Stranded On Christmas

by Burns, Rachel

  I needed to get away from him. If I didn't, I would surely go crazy with pain. The pain was more than I could bear. I very frantically tried to stand up. I didn't remember spankings being so painful. I would be the first to admit that I had a very low pain threshold. Stubbing my tow always brought tears to my eyes.

  He brought his hand down with another loud swat. It hurt so much that I couldn't make a peep. I gulped, and my throat went dry. I squeaked pitifully.

  “Am I finally getting through to you? I’m the man and you are my wife. You will listen to me.” He kept bringing his hand down with loud stinging smacks. If I had been standing, this spanking would have brought me down to my knees, but I was over his, suffering for breaking his heart. Maybe his anger would be spent when he finished, and I could go home?

  He still wasn't stopping, and this had been going on forever. I was so scared that he wouldn't stop. He was clearly trying to kill me. I knew that was an exaggeration. But it hurt so much.

  “I'm sorry. Please stop.” I had been saying those words the whole time, but this time he actually listened to me.

  “Have you learned your lesson?”

  “Yes,” I blurted out.

  “Good old-fashioned discipline always works. I want you to wash your face before we go to the pastor. I actually want to make a good impression on him.”

  “No. No marriage. I just want to go home,” I sobbed.

  “We will come home right after the wedding,” he told me softly.

  “No, I want to go to my real home.”

  “This is your real home.” He went back to spanking me, and I went back to screaming. It had felt so good when he had stopped. Now, the pain was back ten-fold. I called him every name I could think of, trying to get him to stop.

  When I realized that he wouldn't, I screamed for help as loud as I could.

  “Knock it off. If you want me to stop, you have to agree to be good at church. It's that easy.”

  “Never.”

  He laughed, “We'll see.”

  What felt like a lifetime later he stopped. I was bawling quietly, totally exhausted. That had been quite some workout.

  “What will you say when the pastor asks you if you want to marry me?”

  Now, that he had stopped my hands could move back to cover my hind cheeks. When I rubbed, the pain quickly lessened. Still, I was shaking and jerking around on his lap. My heart just wouldn't calm down. I felt a need to keep on screaming, but my voice was gone.

  He delivered a sharp smack to the back of my thigh.

  I cried some more before I could talk. “I do.”

  “Good girl. I figured that you would see the light.” He moved me so he could get up.

  I fell to the floor without him holding me in place. My face was lying on the sofa, and I just couldn't get up. I bawled in exhaustion as I listened to him putting on his coat.

  “Pumpkin, come here. When we get back, I expect you to have washed your face and be standing here with your coat and shoes on. Have I made myself clear?”

  I nodded that I understood him.

  “Say 'yes sir' when you answer me.”

  I nodded and whispered a soft 'yes sir'. I was dizzy as could be, but I forced myself up to standing. That mere spanking had my head in a spin.

  I reached back and laid my hands on my bottom. It was puffy and swollen. I checked my hands to see if blood was on them. There wasn't any, but my whole body was full of sweat.

  I slowly walked up the stairs to his room and went into his bathroom. I gathered up my dress and looked into the mirror at my backside. It was swollen and red, and the back of my thighs were pink. I cried seeing it.

  What had I gotten myself into?

  Had I deserved it?

  I guessed I did. I had turned around and treated Gideon just like Jamie had treated me. Two wrongs don't make a right, but I had been punished enough. There was no way I was going to marry Gideon and stay living here.

  I went over to the toilet and had to scream out again as I sat down. I finished as quickly as I could. I lifted my underwear carefully into place again. They were too tight. They didn't fit anymore. Then came my tights. I had the same problem again. I was just too swollen, but I had to do it.

  I needed him to take me to his pastor. I needed help to get away from Gideon. The pastor would save me.

  I cried and slowly walked down the stairs, holding onto the railing tightly, so I wouldn't fall. I was dizzy, and my heart still hadn't quite settled down. I slipped into my boots and was reaching for my coat when the door opened. Gideon and Pumpkin came in.

  This time he didn't hang up his coat. Instead, he knelt down and dried off Pumpkin's paws. “Basket,” he said, and the dog immediately obeyed him.

  I was finished buttoning up my coat in the meantime.

  “Good. We can go now.” He took hold of my hand and started stomping off.

  “Wait, I can't go that fast.”

  “Life is easier without a soundly spanked bottom, isn't it?”

  I nodded. It sure was.

  I felt a swat to my backside again. “How did I tell you to answer me?”

  That swat wasn't as bad as the others because of all the layering I had on, but it hurt because I was already so sore. “Yes, sir,” I whispered.

  I felt guilt-ridden about how I had played him. I honestly thought that he knew that what we had wasn't a forever kind of thing.

  That was an excuse. I should have been clear, and not so hot in the seat to go to bed with him.

  Now, I literally had a hot seat.

  He went into his barn and stopped in front of his tractor. “I normally walk to church but now that I have a wife,” he looked at me pointedly, “I think the weather calls for a tractor ride. Climb on up.”

  He unhooked it from my car, and when he saw that I still hadn't moved towards the tractor, he pulled his hand back ready to deal out another blow.

  My hands quickly moved to cover up my backside. “There's no ladder.”

  He actually smiled then. “Come here. I'll help you.” He grabbed onto my upper arm and told me where to put my feet, so I could get up.

  Once I was, I saw that there was only one seat. I didn't know what to do.

  He swung up and into the chair like a monkey. “Hold on tight, baby.” He started the tractor, and it moved forward with a jerk.

  Gideon pulled out of the barn, and then he jumped down to close the barn doors.

  He had left the tractor running. I had no clue how to drive it, or I might have taken off on him. I held on tight, scared that I could fall under the heavy machine.

  He was back, and we jerked forward again.

  We went to church on plowed roads. The snow crunched under the weight of the heavy tractor wheels. It was too loud to try to talk to him.

  I was trying to decide if I wanted to press charges or not. I just wanted this over and done with so I could go home.

  Did he actually think that we were heading off to church to get hitch?

  Chapter 5 - Shotgun Wedding

  Jessica

  I was surprised to see that we weren't the only ones to arrive at church by tractor.

  Gideon took hold of me again, and we hurried in. He sat down in practically the last row. We weren't the last ones, but I could tell that he would have wanted to be here sooner.

  I stood next to him and shook my head. There was no way I could sit.

  He reached up and yanked me down by my arm. I yelped as I made contact with the hard wooden bench.

  Every eye in the room turned to look at me then. No one seemed overly concerned with the yelping. They just noted that I was with him.

  The doors opened again, and everyone looked at the last ones to arrive. It was a family with three little kids. They sat down right behind us. The kids sat quietly. That kind of impressed me. I was fighting my own battle to be quiet and trying to sit still.

  The pastor entered the room from the back, and the service began. I was pleased that an opening hymn meant that
I got to stand up.

  Gideon was holding the hymnal. I tried to move away from him, but he grabbed onto the sleeve of my coat. I was forced to go through the whole service at his side. We even went forward for communion together. I knelt down when he did and copied him.

  This church was different from mine. The pastor seemed to be speaking just to the men in the congregation. He was saying things like Gideon did, about men taking care of their families. I was starting to get nervous.

  Would the Pastor be on my side?

  What would I do if I couldn't get away from him? I looked around at the very simple church. It was full, but there was room for more if people squeezed in together. Most churches were packed on Christmas. The town couldn't be large.

  I was inching away from Gideon again. I didn't think that I could really make it anywhere before he pulled me back, but I needed to take the pressure off of my backside. My mother would have accused me of having ants in my pants if I were still a child.

  Everyone was praying and thanking God for sending his only son when Gideon grabbed onto me and slid me back over to him.

  I whimpered loudly, and he made a happy sound at the back of his throat. I glared at him as mean as I could.

  The man behind us poked me in the shoulder hard and shh-ed us. That was so unfair. I wanted to turn around and protest, but I had a feeling like this whole town was anti-women. Canadians were supposed to be so nice.

  The pastor made the announcements, and then he walked right down the aisle to Gideon and I. “I see we have a visitor this morning.” He looked right down at me.

  “She isn't a visitor. She’s staying,” Gideon told him.

  “Actually, I have to be on my way.”

  Gideon grunted and shook his head.

  “I was just passing through on the way to my aunt and uncle's. It was a lovely stay, but now it's over.” I was looking at the confused pastor, but I clearly heard the tired sigh behind me, coming from the man behind me who thought we were engaged.

  “We need to get married, today yet.”

  I turned and looked back at Gideon. “Need?”

  “Yes, need.”

  “Need is too harsh of a word.”

  “Really? You want to start a discussion here in front of everyone? You know how they end.” He was mad. I was embarrassing him in front of his friends.

  I moved away from him again thankful that no one else was sitting in our pew. I moved over to the pastor. “He's kidnapped me, and he won't let me go,” I whispered to the pastor, who looked very surprised.

  He looked behind me at Gideon, who had scooted right up behind me. I looked over my shoulder and scowled at him.

  “We have already consummated our marriage. We just need the actual wedding,” Gideon told the pastor.

  “You can't tell people that,” I scolded Gideon as quietly as I could, but the soft chuckle that was going through the crowd told me that most people had heard him.

  “He proposed. I declined,” I summed everything up for the pastor.

  “You promised.” Gideon was fuming behind me. His lips were were pressed together.

  “Under duress.” I wasn't about to marry spanker guy. I was glad that I had seen his true colors in time.

  Gideon stood and forced me to my feet too. He dragged me up to the altar, while I slapped at him and tried to free myself.

  The pastor followed us up too.

  I was in shock when the pastor actually started in with the marriage ceremony.

  “No, wait, stop. I clearly said no to this.” I couldn't speak any clearer. Why didn't they understand me?

  Gideon grabbed hold of me and walked me over to the first row of pews. I was over his knees in seconds. I couldn't believe it. He was spanking me in church in front of all of these people.

  “Stop it. What are you? Crazy? Let me go.” I slapped at his leg.

  “I’ll continue until you learn how to behave properly.”

  “But there are other people here.”

  He laughed and spanked on. “Then I suggest that you knock it off.”

  “Okay, I stopped.” I had been moving my rump around in a very unladylike way, trying to avoid his hand.

  He was still chuckling when he stood up and walked us back to the pastor, who didn't look at all shocked by what was happening. He went right on to the part where he needed my name.

  Gideon gave it to him in full, middle name and all.

  I just had to say 'I do', but I couldn't the words just simply wouldn't come out. My mind raced. There had to be a way out of this somehow.

  I turned to the congregation. “Won't anyone help me?”

  They looked at me confused. It was clear that they thought I was the problem. These people took the no sex before marriage thing way too seriously.

  Gideon grabbed hold of my forearm again and back we went to the pew. He spanked a lot harder this time.

  I just cried, feeling lost and helpless. The only good thing was that he hadn't bared my bottom for the spankings. Thank God for small favors, I thought to myself, sarcastically.

  What I needed was a big favor, a knight in shining armor who would save me from myself. However, I had gotten that wish already once this week when Gideon saved my life. I couldn't expect another rescue in the last second.

  Besides, how had I treated the man who saved my life? First, I whined about being mistreated by Jamie, and when Gideon swore that he would never do something like that, I acted just as bad as Jamie had.

  “Will you behave?” Gideon inquired.

  I noted that he sounded worried. Not enough to be nice to me but enough to ask. I couldn't speak at all anymore, so I nodded. I figured I was in shock. I felt so guilty, but still, this couldn't really be happening.

  He let go of my hands and helped me to my feet. I swayed once I was on them. I was so sore and red-faced with embarrassment. I had given up, figuring that he had saved my life. I should be thankful for that. I was now his.

  Gideon grabbed hold of me again, so I wouldn't fall. He was shaking his head at my stupidity. He yanked me back to the altar.

  I said 'I do' the second I got there, just wanting to get this over with.

  The crowd laughed a little at that.

  I looked over them. How could they do that? How could they just sit there and watch someone spank someone and force her to marry him. I knew that I looked awful, but I tried to meet as many eyes as I could. They all turned away from my piercing looks.

  Okay, the truth was that I owned Gideon my life, but they didn't know that.

  When it was Gideon's turn, he said 'I do' in a tired way. He didn't seem so thrilled with this idea anymore either.

  Then it was over, and the pastor declared us Mr. and Mrs. Gideon Thompson.

  The crowd actually clapped. Gideon shook people's hands. He explained how he had come to get me, making me look very unappreciative.

  I just stood there being ignored by one and all. I could tell that Gideon was really popular here though, just I didn't like him.

  When Gideon was finished, he grabbed onto me and pulled me out with him again. He took me to his tractor, and I was impressed that he knew which one was his because they all looked alike to me. He gave me a shove with his hands and pushed on my throbbing backside to help me up.

  Gideon got up and started the tractor.

  I stood behind a man who was now very satisfied with himself, as I held tightly to the back of his seat.

  I wanted to scream and cry at the injustice of it all. Things like this didn't happen in the real world.

  I was a prisoner. I had chosen my cage, and now I didn't know what to do.

  One heard about cultures where when someone saves someone lives that they become their servant for the rest of their lives.

  I wasn't from one of those cultures. I'd run away the first chance I got. It would wound his pride and break his heart, but that couldn't be helped.

  Gideon wasn't a stupid man. He kept his eye on me all day, even dragging me out to
the barn to see our livestock, as he called them.

  Every time I tried to explain that I needed to go home he spanked me again. I was so frustrated with him. He simply wouldn't listen to me. I tried to explain that in the real world things didn't work this way.

  When bedtime came around, I begged him to let me have my own room. He answered me by giving me another spanking. Somehow we ended up with him and me naked in his bed with him on top of me, telling me to help him slide in.

  I was just plain tired and didn't want another fight, or spanking, so I did it.

  It certainly wasn't because I was turned on by all the attention that my backside was getting. Still, he had slid in, as he called it, easily.

  I wasn't crazy, was I? No one could be turned on by a painful spanking, could they?

  I knew, I wasn't. It must have been a coincidence.

  He took me a little harder and faster than before, and he didn't kiss me.

  If I did have to stay here, then I had burnt a lot of bridges with him.

  I lay awake, despite my tiredness, thinking about how I could have done things differently. Thousands of lies filled my head, which could have let him down gently.

  The truth isn't always the best solution.

  If I had lied, my backside wouldn't be so sore now.

  I assumed that he wasn't happy with me anymore. He felt that he had to marry me. That wasn't the kind of marriage that I wanted. I wanted the kind where my husband felt lucky to have me.

  I guess the truth was that I had used Gideon, and that I was just as bad as Jamie.

  Maybe I was even worse.

  Gideon

  I woke up in the night, and my first thought was to see if she was still next to me. “Jessie,” I whispered.

  Then I felt her heat alongside of me. She had a way of sleeping on her side with her knees pulled up a little. Her pillow was turned to the side, and her arm was under the pillow. She did that even if she rolled over to the other side. However, at the moment she was facing away from me. That meant that her backside was pushing into me. I would have thought that area didn't need anymore warmth, but right there it was, snuggled up into my body like my hip was its long lost home.