An Old-Fashioned Education

by Fiona Wilde

  But even if she wanted to be with him—even if she were willing to give up everything and stay in Pepper’s Hollow as his partner—could she ever find acceptance from the rest of the community? If their resentment persisted, it would become a barrier between Walt and the community he’d founded. He’d be unlikely to ascend to a full leadership position again, and down the road he may blame her for the community’s lack of faith. She did not want that for him. Or for her.

  There was a knock at the door. Walt poked his head in.

  “Can I come in?”

  She glanced down at the laptop screen displaying an article on domestic discipline and quickly closed the lid.

  “Sure,” she said.

  Walt entered the room and shut the door.

  “It shut off,” he said, handing her the iPad.

  “No worries,” she replied, taking it. “It just needs a charge.”

  “Oh.” He was quiet for a moment and she sat there on the bed, her heart pounding at his proximity.

  “The kids?”

  “Asleep.” He smiled. “Both of them.”

  “Any progress with Aidan?”

  Walt shrugged. “It’s hard to say. He’s a little like his mom. Melissa would tell me how she felt, but only to a degree. I realize in retrospect that what she didn’t say was exactly what I should have been paying attention to. It’s occurred to me that I’ve missed these same cues with Aidan, and the articles I read tonight really emphasized that. He used to be such an engaged, happy-go-lucky kid. Now, he’s sullen and spiteful and I know it’s because he’s internalized all the stuff he didn’t say because he didn’t think I’d listen to him if he tried.”

  Walt sighed.

  “So change it,” Polly said.

  “I’m trying,” he replied. “I told him tonight that I’ve dropped the ball, and that he and Kerry deserve better. I told him that from now on he and his sister are all that matter.”

  Polly felt her heart drop into her stomach. Then she felt guilt. The statement left no room for her, but she knew it was not something that should make her jealous. This was his family; of course, they should be a priority. The last thing he needed to think about was courting.

  She measured her next words carefully so as not to convey the disappointment she felt.

  “That’s the right attitude,” she said. “And I honestly believe that once you fix things with your kids, then it will be a bridge to fixing things with the community. You were the first leader, Walt. They’re lucky to have you. Anyone would be lucky to have you.”

  Her face reddened and she dropped her eyes. Oh God...What did I just say?

  “I want you to stay,” he said, as if reading her mind. “You know how I feel. I know, or I think I know, how you feel. But we also know we can’t just start shacking up here or it’s going to look like I just dumped the community to be with you. You’re better than that, and they’re better than that. I’d never want to disrespect anything I’m committed to.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “That I’m committed to you, Polly,” he said. “That I want a future with you, and with my kids. I want to protect and care for and lead you, if you’ll have me. You know what kind of man I am.”

  “The spanking kind,” she said before she could stop herself, and he smiled.

  “Yeah,” he said. “The spanking kind. And that’s another reason I want us to take it slow. You’re from a different world—a world that tells you that my way of running a household is wrong or disrespectful of women. But it’s not and I’m pretty sure we’re not the only folks who do this. In fact, I bet if you checked that fancy computer you’d see it’s more common that you realize.”

  Polly blushed. “I already did,” she said. “And you’re right. But I agree. It’s still going to be an adjustment for me.”

  He smiled slowly. “You’re talking like you want this, too. Is that too much to hope for?”

  Polly felt a mixture of fear and excitement. Everything was happening so fast.

  “I never thought when I came out here I’d end up feeling affection for this community, for the kids–for your kids.” She paused, searching for words. “And I never thought I’d be attracted to you, to this lifestyle you’re offering. But I realize that if I stay—if I accept—you’re not taking control. I’m giving it to you. I just want you to appreciate what a huge step that will be for someone like me.”

  “I do,” he replied. “And I hope you understand that I’d devote every day earning that the right to have that kind of control. That’s why I want you to have your own cabin, and to meet with the other ladies, make friends, and learn about how our lifestyle has helped them. Women talk to each other and they’ll be honest; they’ll tell you the good and bad of it. I want you to go into this with your eyes wide open.” A pained expression crossed his face. “I don’t want another failed marriage,” he said.

  She smiled sympathetically and then sighed. “I don’t know how much the women of Pepper’s Hollow are going to want to have to do with me,” she said. “The whole community hates me. Even though we both understood why you did what you had to do, you were more than a leader, Walt. You were the heart of Pepper’s Hollow. They don’t want to think you’d just back off. They need a scapegoat. I don’t know if I can ever shake that off. What if they can’t?”

  “Then saying goodbye would be hard,” he said.

  Polly felt a lump in her throat as she tried to imagine climbing into the twin engine plane that had brought here here and taking one last look back at Walt and the kids before flying back to the modern world that was so different from what she’d fallen in love with.

  “Yeah, it would be,” she said. “I’d hate to go, but if I had to–”

  “What are you talking about?” he asked, a puzzled look crossing his handsome face. “I’m not talking about having you leave. I’m talking about me and you and the kids leaving—all of us.”

  “You’d leave Pepper’s Hollow?” she asked, mystified.

  “I don’t want to,” he said. “But I started one community and I’m not so vain to think they couldn’t live without me. I could start another. Who knows? It might be part of the plan for my life, Polly. And it might be part of the plan for Pepper’s Hollow for someone else to take the reins.”

  He walked over and took her by the shoulders, guiding Polly until she was standing in front of him by the bed. “I don’t know if it’s all part of an overall plan. All I know is that I want to be with you.”

  His lips claimed hers, then, and Polly opened her mouth to allow admittance of his tongue. She sighed against his kiss, offering no resistance as his hand skimmed down her shoulders and back to rest on her bottom, which he squeezed possessively.

  It felt like someone had turned on an electric charge in her nether region. Polly felt her pussy clench with need as her panties dampened. The pressure of her jeans against her mound was almost painful. She closed her eyes, willing his hands to the clasp on her jeans and the shuddering when she felt them there. Every nerve in her body screamed in expectation as he skimmed the pants over her hips and then down until they dropped to her ankles. As she stepped out of them, he raised the sweater over her head and she found herself standing before him in just her bra and panties.

  “You’re beautiful,” he said, and she blushed. Walt stepped back, pulling his shirt off to reveal muscular arms and a well-defined chest tapering to tight abs that looked like they should be on a man half his age.

  Polly’s heart was thudding when he pulled her close again. His hand went directly to the warm, wet spot between her legs. He touched her through her wet panties, the pressure of his fingers exquisite against her throbbing clit. When he pushed her back against the bed, she lifted her hips so he could remove her soaked panties, not caring whether he thought her wanton, although judging by the size and hardness of the erection straining against his jeans, he wasn’t in a mood to hold back, either.

  Her bra was off now and she was naked, and Walt’s mout
h was everywhere, nibbling and suckling. But it was when he squeezed her bottom that Polly felt the most visceral thrill. There was something about the idea of his being in control of her body, of bringing her both pleasure and pain at his discretion that awakened sexual senses she’d never known existed.

  When the mouth suckling her breasts moved lower to lap at her labia and then attach itself to her needy clit, Polly came immediately, the waves washing over her so strongly that she turned her head and buried her face in the pillow to keep from waking Walt’s sleeping children.

  When me moved up again to kiss her with a mouth slick and salty with her own juices, Polly reached for the clasp on his jeans and pushed them down. Walt kicked them off and positioned himself between her legs. Polly opened herself up to him and orgasmed again almost immediately as soon as his hardness penetrated her. His movements were hard but controlled as he masterfully set the pace of their lovemaking. Polly had never felt more wanted or more feminine or more turned on in her whole life. She wrapped her legs and arms around him, pulling her to him. Despite their size difference, they fit together perfectly, like interlocking pieces and she moaned low as his hips pistoned back and forth, driving his huge cock into her over and over.

  No. I can’t. But she was building to an unprecedented third orgasm. And Polly knew that this time Walt would join her at pleasure’s peak. Walt cried out into her hair as they came.

  For long minutes they lay there, feeling one another’s heart beating in the dark, each feeling as if they’d finally found a home within the arms of the other. Polly did not want it to end, but it was she who finally suggested that he seek his own bed. The temptation to fall asleep together was strong for both of them, but they also both knew the kids did not to see them together. Not like this, and not this soon. Before going to bed, Walt brought Polly a washbasin and a towel. In the solitude of her room she cleaned up, loving the tenderness she felt as she toweled her nether regions. The experience had left her feeling claimed somehow. His woman. Walt Springer’s woman.

  She smiled up at the ceiling after crawling back between the still-warm sheets. She felt like she could face anything now, as long as he was by his side. And Polly felt asleep with those thoughts, which were nearly as comforting as the body of the man she’d made love to.

  When she next opened her eyes, the cold light of dawn was filtering through the curtains and Polly could smell the scent of bacon and maple syrup. Rising from the bed, she dressed quickly and exited the bedroom to find Walt cooking breakfast. The kids were already at the table. Kerry ran over to her, the ever-present stuffed dog flapping behind her. Aidan eyed her from the table, his look neither hostile nor friendly.

  “Can I help?” she asked.

  “Nah,” I’ve got this. Walt turned to offer her a quick wink before turning back to the stove. He was just dishing out pancakes when there was a frantic rap at the door.

  Aidan answered and Paul rushed in with little more than a nod to the boy. He eyed both Polly and Walt, his gaze judgmental, before speaking.

  “We got problems,” Paul said.

  Walt turned. “What kind?”

  “Bear,” Paul said.

  Walt put the plate he was holding down and went to fireplace, where he reached above the mantle for a gun.

  “No need for that,” Paul said. “It’s gone. Must have happened last night. Looks like more than one ripped into the storehouse. The place is trashed. I’m not sure what we can salvage.”

  “If it’s a bear we should...”

  “I’m not here for your advice,” Paul said. “You gave up leadership, remember? I’m here because I need an extra person to inventory.” He paused. “We need to figure how much we have left and this is woman’s work but Noni’s not feeling well. So I thought of you.”

  Polly glanced at Walt to see if he had caught what she knew was meant as an insult. Walt’s former friend was telling him—in his own chauvinistic way—that he was seen as less of a man, and she knew it was because they all thought he was under her influence

  But Walt didn’t take the bait.

  “In that case, let me grab my notebook.” He walked to a desk and fetched it along with a pencil before looking at Paul. “But like it or not, we have to go after the bear. We can all go together, with you as leader. Or I’ll go alone. But this can’t be allowed to happen again.”

  The muscle in Paul’s face twitched. It looked as if he were about to say something, but instead he just nodded.

  “Yeah, sure,” he said and then the men were out the door.

  “Is the bear going to get us?” Polly was torn from her thoughts by the frightened voice of Kerry. She reached down and patted the girl’s head.

  “No, sweetie,” she said. “Your papa’s not going to let that happen. He can handle anything.”

  “That’s what mama used to say,” Aidan said. And Polly saw a hint of pained affection in the boy’s eyes before he teared up and turned away.

  Walt had talked about a plan—a plan for them and for Pepper’s Hollow, a plan that had started with her arrival. Did things happen for a reason? She never used to think so. Now she wasn’t so sure.

  Chapter Eleven

  The snow had stopped, at least. By the window, Polly sat clutching a cup of hot cocoa as she watched Walt trudge through the snow to the storehouse. Even from her vantage point she could see the damage. The bear—or bears—had literally torn their way in through the door. Food was spread everywhere.

  Kerry and Aidan were occupied with books and cocoa. Polly was glad it was Sunday, because it meant she could stay in the house and not face the members of Pepper’s Hollow. Even with Walt’s touching promise to stay with her, the next few months would be rough. She still wanted to fulfill her contract and to be a productive member of the community. But the community, she knew, resented her. Since she’d arrived, they’d had a blizzard, lost their leader and now a bear had torn into what they’d thought was a secure storehouse. How long before they started looking at her as some sort of curse, like a cat on a ship?

  The men were outside the storehouse now, and she could see Paul and Walt engaged in a heated exchange. Paul was jabbing at Walt’s chest with his finger, stopping occasionally to point towards Walt’s cabin. It wasn’t hard to guess what they were arguing about. Her. The other men seemed to hang back as if struggling to remain neutral. She hated to see such uncertainty and confusion in Pepper’s Hollow, especially during a trying time like this.

  After a few moments, Walt trudged back towards the house, his mouth fixed in a grim line. Polly didn’t say anything as he entered, sensing that if Walt wanted to tell her what had been said, he’d do so on his own. Instead, she poured him a cup of cocoa as he got the gun down from the mantle and went to the locker for a box of ammo.

  As she handed it to him, he sighed. “I really can’t believe that someone I considered a friend for so long...”

  Polly knew he was talking about Paul. “Everyone’s under a lot of stress,” she said. “If it will make things easier I can–”

  “No,” he said, reading her mind. “I don’t want you going back to the other cabin. I want you here. At this point, nothing could make things worse. And you know, this whole thing has made me realize Melissa was right. She used to call this community ‘The Other Woman’ and that’s what we’re seeing—the equivalent of an angry wife out there. Paul’s driving it, but he’s just saying what everyone else is afraid to. They were fine with me as long as I put them first. They never cared what it cost me, as long as I was there for every problem, every little dispute. As soon as I figured out that I need to have a life of my own as well, they turned on me.”

  Polly swallowed hard, mustering the courage to respond. “I’m sure it seems that way,” she said, choosing her words carefully. “But you know, just as in a relationship, you have to set limits. You did with Melissa, and you have with me. I don’t think you ever figured out how to do it with Pepper’s Hollow.”

  Polly held her breath, fearing she
’d spoken out of turn and offended him, but he nodded.

  “You’re right,” he said. “I thought I was leading, but I was blindly serving. If the people here ever want me back in charge—if I even want it—then things are going to be a lot different.”

  He put the box of ammo in his pocket and walked over to kiss his kids.

  “Are you going to get the bear, Daddy?” Kerry asked.

  “We’re going to try, sweetheart,” he said.

  He leaned down and dropped a kiss on Aidan’s head. “Take care of the womenfolk, son,” he said.

  Aidan nodded without looking up, but as his dad walked to the door he called out.

  “Dad, wait.”

  Walt turned and Aidan stood from the table and ran over, catching his father around the waist in a tight grip. It was the first show of affection Polly had seen the child show his father, since she’d arrived. She blinked back tears that now blurred her vision, as Walt looked at her with gratitude in his eyes. Maybe her coming had not been a curse after all.

  Walt hugged his son back for several long minutes, whispering to the child as he nodded in reply. Polly did not know what was being said, but she was glad to see further bonding between the two.

  He looked at her as he went out and she knew he wanted to come kiss her as well, but she also knew that it was important to Aidan and Kerry to feel like they were number one in his eyes. And for Polly, that was just fine.

  “Everyone stays inside, understand?” Walt said as he put his hand on the doorknob. “Everyone.” His eyes fell on Polly. “No exceptions. Disobey and answer to me. We don’t know how many bears there are, or if they’ll double back. We’ve secured the storehouse as best we can. So just sit tight. Hopefully, this won’t take too long.”

  He turned and walked over to the mantle where a second gun hung and, taking it down, turned to Polly. “Remember when you asked me about the guns?”