Maybe, With Conditions

by Mariella Starr

  Nicole cried bitterly. Her bottom burned so badly, she was surprised it had not burst into flames. She was getting a first-hand definition of the phrase setting your ass on fire. Her bottom burned and stung. No matter how hard she struggled to get away, he held her firmly in place. Dalton had been distributing spanks all over her bottom. Suddenly, he changed tactics. He spanked her repeatedly in the same spot making it sting and burn much more.

  "Dalton, you can't keep doing this," Nicole cried. "You're hurting me!"

  "I didn't ask your permission, Nic," Dalton growled. "The only damage I'm doing will be to your butt. You may not sit comfortably for a couple days, but it will act as a reminder of what you pulled today. You've earned every lick of this spanking."

  He spanked her bottom extra hard exactly where she would sit. "You could have been killed taking a dive into the ravine! The Brahma could have gored you to death! You can barely handle the Jeep! What the hell made you think you could drive my truck! You could have been killed or crippled when you lost control and crashed it!"

  He tossed the brush aside to make his statement more personal. He smacked her on the bottom and top of her thighs with his hand. "I will not have you putting your life in danger. Are you listening to me, this time?"

  "Yes! Yes!" Nicole sobbed.

  "Good," Dalton said. He rubbed his hand over her reddened and sore backside feeling the heat coming from it. His anger had ebbed, but there was no way in hell he would apologize to her. Lifting her to her feet, he let Nicole cry into his chest for a few minutes before leading her to his bed. "I want you to lie down for a while and think real hard about what's going on in your head, Nic. You're not being straight with me and it needs to stop. I love you, but I won't put up with what has been going on.

  "You've been acting like a wife to me since you arrived, but there's more to a relationship than sex, regardless of how good it is! I want a commitment from you. I want to know you're bound to me by the law and by what is in your heart. If I can't have it all, we don't have much common ground between us."

  Dalton stood by the bed flexing his stinging hand. He knew her bottom must feel ten times worse, but he also knew it was his job to set her straight.

  "I have to talk to Neeley and probably the insurance companies about the break-in and now about the truck. I'll be back later and I expect you to be ready to talk."

  Nicole cried and rubbed her stinging, aching backside. She wasn't really surprised Dalton had spanked her. He had done it when they were dating years before and he had done it since. He'd never hidden his belief in domestic discipline. He spanked her during sex sometimes, but that was different. Even as those smacks stung, they also stimulated. Being spanked for discipline was harder with an obvious intent to punish.

  She had always known he believed a man had the right to spank his girlfriend or wife. She loved Dalton, she always had, but he made her so darn mad taking over and making decisions for her. She closed her eyes in frustration. For the first time, though, he had admitted he loved her. He was talking in the present tense, not in the past tense as he had until now.

  He had ordered her to marry him, assumed she would marry him. This was the first time he had admitted he loved her in the here and now. Wasn't the admission what she wanted? Wasn't it why she had been waiting? She had made up her mind months ago that she would not marry him simply because she was the mother of his child. She wanted more. Dalton had finally given her the words. Only with her bottom stinging and burning, she wondered if she wanted a man who believed he had the right to spank her.

  Nicole sobbed because she needed guidance and the only person she had ever relied on wasn't available. She felt confused and lost, but Mrs. O'Cleary had boarded a plane for Ireland and Nicole didn't know when she would return. Dee Dee had told Nicole she was taking advantage of Matty and her settling down so well in Nevada. She was visiting her remaining relatives while they were still alive.

  * * *

  Helen Calloway left her husband watching an old John Wayne western and sharing a large bowl of popcorn with his great-grandson. She saw Dalton leave and go to his clinic. She decided it was time for a woman-to-woman talk with Nicole.

  She knew Dalton and Nicole were sharing a bed. She also knew why Dalton had asked them to leave the house. The Calloway men had always practiced domestic discipline. She had been married to Roy Mac for fifty-one years. She had started dating him at sixteen and married him at seventeen. She knew when she said her vows, he believed in spanking his wife, but fifty years ago, the practice was commonplace. She knew her son and daughter-in-law had lived the same lifestyle, and now it appeared her grandson was following the tradition of strong, dominant men.

  The only difference she saw in this relationship was Dalton and Nicole weren't married. They had a child together, which in her opinion was reason enough for them to get married. She was from a different generation, one where young people got married when they made a baby, hopefully before they said their vows. Dalton and Nicole had done the opposite. Her grandson had belatedly assumed his rightful role as Matty's father, although he was five years late in doing so. Nicole was a good mother, but she needed to be his wife.

  Helen climbed the stairs and knocked on Dalton's bedroom door.

  Nicole opened the door wearing a bathrobe. Her eyes were red and her face pale.

  "May I come in?" Helen asked.

  "Of course," Nicole said quickly glancing around the room for items that would implicate she was staying in Dalton's room.

  "I know you're sleeping with my grandson," Helen said bluntly taking a seat in the wingback chair. "I'm neither shocked nor embarrassed by it. I know young people tend to believe older people have forgotten about sex, but we learned about it a long time before you did."

  Nicole started to sit, but miserably gave up on the idea of hiding the fact that she had a sore backside. She sat down on the bed uncomfortably facing Helen. "We didn't mean any disrespect to you and Roy Mac."

  "I know. I also know young people of your generation do things differently than we did in my time. Do you love Dalton?"

  "I was madly in love with him when we were in college."

  "I believe you were, and then he hurt you—very badly," Helen stated. "I do understand. Dalton made some bad decisions for a short while. You made some, too, but you also made some good ones. You chose to have his child for which we are all thankful. However, keeping Matty a secret from my grandson was wrong.

  "As a woman, I can imagine how you must have felt when he betrayed you by marrying another woman. It was a troubling time for all of us. I believe he married Barbara on the rebound or out of some sort of misguided idea of doing what was right. It was a reaction to your leaving him and because he thought it was what we would expect of him. We didn't know she'd lied and told him she was pregnant. We recognized from the beginning Barbara was not the woman for him, but he was bound and determined to do right by her.

  "Once he made his decision, there was no stopping him. There's an old saying about marrying in haste and repenting at leisure. The plain fact was he didn't love her. It didn't take long to discover the depth of her lies. I don't believe Dalton ever fell out of love with you."

  "He could have found me easily enough," Nicole said. "For $19.95 you can trace almost anyone on the Internet."

  Helen nodded. She stood, walked over to Dalton's dresser, and pulled a box out of the top drawer.

  "Kay found these when she was a nosey teenager. She was punished for invading his privacy." She opened the box to show Nicole dozens of photographs. Most were of Nicole alone because Dalton had been behind the camera, but some of them were of them together.

  Helen closed the box and returned it to the drawer. "A man doesn't keep photographs unless they mean something to him. Still, my grandson is a western man, not one of those metrosexual types I've heard about on television. If you're looking for his feminine side, you can stop. He doesn't have one.

  "Men think differently than women, Nicole. It's a b
lessing and a curse. For the most part, they run on pure instinct. We want flowers, and roses, and romance. They want a woman who understands them, who gives them love, sex, and companionship. We really are two separate species.

  "Dalton is all man just like his father and his grandfathers before him. My son set a good example of how to be a man as has my husband. Those photographs symbolize both Dalton's love for you and his failure to keep the relationship together. Dalton despises failure. He let the love of his life slip through his fingers. I think it's the reason he's so determined not to let you get away this time. I believe you love my grandson. Are you going to marry him?"

  "I don't know, yet."

  "Are you punishing him for what he did to you before? Are you paying him back for the hurt and pain he caused you?"

  "I don't think so. He does a lot of things I don't like, though, and I'm not sure I can live with them."

  "Dalton runs a very successful veterinarian practice, the Double C, and several other businesses. All have thrived under his leadership once he got his head screwed back on properly. He is a man who needs to be in control. He will always be a good provider for his family. He's also a dominant man, who believes in spanking his partner when he deems it necessary," Helen said matter-of-factly.

  "You know?" Nicole gasped.

  "I've been exactly where you are with the same sore backside. Although, it has been quite a few years back," Helen admitted. "What you have to understand is Calloway men are strong, protective men who have, through the generations, all been spankers.

  "I know I'm biased, but I do believe Dalton loves you. He has always loved you. If you want my grandson, you have to accept him, as the man he has become. The Dalton you're with now is not the same young man you knew before. He has grown into a man of authority who is responsible, caring, and trustworthy. If you can learn to love and trust my grandson as he is now, you couldn't choose a better husband for yourself or father for Matty.

  "In return, you will be loved, respected, and treated as the most special person in his life. Don't think you're going to magically change him because it won't happen. Along with the love comes a tendency to be bossy and overprotective. It runs in the family."

  Helen got to her feet. "No two ways about it, getting spanked hurts. It's embarrassing and, in this day and time, most women consider it abusive. I come from a different generation when a husband spanking his wife was more typical. If you accept spanking as a part of your relationship, it means you trust Dalton to know what's best for you. When a man receives unconditional trust from the woman he loves, he steps up his game. It makes him more responsible for his partner's well-being and happiness. Taking on all that responsibility also makes him a better man.

  "I want you to be a part of this family, Nicole Bennett. I hope you make the right decisions this time."

  Chapter Eleven

  Nicole thought about Helen's words long after the women left. She finally let down her mental barriers and realized she was punishing Dalton for what he had done a long time ago. As Nicole considered their current situation, she also realized he hadn't reciprocated her actions. Once he had gotten over his anger about her hiding her pregnancy and Matty, Dalton had moved forward folding his son and Nicole into his life. He began paying child support immediately and presented her with a retroactive check, which she had torn into little pieces and thrown in his face. Dalton had gone around Nicole and had Dee Dee deposit a replacement into Matty's college fund. He was doing the best he could to make up for the lost years. Matty had accepted Dalton at face value with no reservations and Dalton was a good father to his son.

  She was the one still nursing old wounds while at the same time actively enjoying how he treated her as a woman.

  Nicole dressed, deciding on a sundress instead of her regular jeans in deference to her tender rear end. She needed to find Dalton and apologize. This time, it had to be a sincere apology, not a measly 'I'm sorry'. She hated having to admit she was wrong.

  She had just slipped on a pair of wedge-heeled sandals when her son barreled into the room. He was full of energy and wanted to play, so she turned her attentions to him. She swapped the heeled sandals for a pair of cowboy boots and took Matty to the backyard to swing on the old tire hanging from a massive tree limb.

  "Higher, higher!" Matty shouted as his mother pushed him. "Higher, Mommy!"

  Dalton was on his way to the house when he saw Nicole and Matty in the back yard. He smiled when he saw her pushing Matty from the same swing he had used as a boy.

  "Daddy, swing me higher," Matty yelled. "Mommy doesn't push hard enough."

  "Mommy pushes hard enough," Dalton disagreed bringing the swing to a halt. "Why don't you go play in the tree house for awhile?"

  "Isn't the tree house dangerously high for a five-year-old?" Nicole worried.

  "He'll be fine, let him be a boy," Dalton said mildly. "I saw a sliding board on a website like the ones you see at the fast-food playgrounds, part tunnel, and part spiral slide. It would make a good addition to the tree house, and it would keep him from having to climb down. Climbing up is a lot easier than climbing down. Matty is the third generation to use the tree house."

  "Are you still mad at me?"

  Dalton shook his head and encircled her with his arms. "The mad is gone, but we need to come to an understanding."

  "I agree. I know I was really out of line taking your truck. I'll pay for the damages."

  "For what we pay in premiums around here, the insurance should cover most of it. I'm not as concerned with the truck as I am with your attitude, lately. You've always had a bad temper. I especially don't like it when it's turned on me for no reason." He cupped his hands one each on her buttocks and squeezed.

  She sucked in her breath. "Don't, I'm sore!"

  "You're supposed to feel it. What would be the purpose of spanking you if it didn't teach you a lesson?" Dalton continued rubbing her posterior. "Are you wearing any underwear?" he asked suddenly.

  "Yes!"

  Dalton pulled her behind a tree trunk to raise her skirt and find she was buck naked except for a string in the back and a tiny patch in the front.

  "Stop it," she squealed and pushed her dress down.

  He raised his eyebrows and scowled. "One day you're going to get caught in a gust of wind and my whole crew will see your business."

  Nicole smiled at his outrage. "You like thongs."

  "Yeah, but for my eyes only. Come on, Nic, I'm taking you to the house so you can finish getting dressed!" He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the treehouse, yelling for Matty to come down. The boy came about halfway down the ladder before jumping into his father's arms. Dalton tossed his son onto his shoulders to give him a ride to the house.

  When they entered the kitchen, Helen looked up from preparing dinner.

  "Gran, can you keep watch over the little troll for a few minutes? Nicole and I need to have a private conversation."

  His grandmother agreed lifting the boy onto a barstool and placing a round of bread dough in front of him.

  Nicole went ahead of Dalton and he closed the bedroom door behind them. He went straight to a drawer he had emptied for her use and pulled out a pair of cotton underwear.

  "These are more like it."

  "Are you going to dress me in long dresses, aprons, and bonnets too?" Nicole asked. "I like wearing sexy underwear. Sometimes I even go commando. You like it and have never complained before."

  "I do like it," Dalton admitted with a grin. "Nevertheless, we have a lot of windy weather this time of the year and I don't want you accidently giving my men a peep show. All I'm asking is for you to take a few precautions."

  Nicole tossed the panties he had selected back into the drawer and chose a pair with less coverage. She yanked off the thong and pulled on the pair of bikini underwear. "Are you satisfied?"

  "Temporarily," Dalton exclaimed patting the mattress beside him. "Come sit by me; we need to talk."

  "I can't sit, thanks to you," she compla
ined. "Dalton, this isn't the 1800s. This habit of yours of spanking me is wrong. Why can't you understand?"

  "I think maybe you need a reminder of why you were spanked in the first place," he said. "What's really bothering you, Nic? Talk to me."

  She sighed and sat down gingerly. "I'm not a child!"

  "No, you're not. I wouldn't be doing the things I do with you if you were a child. I will spank my woman if she thinks she can lead me around with a nose ring. I'm a man, your man. We've had more than our fair share of problems in the past, but I thought we were working on them. We won't if you continue behaving like a spoiled brat."

  Nicole dropped her head on his shoulder. "I know. Don't get mad again, but I think I've been punishing you because of what happened when we broke up."

  "I can't change what happened six years ago. Why won't you agree to marry me, now?" Dalton demanded.

  "I won't agree because I won't go into a loveless marriage. You have demanded I marry you. You have ordered me to marry you. You have never asked me. Until this afternoon when you were yelling at me. You never told me you loved me."

  "What?" Dalton exclaimed. "How could you possibly think I don't love you? Good God, Nic, it's fireworks and pyrotechnics when we are together."

  "I'm not talking about the sex, which I agree is fantastic. There's a lot more to marriage than what happens in bed. I won't be ordered to marry you!"

  "I never told you I loved you? Are you sure?" Dalton asked, stunned at his omission.

  "Not once, until this afternoon. You've referred to loving me in the past, but not in the present."

  "I'm truly sorry," Dalton said, pulling her into his lap. "I do love you. I've loved you from the first moment we met and shared a Snickers bar. If I haven't apologized for being an idiot and letting you go, I'm doing it now. Listen to me clearly. I love you. I love Matty and the three of us being a family. Matty is a precious gift I never expected. Listen to me, Nic. If Matty didn't exist, I would still want to marry you. Will you marry me?"