“It's nearly Christmas, Mom,” Thom said.
“Yeah, Mom. Who's not happy at Christmas?” Aaron added.
“Okay,” she said. Something was off, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was.
“How about we finish up, and then we can trim the tree,” Jay said, eager to change the subject.
“Good idea. Who's turn is it to put on the star this year?” Alex asked.
“Mine,” Aaron said with a smile. “I'm gonna give my turn to Jay though.”
Jay looked up from his plate with surprise. “Thank you, Aaron,” he said. “That's very generous of you. You don't have to, you know.”
“I know,” the small boy said sincerely. “I want you to do it.”
Alex looked on worryingly. The boys were really attached to Jay. Maybe she should have shielded them. Not let them get so attached. If Jay wasn't serious enough, the kids could end up getting really hurt.
“If you're finished eating, boys, you can rinse your plates and go and watch TV,” she said.
“Aren't we gonna do the tree?” Aaron asked.
“In a little while,” Alex said, a little snippier than she meant to be. “Rinse your plate.”
“I was askin’ Jay,” Aaron said.
“Aaron, your Mom said in a little while,” Jay said. “Do what she says.”
“Come on,” Thom said, getting up from the table.
“Don't be long,” Aaron said. “I been waiting all day.”
“I know. We won't be long,” Alex said, gently this time.
“What's wrong, honey?” Jay asked when the boys had left.
“Nothing,” Alex lied. What was she supposed to say? I think it's time you asked me to marry you? There's no way she could do that.
“Are you sure?” Jay asked, wrapping his arms around her as she plunked dishes into the dishwasher.
“Yeah, I'm fine,” Alex said, allowing him to turn her in his arms. What was wrong with her anyway? She had a wonderful guy, and he'd promised her he was here to stay no matter what. She loved him, and he said he loved her. What difference did a piece of paper make? “Just a little tired I guess.”
“Let's go do this tree, and then the boys can settle, and we can have an early night.”
“Yeah. Good idea,” Alex said brightening. This was the first Christmas she'd been really excited about for a long time.
“Saturday, we might get Kel and Rick to babysit if we can, and we'll have a quiet dinner at my house.”
“Sounds like fun.”
* * *
“When are ya gonna ask her?” Aaron whispered to Jay as loudly as he could whisper without actually talking.
“Shush,” Jay said in a real whisper. “You'll let the cat out of the bag.”
“When?”
“Saturday,” Jay said. “Your Mom and I are having dinner.”
“Can we come?” Aaron asked.
“Not this time, sport. Your Mom and I need to be alone for this one. Aunt Kelly and Uncle Rick are babysitting.”
“Why?”
“I have a romantic dinner planned.”
“Why?”
“Because ladies like to be made to feel special on occasions like that.”
“Mom ain't no lady, she's our Mom.”
“And she's very special. Sometimes, grownups like to be alone.”
“So you can kiss and talk love stuff.”
Jay smiled. “Something like that.”
Aaron screwed up his nose. “That's gross. I'd rather play with Uncle Rick.”
“I'm sure you'll have lots of fun.”
* * *
“Be down in a minute!” Alex called when she heard Jay downstairs.
Thom came out of nowhere. “Do you still have the ring?” he asked excitedly, almost under his breath.
“Of course,” Jay said. “I'm not likely to lose that, am I?”
“What ya eatin’?” Aaron said, “We're having pizza.”
“Not pizza,” Jay said with a chuckle. “I made something special.”
“Really,” Kelly said. “Why something special?”
“No reason,” Jay said nervously.
“Oh my God!” Kelly said. “You're going to do it!”
“Shhh,” Jay and the boys all said turning on her together.
“Leave him alone, Kel,” Rick said, suddenly joining the group.
“You knew!” Kel said accusingly. “Why didn't you tell me?”
“Shh,” Rick said. “Because you would have told her.”
“You're gonna ruin the surprise!” Aaron whined.
“No, we won't,” Rick said. “We're all going back to the kitchen where we can't ruin anything,” Rick hissed grabbing his wife's hand and towing her away despite her protests.
“Thanks, Rick,” Jay said.
“No problem.” he said. “Have fun, guys.”
* * *
“I could have walked over here, you know,” Alex said happily. “You didn't have to come and fetch me.”
“I know,” Jay said. “I wanted to come and collect you. Close your eyes.”
“Ooh, why?” she asked. “Is my Christmas present in there?”
“It's not Christmas yet.”
“Well, it could be something that you don't want me to open in front of the boys,” she said curiously. “Is it something you're going to spank me with?”
“If you don't just close your eyes, I might find something,” Jay said giving her bottom a smack.
“Okay, okay,” she said squeezing her eyes shut. “Hang on to me.”
“Always,” Jay said.
“Okay, you can open them now,” Jay said, trying to keep his nervousness and excitement at bay.
“Oh, Jay!” Alex said. Her eyes lit up as they scanned the room. There were fairy lights everywhere, and in the corner by the fireplace was an undecorated tree.
“I thought you might like to help me decorate this tree,” he said. “It's the first one I've had in my own home.”
“I'd love to,” she said.
“After dinner,” he said.
Alex sat at the table that had been tastefully decorated with red candles and holly and waited while Jay served their food. “It's delicious, Jay,” she said. “It's all lovely.”
“Thank you,” he said proudly. “I have to confess, I had a little help.”
“Did the boys help you do it this afternoon when they were here?”
“Yeah,” Jay said. “Aaron wasn't too happy that I didn't want to decorate the tree.”
“I bet,” she giggled.
“And he did think that the food of choice should be pizza.”
“Of course he did.”
Jay fussed over the food and dessert, serving each course without much of a break in between. It almost seemed like he was rushing through the meal he'd gone to so much trouble to prepare on purpose. He must be excited about trimming his tree, Alex thought. It was kind of sweet, really.
“Well, guess we better get this tree done then,” Alex said, happy to be putting Jay out of his misery at last.
“Let's do it,” Jay said.
After they'd spent an hour or so hanging brightly colored balls on the tree, they were nearly finished.
“I think I have one more box,” he said, producing a box from behind him.
“They're pretty,” Alex said. As she opened the box she noticed the six balls had writing on them.
“Oh, Jay, how sweet!” she said lifting a ball out of the box with Aaron's name emblazoned across it.
“You like them?”
“They're beautiful,” she said, taking out the next one that was Thom's.
“Here, I'll take the box while you hang them on the tree, and I'll pass you the others,” he said.
Alex hung both boys’ ornaments on the tree. She couldn't wait to see their faces when they saw them.
Jay put the next ball in her hand. “Will,” she read.
“Who's Will?” she asked, trying to remember if Jay had mentioned someone called Will.
Jay rolled his eyes and passed her the next one.
“You,” Alex read. She looked at the ball, blinked, and then looked at Jay who had dropped to one knee. She was speechless. Tears filled her eyes as the man of her dreams held up the last two balls.
“Marry me?” he asked. “Please, Alex. I don’t ever want us to have separate Christmas trees in separate houses again.”
“Neither do I!” she cried. “Of course I'll marry you!” She threw herself into his arms, knocking both of them over in the process.
“I love you, Alex,” he said after they spent a long part of the rest of the evening making love in front of the fire. “I can't wait to start married life with you.”
“I love you too,” she answered. “I can't wait either. Although we've been doing that really for the last three months.”
“Except for the part where we both have to go home every night. I want to wake up next to you every morning for the rest of my life.”
“Which brings me to the point,” Alex said. “Which house are we going to live in after we're married?”
“Do you care?”
Alex thought about it. She'd started her last marriage in the house next door. It would probably be good to have a fresh start. “No, I don't mind,” she said.
“Do you think the boys would mind?”
“Are you serious?” she giggled. “They will own the pool.”
“Don't tell me they only love me for my pool?” Jay said, with a much-hurt face.
“It's winter, Jay, and they adore you anyway,” she said.
“I know, I was only joking.”
“So, I guess this means if we live here, it's your rules,” she said with a twinkle in her eye.
“Yeah, pretty much,” he said. “Can you live with that?”
“I don't think I could live without it,” Alex said contentedly.
Epilogue
Jay massaged lotion into his wife's naked body as she lay face down on a towel.
“So glad we chose this place,” she said. “Loving the privacy.”
“If we didn't have this private beach, there's no way in hell you'd be sunbathing naked,” Jay said dropping a kiss on each bottom cheek as he massaged down each leg.
“You love it,” she said.
“Uh huh,” he said. “You'd still be naked. You'd just be naked inside.”
Alex giggled. “Finish your story yet?” she asked, knowing full well that he hadn't.
“Nope. Stuck on the end.”
“That's a shame. I love what you have so far,” she said, that familiar excitement twisting her belly and making her clit throb.
“You read it?” Jay asked.
“I sure did,” she said. “Love the wedding and the youngest of the two boys being your best man and the oldest walking the mom down the aisle.”
“I thought that was a sweet touch too,” he chuckled. “I think maybe the bride needs a hot spanking to end my story.”
“Maybe,” Alex said. “You know, I was very naughty when I was reading your book.”
“Oh?”
“You were sleeping, and I borrowed your computer. I snuck it out here to read it in the sun. The scene where they made love right on the beach when they first got here made me hot as hell,” she said. “I had to touch myself. Right out here in the open.”
“You did that? You opened your legs and played with yourself right on the beach?”
“I did,” she said. “I know it was bad, but I couldn't help it. I bet if the bride in your story did that, she'd get a spanking.”
“Oh, yeah. The punishment would have to fit the crime. She'd get spanked right out here on the beach.”
Alex was sitting now, listening intently. “Maybe you should show me,” she said. “Just a little practice for when you write it.”
Jay took Alex's arm and tipped her over his knee. He patted the beautiful, slightly tanned bottom. “It's very naughty to touch yourself out in public,” he said, bringing his hand down with a sharp smack several times on each cheek.
“Ooh, that stings,” Alex said wriggling herself against his hard cock.
“That's what happens to naughty girls. They get their bottoms spanked, and it stings,” he said tapping her bottom several times on each cheek.
“Touch me,” Alex said almost in a whisper, raising her bottom.
“Soon. I'm going to spank your bottom first,” he said, his hand clapping off her wriggling bottom rhythmically. “I want it to be hot and red and sore, so you'll feel it when I sink into you.”
“Then spank me harder,” she said bouncing up and down on his legs to spur him on.
“Careful what you wish for,” he said, and he started spanking in earnest.
“Ow. Jay!” Alex yelped as the fire in her rear end built.
“You're nearly done,” he said spanking her bottom all over one more time. She groaned as he finally slowed to gentle pats.
“Now?” she asked.
“Now.” Jay said. He flipped her onto her back and took a few seconds to admire her and explore with both his eyes and his fingers. His wife, his beautiful, confident wife, sprawled out naked without a care in the world.
“Too tired, cowboy?” she asked sassily.
“No,” he said. “Definitely not too tired.” Within moments he was sinking deep inside her warm and welcoming body.
The End
More Books by Constance Masters
Becky’s Last Chance
Becky Thomas has been spoiled terribly by her Dad since her mother's death when she was six, and her discipline problems at school keep getting worse. After Becky is caught slashing the tires of Tracy Dean, her school principal, her dad realizes that he doesn’t have it in him to do anything to change her behavior. Seeing it as his only option, he decides to send her away to a boarding school for girls. Before she is sent away, Becky gets one last lecture from her friend (and secret crush) Ryan, and his warning that she is in real need of a long, hard spanking both haunts and excites her.
While Becky is away for her final year of school her Dad falls in love, with Becky’s arch-enemy Tracy Dean no less, and he plans to marry her in the near future. Knowing that Becky won’t accept his new relationship right away, and that he won’t be able to resist spoiling her if she lives with him, Becky’s Dad decides to move to New York along with Tracy. He leaves his house for Becky… with a catch. Becky may live there in the house as long as she would like, but her old friend Ryan (who is also her father's business assistant) will be in charge.
Becky comes home after graduation expecting to find her Dad and her old life but instead finds things very different. She quickly learns that Ryan has a much firmer hand than her Dad, and he isn’t afraid to use it on her pretty bottom when she behaves like a naughty girl.
An Unexpected Husband
Skye Martin was hoping for nothing more than some no-strings excitement on her island vacation. What she did not expect was to return home and find out a few months later that her harmless fling had left her pregnant with the child of a man she hardly knew. What she expected even less was for that man to suddenly, by coincidence, be thrust back into her life.
Shaun Collins had lost hope that he would ever again see or hear from the beautiful, sweet girl he’d met on his trip, and the fact that he was about to be a father had never entered his mind. Upon suddenly finding himself close to Skye again and learning that she is carrying his child, he knows what needs to happen. His baby needs a father, and Skye needs a husband. Skye shows no interest in that arrangement, however.
Unfortunately for Skye, Shaun doesn’t plan to take no for an answer, even if that means his hand will need to be applied frequently and firmly to her beautiful, bare bottom.
Double Trouble
A few years after the events of Becky's Last Chance, Becky and Ryan are looking forward to the upcoming wedding of their friends Kendall and Mike. While Ryan and Mike choose a quiet fishing weekend instead of a big bachelor party, Becky and Kendall and the rest of
their girlfriends plan to paint the town red. Of course, things don't go according to plan for the girls and trouble aplenty ensues. While Becky once again finds herself over her husband’s knee, Kendall may have to face a spanking for the first time…
Meanwhile, Becky’s stepmother Tracy, who she has resented for years, is back from New York and determined to work out the issues between them. She has a secret that she hopes will bring the family together rather than tear it apart, and she sees the invitation to Kendall's wedding as the perfect time for a visit. When Tracy and her father arrive a week before the wedding and they all have to stay in the same house, Becky has no choice but to face Tracy and try to iron out their problems once and for all.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Epilogue
More Books by Constance Masters
My House, My Rules Page 13
