by Piper Stone
She felt his hands on her shoulders, turning her, as he unfastened her gown in the back and dropped it to the floor. The laces on her corset, then her shift, followed them, and she was bare.
“Now, can you lie over my lap? Or do I need to help you?”
She was working hard to keep from hyperventilating, and he reached around her, bringing her body close to him. “Shh, little one. I’ve got you.”
She choked out a sob. “I know. That’s what scares me.”
Turning her to face him, he spoke softly. “Don’t be afraid of me. I’m going to spank you, not beat you. I want you to learn there are acceptable ways of speaking, and acting rather than what I saw in you tonight. I’m going to lower you across my knee while we talk, Cassandra. Ready?”
She shook her head. But it made no difference, Matthew lifted her off her feet and placed her over his lap. She was kicking, trying to twist out of his hold desperately. She felt him move one of his legs over both of hers to hold her still.
“Cassandra, those rules are in place for both our sakes. Not just yours, or mine. Breathe.”
She was still breathing rapidly, but at the calmness of his voice, began to slow it down some. He was speaking deliberately now, and leaned over the small of her back. Somehow it helped her breathe and relax a little.
“That’s better, sweetheart,” he said, rubbing her back with one hand. Soon, he lowered his hand and moved it down to her bottom, caressing her cheeks. “Listen to me, sweetheart,” he said softly. “Are you listening?”
“Y-yes,” she whispered.
“I want to explain my reasons for spanking you.”
At first, she thought he had changed his mind. There was a long silence in the room before he again spoke.
“After Elizabeth died, I made a promise. There were many quiet nights where both of us went to bed angry, and in different rooms. Too many arguments where the sun went down on our wrath, and both of us would awaken the next day to a cold house full of bitterness. Sometimes she would go a week without speaking. I knew how to put an end to it then, I just didn’t have the courage to do it. But after I lost her, and all those days and nights were gone forever, I vowed never to allow that again, that I would do whatever it took to solve conflicts quickly. Because the longer they linger, the harder they are to resolve. Bitterness sets in. I won’t let that happen with you, Cassandra. You’re even stronger willed than Elizabeth was. And I promise, I won’t allow these types of conflicts to have the upper hand between us. Not ever.”
“That’s not fair. You should have spanked her. Not me.”
There was a pause. She heard him, a moment later, say quietly, over her head, “I don’t believe Elizabeth was the one who refused to put her things away tonight, and who stood there with her arms folded, and her eyes full of challenge. Nor was it Elizabeth who took almost two minutes of her allotted time while she stood and glared at me. Had you obeyed when I asked you to put your things away, you’d have had plenty of time left over, and the spanking could have been avoided altogether. Answer me, Cass. Was that defiance? Or not?”
“Yes.”
“Should I allow that to go unpunished?”
She shook her long dark curls that reached to the floor. “No sir.”
“No, you’re right. And I won’t. I’m going to spank you, Cass, and I promise you, it’s going to hurt, because I don’t want this to happen again. Take a deep breath, young lady. And keep your hands in front of you. If you reach back, I’ll hold them behind your back, and I’ll start again from the beginning.”
A shriek came from her at the first smack. It wasn’t as dreadful as she expected, but it surprised her.
“The first five won’t be unbearably hard, Cass. After that they’ll get harder.”
Another landed, then another, and her breath began to hitch, as she felt them increase in intensity. At first, she began to whimper, then to cry out. By the end of the tenth, she was writhing and squirming, and he held her tighter, trapping her more firmly with his legs.
Letting her rest a minute, he waited for her breathing to calm. He heard her sigh of relief. “We aren’t finished, Cassandra.”
“But I’ve learned my lesson. Honest.”
“Take a deep breath.”
“Oh! No, please… Matthew!”
“I believe this might be a good time to call me sir, Cassandra.”
“But you told— Oh! Yes sir! Please! Stop, I can’t—” The blows began to sound louder in the room, and she held her breath, reaching back with one arm to clutch the leg of his trousers tightly. “Matt, sir?”
But the blows kept coming. He stopped briefly, once again, and spoke calmly to her.
Cass began to feel wretched. How could he stay so calm and speak in such a gentle tone, when she’d been so awful to him? Hadn’t she asked for permission just that evening to purchase a load of supplies, and he’d freely given it, only to have her stand and defy him when they got upstairs? How could she?
She collapsed over his lap, sobbing, and he began to rub her bottom with his hands.
“Oh, Matthew, I’m so s-sorry. I was awful to you, and you were so good to me!”
Matthew leaned forward, putting his arm under her waist. “Promise me you’ll think twice before doing that the next time? I don’t want to see that kind of defiance again.”
“I’ll never do it again.”
He soothed her burning bottom and lifted her into his lap. “Sweetheart, I’m not naive enough to think you’ll never do it again, but at least I expect you to think long and hard about it before you decide to act that way the next time. Agreed?”
“Yes, sir.”
He brought her up and stood her on her feet, and leaned down to kiss her forehead. Then he took her to the bed and set her down. “Wait for me. I’ll be right back.”
She watched him go toward the dresser, and in a minute, he was back with a jar of something in his hand. “Ointment,” he said gently. “I want you to lie over my lap while I rub some of it on.”
When she hesitated, he smiled, and brought her down, so her upper body and her legs were resting on the bed, and her bottom was across his knee.
“Be still.” His voice was gentle. She could hear the sound when he unscrewed the lid and set it aside, and a moment later a cool cream was being rubbed into her cheeks. She automatically clenched them together, as he spread it in circles, growing larger. The burning abated.
“Thank you, sir. It feels better.” She looked over her shoulder at him, pressing her lips together. His hand dipped between her legs suddenly, and she gasped, and wriggled down to her knees on the rug beside the bed.
Their eyes locked, as they both sat, silent. Then, suddenly, she flew at him, knocking him backward on the bed. As if she wanted to hold on forever, Cass wrapped her arms around his neck and began kissing him passionately.
Matthew rolled over until he was on top of her, and took her mouth with his, while she held on tightly. Then suddenly, her hands lowered to his waist, unfastening his belt and his trousers.
He watched her fumble with them, becoming frustrated when she couldn’t get them open. When she looked up into his face, he was grinning. “I don’t believe a young lady has ever become so frustrated trying to undress me.”
She glowered at him. “And how many young ladies have you allowed to undress you?” Realizing she sounded provocative, she shook her head. “Well, it’s not fair that you’re dressed and I’m not,” she said, tossing her hair back over her shoulder.
“You, my girl, are about as sassy as they come,” he said, pressing her back against the bed and holding her down. “Shall I spank you again?”
She gasped.
When she didn’t answer, he stopped, his member just outside her channel, and stared down into her eyes. “Cass, I’m not going to be gentle this time.” When she nodded, he plunged inside and thrust deeply.
Cassandra cried out, and instantly felt the ripples that rolled over her body, shattering her all the way to her core
. She listened to his growl in her ear as his seed filled her. “Oh, Matthew,” she whispered, her arms tightly around his neck.
His finger traced her lower lip, before he leaned down to nip at it. “And I, my girl, am thinking perhaps I should spank you every time right before we make love.”
The Mercantile
She awakened several times during the night to roll from her back to her belly, feeling the discomfort from the spanking she’d received, and whimpering. But when she opened her eyes the next morning, Matthew was rubbing his hand over her backside gently.
“How are you this morning?” he said softly, in her ear.
“Tender.” She sneaked a peek over her shoulder. “What time is it?”
“Early. I think I have just enough time to make love to you before Mrs. Billings comes in. I want to distract her before she has a heart attack at the sight of the dining room. “We have time to be nice and slow, before going down to straighten it a bit.” He looked down into her eyes as he began kissing his way down her body. “I think I was a bit rough on you last night.”
She leaned up to bite his neck. “But I liked it, sir.”
But they had just begun, when a scream came from downstairs, followed by a “What in heaven’s name?”
“Mrs. Billings found the dining room,” they both said together.
Matthew made it downstairs first, to find the housekeeper standing over the dining table with a horrified gaze.
“It’s all right, Mrs. Billings. I won’t expect you to clean this room for several weeks. This will be Cassandra’s responsibility. She has this idea, you see…” He paused, as Cass came flying down the stairs and into the room. “In fact, I’ll let her tell you about it.” He winked at Cass, and moved into the kitchen, and she cleared her throat and began to try to explain.
“Please sit down, Mrs. Billings.” She licked her lips nervously. “I had this idea about Christmas, and making things, and… We intended to come back down and straighten it all up before you got here this morning, and we…” She looked up into Matthew’s face. He was leaning on the door facing with a cup of coffee in his hand, looking as if he was quite enjoying himself. The corners of his eyes crinkled downward, and his mouth quirked upward on one side.
She gave him a brief glare, and approached the housekeeper quickly, pulling a chair up to sit next to hers. “The thing is, Mrs. Billings, I need your help. Can you keep a secret?”
Matthew took his wife’s tiny hand in his, as they crossed the street and went down a block toward the Mercantile. It was Matthew who ended up taking the list from his pocket and glancing down at her. “Are you sure this will be enough, sweetheart?”
She eyed it doubtfully. “I’m not sure. If it isn’t, can we come back for the rest?”
“He may not have it all today. It’s a good thing you’re getting a head start.”
They entered the store a moment later, and the owner looked up. “Good morning, Matt. What can I help with today?”
“Morning, Buren. Well, as it happens, I have quite a list here.” He laid the paper down on the counter.
The owner’s eyes glanced at it briefly, and then moved back to it, staring. “Not sure I have all of it, but we can get the rest in a few days, I think. Mercy.”
As it turned out, he didn’t have everything. He put three bolts of the material she had in mind on the counter, and some of the lamb’s wool, and his eyes grew large as he sought the rest of it. Once, he gave Matthew a worried look.
Matthew grinned at him, and Cass offered to help with the ribbon if he’d show her where it was. She looked like a delighted little girl, as she sifted through them. But as she took them to the counter and he began to measure out yards of it, she watched Matthew with concern.
“It’s all right, sweetheart. We need to get as much as we can of it today. This will take you a while.”
She nodded, and smiled at the owner, as Matt paid and hefted the bolts in one arm.
Buren helped by opening the door. “Sounds as if she’s got quite a project going here.”
“Tell me about it. I may not see her again until after Christmas.”
Cass glanced up at her husband. There was no way she would do that to him. Perhaps she could work on the projects in the study, or the drawing room, while he was home. She had no intention of abandoning him.
But Buren stared at them, as they left the store, holding hands and grinning at each other. When they reached home, and Cassie turned back, she could still see him in the window, smiling.
She watched Matthew as he waved goodbye, on his way to the mine that afternoon, and then grabbed her cloak to go and see Lucas. She had almost reached the little house when Grandma Kelley’s voice hailed her.
“Afternoon, darlin’. Come in. Lucas is waiting.”
Cass took off her cloak, and laid it over the arm of the sofa, and turned to see Grandma Kelley watching her.
“I do believe you’ve bloomed, darlin’.”
Cass stared. “Bloomed?”
“Sorry, it’s just the look ladies get about them when they’re happy. And sometimes,” she leaned forward, whispering, “the look they get when they’re expecting. Anyway, I’ll get Lucas down.”
Within a few seconds, Lucas had thrown his arms about her waist, and was waving his papers about.
“I told him Daniel was your husband.” She chuckled. “Now, he wants to see how you draw.”
Cass looked horrified. “But I don’t!” She met Lucas’s eyes. It was obvious he didn’t believe her. “Honest, Lucas, I really—” But he tugged her toward the kitchen, and ran upstairs for his materials. “He’s going to be dreadfully disappointed.”
“I’ll make you some tea,” Mrs. Kelley said sweetly, busying herself in the kitchen.
“Thank you, ma’am. How are you feeling? And Lucas?”
“We’re both well, darlin’. But I know you lost your home when you came here. Is there anything we can do for you?”
Cass only smiled. “It was a disappointment, that’s all. I only wanted it because it’s what Daniel had built. But Matthew has been so good to me, and his home is very nice. I’m very happy there.”
“And blessed,” Grandma Kelley said, nodding. “Matthew’s a kind man. Lucas loves him.”
The scramble of little footsteps on the stairs told her Lucas was on his way back. He slid over a paper toward her, then a pencil and she laughed, as she looked down at him. “I sort of like Matthew too,” she divulged.
Lucas tapped his pencil impatiently down on the paper.
“Of course.” She glanced toward him. “Time to get busy. I can’t stay long. I have things to do this afternoon. What would you like me to draw, young man?”
He showed her one of his other papers.
“A tree?” She eyed him curiously. “All right, a tree it is.”
She watched Lucas as he began, trying to mimic his lines and strokes, while she chatted with Mrs. Kelley.
Finally, he stopped, and looked at her paper. The look he gave her was incredulous, and she howled with laughter.
Lucas looked toward his grandmother, and scribbled on the back of his paper, and she glanced over at Cass.
“He says it looks like a worm.”
“Well now,” she said, grinning. “Worms I can draw.”
He tapped on his paper impatiently.
“All right.” Cass made a face at him. “I’ll show you, Mr. Lucas. Just watch.” She took the pencil and made a straight line, with a little circle on the end that included two eyes, and a nose, and two little antlers on the end. “This,” she said, “is a straight worm.”
He grinned and raised an eyebrow.
“And this,” she curled the pencil around and around, “is a curly worm. And this,” a series of back and forth lines were next, “is an angle worm, and…” She began tapping her own pencil on the table, watching him. “Just what is so funny, young man?”
Lucas had slid down to the floor, and was rolling, holding his belly. He let out a sh
riek that sounded very much like a laugh. Cass ran to him and began to tickle him, and he threw himself around her, holding on to her waist, wearing a huge grin. She raised him up and swung him around, before setting him back down. Then turned and stopped, seeing tears in his grandmother’s eyes. “Mrs. Kelley?” she whispered, “Are you all right?”
Grandma Kelly took her hands, saying softly, “It’s the first time he’s tried to laugh since he stopped speaking, Cassandra. I can’t believe it.”
When Matthew came home that evening, he paused in the doorway of the dining room to watch. Cass and Mrs. Billings were busying themselves as they took the tailor’s scissors and two yards off of the bolts, and then cut strips on the ends of the materials and began to tie each of the strips on the ends to keep them from raveling. The material was warm, and they had six blankets already made by the time he came home. Although the room was a mess, the blankets were neatly folded and ready to be distributed when it was time.
The housekeeper was listening to Cass chatter about her home in Leesburg. And how she had learned do this as a little girl during the reconstruction following the War Between the States.
He smiled down at his little bride. She had a big heart, and he couldn’t be prouder of her. In the doorway, he cleared his throat. “Hello ladies.”
Cass looked up at the mantle clock, and gasped. “Oh Matthew! Supper! We forgot it completely!”
“No, dear, I didn’t. It won’t take me but a moment to heat it up.” Mrs. Billings disappeared into the kitchen.
Matthew strode to her and pulled her up onto her feet and into his arms. “No worries, sweetheart. How many blankets did you get done today?”
“Six, can you believe it? I’m so excited!”
“I can see that. I’m proud of you.”
“And what is happening on the mountain?”
He was quiet. “Tell you later,” he said softly, glancing toward the door, as if expecting Mrs. Billings to come back into the room. “Don’t worry.”
