“Yes, Master.”
“As I’m sure you do too,” he said.
“Yes, Master.”
“I know how much your dear mother depends on your paycheck every week.”
Autumn nodded.
“So how do you suppose I’m to deal with your failings?”
Autumn looked him in the eye.
“I’ll do a better job,” she said.
“A better job? Yes you will. But I was thinking of a little corporal punishment too.”
“Corporal punishment?” she said, not liking the direction the conversation was taking.
“Yes, a spanking I think.”
“A spanking?”
“Didn’t your daddy ever spank you as a child?”
“My father died when I was a baby.”
“Well that explains it,” Mr. Hildegard said. “You’ve been completely undisciplined. I find that the only thing to keep a girl in line when she’s acting up is a spanking.”
“I bet you do,” Autumn said.
“Excuse me? Was that insolence I heard?”
Autumn said nothing.
“Unless you’ve decided your mother no longer needs her treatment, I’d advise you to watch your mouth, young lady.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Now,” he said, a look of gleeful anticipation on his face. “Please remove your panties and bend over the side of this chair.”
Autumn looked at him and then looked at the leather arm chair he wanted her to bend over. The dirty man wanted to put his hand on her bare butt and she knew it had nothing to do with punishment. She looked at his crotch and saw the bulge of his erection clearly in his pants.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she said.
He drew himself up taller, trying to project an air of authority.
“I assure you I am not kidding.”
“If you think I’m going to take off my panties and let you put your hands on me, you’re wrong,” she said.
“Wrong? I’m your Master, how can I be wrong?”
“Oh, you can be wrong, Mr. Hildegard. And what’s more, you can be sorry.”
“Is that a threat?”
“If you think I’m going to let you do what you’re thinking, then you’re damn right it’s a threat.”
“I could have you fired for such insolence,” he spat. “What would your mother do then?”
“She’d be proud of me, Mr. Hildegard. She didn’t send me here to be your plaything, she sent me here to do fair work for a fair pay. That’s the arrangement we had and if you no longer want me to work for you under those terms, you can give me what you owe me and I’ll be on my way.”
Mr. Hildegard was flabbergasted.
“Your mother’s treatments,” he stammered.
“My mother would die a thousand times before seeing any daughter of hers mistreated by the likes of you.”
Autumn didn’t know what had come over her. She’d never stood up to anyone in a position of authority over her like this before and the act both thrilled and terrified her. She knew what she’d said was the truth. Her mother really would be proud of her for standing up for herself and not letting him fondle her, but she was also terrified she’d lose her job and then lose the one thing that was keeping her mother in hospital.
She left Mr. Hildegard’s quarters and went straight to her room, half expecting at any moment to be turfed out onto the street. She sat on her bed, wondering when Mrs. Hildegard would show up and give her her marching orders but she never came. Autumn didn’t know if it was because Mr. Hildegard hadn’t told her about the incident or if he’d told her and she’d decided not to take any action, but as she got ready for bed that night, she was grateful she hadn’t lost her job.
She was woken in the middle of the night by the little bell that had been installed. She threw on a housecoat and slippers and hurried to the front desk.
“There you are,” Mrs. Hildegard said, as if she’d been waiting an eternity.
Autumn looked up to see a customer checking in.
“This is Mr. Jones,” Mrs. Hildegard said. “He’ll be staying a few nights. I’ve put him in room seven.”
Mrs. Hildegard gave her a conspiratorial wink.
“Room seven, yes, Mistress.”
“The name’s Jackson,” Mr. Jones said to Autumn.
Autumn gave him a polite curtsy and led him to his room. She could see exactly why Mrs. Hildegard wanted him in room seven. This Jackson Jones was as good looking as Grady. In fact, the two men could have been brothers. Jackson had rippling muscles that were visible beneath his white shirt, and tattoos that covered his arms and peeked out at his neck.
“Nice place you got here,” he said.
“Thank you,” Autumn said, not sure whether she agreed or not. “This is your room, Mr. Jones. There’s a fireplace and wood which you’ll probably need to keep warm tonight. If you need anything else just call the front desk.”
“Thank you,” Jackson said.
Autumn left and went back down to the front desk to see if Mrs. Hildegard wanted anything else from her.
“He’s a bit of a looker, isn’t he?” Mrs. Hildegard said.
Autumn nodded.
“I don’t know what’s gotten into the place lately. First Mr. Cole, now this hunk. I feel like I’m on the set of Baywatch.”
Autumn laughed. She’d never watched the show but knew what it was.
“Right,” she said, and went back up to her room.
A few minutes later she heard Mrs. Hildegard creeping into the room next door.
CHAPTER 17
GRADY
Grady woke early as he had every morning since moving up to the cabin. He did his chores, cut wood, worked on a few things around the cabin that needed work, and then went inside to boil water for coffee and to make breakfast.
He kept the baby with him throughout the day while he worked, and he liked to think she was getting a healthy taste of the outdoors. She certainly seemed to be doing well. She was growing by the day, looking happy and healthy and strong. She was always smiling or laughing at him. When she was outside, she looked around with curious eyes that were full of wonder and amazement at the world she was gradually becoming more aware of.
Grady was tentatively beginning to feel that his child might not be in bad hands after all. By no means did he think she didn’t need a mother in her life, but he was at least coming to terms with the fact that she probably wasn’t in any urgent danger by being in his sole care.
He played with her on his lap and fed her a bottle of formula while his bacon sizzled on a cast iron pan over the fire and his coffee brewed in a little metal pot next to it. He loved the rustic lifestyle the cabin afforded. He felt like a cowboy cooking bacon and brewing coffee over an open flame.
Destiny grabbed his finger and he looked into her eyes.
“What do you say we go get you some ice cream today, little monkey?”
He still remembered fondly the morning he’d spent in town with Autumn. For such a small thing, Autumn sure did devour her sundae. Ever since, he’d had a fondness for ice cream he’d never had before. He knew Destiny was partial to a little whipped cream too.
He packed Destiny into the car and made his way first to the hardware store, where he’d placed an order for a big, brass bathtub. He was glad to see it had arrived and he paid them for it. They said they’d drop it off at the cabin and he told them to go right inside and leave it in the bathroom if he wasn’t home. He couldn’t lift it alone.
From the hardware store they went to the grocery store and he stocked up on a few essentials they were running low on.
Then they went to the diner and he took a booth as far from the door as possible. He didn’t want Destiny catching a chill.
“What can I get you?” the waitress asked.
Grady recognized her.
“Could I get the same ice cream sundae I had last time I was here?”
“You certainly can,” the waitress said, “and will
your other daughter be joining you?”
Grady looked up at her and laughed. “Oh, that girl wasn’t my daughter,” he said.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” the waitress said, tripping over her words. “Girlfriend, I mean.”
“She’s just a friend,” Grady said, “and unfortunately she won’t be joining us.”
The waitress left as quickly as she could and Grady chuckled to himself while he waited for the ice cream.
Daughter!
She was only eleven years younger than he was. Maybe he wasn’t as dapper as he liked to give himself credit for.
“Did you hear that?” he whispered to Destiny. “Even the waitress thinks I’m losing my edge.”
Grady wasn’t really bothered though. He was more amused. He knew Autumn’s innocence gave her the air of someone even younger than she was, and him having the baby made him seem a little older and more settled than he was used to. It was all just part of life and he wasn’t one of those people obsessed with appearing young. He’d seen so much in his life that the thought of growing into maturity with grace appealed to him. He had no desire to relive his turbulent youth.
He ate the ice cream but it didn’t taste nearly as good as it had when he’d been with Autumn. Even Destiny didn’t seem as interested in the cream.
“It just ain’t the same without her, is it?” he said to the baby.
He couldn’t be certain, but he felt the baby agreed.
They sat there a little while enjoying the bustle of the diner. It could get a little quiet being up in the cabin all the time. Grady watched the customers, watched the waitresses, and was sipping his coffee when a man walked up to his table.
“What the hell are you doing here, you old bastard?” the man said.
Grady was caught unaware. He’d been looking down at Destiny as the man approached. He looked up now and the expression on his face flashed rapidly from confusion, to recognition, to joy.
“Jackson! You son of a gun. What the hell?”
“Thought I’d drop by and check in on my little brother,” Jackson said.
Grady got up and threw his free arm around Jackson, giving him a hearty hug. Then he handed Jackson the baby.
“Say hello to your niece.”
Jackson took the baby in his hands, threw her up and caught her. Immediately she started laughing. Being a father himself, Jackson knew exactly what babies liked.
“She’s beautiful, Grady. Well done.”
“I don’t know how much credit I deserve,” Grady said, sitting back down.
Jackson took the seat across from him and flagged down the waitress.
“Two fresh cups of coffee,” he said.
Grady smiled as he remembered Jackson’s habit of ordering for him.
“Here,” he said, sliding his unfinished sundae across the table to Jackson. “Finish this.”
“I didn’t know you had a sweet tooth,” Jackson said.
“I don’t,” Grady said. “I just had a hankering for something.”
Jackson ate the ice cream and the waitress brought them a fresh pot of coffee.
She looked at them, the two sexiest men ever to set foot in the diner of Destiny, Montana, and lingered for longer than was necessary.
“Either of you two gentlemen need anything, anything at all, you let me know.”
Grady looked at Jackson and grinned.
“Thanks,” he said.
“Anything at all,” the waitress repeated before leaving.
“Friendly place,” Jackson said.
Grady nodded.
What followed was a long, warm conversation between the two men that did more good for Grady than he cared to admit. He liked to think of himself as strong and independent, but it was a huge comfort to know he still had the support of his brothers.
Jackson told him that they all understood his decision to come out to the mountains and make a new beginning. He’d been dealt a tough hand in the past, especially with Destiny’s mother, and he had to do what he felt was right for himself and the kid.
“I only wish I’d done more when Ravenna was still alive,” Grady said.
Jackson shook his head.
“You did as much as any man could, Grady. You stood by her through the pregnancy, even though you weren’t in love with her. You helped her to stay clean for the entire nine months and that’s the only reason your baby is healthy. It was her decision to go back to her old ways in the end, and there’s nothing you could have done about that.”
Grady nodded. He knew that was all true, but it didn’t remove the guilt he felt.
“So, where are you staying while you’re up here?” Grady said as he finished his third cup of coffee.
“The Raven’s Nest,” Jackson said.
Grady nodded. “How long are you staying?”
He was thinking Jackson being there might be enough of an excuse for him to go back and see Autumn again. He couldn’t shake the feelings he’d developed for her and he desperately wanted to see her, but without making a big deal about it.
He was curious to see if his package of clothing had arrived. He felt foolish for ordering it, and knew he shouldn’t have, but he couldn’t help himself. If she didn’t want them, she didn’t have to wear them, but one way or another he had to buy them for her.
“I’ll probably head back tonight, brother. I didn’t come up here to interfere with your plans or anything. I don’t want to get in the way. I just wanted to make sure you knew you still had all of us, all the brothers, and Faith, Lacey and the rest of them. You’re our family, Grady. And family’s forever.”
Grady’s eyes teared up as he said goodbye to Jackson. They weren’t brothers by birth, but they were true brothers in every true sense of the word, and he knew they always would be.
CHAPTER 18
AUTUMN
As the days passed one by one, Autumn’s life gradually grew more and more lonely. She’d never realized how isolated she would be at a hotel like Raven’s Nest. Most days, the only people she saw were the Hildegards, and for obvious reasons, she kept her interactions with them both to a bare minimum. She was thankful Mr. Hildegard hadn’t tried anything with her since she’d told him he couldn’t spank her, but she was still wary of him and got shivers down her spine every time she was in a room with him.
She didn’t have the key to the lock on her bedroom door, and thankfully Mr. Hildegard had never tried to enter while she was sleeping, but even still, she took to sliding a small dresser in front of her door at night, just so she’d have some warning if he ever decided to pay her a visit. It wasn’t a feeling she enjoyed, locking herself away like that.
She never felt completely safe in the hotel.
Whenever a man checked in, or even once when a couple had stayed for a night, Mrs. Hildegard put them in room seven and spent the night spying on them. Autumn hadn’t ventured into the room since Grady had checked out, and was grateful Mrs. Hildegard hadn’t tried to make her join her either.
The thought disgusted her, and she often felt guilty about the night she’d crept into Betsy’s room to spy on Grady. She reminded herself it had only been him she’d spied on, and only because she’d had genuine feelings for him, but she still wished she’d had the strength not to take that peek, however pleasurable it had been.
Whenever she thought of what she’d witnessed, Grady pleasuring himself, his cum pouring from his cock and landing on his chiseled, tattooed chest, she got wet with lust.
Because it was the low season, there were very few guests at the hotel, and despite Mrs. Hildegard’s best attempts to keep Autumn at work, there were many times when she had nothing to do. There were only so many times she could clean the bathrooms and polish the silverware, and with everything so spick and span, she often found herself with time to hide away in her bedroom with yet another of Mrs. Hildegard’s romance novels.
The last guest in the hotel had been Mr. Jones, and he’d only spent a single night. Autumn had watched him leave with a strange sens
e of foreboding. In his brief stay, he’d somehow managed to give her the same sense of comfort Grady had given her while he was there. Every time a man like that left, she felt doubly alone.
With all the free time, she’d have thought the Hildegards would allow her to go into town more often, but every time she tried to leave, one or the other of them would stop her. It was at those times they seemed most determined to find an urgent chore for her to do, and Autumn suspected they thought she’d run away if they let her into town regularly.
Autumn could have lived with that except for the fact she couldn’t make phone calls from the hotel, the Hildegards wouldn’t let her, and she missed her mother’s voice. A few times, she tried to use the phone at the reception but it required a code to make outgoing calls. She also tried using the phones in the guest rooms but they went through the reception and required Mrs. Hildegard to enter the same code.
A trip to the diner was required to call home from the pay phone.
She waited until Sunday to make her move. There were no guests and there couldn’t possibly be a chore the Hildegards could think of that she hadn’t already done. So she crept quietly out of her room and checked to make sure Mrs. Hildegard wasn’t sitting at the front desk. She wasn’t. She and Mr. Hildegard were in their private quarters and a quick listen at their door told her they were watching game shows and wouldn’t notice if she snuck out.
She went back to her room and put on the luxurious socks, boots, and coat Grady had so kindly sent her, and then let herself quietly out the front door. She walked briskly down the long driveway, very aware that a glance out the window by the Hildegards would give her away.
When she reached the end of the driveway without incident she breathed a sigh of relief. A half hour later and she was at the diner.
“Hi,” she said shyly to the waitress.
The waitress was older than her and seemed friendly. She’d served Autumn a few times before but they’d never spoken beyond that.
“How are you?” the waitress said.
“Actually,” Autumn said awkwardly, “I’m here to ask you for a little help.”
“Help?” the waitress said, a look of concern on her face.
“It’s not an emergency or anything,” Autumn said, “but I need to call home.”
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