"Sleep now," he whispered, slipping into the bed next to her. "You're safe with me."
"You're such a good protector," Piper sighed, pressing her bottom against the curve of his belly as he spooned her. "I'm so happy."
"I am too, little one. I am too."
***
Piper grinned as Jeoff's friends fought over the last deviled egg during the 'pre-eats' time. They had surprised her by arriving early Thanksgiving morning with a pony cart, and Tony, in tow. While Jeoff and Mr. Howard happily prepared the meal, the men escorted 'the royal carriage that carried Her Majesty' along the path through the forest. The snow crunched beneath the horse's shoes and he neighed excitedly as the brusque wind caught his pale mane. Piper laughed like a schoolgirl as the men shared endless stories of their tournaments, each telling of gallant moves and magnanimous wins. Their jargon was almost as amusing as the stories themselves.
"So this bender was trying to impress the puck-bunnys and starts chirping about his ability to toss the biscuit between the pipes with this woody he picked up from a shop. The tripod was already a pylon and provoked the grinder who was tight with the enforcer. They started getting chippy and turned into a gongshow. Next thing we know, we got fisticuffs going and the old man steps in. The hoser's breezers go flying across the pond along with his brain bucket. Left bare naked from the barn. Funniest damn thing I ever saw!"
"Huh? What the hell did he say?" Piper asked the man clucking with amusement sitting next to her.
"There was this guy who could barely stand up on the ice and, when he did, he couldn't move. He was bragging to the girls about his new hockey stick, and what it cost him. His trash talk ended up provoking a fight and the enforcer got tired of it, stripped the idiot bare, and then escorted him off the ice."
"Oh my," Piper suppressed a giggle. "I gather you haven't seen that player again."
"Nope. And the guy he started the fight with was me. Old Jeoff was the enforcer at the time."
"Really? He's been trying to teach me the terms. Isn't the enforcer the one who threatens to hurt the others team if they mess with a teammate? I never could see Jeoff actually hurting someone."
"He's a big boy, and he can do this face that scares the shit out of anyone. Count your lucky stars if you haven't seen it. He doesn't have to physically do anything. People start running like he was Godzilla or something. Only we know he's a marshmallow."
"Hmm, maybe that's why I always want s'more of him. Get it? I'm so funny!" Piper started laughing hysterically at her own joke.
"I'm glad he found you. You make him smile in a way that none of us have seen before."
"He does the same for me. What's wrong, Bruce? You look sad."
He sighed and shared that he was married, but sadly preferred to hang with his buddies. Piper shook her head in disbelief as the strong, clearly-dominant man briefly described the shrewish behavior from a woman that he clearly cared about.
"You must be so miserable," she commented, touching his arm.
He paused, waiting for his four friends to venture away to check the skating condition of the lake. "Yeah, well, I love her, but this attitude just makes me want to escape. Nothing she does makes sense, either. She deliberately starts a fight for no other reason than to argue. I don't argue back and it pisses her off."
"As a woman, it sounds like she is crying out for attention. What do you do about it?"
"Usually just leave the house. I hate fighting. I learned to control my reactions long ago because I am not exactly a little guy and I don't want to hurt anyone. I just don't get why she is so miserable. I give her everything she wants; I think I am pretty generous in bed, and I manage to keep my temper in check despite the provocation."
"I think you are missing the point. One thing I learned from Jeoff is that boundaries make a woman feel safe and secure. I hate being told 'no', but it always makes me realize how much he cares for me."
"I never tell Grace no. Maybe that's the problem."
"It could be part of it. Another could be that she is looking for you to put your foot down once and for all. It is hard for women to respect men that we consider weak. Don't get your hackles up," Piper said as the man bristled, "I am not calling you weak or anything like that. You just have to realize that sometimes my gender tends to be a bit stubborn and might need a well-placed, but loving, swat on the seat of the pants."
Piper felt as surprised by the words that tumbled out of her mouth as the ears that heard them. She bit her lip, suddenly realizing that she might have 'outted' Jeoff to a vanilla friend. He was going to kill her!
"You have no idea how many times I have wanted to tan that woman's ass," Bruce said, quietly. "I was so afraid that it would seem to be abusive. You don't seem to think so, though, do you?"
Piper was already neck-deep in the discussion, so she went by the motto, Go Big or Go Home. "A good spanking delivered in love with the purpose of improving your marriage and stopping the fights is about love and kindness, not abuse. Abuse is selfish and destructive. I can't speak for all women, but I like the way Jeoff watches over me and gives me restrictions so I avoid damaging behaviors. I not only love him; I respect him. A marriage without respect is doomed. Trust me, been there."
"I am going to ask this bluntly. Has Jeoff spanked you?" he looked at her straight in the eyes.
Piper forced herself not to flinch, remembering the instructions given to her to avoid embarrassment. "Yes. Many times. And each time it was well-deserved. I didn't like it at first, but at least he cares enough to do something to keep me from falling back on familiar but useless tactics and bad behaviors. Jeoff wants me to be strong and independent, and I can't be that way with my old, bad habits. My ex … well, you know what he wanted: Complete control, in a way that only benefitted him and demolished me. He is the type of guy who would be abusive in a disciplinary relationship, but not Jeoff."
"I really am not surprised that Jeoff is into that. He's always had girls flocking around him, and they stay remarkably well-behaved. I can't even remember seeing one get drunk, cuss him out, or throw any type of tantrum. Do you think it is because they were afraid of getting spanked?"
"I don't know," Piper said, honestly. "Why don't you talk to him about it? I bet he could help you with your marriage and the problems you are having. I mean, that is what he does professionally, right? No one else has to know, either."
"I do want to save my marriage," Bruce admitted, quietly. He paused to think and then nodded slowly, "I'll talk to him after dinner when everyone is passed out on the floor with tryptophan overload. Thanks, Piper. I mean it. You are turning out to be the best thing for all of us, not just the old man."
Piper felt a swell of pride as she observed Jeoff quietly talking with his friend after the abundant meal. True to his nature, Jeoff had his hand resting on Bruce's shoulder in a gesture of reassurance and offered frequent smiles and nods as his friend revealed his situation. She blushed as Jeoff made a hand gesture, clearly referring to a swat, and then traced in the air the proper area in which to strike. The other man laughed lightly, expanding his hands to show that his wife had more than ample room to receive discipline. Jeoff grinned and cracked his knuckles before calling Piper over to join them.
He pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "So, you outted me, huh?" he asked, cheerfully.
Piper blushed. "That was not my intent. It just dawned on me how this lifestyle actually works in comparison to the vanilla ways of dealing with things. Or rather, not dealing with them. From what he was telling me, I thought …" She felt her heart pound. "I'm so sorry I stepped out of line."
"I'm not. You're a good girl with a big heart. Would you be comfortable to have Bruce and his wife over for dinner after he begins this new venture in domestic discipline?"
Piper nodded and looked over at the other man. "That would be great. I hope I didn't embarrass you. I really didn't mean to."
"I was not embarrassed, silly girl." Bruce squeezed her hand. "
I am grateful that you were there to talk to. You got yourself a good one here, Jeoff. Don't let her go."
"Trust me, I intend on keeping her for a long, long time," Jeoff promised, squeezing the girl tightly. "Did you bring your skates? The boys said the lake is frozen solid."
"We all did. Did you get the lights installed?"
"Yup. Get them up, and let's treat little Miss Piper here to a Winterhawk Thanksgiving tradition."
Piper clapped excitedly as she sat bundled up in a blanket next to Mr. Howard and watched as the hockey players in teams of three zoomed across the ice toward their goal nets. The lake, illuminated by spotlights that Jeoff had mounted for night skating, glowed under the bright beams. An occasional snowflake drifted down, and Piper reached to catch it with her tongue. The old man teased her affectionately, handing her a thermos cup filled with steaming hot chocolate.
"You seem to be having fun, but you can't cheer for both sides, Peepers."
"They are amazing! Look at how they move! I never would have thought men that size could be so graceful. They move like ballerinas on the ice!"
"Don't tell them that. It will knock all the testosterone out of their systems," Mr. Howard chuckled. "They are a good group, though. We all enjoy seeing you smile."
"My face hurts." Piper grinned with her confession. "With Lyle in jail, my mother in hiding, and having this crazy new life with all you wonderful people in it, I can't help but smile constantly."
"Wait until you see the Christmas village. Jeoffrey goes all out with that show. He is quite the social pterodactyl when it comes to holidays."
"Pterodactyl? The term is 'social butterfly'."
"Butterflies aren't manly," Mr. Howard laughed. "He's a good kid. You make him very happy."
"I love him. I really, really love him," Piper said, her eyes welling with happy tears. Jeoff spun on the ice, pausing to wave at her before he was tackled by one of his teammates.
"He feels the same about you," Mr. Howard said, wrapping his bony arm around her shoulders. "Oh, I forgot." He placed a peppermint stick in her hot chocolate. Piper grinned in response.
Chapter 13
Piper stretched lazily at her desk in the stables that following Monday. She had balanced all the accounting books, put the files in order, scheduled the Snow Trail clients, and cleaned the office until it sparkled. She had just poured herself some coffee when the sound of the door opening caught her attention.
"Tanya? What are you doing here? How are you feel …"
A vicious slap across the face interrupted her mid-sentence. "You fucking slut," the woman hissed. "You ruined my life! It's bad enough you stole my Dom from me, but you almost got me killed."
"I had nothing to do with Lyle's actions," Piper said, rubbing her cheek. "He tried to kill me, too. As for Jeoff, I didn't steal him. He wasn't yours to begin with."
"You replaced me! He doesn't want anything to do with me because of you."
"I don't know what you are talking about. You are his client, and he cares about you; otherwise, he would not have been there for you at the hospital." Piper picked up her cell phone. "I'm calling him so you can talk. He …"
Tanya ripped the phone from her hands and threw it down to the floor, shattering it. "I already spoke to him. He said we are done. He refuses to see me again. This is your doing. You told him you didn't want me around, didn't you?"
"We never even talked about you. Why would he end your therapy? Maybe you misunderstood." Piper stepped slowly backwards. Where was Mr. Howard?
"Because he has no time for me, you stupid girl. He didn't even invite me for Thanksgiving because of you." Tanya growled, her fist in a ball.
"I'm sorry about that. I thought it was just the hockey team he had over. Tanya, you need to calm down and talk to him."
Tanya responded by swinging her fist directly at Piper's face. With the desk between them, Piper was able to avoid the blow and quickly ducked. The other woman zoomed around to catch her, snatching a handful of her long hair.
The two women were on the floor when Mr. Howard entered the room. He pulled Tanya off Piper's body and held her arms behind her as he ordered Piper to her feet and demanded an explanation.
"Call Jeoff right now," he barked at Piper. He dragged Tanya to a straight-backed chair. "You! Sit your ass in that chair and don't move a muscle."
Piper's hand trembled as she dialed Jeoff's number and explained her situation. Several uncharacteristic curse words erupted through the receiver before he hung up the phone. "He's majorly pissed. Mr. Howard, I swear, I didn't do anything except defend myself."
"I can't believe I walked in here to find two adult women rolling around on the floor like a couple of hoodlums. I don't know who you are, young lady," he pointed at Tanya, "but you best be grateful that I don't take a birch to your backside."
"Fuck off, grandpa," Tanya hissed.
"Don't you ever talk to him like that!" Piper shouted, racing to the chair where Tanya sat. She shoved her backwards, no longer trying to control her temper. "You are a nasty, rude bitch who has no gratitude for anything. You don't deserve a man like Jeoff. I'm glad he got rid of you!"
Screaming with rage, Tanya dove at Piper again, narrowly missing her as she blindly swung her fist. This time, Piper did not restrain herself and fought back wildly. Mr. Howard was barely able to separate them as they screamed and dove at one another.
"Stop this instant!" Jeoff's voice boomed from the door. "Piper Rose! Step back from Tanya now!"
Piper used the moment to drive her fist into Tanya's stomach, doubling her over. Jeoff snatched the kicking woman and held her off the ground while Mr. Howard forced Tanya back into the chair.
"What in bloody hell is going on here?" Jeoff demanded. The story unfolded between the three of them, the two women shouting at the top of their lungs and Mr. Howard trying to keep calm. Jeoff looked at Piper. "Get your bottom home this instant. We will talk about your reaction privately."
"But Jeoff …" Piper's face was pale. "She came here to start a fight. I didn't do anything."
"I heard what you did. Go."
Piper felt her heart sink. "Yes, Sir," she whispered sadly. Mr. Howard held the door for her, dismissing her with a kiss on the top of her head and a gentle pat on the bottom. She carefully picked her way through the snow and ice to her car and buckled herself in. Anger rose as she sat behind the wheel. Why should she be in trouble for this? It was so not fair!
Piper's anger grew as she drove. She deliberately missed the turn to Jeoff's house and headed towards the city. In the back of her mind, Piper knew she was making a huge mistake by not obeying Jeoff's orders to go home, but she chose to ignore her nagging conscience. A trickle of satisfaction went through her as she remembered Tanya had broken her cell phone and left her with no way to contact Jeoff about her whereabouts. She was too upset, anyway. How dare he yell at her for this incident?!
An hour later, Piper sat sulking over a vanilla latte when she felt a presence behind her.
"I thought I would find you here," Jeoff said, lowering himself into the small chair of the coffee shop where they had met.
"I'm angry with you."
"I gathered that. Care to explain why?"
"You took her side."
"I did no such thing. I removed you from the situation."
"Why does she hate me so much?" Piper looked up at him. "I had nothing to do with your dropping her."
"Dropping her? I told her I was taking a break until the holidays were over to give her a chance to recover from her accident and spend time with her family."
"That's not what she said. She also was pissed that she wasn't invited to Thanksgiving. Not that I would have wanted her there," Piper said, bitterly.
"Remember I told you that we usually went to the lodge for Thanksgiving prime rib? Tanya would show up there on her own, but never invited. We had Thanksgiving at home this year, and I have to say, it was the most fun I have had in a long time."
"I had fun, too." Piper
admitted. "She said she lost her Dom because of me."
"She will lose me because of her behavior, nothing more. Like I said, I was taking a break through New Years. I want to focus on you for a while without distractions."
"What are you going to do with her?"
Jeoff sighed, tracing an imaginary line on the table with his finger. "I need to think about it. She is too dependent on me, and I can't deal with the jealousy issue. I need to find a way to redirect her before she gets out of control."
"You don't think coming to where I work and trying to beat me up isn't out of control? How did she find me, anyway?"
"She knew this was one of my hangouts since I was a boy. She came looking for me and got you instead. I apologize for that."
"She was so mean to Mr. Howard."
"Howard is dealing with her very severely right now. After he is done with her, she will not be sitting comfortably for a week."
"Good. She deserves it."
"You are not going to be in much better condition when I am done with you, young lady. I am very disappointed in your behavior, both in the fighting and in your disobedience to my instructions to go home. You've earned yourself a trip to the woods, sweetheart." Jeoff sounded sad.
Piper's eyes widened with alarm. "What do you mean?"
"You will be taught how to gather, clean and bind a birch bundle. You have earned this. Finish your coffee and let's get going."
"I don't want to," Piper pouted.
"I don't want to either, but it is important for me to be consistent. Dawdling will cost you," Jeoff warned.
Reluctantly, Piper followed him outside and to her car. He leaned into the open window as she started the engine.
"The roads are slippery, so be careful. I will be right behind you. Piper? I love you."
"Not feeling the love much right now," Piper grumbled, looking away from him. Jeoff kissed her cheek and stepped back so she could pull her car out of the parking lot. His cobalt blue truck was visible in her rear view mirror minutes later, indicating that he had parked close by. Piper sniffed. He wasn't kidding about keeping an eye on her, was he? It still was not fair that she was in trouble because of Tanya!
Piper's Journey (Into Submission 1) Page 16