by Jodi Bella
He turned on his heel and walked angrily away. It took all of Alicia's will power not to throw the empty bait can she held at his arrogant head.
When Luke got Melissa home, he gave her the world's quickest bath in absolute silence. All of his niece's defiance had disappeared on the tense ride home and he knew she was regretting her behavior. But he was resolved not to give in to her-she'd earned herself a good spanking today and it would not help her any to leave off on it.
When Missy was dry and clean again, he helped her into a pair of pajamas.
She didn't even question him or complain about how early it was to be getting ready for bed. When he spoke to her finally, his voice was gruff and he noticed how her bottom lip trembled.
While Missy had worked the tangles out of her wet hair, Luke had placed her little "time out" chair in a corner in her bedroom; now, he instructed her to sit in it, facing the wall, and think about her behavior that day. He left her there, closing his ears to the quiet sniffling he heard as he walked out of the room.
In the kitchen, he took two TV dinners from the freezer and set them in the oven. He tried to phone Alicia, but only got her machine. He doubted that she'd gone out again when he'd only dropped her off a half-hour ago, but he figured she needed a little time to herself to figure out her feelings.
He left a brief message, though, that was firm about his resolve that they talk, and soon.
He glanced out the window towards his mother's house, hoping to see her car in the driveway even though he knew it was the night she had supper with one of her church friends. He wished she was home so he could ask her for advice on how to handle Melissa, but she wouldn't be back for another hour or two and he wouldn't wait that long to discipline his niece. He was nervous, though. He'd never spanked Melissa, or any child for that matter, before.
And he knew that his little niece had never been spanked before, either.
He checked his watch and sighed as he turned to go back to Missy's room. She'd been in that corner ten minutes, and he thought that was long enough for the both of them to wait.
Time to get this over with.
Luke was pleased that she was where she'd been left, at least. He sat on her bed, rubbed a hand over his face and called her over to him.
His heart fell to his feet at the overly bright eyes that warily watched him as Missy stood up from her chair and walked slowly to his side. She'd never looked at him like that before, like she was afraid of him. He felt for a minute like he couldn't breathe. When she finally stood in front of him, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth and blinking rapidly against the tears in her eyes, Luke did the only thing he could think of. He picked her up and cradled her in his lap, relief rushing through him like a drug at the way she curled against his chest and hid her face in the curve of his neck.
He held her quietly for a few minutes until they'd both calmed a bit. Then he sat back and lifted her face up. He kissed her forehead and smoothed her hair back. "We need to talk about today, pumpkin," he finally said. "Did you think about what happened like I asked you to?"
Missy nodded.
"Good girl. What did you think about?"
"I… I thought 'bout how I promised to be nice to 'Licia. And then I wasn't nice to her…"
Luke nodded. "Why do you think that happened?"
Missy lifted one shoulder. "Don't know… I… just saw her wit you and…" Her voice trailed off and she just sat on his knee, staring at her hands.
"Melissa." Luke's voice was gentle, but firm. "Look at me, honey." He waited while she slowly lifted her eyes. "Do you remember what I said this morning? About how no matter what happens or who else is in our lives, I will always love you?"
Missy nodded.
"That's always and forever, honey. You're stuck with me, kiddo. But you're going to have to learn to share me."
She nodded again.
Luke held her for a bit, trying to think of another way to explain this.
Finally he said, "You know how sometimes Grandma comes over and she and I do some planning on the computer? And then sometimes you go over your friend Janie's house to play? Those times, you share me with Grandma and I share you with Janie. Right?"
"Yeah…"
"Well, Alicia's another person you're going to share me with. And, I bet once you and she get to be friends, I'll have to share you with her sometimes, too."
Missy sighed and rested her head on her uncle's shoulder. Luke knew she understood what he meant, and he also knew that she still wasn't happy about it. After a little time had passed, he asked her, "So do you think you can try again for me, Missy?"
"Yes, sir. I'm sorry I broke my promise to you."
"Well, sweetie, a promise is a very serious thing. I hope you try harder this time."
"I will."
Luke knew he was stalling, but he just couldn't bring himself to say the words to start Missy's spanking.
She shocked him when she looked up and said, "You gonna spank me now?"
"Y-yes." Luke swallowed and met his niece's eyes. "Do you understand why?"
She nodded. "Yeah. 'Cause I broke my promise to you and wasn't nice to 'Licia. And I… I disobeyed about wading and got all wet at the pond… to get you to stop talkin' to her… And I ruined her shoes… And I wouldn't 'pologize to her when you said to."
"That's quite a list, isn't it?" Luke asked quietly. Missy nodded sadly. "Melissa. Any time you want my attention, all you have to do is tell me. You don't have to fall in a lake."
They both laughed at the way he'd phrased that. "You could just say… oh, I don't know. You could just tug on my sleeve. How's that? It'd be our code. And that way I'd know you were missing me and you could still stay dry."
Missy grinned. "Okay."
Luke sighed. He helped Missy off his lap and tipped her chin up.
"Okay then. Let's get this over with."
Luke pulled Missy's PJ bottoms down but left her panties on. He turned her over his lap and she squirmed a bit as he adjusted her. When the first spank fell on her panty-covered seat, she let out a cry.
Knowing his niece had never been spanked before, Luke was pretty easy on her; but, for the same reason, Missy was crying from the start. He gently spanked her bottom a total of twenty swats, scolding her a bit while he worked to reinforce the lesson. When he was finished, he rubbed her back and let her cry herself out. Then he helped her up and gently sat her on his knee for a hug.
"I love you, Melissa Erin. Don't you ever forget that or doubt it."
"Yes, sir," she sniffled. "I love you too, Uncle Luke."
They ate dinner together, with Missy sitting on a pillow that she didn't really need but that made her giggle when Luke presented it to her. And when her uncle imposed an early bedtime on her and had her Grandma come over to stay a few hours with her so he could run over to Alicia's, Missy didn't complain at all. Instead she gave him a hug and whispered good night.
Chapter 5
It was about eight thirty by the time Luke got over to Alicia's apartment. He'd seen the lights on in her windows as well as her car parked in its usual space, so he knew she was home, even though she didn't respond when he rang her bell. He could just imagine her standing on her tiptoes on the other side of the door, looking through the peephole at him. "Alicia Marie, we need to talk. And I'm not going to do it through this door!" He finally announced in frustration.
He was sure that half the building had heard him, but he didn't care. He banged sharply on the door again. "You're only making things worse for yourself, little lady. You might as well start behaving now and let me in." A frustrated little scream penetrated the wood that separated them and a grin slipped over Luke's face.
A second later, the door opened an inch, the chain lock still in place, and Alicia's face appeared in the crack. Her green eyes snapped and sparked angrily as she spat, "I should start behaving? You should talk to your niece about behavior, buddy! I haven't done a thing wrong!"
"I told you, Alicia. I will not hav
e this conversation through the door. Let me in, or I'm warning you—I'll let myself in."
Her jaw dropped momentarily. She recovered quickly, though. "Oh! Big man! Let me tell you something, Cowboy, you bust open my door and I'll call the cops on you so fast your head will spin!"
Luke nodded solemnly, as if considering her words. "Well, darlin,' you're sure welcome to try, but I'm bettin' I'd be faster." A second girlishly shrill scream pierced his ears as Alicia promptly slammed the door in his face. Before she could have a moment to throw her deadbolt, Luke crashed his full weight into the door and—to her surprise, as well as his own—the hard wood gave way. Luke stumbled through the opening as Alicia staggered backwards and fell with a thump on her backside.
"You okay?" Luke asked. She grudgingly let him help her to her feet, then slapped his hands away as she stared past him at the door. "Now look what you did, you big oaf!" she exclaimed, gesturing madly at the splintered wood and broken lock, the crooked way the door now hung on its hinges. Luke looked at his destructive handiwork with a blank expression. He closed the bruised door with a calm that made Alicia want to slap him.
Then he turned back to her and said, "Well, Alicia Marie, if you'd just been reasonable and let me in, I wouldn't have had to bust up your door. Now would I?" While she stammered in angry frustration at him, Luke's gaze took a lazy trail up and down her body and her face flushed at the heat in his blue eyes and the sexy smile that slowly spread over his features. She suddenly felt like she stood before him completely naked and vulnerable instead of being snug and warm in her old flannel nightgown and fuzzy pink slippers.
"Damn, little girl," Luke exclaimed softly. "Don't you look all cute and cud'ly. I don't know if I can stay mad at you when you're standin' there dressed like that."
Alicia shook a finger at him when he looked like he meant to come closer. "Don't, Luke!" she demanded. "I… I've changed my mind about us. I… I don't think it's going to work out." The look of surprise on his face might have been comical if Alicia wasn't trying so hard to be strong and not break down and cry. She swallowed back her tears, stood a little taller and made herself meet his eyes—which, she noted alarmingly, were as hard as steel on her face. "I want you to leave… please."
"You changed your mind, huh?" Luke asked and his voice was deceptively cool. His powerful arms crossed over his broad chest and he looked downright stern and, well, disappointed. He took a step towards her and, reflexively, Alicia took a countering step back. "What about me? Don't I get a say in this?"
"N-n-no, not really," she squeaked, wincing at her voice as she heard it. What was wrong with her? She was a grown woman and in her own apartment letting this… this man—who she honestly did not fear—intimidate her. "If… if I want you to go, Luke, you… you should be a gentleman and respect my wishes." Luke was still advancing towards her and, despite herself, Alicia was still backing away from him. She realized with a start that although the big bully was a bit intimidating, there was a part of her that was excited at the chase and even more so by the smoldering 'boy-are-you-gonna-get-it-now' look she was receiving. Luke was chuckling at her comment about his being a gentleman when her backside bumped into the kitchen counter. She hadn't even been aware that they'd traveled from one room into the next! Luke closed the bit of space between them in an instant and just the close proximity and the smell of his cologne made Alicia feel light headed.
When he enclosed her with one arm braced on either side of her on the counter with her in between and demanded harshly, "Look at me!" she felt herself growing weak with desire. She met his sharp gaze and swallowed hard. "First of all," he rasped. "I never claimed to be a gentleman, so don't expect it. Second of all, you can bet your sweet butt that I do have a say in this. And you're not getting away from me until I've said it all. Third, you'd better have a good explanation for all of this, Alicia. Because I'm not buying it."
She nodded jerkily, her face burning as she wondered if he knew how aroused she was just from the talking-to he was giving her and the way he had her pinned there, immobile. He hadn't even touched her and she was already aching for him. Lord, what was her problem? She shouldn't be turned on by this, by his anger. She knew what a real spanking from him was like and she didn't want another! He studied her a few minutes in silence, moving a strand of hair away from her eyes and cupping her cheek, then the side of her neck.
He glanced down further and noticed, about the same time as she did, how rock hard and eagerly straining her nipples were through the worn flannel nightgown. His chuckle was as warm a sound as his breath felt on her skin. With one light finger, he traced a circle around one aching bud, glancing up mischievously to see her reaction play across her face. "Does this turn you on, Alicia?" he asked silkily. "Me crashing in here and scolding you for your behavior? Telling you what's going to happen and physically overpowering you, dominating you? Even after the spanking you got the other night from me?" His finger moved to her second nipple and teased a twin ring around it. She gasped involuntarily and blushed hotter. "Ah, there's that blush I'm so partial to. I'll take that as a yes… damn, what do you know…"
Alicia whimpered and tried to pull back from him and his touch, enjoying it far too much and too disturbed by her attraction to his dominance and her desire for more of it. "You're gonna hurt your back, sweetheart, you keep pulling away from me like that…"
He was so damn proud of himself! Standing there like a damn granite statue of cowboy sex appeal and making her body scream for him. She punched him in the chest, pouting because she knew she'd hurt her fist more than him.
"You stop being angry at me, darlin', and you just might enjoy yourself." He continued touching her breasts, teasing around the nipples, and chuckled at her look of distressed desire. Every so often he grazed one nipple very gently with the pad of his thumb and she would arch against his touch.
"Don't touch me…" she pleaded, her voice totally lacking in conviction. Her head lolled back over her shoulders, then snapped up as he bent his head and nipped ever so lightly at her nipple through the fabric of her nightgown. "I want you to stop touching me like that!" she cried more harshly this time.
Luke leaned closer to her and spoke right in her ear. "You can stop the brat act, Alicia. You've made it clear to me today that I've neglected you. And I promise, you'll have your spanking tonight, just the way you need it."
She sagged against him, hating herself and the thrill that shot through her at his words. Any other woman would have run for the hills, but, oh no, not her. She melted at just the images his words brought to mind. She sighed and murmured, "I don't know what's wrong with me!"
Luke pulled back from her and shook his head. "There's not a thing wrong with you, Alicia, honey. Not one thing." He framed her face in his hands and kissed her with a violent slowness, a leisurely plunder that left her knees weak and her eyes glazed when he eventually pulled back and gave her a gentle smile. He ran one hand over her blond hair and kissed her forehead. "Now that that's settled," he said, taking her hand. "Let's go have us that talk…"
Alicia found herself meekly following Luke to her sofa, then sitting there facing him. He held her hand and smiled at her. "Talk to me," he encouraged, as if it were so simple. She picked at the fuzzies on her old couch and mumbled, "I don't know what you want me to say…"
Luke sighed as he lifted her chin with one finger. "Well, all I want is to look into your eyes when you talk to me. You tell me what you need to say, honey, not what you think I want to hear."
She felt tears pricking her eyes and blinked furiously to get rid of them. How silly she felt! She cleared her throat, forced herself to keep looking at Luke and blurted, "I just think it's better to stop this… this… our relationship… now before anyone gets hurt…" She could have bit her tongue off as she saw the gentling in Luke's eyes and realized that she'd just exposed herself to him completely in one simple sentence.
Before he could say a thing, she rushed on. "I… I mean your niece hates me, Luke. And… I'
m not so sure I like her much either. I don't have much experience with kids and I never imagined myself even having children…" She'd expected to get at least a surprised expression from that bit of revelation, but Luke just sat there listening to her ramblings with that same softness in his gaze.
"Maybe you're wasting your time with me. I don't see myself getting married for a long time, Luke, if ever, even. And I know you want a wife and a mother for Missy and kids of your own. You should know I'm not ready for that now. After the way my engagement ended with Damon I don't even know if I still believe in marriage."
Luke still made no comment, though he was looking at her more thoughtfully and he did nod his head to show he was listening. Alicia had already told him the details of her relationship with Damon, how he'd never understood her spanking kink and had made very minimal effort to try to accommodate her desires in that direction. The night before they were supposed to be married, she'd discovered him in bed with her best friend and he had announced that at least she didn't like the "weird shit" that Alicia was into.
"And then there's this whole discipline spanking thing you gave me the other night," Alicia continued. Now that he'd finally coerced her into talking it was like she couldn't stop! "I just don't know about that whole thing. I didn't like it, that was for sure. But I understand that you did it because you care about me. I just don't know if I can trust you to do that on a regular basis in our relationship…"
Luke smiled at her. "Well, if you're good, I won't have to do it on a very regular basis, now will I?"
She blushed. "No, but I still have trouble with the whole idea."
He nodded. "I understand why it would be hard to accept that. It means you have to give me your complete trust and the power to decide what's best for you instead of doing it yourself. After your last experience trusting a man like that, I can see why it's hard. But I won't back down on that. When you need a lesson like you did the other night, I won't be able to sit on my hands and let it pass. So, if you can't find a way to reconcile getting punished when you deserve it, then I think you may be right in saying our relationship wouldn't work. As much as I want it to work, it won't without your consent to that."