“What for? We’re just getting to know each other. I didn’t propose marriage or anything.” His eyes showed keen disappointment.
“I don’t know. I just…needed time.” Her robe was stifling hot, but she pulled the neckline together a bit more out of nervousness. She felt like a reprimanded toddler. “It was childish. I’m really sorry. I should have just been honest about needing a little distance.”
He nodded. “Honesty is important, and, I guarantee you, if you’re honest with me, you’ll get a lot of room to maneuver.” Jim rubbed a hand over his stubble, apparently considering what to do. “I think a little corporal punishment is in order.” He unbuckled his belt and slid it from the loops.
Feeling a sense of guilt mixed with an annoying tingle of anticipation down in her nether regions she thought about trying to talk him out of it. “Now, Jim…”
With a firm yank on her upper arms, he soon had her over his knees. Suddenly, this seemed entirely too familiar. He pushed her robe up over her behind, then pulled down her pajama bottoms, they were so big and baggy, they practically slid down on their own.
“But, I said I was sorry!” It was totally humiliating to be in this position, with her butt up and naked, pants around her knees. She felt her face heat with an embarrassed blush. She might deserve a reprimand—she knew lying was a poor way to deal with things—but the combo of heated rear and wet pussy was too stimulating by half.
He nodded. “Apology accepted. You deserve a spanking to go with it.”
This time, he didn’t take the time to caress her cheeks, he simply laid into her with his folded belt. The dominant sound in the room was the sharp pop of his belt on her behind, each time followed by a shriek and a sob.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
“Don’t ever lie to me again, Kiki.” He spanked her harder.
“Ow!” Her tears were dripping onto the carpet. “Please! I apologize!”
He didn’t stop for another ten strokes, then pushed her gently off his lap and onto the floor. “Enough. Get dressed. We’re going out.”
“Out? You can’t be serious.” She stood up and yanked her pajamas up as quickly as she could, then rubbed her bottom. Her behind stung, even covered by the soft, worn cotton. “After all of this, you still want to go out?”
He nodded. “A deal is a deal, Kiki. Don’t rub your bottom.”
“You’re just being mean, James Aaron Chesterfield! And my ass hurts!”
His eyebrow arched and he stood up, studying her face despite her dishabille. Cupping her chin in one hand, he tilted it up toward him. “I will never lie to you. I expect you to behave to the same standard.”
Kiki bit her lower lip. He was demanding, but fair, and his eyes spoke volumes as he lowered his lips to hers. “Jim,” she whispered, just as their mouths met.
Their kiss was tentative, and just as they started flirting with their tongues, there was a sharp rap on Kiki’s door. The pair broke away from each other, staring at the door a little dazedly.
“Were you expecting someone?”
Kiki shook her head, and went to the door. “Who is it?”
“It’s Missus Steddenhoffer, Miss Mackenzie.”
Turning slightly toward Jim, Kiki mouthed my landlady, then opened the door. “Missus Steddenhoffer, what can I do for you?”
The older woman took a good look at Kiki then peered into the apartment and started when she saw Jim. Her eyes narrowed. “I have a complaint about noise.”
“Oh! Well, we were just…um…” Kiki felt her face flame.
Jim broke in. “Playing music a little loudly, but we’ll be quieter in the future. It’s my fault entirely.”
The landlady sniffed, clearly enjoying the look of the handsome man, even though she might not approve of the circumstances. She patted her short, steel-gray curls, then turned to Kiki. “You know I don’t approve of a lot of men traipsing through.”
“Missus Steddenhoffer, you know I’m not like that.”
“Yes, usually. Don’t let this be the start of immoral behavior, Miss Mackenzie. I won’t tolerate it.”
“Yes, ma’am.” She smiled weakly. “We were just going out. Is there anything else?”
Missus Steddenhoffer raked a judgmental gaze from Kiki’s toes to the messy topknot on her head. “To a costume party?”
“Er…no. I was going to change.”
“I came earlier than Kiki expected, ma’am,” Jim offered, approaching with a bright, white smile, oozing charm. “I’ll just go out into the hall with you while she gets dressed, shall I?”
Looking up into Jim’s face, the landlady smiled and preened. She nodded and turned away from the door, then turned back, wagging a finger at Kiki as a parting gesture. “Don’t you keep this nice young man waiting, Miss.”
“Yes, Missus Steddenhoffer.”
As the landlady turned away, Jim winked at Kiki and mouthed hurry.
Kiki closed the door and started rushing around getting ready.
* * *
Jim drove them to San Francisco in his restored 1966 Mustang. Kiki sat demurely, and somewhat uncomfortably, next to him on the leather bucket seat, worrying the buttons on her coat. He knew she was wearing a red dress of some sort, but she’d been completely swaddled when she’d opened the door after their encounter with the landlady.
They chatted amiably during the hour-long drive into the city.
“So you moved a lot as a child?” he asked, trying to make her more comfortable by getting her to talk about herself.
“Yes. Every two years or so.”
“Mostly here in the bay area?”
“No. Seattle, Omaha, Dallas, Ocala. All over, really. How about you?”
“Wow! I’ve traveled a lot in recent years, but my whole childhood was spent here in northern California. My parents still own the house I grew up in, in Santa Clara.”
He could hear the gentle smile in her voice when she said, “That sounds wonderful.”
“Why did you move so often?”
“Oh, different reasons. Mostly, my mother got new jobs in new cities. She was a library consultant.”
“Was?”
“She died about five years ago.”
Jim knew he was lucky to still have his parents. It saddened him that she wasn’t lucky, too. “I’m sorry.”
“No need. We had time together.”
He nodded. “Any other family?”
“Nope. My father sort of ran away from home. Moved to Tibet when I was five or so.”
“Tibet! What for?”
“He became a Buddhist monk.”
He shot her a glance, wondering he she was pulling his leg. “You’re kidding.”
“No. Really.”
He laughed. “Are you still in contact with him?”
“We write letters sometimes. Not too often.”
There was a long silence, but Jim wanted to learn more about her so he peppered her with questions. It turned out that she had been a scholarship student at Berkeley, where she studied English literature. She had a wonderful command of the cannon of classics, and had written more than a few published scholarly papers.
“But you’re working in public relations now?”
“English lit doesn’t lead to money, unfortunately. I got this PR job after I tried journalism and writing children’s books.”
“What happened with those?”
“Well, I can’t interview worth a damn…er… darn. Journalists are supposed to ask insightful and penetrating questions. I just wanted to be nice. And the children’s books are sitting on my bookshelf, never published. I tried to get a publisher to take them, but so far, nothing but rejections. They must be fu-, I mean feeble garbage.”
He reached out and patted her hands where they sat idly in her lap. “Don’t give up.”
They talked about less personal things until they reached the club, then had dinner while watching a comedy show. Jim loved seeing her laugh. She lit up like a Christmas tree, all glowing and twinkl
ing. There was a lot that was endearing about her. She had vulnerabilities, but she was resourceful, intelligent and perseverant.
He walked her to her door when they returned to the valley. Her body fit perfectly to his as he pulled her gently against him for a good-night kiss. The smell of her perfume was soothing, warm, like the rest of her. Jim let his hands slide down her waist and hips, to wrap around and cup her perfect behind.
“Ow,” she said softly, pulling away a bit.
“Hmm. Want me to kiss it and make it better, honey?”
Her gray eyes roved over his face, lingering on his lips, but she shook her head. “Yes, and no. I’m going with no this time.”
“Fair enough. We had a deal.”
She sighed. “Yeah.”
“Tomorrow is the third date.”
“I can’t go out tomorrow. I have other plans.”
“Oh. I won’t be nosy, but, of course, I’m curious.”
She grinned. “I’ve got to watch a football game.”
That was intriguing. He was more a hockey guy himself, but it was interesting to know she liked football. “Your favorite team is playing?”
“Not really. I have a bet with a guy, with someone at work, I mean. And I want to watch to see if I win.”
“Ah. I thought you didn’t have any money.”
She pulled away. “I don’t.”
Jim could sense her discomfort. “Kiki, what did you bet?”
“Nothing really.” She dug in her purse for her keys then fumbled with the lock. “It’s been a lovely evening. How about if I call you in a few days so we can do the last date?”
“I don’t think so.” He held her hand still on the key. “What did you bet?”
She gently disengaged Jim’s hand, and, fingers shaking, continued to fight with the lock. “Goddamn- I mean gosh darn key.”
Jim took the key and slid it into place effortlessly. “Let’s go inside. I have a feeling this is going to be a lengthy explanation.”
Sighing, she turned the doorknob and they entered the apartment. Kiki hung their coats in the tiny closet behind the door, and then hurried into the kitchenette, her red skirt swaying in a perfect infinity sign as she walked away. “Coffee?”
“No. But an answer would be nice.” He sat on one of her two elderly chairs. “Stop fussing and come sit down.”
She looked positively glum when she joined him. “It’s just a simple bet. You’re making more out of it than it deserves.”
“Am I? What did you bet?” His instincts were screaming Danger, Will Robinson! Danger! like an old TV show.
“A date.”
The similarity to his own arrangement struck him sharply. Did she have less integrity than he’d given her credit for? Was she a slut? “A date. What kind of a date?”
“You know, pizza and beer at Antonio’s Pizzeria.”
She wasn’t looking him in the eyes and that bothered him. “How well do you know this guy?”
“I really don’t see that it’s any business of yours.”
“I’m making it my business.”
Her eyes narrowed on him. “It’s a bet. I’m going to win anyway.”
“And if you don’t?”
“Then I eat pizza with Gary. No big deal.”
“Gary.” He didn’t like the guy already. “Have you known him long?”
She stood and began straightening the stack of papers on her table. “He’s been…” Kiki paused, catching herself. “I think it’s time you went home.”
It was obvious that she was hiding something. But what? A protective instinct swept over him. He got up and took her by the elbows. “Tell me.”
Squirming in his grasp, she finally dropped her chin. “All right! He’s a new guy at work. We have a football pool. I have a strong hunch who’s going to win the game, but I didn’t have any money to put into the pool. So Gary and I made a side bet. I’ll go out for pizza with him if the Steelers lose tomorrow’s game.”
“Just pizza?”
She bit her lower lip and pulled away. “And a drive around the reservoir.”
“Alone.” Alone where the guy could take liberties. Alone where no one would hear her scream if Gary pressed himself on her.
Nodding, she fixed him with a defiant stare, her feistiness returning. “What I do and who I do it with are not your concern, James Chesterfield.”
It really wasn’t his business, he knew, but at the same time, he didn’t like it one bit. She was dating him and everyone else could go hang. “How long have you known him?”
“About two weeks. He’s a new guy.”
“So you basically don’t know anything about him. He could be an ax murderer and you wouldn’t know.”
She scoffed. “Bullshit.” Realizing her mistake, she put her hand over her mouth, her eyes growing wide.
Gritting his teeth, he let his heart speak for him. “Cancel the bet.”
“I can’t!”
“You’re putting yourself in danger, Kiki. You don’t know this guy. I forbid it.”
“You… forbid!” She confronted him angrily, hands on hips. “Why you egotistical, arrogant, son of a bitch!”
“I can also see I haven’t taught you enough of a lesson about your language.”
“No more lessons. No more dates.”
Angry and frustrated, he pulled her toward him and kissed her fiercely. She melted against him after a moment of stiff resentment. He deepened the kiss, enjoying her reaction, then coaxed her to expose her long, graceful throat for his kisses and nibbles. She whispered his name and he thought about how he might like to take advantage of her sensual mood, but he tightened his resolve to treat her with respect. Even if she was the most maddening woman he’d ever encountered. Maddening and rebellious. Rebellious and headstrong. “You deserve another spanking,” he pointed out softly as he rimmed her delicate ear with his tongue.
“No, I don’t. You made me mad on purpose.”
He chuckled, running his hands up her slender arms and cupping her face so that he could kiss her soft mouth again. “Pull your panties down, Kiki.”
She gasped. “You agreed to no sex.”
Hiking up her skirt slowly, he reached for the side strings of her thong and pulled it down her hips, his eyes never leaving hers. He could see her warring with herself, deciding whether to let him have what he wanted or argue with him more. She had every right to say no and throw him out. And, if she did, he’d go. He was stubborn and opinionated, true, but he knew when he was being rejected. The way her body wriggled, helping him coax that thong down her long thighs told him that she was genuinely interested. “Yes, I agreed. I’m not going to have sex with you. I’m going to spank you.”
“Again?”
He nodded. “You know you deserve it. For your language. For making such a foolish bet. Honestly, you could put yourself in serious danger.”
Her lower lip trembled. “I’ll cancel the bet.”
“Yes, you will.” The loosened thong dropped down her legs and onto the floor at her feet. “Put your hands on the bed.”
“I wish you wouldn’t do this.”
He turned her around and gave her a small nudge toward the bed. “Do you want me to leave? Really leave?”
Hesitantly, she answered, “No.” She stepped out of her thong and approached her bed.
“Hands on the bed, Miss Kitten Kimberly Ann Mackenzie.” There was power in using a person’s full name, and Jim wanted to apply maximum pressure.
Reluctantly, she bent and put her palms down on it, her bottom rising appealingly behind her.
Discipline spankings were totally frustrating. All he really wanted to do with that gorgeous bottom was to hold it still while he sank deep into her femininity and lost control. But she needed to learn to behave. She would learn it, even if it gave him blue balls. He knew spanking her with his bare hand was effective, but it was also so personal that it would likely lead to caresses and destroy the punishment value. Looking around quickly, he spotted a wooden
hairbrush. Jim smacked it on his palm a couple of times, gauging how hard he ought to spank her. He didn’t want to damage her, just teach her a lesson.
The first few swats made her squirm and wriggle, and Jim had to put a hand on her back to keep her still—he didn’t want to move off-target and harm her. The next few smacks made her cry out softly, but she got louder as he plied the brush to her sit spots and upper thighs. Her skin was bright pink in all the right places.
“No more bad language,” he reminded her. “And no more dates with strangers.”
“B-but, you were a stranger, too!” she pointed out between sobs.
“My good reputation precedes me, and I know it. You know it too.”
She didn’t try to argue. “Ow! This is killing me!”
“It’s making your butt pretty red, but I don’t think anyone ever died from a hot ass.”
When she lowered her head to the bed to stifle her squeals of pain, Jim knew that she’d had enough. He tossed the brush down on the bed and gathered her up in his arms. “I wish you’d just behave, Kiki.”
She sniffled. “I think you’d still spank me.”
Well…yes. “Probably, but I guarantee it would be a lot more fun.”
He got a small giggle in response, and that was enough to make him smile, despite the raging heat in his pants.
Soothing her, rubbing his hand up and down her back, he waited for her to calm. When her sobs had died out, he tilted her head up for another kiss, a tender kiss that made no demands on her. “Tomorrow night, Kiki. Then you’ll be rid of me, if you want to be.”
She nodded.
He thought he might be falling in love with her. She was a termagant, but so genuine that he couldn’t resist being around her as much as possible. He wanted to make love to her and to spank her for fun. He knew she’d enjoy it. Jim could smell her excitement, even if he couldn’t do anything about it without breaking his promise. And he wouldn’t do that. He had to be a good example for her as well as holding himself to a high standard of behavior. His parents taught him early on that personal integrity was irretrievable once lost. It was a lesson he took to heart.
“I want you to meet my brother, Cal, tomorrow night. I’ll pick you up at work.” That would certainly discourage this Gary guy.
Kiki's Millionaire Page 3
