by Kimber Davis
She'd had a good day. She'd gone to the mall and bought lots of new clothes and shoes, and then she'd hit a bookstore, buying more than five hundred dollars worth of books that she was sure she would never read.
Still, tomorrow she could sit at the table and go through them all again. It would give her something to do besides think of Seth.
She couldn't believe that he'd told the prom night story so matter of factly to his workers. She herself had tried to forget the incident ever happened. It was the worst idea she'd ever had, and she was more than a little ashamed of her actions afterwards.
But, she didn't let people know that. Instead, she'd fueled her own self-loathing into hatred for Seth, whom she blamed for letting it get out of hand. Now she had to face the music. Today's lunch had been humiliating.
The way they'd all looked at her with accusing eyes. Sure it had been her idea, but she hadn't done it alone. Seth deserved some of the blame. But not all of it. And he certainly didn't deserve an arrest record, which would follow him for the rest of his life.
She sighed as she made her way into the living room. Moonlight filtered in through the sliding glass door, and she could see the pool just beyond it. She was tempted to take a midnight swim. Maybe that would help her to sleep.
Her eyes had adjusted to the dark, and she headed for the stairs. She didn't want to turn on any lights, because she didn't want to alert Seth to the fact that she was home.
She gingerly made her way up the stairs, laughing to herself about him missing out on his "taking charge," after his little speech. She'd just stepped inside the door to the bedroom she'd staked out when the light next to the bed came one.
A strangled cry of fear left her throat. That fear quickly turned to anger when she noticed Seth lounging on her bed, his back against the headboard and his legs stretched out in front of him.
"I was beginning to think you might not come home tonight. I was just watching some TV when I heard you pull up."
"Get out."
"I don't think so. I told your father that I was going to spank you for cussing at the clerks, and I meant it."
"You have no right!"
"Your father gave me his permission. I have every right."
"I'm twenty-seven years old. You can't possibly be serious about spanking me."
"Oh, I'm very serious. You need to be a good girl and take it like a woman."
"You...you....you...bastard!" She picked up a pillow from the chair sitting next to the door and threw it at him.
He dodged it handily, then ran toward her, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her into the wall of his chest.
"Don't you dare disparage my parents' names. The last time I let you get away with being a brat, I got arrested. As far as I'm concerned, this is payback."
He turned to the chair she'd taken the cushion from and sat down, upending her over his lap in one quick movement.
Tricia screamed and cried, beating against his legs as he pulled her skirt up over her hips.
"When the neighbors call the cops you'll be arrested again!"
"Doubt it," Seth said. "The houses are too far apart."
Tricia knew that he was right. No one would hear her if she cried out for help. Plus, how embarrassing would that be? If the neighbors came what would she say? He'd spanked me? Would she tell the cops? Would they laugh at her?
She'd stopped struggling as the ideas flittered through her mind. But then she felt his fingers in the elastic of her panties and that jolted her back into action.
"No! No! No! No!" She squirmed around on his lap but it didn't matter. He pulled her panties down to her knees, using her own squirming against her to wiggle them down, then scissored his legs so that her own legs were caught in between his.
The first strike made her cry out again. The slap bit into her tender behind and she felt the sting run down her legs.
"Getting the picture, huh?" He slapped her ass again, and again and again and again.
Tears sprang to Tricia's eyes. The slaps were harsh, and her behind began to throb.
She felt as if she would fall, her position precarious as Seth continued to spank her bottom.
"When we're done, you're calling that clerk and apologizing."
He delivered several more smart smacks.
"The hell I will."
The slapping continued, his hand connecting with her flesh, which smarted something fierce.
"Oh yes you will! You'll be nice, and you'll make it good. Or I'll spank you again."
Each word was punctuated with harsh slaps against her bottom. She knew that she must be red. The slapping must be leaving marks. Surely he could see that. Surely he would feel sorry for her. But still, Seth didn't stop.
His hand continued to land on her bottom and finally, when she thought she would go crazy, she screamed out that she was sorry for what she'd said to the clerk. It wasn't his fault and she felt bad that she'd blamed him.
Seth pushed her off his lap and then grabbed her wrist, heading toward the desk. He shoved the phone into her hand and picked up a piece of paper.
"Here's the number. Call him, and make it good."
"I already apologized to you."
"It wasn't me you offended. It was him. Call him."
"Seth, please." Her crying was under control but her bottom burned.
"Do you want more?"
"No!" She pulled against his hands, and felt anger sweep over her. She was the New York manager of a prestigious investment company. He had no right to treat her like this. People obeyed what she said, not the other way around.
"Call him yourself!" She thrust the phone back at him, then squealed in surprise when Seth turned her toward the desk, swept it free of the papers and things she'd sat on it, then bent her over the side, lifted her skirt.
She gasped when he bent down and picked up the hairbrush that was in the pile of things he'd just cleared from the desk.
The spanking started immediately, the brush smarting against the strikes he'd left from his hand.
"You'll call him and you'll be nice. Do you understand me?" The brush continued to fall and she stomped her feet and tried to get away.
This wasn't happening to her. This was unbearable!
The brush came down again and again and she cried out in frustration. Finally, when she thought she could take no more, she screamed, "Fine! I'll do it, I'll do it!"
The spanking stopped immediately. Seth pulled her upright and she fought the urge to spit in his face.
He reached down and picked up the phone and thrust it back at her.
"Call him. And make it good."
She took a few minutes to get her breathing under control. Then, resolutely, she dialed the phone. The clerk that answered sounded cheerful and happy, until she'd said hello.
She could tell that he recognized her voice from the night before, and that he had no desire to talk with her.
"I want to apologize to you," she said softly. "I treated you badly and it wasn't right. I'm sorry."
He hemmed and hawed, obviously trying to think of a proper response. Finally, he replied, "thank you, Ms. Blackwell."
She repeated her apology, then hung up the phone.
"Satisfied?"
"About what? That it took a spanking to make you see the error of your ways? I suppose I should be, but I'm not. I'll do it again, Tricia, so you'd better watch your ps and qs."
He started toward the door and she turned to him, her voice soft.
"I'm filing assault charges against you in the morning."
He turned toward her, a smile on his face.
"Go ahead. It was worth it."
"You'll have to tell everyone that you were arrested because you thought you had the right to spank me."
"And you'll have to tell everyone that you were a bad little girl, who was taken over a knee and spanked like a spoiled rotten little child. Like I said. It was worth it."
He left in a hurry and Tricia sank down onto the floor, burying her h
ead in her arms and crying. She thought she'd been so smart by staying gone from the house. She had no idea that he would be so persistent about the idea of spanking her.
But why didn't she know that? Seth had always been a man of his word, even when they were teen-agers.
And he knew, as she did, that she wouldn't call the cops, and she wouldn't press charges. If word of this got out it would be humiliating. She'd rather take the spanking and get on with her life than allow people to find out about it.
But she'd find someway to get even with him, she knew that. By the end of the summer, he'd be sorry that he'd taken this job.
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 ho
w 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."
