Reining in Riley

by Claire Britain

  “Joanna, I have Riley’s file in front of me; maybe I should come over and clear this up. I freed up my schedule this afternoon. Are you at home or at the office?”

  “Yes, I think that’s a good idea, I’m at the house. Okay, I’ll see you in fifteen minutes,” Joanna said dryly, hanging up the phone.

  “Tell me she didn’t do what I think she did,” Helen asked slowly.

  “Well, we will soon find out, Ellen’s on her way over. I’m going to call Rae,” Joanna replied.

  * * *

  Riley woke up from her sleep, pulled on a pair of sweats, and opened the bedroom door. She heard voices coming from behind the closed office door, and then she suddenly recognized one of them. “Fuck, Dr. Morgan,” Riley whispered as she bee-lined back to the bedroom for her tennis shoes. Then headed for the front door.

  “Oh, no, you don’t, miss, you are in a heap of trouble!” Kate said, grasping the back of Riley’s sweatshirt and steering her into the office. “Look who I found trying to make a getaway out the front door.” She deposited a red-faced Riley in front of the four women.

  Riley looked down at the desk and saw the two notes sitting next to each other: a copy of the one Dr. Morgan had written and the one she had plagiarized. She could feel the piercing glares coming her direction.

  “Riley, obviously we’re disappointed about this, but we’re not going to deal with it until we know what’s going on with you this afternoon. You forged the note, yes?” Rae asked surprisingly calmly.

  “Yes, I’m sorry, Rae. It was a dumb impulse. I’m sorry, Dr. Morgan, Helen, Joanna, Kate, I wasn’t thinking.”

  “Oh, this is perfect,” Kate laughed, not buying Riley’s remorse. “If Riley doesn’t get her head injury fixed this afternoon, she’s going to have a tail injury inflicted instead. You gotta love the irony in that,” she said, leaving the office and Riley to her fate.

  Dr. Morgan’s phone rang and the four women looked at her expectantly as she answered it.

  “No, that’s good news, Jeff, thank you.” She hung up the phone. “Riley, Dr. Mansfield and the radiologist don’t feel there’s an immediate need to do the procedure. They didn’t see fluid and the swelling has gone down so I think we’ll reevaluate it in a week. Now as far as this little stunt you pulled, well, I think you ladies know exactly what I would prescribe for that. I’ll leave the administration and dosage up to you!”

  Joanna got up and opened the desk drawer, removing the familiar wooden paddle as Riley looked on, ashamed.

  “Go and wait for me in your room, Riley,” Joanna directed.

  Riley didn’t say a word; she just left the office obediently.

  Dr. Morgan got up and put a few things back into her briefcase. “I’ll see you ladies in a week unless anything changes with Riley. Oh, and by the way, Joanna, I haven’t seen you professionally in eighteen months and Helen, unless you’ve seen someone in New York it’s been over two years for you, so I suggest you make appointments!”

  Helen and Joanna looked at each other, then back at Doctor Morgan. “Yes, ma’am!” they said in unison.

  * * *

  “Are you going to stay in here and pout for the rest of day?” Tracy asked as she sat down on Riley’s bed a few hours later.

  Riley was lying face down on the bed in her nightshirt hugging her pillow, her eyes still red and swollen.

  “Yes, I am,” Riley said sullenly. “Joanna did a number on my backside.”

  “Ooh, that’s gonna hurt for a while!” Tracy proclaimed as she lifted the hem of Riley’s nightshirt slightly to reveal the edge of her crimson behind. “Well, what did you expect, Riley? Are you going to lie there and tell me you didn’t deserve that? Why do you constantly have to go out of your way to do exactly what you’re not supposed to? Forging doctor’s notes now? You know the only reason you probably still have a job is because Joanna cares about you so much.”

  “Are you going to lecture me too? I got enough of that while Joanna was blistering my behind and if she cares so much, why did she do this to me?”

  “Because she loves you, you dummy!” Tracy replied, shaking her head. “C’mon, I brought over your favorite for dinner.”

  “Lasagna?” Riley asked, looking at Tracy with a small smile.

  Tracy smiled and nodded her head.

  “Is everyone mad at me? I don’t want to go out there.”

  “Riley, they were disappointed; heck, I was mad as hell when Rae told me what you did! The point is Joanna dealt with you so it’s hoped you won’t pull a stupid stunt like that again. Come have dinner, everyone wants to see you and it’s really good news you didn’t have to have surgery today, yes?” Tracy coaxed.

  “I suppose you’re right,” Riley agreed.

  Kate poked her head around the door. “Riley, c’mon, Tracy brought lasagna and Jo opened a couple of bottles of the good red; she said you could have a glass. We want to talk about Christmas!”

  Riley almost forgot about her smarting behind as she sat at Joanna’s elegant dinner table surrounded by her friends. She didn’t know why but she felt more of a connection to Joanna than she had ever felt and she couldn’t keep her eyes off her. Joanna smiled back at her fondly and filled up her wineglass.

  “No headache, right? Just be careful not to take your pain meds with the wine, okay?” Joanna admonished with a smile.

  “No, I’m good; well, my head is anyway!” Riley answered as she squirmed a little in her chair.

  Joanna stuck her bottom lip out in an exaggerated pout and gave Riley a wink, making her blush and smile and the other women laugh. Something had changed with Riley and she was determined to do everything Dr. Morgan said and get well. She wanted to please her friends and she smiled as Rae gave her a reassuring wink.

  “So what’s the count for Christmas? I need to know how big of a prime rib to get,” Tracy asked.

  “Well, let’s see, the six of us, mom and dad. Riley, are you going to invite your mother?” Joanna asked.

  “Do I have to?”

  “Oh, Riley, she may not come but you should at least ask her. She’s been very sweet and worried about you,” Rae replied.

  “Fine,” Riley pouted. “Guess I’m going to have a crappy day!”

  “Miss, you need to change your attitude and be a saint this next week, because right now you are definitely on the naughty list!” Rae chastised.

  Riley rolled her eyes while the other women laughed.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Riley was a saint the following week. She did everything she was supposed to and Dr. Morgan was impressed with her progress when she saw her.

  “You’re doing very well, Riley, reflexes are better. I still don’t want you driving yet but you are getting around just fine. Did you manage to stay out of trouble this week?”

  Riley blushed. “Yes.”

  “Good, get dressed. I’ll meet you back in the office and you can tell Joanna the good news.”

  After Dr. Morgan had filled her in on Riley’s progress, Joanna grinned. “Thanks, Ellen, that’s great news! Why don’t you and Megan come by for a drink tonight if you don’t have plans? Dad and mom will be in this afternoon, they would love to see you. Riley and her friend Tracy are making delicious appetizers!”

  “Yes, that sounds lovely, we don’t have any plans, if you’re sure we won’t be intruding; I mean it is Christmas Eve,” Dr. Morgan replied.

  “Nonsense, we would love to have you. It’s settled then, see you around six,” Joanna said.

  * * *

  “You, young lady, gave us quite a scare!” Derrick Armstrong stated as he greeted Riley with a warm hug when he arrived at Joanna’s house. “Riley, this is my wife Elizabeth.”

  “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Armstrong,” Riley said, extending a hand to Joanna’s mother.

  “Oh, my poor child, come here, you have been through quite an ordeal!” Elizabeth Armstrong said, embracing Riley in a hug. “And call me Liz, I insist!”

  Riley smiled. Elizabeth Armstrong w
as about the same height as Joanna with shoulder-length ash blond straight hair and green eyes. Her bubbly, almost over the top personality made Riley like her instantly and she could tell that Kate adored her as well.

  Joanna just rolled her eyes and smiled as she hugged her mother. “Hi, mom.”

  “Hello, darling, I’ve missed you so much. Your dad told me Thanksgiving was wonderful, I’m sorry I missed it. And your place looks great; did you finally hire a designer?”

  “No, it was all Riley. She can cook too; wait till you try some of her appetizers!” Joanna said proudly as Riley and Kate made busy in the kitchen.

  “Yes, your father told me how charming she is. Is she doing okay?” Elizabeth Armstrong asked, concerned.

  “Well, we still don’t know about the head injury. She has issues with her memory but I think she’s getting better day by day,” Joanna replied, glancing toward the kitchen.

  “And I can see you are quite smitten with her!” Elizabeth said with a big smile.

  “Mom!” Joanna protested.

  “Okay, pour me glass of wine, darling. I’m going to see if I can help the girls in the kitchen!”

  Riley enjoyed the evening immensely and everyone loved her appetizers. Ellen Morgan appeared to be talking shop with Derrick Armstrong, which Riley suspected was about her.

  “I think you’re the topic of conversation over there, Riley?” Megan, Ellen Morgan’s girlfriend said playfully.

  “Yeah, you’re probably right, hope she doesn’t tell him about the note,” Riley cringed.

  “Yes, I heard about that. You must be crazy trying to put something like that past Joanna and Ellen!” Megan stated as she filled wineglasses for Kate and Riley as well as herself.

  Megan looked an unlikely match for Ellen Morgan. She was a surfer type, Riley guessed in her mid to late thirties, with tattooed arms and messy short brown hair. She was probably the most underdressed of the group with ripped jeans, a tan surfer t-shirt, and a pair of heather green canvas vans with no socks.

  “These apps are great, aren’t they?” Ellen Morgan said, joining the three women.

  “Mmm, they are, you want some more wine?” Megan replied to her girlfriend with a grin on her face.

  “No, thanks, and we should think about going soon, Riley, come talk to me for a minute.” Ellen said, motioning for Riley to follow her.

  “Ooh, someone in trouble?” Megan asked, getting no reply.

  Ellen Morgan took Riley to the other side of the great room and gave her inquisitive girlfriend a dismissing look.

  Dr. Morgan smiled, putting her hands on Riley’s shoulders. “You, young lady, are remarkable, but I still want you to take things slow, okay? If anything changes, I mean anything unusual with your head, I need to know immediately. My office is closed next week but you call my cell directly, okay?”

  “Okay, thank you, Dr. Morgan. Sorry again about the note. I just wanted to get back to work,” Riley replied sheepishly.

  “I know, but be patient and take it a day at a time, okay? Merry Christmas, Riley!” she said, giving Riley a warm hug.

  “Merry Christmas, Dr. Morgan.”

  * * *

  Riley woke up early on Christmas morning. She stared out of the living room window watching the dawn creeping over the ocean.

  “I thought I heard you, you’re up early,” Joanna said with a yawn as she appeared in the living room in a white robe.

  “I’m sorry, did I wake you?” Riley asked, concerned. “I was trying to be quiet.”

  “No, I was awake. Merry Christmas, Riley!”

  “Merry Christmas. Is it okay if I go for a walk?” Riley asked.

  “Hmm, is it okay if I come with you? How about we drive down to the ocean and walk along the beach? Only if you want some company.”

  “Yes, that would be nice. I’ll throw on some sweats,” Riley replied with a smile.

  The beach was almost deserted except for a couple of early runners and some seagulls squabbling over scraps as the two women walked down the beach path.

  “Riley, don’t overdo it, you let me know when you’re tired, okay?” Joanna admonished.

  “I will. It feels great out here!” Riley said, looking out at the ocean. “I can’t wait till I can run again.” She paused. “Joanna?”

  “Yes, Riley?”

  Riley looked up into Joanna’s green eyes. “Thank you for taking care of me. It’s been really nice staying with you and having you and Kate and Helen around. Sorry I was such a butthead at times.”

  “Riley, it’s been lovely having you. I like taking care of you and I’m just happy you’re doing so well. I was so scared, we all were. I don’t know what I would have done if…” Joanna trailed off with glassy eyes.

  Riley instinctively put a comforting arm around Joanna’s waist and leaned her head into her shoulder. Joanna put her arm around Riley’s shoulder as they continued down the beach.

  “Riley I, um, I want to ask you something. I won’t be offended if it’s not something you want, so just be honest,” Joanna stated a little awkwardly.

  Riley looked up expectantly, nodding her head.

  “When you’re better and go back to your apartment, well, I was wondering if you would like to have dinner with me?” Joanna asked.

  A huge smile spread in slow motion across Riley’s face and butterflies danced in her stomach. “Like as in a date?”

  “Yes, Riley, as in a date,” Joanna smiled back, seeing the elated look on Riley’s face. “You must know I’ve become quite attached to you.”

  “I would like that very much,” Riley beamed, giddy with excitement and becoming a little unstable on her feet.

  “Whoa, I think we need to get you back!” Joanna grinned.

  Riley held Joanna tightly as they walked back to the car. She felt like she was in a fairytale and she didn’t want it to end.

  Back in the car, Riley looked over at Joanna seriously. “Is this real? I mean…”

  Joanna put a silencing finger against Riley’s lips. She held her chin and looked longingly into her hazel eyes. Riley’s heart pounded in her chest as Joanna leaned toward her and took Riley’s mouth with hers, gently sucking and nipping her soft lips in a passionate kiss. Riley could hear the distant waves crash on the beach as Joanna released her lips and locked her eyes with Riley’s once again. “Riley, I am falling in love with you; you are all I think about.”

  “And you are all I think about,” Riley smiled, leaning over and taking Joanna’s soft lips in hers. Joanna gently grasped a handful of Riley’s hair and kissed her back with more intensity. Their tongues found their way inside one another’s lips, and Riley nipped seductively on Joanna’s lower lip.

  “Let’s go to my place,” Riley whispered in between hot breaths. “I want to kiss every inch of you.”

  “God, delicious as that sounds Riley, we need to get back. In a couple of hours we will have a house full of people. We will have plenty of time for that later,” Joanna said with a grin.

  “Guess I’ll go take a shower, a cold one!” Riley said with a deliberate pout when they got back to Joanna’s.

  Joanna slapped her playfully on the behind. “Oh, and Riley, just because we start dating, don’t think for one minute that the spankings are going away!” she said with a grin.

  “Oh, I’m counting on that Joanna!” Riley replied with her own grin. “Come take a shower with me? Please?” Riley asked as she reached out and pulled Joanna toward the bedroom.

  Joanna couldn’t resist. “Okay, but just a shower! Let’s go to mine; it’s bigger and it has dual heads.” Joanna closed the bedroom door behind her and turned on the elegant faucets in her glass block shower. She instinctively started to undress Riley but Riley stopped her when she was in her underwear and bra. Riley and Joanna locked eyes as Riley slid the zipper down on Joanna’s hoodie and pushed it off of her shoulders. She grasped the bottom of her tight t-shirt and pulled it over Joanna’s head as she held up her arms obligingly.

  Riley adm
ired Joanna’s toned slender waist and ample pert breasts through her black lace bra. She hooked her fingers into Joanna’s yoga pants and pulled them down to her knees, exposing her black lace underwear. Riley pushed Joanna down on the bed and peeled off her pants the rest of the way while still staring into Joanna’s green eyes.

  Riley wanted her and Joanna could see the lust in her eyes as Riley straddled her lap with her knees and took Joanna’s mouth in a long quenching kiss as she easily flicked open the clasp of her bra and dropped it to the floor.

  “Ahh…” Joanna moaned. “Riley, I said just a shower.”

  “Uh huh,” Riley responded, pushing her down on the bed and kissing her passionately before taking her pert breast in her mouth, circling and teasing first one then the other now erect nipple with her tongue.

  Joanna reached around Riley’s back and undid her bra, letting it fall forward on top of her, then she grasped Riley hair and guided her head back up to kiss her.

  Joanna could feel her heart beating faster in her chest. Riley’s breasts were rubbing against hers, igniting a fire between her long legs. Riley guided Joanna up onto the pillow and kissed her neck slowly, biting gently as she made her way down Joanna’s stomach. She hooked her fingers into Joanna’s lacy underwear, pulling them down and off, exposing her cleanly shaven pussy.

  Riley admired Joanna’s body hungrily. She dipped a finger down into her sopping entrance, making Joanna moan as she entered her with first one then two fingers while her thumb teased her throbbing clit. Joanna could feel the dampness of Riley’s own arousal through her underwear as she ground on her thigh. Joanna was writhing with pleasure as again Riley sucked and teased her nipples with her mouth while her finger worked inside her. Riley could feel Joanna was close so she licked and kissed a trail down to her throbbing bud and took it in her mouth, sucking and flicking it with her tongue until Joanna’s body erupted in a wave of pleasure as her orgasm shook her.