“Again, Gina, let’s go sit down so we can discuss this.”
“Okay, but first, do I need to go upstairs and get my copy of the contract to prove it to you?”
“No, that’s not necessary. Our contract hasn’t changed in the three years I’ve been with the company. I’m sure the copy you have is identical to the one I have in my briefcase.”
She allowed him to lead her into the living room, where he guided her to the couch. He had a stack of papers setting on the coffee table in front of her, and sat down next to her so they could go through them.
Nancy looked at her daughter, who had never acknowledged her presence. “Well, Gina, since you’re here now, I’ll let you and Paul talk. I’m meeting friends in town for the day. The guesthouse is ready; it’s been freshly cleaned and supplied.”
Without even looking up, Gina waved her hand dismissively. “Okay, fine. Bye.” She turned to Paul. “Now, where’s this contract you were so worried about me signing?”
Paul struggled with his patience but kept it under control. He got her contract out. It had been filled in and was ready for her signature. She reached for it, but he pulled it back. “We need to go over this before I’ll allow you to sign it. I want to be sure you know what it is you’re agreeing to.”
“As I said, I already read it. It said it will take six weeks, and then I can get my inheritance.”
“If that’s what you think it says, we better go over it carefully. That’s not what it says, Gina.”
She grabbed the contract out of his hand and quickly pointed to the section that dealt with the length of the program. “Right there, it says six weeks. That’s forty-two days, forty-one after today.”
“Gina, read the whole sentence to me, please.”
She frowned. “Are you saying I can’t read?”
“If you’re saying it says the program will last forty-two days, maybe you can read, but have difficulty comprehending what you’re reading. Would you please read the entire sentence to me?”
She had an indignant look on her face, but she started reading. “The program lasts a minimum of six weeks, but ends when both the administrator and client feel all goals have been achieved.” She looked up at him, her hands in the air. “Like I said, six weeks. It says so right there.”
“It says a minimum of six weeks. Each program is different, but very few last only six weeks.”
“Very few? Why?”
“Because that’s not really very long to achieve goals, especially if there are several, or one or two that are rather complicated.”
“Well, that won’t be a problem here. My single goal is quite simple.”
Paul’s eyebrows rose. “You only have one goal? What would that be?”
“To get this damn program over so I can claim my inheritance and get on with my life. Six weeks will be more than long enough to achieve that.”
Paul was momentarily speechless. Cheyenne’s words came back to him about a princess, and how she’d try to change the program to suit her needs. She was right, but this princess was even topping that notion. Jason’s words came back to him, as well, when he said he initially thought Cheyenne was going to be his biggest challenge yet. It sure looked like Gina would be able to claim the top spot on his list.
He pulled himself back to the present. It was looking like today was going to be a long day, so he better get started. “Gina, let me start off with asking you a question. What do you think the purpose of this program is?”
“Honestly, that’s a good question because it sounds pretty lame to me. Apparently if people want to break some bad habits or something, you’ll help them do that?”
“Your grandfather is the one who wanted you to go through this program. Did you have a good relationship with him?”
“Of course I did. We got along great. That’s why he left me a ton of money.”
“Did he ever criticize you, talk about anything he wished you would change?”
“Well, of course. All adults do that. I think they feel it’s their job. But I always just ignored it because I knew he didn’t really mean it.”
“Why do you say that, that he didn’t really mean it?”
“Because he loved me.”
“Isn’t it possible to do both? Couldn’t he have wished you would change in some way, but still love you?”
“Yeah, I don’t know about that. That’s like one of those gray areas. It’s like a trick question because I don’t know that there is a right answer to it. I know he loved me, and I loved him.”
“What kinds of things did he wish you would change?”
She sighed and slumped her shoulders. “Why all these questions? Can’t we just sign the contract and get on with this? What kind of things do we do during the day for these six weeks? We have a pool out back. Did you bring your suit?”
Paul put his stern face on and tried to get her attention. “Gina, these questions are necessary. They’re part of the program. I need some answers so I can be sure you know what you’re signing on for.”
“I already told you. I’m signing on for six weeks, then I’ll get my inheritance.”
He sighed. Never before had he felt so frustrated before they even signed the contract. He tried one more thing. “Gina, if you don’t get serious about this and start answering these questions, I will not accept you as a client.”
“What does that mean?”
“That means I will not accept you into the program.”
“Then what about my inheritance?”
“The way I understand the will, if you don’t complete the program you’ll still receive your inheritance, but it won’t be as soon.”
“No way. You can’t just refuse me. In the will, Granddaddy said he’d already talked to the owner of this business and he agreed to it. You have to take me.”
“Your grandfather did speak to my boss. I spoke with him this past Friday night and he told me a lot of what he and your grandfather talked about. But he assured me that he told your grandfather we would be willing to take you as a client as long as you were willing to work the program, but that has to be your choice.”
“And I am choosing to do it. So problem solved.”
“No, problem not solved. Gina, your grandfather had serious concerns about your behavior, and your ability to get along in today’s world. He said if you got your inheritance now, the way you’ve been acting, you’d go through it in no time, and he would worry about your future. That’s why he put our program as a stipulation to you getting the money. He felt that after you completed our program you would be a more responsible adult and would be better qualified to handle the money. But we can’t help you grow and mature into a responsible adult if you don’t want to change. Therefore, you have to want to work this program, or it won’t be successful. We’ll both be wasting our time.”
“Why can’t you just say I did whatever it is I’m supposed to do in six weeks, and sign the paper?”
“Because that would be dishonest. But more importantly, it would be letting your grandfather down, and I won’t do that. I wouldn’t think you would want to do it either if you loved him.”
She was quiet for several minutes, and he gave her the time. She needed to let his words soak in, and think about them. Eventually, she looked back up at him. “Okay, so what do we do now?”
“The first thing we need to do is talk about the program and how it will work. You need to know exactly what will happen, what will be expected of you, and then you need to decide if you’re willing to do it.”
“I already told you I’d do it. I have to, before I get my money.”
“Let’s talk about the program and how it works. Then if you’re still willing to do it, you can sign the contract, and I’ll help you move into the guesthouse and we can get started.”
“Wait. I’m moving into the guesthouse?”
“Yes. Your mother said she talked to you about it. She told you this morning that it was ready to be used.”
“Y
eah, I heard that. I assumed she meant you could stay there while we did this program.”
“No, it was for you.”
“Why would I want to go out there?”
“For privacy while we’re working through this program.”
“If you’re saying we need privacy to talk, we can talk in the library. Nobody ever goes in there anyway.”
“I assumed you would want privacy when you’re being spanked. Most ladies don’t want an audience for that, or even anyone else in the house who may be listening.”
She froze. It took several moments for her to recover. “When I’m being what?”
“When you’re being spanked. You said you read the contract. You apparently didn’t read the length of the program. Should I assume you didn’t read the part about being spanked, either?”
“I read it, but assumed it was an idle threat. No one does that these days.”
“It’s no idle threat, and yes, some people do that these days. It’s an important part of our program.”
There was another long silence, and he patiently let her think it through. It took several minutes before she asked her next question. “And what exactly are you calling a spanking? I assume you’re referring to a slap on the hand, or some such thing?”
“No, I’m referring to a spanking. If you would have read the contract, it spells out bare bottom spankings. I thought that was pretty self-explanatory. It’s a ‘my hand to your bare bottom’ spanking.”
She was appalled. “You have got to be kidding. There is no way.”
“That’s not something you’ll agree to?”
“Absolutely not! I can’t see that anyone with any self-respect would ever agree to that. It’s insane.”
“Okay,” Paul said calmly as he started putting his papers back in his briefcase. “I’ll be on my way then.”
“Wait. Where are you going?”
“Back home. You said you wouldn’t agree to the terms of the program.”
“I want to do the program, though. We just have to negotiate a little so we can get the terms tweaked to something we can both live with.”
“That’s not how the program works. There is no tweaking of the terms. You either do the program according to those terms, or you don’t do it.”
“But that’s not fair. I’m sure my grandfather wouldn’t have put that in his will if he’d known how the program works.”
“He did know, Gina. He met with my boss and they had an extensive discussion about the program and how it works. Your grandfather said he thought it was exactly what you need.” He could tell that information bothered her, so he again gave her time to digest it. “But if it’s not something you can agree to, I’ll be leaving.” He started gathering his things again.
He stood, ready to leave, before she said anything further. “Wait a minute. I need to think this through. What happens if I don’t do this?”
“You’ll have to wait a little longer to get your inheritance.”
“I can’t wait until I’m thirty-eight. That’s crazy.”
“I can’t speak to that, Gina.”
“Maybe I need to talk to an attorney about getting that provision thrown out.”
“I can’t speak to that, either. I’m not an attorney. I understood from talking to my boss that your grandfather had this topic researched by three attorneys to insure it was legal and binding before it was added to his will, but like I said, I’m not an attorney.”
“Maybe I need to do that,” she said. “Can you come back in like a week?”
Paul was speechless. This was the first time anything like this had come up. He considered her request, and came up with a suggestion. “Maybe I should let you speak with my boss. He’s the one who spoke to your grandfather. I’m not sure what arrangements they made, as far as payment for the program.”
“It’s to come out of the estate,” she said, “so that shouldn’t be a problem.”
“But I’m not sure about the additional expense involved if I fly back home and return in a week, or the additional week in the rental unit. He would have to answer that question for you.”
“Okay. Call him up and I’ll talk to him. I can also talk to him about revising some of these terms.”
“You’re welcome to talk to him about that, but I can’t imagine he would change any of the terms.”
“We’ll see. You know, I’m not the only one who stands to lose if we can’t work out some kind of deal here. If I don’t do the program, your company won’t get paid.”
“That’s true, but I don’t think that will mean a lot to Mr. Jenkins. We have a waiting list for our program.”
“It didn’t seem to take very long for me to get in,” she said rather smugly.
“Because Mr. Jenkins had already spoken to your grandfather, and that was one of his requests. He didn’t want you to have to wait a long time to do the program because he said that would be cruel, to make anyone wait an extended amount of time before entering the program after being told they have to do it. Mr. Jenkins agreed, so he moved you to the top of the list once he got word of your grandfather’s passing, since he’d already spoken to the person setting the program up.”
She looked deflated. “Oh. Well, there would still be a loss of income, so it’s worth talking to him.”
“Yes, it would. He’ll have to be the one to ask about coming back in a week. I’ll call him.”
“Could you give me a few minutes to collect my thoughts first? I’d like to maybe make a few notes so I’m prepared when I speak with him.”
“Sure. I’ll go out to my car and give you some privacy so you can think. How about if I give you fifteen minutes, then I’ll call Mr. Jenkins and explain that you have a couple of questions. I’ll come back in and let you speak with him then and you two can make whatever arrangements you decide on.”
“Thank you.”
Paul took his briefcase with him and went out to his car. He sat there for several minutes going over what all had taken place. This morning hadn’t gone at all as he’d planned, and he was at a bit of a loss as to how to proceed. He called Jason to discuss it. He quickly filled him in on how his morning had gone, and told him Gina wanted to talk with him. Jason asked a few questions to be sure he understood the situation, then assured him he’d stay by the phone, and Paul should call him when Gina was ready to talk to him.
Paul took a couple additional minutes to consider some possibilities before going back into the house. He returned to the living room, and was not especially surprised to find that Gina was nowhere to be seen. He sat down and gave her some time. If she didn’t come back to the living room on her own, he would have to seriously consider whether he wanted to take her on as a client. While he was thinking that thought through, she came back in and sat down in a chair.
“Now that you’ve had some time to think a little bit, do you still want to call Mr. Jenkins?”
“Yes, of course. I have to get the terms changed.”
Paul was careful not to let his emotions show. “I’ll give him a call then.” He picked his phone up and did just that, and waited for Jason to answer. “Mr. Jenkins, I have Ms. Jamison here with me, and she has a few questions she’d like to ask you.”
“Okay, fine. Paul, can you put your phone on speaker, so we can all hear each other?”
“Sure, I can do that. Okay, can you hear us?”
“I can,” Jason replied. “Can you both hear me okay?”
“I can hear you fine,” Paul said.
Jason waited, but when he didn’t hear anything else, he asked, “Ms. Jamison?”
“Yeah, I hear you.”
“Good. I don’t want there to be any surprises anywhere in this program, so I want to let you know this will be recorded. Do you understand that, Ms. Jamison?”
She frowned. “Why is it being recorded?”
“That’s standard procedure, Ms. Jamison. I don’t want there to be any confusion about anything in this program. That’s why I tried to spell everyt
hing out in plain terms in the contract. So if we’re going to discuss anything, it won’t be in writing, so I want to be sure we all three understand that, as well. Now, Paul didn’t say too much to me about what’s going on. He basically said you have a few questions that he feels I should be the one to answer. Is that accurate?”
“Yes, I guess.”
“Okay, that’s fair enough. What are your questions or concerns?”
“Well, first of all, I want to talk about some of the terms in the agreement. I think we need to do some negotiating so we can come to an agreement on them.”
“The terms of this agreement are generally not negotiable. What specifically are you concerned with?”
“Well, the spankings, of course. I can’t imagine anyone agreeing to such a thing.”
“That specifically is definitely not negotiable, and I assure you everyone who has done this program did, in fact, agree to it.”
“Why would anyone agree to it?”
“For various reasons. The last program I personally directed, she was given an ultimatum by her employer. Her attitude was chasing clients away, so she was given a choice of completing the program, or her employment would be terminated. She was known in the industry for her temper and knew her boss was probably correct that she would not be able to find another job in her field. Therefore, she had to complete the program, or find a new line of work. She loved what she did and was very good at it. What was even more important to her, though, was when she was told if she completed the program she would find she was happier with herself and with her life. The further she got into the program the more she found that to be true. Today she’s very happy, and is doing well in her job.”
“So she was blackmailed into doing the program by her boss?”
“I guess that depends on how you view it. Her boss made it very clear that he saw no other option, but it was her choice. If she couldn’t agree to the terms, or wasn’t willing to work the program with those terms, it was her choice. She wouldn’t have her job, but it was her choice. To be honest, I felt he was bending over backwards for her, and not just because he paid for the program. Quite frankly, after losing the last account she lost, I would have expected any boss to simply fire her. He gave her the choice.”
Gina and Paul (Last Chance Program Book 2) Page 3
