by Livia Grant
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Grant, Livia
Life’s Unexpected Gifts
eBook ISBN: 978-1-62750-651-9
Cover Design by Anthony Walsh
This book is intended for adults only. Spanking and other sexual activities represented in this book are fantasies only, intended for adults. Nothing in this book should be interpreted as Blushing Books' or the author's advocating any non-consensual spanking activity or the spanking of minors.
Chapter One
Troy Jackson looks at the time on his cell phone just before pulling out of the roadside gas station just off the Denver Boulder Turnpike. He’s not happy to see it’s already after 6pm. The Friday night traffic paired with the heavy December snowfall has slowed him down. He regrets not calling his sister to let her know he was on the way.
‘That’s what I get for trying to surprise her for her birthday. I guess the surprise will be on me if she’s not even home when I finally get there.’
It’s been over six months since he’s seen his sister, Traci, and he’s been increasingly worried about her with each weekly Skype conversation they’ve had these last six months. As the only two remaining living relatives in their small family, Troy’s decided it’s about time they spend more time together. Tonight is meant to be a double celebration. Not only does he want to help his sister celebrate turning the big 3-0, but he can’t wait to see the look on her face when she finds out his transfer back to Denver is complete.
Just the weekend before, Troy had finished moving his relatively meager collection of possessions into his off-base apartment. At thirty-four years old, it had depressed him to realize he had so very little in the way of possessions to show for a lifetime of hard work. Sure, his bank account and investment portfolio were well padded with the money saved by being a single workaholic. His computer expertise along with his ability to lead research teams had spurred his military career along very quickly, making him a rather young Captain in the Air Force. He’s proud of his contribution to his team and service to his country, yet the older he gets, the bigger that hollow hole in his gut gets when he sees his friends with their families.
The irony is, there was a time when he felt sorry for those friends trying to keep it all together while moving from country to country, families chasing their husbands and fathers when they could. Now he knows those same men pity him as they talk about their plans for the upcoming Christmas holidays. Sure, he always gets invitations to join in his friend’s family celebrations when away from home, yet those requests really amounted to an invitation to be a fifth wheel. At least this year, he’ll spend Christmas with his sister for the first time in four years.
As he maneuvers a curve, Troy’s SUV slips on the slick mountain road, weaving the way to Corbin’s Bend, Colorado, the small town where Traci lives. As he gets the vehicle under control, he allows his thoughts to shift back to his sister.
He’s still in disbelief that Traci had chosen to live in Corbin’s Bend, a community populated by people who have one major thing in common, their love of spanking. Troy smiles to himself as he remembers his sister’s loud carrying on during one of the last spankings she’d received from their strict father. Only a few weeks from her high school graduation, she’d been more than three hours late for her curfew. Their parents had been nearly frantic with her uncharacteristic behavior. It was only bad luck that had Troy home from college that weekend to witness his father’s normally calm demeanor shattered by worry for his daughter. After Traci had been found safe and sound, his father’s anger bubbled up, replacing worry.
As a twenty-two year old college senior at the time, Troy had still been selfishly resenting his father’s rather strict discipline. But there, waiting along-side his parents to hear news on the safety of his sister, he’d seen another whole side of a loving domestic discipline way of life. He had watched with envy the closeness of his parents as they supported each other through their hours of worry. That was the first night Troy had finally understood the value of his parent’s consistent boundaries in his life, which had kept him and his sister remarkably grounded while allowing them the security of spreading their wings with the knowledge of their parent’s unconditional love. Unconditional love even when they did something stupid, like staying out half the night with her new boyfriend. Troy is sure his sister had not felt the same way after receiving the tanning of her lifetime courtesy of Dad’s well-worn belt to her bare bottom.
Yes, Troy had grown up a bit that night, uncovering important revelations about the kind of relationship he wanted in his future. Little did he know just how hard it would be to find a woman in the twenty-first century who actually wanted to be guided by their dominant husband. Between deployments, he’s had little time to play the field, but even those few relationships he’s had over the years have been a shallow imitation of what his parents had. So far he hasn’t been willing to compromise. Unfortunately, as he comes up on his thirty-fifth birthday, he finds himself worried he may need to settle for ‘good enough’ soon.
‘If I don’t start a family soon, I’ll end up being a senior citizen by the time the kids graduate.’
When Traci had told him of her plans to buy into the co-op community to both live in Corbin’s Bend and serve as the resident therapist, he had actually laughed at her, thinking she was playing a joke on him. He wasn’t sure such a place could actually exist and if it did, why in the world would his sister choose to live there as a single woman? The fact that she would voluntarily live in a place heralding the benefits of something she’d howled so loud over as an eighteen year old always amuses him. The only thing he’s come up with is that maybe his sister had realized how great their parent’s marriage had been after all.
They’ve never openly talked about what they’d both learned that fateful night, but he wants to change that. He’s sensed a growing sadness each time he’s talked to Traci over the last few months. He’s been worried about her and is relieved he’s close enough now to drop in to visit more often. She’d been so happy when she first moved to Corbin’s Bend, but he can’t shake the feeling she might be regretting her decision now, almost two years later.
Troy is relieved to see the large sign welcoming him to Corbin’s Bend. The country roads have been getting worse by the minute, making him happy to see the plowed streets of the town nestled into the mountains outside Boulder. He chuckles as he turns onto his sister’s street, Spanking Loop. The last time he’d been here it had been a hot summer day and the park across the street from her house had been full of happy children. Tonight, the park is empty as he passes by before slowly pulling into the first driveway he gets to. His sister was lucky to get this prime location in town, so close to the park and only a few blocks walk to the community center, pool and theater, all locations they’d enjoyed together the last time he was in town.
Only once he puts the SUV in park does he take the time to realize his sister’s house is completely dark, confirming his fear that he should have given her a heads up he would be coming tonight. He’d wanted to surprise her, but the surprise is on him. Troy gets out of the vehicle, his leather boots sinking into the several inches of wet snow on his way to her large front porch. He rings the doorbell, with only a small hope of her opening the door. After several attempts to rouse her, he takes out his cell phone to text her.
Text from Troy to Traci:
Hey, sis. Happy birthday! What are you up to for your big day?
> No response. Okay, she must be out having fun.
Troy chooses ‘Sis’ from his contacts, pressing SEND on a call. He’s not happy when the call goes straight to voice mail.
‘The least she could do is answer her damn phone.’
He goes back to sit in his idling car for what seems like an eternity but is most likely only ten minutes. After trying her phone several more times, he’s in a quandary of what to do. It’s way too far to drive home, not to mention he’d hate to drive the roads back down to the turnpike with the snow continuing to come down at this clip. He knows there’s no hotel in town and he’s never bothered to get a key to Traci’s considering he visits so rarely. Hopefully, they can correct that now that he’s moved back to Colorado, but little good that’ll do him tonight.
Impatient, he checks the locks on both the front and back door, actually happy when he finds both secure. He’d not be happy if his sister had been careless enough to keep her doors unlocked, especially living alone, safe community or not.
As he stands near the front door, his eyes travel down to the ceramic guard goose dressed in a Christmas Santa suit. His heart lurches as the childhood memories of his mother lovingly changing the clothes on their family guard goose as each new holiday season would approach. He’d completely forgotten about the silly tradition, yet he’s happy to see his sister carrying it forward. He knows his mom would be pleased. A pang of homesickness he hasn’t allowed himself to feel in a very long time invades.
If only that were the only memory he had of that stupid goose.
It was their family’s guard goose that had made him aware that their father not only disciplined Troy and his sister, but their mother, too, when she’d broken a family rule. Even in the frigid cold, a warmth passes through Troy at his vivid memory as a thirteen-year-old boy coming home from school to hear the unmistakable sounds of his mother being paddled by his father through their clearly-not-thick-enough bedroom door.
Troy had felt the hard, wooden paddle on his own bottom enough to know conclusively what was happening on the other side of that door. His father’s stern lecture pointing out the foolishness of putting their family’s safety at risk by hiding the key to their house in such an obvious place, only two feet from the front door, could barely be heard over his mother’s sobbing promises to never let it happen again.
The spanking had gone on for what seemed like an eternity as he stood there, completely panicking over how this turn of events would change their family dynamic. He remembers selfishly standing there listening to the sounds of the harsh punishment, wondering how it was going to feel having parents who were divorced, because surely his mom was never going to put up with being thrashed by her husband like a naughty child.
After the paddling ended, he had run to his room to hide, ear to his door listening for sounds of an argument or worse, his mom leaving. When his mom had called him down for his after-school snacks like she did every other day, he’d been shocked. He had crept down to the kitchen, cautiously, hoping not to see his father. Afraid he might deck his dad for driving Mom away.
Troy had almost fainted when he arrived at the kitchen to find his mom sitting on Dad’s lap at the table, snuggled up close as he hugged her to him as if she was precious. The peaceful smile on her face as she looked up as he entered overshadowed the slightly red rims of her eyes, the only indication he had really heard what he had heard. He remembers the rush of relief followed by his own confusion over what had transpired between his parents. He took every opportunity to watch them closely in the following years, witnessing firsthand how much happier they seemed than any of his friend’s parents. Only years later would he start to truly understand the power of such an intimate relationship.
One of his biggest regrets of losing his parents so unexpectedly is that Troy never got a chance to talk about domestic discipline with his father. Only as an adult, years later, did Troy figure out the official name for their family dynamic. While he’s researched DD extensively online enough to know he longs to find a woman searching for the same intimacy in a marriage, he regrets that he can’t talk to his father about this important topic.
Uncharacteristically emotional tonight, Troy reaches down to stroke the silly piece of rock that had brought back so many memories. When the goose wobbles at his touch, Troy bends down to investigate, finding a single key smashed under the concrete statue.
A strange mix of relief and anger courses through Troy. Sure, he finally has a way into his sister’s house to await her return, but he’s not happy at all that anybody wandering by could have found the same key and be waiting in her dark house to accost his sister upon her return. He tries to shrug it off, knowing how safe the close-knit community of Corbin’s Bend is, but he plans on cautioning his sister to find a better hiding place for her backup key.
With a chuckle, he wonders what his adult sister would do if he upended her for a spanking like he’s sure their father would deliver under the circumstances were he still alive.
Suspecting Traci will need to park in her garage upon her return, Troy takes a minute to move his car across the street before grabbing his overnight bag and letting himself into her house. He feels a bit guilty for barging into her private space, unannounced, yet it is his sister, after all. He really doesn’t think she’ll mind considering he’s stayed here in her guest room on three separate occasions while on leave.
After taking his wet boots and coat off in the entry, he throws his duffle bag on the guest bed before heading to the kitchen to see what Traci has in the fridge in the way of adult beverages. He appreciates that she stocks his favorite beer when she knows he’s coming, but since she was in the dark on his plan, he only finds several large bottles of wine chilling along with a rather sad array of food. Yogurt… and more yogurt, a few half-used condiments, two cases of diet soda and Traci’s strange favorite snack food, jars of dill pickles. Right on schedule, his stomach growls.
‘Serves you right, asshole. You should have called her earlier today to wish her a happy birthday and find out her plans.’
Troy had talked to her earlier in the week and she hadn’t mentioned any special plans for her birthday, giving him the idea of surprising her. His luck, some of her friends must have whisked her away on a weekend ski trip. That would explain the lack of food in the fridge and also why she’s not answering her phone. She must be on the slopes.
Knowing it’s too late to drive back to the city, Troy throws the one and only frozen pizza from the freezer into the oven and settles in on the couch with a glass of too-fruity chardonnay to await his gourmet dinner. He sees her normal stack of books on the coffee table. She’s never more than an arm’s length away from reading material. Rifling through, looking for something non-psychology related to read, he’s surprised to find several risqué romance novels mixed in with the heap. He starts reading a novel touting itself as ‘The hottest read of the year.’ Not exactly how he’d planned the night.
* * * * *
The sound of Traci’s car in the driveway jars Troy awake. He’s momentarily disoriented by his surroundings. He had fallen asleep on the couch after forcing down a few slices of frozen pizza while watching TV in the dark. The last thing he remembered was the start of the late show after the evening news. The additional loud rumble of a large truck out front confuses him. His sister drives a small hybrid, a car Troy had cautioned her against driving in Colorado winters.
He flicks the TV off with the remote, grabbing his cell phone to check the time. He glances to see it’s just after midnight. He pushes his six-foot frame to his feet to make his way to peer out the long, decorative side window flanking Traci’s front door. It’s pretty dark out, but what little light there is from the nearest street lamp reflects off the bright white snow to cast enough light for Troy to spot his sister struggling to get out of her car, stepping into the deep snow of the driveway. What looks like a hulking football lineman is already climbing out of the cab of his jacked-up truck, parked directly behind
his sister.
‘Shit. Isn’t she going to be surprised to see me?’
Troy suddenly feels like a complete idiot for assuming his sister would be happy to have him surprise her. Clearly, she’d made other plans for her thirtieth birthday… plans he suspects she would prefer her brother not know about. She’s never mentioned seeing anyone seriously, but clearly she must have a boyfriend if she’s inviting the guy in this late.
Unsure how he should spring his surprise on his sister, he moves across the room to the bank of light switches in the kitchen not far from the front door. The houses in Corbin’s Bend all have an open floor plan and he’ll be able to turn on the lights from the kitchen and call out his ‘surprise’. Troy waits anxiously while he hears shuffling of feet on the outside front porch.
He can hear his sister’s voice through the door. “Thanks for making sure I made it home, Ronnie. G’night.” If Troy didn’t know better, he could swear his sister sounds tipsy. Her words are slurred through the door.
“Oh come on, little lady. The night is young. It’s way too early for me to go home and anyway, you haven’t let me give you your birthday spanking yet. I know all you chicks from Corbin’s Bend love to have your butt lit up by a big strong guy like me. Let me in and I’ll be sure to show you and that hot ass of yours a good time.”
Troy stands frozen to his spot, in shock at his sister’s choice of a date for her thirtieth birthday, his blood pressure rising with anger directed at her escort. He prays this was a blind date or better yet, just a misunderstanding. He’s waiting for her response when he hears a thud against the front door from the outside followed by a sharp slap.
