Kelli was listening carefully and gaining more respect for Derek.
"He said to make sure she's okay with what just happened, and that she knows you really care for her." Kelli smiled, thinking of how considerate Derek always was of her feelings after a spanking.
She nodded. "Okay."
"Anyway, Lisa and I had a bit of an argument tonight after you two left."
"Oh no. Nothing serious, I hope?"
"Well, she was upset that Derek was going to spank you again tonight. She said two nights in a row is overkill. She claimed you'd be too sore yet, and to spank you again tonight was entirely uncalled for."
"What happened?"
"I tried to talk to her about it, tell her my thoughts, but she didn't want to hear it. I told her that I knew Derek had been concerned about your language and had in fact spanked you for it more than once. He was worried that it would prevent you from getting and keeping a good job, and said he only had one more semester to get through to you. I told Lisa that, but she said two nights in a row was nothing but abusive."
"It was not abusive!" Kelli was upset. "In fact, by making me wait a day, knowing I would be getting another spanking, all I did all day was think about it. I finally got it through my thick head, though, and I see what he's been trying to tell me all along. It was because he forced me to wait and think all day that I finally get it. He told me afterwards that that was what he hoped would happen, why he did what he did."
Phil was smiling at her as she continued. "If he didn't love me enough to do that, I'd probably still be the brat who didn't get it." She finally looked up at him and saw him smiling. "What are you smiling at?"
"You, little sister. You finally do get what he's been trying to tell you, don't you?"
"Yeah," she admitted. "Some of us are just slow learners."
Giving her a hug, he said, "No, some of you are just spoiled more than others growing up."
She hugged him back, then pulled back to look at him. "Lisa's like that, too, isn't she? I mean, she's my best friend, but now that I see what he's been telling me about my temper tantrums and foul language, I know he's right. It's just going to hurt me all through life. But she's just like me, isn't she?"
Nodding, Phil said, "Yes, she is. She's a good person, like you, but she has that same princess complex you've always had."
"Princess complex?"
"You know, that, I can do whatever I want, and how dare you try to stop me, attitude?"
Kelli turned red and said, "I want to deny that because it sounds horrible, but I guess maybe I was a tad bit like that, huh?"
He smiled as he said, "A tad bit, yeah."
"Maybe I should talk to Lisa tomorrow and tell her I'm fine, and I'm glad Derek loved me enough to do what he did."
"That might be a good idea," Phil said, "but I'm not sure she'll be too receptive to hearing it tomorrow, at least in the morning."
"Why?"
Phil smiled a little sheepishly. "Let's just say you're not the only one who will be sleeping on your stomach tonight."
"Phil, you didn't spank her just because she disagreed with you and Derek, did you?"
"Of course not," he insisted. "But when I tried to discuss it, she refused. She said she couldn't believe Derek was such a jerk, and stomped her foot and walked off."
"Uh-oh," Kelli said. "Big mistake." Giggling, she added, "What a spoiled brat!"
"Yes, she was, and that spoiled brat got spanked for her attitude."
Kelli laughed a little before saying, "I feel bad, though, that she got in trouble because of me."
"Oh, don't feel bad about that, Kelli. She didn't get in trouble because of you, she got in trouble for her own actions. We happened to be discussing you at the time, but she gets like that anytime she doesn't agree with me about something. I just decided if we're going to have a future, which I hope we do, she has to get over that attitude."
"Maybe I'll mention that when I talk to her tomorrow."
"You don't have to talk to her if you don't want to, Kelli. I wouldn't ask you to do that."
"I know, but I want to. I love seeing my big brother and my best friend together. Do you realize if you two would get married my best friend would also be my sister-in-law? How cool would that be?"
"As cool as if you and Derek were to get married, and my best friend would also be my brother-in-law. I've thought of that, too. It's weird, though, that it could possibly happen to both of us."
Laughing, she agreed. "Yeah, it is. I never thought about that before. Anyway, I'll talk to Kelli tomorrow."
They talked a few more minutes before going to bed. She laid in her bed on her stomach, thinking about how hard that was for Derek tonight, and vowing never to put him through that again.
Phil was laying in his bed thinking about how much Kelli had grown and matured under Derek's guidance, and hoping his spoiled little princess would do the same.
Chapter Twelve
Kelli had a couple weeks between semesters, so she was home Monday morning waiting to hear from Derek. He was to meet with the judge at 10:30, and Kelli was nervous. She was worried about getting a new probation officer. What if he didn't like her? It would be someone Derek worked with and liked, so she had to get along with him. She refused to embarrass him in front of his friends and co-workers again.
Once again, with nothing to do but worry, Kelli was cooking. She hoped he called soon, she was running out of room to store it all.
***
At the courthouse, Derek met with the judge. They talked about Derek's other case he was having concerns with, before getting to the issue with Kelli. "Derek," the judge said, "I have to say this request surprised me. I've always thought a lot of you, and your work as a probation officer."
Derek was getting nervous now himself. Was the judge about to tell him how disappointed he was that Derek let himself become personally involved with one of his probationers? That was a thought he'd had himself, so he wouldn't be surprised to hear the judge voice that concern.
"You're professional enough to realize you can't be a good PO for her if you have that kind of feelings for her. I want to thank you for that. On a personal level, I want to congratulate you and wish you two the best. It's about time you found yourself a good lady to settle down with, and from the looks of the report I got from the police over the weekend, I'd say you found a keeper."
Derek beamed at the judge's words. "I think so, sir."
"What she did was very impressive." He paused a moment to add, "It was rather dangerous, so I'm not sure I would suggest everyone do that, but I'm glad it worked out well."
Derek smiled and said, "After the discussion we had, I think it's fair to say she would handle it differently the next time herself, but I am very proud of her for helping."
The judge smiled and studied Derek for several long moments before slowly saying, "Yes. I know if my wife did that I'd tell her how proud I was of her for helping, then give her a hell of a spanking for doing something so dangerous." He was watching Derek's expression, and smiled at his reaction.
Derek looked at the judge, stunned. He finally said, "I couldn't agree more."
The judge stood and reached his hand out to Derek, saying, "Well done, son," as they shook hands. They sat back down and the judge said, "In my opinion, nothing is as effective as a good spanking to get a point across. Sometimes just a few good swats is all it takes to help these women of ours to be the sweet little things they truly are inside. That is, if you find one who is truly sweet inside. I'd say from this report you've found one. If she wasn't a sweet person inside she'd have never chased down that thug."
"Thank you, sir. Once again, I agree completely."
"Now, what are we going to do about her probation? I see she hasn't had any violations, but I've got to ask, has she actually not had any, or have your feelings for her prevented you from reporting them?"
"No, sir," Derek quickly responded. "She hasn't had any. I haven't even had to warn her she was getting close
to a violation."
He looked seriously at Derek and asked, "And how did you manage to turn her around so quickly? According to her transfer report, the other court and PO were keeping a cell ready for her. What happened?"
Derek took a deep breath, and told the judge about his friendship with Phil, and the whole story. He finished with, "She'd just never had any boundaries, and I felt she was crying out for them. She needed someone to tell her no, and enforce it."
"So you did."
"Yes, sir."
"How did you do that so quickly? And how did you get her to agree to this?"
"I was honest with her and Phil. I told them what I thought she needed, and that it would include a spanking when she earned one."
"And she agreed?"
"Not at first. I told her exactly what would happen, and that it was a package deal. I would not be her PO if she didn't agree to live by these rules, because without rules it was just a matter of time before she'd have a violation and land in jail. I didn't want to be the one sending her there. The three of us spent the evening together having dinner and talking. She asked lots of questions and I answered them truthfully. She finally agreed, and I filed the transfer papers the next Monday."
"So, are the rules still in place?"
"Yes, sir. When I felt she had earned it, I told her we could relax a couple of her rules. It upset her, and she acted out intentionally, although I don't think she realized it at the time, to see what I'd do."
"She tested you?"
"Yep. That earned her the hardest spanking she'd had yet, but I realized she thrives with those rules. So yes, they're all still in place. She feels more secure with them, so for the foreseeable future anyway, they will remain in effect."
The judge was nodding his head, thinking about this. "How long have you had feelings for her?"
"How long have I actually had feelings for her, or how long have I allowed myself to admit I have feelings for her?"
The judge laughed. "Both."
"I think I've had feelings for her for a little while now, but I kept telling myself I can't do that, I'm her PO. I realized about ten days ago that I can't keep denying those feelings. I told her about it on Friday night, and was surprised to hear she had been trying to deny the same feelings. I put my request on your desk last Monday morning."
"Thank you for that." He paused a few moments, contemplating. "Again, I'm glad you came to me. Now, let me think about this a little bit. Can you and Kelli be here Wednesday morning?"
"She's between semesters, with no classes, so sure. When do you want us here?"
"I've got a couple things going on in the courtroom starting at 9:00. I'll have to rule on this in open court, so be in the courtroom about 11:30. I'll have a solution by then."
Derek called Kelli when he left the judge's office. "How about if I come get you and we'll have some lunch? I'll explain it all then."
"Lunch sounds good, but why don't we just eat here? I've got stuff we can have."
Derek chuckled. "You were nervous and cooked all morning again, didn't you?"
"Sorry."
"I'm not. We'll all eat well for a while. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."
Derek filled her in on everything over their lunch. He didn't want to hide anything from her, so he admitted that the judge knows he spanks her. "I'm sorry, honey. I wouldn't have told him, but I think he guessed. It turns out he approves, because he spanks his wife."
"Oh my gosh. Are you kidding me?"
"It surprised me, too, but that's what he said. Anyway, we have to go to the courtroom Wednesday at 11:30 and he's going to let us know who your new PO will be."
"I'll be so embarrassed," she said, turning red.
"Why?"
"Whenever I look at him, I'll know that he knows. I know I'll turn bright red."
"You're cute when you do, so don't worry about it." He laughed, but getting serious, he told her, "There's no reason to be embarrassed, Kelli. He does the same exact thing to his wife. I'm sure he doesn't look down at her, so why would he think badly about you? On the contrary, he's real impressed with the turnaround you've made. He's happy for us and wished us the best."
"Really?"
"Absolutely. Now, you wouldn't happen to have anything for dessert, would you?"
They both laughed as she got up and headed for the counter. "Would you prefer chocolate brownies, pecan pie, apple dumplings, chocolate cake, or peanut butter fudge?"
"Why don't you get me a brownie, then call Phil and suggest he bring Lisa over to join us here for dinner tonight?"
***
Lisa picked Kelli up on Wednesday and drove her to the courthouse, where they met Derek. He took both of them into his office and shut the door so he could kiss Kelli. "Quit worrying, you'll be fine. Do you have any questions I can answer for you, while I'm still your PO?"
"Will I meet my new PO today?"
"Probably. The judge may already have him in there. If he isn't, I'll introduce you to him." He led her to the door and gave her one more quick kiss and said, "Stop worrying." The three of them went to the courtroom. The court had taken a brief recess, so they sat down and waited. They were surprised when Phil joined them a couple minutes later.
When he saw the surprise on their faces, he frowned. "What? You didn't think I'd be here to support my sister?" Before anyone could answer, the judge came in, and the bailiff called Kelli's case. Kelli and Derek went forward and stood at the podium.
After dispensing with all the necessary introductory remarks, the judge said, "First off, I want to thank you, Miss Matthews, for your heroic action last Friday. I understand you and Derek have discussed safer ways of doing it if a next time occurs, and I'm glad to hear that, but I want you to know I appreciate what you did. My understanding is the police have now linked the two gentlemen to eleven purse snatchings and three house break-ins, so on behalf of the citizens of this city, I'd like to extend our thanks."
"Thank you," a meek Kelli said softly.
"Okay, as far as getting you a new probation officer, I've given this some serious thought. I understand you're doing really well on probation, which I'm glad to hear. I'm starting a new program in our probation department. We're going to have one probation officer head up the entire department. He will be doing administrative work, helping with difficult cases, and overseeing people who we no longer feel need as much contact with their probation officer. People in this program will only have to visit with their probation officer once a month."
The judge turned to Derek. "Mr. Anderson, I'm considering placing Miss Matthews in this program. Would you be in agreement with this placement?"
"Absolutely, sir. I think she'll do really well in the program. If you tell me who will be filling that position, I'll introduce her to him."
"That's where it gets interesting. My first choice to fill the new spot is you, Mr. Anderson. Assuming you'll accept this promotion, I plan on assigning her to James Hathaway, who will be an associate officer for the program. You will be in charge of the overall program, including Miss Matthews, but she will be reporting to Mr. Hathaway once a month. Before I can make this official, however, I need to ask, are you willing to accept this promotion?"
Kelli looked over at him, all smiles. Derek was obviously shocked. He took a moment to digest the judge's words, and eventually found his voice. "Thank you for your confidence, sir, and I appreciate the promotion."
"You've earned it, Mr. Anderson." Turning to Kelli he said, "Miss Matthews, you will be required to come in to visit with your probation officer, Mr. Hathaway, once a month. You'll also need to continue following all your rules of probation. There are a few changes to them, they're not quite as strict, but you still must follow them, as you've been doing. If you do anything in violation of those rules, Mr. Hathaway will be required to file a probation violation, and you, he, and Mr. Anderson, as head of that program, will meet with me and we'll be discussing penalties for your behavior. Do you understand?"
"Yes, si
r."
"Good. Mr. Anderson has given you good reports thus far, which is what prompted me to place you in this program, so prove to me you deserve to be there. Make your probation officers proud." The judge smiled at the look Kelli and Derek exchanged.
Kelli had a big smile on her face. "Yes, sir," she assured him.
"According to the law, I can shorten your period of probation if I feel it's warranted, and in your case you will be eligible for early release after twelve months. Your probation started nine months ago, so you're only three months short of that. If you and Mr. Anderson are seeing each other now, I feel confident he'll be keeping a close eye on you, helping to keep you out of trouble. Considering how well you've done, if Mr. Anderson files for early release in three months, I will grant it, as long as there are no problems between now and then."
"Thank you, sir."
"You've earned it, Miss Matthews. Now, we have one more matter to discuss today. I have a formal request from Mr. Anderson to reinstate your driver's license. A review of the reason your license was taken originally and when, together with your behavior since, leads me to the conclusion that you are indeed ready to have your driving rights restored. I understand you do not currently own a vehicle. I'm sure your probation officer will want to see proof of insurance if you purchase a vehicle in the future. In the meantime, your driving privileges are restored as of now. I will remind you to be sure any vehicle you drive that is not your own is indeed insured."
"Thank you, sir."
"You're welcome, Miss Matthews. You've earned this, as well. I'd like to speak to you two a moment off the Record now." He excused his bailiff and court reporter for lunch, leaving no one in the courtroom except himself, Kelli, Derek, Phil and Lisa.
The judge took off his robe and shook Derek's hand. "Thank you for taking the promotion, Derek. I think you'll do well in that position. Check with my secretary and set up a time to come meet with me and we'll go over your new responsibilities."
On Probation Page 16
