by Maggie Ryan
"I assure you he is," Matthew said. "He's put in a good morning's work, has just finished a fine meal, and is ready to rest. I've promised him that we'll go fishing after he wakes up, so the quicker he gets to sleep, the faster he gets to fish. Right, buddy?"
Her own son seemed to be cahoots with the man who was going to… God, she couldn't even think the word anymore. Davy nodded eagerly and, good grief, actually produced a very authentic looking yawn! Matthew just grinned and the two walked away, leaving her to her meal. A meal she'd barely even touched. Sighing, she tossed the rest of the biscuit to King, who gobbled it up in a single bite. Placing her plate on the ground, she called to him. Before he lowered his head to the fragrant stew remaining on her plate, he gave her cheek a lick of his tongue.
"Ah, at least I have someone on my side," she said, scratching between his ears. King wagged his tail and, at her gesture, began to clean her plate. She sat, trying not to let her imagination run wild as Matthew tucked Davy into bed. How could she have accused him of endangering her son? She could hear him giving the boy a dose of medicine and then the rustle of the small bag she'd seen Davy tuck beneath his pillow the evening before. They were already sharing secrets, already working together, already bonding. Nothing could have made her happier. When Matthew reappeared, holding out his hand, she sighed and accepted it. When he began walking towards the river, she followed, almost but not quite smiling at the thought that she and Matthew were about to experience their own bonding… just not exactly the way she'd dreamed of when she went to sleep last night.
When Matthew stopped, she gave it a last try. "What if Davy awakes? He won't know where we are."
"I told him," Matthew said, releasing her hand only long enough to tug off his boots and peel off his socks.
"You told him you were going to spank me!"
He chuckled. "No, just that I was going to show you where we'd been and go across the river. Don't fret. He was asleep the moment his head hit the pillow, and King is with him."
"But—"
"Enough," Matthew said, bending down and in one smooth movement, lifting her into his arms. She stilled as he easily traversed what appeared to be a submerged walkway across the river. He didn't set her down immediately. Instead, he turned to face the water again. "Someday soon, you and I are going to go swimming right there. I'm going to make love to you beneath that tree and watch the sunbeams dance on your bare skin."
Her insides clutched as she looked at the water. Despite the fact that she knew what was coming, she smiled. "I'm thinking that I might want to take a dip sooner than that." His laugh told her he understood her thoughts.
"Sorry. When I spank you, no rubbing is allowed, and though I applaud you for some very creative thinking, nor is dipping your butt in cold water. You'll just have to let your bottom burn to ensure the lesson won't be forgotten. There will be comfort given… I'll hold you until you know you are forgiven and remember that you are very much loved."
He set her down, put on his boots, and they continued for a bit. She wondered if they were the first people to ever traverse these woods, creating the first path among the trees. When they reached a small, open glade, she gasped. The ground was covered in wildflowers, the riot of purples, pinks, yellows and white contrasting sharply with the verdant green of the grass. She could see fat bumblebees flitting from bloom to bloom. Sunlight warmed the area, the beauty taking her breath away.
Matthew led her to where a tree's branches dipped low to the ground. It was what she and her sister used to call a perfect climbing tree. Footholds would be easy to find, thick branches placed close enough to enable one to ascend higher and higher with ease. It became clear that Matthew's purpose wasn't to climb when he turned and sat on the lowest branch, the height making a perfect chair, the soles of his boots planted firmly on the ground, his knees spread wide as he took her other hand and pulled her between his legs.
"Tell me why you are going to get a spanking."
"You… you know why." She had to clear her throat after the first word because it felt like it was beginning to close now that the time was here.
"You'll always tell me anyway," Matthew said. "There will never be a misunderstanding about what has earned you a trip over my lap."
"But… it's silly…"
"It's necessary," he corrected.
She shifted on her feet. Why did the question embarrass her so? And why did his voice, so calm, so deep, have her bloomers dampening?
"Sally, answer the question. Why are you standing here, about to have your drawers lowered and your skirts lifted? Why am I going to spank your bare bottom until it is hot and hurtful?"
Oh God, she… she couldn't even think straight and yet she managed to squeak out a response. "I was just scared!"
"You aren't being spanked because you were scared, Sally. We both know that. If I have to list the reasons why you were naughty, then I will extract an additional payment for my efforts. That payment will be extracted from your heinie with extra strokes. Would you like to try again?"
Swallowing hard, she closed her eyes but only briefly, for the moment her lids shut, all she saw was herself, bare bottomed over his lap. "I yelled at both you and Davy. I-I accused you of awful things. I called you stup… I-I said some bad words."
"Very naughty words," he said, and she had no choice but to nod.
"That's right. You didn't accept my repeated apologies, didn't calm when I asked you to, didn't speak to me as one adult to another with respect. Instead, you threw a tantrum, insulted my intelligence, and spewed filth from the very mouth that I so love to kiss."
Put in that context, she felt just awful, and yet she couldn't deny the validity of his summary. "I-I really am sorry."
"I'm very glad to hear that. All right, let's make sure you will remember that you are." He gave her hands a squeeze and then released them. "Remove your drawers, lift your skirt and put yourself over my knee."
Her eyes flew wide. This wouldn't be her first spanking, but never in her life had she been instructed to… to actually not only bare herself, but to place herself in position. No, the few times she'd pushed Tanner too far, he'd pull her down, lift her dress, and pop her backside a few times. She could count on one hand the number of times he'd given her a bare bottom spanking, and every single one of them had been only because she'd already been dressed in her nightgown!
"Sally, do you need me to repeat my instructions?"
"No… no, I just…"
"When you are being punished, you'll answer with 'no, sir' or 'yes, sir'."
"Oh, yes, sir."
"Yes, you need a reminder?"
"What? Oh, no… I mean, no, sir…"
"Then please proceed."
Feeling her face begin to burn, wishing it was night, that her shame wouldn't be illuminated by the sun, she finally reached beneath her skirts and fumbled with the ribbon of her bloomers. Pausing, she looked at him. "Um, I wear the… the split crotch style. There's really no need to…"
"Remove them, please, and hand them to me."
She gave the ribbon a tug and took a deep breath, starting their descent with a gentle tug of her fingers at her waistband, the fabric fluttering down her legs to puddle at her feet. She didn't even realize she'd accepted his hand for balance as she lifted first one foot and then the other until he released her hand. Bending down, she picked up the white cotton and stood, her face aflame.
"Fold them, please. You won't be needing them for a while."
What did that mean? Of course she'd be needing them! Deciding not to voice that thought, she carefully folded the intimate garment, praying the folds would cover the dampness she could feel in the fabric. Once the bloomers were folded as small as possible, she had no choice but to place them in his outstretched hand.
"Thank you, now lift your skirt."
Heaven help her. She didn't need an actual spanking to feel as if she were paying a high price for her poor attitude. Giving a soft whimper, she slowly began to obey, Matthew maki
ng no move to hurry her, his eyes not even on the fabric being lifted but on her eyes. She could feel the breeze the moment her skirts passed where her stockings ended, the kiss of the air cool on her thighs and then, good God, wafting across the damp curls of her sex. Would he know? Would he see? She paused, the hem of her dress brushing across the apex of her thighs.
"Higher, all the way to your waist, please."
She moaned, her legs beginning to shake as the skirt went higher still until she held it, bunched at her waist, her entire lower half bared to his eyes.
"Good girl, now over my knee."
While not long ago she couldn't imagine being over his knee, at his instruction, she practically threw herself forward. He didn't even budge under the impact of her weight, simply took her arm and guided her to the position he required. Her top half hung over his thigh, her hands reaching for the forest floor, her legs hanging behind her. She closed her eyes, knowing that meant that her bottom… her bare bottom was perched on his knee as if being offered for his perusal. She felt her skirts being adjusted, their weight settling on her upper back to finish the expected presentation.
She moaned when his hand came to rest on her left cheek, the toes of her boots digging into the ground to give her leverage to push forward.
"No, settle," Matthew said, tucking her in close to his waist with a steel band that she knew was his arm. "I won't let you fall. Don't reach back, because I don't wish to hurt your hands. Keep your palms flat on the ground." He gave her a moment to still and for some unexplainable reason, she discovered that she actually was settling… accepting him at his word. He'd not let her tumble off his lap… no, she was positive she'd be going absolutely nowhere until he decided to let her up.
"Are you ready for your spanking, Sally?"
She had a brief moment of insanity, picturing them both old and gray, sitting here for decades, Matthew patiently waiting for her acquiescence until they were nothing more than bones, the wind puffing and blowing them away. That vision reminded her of his words from the day before. How she was given the chance to start anew, to build a life, a future… a future with him.
"Ye-yes, sir. I'm ready for my spanking." His hand lifted, her eyes closed, her fingers dug into the grass beneath her, and she willingly stepped into that future.
Smack… smack… smack… smack… smack… smack
Oh, God, he wasn't giving her a swat! He was… he was spanking her, and he was spanking hard! His palm had only landed on her bare butt a half-dozen times and yet she could feel the heat beginning to build.
Smack… smack… smack… smack… smack… smack
"Ow! Ow!"
Smack… smack… smack… smack… smack… smack
"I'm sorry!"
Smack… smack… smack… smack… smack… smack
"Please! I won't ever yell again!" she yelled, and even with the burn intensifying, gave her head a small shake realizing she'd just lied… sure that if he considered it one as well, those smacks would just keep coming.
Smack… smack… smack… smack… smack… smack
"You are a sweet woman."
Smack… smack… smack… smack… smack… smack
"You are a wonderful, loving mother."
Smack… smack… smack… smack… smack… smack
"You have the voice of an angel, and yet today…"
Smack… smack… smack… smack… smack… smack
This set came hard and fast, beating a rapid tattoo across her nates that had her lifting her head to give a howl.
"Today, you had the words of the devil spewing from that gorgeous, sweet mouth of the woman I love."
Smack… smack… smack… smack… smack… smack
"You are not to speak with such disrespect to anyone."
Smack… smack… smack… smack… smack… smack
"I won't! I promise! I'm so sorry! Please… please, stop. It hurts!"
Smack… smack… smack… smack… smack… smack
"Spankings given to naughty girls are supposed to hurt…"
Smack… smack… smack… smack… smack… smack
"Spankings are meant to turn a bottom hot and red…"
Smack… smack… smack… smack… smack… smack
"Spankings given on a bare little bottom are to help a naughty girl learn a lesson…"
"I've learned it!"
Smack… smack… smack… smack… smack… smack
"No, but you'll not be getting up until you do." His hand never wavered, never missed its target no matter how much she bucked and twisted. Smack after smack continued to land as she clawed up chunks of grass in her attempt to swim off his lap. Her legs were useless, for when she tried to lift them, to block his unerring aim, he simply trapped them both beneath his free leg.
Smack… smack… smack… smack… smack… smack
"A naughty girl's spanking continues until she proves she truly is repentant, until she stops fighting, until she submits to the punishment she knows her very naughtiness has earned her."
Smack… smack… smack… smack… smack… smack
Sally stopped fighting, beginning to sob, her body no longer twisting like a snake. Still the spanking continued. When his knee lifted, sliding her forward just a bit, she sobbed harder as his hand moved to spank the tender juncture where her bottom met her thighs.
Smack… smack… smack… smack… smack… smack
"Are you going to be saying naughty words again?"
"No… no, s-sir."
Smack… smack… smack… smack… smack… smack
"Are you going to accuse me of not caring about you or Davy?"
"No, I… I know you… you care."
Smack… smack… smack… smack… smack… smack
"Are you going to remember this lesson? How your bottom feels right now?"
"Ye-yes… yes, sir!"
Smack… smack… smack… smack… smack… smack
"The next time I have to spank you for the same naughtiness, I promise your bottom will burn a great deal hotter. And…"
Smack… smack… smack… smack… smack… smack
"Young lady, the next time I hear any of those words come out of your mouth, there will be a bar of soap going in. Is that understood?"
"Yes! Yes, sir! I-I'm sor… sorry!"
The hand descended again but this time remained in place. She could feel his fingers splayed across the entirety of her right buttock, and wondered how he could stand the fire beneath his palm.
She lay sobbing, hanging over his knee, tears dripping onto the ground beneath her for a few moments, and then she was lifted to sit on his thigh. Another sob broke through at the discovery that sitting on a rock hard thigh after being so soundly spanked was both uncomfortable and… and yet, exactly where she wanted to be. Turning into him, both of her hands fisted in his shirt, she laid her head against his chest and cried. His arms tightened around her as they held her just as securely to receive his comfort as they had held her securely to receive his discipline. And, just as he'd seemed able to wait a lifetime for her to lift her skirt to ready herself for his correction, he seemed willing to spend a lifetime simply holding her close, rocking her, and dropping gentle kisses on the top of her head.
Chapter Eleven
Matthew had never before felt so honored as he did with this woman on his lap. It wasn't about the fact that he'd spanked her, it was because she'd trusted him to do so. It was because, even though he'd turned her little ass crimson, she was snuggling close, trusting him to keep her safe and taking comfort within his arms. He accepted not only the responsibility of being there for her for the rest of their lives, but the blessing he had been gifted with the moment he'd watched her fly over the fence.
He'd sit forever right here in the woods, in this glade, if that was what she needed. After about ten minutes, it seemed she needed something more. Her sobs had eased into sniffles minutes before, yet she hadn't lifted her head. Fingers that had been clenched in his shirt loosened, and he felt her pa
lm press against his chest… right over his heart. A soft moan accompanied her slight wiggle. About to help her readjust her seat, his breath caught when the hand over his heart began to drift down his chest, dropping lower and lower until the next move would place it over his cock which had begun twitching the moment she'd dropped her drawers.
He lifted his head from watching her hand and turned to her. Her face, no longer buried in his neck, was also lifted, her eyes on his, her need clearly shown in the color of her cheeks and the depths of her eyes. It seemed his blessings were not yet over. He'd fallen in love with a woman of passion, a woman who would offer herself to him for both his correction when needed and his love when desired. Bending down, he pressed his forehead to hers.
"I love you, Sally."
"I love you, Matthew. Please… I know I was naughty; I know I don't deserve it but… but please make love to me."
"You were forgiven the moment your spanking was over," he said, "you deserve all that I have to offer, but are you sure?" It was the hardest question he'd ever asked but he was not about to take advantage of a woman who had already given so much of herself.
Her answer was given only after her hand made that last move, settling on his cock, fingers sliding up and down without hesitation, tracing the growing shaft. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life. I love you and… I need you."
His mouth lowered to hers, the kiss searing with desire. As her fingers worked to undo his fly, his were busy unfastening the buttons of her blouse. As her small hand eased into the opening of his pants, touching his bare skin for the first time, his hands were pushing the sleeves off her shoulders, moving to dip inside her chemise, to cup and caress her breasts. Nipples as hard as little stones pressed against his palms as she eased his cock from its confinement. Their tongues thrust and parried as her fingers encircled his girth, sliding up and down the column of his shaft until he thought he'd explode.
She was gasping when he lifted his mouth from hers and then moaned when his lips found a nipple, her chemise pushed beneath her breasts, freeing them for his eyes to see, his tongue to taste, his lips to suckle, his teeth to nip.
