by Sue Lyndon
She rushed to brush on a faint amount of make-up, but ended up applying a generous volume of foundation underneath her eyes. Curses fell from her mouth and she stared at her reflection, praying no one would ask if she was sick. Weeks of not sleeping had taken a toll on her appearance, not to mention her health too. She became sick to her stomach much too often, and the slightest amount of stress induced a pounding headache that usually radiated right behind her eyes.
It was as if she was physically in mourning for John. God, she missed him, so much that the mere thought of him almost made her burst into sobs. Sometimes at night she curled into a ball on her bed with tears streaming down her face, feeling like the worst kind of fool for leaving him.
Once, in a fit of desperation, she’d called Amy Lou’s Diner around seven in the evening—John’s normal time to frequent the establishment—and the elderly waitress had informed her that John had last stopped in a week ago. Melissa hadn’t expected to speak with him when she called, but she’d wanted to know he was still out there in the backwoods of West Virginia, still making house calls and eating chocolate cream pie.
She curled the ends of her hair to give her locks a smooth bounce, and she shimmied into the little black dress and red heels as quickly as possible, all the while wondering if John had given her a second thought since the morning she drove away from his cabin. He’d appeared stricken and she’d felt immense guilt during her departure, but the stubborn man hadn’t so much as picked up a phone.
She’d texted him after she arrived at her parents’ home per his request, and he had replied with two brutal letters that heated her blood even now.
Ok.
After all they’d been through, he’d had nothing more to say to her. Years would pass and it would remain the last thing the love of her life said to her. Ok.
It killed her that tonight’s fancy benefit was for his nonprofit, and she had to remind herself that even though they weren’t on good terms, or any terms, he still did good work. He was still a good person who cared deeply about the people in the community he’d been raised in.
She applied her favorite shade of pink lipstick, grabbed her handbag, and hurried down the stairs. The cool air once again nipped at her exposed flesh and she paused, debating whether or not to take the time to fetch a shawl. She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. Her phone buzzed from inside her handbag, probably her mother asking why she hadn’t arrived at the benefit yet. Deciding to forgo the shawl, she headed for her car and stopped in the center of the long driveway.
A tall figure was pacing back and forth behind her car, and she slinked behind a row of neatly trimmed bushes, a flash of fear tightening her stomach. Steven? She swallowed hard and wished the live-in cook wasn’t on vacation right now, or that she’d gotten ready earlier and gone ahead with her parents to her grandparents’ house where tonight’s festivities were set to take place.
Adrenaline pumped through her veins and she peered over the bushes. The man wore a perfectly tailored tuxedo, and she watched his long strides and hand gestures as he paced. She tilted her head and listened. He was talking to himself!
She covered her mouth in an attempt to conceal her heavy breathing. It wasn’t Steven. Hope blossomed in her heart slowly, like a perennial flower coming alive in the springtime after a long, cold winter. She felt her eyes grow wide and she stood straight up, her gaze locking instantly with the one man she’d spent weeks grieving over. After all this time and zero communication, why was he here?
Oh right. She’d invited him. She straightened her dress and approached him, stilling the petals of her unfurling hope from reaching a full bloom. Maybe he was only here for the benefit. She erected a wall around her heart and met him in the middle of driveway.
“Do you always talk to yourself?” she asked. Her eyes widened when she noticed his truck parked outside the tall fence that surrounded the property. Her gaze shot to his. “You climbed over the gates?”
“Guilty as charged, darlin’.” He reached for her hand, but she snatched it away.
“Why are you here?” She folded her arms across her chest and gave him her most vicious glare.
“You invited me.” This time he grasped her hand and didn’t allow her to pull away. He yanked her against his chest and circled his arms around her, and his familiar masculine scent left her awash in memories of their short time together.
Though she wanted to push him away, she found herself latching onto him and pressing her cheek against his jacket. “You could have told me you were coming.”
“I wanted to surprise you.” He stroked her hair. “And I wanted to apologize for my silence.”
She drew back and peered up at him, lost in his beautiful dark eyes. All her anger and resentment burned away in the heat of his penetrating gaze. He rubbed her arms up and down, and it took her a moment to realize he was trying to warm her up and chase away the goose bumps. When his caresses failed to work, he removed his jacket and draped it over her shoulders like a perfect gentleman.
A perfect gentleman who liked to spank naughty female bottoms, among other salacious activities. She shivered at the memory of all their naughty encounters, including the two punishment spankings he’d given her.
“Thank you, John.” She smiled briefly and welcomed his embrace. The sun dipped through the trees behind him, casting a radiant glow across the lawn. She considered his apology and thought about her own actions. Aside from sending the benefit invitation, she hadn’t attempted to contact him either. Perhaps she was being a little unfair. She cleared her throat and looked into his eyes, her heart clenching at his pained expression.
“You’re welcome, darlin’. Are you warm enough now?”
“Y-yes.”
“We have a benefit dinner to get to, Melissa. It would be my honor to escort you there, especially considering you put the whole thing together for House Call Hope.”
She shrugged. “Well, my mother helped too. She lives for these kinds of parties.”
“Thank you.” He squeezed her hand. “Thank for you everything. I was a fool to spend the last few weeks brooding over your departure. I should have at least called you.”
“I should have called you too. I’m sorry.”
He shook his head. “No need to apologize.” He sighed and backed away from her, running a hand through his hair. “It took all my self-control to let you drive away that day. I wanted to keep you, Melissa. I wanted to toss you over my shoulder, carry you into my bedroom, and keep you under lock and key.”
Despite his serious tone, laughter bubbled up in her throat. She ran her fingertips over his fresh-shaven jaw. “That sounds incredibly barbaric.”
He lowered his head and rested his lips an inch from hers. “I can’t help myself, darlin’. I want to do all manner of barbaric things to you. If you were smart, you’d call the cops on me for climbing over your gate.”
“If you were smart, you’d kiss me before I find a phone.”
And he did. His lips pressed to hers in an urgent coupling. He held her face between his hands and glided his tongue deep into her mouth, demanding all of her. Her hope returned, and this time she didn’t restrain its full bloom. John’s reappearance in her life and his soothing words, however ineloquent, told her all she needed to know.
She belonged to him, and he belonged to her.
*
John escorted a beaming Melissa into his truck and thanked the valet. All eyes were on them and had been all evening, ever since he’d pulled up to her grandparents’ estate in a car that wasn’t worth over a year’s salary. He wasn’t used to being the center of attention and watching as others whispered about him, and he found the whole experience odd but not so unsettling as to leave early. Melissa had stayed on his arm for most of the night, and he’d said a few words to thank the attendees for their generous donation to House Call Hope. Several bright-eyed and very young looking doctors even approached him and offered to volunteer their time. The people in his hometown would benefit
, and he had Melissa to thank.
“What happens now?” she asked as they drove out of the gated entrance of the massive estate.
“I take you back to West Virginia and keep you under lock and key.” He waggled his eyebrows at her.
She laughed. “I’m serious!”
“Are you going to take more classes at the art institute?” he asked. She’d taken two painting technique classes since returning to New York, although judging from the quality of the landscape paintings of the mountains and covered bridges that had been auctioned off this evening, he didn’t think she needed any formal training. She was as natural an artist as she was a submissive.
“Well, I have this crazy idea, actually.” A grin lighted her face and she regarded him with a mischievous air. “But I don’t know if you want to hear it.”
“Girls who tease and don’t get straight to the point get spankings, Melissa.” He shot her a stern glare and enjoyed the sudden blush that stained her cheeks.
“Well, I was thinking. I can buy one of those empty buildings near your office and turn it into an art studio of sorts, for children’s art classes—free classes—and a small gallery to bring in the occasional tourist. You never know, more businesses might spill in too. I mean, if you think it would be good for the town, that is.”
He drove past her parents’ house, intentionally speeding up as they went by. “I think that’s an excellent idea. Genius, even.”
The lights of a passing car illuminated the confusion spreading across her face. He reached for her hand and ignored the question in her eyes.
“Um, do you mind telling me where you’re taking me?” She peered over her shoulder in the direction of her parents’ house.
“Don’t worry, I told your parents I was taking you out on the town tonight, to thank you for organizing the benefit. They won’t expect you home until very late.”
“Out on the town? We’re headed away from the city, John. Do you even know where you’re going?” She mumbled something under her breath about men and directions, but she quieted down after he gave her a warning glance.
“Trust me, Melissa. I know exactly where I’m driving.”
An adorable if-you-say-so expression flitted across her face. He turned onto a dark road and clasped her hand tighter.
“There’s a lake this way,” she said. “After a few miles there’s a dead end, in fact. I have a GPS on my phone, you know. Would you like me to get it out so we don’t end up lost?”
“No, thank you. And if you suggest I stop and ask for directions, the only thing I’ll be doing when I pull over is paddling your naughty behind.”
She fell quiet and stared at the road ahead. His pulse raced and he broke into a sweat, and he tugged at the collar of his shirt and yanked open his bow tie, unfastening several buttons and praying all went as planned this evening. A lighted driveway appeared in the distance, and he resumed fidgeting with his collar. He braced himself for her inquisition and turned down the lane dotted with soft yellow lights spaced evenly apart.
“Where are we? Do you know who lives here?” She asked a dozen more questions, but he tuned them out and parked the truck, immediately stepping out and walking around to her side.
He opened the door and offered his hand. She accepted his help and clutched his jacket around her shoulders. Shivers racked her body and he wished the weather were warmer for what he had devised, but the plans were laid out. No turning back now.
“Follow me, Melissa. Don’t be worried. We have permission to be here.”
“Permission from who?”
Unable to answer without rousing her suspicions, he quietly guided her along a path to the lake. Their footsteps shook the dock slightly and he pulled her close to his side, making sure she didn’t trip in her heels. The stars weren’t as brilliant as in the middle of a rural night in the country, but they would do. Full and bright, the moon shone down and bathed her hair in silver rays. He laced his fingers through hers and urged her to the end of the dock where a blanket and a bottle of champagne on ice awaited.
“Are we having a picnic out here?”
“No, not quite a picnic.” He stopped and gazed down at the woman he admired and loved with his whole heart, vowing to spend the rest of his life making her happy. If only she’d let him.
He fingered the small box in his pocket and sank down on one knee.
“I love you, Melissa, and I don’t want to spend another day apart from you. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” The world ceased spinning as he awaited her answer.
She gasped and covered her mouth when he revealed the box and opened it, extracting her grandmother’s engagement ring, given to him by her mother earlier this morning. She must have recognized the ring, because she stared at it for a second and shot him an accusing look that instantly melted into a smile.
“Yes.” She sank to her knees and threw her arms around his neck. “Yes, John, I’ll marry you. I love you too.” Laughing, she rained kisses all over his face, only stopping when he drew back to place the ring on her finger.
“You make me so happy, Melissa.”
“And you!” She poked at his chest playfully. “You pretended like you were just meeting my parents for the first time this evening.” She held her hand up and her diamond caught the moonlight.
“I’m a good actor, don’t you think?” He placed a quick kiss to her lips. “What do you say we toast our engagement inside?”
“Inside?”
“This is one of your father’s rental properties. It just so happens to be vacant at the moment.” Her father had explained that he had many rental properties that Melissa didn’t pay attention to, and she wouldn’t have any idea where they were headed. “Your mother insisted I use your grandmother’s engagement ring after I told them I needed to go ring shopping before the benefit.”
“Wait a second,” she said as he grabbed the champagne bottle. “So you actually asked my parents for my hand in marriage?”
“Well of course I did. It’s the proper way to do things.”
She directed an incredulous look at him. “But that’s so old-fashioned.”
“Is it?” John suspected Steven had never bothered asking her parents for her hand in marriage, and that’s probably why the jerkoff hadn’t been given a family ring.
“Yes. I’m an adult woman, in case you never noticed.”
“Oh, I’ve noticed all right. I’ve also noticed you’ve got a sassy little mouth on you, young lady, even more so since you’ve been out from under my authority for so long. But don’t worry. We’ll remedy that problem soon enough.” He ushered her into the house and flicked on the lights. It was fully furnished with an open floor plan and expensive artwork adorning the walls, but he wasn’t escorting her inside to gawk at the décor. They stopped in the kitchen and he deposited the champagne on the counter.
“I thought we were going to toast our engagement?”
“We will. Later. I’ve decided I want you completely sober right now, Melissa. It’s been far too long since you’ve had a proper inspection, has it not?” With a hand on her bottom, he walked her upstairs and into the master bedroom.
“John?” She paused and regarded the items that rested on the bedside table, items he’d placed there just after he’d set the blanket and champagne out.
He sat on the bed and reeled her in to stand between his legs. “It’s been a long time since I last examined you, Melissa, and I will be doing a most thorough job of it tonight. Starting with your naughty little bottom hole.”
Eyes wide, she glanced at the bedside table, her face flushed as she stared at the speculum, lubrication, butt plugs, towels, wooden spoon, and box of latex gloves. She started to back away, but he grabbed her hands and forced her to remain in place.
“I bet your pussy is soaking right now, Melissa, and I’d wager your clit is swollen and bright red too.”
*
On her hands and knees atop the bed, Melissa glanced at her dress, panties, bra, and
heels strewn about the floor. She clutched the covers and focused on holding her position. John moved around her and snapped on a pair of blue latex gloves. An air of authority radiated from him, making him seem taller than she remembered.
Pleasure whirled through her, stealing her ability to think clearly. She burned for his touch and closed her eyes, listening to his footsteps as he returned to her. Behind her. She trembled and waited for the beginning of her inspection. A gloved finger soon prodded her bottom hole, and a trickle of cool liquid met with her crevice. He brushed the lube in circles around her most private entrance. Her face heated and the warmth spread down her neck and over her chest, traveling lower to deepen the throbbing of her pussy.
“Your bottom hole is just as tight as I remember it, Melissa.” He placed a hand on the small of her back and pushed his finger into her, working it in with slow thrusts until he was completely submerged. The familiar sensation of fullness left her moaning and her hips undulating. A firm smack to her thigh stilled her movements. “Naughty,” he scolded. “You will stay in position during your inspection, young lady, or I’ll apply the wooden spoon to your bottom hole.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Try me, little girl.”
She didn’t try him, at least not on purpose. He ordered her to clench her bottom hole ten times, as he’d done during her first examination. She made it through the first nine without a problem, but a sudden tight coiling sensation in her center prompted her hips forward as she clenched for the tenth time.
Oh no. She froze and peered over her shoulder. “I-I’m sorry, sir. That was an accident.”
He made a show of shaking his head, standing up, and retrieving the wooden spoon. At first she didn’t understand how he could possibly wield the implement against her bottom hole, and she relaxed a bit, thinking he’d simply whack her cheeks for a spell before resuming her inspection. A drop of moisture rolled down her inner thigh, and her face blazed when he knelt behind her and trailed his finger through her escaping wetness.