by Kimber Davis
She thought back to prom night. He'd blamed the entire incident on her, but she knew better. He was the one to blame for what happened that night, not her. If he'd only listened to what she had to say they would have been fine.
Tricia closed her eyes. If those awful events of ten years ago hadn't taken place what would have happened with them? Would they have stayed together? Would they have gotten married?
She knew that her parents liked Seth. They would love to have him as a son-in-law.
Anger bubbled inside her as she wondered, yet again, if her father hadn't set this whole thing up because he was tired of Tricia dumping every boyfriend that she'd had.
She'd never allowed herself to become attached to a man in college, and she hadn't had a serious boyfriend in more than four years. Men were pigs. They were too much trouble to deal with. Especially Seth Watkins.
As if her thinking about him had conjured him up, she watched him walk round the pool, headed toward the sliding glass door, which she'd yet to unlock. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt. He looked good, even though she hated to admit it.
When he reached the house he took a hold of the door handle and went to pull it open.
Tricia sat back on the couch and watched him. She took a leisurely sip of coffee and watched as he pulled on the locked door again. When it didn't open, he knocked, his eyes boring into her face.
She smiled at him and took another drink.
"Tricia. Open the door." His voice was muffled through the glass and she shook her head.
"I'm sorry, Seth, but the servants entrance is near the kitchen."
She watched anger spread across his face. What a wonderful way to start the morning: by ruining his.
But as quickly as her fun had started, it was over. He laughed out loud, then bent down, picked up a ceramic frog that sat next to the door and extracted a key from it. He inserted the key into the lock and she heard it click.
The door slid open and he hid the key back in the frog and put it back in its place.
"Coffee smells good," he said as he went by her. She mumbled under her breath, then sucked her breath in when he doubled back and leaned over the couch, his lips next to her ears.
"Lock me out of the house again and I'll spank you little ass."
"I'd like to see you try," she said. "Touch me and I'll call the cops."
"Really? I wonder if the same ones who came out prom night would come out now? Probably not, though. As I remember, those officers were no spring chickens. That was ten years ago and they've probably retired by now, living it up in Florida and telling tales of the little rich girl who cried wolf."
Tricia didn't say anything, but she knew that he was right. There was a report of the incident, she was sure. Plus, there had been a fair amount of gossip afterwards. She was sure that the officers who worked her had heard all about it. Besides, her father had been furious with her that night, telling her that her judgment was less than stellar.
"Don't you even think about touching me," she said softly. "I may not call the cops, but I'd find someway to get even with you."
"You? I'm the one in the negative column as far as our relationship is concerned. Tell me, Tricia, how much do you remember from that night? You'd had quite a bit to drink."
"So had you!"
"No, I hadn't. I was sober because I had to get behind the wheel of the car."
Her voice softened. "We had some help that night, though. It wasn't just us that did it."
"Yes, but you tried to blame it all on me, didn't you? As I remember everyone ran, except us. And my darling girlfriend pointed the finger in my direction and I spent the night in jail."
"Your father had the whole thing erased."
"Wrong. I still have an arrest record, even though the charges were dropped. All because of you."
"It was your idea, though. Admit it."
"I was joking. You're the one who went inside the hotel and put the plan in motion. Before I knew it, things had gotten out of hand."
"Well, listen, I..."
"Good morning!" Alicia's bright voice jolted them both back to the present day. "I made cinnamon rolls, and a huge pot of coffee at home. Seth, will you help me carry them inside? I'm sure your workers are going to be here at anytime."
"No! No food for them, Alicia!"
"Nonsense. Seth loves my cinnamon rolls. And, I've already made a huge meatloaf to feed the crew at lunchtime. You just tell your men not to worry about food while their here."
Alicia laughed and headed back toward the kitchen.
Tricia took a sip of her now lukewarm coffee and grimaced.
"So, you were going to let us starve?"
"Works for me."
"Behave yourself, or I'm warning you, I will spank you."
"You wouldn't dare."
"Oh yes I would. I believe I have the right. And thinking about prom night just reinforces that fact."
Chapter Two
Tricia fumed all day long. Not only had Alicia disregarded her orders not to feed the crew, she'd told them not to worry about any food during the duration of the renovations.
"I'll fix it all," she'd said to Seth. "Breakfast, lunch and snacks. It'll be fun to have a lot of people to cook for."
Alicia had laughed off Tricia's anger, saying that having a house full of workers was going to be tough, and food would lighten the mood.
"You mean it gives them a chance to slack off," Tricia had replied. "If they're down here eating chips and dip, they're not upstairs working on drywall and floorings. The sooner they get the work done, the sooner they can leave."
Alicia looked at her as if she'd grown a second head. "Your mother told me to feed them, so I will."
Tricia had flounced down on the couch and covered her arms over her chest. If one more person told her "your mother said," she'd scream. If they were going to do nothing but follow her mother's orders why was she here? Why couldn't Alicia have supervised the work?
She sat down on the couch with her coffee and listened to Seth's crew, three men and two women, discuss which rooms to tackle first and who was to handle which job. At least there were several of them, so maybe it would only take a few days.
The thought flittered through her mind, but Tricia knew that wouldn't happen. The house her parents had bought was huge. Three living areas, one enormous kitchen, which had already been done, five bathrooms and twelve bedrooms.
Seth and his workers would be here all summer, or at least for the two months that her parents were gone to Europe. If he were still here after that, it would be their problem.
When her coffee was done, she went to the kitchen for a re-fill, helping herself to two of Alicia's excellent cinnamon rolls. She'd forgotten how good a cook Alicia was. If she wasn't careful, she could gain ten pounds while she was here.
She'd just taken a bite out of the first one when the phone rang. She swallowed quickly and snatched it up, relieved to hear her father's voice on the other end. Relieved for all of thirty seconds.
"Father, I..."
"Why did you cuss out the desk clerk?" He sounded angry, and Tricia stared at the phone. She was well aware that Seth had come downstairs t the sound of the ringing, and was now standing across the room, taking in the whole situation.
"Father, I didn't."
"Really? Well, two of them tell me that you did. You couldn't wait to talk to us until it was a decent hour?"
"You're being unfair. And you blindsided me by hiring that, that... man. How could you do this to me?"
Her father's heavy sigh hit her in the stomach.
"Tricia, Seth is the best in the area. Now, you will behave yourself and you will do as we asked you. It's only for two months. You're a big girl and you can handle it. Please, don't call and berate the desk clerks when they are only following my instructions."
"But, father..."
"Let me talk to Seth."
Tricia swallowed deeply, then held out the phone.
Seth took it and smiled at
her. His "yeah, unhum, I sees," made her want to scream. But if that was bad, the next words out of his mouth were even worse.
"To tell you the truth, Mark, when I heard her cussing at the clerk I wanted to take her over my knee and redden her fanny. OK, yeah. Gotcha."
She took the phone back from him and tried to ignore the huge grin that he wore.
"Father?" Even she could hear the trembling in her voice. She faced the board of directions in New York once a month and she couldn't handle this little problem? She couldn't believe that this was happening to her.
"Behave yourself," her father said. "No more frantic phone calls. No more temper tantrums to unsuspecting workers who have nothing to do with the situation. You are a big girl, Tricia. Act like one. Now, would you like to speak with your mother?"
"Yes."
"Good. I haven't told your mother about your little phone episode, so don't mention it. I expect them to stop. Do I make myself clear."
"Yes, father."
"Good. And by the way, Tricia. I told Seth that the idea of spanking your behind had merit. I just want you to know that."
*****
Tricia sat out by the pool, the sounds of hammering, sawing, drilling and dismantling walls assailing her ears.
Merit. Her father had told Seth that the idea of spanking her had merit. How could he do that to her? It was as good as saying, "take her over your knee, Seth. She needs it."
She seethed, tempted to pack up her bags and leave. But she couldn't do that. Her parents had given her everything in life, including letting her use her father's brand new Porsche while she was in town. The last thing she could do was disappoint them.
She'd done that already, hadn't she, by all her phone calls last night? She felt guilty about calling the clerks and being rude. After all, it wasn't their fault.
The smug look that Seth had given her after the call was burned into her mind. The look had said it all. You need a spanking, and now I have your father's permission. I'm going to tan your behind.
She shivered and stared at the water. Maybe she should go into Seattle today. She'd buy a bunch of books, take in a movie, eat some dinner.
The only problem with the idea was that she'd be doing it all alone. And, she'd be leaving her job here at the house. She'd have to wait until they were all gone. Tonight, when the last worker was out the door, she'd out, too.
She'd grab her keys and head out the door. That would give her a few hours alone. She'd go into Medina proper and shop, and eat dinner. Let Seth sit by himself. Then, on Saturday, she'd do the bookstore thing, and go and see a movie.
At least that way she'd be out of the house, and away from Seth.
At lunchtime, the smell of something delicious stirred her from her depression. She followed her nose into the kitchen where she found a smiling Alicia dishing up a hearty vegetable soup, and dozens of grilled cheese sandwiches, to the workers.
Seth paused in eating long enough to introduce them: Marty, Jeff, Stevie, Joy and Lissie. She's smiled and nodded, then taken her own plate.
She'd planned on taking her food back outside, to eat in silence in the open air. But Seth got up and pulled a chair back for her at the massive table. She sat down, then smiled at Alicia who did the same.
That wasn't anything unusual. Her parents had always treated Alicia like a member of the family. It wasn't "eating with the help," that was bothering her. It was eating with Seth Watkins. She didn't want to be this close to him.
She took a bite of her soup, then almost chocked on it when Marty said, "so, you're the heiress car thief, huh? You're a legend, you know."
"Excuse me?" She turned her eyes to him and put her spoon next to her bowl.
"You guys are a legend. That stunt you pulled on prom night. They still talk about it. Man, all the teachers lock up their keys on prom night, I can tell you that."
Tricia's face burned bright red and Seth laughed.
"Relax, princess. Everybody knows that your daddy got all of us off. Oh wait, I was the only one to be arrested that night, wasn't I? So I guess, he just had to get me out of trouble. Not you."
"You behave yourself," Alicia said with a laugh. "Talking about that nasty night brings back bad memories."
"For who? The princess didn't go to jail. She doesn't have a record. Go guys, let me tell you how it happened."
The crew all nodded with enthusiasm, and Tricia felt the bottom drop out of her stomach.
"Seth, please..."
"Prom was going great. There were four couples in the limo me and the princess; Bev and Jack; Margaret and Lyle; and Cassie and Shawn. We'd had a few drinks, which was bad cause we were only eighteen, but hey, it was prom night."
"Seth, stop it." Tricia stared at him, but it only seemed to fuel the fires.
"Well, I didn't drink, cause somebody had to drive us to a nice secluded spot on the lake afterwards so we could all go necking."
The crew laughed and poked each other and Tricia fumed.
"So, we're dancing and drinking and having fun, when all of a sudden, the princess decides that it would be hilarious if we stole Principal Winters' car and drove it into the lake. You see, she and Bev and Margaret were mad at him because he'd busted them skipping school a few days earlier. Got them into trouble."
Almost as one, the crew turned to Tricia and laughed.
"Seth, shut up! Nobody wants to hear this."
"Yes, we do!" The chorus of voices almost made her ill.
"OK, so. Then, Lyle and Shawn went out to see what number was on the principal's car. Then, Bev distracted the valet parkers while the princess stole the keys."
"Shame, shame!" Marty said with a laugh. The whole crew joined in the laughter.
"That's enough," Tricia said. She gave Alicia a pleading look to help her control the conversation, but the older woman just shrugged her shoulders.
"So, Lyle drove the car to a dock, put it into neutral and we all pushed it in," Seth said. "I'm not proud of it, but I have to admit it seemed like a good idea at the time. Until we heard the sirens. Until everyone scattered but the princess and me. Who promptly told the cops that it had been my idea, and that I'd done it alone."
Everyone turned to Tricia, who shrugged.
"Like he said, it seemed like a good idea at the time."
"So you got arrested," Jeff said.
"No, I got arrested," Seth replied. "In the morning, when everything seemed a little clearer, they filed charges on everyone, but Mark managed to have everything dropped before anyone else ended up in handcuffs. We all had to pay to have the car pulled up. It was unrepairable, so our parents chipped in and bought him a new one."
"Oh, the power of money," Joy said.
"Yes," Seth said. "All our families were fairly well off. Still, my father took it out of my hide, and I know that Lyle and Shawn's parents made them pay back their portion. The princess got a slap on the wrist, even though it was her idea."
"You went along with it," Tricia said. "Nobody forced you."
"You're right. Nobody forced me. They just blamed me."
"And, I got more than a slap on the wrist. My parents cancelled my trip to Europe, which was my graduation present."
"True," Seth said. "No traveling. And no arrest record, either."
The tension grew at the table, and finally, Marty cleared his throat.
"Thanks for the food, Alicia. It was delicious. I'm going back to work."
The others all did the same, carrying their bowls into the kitchen before heading back upstairs. Alicia scampered away in their wake, the noise of her cleaning drifting to the dining room.
"I said I was sorry." Tricia lowered her head and stared into her almost untouched bowl of soup.
"No, princess, you never did. You wouldn't speak to me after that night. You never even told me why you told the cops I did it."
"Because I was scared. Everyone else had run off. We were the only two there. I panicked. Sue me, I was seventeen years old."
"And I was onl
y eighteen."
"I told the truth the next day, didn't I? That's part of the reason they released you."
"And that's supposed to make me feel better? Why wouldn't you talk to me?"
The events of ten years ago flew by Tricia's eyes. She squeezed them shut and sighed.
"Because you let it happen. I never thought it would get that far. But you let it. You should have put your foot down and stopped it."
Seth stood and threw down his napkin. "You're right, I should have. I should have been more assertive. I should have taken things in hand instead of thinking that if I let you get away with your little stunt I'd get laid later that night."
Tricia gasped, then closed her mouth tightly when he continued.
"So, what I'm hearing is that you want assertiveness. So, tonight I'm going to do exactly what I told your father I would do. I'm going to spank your ass for your little temper tantrum last night. Be ready for it."
He stalked from the room, leaving his bowl on the table.
Tricia's chest rose and fell rapidly, her hands shaking. He wouldn't would he? In an instant she knew that he would. She jumped from her seat, hurried to her room and grabbed the keys to her father's car and her purse.
Renovations be damned. She didn't plan on being in the house when Seth and his crew knocked off for the night. She would go to Seattle and stay gone until around midnight. That would put a crimp in his spanking idea.
She went to the kitchen and told Alicia she was leaving, then hurried outside. The more distance she put between herself and Seth Watkins, the better.
*****
The house was dark when she pulled up. All the trucks were gone, except for Seth's. The car was loaded with packages, but she didn't plan on bringing them inside until the morning. She pulled into the garage and shut the outside door, praying that Seth had already retired to the guesthouse and didn't hear the whirl of the garage.
She opened the door to the house cautiously. There were no lights on, and Tricia silently cursed Alicia for failing to leave a light on. Or maybe it was Seth who had done it. Maybe Alicia had left them on, and he'd turned them all off because she'd spoiled his planned fun.
That idea made her smile. She'd walk into a dark house happily with the knowledge that he didn't get to do what he'd wanted to do tonight.
