by Maggie Ryan
Gabe could see the memory flow across her face. She blushed and her voice was incredibly soft as she continued, “I - I hate it when...” she paused and swallowed hard. She gave a firm nod of her head and continued, “That won’t ever be necessary, Sir. And, Gabe, you don’t need to buy me a paddle or brush. I’m never going to be naughty again. I’d forgotten how much punishment spankings really, really hurt.”
Gabe couldn’t contain his laugh of surprise. He gave her a quick kiss. “I will purchase them anyway, sweetheart. I am an Eagle Scout and believe in always being prepared.”
She tried not to smile but her lips curved. She really hadn’t expected anything less.
Chapter 14
Gabe shifted and groaned. He knew he wanted to take her, to strip her and claim every inch of her. However, he knew this wasn’t the time regardless of what they both might think. He kissed the top of her head.
“Hungry?” he asked.
She was startled by the question and was about to deny her hunger when her stomach growled. She giggled and he smiled.
“Yeah, me too,” he said. “Ready to go back and eat some corn?”
She blushed as she remembered that simple corn on the cob had basically started this whole thing. She sat up straighter on his lap. “I have food here. Can we just stay home?”
He shook his head, not allowing her the opportunity to hide. “No, Jo. We have dinner waiting at camp,” Gabe answered.
She looked away but he used his finger to pull her back to him.
“I can’t,” she whispered. “They’ll all know I got spanked. It’s too embarrassing. Please, Gabe, you go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Gabe knew this was a very important moment. He pulled her close and reassured her. “Joanna, you have nothing to feel ashamed about. You were naughty, earned a spanking and got your bottom roasted. Honey, that is nothing to be worried about, and certainly not very newsworthy among my family.”
She looked up to see his grin.
He continued, “I can assure you that you are not the only one who got her fanny smacked tonight. At the rate things are going, it looks like Amber will be the only one going to bed with a pale bottom. Please, don’t hide yourself from my family. Amber didn’t hide from you. Did you feel ashamed for her or judge her in any way?”
She took a few minutes to think about his words. Shaking her head, she knew she was not going to be a coward. “No, Sir. I thought she was brave,” she answered truthfully. “May I at least change my clothes before we go?”
Extremely proud of her, he nodded.
She smiled and said, “Thanks, I’ll be right back.”
He nodded and she went to her bedroom. After five minutes, he knocked on the bedroom door. Joanna opened it with nothing but a towel wrapped around her. He groaned.
“If you aren’t dressed in five minutes, don’t expect me to control myself. I’m hanging on by a very thin thread here, Joanna.”
She thought about teasing him but saw how he was fighting for control. “Yes, Sir. I’ll hurry,” she promised.
Pulling the door closed, he went into the kitchen and yanked open the refrigerator door. He took out a bottle of ice-cold water and chugged the entire thing. He concentrated on everything except the sight of her in that towel. When he heard the bedroom door open, he crushed the bottle in his hand and then turned. Joanna had changed into a sundress of soft blue, the spaghetti thin straps barely visible. The hem hung just above her knees, her feet in white tennis shoes. He knew she was aware of the fact that dinner was at a campsite in the woods. He also recognized that she was trying to keep any fabric surrounding her spanked bottom as loose as possible. He was at her side in three strides and pulled her into his arms.
“You look beautiful, Jo,” he said as he kissed the top of her head. She blushed and accepted both his compliment and his kiss. He moved to kiss her mouth and the heat coursed through her.
As the kiss lingered, she pushed away. Panting, she whispered, “If you don’t stop, I can’t be held accountable. Perhaps we better go eat.”
He smiled and nodded. He made sure she grabbed her keys and locked the door. She offered to take her Jeep but he informed her that he would make sure she arrived home safely. She smiled and climbed into the truck. She glanced back to the bed of the truck where she and Gabe had lain and expected to feel at least a twinge of anger. Instead, she remembered how incredible she had felt in his arms and smiled. She shifted a little in an attempt to ease the throb that remained in her bottom. Gabe noticed but said nothing. She saw him grin and smiled herself. Her bottom might be throbbing but her heart was pounding with desire for the man who had given her that sore posterior.
The evening turned out to be wonderful. Despite her earlier fear of everyone knowing about her spanking, Joanna was greeted with hugs and smiles. No one asked where they had been or what had happened. The family was close and that included treating each other with respect. The children had already been fed and were busy chasing fireflies under Amber’s direction. Jessica had long since been fed and put into her playpen in her parent’s tent.
Jake had still not returned and Gabe knew he owed his brother a great deal. Jake’s wife assured him that everything was fine when he apologized for taking her husband away and leaving her to deal with their children.
“Gabe, don’t worry about it,” Karen said with a smile. “You’d do the same for Jake and the kids are dragging thanks to that great swimming hole. They’ll be ready for bed soon. Now, stop fretting and get your girl some dinner.”
Gabe grinned and fixed a plate for Joanna. He brought it to her as she talked to the family members she had just been introduced to. She could have picked Susan out in a roomful of strangers. It was obvious she was a newlywed, her hand never very far from her husband, Brian. Joanna thought about the fact Gabe told her she’d also gotten a spanking. While it was obvious she was very much in love, it was not the least bit obvious she had been spanked. Joanna realized that she would not have known Amber had been paddled if she hadn’t witnessed it herself. This thought allowed her to relax. She found Karen and Shelley were very nice. In fact, the entire campsite seemed relaxed and happy. Everyone pitched in to help everyone else. She smiled, realizing how lucky she was to be included.
She thanked Gabe for the plate but felt guilty. “I should be serving you, Gabe, not having you serve me,” she said quietly. Gabe smiled and stroked his hand down her hair. He saw Dana and Shelley roll their eyes.
“Better cut that out or I’ll rat you out,” Gabe warned even as he smiled. “Stop trying to corrupt Joanna. She obviously knows how to be sweet and please her man.”
The women looked at each other and then burst out laughing. Gabe couldn’t keep a straight face either. Dana leaned forward as Joanna picked up the roasted corn.
“Okay, give. What’s up with the corn?” she asked.
Joanna almost choked before she even took her first bite. She drank some of her water and grinned. “I’ll never tell,” she informed them even as she peeled back the husk. The corn was perfectly roasted, the seasoning smelled divine. She took a bite and moaned as the kernels popped against her teeth. She became aware that she was being stared at. She lowered the cob.
“What?” she asked, her face flaming.
Gabe slid onto the bench beside her.
Dana laughed. “Man, I never thought of corn as sexy before. I swear, I’ll never look at it the same again.”
Gabe laughed as he took a bite. “As long as that is the only thing you swear. I heard that you christened the family parlor,” he teased. He enjoyed her flush and easily dodged the napkin she attempted to toss at him.
Dana grinned. “Okay, smarty–pants, you are right. I got spanked for cussing about Tanya but I would probably do it again. I can tell you though, if that huge weeping willow tree decided to uproot itself and move, I wouldn’t mind. It provides many a wicked switch! However, since you brought it up, I suggest we rig a privacy signal for the parlor. I’m sure I won’t be
the only one visiting it.”
Karen slugged her and they both grinned. Scott and Eric told them to behave though their voices were light. Joanna had waited for a feeling of dread to engulf her at the mention of Tanya and spankings. Gabe had worried as well and had laid one hand on her thigh that was pressed against his. His touch calmed her and she found herself grinning.
“As long as we are at it, how about a privacy flag at the trail head for the beach as well?” she suggested. “Not during the time when the kids are playing there, but maybe in the evenings?”
They all agreed to both suggestions. Gabe could tell that several of the couples were already planning on making use of both areas. He smiled as he recognized their need. It seemed that the outdoor air had a good effect on the libido. He remembered holding Joanna on the boulder the evening before and couldn’t fault his family.
Scott grinned and excused himself. Joanna watched as he disappeared into his tent, thinking it sweet he was checking on his daughter.
They all finished eating and helped the children make S’mores. The kids ate the treat between huge yawns. Parents smiled and were soon following Joanna down to the restrooms to wash sticky hands and faces before tucking their little ones into their sleeping bags. Gabe followed and carried a sleepy Emma back to her tent. Once the kids were all tucked in, the adults gathered around the fire. Scott waited until everyone was seated before pulling out two items from underneath his camp chair. Everyone looked at the two primitive flags he had constructed out of two sticks and a couple of Jessica’s burp rags. Dana smiled even as she slugged him for using them. Scott grinned and waved the pink flag.
“Okay, who can tell me where this one is going?” he asked.
No one spoke for a moment and then Dana giggled. “I’m guessing the pink color is the give–away. It is obviously the one for the parlor trail, right?”
Scott bent and gave her a quick kiss. “Correct, my love. Since we all know what the parlor is intended for, pink is the perfect color.”
Karen laughed and was joined by the other women.
“Only if you men promise that sweet, delicate pink is the only color you are going for,” Karen said as she lifted her eyebrow. Joanna was surprised to find herself laughing along with the rest as the men shook their heads.
“Good try, but nope! Seems you forget that in order to get to red or crimson, you must pass pink first,” Scott reminded them. The women groaned.
Scott held up the blue flag. “And this?”
“Obviously the beach,” Karen answered.
Scott nodded but asked if anyone knew why. They all looked at the blue fabric and then Joanna grinned. Gabe saw her and nudged her arm as if encouraging her to answer.
“Water?” she suggested.
Scott turned and bowed before her. “Excellent, fair maiden. The water is cool in the day but I’m guessing it could be pretty downright frigid by evening. I figured blue was a good color to represent the color of our skin when we get hypothermia.” His voice was light as he gave a fake shiver.
Joanna smiled and added her own thoughts. “Frigid or not, I can attest it sure feels good on a pink bottom.”
Gabriel chuckled and realized just how well she fit in with every member of his family. At that moment, they heard a man’s voice.
“Though I definitely want to know what I missed about pink bottoms, right now someone feed me!”
Gabe jumped up to see Jake had returned and hurried to fix him a plate.
Jake sank down onto a chair and acted as if he was totally exhausted. “Don’t think serving me one meal is going to be all you owe me, Gabriel Jamison,” Jake warmed. “Driving with that woman and listening to her cry and moan about not being good enough for you almost drove me off a cliff.”
Joanna flushed and felt a moment’s worth of insecurity. She needn’t have. Jake sat up and reached across to place his hand on her knee.
Jake smiled as he said, “Thank God almighty that you and Gabe got back together. He has not been himself for years, but man, seeing him stop Tanya in her tracks simply to get to you, well, Joanna, that tells me our older brother is a goner.”
Gabe handed him his plate and slapped him on the back. “Thanks, Jake. I’ll make it up to you,” he promised, meaning every word.
Jake grinned and accepted a cold soda from Karen. He listened as she explained the new flag system. As he ate, he nodded and said, “Good, we’ll take the blue one.”
Karen smiled as she looked at him. He ruffled her hair. “I do believe a moonlight swim will refresh me from that long drive, don’t you, my love? You can tell me what Joanna meant by a pink bottom even as I watch you turn blue.”
Karen shook her head in exasperation. She smiled and nodded knowing she could always count on a Jamison man never to let things become routine.
“I’d love to swim with you, sweetheart. We’ll see who turns the bluest,” Karen said. “I’ll be ready when you are.”
Jake relaxed into his chair. He knew a few moments spent eating and recovering from the long round–trip drive would allow him to better attend to his wife that evening. He was intrigued by the arrangements made for the adults of the group. His family seemed capable of making any surrounding seem like home.
Dana and Scott retired early and then Jake and Karen left the group to take care of business. Jake waved the flag above his head and laughed when his wife swatted his butt. Shelley and Eric left to check on all the children and Amber came to sit by Joanna and Gabe. She seemed a bit uneasy but then surprised them both.
“I want to discuss something with you and ask you both just to wait and let me finish before saying no.”
Gabe nodded as did Joanna. Amber smiled.
“Okay, I know you had a guy that quit. I want to take his place.”
Gabe’s mouth dropped open in surprise. Joanna sat forward in her chair. Amber spoke faster, “Gabe, it would only be for the summer and I talked to Kim and she said that Steven was only a summer hire as well. I’ll still get to school on time, but Gabe, this would be so much better than having to wait tables. Please, if Joanna says it’s okay, please let me do this.”
Gabe saw that she was sincere. Amber had always loved being outside and he knew she would do the very best job she could. He also knew she expected him to immediately nix her idea. It was his turn to surprise her.
“That’s not a bad idea,” he conceded. He saw the light shining in his sister’s eyes and held out his hand. “Hold up, Amber. It will be up to Joanna. If she says yes, then there are other things to work out.”
Amber turned immediately to Joanna, who smiled.
“I think it is a great idea, Amber,” Joanna said. “I’ve seen you camp and out on the river. You’d have to take a few training courses but between Kim, Dan and me, we could work that out. I’d need you to stay until Labor Day, as that is the last big holiday of the summer. Would that interfere with your classes?”
Amber shook her head eagerly before answering, “No, college starts the week after. God, this is fantastic! I’ll be a great employee, Joanna. I promise you won’t be sorry.”
Joanna laughed when the girl threw her arms around her in a huge hug. She jumped up and hugged her brother next. Gabe returned the hug.
“You will need to go home and pack your clothes and the books you are to study before the semester starts,” he reminded her. Amber nodded as if she had expected that. He smiled and continued, “Honey, you are going to need a place to stay as well.” Her face fell for the first time and then she grinned.
“Hey, I can just camp all summer,” she suggested. “I probably would move down the mountain a bit so I’d be closer to work, but I know I could do it. How about that?”
Joanna appreciated her enthusiasm but knew the reality of camping for months rather than a few days would take most of the glamour out of the outdoors.
“That’s not necessary, Amber,” Joanna said. “I’ve got an extra room and you can bunk with me.”
Amber squealed and th
en almost knocked her new boss over when giving her another hug. “Thank you, Joanna,” she said. “I’m going to go tell Shelley!”
Gabe was shaking his head when Joanna turned to look at him.
“What’s wrong? Didn’t you want her to get a job?” Joanna asked.
He smiled and reached over and pulled her out of her chair before pulling her down onto his lap. “I think it’s great she has a job and I do think she’ll be a great employee for you,” Gabe answered knowing it was a true statement. “But, geez, roomies? What about me?”
He looked so sad that Joanna giggled and cupped his face in her hands.
“Poor baby! Everything will be fine,” she promised.
His eyes said he didn’t believe her. She gave him a kiss before saying, “Gabriel, Amber is not a child. She is an adult and has grown up in your family surrounded by men who have way too much testosterone and women who love that fact. If she is old enough to get paddled and not make a huge deal about it, she is old enough to understand how the people she loves find solace with each other. She’ll give us plenty of room. She’s a great young woman. Trust her, Gabe, I don’t think she’ll disappoint you.”
Gabe nodded and then held her close.
“You are a very kind and very smart woman, Ranger Calloway and I love you,” he said softly. She felt her heart swell and snuggled into him. She gave a short squeal when he stood up, holding her in his arms. He bent his head down and whispered in her ear, “If my little sister is going to be moving into the room next to yours, I’m going to take every private moment until then. Clear?”
Joanna laughed and the sound was delightful as it rang through the camp. “Crystal, Sir,” she answered with a smile.
They informed the others that they were going to Joanna’s. Gabe told Amber that he would take her home the next day to get the necessary papers that Joanna would need to formally hire her as well as her other things. She promised to be ready whenever he was. Gabe told Eric that if he and the others agreed, they could move most of the children into his now empty tent. Eric nodded and Shelley smiled. It would be great having a bit more tent space for themselves. Amber offered her tent as well, but the offer was immediately rescinded by her brother.
