“The only way this isn’t happening is if you tell me you want out of our agreement. That you don’t want to follow the rules and don’t want my help anymore.”
Is that what I wanted?
My immediate response was no, but I took a minute to really think about it before saying anything. My finances were back on track, and I’d booked Kenny’s project plus one for another local farm that was impressed with what I’d done for Tobin’s family. Even more important was that I liked having Tobin there to provide guidance, to brainstorm ideas with, and to be a safety net in case I got stuck. He wasn’t bossy and didn’t try to take control. We discussed things and if he disagreed with me, he did it gently, not forcing me around to his way of thinking.
And I liked Tobin. Earlier I was considering a relationship with him, and I knew if I said I wanted to stop, I would be turning down a lot more than just the business manager relationship we had going on now. If we were going to move forward and become more than friends, it would be with rules in place and him in charge. He may not have said it so bluntly, but he wasn’t hiding it either.
Did I want to give up everything we had and everything we might possibly be?
“No.”
He sighed and released the hold he had on my waist.
“If that’s what you want, Charlotte,” he said without inflection, and I realized he misunderstood me.
“I mean, no, I don’t want to back out of our agreement.”
He paused, took a deep breath, and let it out.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
Another pause.
He laid his arm across my back and grabbed hold of my hip.
“Okay then.”
I took a breath and braced myself.
“I’m going to spank you for refusing to write your lines. Then you’re going to write the lines I originally assigned for breaking the rule against speaking negatively about yourself. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” I didn’t like it, but I understood. And at the same time, I felt better than when I’d thought he was giving in. Weird.
And then he began, and all thoughts left my brain. I couldn’t focus on anything but my backside.
Even with my pants and panties still on, Tobin created enough heat to have me struggling against his hold within a few minutes. But no matter what I did, he was unrelenting. His hand lifted and lowered, blistering every square inch of my bottom.
“Oh my, oh my, oh, Tobin!” I squealed, completely unable to control my reaction. It burned and smarted, but it was all surface level, so I knew he wasn’t really hurting me. Though it was tough to acknowledge that at the moment.
“Are you going to sit and write your lines now, Charlotte?” he asked, only slowing the spanking slightly so I could answer.
“Yes. Yes, I’ll do whatever you want!”
One more hard smack had me yelping in surprise.
“Good.” He helped me stand and pointed to my chair. “Get to it.”
I glanced at the wooden seat and over to the throw pillows on the couch, but he was having none of that.
“No pillow. You will sit your freshly spanked butt on that hard chair and write the lines. When you’re done, you can sit on the couch.”
Not wanting a repeat of the last five minutes, I quickly took my seat, wincing when I plopped down a bit too hard, and started writing while trying to process my feelings about what had just happened.
Did it hurt? Yes.
Was I embarrassed? Yes.
Was I angry? Strangely, no.
Did I like it?
The answer to that was more complicated.
I wasn’t sure. Or maybe I just wasn’t ready to face the truth.
All I could say for now was… I definitely didn’t hate it.