by Maggie Ryan
“I have a theory, but it’s not worth pursuing.” He said as he shifted his position.
“Jon?”
“I hope not.”
“You’re right, not worth pursuing.”
His hands weaved in her hair, cradling her head, looking into her eyes. “Willow, I need you in my life, forever. Your crazy hours and fingers in all the town’s activities are new to me, but I’m getting used to it. I can handle anything if you're with me. Are you game?”
“I want that too, more than anything.”
“Perfect. But, sweetheart, I have one thing I need to do before we seal this alliance.”
Before Willow discovered what was going on, she found herself flipped over Tristan’s knee. He placed a securing hand on her waist, his large, warm palm rested on her bottom.
Willow squealed and giggled. “What are you doing?” she asked as she wiggled in her position.
“I’m establishing the rules.” Tristan swatted a few times and rubbed Willow’s linen covered bottom.
“Ow, what was that for?”
“Warm up. Now these next ones are for not driving away when I told you to for your safety the night Amy broke in here.”
He swatted several more times a little harder and then rubbed her bottom.
“These are for not having Casey stay when I specifically told you to, for your safety.” A short flurry of noticeably smarting slaps bounced off her rounded bottom. She squealed and kicked.
“Okay, I’m sorry, Tristan.”
He ignored her.
“Keep your legs down. These little smacks,” Tristan continued, swatting even harder and then comforting Willow’s tush again, “are for not returning my calls so you could avoid me finding out you were disobeying my efforts to keep you safe.”
Willow howled and kicked. “I said I’m sorry.”
Tristan had no response but to cover her legs with his own.
“And these,” he swatted harder still, massaging her heating nates lovingly, raising the temperature, “are for stepping into the hornet’s nest at the art council when I said not to and then you didn’t call me in to help before it got bad.”
“And this final one,” the slap was heavy and resounding in its announced delivery followed, as always, with a rubbing of her derrière, “is for future deterrents.”
“I’m sorry. Really, I’m so sorry I didn’t listen to you.”
“Are we clear that you are to pay attention to me when it’s for your own good?”
“Yes,” she groaned.
“Good,” he said as he caressed her bottom a little longer. “Do you think you will be able to handle me looking out for your welfare with these types of consequences when you ignore me? When it’s for your own good?”
It was evident any discomfort Willow was now feeling was the kind that needed some gratification. “I guess if you can handle living with me here and all the craziness that is my life.”
He lifted her up and settled her on his lap kissing her nose. “I think I can handle it.”
“Me too,” she said as she leaned into his kiss.
The End
Alyssa Bailey
Alyssa Bailey is a dyed in the wool Texan living in the beauty of Southeast Alaska with her husband, her youngest four (of eleven) children, two dogs and two cats. Her first memory of books was when her mother read to her as a small child. She began writing as soon as she could put letters together to form words. Her first story at the age of six was about a performing horse that ran away from the circus. As she got older and read more of a variety of books, she would say, “I can do better than that” and then rewrite them in her head. She was writing fanfiction before fanfiction was a 'thing'.
In high school and college, she won journalism and special recognition for her academic and fictional writing. Alyssa is a firm believer in all things spanking. She loves writing about domestic discipline and power exchanges between strong, intelligent women who are not afraid to make a stand and men confident enough to give them their space but Alpha enough to keep his woman safe, in spite of herself. Her characters predominately live in Regency England amongst lords and ladies, in the contemporary realm amongst men and women of the world, and all things Cowboy. Contact her, she loves to chat, and as always, have a Spankolicious day!
You can find Alyssa online:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alyssabailey.romance
Twitter: @blushingalyssa
Blog/web page: http://alyssabailey.com/
Email: [email protected]
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/Alyssa_Bailey
Also by Alyssa Bailey and Blushing Books!
Lord Thayer’s Choice
Cowboy Welcome
Taming Texanna
Humbling Hayley
Chase Abbey Series
Lord Barrington's Minx (Book 1)
Becoming Lady Barrington (Book 2)
Lady Caroline's Defiance (Book 3)
The O'Connor Series
Liam & Jocelyn's Story
Her Sweet Complication, Liam O'Connor Book 1
Liam's Lessons, Liam O'Connor Book 2
Loving Liam, Liam O'Connor Book 3
Ciaran and Katherine's Story
His Gentle Persuasion, Ciaran O'Connor Book 1
Rancher's Creed, Ciaran O'Connor Book 2
Katie Consents, Ciaran O'Connor Book 3
Quinlan and Cheyenne's Story
Quinlan's Quest, Quinlan O'Connor Book 1
Accepting His Ways, Quinlan O'Connor Book 2
Her Balancing Act, Quinlan O'Connor Book 3
Anthologies
Sweet Town Love
Panties Are Not Optional
By
Georgia St. Claire
Chapter 1
“I’m one short, Dottie. Would you check the ladies room please? I’m already behind schedule, I can’t afford to lose any more time.”
“Sure.” The diner owner put down the cloth she was using to wipe down a freshly cleared table and headed to the back of the building. She returned almost immediately. “Sorry, Cliff, no one in there. Which one are you missing? Maybe I overheard something.”
“She didn’t come directly in when I unloaded the passengers. She looked pretty green around the gills. I’m guessing she’s one of those folks who get bus sick. Last seen, she was headed back up the street.”
“Uh oh. I had a cousin like that. Based on what I saw with her, she would do anything to avoid getting back on the bus once the nausea set in. How far is she riding?”
“She didn’t actually buy a ticket. A car came tearing up as I was about to pull out of the station and the driver basically pushed her on board. Gave me some bills and told me to drive her as far as the money would take her. She’s a little thing. Oh, don’t get me wrong, she’s of age, I’m sure, but she didn’t try to argue, just walked to the very back of the bus and took a seat. The woman stayed until I pulled out and then flipped the bird as I drove away. Can’t help thinking that little gal’s out of a bad situation, but I hate to continue on and leave her stranded here. She doesn’t need another hard knock right now.”
“I can ask the sheriff, in case he knows something, but I doubt it. This stop wasn’t for much more than an hour. How much trouble could she get into?”
They looked at each other and shook their heads. Just then a tall man wearing a sheriff’s uniform entered the diner. He removed his Stetson and nodded to them as he headed to a table.
“Wait, Will. One of Cliff’s passengers has wandered off. He needs to get back on the road; he’s running late. Do you know anything to shed some light on the matter?” Dottie asked.
He shook his head. “Not a thin’. It’s been a quiet mornin’. Anythin’ you want me to know once she does show up?”
The bus driver shook his head. “She was quiet, no problem on the bus. I think that she was suffering from motion sickness, so she probably hasn’t just mistaken the time.” He pulled some cash from his pocket and ha
nded it to Will. “She didn’t purchase a proper ticket, so here’s what I was given. I’d appreciate it if you would return it to her when you see her. It’ll ease my conscience some, since I’m gonna head out and leave her behind. I just can’t afford to fall any further behind schedule.” He nodded goodbye and went out to the idling bus.
The sheriff followed him out of the diner. “Drive careful, now. No speedin’ to try to make up the lost time. Word has it that 83 has a bad accident near Springfield, so if you take 126 instead, you should avoid the slow down.”
“I appreciate the information. Thanks.” Cliff climbed aboard the bus, closed the doors and pulled away from the curb, carefully checking his mirrors for his errant passenger.
After taking a moment to study the length of Main Street looking for anything out of the ordinary, Will went back inside the restaurant. “Let me know if you see her, won’t you, Dottie?”
“Sure thing, Will. Feeling like the special today?”
“Yup, and about a gallon of coffee. Ray bought the cheap stuff again for the station.”
Kathy turned her face to the sun, eyes closed, and let the soothing warmth ease her spirits. She leaned back on the park bench and surrendered to the peace of the moment. The bees were buzzing from flower to flower in the carefully tended beds, birds were chirping and she could smell that the grass had recently been mowed. There had been so much chaos in her life recently that she had forgotten how much she enjoyed the simple serenity of taking the time to enjoy nature. Well, with the events of the last few hours, her life had obviously just undergone a drastic change and it was up to her to make the decisions going forward that would bring her what she wanted. No more letting other people push her in whatever direction they wanted. This small gem of a park was only two blocks from her new home; she would make it a point to take time to smell the flowers from now on.
Her stomach rumbled and she sighed as she opened her eyes. The fresh air had restored her normal good health and her appetite was reminding her that she had missed dinner the night before. She opened the plastic bag and fished out the sandwich makings that she had just purchased down the street.
Things were already starting to look up. So far her new town was really pleasing her. The buildings were well kept up with lots of window boxes and flowering containers. There was no sign of litter anywhere. The town was small, but had all the necessary shops near her rented room. It was unusual to find a decent size grocery store right in the middle of downtown—a real lifesaver when one has to function without a car. The room she’d rented was nicely appointed and the landlady seemed friendly. Now she just needed to find a job. Since she was willing to do just about any kind of scut work, she wasn’t expecting that to be a problem.
Flattening the bag to make a work surface next to her on the bench, she opened up the bread and took out two slices. Then she picked up the peanut butter, unscrewed the lid and removed the foil cover underneath. She dipped in the paring knife she’d also purchased and used it to spread a thin coat on the first piece of bread. It would be wise to be sparing with her resources until she had a steady paycheck coming in. She carefully cleaned the utensil on the other slice to make sure that no peanut butter was wasted and then turned her attention to the jar of cheap grape jelly.
Normally she would use a bottle opener to lift the lid slightly and break the airtight seal, making it easy for her small hands to twist it open. But she hadn’t wanted to spend money buying something that she would rarely use. She’d just have to hope that desperation would give her strength. She took a deep breath and gave it her best effort. She couldn’t feel even the slightest bit of yield. “Damn!” Gathering the hem of her tee shirt, she fitted it over the jar, hoping to get a better grip, and tried again. No luck. “Shit and double shit! What am I supposed to do now?” she asked the cosmos.
“I beg your pardon! What did you just say?” demanded the man sitting on the next bench as he looked at her with a displeased expression.
Nate shook his head as he listened to the exchange. He was fairly confident that the cute woman he’d been watching while she made a sandwich was not a resident of Menton. He was sure that he’d have noticed her before this if she were, and now she’d just proven it with her outburst. Dustin Collins was not pleased and he would just as soon cause her trouble then forgive a newcomer.
Quickly gathering his lunch, Nate stood up from his bench and walked over. “May I join you here? I’d be happy to open that jar for you.” He looked over at the angry man glaring in their direction and gave him a nod, hoping that his presence would diffuse the situation. It seemed to work; the older man made a point of rattling his newspaper a lot more than necessary as he folded it and then marched away, but at least he departed without saying another word.
“What was his problem?” the young woman asked as he gently took the jelly jar from her hands and gave the lid a quick twist, encountering no difficulty. He was surprised that she hadn’t been able to open it herself.
“Your language is not considered to be acceptable around here. Menton is a very old-fashioned town and Mr. Collins, there, is one of the stuffiest. You’ll want to keep that in mind while you’re here. My name is Nate Burrows, by the way. Here you go.” He handed the open jar back to her. “What brings you to town?”
“A bus,” she joked and then made a face. “Which I couldn’t bear to get back on once it let me off for a rest stop. So I figured that this looked like a pretty town and one place is as good as another when you’re starting over, plus this had the extra benefit of being where I already was. No more bus rides for me!” She shook her head emphatically and then belatedly added, “I’m Kathy Wilson. Thank you for coming to my rescue like that.” She smiled at him as she finished making her sandwich.
He gave her a courtly bow as he announced that saving fair maidens was something that he made a point of doing as often as possible, then he set about ingratiating himself into her good graces. What he had observed about her so far was very intriguing and he wanted to learn more.
By the time his lunch hour was over, he’d managed to secure a dinner date for that evening with the lovely Miss Wilson, but immediately ran into a problem when she refused to give him her address for him to pick her up. She insisted that they should meet at the restaurant.
“I’m out of time, I have to get back to work, but I have to say that I am very frustrated right now. No gentleman lets an unescorted woman wander around town at night. I guarantee that you can trust me with your address,” he promised as he reluctantly stood, preparatory to leaving.
“I feel comfortable with you, that’s why I agreed to have dinner with you. I wish that you wouldn’t take this so personally, but it is just plain stupid for a single woman to give a man her home address when she has known him for less than an hour. Surely you can understand the wisdom of me being careful,” she pleaded. “It’s got nothing to do with you and everything to do with common sense, that’s all. I know where the Blue Bell is, that’s where the bus left me. It’s not far from where I’m living and I’m sure that it will be okay. The sun will still be up when we meet, so it should be fine for me to walk there alone. Isn’t this town safe?”
“Yes, it is, generally. But that doesn’t guarantee your safety. There is a lot about this town that you need to know if you’re planning to make this your home,” he said grimly, wondering how well she was going to receive the information that he was going to share with her over their evening meal. “My lunch hour ended five minutes ago, I’ve got to get back to work. So I will have to agree to meet you there are six o’clock. But I want it very clear that this is a date and I intend to pay for dinner, no arguments there, understood?”
Her eyes widened at his tone of voice and she quickly nodded. “Yes, thank you.”
He nodded curtly and strode away.
Kathy sighed as she watched Nate walk away. He had a mighty fine rear end and very broad shoulders; his jeans and tee shirt weren’t particularly tight, but there was no hidin
g his toned physique. Somehow she had upset him, but she wasn’t sure what she should have done differently. She could tell that he wanted her to be safe and did understand her caution, but at the same time he seemed to be genuinely offended by it. Well, it would be interesting to see how dinner played out. She was already surprised that he had felt it necessary to declare that he was paying. Apparently he had been anticipating the possibility that she might try to argue about that. She gave a humorless chuckle; if he knew the state of her finances, he’d know that she’d welcome a free meal with open arms.
That thought lead to speculation about whether he was going to expect some sort of sexual payment for the dinner he was providing. There were plenty of men who seemed to think that they were owed something—just look at how her mother’s current boyfriend had acted last night. She hadn’t gotten that vibe from Nate, but a girl couldn’t be too careful these days.
She carefully packed up her sandwich materials and decided to postpone job hunting until the next day. She was tired; feeling nauseous while riding on the bus all night, had ensured that she hadn’t gotten any sleep and she really needed to take a nap. She was excited about having a rented room all to herself. The idea that she could crawl into bed and not worry about raucous carryings on outside her door was very appealing. As she retraced her steps to her new home, she giggled at the thought that her staid, matronly landlady might throw a wild party, and spent a pleasurable few minutes imagining the most ridiculous things she could.
Menton was good for her. Already her spirits felt lighter. She hadn’t laughed out loud in ages.