by Lexie Clark
He cried out in surprise, and then he laughed. “Very well, wife. I will give you ten more hard swats in an effort to change your mind. If you do not, the spanking will be over, but it will happen again tomorrow night, until I get the information I want.”
Oh, how angry he made her! When she spoke, she could hear the tension in her voice. “I am not your wife, and you can spank me all you like. I will not tell you what it is you want to know.”
“Very well,” Eli said. He tightened his hold on her, pulling her closer to his body, and then he started to do exactly what he’d said he would. He delivered ten sharp swats to her bottom, five to each cheek. By the time he was done, the throbbing had turned to a dull pain that felt as if it would never go away.
Eli loosened his grip on her and Cordelia slowly stood, her legs wobbly. Her skirts fell down from where she had gathered them around her waist. “You are a brute,” she said, staring him in the face.
“Am I?” He sounded amused, and she wanted to scream that yes, he was a brute.
“I am going to my room now, and I want you to realize that your question has not been answered, despite your use of violence.
“Spanking is not violence,” he said. “It is punishment for not following the rules, and may I remind you once more that you suggested it before this all began.”
Cordelia lifted her chin and glared down at him. Then she turned and walked toward the door to her room. When she touched the handle, she stopped when he started to speak.
“Just a warning, Cordelia, if I have to spank you again, I will do so on your bare bottom. I will ask you the same question tomorrow night, and I expect an answer.”
“You will not get one,” she said as she turned the doorknob.
“Very well,” he answered. “We’ll see if a bare-bottomed spanking will give me the answer I desire, then.”
Cordelia opened the door and went into her room. She did not answer his, “Good night, Cordelia,” which reached her ears right before the door closed.
Chapter 6
From the journal of Cordelia West
Tenth day in Colorado:
I am a coward. I have spent the last two days in my room, ashamed to face Eli after the spanking he gave me. His words about how I had suggested the spanking rang true, and I was not sure what I would say to him in the morning, so I stayed in the room, and when Mrs. Dunlap came to inquire about my health, I told her I was not feeling well and asked that she bring my food to my room for me. I know I cannot continue this, and at some point I will have to face him, but I am not sure when it will be.
To add to my woes, the looks Mrs. Dunlap gives me makes me wonder if she thinks I might perhaps be with child. Her question this morning, about whether or not I was craving something special, reinforced that idea.
Right now, I am sitting at the table near the window, staring out at the waning sun. The fading light tells me that Eli will be home soon. He has not pushed me since the spanking night, but I know that will not last long. At some point, whether it is tonight or tomorrow or the next day, he will be at my door, wanting to spend more time with me.
I need to overcome the fear that I feel when I think of him. I need to be a woman, and not a girl. I accepted a job and it is time I did that job.
Whatever arises from being here, I will deal with it. That means I will not throw a fit, or be a child and stomp my feet. I should have known that, at some point, I would have to kiss him, to hug him, and to act like a wife in public.
I will go down to dinner tonight, and afterward I will talk with Eli. I can handle whatever comes up.
Eli gripped the piece of paper in his hand as he climbed the stairs, ready to knock on the door to Cordelia’s room and demand to speak with her. The letter he’d received today had been a complication he hadn’t seen coming, and it was one he wasn’t prepared to deal with right now.
He needed more time to work things out with Cordelia, since she had been less than receptive to him since he’d spanked her. He stopped midway on a stair and stared at the ones yet to mount.
What had he been thinking when he’d taken his hand to her ass? Feeling her that close to him had produced the reaction he’d thought it would. He’d wanted to end the spanking by taking her to his bed and planting himself between her legs. Once he was inside her, he wanted to screw her until the both of them screamed in pleasure.
Thinking of her writhing under him, screaming out his name made him forget about the bad news he clutched in his palm and focus on her breasts, her hips and that sweet wonderful spot between her legs that he wanted to take, repeatedly.
His cock hardened painfully and he tightened his grip on the paper. Maybe going to see Cordelia first was not a good idea. It might be better if he went to his room, took care of business and then showed her the missive that had landed on his table today.
It would be interesting to see her reaction to the news. For his part, Eli had uttered a few choice words that had made Mrs. Dunlap gasp in outrage. He’d apologized to her, but she was still giving him the cold shoulder when he came in this afternoon.
Mrs. Dunlap would get over it. What he needed to worry about right now was Cordelia. She was the key to the whole thing. He had hoped that talking with her about personal things would bring them closer, would give them a sense of bonding that a husband and wife had. Not like they had been married for years, of course, but a couple that was still getting to know each other. Right now, when they were together she acted like she didn’t even want to look at him. The fact that he hadn’t seen her for a few days was not a good sign. If they acted like strangers around each other, their entire lie could fall apart and he could still be forced into marrying Constance.
The thought made him angry. He was mad at his father for getting him into this mess. Maybe if he offered Constance money she would leave without another word. Of course he didn’t have that much money to offer, a couple thousand at the most. The land was worth quite a bit, but there was no way he was going to sell it to get out of this situation. That was why he’d hired Cordelia.
They had to make this work. Knowing what was about to happen, Eli took a deep breath and mounted the rest of the stairs. He was just at the top when the door to Cordelia’s room opened and she stepped out. She looked at him for a few moments before she said his name.
“Cordelia,” he responded. “It is nice to see you.”
“Thank you.” She smoothed her hands down her skirts, and Eli felt himself stir once more. Forget the problems with Constance. Would Cordelia be the sort of woman that liked to be bent over? Eli imagined her that way, her skirts gathered around her waist and her underthings around her ankles as he pushed into her wetness. Or would she be a woman who liked to do it the old-fashioned way, while she was on her back and he was above her, moving in and out slowly while he could look down at her beautiful face?
“We need to talk,” he said after he’d cleared his throat.
“Indeed,” she said, and for a moment he worried she would tell him she was going to leave and go back to New York. “I want to apologize to you for being so… reclusive.”
“Reclusive,” he repeated. Best not to argue the point, he thought. He needed her in a good mood right now. “I accept your apology.”
She brightened considerably, and he knew he’d taken the right path. “I have something I need to show you, something that is rather…” Eli searched for the right word. “Disturbing.”
The beautiful look on her face crumbled. “What is wrong?”
“Let’s go into the bedroom so we can speak in private.” He ushered her into her room, making sure the door was locked when they were inside. Only then did he hand her the letter. “Read this.”
She took it from him, and he watched as she unfolded it, and then as her gaze moved from side to side. When she got to the part that had alarmed him, he saw her eyes widen.
“How can she be in Denver already?” Cordelia rattled the paper. “It is not possible.”
“What
I think is that we were deceived about Constance’s location at first. I don’t know what is happening here, or why she is continuing to push the situation when she knows that I am married already.”
Cordelia frowned, and he could tell by where her eyes were that she was rereading the missive.
“She expects to meet you in Denver this weekend to discuss the dissolution of your marriage to the other woman, which would be me.” Cordelia shook the paper. “How dare she?”
Eli couldn’t help but laugh. “Cordelia, you amaze me. I must admit I had not expected this reaction.”
“She is being presumptuous.” She pushed the paper in his direction. “Write her at whatever hotel she is staying and demand that she meet you in Boulder. Do not give her the upper hand in the meeting place.”
“Good idea,” Eli said.
“I have done a lot of thinking this afternoon, Eli,” Cordelia said. “Despite what has happened between us, I am determined to see this situation to the end. I intend to earn my money, and if that includes going to war with Constance, then so be it. But I will do it on my terms, not hers.”
Eli felt a new respect for the woman standing in front of him. He wanted to thank her, to tell her that he appreciated the turn things had taken. Before he knew what he was really doing, he took her in his arms and he kissed her hard. At first, she pushed against his chest, but Eli didn’t let her go. He kept her in his arms and when the kiss broke, he gave her a chance to catch her breath, and then he kissed her again.
“Eli,” she gasped when the second kiss broke.
In response, Eli kissed the corner of her mouth, letting his tongue caress the place where her two lips came together. “Yes?” he finally said.
“You should not do things like that,” she whispered. Her chest was rising rapidly. Before he could think about what he was doing, Eli lifted his hand to her breast and cupped it. His lips continued to play around hers.
“Stop that,” she said, but she made no move to get away from him. “Do not give me an excuse that… you are doing this to… make it seem like we are husband and wife, because you would not do something like this in front of people.”
“You’re right,” he said as he moved his thumb over her nipple. It was rock hard. Her gasp of pleasure shot through her with a sweet bolt of need. “I’m doing it because I want you, Cordelia. I admit it. I want to be inside you.”
This time she did push away, but not with any violence or screams of “How dare you?” Instead, she sighed softly. “I have kept my maidenhead all these years. I do not plan on giving it up now.” She took another step back. “I knew the talk of getting to know each other was a sham.”
She laughed as she said it, and Eli took a step closer to her. “That wasn’t a sham, as you say. We do need to know each other. But I have… my cock has wanted you since I first saw you in Denver. I admit it, fully.”
Her quick intake of breath made him smile. “You should not say such things in front of me. I am a lady.”
“So you are,” he said. “But you have the possibilities of being a naughty lady, and I know it as well as you do.”
Once again, he expected outrage instead of laughter. “We have bigger things to think about than whether or not I can be naughty. How are you doing to deal with Constance?”
Eli knew she was right, but he wanted to continue with the discussion. “How did the spanking make you feel, Cordelia? Did it make you angry? Or did it arouse you?”
Her look of confusion didn’t tell him anything.
She didn’t respond for a few moments. Finally, she said, “It did not arouse me, and I was angry for a while. Until I realized that you were right, I had suggested the spanking as a way to make me follow through on what I had said I would do.”
Eli watched her for a few moments, then he crossed the room to her bed. He sat down on the side, and then he sat back, leaning against the headboard and stretching his legs out in front of him. “I’m not going to apologize for the spanking,” he said.
“I did not ask you to do that,” she responded. “However, I want you to know that if it happens again, I will leave.”
Eli knew it was an empty threat, so he didn’t respond. “We need to discuss how we are going to deal with Constance.”
Cordelia smiled. “Do not worry, I will handle her. After all, I will do anything I can to protect the man I love.”
Sitting here in her bedroom, with his feet up on her bed, he believed her words. He hoped Constance would believe them when she heard them this weekend.
* * *
Dinner had been wonderful, and after it was over they retired to the library. When they stepped inside, Cordelia closed the door and immediately went to the card table. When Eli was seated across from her, she inclined her head ever so slightly. “Tell me, Eli, do you have parties here at the Four Fours?”
“Parties?” He picked up the cards and started to shuffle them. “No.”
This idea had come to her while they were eating. She should have thought of it before, and she was somewhat ashamed that she had not. “We should. After all, I am sure people in town are wondering about your new bride. What better way to show me off then by having a party? Do you think Mrs. Dunlap is still here?”
He shrugged. “I imagine.”
“Go and get her, and let us discuss the idea.”
It was no surprise to Cordelia that Mrs. Dunlap loved the promise of a party. “How quickly do we want to do it?” she asked.
“A week from Saturday?” Cordelia asked sweetly. “That will give a little more than a week to plan, cook and invite people. How many do you think we can expect?”
Mrs. Dunlap’s smile brightened. “When Mrs. Bannister was still with us, God rest her soul, she would have dinner for the hands and their families once a month. There are generally around twenty-five.”
“That will never do,” Cordelia said. “We want to invite some of the people from town too. Eli wants everyone to meet his wife.”
The housekeeper’s smile faded a little. “Hmm, fifty or more? I’ve never served that many.”
Cordelia nodded as she thought for a moment. “What about getting some help from town, or getting the wives of a few of the hands to help? Surely they would welcome some extra money.”
“How much money are we talking about?” Eli asked.
The nervous sound of his voice made Cordelia smile, but it also gave her pause. Should she have asked him more questions about this idea before she brought it up with Mrs. Dunlap?
No, she should not have. She had asked him to get the housekeeper, and he had done it with no qualms.
“Not more than a few hundred, I would think, between food and help.” She looked at Eli. “Is that too much?”
The room was silent for a moment, and then Eli smiled. “To welcome my wife to The Four Fours? No, it is not too much. Mrs. Dunlap, you and Cordelia work on a menu, see what needs to be purchased from town and what can be provided here from our stock or larder. When you are ready to go shopping, I will accompany you.”
That was a fantastic idea, and Cordelia knew it would set the tongues in town wagging when the two of them showed up. She would have to pick out her best dress to wear; well, perhaps not her best one. That she would save for the party. But for the shopping trip her best day dress, possibly the blue one with the ruffles. That one would attract attention, and it showed off her curves to their best advantage.
What dress would she wear for the party? She had two that she had packed to bring with her that would do for a party, one was red satin with a large bustle. The other was blue with a large, high bustle.
But before she selected which dress to wear, she would ask Mrs. Dunlap to tell her what she thought the other women would be wearing. She wanted people to notice her, true, but she did not want to stand out and look like she was putting on airs.
“Cordelia, are you listening to us?”
Cordelia turned her attention to Eli. He was grinning, as if she’d just told a very funny
joke.
“Forgive me, I have been… daydreaming.”
She could tell by the look on Eli’s face that he was surprised. So was she. Daydreaming was not the type of thing she did.
“Mrs. Dunlap is asking about serving chocolate at the event. I think it would go over very well, don’t you?”
“Most definitely.” Cordelia nodded. “But will it be very expensive?”
“A little, but it will be worth it.”
Eli laughed. “Mrs. Dunlap, you and Cordelia set things up tomorrow. Right now, Mrs. Bannister and I have a chess match to start.”
“Of course.” Cordelia noticed Mrs. Dunlap looked very happy about tonight’s turn of events. “I will speak with you tomorrow, Cordelia. Eli, this is wonderful. We haven’t had a party here since your parents passed. Things will come back to life around here, I hope.”
She left before anyone could answer her. Cordelia looked over to where Eli was setting up the chess game.
“Have I overstepped my bounds?” She wanted to make sure this was a good idea. If not, she would cancel it tomorrow when she saw Mrs. Dunlap.
“Not at all.” He placed the white queen in the center of the board. “As my wife, you have my permission to do things like this as you see fit. If you did not, people would wonder. In fact, I’m thrilled that you suggested the party. I think it is high time the people in town met the new Mrs. Bannister.”
Cordelia picked up the white queen. “We will have to be… oh, what is the word I am searching for… romantic—no, that’s not right. We will have to act like we are in love.”
“So we will.”
“We will have to hug, and hold hands, and possibly even kiss.”
The smile on his face made Cordelia’s insides heat up. “We should practice,” Eli said. “We have a little more than a week. Tell me, Cordelia, did you like it when I kissed you upstairs?”
The urge to lie was on the tip of her tongue, but she knew that was not a good idea. “Yes.”
“And when I touched you?”
Her heart was beating much too quickly. “Yes.” She needed to nip this in the bud. “But that does not mean I will be intimate with you. We know each other’s pasts—somewhat—and that makes us more comfortable around each other. I think, in preparation for the party, we should kiss, and hug, but nothing more.” It was her fervent hope that her voice was even, and she did not sound like a prude when she said those words.
