The Demure Bride

by Joannie Kay

  "I am a grown woman and I can ride anywhere I please, and I do not need anyone's permission to do so."

  "I take orders from your Pa, Miss Mandy, and if he tells me not to let you ride out alone, then you won't get past me... no matter how much it upsets the both of us." Whitey made his feelings absolutely clear so his boss' daughter would know she couldn't wheedle her way past him. He owed Matt Chambers his life, and he would do his very best to keep his daughter safe.

  "I think you are just as bad as Papa and Rob!" Amanda flounced around him and stomped toward the house.

  "The Boss is gonna tan her hide again if she don't settle down some."

  "Miss Amanda will not be sitting a saddle any time soon," Rob told the other man, and he made his words perfectly clear by the way he held his hand. He handed Whitey his reins and headed for the house, his long strides easily keep up with her as she marched toward the back door that went in through the kitchen.

  The first thing that Amanda noticed was that the kitchen was empty. Goldie was nowhere to be seen, and the kitchen was immaculate, proving that nothing was either on the stove or in the oven. She briefly wondered what her father had found to eat for breakfast, feeling a bit guilty that she hadn't offered to cook for him. Determined to appear busy and have an excuse to ignore Rob, Amanda put on some coffee. "I am home and safe now; you may leave."

  "I am sure you would like for me to leave, but we have unfinished business between us, and that unfinished business has grown into a lesson you will not soon forget. I will give you one chance to make it easier on yourself, Mandy. Come over here and bend over the table and take down those pants. You will get a sound spanking for running off and for riding like a wild Indian. You will still get the promised strapping for refusing to obey me and stay in this house." He watched her eyes narrow and he could tell she was planning her escape. "If you run again, Mandy, I will chase you down and I will take my belt to you wherever I catch you, and no matter who is watching."

  "You are being ridiculous!" she scolded. "I haven't done one thing to deserve a spanking, and of course I ran! You would run, too, if you were being treated unfairly!"

  "You need a serious lesson, young lady," Rob said slowly, his voice deep. "I don't believe you have a clue how dangerous this situation is, but by the time I am through with you, you will give your promise to stay inside this house until you are told otherwise. Are you going to cooperate?" he asked.

  "Rob, do you know how ridiculous you sound right now? I simply exercised my right to say what I please and make my own decisions about where I go and when. Yes, I was accosted by that horrible man, and he did threaten me, but I was able to get away from him."

  "Only because my men came to your rescue."

  "I would have handled it without their help if necessary," Amanda said with a lot more confidence than she felt. Amanda needed to be firm with Rob in order to convince him she did not need a strapping. "I am not helpless."

  "You are tiny, and against a man like Sir Gregory Flockton you would not stand a chance, and you need to realize that. He would inflict so much pain on you that you would beg him to let you do anything to stop the torment. He is one sick bastard." Rob was through talking. He took Amanda's arm and easily pulled her over to the kitchen table and pushed her down.

  "No, Rob! I do not deserve a spanking!" she cried out, struggling to get free.

  "Wrong. You deserve several spankings, and you will have each one, Amanda. You need to admit that you were wrong, and this spanking will not stop until you do."

  Amanda quickly realized that Rob was very serious as his hand fell repeatedly on the seat of her pants. The spanks were stinging and hard and it did not take long for him to set a fire inside her pants that was making her squirm in pain. "Please stop, Rob! Please...!"

  "Are you ready to admit you have earned a good strapping?" Rob asked of her.

  "But, I don't feel that I do! I simply told you that I wouldn't be confined to this house! You and Papa need to realize that I am an adult and I have the right to make my own choices."

  "Not when it comes to your safety, and especially if you will not be reasonable," Rob told her and continued spanking, making sure he spanked even harder on her sit spots.

  "Not there, Rob! Not there! It hurts so much!" she complained, wriggling as much as possible to evade the stinging spanks. It did her no good, however. Rob seemed to anticipate which way she would move, and he spanked until Amanda was sobbing and begging him to stop.

  Rob's hand was on fire by the time he stopped spanking and pulled her to her feet so he could look into her tear-filled green eyes. "Are you ready to be serious about this situation?" he asked.

  "Yes!" Amanda sobbed her reply.

  "Take down your jeans," he shocked her by stating.

  "What? I can't do that, Rob! It would be too embarrassing."

  "That is the whole point. I want you to show me that you understand I am serious about your staying inside this house, and the way you will do that is to submit to the strapping you earned."

  Amanda cried even harder at the prospect of another punishment, but she knew that if she didn't cooperate, Rob would continue to spank her sore bottom until she did as he said. Her trembling hands fumbled with the buttons, and eventually she managed to push the tight pants down over her throbbing backside.

  "Farther," Rob ordered when she stopped, trying to keep her sit spots and upper thighs covered.

  Reluctantly, Amanda pushed the pants down to the tops of her boots. Now the only thing protecting her delicate skin was her thin, cotton drawers. She was wearing the oldest pair she owned, and they were simple. There was no lace or ribbon to make them pretty, and while they were adequate to wear under a riding skirt or a pair of jeans, she was ashamed to have Rob see them. They were plain as could be, thin from so many launderings, and would provide no protection whatsoever from his leather belt.

  Rob once again removed his belt and Amanda took a couple steps backward while he was doubling the leather and making sure that the buckle end was safely out of the way. He wanted to punish Mandy, not harm her. "Why are you backing away, little girl? I have warned you what would happen if you run from me again."

  "Rob, I am already in so much pain I don't think I can handle a strapping. Besides, I am terrified. All I can think of is how Ted Fox beat me," she whispered, her eyes wide and full of fear. "I don't want you to use a belt on me," she begged. "Please don't! I will do as you say and stay in the house, but please don't beat me, Rob!"

  Rob could see that she was shaking and he silently cursed himself for being such a fool. He understood now why Amanda ran from him; she was terrified that he would whip her like Ted Fox did, and put her in her bed, unable to move without pain for days. He dropped the belt on the floor and opened his arms. Amanda came to him immediately, sobbing as he held her close. Her body was shaking and he pulled out a chair, sat down, and held her on his lap until she quieted and he knew she could hear him. "I am sorry I frightened you so much, my dear. I should have realized that my belt would bring up memories best forgotten. I will never take off my belt again to use it as a punishment; you have my word on this."

  "I know in my heart that you aren't like him," Amanda said as she snuggled closer. "The fear made me run from you," she explained. "I was trying to be brave, but all I could think of was how he beat me... You aren't like that, and I am so sorry I..."

  "Shhhh." He stopped her. "There is no need for you to apologize for feelings you have. The belt was a poor choice, and I am the one who begs your forgiveness for deciding to use it to spank you. There are plenty of things that can be used to make a good point on your bottom."

  "You aren't still planning to spank me again...?" She raised her head to look at him in disbelief. "Rob, noooooo!" she wailed when she looked into his dark eyes. They were filled with regret, but also with determination to follow through on what he promised.

  "Amanda, I know you well. You gave your promise to stay inside this house because you were afrai
d of my belt. A promise given from fear will not hold up... and I have yet to change your mind. You are going to get the serious spanking I promised you, and I will brook no argument. Take off your boots and those horrid pants so you do not trip, and find a wooden spoon or a piece of kindling that can be used as a paddle. I do not want any arguments or protests. This spanking is going to happen and your cooperation will determine how long and how hard you are spanked." He gave her bottom a pat, but it was hard enough to make her jump.

  Amanda felt tears well up in her eyes once more. Rob was still going to spank her, but at least he wasn't going to use his belt. She should be grateful for that much, but her poor butt was throbbing and burning already. The thought of further punishment made her cringe. The only thing she could do to make it easier on herself was to cooperate, and do as Rob said... even if it went against the grain. And that was the crux of the situation, she realized as she tugged off her boots. The blow to her pride was worse than the pain to her bottom. It was embarrassing and humiliating to be told to take down her jeans, and now he was asking her to remove them completely so she could walk around the large kitchen, searching for something he could use to spank her! It was a terrible punishment! And, of all the times for her Papa and Goldie to be gone from the ranch! There wasn't even a hand close by she could appeal to for help! Whitey would probably offer to help Rob! Was she really being stubborn by insisting she was old enough to make her own decision?

  "You are stalling and taking your sweet time, my dear, and I am almost ready to start adding extras."

  "I am not stalling. It is hard to get these boots off!" she argued, tugging. "They got wet and now they are too tight. I hoped they would give if I wore them, but I will need new ones," she complained. To her dismay, Rob stood, holding her in his arms. He then plopped her on the wooden seat of the chair with no concern for her poor bottom! In seconds he had her boots on the floor, and her pants on top of them! He took her arm, pulled her to her feet and gave her a meaningful look. "Okay, I will find something, but don't expect me to get something that is going to hurt a lot! I am already hurting something awful, Robert Thorne!" she told him, pouting for all she was worth.

  Rob wanted to smile at the picture she made as she slowly walked over to the cabinet where Goldie kept her cooking utensils, but he refrained. This matter was serious and he had to impress upon her that this was a time for obedience. She could prove herself independent after he dealt with Sir Gregory Flockton. The man was truly evil, and his son had been just like him. A friend of his sister's, an innocent young girl, was visiting... and Phillip lured her away from the house and raped her... after beating her viciously. Rob came upon them, heard Jill's screams, and pulled Phillip off of her. Phillip reached for the gun he always carried, and Rob fought with him for control of the weapon. The gun went off, and Phillip was dead. Jill refused to speak to anyone, and she remained in her room, staring into space most of the time. Her physical wounds healed, but the wounds in her mind kept her a prisoner in her bedroom. Sir Gregory Flockton did his best to have Rob arrested and tried for murder, but the inquest proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Rob was defending himself. A couple of young maids who used to work at the estate of the Flocktons came forward and told of the abuse they suffered at the hands of father and son. Sir Gregory Flockton vowed revenge on Rob, but went away for a while, determined to let the talk die down. It was reported that the ship he was traveling on was lost at sea, and Sir Gregory was drowned along with the crew and other passengers. Rob had no idea how the man survived, but it shouldn't have surprised him. The man was purely evil, and Rob wasn't about to let him get close to little Amanda. She was going to stay inside where she would be safe from the man. If that meant he had to paddle her daily to keep her too sore to sit her saddle, he would take on the job with a dedication that would insure she was safe.

  "Amanda, you have been looking for nearly five minutes now. There is a limit to my patience, and I am perilously close to losing my temper. I expect you to pick up something right now and come over here."

  The only thing lying there that looked thin and like it wouldn't hurt as much as a wooden spoon was a long, smooth, very thin, flat spatula that Goldie used to smooth icing on a cake. The flat part was attached to a round wooden handle, and it was about eighteen inches long. It surely couldn't hurt as much as Rob's hand! She picked up the spatula and carried it over to him.

  "Are you sure about this?" Rob asked her. She obviously thought she was making it easy on herself, but from the way the blade was carved, it was going to sting like fire.

  "Yes, I am. You said I could pick," she reminded him. She was feeling a bit smug. From the look on Rob's face she could tell he had his doubts about the spatula. He probably expected her to pick up one of Goldie's heavy wooden spoons, but Amanda knew better. She didn't want another spanking, and she didn't want one that was going to make her so sore she couldn't sit down at all!

  "Very well, Mandy. Since you are positive this is the item you wish to choose, let's get this spanking started. Come and lie over my lap."

  Chapter Twelve

  Amanda gave Rob one last pleading look, hoping that he would change his mind about spanking her, but the look in his dark eyes gave her to know that he was totally serious and about to run out of patience. Her backside was already too sore from the previous spankings he'd given her to risk making him angry and increasing the punishment he had planned. Bravely, she stepped forward, stopping just out of his reach as he sat on the kitchen chair. "Rob, I am truly sore and I really do not wish another spanking. Could you please forgive me?" she asked, her green eyes full of pleading.

  A sheen of tears filled Amanda's lovely green eyes and Rob found himself wanting to simply open his arms and offer forgiveness. But then his mind flashed a picture of Jill's battered and bruised body, and he recalled her cries of pain, and he knew he simply could not risk having Amanda disobey him in this matter. A good punishment could very well keep her from losing her life in the worst manner possible. Sir Gregory Flockton was evil and he would hurt little Mandy for the sheer joy of making him suffer. "You are forgiven, Amanda, but you will also accept the punishment you have earned. I am not going to permit you to behave as you have without giving you a good lesson. Now, lie over my knee so we can get this paddling started. I do not wish to use my belt and cause you emotional distress, but if I need to teach you to obey me during a punishment, I will do whatever it takes. Do you understand me, young lady?"

  Amanda nodded, feeling very small. At least she picked something rather flimsy from the drawer where Goldie kept her cooking utensils. She used the very thin wooden spatula to spread frosting over the delicious cakes she baked. It was the thinnest item in the drawer, and compared to the heavy wooden spoons with the large bowls, the spatula would not hurt nearly as much!

  Rob felt like he had won a long, hard battle of wills when the little redhead finally complied with his wishes and crawled over his lap. Her body felt warm and her rounded bottom was quite pretty under the thin cotton fabric. The drawers weren't a bit fancy, but they suited Amanda, and Rob's imagination could picture what was underneath the simple fabric. Once she stopped squirming and was settled, he wrapped his left arm around her waist, raised the spatula, and gave her the first stinging swat across her right cheek.

  Amanda screamed in pain and did her best to throw herself off Rob's lap. He simply tightened his hold and she could not move. A second line of fire crossed her left cheek and she yelped again! "Owwwww! It hurts too much! Let me pick something else!"

  "You picked this, Amanda, telling me it was the thinnest item in the drawer and that it could not hurt much, and even when I asked if you were sure, you insisted you were. Now you will accept what you have chosen." He gave her another hard smack on her sit spots and Amanda bucked and then burst into tears. He was a bit shocked at the strength of her reaction, but she had earned a punishment and she was going to have a punishment to remember the next time she was tempted to leave the house with
out permission. If Sir Gregory Flockton were to capture her, this little spanking would seem like love taps in comparison. He spanked again and again while Amanda cried out, begging him to stop.

  "Stop! Please, Rob! It hurts too much and I cannot stand it!"

  "Good. Perhaps you will think the next time you are tempted to defy your father and me." Rob ignored her cries of pain and set fire to her rounded cheeks and her upper thighs and the tender area in between.

  Amanda was sobbing and begging for mercy a long while before Rob thought her sufficiently punished. He continued to spank her over and over, leaving welts on top of welts. Amanda was positive she would never sit down again, and she prayed for her father to come home and catch Robert Thorne spanking her! She was sure her Papa would give Rob a piece of his mind and make him apologize to her! Not that she was ever going to forgive Rob for spanking her after she begged him to stop! He was being cruel!

  "Now, young lady, do you promise me you will stay inside this house until you are told otherwise?" Rob asked, positive that Amanda would agree and tearfully apologize for her stubbornness.

  "I am a grown woman and I will make my own decisions regarding my safety. I won't have you or my father making my decisions!" was the sassy answer coming from her mouth.

  "I can see we are a long ways from the answer I want and expect to hear," Rob announced, exasperated with her for being such a brat. He started spanking with the thin wooden spatula again.

  Amanda cried out in dismay. The punishment hurt like the very devil, and Rob was spanking even harder! She knew she simply could not tolerate the punishing blows and she finally begged him to stop. Rob ignored her and continued spanking her behind as if it was his mission in life to see to it that she was totally miserable. The wooden spatula was stinging and leaving welts all over her backside, even though she was wearing her drawers. "Please, Rob, no more! You win! I will stay inside; I promise!" He continued to welt her bottom. "Rob? Did you hear me? I said I will stay inside! I promised!"