Chapter 17
Six weeks later - Valentine’s Day
I can’t believe you’re roping me into going out tonight, Trace. This is my first weekend in town and I have a thousand chores, not to mention the absolutely last place I want to be tonight is a damn Valentine’s Day party. I knew I should have driven separately today.”
Troy’s sister has pulled her car into the parking lot of St. Michael’s Parish instead of dropping him off at his new house, just a few blocks away from her own home on Spanking Loop. They’d been shopping in Boulder for furnishings all afternoon and Troy just wants to get home and unpack.
“Don’t be a baby, Troy. You know I have next to no social life. It’s Valentine’s Day. Can’t you at least escort me to a small get together in the basement of the church for a few minutes? I know you have no desire to mingle, but I’d actually like to meet Mr. Right at some point before I become a senior citizen. Who knows? Maybe he might be here tonight.”
His sister knows how to push his guilt buttons. “Fine. I’ll go for a little bit, but we aren’t staying late, got it? I’m not very good company these days anyway.”
“Really? I hadn’t noticed.” Traci’s grin forces him to smile.
Thank God for his sister. She’s been a Godsend, helping him sort through his anger and sadness after losing Hallie at the New Year. The last six weeks have been a whirlwind for Troy, of both highs and lows.
Upon returning to Denver on the disastrous New Year’s Day, he’d gone into the office to try to bury himself in work. No one had been more surprised than Troy when he and Harris had traced the root of the sabotage back to code introduced by a previous member of their team, Victoria. Before the team had even left Washington, she’d embedded a virus in the code set to activate on Christmas Day knowing it would put the entire project in jeopardy.
The very next day, Troy had flown to DC to hand over the evidence to his boss, Peter. They’d confronted Victoria together and she had confessed. It still turns Troy’s stomach when he realizes she had tried to ruin the entire team’s work in a misguided attempt to force Troy to move back to Washington DC. Now she faces a court-martial while his team successfully wrapped up their big project and moved on to the next.
As busy as his work has been, not an hour goes by that he doesn’t think of Hallie. One of Troy’s biggest regrets is he never got to tell her his plans for the future. He’s not sure it would have changed her mind and made her want to stay, but he wishes he’d tried harder to understand what had gone so wrong their last night together. He’d just been so hurt by her rejection, he’d rushed out of the Newberry’s house without trying harder to change her mind.
So, despite Hallie moving on, Troy had gone through with his plans to retire from the Air Force. His boss, Peter, had not been thrilled when Troy advised him that he wanted to move to Corbin’s Bend to be near his sister, but Troy had been relieved when Peter approved the plan. As of two weeks ago, Troy is now a private citizen. He will continue to head up confidential projects with his team, but this time as a highly paid private contractor. He’s arranged to work out of Corbin’s Bend three days a week, driving into Denver twice a week and flying to DC for meetings with Peter at least one week per quarter.
As he had hoped, he’s now spending more time with his sister. The problem is, it’s taken every ounce of his control not to pump Traci for any scrap of information on Hallie. Several times, he’s picked up the phone to call Hallie, but would chicken out, not sure what he would say to her other than begging her to come home. He’s still working on coming to terms with the fact that she is in a different place in her life than he is. He is ready to settle down and start a family and she is still young and deserves to see the world. He just hopes she is happy, wherever she is, because he feels gutted without her.
As they arrive in the basement of the rectory, Troy can’t help but compare this party to the one he, Hallie and Traci had attended on Christmas Eve. This party is tiny and pretty lame in comparison, but then again, only a portion of the town attends church here at St. Michael’s. He glances around, hoping to see Gina and Adam and then relieved when they are not there.
They are greeted by Dr. Marcus Devon and his wife Cadence just inside the door. “Hey there Traci and Troy. Glad you guys could make it. I’d stay away from the punch bowl if I were you. Someone spiked it a good one.”
Troy shakes the good doctor’s hand. “Thanks for the advice, but I honestly could use a good shot right about now.”
Traci pulls him farther into the room where he greets several other people that he remembers and even more he’d never met before. Troy finds himself wishing everyone had worn nametags to make it easier for him to keep everyone straight.
Luckily, he is able to pick out Father Beauchamp since he’s the only one in a priestly collar. Father Henry is making the rounds, greeting the guests and is sure to stop to greet Traci and Troy, shaking Troy’s hand lightly.
“Welcome to Corbin’s Bend, officially. I know you have to be excited to be moving so close to your sister and she’s thrilled to have you here. You know that, right?”
“Oh I have a pretty good idea, Father, but thanks for reminding me.”
“How are you settling in? Have you received your official welcome basket yet?”
“Yep. Brent dropped it by himself.”
“Good. Good. And have you gotten the full tour of the town?”
“Well, yes, but I pretty much knew my way around before since I’ve visited Traci so often.”
“Right. Right. So I guess there’s only one thing left for you to do to make it official. I’m hoping you can help me tonight as a matter of fact. We normally take care of these matters after the service on Sundays, but I have a doozy that just can’t wait for Sunday. As a new, single HoH, you wouldn’t mind helping me out tonight, would you?”
Troy is as confused as ever. “Father, you lost me right after you said right. I’m sorry, but I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Oh goodness. I thought your sister had explained how St. Michael’s is a tad bit different than some of the other churches you’ve attended outside of Corbin’s Bend. In keeping with the town’s unique bylaws and practices, we feel it is ordained from God that we include corporal punishment into our confession and redemption program here at the church.”
“Come again? You mean you punish TiH’s by spanking them if they come to you and confess? If so, I bet your confessional business is pretty slow.”
Father Henry must have a good sense of humor as he is chucking. “Actually, you might be surprised, but of course not all confessions deserve punishments. But for serious offenses, I do strongly believe in corporal punishment to both correct future behavior, but also to relieve the heavy guilt that often comes with sinning. For married ladies and gentlemen, I will suggest a number of paddles they should receive and they are to go home and report it to their HoH who will handle their discipline in private. For single parishioners, it’s a bit more complicated. I obviously don’t want to administer a spanking for reasons of propriety, and so our tradition is that our single TiHs are chastised by our single HoH’s. We of course keep everyone’s identity confidential as to not embarrass the young lass should they encounter their spanker at some point in the future.”
Troy’s mind is trying to make sense of all he’s just heard. “I thought Corbin’s Bend has a Disciplinary Board who does something similar. Are you trying to put them out of business?”
“Oh goodness no. There is more than enough room for both of us. In fact, we often work in conjunction with each other. But tonight, for example, is not a Disciplinary Board matter. No town rules were broken. It’s a private matter and here at St. Michael’s I am very happy we have the means to properly handle the situation confidentially and get our misguided young woman back on the path she belongs.”
As if he needed more proof, this conversation is proving to Troy he isn’t close to being over Hallie. He’d moved to Corbin’s
Bend because he believes in the benefit of discipline, but tonight, faced with the prospect of being able to properly spank a submissive in need of his help, he wants no part of it. The only person he wants to share such an intimacy with is Hallie.
“I don’t know, Father. I’m sure there are other singles here who might jump at the chance.”
Taking Troy by the arm. “Oh come, young man. I left the poor dear getting prepared. Let’s not make her wait in dread longer than she already has. I’m sure she’ll appreciate you helping her mend her ways with a nice hard paddling. What better way to remind yourself of why you are choosing to live in Corbin’s Bend?”
Troy really doesn’t want to do this, but Father is pulling him along insistently. He looks back to see Traci’s smiling face and wonders if she knows what’s happening. Then he remembers she is a single TiH in Corbin’s Bend which means she may have been on the receiving end of Father’s confessional discipline before. She flashes him a supportive smile and Troy steels himself for the job ahead.
“Okay, Father. You’re catching me off guard, but I guess there is no reason I’m not able to help.”
“Very good. Let me go get everything ready and I’ll be back for you in five minutes. Have a drink of punch while you wait, but only one mind you. I need you to be in control.”
“Oh never fear, Father. I wouldn’t dream of punishing a young woman unless I was in complete control.”
“Very good.”
Troy isn’t thirsty, but he heads to the punch bowl to give himself something to do in this awkward intermission. Now more than ever he wishes he hadn’t let Traci con him into coming to this lame party.
“I’m sorry. I should have warned you, but I honestly didn’t know how to bring it up. Don’t be mad at me, please?”
Troy turns to see his sister looking guilty. “Maybe you should line up to confess too and I can deliver two for the price of one tonight.”
Traci’s eyes expand, not quite sure if he was joking or not. “Relax, sis. It was a joke. Yes, you should have told me about Father Henry’s strange twist to the confessional, but honestly, how could you have known he would have a naughty woman in need of discipline tonight of all nights? It’s supposed to be a party, for goodness sake.”
Is that guilt he sees in his sister’s eyes? “Of course, Troy. Still, if you decide to keep attending St. Michael’s, you might be called into action every once in awhile.”
Troy is just beginning to relax, thinking the plan had surely changed when Father Henry is gone for over ten minutes. Just as Troy is about to suggest they head out, he looks up to see the priest headed his way, a serious look at his face.
“All things are ready now, Troy. Follow me, please.”
Troy hands his empty punch cup to his sister. “I’ll be right back, Trace, and then I’d like to go home if that’s okay?”
She smiles and if he’s not mistaken, it looks as if she’s about to cry. “Sure thing, Troy.”
Father Henry leads him down a long hallway into the depths of the church. They stop first in a room labeled church office where Father Henry walks to the far wall of the room where a small array of punishment implements hang prominently from a line of hooks. The priest has several different weight canes, straps and paddles to choose from and Troy is relieved when he chooses one of the smaller wooden paddles. He offers it to Troy with a short explanation.
“I’ve chosen this paddle because while the offense was serious and our young woman’s guilt is causing her great distress, it is her first punishment here at St. Michaels and I would like to observe how she handles the discipline. I’m sure you would agree that all TiH’s are different and need to have their punishments tailored for their specific needs.”
“Honestly, Father. I’m not feeling very comfortable for that very reason. I don’t know this young woman at all so how am I able to gauge real distress?”
“I will be there with you, my son, but you need to trust your judgment. I have a feeling you’re going to know exactly what our young woman needs once we get started.”
Troy thinks the old man is losing it, but since he’s already opened a door on the far side of the church office, Troy has no choice but to follow. He’s not exactly sure what he expected, but the sight that greets him gets his blood flowing, even though a part of him hates himself even as his pulse races.
Across the room, a young woman in a long skirt is kneeling on a three-foot wide padded kneeler that has been modified for its current purpose. Her body is draped forward over the extra wide kneeler and he is able to make out leather restraints that lock her ankles to the far edges of the long padded shelf supporting her tummy. The fiendish furniture displays her covered bottom perfectly for her upcoming chastisement and the restraints ensure she will not be moving until Father Henry allows it.
The final, and arguably most important, part of the scene is the long black curtain that hangs down from a long rigging in ceiling. The curtain’s middle section is cut shorter where it falls across the young woman’s back, effectively hiding the top half of her body from approximately three inches above her trim waist. Troy has to admire the ingenuity of the setup, because there is no way for Troy to know the identity of the spankee, or for her to see Troy. He assumes her wrists are also secured to keep her from reaching back during the punishment.
A small measure of relief helps him relax some. He hadn’t really been looking forward to having to bump into random single women around town after witnessing one of the most vulnerable times in their life. Consenting to go through with a punishment like this takes courage.
Father Henry clears his throat to let the unidentified woman know she is no longer alone in the room.
“We are ready to begin your punishment, young lady, but before we do, I want to ask you one last time if you are consenting to this punishment willingly as a penance for the mistakes which you have confessed to me and which are bringing you great guilt for the wrongs you have done to others. If you agree, please answer with a simple proceed.”
A good long thirty seconds goes by with the poor girl’s muffled crying increasing and she hasn’t even received one paddle yet. Troy is about put a stop to this when he hears a small “proceed” masked with hiccups.
Father Henry hands the paddle to Troy. He’s relieved it is rather thin as paddles go, but it is wood and has several small cross-shaped holes, which will certainly add zing. Troy reluctantly steps forward to stand closer and to the side of the covered bottom waiting for the paddle. He holds, waiting for Father Henry’s direction.
“We will be delivering twenty-five with the paddle this evening. The first five will be over the skirt as a warm up, but the final twenty will be over the panties only, which are to be left on for propriety reasons. You may begin young man and remember, she needs this so do not go easy.”
Troy nods, taking a deep breath before pulling his arm back to deliver the first swat. He knows immediately he had held back too much and Father Henry calls him on it.
“No need for light taps. These are to be twenty-five full-force paddles.”
“Yes, sir.”
The next swing is better for Troy, worse for the poor young woman whose sharp intake of breath confirms she’s noticed the change in heat to her bottom. Troy delivers the next three swats relatively quickly and she finishes her warm up already crying loudly.
Father Henry looks at Troy expectantly before moving to lift the skirt of the young woman, exposing petite legs ending in fashion boots. Troy feels a kick to his gut. There is no way the Father could possibly have known how hard it will be for Troy to punish a woman who immediately reminds him of his lost Hallie. Hell, she even wears pale blue boy-short panties exactly like…
Troy’s heart is pounding so fast he can hear blood rushing in his ears. He watches as the Father lifts the young woman’s skirt higher, exposing several inches of bare skin above her panty line. Only the skin isn’t bare. Tears come to his eyes as he recognizes the unique butterfly tattoo that he’s
dreamed of nightly since losing Hallie.
He stands stock still, trying to understand how Hallie could possibly be strapped onto the kneeler in front of him, waiting for a paddling. Finally lifting his eyes from her tattoo, he sees Father Henry smiling kindly, tears in his own eyes. It’s in that moment Troy understands Father Henry has arranged for Hallie’s rightful HoH to punish her after all.
Troy moves to release her, desperate to feel her in his arms, but Father Henry shakes his head, placing his hand gently on Troy’s arm to stop him. Father Henry then addresses Hallie while Troy forces himself to stand still, about to crawl out of his skin he is so anxious.
“Now, young lady, I would like you to remind us again why you are being punished today. What are you here asking for forgiveness for?”
Troy has to strain to hear her voice as it is muffled by the curtain and her embarrassment. “I screwed up the best relationship I have ever had in my entire life by not trusting Troy our last night together. I ran away from him like I had run away from every other problem I had before. I would give anything to have tried to fight for him harder.”
“Now, we would not be punishing you today if that is all you had done, now would we? Why are you being punished today?”
“Because I lied to him. Instead of talking to him, I got drunk and acted like a complete crazy lady, refusing to tell him what was really wrong and then when he chased after me, instead of fighting for us, I lied to him again and let him think that I was going to move away, when I knew even then that I would be staying in Corbin’s Bend. I said horrible, hurtful things to him. I just didn’t want to hold him back from moving to Washington to be with Victoria if that’s where he really wanted to be.”
Troy’s mind is racing. How the hell did Hallie even know there was a Victoria? He then realizes that Hallie has been in Corbin’s Bend this whole time that he’s been going through hell imagining her half way across the country. There is no possible way Traci would not have known about this and he can’t believe his sister would have withheld this important information from him. His angry eyes meet Father Henry’s who nods silently towards the back of the room. Troy turns to see his sister, Aunt Gina and Uncle Adam all standing conspiratorially just inside the door to the room, all with tears in their eyes, a mix of guilt and hope on their face.
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