Return to Corbin's Bend

by Corinne Alexander

  “But I always mess up everything!” Laney wailed. The truth in her friends’ words were hitting a little too close to home and she was close to tears as she listened.

  Julie gave her a sad smile. “You don’t mess up any more than the next person. We all have our faults and foibles. Some are just easier to see than others is all. You may be a little out of focus and flaky at times. I have a habit of destroying things when I get frustrated, like smoke detectors, and phones.” She grimaced and reached under the table to rub her bottom. “And pencil sharpeners.”

  “Do you really think I’m just scared?” When Josiah had said it, the accusation had seemed ridiculous, but coming from her two best friends…well, even Laney had to admit their words made a lot of sense.

  “Without a doubt,” Julie told her.

  “Absolutely,” Terri chimed. “The question is, now that you see it, what are you going to do about it?”

  “I guess I just have to quit lying to myself about my feelings and move forward,” Laney said, her stomach in knots at the thought. Denial was much easier to handle than the truth. “And at least if I go astray and freak out again, I have the two of you to bring me back down to reality and straighten me out. So, thanks for that. Truly.”

  “Awww, anytime!” Julie said with a wink.

  Terri’s eyes were thick, and she looked to be holding back tears. “Enough with all this sappy girl talk! Who’s up for a mid-afternoon cocktail?” she asked, waving down the waitress.

  “So, you and Laney make it official yet?” Brent asked as soon as Josiah walked in the door of the clubhouse with Matt on Saturday afternoon. Nods of agreement and curious stares surrounded him from the other residents present. Besides Brent, Matt, and himself, he recognized Jonathan Travers, Beau Davies and Vance Foster to name a few, as well as two of the other CB beat cops, Tate Leano and Tarrent Banyon. That meant their only female officer, Sandra O’ Nette was on duty.

  “Hey now, back off him for a few.” Matt laughingly leapt to his defense. “This is his first time at the clubhouse. Don’t you all think you could manage to show at least a semblance of restraint and at least show him around before you leap down his throat like a bunch of gossip hungry old ladies?”

  The men had the decency to look chagrined, and Brent jumped up to give him the unofficial tour. It was quite the setup down here in the clubhouse basement. Nothing less than a Grade A man cave with all the amenities, it included several comfy oversized leather couches, a large stainless steel fridge stocked with a variety of beers to choose from, and of course, a giant widescreen TV mounted on the back wall. Josiah gave a low whistle of approval as Brent wrapped up the short tour, and they rejoined the other men in the sitting area.

  “Nice set up.”

  The men nodded their agreement, but their faces were pinched tight, and he could tell they were itching to interrogate him on the subject of everyone’s favorite sushi chef. He considered messing with them, and drawing out the tour with a number of creative and pointless questions that he knew Brent would jump to answer, but he wasn’t that cruel, and to be honest, he kind of wanted their advice. He had gone over to talk to Matt, and Matt had dragged him here. But two minds were better than one, and surely a dozen were better than two.

  “Okay, okay, I give. Ask the questions you’re all dying to ask. I can tell y’all are chomping at the bit to know the full story. Normally I would do as Matt did, and call you old ladies and make you suffer, but we did make out in the middle of Amore on a Saturday night, so I guess we gave up our right to privacy at that point. Just keep it clean,” he said jokingly. He had enough brothers to know a large group of men could get raunchy at times no matter how civilized they were in their everyday life, and his brothers were a bunch of prudes and saints compared to this group.

  “So, are you dating her, officially now?” That was Matt.

  “Have you put your welcome gift to good use yet?” Brent asked with a sly wink.

  “Do you need some new implements? Cause, you know, I can help out in that department,” Vance hooted.

  Josiah threw back his head and laughed. Matt was right, they were just like a group of women, but he liked it. It did remind him of the easy comradery within the community back home. “Let’s see if I can keep this straight,” he said, still chuckling. “Yes, I think we are officially dating. No, I haven’t used my welcome gift yet, although I did drink the wine, and I will keep that in mind, Vance, but I think we are good for now.”

  He had hoped that would satisfy their curiosity but it only served to open up a whole new round of questioning.

  “What do you mean, you think you are dating? Wouldn’t you know?”

  “Why haven’t you tried out your paddle? It’s a beauty and it sure gets the point across.”

  Matt and Brent spoke in unison, but thankfully the rest of the group remained silent, waiting for his answers.

  “I mean, I don’t know. We made it official Saturday night, but…she’s just seemed a little off ever since. Just a little distant, I guess. But it could just be our schedules. This is the first time we have both been off at the same time all week, and we both already had other plans. I’ll see her tonight, I’m sure.” He paused. “As for the paddle, I’ve sure thought about it, but to tell you the honest truth, I’m pretty new to all this, and I don’t know, I guess it seemed too harsh for most things.”

  “Wait, what do you mean, you’re new to all this?” Jonathan spoke up quietly, looking concerned. “I thought you had lived in a community that practiced domestic discipline like this one.”

  Josiah drew a deep breath before explaining. “Well, I did. I mean I grew up knowing about it, and learning about it and seeing the positive effects of it, but I’ve never actually practiced it myself.”

  His admission was met with blank stares all around. Josiah could tell he was going to have to share more information about his hometown, but he hoped he would be able to keep the polygamy out of it. It wasn’t him, and he didn’t want people thinking it was.

  “It was a deeply religious community with a very unique set of beliefs concerning marriage,” he started, hoping that would be enough, but the faces of his friends were drawn and cautious. He glanced at Brent and Matt, and was relieved to see they still wore genuine smiles of encouragement. Of course, the two of them knew the truth already. Everyone else was basically in the dark, and to tell the truth, he kind of liked it that way.

  He returned their smiles and started again. “Basically, the marriages were arranged, and I was never chosen for marriage.”

  “So, you never practiced it with any of your girlfriends?” Jonathan asked.

  “I…ermm…I’ve never had any girlfriends. We didn’t believe in that, and I knew for a long time, I was going to leave. I just never did. I was comfortable, I had a great job and my family was there, and it was really all I knew.”

  Josiah looked up, and winced at the shocked faces in the room. The more he said, the more shocked they became it seemed.

  Sensing his obvious discomfort, Jonathan came to his rescue. “Hey, I think that’s great. No baggage from past relationships. On your end anyway. Laney is another story.”

  “So basically you’re saying they marry whoever they are told to, and then practice domestic discipline in their marriages?” This came from Beau, who was looking very unsettled at his news.

  “Yeah, that’s basically it.” Josiah hoped this would put an end to this line of questioning, without him having to break out the fact that Green Valley was a polygamist community. He must have looked as uncomfortable as he felt, because Jonathan jumped to his rescue again.

  “So, are you saying you’ve never, ahem, spanked anyone? Like ever?”

  Josiah groaned, and nodded. So much for saving the day. He wasn’t sure which conversation was more uncomfortable, and he prayed they didn’t start asking about his sex life next. That would open a whole new can of worms. “Well,” he said with an evil grin, “I have now.”

  Jonathan clo
sed his eyes, and buried his face in his hands. “Oh my god,” he moaned. “Oh my god, somebody help him, quickly, or our little Laney is gonna run for the hills!”

  Josiah thought this was a little melodramatic but the other men were nodding sagely, and looking equally concerned.

  “What’s the big deal?” He shrugged. “Everybody’s got to start somewhere.”

  This just incited further moans from Jonathan, and comically concerned looks from the rest of the group. His blank stare was met with utter silence.

  “The big deal,” Jonathan said cautiously, looking nervous even as he stood up and paced the floor in front of Josiah, “is that Laney has been waiting for this and wanting this and probably yes, fantasizing about this for a really long time. And no offense, but I just don’t think you’re going to live up to her expectations, unless you learn to step up your game.” He stopped pacing and pressed his finger to his lip in concentration, before starting back up. “Laney is the equivalent of a hair dresser when it comes to people talking to her. When people order from The Ginger Paddle, they order their sushi to fit their day, and nine times out of ten, they tell her all about it. Laney doesn’t just want a spanker, trust me, that girl wants the whole shebang, with a side of ginger.”

  The whole rant was so absurd to Josiah he nearly spit out his beer laughing. But he was the only one laughing. Everyone else in the room was slowly shaking their heads in agreement.

  “What does that even mean? The whole shebang with a side of ginger?” Jonathan might as well have been speaking a different language for all the sense he was making.

  Now, even Matt was staring at him aghast. “So, what have you done, exactly?”

  If it hadn’t come from Matt, he never would have answered, but coming from his good friend and mentor, he had to address the question. “I don’t know what the big deal is. I’ve spanked her several times, with my hand mostly, but also with a wooden spoon or a belt, and in different positions. I’ve also had her do corner time beforehand, each time.”

  Josiah frowned. At home in Green Valley, that would have been a standard response, but they were looking at him with something akin to pity, as if his dog had just died or something.

  “Oh brother,” Beau groaned. “Jonathan is right. This man needs our help, and soon!”

  “And that,” Jonathan said with a grin, “is my cue to leave. Good luck, man.”

  As soon as Jonathan was safely out of the cave, the men circled, and the onslaught began.

  “You have to change it up, keep them guessing.”

  “Ground her, take away privileges, and make her write lines, it’s not all about the spanking.”

  “Do you have a spanking bench?”

  “You should get a lexan paddle.”

  “I could make you one with holes in it.” This of course, came from Vance.

  Josiah’s head was spinning as he looked around the room. Everyone seemed to have a piece of advice for him, even the people he had just met.

  Trust Brent to step in and be the voice of reason. Josiah had never been so relieved as he was when Brent stepped to the front of the group with his hand up in front of him.

  “Hang on, just a minute. Now, these are all good points and ideas, but we need to remember that the point of Corbin’s Bend is to allow people to practice domestic discipline in whatever way makes sense to them and have a safe and non-judgmental place to do so.” This was said to the group at large, but now he turned and addressed Josiah personally. “Jonathan may have a point, and these are all valid suggestions that work for other people, including myself, but the bottom line is, you’re the HOH. You do what you are comfortable with, and what feels right to you. Laney may have lofty ideas about her ideal DD relationship, but deep down all she really needs is someone to love her, and discipline her from time to time. How you go about that in the long run, isn’t our decision.”

  Josiah nodded thoughtfully, stroking his chin as he pondered Brent’s advice. “You’re right, man. It is up to me, and I do need to be comfortable with how this goes, but also, and more so, I want Lannea to be happy and comfortable. I’m willing to learn new things and hear ideas, but in the end, I’ll take what I want out of it, and whatever I decide is going to have to be enough for us. But, I am open, so bring it on. Anything else I need to know about?”

  The men were silent, staring back at him with somber faces, nodding in agreement with Brent. Josiah found himself oddly disappointed that the raucous conversation was apparently over. The quiet was more disconcerting than the earlier conversation had been.

  It was of course his mentor that sensed his tension and broke the silence. “What about figging? I mean, the Ginger Paddle is famous for their house pickled ginger, and I hear they always have a nice large stock of fresh ginger in the back. Seems a shame not to take advantage…” Matt trailed off with a devilish grin.

  Josiah met Matt’s question with a perplexed glare. “What exactly is figging, and what does ginger have to do with anything?”

  Chapter 12

  Lannea, that is enough stalling. I swear if we are late to this appointment, you won’t be sitting for a week,” Josiah threatened, and Laney almost believed him. She was working on that— adjusting her expectations, and trusting him to be what she needed. It was still a struggle, and she still found herself getting annoyed with his obvious innocence at times, but her outlook was a little different now.

  “I can’t find my pen!” she cried, upending the contents of her purse onto Josiah’s perfectly spotless kitchen table.

  “I’m sure Roy has pens at his office. Lots of pens, in fact.” Josiah was unamused and unsympathetic.

  “But I need my pen!” she whined, frantically pawing through the pile of random crap on the table. “And,” she continued, biting her lip, and giving him her best pouty puppy dog eyes, “I’m not sure my shirt is right. I don’t think it quite says ‘business owner’. In fact, I’m pretty sure I need a whole new wardrobe. I don’t think Ginger will mind if we postpone the appointment until tomorrow, do you?”

  “That’s enough!” Josiah firmly took her hands in his, and gave her that scorching warning look that melted her insides each and every time she saw it. “You are not changing, you look perfect. You do not need a whole new wardrobe, and you are not going to postpone this appointment, or make Ginger and Roy wait one more minute for you to get there while you panic over pens and blouses.” He frowned. “You’re doing it again, Lannea. You’re scared, and you don’t want to admit it, so you’re making excuses and self-sabotaging.”

  “I…I…but,” Lannea sputtered, realizing he was right and she really didn’t have any good comeback, for once.

  “But is right. Your butt to be exact. Since common sense and rationalizing with you doesn’t seem to be working right now, we’re going to go a different route. Bend over the table, and lower your skirt and panties. Now, please, we don’t have a lot of time.”

  Seeing no way out, and knowing a spanking was probably the only thing that would calm her frayed nerves and bring her back to earth, Laney blindly obeyed.

  The table was cold against her naked waist, and the room had an unusual chill to it for early September. She shivered, and Josiah walked behind her, giving her bottom a hard slap, first on the left cheek and then on the right. She winced at the impact, and braced herself for more.

  Nothing came. In fact, Josiah seemed to be walking away towards the kitchen. Lannea sighed, shifting uncomfortably. Of course, he was probably running off to find his trusty wooden spoon. She rested her cheek on the cool wood of the table and waited.

  It seemed to take forever for him to come back, and she was starting to think that he would be the one that made them late to the appointment. “Josiah! What are you doing? You’re going to make us late.”

  He reappeared behind her. “Oh, probably,” he stated cheerfully, patting her bare ass appreciatively. “But, it won’t be my fault, and you’ll be the one who pays for it.”

  She grumbled. She knew a
s unfair as it sounded he was probably right. He had been ready to go an hour ago, and so had she, but as it got closer to time to leave she had panicked, and started inventing excuses to hold them up.

  “Fine— whatever! Can you just hurry up and spank me, so we can go?”

  He hummed, fidgeting behind her. “Oh, I’m not spanking you. Not now, anyway. We don’t have time for that. I’m just giving you a nice little reminder to help keep you from panicking in self-doubt once we get to the lawyer’s office.”

  “Oh…kay…” She rolled her eyes. So, that was his genius idea to calm her nerves? Make her lie bent over the table bare from the waist down while he lectured her? She hated to break it to him, but it wasn’t going to work.

  “You have goose bumps.” Josiah ran his hand over her cold bare skin.

  “Well, it’s freaking cold in here!” she snapped, thoroughly annoyed at his tame attempt to calm her.

  “I’m going to warm you right up in just a second,” he told her. Shock rolled over her as she felt his fingers prodding at her tight bottom hole. This was new, and she had to admit, he had her attention as his finger pushed inside her most private place.

  The action sent a little thrill of shock through her body. Maybe he knew what he was doing after all. She moaned as his finger went deeper filling her completely. And then screamed as the burning started. “What the hell?”

  “It’s a ginger root.”

  “Yeah, well I kind of figured that out! Seriously, figging? Now?” The burning was slow and intense, and the knowledge that she was laying bent over his kitchen table with a ginger root up her bum sent simultaneous thrills of excitement and horror rushing through her limbs.

  “Yes, now. And you’re going to wear this through the meeting to remind you what happens to naughty little girls who doubt themselves and waste people’s time.”