by Amity Maree
"Well, young lady? Are you sorry now for doubting my love?"
"Oh Allen, I love you so much," she sobbed. "Thank you for making me realize how foolish I've been behaving." The words were simple, but Allen gave her one more hard swat and then lifted her to sit her on his lap, and his arms went around her in a tight hug. "I love you so much, Allen," she snuggled against him.
"I was afraid you were going to leave me," he admitted. "I was scared, and you kept telling me I hadn't done anything wrong."
"Did I make it hard for you with your alcohol problem?" she suddenly asked, alarmed.
"I had a couple of moments, but I breathed through them, and called Will and talked. He kept telling me that things would be fine. Why didn't you come to me, sweetheart. I swear I wouldn't have been upset with you."
"I was ashamed, and I know how much this campaign means to you. I would never forgive myself if I ruined your chances."
"You were a victim, Mary, just as much as the people Moran stole from. We will deal with him, and we aren't going to let this incident have power over you from this point forward. You were just a kid, Mary. Raised in an orphanage, and sheltered. Moran used you. He is the one who needs to be ashamed, not you. With your permission, I am going to write up a release and give out this information. If anything it will garner sympathy for you, and give out a message that you worked hard against all odds to become an outstanding member of this community. I won't let anyone speak badly of you, sweetheart."
"Are you sure that being open about this is a good idea?"
"I am positive. If the people are so foolish that they can't see the facts for what they are, then I don't want to represent them in the State Senate. You are my priority, Mary."
"How did I ever get so lucky?" she whispered, and then gently kissed him.
"I am the one who is very lucky," he answered, kissing her back.
Mary was surprised when Allen reluctantly pulled away and looked at her. "Now then, we have another matter to discuss, don't we, sweetheart? What in the world were you thinking to even consider going into that neighborhood to confront a blackmailer?"
"I was thinking of protecting you, and of punching that s.o.b. in the nose!" Mary declared with a flash of pure temper.
"The man is looking for revenge, sweetheart. What if he'd pulled a knife or a gun on you and Jenna?" Allen asked quietly. "You risked your life, and you risked Jenna's life, too, and that calls for a serious punishment. I'm going to take my belt to you and welt your backside until it's raw, Mary Alice Parker. You will never ever entertain such a foolish idea again, and if you don't believe me now, you will by the time I am done strapping you." He stood her on her feet and then stood to look down at her, determination in his gray eyes. "Take off your skirt, Mary, and then put your butt over the back of this sofa. I want an easy target, and I don't want to risk having your hands get in the way."
Mary wanted to beg off, but her pride wouldn't permit that. She'd put both herself and Jenna in a serious predicament earlier in the day, and she earned the punishment she was going to receive. Since her panties had been kicked off earlier, the only thing covering her backside was her skirt. She didn't wear a slip with it because the skirt was lined, and it was an easy matter to remove the garment. What was difficult was walking around the sofa and bending over the back. Allen wasn't satisfied with the position, and he easily lifted her off her feet to scoot her forward so that she was off-balance. She had to keep her hands on the seat to prevent herself from pitching forward. "This is so awkward, Allen! Couldn't we please go upstairs and use the bed?" she suggested.
"No. I want a nice target. This is one punishment you will not forget for a very long time, Mrs. Parker. There were five men in that group. Five. What do you think they would have done to you and Jenna if those police officers hadn't arrived when they did? They didn't just want your handbags, Mary. They wanted to hurt you and Jenna... and you are never to put yourself in that position again. Spread your legs farther apart, and keep them apart. This strapping is going to last a good long time, and I guarantee you will think the next time you are tempted to do something so foolish."
Chapter Eight
Jenna pulled her car into the garage beside Will's. She wasn't looking forward to having to endure the scolding he was sure to deliver. In retrospect, she never should have agreed to go with Mary to that part of town to confront her blackmailer. No, she should have refused and found a way to stop her friend from going, too. They were so lucky the police came along when they did, and Jenna was sure that Will was going to deliver a scolding that would leave her ears burning... even though she already felt very foolish. She took a deep breath and got out of her car, picking up her handbag and her briefcase. She was going to apologize and admit her foolishness, and simply ask her husband to hold her and make her feel safe. She needed to feel his arms around her.
"Jenna Suzanne Fields Cole," Will started scolding once they were inside the door, "you can just march yourself right on into my office! We are going to have one serious discussion."
"Will, stop, please," she said as she sat down her handbag and briefcase on the kitchen table. "I don't think I can handle a scolding right now. I know how foolish we were, and I am still shaking inside. I need to be held, darling. I need to feel safe. Please?"
Will was surprised to see his pretty little wife's blue eyes were full of tears. He opened his arms immediately, and she came to him, resting her head on his chest and giving in to the tears she'd been holding back for the last few hours. His anger and outrage that she put her life in danger dissipated immediately and he simply held her close and let her cry. She'd had a very bad scare and he was pretty sure she'd learned her lesson. "Come on, honey. Let's get you in a nice warm tub and see if we can't calm you down." He led her upstairs and while she was undressing he went to fill the tub. He added lavender to the water, knowing that Jenna found it relaxing and calming after a tough day.
"I have your bath ready, honey. Take your time and soak," he suggested. She came close and hugged him again, and then dropped her robe and climbed into the jetted tub.
Jenna found the water relaxing and she closed her eyes to simply enjoy the sensations as the warm water gently swirled around her. She was safe now. Truly safe. And her husband had every right to be upset with her. Will returned to the bathroom a while later, bringing her a glass of wine.
"I thought this might help you to relax a bit, honey."
"Thank you, Will," she said with a grateful smile. "I am doing much better now," she admitted. "I wanted to help Mary so badly that I let that cloud my good judgment. She would have gone alone... She loves Allen so much, and didn't want him to suffer because of her."
"He thought she was planning to leave him."
"No, she would never do that, darling. She wanted to protect him from her past."
"Did you really advise her to go to Allen and tell him the truth?" Will asked, his voice deep and solemn.
"Yes. She needed his support. He is the only one who could tell her what she needed to hear; that what happened when she was a young girl was not her fault, and the shame belonged to the man who used her." She looked at Will. "How do you think Allen will handle the situation?"
"He'll file a complaint with the police, have Moran brought in on blackmail charges, and go public with the incident. He is proud of his wife and he'll make sure the world knows that."
"Allen is a good man," Jenna acknowledged, and then she said, "I need to get out of here before I turned into a prune." If she was surprised when Will offered her a hand to help her rise, she didn't let on. He took a large fluffy white towel and wrapped it around her slender body and then kissed her neck behind her ear. "I'm so glad you aren't mad at me, darling," Jenna murmured.
"I'm not in a rage, young lady, but I am still very angry that you risked your life today. You've earned yourself a damn good spanking," he announced.
"Must you, Will?" she pouted.
"Yes, I must. I want you to recall how frighte
ned you were every time you sit down for the next few days. I want you to remember you have a husband who would be devastated if you were hurt or killed."
"Oh Will!" she protested. "I don't need a spanking to know all of that!"
"I disagree, and the only choice that remains is whether you want to get your spanking over with right now or if you want to wait until bedtime. I guarantee I am not going to change my mind about this, Jenna, and if you continue to fuss at me all evening, the spanking will be even longer than planned."
"Will...! I managed just fine for a lot of years without being spanked!" She felt compelled to point out.
"It wasn't that you didn't earn spankings, Jenna... It was that we hadn't met yet, or I can guarantee there were plenty of times you would have found sitting painful." He saw her frown and said quietly, "What is it to be, Mrs. Cole? Getting it over with now and then having a pleasant evening? Or dreading it all evening and probably earning a more serious spanking for pouting?"
"Neither!" she answered petulantly. "I've been punished enough already," she stated.
"If you truly think that..."
"I do!"
"...Then you need a spanking now and another one at bedtime...?" he informed her.
Jenna couldn't believe it when he took her hand and pulled her out into the bedroom and over to their bed. Will sat down and pulled her over his left thigh and the bed. His hand fell on her upper thigh, right below the towel wrapped around her and Jenna couldn't keep from kicking! Her skin was even more tender than normal due to her long soak in the tub. Will spanked the same spot again and she squealed. "Not there, Will! It hurts!"
"Not nearly as much as what those gang members were planning to do." He spanked her other thigh twice, and then said, "This is just in the way, Jenna." Will pulled the towel loose and dropped it on the floor. "I'm going to spank you soundly, Jenna, and when we go to bed, I'm going to take off my belt and give you a strapping on your sore backside. You will think the next time you are tempted to do something so damnably foolish."
"I'm sorry, Will!" The words were a plea for him to listen to her, but the Judge had already pronounced sentence and he fully intended to make sure the sentence was carried out immediately. Jenna kicked and cried, and she tried to reach back, but the position he had her in kept her from being able to reach her bottom. When he tired of her kicking, he pinned her calves underneath his right leg, and continued to scorch her tender backside. She thought he would never stop!
"Please, Will! No more!" she cried out. "It hurts so much already!" Her butt felt as though he'd set fire to it, and each spank that landed fell on skin that was already hot and burning painfully. "I'm sorry! I'm SORRY! I won't do it again... ever!" she shrieked.
"No, you are never going to do this again...!" Will continued to spank until she was limp with exhaustion and too tired to struggle. "When I send you up here tonight, Jenna, you will prepare for a strapping. I expect you to take the pillows and pile them high on the bed so that you can kneel over them and present your sore butt for a strapping that will be extremely long and painful. I expect you to be lying in position, with a belt lying beside you on the bed. You will keep your hands clasped together in front of you, spread your legs wide, and when I come to you, you will ask me to give you the punishment you have earned with your thoughtless, reckless behavior. Is that clear, wife?" he demanded, his voice sounding as formal as it did in the courtroom when he passed sentence.
Jenna was in too much pain to consider protesting. "Yes, Will," she answered.
He gave her another hard spank and added, "I do not want to hear one single word from you trying to talk me out of this punishment, Jenna. You will get a minimum of fifty strokes, and if you ignore this warning, I will automatically increase the number to one hundred minimum. The minimum will increase if you do not obey me exactly and remain in place and accept your strapping. Your punishment would be over with by now if you hadn't argued with me in the first place. Do you think you can get up now, put on some clothes, and behave yourself this evening?"
Jenna promised she would, her stomach full of dread for what was yet to come. How could Will be so sweet and tender one minute and so firm and harsh in the next? He helped her rise, but there was no hug of forgiveness yet. As far as Will was concerned, she was in the middle of a punishment, and he wouldn't offer forgiveness and comfort until he was finished meting out justice with a belt on her already sore bottom.
She was positive she couldn't stand much of anything covering her flaming backside, so Jenna settled for a lightweight robe and tied the sash around her waist before sliding her feet into a pair of slippers and following Will downstairs. She smelled something cooking in the kitchen and was surprised to realize that Will had dinner nearly done already.
Her eyes filled with tears when he matter-of-factly removed the cushion from her seat. He was determined to see her completely miserable. "I'm too sick at my stomach to eat, Will," she informed him. "Even the smell is making me nauseous."
"Fibbing to me is not a good idea, Mrs. Cole," he stated. "Besides, you drank that wine and you need some food in your stomach. Sit down right now." There was no compromise in his tone of voice.
Thankfully, the telephone rang and Will said, "I need to take this in my office, Jenna. Will you take dinner from the oven so it doesn't burn?"
He left the kitchen and she hastened to obey him. The casserole he put together looked delicious. She took out plates and silverware, and then put lettuce on a salad plate for each of them, sliced a tomato to go with it, and whipped up a vinaigrette to pour over the top. Jenna refilled their wine glasses, hoping the wine would dull her senses before she was forced to sit down to eat. She decided to heat two dinner rolls and was taking them out of the microwave when Will returned to the kitchen. If he was upset that she still wasn't seated on her chair, he didn't let on. He put generous servings of the casserole on two plates and carried them to the table. He gave Jenna a look as she put the rolls on the table and she swallowed hard as she gingerly sat down.
In typical Will fashion he ignored her gasp of pain and her discomfort as he started eating. "They reached a plea bargain in the Bennington Case. My schedule has suddenly opened up until something else is rescheduled. Would you like to take a couple of days and go and visit Katy and Craig?" he asked.
"I think I could manage some time off... But what about Allen and Mary? They might need us, Will."
"We have the rest of the week to help them get this resolved, honey; Katy and Craig will be working until Friday evening, and I still need to call and see if they are free this weekend. They might already have plans."
"Or, you could invite them to come here...?" she suggested.
"I thought we could leave early on Thursday, and do some stopping along the way, maybe take in a show or something Thursday night? Spend some fun time together."
He noticed she seemed less than enthusiastic. "What is it, Jenna? Do you have a case pending that you need to be here to work on?"
"No, nothing that can't be postponed or handled by someone else."
"You don't seem very enthusiastic," he commented. When she said nothing, he asked, "Are you going to tell me what's wrong?"
"It depends."
"On what?" He was clearly exasperated.
"When was the last time you tried sitting on a long car trip after you were punished, William Cole?" she asked with a flash of temper.
"Life goes on as normal after a punishment, Jenna. You don't get to stay home and sulk because you earned a sound spanking. One has nothing to do with the other. If you have work, then that is another story, but I won't permit you to ruin plans because your butt is sore."
"Then I have five fucking major cases I am working on as of tomorrow, William Cole. You may feel free to go and visit your daughter if you wish. In fact, it would be a very good idea because I will be at the office at least sixteen hours a day for the next two weeks, buster! Maybe longer..." She got up and stomped out of the kitchen. She went upstairs
and changed into her gardening clothes and left the house through the front door. Working in her flower beds calmed her. She would work until it was too dark to see, and Will could sit by himself in that big house and just leave her alone.
Will chose not to do that, of course. She saw him come outside a few minutes later and she watched out of the corner of her eye as he walked over to one of the trees and cut off three of the branches. To her horrified fascination, Will used his knife to cut off all the leaves, and then he started stripping the bark from each branch. With slowly dawning comprehension she realized he was preparing switches to use on her backside! Surely, he wouldn't!
When Will was finished, he swished the three switches through the air before walking over to stand beside where she knelt. "You have two options, Mrs. Cole. The first is to walk inside the house and into the kitchen and drop your shorts and lean over the table for a switching. The second is to argue and refuse to go inside, which will earn you the same switching right here and now." When she looked at him in horror he said, "You have thirty seconds to decide whether you want to risk the neighbors looking over the fence and seeing you with your shorts around your ankles getting your backside striped."
"Will...! Nooooo... You said bedtime!" she reminded him.
"No need to worry, Jenna. You are still going to get a strapping; this switching is for the disrespect you just gave me."
"Disrespect!" Jenna repeated. "What about the callous way you are telling me that it doesn't matter to you how sore I am? You are so pompous at times, William Cole. I guarantee I am not going anywhere with you if you strap me for something I have already been sufficiently punished for! And if my physical well-being is of no concern to you that you would insist on a long drive while I am so sore, then you are being a hypocrite to even think you have a right to punish me for something that didn't happen! You say you can't bear the thought of anything happening to me, well, prove it then! Shove your fucking switches and your fucking belt! Or go alone to see your daughter! You can't have it all your way, Buster!"