Protecting Zoe

by Abigail Webster

  "A breakfast casserole... sausage, eggs, cheese, onions..."

  "It's good," he mumbled over a mouthful.

  "I'm trying to placate you a bit," she admitted.

  "Think it's going to work?" he asked with one raised eyebrow.

  "I think I'm going to pay the price for being stupid last night," she admitted with a sigh. "I can't blame you for wanting to punish me, but I at least want you in a good mood when you do it," she added.

  Sam couldn't help it, he laughed. The little brat knew she was in for the punishment of her life, but she was trying her very best to wiggle out of it, or at the very least, make it less severe. "Zoe, you are priceless. I wouldn't ever punish you when I was as angry as I was last night. And, just so you know, most of that anger was for those three men. They were so drunk they didn't know what they were doing."

  "I was lucky you came when you did. Thank you, Sam. Sincerely," she wanted him to know she was truly grateful. "Especially after I kicked you... I feel rotten about that," she admitted.

  "Eat your breakfast, Zoe," he ordered. He wasn't going to let her off the hook, and that was that. Zoe Rathbourne wasn't used to having consequences applied to her actions, and it was long past time she learned that saying "sorry" wasn't enough. Especially when she was being punished in the first place. He ate heartily, then helped the redhead store the leftovers in the fridge, and wash up their dishes. They both enjoyed another cinnamon roll with a second cup of coffee, and once that was over, Sam pointed toward the bathroom. "This is going to be your last opportunity for the bathroom for a while. Shower if you want, take care of business. But, you don't need to dress. Your butt is going to be bare a lot more than you want it to be today, and I don't want to have to mess with jeans and panties. Fifteen minutes, Zoe, and then you will begin to face the consequences from last night."

  Zoe swallowed hard, looked at him, started to open her mouth, apparently thought better of it, and went into the bathroom, closing the door softly behind her. Sam couldn't help but wonder if she was going to ask him to let her off, or remind him she was still extremely sore from the switching. Hell, maybe she was afraid she was going to have to cut more switches. He knew she was a bit frightened, and he would be too, in her place.

  Zoe felt tears sting her eyes as she shampooed her hair and showered. She was scared, and knew that Sam was going to be harsh with her. She'd earned the punishment, and he had every right to be upset with her, but how much could she take? She was already so very sore. Sitting down was nearly impossible, and it was going to be even worse. Even that little spanking he'd given her before tucking her in last night had hurt... Still, she wished with all her heart she'd accepted it without fuss and not earned even more punishment. She wondered what Sam would say if she asked him to wait another day or two...? She toweled off, determined to ask him when she walked out of the bathroom.

  She pulled on her long tee-shirt again, and took her brush with her when she left the bathroom. She dried her hair a bit more with the towel, and looked to see what Sam was doing. He had several slips of paper, and was writing on each one, then dropping them into a bowl. He made a few other pieces, then wrote on those, and put them into another bowl.

  When he was finished , Sam looked at her. "Sam... I know you're upset with me, and I don't blame you for that. I behaved... badly," she had trouble saying the word, but managed, and continued, "but, I am really sore from that switching. I'm not used to being punished like that... Could you please give me another day or two to recover before..."

  "No," he cut her off. "You were the one who choose to misbehave, Zoe, and you did it right after a switching. That wasn't smart, but it's your ass, and I don't believe in putting off punishments. You are going to get a minimum of three spankings today. The first one will be for kicking me. I have a bruise and a knot on my leg." He raised his pants leg to show her, and her eyes widened.

  "I'm sorry!" she whispered, stricken.

  "Even with the switching you got yesterday, does your butt look as bad as my leg?" he asked, already sure of the answer.

  She shook her head no.

  "I didn't think so," he agreed. "You took a risky chance last night, little girl, and I think this little game we're going to play right now is going to make you think twice about taking risks in the future. This bowl has ten pieces of paper in it, and this one has twenty. The first bowl will decide what you are going to be spanked with, and the second bowl will determine how many. For example, if you pull 'switch' from the first bowl, and '500' from the second bowl, you will get your ass striped five hundred times with a switch."

  Zoe's mouth fell open, "Oh no, Sam! I couldn't tolerate another switching! Please... Don't do this! I'm so sorry. I swear I will behave myself," she promised."

  "It's too late for that, little girl. You can chose from either bowl first, but if you hesitate too long, you'll be picking two from the 'how many' bowl."

  Zoe looked at the first bowl as if it might bite her. Finally, she reached in and pulled out a slip of paper. When he pointed to the other bowl, she took one from there, hoping the number was very small... but what if he hadn't put in any small numbers? What if they were all huge? "Are there any small numbers in there?" she asked in a small voice.

  "The lowest is ten, the highest is five hundred," he answered. "Open those and let's see what fate has decided you'll get for kicking me."

  "Wooden spoon," she said with dread, her fingers shaking as she opened the second paper. It crossed her mind to fib when she saw the number, but lying to him would get her in even more trouble. "One hundred and fifty."

  "That's not as bad as five hundred with a switch," he commented, seeing her stricken look.

  "It sounds awful to me. That spoon hurts a lot, Sam," she had tears in her eyes already and he hadn't even started spanking her.

  "My leg hurts a lot, too," he said. "Go and get the spoon and bring it here." He was pleased with her when she obeyed him without an argument. She handed him the spoon, and he pointed at the table.

  Zoe knew that he expected her to bend over and take her spanking, and she'd already learned the hard way that arguing with him would make it even worse. She was going to get spanked, and that was that. She put herself over the table, and then waited, but nothing happened immediately.

  "Pull up your shirt, Zoe. You will bare yourself today for each spanking you get." He expected to be told what to do with himself, but she simply reached back and pulled the shirt up to her waist. Her skin was sporting lines from the switch, and he didn't doubt she was sore. By the time the day was over, she would be grateful to go to bed and lie on her tummy.

  Zoe wiggled when the spoon landed on her sore right cheek. She tried to move her butt out of the way, but Sam rested his hand on her lower back.

  "Stay still, Zoe. You earned this, and you'll have it, but I don't want to strike you anywhere but your backside."

  She tried to count. He peppered one cheek ten times, then the other ten times, and kept it up in that same manner until he reached one hundred. She was crying and there was still fifty more to go. The spoon moved lower, her sit spot was next, twenty to each side, and then her upper thighs received five each. The spanking was terrible, and she was hurting!

  Sam pulled her up and walked her over to the corner. "You'll stand here with your butt on display for the next hour, Zoe. No talking. No rubbing. No squirming. In an hour you'll get your second spanking."

  Zoe longed to rub. Her welts were itching again, and her butt was flaming hot. Standing still was next to impossible, and she tried shifting her weight to one foot, but it didn't help. Her hand lowered the shirt just a bit, and she tried to rub surreptitiously, and then gasped when the spoon cracked against that spot ten times, hard.

  "I told you no rubbing, Zoe. Disobey me again, and you'll be over the table for the entire spanking to be repeated. Do you understand me?"

  She nodded tearfully.

  "I didn't hear you," he cracked her sit spit harder than before.

 
"Ouch! Yes, sir! I understand!"

  "Your hour starts over now."

  Sam went back to the counter and got another cup of coffee. Poor little Zoe was in for a rough day. He wished he knew some other way to teach her not to take risks with her life, but he didn't, and he wouldn't be swayed from doing what he knew to be the right thing to do. If someone didn't take Zoe in hand, she was going to end up in some serious trouble she couldn't handle. Better one seriously bruised bottom and swollen eyes from crying. She'd be scarred for life if he hadn't found her when he did last night. He'd never grown accustomed to dealing with rape victims; the haunted look in their eyes made him want to cry each and every time. Zoe was lucky today, even if she didn't think so.

  The hour passed slowly, but too quickly to suit Zoe. She did not want another spanking. But, all too soon, Sam told her to come and pick from the bowls again. She did it without fuss. It wouldn't help her one little bit, and her only hope was that she'd pick lower numbers.

  "This one is for running away... Are you lucky, or are you going to get what you deserve?" he asked, holding out his hands to read the papers this time. She handed them over and watched his face for a hint. "Oh, I'd say this one is more than fair. You're getting two hundred with your hairbrush this time."

  The brush was lying within easy reach, and Sam picked it up. "Over my knee, young lady." She was very subdued, and Sam helped her get into position. She even remembered to pull up her shirt, and he gave her bottom a little pat. "Good girl," he gave her his approval. "I know you're sore, honey, and since you've been cooperative I'm going to give you a choice... You can either keep your hands in front of you, or I'll hold them out of the way for you. That way you won't earn any extras...? Your choice, Zoe."

  "I don't want extras," she whispered.

  "Okay, I'll hold you tight then. He pulled her tight against his body, and took her right wrist and pinned it to her side. Her left hand couldn't reach her butt. "I'd prefer it if you didn't kick, Zoe, but I'm not going to lie to you; running from me last night was foolish, and I'm going to give you the spanking you deserve."

  Zoe hollered and kept right on hollering as he used her hairbrush to spank her already sore butt. It hurt, and it was even worse than the spoon! This time there was no rhythm to the spanking. It was all out, fast, hard, and Sam spanked her thighs, sit spot, and her butt mercilessly. She had no way of knowing how many he'd given her, or if he was even counting. It was truly awful and she was struggling to get away from the very beginning until it was all over. She sobbed, and then whimpered, and didn't move for a while, afraid it would make the pain even worse.

  "Are you going to run from me again, honey?" Sam asked softly.

  "No," she hiccupped.

  "Good. I would like that in writing, please." He pulled out her chair at the table, and motioned for her to take a seat.

  "Oh Sam...! I can't!" she begged him. "Please... I don't want to sit down!"

  "I'm sure you don't want to sit, but you will sit, and you will sit until I tell you that you can get up. The longer you stall, makes the sit time even longer. You are going to sit on this chair and write lines, Zoe."

  Zoe cried as her bottom made contact with the seat. It was worse than yesterday, and she thought she couldn't stand it then! He wrote on the tablet, and then pushed it and the pen toward her. "Five hundred times, young lady!" She picked up the pen. "Neatness counts, and so does spelling and numbering. I will check them before you get off that chair, sweetheart, so do it up right," he planted a kiss on the top of her head.

  Zoe blinked her eyes to try to clear them of tears so that she could see. The line he'd written was simple: I will never run away when it could put my life in danger. She put a number one on the paper, and started writing, sure it would take her forever to finish. She was surprised when Sam placed a mug of hot coffee beside her. "Thank you," she was so touched by the simple gesture that she wanted to cry.

  He kissed the top of her head again, then said, "I'm going outside for a bit and tend to some things around the cabin. If you need me, call me. I won't be far. Remember, keep your bottom planted on the chair, and no rubbing or squirming." He went on outside, positive she would obey him.

  Zoe took a sip of the hot coffee and it made her feel better. Sam might be punishing her, but he wasn't doing it to be mean to her. She wondered at that. It was embarrassing to have a man who'd known her such a short time be on such intimate terms with her, and yet, she couldn't think of one other person that she trusted as much as she did Sam. She worked on the lines, doing them as nicely as she could, and still get them done quickly. It was so difficult to concentrate, and her butt was merciless as it protested the hard surface of the chair.

  Sam came inside to check on her every so often, and finally he sat down at the table with her, and started looking over the lines she'd written. She was on her last fifty, and then she prayed he would have mercy on her aching butt and let her stand up for a while. She wrote the last line, and then decided it was worth a shot... She added a small note:

  Sam, I'm sorry as I can be... I swear I'll be the perfect angel... Please

  forgive me and let this be the end of it... Please? I've truly learned my

  lesson. ZoeSam picked up the last page and looked it over. His eyes immediately went to the bottom. "Zoe, you still have the worst spanking left. Getting lost on this mountain is nothing to disregard, and you were nearly raped."

  "I shouldn't be punished for that, Sam. They were in the wrong."

  "Yes, they were, but honey, if you weren't running from a spanking you'd earned by sassing me, you wouldn't have gotten lost, and you wouldn't have run across those men... and I have one question for you... Did they find you, or did you see their camp and decide to approach them...?" His answer was in her guilty expression.

  "I approached them and asked them to drive me down off the mountain," she was honest with her reply. "Stupid and naive... and I knew that the second I smelled their breaths! They were really wasted."

  "Very foolish, and very spankable." He picked up the bowls of paper and dumped them in the trash, then put the bowls in the dishpan. "We need some lunch. What would you like?" he asked.

  "I don't care," she admitted, then asked, "If I offer to cook, may I get up and please go to the bathroom...?"

  "You can get up, Zoe. You did your lines, and this part of your punishment is over. You're on your own now until after we eat. Then you're going to get the rest of your punishment."

  "But, you threw the papers away! I thought..."

  "You thought wrong. I let you draw for the first two, but not for what's left. It's too serious, and I'm going to make sure you know that."

  "Sam, isn't there anything I can say or do to change your mind?" she pleaded.

  "What are you offering?" he looked at her in surprise, and Zoe immediately colored.

  "Not what you're hoping," she huffed, and then hurried into the bathroom, shutting the door with a firm bang. The man was irritating!

  Chapter Six

  Sam waited until she came out of the bathroom, then pointed the wooden spoon he was using to stir their food in her direction, "I wasn't hoping, Zoe. I was ready to beat your butt if you were offering!" his blue eyes dared her to argue with him.

  "I wasn't offering," she huffed again, and the fire in her dark eyes told him she truly meant it. She fought to control her temper, then said, "I meant, isn't there anything else, like working outside, or something like that, I could do instead of another spanking? Even writing more lines, or an essay would be preferable... or standing in the corner all afternoon, or going straight to bed for the rest of the day... I really don't want a spanking, Sam."

  "Do you deserve a spanking?" he asked, curious to see what she would say.

  "Probably so," she said in a whisper, "but I don't think I can survive another one."

  "You'll survive," he promised. "You won't sit for a while, but you will survive, and you will be a much wiser girl the next time you think about approaching a grou
p of strangers on your own."

  "I think I already learned that when I was sitting there last night, terrified they would rape me," she told him.

  "Zoe, stop arguing. Go and set the table," he bossed.

  Zoe wanted to go to the bedroom and have a good cry. She couldn't help feeling sorry for herself. Sam was not a man to give in... She respected that, and hated it, at the same time. She put dishes on the table, and helped herself to more coffee. Without conscious thought, her hand slipped back and gently rubbed over her aching posterior. She blushed when she caught Sam looking at her, and immediately stopped.

  He started a conversation about flowers, of all things, and Zoe found herself listening as he described his garden. She wouldn't have believed the man could be so passionate about roses, but he was, and she was surprised when she discovered she was wishing he would ask her to come and see his garden.

  "The American Beauty is my favorite of all," he declared. "You'll have to come and see my garden, Zoe," he said with a smile.

  "Do you really mean that, Sam?"

  "Of course, why wouldn't I?

  "Because my father hired you to deal with his spoiled brat," she said bitterly.

  "Yes, he did... but I'm discovering that spoiled brat has another side that I believe is the real Zoe Rathbourne. I'm not going to lie to you, honey. I don't like the Zoe that flirts and dances half dressed, but I like the real Zoe a whole lot. I'm interested in knowing you on a very personal and up close basis, unless you don't think you can get past the fact that I believe in spanking grown women when they deserve it... and that I don't like to live fancy. I'm not ever going to be wealthy, Zoe, and my first order of business in getting back is to tell your father to donate that money he owes me to your charity."

  "You don't really know me that well, Sam!" she was shocked.

  "I think I know all I need to know for now," he turned his attention to the stove. "I know that you're beautiful without make-up, that you prefer jeans to short skirts, that you are a great cook." He looked at her, "That you cared enough to drape a blanket over me while I was sleeping... I think that girl is the real Zoe. I think the girl that is taking her punishment is the real Zoe... How am I doing?" he wanted to know.