Jackie Draws A Straight: The Journey Series Book 5 Page 8

  She rushed to catch up with Leo as the back screen door slammed closed behind him. It was late enough that he'd already done his morning tour of the local buildings and had returned to get a fresh thermos of hot coffee for his meanderings further afield.

  "Daddy! Daddy wait!"

  Outside, Leo paused by the door to his truck, turning back toward her. "Somethin' wrong, li'l girl?"

  "No…not exactly. I need to talk to you about somethin'." She couldn't look him in the eye. He was going to have a cow. Jackie almost quailed at his dark, assessing gaze on her face.

  "If this is about your movin' away from the ranch again, daughter…"

  "It is, and it isn't." She wrapped her arms around herself.

  Leo snorted. "Jus' like a woman. Well?"

  "I'm…uh…gettin' married."

  There was a deep and uncomfortable silence between them. In contrast, birds nearby continued to chirp merrily and a horse whinnied out by the paddock.

  "You're getting' married to who? That Bud fella better not be sniffin' around you again."

  Jackie sighed. This was so hard. "Not Bud, Daddy. Pete Kaminsky."

  If Leo was surprised, he kept it to himself. "So… It's like that, hm? One spankin' and you're off to the altar."

  Jackie turned her gaze up to him, a thread of annoyance creeping into her voice. "Four spankin's, as a matter of fact. And, if I don't marry him I'm gonna be chewed up like a mouthful of stringy chicken."

  He chuckled and Jackie's annoyance ratcheted up a twist. "Chewed up, eh?" He paused a beat. "You're not in a family way, are you? You been workin' for him less than two months!"

  "No!" Oh God, this whole conversation had gone wrong. "I'm not! We haven't…" She groaned before continuing. "That's the problem, Daddy. We want to, but he won't."

  "Hmm. I like that fella more 'n more."

  A small bud of relief began to blossom in Jackie's heart. "So it's okay? You aren't mad?"

  "Hmph. Your daddy's permission don't mean much in the scheme of thin's, li'l girl. You're grown and will do as you want no matter what I say."

  Jackie put her hand on his thick forearm. He was still a very sturdy man, despite his advanced years. "But I want you to be happy about it, Daddy. It's important to me."

  "It's mighty sudden."

  "Yeah, well…"

  "Have you talked to Father Roskovy about it?"

  "No, sir. I am gonna call him today."

  He turned away and opened the door to his truck. "You do that; do things proper-like. I expect to see Pete Kaminsky at our dinner table in the next day or two. I have words to say to him."

  Anticipated embarrassment washed over Jackie and her face burned. Leo was going to put Pete on the hot-seat for sure. "I'm not a child, Daddy! I won't let you browbeat him."

  Leo gave her a sharp look and then got in the truck. The window was open and he spoke to her as he settled in the seat. "I'm gonna make sure he intends to treat my li'l girl well. How I do that is my business."

  She'd have to warn Pete, but right now, regrouping seemed like a good plan. "Yes, sir."

  Her father's voice was a little softer as he began backing the truck away. "You're a virtuous woman, Jackie Journey," he told her. "I'm proud of you."

  Smiling, Jackie waved at him as he drove away.

  * * *

  Pete looked at Jackie surreptitiously as they dealt with patients through the morning. His fiancé. He was going to get married. The whole situation was bizarre, but somehow…it was right. He hadn't called his parents or brothers and sister yet. He'd do that later. Right now, he had to wrap his own mind around it.

  Was thirty too young to get married? He was still establishing his career. Was he ready to establish a household at the same time? And what about kids? He knew Jackie was a good Catholic girl—he knew that especially well after last night. Was she planning on having kids right from the beginning? Pete wasn't sure how he felt about that. He liked kids real well, but they were a big responsibility.

  Jackie was so unexpected in his life. She turned his world upside down. His organized and carefully considered plans pretty much got thrown out the window.

  He went through the motions while doing paperwork in his office in the early afternoon. Was he marrying her only because he wanted to have sex with her? Pete wasn't a green boy. He wasn't tied up in hormonal knots over her. There were other, less troublesome women in the world.

  Troublesome was the word for her, too. He'd never spanked for punishment before he met her and now he'd done it several times. He had to admit that it was satisfying. She seemed calmer and less scattered afterward, and maybe she was learning better behavior. Was he going to have to spank her often once they got married? It seemed unlikely that she was suddenly going to lose her naughty streak due to the addition of a wedding band.

  He was aware of a not inconsiderable desire to try spanking her during sex. Pete had always enjoyed that before with other women. Would Jackie like it, too? She'd been wet and ready yesterday. That seemed like a very positive sign

  Thinking of yesterday reminded him again of the spanking he owed her. Although he'd stopped being angry at her sometime in the middle of the night as he lay unsuccessfully trying to sleep, he believed in consistency in matters of discipline. He'd promised a spanking and he'd deliver one. Without a doubt, she deserved one. When Pete thought about how awful he'd have felt if he hadn't stopped at the moment he did, it made his temper flare. Hopefully, she'd learn a lesson from being taken to task again.

  They only had one house call that afternoon and Jackie was quiet during the drive to and fro, until they were almost back at the office.

  "I…uh…called my parish priest at lunchtime, Pete."

  "Oh?"

  "About gettin' married."

  "You're marrying the parish priest?" he teased.

  She snorted. "Don't josh me. I reckon you know what I mean."

  "I do. Were you asking him to do the wedding?"

  He caught her nod out of the corner of his eye. "Yeah. I hope that's okay with you."

  "My family is Roman Catholic, Jackie. I am not particularly observant, but I have the credentials." He was trying to make light of it, but taking steps to make the life-long commitment was a little daunting.

  Her sigh was quite audible. "Good. I was worried that you'd have to convert. I don't know how much extra time that would take." She paused. "And you said you didn't want to wait long."

  "No, I don't want to wait long. What did the priest say?"

  "He'll do it, but we have to have marriage counseling first."

  "Marriage counseling?"

  "Yeah. We meet with Father Roskovy regularly for a while before we get married. He'll give us advice and…stuff."

  "Basically, he's going to want to make sure we start going to church and raise our children to become good Catholics."

  Jackie squirmed uncomfortably. "Is that a problem?"

  "No, not really. I'm not good at accepting hard sells, though."

  "Oh, he won't do that. He's a very gentle person. My impression was that it's a formality, otherwise he won't do the church ceremony. We'd have to get married outside."

  In some ways, that would be preferable. They could do it quicker, for one thing. There would be less pressure to start having kids right away. Pete glanced over at Jackie. She was barely breathing and her hands were knotted in her lap. He reached out and squeezed one. "I know this is important to you, Jackie. We'll do what it takes."

  Her breath left in a rush and she squeezed his hand back. "Thank you. I talked to Father Roskovy about goin' at it quickly." She paused. "I'm afraid he has the impression that we need to get married, if you know what I mean."

  Pete laughed. It was so far from the truth that it was ironic. "That must have been an interesting conversation."

  "Yeah, well… I should have told him different. He'll find out soon enough when I…when time has passed. But, he's lettin' us do these counselin' sessions in a hurry. We have to meet with him fou
r nights a week for the next three weeks."

  Pete felt his jaw tighten. That was asking a lot, but what choice did he have? "So many times?"

  She nodded. "Sorry. Can we do it?"

  Sighing, Pete agreed. "So the wedding will be in three weeks?"

  "Yeah. Can you wait that long?"

  He laughed. "Jackie, I'm not twenty years old with a permanent hard-on."

  Watching a flush steal up her cheeks was satisfying. A little discomfort wouldn't hurt her, and if they were going to get married, talking about sex was not improper at all. But he'd expanded her horizons enough for the moment.

  "Are you ready for the spanking I promised?"

  "You're really gonna spank me again?"

  "I thought you liked that kind of redemption."

  "It hurts."

  "Jackie, you puzzle me. You've asked me to spank you several times. Asked and coaxed me. Why this sudden change of heart?"

  Her hands knotted in her lap again. "Now that we're engaged, I don't want to."

  What kind of manipulation was this? "Are you saying you didn't want to before? That you weren't willing before?"

  "No! I did want it. I needed it. It made us…close."

  A crazy idea struck him. "Were you substituting spankings for sex?"

  Jackie's drawl was deep when she answered. "Maybe."

  "Well, I've been thinking about this. Once we get married, if you act up, I plan to spank you again."

  "I won't act up."

  Pete snorted at the absurd idea. Jackie Journey could no sooner behave than a kitten could become a puppy.

  "I won't!"

  "Don't try my patience, young lady. You already have a spanking coming for yesterday's behavior."

  Her voice was low and pouty. "I won't act up. You'll see."

  "You know, that spanking yesterday led us to bed."

  She didn't reply.

  "You were excited by it."

  Jackie whispered her response. "I was excited by you touchin' me."

  "Ah." He rubbed her bare forearm gently. "I'll remember that."

  They listened to the radio quietly until he parked in the driveway behind the office. "After Willa leaves, I want you to go out in the backyard with me."

  "Why?"

  "I'm going to spank you there."

  She gasped. "Outside! In the open where anyone can see?"

  "No one will see. No one comes to the office after business hours."

  "But…"

  He opened the car door. "I thought you were going to behave?"

  The sweet lips he longed to kiss clamped down in a firm line of irritation. "Yes, sir!"

  "That's better."

  * * *

  Willa bid Jackie good night and Jackie stood at the front desk, contemplating the spanking to come as the office door closed. Without a doubt, she'd earned it. She should have known that Pete was not the kind of guy who'd behave cavalierly. He'd never been anything but considerate toward her.

  Now that they were close, though, she didn't feel the urgent need to have the spankings before the cuddling. Cuddling would be enough. Unfortunately, she'd opened a can of worms and now Pete was on a mission to teach her proper manners.

  Considering her behavior over the years, a little self-discipline—even though imparted from an external source—wouldn't be a bad thing to learn. She respected Pete. If she could learn from her mistakes, and if the punishments fit the crimes, the spankings were reasonable. It was satisfying to feel like the misbehavior was corrected. It said that Pete cared in a long-term way.

  But damn, it hurt.

  Jackie locked the office door and turned off the lights, making her way slowly toward the yard between the office building and Pete's house. It would soon be her yard, too. It was a lot smaller than the spread at Journey's End, but that was okay. She didn't need a big ranch to feel established and like she was home.

  Pete waited for her at the patio table in the yard, his laptop open, his fingers typing quickly. Seeing her, he nodded and gave her a quick smile.

  "Shall we get this over with?"

  Although dreading it, Jackie did want to have it done. "Yes, sir."

  "Take off your clothes."

  Her frown was immediate. "All of them?"

  He nodded, sitting back in his chair and closing his laptop.

  "But I'll be naked."

  "Just like you were yesterday when you set me up to have an unpleasant surprise." He gestured toward her. "Punishment fits the crime."

  She felt her face flame. "Do I have to?"

  "Yes."

  "Can't we do this indoors? I've never been naked outside."

  "First time for everything. Get to it."

  He sounded so smug. She wanted to clobber him. "What if I say no?"

  Pete arched a dark eyebrow at her. "Aren't you going to promise to obey in the marriage vows?"

  Argh. He would throw that at her, knowing her traditional values. "Yeah…but…"

  "Then do the obedience part now."

  Fine. They'd get this over with. Jackie roughly pulled off her clothes and tossed them into a patio chair. She was ashamed and more exposed than ever before in her adult life as she revealed her body. He was going to be her husband, though, she told herself. He was going to be on intimate terms with her body. This was not the first time he'd seen her naked—yesterday she'd been more than willing—and it would not be the last time.

  Finally, flushed from toes to roots, she stood on the patio, naked as a freshly washed pig.

  "Okay?"

  He nodded, either oblivious or unheeding of her sarcasm. "You're a beautiful woman, Jackie."

  Her blush was blushing. At the same time, the look in his eyes was very flattering. Pete obviously liked what he saw.

  Nonchalantly, Pete took a pocket knife out of his pants pocket, opened it and handed it to her handle first. He gestured toward a willow tree in the corner of the yard where a tiny creek flowed with spring water. "Go cut yourself a switch from the willow tree."

  Jaw dropping open, Jackie stared at him, aghast. "A switch?"

  "I've been reading about it. Watched a video. You cut off a thin, flexible branch about as long as your forearm—or my arm, in this case—and you pare off all the sharp knots and twigs and leaves. What's left is a switch. I plan to take it to your ass."

  "You ain't serious."

  He nodded. "I am perfectly serious."

  "You're gonna hurt me, Pete."

  "A spanking is supposed to hurt, miłość."

  Although it both maddened and scared her, she did as he said and prepared the switch. It was a wicked object. She hoped he knew what he was doing.

  When she presented it to him, he said thank you and examined the tool carefully. He felt the length of it, looking for any burrs or sharp parts, and did a little extra paring. Then he tested it against his hand, against his leg. He listened to it whistle in the air—it was a dreadful sound.

  After that thorough examination and testing, he pulled out a patio chair for her and gestured. "Hold on to the arms of the chair."

  Jackie eyed him skeptically for a moment, but she'd led herself to this punishment. Furthermore, she had to learn to trust him implicitly if she was going to marry him. Pete had proven himself a person of integrity and honesty, but this was one more facet of their relationship that had to be explored. He'd said he intended to continue spanking after the wedding. That switch might see more than one use.

  His voice was soft. "Go ahead, Jackie."

  "Can't you just yell at me?"

  "I'm not much of a yeller."

  Frustrated but resigned, Jackie bent over the chair and grabbed the arms. Her butt was a perfect target in this position.

  Once more the switch whistled and she cringed but it didn't strike her. He'd hit his pants leg again; another test. The second whistle, however, ended with impact. It stung a little, but hardly at all. Surprised, Jackie relaxed a bit.

  "I'm being careful here," he told her. "That was pretty light."r />
  Jackie wanted to hurry him along. If the punishment was going to be so mild, they might as well get it over and move on to the cuddling.

  The next blow was rather sharper and made her gasp. The next was sharper still and she gasped louder. Each successive swat was getting harder and her butt began to really sting.

  "Not leaving marks," he mused and swatted again. "Wait, that left a little welt."

  Sure as shootin' there was a welt; she didn't need to see it to know it was there. That spank made her flinch. "Ow! Ow!"

  "Ah. We're getting somewhere." The next volley was rapid and harsh and brought tears to her eyes. Her bottom was on fire.

  "You're killin' me!"

  "I am not. Your ass is barely striped. And you deserve this for not giving me information I needed to have in order to make a responsible decision."

  "Ouch!" His hand rose and fell rhythmically, hardly giving her a chance to recover from one blow before the next fell. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

  "I don't want you to ever, ever, put me in a position like that again." He punctuated each word with a flick on her burning behind.

  "No, sir! No! Oh!" She rose on her toes and squirmed, tears streaming down her face. She couldn't remember ever being so miserable. Jackie babbled apologies and vowed to herself that she'd never treat Pete so inconsiderately again.

  "I want to hear you say you'll give me the benefit of the doubt in the future and realize that I have morals and values, too."

  "Yes, sir!" The switch rose and fell again several times.

  "Say it."

  "I'll remember that you have morals! I promise! Oh, please stop!"

  "These welts are going to last a couple of days," he told her with two more whistling spanks. "But that doesn't mean I'll hesitate to take bad behavior out on your butt immediately if you push me, Jackie. Do you understand?"

  "Y-yes! Yes, sir!"

  The spanking stopped. "Good."

  She heard him put the switch on the table. Jackie swore she'd burn that thing as soon as she was able. Of course, maybe that would be like Gabby burning Ace's favorite hat. Perhaps not the wisest course of action.

  "Come here." Limbs trembling, Jackie straightened and turned toward Pete. He sat in a chaise and patted his lap. "Come on. We're done with the spanking part."