by Lola Starr
“I’ll see you at about 11,” he finally said, rising to leave for work. “That’ll give us plenty of time to get to Pastor Mike’s house for lunch. Put together a dish to bring with us, like some coffee cake or something.”
“I will,” she said, stretching up to kiss him good-bye. “Have a good morning.”
As his car pulled out onto the street, she opened her laptop to search out a number. A moment later she was on the phone with the police, reporting the theft. Due to the amount of money missing, they would investigate and, if appropriate, charge Irene with grand theft. Jessie gave them the contact information for the other ladies who held positions within the group, as well as the pastor’s wife and Irene herself. She was almost chuckling by the time she hung up the phone, imagining how badly this would damage Irene’s credibility with the group. The other ladies would never trust her again, and her attempts to make Jessie look bad would fall flat. If she even dares to stay in the group.
She got started on a small coffee cake to bring to lunch, almost dancing through the kitchen as she worked. At 11, Darren’s car pulled up and she brought the cake out to the car with her, holding it carefully on her lap as they drove. The pastor’s house was across town from where they lived, and Darren also needed to stop at the bank on the way. They arrived at 11:30 on the dot and saw Pastor Mike was waiting for them at the door.
“How are you two doing?” he greeted them pleasantly, shaking their hands as they stepped into the house. “I’m so glad you could come by. Come on into the dining room. Gail will be down in a moment.”
Jessie and Darren took their seats as the pastor went up to get his wife. They rose again when she came into the room.
“Good morning,” she said with a bright smile. “I hope you brought your appetites.”
“Yes, we did,” Jessie said as she returned the middle-aged woman’s hug. “And some coffee cake as well.”
“Oh, that looks delicious. I can’t wait to try some,” Gail said as she put down the food in the middle of the table. Pastor Mike said grace, and they all began to load their plates with food.
“I really appreciate you inviting us over,” Darren said to them while glancing expectantly at Jessie. “I would hate for there to be any bad feelings between us.”
“I am so sorry for the way I behaved on the phone yesterday,” said Jessie. “I was just so upset about the situation that I failed to control myself. I hope you’ll accept my apology. I love the both of you and would never want to make either of you feel bad in any way.”
“Of course we accept your apology,” said Pastor Mike in a comforting tone. “I understand how upset you were, and we didn’t take it personally. It means a lot to us that you’ve tried to make amends.”
“And I have some good news for you, Jessie,” Gail said enthusiastically. “Just before you arrived, Nancy Whitaker called me. She’s found the missing money.”
“Oh, thank the Lord,” responded Pastor Mike. “What a relief that is!”
“Where was it?” Jessie said, trying to smile as a sense of dread came over her.
“She realized she must have inadvertently placed the envelope in one of her boxes of clothes as she was talking to Irene,” explained Gail. “She was gathering her leftover things this morning to take downtown to donate when she found it sitting inside a box. She said she would email the group to explain it to everyone. She felt so bad about it, but I tried to reassure her that no one would blame her. I knew everyone would be so relieved to find out it was a simple oversight.”
Jessie maintained her forced smile as the conversation continued. I’ll call the police back right away when I get home. She had to stop any of the other ladies in the group from finding out that she’d reported it as a theft. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too late.
“And you were ready to quit your position over this,” Darren teased lovingly.
“Oh, I’m so glad you didn’t,” Gail piped in. “I’ve felt so bad lately about not being more involved in the group and this issue just brought that to the forefront. I’d have felt awful if things had turned out that way.”
Jessie managed a weak smile and sipped her coffee. The conversation continued without her as she poked at her food, unable to eat. It was all she could do to keep from vomiting. She knew she had to stop the police before things turned disastrous. As if on cue, Gail’s phone rang. She looked at it with a frown before excusing herself to take it in the other room. Jessie felt lightheaded as she realized that the call could be from the police. Or even from Irene’s husband, saying that Irene had been arrested. Jessie prayed that the phone call had nothing to do with this lost money business. When Gail returned to the dining room, the look on her face made Jessie’s stomach twist into knots.
“Dear, may I speak with you for a moment?” Gail said to Pastor Mike, who wore a look of deep concern on his face. Darren continued to eat, unaware of the humiliation that was about to be heaped on her and, by extension, him. When they returned to the table, neither of them made eye contact with her.
“I’m sorry, but it appears that the problem with the money hasn’t exactly been resolved,” stated Pastor Mike reluctantly, still avoiding her eyes. “Apparently, Irene was questioned by the police a short time ago. They said Jessie reported her as having stolen the money from the sale. She’s completely distraught, and Gail agreed to go over to her house to help calm her down.”
“Jessie, you didn’t report this to the police, did you?” Darren asked with a mix of concern and confusion. Jessie’s throat was so dry she couldn’t even squeak out a response. Her face was burning with embarrassment and she couldn’t bear to look at Darren. She knew she must look foolish and irresponsible to everyone else, especially those who had given her the benefit of the doubt.
“I’m can’t tell you how embarrassed I am,” Darren said to the pastor and his wife in a tone that made Jessie want to curl up on the floor and die. “I promise you I knew nothing about this. Jessie and I will go to the police immediately and make sure everything is cleared up. We’ll call Irene later to apologize personally, but in the meantime, please pass along our regret about this.”
Jessie stood up, keeping her eyes on the floor as she followed Darren out of the house silently. Once they were in the car, he addressed her with a level of disappointment she had never heard from him before.
“I can’t even think of what to say. All you had to do was be patient and wait. Throughout this entire ordeal your only concern has been making sure Irene looked worse than you. Now the poor woman’s been treated like a criminal, Jessie, and for nothing. What was going through your head? You had no evidence of the money being stolen, much less Irene having stolen it. Do you realize what you’ve done?”
In the back of her mind she certainly did. The level of humiliation and regret she was feeling was too overwhelming for her to face the enormity of how badly she had messed up. The tears that rolled down her cheeks elicited no sympathy from Darren as he continued to berate her harshly. By the time they reached the police station, she was sobbing. He led her inside by the arm and firmly marched to the front desk.
“May I help you?” asked an officer.
Darren looked pointedly at Jessie, waiting for her to speak.
“I need to discuss a report a made earlier,’ she said, choking back sobs. “I made a mistake in accusing someone of theft.”
It took some time to get to the right person and have the case closed, and at each step of the way Darren insisted that Jessie repeat the explanation of what had happened, along with an apology. Over an hour later, they were back in the car and on the way to Irene’s house. As bad as things had been at the police station, she knew it would be a hundred times worse having to apologize to Irene.
There were several cars parked in Irene’s driveway and on the street in front of her house. Jessie recognized some of them as belonging to other women in their church group. Just great. An audience. Once again, Darren marched her up to the door and stood beside her silently a
s Lisa, a close friend of Irene’s, answered the door. With a scowl, she led them into the living room, where Irene, Gail and half a dozen other women sat.
“I’ve come to apologize to you, Irene,” Jessie began, her voice quivering. “It was very wrong of me to assume the worst and report you to the police. And I also want to apologize to the rest of you for having upset everyone so much.”
“Ladies,” Darren piped in. “We’ve been to the police and have informed them that there was no theft. You shouldn’t have any legal trouble regarding this. Irene, I also want to apologize for my wife’s atrocious behavior. Rest assured, once we get home, I will bend her over for a good long spanking for this nonsense she’s pulled. However bad you’ve felt today, I guarantee she’ll be feeling worse.”
Jessie’s face burned with embarrassment at Darren’s statement. Most of the couples at church also practiced domestic discipline, but it was mortifying nonetheless to have Darren announce it to a room full of people.
“Thanks for coming and apologizing,” sniffed Irene, obviously still upset over the day’s events. “Jessie, I don’t know what I’ve done to give you such a low opinion of me, but I hope we can put this all behind us and move on. I appreciate you trying to make things right.”
Irene’s graciousness seemed genuine, and that made Jessie feel even more foolish. She had to admit to herself that her bad feelings about Irene were what had caused this situation to turn so unpleasant. After all, was it so hard to understand that Irene’s feelings had been hurt by being replaced by Jessie? Despite that, she had never actually said anything nasty to Jessie and had remained in the group, trying to have a good attitude. Have I just been imagining her plotting, her attempts to turn the group against me? She didn’t know what to think anymore. All she knew was that her own behavior had harmed others, and if the other ladies wanted her to step down, she had no one to blame but herself.
“If you’ll excuse us now, ladies, we have some business to take care of at home,” Darren said. “Please try to enjoy the rest of your day, and give my best to your husbands.”
Jessie stared at her feet, unable to look anyone in the eye as they walked out of the house and back to the car. Darren started the engine, then sighed and turned to her.
“I know that was hard on you. But you owed it to them.”
“I know,” Jessie mumbled, hoping he wouldn’t go on. Darren’s pre-punishment lectures were always hard to hear. It was a lot easier to endure a spanking when she could convince herself she was being punished unfairly. Knowing he was completely right made her feel worse.
“Go upstairs to the bedroom,” he said as they pulled up in front of their house. “Lay out the paddle on the bed, then wait in the corner with your pants down. You’re not going to get off easy like you did last night. I should have paddled your bottom good and red then, and maybe this whole fiasco could have been avoided.”
Her feet felt like they were encased in concrete as she trudged upstairs to await her discipline. As hard as it would be, she just wanted it to be over with. The day had left her drained emotionally and she wanted it to all go away. She retrieved the paddle as instructed then went to the corner.
He left her waiting for what seemed like an eternity. She felt cold air on her bare bottom as he opened the bedroom door.
“Come over here.”
She shuffled over awkwardly to the bench where he was sitting, and he pulled her across his lap with her bottom up in the air.
“Why am I going to spank you?” he recited.
“Because I hurt other people by jumping to conclusions and being suspicious.”
“What else?”
“I embarrassed myself and you in front of the pastor, his wife and the other people at church.”
“What was wrong with your attitude?”
She shifted uncomfortably on his lap. “I was immature, selfish, and wanted to see someone else embarrassed.”
“Do you agree that you need a good spanking on your bare bottom to teach you a lesson?”
“Yes, sir,” she said, wincing in expectation.
He began with his hand, administering sharp slaps back and forth across her bottom and upper thighs. His hand made her flesh sting as he spanked each area over and over, and she started to scoot down from his lap in response to the pain.
“Don’t you move away when I’m spanking you,” he cautioned sternly. She did her best to be still but couldn’t help squirming as each slap made her bottom burn with increasing intensity. Tears filled her eyes as she squealed in response to each slap of his hand against her tender flesh. As much as it hurt, she knew it was nothing compared to what was coming next—the paddle.
Jessie hated being spanked—and not just because of the pain. She hated disappointing Darren and always felt so ashamed at her own behavior once a spanking had been earned. The tears spilled down her cheeks as she started to cry softly, embarrassed and in pain. Hearing her whimpering, he paused for a moment.
“Does your bottom hurt? It needs to. I have to help you learn to control yourself, and giving you a bottom that throbs for the next week is the best way to do that!”
She choked out a loud sob as he began spanking her again. Once he felt that her bottom was sufficiently warmed up to start paddling her, he paused again, lightly brushing his fingertips against her flesh. A break like this wasn’t intended to comfort her—it was to make sure the pain didn’t start to dull. Soft sobs shook her body as he moved his fingertips across her bottom, preparing her to feel every swing of the paddle. After a minute or two, she saw him reach back for the paddle.
“No, Darren, please,” she begged. “It hurts so much already! I’ve learned my lesson. I promise!”
“I’ve already decided to paddle you, and that’s what I’m going to do. I’ll determine when you’ve learned your lesson. Do you understand me?”
She whimpered out in mild protest but didn’t dare argue. That would simply bring about more punishment. It was best to accept it and show him she was sorry—even if it felt like she couldn’t take anymore.
With a quick, sharp stroke, he brought the paddle down against Jessie’s bottom, taking her breath away. He brought it down again, this time eliciting a loud cry as the pain burned deep into her flesh. Reflexively, she covered her bottom with her palms, almost falling off his lap in the process. He grabbed both of her wrists and pinned them firmly against her lower back, repositioning her across his lap with her bottom stuck up, and doled out four more sharp swats—two on each cheek. Her cries echoed through the room as the paddle hit her. More swats followed. Her entire bottom was lit on fire, and it took all her strength not to force herself away from him. Not that she’d be able to anyway—his powerful hand held her firmly in place, and she knew she wouldn’t be allowed to move until he was finished.
As he continued the paddling, her bottom began to throb. Her cries became loud sobs that shook her whole body. She sank into his lap in submission, though she was careful to keep her bottom up in the air for him. He paddled it sharply about a dozen more times, pausing in swats between to let it burn, then finally put the paddle down.
She sobbed with relief as Darren pulled her up from his lap. He cradled her against him, with her throbbing bottom between his legs as he supported her in his lap. She gripped his shirt and cried into his chest as he stroked her hair. Gasping and trying to catch her breath, all she could think about was how badly she’d disappointed him. She loved him so much and never wanted to behave so horridly again. He rocked her in his lap, placing gentle kisses across her forehead to calm her.
Several minutes of comforting later, he lifted her chin to look at her.
“Are we done with the drama between you and Irene now?”
She nodded and tried to sit up, wincing as her scarlet red bottom brushed against his pants. He helped lift her up carefully then gently stroked her bottom to soothe it.
“I don’t think I’ll quit the group, but I will step down. Running it and worrying about impressin
g people isn’t worth the trouble it causes. I don’t like the way it’s changed me.”
“Are you sure?” He looked at her quizzically. “You’re not doing it out of spite?”
“I’m sure,” she said earnestly. “I liked it better when I was contributing and could just enjoy helping out and spending time with the other ladies. ``
“I think you’ve made a wise decision,” he said with a smile. “To tell you the truth, if I had to see people glaring at you the way some of those women did today, I might not be able to keep from acting up a little myself.”
She grinned, wrapped her arms around him, and rested her head against his chest again. It was like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and she felt a contentment she hadn’t even realized she had been missing. As he held her, she listened to the sound of his heart beating and wished they could stay this forever—happily in each other’s embrace.
Love, Honor, and Obey
Chapter 1
Dawson held the door for Cailyn as they entered Pastor Mike’s office. Unable to work through the problems they were having, they had decided to discuss the issue with him in order to get his advice. A moment after they were seated, Pastor Mike came in and closed the door leading to the hallway. Taking his seat across from them, he looked at them kindly.
“What can I do for the two of you?” he asked.
Cailyn looked at Dawson and gave a deep sigh. She’d let him explain it.
“Well, Pastor,” Dawson began. “It’s difficult to put into words really. I feel like we’re butting heads a lot at home and we can’t seem to agree on a lot of things. We end up arguing and angry with each other. I’m worried—we’re worried that it’s going to affect our marriage negatively and we don’t want to let things get to that point. Since we couldn’t figure things out on our own, we thought maybe you’d be able to advise us.”
