“You really should call me Audrey. I thought we agreed.”
“When we’re alone, cherie. Not in this company.”
Oh, another custom she didn’t understand. “Of course. How silly of me.” She smiled to cover her gaff. For a while, they tasted the food Marcus brought, chatting amiably, if rather dully, about the people they saw and the ranch itself.
The plate was whisked away by a servant practically the moment it was emptied. Audrey sipped her lukewarm lemonade and tried not to look for White Star, though her gaze was drawn to where she’d last seen him.
“Shall we stroll, my dear?”
Audrey brightened a bit. Maybe he would introduce her to some people. He did, but the conversations were all too brief, as he relentlessly drew her into the willows and away from the guests.
“Where are we going?”
He looked over at her and smiled. It was a bit of a rakish smile, one Audrey hadn’t seen from Marcus before. “Dare I hope you’ll spend a few moments alone with me?”
Ah. Now they were getting somewhere. Audrey was pretty sure Marcus was making his move. It was just the sort of thing she needed to take her mind off White Star. She smiled at Marcus, hoping it was a flirtatious smile and not a desperate one. “Yes.”
“You please me no end. Look, there’s a bench nearby. Shall we sit?”
“Okay.”
They arranged themselves on the bench. Audrey still wasn’t quite sure what to do with her crinoline, but she did her best not to show her legs. Marcus took her hand. “My darling,” he said fervently. “Do you realize how much I care for you?”
She didn’t know what to say. Was she supposed to admit she had an inkling, or was she supposed to play the flirt and make him tell her? Instead of blundering, she remained quiet.
Marcus drew her closer to him, so close that she could smell his cologne and his breath. He smelled like some sort of alcohol, but, hardly a teetotaler herself, Audrey was more jealous of the availability of spirits for gentlemen than upset that he had been drinking.
“You enchant me, Audrey. I am captivated and under your spell,” he murmured, and then his lips touched hers. It was the kiss she had been waiting for, even anticipated with curiosity. And, unfortunately, it was such a chaste kiss that it was utterly boring. Audrey pressed her lips against his more firmly, licking the seam of his mouth. He groaned and practically fell on her, obviously stunned by her boldness. Suddenly, his hands were everywhere. As though shot out of a cannon, he came at her at a zillion klicks per hour. It was too fast, and though Audrey had hoped for some fire and passion out of Marcus, she found that it was distasteful. She wanted to kick herself for encouraging him. He wasn’t the man for her. And now she had put them both in a terrible position. She decided to rely on nineteenth century manners.
Turning her head away from his ravening mouth, Audrey protested. “Stop! Stop, Marcus. You’re scaring me.”
He didn’t pause except to move his kisses from her lips and her face to her throat as he bent her over backward. “Don’t be frightened, dear heart. I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time. You’ve kept me at bay for too long.”
“I have? Marcus, take your hands off my boobs. Stop it!”
“Your breasts are perfect spheres. See how well they fit in my hands?” There was a small tearing sound as the lacy edging of her tucker tore at the bodice.
“Marcus! I think you’re drunk…or crazy!” She pushed against him, rising panic turning all her guilty feelings away. She had been wrong to egg him on, but he was wrong to attack her as he was.
“Oh my dear!” His lips latched on to a newly exposed nipple and he suckled.
Audrey began to beat at his back, his ears, anything she could reach. She would have kicked him if her damned crinolines hadn’t been in the way. “Stop! Please stop!”
“I ain’t going to say please,” came a voice a few feet away. It was White Star. “Get your dirty hands off her right now, asshole, or I’ll break all your fingers.”
Marcus straightened immediately, glaring at White Star. “You overreach, Mr. Smith! How dare you impose upon us.”
“Get up and move away from the lady. Audrey, fix your dress.” Although he addressed her, he was looking only at Marcus, squaring off, wide shoulders stiff and aggressive.
As Marcus slowly stood, hands fisted at his sides, his face red with fury, he reached for his jacket pocket, patting it fretfully, patting the other pocket, and when he didn’t find what he was looking for, he growled and tried to menace the bigger man.
It looked like a fistfight was about to break out. Audrey fumbled with her reticule. “Stay out of this, White Star. I can handle it.” Neither man was armed, but she was. She had never removed the small pistol from her purse. She had forgotten about it until this dangerous moment.
Pulling it out, she pointed it at Marcus. “Leave him alone!”
Marcus’ gaze never left White Star. He didn’t even realize she was pointing a gun at him. Instead of backing off, he took a wild swing at White Star’s face, missing by inches. White Star drew back slightly as the punch whizzed by, and took the opportunity to gut punch the other man.
“Stop!” Audrey shouted. “Stop or I’ll shoot!”
That got Marcus’ attention. Breathing hard, jaw tight, he looked over at her, narrowing his eyes when he saw the gun. “That’s my pistol!”
Audrey’s face flamed, but she continued to point the weapon at him. “Maybe. Does it matter?”
“You stole my gun! You little thief!” He lurched for the gun in Audrey’s hand, and she’d have shot him, but White Star grabbed for the weapon before she could pull the trigger. Swinging it wildly, she kept it away.
“Audrey!” he growled. “Best leave that to me. You’re in enough trouble.”
Audrey didn’t need some caveman coming to her defense. She was armed and ready to defend herself. But Marcus was intimidating. She took one step away from him as he once again turned toward White Star. He squared his shoulders, a bit of control returning as his face smoothed. Though he was still frowning and a pulse in his jaw was prominent, he appeared to compose himself, tugging on the hem of his jacket and dusting off the lapels.
“You can have her, Smith,” he said. “She’s a strumpet and a common girl.”
White Star’s tone brooked no argument. “Get out of here.”
“White Star! Hey! I can take care of myself!”
They totally ignored her.
“I’ll have my day,” Marcus said, before he stomped off.
Chapter 7
Only the warm breeze through the boughs of the willows and the trilling of songbirds broke the silence as both Audrey and White Star watched Marcus walk away until he was lost among the trees. Losing sight of her erstwhile suitor, Audrey turned to White Star, her face hot with anger as well as a little embarrassment. “I could have dealt with that! I’m not some wilting wallflower.”
White Star stared at her for a moment and then took the gun away from her, pocketing it silently.
“Give that back!”
“It don’t belong to you.”
“It don’t be—I mean, it doesn’t belong to you either.” Now he had her talking funny, too. “I’ll give it back as soon as I get back to the boardinghouse. And, hey, I thought you were mad at me.”
“If I weren’t, I sure am now!”
She didn’t want him mad at her. That’s how they had ended their last encounter. But damned if she was going to let him know that. He was high-handed and difficult. She put out her hand, and he pulled out the little gun, opening the breach and snorting. “Wasn’t even loaded, Audrey.”
“Sure it is! I shot it twice at that snake!”
“It only carries two bullets. You’d have been better off throwing it at him, than trying to shoot him.”
“Oh.” Her face went hot. White Star handed her the gun and she stuffed the useless thing in her reticule.
“And what were you doing wandering off into the trees with him? Did you intend
a little rendezvous? Is that the kind of woman you are?”
She had to admit it hadn’t been the smartest thing for her to do, but she had wanted a bit of a romantic encounter with Marcus. Audrey had been mistaken about that. She should have realized a while back that Marcus wasn’t for her. So far, White Star had been the pinnacle of her dream, and no other.
“No, I’m not that kind of woman. Not really.”
“I wonder,” he said.
Audrey was unhappy that she had given him the impression that she was loose. She wasn’t. In her real life, she was quite conservative. But this was make-believe. She realized that wasn’t a good reason to drop all her morals or standards.
“If you ever had a spanking coming, this is the time,” he told her, opening his knife and cutting off a piece of willow branch. He began to whittle the little branchlets off as she stood there, watching.
Here she was, miserable about her behavior, and he was fooling with a branch. The nerve of him! “I do not deserve a spanking.”
He looked up from his whittling for a moment then went back to it. The whippy branch was about bare. “You sure as hell do! What were you thinking holding that gun on him? Why did you still have it? Did you think he wouldn’t miss it after all this time? He went for it—you saw him—and then caught you with it. Do you really believe he won’t hold that against you?”
The truth of White Star’s words was undeniable. Marcus was not going to ignore her theft.
Then a thought occurred to her. She could go back to the boardinghouse and close her eyes for ten minutes. The day would have passed with no repercussions, or…at least she hoped so. It seemed like some things had a time limit and other things continued from one day to the next. Was this a random element, or something she could count on to control her gaffes?
White Star nodded toward the dip in the bodice of her dress, his dark eyes glittering. “Cover yourself, woman.”
Audrey realized with a start that her right breast had nearly popped out over her torn tucker and rumpled bodice. “Oh!” Quickly, frowning, she stuffed herself back in place and tried to fix the tear. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be hidden without needle and thread. “I don’t suppose you have a sewing kit?”
He snorted. “I’m going to see you back to the boardinghouse. Your time here is done, ‘except for that spanking.” He flexed the willow branch.
She backed up a step and held her hands out to ward him away. “No! This wasn’t my fault.”
“Like hell it weren’t. You’re the one who was damn pigheaded, holding that gun on him. I was there to protect you. Have you got no sense at all?”
Yes, if she let White Star handle it, the gun would still be hidden in her reticule. But she could have dealt with Marcus herself. She might have ended up trying to shoot him, though. Could she have done that? Probably not. And what an unpleasant shock to find it unloaded. The thought made her shiver. “Okay, I made a mistake. It was stupid, I know, but it’s not a mistake I’ll make again.”
He stepped toward her and nodded at the bench behind her. “Turn around so I can loosen your corset.”
“No,” she said, stubbornly setting her jaw. He was not going to spank her at a garden party. That was too much.
“You either let me loosen that contraption or you do it yourself. You’re going to get spanked either way. I don’t want you faintin’ on me.”
Anger made her fist her hands. “I will not.”
“You won’t what? Faint or loosen the corset?”
“Either one.”
He tucked the willow under his arm and grabbed her by the shoulders to spin her around. Audrey fought with the steel hands that had her shoulders, but her skirts limited her movement and her struggles were ineffectual. Within moments, White Star had unbuttoned her dress and loosened the corset. As much as it was a relief to be able to take a decent breath, the cool air on her back was enough to keep her in the moment.
“Stop that! Damn it!”
“Stop cussing.” He gave her a little push toward the bench. “Go bend over and put your hands on that bench. Don’t you make me wrestle you no more, or it’ll go worse on you.”
It seemed inevitable. No one could see them and come to her rescue. Only Marcus knew they were there, and under the circumstances, there was little chance he would mention her until it suited him. Audrey bit her lower lip. She had brought some of this on herself. The gun should have been returned days ago, and she probably should have let White Star handle the altercation. He had been doing fine without her interference, unlike her weak attempts to push Marcus away and fight him off. Maybe she deserved some of the spanking White Star had threatened. But the attraction between her and White Star was unmistakable. She was drawn to him, despite his high-handed ways. And maybe a spanking would lead to something sexy again. It had in the past.
“Do it,” he insisted.
Hesitantly, Audrey moved to the bench and leaned over.
“Lift your skirts.”
“I don’t deserve this,” she said over her shoulder, trying to convince herself as much as him.
“You do. I don’t cotton to the way he was treating you. That was his own damnable loss of self-control, but proper ladies don’t draw guns. Proper ladies don’t steal them either. They also don’t lead men on, into the woods, alone.” He paused. “You don’t deserve punishment for what he did to you. You deserve punishment for misbehavior and for being so foolish.”
She straightened. “You can’t expect me to just sit around and let someone else fight my battles for me!” Unfortunately, her values were from far in the future. Her behavior in the nineteenth century was probably pretty naughty.
“Bend over. Lift your skirts. I’m going to teach you a lesson in the proper comportment of ladies.”
Audrey didn’t want a spanking like this. If she hadn’t been so attracted to White Star, she never would have considered it. But consider it she did. He was a spanker and she was naughty. It seemed to go hand-in-hand. She pulled up her yards of flounces and crinolines and bent over the bench.
“Better,” he said, coming to stand on her left. Reaching under her, he untied the ribbon that held her drawers up, and they sank down to her ankles in a smooth flow of cotton. Audrey tried one more time. “I’m sorry, you pompous ass.”
“That ain’t going to help you much.”
Audrey could feel him behind her, pausing. Maybe he was exercising his hand before he smacked her. Maybe he was controlling his temper. Maybe he was simply torturing her with anticipation. Whatever it was, it was over after a minute. The first strike on her bottom landed firmly on her left cheek with a resounding retort. Birds in the trees got silent. The air, warm and fragrant before, was now too hot. Like the last time, his hard hand made contact with her bottom again and again. Her fanny warmed, then heated. The stings were like a hundred bees coming at her all at once. She wondered, as she flinched and cringed, if anyone would hear the smacks and her squeals of pain. What a predicament that would be! But suddenly, the tenor of the spanking changed. Exactly as she thought her ass would burn up, he paused.
When the spanking commenced again, it was different. This was not a hand, it was the willow switch. A switch! She was being switched! It was something she had read about in old books, but nothing she’d ever experienced or thought to experience. She gasped.
Another three smacks on her behind. Audrey cried out at each stinging blow.
“You got to control yourself, woman,” White Star lectured.
“Yes, sir!”
Ten more rapid-fire spanks had her bottom burning furiously. She squirmed and cried out.
“You got to keep sight of a woman’s proper place in the world.”
That made her mad. “Who said I was proper? You certainly didn’t complain when we…I mean, the other day.”
Another four spanks, these landing on the place where her thighs and bottom made a cross. These were harder. “Don’t you sass me. We shouldn’t ought to have done what we done. I was wr
ong to do that. You was wrong, too.”
“Ouch! Ow! That hurts!”
He struck her burning globes another ten times, then applied the switch down her thighs and back up again at random intervals. She couldn’t prepare for the blows and they hurt all the worse for it. “We ain’t gonna do it again.”
Tears formed in Audrey’s eyes. She wasn’t entirely sure it was due only to the spanking. The loss of White Star’s attraction to her was painful, too. “I’m sorry!”
White Star didn’t respond except with a dozen more spanks, each one bringing on more tears, until she was blubbering. Tears were splashing on the bench. In some ways, the whole situation was surreal, but the pain was real enough.
“Enough!”
“I ain’t done with you yet.” His voice sounded tense. Was it that much work to spank her? “Proper comportment in the future, Audrey. Act like a lady.”
“Yes, sir!”
The spanking stopped. He touched her behind, one gentle rub, and then stepped back from her. The switch got tossed to the ground and she could see it in her peripheral vision. White Star ground the words out when he said, “Get yourself together. I’ll take you home.”
Her flaming bottom smarted and throbbed and she fumbled with the drawers as her skirt kept falling in the way.
“Damn fool fashion,” he mumbled, helping her right her clothes.
After a few minutes, her drawers were tied back in place and her corset was re-tightened. It wasn’t as firm as it had been previously, and her dress didn’t fit as well, the seams at the waist threatening to pop. But it would have to do.
After she was dressed properly, White Star handed her a snowy handkerchief. Tears were still running down her face.
“Aw shit,” he muttered, then pulled her into his arms. “That’s enough, honey. It’s over.”
Yes, it was over. He’d said no more, and this would be the last interaction they’d have. He lived on the Bar R now, and she was in town. Without his cooperation, she would never see him again, and it was obvious that he was not going to cooperate. He was sorry for their prior intimacy. He said as much. It wouldn’t be happening again.
The Winner (Romantek) Page 8
