Returning to Us: Back to Corbin’s Bend

by Corey, PK

  Shit! She couldn’t even remember another rule. Clean, move, don’t lie or cuss. What was it?

  “Susan, you don’t remember the most important one? Shame on you.” The brush was back. Susan howled and stomped in protest.

  “Tell me, tell me, I won’t forget again!” she promised.

  Hal pulled her up and wrapped his arms around her. “The fifth rule is don’t shut me out. I want to know what you’re feeling. Whether you’re mad, sad, disappointed, happy… whatever you’re feeling, I want to know. Understand?”

  “Yes Hal, I will. And right now I’m feeling horny! Please, please make love to me.”

  “I would be my pleasure.”

  Soon Susan was lost in a world of sensations. Hal’s hand, his touch, created pleasure everywhere. The throbbing from the spanking seemed to spread and soon her whole body was throbbing. Blissfully, consciousness consisted only of touch, not thought. Susan rode wave after wave of pleasure long into the night.

  Chapter 12

  Susan checked herself in the mirror one last time. They were heading to a community party at the pool. Although it was still August, they had already been warned that summer would most likely end abruptly sometime in September and no one wanted to waste a beautiful weekend.

  “You ready?” Hal asked, coming into the bedroom.

  “As I’ll ever be,” Susan answered, turning from the mirror.

  “Aren’t you planning on swimming? Where’s your suit?” Hal questioned.

  “I have it on under my shorts. I want to see what the others are doing first. Maybe just the kids swim. And my bikini body isn’t what it once was.”

  “You will be the most beautiful woman there,” Hal assured her.

  “Hmm… let me add that to my to-do list.”

  “Add what?”

  “Have Hal’s eyes checked,” she told him with a laugh. “But you’re sweet to say it anyway.”

  Hal carried Susan’s offering of a banana pudding as they headed toward the large dome that was the center for the Corbin’s Bend community. Brent met them at the gate.

  “Welcome! We’re really happy to have you all here. I’d like you to meet my wife, Charmagne, and our daughter, Kayla.”

  “It’s so nice to meet you. Call me Char,” the lovely lady greeted them. “I hope you’re settling in well.”

  “Everything’s been great,” Hal told them. “We haven’t moved in over thirty years, so it’s been quite an experience.”

  “Moving’s an ordeal at any time,” Char agreed. “Hal, if I may steal your wife for a bit, I’d like to introduce her to some folks.” Hal nodded and smiled. Quincy had come up to relieve him of his dessert dish and he walked with Brent to a group of men.

  Susan’s eyes followed Kayla and she watched as the little girl jumped into the pool with several other laughing children.

  “She’s just lovely,” Susan told Char. “I sometimes miss mine being little. Once they’re grown, they suddenly begin thinking they should be telling you what to do.”

  Char laughed. “Tell me about it. Kayla already tries that at times! Come start getting acquainted,” she encouraged. Susan was happy to see the familiar faces of Quincy, Abby, and Rose.

  She smiled as she was introduced to several other friendly and accomplished women. Ange was the owner of the fantastic bakery. Dina worked in a research lab. Everleigh was an artist, and Violet was an artist and an environmental lawyer. Susan remembered meeting Violet’s husband Charles on their first visit to Corbin’s Bend. He was the head of the Discipline Board. She wasn’t sure exactly what the Discipline Board was, and she hoped to never find out. Susan smiled at the group of women, feeling more comfortable and relaxed with each passing minute. One of her biggest fears about coming to Corbin’s Bend was that she would find slightly cowering, submissive women everywhere. The last wisp of that worry flew from her.

  “Now here’s someone I’ve been waiting to introduce you to,” Quincy announced as a woman near Susan’s age joined them. “Susan this is Venia Humphries, Corbin’s Bend’s resident writer. Venia, this is Susan Michaels, our newest writer.”

  “Nice to meet you, Susan. What do you write?”

  Susan gulped a bit. “I’ve written two murder mysteries so far. My publisher is very sweet and supportive, but I don’t actually feel like a real writer yet.”

  “Murder mysteries! That’s wonderful. I do love some good intrigue. We’ll have to have a long talk sometime. And you must come to our book club! We’re meeting at my house week after next. I’ll be sure to call you ahead of time,” Venia assured her. Several women, Ange, Ever and Violet readily agreed, telling her they would all be there too.

  “Now, we’re talking about the sub book club. Are you a TiH? Sorry I hadn’t even asked,” Violet said.

  “Um, yes I guess I am,” Susan agreed, still not completely comfortable with the label.

  “Are you getting settled in well? Are you both happy with your decision to come here?” Quincy asked.

  “We are!” Susan beamed. “Hal seems to be getting back in the swing of things. Of course, that first weekend was rough, but I loved feeling so close to him.”

  “You got in trouble on your first weekend in Corbin’s Bend?” Venia asked.

  Susan felt a flash of embarrassment, then decided, what the hell. “No, I didn’t get in trouble. Hal had this thing he used to do when we were first married, if he thought I needed a reminder of who was in charge. He called it total immersion. It was a weekend where I’d be spanked if I blinked at him wrong. I wasn’t sitting too well by Monday, but it was a wonderful way to begin our lives here.”

  Susan went on, smiling shyly, “You know, if more couples over fifty knew the benefits of spanking, I think we could put the makers of little blue pills right out of business.”

  “Now that’s for sure!” Quincy laughed.

  What fun it was talking openly about sex and spanking with people who felt as she did. Even with her friends back home, no one their age talked about sex any more. It was as if you passed a certain age and it just vanished from your life or at least from your conversation. Then, a lively discussion meant finding out what everyone’s children were doing or wondering if it was time to redecorate. Here in Corbin’s Bend she felt that, while those topics would often be covered, discussing sex and spanking were just as common.

  Hal smiled as he glanced over to where Susan was laughing and talking with a group of women. Jason soon joined him. “How’s everything going, Hal? Are you off to a smooth start so far?”

  “We are, thanks. Things couldn’t be better. Susan is as happy and relaxed as I’ve seen her in years. She hasn’t had any trouble sticking to the rules. There haven’t been any flair-ups and no stony silences. We’re talking. I know we’ve been here less than two weeks, but it’s been great so far. Coming to Corbin’s Bend is the best decision we’ve ever made.”

  “Great to hear it! You sure do look happy enough. Come on now, there are a few people I’d like you to meet. When I told them you were skilled in building, plumbing and electrical, we decided your talents couldn’t go to waste for a minute. It’s time we put you to work.”

  * * *

  Susan enjoyed every minute of the party. Meeting new people who had the potential of being good friends was rare at her age and she relished the chance to know these women better. She was lost in thought as she and Hal walked home, hand in hand.

  As they neared the house Hal told her, “Now, I know you want me home twenty-four/seven because you never want to be away from me,” he began with a laugh. Susan laughed too. He knew she loved him, but he also knew she wanted him out of the house when she was writing. “I now have a job and you’re going to have to find a way to deal with me being out of the house.”

  “A job? That was fast. I don’t want you gone all the time, you know,” she told him sincerely.

  “I promise we’ll have plenty of time together. I’m going to be working with Jim O’Brien. He handles construction for the communit
y. I’m not joining a crew for the big stuff. I’m going to help with the small one-man jobs that are always cropping up. They also asked if I’d do some volunteering in the shop class at the high school when school starts up next month.”

  “Well look at you.” Susan smiled. “I think you’ll like being at school. But don’t try to rope me back into the school system. I loved teaching, but I put in my time and I’m going to stick with writing now.”

  “That division of labor sounds great to me.” Coming inside, Hal turned Susan toward him. “Is everything good with you? Are you able to handle the rules we’ve put in place? Tell me how you’re feeling.”

  “I’m good, Hal. I’d tell you if I wasn’t. The rules are reasonable. I can do it.” She gave him a meaningful grin and added, “Now come with me and I’ll prove to you just how good I’m feeling.”

  Chapter 13

  The book Susan read in preparation for her first book club meeting had been hot. She wondered, as she walked toward Venia’s, how they would handle the discussion. Venia greeted her warmly and Susan was happy to see the group she’d met at the pool party were all present, along with a few new faces. Jonathon was the only man present. She had met him and his partner, Benjamin, at the pool party. Seeing him there made her happy. Corbin’s Bend really did support and encourage everyone to be who they truly were without worrying about whether or not the world thought it was ‘the norm.’

  “Anyone need an extra pillow?” Venia asked as the group began taking seats.

  “I’ll take one,” Ever told her. “We had to move maintenance until today because Rob had to be out of town for a few days. It wouldn’t have been so bad, but I’d skipped lunch twice this week and he wasn’t happy.”

  Susan still felt mild shock when she heard an admission like this blurted out in a group. But it made her smile and wonder if she’d ever feel comfortable enough to do the same.

  The book discussion was lively and fun. No one seemed self-conscious as they talked about the various scenes in the steamy novel. Even Susan felt comfortable joining in.

  After refreshments, Venia called the group back to order. “I just wanted to give you our next book, so you can download it. It’s The Wedding Tree Mystery by Susan Michaels.”

  Susan’s head snapped up as she heard her name and the title of her first novel. “You’re going to read…”

  “We sure are!” Quincy announced, laughing.

  “You’re one of us,” Venia told her. “Of course we want to read your work. In fact, I’ve already read it and I loved it. I was very impressed with the intrigue, the hidden clues and the twists and turns. How were you able to keep it all straight?”

  Susan was still tingling with surprise as she began to stammer an answer. “Well… um… you kinda have to write backwards. You think of all the different ways the killer could have been caught and keep that person dodging and escaping for as long as possible.”

  Several people nodded. “Did you always want to write mysteries?” Violet asked.

  “Well, I always liked reading them and I enjoyed watching true crime shows. But what really got me started was when my teaching partner decided to murder her husband and needed help figuring out ways to do it secretly and dispose of the body.”

  Susan laughed at the horrified looks she got from around the room. “Okay, a little explanation. Connie’s daughter was to be married in their front yard. Without consulting Connie, her husband had a tree cut down that Connie had planned to feature in the wedding. When Connie came to work the next day, she was so mad I was afraid she’d have a stroke. To ease the tension, we spent our planning time that day planning and plotting his demise and ways to hide the body.

  “She didn’t stay mad all that long and they’re still happily married today but somehow we got on this how-to-get-away-with-murder kick and eventually I began writing it. I asked Connie to let me put her as a co-author, but she said she’d rather just be a consultant. I still call her up occasionally when I need to work out some details.”

  “Now I’m going to have to read it again,” Venia told her. All the others seemed more interested as well.

  “Did her husband ever know she was plotting his demise?” Jonathon asked.

  “Oh, yes. She told him that first day we discussed it and suggested he sleep with one eye open. I guess she should be glad he wasn’t a spanker,” Susan told them.

  “Sounds to me like he should be glad she wasn’t a spanker,” Jonathon commented, with a laugh. “Think of all the switches or canes that could have come from that wedding tree!”

  As the meeting broke up Venia asked Susan if she’d stay for a bit. “I don’t get the chance to talk with other writers all that often.”

  Susan smiled at the polite ruse. “I’d love to, you know I’m dying to pick your brain,” she told Venia. They talked of characters and plots as Susan brought the refreshment dishes to the kitchen and Venia loaded the dishwasher. Once everything was neat again, they sat at the table, each with a glass of wine.

  Susan began her questions about the other side of writing. “I know I still have a ton to learn about writing itself, but can you tell me, how do you go about promoting your books? I have two out there now, but how do I tell the world?”

  Venia turned to her with a smile and a chuckle. “You ask the million-dollar question! The very toughest one for any writer. Does your publisher help?”

  “They do, but they have lots of books to promote. How do you stand out in a crowd? I’m still so new at all this. I guess I thought if I ever got to be a real writer like you, I could just sit in my ivory tower and write. I thought I’d have ‘people’ to do the mundane work of promoting and selling.”

  “Yeah, I know those people. It’s us! Get used to it.”

  Susan groaned quietly. “Okay, I get that. It’s me, but how do I do it?”

  Venia thought for a moment. “I know one thing you can do,” she said, brightening. “I’m going to a writers’ workshop in two weeks. It’s not an official chapter of anything, just a bunch of us from around Denver. We get together and share ideas. Some go to the big conventions and then come back and share what they’ve learned about character building, cliffhangers, historical research and book promotion. Come with me and see what you think. Would Hal mind you going? It’s just a day event. I’m usually home by six.”

  “I’d love it! I know Hal wouldn’t mind. Are you sure these writers won’t mind you bringing a stranger? I have plenty of questions, but I’m not sure I could add to the group yet.”

  “They wouldn’t mind a bit. Now, I’ll tell you my last book was a spanking book and most of them have a vague idea of the type of community Corbin’s Bend is. You might be considered guilty by association. Will that bother you?”

  Susan grinned at Venia. “I’m very proud of where I live and how we live. It won’t bother me a bit.”

  * * *

  Susan was bubbling over with happiness when she got home from the book club. “Hal, I had the best time,” she told him. “And guess what! They’re going to read my book next! I can’t believe it. And Venia asked me to go to a writing workshop with her in a couple of weeks. I can talk to other writers and learn more about promotion. I can’t wait.”

  “Well you have had a big day. I’m glad you’re getting to know so many people. That writing workshop sounds like it’s right up your alley.” Hal checked on the chicken baking in the oven. Turning back to Susan, he gave her a piercing look. “But I know that you can sometimes get lost in your writing. Don’t forget our rules. Make sure you put that computer down and get some exercise in every day.”

  Hal gave Susan ‘the look’ and her bottom tingled at the sight. “Yes, bossy. I’ll remember.”

  * * *

  As the days passed, Susan couldn’t keep the grin off her face. She was feeling more and more at home. After breakfast with Hal, she would head to her sunny writing room and spend several hours on the book. Sometime after one o’clock she would emerge and spend a half hour straig
htening the house before taking her walk. On her walks, she would pop into different places as she tried to get to know her new town and its people better.

  She loved Ange at Ange’s Angel Bakery. True, walking there several days a week seemed to be negating the good of the walk itself, but each treat was so delicious Susan didn’t care.

  Susan also often stopped by the bookstore. She enjoyed visiting with Norah, the owner and books were much easier on the waistline. She also enjoyed visiting with Quincy and Abby at Auntie Q’s Antiques.

  However, one rainy day there seemed little reason to stir out of the house and Susan lost herself on the computer. After working on the book for several hours, she finally got up to find some lunch. With a quick look in the pantry, she decided to make it a completely decadent day. Grabbing a bag of chips and a soda, she headed back to the computer. She wandered through Facebook for a good while, then emailed several old friends before settling in for a good long nap.

  She woke with a start as she heard Hal come in. What time is it? was her first thought.

  “Susan, where are you?” Hal called.

  Susan hurried to greet him. “I’m sorry honey, I fell asleep.”

  “All day?” he asked, puzzled.

  “No, but it was so rainy. I got caught up in the book and then I finally fell asleep.” Susan felt like a wreck. She still had her nightgown on. She hadn’t showered or done one thing around the house. The breakfast dishes were still on the counter and there was a load of dirty laundry in the laundry room.

  “Shame on you,” Hal told her, though he was wearing an understanding smile.

  Susan braced herself as he reached for a wooden spoon. But she realized she had it coming. She had certainly broken the first two rules about cleaning and moving. And had she lied? She hadn’t been exactly forthcoming about the hours she’d spent on Facebook and Candy Crush. And she hadn’t started anything for supper even though it was her night. Yes, no doubt she deserved a spanking.