Gina and Paul (Last Chance Program Book 2)

by Malone, Misty

  Paul was sitting in a chair and pulled her down on his lap. “Good,” he said.

  Cheyenne cuddled up next to Jason on the couch.

  Gina was concerned about one thing and had to ease her mind, so she turned to Paul. “You’re not upset with me that I didn’t come to you on my own?”

  “No,” he assured her. “You’ve been really good about doing that, so I know this is somehow different. I do understand the personal side of this, so I’m not upset. I am glad you’ve agreed to talk to us together, though. Can you tell me what’s bothering you?”

  She tried to explain her feelings to him, but could tell he didn’t completely understand. Cheyenne could tell Jason didn’t, either, so she tried. She wasn’t getting through, either.

  Gina tried one more time. “Paul, over time I’ve fallen in love with you. During that time, I’ve come to love having you with me most of the time. I’ve also come to depend on you. I readily admit I have a temper.”

  Paul laughed. “I’ll readily admit that, too.”

  She punched him in the arm. “So not funny. Anyway, you can tell when I’m about to lose my temper, and you whisper something in my ear, or do something that reminds me I don’t want to go there.”

  “Jason always rubbed my shoulders,” Cheyenne said.

  “Exactly. Paul a lot of times will quietly ask me, You sure you want to go there?” She looked up at him. “The point is, you’re watching out for me and helping me, and I love it. It saves me from having trouble sitting a lot of times.”

  The other three all smiled. “But the thing is, I love that. I love that you’re helping me, and part of the reason is because as I’ve grown closer to you, the idea of disappointing you has become as important to me, and now even more important than avoiding a spanking.”

  Cheyenne was watching Jason’s expression while Gina was talking, and she thought he was starting to understand.

  Gina thought Paul may be starting to, as well, and she continued. “So now all of a sudden I have mixed feelings. You guys are saying congratulations, you’re in the ending phase of the program now, and I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished. I really am.”

  “But,” Jason suggested, “at the same time you’re not only losing his companionship, but your rock you knew you could lean on, and at the same time, the consequences you pay for a mistake have increased.”

  “Exactly,” Cheyenne exclaimed. “It’s no longer just a spanking you have to deal with; it’s the idea that you disappointed the person who means the most to you, while at the same time, that special person is suddenly missing.”

  Gina exhaled and leaned back against Paul’s chest. Finally, someone got it. She looked up at Paul, and saw partial understanding on his face. He was looking at her, thinking. “So are you saying you feel like you’ve accomplished something by making it to this point in the program, but instead of being rewarded you feel like you’re being punished?”

  “Not really punished, but deprived.”

  “Certainly not rewarded,” Cheyenne added.

  “Right. It feels good to be here and having you happy I’m here, but I’d rather not be here because it was much easier having you with me all day and knowing I could count on you to stop me if I needed you to step in. So all of a sudden I’m not only nervous because I’m on my own, but I’m lonely, missing you, but at the same time, the stakes are higher now because I don’t want to disappoint you.”

  Jason nodded. “I think I see what you’re saying. That makes sense now. It wouldn’t be an issue to most ladies because they wouldn’t be missing us like you two do, and they wouldn’t worry about disappointing us, either.”

  “No, they wouldn’t,” Cheyenne said. “In fact, they probably have extra incentive to prove to themselves and you that they can do it on their own so they can get rid of you.” Quickly, before Jason had a chance to move his right arm, she explained her statement. “Before you try anything, I’m not trying to be smart here. I’m just saying, they’re probably anxious to get on with their life, and their new life doesn’t include you. So getting rid of you so they can get on with their new life is like an extra reward they’re shooting for.”

  Jason nodded. “I see what you’re saying.”

  “When they can go out without you they probably feel more alone and free, whereas we feel alone and lonely.”

  Paul was nodding his head now, as well. “It’s all making a lot more sense now. Thank you for sharing that with me, Gina.”

  Jason agreed. “Yes, thank you very much. If you feel this now and Cheyenne felt it, as well, it’s apt to come up again if we have another couple emerge, so we’ll be a little more prepared for it.”

  Paul looked at his boss. “But now that we know and understand, how do we handle this?” He turned Gina around so she was facing him. “I get what you’re saying now, honey, and first of all I want to thank you. Both for explaining it to me, but also because that’s a big compliment. I never thought of it as you missing me during the day. That thought crossed my mind, as well, that I was going to miss you, but my concern has always been for you, and when I thought about missing you when you’re gone, I immediately thought about how proud and happy I am for you. I’m happy to see you achieve your goals.”

  “Thank you.” She reached up to kiss his cheek.

  “Paul’s right,” Jason said. “I felt the same way. I thought I was going to miss not being with you all day, but I immediately told myself not to be selfish. This is about helping you, and watching you succeed, and I thought of it as I was watching you spread your wings. But I see now that you two came to lean on us more than the other girls do with their administrator. So like you said, you’re not only missing us on a personal level, but you’re missing the one thing you knew you could count on, as well.”

  “Exactly,” Gina said. “I mean, I know I can still count on you, Paul, but not in the same way. When you were there I could count on you keeping me on the right path, like you were leading the way. Now I have to find my own path.”

  “Honey, I would never let you out in the woods alone if I wasn’t sure you could find your own path now. I know you’re going to get slightly off that path every now and then. Everyone does. But I feel confident that you won’t stray too far. You’ll find the path again. And if you would happen to stray too far, I’ll come find you and get you back on the right path again. I’ll always be close enough to be there before you stray too far.”

  Jason and Cheyenne watched as she listened, and they could see her relax. He tightened his hold on her. “When you said the consequences are higher now, I understand that. You don’t want to disappoint me, and I appreciate that. But you should also know that while those negative consequences are higher, so are the good ones. Even if you stray once in awhile and earn a spanking, you’ve got to know how terribly proud I am of you and how many times I think that each and every day. I love you a little bit more every time I see you handle something without losing your temper. Or when I see you stand up to your parents and say you’re going to do it your way because you feel better about yourself. Or every time you start to tell a little white lie, but catch yourself, or if you catch your language.”

  “Really?”

  Paul’s eyes grew a bit, and he pulled her in against him, wrapping her in his arms very protectively. “Really. I’m sorry, Gina, I haven’t told you that, and I should have. I should have made it clear how proud I’ve been of you.”

  “I knew you were proud of me, but I never thought of it quite like that. I didn’t think of the small things. Thank you.”

  Jason turned to Cheyenne. “I’m sorry, too. I should have told you that, as well. That was a lot for you to go through alone.”

  “I made it through okay, though, Jason. I love you.”

  Jason still didn’t like kissing his lovely life in front of other people, but a quick glance at Paul and Gina told him he needn’t worry. The way Paul was kissing Gina, he was sure they wouldn’t notice what he and Cheyenne were doing. With that
in mind, he took her face gently in his hands, and kissed her in a way that left no doubt as to how much he returned her love.

  * * *

  After their night of talking, Gina felt much better. Paul made sure she knew he’d missed her during the day while she was at classes, and found little ways to let her know he’d noticed little things she wouldn’t have done the same way a month or two ago. Once again, he watched her thrive under this new way of guiding. Jason watched, as well, and made notes. The next time one of his administrators fell in love with his client, he’d have valuable information to share about this stage.

  Paul helped Gina study for her classes when she asked for help, and was happy to see she was taking school much more seriously this time. Oddly enough, the only spanking she earned during this last phase of the program was for worrying too much about her grades, and not getting enough sleep. He warned her that sleep was very important and she wouldn’t be at her best if she spent too much time studying and not enough time getting the rest she needed. The second time she ignored his warning and stayed up late studying, he took her over his lap for it.

  The spanking hurt, though it was not one of his hardest by any means, and she knew it. She got the message, though, as he talked his way through the spanking, like he always did. She came to understand the importance of sleep, not just so she could concentrate better the next day, but also for her general health. She heard his concern for her health in his voice, and oddly enough, she could swear she felt it in his hand as he was spanking her.

  For whatever reason, that spanking was one she was sure she would remember always. It had a profound effect on her, as she grasped for the first time how much he loved her as he was spanking her. Later she admitted her feelings to Cheyenne, and was surprised to hear that once again, Cheyenne knew what she was talking about. That talk brought the girls even closer together, as they realized they shared something very special that few women would be able to relate to.

  Paul and Gina spent a lot of time house hunting. She said she thought he needed to pick out the house he liked, since he was buying it for him, but he insisted on having her input. “I hope one day you’ll be sharing this with me, so I want us both to like it.”

  “But if you’re there with me, I’ll love it.” Seeing his frustration, she relented. “But if it means that much to you, I’ll be happy to help you decide.”

  They looked at several, and agreed most of them were nice. There was one neither of them liked much, but the rest were all nice houses. They pulled up in front of one house, though, and they both gasped. It was a picture of what they both described as their childhood dreams of the perfect house, complete with the white picket fence.

  “It even has the nice shade tree in the back like I always said would be perfect,” Paul said.

  “And the beautiful multi-colored flowers in the front I always dreamed of,” she added.

  “If it has the three bedrooms, office, and two and a half baths I’ll consider it an omen and we’ll buy it on the spot,” he added, laughing.

  “Well, now remember, we also said our dream house would have a large kitchen with a pantry for all the cooking we do now,” she said with a giggle, “and the master bedroom would face the backyard. We also need a spot we can put a pool if it’s going to meet the exact specifications of our perfect dream home.”

  “Not asking for much, is it?” Paul said. They were both laughing as they neared the house. “Seriously, Gina, this is looking nice. What do you think?”

  “It’s got my vote so far. I know we can’t have everything we imagined in a house, but this really is just what my dream house would look like.”

  “Mine, too,” he agreed. “Let’s go look at the inside.”

  They moved through the house oohing and ahhing as they went. When they were finished, they could neither one believe it. “It has everything,” he said.

  “Except instead of a place for a pool, it has the pool already there. And a wonderful pool house with an extra bedroom for guests. Our dream house didn’t even have that.”

  “I think we need to buy this house,” he said, sounding very sure of himself.

  “But how much is it? Can you afford it?”

  “For us to live in our perfect dream house, yes. We may have to cook at home more and go out less, but it’ll be worth it for our dream house.”

  She was quiet, and he noticed it right away. “What are you thinking about, honey?”

  “What if it doesn’t work out between us?”

  “Why wouldn’t it? I know we’ve only known each other for three months, but it’s been an intensive three months. Most people who start dating see each other a few hours a week at first. Look how much time we’ve spent together. It’s probably equivalent to a normal couple that’s dated at least a year. Do you disagree?”

  “No, not really. When you first said you wanted a house we both liked for in the future, I thought about it. It didn’t seem like we’ve known each other all that long, but yet I felt like I knew you well enough that that thought didn’t scare me like I thought it would.”

  “Good. I’m not going to jump into anything before you’re through the program, but I think we know each other really well, and I see our relationship being a lasting thing.” She didn’t answer, other than to lean up for a kiss, which he was only too happy to give her.

  Paul talked to the realtor about the house and found out the owner was being transferred for work and was anxious to sell. He was willing to take less for it to sell it quickly so he would have the money to invest in another house at his new location. Paul had already talked to the bank and been approved for a loan, so they were able to negotiate the price down to something he felt more comfortable with in exchange for closing quickly.

  He made arrangements with a moving company, and sent them a key to his house. They would pack everything and move it for him. He called a friend of his who was a realtor and had his house listed for sale.

  She started looking for an apartment when she was about finished with the program. She was having a problem, however, finding one that didn’t require a year’s lease. She and Paul were getting along really well, and had talked about their future. They both agreed that if they were still getting along this well after she’d been out of the program for a month they would talk seriously about it. Therefore, she was reluctant to sign a lease for a full year.

  Jason and Cheyenne were aware of their plans, and had tried to convince Gina she was welcome to stay in their apartment, but she insisted she should stand on her own two feet after graduating from the program. Now, though, they sat down with her and Paul to reiterate their offer to stay in the apartment. They finally settled on her renting the apartment from them at the going rate, on a month to month basis. It also took care of her concern that she’d been told it would take approximately a month before she got her inheritance. Jason and Cheyenne were more than willing to wait, knowing the circumstances.

  The day Paul declared the program over, Cheyenne made lasagna for them to celebrate her graduation. They all congratulated her, and both men told her how proud they were of her. What really meant a lot to her was when Paul told her he felt her grandfather was looking down on her and smiling, proud as could be. Jason quickly agreed, and passed along a few of the things he’d said when he met with him. That meant a lot to Gina, and Cheyenne knew it would. She was watching her closely, a trick she’d learned from her husband, and she was the first to notice the tears in Gina’s eyes, and moved over to give her a hug.

  “This is an emotional time for you, I know,” she said quietly.

  “It is. I have so many emotions in me right now, but it’s good hearing those words.”

  “I knew it would be. I want to remind you of one other thing, too, Gina. You’ve finished the program now, but don’t worry about Paul. I can tell you from experience, very little will change.”

  Tears started flowing again. “Promise?”

  Paul was at her side now and took her in his a
rms. “I promise,” he assured her. I’m still here for you, and I plan to be here always, watching out for you. Trust me, my dear, anytime you earn a spanking, you will still get one.”

  She looked up at him, tears in her eyes, and a half smile on her face. “Promise?”

  All three of them laughed as he pulled her in tight. She wrapped her arms around him and hung on for several moments.

  Cheyenne smiled, seeing them holding each other like that. Jason leaned over to whisper into her ear. “Were you that unsure of yourself when you finished, too?”

  “Yes. It’s not so much that I was unsure of myself. It was more that I was afraid things between us would change, and I didn’t want them to. I fell in love with you while we were in the program. I was afraid things would change, and I liked them the way they were. I’d say that’s how she’s feeling right now.”

  “That’s why you told her very little would change?”

  “Yes. It was the one thing I was afraid of. I thought she might be, too.”

  “You, my dear, are a good friend, a wonderful woman, and a terrific wife. I love you a little more every day.”

  When Gina pulled herself together and they turned to apologize to their hosts, they found them doing the same thing they were about to apologize for doing in front of them. Paul chuckled. “I guess it didn’t upset them too much.”

  “We understood perfectly,” Jason said as he pulled away from his wife with a smile on his face. “I see now that falling in love during this program makes it a lot tougher on the ladies when it ends. I should have anticipated it and had a plan to ease your concern some.”

  “Jason, I could never be upset with you or any part of this program,” Gina said. “It’s done so much for me. I can’t begin to tell you how thankful I am. I will be forever grateful that you came up with such a good idea, and then acted on it and turned it into something a few of us ladies are lucky enough to experience.”