He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

by Dara Ames

  “‘Princess Alyssa’?” he asked, looking at me in surprise before he burst into gales of laughter.

  “Oh God, I can’t believe I actually said that!” I closed my eyes and shook my head in disgust with myself. Cody was still laughing, and I put my free hand on my hip. “What is so darn funny?”

  “You pegged Alyssa in one word, Jenny. She does think she is a Princess.”

  My eyes narrowed. “Did you ever spank her?” I demanded of him, seriously angry at the idea.

  “No. It’s been a very long time since I cared enough about a woman to take her over my knee. To me it is a sacred trust to love someone enough to spank them, honey. It’s very intimate; the emotions are too real to share with just anyone. I was caught off guard today when I decided to spank you, and I knew I was going to spank you before I hung up from talking to your Mom. I knew then that I was sick and tired of trying to hide my feelings for you, but I would have preferred to make my feelings known before I had to turn you over my knee. I was afraid you’d walk out and tell me to go to hell.”

  “I was afraid you would fire me.” I smiled at him. “I’ve done everything I could to subtly let you know I wouldn’t be adverse to your attention. I certainly didn’t expect to get a spanking before you kissed me!”

  He stood, put his brandy snifter on the end table, and then he took my glass and did the same with it. Then wonder of wonders, Cody put his arms around me, pulled me close, and then he kissed me and it was absolutely perfect. He kissed me again and I actually moaned. His kiss tasted of all things wonderful and good and it was a kiss that I’d waited for so long. I was in Heaven. “Is this really happening?” I asked, my finger tracing his lips as I gazed into his beautiful eyes; I love Cody’s brown eyes.

  “Oh yeah! This is really happening.” He pulled me over to the sofa, sat down, and then carefully sat me on his lap. I won’t lie to you; sitting was pretty darn uncomfortable, but snuggling in Cody’s arms was worth a bit of discomfort. He kissed me again, and then gently rested my head on his shoulder. “I had no idea you had feelings for me, Jenn.”

  “Why do you think I offered to work so many extra hours?” I asked, giggling. “I do love my job, but didn’t you ever wonder why I didn’t have much of a social life? Being with you at work was the only way I could see you.”

  “And I did the opposite; went out with other women to try and keep from making a fool of myself over you,” Cody told me, surprising me by the admission. “None of them were like you, and each and every time I broke it off. This last time was the worst. Alyssa had her own motives for wanting a relationship; it didn’t take me long to figure it out, either. I accused her of using me, and she told me that I was using her, too. She said she saw how I looked at you and I should stop trying to find someone else when you were the one I had eyes for.”

  “So, why didn’t you let me know how you feel?”

  “How would it look if I broke my own rules about relationships at work? And, I didn’t want to make you feel threatened in any way. If I’d known how you felt, I wouldn’t have spent so many sleepless nights,” he told me, patting my back.

  “So where do we go from here?” I asked, feeling very safe with his arms wrapped around me.

  “We go forward, Jenn, if that is what you want.”

  “I want,” I whispered, then kissed him tenderly. He loves me.

  *****

  Cody and I were both extremely tired the next day at work; he was extra picky with the food, and I was giddy and happy. We sat up talking until five in the morning before he left. We decided to keep our secret for the time being, not sure how the others at work would react to the news. Every time we glanced at each other, which was often, we shared a smile. Reed was planning to work that night, so Cody and I knew we would get out early. I invited him to come and have dinner at my apartment and he couldn’t accept fast enough.

  I dressed in something cute, and not white, and put on a dab of perfume. I made sure to cook something that I knew Cody preferred, and last, but not least, I made sure there was plenty of soft padding on the seat of my chair. It had been painful to sit on my bottom to drive myself to and from work, and I didn’t sit down when I took my break that afternoon. Cody was busy all day and he didn’t notice my predicament. Still, I didn’t want the evening spoiled by squirming on my sore tush. I knew for an absolute fact that I would never ever lie about anything ever again. The price was simply too high.

  The doorbell finally rang and I ran to answer the summons, anxious to see Cody. “Come in!” I welcomed him, enjoying the sight of Cody dressed in something besides the clothes we wore to work. I stood on tiptoe to kiss him and smiled when he handed me flowers. “These are lovely, Cody. Thank you!” I couldn’t recall the last time someone had given me flowers, and Cody also had a bottle of wine,

  “I hope this goes with dinner, and if my nose is working properly, I would say it will be a perfect match.” His eyes were twinkling and he looked as happy as I felt. “You look lovely, Jenny. You always look nice, but it is nice to see you wearing a dress and heels, and green is definitely your color.”

  “Thank you, Cody. I love your blue sweater, too.”

  “Maybe I should buy some different chef coats for work? White is boring after a while,” he admitted.

  “Yeah, right! Like that is going to happen, Chef Cody!” I teased him. “White is professional; it gives the appearance of an immaculately clean kitchen. No other color does that.” I mimicked his deep voice, and was rewarded when he chuckled.

  “As long as I get to see you after work wearing something pretty, I can live with white at work.” He sniffed again and moved on into the apartment. “What smells so wonderful? Lasagna?” he asked hopefully.

  “Yes, sir. One of the advantages of working with my boss is knowing his food preferences.”

  “Is there anything I can help you with, Jenn?” he offered.

  “I am working on a salad if you’d like to come and keep me company. The corkscrew is in the drawer beside the fridge.”

  Cody expertly opened the wine while I put the last touches on the salad dressing. I carried the large bowl to the table, which was already set for two with my nicest dishes. I took the bubbling lasagna out of the oven to cool and then invited Cody to come and have a seat. He carried the bottle of wine to the table and poured wine into our glasses. He then pulled out my seat and started chuckling. “Do you think you have enough pillows on this seat, Jenn?”

  “I want to be comfortable, Cody. I bruise easy, and I’m terribly sore.” I was telling him the truth.

  “Extra pillows aren’t permitted after a punishment, young lady,” he announced, his voice firm. He reached down and lifted the top two pillows off my chair.

  “You put those right back, Cody Andrews! I mean it! This is my home, and if I want a dozen pillows on my chair, then I will put a dozen pillows there!” I was instantly angry and my temper caused me to put my hands on my hips as I glared at him.

  “Your green eyes reflect a beautiful golden fire when you get angry, honey. I don’t want to be cruel, but if this relationship is going to go anywhere, you will need to learn to obey me, especially when it concerns a punishment. I do not give punishments for my own amusement, but to enforce a lesson you need to learn and remember. The aftereffects are part of the punishment and enforce the lesson. If we were living together, I would remove all padding from your chair for a couple of days after the spanking. Since we are new to each other, I will not go that far tonight, but these two extra pillows will need to be put away, Jenny. It would do no good to spank you and then allow you to compensate for your sore butt.”

  “Cody, please don’t ruin tonight!” I said, trying to control my quick temper. “I am so sore I cannot sit without considerable pain. Even with the pillows, it will be very uncomfortable. I want us to have a nice dinner and enjoy ourselves, but I can’t do that if I can’t sit without hurting. You have no idea of your strength, or of how easily I bruise.”

  “You
are telling me you have bruises from my hand?” Cody asked in disbelief.

  Before I could tell him that I was so sore I just had to be bruised, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me to him. He tucked me under his left arm and used his right hand to pull up my dress. The only thing I could be grateful for in the moment was that I was wearing pretty panties, ones that I bought some time ago when I was fantasizing about being in a situation where pretty panties was a given!

  “What are you doing?” I asked. I did not want another spanking, and I felt vulnerable hanging over his arm. I was helpless to prevent him from spanking me again if he chose to do so, and I shuddered at the thought of more pain,

  “I am checking to see if I bruised you, honey. I expected you to be sore for a day or two, but not bruised, and if you are bruised, then I will do everything I can to make it up to you, His hand was gentle as he lightly touched every inch of my thighs and my panty covered cheeks. I was extremely tender and instead of enjoying what would have been pleasurable under normal circumstances was causing me to wince and cry out in pain. “May I take down your panties, Jenny?” Cody asked.

  I whispered, “Yes.”

  Cody carefully eased them down to mid-thigh and then he gently touched my skin. I winced and wriggled, trying to stop him from touching me. “It hurts too much, Cody! Please don’t!” I begged, feeling tears in my eyes.

  He put me down and I quickly pulled up my panties, carefully easing them over my bottom. I knew my face was red with embarrassment, and I couldn’t look at Cody. He opened his arms and I stepped into his embrace, needing comfort.

  “You do have a few light bruises, especially on your sit spots, but that is where I concentrated the last of your spanking. I spanked you too hard for your first time, honey, and I beg forgiveness. You may keep the pillows, and I promise that I will apply some lotion before I leave tonight that will help heal the bruises.”

  There was genuine remorse in his voice. “You were right to spank me, Cody. I was behaving like a teenager, lying to hide something from my Mom, and involving you in my lie. I promise you that I did learn a lesson and I won’t lie to anyone ever again. Please don’t be upset with yourself over the bruises. I bruise exceptionally easy.”

  “You are so sweet, Jenny. I will find a way to make this right.”

  I had no idea what he meant, but decided that we needed to eat. “Thank you,” I said in relief as he put the pillows on my chair once more. I still was careful as I sat down, and I took a sip of wine as I did my best to relax and accept the discomfort of sitting. “Please help yourself to the salad, Cody.” Once we were both served, I offered him a roll.

  “This salad dressing is fantastic,” he complimented me, and insisted I share my recipe. He nodded, and then smiled in satisfaction. “You are a great chef, Jenn. You not only cook well, you are creative and develop your own dishes and such. Have you ever thought of opening your own restaurant?”

  “Well, of course I have, but, first and foremost, I didn’t want to leave you… and second, there is such a thing as capital. You already know how difficult it is to establish a new restaurant, and it might run in the red for the first year or two. I would want to open with everything in place, a well-stocked kitchen, and I would want to hire quality people and be sure I could keep them for at least two years until we had a good chance at success. That takes a lot of money.”

  “It does. I was lucky to have a trust set up for me by my maternal great-grandmother. She left some very strict restrictions, and my Dad had some requirements of his own. I not only went to Culinary School; I went to Business College as well. I have a couple of degrees, and I also had to work and have twenty grand of my own money saved up before I could touch the trust. I did lose money the first few months, but I was lucky, and the good food and good service drew in more and more people. You helped to make that happen, Jenny. So did Reed and Scott, and Tabitha is wonderful with the front of the house. Hiring quality people pays in the end. I think you have what it takes, Jenn.”

  “Thank you very much.” I was blushing from the praise. “I am still saving money, but I’m not even close yet.” I didn’t have a trust waiting for me, and I wasn’t about to ask my parents for money. Knowing my Mom as I did, if she invested in my restaurant she would want a say in everything, and when I say everything, I mean down to the last detail. I want to do it my way when the time comes.

  Chapter Four

  The next few days were idyllic. Cody and I spent much of our time together, and I didn’t think that any of our coworkers knew of our relationship as of yet. We continued to work well together, and I remembered that it was his restaurant and he was the boss. When he spoke, the answer was, “Yes, Chef!” I didn’t want to do anything to cause Cody to have second thoughts about us working together. After hours, we were a couple. We did things together; tested new recipes, went to movies, shopped for items to decorate the restaurant for Valentine’s Day, and most of all, we talked and talked about everything under the sun. It was amazing all the things that we already knew about each other, but there was so much more to be discovered, and we were delighted to learn that we shared the same spiritual and political beliefs. We didn’t think that people should drive and talk on cell phones at the same time, and we felt that texting while driving was even worse. Cody made it positively clear how he would punish me if he ever caught me doing something so foolish, and since my bottom was just recovering from that sound spanking he gave me, I had no trouble imagining he would do as he said. I was quick to reassure him I wouldn’t do any such thing, and I knew I wouldn’t.

  The more time we spent together the better I liked Cody, and he was quick to tell me he felt the same about me. Valentine’s Day was fast approaching and we’d created quite a package deal for couples wishing to celebrate at A Touch of Class. We’d put together a romantic meal, including appetizer, entrée, and dessert, and we were booked full. Unless someone canceled, we couldn’t accept even one more reservation. Valentine’s Day would be extremely busy, and while Cody and I might enjoy going out somewhere ourselves, we would be working. Cody had already given Reed the night off to be with his wife, and since it was unlikely they would ever have another Valentine’s Day together, I appreciated Cody’s thoughtfulness. He was a good man.

  Cody put me in charge of lunch service, and asked me not to disturb him unless we got backed up. Things were extremely busy, but everything seemed to go well, and by midafternoon the crowd thinned out and I was finally able to take my break after giving instructions for dinner prep. I had a nice fresh spinach salad for my lunch and I was looking forward to enjoying it. Tabitha came back with a cup of coffee and sat down, kicked off her heels, and put her feet up on another chair. She looked over her chair and toward the office before lowering her voice to say, “The boss is sure crazy; that woman Alyssa calls and he jumps to do her bidding.”

  “What?” I asked.

  “Oh, I guess you didn’t hear. Alyssa called and asked for the Boss this morning. Her attitude was just as snotty as ever and demanded I put her through. He’s been so much happier lately, and I’d hoped we’d seen the last of her. I went by the office a few minutes later and he was still on the phone with her, laughing, and said that he would keep things a secret for a while longer. I guess he knows we all dislike Alyssa, and he doesn’t want us to know they are back together.”

  I didn’t know what to think. Why would he tell Alyssa that he would keep her a secret for a while longer? Was he telling us both the same thing? I needed some answers, and once Tabitha finished her coffee and went to supervise changing the linens for the dinner service, I got up to go and confront Cody. I didn’t like being made a fool of, and I was going to tell him that in no uncertain terms.

  “Come in,” I heard Cody call out. I walked into the office and put my hands on my hips. “Well, now, young lady, what has you in such a fine temper? Who is giving you a hard time?” His dark eyes were full of good humor and I wondered if talking to Alyssa put that smile on his lips,
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  “You are, Cody Andrews! What is going on with Princess Alyssa?” I demanded. My tone was accusatory.

  Cody stood and then looked down at me. “Hold on a minute, Jenn. Nothing is going on with me and Alyssa. She called and I told her I wasn’t interested in getting back together with her just so she would have a date for Valentine’s Day.”

  “That isn’t what I heard!” I didn’t have sense enough to back off when I should have done so. “Tabitha overheard you talking to that woman and agreeing to keep her secret!”

  “Is that so?” Cody repeated, and I could see the temper in his eyes. “There is nothing like a gossipy kitchen,”

  “Well, aren’t you going to tell me what you were talking to that woman about?” I demanded.

  “No. Right now I am going to suggest you get back to work, young lady. We will discuss this situation further this evening.”

  “We’ll discuss it right now!” I pushed my luck.

  “If you wish to have that particular discussion right now then don’t blame me if we are overheard. I’d thought, however you would wish a bit more privacy for our talk.”

  I suddenly knew what he meant and my eyes flew open in dismay. “Why would you want to do that?” I asked, my voice a whisper.

  “It is called attitude, young lady. You were disrespectful.”

  “My feelings were hurt,” I told him. “I thought I meant something to you.”

  “You do, Jenny, but I won’t permit you to talk to me like that. Now, are you going to get your sweet butt back to work or are you going to get it spanked right here and right now?” He meant it, and I wasn’t brave enough to take a stand. I went back to work, trying to hold the tears at bay.

  When Reed came to work, I grabbed my things from my locker and hurried out the back door without a word to anyone. I messed up again, and I didn’t know how or why. Cody was the one who took a call from a former girlfriend while professing to love me. I had every right to be angry, and I had every right to an explanation. So why was I feeling so guilty? I asked of myself.