by Livia Grant
* * * * *
“Shit, shit, shit!” Lannea cursed under her breath as she pulled up in front of The Ginger Paddle at half past nine, just in time to see the delivery truck pull away with this weekend’s supplies still in the back. “Crappity, crap, crap!” She fumed, digging her phone out of her purse and hastily dialing up Danny, the delivery driver, hoping to catch him before he got out of Corbin’s Bend.
It took a few tears and some major ass kissing, but she was eventually able to convince him to turn around and come back with her supply of fish for the weekend. It was a good thing too, because Ginger would have killed her if they had missed the shipment. Laney had been out late last night, at Josiah’s until after midnight, and had completely forgotten her cousin’s ob appointment this morning. Normally Ginger would have been the one to meet the truck, but since she was busy, the task had fallen to Laney, and of course she had failed…almost.
She unlocked the door and rushed to the kitchen to begin prep while she waited for Danny to show up. He was the main supplier for a few other restaurants in Corbin’s Bend as well, and he was probably hitting them up first. It would make the lunch rush even more stressful than usual, but she couldn’t complain too much because that little fact was probably the only thing that had saved her ass.
She chopped veggies and sliced avocados, made a twenty pound batch of rice, and was checking her ginger stash when she heard the bell on the door indicate Danny’s arrival.
“Hey, princess,” he called out as he entered. Princess was Danny’s pet name for her. She didn’t like it much, but she did like him so she let it slide. “Where’s the Ginger Queen today?” Danny had a nickname for everyone.
“Doctors appointment,” Laney told him, coming around to help him unload.
“Lucky for you. You know she would have killed you on this one, right?” Danny was in his early twenties with surfer blonde locks, and an easy smile that matched his sense of humor. Laney liked him a lot, and knew he meant no harm. He just called things as he saw them.
“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Laney groaned, punching him in the arm.
“Just admit it. I saved your ass, probably literally this time. If you had missed me, I think she might have auctioned off spanking rights to the highest bidder and hired someone to bust your tail!”
Danny didn’t live in the Bend, but he was well aware of the community’s kink and lifestyle preference, and he loved to make spanking jokes. For the most part, they wouldn’t have appreciated the things he said, coming from an outsider, but when Danny said it, it was all in good fun, and everyone knew he meant no harm. Brent swore Danny was a closet spanko who would someday make a home here in Corbin’s Bend. Laney sometimes wondered if he was right, but mostly she thought Danny was just the type of friendly guy who could joke about anything and make friends with anyone.
“Perish the thought!” she told him, signing off on the shipment.
“Yeah, just another reason to be glad you don’t have a man in your life, or you would probably have a real barn burner coming!” Laney glared at him as he backed out of the door and he threw his hands up in a gesture of surrender. “I’m just saying— it wasn’t the first time!”
Laney went white as the weight of Danny’s words hit her like a ton of bricks. She did have a man in her life, or a pseudo one at least, and this kind of thing was at the top of the list she had given him on behaviors she wanted his help with.
Still, she reasoned, I don’t have to tell him. We’ve had this agreement for all of what, ten hours? I was asleep for eight of them, so it should hardly count against me. I’m not even fully awake yet.
Of course you have to tell him! If you can’t tell him, he can’t help you and what would have been the point of even letting him spank you in the first place? Oh great, she was talking to herself again. Just great.
See what he does to you? Since when do you talk to yourself? I’ll tell you since when— ever since that crazy hunky cop came into your life and threatened to put you over his knee.
Her inner voice had a point, she had to admit. What it seemed to be forgetting, was that he hadn’t just threatened, he had followed through on his threat and spanked her. And if she admitted this error to him, he would probably do it again.
What was there to think about really? He had handed her everything she wanted, and the one thing she really needed. Why hesitate?
Why Indeed?
* * * * *
“There were extenuating circumstances.” That was the first thing she said when he answered the phone.
“I’m sorry, who is this?” He knew exactly who it was, and he had an inkling why she was calling, but he wasn’t about to put up with bad phone manners. She could address him properly, identify herself when he picked up and speak to him with a modicum of respect. He deserved at least that much.
He sensed her tension, and could tell she was fighting to keep from responding with a scathing insult or sarcastic remark.
“Josiah, this is Laney, and I’m calling to—”
“I’m sorry this is who?” He was being a bit of an ass, but he had a few rules of his own, and it was better that she recognized right now that he was not playing around.
She sighed audibly, and started over. “Josiah, this is Lannea, and I’m calling to tell you I have something to report.”
“Okay, I’m listening. Let’s hear it.”
“I was forty-five minutes late to work and I almost missed the seafood delivery. Well, actually I did miss it, but I called him, and he came back around.”
Shoot, that didn’t sound good. “What were the extenuating circumstances?”
“I was out late, and I forgot Ginger needed me to meet the truck this morning because she had a doctor’s appointment.”
“Why were you out late?” He was curious if she was trying to make things seem more dire than they were, or if she had gone somewhere else after leaving his place.
Lannea faltered on the other end of the phone, and he could tell she was working hard to keep her cool.
“What do you mean, why was I out late? I was with you!”
“I see.” Josiah kept his tone even and his words to the point. “What time were you supposed to be there this morning?”
“Eight-forty-five which is about two hours earlier than I usually come in!” She was whining a little, and he knew she could see that this wasn’t going to go her way.
“Lannea, it is after ten in the morning, and you left my house before midnight. I’m certain you could have managed to get to work on time to meet the truck.”
“But, I forgot!” Lannea cried pitifully. Josiah had to stifle a laugh. She was really trying to milk the ‘not my fault’ card today. He had news for her. It wasn’t going to work.
“Well, then you’re just going to have to learn to be more organized and responsible about these things. The spanking you have coming will serve as a good reminder of that. Be here at six pm, Lannea, and don’t be late!”
Chapter Seven
The minutes and hours passed by slowly, and Laney was grateful that she was at least able to keep busy with work. Getting all the seafood labeled and put away took her mind off of things for at least the first few hours.
However, once they opened for business, it was a whole different story. Every order that came in was custom. She swore she had never seen a day with so many orders for Red Bottom Rolls, or Naughty Girl Rolls, and it was a record setting order day for That’s Gonna Sting Rolls as well. For the first time ever she regretted giving the rolls cutesy spanking related names as each order that came in made her stomach turn in anticipation of the spanking she knew she had coming.
Her day was off to such a crappy start she totally forgot about her standing Wednesday lunch date with Terri until her friend was standing right in front of her.
“I’ll have a Good Girl Roll, and an Orgasm Roll please, Laney.” Terri’s shit eating grin and unusual order made Laney pause, but she plated up the order as well as two rolls for herself
, and took her lunch.
“That’s not your usual.” Terri’s tone was suspicious and accusatory. Laney called it her “wife of a lawyer mode.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she told her friend, trying to laugh it off.
Terri narrowed her eyes. “Laney, every week you have the exact same thing— an HOH Roll and a Fantasy Roll. Every damn week without fail. And then all of a sudden you come out with a Naughty Girl and a Rosy Red Roll. If you seriously think for one minute that I’m going to believe that there’s not a reason behind that— you don’t know me very well.”
“Well, a girl can change her mind every once in a while you know,” Laney said, glaring at her friend. “It is a woman’s prerogative, after all.”
“Oh okay,” Terri replied nonchalantly. “I just figured it had something to do with the hot new cop in town and the fact that your car was over at his house pretty late last night!” Terri’s voice ended in a squeal, and she winked at Laney across the table. “Spill it, girlfriend. I want full details. Who, What, Why, When and Where– all of it, and talk fast– I have a phone conference in one hour.”
Laney grimaced involuntarily. To be truthful, she wasn’t sure she wanted to talk about her situation with Josiah. For one thing it was just too new, and for another it was too unusual. She was afraid if she told anyone about their platonic arrangement, she would be judged or come off as desperate.
“It’s nothing, Terri. We’re just friends. He’s actually a pretty nice guy.” Laney settled for a half-truth, and hoped her friend would buy it, but Terri was like a dog with a bone.
“Uh, huh,” her friend deadpanned. “Laney, you may be outgoing and friendly on the outside, but I know you. It took you months to open up to me, and I saw you almost every day. The new guy has been here, for what, a whole week? And already, you’re such good friends that you’re at his house till almost midnight? I don’t believe that for a second. Now spill. The truth, please.”
Laney sighed. She should have known Terri wouldn’t fall for it. Her friend knew her much too well. At least, she told herself, it might be good to talk to someone, and work through some of the anxiety and second thoughts she was having. “Okay, fine,” she conceded. “But you have to promise me this stays between us.”
“I promise!” Terri’s reply was instant and emphatic.
Laney leaned forward and lowered her voice to a whisper. “So, it all started on Monday night when I had drinks with Julie…”
* * * * *
The doorbell rang at a quarter after six, and Josiah answered it immediately.
“You’re late. That’s going to cost you.” His voice was hard and his jaw was set. He watched as Laney’s eyes widened and her mouth formed an “o” of surprise.
“But, but, work was crazy today!” she whined, stepping forward into the house as he held the door open for her.
“And that’s fine, but you could have called or sent a quick text. It’s common courtesy, and apparently something you need to work on.”
She dropped her purse on the floor and glared at him. He stifled a laugh. She was a feisty one for sure, but he found that he kind of liked it.
“Listen, I didn’t have time!” She started to argue.
“You made a decision not to inform me that you were running late, and it was a bad one. You’re here to be punished for being late to work, and you chose to be late for your punishment as well. You can argue all you want, but your time management skills leave something to be desired.”
He watched her deflate as the will to argue left her. “Fine,” she huffed. “Can we just get this over with?”
He frowned. He did have to work tonight, but he wasn’t going to rush into spanking her when she had an attitude about it.
“Lannea, this is what you asked for and agreed to. If it isn’t what you want, or if you’re having doubts, you need to speak up now. I’m not moving forward without your consent. I’m getting mixed signals from you, and I need to know why. If it’s just nerves, or bratting, that’s fine, but you need to say so. If it’s something else, and you don’t want to do this anymore— that’s fine too, but you need to tell me. I won’t be angry either way, and I’m not going to spank you if you say no, but to be quite honest, I think you need this, and I think you know that I’m right.”
He watched Laney’s face as he spoke, paying close attention as she went through a whole range of emotions, and each one played across her face briefly before coming to rest in anguish. “I do need this— I know I do,” she whispered, staring at the floor. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“You’re scared, and nervous, among other things, and that is perfectly fine as long as that’s all it is.” He said this pointedly, so she would know that he required a response.
“Yes, sir, that’s all it is,” she replied, bring her eyes up to meet his.
“Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?”
“No, sir, can we please just get it over with? I’m sure I’ll feel better…after.”
He searched her eyes, and saw hope and wanting in them, giving him what he needed to go forward. He nodded. “Very well.” He grabbed a chair from the dining table, and brought it to sit in the middle of the room. “Please remove your pants, and bend over the chair, hands on the top part, and bottom out.”
He saw the slight quiver in her lip at the change, but she obeyed quickly.
He walked to the front of the chair so he could see her face. “Lannea, why are you getting a spanking?”
She blushed and looked away from him. “Because I was late, and I have bad time management.”
He nodded. “And why are you getting extras on top of the punishment you had coming?”
Her blush grew deeper, but she met his gaze, and he saw a hint of defiance in her eyes. “Because I was late getting here for my spanking for being late.”
Josiah bit his lip to hold in a chuckle at the irony. His little spitfire. Not mine, he reminded himself. Not yet anyway.
He had been standing in front of her so as to see her face, but now convinced that she was ready, he took his place behind her, smiling at his first glance of her cheeky panties. They were hot pink with the word ‘naughty’ emblazoned across the butt, and he wondered briefly if she had put them on with this in mind.
He walked up to her, and stood as close as he could get without their bodies touching. Tentatively, he reached out and covered her waiting rear end with his large palm. She gave a little hum when he did so, and he took it as a signal that she was ready.
“Crack!” His hand came down hard against the soft pink fabric that was still covering her gorgeous bottom. She gave a soft gasp at the impact, before pushing her bottom back out for more. He grinned at her undeniable wanton need for his chastisement. She wanted more, and he was happy to oblige. He brought his hand down again, covering the delicate skin of her bottom crease with a flurry of fast swats, watching mesmerized as the taut skin flattened under his hand, then bounced back slightly redder with each sharp slap until she was dancing in place and each breath was laced with soft whimpers.
He stopped, stepping back to admire his handiwork. “What are you going to work on from now on?” he asked sharply, rubbing her bottom and noting that he could feel the heat radiating even up through the fabric of her panties.
Her voice rang clear, she had not been brought to tears yet. “Being on time, sir.”
“Mmhmm. Very good. And how are you going to work on this?”
She faltered, and he nudged her with a hard swat across her left cheek, keeping his hand taut and flat so the impact was reminiscent of a paddle. She remained silent, and he repeated the question, punctuating it with an identical slap across her right cheek.
“Ow, ow, ow! Stoppit!”
“Answer the question,” he retorted evenly, applying a smattering of stinging swats across the tops of her thighs.
“Okay! Okay!” she cried, then paused. “I don’t know what you want me to
say,” she admitted woefully, her voice cracking as tears threatened to spill.
Josiah frowned. “What are some things you can do to help keep yourself from being late in the future?” he prompted then waited as she drew a long and shuddering breath before answering.
“I can…I can…set alarms on my phone,” she started, sounding doubtful.
Crack! A hard swat landed right across the middle of her buttocks. “Very good,” he encouraged. “What else?”
“I could remember to make notes for myself if my schedule changes.” Lannea wiggled her bottom, as if encouraging further chastisement. Josiah couldn’t believe his eyes. Was she…enjoying this? If so, he must not be doing his job, he thought frowning to himself.
“Wait here,” he told her. He needed something to help him get his point across, he thought, pacing into the kitchen. Should he take the paddle from the drawer where he had shoved it that first night? Would a belt suffice? His hand went to his belt loops, and he pondered the thick leather strap that held up his pants. That might do too good of a job. He started toward the drawer settling on the paddle when he caught sight of something else. Plucking a thick bamboo spoon from the countertop, he retreated back into the living area humming to himself as he went.
“Stand up,” he instructed her firmly, taking her hands and helping her to stand on wobbly legs that were certain to be achy after the position she had held.
As she stood, he turned, and took a seat upon the chair, pulling her over his lap in one fluid movement. Once he had her in position, he used one hand to hold her in place, and the other to deftly pull her panties down to rest below her knees. He heard her sharp intake of breath, and gave her bottom a quick once over to assess the damage done so far. It was a nice even pink from the middle of each cheek to the tops of her thighs, but no bruising so far. He bent down to further inspect, and was shocked to see her sex glistening with moisture.
