by Thianna D
Fifteen minutes later, Jonathon Travers joined the party, but declined a drink. Instead, he sat at the table beside Elly.
"I was taught never to speak ill of others, but your husband is one cold-hearted bastard, Mrs. Benson. Any man who deliberately hurts and kills an animal deserves the death penalty in my opinion."
"Here, here," Jerry said, taking another swallow of his beer.
Jonathon opened the small case he'd brought to remove his seal and an inked stamp. "When you're ready, I'll notarize your signature and get out of your hair. I'm sure you have other, far more pleasant things you'd rather be doing."
"Thank you." Mere seconds later, her petition for a divorce was signed and notarized.
Elly thought she'd experience remorse or relief, but was overcome by numbness instead.
His eyes alight with an understanding smile, Jonathon gave her a gentle peck on the cheek, assured her things would get better and slipped out as quietly as he came in.
"That's it for now," Brent announced as he slid the documents inside a manila envelope, then with a few more words of farewell to Jerry, he also left. The house seemed ominously still when it was only the two of them again. Elly missed Muffin, but suspected getting her back wasn't an option right now.
"I'll fix dinner," Jerry announced.
Elly stood. "I'll help."
"No. You can go sit in the living room until I call you."
"But—"
He whirled around. "Elly, I'm not in the mood for any sass right now, so I'd greatly appreciate it if you'd do as I requested for once. I've asked Marcus to come over later to check you out, so you can rest until he gets here."
"Why? I mean, why did you call Marcus? I'm fine."
"Let's allow the doctor to make that call, okay? Now, do as I say, please. Go sit on the sofa and relax."
Elly stomped into the living room and barely refrained from flopping down on the couch like a sulky teenager. Jerry was being unreasonable again. Then she spotted the flip-flop she'd tossed on the coffee table. Picking it up like a victory standard, she marched back into the kitchen.
"Is this why you called Marcus?" She shoved the shoe under his nose.
He removed it from her grasp. "No. I called him because you said you had a migraine. If you'll recall, you hit your head on a table a few days ago, so I want him to examine you to decide if we should get another MRI."
"Oh."
"I don't need anyone's permission, but yours, to spank you, Elly. And if you continue to act up, I may not require that, either. Now, be a good girl and sit down, please."
"I'm not an invalid, Jerry."
"Are you going to argue with me about this?"
"Maybe. I don't want you seeing me as the broken bird Brent alluded to earlier."
"I don't. But right now, I do see you as a defiant young woman who's pushing for a paddling. Now, go sit down."
Elly realized then what she needed to do in order to clear the slate between them and steeled herself to go for it. Crossing her arms over her chest, she matched him stare for stare. "No."
"Excuse me?"
"I said, no. And you can't make me." She stuck her chin out for good measure. Yes, she was acting like a spoiled brat, but she doubted they could get past this hurdle in any other way. By forcing his hand, he either had to stake his claim on her butt, or let her go, and she sincerely hoped her butt would pay the price; rather than her sanity, or her heart.
Jerry's fingers tightened around the thong. Was she deliberately provoking him into giving her a spanking? Why? What did she hope to gain other than a sore butt?
"You sure you want to go there, little girl?"
She raised an eyebrow in a direct challenge. Left with a choice to either back down or follow through, he turned the burner off and moved the pan to the side, then indicated the living room with an exaggerated bow. "After you."
A look of uncertainty crossed her face a moment before she sashayed into the other room, as if daring him to take her in hand. Following, he slapped the foam shoe on his palm with a slow deliberate beat while never once removing his eyes from her. He might be the one carrying out the threat, but she made the call.
She stood near the far armchair, so he took a seat in the center of the couch and patted his lap. "Come here."
When she shook her head, he leaned back. "I believe you requested this. Have you undergone a change of heart?"
Her heart was beating double time right now, but she lifted her chin. "What makes you think I'm asking to be spanked?"
"Oh, sweetie, you're practically screaming for me to jump up, grab you, and toss you over my knee so I can whale out my displeasure on your backside. Except that's not how I do things. And if you wish to maintain I've misread your signals; tell me why you're putting on this show of defiance."
"I'm not defying you; I just don't want to follow your orders."
Interesting distinction, but he didn't believe her for a second. "And you don't consider refusing to obey my orders defiance?"
She shrugged, so he let out a long breath. "I believe we currently have you up to sixty swats. Care to go for seventy?"
Her brow wrinkled. "No, sir."
He patted his lap again. "Then come here so I can position you properly, unless you'd rather bend over the padded armchair instead. Makes no difference to me." Actually, it made considerable difference to him, but for the moment he'd let her think otherwise. "Lap or chair," he offered civilly.
"Neither."
"Not an option."
Arms returned to their crossed position over her chest. "So, now the big, strong man is going to force the small, defenseless woman to accept a punishment she doesn't want."
"No. Not quite." He rose to his feet, but rather than retreat, she stuck her chin out further. She put on a good show, and she was adept at pushing people's buttons. Except he was better at reading expressions, and the fear she was attempting to hide was obvious. He could drag the process out, but he wouldn't make her beg. Perhaps they both needed this spanking to be at peace with each other.
Stepping over to her, he grasped her wrist. "I'd say this will hurt me more than it will hurt you, but I'm not sure that's true at the moment." He gave her hand a tug, but she remained stubbornly fixed where she stood, so he regarded her with calm purpose. "Game's up, sweetheart. You tossed the gauntlet, I picked it up, and now you'll pay. Refuse to come willingly, and we'll do this the hard way. I am stronger than you, and I can and will pick you up if necessary. Again, it's your choice."
She tried to jerk her hand away, so he released her wrist and swept her up in his arms. Her scream of impotent fury rang in his ears, and though she kicked and struggled in desperation to be free, they'd reached the point of no return.
Chapter 19
Even though Elly knew Jerry wouldn't hurt her, a survival instinct took over that she couldn't control. She screamed and struggled, frantic to be free, but his hold remained unbreakable. A part of her accepted this was how things should be, how she needed them to be, while another part of her rejected the thought that anyone, even Jerry, had the right to punish her after everything Arthur had done.
Before she knew what was happening, he had her face down over his lap and her pants and panties lowered to her knees. And he'd managed all this while she was screaming and kicking and fighting him with everything she had.
Without raising his voice or using more force than was necessary to control her, he tucked her in close to the hard plane of his stomach and administered the first swat of the plastic foam shoe. It stung and she cried out in protest, but instantly stopped struggling. Her breath came out in rapid, shallow pants.
"Better," he praised, rubbing away the slight pain he'd administered to her bared posterior. "Now, we'll do the first ten. That one didn't count, and if you continue to fight me, those won't count, either. This set is for going to the park. With each swat, I want you to say, 'I will not disobey Jerry.' Repeat the sentence now, please."
"Go to hell! Ow!" Another
thwack, this one a bit firmer than the first, and she received no consoling rub.
"Unacceptable. Now, do you need more of a warm up, or are you ready to begin?"
"I didn't ask for this."
He sighed and the thong came down again. Not quite as firmly this time, but hard enough she got the message and repeated the words he wanted. "I will not disobey Jerry."
"Good girl." A gentle rub. Arthur never soothed her after a punishment, let alone during one. He'd even tried to take a wooden spoon to her for swearing at him, while Jerry gave her a swat with a flimsy swim thong and rubbed away the sting when she repeated the phrase he'd required. Elly couldn't say this was her favorite pastime, but despite her initial protest, being restrained over Jerry's lap centered and calmed her turbulent emotions, even though he was punishing her. She'd intentionally driven him to this point, only to panic when he'd accepted her challenge, but now that they'd started, her body melted in submission. No doubt, she'd lost her mind after all.
"I want you to repeat the sentence with every swat, and once we get to ten, we'll take inventory. I'll count. One."
A light sting her brain barely registered as pain. "I will not disobey Jerry."
"When I tell you to stay someplace, you remain put. No excuses. Two."
Another tiny sting. "I will not disobey Jerry."
"An order for you to rest is not an open invitation for you to argue with me. Three."
The shoe made a sound that was larger than the pain it delivered. "I will not disobey Jerry."
"I refuse to accept backtalk or swearing from you for any reason. Four."
Another swat, this one accompanied by a slight sting that barely tipped the scale into discomfort. "I will not disobey Jerry."
"In the future, I expect you listen to me rather than simply do what you want. Five."
Zap. She wiggled her bottom in an effort to relieve the burn of the swat he'd administered after that statement, but shifting her position provided no relief, so she settled again. "I will not disobey Jerry."
"Good girl. You're halfway through this first set. Six."
Praise? He praised her for accepting a punishment? Praise was a foreign concept to Arthur. Elly's eyes started to water, but not due to any pain or discomfort from her backside. The man applying the slipper wasn't hurting her—physically. "I will not disobey Jerry."
"Good. Go ahead and cry if you want, Elly. It's all right. I have you. Seven."
"I'm sorry," she blurted out. "I know I've done nothing but give you grief."
"Not true; however, I still want you to say the words."
"I will not disobey Jerry."
"Good girl. Go on, sweetie. Let loose all those emotions you've been suppressing. Eight."
Even as she questioned the advisability of her outburst, tears began falling with steady regularity. "I didn't head to the park because I wanted to disobey you."
"Actually, I think you did. I suspect you resented the restrictions I placed on you, so you decided to ignore them, but that's the reason we're here. Don't worry, Elly, we'll get through this and be better for our trouble in the end. Now, say the words, sweetheart."
"I will not disobey Jerry."
"Perfect. Nine."
"Ow. That one stung, Jerry." She tried to reach behind her to rub away the hot burn, but he smacked her hand.
"No. No touching. Not yet. One more to go. Say the words, Elly."
"This is just the first ten. I've got fifty more to go after this."
"You'll have sixty more to go if you don't obey me and say the words. Now."
"I won't disobey Jerry."
"Good girl. Ten."
Knowing she was being foolish, and childish, and totally overreacting, Elly covered her face with her hands and started to sob. "I'm sorry. I'll try not to be this difficult in the future. Hold me, Jerry. Please don't let me go."
He drew her up in his arms. "I have no intention of ever letting you go, so put that idea right out of your head." Cupping her cheeks in his hands, he kissed her. Her face had to be blotched and her nose all runny, but he didn't seem to notice as he reassured her with his lips and tongue until every bit of resistance she possessed melted away as if it had never existed. She loved being held by him. When he released her mouth, she curled into his chest like a scared child.
Warm fingers rubbed her shoulders and arms with gentle reassurance. "Now, were those few swats worth all the fuss you put up?"
Elly laughed through her tears, realizing she had kicked and screamed, and he had taken her seriously. Rather than answer, she clung even tighter. His shirt smelled fresh, as if he'd recently removed it from the dryer, while Jerry's neck exuded the clean, piney fragrance of his soap, his lips still possessed a hint of beer and his arms retained only a trace of the scent she'd associated with his clinic. She drew back to look at him. "Can I have Muffin returned to me now, please?"
He grinned. "We'll see what Dr. Devon says."
Pouting, Elly pressed her head against his shoulder again. "Do I really need to be examined by a doctor?"
His chest moved, and she suspected her question had wrung a chuckle out of him, but no sound emerged until he said, "Yes. You really do."
Drawing back an inch, she peeked up at him again. "What if I refuse?"
"Then I'll give you another spanking. See how that works?"
He wore a button down shirt, and the small ivory circles beckoned her fingers. "You're mean."
"I'm horrible. Totally unreasonable and cruel to boot, but I will still spank you if you need to be punished, Elly. Never fear."
"Your thongy-thing didn't hurt that much."
"Because I didn't want it to. Now, tell me how you feel after suffering through your first official chastisement from me."
Amazingly, all trace of her headache was gone. "Relieved."
"That it's over, or that it wasn't as bad as you feared?"
"Both. I feel lighter, freer. Like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders."
"Good. I always want you to come out of a punishment in a better state of mind and being, not worse. Never worse."
"Arthur always wanted me to suffer. In fact, if I wasn't moaning in abject misery after he'd punished me, he thought he hadn't done his job properly."
Jerry kissed her again. "Though there's a lot I could say about your former husband, I won't. I know it's only natural for you to compare us, Elly, but please bear in mind any punishments I administer are intended to address a wrong, so the situation can be made right between us. They are meant to keep you safe, happy and healthy, not change you as a person."
"Thank you." Arthur had often insisted she thank him after a punishment, but she'd never been grateful. However, she acknowledged a huge obligation along with an immense sense of gratitude to Jerry for caring enough to keep her safe. Not once did he accuse her of being inept or stupid. Stubborn, maybe, but at times she was. He focused his attention on changing her attitude, not her image. A fine distinction perhaps, yet an important one.
"As much as I would like to hold you all night, think you can sit here by yourself and watch TV while I finish fixing our dinner?"
"Can I help?"
"Not this time. You've had a rough few days, Elly, so I want you to take things at a slower pace. And since you just promised to obey me, I'll expect you to do exactly as I say. Capisce?"
"Yes, sir."
Two hours later, Jerry paced outside Elly's bedroom while Marcus examined her. Despite his words of assurance to Brent that Elly's sleeping all day was a good thing, her migraine worried him. She'd shown no evidence of pain through dinner. In fact, she'd chirped away like a happy little bird that'd finally been released from captivity. But he still wanted a doctor to confirm he hadn't done any damage by spanking her and reassure him she was healing as well as he believed she was. Despite his threat to give her another 'thonging' if she proved unreasonable, Jerry refused to do anything that would cause Elly further injury. He had plans for the lady, which included not only admin
istering the punishment he'd promised and returning her beloved pet to her arms, but also pursuing more pleasurable and intimate activities.
After about a half-hour, Marcus emerged. "She's doing extremely well considering her condition a little over a week ago."
"How well?"
Marcus smiled. "I thought that might be the case. Elly mentioned she got in trouble for climbing the stairs with her dog last night. She didn't do any damage, Jerry. I made certain."
"So, is she still restricted from lifting and climbing?"
"I'd rather she limited both activities, but I'm not going to forbid them. However, if you wish to continue the restrictions, I'll back you."
"I don't want her doing herself injury."
"Neither do I, except Muffin weighs what, six pounds? You have sixteen stairs in this house. If she's careful and not vaulting up the steps two at a time, or lifting anything heavier than her dog, I think she'll be fine."
"I've told her she's going to be punished for disobeying me yesterday."
Marcus's smile widened into a gin. "I know. When I scolded her, she admitted you'd already given her a spanking, and I can't say as I blame you. In fact, had I been in your shoes, I doubt I would have shown your patience and restraint. She defied doctor's orders last night with her actions, but she's fine. So, you have my permission to give the lady 'what for.' I know you'll take extra care not to hurt her, and she'll come to no harm at your hand. Besides, everyone knows you're a soft touch."
Jerry ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm going to have to change my image or even the dogs will stop obeying me."
Marcus chuckled. "Don't try to be something you're not, Jerry. We like you just the way you are."
They shook hands. "Send me the bill," Jerry reminded as he walked Marcus to the door, but the physician didn't reply. One of the problems with having friends for clients was the guilt you suffered about charging for your services. Still, they all had bills to pay, and this community was so tightly knit, everyone could be considered a friend.
