Sweet Town Love

by Maggie Ryan

  They had plans to go out for dinner one evening, but Matt could tell Elsie was in a bad mood the minute she opened the door. “Did something happen today, Elsie?”

  She looked over at him and frowned. “What a dumb question. Of course something happened. You can’t go through a whole day without something happening. Some things are good, some things are bad, but something will happen.”

  She turned back around and walked into her bedroom, leaving Matt standing in the living room, scratching his head. When she came back out, carrying her purse, he tried again. He went to her and gave her a quick kiss on her cheek. “Elsie, you seem upset. Did something bad happen today?”

  “Another dumb ass question,” she mumbled as she turned to go toward the kitchen. “What gave you the first hint?”

  He grabbed her wrist as she attempted to waltz past him, which surprised her. Before she got her bearings back, he quickly led her over to the couch and sat down. When she found herself draped over his lap, she found her voice. “Matt, no. Stop! What are you doing?”

  “I’m getting your attention. We’ve talked about how rude you can be when you have an attitude, but it hasn’t done any good. This time I’m going to get your attention first. Then we’ll talk.”

  “Okay, you got it. Now let me up so we can talk.”

  “I’m not sure I do have your attention yet, but I know how to get it.” With that, he flipped her skirt up over her back and brought his right hand down on her squirming bottom. She immediately started fighting, trying to get up, but he anticipated her reaction and tightened his arm around her waist. He quickly fell into a pattern, spanking her bottom over her panties.

  It didn’t take long before she was letting him know she wasn’t impressed. “Oh, shit. Matt, stop. What are you doing? This hurts!”

  “It was meant to hurt. It’s called a spanking, and if it didn’t hurt, it wouldn’t get your attention or deter your behavior.”

  “What the hell? You got my attention already, so stop.”

  “Maybe I better explain how spankings work, Elsie. I’m in charge here, and that means the spanking ends when I say it ends, which will be when I feel you’ve learned the lesson I’m trying to teach. In order for that to happen you have to settle down and listen to what I’m telling you. A quick hint here; I’m trying to get you to understand once and for all that having an attitude and being rude to me just because you’re having a bad day is not acceptable. Being rude includes swearing, so swearing at me while I’m trying to teach this particular lesson is not a good idea. It lets me know we have a ways to go yet.”

  He started spanking a little harder to get his point across. She started fighting harder again. “No, we don’t. I promise.”

  He paused. “We don’t what?”

  “We don’t have a ways to go. I promise I’ll stop swearing, and I’ll be nicer.”

  Now he had to pause. This wasn’t what he was expecting. He held her still, though, while he addressed her promise. “Elsie, I hope you mean what you just said.”

  “I do,” she insisted. “Please let me up.”

  “Time will tell if you mean it or not. But in the meantime, I’m going to finish what I started. Honey, you need to learn that actions have consequences. In this case, you are obviously upset about something. However, rather than coming to me so we can talk about it, like I’ve asked you to do, you elected to take your anger out on me again. It’s time you learned that actions like that have consequences, which is what you’re experiencing now. If you don’t like these consequences, remember that the next time you’re upset, and instead of taking it out on me, or your grandmother, or the cashier at the grocery store, or anyone else you come in contact with, come and talk to me so we can talk it out.”

  “I won’t take it out on you again. Please don’t do any more.”

  “Elsie, like I said, I’m going to finish what I started. You’ve earned this spanking, this consequence, and while I’m doing it I suggest you focus on why you’re getting this spanking. Keep telling yourself if you don’t want to experience it again, you need to control your bad attitudes and temper.” With that, he started the spanking again. He knew it was her first spanking, and assumed it probably seemed more painful to her than it actually was. He also knew it was new to her and confusing, as well as embarrassing. He hoped that meant a spanking that was neither as long, nor as hard as he’d planned would work sufficiently. If not, he would keep that in mind when he doled out her second spanking.

  With that thought in mind, he brought her first spanking to an end. He hadn’t allowed himself to check out her bottom when he first flipped her dress up, wanting to start quickly, while she was still stunned. Now, though, he couldn’t help but notice the cute little pink panties covering the wriggling little bottom laying over his knees. It was nearly breathtaking. She had the cutest bottom—nicely rounded, just the way he preferred them. In his opinion, a woman should look like a woman, with womanly curves; not like the stick figures so many of them seemed to strive for these days.

  He laid his hand on her wriggling bottom, holding her still. “Elsie, what were you just spanked for?”

  She turned her face around to look up at him, tears streaming down her cheeks. “What?”

  “You heard me,” he said, rubbing her bottom to remind her where his hand was. “Why did you just get spanked?” After a few seconds of silence, he gave her two more smacks. “Do I need to continue the spanking while I tell you again why you were spanked?”

  She quickly turned back around and hung her head. “No. No, please. It was because I was in a bad mood and took it out on you.”

  “Good girl. What can you do to avoid another spanking?” When he got no immediate answer, he asked, “Elsie, do I need to remind you?”

  “No,” she answered quickly. “I should come talk to you before I lose my temper.”

  “Thank you.” He put her skirt back in place and patted her adorable little bottom lightly. “That’s right. I hope you do, so we don’t have to repeat this.” He helped her up and onto his lap, holding her tightly to be sure she didn’t try to run off. He gave her a minute to find a semi comfortable place and settle in, then tightened his arms around her and encouraged her to lay her head on his chest. He was pleasantly surprised when she allowed him to.

  He rested his chin on the top of her head and set about rubbing one arm gently, while holding her tight against him, and talking softly close to her ear. He told her how special a lady she was and how special she’d become to him and how much he cared about her. When her tears slowed some, he looked down at her. “Are you okay?”

  “No, I’m not.”

  Matt stopped rubbing her arm, instantly concerned, and waiting for her explanation, but none came. He moved so he could see her eyes. “Elsie? Talk to me, honey. Tell me what’s wrong so I can fix it.”

  She met his eyes briefly, then quickly turned away and tried to stand up. She tried to answer, through sobs. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to cry, but losing you hurts. Don’t make it any worse. Just let me go, please.” Her tears got heavier as she tried again to escape his arms.

  Matt tightened his arms around her. “Ssshhh, honey. What are you talking about? You’re not losing me. In fact, you’d have a hard time if you tried to get rid of me.”

  She continued crying, but looked up at him, confused. He had to listen carefully to understand what she was saying, she was crying so hard. “Still? You still care about me?”

  “Absolutely.” He gave her a little squeeze. “Baby, if I didn’t care about you and want to keep you close and watch our relationship grow, I never would have done that.”

  Her crying lessened, although she was still sobbing. “No, you can’t.”

  “I can’t what?”

  “How can you care, and hurt me that bad?”

  “Baby, I’ve talked to you about this several times, haven’t I?”

  “Yes, but you never did anything like that before.”

  “And my talking to you
never did any good before, either, did it?”

  “I heard you every time.”

  “But you didn’t change at all. I decided the next time you ignore what we talked about and treated me like that for no reason I was either going to do something to finally get your attention and make you see that what you’re doing is very hurtful and it can’t continue, or I was going to have to walk away from the relationship we’ve been developing. I just couldn’t walk away.”

  She was quiet and looked down at her lap. After several seconds, she looked up at him, with tears streaming down her cheeks again. “I did hurt you, didn’t I? I’m really sorry.”

  “I believe you are sorry now, honey, and I’m so glad. Does that mean from now on when you’re upset about something you’ll talk to me about it, or find some other way of dealing with it, other than taking it out on me?”

  She nodded and flung her arms around his neck. “I’ll try. I didn’t even realize I was hurting you, but I was. I never meant to.”

  “I believe you. You need to understand, though, that if you do it again, you’ll be getting another spanking.”

  She pulled back far enough to look into his eyes and see how serious he was. After a moment, the corners of her mouth went up just a little, into a devilish little smirk that Matt found very endearing, as she answered, “I believe you, too.”

  He laughed, very glad she still seemed to have her sense of humor. They spent the next half hour talking. She admitted being so upset with him that she was contemplating filing a complaint with his office, hoping it would get him in trouble. She knew her grandmother would be disappointed in her, though, and would feel she deserved it. When Matt said what she’d done had been hurtful to him, though, it changed everything. She did deserve that spanking for hurting the man who had been nothing but kind to her. When he explained that he wouldn’t have done that if he didn’t care that much for her, it actually made sense to her. She leaned against his chest, and after they talked a few more minutes, she was amazed at how content she felt.

  Matt was the ever-polite man he’d always been with her, and suggested if she didn’t feel like going out for dinner, they could order dinner in if she would prefer. She thanked him, and was even more determined not to take her bad mood out on him again.

  A couple days later she had a chance to prove she’d learned her lesson. One of the few people she worked with at the hospital and considered a friend, Diane, called her. “Elsie, have you heard from Paul?”

  “No, and I doubt I ever will. Why would you ask that?”

  “Because things have kind of blown up in his face, and I heard him telling someone that he’s going to win you back, and then move away so you two can start a life together without all the rumors.”

  “He said what?” Elsie was furious. “We were engaged to be married. He had an affair with a blonde bimbo with big boobs. As if that isn’t bad enough, when people found out about his affair, he told everyone that he had an affair because a man has needs, and I was frigid and refused to put out.”

  “I know,” Diane said, “but apparently the bimbo isn’t as much of a bimbo as we thought. Apparently she got to know him a little better, and when she heard the rumors he was spreading around about you, she set the record straight. She told people that you wanted to wait until your wedding night, and he’d admitted to her that he’d agreed.”

  “He not only told me he’d wait; he said he respected that,” Elsie said, obviously hurt as she thought back.

  “That’s what she told everyone, right about the time she told him to go fly a kite. Now you look much better in everyone’s eyes, and he looks pretty bad.”

  “Good. Maybe people will see him for the worm he actually is.”

  “Anyway, I wanted to let you know what happened here, so at least you’d have a little warning in case he calls.”

  “Oh, I don’t plan on seeing him again. Thank you for letting me know, though. If he tries to get hold of me, I’ll ignore his calls.”

  Elsie spent the rest of the day thinking about what Diane had said. She didn’t want to see or talk to Paul again, and the more she thought about what he’d done to her, the angrier she got.

  Chapter 4

  Matt had a meeting he had to attend that evening, so they hadn’t been able to have dinner together. When he stopped over to see her after his meeting, though, he was met by an angry Elsie. His eyebrows drew together as he looked at her with a serious expression on his face. “Elsie, it’s obvious something has you upset. I highly suggest you talk to me about it, before you get yourself into trouble.”

  Talking about it would involve admitting how Paul had used her, and the rumors he spread about her, and she didn’t want to do that, especially not with Matt. She whirled around to tell him that, and saw something in his eyes that made her stop. She was hurting him again, taking her bad news out on him. As soon as she realized that, her shoulders slumped. “I’m doing it again, aren’t I?”

  He smiled and leaned down to kiss her forehead. “Not yet, but you were about to. Let’s go in and sit down on the couch so you can tell me what’s wrong. Then I have something to tell you.”

  “What do you have to tell me?”

  “You first. What happened today that has you so upset?” She sighed, but didn’t say anything. “Elsie, I can’t help you if you won’t talk to me.”

  “I know, but I don’t know if I can do this. I got a call today from a friend, someone I worked with at the hospital, and it really upset me. The problem is, I can’t tell you what she said without telling you about Paul and why we broke up.”

  “Ah. And you don’t feel comfortable doing that?”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “Not really. It’s personal, and embarrassing.”

  He took her hand and led her to her living room, where he sat down on the couch, pulling her down beside him. He took both her hands in his. “Do you trust me?”

  “Yes, I do,” she quickly answered. “That’s kind of unusual for me because I don’t normally trust people easily. I have to know someone pretty well before I can actually trust them.”

  “But you do trust me?”

  “I do.”

  “Thank you. That’s a huge compliment and it means a great deal to me. I cherish it and will do everything I can to protect that trust. I want you to know that whatever you tell me, whether now or later, I will keep it between us, and I will not judge you for it. Whatever it is that happened, I can tell it was very upsetting to you, and I would love to be able to help you through it. I give you my word that it will stay between us, but you have to be ready to tell me. That’s entirely your call, and I’ll respect your wishes, either way. I’m not sure I’ll be able to help you much if you don’t share it with me, but I’ll do what I can.”

  She looked up at him, at his eyes, and slowly nodded. “You’re right. If I can’t share it with you, I have no right to hope you can help me.” He gave her a hug, and for the next twenty minutes she explained how she’d met Paul Kline and they had started dating. After a few months he wanted their relationship to go to the next level, which included sex. She confided in him that she was a virgin and was waiting for her wedding night. She said if he didn’t understand and wanted to break up, she understood. He’d said no, he not only understood, but he respected her for it. But four months later a local police officer was responding to a call of possible trespassing, and found him and some other lady having sex in his car while parked in a lane of an abandoned house.

  Matt gave her a little squeeze. “I’m sorry.”

  She hung her head as she finished her story. “It came out in the local newspaper, and it soon became the talk of the town. In an effort to save face, Paul told everyone he had an affair because I was frigid, and refused to have sex of any kind. Paul was a local boy, so people tended to believe him. I felt like people laughed at me behind my back constantly, so I resigned from my job and moved. I didn’t belong there any longer.”

  “I hate that you had to suffer through
that, honey,” Matt said, pulling her in close and rubbing her arm.

  “Diane called today to ask if I’ve heard from him. Of course I said no, and that’s the way I want to keep it. She said I should expect a call from him. Apparently he and the lady he got caught having sex with had been having an affair for a couple months, but after I left town they started having troubles in their relationship. She heard about the rumors he was spreading about me and felt bad. When people asked her about it, she was honest and told them he’d admitted to her that I was saving myself for my wedding night, and that he’d told me he respected my decision. After that started getting around town, they split up. People were goading him, telling him he can’t keep a woman happy. Diane said she heard he plans on looking me up and getting back together again. She said he plans on moving us away, once everyone knows we’re back together.”

  “I take it you don’t plan on getting back together with him?”

  “Of course I don’t. What a jerk. What does he think I am; some doormat who will do whatever he wants me to do?”

  Matt had to chuckle just a bit. “If he does, he’s not very smart.”

  “Well, he’s definitely not smart. A total dumb ass is more like it.”

  Matt’s expression became very serious and authoritative, quickly. “I understand your feelings, Elsie, but watch your language. That’s beneath you, and I won’t have you stooping to his level in this matter. He’s the one who did wrong; not you, so you should hold your head high. There’s nothing that says you have to take his call. Did you know where you were going when you left there? Did you leave a forwarding address?”

  She thought a few moments before shaking her head. “No. When I left I wasn’t sure where I was going. I went to my parents’ house because I needed some place to store my furniture and things until I decide where I’m going. They’re vacationing in Europe, but they have an old barn on their property in the country that they don’t use, so I put them in there for now. Then I decided to come here, so no, I didn’t leave any forwarding address.”