by Piper Stone
He applied the first ten swats slowly, carefully, making sure not to miss an inch. Her whole backside burned as if wasps had stung her by the time he was finished. “These are for going behind my back. No matter what the topic, I will not stand for you interfering in my affairs. I want your input and need your support, but when you go behind my back like that, it’s disrespectful. It undermines my position with my boss and my co-workers.”
“Yes, dear. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done it.”
“That’s right,” Jeep said. “Now, you’ll get ten for keeping secrets. You talked to Tob when you should have been talking to me. Understand?”
“Yes, I do.” She tried to relax, but couldn’t help bouncing on her toes as the pain of the last few swats penetrated deeply. She knew she’d be feeling this spanking for hours and hours, maybe even days, especially since he placed all ten neatly on that sensitive line at the border between thigh and bottom. Sitting or walking, she’d remember this moment tomorrow for sure.
And then it was over. She was in his arms, clinging to him, sniffling back the last of her tears while he ran his hands over her hair. They stood like that for a long while, as they often did. She could tell he was enjoying her nearness, but she had other motivations for remaining as they were, not the least among them being her dread of that awkward moment when she had to face him for the first time after he had spanked her. It was never easy, but got even more difficult when she knew she had been not only wrong, but also sneaky about it. Stubbornness and feistiness left her with at least a little of her pride intact, but sneakiness felt silly afterwards. What had she been thinking?
“We still need to talk,” Jeep reminded her. “Are you ready now or do you need some more time?”
“If we get into bed and you hold me, I think I could talk about it.”
Jeep obliged her with such alacrity that she guessed he had been thinking along the same lines himself. “You don’t have to ask me twice. Into bed we go.” He threw back the comforter and fell onto his side with her already in position with her head in the crook of his arm.
“But what about my nightgown?”
“You won’t need it.”
“It’s chilly outside.”
“I’ll keep you warm.”
Oh, how she enjoyed baiting him, pretending to be reluctant about an activity they both took immense pleasure in. “I wouldn’t want to put you to any trouble.” She lowered her head a little and raised her eyebrows in what she hoped was an attractively saucy tease.
“It’ll be my pleasure,” he growled. “But first, we need to talk. Haven’t you learned your lesson for tonight? Did I miss a spot?” His hand strayed down to the area in question, raising a little squeal from Jenny.
“No, no, we can talk.”
He gave a gentle squeeze. “So talk. What’s on that amazingly confusing mind of yours?”
“So many things, Jeep. I don’t know where to start.”
“How about telling me why you thought you needed to trick Tob into sidelining me.”
“He didn’t sideline you. He promoted you. He told me that leadership aspects of the missions would keep you busy and challenged but out of harm’s way… or at least further out than the other thugs.”
“But the effect is the same. I wasn’t in the middle of the fight and you know that’s where I really belong. It’s who I am. You know that. It’s never bothered you before.”
“You’ve never been this old before. It won’t be long before the kids get married and have kids of their own. Am I really going to tell our grandchildren that their grandfather had to miss their birthday party because he was out climbing mountains and planting bombs?”
“For one thing, please don’t exaggerate. I do not plant bombs.” She gave him a challenging sidelong glance, drawing a defensive answer. “I don’t! That’s Salk’s job.”
Jenny nodded, lips pursed. “Are we going to start splitting hairs? You know what I mean.”
Jeep’s shrug nearly shifted Jenny out of her comfortable position. “And you know that I’ve heard your ideas on the subject. We’ve talked about this and you said you agreed to me working at least a few more months. I only take the missions I like.”
“That’s the problem: you like all of them.”
“You may have a point there. There’s got to be some way we can compromise.”
“Sure there is. You cut back on your hours at the office. That was the compromise.”
Jeep moved his hand slowly up her side to pick up a lock of her hair. She always loved it when he did this. He brought it back and inhaled deeply. “How about a vacation? Would that help? As a show of good faith. Maybe if we got away for a while, it would be easier to let things go at the office. Christmas is always a slow time. We could go then.”
“A vacation? Depending on the place, I think that sounds like a good beginning,” Jenny said.
“Where would you want to go?”
“Oh, no. Not me this time. You’re going to pick. If you really mean to go through with it, you can do all the research and planning and organizing.”
“You have to give me some kind of hint. I don’t want to have to paddle you on our first night on the road, but I will if you complain that the hotel isn’t fancy enough, or I take you to the mountains when you secretly wanted to go to the shore.”
“I wouldn’t do that,” Jenny protested. When Jeep gave a small snort, Jenny amended her statement. “I wouldn’t mean to do that. I guess a little guidance from me would help. I’d like someplace different, someplace far away, and most of all, someplace where work can’t reach you, even if they want to.”
“Hmm, that’s a pretty tall order. Give me a few days, all right?”
“Take all the time you want.” Jenny let her doubts seep into her voice. “There are only a few weeks before Christmas.”
“What’s with the tone? Don’t you believe I’ll do it?”
“I believe you’ll try. You’ll even make the plans. But when the time comes, will you get in the car and leave your cell phone behind?”
“If I do, what will I get?”
“You’ll get a healthy and restful vacation,” Jenny snapped back, amusement starting to reassert itself in her heart. She did love this man and his unceasing desire for her.
“How about I get to bring all the paddles I want and use them on you for at least ten swats each?”
“Ten? No way. Two.” Negotiating had never been Jenny’s strong point but he enjoyed the game so she tried her best.
“Five,” Jeep said decisively.
Jenny gave in, and let that thought snuggle over them as they drifted off to sleep.
Two weeks later
“But where? It’s not the vacation I object to,” Jeep asserted, placing his soft drink cup on his boss’s desk and picking up his tablet computer again. If he was going to take time off, he felt obliged to make up for it by working through lunch most days. With their other business completed, he and Tobin could move on to personal topics. “I’ve always wanted to try a Christmas getaway. It’s the decisions and the planning I dread.”
“Let Jenny do it,” Tobin suggested. “She’s a smart gal.”
“I’d have to explain the parameters to her,” Jeep replied, arching an eyebrow.
“Oh, I see.” The penny had apparently dropped. “That could be a problem.”
“For exactly that reason: she is a smart gal. I’ve never lied to her, but I have left out a good bit of the truth over the years. She understands I can’t tell her about my work. It’s when work and personal worlds intersect that the trouble comes. If she knows the rules for selecting a place safe enough for me to relax, she’s going to know more than is good for either of us.”
“So we’ll just have to think of some place. Start with the classics. Florida is out of course. You’re sure to be spotted. Too many mob bosses in hiding or retirement.”
“We can’t go to New York either. Too many mob bosses not in hiding or retirement.”
&nbs
p; “You could skip the city but see other parts of New England. It’s beautiful up there.”
“But it’s December. Won’t they have snow up north this time of year?”
“There’s always next year,” Tobin suggested.
“No way. I can’t ask her to wait that long. And we specifically wanted to spend Christmas alone, just the two of us. The kids all have their own places to be this year. No way can I put it off.”
“How about Europe? Paris? Rome?”
“She’ll smell a rat. She’ll think you’re sending me off on some covert mission.”
Tobin gave a small shrug. “Anything international could turn into a busman’s holiday at that.”
“And this vacation has to be completely work-free. I promised.”
“So Mexico is out.”
“Too many drug lords we’ve riled up.” Jeep pulled his thumb toward his chest. “El Gringo’s reputation would draw crooks like flies.”
“California, then.”
“I thought of that, but there is that old weapons charge that I’ve never quite answered…”
“Getting arrested on a five year old warrant could put a damper on the Christmas spirit, not to mention the rest and relaxation.” Tobin narrowed his eyes for a moment, then widened them. “How about Texas? I have connections there. If there were any trouble, I could help.”
“But what would we do in Texas? Jenny’s not a big fan of the desert.”
“There’s a lot more to Texas than the desert. I have just the place in mind.”
“It has to be pretty swanky, remember. With room enough in our suite to put up a tree and a few decorations. A fireplace would be ideal.”
“I think you’ll find the accommodations up to even Jenny’s exacting standards.”
“And there has to be privacy. We need some alone time and as you know, our definition of alone time can get a bit noisy.”
“That won’t be a problem either. This particular place will give you plenty of privacy. In fact, you’ll be the only guests there.”
“Sounds good so far, but if we’re going to be the only guests, it can’t be a very popular place. What’s wrong with it? Is it that far out in the boonies? She’s going to want some first class dining and shopping within a reasonable drive.”
“It is a bit remote, but the dining will be tailored to suit your tastes.”
“And we’ll be the only ones there?” Jeep asked suspiciously. “How can they manage that without charging an arm and a leg?”
“It’s a small place, relatively speaking.” Tobin smiled.
“Small place? Food made to order?” Jeep thought while he finished the last bite of his sandwich and threw the wrapper in the trashcan. “Wait a minute? Would that made to order food have anything to do with the need to cook it ourselves? The only thing that I’ll get handed to me on a platter is my own head, taken off with a dull rusty knife if Jenny has to cook anything more complex than Christmas cookies while we’re on vacation.”
“No, no,” Tobin laughed. “There is a full, well-trained and incredibly discreet staff. They’ve had years of training dealing with delicate marital matters.”
“And you know so much about this place and the staff how, exactly?” Jeep thought he knew.
“Personal experience. Trained them myself.”
“Your summer home?” Jeep tried to imitate the faint upper crust British accent that sometimes seeped through Tobin’s inflection.
“A family place,” Tobin replied vaguely. “But definitely not summer. Or winter for that matter. Rosegate shines in any season. She’ll love it. All the old-world elegance of a colonial hacienda with every comfort the modern world can dream up. Any sort of recreation you could want, and only a couple of hours from more retail opportunities than Jenny could take advantage of in a month.”
“I wouldn’t want to put anybody out,” Jeep hedged.
“Not to worry. I can arrange everything with one phone call. In fact…” Tobin pressed a button on his phone. “Mrs. Cruise? Please call Rosegate and tell Felisa that there will be two guests arriving…” He looked expectantly at Jeep.
“Next Saturday, if I can get my car out of the shop. I guess it’ll take at least a day to drive.”
“Next Friday, Mrs. Cruise. Thank you.” After breaking the connection with another punch of a button, Tobin went on in a tone that let Jeep know that no argument was possible. “The flight is on me.”
“Jenny likes to drive so we’re free to stop wherever we want.”
“The corporate plane will stop whenever she takes a fancy to, but the thought of the two of you alone on the open road…”
“I can take care of my wife, and myself for that matter.” Did everyone think he needed to be coddled? “Remember Erbil?”
“Sure, but you had an advance car and a chase car and a whole convoy with you. I could…”
“No, thanks,” Jeep said. “I can just hear Jenny’s reaction to that kind of spectacle barreling down the interstate.”
“You have to cut straight through the heart of Torino’s newly expanded territory or drive a thousand miles around it getting to Dallas.”
“On second thought, maybe a flight on a ritzy new corporate plane will be a great start to a special vacation.”
“I can sell it to her for you if you want. I’ll remind her that once that plane is in the air, there will be no way for you to change your mind.”
“As if I’d want to. I haven’t had my little Jenny all to myself since… Well, I can’t remember when. She says I’m the one that’s busy, but when I am home, it’s committee meetings and neighbors needing favors, and thugs’ wives crying on her shoulder day and night. There’s not enough of her to go around. This vacation is as much for me as it is for her.”
“Glad to hear it. One no-danger, no-hassle, all-inclusive Christmas vacation getaway coming up. Just show up here at seven o’clock next Friday night with your bags packed. I’ll do the rest.”
Jeep should have known.
Chapter 3
Jenny climbed out of the ceramic tiled indoor pool and dried off on a heated towel that felt like hot chocolate spun out of cotton. A discreetly screened fan kept the steam from obscuring the view through the plate glass wall. On her left, the pool emptied lazily through a gently sloping channel to the outer portion of the pool while to the right the trees sheltered the glass and stucco structure like a frame around a picture. “I feel like we stepped into the latest issue of How the Other Half Lives magazine.”
“Tob does know how to locate the finer things of life.” Jeep raised his head up from his zero gravity reclining lounger that Jenny knew had been special ordered for their visit.
“Even in extra large sizes.” Jenny fanned at Jeep with her towel, then struck what she meant to be an exclusive sort of nose in the air, nineteen-fifties drawing room drama kind of pose. “Shall we dine here poolside, darling, or retire to the veranda?”
Jeep reached out a hand and pulled Jenny toward him. “It’s a bit early for dinner, isn’t it? I think we’ve got something else on the agenda first.”
“Like what?” She wanted to know, although she had a hunch already. He had that look in his eye.
“I’ll give you three guesses.” He stroked a place on her person that wasn’t usually so accessible. She should have known he couldn’t resist the short black swim skirt.
She tried to push his hand away. “That wall is made of glass, if you hadn’t noticed.”
“There’s no one within a hundred miles to see what we get up to.”
“Oh, right. Nobody but Felisa and Lupita and Juan and Bucky and Frank and Tiffany and…” She counted off the servants on her fingers.
He increased the tug on her hand. “They could teach the Loch Ness Monster something about disappearing and staying hidden. I hardly know what the butler looks like and I don’t think I’ve ever even laid eyes on the cook or the housekeeper. Even if they hear or see us, we’ll never know they did.”
“But
I’ll know that they know.”
“They already know,” Jeep told her.
“Tobin didn’t tell them about us, did he?” Jenny gasped.
“Not us specifically. Tobin had to tell them something about the lifestyle. That training he gave them is pretty specific. Actually, he told me that he thinks the butler has seen the light and knows what to do with a paddle when his wife needs one. The groundskeeper isn’t married yet, but he’s onboard too, apparently.” The grin on Jeep’s face could drive even the most peaceful rabbit to riot.
“Oh, you men!”
“You agreed to my terms.”
Jenny relented. She had promised after all and here they were, relaxing in ways she had barely hoped to imagine. This vacation was everything she wanted and more. She loosened her resistance to his pull. “Five swats. How about the pool noodle? You haven’t used one of those yet.”
“Very funny, you little minx. Get over my lap now before I double your swats for giving me such sass.” He moved the towel on the table to reveal a thick, short leather paddle.
Her insides squirmed and she let him pull her down over his lap. The chair, however, had obviously not gotten the memo about discretion. As Jeep drew her towards his left, the hanging pulley mechanism swayed right, unbalancing its rather hefty load. Jenny slipped forward, Jeep dove sideways to save her and they both wound up taking an unplanned dip in the previously serene water. The wildly expensive zero gravity lounge chair seemed to regret its failure and tried to make up for the error by joining its former occupants at the bottom of the pool.
Spluttering, Jenny came up first, thrust from the water by Jeep’s tree trunk-like arms. “So much for fancy, state of the art, ergonomic, extra large patio furniture.”
Jeep shook the water out of his eyes, droplets spraying from his close cropped hair. “I knew there was a reason I liked our twentieth century clearance rack hand-me-down chairs.”
“Here, let’s get it out of the water.” Jenny reached down, groping for a handhold on the chair.
“I’ll take care of that later,” Jeep said as he ran his hands over her face and arms. “Are you okay?”
