His Firecracker (A Her Choice Story)

by Megan McCoy

  But she had a goal. She would walk nicely to that bench, sit and find out what was on his mind. If she was getting fired, or if she just wanted to quit or what. She’d walked away from jobs before. It was never an issue. She could always find another. She liked it here, though. But not enough to stay where she wasn’t wanted.

  All she wanted was to head to New Orleans, with enough money in her pocket to buy a little food truck, and be her own boss. Not talk to anyone but customers all day. It would be like paradise.

  This job not only paid well, but the rent was next to nothing. She could save money fast, bolster her small nest egg and be on her way to New Orleans. She really wanted to keep this job for a while, but if it wasn’t to be, it wasn’t.

  Finally, they were seated. Her nerves were through the roof. You know, if there had been a roof, she thought, looking up at the starry sky.

  They sat in silence for a few minutes, till Cole spoke again. “You know, I read something once, that said, if you met an asshole first thing in the morning and he ruined your day, that was on him. But if everyone you meet during the day is an asshole, it's probably not them.”

  Rayne looked at him as if he’d grown three heads. “Once again, I have no clue what you are talking about.”

  “What’s the common denominator in the number of jobs you’ve had in the past few years,” he asked.

  “That would be me, of course,” she said, not even trying to hide the sarcasm in her voice.

  “Is that something you’re looking to change?” He asked as if he were really interested.

  “Why should I?” she choked on the words. “All I have to do is get through a few more months, then I can be my own boss and not have to deal with idiots anymore.”

  “Well, but for customers and vendors and landlords and mechanics and, well, you get the idea. You can’t get away from people in the service business.”

  Rayne felt impotent rage rise. She didn’t want to get mad. She had her life planned out. She even knew she’d have to work her way south. It was okay. There was no reason for her to change the way she was, the way she acted. Shaking her head, she didn’t trust herself to say a word. Count, she told herself. One, two, three, four, five.

  His voice interrupted her focus. “Right now, your biggest worry is how to get through the next few months till you leave. Right now, your behavior is not where it needs to be.”

  “Right now, I want to be in my bed, with a big glass of wine and stupidity on the television, instead of sitting here talking to you,” she started to rise, but he pulled her back down.

  “Sit. Stay,” he commanded.

  “Oh, now you have me all mixed up with that puppy I was saving,” her sarcasm ran deep but she was so mortified and embarrassed about this conversation, she didn’t know where to turn or look or what to say. She just wanted to be gone. “I have to work in the morning, I need to go.” She started to get up but he grabbed her elbow and pulled her back to the bench.

  “But we aren’t done talking,” he drawled, as if he were enjoying it. “We’ve just gotten started.”

  “I don’t know what you want me to say,” she didn’t know if she was mad or what. She just knew she was done with this conversation.

  Bending his head, he leaned down and kissed her. Rayne melted. Why did this feel so right? He held her close and firmly and she could think of nothing she wanted more than being against his hard maleness. His arms were so strong, holding her close. His lips firm and yet gently teasing.

  What did he want? Who gave a damn? She just wanted him to kiss her more. She felt like molten lava, all heat and liquid and wanted to envelope him. “Oh…” she breathed when he pulled away, just wanting more. Then, “oof” she said, as suddenly she found herself face down over his knees.

  Her brain did not understand this position. Did not understand what was happening, till she recalled him threatening to blister her butt. Weirdly, her first worry was that she was too heavy and would hurt his knees. Was that beyond strange? Was she the first female ever to worry about that? Yet, she continued to think about it for about five swats. Was he really going to spank her like a child? Apparently. Why was she thinking? She needed to...speak. Yes!

  “What the fucking hell do you think you are doing?” she spewed as loudly as she could. Wasn’t he kissing her less than a minute ago? Maybe she would collapse his knees. It would serve him right! Oh, she hoped that didn’t happen. That would be beyond mortifying. Like her screech just was. Why wouldn’t her brain shut down? Should she be thinking this much? His smacks on her denim clad bottom hurt, but not enough to focus on only that. She needed to snap out of this stupor and protest this more.

  “How dare you!” Yes, that was good. Her butt was starting to warm up a lot though, and really, in this position it was getting hard to breath. She needed to save her breath for speaking. Oh, she could move, She wasn’t stuck here.

  “Ow!” she screeched. She did not have to put up with this. Her busy brain started working, what could she do to remedy this? First of all, she needed off his lap because this was starting to hurt. It wasn’t beyond painful - denim was a powerful blocker - but she didn’t want to be spanked, she didn’t want to be in this embarrassing position and she needed to - “Ow!” One of the hands holding her head up, flew back to block the intense blows on her bottom. Man, he was serious about...what? What had she done? Oh, said busy brain, ask him!

  “What did I do?” she wailed. “Please!” Please, what, she wondered. Why couldn’t she think straight? His steady smacks over her bottom hurt so much she couldn’t think yet she couldn’t stop thinking. Between the pain and humiliation, she had no clue how to react, and wished there was something like a time out she could call and get a respite, a breather, clarity. Suddenly he seemed to up the pain and she screeched, “Stop this now!”

  “Wrong words,” he said.

  Wrong? Okay. Damn, her butt hurt! She decided, wisely, to fight with him later and appeal to his better self now. “Please? Please stop? I can’t.” Can’t what, she wondered. She had no choice in any of this. Twisting she tried to get off his lap. Didn’t work. “I’m sorry!” she finally wailed. Would that work? She hoped so. This needed over with.

  Finally, though she had no clue why, he let her up, standing her between his knees, and she reached back frantically rubbing her bottom. “That was…” she began sputtering, knowing her cheeks were blushed and she had tears in her eyes. Mortifying. This entire night.

  “Needed,” he supplied. “Come here,” he stood up and pulled her in his arms. Stiffening, she let him. She wanted to be there. Why? She’d gone insane apparently.

  “Next time,” he started.

  “There will be no next time!” she tried not to hug him back but it felt so good to be in his arms.

  “Oh, I imagine there will be,” he said, hugging her harder. “But what I tried to say was next time you start yelling at someone in the kitchen, remember this pain in your butt and try to think if it's worth it.”

  “I’m a grown ass adult and didn’t need to be spanked like a child.” She noticed her tears had soaked into his shirt. Served him right.

  “Your grown ass is gorgeous and next time I spank you, it's going to be bare,” he informed her, kissing the top of her head.

  “No,” she said, starting to breath hard. “I already said no next time.” Why was she even thinking about her bare butt over his lap? How would that even work? She didn’t think she could take off her pants in front of him, knowing what was coming after. Who could?

  “I hope there’s no reason to spank you for throwing tantrums again, but it's probably a hard habit to break,” he said. “But I’m going to help you break it, do you understand?”

  “Not really,” she said into his shirt. “I wasn’t looking to break a bad habit.”

  “Are you now?” he asked and still didn’t let her go. She wondered if she would take off running if he did. Maybe. It would be the right thing to do. Run straight to a phone and call a lawyer a
nd sue them for everything they owned. She might not have to work her way to New Orleans if she did. It was like winning the lottery! Why was she standing here talking to him like a normal person?

  “I can’t think,” she confessed, softly. “I really can’t. I’m so confused about everything.” Okay, that was a lie. Her brain still flew two hundred miles an hour and flitted here and there and just wouldn’t stop. She couldn’t not think.

  He hugged her hard then tipped her face up to kiss her again. Again, all she could do was melt on him. Traitorous body. Feet that wouldn’t run, bottom that hurt, torso that molded to his, brain that thought too much.

  This time he let her go and she wished he wouldn’t. Her knees shook, and her head spun. Staring at him, she touched her lips with one hand and rubbed her bottom with the other. What had happened?

  Intelligently, her brain knew what had happened. He had scolded her as if she were a small tantrum throwing child, spanked her much worse that a child would have deserved, and then kissed her like a grown woman. No wonder her head spun.

  He tipped her face up so she had to look at him. “You and I will be having meetings like this every other night or so. If I have to blister your butt every time, I will. I hope I don’t have to, though. I can think of lots of more things to do. Can’t you?”

  Silently, she nodded, her busy mind flying. Yes, there could be so many more things to do that could be much more fun. Yet, part of her, her brain that would not shut down, equally, wanted to know what those could be, and if he would really bare her bottom and spank her again? She wanted to know. Why did she want to know? Why wouldn’t her brain would just settle down and get pissed off?

  Rayne finally decided just do what she wanted to, and snuggled in closer to him. Obligingly, Cole held her tighter. She loved the feel of his hard body against her and the strong hands that had caused her bottom such pain a few minutes ago, now made her feel safe and protected. That made no sense, but really, did anything right now?

  He laughed softly and kissed the top of her head. She didn’t want the top of her head kissed. She wanted her mouth kissed hard and gently and more. She wanted those hands all over her. He didn’t seem inclined to do that, though and she wasn’t going to beg for it. No matter how much she wanted to do just that. Luckily her brain still worked rapidly and didn’t let her mouth open, but her traitorous body refused to leave the strength of his.

  Finally, Cole loosened his hold on her and grabbed her hand. “Want to finish our walk or head back to the cabin?” he asked.

  Silently, she turned back toward her room and her kitchen. It seemed a much shorter walk back than it had going down. At the door to her room, he turned to hold her again. Rayne wanted nothing more than to ask him inside. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to do that just yet.

  His voice turned stern again. “So do you think you can remember this tomorrow while you work?” He asked her, forcing her eyes to his.

  “I don’t think I’m ever going to forget it,” she whispered, brushing back her hair, nervously.

  “Oh, that was far from memorable,” Cole smiled and touched the tip of her nose with his finger. “Better hope you never get one of those.”

  And there went her brain again, racing and whirling. That spanking had felt horrible in the moment, what would a worse one feel like… a memorable one? Why did she want to know? She didn’t.

  “I need to go in,” she gasped out, finally, barely breathing but feeling on the edge of hyperventilating.

  “Take a breath,” he commanded, and she did as she was told. One long deep breath, then let it out shakily, feeling foolish. First, he spanked her, now he was telling her to breath. She did not like this. No one told her what to do or took care of her. She knew how to handle herself and her life.

  “Already getting your back up again?” Cole asked, softly. Firmly he swatted her bottom again, and she jerked. “Just be smart and remember what all I said.”

  With that he kissed her again, and turned to walk away while she watched.

  What he said? Had he said something? All she remembered about the night were his actions.

  Blaze grabbed Gabe’s hand as they slunk back into the woods. “How come you never spank me?” he teased.

  “Hey, if you want over my knee, I can put you there,” Gabe replied. “Of course, I could ask you the same thing.”

  “I think that isn’t our brand of kink. That must have skipped my generation,” Blaze answered, walking along. “I love being alone with you.”

  “Where you can hold my hand and we don’t have to pretend to be buddies, you mean?” Gabe asked dryly, and Blaze tensed. He didn’t want this conversation. “Maybe I should spank you into coming out to your family.”

  “Easy for you to say. Your folks live in Japan,” he countered. “You don’t have to look at them every day and see the disappointment in their eyes.”

  Gabe sighed, and Blaze winced. He hated that sound. “Yeah, I’m such a bad catch. Hard worker, kind of good-looking, two steady jobs. College educated. Who wants someone like that for their kid?”

  “Pretty sure it's more that penis thing than your actual accomplishments,” Blaze said. “I just don’t think anyone will understand.”

  “Oh that’s right, you’re only related to Cro-Magnon men.”

  This time Blaze sighed. They were having this argument more and more. Gabe wanted to get married. Blaze wasn’t sure why that was important to him, but apparently, it was. He wanted kids. Blaze didn’t care one way or the other about kids, but he’d do anything for Gabe. Except tell his dad and Grandpa he was gay. That seemed to be a hurdle he couldn’t overcome.

  Chapter 10

  Liz looked around the dentist office where she worked. One more day of work and then she would be off for six weeks. What kind of fairy tale life did she live now, that she could take six weeks off work? A few years ago, she couldn’t afford to take a sick day on either of her jobs. Now she was getting married in a week and then heading off for a month-long honeymoon.

  She worried about leaving Ben for that long, but Matt has assured her than if she missed her kid too much, they could fly him out for a few days. Like that was a thing people just did without thinking about it.

  Ben would be going home with her brother, Eric and his wife Holly for about ten days after the wedding, then they would send him back to the ranch, and he would stay with Matt’s dad, Jeb and his wife Candy for ten days, then move in with Blaze, Matt’s son, and his roommate, till they got back from their honeymoon. No one would get sick of him and he would hopefully have some fun and new experiences.

  Grinning, she remembered why Matt had moved out of his dad’s house, before they met. Jeb and Candy enjoyed what Matt called ‘rocking the walls,’ but she trusted they could behave around their new step-grandson. Besides, they’d been married over a year now, and Jeb was old. Surely they had slowed down on that. If not, she didn’t want to know.

  Today, she had some errands to run, then was going to meet Rayne on her day ‘off’ and make the final decisions on the cakes. Why they were having three cakes, she had no idea, but apparently, it was accepted. There was the bride and groom cake, then groom cake and a spare cake. She didn’t know why there needed to be a spare cake. They were feeding everyone a huge BBQ dinner, which Jeb, Matt, Blaze and Cole were in charge of, with a local company catering sides. This wedding was starting to feel out of her control.

  They told her not to worry about anything. Ha! Men. Easy for them to say. They rotated a couple of pigs on a spit, and called it a day. She had everything else to do. She wouldn’t have minded a small family wedding, but this seemed to have exploded. All she wanted was to make Matt happy. If a big BBQ wedding with line dancing afterwards made him happy, she would do it, even though she hated the idea of being in front of a crowd. She’d taken four private lessons this past month, learning how to line dance so she wouldn’t feel like a fool. She’d never been to a country western bar and found she really enjoyed it. Maybe they woul
d find a bar now and then out west where they were honeymooning. She could use a drink right now. Two more hours.

  After work that day, she waved to the office staff, one more day, she thought, on her way out, and hurried down the street. She needed to go to the store where they’d ordered the paper products for the BBQ and then to the supply house where they were getting the tables, chairs, tents and linens and make sure the timeline for setup would work out. Then she would meet Rayne and hopefully that would go smoothly.

  Liz resented a little bit that Matt had asked Rayne to make the cake. Sure, she’d apologized, but there was a tiny part of her still, that didn’t trust the woman. Her food seemed as good or better than Mariah’s, but she’d heard a lot of grumbling from the kitchen staff. If the tantrum she’d walked in on, was any clue, she knew why. Hopefully, that would have no effect on her cake, though. Cakes she reminded herself. Multiple cakes. She didn’t have to like her to get along with, she reminded herself.

  Liz felt she had lots of reasons not to like her. Number one, she yelled at her. Even Matt, who blistered her butt now and then, never yelled at her. She didn’t like yelled at. Who did? Two, she was a knock out. Curvy, strong, and a mane of hair the color of sunrise. Liz felt less womanly around her, which was stupid. She was strong, lean, and her hair was a boring brown. She would have liked a few more curves, and she was too chicken to make a drastic change in her hair, though that might be an option after the wedding. She’d feel too self-conscious to do it before.

  This whole wedding thing was making her stressed out. She missed her folks desperately. They’d both walked her down the small church wedding she’d had when she married Troy. Eric would walk her down the aisle this time. Or the meadow or pasture or whatever it was. She’d gotten low-heeled shoes to go with her wedding dress so she wouldn’t trip. Hopefully, someone would clean up the horse pies, did she need to ask about that, she grimaced as she worked on checking off her chores.

  Finally, she slipped into the little cafe that she and Rayne were meeting in. She’d seen Rayne’s car out front, recognizing it from the out of state plates she still had on there. The hostess led her back to the booth where Rayne, two huge drinks and a few folders spread out of the table waited.