Liars and Tigers

by Breanna Hayse

  "I am not going to stop until I am good and ready. I assure you," he swatted her loudly across the crown, "my hand can go much longer than your butt can."

  "You're killing me!" Misha gathered the strength to yell.

  "No one has ever died from a spanking. Do you know why you are being punished?"

  "Because I'm a blooming idiot," Misha bawled. "I don't know when to keep my big mouth shut."

  "By George, I think she's got it!" Alex exclaimed, laying his hand across her heated mounds. He released her ear and patted her back. "Sit up."

  Misha continued to cry as he planted her on the bench next to him. Reaching into the center console, he grabbed small box of tissues and handed them to her. "Blow," he said, holding the tissue to her nose. "I didn't tell you that you could pull your pants up, did I?"

  Alex studied her for a minute, and then wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He pulled her to his chest and held her close. "I don't know how to help you break this habit of picking fights with me, Mish. Every time you go off on me for something, it hurts. Not just my heart, but our relationship. People who truly love each other don't call each other names, nor do they do things that can cause the other person pain."

  Misha looked at him through red-rimmed eyes. "I can't believe you are saying that while I'm sitting on porcupine quills."

  "There are different types of pain, sweetheart," he dabbed her eyes with a clean tissue. "I spanked you because this path you take will eventually hurt both of us. I love you, but these outbursts and fits of rebellion need to stop. As much as you hate it, we all have to live by rules of some sort. Rules are designed for safety, and to keep peace. My rules are to help both of us be happy. Do you understand?"

  Misha nodded, looking down. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

  "Yeah, well I'm sorry I had to follow through with this. You need to learn to trust me to keep my word to you, even if it is a promise to blister your ass when you are out of line."

  He allowed her to cry against him until she began to compose herself. "Go to the bathroom and rinse off your face, and I'll stay here and watch Rodin. When you get back, I'll grab us something to drink and then we will be on our way."

  "He's going to need to go for a walk," Misha muttered.

  "I'll take him. There aren't a lot of people around to stare, and we are inside California state limits, so the permit is good in case a cop sees us. I love you." Alex kissed her forehead.

  "Can I pull up my pants now?" Misha pouted.

  Alex nodded, and watched as she gingerly dragged the material over her swollen moons. He opened the truck's door and stepped out, and then helped Misha to the pavement. Before she left to go the restrooms, he hugged her.

  "You can hug me back, you know," he said softly, as she stiffened in his arms. Slowly she lifted her hands to wrap around his waist, and returned the embrace.

  "I love you, too. I'll try to watch myself."

  "We will just deal with it every time it comes up. Eventually your mouth and your backside will start to communicate."

  "You're such an optimist."

  "I certainly am. One more thing," he held her at arm's length and sternly looked down at her. "You are grounded for the next two weeks, Misha. When you come home from work, you are to go straight to your room."

  "But Rodin…"

  "I will take care of him. Don't argue with me. I am not going to budge this time, got it?"

  "Yeah." Misha looked down at the pavement. "Two weeks?"

  "Two weeks. I will be looking in after you, so don't try to sneak out. If I catch you, I will get wood to use on your bottom. My hand is nothing compared to that."

  "I'll be back in a bit," Misha said quietly, limping uncomfortably in the direction of the bathrooms.

  "I'll be waiting."

  Alex placed Rodin's collar around his neck and carried the cub around the side of the building to avoid attracting attention. Several children exiting the café pointed at them and ran in his direction.

  "Look! Mommy! Look!"

  "Easy, boy," Alex said, as the cub hissed and raised his hackles. "Quiet down, you guys. You're scaring him," he said to the youngsters.

  "Is that a baby tiger?" a little boy asked, squatting on the ground. "Can I pet him?"

  "He's a baby and doesn't know you, so—"

  "Sure you can pet him," Misha interrupted, joining them. "Give me a minute to calm him down. Be real quiet, okay?"

  "Mish, this isn't a good idea. If he hurts them…" Alex whispered in her ear.

  "I know what I'm doing, Alex."

  "You are taking a chance with someone else's safety this time. No."

  "I thought you wanted to get something to drink."

  "Keep Rodin away from those children. Disobey me and you will feel the hairbrush when we get home," Alex warned her.

  "You wouldn't! Not after this!"

  "Watch me."

  Alex rolled his eyes when he returned with the drinks and saw Misha propped on a bench with Rodin on her lap, surrounded by a small group of people. She was stroking the cub, keeping him calm, as she answered questions about her job and the little animal. She introduced Alex as her boss and the one responsible for saving the lives of wild animals, and shared how they could each do their part in making the world a better place for both humans and animals to live side by side. She handed out her business cards, scooped the anxious Rodin in her arms, and took him to her truck.

  "Why are you giving me that look? I didn't let anyone touch him and kept him tight on his leash next to me."

  "Drawing attention to yourself and the cat is not wise. I have a permit for caretaking, not public handling. Fish and game would slam me good if we were busted."

  "I can't do anything right, can I?" Misha snapped. "You always have something to criticize me for, even if I do something good. I am so over it."

  "Calm down, baby. I'm sorry. I got you this," Alex said softly, handing her a bottle of root beer. He poured some water in his hand for Rodin to drink. "I have some control issues that I need to evaluate."

  Misha stared at him, her mouth hanging open. "Say what?"

  "You used a situation to better our cause. I shouldn't have scolded you."

  His admission threw her off guard. "I didn't mean to make you worry. Those kids already saw him and were calling people over."

  "This wasn't anyone's fault. I want you to take my truck, and I'll take Rodin in yours."

  "Are you mad at me?" Misha asked suspiciously.

  "No, honey. Not at all. Let's go home. Misha?"

  "What?"

  "I love you. Drive carefully. I'm right behind you. Oh, and Misha?"

  "Yeah?" she turned before climbing into the truck.

  "Next time I have to spank you in a public place, you will drive home sitting on your bare bottom."

  "You're mean."

  "Yes," Alex smiled. "I know."

  Chapter 15

  The remainder of the drive home was uneventful. Jack was sitting on the couch in front of the big screen TV and watching a game when they walked in. Rodin ran straight to him and jumped onto the old man's lap.

  "I can't believe he actually is greeting me," Jack laughed, as the cub wrapped his paws around his head and licked the top of his thinning hairline.

  "Me neither," Misha grumbled, following Alex's finger and stomping in the direction of her room. She slammed the door behind her.

  "What's with the kid?" Jack asked.

  "We had an incident. Unbelievable," Alex said, as Kena raced to greet the cub and then ran toward Misha's room. "My own dog is ignoring me. Did the breeder take the puppies?"

  "Yep, he was thrilled with them. Commented that they were as cuddly as a kitten, too." Jack chuckled. "What happened?"

  Alex explained the situation, and that he had grounded Misha for two weeks. He frowned at Jack's hysterical laughter.

  "You grounded her? That is the funniest thing I have ever heard of."

  "Why? She behaved like a spoiled child and she is going t
o be disciplined like one."

  "Oh, I am not laughing at the punishment," Jack said. "I'm laughing at the presumption that she will respect it. I tried grounding her once. She was out of her room within ten minutes, and I didn't even know it."

  "Where did she go?"

  "I found her at the bar sipping a cheap beer. She smiled ever so sweetly, and offered to buy me a round."

  "No remorse for disobeying you?" Alex asked.

  "Not a bit. If anything, she was doing that tail twitch the cats do when they are annoyed. Figuratively speaking."

  "Misha won't run off. Not after the promise of a hair-brushing."

  "I'll bet you ten bucks that she won't go twenty-four hours without taking off."

  "I'll take that bet and raise you one hundred," Alex said confidently.

  "Then you owe me some money. She just ran across the lawn."

  Alex growled as he caught sight of Misha running into the woods. "That girl…"

  "Give her some time to cool down. She'll come back. She has a baby to come home to."

  ***

  Alex was sitting patiently in Misha's bedroom when she climbed back in through the window two hours later. She froze, her leg halfway over the window sill.

  "Oh, shit," she said, her face going pale.

  "That would sum it up. Go to my room."

  "I'm dead meat, aren't I?"

  "More like cat chow. Hurry now, we have a date with the hairbrush."

  "Alex, please. You know I can't stand being caged up."

  "Move your rump, young lady." Alex smacked her backside as she scurried in front of him. "I can't believe your backside isn't tender enough to remind you of what happened this afternoon. Must be due to all the horseback riding you've done in the past."

  "I am tender!" Misha argued, stomping up the long staircase. "Just because I'm not complaining doesn't mean it doesn't hurt."

  Alex shook his head and took her wrist in his hand, leading her to the chaise longue in the far corner of the room. She hesitated at the sight of a broad-backed, wooden hairbrush lying on the antique telephone table.

  "Alex…"

  "I warned you that if you didn't mind me, things were going to heat up. Starting on your bottom. Get over here and put yourself across my lap."

  "No!"

  "Do it now or I'll take off my belt. Which is it?"

  He slid her pants to the floor, followed by her panties, picked up the hairbrush and brought it down full force on her right butt cheek.

  Misha yelped. "Aren't you even going to give me a warm up first?"

  Alex's only reply was to give her a few fast whacks on the back of her thigh with his hand, just below the swell of her bottom, demonstrating that he was not pleased with either her response or her attitude. "Ow! I hate when you hit me there! No! Not with that damn hairbrush! Owie!" She protested when he returned to using the brush in lieu of his palm.

  "I've learned one thing about you, my darling," Alex said calmly, "If I spank a nice, fresh spot every few minutes, your bottom never gets a chance to go numb. So this is a course I intend to take this evening."

  "No!" Misha whined, kicking her legs to escape.

  Alex ignored her, moving the brush to the backs of her thighs, bringing her a whole new level of pain. "Since the thighs are more sensitive than your bottom, it really doesn't take much to get my point across, does it?"

  Misha closed her eyes tight and clenched her teeth, as her bottom turned from a light pink to a dark, steaming red.

  "I'm going to keep this up until you decide to give in and stop your fighting. I am tired of this rebellion, Misha," he stated. "You are not a child. It's time to take some responsibility for yourself and your actions."

  "I'm sorry. I won't do it anymore," Misha sobbed. "I'll listen to you."

  "You promised that just this morning when I took you home from Nevada. Why do you keep lying to me? Do you think I will keep letting you get away with it?"

  "I didn't lie!"

  "When you make a promise that you don't intend to keep, that is lying. I'm tired of it. Jack is tired of it. You've proven that my hand is not effective enough to discourage you from your old habits. Go ahead and stand up," he ordered, lifting a wide wooden paddle and pointing to the bed. "Get on your hands and knees."

  Once she had done as he had asked, he asked, "Why do you feel the need to lie to me, Misha?"

  When she stubbornly refused to answer, he lifted the paddle. With a high, forceful swing, he struck her square on the bottom.

  "Why do you lie to me?" he asked again, landing another hard stinging blow to her backside. "I'm not going to ask again."

  "I don't know," Misha wept as he increased the force of the paddle, applying quick shots to her crimson sit spots. "Aleeex!"

  "I will keep going until I get an honest answer. Why do you keeping lying to me?" he demanded, splatting the paddle over and over across her cheeks.

  Misha tried to crawl forward to escape the blows and ended up lying flat on her tummy on his bed. "Stop! I don't know! I just do!"

  "You had best come up with an explanation before this little backside turns purple," he said firmly, watching as her skin began to blanch with each hard stroke.

  "I wanted to see if you would still want me around if I was so terrible," she screamed out, wriggling as she tried to avoid the wood landing in the same spot.

  "I don't buy it," Alex said. "Try again." The paddle scorched her rapidly, not allowing her time to recover before the next stroke landed.

  "I wanted to see what you would do!" Misha bawled, panting for breath. Alex immediately stopped the paddling.

  "What did you say?"

  "I wanted to see what you would do," she wept into her arms. "Jack always threatened me but never did anything. I never felt safe because of it."

  Alex placed the paddle on the bed and sat next to her, knowing that her bottom felt like it was on fire, and that every inch radiated with a scalding, burning sensation. "This is going to end right now, Misha. The lying, the broken promises, the self-destructive behaviors are over. If I have to, I will blister your hide every single day until these habits are broken."

  "I'm sorry."

  "Starting now, every Sunday night will be set aside for maintenance. You will receive a good, long spanking to ensure that you remember the consequences of bad behavior. That will be on top of anything else you have earned for the week. You will start keeping a punishment book and document it every time you break a rule, lie, or do anything else that you know I frown upon. Am I understood?"

  "Yes, sir," Misha whimpered.

  Sir? She actually called me sir? Alex cleared his throat. "Your grounding is still in effect as well, except that you will be restricted to this room."

  "I can't stay in your room," Misha sniffed.

  "You can, and you will. There is no way you can climb out of these windows, and it will allow me to keep an eye on you at night when you feel inclined to roam around. What do have to say for yourself, young lady?"

  "I'm sorry," Misha repeated.

  "Darn right, you're sorry. My dad is coming to visit us this weekend. I expect you to be on perfect behavior and show respect to him and Jack, got it?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "Very good." Alex was satisfied. "I have one last question and I want an honest answer. Do you feel you have been disciplined enough for what you did?"

  Misha broke into tears, shaking her head as she buried her face in the soft comforter. "No," she confessed. "I still feel guilty."

  "Hmm," Alex said thoughtfully, "we will talk about this tomorrow and if you still feel this way, we will step it up. Right now, you are to go to bed."

  "Please, Alex," Misha turned to him, "don't leave me. Spank me more if you have to, but don't go away right now."

  "I'm not going anywhere, baby doll, but I am not going to spank you again tonight. Your bottom took about as much as it could, and I am not going to inflict damage, no matter how guilty you feel. That would not be responsible."

>   "I need to know you love me."

  "Misha, sweetheart," he stretched out next to her, "spanking you until you can't move is not going to be the thing that proves I love you. The fact that I am still around to spank you does. Not many men would have put up with this garbage for any amount of time unless they loved someone. Do you get it?"

  "I get that you are even more insane than I am. I would never have put up with me," Misha sniffed.

  "I think that you act this way for two reasons," Alex said softly. "One, to test. The other, because you want discipline. In a way, the rebellion is your only means of controlling the events in your life, but it's a destructive one. What would happen if Rodin started rebelling?"

  "He's a tiger. He wouldn't understand the deliberate intentions."

  "Just say for a moment that he did. Say he wanted proof that you were committed to him, and started clawing and biting, running off and maybe even hurting someone. What would happen to him?"

  "Oh, my God," Misha whimpered, "I would have no choice but to lock him up."

  "How does that make you feel?"

  "Sick to my stomach. I could lose him and… you stinking bastard." Misha rolled away from him. "You're trying to tell me that is how you feel when I do stupid stuff against your wishes."

  "By George, I think she's got it," Alex exclaimed. "Yes, that is exactly how both Jack and I feel. We are sick to our stomachs, fearful and even a little bit panicked at times. I don't enjoy punishing you, no more than you enjoy locking Rodin up in his crate, but it's necessary if I want to ensure your safety and well-being."

  "Alex?"

  "What?"

  "Make love to me."

  "No. You were just punished and I am not going to have you think you get a reward after discipline," he said firmly.

  "You're a mean man."

  "This time I will agree with you—because I want, more than anything, to make love to you. But I have a belief system that I won't compromise, not even for my own benefit. Sleep now. We both have work in the morning."

  ***

  Misha ate her breakfast the following morning perched on the far edge of a stool, and spent the ride to the facility bracing her bottom from hitting the seat. The conversation between her and Alex was sparse and limited to small talk, leaving him second-guessing his decision from the night before. He watched, Kena sitting quietly at his side, as Misha walked away with Rodin on his leash without saying goodbye. Her short steps were slow and clearly difficult, confirming the degree of tenderness remaining from her paddling.