The Instigator

by Abigail Webster

  "Becky?" Holly was stunned. "Why would she do that? It isn't funny, Rob."

  "No, it isn't a bit funny," he agreed, looking at the clock. It was late, but he was angry, and decided to run the risk of waking his sister. If she put those panties in his suitcase, then he was going to give her what for. He picked up the telephone, and hit speed dial.

  "Trevor, sorry if I woke you. I need to speak to Beck." He listened and then said, "Wake her up. This won't wait until morning." He waited again. "Yes, I know what time it is, Rebecca Marie Clawson Preston. I have one question for you. Did you put a pair of red lacy women's panties in my bag?" He nodded, and then asked, "Why in hell would you do such a thing? Surely you had to know that Holly would see them and think I was cheating on her? It wasn't funny, Beck." He listened to her explanation, and then said, "You are in such big trouble with me, Rebecca Marie. You'd best tell Trevor exactly what you did, and if you can sit down at all for the next two weeks, then I'm going to think he didn't spank you hard enough and I'm going to put you over my knee. You are not to interfere in my marriage. Holly and I will work out our own problems. If I have to remind you of this again, I'll do it with my belt. I'm really pissed off right now, Beck." He shut off the cordless phone and put it back in its cradle.

  "It was Becky?" Holly asked timidly.

  "Yes, it was. Another one of her hare-brained attempts to fix our marriage," he explained.

  "How did she expect that to help us, Rob?" Holly demanded, her eyes snapping with fire. "She had to know how I would feel seeing those panties with your things!"

  "She was counting on you to be jealous. She was counting on you to accuse me of cheating... and knowing me as well as she does, she knew I'd get mad at you for accusing me of something I didn't do. She was counting on that, and thought it would provoke me to turn you over my knee."

  "She wanted you to beat me?" Holly's voice squeaked.

  "She wanted me to set some limits, and she thought that a good spanking would save our marriage. While I think she might be right about that," he smiled tenderly at Holly, "I do not approve of her instigating. You are capable of enough mischief on your own without her help."

  "I am not happy about this," Holly announced, her hands on her hips.

  "I am not happy about it, either, honey. Trevor will deal with Holly, however. Beck is telling on herself right now."

  "How can you be so sure?"

  "I know Trevor. He knows I wouldn't call Beck and insist he wake her unless something was wrong. I should feel sorry for her, but I don't. She is going to have to learn to butt out of our marriage... just as I had to learn to butt out of hers." He got up and started unloading his bag. "When Beck got married, I could sense she was upset at times, and I was sure he was doing something sneaky to hurt her. I was a pest, trying to pop in and catch him out. Finally walked in on them one morning when Beck was bare butt over the kitchen table getting a spanking. I was ready to flatten Trevor, until Beck confessed she'd gone out of her way to earn a spanking. I can still feel it when she is waiting for a spanking, but I know Trevor a lot better now, and I know he won't hurt Beck." He looked at Holly and said, "Beck knows that I've been frustrated, Holly. I can't hide that from her, and in her own way, she is trying to help... I'm sorry, honey, because that isn't fair to you. I wasn't fair to Trevor in the beginning, either. We'll all get past this, and in time, we'll actually look back and laugh at how stupid we were..."

  "I'm sorry I fell for it, Rob. I'm sorry I thought the worst of you. I don't ever want to feel like that again. I thought my heart was going to break right in two," she admitted. "I love you so much I can't bear the thought of losing you."

  "That isn't going to happen, sweetheart," he promised. Rob pulled her into his arms and held her close and kissed her tenderly. "Now where were we before my twin decided to ruin things...?"

  Much later, Rob was snoring contentedly, and Holly was lying awake, plotting revenge on her sister-in-law.

  ********************

  "I can't believe you would do something like that, Becky Ree!" Trevor scolded. "What if Holly refused to listen to Rob? What if she filed charges of abuse because he lost his cool and spanked her?"

  "That wouldn't happen, Trevor! I know they love each other. It's just a matter of bringing them together, and all Holly needs is some reassurance that Rob really loves her."

  Trevor gave her a look of disgusted disbelief. "Becky, how would you feel if Rob did something like that to us?"

  "It wasn't necessary, honey," Becky pointed out. "We didn't go through this type of thing. I was raised to expect you to be in charge of our family. Holly wasn't, and Holly needs to learn to trust Rob. I figured an over the top situation like this would let Holly see how ridiculous she is to feel so jealous of Rob all the time, and I knew that if she got all snippy with him and kept accusing him of doing something he didn't do, he would finally stand up to her and that would be that."

  "In all of this 'reasoning'," Trevor raised one eyebrow meaningfully, did you stop to consider how your own butt was going to fare when the truth came out?"

  "Well, honey, I wasn't trying to be mean, and this is MY twin."

  "Uh huh... and didn't your twin just threaten to take his belt to you?" he demanded.

  "You heard that?" she asked in genuine surprise.

  "Clear as a bell," he nodded. "I believe Rob's exact words were, 'You'd best tell Trevor exactly what you did, and if you can sit down at all for the next two weeks, then I'm going to think he didn't spank you hard enough and I'm going to put you over my knee.' Right?" he asked.

  "He didn't really mean it, honey," Becky insisted. "Rob is just a bit mad right now, but by tomorrow he will be all over his temper, and he'll be sorry he said that."

  "I doubt it, and even if that should be the case, it isn't going to change the way I feel about it, Mrs. Preston. You have a good dose of belt coming right now, and I daresay the reminders you're going to get for the next week are going to keep you pretty damn sore for a while."

  "Trevor, I'm already sore! You already spanked me tonight, remember? I don't want another spanking!" Becky pleaded with him.

  "I don't want to give you another spanking, either, but you went out of your way to earn one, and I am not going to let this pass. "You can just help me arrange these pillows right now."

  "Trevor, not tonight!" she begged. "I'm too sore for another punishment!"

  "You caused your brother a problem, Beck, and now you'll answer for it." Trevor piled the pillows on top of each other, and then he got to his feet and went to get his belt from the closet. "Kneel over these pillows, Rebecca Marie, and make sure your butt is up high. I want a good target, and you are to stay right in place for this whole whipping."

  "Can't you wait until tomorrow, honey? I know Rob won't be so angry in the morning... He'll be upset if you actually punish me for helping him out with Holly!"

  "I sincerely doubt it, and no, I am not waiting. You've been warned time and time again to butt out of Rob and Holly's marriage, and since you didn't, you're going to feel the consequences for a good long while. Maybe a good strapping will make you think twice the next time you are temped to instigate trouble." When Becky continued to give him the puppy dog look, he asked, "Do I need to take out the paddle again and punish you for defiance during a punishment?"

  "No... Honey...! Please... I'm so sore already! You're going to feel so guilty!" she tried another tact with him. It didn't work either. Becky found herself lying over the pillows, anticipating another punishment before the one she had earlier stopped hurting and burning! The first lick was even worse than she thought it would be, and Becky let out a yell of surprise mixed with pain. "Owwwwww!" The second was right below the first, and just as terrible. "Owwwwww! Rob, no! It's too much!"

  "It is too much when you put a pair of panties in your brother's bag to purposely cause friction in his marriage, Becky Ree," he stated purposely, giving her another stripe. She cried out in genuine pain, but Trevor hardened himself to her
pain. His wife had earned a serious punishment, and it was her own fault she was receiving it on an already inflamed rear end. He struck again, and she started crying in earnest. At this rate, it wasn't going to take long to create the proper amount of remorse.

  "Okay, I'm sorry! I won't do it again!" she declared, making sure she sounded pitiful.

  "You are sorry you are being punished, and I guarantee you won't be doing it again." Trevor made sure her sit spot received the next two, and then he moved to her upper thighs. She was sobbing, and he was far from finished. He started all over again, and scolded as he striped her sore bottom. Becky was agreeing with everything he said, and by the time he was done punishing her, he had no doubt whatsoever she was one very sorry young woman. He tucked her in, then shut off the light and crawled in beside her. He kept one hand on her back, rubbing lightly, as she cried herself to sleep for the second time that night. Trevor hoped like hell that Rob got his marriage in order soon.

  Becky was sorer than she could remember being in her entire life when she got up the next morning. She moved as quietly as possible to keep from waking Trevor and went downstairs. How on earth was she going to sit and write lines today? She couldn't even sit on the edge of the bed without wincing and feeling like crying. Sitting at the kitchen table without the cushion on her chair would be too miserable for words. The only thing she could do was hope that Trevor forgot all about the lines, and perhaps, if she fixed his favorite breakfast, he would.

  Becky went to work, and by the time Trevor came downstairs, she had crispy bacon, fresh squeezed orange juice, and her special French toast with warmed maple syrup. Trevor loved her French toast. She also made his favorite coffee, the expensive one they used on special occasions.

  "I thought I smelled food," Trevor smiled happily as he came into the kitchen and walked over to give her a kiss. "Good morning, Becky Ree."

  "Good morning. Breakfast is all ready, honey." She bustled about, serving him, not because it was expected or because she had to, but because she wanted to. Becky genuinely loved to take care of Trevor.

  "Aren't you going to eat?" Trevor asked.

  "Oh, I'm not really hungry," she lied.

  "Rebecca Marie, I know better than that. You need to sit down and eat. I know you're sore, probably very sore, but that doesn't change the fact you will sit at the table and eat your meals. No whining."

  Becky fixed herself a plate and gingerly eased herself down on the chair. The cushion was still there, thankfully, but if Trevor made her write lines, she knew he would remove it. Sitting was so painful; she closed her eyes for a moment and tried to catch her breath. The only thing to do was hurry and eat, and hope that Trevor would have mercy on her.

  Trevor wasn't surprised when Becky wolfed down her breakfast and jumped to her feet under the pretext of getting him more coffee. He noticed she didn't return to her seat, but made a great show of unloading the dishwasher from last night. He finished eating, and sat back to simply enjoy his coffee, making small talk with the woman he loved.

  Once the kitchen was cleaned up, Becky asked, "Do you think it is too early to call Rob and apologize? I'd like to get it over with."

  Before Trevor could answer, the doorbell rang. He went to answer it, and wasn't surprised to see Rob standing there. He was alone. "Beck awake?" he demanded.

  "Yeah, she was just ready to call you to apologize. Come on in, but go easy, Rob. She's beyond sore right now. Can barely sit on the cushion on her chair."

  "Good," Rob stated. "I hope you got through to her."

  "I thought I heard your voice," Becky said as they entered the kitchen. "I made Trevor some French toast; would you like some, too?"

  "No. I came to talk to you, Beck."

  "I am sorry if I made things worse, Rob. I only wanted to help, but I shouldn't have done what I did. I will apologize to Holly, too," she offered.

  "Holly and I talked a long time last night, Beck, and she finally admitted that she has a problem trusting because of her Dad. I know what you were trying to do, but it was nearly a disaster. Holly was raised to think that all men cheat on their wives, and that is exactly what she's been waiting for. Thank God I was able to figure out it was you and prove it to her."

  "I didn't know about her father! He's still married to her Mom... isn't' he?" Becky asked, more than a little bit shocked by the revelation.

  "He is, but he uses business trips to cheat every chance he gets. Holly worries every time I'm out of town."

  "Oh, Rob! I didn't know! I'm so sorry. I'll call her and apologize," Becky offered, getting up to go to the telephone.

  "I expect you to do that, and I expect you to promise you won't pull any more stunts, Beck. Holly and I are adults and fully capable of working out our own problems. Got that?" he demanded.

  "I'll try really hard," she promised. "I just don't like it when I know you're hurting," she whispered.

  "I understand. I'm working on it, honey. I promise it's going to be okay. Promise me now," he ordered.

  "I promise," Becky said. Rob nodded, kissed her, nodded at Trevor and left. He wanted to get home and spend the day with Holly. They still had a lot of talking to do.

  Becky called her sister-in-law, and apologized, and promised she would butt out of their marriage. The call was short, and Becky was relieved to have it over with. "Holly was polite, considering," she told Trevor.

  "That's good," he smiled, and then asked, "Are you ready to write lines now? If I recall, I promised you a day of sitting and writing until your hand falls off. There is a matter of attitude and respect to be dealt with."

  Chapter Four

  "I'm so relieved that things are so much better between you and Holly, Rob," Becky smiled happily. "I honestly believed that if you were to take a firm stand with her she would come around."

  "You had more faith in that than I did, honey. It got to the point I didn't figure I had anything left to lose. We've had a few rough times since then, but once the tears clear, we are able to sit and talk it out and move forward. I still think she spends too much on clothes, and she still thinks her clothing allowance isn't large enough, but we're working it out."

  "Is she handling your working out of town any better?" Becky made conversation.

  "I call her nightly and remind her that I love her. I gave her a story to write the last time I was gone, and that kept her busy. It was pretty good, too. I know she can write up the news she delivers on television, but fiction is harder she says." Rob looked at his sister appraisingly. "Are you still getting the flowers?" he demanded.

  "Yes."

  "And no idea who they are from?" he asked again.

  "I've told you I don't know. Why do you keep asking me that?" she stomped her foot angrily.

  "Just seems strange that a complete stranger would be sending you flowers every day."

  "It's scary," Becky admitted.

  "You aren't getting any calls, hang ups, are you?" he demanded, worried that his twin was being stalked.

  "No. Nothing. Just the darn flowers. Here and at work."

  "Have you tried to trace them, called the florists?"

  "Of course I have. Nada. Whoever is buying them is very secretive."

  "Do you want to come and stay with Holly and me while Trevor is out of town? I'm worried about you being here all alone."

  "No, that won't be necessary. I'm not going to run scared."

  "Suit yourself, but if you hear anything strange, or you get scared, call me... After you call 911, of course. Keep the doors and windows locked, too," he bossed.

  "You sound as bossy as Trevor and Dad."

  "We all love you," he grinned.

  The house seemed even more quiet after Rob left. Becky had no idea who was sending her flowers, but she wished they would stop. Trevor was getting upset. When the normal delivery didn't arrive the next day, she was relieved, thinking whoever was sending the flowers was giving up. But, a couple of hours later, a box of candy arrived, with a card that read: For my sweet Becky. I wil
l never forget the special time we shared. Thank you, my darling.

  Becky was frightened. She had no clue as to who was sending her flowers and now the candy, but it was the message that truly upset her. If Trevor found out, he was never going to believe she was innocent of any wrongdoing. She wanted to confide in him, but didn't really dare. If she called Rob, it would only add a strain to his marriage. Holly already thought they spent way too much time together. She could go to her Dad, but then, Trevor would know for a fact that something was going on, and he'd come flying home, job or no job. No, she had to be brave. Someone was just playing a joke on her, that was all.

  Becky was relieved to see Trevor's car in the drive when she got home from work. At least she wouldn't be in the house all by herself again tonight. She hurried inside, and he came to meet her, carrying another box of candy, and from the expression on his face, this one had a note, too. Becky stopped just short of giving him the hug she needed so desperately. The look in his dark eyes was foreboding, and she couldn't help but swallow hard.

  "I suppose you can explain this?" Trevor held out the card that came with the large, heart-shaped box of candy.

  Becky looked it over, and her blue eyes widened in shock and disbelief. The words were even more intimate than on the box of candy she received at work. "Trevor, this just isn't true. I don't have a clue who is sending this. I got one at work today, too." She trembled, and then burst into tears. "I'm so scared!"

  Trevor immediately put the candy down on the table beside the door, and pulled her into his strong arms and held her close. "Shhhhh, Becky Ree, you're safe now. I'm home, and I swear I won't let anyone hurt you. I think it's time to call the police and tell them you have a stalker."

  "What proof do we have? Nothing horrible has happened... I haven't seen anyone following me. All the guys at work swear they aren't doing this to me. I can't believe any of our neighbors would do such a thing. I'm just so scared all the time..."

  "You should have gone to Rob's or your Dad's, honey," Trevor scolded. Becky was shaking like a leaf.