by Livia Grant
He can see the sympathy in her eyes. He doesn’t want her to feel sorry for him. “Oh, Troy. I wish I didn’t, but I know exactly how it feels to lose a parent you love too soon. It fucking sucks.”
Her choice of words brings a chuckle. “You really do like to talk like a truck driver, don’t you?”
“Sorry. Bad habit. Does it really bother you? I know it drives Uncle Adam crazy.”
“Oh, it doesn’t bother me as much as it does him, although I usually prefer to save that kind of language for specific times where it might be more appropriate.”
“When would…” her voice trails off as she blushes a very cute pink. “Oh…”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
“Yes, you did.”
Such sass. “Okay, maybe I did. Do you mind?”
“I guess not, as long as you don’t threaten to spank me for it.” Her eyes grow as big as saucers as soon as the words are out of her mouth.
Troy can’t help but laugh out loud. “If you could see your face. You’re adorable when you blush like that.”
“I don’t want to be adorable.”
“What do you want to be?”
“I don’t know. Sexy. Smart. Sassy.”
“Oh Hallie, believe me, honey. You are all of those things and so much more.”
The passion burning back at him from across the table has Troy about to leap over to take her in his arms. Only the arrival of the pancakes puts a kibosh on that plan.
When the server leaves, Hallie grins at him. “Saved by the pancakes.”
“You have no idea.”
“So I know you used to live in Washington DC. Where else have you lived?”
“Well, I was stationed in Florida, Texas and briefly in Germany before transferring to a big project three years ago that had me in DC. I’ve been trying to get back to Colorado for years so I could be closer to Traci. We are the only family each other has and I hated being away so much. I’m grateful for the close-knit community of Corbin’s Bend. I know it’s not the same as real family, but she has made some very close friends here. I just wish she’d find her own HoH and settle down. I know she’s always wanted to have a big family and she’s anxious to get started.”
“What about you? Why haven’t you settled down yet?” She’s trying to act nonchalant, but he can tell she’s fishing for information on his past relationships.
“No big reason. I guess I just haven’t found the right person… yet.”
“So no marriages? Engagements?”
“Nope.”
“Wow, what’s wrong with you?”
Troy laughs. “Gee, I don’t know for sure, but I guess I’ve never found the right kind of woman”
“What kind of woman is that? A 1950’s woman?”
He takes a bite of pancakes to give himself time to think. “Is that what you think the whole DD lifestyle is all about? Turning women into housewives, barefoot and pregnant, ready to service their husbands on a dime and turned over his knee for a hard, bare-bottomed spanking if she fails to please him?”
Her chest is heaving as she takes deep breaths.
“Which part of that rant has you out of breath, Hallie?”
Her answer is barely more than a whisper. “All of it. Oh God. Is that really what you expect?”
Troy could kick himself. She isn’t ready to see that for the ridiculous joke that it was. He quickly slides out of the booth, moving to slide in next to her. Hallie actually slides as far as she can, turning so her back is against the restaurant wall to face him. She’s panicking as he moves forward, trapping her.
Troy reaches out to cup her cheek with his right hand, trying to calm her. “Hallie, baby. I’m so sorry. That was a bad joke. That isn’t what I want out of a relationship at all. Take a deep breath.” Amazingly, she listens to him. “You want to know what the right kind of woman is for me? The woman I’ve been looking for?”
She answers with a whisper. “Yes.”
“Well for starters, she has to be smart… witty… able to keep me on my toes. Kind of like this conversation we’re having right now. It’s anything but boring, wouldn’t you agree?” He ends with a grin.
“I guess.”
“Good. Next, she has to want to be my partner in life. Someone who compliments me. Who accepts that I am going to be better at some things and she at other things, but when we put our skills together, we make a whole. To me that is what DD is all about. Each person has an equal but different role to play, but when we come together it can be like magic.”
“I’ve never believed in magic.”
“Oh, Hallie. I may have never found it either, but I believe in it. I saw it with my own eyes in my parent’s marriage and my grandparent’s before them. I see it in so many of the wonderful relationships in Corbin’s Bend. You don’t think they’ve found a little bit of magic?”
She thinks about that for a minute. “Maybe.”
“There’s one other really important requirement left.”
“Yes?”
“She has to make me want to fuck her senseless the second she walks in a room”
“Oh God.” Troy is worried she is going to hyperventilate soon. He’s close enough to smell her arousal in the confined space.
Troy grabs her hand, holding it in his own while they size each other up. He slowly moves their joined hands to place her palm onto his now raging hard-on. Hallie’s eyes dilate, turning from green to almost black with veiled lust.
“This is what you do to me, Hallie. I’ve pretty much had this problem since I kissed you under that damn mistletoe on Christmas Eve. Three damn days I’ve been walking around, telling myself you’re too young for me. Telling myself you’re too innocent. Too afraid of a DD lifestyle. That you’ll freak out the first time I try to spank that beautiful ass of yours. I’ve come up with at least twenty reasons why falling for you is a bad idea, but in the end, it doesn’t matter. I want you, Hallie Boudreaux and I’m going to be patient and take my time proving to you that you should want me too.”
He’s done it. Laid all of his cards on the table. He hadn’t even made it two damn hours alone with her. He holds his breath, praying he didn’t just make the biggest mistake of his life.
She never does answer him. At least not with words. Hallie catapults forward into his arms with a groan. Troy captures her mouth in what is easily the most passionate kiss of his life. It’s full of emotion and promise. They lose themselves in the moment until their waitress clears her throat next to their table. They pull out of their kiss reluctantly.
“I’m really sorry to interrupt, but there is a family nearby that has complained about your… well... They’d appreciate it if you could get back to eating your breakfast.”
Troy and Hallie both burst out laughing. “Yeah, sure. We’ll behave ourselves.”
“Thank you.”
When she’s gone, Troy reaches out to tuck a stray strand of blonde hair behind Hallie’s ear. “Oh Hallie, you’re dangerous.”
“That’s my line.”
Chapter Ten
“Don’t touch me! I can get up on my own.” Hallie looks up at Troy hovering over her for at least the tenth time in the last four hours. Just when she starts to feel like she might be getting the hang of things, she finds herself on her ass again.
“Don’t be stubborn. Let me help you up. You were doing really good there that time. Right up until you realized how fast you were going and then you panicked.”
Troy has hoisted her back on her feet where she stands hopping on one foot while he reaches down to grab her dangling ski and reattach it to her boot. As he stands, Hallie can see the humor dancing in his eyes. She has to give him credit. He has honored his promise to stick to her like glue. He’s even proven to be a very patient teacher and with the exception of making her use one of the chairlifts, he hasn’t pushed her too far out of her comfort zone.
“Are you getting hungry? We could take a break and grab some lunch before we head
up to the next run.”
“The next run? You mean we need to do it again?”
Troy can no longer contain his laughter. “Honey, the object is to get as many runs in as you can in a day. No one does just one run.”
“No one but me. That is exactly how many I did last time I came.”
“Well, that’s because you went with idiots. Tell me the truth, are you hating it?”
“Honestly, I’m mostly having fun. I wish the small little kids would stop zipping past me. They make me feel like a loser.”
“Well you’re not a loser. You’re doing great for your first time.”
“As much as I’d like to take a break, I’m afraid if I sit down, I might not get up again. I’m pretty sure I’m using muscles I never even knew I had, and I’m really wishing I’d thought to bring that damn lotion to use on my sore bottom. I suspect it might come in handy tonight on my bruises.”
Troy hugs her to him tight. “Oh Hallie. You’re adorable.”
“Sexy.”
“Adorable and sexy. Let me demonstrate.” Troy captures her chapstick-covered lips in a tender kiss. As cold as it is outside, he does a fine job of warming her up before reluctantly coming up for air.
Hallie has a better idea of how she’d like to spend their afternoon. “Sure you don’t want to just check in at the lodge?”
“Oh boy would I ever. Unfortunately, they’re full at this time of year and there’s no way they have our room ready yet. Anyway, what kind of an instructor would I be if I let you quit now?”
“The best kind. You could move on to instructions in other things.” The words have left her mouth before she realizes she does not want to pursue this line of discussion.
“Oh baby, I hope you’re going to let me instruct you on a great many things. But first, let’s grab food. I need you to keep your energy up.”
* * * * *
They manage to get three runs in after lunch and Hallie is proud that she hadn’t fallen even once since her disastrous crash trying to disembark a particularly scary ski lift. It was the only time she’d been ready to kill Troy because once he knew she wasn’t hurt, he had trouble helping her up and out of the line of fire of the skiers coming up behind them because he’d been laughing so hard. Apparently, it was a very graceful fall… not.
Hallie can’t remember being as happy as she is at this very minute. She has the perfect view of Troy as she sits in the comfortable leather chair next to the roaring fire in the lobby of the Alpine lodge. He’s at the desk checking them in and she is absolutely positive that he’s the most handsome man in the entire lodge.
As nervous as she’d been skiing, a whole different kind of anxiety is consuming her now. In a matter of minutes, she’ll be truly alone with Troy for the very first time. In many ways they barely know each other. She doesn’t know what his favorite color is or his favorite classes in school. She’d love to hear more about his childhood or trouble he’d gotten in with his childhood friends. All of those things can come over time. She has more immediate knowledge she needs from Troy Jackson.
The upcoming Housing Board meeting, where she’ll need to decide if she wants to stay in Corbin’s Bend, is never far from her mind. Like a threatening rain cloud, it hangs over every part of her life. Traci, Aunt Gina and Uncle Adam have all tried to help her investigate her options for school and employment, but more importantly, sort through the confusing feelings about spanking. In the end, she knows that only Troy is going to be able to really help her make her final decision. She’s combed through the admission packet and has decided she’s pretty sure she could get used to living in a town where everyone practices DD. Everyone she’s met has been friendly, and if it takes getting cheesy spanking gifts as party favors to live near her aunt and uncle, she’s pretty sure she can manage.
If only it were that simple. Her heart lurches… and her damn panties cream… as she recalls the section in the admission packet that outlined the community rules and more importantly, the punishments available for sanction should the rules be broken. For the HoHs, that could be stiff fines, community service or worst case, expulsion. But for the TiHs, it can mean anything from a public apology to public service to a very public spanking. Hallie had nearly thrown up reading the first hand accounts of both witnesses and punished submissives printed in the glossy color packet. She had to laugh at the irony of the detailed description and photo of the heavy ceremonial paddle used for all public punishments being printed right next to the information touting the state-of-the-art pet clinic and fenced dog park.
“Hey, you okay? You look like you’re about to cry.” Hallie had been so lost in thought, she’d missed Troy’s return.
She tries to put on a happy face. “Oh no. Everything is great. You get our key?”
Troy drops the bag he’d been carrying and kneels in front of her, taking her hands in his. “Don’t do that.”
“What?”
“Lie to me.”
Hallie doesn’t deny she’d lied. There’s no point. The tear that had just escaped pretty much blew her cover. “Okay. How about I’d rather not talk about it?”
“Better, but not great.” Troy hesitates. “You aren’t having second thoughts about staying here tonight, are you? Because if you’d rather I drive you home, I’ll do that. We haven’t talked about it, but I’m not going to force you to do anything tonight that you don’t want to. You know that, right?”
Hallie smiles through her tears. “Thank you, but I already knew that.” She hesitates briefly before finishing her thought. “I told you, Troy. I trust you.”
She can see some tension leave him. “So why the tears?”
No time like the present. “I was worrying about the Housing Board meeting.”
“You have a few weeks yet. Don’t let that ruin our weekend.”
“It won’t ruin it, but it’s hard for me to stop thinking about it.”
Troy stands, pulling Hallie to her feet before plopping himself down in her seat and pulling her down into his lap. She absolutely loves snuggling close to him and she has never felt safer than when she’s enveloped in his arms.
“Now, why don’t you tell me what has you so worried. Is it being around people who might talk about discipline? You think that might embarrass you?”
“Not really. I’ve been talking to Traci and Aunt Gina and it’s getting easier.”
“Okay. You afraid you’re going to get the urge to break in to single-handedly rescue every submissive in the process of being spanked by their HoH?” She can hear the humor in his voice.
“No, I’m pretty sure that was a one time deal for me. I’ve come to the conclusion I would be wasting my time anyway since every woman I’ve talked to about this seems to defend the barbaric practice.”
Troy chuckles. “Well, they all did pay a lot of money to live in Corbin’s Bend, so I think that’s to be expected. So if not that, what has you rattled? It sounds like you’re close to making up your mind to stay.” Is she imagining the hope she hears in his voice?
“Have you ever read the admissions packet?”
“Would it surprise you if I told you yes, I had? That I hope to live in Corbin’s Bend one day?”
Their eyes are locked. She can see a vulnerability in his eyes. “I was pretty sure that’s what you’d say.”
“What is it? We haven’t talked about it yet, but you have to feel it. There’s something special happening between us, Hallie. I just hope you’ll give us time to figure things out together.”
“Oh, Troy. I do feel it too, but I’m scared.”
“Of me?”
“Not really. Just the whole punishment thing.”
“I would never hurt you, Hallie. If done right, domestic discipline should bring us closer.”
Her tears are back. “Really? And those public paddlings in front of the entire town. Those are supposed to make me feel better too?”
Troy looks confused for a second before recognition dawns. “Oh, honey. That’s what has you u
pset? You think they paddle the subs for sport every weekend or something? Hallie, I don’t know exactly how often that happens, but I do know it’s really rare and only used for extreme situations where major rules have been broken.”
“Maybe, but it was very clear that the Disciplinary Board’s ruling stands and anyone joining the co-op is agreeing to bide by their decisions. That means I would have to sign a piece of paper that would make it okay for them to do that to me. I don’t think I can do that Troy. I just can’t. Please, don’t make me.” Hallie’s tears have progressed to a full-out cry.
“Oh, Hallie. Take a deep breath, baby. No one is going to make you sign anything and I would never let anyone hurt you. Anyway, if anyone is going to get to spank this beautiful ass of yours, it’s going to be me, not some old fart who sits on some committee.” She can feel him squeezing her ass through her jeans and a pang of passion attacks her core. Troy is mirroring the passion right back as the air around them charges with sexual energy.
Troy suddenly stands, lifting her in his arms, bride style. Hallie giggles as he reluctantly puts her upright on her feet before throwing their two small bags over one shoulder and reaching to take her hand, pulling her behind as he takes wide strides towards the guest elevator. “Enough talking. We’d better head up to our room before I embarrass myself.”
* * * * *
It’s a good thing the elevator had been full of resort guests because had they been alone, Troy is pretty sure he would have been tempted to throw Hallie to the floor of the lift and consummate the damn dance they started a few weeks ago when she burst into his sister’s home. Their room is on the top floor and he’s back in control of his libido by the time he leads Hallie off the elevator. Just before he opens the door to their room, Troy hesitates, looking down into her excited green eyes. “Hallie, I’m sorry, but I think I’d better ask you out here because I’m not sure I trust myself to ask once we’re inside. Are you sure you want to stay here with me tonight? You know what I’m asking you, right?”
