A Winning Hand

by Maria Lake

  “But none of that happened. It turned out my cards were okay after all. I wasn't in any danger after all.”

  Sam narrowed his eyes at her. “You were in danger the second you stepped foot in that saloon, and not just from my hand.”

  Josie pouted at him. “Well, I shouldn't be in danger of your hand. You already spanked me in public.”

  “That was an act and you knew it. The only thing sore after that was your pride.”

  “Do you have any idea how humiliating it was to be bent over your lap, with all those men hooting and hollering for more?”

  “So you noticed that, huh? Well, what you didn't notice with your head facing the floor, is that Buck Miller was apparently so impressed with your whipping that he changed out his hand during your punishment.”

  “So if you hadn't spanked me--”

  “Buck wouldn't have changed his cards. You would have lost it all.”

  “But not, but not--”

  “Not with me there. As your fiancé or not, there was no way you were going to be put to the mattress. But if I hadn't gotten there in time...”

  “I see. So the spanking was necessary after all.”

  “It was a really close shave. And speaking of which, we haven't finished with your punishment, have we? Its time you got a taste of a real spanking.”

  “Do we have to?”

  “We most certainly do. If you're even thinking you're done then that's reason enough. Now, I know you were embarrassed to be spanked in the saloon, but you were also a very lucky lady-- I wasn't going to pull down your drawers in front of the whole saloon.

  “Pull down my-- Why Sam Everett, of all the bad jokes! I should really give you a rough time for scaring me like that!”

  “Not a joke, Josie. And if you'll excuse me for a minute, I'll go get what I need from my cabin.”

  Chapter 29

  I'll go get what I need from my cabin. Sam's words echoed in Josie's mind as she paced back and forth in the parlor. What on earth was he getting?

  At least it meant that he wasn't going to use his big heavy belt again-- she had barely felt anything what with all the petticoats she had on, but she couldn't imagine the soreness she would be left with if he'd brought that thick belt down against her bare bottom.

  Oh goodness, her bare bottom! It was silly, she supposed, because if they married tomorrow he'd soon be seeing the rest of her, but there was something about having her naked bottom just sticking up while she was held against his lap that was deeply disturbing.

  She had already squirmed against him in her dress, how much more awkward would it be when there was nothing between them but Sam's trousers? Josie was still thinking about that frighteningly giant bulge that had risen when she had been over his lap, when she heard Sam's heavy footsteps stomp back into the house.

  But instead of coming directly into the parlor, he continued on in the direction of the kitchen. What a time for the man to think of food, she fretted, certain that he was purposely delaying her punishment.

  Finally, Sam entered the room, and he was dangling a wide leather strap. If her eyes went wide at the sight of the leather, Josie was even more shocked to see old Mrs. Martin at his side.

  Josie looked at Sam questioningly.

  “I explained what was going to happen, so Mrs. Martin'd understand why things are going to be a bit noisy for a while.”

  Mrs. Martin nodded. “I just wanted to make certain that Sam's telling it the way it is.”

  “I'm afraid so, Mrs. Martin,” Josie said. “I was gambling at the Holiday Saloon in Waring Springs today.”

  Mrs. Martin narrowed her eyes. “Then you should consider yourself lucky to get off with only a spanking from it.”

  “Only a spanking?” Sam asked, grinning. “She's getting a good deal more than that. Got me to propose too.”

  “Then you be a good girl and take your medicine,” Mrs. Martin said, giving Josie a hug. “And I'll be very happy to accompany you both to church. Couldn't imagine a nicer, better suited couple.”

  “Thank you Mrs. Martin,” Sam said, letting the old woman hug him too. “I hope you aren't too put off by what's about to happen.”

  Mrs. Martin shook her head. “I've been around for a long time. And Josie's mama was a spitfire too.” She let out a snort, “Why Josie, I can't even count the number of times your daddy took your mama over his knee!”

  “Really? But Daddy never spanked me!”

  “Probably thought that was something special just for him and your mama.” She gave a sly grin, “And something tells me we'll be seeing that history repeating itself once you two are married.”

  “Oh, but Sam wouldn’t spank me for other things, it's just this one offense and--”

  “Oh, but Sam would spank his dear little Josie,” Sam said coming up and putting his arm around her. “That's my idea of marriage. But if that's not what you have in mind, we can call off the wedding.”

  Josie took a deep breath, and then shook her head.

  “Bring over a chair from the dining room,” Sam instructed.

  She gave him a long hard look. “Am I to contribute to my own punishment?”

  “Comments like that sure won't help,” he replied, before leaving the room to get the chair himself.

  “Tsk,” Mrs. Martin said, a slight twitch to her mouth. “You'll only make your punishment worse if you talk to him like that.”

  “I always talk to him like that,” Josie said. “Sam knows that.”

  “Yes, I believe he does,” Mrs. Martin replied. “And I believe you're about to feel its effects firsthand.”

  Sam returned with the chair, plunking it down in the middle of the room.

  “Now what?” Josie asked.

  “You'll be over my lap like before, but this time your skirts will be up over your waist.”

  “It's going to hurt?”

  He nodded. “That's the point of it.”

  “You’re a beast.”

  “Show me a man who isn’t.”

  “Not every man beats his wife.”

  “And that ain’t happening here. You’re getting spanked, plain and simple.”

  “With that thing?” she asked, eying the strap with dread. “That isn't a spanking, that's a whipping.”

  Sam shrugged. “I'm not concerned with what you call the punishment, just so long as it's effective. We'll start off slow and simple. Its discipline, Josie. There's a purpose to it. The pain is only the part of it that drives the lesson home.”

  She nodded.

  “Now, Josie,” Sam said, sitting down in the chair.

  She walked up to him, shyly standing in front of him before he scooped her up by her waist and hauled her over his lap.

  “Lean forward,” he directed her, “hands against the floor.”

  “But then I'll be unbalanced, my- my-”

  “Bottom will be pointing up high? That's the easiest way to spank you, and the least painful- that way the fleshiest parts get the strap.”

  “But that will be humiliating!”

  “Hopefully that'll shame you into some better behavior for next time,” he said, lifting the hem of her dress.

  The rustle of the fabric made her blush, and just when she thought her face couldn’t get any redder, he was drawing up layer upon layer of her petticoats.

  “Well, I'll be leaving you then,” she heard Mrs. Martin say, and she was mortified that the old woman had already witnessed this much. “Now, remember, Josie,” Mrs. Martin cautioned her, “no matter how much it might hurt, it's sorely deserved.” And with a naughty chuckle, Mrs. Martin left the room.

  “Sorely deserved?” Sam chuckled too.

  “You're both enjoying this far too much.”

  “Enjoying this? Sure, but not 'far too much.' In fact, I'd say I'm not enjoying myself even half as much as I'm about to,” Sam said, stroking her hair.

  Josie could feel her face flush as her head hung down. So this was it. Her first real spanking. She could scarcely breathe the way
her heart was hammering in her chest. And then she felt his hand against her dress, and realized he was tossing up her last petticoat.

  Now there was nothing between his gaze and her tender bottom except for her drawers, their fine thin fabric offering scant protection. Trimmed with lace and satin ribbon, they were her prettiest pair, and she fumed to herself that he was seeing them under these conditions.

  She felt Sam take in a quick breath. There were different patterns for drawers, and different types of waistbands. She had always found the ribbon tie waist to be the most practical. Rather than the fixed waist style, it made it easier to adjust. It also made it easier to just push the split leg drawers open when such was necessary.

  If she were standing up, her drawers would have had enough of an overlap of fabric to keep everything hidden. Even sitting, she was still covered. But bent over Sam's lap like this-- with her bottom sticking up so obscenely...

  Josie gulped. She could feel the cool air between the dampness of her thighs. And from the way Sam was breathing, she had all the confirmation she needed. She was quite definitely, and quite improperly, exposed.

  “Well now,” Sam said, “I did say it would be on your bare bottom, didn't I?”

  And then Josie felt two large, rough hands take hold of her drawers, and push them to each side, sliding along the ribbon waist as if they were curtains being opened on a stage.

  Bare. There was no question that she was completely bare to him. She felt goosebumps, but she was pretty sure that had more to do with the trouble she was in rather than the temperature of the room

  “I'm going to start spanking you now,” Sam said, “and you may as well try to settle yourself, because you won't be getting off my lap for quite a while.”

  Josie nodded, bracing herself for the impact. A strap like that would surely hurt immensely when it crashed down against her tender seat.

  She could feel the vibration behind her, as the strap disturbed the air, but to her surprise it landed against her with only a small snap.

  That was it? That was what she was afraid of? Why this punishment would scarcely hurt more than the playacting they had done at the saloon!

  The second snap was quite similar to the first, and she felt herself relaxing more. Sam had strong arms, but he wasn't using his strength. He was keeping the strap close to her backside, and only lifting it slightly each time.

  “Don't get too comfortable,” Sam drawled, “it won't feel like much at first, but enough of these and you will start to smart.”

  It was hard to believe him, as the strap continued to slowly land on her bottom, each time making only a small snap as it licked against bare skin. Why it hurt more to ride a horse!

  By the fifth fall, things had begun to sting some, but she could manage it.

  As they approached ten, she began to feel more of a bite.

  By twelve, Josie felt her legs jolt, and tried to keep them from kicking by clenching them hard.

  By fifteen, she was really exerting herself to try to keep her body under control. Each slap of the strap against her tender rump was like fire, and each jolt made her want to kick like crazy. If she clenched hard as soon as she felt the heat spread through her bottom, she could keep her legs somewhat still, but as the strap continued to snap and slap against her increasingly sore flesh, she feared she was starting to lose.

  A few more slaps of the leather, and now she was clenching her legs tighter, clenching so hard that her exertion caused a mortifying dampness between her thighs that threatened to leak through Sam's pants.

  She was trembling terribly. If Sam was not holding his hand against her back, she would be bucking against him by now.

  It was no good. She could not keep her body tame. She was wriggling fiercely against him, her body clenching on its own, no longer in tune with the rhythm of the strap, clenching harder and faster now as tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

  Again and again, Sam spanked her with that miserable strap, bringing fresh agonies to her body. How could one flat piece of leather manage to affect her so deeply?

  Her hands were struggling to stay against the floor, and she felt her palms growing hot and damp.

  She could feel a whimpering sound building up in the back of her throat, and gritted her teeth to suppress it. She would not give him the satisfaction of her cries.

  Another slap of the strap, and now her body was beyond her. Her legs kicked furiously as Sam peppered her bottom. And then a sudden clench, stronger, more powerful than any of the others, pulled at her from deep inside.

  She heard a loud intake of air that seemed to come from Sam at the same time that a low moan escaped from her lips.

  “Unh,” she moaned, gasping for air. “Unh.”

  And then suddenly she began to kick again. Kick. Clench. Kick. Clench. Kick. Clench. Clench. Clench. Clench. Clench.

  Spank. A hard slap fell against her shaking bottom. That wasn't the strap. That was flesh that stung her- Sam's wide palm!

  Clench. “Unh.” Clench. “Unh.” Clench. “Unh.”

  “Well, I'll be--” Sam said, his voice strangely hoarse.

  “Unh. Unh. Unh.” Her moans trailed on. She was gasping now, her body shaking uncontrollably. It was like a terrible shiver, only she'd never felt so warm in all her life.

  It was a surprise when she discovered that Sam had stilled his hand, and was holding her up, holding her tightly against his chest.

  Dazed, she looked up at him, and there was a tender look in his eyes.

  Sam leaned forward to kiss her, and she recovered herself.

  “Kiss me?” Josie said, taking her fists to his chest. “After you spanked me so bad you gave me some kind of seizure?”

  He shook his head as he seized her by her wrists, stopping her assault. “That wasn't a seizure.”

  “Are you mad? Did you not see the way my body started to shake? It was beyond my control. Why my eyes practically rolled back inside my head! If that wasn't a seizure, what was it?”

  He stroked her hair. “A sign that we are going to have a very interesting, very happy marriage.”

  Sam drew her close again and kissed the top of her head.

  “Well, I'm glad we are done with this spanking nonsense,” Josie said when the kiss ended. She put her hands on his thighs to push herself off of his lap.

  “Done? Just because you, er, um, experienced that? No, we aren’t done yet, my dear Josie. Not by a long shot.”

  And before she could protest, she was over his lap and facing the floor again.

  Josie could swear that he didn’t use any more force than he had before, but this time when the strap landed against her, it made her want to jump up immediately.

  The next fall brought a crash of heat, and the one after that caused a fire that tore through her entire body.

  It wasn't long before he had her gasping and moaning again, and she suddenly felt a terrible ache in parts that hadn’t even been spanked. She attempted to rub against his lap to relieve a strange soreness that built and built and built until it suddenly disappeared amidst another long burst of moaning.

  “You'll kill me like this,” she said as Sam once again lifted her into his arms.

  “Trust me,” he said, his voice a low growl. “This spanking is far more painful for me than for you.”

  “Ha,” she replied. “You’ve no idea what it is like to be on the receiving end.”

  “If I received what I want from you, I'd surely suffer less,” he mumbled, shifting uncomfortably beneath her.

  Well, one thing she had already learned, rubbing her sore bottom, was that her husband-to-be was a man of his word. He certainly had given it to her with that razor strap. The difference was, unlike back at the Saloon, he had scooped her up in his arms afterward.

  “This wasn't how I expected to start off our engagement,” Sam said gruffly, as he gently stroked her tear stained face, “but I do think it's a part of marriage.”

  “I'm sorry,” she sniffled, laying her head ag
ainst his shoulder. “I did the wrong thing.”

  “You learned from it though?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Then I think we're all squared away.”

  “So you forgive me?”

  “You apologized and took your punishment, no need for either of us to harp on it after that.”

  “It's that easy?”

  “Well, I can't say I've gone easy on you,” Sam said, giving her a quick kiss on her cheek, while gently stroking her sore bottom.

  “No, sir,” she agreed. “I can't see myself on a horse for a while.”

  “That desk chair of yours isn't going to look too appealing either.”

  “You're being real nice to me now,” she said, enjoying the warmth of his arms.

  “That's because I love you. If I'm going to discipline you, it's very important that you know how much I care about you. I'm not spanking you to hurt you.”

  “Not trying to hurt me? Tell that to my poor bottom!”

  “That's an unpleasant and necessary part of it-- if there wasn't any pain to it, you wouldn't be learning your lesson, would you?”

  “No, I suppose not.”

  “And I think we can trust that you won't be gambling ever again?”

  “I would have had them if they hadn't--”

  “Josie, just when I thought I’d-- “ he grunted, “don't tell me that I need to pick up that strap again?”

  “No, sir, it's just that I am good at cards and--”

  “And I'd stop talking about cards right now if I were you, unless you want to be flipped back over again,” he said, placing his firm hand against her lower back to show her he was serious.

  “Surely a card game every now and then--”

  Sam let out a slow whistle. “Something tells me you're gonna have a warm bottom more often than you think.”

  “Will you always hold me like this afterward?”

  “Uh-huh,” he said, breathing in the scent of her hair. “Only we'll be married then.”

  “How will that make it different?”

  “Well,” he said, “having my wife on my lap, and holding her close to my heart like this-- it puts a husband in a very affectionate mood. If you're a good wife, you can expect a very loving marriage.”