defense. Sometimes his wives were very predictable.
"Hiram—" Lucy said, pulling herself up to stand eye to eye with him, "Sophia is the best person for the job. She knows me, and the twins, and she knows our values and beliefs. She has a lot of strengths, excellent references, and I love her. Frankly, I'm disappointed you didn't think of it yourself, seeing how you knew she was back," she accused, pulling out the big guns.
He wanted to chuckle, seeing the fire in her eyes. Oh yes, she had chutzpah, this wife of his. He hadn't seen it in a while, and was comforted to know it was still there. He was going to thoroughly enjoy painting her naughty bottom red tonight. Two down.
"Sophia's references are not in question here, nor are your feelings for her. The point is that you all knew how I would feel, and instead of presenting your wishes and reasons to me in private, and trusting me to take all things into consideration, you two—no you three, plotted and manipulated to have your way, regardless of my wishes. Bring me the contract, I want to see it."
Sophia stepped forward and handed him the requested document. He noted the anxiety etched across her features. Interesting—it told him everything he needed to know. Phoebe and Lucy were the driving forces behind the plan to strong arm him, yet Sophia had gone along with it. In his eyes, that made her equally guilty. He had to wonder why she had agreed. What were her motives? Did she need the job that badly, or were there other reasons?
He took the contract into the other room and sat at the dining table, wishing to examine it away from the three sets of prying eyes on the couch.
He perused it, not sure what exactly he was looking for. A contract was a contract after all. They had most certainly outdone themselves making sure he had no choice but to let Sophia have the job. He chewed his lip thoughtfully, remembering Sophia's face as she handed him the papers. He could probably scare her enough to make her back out of the contract, but did he want to? Another thought flashed to his minds forefront, bringing to attention the words he had prayed just hours before.
Sophia had been most certainly dropped into his lap in a way that he could not avoid, but was it truly God's doing, or simply that of his naughty wives?
He decided not to fight it, it wouldn't be truly ethical to do so, and Phoebe and Lucy had made valid points, but there was still the manipulative way they had gone about it to contend with. He decided to deal with them right away. If Sophia was going to work for them, discipline was something she would have to deal with.
Leaving the contract on the table, he strode into the kitchen, and plucked a heavy wooden spoon from the crockery near the stove. With a satisfied grin, he stuck it in his back pocket and went back to the living room.
* * * * *
Sophia wasn't prepared for the emotions she felt seeing Hiram again. Sure, she had seen him the other day, but she had been so distracted by the kids and the cat and the car, it had been fairly easy to pretend he was just some random nobody. This time, there was no one to distract her, and she could feel the butterflies take flight in her stomach as he entered the house, his tall lean frame much more intimidating than it should be. He had aged well, she noticed appreciatively. He was nearing forty now, and his short dark hair was beginning to gray in some places, giving him a distinguished salt and pepper hue. He was clean-shaven, but it was late in the day, and he was beginning to show a slight five o'clock shadow. She was drinking him in, quite enjoying the view. Had he always been this handsome, or was she just lonely?
Then he spoke, and his voice was hard and angry. His eyes were hard and his jaw was set. Instead of feeling intimidated, she felt a little thrill in her nether regions.
She forced herself to focus as he spoke to them. As expected, he was vehemently opposed to her taking the job. His eyes were blazing and he looked much like a man used to getting his way. For a split second, Sophia regretted going along with Phoebe's plan, and she shivered involuntarily as she recalled the warnings they had given her about what would likely happen. They knew they would be punished, maybe even in front of her, and Sophia had laughed it off uncomfortably. She had thought they couldn't be serious or they wouldn't be so casual about it.
Now, watching Hiram's face and seeing the scene play out in her mind, she realized they had been serious and she was filled with awe and gratitude, realizing what they had risked to be sure that she got the job she so desperately wanted and needed.
Phoebe nudged her, and she stood up, delivering the line they had rehearsed. Watching the shock on Hiram's face, she almost chickened out and ran home.
Then it was Phoebe and Lucy's turns respectively, and she silently applauded as she watched. She kept a close eye on Hiram too, noting that though he was visibly angry, he kept his cool.
When he asked for the contract, she handed it to him, blanching as he left the room with it. Glancing at her friends, she saw that they looked smug and not at all nervous. Sophia didn't understand that, with every moment that passed she came more and more certain that this would not have a happy ending.
Sophia knew Hiram wouldn't find a way out of the contract. They had covered all their bases. She figured his next move would be to try to talk them out of keeping it. She knew she was the weakest link, but she planned to stay resolute if Phoebe and Lucy did. They were the ones risking their butts after all, she thought to herself, smiling at her unintentional pun. She had seen in Hiram's face that no matter what, they were already in trouble, so she knew there was no use backing out now. It wouldn't help anyone, least of all her.
"I suppose you three are pretty pleased with yourself. This is a pretty iron clad contract," Hiram said briskly, returning to the living room. "Of course, there was room for a few revisions, which I've taken the liberty of making." He had a smug smile on his face as he handed the contract back to Sophia.
She took it, confused by this turn of events, and quickly scanned it until she found the thing that he referred to. Her mouth rounded in alarm as she read the sentence that had been added, and realized they had not been as careful as they thought. By leaving the additional provisions section open, they had made a grave mistake. They would have been better off writing their own contract, but knowing they were short on time, they had printed a generic one off the internet and modified it to their needs, and now they were getting a little tit for tat. She knew exactly what Hiram was doing, trying to back her into a corner, and at the same time giving her an easy out. She wasn't taking it. With shaking fingers, she crisply folded the paper in half, and then in half once more, meeting Hiram's watchful gaze as she stuck it in her back pocket.
"I accept your conditions," she told him defiantly, jutting her chin out and glaring at him. On the outside, she knew she appeared desperate or perhaps crazy. On the inside, she was thinking, "Game on."
* * * * *
The employee is subject to the discipline of her employer, Hiram A. Jefferson. That's what he had written in the space. It would have never held up, his name was nowhere else on the contract—the only thing that gave him the right to the title of employer was the fact that he would be the one signing her paychecks. What gave him the right to administer discipline, other than the hastily inserted addition? Nothing. Who even did that? Why would she have agreed? Even in an old school community like Green Valley, male employers did not discipline their female employees. He had tested her, and she had given the same right back to him. He hadn't foreseen that outcome and wasn't prepared for it. He had never spanked someone he wasn't at least engaged to. Even the thought of doing so made him feel slightly perverse.
One glance at Sophia's smug face told him she was privy to his internal dilemma. Damn it, she had bested him! He
had been trying to scare her off, and now he had no choice but to follow through on his provision.
He cleared his throat, doing his best to hide his hesitation from Sophia and his wives. He straightened his shoulders in a show of false bravado.
"Well then Sophia, as per the contract, you may start tomorrow, if that is agreeable with you."
"Yes sir," she said stiffly. "That's fine. Also, as per the contract, I am allowed to bring my daughter with me correct?" She matched his formal tone with one of her own.
"Affirmative, so long as it doesn't slow you down or make trouble for Lucy."
"Lucy is my first priority, Sir. Zoe and I will be here at nine a.m. sharp," she said crisply.
Hiram smiled as he watched her inch her way towards the door, her brave act was just what it seemed—an act. Knowing he did indeed still have the upper hand gave him the courage needed to continue.
"Very good. There's just one more thing." He bit back a laugh at her expression, as he grabbed her by the elbow and led her back to the couch.
Chapter 11
Crap, crap, crap! The reality of what she had agreed to didn't really sink in until Hiram was all but dragging her back to the couch.
She took her seat once more between Lucy and Phoebe, who had been watching the whole exchange wide eyed. Sophia realized then that they were clueless as to what Hiram had added into the contract, but judging by their expressions, they were starting to get the idea.
Hiram stood over them, looking none too happy. Sophia gulped as he reached into his back pocket and withdrew a large, thick, painful looking kitchen spoon.
"Well, you ladies are very clever, I'll certainly give you that." He cracked the spoon against his palm menacingly and they all jumped. You may have gotten your way, but now, I'm about to have mine," he stated, searching their faces. Sophia had a hard time making eye contact. Her stomach was in her throat, and her legs felt as if they had turned to limp noodles. It was a good thing she was sitting down.
Hiram was pacing back and forth in front of them, occasionally smacking the spoon against his palm for emphasis. "It was a blatant and premeditated manipulation. I do not for a second believe that either of you thought you would get away without consequences. That means that, knowing you would be punished, you went ahead and did it anyway. Apparently, my punishments are not enough of a deterrent." He stopped and cracked the spoon again, this time hard across his thigh. Even Hiram himself winced at the impact.
Sophia could hardly breathe at the looks of dread on her friends faces.
"For the two of you—" he used the spoon to point towards Lucy and Phoebe, "punishment will be severe, and carried out in several phases, beginning right now."
He disappeared momentarily, and returned carrying a chair from the dining room, which he dragged to the center of the room, and sat in. Still brandishing the wooden spoon, he motioned to Lucy, who walked toward him slowly. Apparently not feeling patient, he took her hand as soon as she came within arm's reach and guided her over his lap, holding her there.
Sophia thought he would begin spanking right away, but instead he turned his attention to Phoebe. "Pheeb, go stand in the corner over there until it is time for your spanking. Nose to the wall, hands behind your back, you know what to do," he said, and Sophia's jaw dropped as Phoebe scurried to obey.
Sophia couldn't decide if she was intrigued or horrified at this turn of events, and at Phoebe and Lucy's abject obedience to his ridiculous orders. She recalled her conversation with Beth Anne on her first night back in Green Valley and shuddered. It seemed as if she was about to find out once and for all if there was any truth to Beth Anne's words.
Would the spankings about to take place make her feel calm, and restore a sense of peace and order to her tumultuous emotions? She couldn't remember feeling calm since before Robert's diagnosis. It didn't seem possible that a simple spanking could do any of that, and she rather believed that she would find that she had been the one who was right all along. Would she come to the conclusion that the women of Green Valley were brainwashed to think abuse was acceptable? She hoped the outcome would be the former instead of the latter, but only time would tell.
When Phoebe had taken her place in the corner per Hiram's instructions, he turned his attention over to Sophia, addressing her sternly.
"If you were my wife, you would be joining her in the corner to await your punishment. However, since you're my employee—" he dragged the last word out sarcastically, "you can just sit there and watch while you think about the spanking you have coming."
Then, he actually had the audacity to wink at her!
She met his eyes, and wondered how long he planned to draw this out. Every second felt like a full minute, and every minute felt like an hour. Couldn't he just spank someone already?
As if he read her mind, he tore his gaze from hers and turned his attention to the task at hand. Sophia watched as he carefully and methodically lowered Lucy's pale pink lounge pants to her knees, and then slowly lowered her white panties to rest just below her bottom, so as to afford her a small bit of modesty.
Embarrassed, Sophia looked away, her focus coming to rest on Lucy's face. She was shocked to see that her friend looked completely nonplussed, as if she wasn't bare bottomed across her husband's knee for an audience about to receive what promised to be a very sound spanking.
Sophia kept her gaze low, focused on Lucy's face, comforted by the calm she saw there.
Whap! Sophia squeezed her eyes tightly shut at the unnerving sound of wood against flesh. She hadn't expected it to be so loud. She knew, even though Hiram hadn't specified, that watching the punishments administered to her friends was part of her punishment. She forced her eyes open once more, willing herself to watch so as not to make it worse for anyone, herself included.
Hiram was a thorough spanker, working the spoon up and down and across Lucy's heart shaped bottom in a flurry of rapid-fire swats. No area was safe from the unforgiving path of the spoon, and soon her whole bottom was a soft pink glow that matched her lounge clothes.
Throughout this whole ordeal so far, Lucy's face had remained calm, only wincing occasionally when the spoon would strike twice in the same spot. Other than those times, she seemed completely relaxed.
Suddenly Hiram paused, jutting his left leg up, to rest on the bottom rung of the chair. This movement caused Lucy to fall forward at such an angle that put her nearly face to face with the Oriental rug below, presenting her bottom crease to Hiram for a better angle.
It was then, Sophia noted that her friend began to look truly uncomfortable, and also a bit nervous. With a mighty crack, and a much fuller swing than he had been using previously, Hiram began to spank in earnest. Sophia watched Lucy's tender flesh flatten with each thwack of the spoon. It would bounce back up, slightly redder than before. Then, within moments Hiram would bring the spoon right back down to cover the same spot, moving his assault slightly every two or three swats, continuing until Lucy's lower bottom was covered in dark pink circles from the impact of the spoon. Lucy, whose hands were resting on the floor beneath her to keep balance, was sobbing loudly.
Sophia was sure Hiram would stop when he heard Lucy's cries, but he simply returned his leg to a flattened position with both feet on the floor and turned his attention from her bottom crease to her pink cheeks. He resumed spanking, laying a barrage of stinging swats down all across her rosy globes, until they too, were covered in dark pink circles, and Lucy was crying out her apologies and begging Hiram to stop.
Sophia was just about to cry out herself when he calmly set the spoon on the floor beside the chair and began to massage Lucy's glowing behind as he whispered to her. "Good girl, shh, you took your spanking so well. I know it's been a long time honey, but you did so well." He whispered encouraging words over and over until her sobs turned to quiet whimpers. Then he helped her to a sitting position on his lap and gently wiped her tears. She buried her head into his chest, and balancing his chin atop her head, he stroked her hair.<
br />
Sophia was mesmerized by this quiet intimacy, much more than she had been by the spanking itself. She couldn't remember a time she had felt an intimacy like that with Robert, not that her and Robert's relationship had lacked in intimacy—it hadn't. They had had a wonderful marriage and had been best friends. It just seemed different. Perhaps there was something to this spanking thing after all or maybe she was just feeling vulnerable in an unfamiliar situation.
Her train of thought was interrupted by Hiram's commanding voice. Apparently the quiet moment of comforting was over, and it was Phoebe's turn to receive her spanking. Sophia had assumed that Lucy would be joining her on the couch, but instead she crossed the room and took Phoebe's place in the corner. Standing there, she lowered her pants to rest just below her bottom, her flaming red backside on display.
Sophia watched as Hiram helped Phoebe place herself across his lap, just the same way he had helped Lucy. It struck Sophia that while he was undoubtedly strict, and within his rights to be angry at them over the childish way they had gone about getting their way, he was still behaving in a caring and kind manner—while somehow still managing to show his displeasure. Sophia imagined there was a fine line between making your feelings and disapproval known when conducting a punishment, and being truly angry. Hiram seemed to be fully aware of where that line was, and he wasn't crossing it. The thought brought her comfort even as the feeling of dread washed over her, knowing that her turn was coming soon.
From the very beginning, she noticed a distinct difference between the way he spanked Lucy and the way he spanked Phoebe. For instance, with Lucy, both of them had been completely silent up until the very end, although the unspoken communication between them was tangible. She supposed it was reasonable for two people that had been married as long as Hiram and Lucy had. Sophia wasn't sure how long he and Phoebe had been married, but she knew it was less than 10 years. She recalled that out of the combined six children in the home, only the youngest two were Phoebe's. She figured that meant they had been married no more than six or seven years.
The Prodigal Bride Page 7