Home on the Range

Home on the Range By Melinda Barron ©2011 by Blushing Books® and Melinda Barron

Copyright © 2011 by Blushing Books® and Melinda Barron. All rights reserved. No part of the book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Published by Blushing Books®, a subsidiary of ABCD Graphics and Design 977 Seminole Trail #233 Charlottesville, VA 22901 The trademark Blushing Books® is registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office. Barron, Melinda Home on the Range eBook ISBN: 978-1-60968-510-2

Cover Design: by ABCD Graphics

Blushing Publications thanks you whole-heartedly for your purchase with us! There are plenty more stories such as the one you’ve purchased from Blushing Books! Visit our online store to view our might selection! http://www.blushingbooks.com This book is intended for adults only. Spanking and other sexual activities represented in this book are fantasies only, intended for adults. Nothing in this book should be interpreted as advocating any non-consensual spanking activity or the spanking of minors.

Chapter One “You can’t keep sending her money.” Selden Kirby shook his head and held out the envelope in his hand. “I’m tempted to tear this up.” “It’s none of your affair, Selden. Just mail the letter.” Barney Carey stood on the porch of his ranch house, his hands on his hips. “No. Listen to me, Barney; in the four years that Payton’s been gone she’s flittered from job to job, and expected you to bail her out every time she quits one and looks for another. Don’t do it anymore.” Barney moved toward the rocker and sat down. He was feeling every inch of his sixtyfour years right now. “She’s my niece, Selden, and I raised her. I love her. I won’t let her starve.” “I’m not saying that. What I am saying is that you’re not doing her any favors. She’s never going to learn to do things on her own. You know that.” “So, what’s your advice, then?” Selden moved across from Barney, leaning against the porch railing and stretching his long legs in front of him. “Make her come home, to the ranch.” “Why? You looking for a wife? You two already tried that, remember?” “You’re right. Payton and I proved that we can’t live together. But don’t keep giving her stuff. Make her earn some money. Make her work for it.” “Doing what?” Barney shrugged his shoulders. “I have a housekeeper, and a bookkeeper. What could she do? She couldn’t work…” He stopped and shrugged again, the nodded toward a clump of trees. “Out there.” “No, but she could sure benefit from it. I should have spanked her when we were married. Maybe she wouldn’t be acting the way she is.” The two men set in silence for a long time, and then finally, Barney sighed. “I’m tired, Selden. I’m old and I’m tired. I don’t have the energy to try and reform her. Just send her the check, please.” Selden tucked the envelope into his pocket, stood, then sat back down. “What if you don’t reform her? What if I do it?” Barney snorted. “You were married to her for two years and you didn’t manage to do it then. What makes you think you can do it now?” “Like I said, she should have been spanked. A lot.” “I told you that when you were married to her. You didn’t listen.” “I was young.” Barney snorted again. “You’re still young. Barely thirty.”

“Yeah, but I’ve had some experiences out there.” He nodded toward the trees. “And if you’re tired, take a vacation. Tell Payton that she has to come home and run things while you go to the Bahamas for a month.” Barney’s eyes brightened. “The Bahamas? Hum, not a bad idea. I could rent a beach house, drink some rum, find me a pretty girl or two. Or three.” Selden laughed. “Now you’re talking. Tell her since she’s between jobs, again, that she has to come home and do this for you. She owes you that much.” Selden’s heart sank when Barney shook his head. “Not a month. At least two, maybe longer. I haven’t had a vacation in fifteen years. I deserve it.” Their shared laughter filled the air. “Now you’re talking.” “But what about our other activities? When she finds out, things will hit the fan.” “That’s none of her business, nor is it technically associated with the ranch. It’s a separate business, and a legitimate one. The ladies that come here to be spanked by the hands will continue to do so, and Payton won’t find out. They don’t even use the main entrance. Besides, I’ll be so busy reddening her ass she won’t have time to worry about anything else.” ***** Peyton Carey felt the change in the air the minute she left Denver. The Mile High City was in the mountains, yes, but it didn’t feel like it. Crowded streets and tall buildings took away from that mountain feel. She wasn’t thrilled about Barney’s decision to take a vacation, but she supposed she could stay at the ranch for a week, oversee the bookkeeper and make sure things ran smoothly while he was gone. It had been a long time since he’d been anywhere. She needed to see to his needs. After all, he’d raised her when her parents had split, and neither of them had wanted her. He’d taken her in, he and Aunt Merry. They’d loved her, given her food and shelter and been the parents that she’d never had. When Merry had passed six years ago she’d thought that Barney would go soon after. But he hadn’t. He’d gotten over the rough times and pulled through. She knew that he was due for a break, and after all he’d done for her, she was willing to provide it. Up to a point. What she didn’t want, though, was a week near Selden Kirby. Just the thought of it made her stomach churn. Her ex-husband was a jerk and a slime ball, even if he was Uncle Barney’s foreman. She planned on letting him know right from the start that Barney was leaving her in charge, and that Selden would answer to her. The idea had merit, now that she thought about it. She could make him run around and do things for her while she sat on the porch and drank iced tea, enjoying the Wyoming summer and reading a few books. Now that she thought about it, it was a fantastic idea. Selden could wait on her, and be at her beck and call. That would make up for the two horrid years that she’d been his wife. She sighed. Well, it hadn’t been two horrid years, technically. The first year and a half had been good. Until she grew antsy, until she wanted to move away from the ranch. She’d never

lived anywhere else during her adult life, except for when she’d gone to school at the University of Colorado in Boulder. She’d married Selden soon after her graduation, and never used her marketing degree. And when she’d expressed an interest in moving, maybe to Cheyenne, or to Denver, he’d balked, and things had turned ugly. They’d divorced soon afterwards and Payton had left, thinking the only time she would return to her uncle’s land was when he’d passed. And then only to sign the papers to sell it to the highest bidder. Of course when she’d gotten out in the world she’d expected things to come easy to her. And they hadn’t. She’d worked at several stores, trying to concentrate on marketing, but it hadn’t exactly panned out. In the last four years she’d had to ask Barney for loans, and he’d always come through. She’d repaid most, but not all, of it. She knew she owed him, and that was one of the reasons that she had agreed to his request for help. After Barney was home she would go back to Denver and look for a new job. And hope this one worked out better than the last one. She turned up the music and shook her head. Two weeks ago she would have never had guessed that she’d be heading for the open range, with horses and cattle and Selden waiting for her. She planned to let him know right off that she was in charge, to put him in his place. Then he would leave her alone and she’d enjoy a week’s vacation until Uncle Barney came home from the Bahamas. A little rest, relaxation and sunshine. What more could a girl ask for? She wound through towns and countryside and finally pulled up at the entrance for the Triple T ranch. Barney had never explained to her where the name had come from, even when she’d asked, he’d just shrugged and said, “it sounds good.” She’d never pushed the issue, and now, as she drove over the cattle guard, the question came up in her mind again. The main house set about three miles from the road. She followed the twisting road and parked beside Barney’s old truck. A newer truck sat next to it, and she figured that it belonged to Selden. There was also a newer model car parked next to it. She grimaced at the idea of seeing him so soon after arrival, then decided that there was nothing much she could do about it. She honked her horn to let Barney know she was there, and then exited the car. He came out onto the porch with a man she didn’t recognize. Barney was dressed in his usual boots, snap-shirt and jeans. The stranger wore a suit, even though he’d loosened his tie and left it hanging around his neck. “Welcome home, darlin’,” Barney crossed to her and put his arms around her shoulders, hugging her close. “It’s good to see you here, baby girl.” “Thanks, Uncle Barney. It’s good to see you, too.” She cut her gaze to the stranger, who stuck out his hand. “Ryan Graves, attorney at law.” “Attorney? Is something wrong?” She fastened her worried gaze on Barney. “Nothing. Just paperwork, you know. It hits everyone now and then.”

“Okay.” She glanced at Ryan, who smiled and nodded. He looked to be in his forties, and was classically handsome, with dark hair and big brown eyes. His smile was engaging and she couldn’t help but return it. “Let me get my suitcases.” “Leave ‘em. I’ll bring it in later.” Selden’s voice made her cringe. She looked behind Barney and nodded at her ex-husband. “Fine, you can do the lifting, then.” Selden smiled at her and she felt her insides curl. His smile wasn’t one of welcome, or even of the missed you type. It was smug, and seemed to say “I know something you don’t know.” Something was up. Her suspicions were further confirmed when Ryan said, “we need to get busy. I’ve got an appointment at six tonight that I can’t miss.” “Busy with what?” “The paperwork,” Ryan said. “Now that you’re here we can get it done. I need to get back to Cheyenne.” The nervous feeling Peyton had increased. “What paperwork?” “The one giving you and Selden control of the ranch while I’m gone for the next six months.” Her uncle stared at her, as if daring her to contradict him. Peyton stared at him, her mouth hanging open. “No.” The word was soft. “Six months? You can’t be serious.” “As a heart attack,” Barney said. “Now let’s get these signed so that Ryan can get back into town.” ***** Selden fought back a laugh as he watched Peyton wiggle in her seat. She was as beautiful as ever, he gave her that. She’d put on a few pounds in the four years they’d been divorced, but it looked good on her. Her dark hair showed no signs of graying, and her eyes were still bright. Even though they were flashing with anger right now. “No. I won’t do it.” “You will,” Barney said, his voice stern. “I need this, Pey, and I need you to help out here for the next six months.” “You said a week!” She stood and began to pace and Selden wondered how she would react the first time he spanked her. He should have done it when they were married, but of course it wasn’t until after they were divorced that he and Barney had set up their little enterprise in the cabins they’d built in the copse of trees. Selden had always known that Barney spanked his wife, quite regularly, but Selden had never thought about doing it to Peyton. How wrong he had been. “You can’t do this to me. I have a life!”

“Where?” Barney’s words increased in pitch. “You have no job, you have no boyfriend. Six months here will let you get back on track. You’ll be paid for your work. And you can save the money and use it to get a new apartment.” She stopped and swiveled toward him. “What? I have an apartment right now.” “Not anymore,” Barney said. “I didn’t pay your rent. I told the management you were moving. Then, after you left today, I had a company go in and box everything up and put it in storage.” “You did what? How dare you! Those are my, my, my…things!” “What’s the matter, Pey, afraid some moving man will put his grimy hands on your vibrator? Or did you bring that with you?” When she wheeled toward him, Selden thought she might slap him. He just smiled and took a sip of his tea. “This is unproductive,” Ryan said. “I’ve still got an hour’s drive ahead of me, and I need to get these papers signed. Now.” “I’m not signing those,” Peyton said, her voice dark and low. “I’ll rot in hell first.” “You’re not going to do this for me?” Barney’s voice was low and Selden knew that it had gotten to her. He watched her face soften and she sighed. “Barney. Please don’t do this. A week, you said. That’s fine. But six months? And to have to work with, with…him?” She spat the word out as if it was covered in arsenic and then pointed to Selden. “Please, Barney.” “What good is a week? Six months will help me relax. I need this.” Barney’s unspoken words of you owe me hung in the air. Selden watched Peyton carefully as she studied her uncle, finally she nodded and said, “fine. Where do I sign?” Ryan gave her a pen and pointed to the spots on the paper where Selden had already signed his name. “Tell me exactly what this says,” she said in her throaty voice. “It says that for the next six months, decisions at the Triple T will be made between you and Selden. If there is a disagreement, I will help mediate.” Ryan studied her as he spoke and Selden wondered what he was thinking. Ryan was a spanker, who often came out to the resort part of the ranch to spend a weekend spanking female guests. Selden needed to make sure that he knew right away that Peyton was his, and not up for grabs. He would be the only one warming that bottom, unless he decided to let someone else. Either way, it would be his decision. Peyton let out a put upon sign, then signed her name everywhere that Ryan pointed out. She initialed the other paragraphs, then put down the pen. “Where are my things?” She turned to Barney. “They’ll be delivered to a storage house in Cheyenne in a few days,” Barney said. “Selden knows where it is and will give you the key to the lock if you need to go inside.” “Thanks. That’s so generous, seeing as how they’re my things.” “Don’t be sassy to Barney,” Selden said. “You owe him a lot.”

“You don’t think I know that?” She shot an evil look over her shoulder at him. “And mind your own business. Don’t you dare tell me what to do. That time is over!” “For the next six months your business is my business. Or have you forgotten what you just signed?” Peyton let loose a scream of frustration, then rushed from the room. Barney got up and followed her out. Selden shook his head with a laugh, and Ryan followed suit. “She’s a pistol.” “Forget it,” Selden said. “She’s off limits.” “Too bad. She’s definitely a candidate for spanking.” “I didn’t mean off limits for spanking,” Selden said. “I meant off limits to you. That bottom belongs to me. And I plan to teach her a few lessons during these six months.” Ryan laughed. “Well, if you need help, let me know.” “Find your own woman.” “As I recall, the two of you are divorced? Right? That means she’s up for grabs.” “Not to me it doesn’t. I’m warning you, Ryan, stay away.” “You’re just no fun. And I thought we were friends.” “We are, except when it comes to Peyton. Understand?” “I suppose so. But I’m not making you any promises.” ***** “Don’t be mad at me.” Barney sat down next to Peyton and put his arm around her shoulder. “You’ve got to be kidding me? How could I not be? You lied to me!” “Not totally. I just…” “Bullshit.” “Watch your mouth, young lady. You know how I feel about cursing.” Peyton ignored his warning, even though it made her smile. “Damn it! Uncle Barney, you had to have known. For those papers to be here, you’ve known for a while. Why didn’t you call and tell me? Why spring it on me now? A week you said. How does a week turn into six months?” “Because I know you, and I know that you would have said no and stayed away.” They sat in silence for a few minutes, and then she turned to him. “Shit. Is this your way of telling me I’m a failure and I have to come home?” “No. This is my way of telling you I need your help. Period. And one more curse word and you’re going to get your butt spanked. You’re not too old for it, you know.” Peyton bit back another cuss word as tears filled her eyes. “You lied to me.” “I just didn’t tell you the whole truth. There’s a difference.”

Peyton shook her head and turned from him as her tears leaked out onto her cheek. So much for a stress free week of enjoying the sunshine and reading some books. When her crying was under control she turned back to Barney. “You know I know nothing about running a cattle ranch.” “You leave that part to Selden. I want you here to take care of my personal things, and to make sure that nothing happens that I wouldn’t approve of. I trust you for that.” “And you don’t trust him?” She sat up straighter, a hopeful look on her face. “I’m glad to hear that.” “No, that’s not what I meant. He’ll be so busy with the ranch, and other things, that he won’t have time to watch my mail, pay my bills, run the house. I want you to do that.” “What other things?” She wiped her cheeks and then took the tissue that Barney handed her and wiped her fingers with it. “Other stuff on the ranch. You don’t need to worry about that. Just worry about the house.” “What are you not telling me?” She narrowed her eyes at her uncle. She watched him debate his answer, then sigh. “Selden is living here, in the main house. We built new cabins near the one y’all lived in and, well, um, hands are living there.” “No. No fuc… no way!” She stood and began to pace. “Kick him out!” “What, you worried about him seeing you naked? I think that’s a moot point, child.” “I’m not a child. Make him sleep in the barn.” “You’re acting like a child. It was all in the papers you just signed.” “What else was in there, huh? What else did I agree to?” “Well, you have to give me your first born child, and a few pints of blood a month.” Peyton laughed and then sniffled. “I just wish you would have told me the truth. I would have come.” “No, you wouldn’t have. And you know it. Don’t lie to me, or to yourself.” She sat down and laid her head on her uncle’s shoulder. The familiar scent of horses, with the underlying smell of soap, filled her nose and made her feel warm and at home. “Uncle Barney. I can’t live with Selden. I just can’t.” “You can, and you will. You’re an adult now, Peyton. You’re getting close to thirty years old. Act like it.” His rebuke hit home, she wanted to scream at him to mind his own business. Instead she nodded. When he put his arm around her and pulled her close she knew that she had to do this, for him. The only constant in her life, the one person she could always count on to be there, and to help her. “I’m sorry I fussed.” “That’s fine, Pey. You just remember that you and Selden are a team on this. You have to work together. And I’m not going to be near a phone for you to call. That would defeat the purpose.” “As long as he knows I have a say, too.”

“He knows. But Pey, there are some things that you’re going to have to give Selden the lead on, you know that, don’t you? I only want Ryan called in a dire emergency. He’s too expensive.” She nodded, but inside she thought, “When pigs fly.” Selden Kirby would never, ever have control over her again. She knew that for a fact. ***** It surprised Peyton how quickly Barney left. Ryan left minutes after she and Barney had come back into the main room, and Barney left not an hour later. One of the hands, a man named Lance Witt, came to the house in a double-cab pickup to pick him up and take him to the airport. Two women sat in the back seat, and when Peyton went out on the porch to say goodbye to Barney, she frowned. “Who are those women?” “Friends, I’m sure,” Selden said. But he went to the pickup and when one of the ladies rolled down the window, he shook both of their hands. They seemed very, very friendly and she frowned. “Friends of whose?” She’d asked the question under her breath, but it still made her wonder. When Barney hugged her she pulled back. “Are those women friend’s of Lance’s? Or yours?” “They’re friends of all of us,” he said with a smile. “I’ll see you in six months. If there’s a dire emergency, Ryan will know how to get ahold of me. Other than that, behave and do the best you can. And listen to Selden. He knows what he’s talking about.” “Yeah, right.” She gave him a lopsided grin and realized that he looked tired, and worn out. She shouldn’t send him off on his vacation thinking she was angry. “It’ll be fine, Uncle Barney. You have a good time. Drink some rum. Find a pretty girl.” “Or two.” Barney grinned and she returned it. When he got into the pickup and it took off, Selden turned to her. “You stay on your side of the house, and I’ll stay on mine,” she said loudly. “Understand?” He walked toward her without saying anything, his spurs echoing in his wake. “What you need to understand is I’m not putting up with any of your crap. I’m the boss here.” “No way. I signed the papers. Fifty/fifty.” “Weren’t you taught to read papers before you sign them? The papers don’t give a percentage. They say that in the event of a tie, my opinion wins since I know the ranch better than you do. We only call in Ryan in case you’re being a royal bitch. And if that happens he explains to you that I’m the boss. Read it.”

She ran into the house, heading for the office. She picked up the papers, her eyes quickly scanning the pages. “Look on page four, right next to your initials.” The words swam before Peyton’s eyes, even as her mind refused to believe what she was reading. Even though the words were in legalize, she got their meaning. In case of a disagreement, Selden’s opinion won. As foreman of the ranch he knew both sides of the business and knew what was best for everyone involved. “What does this mean, both sides of the business?” She turned to him and shook the papers. “It means there’s a part of the business that you have no need to know about. Face it, Peyton. You’re under my thumb for six months. Your uncle needed a rest, and you need discipline. And he knew that I could give you what I should have given you while we were married.” “And what’s that?” “A good spanking. Or two. Or three. Or however many it takes for you to grow up and realize that the world does not revolve around you.” “You wouldn’t dare.” “Oh, but I would. And you agreed to it. Read on page eleven.” She fumbled through the papers, and then screamed. “That’s right. Right next to your initials. I, Peyton Carey, agree that Selden Kirby has the legal right to administer discipline to me as he sees fit. I wrote the words myself, and you initialed them.” “And don’t even think about trying to leave, Pey. No apartment, remember? Let’s just settle ourselves in for a six months, with more than a few good spankings for you.”

Chapter Two Peyton started at the sheets of paper in her hand, her mouth open. She blinked rapidly and refocused on the pages. How could she have been so stupid? How could she have signed something without reading it fully? That was about the stupidest thing she’d ever done. She lifted her eyes to Selden, who stood quietly contemplating her. “If you think for one minute that this means…” “I know what it means, and Barney knows what it means. Tell me, Peyton, how much money has he sent you in the last three years.” “That’s none of your business.” “Oh yes, it is. Barney means a great deal to me, as a boss and as a business partner.” Her eyebrows shot up. “You’re his business partner? Since when? If you’re his business partner then why am I here? You wouldn’t need me if you were a business partner.” “Maybe not in the ranch, but in other things.” Peyton snorted. “Right. And he trusts you so much that he has to call me in so he can take a vacation. Imagine that.” “There’s a little more to it than that. Besides, you never answered my question. About the money?” “Like I said, it’s none of your business.” “Yes, it is. Like I said, Barney and I are business partners in some ventures. Money that he takes out of accounts, that doesn’t come back, is my affair.” “What ventures?” Peyton shook her head and pointed her finger at him. “You know what, Selden, you can just kiss my ass, because I’m not answering your questions.” Peyton stiffened when he pulled out a notebook and flipped it open. “In the last three years you have borrowed nine thousand two hundred dollars. And paid back three thousand, four hundred, leaving a balance of fifty eight hundred.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “If you knew, then why did you ask? And what do you plan on doing, using your little discipline clause and taking it out of my ass.” “Tempting, but no. When I spank you it will be for disciplinary reasons. But you will be working off your debt in the next six months. Then, hopefully, you can make a little extra to get yourself a new apartment when you get back to Denver, if that’s where you’re going.” “I want to talk about this discipline issue. I think…” “Barney and I decided that you would get two thousand a month, which is what we pay the hands. And of course your room and board will be paid. Now he knows that you have credit card debt, so I’m supposed to take all your bills and sit down with you tomorrow. We’ll decide how much cash you actually need to get you caught up, and to make the monthly payments. The rest will go toward your debt with Barney.” “My debts are none of your concern. I want to talk about the dis…” “This is what Barney and I discussed before he left.”

“You mean before you hatched your little plan to keep me tethered to the ranch. I think you just want me here.” He smiled at her and she felt her insides curl. “Now, I’m figuring you’ll need about six hundred for bills?” Peyton shuffled her feet as he continued to study her. “That’s about right.” “Fine. I want to see the bills tomorrow. Then the rest goes to Barney. You should have your debt to him paid off by the time the six months is over and you’ll have a little bit left over. Not too much. Maybe Barney will consider having you stay on to make some extra money.” “With you nearby? No way. And while we’re talking about me staying here, there’s no way in hell I’m staying in the main house with you. You can sleep in your own house.” For the first time since she’d arrived, Peyton was happy to see Selden look a little nervous. “That’s not possible.” “Why not? Is it termite infested? Overcome by rats because of your lousy housekeeping? I know the house wasn’t in that bad of shape when I left here four years ago.” “Let’s just say it has other uses now. I’m staying here with you. End of discussion.” A voice from the doorway started them both. “Dinner’s ready. Yours is on the table and I’m leaving with the rest. See you tomorrow.” The forty-ish woman left and Peyton frowned. “Who’s that?” “Missy Baxter. Her husband’s one of the main hands now and she does the cooking.” “Okay. Where are the hands eating? They used to come here to eat.” “At their own homes. Now, let’s go eat. Then I have chores to do to make sure things on the ranch are secured for the night. If you still want to discuss discipline, or your salary, we can do it after dinner, after I get back.” He left the room quickly and Peyton snarled at him before grinning mischievously. He had stuff to do outside, huh? Well, after dinner, when he left, she would make sure he couldn’t get back in the house and would have to spend the night in the barn. That would show him exactly what she thought of his idea of “disciplining” her. ***** They ate dinner in silence. Missy had fried chicken and made mashed potatoes, gravy and carrots. There was even homemade bread. When it was over, Selden stood. “I’ll be gone about an hour. Do the dishes.” He left through the back door and Peyton stuck her tongue out at him. “Asshole!” She screamed at his back as he slammed out the door. She put up the left over food and quickly did the dishes, even though she was tempted to leave them there. She knew dirty dishes attracted mice and other rodents, and in the country that was a bad thing. Barney used to keep a few cats around, but she hadn’t seen any since she’d arrived.

Once the kitchen was clean, she went to each room, making sure the windows were all down and locked. Then she went outside the back door to the screened-in porch. She locked the screen door, then went inside the main house and locked the screen door there before shutting the back door and locking it, wishing that Barney had a chain to slide in place. After that she went to the front door and locked the screen and door. Then she sat down in the front room to wait. About an hour later she heard a sound from the kitchen and knew that Selden, or someone, was pulling on the screen door. She stayed in her chair, a smile creeping across her face as she heard the front screen door get the same treatment. Selden’s muttered “Shit,” made her laugh. “Pey. Open the door.” His voice was loud enough for her to hear it, but he wasn’t screaming. “Forget it! Go sleep in the barn.” “Peyton Marie don’t do this. Open this door. Right now.” His voice was full of anger. “Selden James, go screw yourself.” She sang the words and then started to whistle. She waited to hear him scream, to hear him call her names and tell her that she was in major trouble. But nothing came. His reaction was a little bit of a let down. She’d really wanted him to get mad, instead of just call her by her full name. When no yelling ensued, and there was no more pulling on the door she stood and looked out the front window. He wasn’t there. “Huh. He gave up easy.” “You think?” She turned suddenly as Selden’s voice sounded from the hallway. “You forgot the cellar door.” “Crap.” “Didn’t think your plan out too well, did you? And this gives me the perfect excuse for your first spanking.” “You lay a hand on me and Barney will throw a fit, and I’ll make sure he knows about it.” “You think he will? Barney told me to make sure that I spanked you while you were here, and spanked you often. He said that was one of the things I did wrong while we were married. I didn’t spank you.” “That’s not true.” “Wanna call Ryan and ask him? Ryan was there while we were talking. Of course Ryan likes to spank, too. This afternoon I let him know that you’re off limits. Maybe I’ll change my mind and let him take you over his knee. I think you need it.” “I’m outta here. Money or not. I’ll find somewhere to stay.” She headed toward the back end of the house, hurrying her pace so that she could put more distance between them. When she heard his footsteps behind her she started to trot.

Her chest rose and fell rapidly. He’s coming after me. He’s serious. He’s totally serious about spanking me. She couldn’t believe it. She hurried down the hall to her room and had just made it through the doorway and tried to push it shut when he barreled inside. “You think I’m kidding?” “I think you’re nuts. Get out!” She pointed to the hall. “Now, or I’ll call the sheriff.” “And say what? That I’m going to spank you? That you locked me out of the house the way a fourteen-year-old does her younger brother when their parents are out of town? Tell him that and he might hold you down while I spank you. He’s a friend of mine, you know.” She wanted to scream at him, to beat her hands against his chest but she didn’t want him to know that his cavalier attitude was having the effect that he wanted it to have. She was mad, very mad, at him. “Get out of my room. Right now.” “If you behave, and don’t fight me, I might let you leave your panties on for the first one. After that, it’s going to be bare-bottomed.” “You arrogant son of a bitch. If you think that I’m going to be a good little submissive woman and submit to a spanking from you, you’re sorely mistaken. I thought you knew me better than that.” “I do. But a man can hope.” He shut the door behind him and Peyton swallowed sharply when she heard the key turn in the old-fashioned lock. “What’s wrong? Afraid I’d get out and outrun you? Have to trap your prey? Locking me in takes the sport of it, doesn’t it?” “This isn’t for sport, Peyton, this is for discipline. If you run it makes it harder on you. I’m just trying to help you out.” Her shoulders shook with laughter. “Right! You expect me to believe that? Tell it to yourself again, Selden, and you might actually believe it, too.” “I’ll just use my hand. This time.” He took a few steps into the room and Peyton backed up involuntarily. “I’m not afraid of you, Selden.” “I don’t want you to be. But I want you to know that I’m disciplining you. Do you want to remove your jeans, or do you want me to…?” “To what, rip them from my body? Well that would make you a bad guy, right? But if you think that I’m going to make this easy on you by taking them off, you’re out of your mind.” When he looked at the floor and shook his head she decided the time to act was now. She took off toward the window, praying that she could get it open and push her way through the screen before he caught her. Then what, Peyton? You have no keys, or any other way into town. You can’t exactly go and saddle a horse and ride into town. It’s a good hour away, longer on horseback. But she didn’t even have to worry about it. She hadn’t even lifted the sash of the window when he grabbed her around the waist and turned her, tossing her onto the bed.

“Don’t make this too hard on yourself, Peyton. You read the papers. You knew it would be coming and you chose to lock me out anyway. Did you think I would let it pass?” Peyton tried to scoot over the bed, clawing at the quilt but Selden grabbed her and pulled her back toward him. He turned her over with agility and his hands went to the waistband of her jeans. She pushed at him, trying to grab and claw at his hands as he undid the button and slid the zipper down. “Quit fighting me, Peyton. This is going to happen.” She tried to wiggle out from his grasp, but he was too strong. “What you think I should just give in? Fuck you!” “We’re going to have to do something about that mouth of yours, too. Barney told me that before he left. He said the city had a bad influence on your vocabulary.” He flipped Peyton over and she got up on her knees, desperate to crawl away from him. Too late she realized that getting on her knees gave Selden the leverage he needed to grab her jeans and pull them down. He pulled her panties down right behind them and she gasped in outrage. “You asshole! Get your hands off me! I swear to God, I’ll have you arrested.” Selden held her down on the bed. It did her heart good that she could hear his elevated breathing. It meant that her fighting was tiring him, just a little. “While you’re at it, would you like to take him the paper you signed that gives me control over discipline?” Peyton screamed in frustration and then cried in pain and outrage as Selden’s hand slapped across her behind. “Hush. You need this, and you know it.” His voice was ripe with anger. Selden slapped her behind again several more times and she clenched the quilt in her hands. “You son of a … ouch! Stop it! Stop it!” Selden’s hand came down again and again, the slaps becoming harder and harder. Her behind started to burn, the sensation spreading through her thighs and into her stomach. “Selden, please!” He was kneeling above her prone body, one of her legs clenched between his thighs as he continued to spank her, his hand slapping different areas on her buttocks. “This is just the beginning, Peyton. You need to be brought back in line.” The sounds of his palm hitting her cheeks filled the room. Peyton squeezed her eyes shut, and then decided that tensing up was making it worse. She relaxed into the bed, praying that Selden would react to her body language. She hoped that by relaxing it sent the message that she was being submissive, accepting of the spanking. Maybe then he would stop. But it seemed that the movement had the opposite effect. He took advantage of her loosened up body to quickly get off her, lift her up by the waist and then sit and bring her down across his lap. Peyton tried to scramble off but it didn’t work. He held her close and started to spank her again, the swats landing faster and harder as she tried to wiggle out of his grasp.

“You! Let me go!” She flailed out her arms and legs, hoping that she came into contact with his body and cause him a bit of pain. From his laughter she knew that her plan hadn’t worked. “You acted like a child when you locked me out. If you’re going to act like a child, you get treated like one.” He gave her several very hard slaps to the ass, and then stopped. “Apologize.” “Screw you! Ouch!” Three very intense slaps landed on her right cheek, and then on her left. “Apologize.” “Never in a million years. The only thing I’m sorry about is that I forget to check the cellar door, too.” Her words flew out of her mouth and slammed against the walls, seeming to echo through the room. She wondered who was around, if any of the hands were nearby and would hear her screaming and throwing a fit. She tried to get her breathing under control as he continued to spank her and she realized that even if someone were nearby it wouldn’t matter. She’d locked all the doors and the windows, so the chances of someone getting into the house to help her were very slim. The more his hand came down, the more she plotted her revenge. But she also knew if she didn’t give into his demand for an apology that he would continue to spank her. She knew Selden, and she knew that once he got something in his head, he didn’t let go. “I’m sorry.” The words were low. “Please stop.” The spanking stopped immediately and nervous laughter escaped her lips. Her behind burned and she tried to get up, but Selden kept her in place. “You think this is a joke?” “Me? Who has the burning ass here? No. I don’t think it’s a joke.” He slapped each cheek again and she cried out. “Stop! I said I was sorry.” “I want you to mean it.” He started to spank her again, his hand coming down harder and harder. On her already aching bottom the slaps were almost unbearable. “Please, Selden, please stop.” She kept her words soft and her voice low. “I’m sorry for locking you out of the house. I’m sorry.” He slapped her ass a few more times, and then set her on her feet. “I know you’re lying. But now you know I’m telling the truth. This little spanking is just a prelude, Peyton. Before Barney gets back I will have taken you over my knee countless times. Maybe, just maybe, it will change your attitude and make you grow up.” Peyton pushed away from her, pulling her jeans and panties up as quickly as she could, fighting to keep from crying out as the material came into contact with her hot behind. “I wasn’t kidding, either. I’m calling the sheriff. Right now.” “Go ahead. If it makes the newspapers everyone will get a good laugh and wonder why I waited until we were divorced to try and instill some discipline in your life.” He turned and walked toward the doorway, stopping just inside the entrance.

“Starting tomorrow, you’re on your best behavior. You will do what you know is right, and you will not, I repeat you will not, do things like locking me out of the house again. Do I make myself clear?” She stuck her tongue out at him, and then a chill ran up her spine when he looked at her and laughed. “We’ll add that little transgression to tomorrow’s spanking. If you’re not careful, we’ll spend the whole day with you over my knee.” He unlocked the door and left. Peyton stared after him and when she was sure he was gone, she ran to the door, shut it and locked it. Her ass throbbed. “Creep! Asshole! Son of a …” Barney’s warning rang in her mind. Watch your mouth young lady. She clamped her lips shut, then turned her back to the wall and slid down until she was sitting on the floor, her behind aching even more as her weight came down on it. How dare he! Who did he think he was? So he had a piece of paper that she’d signed. It would never stand up in court, and he knew it. What would he tell the judge? I wanted to spank my ex, so I had her sign this paper that said it was all right. She took several deep breaths. She should run. Her car was full of gas, and she had cash in her purse. But she had no apartment to return to, thanks to Selden. She was sure that was his doing, and not Barney’s. And truly, she had no real friends in Denver where she could show up on their doorstep and say, “Hi, can I stay with you for a while? At least until I find a job? I’ll only be here three, four months tops.” No. Selden had her between a rock and a hard place, and he knew it. Even if she did have somewhere to run she would never betray Barney that way. He’d been much too good to her during the last few years. He needed this vacation, needed it badly. Plus, she would never give Selden the Wonder Jerk the satisfaction of thinking that she’d run from him. If he thought he could intimidate her with spankings he had another thing coming. Her hand unconsciously strayed to her behind, which still held the dull ache of Selden’s spanking. The last thing she wanted to do was give him the satisfaction of thinking that she’d run from him. She’d rather eat dirt. A small smile crept over her lips. Selden thought he had the upper hand, did he? He thought that with one spanking she would turn into the sweet little submissive woman who would say yes sir and no sir to him the entire time she was here. Well, he had another thing coming. Sure the spanking had hurt, but instead of making her think that locking him out of the house had been bad, it gave her the incentive to try something even worse, something that would make him angry. In the morning, he would see just what sort of effect his spanking had on her. And it would let him know that she wasn’t going to take his abuse lying down. *****

Selden woke before the alarm went off. A glance at the clock showed that it was just after six. He usually slept as late as possible, grabbing a cup of coffee and some toast before heading out. Missy didn’t cook breakfast, but she would cook lunch, and cook dinner. She made enough for the people in the main house, and for the ladies at the resort and the hands that warmed their bottoms. He sniffed the air. Usually he could smell coffee right now. Then he realized that he was up earlier than usual. The alarm would go off at six-thirty, as would the timer on the coffee machine. Unless Peyton got up and make the coffee earlier. He smiled to himself. Peyton. He knew she wasn’t an earlier riser. During the time they were married he usually had to drag her out of bed. And after being spanked last night he was sure that she would have no desire to run into him in the kitchen. No, she would stay in bed until he was gone, and then she would come out and help herself to the food, which was just fine with him. He planned on spanking her again tonight, to let her know he wouldn’t tolerate her attitude. She wouldn’t be sticking her tongue out at him anymore. He got up and hurried into the bathroom that was attached to his bedroom. He shaved, brushed his teeth and took a quick shower. He hated to admit that his body was aroused at the idea that Peyton wasn’t far from him; that she was probably lying in bed in a T-shirt, which was what she liked to sleep in. He sighed. She liked to sleep in his old T-shirts. When they were married she would confiscate them, cut out the neck and arms so that it wasn’t tight around her body, and they would become her new nightshirts. He wondered if she still slept in his old shirts. If she did, during the last four years they would have become awfully tattered. He should offer her one of his newer ones, see if she wanted a new nightgown. A soft laugh escaped his lips as he imagined her reaction, which would consist of her telling him to do something that was anatomically impossible. He really had to work on her mouth. Barney was right about that. After attaching his spurts to his boots he stepped toward his door, letting a barrage of swear words as he opened the door and a landslide of dirt landed on his boots. Sometime during the night, Peyton had gone outside and carted in wheelbarrows full of dirt, making a pile at least three feet high. He shook his head and laughed at the idea of how long it had taken for her to import the dirt, and how long it would take for her to export it. And then, he had to decide exactly how long her spanking would last for this nasty little offense.

Chapter Three Peyton lay in bed and listened to Selden’s outburst of expletives. “Looks like someone needs to watch his mouth.” She laughed wickedly and hugged her pillow. Teach him to spank her. And she’d be damned if she was going to clean it up, either. She’d spent more than three hours last night hauling dirt from the pile that Barney kept near the barn for different purposes. Twice she was sure that Selden had woke up, and she’d stayed in the hallway, holding her breath and praying that he didn’t open his door to ask what she was doing. After several minutes, she’d carefully backed the wheelbarrow out of the house and made another trip. Then, she’d had to carefully step around the pile to get to her own room. She waited with baited breath for him to knock on her locked door. When it didn’t happen she frowned. She wanted him mad, screaming that that she’d gotten the best of him and that he was sorry that he’d upset her enough to force her to pull this stunt. After about ten minutes she sat up in bed, waiting. Silence greeted her and she wondered what he was doing. Surely she would have heard him trying to walk through the dirt, or trying to walk around it. After twenty minutes she got up and put her ear to her door. Once again, silence greeted her. She turned the key in the lock and opened the door. The hallway was empty, and the dirt was still in place. She frowned, went back into her room and threw on her robe. Once in the hallway she saw large footprints on the outer ridge of the pile. Selden, with his long legs, had just stepped over the dirt. The pile was shorter since some of it had fallen inside his bedroom. She moved through the hallway softly, the dirt cool under her toes. Her nose led her to the kitchen, where she found a half a pot of coffee. Selden was nowhere to be seen. She turned toward the table and gasped. A long thin belt had been placed in the center, wrapped in a circle. Resting in the center was a note that simply read, “Clean it up.” Selden had made his message clear with the belt. Peyton’s eyes narrowed as she crumpled the paper in her hands. “Like hell I will.” She left the room without drinking any coffee. She showered and dressed and came out to find Missy in the kitchen. “Morning,” the older woman said with a smile. “Can I fix you something to eat?” “No, thank you. I’m heading to Cheyenne. I may not be back tonight.” She went to the den and picked up a copy of the papers she’d signed the previous day. She knew that Ryan had the original copy and she intended his office to be her first stop of the day. If Selden thought she was sticking around her for his abuse, he was crazy. She slammed out the back door, ignoring Missy’s questions about where she was going, and what was wrong. She turned toward her car and then stopped, frowning. Two women she’d never seen before were walking toward the house. They were talking and laughing with each other. When they came closer and saw her, they smiled.

“Hi,” one of them said. “New arrival?” “Excuse me?” “Are you a new arrival, for the resort?” “What? I, shit, I hate to say it but I live here. Until I can find a way out of it.” The women looked shocked, and didn’t answer. Peyton moved away from them and then turned back. “Hey, what resort?” They exchanged nervous glances and then went inside the door Peyton had just exited. “What the hell?” Peyton turned toward the clump of trees the two ladies had come out of. She knew that Selden’s house was inside it. It was the house they’d lived in while they were married. “Resort? What is he up to?” Her eyes narrowed and she started toward the trees, stopping when Selden came out of the barn. He saw her and frowned, his hands on his hips. His frown turned into a deep scowl of anger. “Peyton, get back inside and…” She turned and ran for her car, slamming the door after her and throwing it into gear once it was started. She heard him yell her name twice more before she was out of range. Once she was at the gate she stopped the car and took several deep breaths. Boy, he was mad. Very mad. She laughed at the idea that he was angry about the dirt. Hopefully, he’d gotten the message. Once her breathing was under control she put the car back into gear and turned toward Cheyenne. She needed to talk to Ryan about the papers she’d signed, and she needed to see about finding a different lawyer to find a legal way out of them. ***** “I’ll clean it,” Missy said as she examined the pile of dirt in the hallway. “But you need to get a few of the hands to come in and haul some of it out.” “Leave it.” Selden’s voice was terse. “But it will grind into the rugs, and …” “I said, leave it. Peyton made the mess, and she’ll clean it up.” “Okay.” Missy nodded. The two ladies standing in the hallway watched, and Selden couldn’t tell if they wanted to laugh or not. It certainly seemed as if they wanted to burst into laughter. The idea made his anger grow. The two guests would go back to the resort and retell the tale of how Selden’s ex-wife had stuffed dirt in front of his doorway, and then ran away when he’d ordered her to clean it. “Ladies, why don’t you get your food and go back to the cabins?” He tried to keep his tone moderated. They nodded and went to the kitchen. Missy held out the belt he’d left on the table that morning. “Where to you want me to put this?”

He took it from her hands and doubled it over, snapping it and making her jump. “What if she doesn’t come back?” “She’ll be back. She’d mad because I spanked her last night.” “Ah. Her first one?” “Yup.” “Really? You never spanked her while you were married to her?” She gave him an incredulous look. “Nope. A huge mistake.” Missy didn’t reply and Selden let out an exasperated sigh. “When you see her, buzz me on my cell phone.” “Yes, sir, boss.” He moved toward the kitchen and then stopped. “You clean one ounce of that dirt and you’ll be over my knee tonight. Understand?” “Yes, sir.” “And after that, I’ll hand you over to your husband for punishment. Leave it alone.” Missy nodded and went into the now empty kitchen. He found the note he’d left for Peyton crumpled and tossed under the table. He could only figure out one place that she’d gone, and that was to Cheyenne to Ryan’s office to try and figure out a way out of the situation she found herself in. He couldn’t decide whether to go after her, or wait here for her to return. After a few minutes deliberation he dialed his phone. When Ryan came on the phone he wondered if he was doing the right thing, then decided that it was for the best. After telling him about the dirt, Selden explained that Peyton was probably on her way there. Selden waited for Ryan to stop laughing, and then said. “Hold her there. I’ll be at your office by five, and together we can convince her that the papers are legal, and binding.” “Yes, we can,” Ryan replied. “But that doesn’t mean she’s going to obey them. Legally, I don’t think a judge would uphold that part of the contract.” “Lie to her. You’re a lawyer, you lie all the time.” “Thanks a lot. You know I left that clause ambiguous for a reason. Discipline can be defined in so many different ways. Not just spanking, but standing in the corner, or grounding her, or anything. The fact of the matter is she’s a grown woman. She’s not like the ladies at the resort who come specifically to be spanked. Maybe we need to think of other forms of discipline.” “Did those words just come out of your mouth? Weren’t you just up here this weekend spanking little brats? Listen, we need to reinforce the fact that by discipline I mean spanking.” Ryan’s sigh sounded over the phone. “And how do you expect to do that? Bend her over my desk?” “No. We’re going to talk, the three of us.” “And then?”

“Then we’ll see what happens. But I think it’s time Peyton found out that I’m serious. And that this is not a game.” The phone grew quiet and then Ryan cleared his throat. “We could always tell her about the resort, tell her that we’ve booked her a room for the week. Several of the ladies there are attending because their husbands sent them for discipline. We can do the same thing with Peyton.” “No. Barney doesn’t want her to know about the resort.” “And how are you going to keep that from happening? When she wanders toward the bushes, or talks to the ladies at the house, won’t she get suspicious?” “The ladies have been told not to say anything to her about the activities there. And I plan on keeping her away from the cottages.” “Well, from what I’ve heard about our little Peyton you’ve got your work cut out for you on that score. She has a mind of her own, that’s for sure. Can I ask you something?” “What?” Selden gripped the phone tighter. “Was she like this while y’all were married? And if so, why didn’t you discipline her then.” “No, she wasn’t. She’s changed since we split up. She hates me so much. She thinks that I abandoned her by not going with her to Denver. She got bored at the ranch. I blame myself for a lot of that.” Selden shook his head as he tried to reconcile the Peyton he’d loved with the Peyton who would leave a pile of dirt in front of someone’s bedroom door. “Discipline may make her hate you more. You realize that.” “Yes, I do. And I’m prepared to deal with it. I just want her destructive behavior to stop. And if it takes a few hard spankings to make her see what she’s doing, then I’m prepared to deliver them.” ***** Once she got to Cheyenne, Peyton worried about going to Ryan’s office. Last night Selden had told her that Ryan was “a spanker.” She didn’t want to go into his office and have him think that he could take her over his knee. She’d gone to see several different lawyers, asking very vague questions about how easy it was to get out of a contract once it was signed. They’d all said the same thing. Since the contract was only for six months, it would probably take longer to get out of it than it would to just wait it out. She didn’t tell them that the contract gave her ex-husband the right to take her over his knee. She didn’t want to embarrass herself that way. She didn’t want people to realize that she’d put herself in her current position simply because she was stupid and signed a paper without asking any questions, or reading it first.

After the third free consultation, she found a park and sat on a bench. “Barney. How could you do this to me?” She wanted to cry, to bawl her eyes out until she couldn’t see straight. But she knew it wouldn’t do any good. She knew she’d been a less than stellar niece lately, and that she’d taken advantage of Barney’s generosity, and of his good nature. Was his need for a vacation caused by her, or was she only part of the problem? She’d have to ask Barney that question, and since she didn’t know where he was right now, there was no way to do that. After lunch at a fast food restaurant she went to a theater and watched a movie. Her mind wandered the whole time and she had trouble following the plot. Her behind still ached a little bit from the spanking Selden had given her last night, but not that badly. Not that she’d let him know that. When the movie let out at four she knew she could put it off no longer. She needed to go to Ryan’s office and beg him to tear up the papers that he had in his possession. If that didn’t work, she planned on heading out today, leaving her clothing at the ranch. Then she remembered that she didn’t have an apartment anymore and that only Selden the wonder jerk knew where her storage unit was in Cheyenne. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place, and knew that Selden had the upper hand. She found Ryan’s office easily enough and was surprised to have the assistant usher her right into his office. He sat behind his desk, his head bent toward papers he was working on. “You’re late.” He said the words without looking up. “I expected you a lot earlier.” He finished what he was doing, put his pen down and gestured toward a chair. “Have a seat. You feeling okay?” She knew then that he’d talked to Selden. That didn’t surprise her, but it did make her a little angry. “I want out.” “That’s not possible. The papers are binding, and even though Barney’s your uncle, he could sue you. And the only reason you want out is because of the punishment clause.” “I should sue you for putting it in there.” “Me? You were the one who signed the papers without reading them. Barney and Selden put the clause in there.” She glanced toward the window that framed the town, and then turned back to him. “So, you think it’s okay for a grown man to spank a grown woman? You don’t think it’s abuse?” “No. I don’t think it’s abuse. I think it’s discipline. And from the sounds of things, you needed it last night, and you need another dose tonight. Piling dirt in front of his door? What were you thinking?” “She was letting me know that she’d rather eat dirt that do what I said.” She stiffened at the sound of Selden’s voice. “Pey used to tell me that when I’d say stuff to her when we were married. Right, Pey?” “That’s right.”

Ryan’s grin made her laugh. “I take it, though, that this is the first time she’s brought dirt into the house.” “Yes,” Peyton said. “It was an impulse.” “A bad one,” Selden said, sitting in the chair next to her. She turned away from him, and then fixed her gaze on Ryan. “We have a problem, and you’re suppose to mediate problems between us. I will not, repeat NOT, allow myself to be spanked for six months.” “Yes, you will,” Selden said, his voice low and edgy. “You signed the…” “I don’t care! That clause gives you the right to do whatever you want and it takes away every one of my rights. I won’t be a punching post.” “I agree,” Selden said. “You’re not a punching post. Spankings are not punchings.” She stood and slammed the chair back, stomping her feet. “I want it cut out of the papers. Now.” “I’m sorry, Peyton, but that’s not going to happen.” Ryan cocked his head at her. “And I want you to sit back down, right now. If this was your attitude last night I can see why you were spanked. You’re acting like a child.” Anger boiled inside her as she stared at the lawyer. She wanted to scream and holler at him, tell him that he was as big an asshole as Selden, but that would just reinforce the point they were trying to make, that she was acting like a child. She pulled the chair back and sat down again. “Would you feel better if you had more of a defined agreement?” Peyton looked at the two of them through narrowed eyes. “What exactly does that mean?” “It means legal papers that define discipline, and give reasons for spankings.” Her snort filled the office. “Right. And I suppose you have just that type of…” Her words dropped off as Ryan pulled out a drawer and took out a file. He opened it and took out several sheets of paper and handed them to Peyton. “Read over that and let me know what you think.” She gave them both a look of disgust, and then started to read. The more she read, the more she tried to wrap her mind around the words. This was a contract, short and sweet, between two people that gave the first person permission to discipline the second one. “Where did you get this?” “Do you agree with the statements?” “No! It still says he can spank me. I want that part deleted. Do you hear me? Deleted. I will not be spanked.” “You mean you won’t be spanked again?” The humor in Selden’s voice made her angry. “You bastard.” “Watch your mouth. Barney warned you, and now so am I. Your potty mouth will not be tolerated.”

“You know what you can do with you little speech? You can stick it where the sun doesn’t shine. Or maybe you’ve changed since our marriage and you’d like that, huh? Maybe…” “Peyton! Enough. I oughta spank your ass right here and now.” “Try it!” She stood at the same time Selden did and they started screaming at each other. Ryan sat behind his desk for a few minutes, then stood and slammed a book down. “Enough! Both of you sit.” He stayed in place until they were both seated. He looked so angry, Peyton thought the veins on the side of his neck would pop open. “Now, you won’t scream at each other like that in my office. Do I make myself clear?” They both nodded and he sat back down. “Peyton, you have the choice of going by the original papers you signed, or using the one I showed you today. Which will it be?” “Neither. I’ll just default on my agreement with Barney and go back to Denver tonight.” Ryan’s look made her shiver. “If you do that, you default on your loans from Barney and they become payable today. In full.” “What? I don’t have fifty-eight hundred dollars. Besides, Barney’s my uncle. He’ll wait.” “No, he won’t.” Ryan’s voice was gentle. “And before you get angry at Barney it’s not about the money. He did it this way for a reason.” “Yeah, so he could use Selden as a bill collector.” “No. Barney knew that your life was out of control. You need discipline, and you need time to see what path you decide to take. These papers lock you in place, and he knew they would. He wants you to use these six months to take a long, hard look at your life. You can’t just keep floundering around and expect him to pay your way.” “I know that. I just need a little more time to…” Her voice trailed off. She sat quietly for a few minutes, and then turned toward Ryan. “I want limits. I want that paper to say he can only give me so many swats or something.” “Not gonna happen,” Selden said. Ryan stared at them both, then said. “What about limits for a week? She’s new to this Selden. We set out specifics of what can bring on a spanking, and what’s can’t.” “And limits on the number of times he can swat me.” “No. I have to agree with Selden on that. Those types of limits would be ineffective. But you have to know what can and can’t cause a spanking. For the first week, if you do something that anger’s him that’s not on the list, you get a verbal warning. We’ll set a certain number of verbal warnings during the week that will result in a spanking on Sunday. Offenses on the list will bring immediate punishment.” “I’ll agree with that,” Selden said. “Give you a week to settle back into the ranch.” “It still means he could spank me every day if he wanted to,” Peyton said. “Then you’ll need to learn to behave, and not do things like piling dirt in front of people’s doors.” She could hear the humor in Ryan’s voice. “This totally sucks because you’re using the money to beat up on me.”

“Beat up on you? Did I beat you last night?” “Yes! My ass still hurts.” Ryan held up his hand and they both fell silent. “I’d like to talk about discipline, and the real reasons that Barney did this. You seem to think, Peyton, that he was only thinking of the money.” “Obviously, he was.” “No. The money is a problem, but your behavior is the root of the problem. You’ve lost three jobs in the last four years because of your behavior. Isn’t that right?” Peyton’s body stiffened and she sniffled. There was no way she would talk about the reasons for losing her jobs. “Fine. Let him spank me. See if I give a fuc…” “You lost your first job three years ago because you told the boss he was a GDMF, isn’t that true?” She sniffled again. “If you know it is, why are you asking?” “And your second job? Didn’t you break into a co-worker’s locker and fill it with sugar?” Peyton crossed her legs and clasped her hands together. “Once again, if you know these things, why are you asking?” “And, at your last job, wasn’t it proven that you went into your boss’s office and spilled coffee on her keyboard?” “I unplugged it first so it wouldn’t get into the system. You can’t hardly blame me for that one.” Selden’s snort filled the room. “Right. It didn’t ruin the system so that one didn’t count. You still lost your job.” “Fuck you!” “Enough.” Ryan shook his head. “I have to agree with Barney and Selden. Your mouth is out of control. Now, this is the way it’s going to be. I’m going to draw up this contract between the two of you. These are the terms. During the first week, you will be warned, points will be gathered and you will be given a spanking on Sunday.” Ryan held up a finger to stop Selden from speaking. “Unless something catastrophic takes place, like putting a mountain of dirt in front of someone’s door.” Selden nodded and sat back in his chair. “Now, after this first week, after you know what is expected of you, you will behave, or you will be spanked as needed. There’s no other way around it.” “This sucks. Both of you can just sit on your thumbs and rotate. Both of you suck. Big green donkey di…” “I said enough.” Ryan’s gaze made Peyton close her mouth, quickly. He looked like he might come across the desk and take her across his lap right now. “Your mouth is now classified as a catastrophic event. There will be no warnings as far as that’s concerned. That’s my ruling as the mediator.” Peyton wanted to scream at him, but she knew she’d pushed it to the limit.

“My paralegal will draw up the papers and I’ll bring them to the ranch tomorrow. We’ll sign, and the counting of demerits will begin. Until then, you will not spank her.” “We still have a problem that needs to be taken care of, tonight.” Selden cracked his knuckles. “She needs to be punished for the dirt incident, tonight. It can’t be put off.” “Make me stand in the corner, or send me to my room without any supper.” She sneered at Selden. He returned her sneer and then turned to Ryan. “As much as it pains me to say this, you have to do it. You spank her.”

Chapter Four Peyton stared first at Selden, and then at Ryan, her mouth hanging open. “Excuse me?” Her words were soft. “You heard me,” Selden said. “What you did last night can’t go unpunished, not until Sunday. This is something for which the punishment needs to happen now. I should have done it this morning. That was my mistake.” “Well, first off it was this morning, and not last night. Second off, kiss my ass. You deserved it.” “You still don’t get it, do you? You’re not in charge here, Peyton. I am.” Selden’s eyes flashed dangerously. “Since I just agreed not to spank you until Sunday, and you obviously need it, I’m handing the belt over to Ryan, much as it pains me to do so.” Ryan sat silently behind his desk. Peyton darted her gaze to him, and then turned back to Selden. “You realize, don’t you, that you’re just finding a way to break the agreement we just came to. It’s so fricking unfair. And you’ll notice that I said fricking instead of what I really wanted to say.” She plopped down in the chair and ran her fingers through her hair. “I want to talk to Barney. And don’t give me that crap that you don’t know how to get hold of him, because I know that you do. There’s no way he didn’t leave a contract number, and there’s no way he would allow the two of you to do this.” “If you find out this plan has his blessing, will you stop fighting it?” Ryan’s voice was low, and Peyton wanted to scream at him to shut the hell up. But she knew she was between a rock and a hard place and really had no choice. She could say no, but they would continue to spank her, she knew that. And truly, her fighting it made it that much worse. She supposed she should just say yes and get it over with. “Well?” “Yes. Okay, the answer is yes. Just get him on the phone, right now.” “He’s supposed to call here at six-thirty,” Ryan said. “Then you can talk to him.” “So, he’s set up times to check up on Selden the wonder jerk?” “No,” Ryan replied. She could tell he was trying not to laugh. “I left a message for him this morning, saying you’d probably want to talk to him.” “You’re a piece of work,” Peyton mumbled, jerking her gaze toward the windows. “You knew you were going to talk to him and you let me sit here and stew. Both of you suck.” Ryan’s quiet, contemplative gaze made her want to scream. When Selden didn’t say anything either, she jumped from her chair and paced to the back of the room, crossing her arms over her chest and sitting down on the window ledge to examine the scenery until Barney called. The events of the past two days seemed as if they’d come straight out of a bad movie. She wondered how she’d gone from unemployed marketing executive to a bookkeeper, working off a debt, who could be spanked at the drop of a hat.

She couldn’t believe the idea was plausible to the two men that she’d come to think of as her tormentors. Of course, she supposed a lot of things had changed at the ranch in the last four years. Images of the women she’d met that morning popped into her mind. She focused her gaze on Selden, who was speaking quietly with Ryan. “By the way, who were those women at the house this morning, and what did they mean when they asked if I was a new arrival for the resort? Have you turned a working cattle and horse ranch into a dude ranch?” She thought she saw a flicker of panic, or maybe anger, spread across Selden’s face. He’s hiding something. There’s something going on at the ranch that he doesn’t want me to know about. Maybe he doesn’t even want Barney to know about it. I have to find out what it is. Maybe I can use it as leverage. “Well?” “They’re none of your business. You have enough to worry about.” “Doing something you should be ashamed of?” An evil grin spread across her face. “That’s the part of ranch business that doesn’t concern you. Read your contract.” “Maybe you’re turning the cattle ranch into a chicken ranch, in the secondary meaning of the word. Running a whore house, Selden?” Her insides warmed with happiness when his hands clenched into fists. “Stay away from the old house, Peyton.” “What’s wrong, Selden? Afraid I’ll call the cops on you for doing something illegal? Growing pot? Or doing something else that society would hate?” He opened his mouth at the same time the phone rang. She was a bit surprised when Ryan answered his own phone. But then she realized that since it was six-thirty, most of the office workers would be gone. She watched Ryan talk, and then hand the phone to Selden. After they talked, Barney would know all about her bringing a mountain of dirt into his house and piling it in front of Selden’s door. For the first time that day she regretted her actions. She didn’t care what Selden, or Ryan thought. She did care what Barney thought. She’d been so mad at Selden she hadn’t considered the consequences of her actions in terms of damage to the carpeting. She hadn’t considered Barney would find out, and be angry with her. She’d just been so angry with Selden that she’d given in to the temptation. She knew now that there was no way out of punishment for the offense. Just saying she was sorry to Barney wouldn’t work. And she knew it reinforced what Ryan had talked with her about earlier that day. She had impulse issues that generally were not good. They got her into trouble over and over, and she needed to stop and think about consequences before she did things. “Pey.” Selden motioned her over. When she was close to him, he held the phone out and she took it. “Barney,” she said softly. “I’m sorry.”

“So am I, Peyton Marie. Now you listen to me, and you listen good. Right now I wish I were there so I could spank you myself, but I’m not. You will follow the rules and you will be disciplined by Selden, or Ryan, as they see fit. Do you understand me?” “Barney, I…” “Do you understand me? I’ve had enough. I thought long and hard about leaving you there with Selden, and I know now that it was the right thing to do. You need every spanking they’re going to give you.” Peyton’s lips trembled as Barney talked. Tears spilled over her cheeks and she wiped them away. “Now, give the phone back to Ryan. I’m going to supervise this spanking over the phone. Ryan’s going to put me on speaker, and I’ll say when I think it’s enough. Do you understand?” “Yes.” She knew there was no way out of it. She’d done wrong, very wrong, and she was about to pay the price. She tensed when she handed the phone to Ryan, watched him put it on speaker, and then start to unbuckle his belt. “Take you jeans and panties down to your ankles, Peyton.” Barney’s stern voice filled the room. “Now.” “Uncle Barney, I…” Tears snaked down her face. “Don’t you dare argue with me. My patience with you is at its end. It’s time for you to remember that you’re not the only person in this world. Do as you’re told. Selden, let me know when she’s ready.” The anger in Barney’s voice was as clear as crystal. “It was just a prank.” “No. It wasn’t a prank. It was a brat letting someone know that she was unhappy. It was the actions of a twenty-nine-year-old woman who acts like she’s a teen-ager. I tried to instill the fact that ever action has a consequence. I guess I failed at that and it’s time to try it again. You’re never too old to learn.” The room grew silent and Peyton knew that she was in a no-win situation. She undid her jeans and lowered them, and her panties down to her ankles. She wasn’t worried about Ryan seeing her half-naked. There was no lust in his eyes as he looked at her, only determination. She put her hands on the table and bent slightly. “She’s in position,” Selden said. Was that her imagination, or did she hear a tinge of regret in his voice? “We’re ready to begin when you are, Barney.” The room grew silent. Selden moved to the opposite side of the desk, leaning against the wall and looking away from Peyton. She snorted. “What, you can spank me, but you don’t want to watch someone else spank me? Does that tell you how wrong it is?” “No, it tells me that I have to look away or I’m going to rush over there, push Ryan out of the way and take the belt to your ass myself.” “Enough,” Barney said. “Begin.”

Peyton breathed heavily, in and out, and in and out, her hand clutching the side of the desk. Ryan rubbed the belt against her bare bottom, and then let the first strike fly. The belt slapping against her ass sounded as if a firecracker had gone off. She jumped and he put his hand on the small of her back as he delivered another swat. Peyton’s tears increased as Ryan let the belt fly over and over and over again. Each swat landed in a different spot and made her bottom burn. “No more! No more!” She fought to stand but Ryan’s hand kept her in place. “Keep going, Ryan.” Barney’s disembodied voice made Peyton cry harder. The belt fell again and again and she cried and stomped her feet, screaming that all of them were bastards. She hoped someone would hear the ruckus and come investigate, would make them stop. But it didn’t happen. The belt continued to fall and she continued to cry and scream. Her screams or movements didn’t seem to bother Ryan. He delivered her swats in a slow, steady fashion, never speaking a word of rebuke, or of the regret she’d thought she’s seen earlier. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Barney said, “That’s enough.” The spanking stopped. She put her head on the desk, her shoulders heaving from exertion. “Now you listen to me, young lady.” It took her a moment to realize it was Barney speaking. Behind her, Ryan’s labored breathing let her know that he had put all his force into the spanking, and that her behind was probably as red as it felt. “When you go home, you clean up every last grain of that dirt. Do you hear me? I better not find one iota of it when I get home in six months.” She continued to sob. Ryan’s hand was still on the small of her back and when he patted her in a soothing measure she jerked away from him, standing up and yanking up her panties, crying out as the material hit her bottom. “Answer me!” “I hear you!” “If you ask me they’re being way too easy on you, ‘cause if I were there, your ass would be blistered. But I think what just happened will let you know we mean business. Behave yourself. I don’t want another phone call about something like this again.” The line went dead and Peyton pulled up her jeans. Her crying was calmer, and she sniffed several times, and then pushed her hair back from her head. “I hate you both.” “Fine,” Selden said. “I’m used to it. Barney’s right, though. You’re going to mind your ps and qs, and you’re going to learn to behave yourself again. If you don’t, well, you’ve just gotten a taste of what will happen.” *****

Peyton walked into the quiet kitchen. The smell of coffee permeated the air. She found the half-full carafe and poured herself a cup, adding a little cream and taking a sip. Her backside ached something fierce, but worse than that was the dressing-down she’d received from Barney. It was bad enough she’d let him down by not paying back his loans, but to have him so angry about the dirt, and then to have him listen to her spanking, that had been almost unbearable. The only thing that made it seem better was the fact that neither Selden nor Ryan seemed to take pleasure in her situation. They weren’t laughing, or making jokes about it after it was over. They were solemn, and quiet, and Ryan even asked if she was all right, if he wanted him to drive her home. She’d decided his offer, and had grabbed her purse and made it to her car before Selden had come out of the building. Then, she’d gone to the ranch, driving her car over rough terrain to an old tree she’d used to ride her horse to as a teen-ager. There she sat and cried and cried and cried. When she’d returned to the house, Selden’s truck was parked near the house, but he wasn’t anywhere to be found. It had taken her several hours to clear the dirt, but she’d carried out load after load. After that she’d run the vacuum cleaner, not caring if she woke him up, because she knew that’s where he was, in his bedroom, sleeping. After breakfast she planned to run the vacuum again, just to make sure that she’d gotten every last grain, just like Barney had ordered. She took a sip of her coffee, and then moved to the refrigerator. She opened the door and bent down, wincing at the pain her movements brought. She’d slept fitfully. Her behind had ached more with each turn, and finally, she’d rolled onto her stomach, a position she wasn’t used to, and slept on and off. The back door opened and she lifted her head and peered over the refrigerator door. “I’ll cook breakfast,” Missy said with a smile. “Don’t worry. I’m making waffles and sausage and bacon this morning.” “You don’t have to make that big of a meal just for me.” “Oh, I’m feeding others, too.” She smiled and moved to the coffee maker. “Damn. Selden’s like a caffeine pump in reverse. That boy needs to slow down. Oh, unless you’ve drank more than…sorry.” “No. This is my first cup.” “Good. I’ll make more, ‘cause I like a few cups myself. He would drink a pot or two if I let him.” Peyton stayed silent, her eyes focused on the back door and the two women who were heading toward the main house. They were different from the two women who had been there yesterday and she wondered who they were. She decided there was no time like the present and posed the question to Missy, who stood with her back to Peyton. “Friends of the hands.”

“Really? Well, there were two that I saw yesterday, and two today, and two that were leaving the day Barney came. Are the hands running some sort of cowboy brothel?” Missy laughed, but kept her face turned toward the counter. “Of course not. They just have friends. The hands have lots of friends.” “Friends that have to be brought in on airplanes? The ladies I met my first day here were leaving on an airplane.” “Well, not everyone can visit on, um, you know.” “No, I don’t know. Why don’t you explain it me?” Peyton wished the older women would turn around so she could see her face. She was hiding something that much was obvious. But she kept her face turned firmly toward the counter, working on whatever she was making for breakfast. The two ladies came into the back door and Peyton stood and offered her hand. “Hi. I’m Peyton, and you are?” Missy whirled around from the counter and hurried across the room. “This is Amanda and Nicole.” She pushed a thermos into their hand. “I’ll have biscuits and such later. Y’all have a good morning.” The ladies took the food and left without saying anything and Peyton turned a curious look on Missy. “What the hell was that?” “Nothing. I just have a lot of work to do and I don’t need a crowded kitchen.” “Right. You could fit a whole basketball team in here and still have room for more. What gives? Am I not allowed to talk to the hands’ girlfriends?” “I just think…” “Good morning.” Selden came through the door, taking off his hat and propping it onto the counter. “There’s mail here. Lots of bills that need to be paid and recorded in the books.” He handed the stack to Peyton and smiled. “Good morning.” “Asshole.” Missy sucked in her breath and Selden shook his head. “You have short term memory loss. I thought we discussed your mouth yesterday.” “Yeah, well if I’m going to be kept in the dark about things going on here, I’m going to continue to cuss as much as I want. So just eat sh…” “Peyton. In the office, now.” “I haven’t had breakfast. You’re going to starve me as well as beat me?” She turned to Missy. “You do know that’s what they did yesterday, right? Him and Ryan? They beat me.” Missy bit her lip, then looked at the floor. “I’ll finish making breakfast.” She turned to the counter and Peyton stared at her, her mouth open. “Are you serious? You knew? What the hell is going on here?” Selden turned her and propelled her toward the office. When they were inside, he shut the door.

“I thought our discussion with Barney cleared things up yesterday. Yet you’re still cussing, and thinking that everyone needs to bow down to you.” “I didn’t say that. I’m just confused. Why are all these women running around here? And why when I went to talk to them did Missy act as if I’d tried to launch a nuclear bomb?” “The hands have friends.” “Yeah, that’s what she said, but I’m not buying it. Something’s going on.” “What’s not going on is you minding your manners. Now I’m going to add these little demerits to your list for Sunday.” He handed her the bills. “You can find everything you need, and this should take you most of the morning. After you eat breakfast, this is what I want you to do. Are we clear?” Peyton slammed her heels together, thrust out her chest and saluted. “Yes, Captain PainIn-The-Ass.” His eyes narrowed. “Don’t forget that Ryan, the mediator, declared your mouth a natural disaster. I could blister your ass right now if I wanted to, but I promised to wait until after the contracts were signed, so I hope you’re ready for it tonight. But don’t think you can push me too hard. You’re still a major brat.” He stormed from the room and she laughed. “At least I get the satisfaction of knowing that your morning’s been ruined.” She put the stack of mail on the desk and went back into the kitchen were Missy was frying bacon and putting biscuits into the oven. “Wanna let me in on the secret?” “What secret?” “Please. You’re not at all surprised that I got my ass spanked. I was hoping for someone who would stand up for me, yet all you did was thwack open a can of biscuits and fry some bacon. What gives?” “Your punishment is not my business.” Missy moved around the kitchen, darting from task to task. “There’s fresh coffee. Would you like some eggs?” “No.” Peyton realized she’d sounded harsh and she added, “But thank you.” “I’m making ham sandwiches for lunch, and stew for dinner.” Peyton nodded. “You’re making a lot of biscuits. Since when did Barney feed the hands breakfast? Especially if they have guests who could cook for them?” “I like to cook.” “Right. Well thanks for being so open and honest with me. I really appreciate it.” Peyton poured herself a cup of coffee, added some cream and headed for the office. “Aren’t you staying for breakfast?” The two women turned toward each other. “Why bother? All the jerkwad’s going to do while I’m here is spank my ass. Maybe I’ll lose some weight and give him a smaller target. Besides, it’s not like you’re actually going to talk to me. All you’re going to tell me is what Selden said you could say. Having breakfast with a sock puppet is not my idea of fun.”

She went to the office and slammed the door. She’d almost been moved to stay by the hurt look on Missy’s face. Almost. Then she had to remember that Missy worked for Selden, who was going to treat her as badly as he could the whole time she was here. That made the snub that much easier to justify. ***** It was just after twelve when Peyton put down her pen and counted out the envelopes that were ready for the mail. The books were in great order, so she hadn’t had to go through and reorganize or do anything except put in the ones that had come today, and pay them. She knew that Barney had money. She’d always known that. His cattle always fetched a good price, as did the horses that he bred. He kept several stud horses that brought in good fees every month, and produced great offspring. She picked up the stack of checks that had come in today’s mail and knew she would have to go into Cheyenne today. Either that or she could just give them to Ryan to take back into town tonight. The idea of the lawyer’s visit made her stomach churn. She didn’t want to see him after last night. It was hard enough seeing Selden. Still, she refused to be intimidated by the jerk. As far as she was concerned, her behavior was just fine and she didn’t mean to change it. So what if she spoke her mind, or did things that others thought were out of line? At least she wasn’t a mindless drone like Missy. There was no way she was going to let Selden beat her down. She might even try and think of something to do to him that didn’t involve dirt, but would let her feelings be known loud and clear. She made up a deposit slip, then put the checks and slip into an envelope and placed it on the center of the desk. No one was in the kitchen, but Missy had been true to her word. There was a large plate of ham sandwiches sitting next to several unopened bags of potato chips. Peyton took two halves of a sandwich, then opened one of the bags and put some chips on her plate. She fixed herself a glass of tea, and then sat down at the table. Tinges of regret over her treatment of Missy coursed through her as she ate. She shouldn’t take her anger and frustration out on the other woman. She had a bad habit of doing that lately, and that was why she was constantly looking for a job. It’s not that she felt things were owed to her. She just had her idea of how things should go, and when they didn’t she became angry. That didn’t make her a bad person, did it? Obviously, Barney thought it did, or he wouldn’t have left her here with Selden so he could “correct” her attitude. She was almost done eating when Missy came in from the back yard. The older woman scowled at her, then went to the counter and began wrapping the sandwich trays with plastic. “Can I help with that?”

“No, thank you.” “Please, I’m just, well, frustrated with everything.” “I can understand that. But you shouldn’t take it out on me.” “You’re right. I apologize. Really you’ve been nothing but nice to me, and this morning I transferred my anger with Selden the Wonderjerk onto you. Accept my apologies?” “Yes, I accept. I know this hard on you, but you’re not making it any easier on yourself.” Peyton drained her tea glass. “True, but I’m not going to make it easy for Selden. I hate him.” “Have you stopped to think that it’s not Selden who’s getting the brunt of your anger? It’s going to backfire on you, and you’re the one who will pay for it. I know that you’ve been spanked several times already, and he’s not going to stop. Instead of being mad at him, you need to examine the reasons for the spankings, and decide what you can do to change those reasons. Take a good look at yourself, and see if you don’t agree that the spankings were deserved.” Missy looked sad, then put the chips into a large grocery bag. Peyton stared at her as silence filled the room. When Missy grabbed the trays and headed outside, Peyton stood. “Let me help you.” “No, but thank you. Think about what I said, and help yourself.” She left and Peyton sat back down. She hated to admit it but the woman had a point. Maybe this afternoon should be spent in contemplation.

Chapter Five By two that afternoon, Peyton was bored out of her mind. She thought about going for a ride, but knew her behind was still too sore to sit in a saddle for any length of time. She thought about taking another trip into town, to go to the bookstore and stock up, but she didn’t want to waste the gas. Still, it was either go today, or go tomorrow, since it was obvious that her afternoons were going to be lacking. Since Missy was taking care of the food and the household chores that left her with the little bit she had done this morning, and what would come in tomorrow. She wondered again why Barney needed her here. There was no reason why Selden couldn’t take care of the books and the ranch at the same time. Did he bring her here just for the discipline? The computer wasn’t even hooked up to the Internet so she could wile away the afternoon surfing. After a few minutes of sitting, she picked up the phone, found the proper button for the programmed in number she needed and pushed the button. The assistant put her through to Ryan immediately, which shocked her. “Good afternoon,” he said. “You just caught me. I’m leaving in about half an hour.” “Good. Before you leave with papers that effectively make me a whipping post, I want you to stop by a bookstore. I’m bored out of my mind.” His chuckle infuriated her. “Any special requests?” “Yes, get about ten books. No, make that fifteen. Some romance and mystery. Ask a clerk for suggestions. Oh, and if there’s a self-help book on how to commit a murder and get away with it, get me that one too.” She plunked the phone down without waiting for an answer. Then she went into the kitchen. Missy was making some sort of doughy thing and Peyton leaned against the counter. “Need any help? Not that I’m good at cooking, but I can always try.” “That’s okay. You’ve got things to do yourself.” The older woman kneaded the dough, slapping it against the counter. “What are you making?” “I’m making cinnamon rolls for breakfast in the morning. Unless you’d like something else?” “No, that sounds delicious. But they make those things frozen and pre-made, you know. Or in those little things you thwack on the counter.” “Where’s the fun in that? I like making things from scratch.” Peyton gazed out the door and sighed heavily. “Well, I guess I’ll go sit back in the office and be bored.” She moved toward the doorway, stopping when Missy’s voice reached her. “We can always talk, if you like.”

“Well, as my dear ex-husband has let me know, my social skills are lacking of late. I don’t want to offend you, or do anything that would bother you.” “Practice makes perfect.” She slammed the dough down, and then shaped it into a round disc, which she covered with flour and placed in a bowl. She put a towel over the top and placed it in the far corner of the kitchen. Peyton noticed two other bowls that sat nearby. “How many cinnamon rolls are you making?” “A lot. I’ll make them this afternoon, and then put them in the refrigerator overnight and bake them in the morning.” She took the bowl from the furthest end and brought it back to the counter, setting it down and punching her hand inside it to release the air that had filled it during the rising process. “Wow. You can take your aggression out on that, huh?” “Sometimes.” She spread flour on the counter and sat the dough in the middle. “Here, take the rolling pin and roll it out while I make the filling.” “That I can do.” Peyton started to work, and the silence grew. When the dough was thin enough, Peyton moved way and watched Missy spread the sweet concoction over the dough and start to roll it into a log. “How long have you lived here?” “Three years. Roy and I moved here for the job. He likes to move around.” “Do you have any kids?” “No. We only got married five years ago, and Roy didn’t really want kids. Truth be told neither did I. What about you?” Peyton crossed to the other side of the room and lifted the towel on top of one of the bowls. “I think this one’s ready. It looks like it’s doubled.” “Don’t tell me you don’t bake,” Missy said. “You know about dough.” “I used to. I mean, I’m not perfect, but I’ve tried a few things. Selden used to say that he could use my biscuits as hockey pucks.” “Well, that’s a crummy thing to say. Bring that bowl over here.” Peyton sat the bowl on the counter, then took off the towel and punched it down. “Crummy yes, but true. It’s just one of the areas I was lacking in while we were married. Now it seems I’m lacking in much more.” “Why do you say that?” “Surely Selden has told you that I’ve been brought here for a major attitude adjustment?” Missy’s soft laugh wasn’t meant to embarrass, or even scold. “Yes, I got that impression.” Peyton started to roll out the dough. “Why doesn’t that shock you? I mean, you reacted to the fact that I’d been spanked as if it’s an every day occurrence.” Missy covered the two trays of cinnamon rolls she had from the first batch of dough, and then placed them in a large refrigerator that sat against the far wall. “That’s new, isn’t it?” Peyton frowned at the fridge, then swiveled toward the one that sat in its usual place. “Why does Barney need two refrigerators?”

“For feeding the hands.” Peyton narrowed her eyes at the woman, but before she could question her further, Missy said, “So, let’s talk about why your attitude needs adjusting.” “Well, during the past few years I’ve been, um, well, I guess a little out of control. I’ve always been one to speak my mind, and do what I want, but lately I’ve done things that I shouldn’t.” “Why?” “I’m not sure.” Peyton spoke softly as she continued to roll the dough. “Since Selden and I divorced, I’ve just, well, not cared what anyone thought. I know some of the things I’ve done are wrong, but I do them anyway.” “Without fear of consequences?” “Oh, I’ve had consequences. I’ve lost three jobs because of them. And yet, I keep on doing it.” “Roy would tell you that your misbehavior is a cry for help.” “Is your husband a psychologist?” “No, but he’s very in tune to people. You misbehaved until you got the reaction you wanted. I would say you were unhappy in your jobs, but if you quit that was like giving up. So you gave them a reason to fire you. Am I right, or did you like your jobs?” “I hated them.” “Then I’m right.” “And now? Would you say I piled dirt in front of Selden’s door because I wanted attention from him?” “No. I think you were calling his bluff, and he called it right back. He spanked you the first night you were here, right?” Peyton blushed furiously. She looked away so that her gaze wasn’t on Missy and nodded. “I’m sure he told you that he’d do it again. You wanted to push him, much like a child pushes a parent, to see if he was telling the truth. You were pushing the limits to see what you could get away with.” “Obviously not much.” “The first time Roy spanked me I was indignant. I was furious that he thought he had the right to treat me like a child, or so I thought. It took me a while to realize that if he didn’t care about me, he wouldn’t try to correct my behavior. You need to think about that the next time Selden spanks you.” “Selden hates me. He’s hated me since I told him I wanted a divorce.” “Remember what I said. If he didn’t care, he would just let you run willy-nilly. And think about this. Barney loves you very much. If he thinks something is wrong in your life, he would want to fix it. Maybe this is his way of letting you know that something has to change, and soon. Now, go get me that last batch of dough before it goes bad.” *****

Peyton was out in the yard when Ryan’s car pulled up in front of the house. She and Jackson, a large black lab, were playing fetch with a stick he’d brought her the minute she’d stepped outside. She’d spent the time thinking about what Missy had said. Her matter of fact attitude toward Peyton’s spankings had made her stop and think more than anything that had happened in the last three days. What if she was right? What if Barney thought something needed to change in her life and this was the way that he let it happen? He had “supervised” the spanking in Ryan’s office yesterday. The idea made her wonder why Barney had left. If he thought she needed spanked, why hadn’t he done it himself? Didn’t he have the heart? Or did he think the punishments would have more effect coming from a man that she couldn’t stand anymore? She tuned her thoughts back to the present time and watched Ryan get out of the car. Jackson dropped the stick at her feet and ran to him, his tail wagging. Ryan put his bags on the car hood and leaned down to pet the dog, who then took off toward the barn. “Books, as ordered.” He handed the sacks to Peyton with a grin. “Thank you. Give me the receipt and I’ll go inside and write you a check.” “No need. Consider them a gift. I hate to see you bored and getting into mischief while you’re out here.” “Bullsh…” Peyton cleared her throat. “Right. But I really can’t accept them. I’d rather pay for them.” She felt awkward around this man that she hardly knew, who had taken a belt to her behind last night under her uncle’s direction. “I tried to call your office earlier, but they said you’d already left.” He gave her a quizzical look. “About?” “I don’t want to sign the new papers.” “Why? Do you plan on contesting the first ones, or somehow fighting what’s in them?” “No. I’ll abide by the old ones.” He leaned against the porch railing and shook his head at her. “May I ask why you’ve had the change of heart?” “I don’t know. I figure Barney did what he did for a reason. Why not just let it unfold and be done with it.” “Hum. That’s a big change, for someone who threw such a fit yesterday. But I’m happy to hear it.” “Even if it means you came all this way for nothing?” His laugh was genuine and she smiled. “Stew and cornbread for dinner. I wouldn’t call that nothing. Besides, I brought you your books, and it gets me out of the office early. Not a bad day all around.”

She nodded. “How’s your behind?” She was shocked to hear genuine concern in his voice. “Sore. Very sore. And I suppose that makes you very happy.” Further surprise spread through her when a look of disbelief that came over his face. “Why would that make me happy? I don’t like the idea that you had to be spanked, trust me. Although I’m happy to see it’s had a marked improvement on your deportment. You kept yourself from cussing earlier.” A grin started to spread across her face but she caught it and frowned at him. “Pat yourself on the back for it if you want. I just didn’t feel like cussing.” “Yeah, and pigs don’t like truffles.” “Maybe they don’t, I don’t know. I’ve never been around pigs much.” Selden came around the corner of the house and her eyes narrowed. “Except the two legged kind.” Ryan burst into laughter. She could tell he was trying to stop when Selden came up to them. “What’s so funny?” “Nothing, except for the fact that your short-term partner has decided not to sign the papers.” Selden stopped short and put his hands on his hips. Peyton thought the veins on the side of his neck might pop out and she gave him a sweet smile. “May I ask why not?” Controlled anger filed his voice. “Because she decided to go by the original papers. I guess my spanking last night made her see the light.” “You wish. I spanked her first, so if anything, she made her decision based on that.” “No way. I was more effective than you,” Ryan countered. “Yeah right. I’ll have you know…” Peyton cleared her throat. “Excuse me boys, before you break something trying to see whose penis is bigger, it wasn’t either of you. It was Missy.” “Missy spanked you?” Selden gave her a confused look. “No, you dork. She talked to me about Barney and his reasons for doing this.” Ryan shook his head. “We did the same thing, you know.” “Yeah, but she made sense. You two just pissed me off. And there’s no way you can count that as a cuss word because I’ve heard you use it quite a bit.” Selden smiled at her, an honest to goodness smile that made her insides flop. It had been quite some time since he’d done that. She wasn’t at all sure she liked the feelings he roused in her. She gave him a tentative smile in return, and then turned toward the house. “I’m going to examine my new books. I’ll see you two at dinner.” She hurried through the living room to her own room, shutting the door firmly behind her. She didn’t want to think Selden’s smile was cute. Selden was an asshole. It was his fault that they’d divorced. He’d promised to back her in her marketing career, then refused to move to Cheyenne or anywhere else where she could work.

She’d screamed at him that he’d wanted to keep her barefoot and pregnant, an idea that he’d refuted. Then he’d countered that she’d agreed to stay with him on the ranch, an idea that they had discussed, but she’d never agreed upon. After their initial breakup, Barney had tried, and failed, to get them back together. Now that he was gone, would Selden turn on the charm and try to tether her to the ranch after her contract was over? She sure hoped not, because she was quite certain that her reaction to it would set her behind up for more than a few spankings. ***** Three days later, Peyton was back to being bored to tears. She’d read two books in three days, and had barely done any work, since there wasn’t anything to do. Missy would let her help in the kitchen, a little, but for the most part pushed her out and told her to go and relax and enjoy herself. She’d made sure she stayed out of Selden’s way, and minded her manners. She didn’t want to give him any excuse to spank her, since she was just now getting over the spanking that Ryan had given her in his office. The continual ache from the spanking had surprised her. She’d expected the pain to lessen after the first day, but she’d still felt it, just not as intensely, the second day. Today it was mostly faded, but the memory was still there and she didn’t want to go through it again. She saw him at dinner, but other than that she pretty much made sure that when he was in the house, she was in her room, reading or watching the small TV. Thank goodness for satellite dishes. At least she had a few movies to watch, but sitting around watching TV bored her something silly. There was one thing she wanted to check out, and that was the mystery of the visiting ladies. Every morning two ladies came to the house to pick up freshly brewed coffee in thermoses, and to pick up food items. They were quiet, and even though she’d tried to engage them in conversation she’d never gotten more than a smile or a good morning from them. When they’d picked up what they needed, they’d disappear into the copse of trees that she knew hid her and Selden’s former residence from the main house. She was determined to figure out what was going on. She couldn’t help but think that he was having some sort of orgy down there. The idea didn’t hold water, of course, since he was staying in the main house with her. Still, something was going on, and she was determined to find out what. At lunchtime she went into the kitchen to find Missy making her usual massive amount of food. Today it was hotdogs with chili and French fries. Peyton again made her offer of help, and was again turned down. And as usual, when she followed Missy outside Selden or one of the hands appeared to keep her from going near the copse of trees. Today though, she had another plan. She waited until an hour after lunch, and made her way to the barn where a young man named John greeted her.

“I’d like to take a ride.” She clasped her hands together and tried to look innocent. “Is Martha still stabled here?” “Yes, ma’am she is,” John said with a smile. “But Selden didn’t say anything to me about you riding today. Are you sure it’s okay?” She gave him an indignant look. “Excuse me? Do you know who I am?” “Yeah, you’re Barney’s niece, but Selden said you couldn’t…” His words dropped off and he bit his lower lip. “Um, let me call him on his cell phone.” “What, you can’t make a decision by yourself? If you know I’m Barney’s niece then you know that I know how to ride, and that while Barney’s gone I’m in charge.” Suspicion crept into the young man’s eyes. She guessed he wasn’t more than about twenty, maybe twenty-one, and hadn’t been employed at the ranch for a long time. “Saddle Martha for me. Now.” “Listen, it won’t take but a minute for me to called the boss and…” “I want to see a saddled horse in front of me in five minutes, or you’re fired. I can’t say it any plainer than that.” Peyton knew that when Selden found out she’d threatened the young man with firing, something she had no control over, she’d be taken over his knee, but she didn’t care. She was bound and determined that today was the day to find out what was going on in her old house, and if she had to threaten the young man to get it done, then so be it. She just prayed that he didn’t call her bluff and put a call through to Selden. She’d take her punishment latter rather than sooner, thank you very much. She pasted an angry look on her face and she could tell by the look on his face that John decided he wasn’t taking any chances. He nodded and moved toward the horse stalls. Seconds later he was leading Martha, a mare that had been on the ranch for nine years, out of her stall. He saddled her in record time and handed the reins to Peyton. “Give me a second, and I’ll go with you,” he said, his voice full of worry. She felt sorry for him, but there was no way she was going to let him, or anyone else, accompany her on her ride. She already had it figured out. “No worry. I’m going down to the road to put a letter in the mailbox.” She pulled the envelope, complete with a fake address, from her pocket. “I don’t need anyone to go with me for that.” His look of relief pushed her guilt even higher. She hoped he didn’t get into too much trouble with Selden, or with Missy’s husband Roy, who seemed to be a big shot at the ranch, although Peyton had yet to meet him. “That’s fine, then. I still have work to do and hate to leave the barn.” “Don’t worry, John. I know the way there.” She pulled an apple from her pocket and held it out to Martha, who took it and chomped happily. When she was done, Peyton stroked her nose, giving the horse a second to get used to her scent. “Remember me girl, huh? It’s good to see you again.”

She moved her hand back to Martha’s withers and the horse whinnied in approval. Seconds later she hoisted herself into the saddle and turned Martha toward the main road. She knew that John would watch her until she rounded the bend so she stayed on course, making sure to take it slow and easy as if she were just out for an afternoon ride to try and alleviate her boredom. When they rounded the bend, she turned Martha into the trees that would lead her back around the barn and into the fields. She would make a half-circle and come up on the other side of the house where she could sneak up on the house and see what the hell was going on. It would have been quicker if she’d gone left and rounded behind the main house, but there was too much chance that someone would see her. She wanted to make sure that no one saw her, even if it meant a longer ride. About an hour into the ride she stopped at a small stream and let Martha get a drink. She dismounted and fed her another apple that she had in her pocket. When the horse finished eating and nudged her pocket she laughed. “Yes there’s more, but you can’t have them yet. We still have a little ways to go.” By now she knew that John would have informed Selden she’d gone for a ride, and had been gone for quite some time. Selden would drive out to the mailbox and figure out she hadn’t been there, and then he would mount up and come looking for her. She swung back into the saddle and eased Martha into a trot, hoping that she would get to the house before Selden figured out where she was going. When she neared the area she dismounted and tied Martha to a tree. “You stay here, and I’ll go investigate.” She took out another apple and fed it to her, then made sure the reins were tight enough so that Martha couldn’t get loose, but loose enough so that she could lower her head and graze while Peyton was gone. She stared to walk back to Selden’s house and was struck by the simple fact that there were less trees in the area than there had been. Not only that, but there seemed to be several more cabins situated near it. Although some of the trees were gone, there were still enough for her to hide behind as she neared the house. She ducked through a break in them and stopped short as a noise reached her ears. A few days ago she might not have been able to tell anyone what it was, but after her experiences with Selden and Ryan she could. It was the distinct sound of someone being spanked, and spanked hard. The woman was crying and pleading, saying that she was sorry for breaking the rules. Peyton pushed her head around a tree so she could see. An older man had the woman, who looked to be about forty, across his lap. Her behind was bare and he was whacking it with a hairbrush, over and over and over again. Several people were walking by, ignoring the scene. It was almost like a small village where a public punishment was taking place, except no one was really paying any attention.

She stood to her full height, prepared to go in and put a stop to it. She’d taken one step when the entrance was filled with a man. A huge man. She stepped back and bit her lip and stared at Selden. “Get lost on the way to the mailbox?”

Chapter Six “Stop him. Make him stop. She’s crying!” Peyton tried to race past Selden but he stepped in front of her and wrapped his arms around her, propelling her back into the trees. “What are you doing here?” She took a step back when he released her. His question shocked her. “What am I doing here? Are you serious? What the hell is going on here? Did you wait until Barney was gone to start your own little spankfest?” She tried to rush past him but he grabbed her again. “This is none of your concern, Peyton. Take Martha to the barn and go back to the house. Now.” “Screw you. I’m going to help that woman.” She struggled to get out of his arms but he held her close. “You son of a bitch! Let me go. How could you do this to Barney? You talk about me owing him money but the minute he’s gone you have a perv party!” His laughter made her blood boil. “Are you serious? Barney knows about the resort. He’s the majority stockholder.” Selden’s words hit her like a brick. She stood rock still, his arms still around her. “You’re lying to me.” She barely heard the words herself, and even as she said them, she knew that he wasn’t lying to her. Hadn’t Barney listened on the phone while Ryan took a belt to her ass? That right there proved that he approved of spanking. But a resort? How could approving of spanking, and practicing spanking, turn into a business? How could her sweet uncle take part in something like this? “You know I’m not lying, Peyton.” Selden’s voice was soft, almost gentle, as if he knew the impact his words were having on her. “Barney didn’t want you to find out about this. That’s why I told you to stay up at the house.” “Yeah, like I wouldn’t be curious about the parade of women that come to the house each morning.” She snorted and pushed away from him, surprised when he let her go. “I want you to stay calm about this. It’s none of your affair. You need to turn around and go back to the house. Right now.” “Fuck off!” She marched past him into the middle of the trees and stopped. Three new houses had been built near the house she’d once shared with Selden. A fourth structure looked like it was near completion. In the center of the houses was a courtyard of sorts, with long benches in the middle. “What are those for?” “What do you think?” He was standing beside her now. She could feel his anger radiating from his body, and she knew that she was in for a spanking. Frankly, though, she didn’t care. “So, women come here to spend time at the resort and to be…” She couldn’t say the last word. “To be spanked? Yes.”

“Why? Why in the world would a woman come on a vacation only to be spanked? It makes absolutely no sense.” “To you, maybe. But it does to these women.” “So, there’s a little spanking whore house going on here, huh?” He grabbed her arm and turned her toward him. “There’s no sex here. None. That’s one of the rules.” “Right. No sex, just abuse.” “There’s no abuse. These ladies come here wanting to be spanked. Some are sent by their husbands for disciplinary reasons, but we don’t accept anyone who doesn’t sign a form saying they accept the stipulations.” “Right. And if her husband has coerced her into coming, it’s no skin off your nose, right? As long as you get to hit their asses. This absolutely sucks. When did you and Barney become assholes to fucking do whatever the hell you want?” Selden’s face turned red, then he grabbed her arm and jerked her toward the unfinished house. All the walls were up, but scaffolding was still in place. She tried to dig in her heels and fight him, and knew that several of the ladies were watching. Two cowboys stood near them, and one ran to the door to open it. When they got to the porch stairs, Selden gathered her in his arms, despite her struggles, lifted her up and then carried her inside. The cowboy shut the door behind them and Selden pushed her into the room. “What did I tell you about your mouth? Huh?” He was so angry she thought steam would come out of his ears. “My mouth? You can’t be serious! You’re running a spanking farm and you’re upset about my mouth? You make money off women’s pain! You’re just an…” “Don’t say it!” “A huge jerk! A moron! A sadist!” Her breath caught on the last word and her hands flew to her mouth. “Oh my God. Barney. Barney does this? Did he do this to…? No! I can’t believe he would have abused Merry this way. She never said anything.” “Spanking is not abuse. And if I had taken Barney’s advice while we were married, then maybe we would still be that way.” Peyton stared at him, dumbfounded. “What?” “You heard me. Barney told me to spank you, said you needed it to get back into line. I didn’t take his advice and look what happened. We’re divorced and you’re flitting from job to job, abusing, that’s right I said abusing, your co-workers.” “I didn’t abuse them!” “Give me a break. You know you did. You were never like this when we were married. What’s made you so angry? Was it me? Was it the divorce? What?” “Don’t flatter yourself.”

Her words had lost some of their bravado, but she was still angry. “I want to see that woman. I want to see for myself that she’s all right. If you don’t let me see her, I’ll call the cops the minute I leave here.” “Fine. I have no problem with you talking to her. Let’s go.” “Why the change of heart? First you don’t want me near here, now you will let me talk to one of you ‘guests?’” “Well, now that you know I don’t want you thinking I’m doing something illegal. Like I said, let’s go.” She stared after him, and when he turned toward her and laughed, she grimaced. “You thought I was going to take you over my knee right here and now? Don’t worry, you’re going to get a spanking for this. But I won’t do it while I’m so angry. I need to calm down some. But it’s coming, don’t worry. I just know how to hold my temper and make sure that it’s a spanking for discipline, and not because I’m angry.” “Well that makes absolutely no sense. You spank someone because you’re mad at them.” “No. You spank someone because she’s done something wrong. It’s used to correct behavior, and it would be bad to spank only because you’re mad. I don’t do that.” Peyton wanted to believe that he was lying, but she knew he wasn’t. The morning of the dirt incident he hadn’t come tearing into her room to spank her. He’d calmly left her a note telling her clean it up. The note had been gift-wrapped with a belt, true, but still, he hadn’t spanked her in anger. She narrowed her eyes at him. “What about the first night? You were angry then.” “I was mad, I was not fuming angry like I was the next morning. Not enough to put off the spanking. Now, do you want to talk to Candy or not?” “I do.” “Then let’s go.” He moved to the door and opened it. She had the fleeting idea that it might be a trick to get her close to him as she passed through the door. But she threw the idea aside. He hadn’t hesitated to trap her when he gave her the first spanking, and she didn’t think he’d trick his way into it now. She walked onto the porch and stopped at the stairs. Several people were watching her intently. Probably wondering if I just got my ass whipped, she thought. She scanned the area and saw the woman she’d seen being spanked earlier. She stood with the man who had been spanking her, calmly talking. Peyton hurried down the stairs and made her way toward them. She was aware that Selden was right behind her, but she didn’t want him to be. Candy would be more open to her if the men weren’t around, and she intended to let Selden, and who ever the other man was, know that. They had noticed her approach and she stopped inches away from them and trained her gaze on the man. “Go away.” “Excuse me?”

“I said, go away. I want to talk to Candy alone.” The man crossed his arms over his chest and stared at her. “I don’t take orders from you.” “Oh, you mean a mere woman?” “No, I mean a little troublemaker who has nothing to do with the resort.” “Listen, buddy. I’m…” “Shutting my mouth.” Selden came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. “Peyton, didn’t Barney teach you that you get further with honey than with vinegar?” She narrowed her eyes at the man, who silently watched her. “Fine. I would like to speak with Candy, alone.” She thought about it for a minute and then added, “Please.” “Come on Roy,” Selden said. “Just for a few minutes. I don’t see what it would hurt.” “Wait, you’re Missy’s husband?” “That’s right.” Peyton studied him. She wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting, but it wasn’t the hulk of a man standing in front of her. “Pey,” Selden said, laughter in his voice. “Stay on one task. Roy and I will be over here.” The two men left and Peyton moved closer to Candy. “Do you want me to call the cops?” “What?” Candy stared at her. “The cops. You can have them arrested for what they’re doing. I can call them when I get back to the house. I imagine they’ve cut you off from phones.” “Oh, thanks for reminding me.” Candy reached down and took a cell phone from under the bench Roy had been sitting on when he was spanking her. “I almost forgot and my husband will be calling in about an hour.” Peyton’s mouth dropped open. “Your husband? You’re married and he knows you here? Did he make you come?” Candy’s smile was warm. “Hardly. My Stevie doesn’t like to spank, but I love to be spanked. When we heard about the Triple T we knew it would be great for us. I’d get what I wanted, and he wouldn’t have to worry about providing it.” “Are you serious? You’re here because you want to be?” “Yes.” Candy studied her then cleared her throat. “It’s not what you’re thinking, I promise. Spankings help me focus and think.” “Oh, you have no idea what I’m thinking.” Candy’s laugh was genuine. “Oh, I think I do. You think we’re all perverts, but that’s not true. Trust me on that.” “Why don’t you tell me why you like to be spanked?” “I don’t even know you. All I know is that you’re Selden’s ex-wife and that you’re here while Barney’s gone. I’m not going to impart my most private fantasies to you.” “Fantasies? You fantasize about being spanked?” Peyton stared at the woman. She knew it was rude but she didn’t care. Surely she hadn’t heard what she thought she’d just heard.

Candy straightened her shoulders and shook her head. “Roy, I’d like to go back to my cabin now.” “Of course, Candy. I’ll see you at lunch.” Peyton was surprised that Candy showed no signs of anger. When she moved past the big man he patted her shoulder. Then he nodded to Selden and moved away. “Okay, now I’m really confused. Why does Missy’s husband spank other women?” “Once again you’re equating spanking with sex. It’s not that way.” “Her ass is bare.” “Bare asses don’t equal sex.” Before Peyton could object further, Selden held up his hand. “Back to the unfinished cottage. It’s almost done and it will do for the spanking I have in mind.” Peyton snorted. “If you think I’m going to take a spanking as passively as she does, you’re nuts. I’m not going back there.” “Fine. I’ll spank you here, on the public spanking bench. Roy left the hairbrush. I can use that.” “Are you kidding me?” “No. I have no trouble taking your jeans down here. Now if you give me trouble, then I can call Roy back to hold your arms while I bare your bottom. Or we can go back to the cabin and talk for a few minutes before I spank you privately. It’s your choice.” Peyton couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She had no doubt in her mind that Selden would call his friend back over to help “prepare” her for a spanking. And there was no way she was going to let him spank her here, in front of everyone. She wondered if she could outrun him and make it to Martha before he caught up with her. Deciding that she couldn’t, and that she’d rather not go through the humiliation of being spanked in front of everyone, she straightened her shoulders and marched past him toward the house. ***** In the main house she found a table with some chairs sitting around it. The table was full of used drink cans and littered with food wrappers. She took a second to look around the house. The living room was large, and opened onto a deck. There was a bar separating the kitchen and dining room, and to her left she could see a hallway that led to several bedrooms. “More space for your spankees?” “Why don’t you sit down and let’s talk about the resort and how it came to be.” “Right. You’re going to tell me the truth?” “I am. Peyton, have I ever lied to you?” She wanted to tell him yes, he had. He’d lied to her when he’d promised to stand beside her in their marriage, and then balked at her suggestion to move and try something new. But she

knew that wasn’t right. As much as she wanted to blame Selden for the disaster that had been their marriage it was a fifty-fifty proposition. But that didn’t mean she had to like him. “So give.” She crossed her arms in front of her and gave him a disdainful look. “Sit, please.” She pulled out a chair and sat down. “You didn’t know that Barney and Merry practiced domestic discipline?” “No.” Her voice was soft. “I can’t believe he beat her and she lived with it her whole life.” “Peyton, you’re confusing beatings with spankings. There are two different things.” “Are they? Explain it to me.” “Beatings are done out of anger, and possibly hatred. They’re done to inflict pain and to bring the other person down by a small person who needs to hurt someone in order to feel good about himself. Spankings are done for discipline, and out of love. They’re done to correct behavior that could possibly be destructive.” Her loud snort surprised even her. “Right. You love someone enough to spank them.” “Yes, you do. What did Candy tell you? Spankings help her keep things in focus, right?” “Yeah, well because she’s twisted doesn’t mean it’s right.” Selden sat back in his chair, a wicked grin on his face. “Hey Peyton, do you remember that night we went camping about a year before we got divorced?” She glared at him, and then realization dawned. “Oh no. Don’t you dare…” “Don’t I dare what? Bring up the fact you asked me to bring rope? Bring up the fact you liked to be tied up while we had sex? Isn’t that a “perversion” to some people? Wouldn’t they say there was something wrong with you?” “It’s two totally different things.” “Maybe, maybe not. But just because you don’t understand it doesn’t mean that you can judge it, or say that it’s wrong.” She wanted to scream at him that he was full of crap, but truthfully, his argument held merit. “Then tell me how all this got started. Was it the pervert Roy? Man, I can’t believe a nice woman like Missy is married to a moron like that.” “Roy’s not a pervert, nor is he a moron. The resort started about a year after our divorce. Barney had always told me that if I’d spanked you, we’d still be married. We were talking about it one night and decided to do some surfing, and found out there were several resorts that catered to women who like to be spanked.” “Wait a minute. There’s Internet access at the house? How come nobody told me?” “It’s on the main computer.” He shook his head and continued on in his main thread. “We decided that we’d look into it. He sent me to a resort…” “So you could be spanked?” The idea made her laugh. “So I could see how it was run. Then, we found out Roy and Missy practiced DD, and the idea was born.”

“I still can’t believe it. Is Roy a part owner?” “He owns some stock, yes.” “This is a corporation? How do you explain that to government officials?” “It’s a dude ranch.” “That caters only to women.” “No. We’ve had some husbands here, too, although we only spank women.” “Cause a man getting spanked is a perversion, huh?” “No, because none of my workers wants to spank another man. Would you like to hire on as the resident female spanker?” “Doubt it.” He laughed softly. “I’m glad you’re calmer.” “I don’t like it. This totally sucks.” “To you, maybe. But the ladies who come here don’t see it that way.” “They all come…” a light bulb went off over Peyton’s head. “Wait a minute. Those papers Ryan pulled from his desk. You make the ladies sign that contract, don’t you?” “Yes. We want to make sure that everyone is here because they want to be and that they’re not coerced. They know that they’re going to be spanked, and they agree to submit to them and use them to correct what every behavior brought about the spanking in the first place.” She gave him a sweet smile. “Well, I guess that ties it up nice and neat and protects your sorry ass, doesn’t it? If they try to sue you, you just pull out the papers that show they agreed to be a whipping post.” “You still don’t get it.” “No. I guess I don’t. And I don’t think I ever will.” Peyton stood. “I’m going back to the house.” She stared to move away but Selden grabbed her wrist. “No, you’re not. We have business to attend to. I specifically told you to stay away from here, didn’t I?” “So?” She shrugged her shoulders. “If this is part of the ranch, then I have the right.” “No. Barney told you that I would take care of “other” parts of the ranch. You knew that, yet you disobeyed your directions to stay away from here.” She pulled her wrist away from him, aware that it had been in his grasp too long. His touch still had an effect on her. “Are you kidding me? You didn’t think I’d be curious? You can’t blame this on me.” “I can, and I do. Take down your jeans.” “Screw you.” She didn’t run. Instead she just stood and stared at him, her eyes narrowed. “Peyton Marie, do it now.” She shook her head. “The papers I signed said I had to agree to discipline, but they didn’t say I had to make it easy for you.” The grin he gave her made her think about reconsidering her words. Almost. Their gazes locked, and then she made to run for the front door.

She hadn’t taken two steps when Selden grabbed her around the waist. He turned her toward the bar, hoisting her up so that her middle was lying across the flat surface. His right hand expertly worked the button on her jeans while his left kept her in place. She kicked out her legs but met nothing but air. Desperation took over. She should have submitted to it. Selden was quickly undoing her jeans and she knew that since she’d fought him, taunted him, that the spanking would be harder than it would have been if she’d lain across his lap and taken it like he wanted her to. “Stop. Selden. I’ll do it, I’ll do it!” “Too late.” For the first time in her life, Peyton lamented the fact that she didn’t wear tight jeans. Once they were undone, Selden quickly and expertly pulled them down. Her panties followed and his hand came down on her cheeks, over and over and over. She tried to get away from him but in her position it was impossible. She lowered her head and tried to stop fighting. Maybe if she stopped struggling he would stop the spanking earlier than what he’d planned. Her behind stared to ache, but it was nothing like the ache she’d felt from the belt Ryan had used on her earlier in the week. When Selden’s slaps lessened, she sighed in relief. He’d remained silent and that had bothered her more than anything. She wondered if he did it because she’d done the same. She refused to beg him to stop. The sounds of him rooting on the table behind him made her look over her shoulder. “What are you doing?” “Spanking you.” He held up a wooden paint stirrer and Peyton started to struggle again. “No!” “Yes.” The wooden strip came down across her bottom. She cried out and it landed again and again. “You need to learn to follow directions, Peyton.” “Stop it! That hurts, stop it!” The wood landed on her bottom again and again, the sting harsh. Whack. The wood slapped against her rump. “Asshole! You can’t fucking do this to me. Damn you!” Whack. It landed again. “There’s that mouth I’ve come to hate. And you were doing so well. Barney’s particularly worried about your mouth. Maybe I should wash it out with soap.” Peyton continued to struggle. Selden hadn’t missed a stroke while he was talking. The wood had landed again and again. She cried out for him to stop, but he continued, his strokes firm. Finally, when her behind felt like it was on fire, she slumped against the bar. “I’m sorry.” “For what?” He stopped spanking her. “Don’t just think that you can say I’m sorry and it’ll stop. I want to know what you’re sorry for. Say it.”

“I’m sorry for breaking your perimeter, asshole!” Selden delivered several more swats. “You know, Peyton, I have a great board that will make much more of an impression than this stick. Shall I go get it? Or perhaps I need to cut a switch?” “No! No! I’m sorry. I’m sorry I came out here when you told me not to, and I’m sorry I called you a name. Please.” She could hear the desperation in her voice and it drove her crazy with anger. She shouldn’t have to beg. She could just imagine how she looked right now, bent over the bar with her reddened behind in the air, her jeans and panties around her knees. “I think I actually believe you. Of course you could just be acting to get me to stop.” He delivered three more swats and she moaned. “I’m sorry, truly I am.” She heard the paint stirrer land on the table, and then Selden set her on the floor. “Pull up your jeans. Then go and get Martha and go back to the house. Now.” He strode from the house, slamming the door behind him. Peyton pulled up her pants, and then sniffled. She straightened her shoulders as she buttoned her pants over the aching behind. This wasn’t right. People went on vacation to relax, not to be spanked. She needed to talk to more of the women, to see if she could figure out why they liked to be spanked, and why they were here. And, she had to find a way to have this little “dude ranch” shut down. She smiled to herself. She had six months to do it. She just had to mind her ps and qs so that she didn’t get any more spankings. She smiled as an idea crossed her mind. Selden didn’t want her out here talking to his women because he knew what she had to say was right. So, she’d have to sneak out here at night to talk to them. Maybe she’d be able to get a few to join her in a revolt. That would put a kink in Selden’s operations.

Chapter Seven Peyton paced the living room, feeling much like a caged animal. In the four days since she’d found out about the “other” purpose of the Triple T, she’d been unable to make her way back out there to try and talk to more of the women, to try and show them that what was happening to them was wrong. Selden watched her like a hawk, and she was pretty sure that he had given the ranch hands orders that she wasn’t supposed to set foot toward the trees, or even be given access to a horse. That meant she spent most of her time indoors, bored out of her mind. She’d only read one of the books Ryan had brought for her. The others sat untouched on her nightstand table. Every time she tried to read she thought about the ladies in the copse of trees, getting their behinds spanked. It made her sick, but what made her sicker was the idea that she could probably not do a damn thing about it. Selden had proven his point that the ladies were there willingly. No one was forcing them to stay, and they went home at the end of their time here. She knew that because she’d seen a few of them in the truck, heading to the airport. If they were really disgusted about what was happening they would call the cops when they got home. She let out a heavy sigh and looked out the window. It was a beautiful day outside. The sound of Missy clearing her throat made her jump, just a little. “I could use your help in the kitchen. I’m doing several things at once, and in about twenty minutes bread’s going to be ready to come out of the oven, and dough for cinnamon rolls will need to be punched and rolled, or it will be ruined. You interested?” “Suppose so,” Peyton said, shaking her head. “That’s a contradiction, you know. You said yes, but you shook your head. Which is it?” Peyton turned toward Missy, and then nodded. “Sure, I’ll help.” “I appreciate it.” In the kitchen, Missy pointed Peyton toward the cinnamon bun dough. “The timer for the first batch goes off in about five minutes. Plus, I haven’t had a chance to make the filling.” “I can do that.” Peyton took a bowl and started mixing brown sugar, butter and cinnamon. For a few minutes, the room was quiet. Then, finally, Missy cleared her throat. “You’ve been awfully quiet the last few days.” “I’ve been thinking.” “About?” “Life.” Peyton looked at the number of bowls of dough sitting on the counter. “Going overboard on the rolls, aren’t you?” “We’re having guests this weekend and I wanted to get a head start on things. I’ll freeze the rolls after they’re baked, and then pull them out the night before. People love my cinnamon rolls.”

“Yes, they do,” Peyton said, taking the first bowl and punching down the dough. “So what’s going on this weekend? A spanking convention?” Missy’s snort of laughter made Peyton smile. “No, it’s nothing like that.” “What is it, then? Selden holding a meeting of Spankers are Us?” “No, it’s just…” “Quit being nosy, Pey.” Selden stepped into the house and headed for the refrigerator. He took out a bottle of water and downed it quickly, setting the empty one in the sink and reaching for a second. “Why? Ashamed of what’s going on?” “Not at all. I just don’t want you around this weekend. That’s why I’ve asked Ryan to take you into town. You can have a good time, go see some movies, shop, spend money, waste time – all the things you’re good at.” Peyton hit the dough with the rolling pin, wishing for just a second that she could take aim at Selden’s head. Then she rolled more gently. Something big was happening this weekend. That’s why he was shuffling her off to the city. She needed to find out what it was, and see if there was some way she could use it in her quest to shut down the spanking part of the ranch. “So, who’s coming to visit? Are you getting an important spankee and you just don’t want me to know it?” “No. What happens out there is none of your business. Drop it. Ryan will be here tomorrow afternoon to pick you up, so have a bag packed.” “You going to put me on an allowance too, dad? Do I get a curfew for the weekend?” “Ryan’s in charge, and he can spank you just as hard as I can, so behave yourself.” His words made Peyton’s blood boil. She hadn’t even been here a month and she was already sick of being ordered around, sick of being under the thumb of a man she’d once loved. “Screw you,” she said under her breath. Selden put his empty water bottle in the sink, and stepped closer to Peyton. “What did you just say?” “I said screw you. I’m sick of you ordering me around. You may be in charge out there, but in here I still have rights. Don’t talk to me like I’m a five year old who can’t tie her own shoes. And I’m not going anywhere this weekend. The papers I signed don’t give you the authority to make out my itinerary.” “You will go, Pey. If I have to stuff you in the car myself, you’re leaving. Tomorrow afternoon through Monday. I would think you’d be happy to be away from me for that long.” She stopped rolling the dough and turned to him. “That is one plus, yes. But I’m leaving for four whole days? From Thursday night to Monday? Must be something big going on.” “Roll your dough, and behave.” She hated him. Hated the fact that he was able to order her around. Hated the fact that he could spank her, and get away with it. The urge to rebel hit her like a ton of bricks. She knew she should keep her mouth shut, she should behave herself. But she just couldn’t do it.

“Oh yes, because that’s all women are good for, right? Cooking and cleaning? Oh wait, you need someone to beat, too.” “I’m not going to have this conversation with you, cause you know you’re wrong. I don’t feel that way. I would have hoped you’d be over your anger about being here by now, but I guess I was wrong. Maybe a weekend in town will do wonders for your deportment.” He moved toward the back door and before Peyton could consider the consequences of her actions, she picked up the glass bowl that contained the sugar mixture for the first batch of rolls and threw it at Selden. He must have sensed it coming because he ducked to the left, and the bowl went sailing past him, smashing into the screen door. The sugary mixture flew out, cascading down the screen onto the kitchen floor and the back porch, soaking into the mesh before the bowl hit the floor and shattered. From behind her she heard Missy gasp. But Peyton kept her gaze trained on Selden. His face turned red and she thought he might explode like a firecracker at any second. “How’s that for deportment?” She expected him to scream, to pull her over the counter and spank her ass. Instead, he stared at her, and then stared at the mess. “Clean it up, Pey. Clean up every drop of goo before it attracts mice or other vermin, and clean up the glass. We’ll discuss your punishment later.” Keep your mouth shut, Peyton. Keep your mouth shut. She silently repeated the words over and over to herself. Then, she sighed. “I’m sorry, Missy. I’ll clean it up for you, because I’m embarrassed I acted that way in front of you. As for you, Selden, you can kiss my ass.” He stared at her for a few minutes, and then stepped toward the door, carefully avoiding the glass. “I’ll be back.” Peyton’s hands shook and she leaned against the counter. “Have you lost your mind?” She turned toward Missy. “I’m sorry. I just … he just … makes me so mad with his attitude.” “His attitude? What about your attitude?” “Mine? Are you kidding me?” “No, I’m not kidding you. Take a few steps back here. Yes, he was rude to you, but you were rude back. And for you to throw a bowl at him? Don’t cry to me about being spanked after this, because you deserve it.” “Bullshit! Nobody deserves it.” “Listen, I realize that you don’t embrace the domestic discipline lifestyle, and that it’s been forced on you, but there are some of us who do practice it. And those of us who do know that it works.” “How, how does it work?”

“It’s order, and discipline. Something I think you know little about. You had no right to go to the camp the other day after you’d been told not to. And you had no right to throw that at Selden, and break one of my best bowls.” Peyton fought the urge to tell Missy she was full of it too. She went to the closet and took out the broom, quickly sweeping up the glass before she got out the mop to clean up the sugary mess. She knew what she’d done was wrong, and she wondered why she couldn’t get a grip on her emotions. Was it being so close to Selden, or was it what was happening at the ranch? Refusing to believe that she could still harbor one ounce of affection for her ex-husband, she decided she was upset about what was happening. She had to find a way to stop it, which meant she had to find out exactly what was happening this weekend. She knew Selden had a file on the “camp” activities. She needed to get into that file, tonight. Which meant she had to behave herself the rest of the afternoon, and try to find a way into his part of the computer when he was asleep tonight. Considering the fact that he’d slept so lightly the last few days that might be tough to do. When the mess was cleaned, she turned to Missy, who was dumping two batches of dough in the trash. “I’m sorry.” “So am I. It would be too tough to use now, because it’s sat too long. Please roll out the third bowl and I’ll start new batches.” “Missy, it was wrong of me to…” “Please don’t talk to me right now, Peyton. I realize that you’re having a hard time dealing with things, but I’m so mad right now I could spit. We need to stay quiet and work.” “All right.” Peyton’s heart dropped to her stomach. She’d managed to alienate the one person on the ranch who had been nice to her. She had to do something to make it up to her, but what? “I’ll replace the bowl. I’ll get one in town this weekend.” “Thank you.” Missy turned back to the mixer and Peyton fought back tears. Not only would she be spanked tonight, but she’d lost a friend. They made quick work of the rolls, laboring in silence. When the last batch was in the oven, the back door opened and Selden stepped inside. Peyton braced herself for the spanking she knew was about to come. Maybe she could do something to cut it off at the pass. “I’m sorry, Selden. What happened was inexcusable. Please forgive me.” He stared at her for a long minute before he spoke. “You know, Peyton, I actually believe you. But I can’t allow what happened to go unpunished.” She laughed nervously. “How about I go to bed without any supper?” “How about you go and cut me a switch.” Her eyes widened. “What?”

“It’s extreme, yes, but I believe if we don’t nip this in the bud right now, things are just going to get worse and worse. Fifteen strokes with a switch on your bare bottom, then fifteen minutes standing in the corner with your reddened bottom displayed should reinforce the fact your behavior is unacceptable.” “No. Please, Selden. I’m really, really sorry.” Peyton’s hands started to sweat. She didn’t want a switching. Hell, nobody wanted a switching. They hurt like the dickens, not only while they were being delivered, but for days afterwards. “I’ve thought about this long and hard, Peyton. If this is what it takes to get your attention, then I’m going to do it. Now you can cooperate and make this a little easier on yourself, or you can fight me. Either way I’ll win, I guarantee it.” His voice was low and even, which made Peyton’s hands sweat more. She knew better than to fight him. He was right, he would win. Plus, what she’d done had been wrong on so many levels. She couldn’t even begin to come up with reasons for doing it. The urge had come, and she’d given in to it. “Do I need to accompany you outside?” “No. I’ll do it.” She rushed the words from her mouth, worried that if she didn’t do as he asked, the fifteen swats would turn into something worse. “Do you believe me when I say I’m sorry?” “I already told you that I did. But that’s not going to change your punishment.” Peyton sighed in acceptance, then took a knife from the kitchen drawer. She left the house slowly, wondering who was watching her, and who knew what was happening. Had Selden come out here and discussed her punishment with his spanking buddies? She was sure that he’d discussed it with Roy, Missy’s husband. She didn’t like that man, even if she’d only exchanged a few words with him. She hadn’t seen him anywhere except for the spanking portion of the ranch, so she wondered if he had anything to do with the ranch proper, or if he was only involved with the “other” part. She went to the tree and found a switch. She’d had this happen once before, when she was fifteen years old, she’d broken curfew and her Aunt Merry had given her ten swats with the switch. The memory made her smile. She’d done more than broken curfew. She’d gone to bed, then snuck out of the house and gone joyriding with friends. They’d had a few beers and were well on the way to being toasted when the sheriff’s deputy found them, and carted them all home. Merry had been furious, and it had led to the first, and last, switching she’d ever received. At least until now. She stripped the branch bare of bark and leaves and then headed for the house, praying once again that her contrite behavior would make Selden take pity on her. She stepped into the kitchen, glad that Missy was gone. Selden sat at the table, a halfempty soft drink bottle in front of him. It gave her some measure of relief that he didn’t seem happy about what was going to happen. “Here.” She gave him the switch and he took it, focusing on the drink bottle. “Why did you throw that bowl at me today?”

“Because I was angry.” “About what?” He lifted his gaze to hers. “I would have thought you’d be happy to get away from the ranch, away from me, for a weekend.” “It’s not so much being away from you as it’s being told I have to be away. You know I hate being told what to do.” He nodded and looked back at the bottle. “We’re not handling this situation too well, are we?” “No.” Peyton stared at him, happy that he’d used the word we, instead of the word you. “On Monday we need to sit and talk, not scream at each other, or throw accusations, or throw other things for that matter. How about a picnic?” She stared at him in open-mouthed amazement. “Are you kidding me? You want to beat my ass with a switch and then take me on a picnic?” “Think of it as a bonding experience.” “Which one? The spanking, or the picnic?” “Both.” “I don’t want to bond with you, Selden. We tried that once before when we were married. Or have you forgotten?” “Maybe we can do it better this time. Maybe we could be friends before this is over.” “I don’t see that happening, when you want to redden my ass ever five minutes.” For just a minute, she thought he looked very sad. And then the minute passed and he stood. “Bare your rump, and then bend over the table.” “In here? What if someone comes in?” “Yes, in here. This is where the offense occurred and this is where the punishment will take place. If someone comes in, then they will see you being spanked. That’s part of it.” “Just like cutting my own switch is part of it? That sucks.” “Don’t make me add to the fifteen. Please, Peyton, just do as I ask.” It didn’t take her long to capitulate. This time she knew she deserved it. Breaking the bowl had been so very wrong. She quickly undid her jeans and pulled them and her panties down to her knees. She faced the tale and bent, grabbing the edges tightly. Her heart pounded and she tried to tell herself that fifteen swats wasn’t that many. It would be over in a flash. Selden would deliver them quickly and then she would stand in the corner like a penitent child, and it would be over. “Bend more. And drop your pants to your ankles.” She balked inwardly but followed his directions. When he rubbed the soft switch against her behind panic welled in her. “No. I can’t.” She stared to stand. The panic in her voice was obvious and she expected Selden to make a crack about taking her punishment. Instead he put his hand on the small of her back and pushed her back down. “It won’t take long.”

The first swat stung, and the second one landed in the same place. The third one was harder than the first two combined and she cried out. In response, Selden rubbed her behind with the switch, and then delivered the next five in quick succession. The sting was horrible and it radiated through her body. She tried to concentrate on the numbers. That was eight, so there were only seven left. Seven more. Seven more. You can handle seven more. But they weren’t coming. Instead Selden continued to stroke the switch across her backside. She wondered if making her wait was part of the punishment. If he thought that getting it over quickly would make it too easy on her. Or maybe he was waiting for her to put up a fuss so he could add to the number. She bit her lip and then hissed when two more harsh swats landed on her rump. The last two stung fiercely, and when she murmured, “ouch,” Selden delivered the last five hard and fast. The fire in her behind spread through her body, the heat from the swats painful and humiliating. She stood, fighting back tears. “Stand in the corner, with your pants still around her ankles, you bottom on display.” Peyton wanted to scream that she hated him, that he was an asshole who deserved a dose of his own medicine. But she kept her mouth shut and shuffled to the corner. Embarrassment filled her as the back door opened. She turned to see Roy enter, and then turned her face back to the corner. It would be worse to watch him, to see the smile on his face at her discomfort. “Can I talk to you for a minute?” Roy’s voice was deep, and held not a whiff of amusement. “Sure,” Selden replied. She heard them walk to the far end of the kitchen. Their voices were so low that she couldn’t understand what was being said. She tried to focus on the time. Was Selden keeping time, or was she supposed to do that? She hadn’t looked at the clock when he’d told her to move to the corner. How long had passed, two minutes, five? Would she dare hope for ten? Missy came in from the front part of the house and Peyton stiffened. She wanted to dart from the room, run to her bedroom and slam the door shut. But Selden had proven since she’d arrived that if she did something like that he would retaliate with more punishment. So she stayed in place, embarrassment burning into her cheeks. She heard Missy kiss her husband hello and wondered if none of them were going to acknowledge there was a half-naked woman standing in the corner with switch marks across her backside. The three of them stood talking, and after what seemed an eternity, Selden stepped up behind her. “Did you apologize to Missy for your behavior today?” “Yes, I did.” “Good. Then pull up your pants and come out of the corner.” “Ouch.” She winced as her clothing came into contact with her behind. She knew that fifteen swats with the switch was really nothing, relatively speaking, but her bottom still hurt.

She turned to find Selden looking at her pensively. He wasn’t smiling, but he wasn’t frowning either. “I trust this punishment has had an effect on you?” “It has.” “Good. The next one will be much harder, Peyton, and it will be in front of everyone at the camp. Do you understand me?” She narrowed her eyes at him and nodded. “I mean it. You may be angry at being here, but I won’t have you foster your bad attitude off on people who don’t deserve it, like Missy.” “I already said I was sorry.” “To her, yes.” “Fine. I get the message. I’m sorry to you, too.” “I’m fixing pork chops for dinner,” Missy said. “Peyton, will you help me peel some potatoes?” “Sure,” Peyton said softly. “I’d love to.” ***** It was after three in the morning when Peyton opened the door to her room, peeking out to see if the light was on under Selden’s door. She figured this was the best time to try and figure out what was happening at the ranch this weekend. Selden was usually out of bed by five thirty, so he could start work early and get things done. Right now he should be fast asleep, and it would give her a chance to snoop through the files in the office to see if he’d made any notes about his weekend plans. She tiptoed past his door, happy when he didn’t open it and ask what she was up to. If he did, she planned to tell him she was hungry, and wanted an early morning snack. She hurried to the office, shutting the door behind her softly before turning on the lamp on the desk. After failing to find files in the cabinet that provided any clue to this weekend’s events, she turned to the computer, pushing the mouse until it woke up from its sleep mode. Selden had given her Barney’s password so she could work on the books, but she knew that he had a separate one. She clicked on his name and tried several different things, including his birthday, and their wedding anniversary. Neither worked, so she tried the date that their divorce had become final. It didn’t work either. She tried his mother’s name, his father’s name, and the name of his horse. Nothing worked. She glanced at the clock, which now blinked 4:02 at her and sighed. In a last minute act of desperation she typed in her own name, staring in fascination as the computer accepted it and the program opened. “I’ll be damned.” Then she found a file that said “Triple T.”

Glancing at the clock she took a deep breath and opened the file, her eyes going wide as she read the first few paragraphs of a document with this weekend’s date as it’s header. Then she laughed. “You little devil, does Barney know what you’re up to?”

Chapter Eight “You’re in a very good mood.” Peyton turned from the stove to smile at Ryan. “I am indeed. I made a delicious stew for dinner tonight. I hope that’s okay. At the ranch Missy does all the cooking, so I’m excited to get a chance to be in the kitchen.” Ryan sat a bottle of wine on the table. “If you want the truth, I didn’t think you’d be here tonight. I figured you’d high-tail it out of here the minute I left this morning.” “And go where? Back to the ranch? It’s great to be away from my ex-husband.” She stirred the pot and smiled to herself. That is until he realizes I’m about to put a major kink in his plans. Ryan came up behind her and sniffed the air. “Smell delicious. When’s it going to be ready?” “In about an hour. Needs some more time for the flavors to blend together. Plenty of time for us to enjoy a glass of wine, and for you to tell me how you got to be a spanker. You are a spanker at the ranch, right? Selden won’t tell me anything about how things are run, but after our little run-in, I’m sure that’s right. She took a glass of wine from him and went into the living room. He followed at a slower pace, taking a sip from his glass as he stood near the open window that opened onto an impressive back yard. Peyton hadn’t been surprised when she’d seen his house. It was beautiful, a large ranchstyle home that was impeccably decorated in Western motif. She asked, and been none too surprised, when he’d told her he’d hired a firm to come in and put just the right things in just the right places. That’s the way Ryan was. He liked order, and he wanted things to be perfect. He continued to stare at her and she smiled. “So, why spanking?” “Why the interest?” “Because, I’m curious. I’ve experienced a little bit of spanking the last month, and frankly I’m not too thrilled with it, so I wondered why you men enjoyed it so much. Is it because you get to inflict pain?” The look of disgust on Ryan’s face made her smile. “You should know better by now. That’s not the reason for it. And I really don’t want to discuss this with you. Why don’t you tell me what you’re up to?” His answer gave her pause. “What?” “You heard me. You obviously know what going on at the ranch this weekend. And now you’re acting all syrupy sweet, making dinner and trying to draw me into meaningful conversation. What gives?” “I have no idea what’s going on this weekend.”

“Didn’t find the right file when you broke into the computer yesterday morning?” He took a sip of wine and sat down in a large leather chair that sat across from the couch where she sat. “Why would I break into it? I have a password.” “Not for Selden’s side. Of course I told him that was his own fault, for making the password so easy. So, what did you find out?” He took another sip and stared at her, amusement written all over his face. “You mean about his plans to ‘franchise?’ Yes, I read them. I think it’s a pretty sick idea, personally. Triple T Spanking Ranches on every corner?” “He’s not franchising. He’s talking about bringing in three investors, for more capital. He’d like to build a few more houses.” “So he has more choices in the bottoms he spanks.” Ryan relaxed into the chair. “The Triple T has done a booming business. Now whether you approve or not is not our concern. A few more houses will increase profitability, and allow us to offer our services to more people.” Peyton snorted, holding her wine glass away from her in case it spilled. “Your services?” “That’s right. We have a huge waiting list, both repeat customers and new clients.” Peyton knew she could have been knocked over with a feather. She sat on the sofa, staring at Ryan. “That’s so hard to believe.” “Well, you still don’t grasp the concept of it, so I don’t expect you to understand it. But it’s true.” “How do you take job applications for it? You keep telling me it’s for discipline, for order. What happens when you get hold of a sadist who does enjoy inflicting pain?” “We’ll cross that bridge when, and if, we come to it. In the meantime, our hiring practices are none of your business. Now, shall we eat? Then I thought we’d rent some movies and pop some corn. Just like an old married couple.” “Don’t get your hopes up,” Peyton said with a smirk. “I have no intentions of that,” Ryan replied. “Just a quiet evening at home. Besides, I know that you’re still hooked on Selden, and he’s still hooked on you.” Peyton fell back into the couch. She’d been attempting to stand, but Ryan’s words hit her like a ton of bricks. “Excuse me?” “Yeah, the two of you are stubborn mules who refuse to believe it, but it’s true. You’ve wandered from place to place since the divorce, and he’s kept his sullen self at the ranch, both of you unhappy and taking it out on others.” “You’re so wrong.” Her voice was low. “Keep telling yourself that,” Ryan said with a smile. “You might actually believe it. Now, let’s go make cornbread so we can eat. I’m starved.”

***** It was barely six in the morning on Saturday when Peyton eased open the door to her room. Across the hallway, Ryan’s door was open just a tad, and she could hear his snores fill the hallway. She prayed that he would stay asleep while she exited the house. She tiptoed past his room, her purse slung over her shoulder, and headed for the front door. She knew there was no alarm, but that didn’t mean that he hadn’t set up something that would alert him if she tried to leave. She slowly flipped open the deadbolt, then undid the lock on the main door, pulling it open softly. The door didn’t creek and she sighed in relief. She took a key marked, “spare” off the hook near the door and then went outside. After relocking the door, Peyton moved quickly down the walk, turning right toward the car she’d rented the day before. She’d parked it in the driveway of the house next door to Ryan’s, which sat empty with a for sale sign in the yard. He hadn’t even noticed it, or mentioned it. She stared the car and backed out. One quick stop at a donut shop for some caffeine and sugar and she would be on her way to the ranch. After all, Barney had asked her to watch out for his interests. She was sure that this “franchise” plan was something Selden and Ryan had cooked up between them, and then they’d somehow convinced Barney to take a six-months vacation. She planned on making sure that the little jerk didn’t do anything to cause her uncle harm, in any way. And crashing his “business meeting,” this morning was just the way to do it. Besides, when she was done today, the side-venture of the Triple T would be in ruins, and Barney’s ranch would be back to normal. She still refused to believe her uncle had sanctioned the spanking part of the ranch. Somehow Selden had talked him into it, no matter what Selden said. She was going to run off his investors today, and put a major rip in his plans. ***** “Thanks for the great food,” Selden said to Missy. “They’ve loved it all.” “It’s been my pleasure. Hopefully this idea will take off and you and Barney can get what you want.” “I hope so too. He called last night and reminded me that he didn’t want anything big, just a nice complex that’s like a village, where couples can come and have a sorta “domestic discipline vacation.” Missy laughed and handed Selden a plate filled with cinnamon rolls. “I think it’s a great idea. And if anyone can pull it off, it’s you. Go in there and charm them. I’ll make thick ham sandwiches for lunch, and then I’m making ribs for dinner. Tomorrow I’ll have brisket for lunch, and then they’ll be gone for dinner, right? Or do I need to plan for that, too.”

“No, their plane least tomorrow afternoon.” Missy nodded, turning to hide her frown. “Something wrong?” “No. But they didn’t get her until last night, and they’re leaving tomorrow, so I just wondered why you send Peyton away on Thursday, and won’t let her come back until Monday.” “We needed a break from each other. She hates me, and she’d hated being here for a month. She always loved the ranch before, so it hurts to know she doesn’t like it anymore. And it hurts to know it’s because of me.” Missy turned back to him. “She’s confused. She’s hurt, yes, but I don’t think she hates you, or the ranch. When she comes back, you two need to sit down and talk. It will do you a world of good.” “You mean I need to spank her ass.” “No. That’s not what I mean. Listen, you know I think the world of you, and you’ve been right in punishing her for the things she’s done. But what you haven’t done is sit down and talk to her. She needs that. She’s in a dark spot right now and believe it or not she still cares about you. I can see it in the way she looks at you.” Selden stared at Missy, his heart pounding painfully. “Trust me when I say that. She’s a firecracker, that’s for sure. Maybe you guys were too young when you got married. But I think you need to discuss things and maybe try again.” “As much as I like that idea, I don’t think it’s going to work. We said awful things to each other during the divorce. We just need to get the next five months over with and move on.” He gave her a cock-eyed grin. “And now, I’m going back into the living room and talk to my investors. If it all goes as planned, then the DD village is one step closer to reality. Selden kissed her cheek, then turned to the living room. They’d had a huge breakfast, but the buns would go over well, he knew. He stepped inside, walking to the table and stopping in his tracks as dread mixed with anger filled his belly. “Selden. Hi. Sorry I’m late, but I couldn’t decide what to wear.” He stared at Peyton, who stood talking to Pat Martin. “Oh, cinnamon rolls. You guys have to try these, they’re fabulous.” She took the tray from him and he stared at her. “Pey. Good morning,” he said out loud, hissing “What are you doing here?” As he pulled her into a hug. “Protecting Barney’s interests, just like he told me to do,” she whispered in his ear. Then she pulled back and offered the plate to the three men in the room. Selden watched her as anger crept up his spine. He wondered what she’d already said, and he wondered how he could get her out of the room without making a huge scene. *****

Peyton loved the idea that Selden was sweating. When he’d seen her he looked as if he’s swallowed a bowl full of nails, which served him right, as far as she was concerned. She wasn’t leaving this room without throwing a fit. Just let him try to get her out. She smiled sweetly at him and offered the sweet treats to the men in the room. “Now, let me make sure I have names right. You’re Pat Martin, and you’re Steve Buskee, and you’re Garrett Johnston. Am I right?” “On the money,” Garrett said with a laugh. “But I have to say, I don’t remember seeing your name on the papers we received.” “Well, I’m a stand-in for my Uncle Barney. He’s off for some much needed R&R.” “Oh yes, he is,” Pat said with a smile. “Barney’s a great guy. I met him when I brought Lacey here the last time.” “Lacey?” “My wife. We stayed in one of the cabins for a week last summer, and she loved it. She’s the one pushing me to invest so the ranch can have more guests at a time. I think it’s a great idea.” Peyton offered him another cinnamon bun. “And where is Lacey now?” “Still asleep,” he said with a grin. “She’s not much of a morning person, and we took advantage of the public spanking area last night. Speaking of which, Selden, do the blueprints call for a larger area? That one is a little small.” “Yes, they do,” Selden said. “They’re in the other room. If you gentlemen want to go into the office and wait for me, I’ll be right in, after I’ve talked with Peyton.” “Nonsense,” Peyton said, pulling back from the hand he snaked toward her. “I want to see them too. After all, Barney put me in charge of his half for the time that he’s gone.” She smiled sweetly at the men. “Shall we go?” The three went in the direction she indicated, but Selden stepped in front of her. “What the hell are you going?” “Protecting Barney. Does he know you selling interest in HIS land?” “It was HIS idea, so I would say yes. Go back to Ryan’s house, Peyton. How’d you get here anyway, did you steal his car?” “No, I rented one yesterday. And I’m not leaving.” The silence lingered in the room and she winked at him. “Think of it this way, Selden, it’s a perfect opportunity for you to sell me on the spanking part of the ranch. I get to hear what you say to the men in there. Maybe you can change my mind about what you’re doing here, but I doubt it.” She pushed the buns at him and stalked off toward the office. When she entered she found the men gathered around the round table that Barney kept on the far side of the room. They were staring at blueprints and she sighed. Those hadn’t been in the computer, obviously. The only thing she’d seen were figures about costs for adding cabins, and for adding more employees.

She moved toward them and Garrett moved aside to make room for her. She could practically feel the anger rolling off Selden when he joined them. “The plan, gentlemen, is for six more cabins. We have one that’s ready for you to tour, even though it’s not quite finished, so you can see what we’re planning. Then, we want to add a public meetinghouse at the end that will contain a kitchen and dining room so that meals can be done at the camp, and not at the main house. Peyton thought about the house where Selden had spanked her last week. That was what he was going to use for the tour, she was sure. It was a nice cabin, she knew that. “Now, our idea to keep the costs down would be to use hands to help build the cabins. Many of them are willing, and love to build. But we still need capital to cover the costs of materials and the like. That’s where you come in.” “How much money are we talking, exactly?” Steve sat down in a chair and lifted his gaze to Selden. “We’d like an initial investment of one hundred thousand from each of you. The ranch has become very popular since it started, and we’re trying to build on that. Our main focus will be the cabins, where husbands and wives can come together, and practice their domestic discipline in a vacation atmosphere that is conducive to their activities.” “Are you looking for partners, or investors?” Pat asked. “We prefer investors. Of course you’d be compensated with quarterly returns.” Garrett leaned forward to study the blueprints. “How much money did you make last quarter?” “I admit, we’re not exactly in it to make a profit,” Selden said. “We started it as more of a service, and it’s grown from there. But last year we cleared more than a hundred and fifty thousand dollars.” Peyton felt as if someone had slapped her on the back. She had no idea they’d made so much. She hadn’t examined that part of the file. She’d just seen the plans for meeting with investors and decided to sabotage it. Garrett smiled. “Would that be for the spanking part only, or was that for the whole ranch?” “The two are separate entities.” Peyton’s shoulders stiffened and she turned to the doorway. Ryan stood there, wearing jeans and a shirt. He smiled at the investors and gave her a look that she knew meant trouble. “Gentlemen, this is Ryan Graves, our attorney.” Selden motioned Ryan into the room and introductions were made. When they were over, Ryan gave Peyton a sweet smile that made her insides turn cold. “If we don’t have any other business questions, how about a tour of the ranch? I’ll have some horses saddled up and you can get your wives and we’ll take a ride so you can see the land, and get a feel for it.” “Sounds great,” Pat said. “Lacey will be ready for a ride”

“Let’s meet by the barn in thirty minutes, shall we?” They all agreed and the men filed out. Peyton tried to follow, but Selden grabbed her arm. “Not you.” “I’m not invited on the ride?” “Oh, you’ll have to go on the ride, because if you don’t it will look strange, but I want to talk to you first.” He smirked at Ryan. “Too much for you?” “Give me a break. I hid the keys to both my cars, thinking, she won’t be able to get a cab to bring her out here. How was I to know the little wench would rent a car and park it next door?” “You knew?” “I knew after I saw you driving away this morning. I heard the door lock but by the time I got outside, you were well on your way. I got here as quick as I could.” “Too late,” Selden said. “If I pull her now they’ll question it, and it will ruin everything.” “Selden, she’s planning on ruining it anyway,” Ryan said. “Let me take her back into town and redden her ass.” “No.” Selden’s voice was firm. “Both of you stay. You stay close to her, and watch what she says.” “Excuse me? I’m right here, don’t talk about me as if I’m nothing.” Peyton put her hands on her hips and stomped her foot. “What you are right now is a big pain in my ass,” Selden said. “Why can’t you for once just do as I ask? Is it so hard? Why do you have to try and butt into everything here? This part of the ranch has nothing to do with you. Nothing. When you’re gone in five months it will still be here, no matter what you do.” “I told you, I’m protecting Barney’s interests. Besides, you’re the one who brought me here, remember?” “Protecting Barney’s interests? Bullshit. You just can’t stand the fact that I sent you away. You want to make it harder on me. Admit it.” “Well then I hope it works. If you gentlemen will excuse me, I’m going to go and put on my jeans and boots.” She stormed from the room, tears filling her eyes, more determined than ever to make things go bad for Selden. After pulling on boots and changing into jeans, she went to her rental car, and then to the kitchen, where Missy stared at her, dumbfounded “What are you doing here?” “I live here, remember? Selden can’t push me away like yesterday’s trash.” Peyton held out a sack to the older woman. “Here, a bowl to replace the one I broke. I bought it yesterday.” She banged out the back door and headed for the stables. All three of Selden’s potential investors were there, standing with a two ranch hands that held the reins of saddled horses.

Selden came rushing up behind her, putting his hand in the small of her back. When they were even with the group, he nodded at the ranch hand. “We’ll need two more horses. Saddle Martha for Peyton, and Timmons for Ryan.” The hand nodded and handed the reins to Selden. When he was gone, Peyton held out her hands to the ladies present. “Hi. I’m Peyton.” She shook hands with Pat’s wife, Lacey, and Garrett’s wife, Houston. Then she smiled at Steve. “Your wife not like to ride?” “I’m single,” Steve said. “One of my lady friends has been here, though, and she suggested it as an investment opportunity.” “Well, that was fortuitous for all of us.” She ignored the poke from Selden and turned to smile at Ryan, who came up carrying several large saddlebags. “We have lunch here,” he said. “Lots of ham sandwiches and some chips, plus drinks. I think we’re all set.” The hands helped the visiting ladies mount their horses while Peyton mounted Martha on her own. She took a saddlebag from Ryan and put it across Martha’s backside. She hadn’t expected a picnic, nor had she expected the investors to be so nice. She hoped she could stay on track of making sure the investment didn’t go through. She was beginning to question her ideas, though. The ranch seemed to fit in with everyone around her. Everyone but her. She sighed as they took off for the small lake that was about a forty-five minute ride from the ranch. Maybe she should do as Selden wanted and mind her own business. He’d made it quite clear to her that in five months she’d be gone, and it wouldn’t be her problem anymore. ***** Partway through the ride, Peyton pulled back. She looked around at the scenery, enjoying the trees and the sunshine. The lake was one of the last places she and Selden had camped before their big blowup that had led to their divorce. She shivered as she remembered the trip. It was the last time she remembered being happy with him. Then she remembered his reference to her request for the night. Yes, she’d asked him to tie her that night. Did that make her strange? Did the assembled group’s penchant for spankings make them strange? Somehow she didn’t think so. And she hated it that she didn’t. She wanted to detest anything that Selden had a hand in, but with these normal people that she kept meeting, how could she do that? Missy was normal, even Candy seemed normal. And now this group. Could she be the one who was wrong in all this? True, she’d been tricked into signing a paper giving Selden control over her “punishments,” and that wasn’t normal, but it had taught her a lesson. She would never sign anything again without reading it first. Even if it was something that came from people she thought she trusted, like Barney and Selden. “You okay?” Ryan rode up next to her.

“You going to spank me?” “No. I’ll leave it to Selden. I brought your stuff, though.” “I’m sorry, Ryan. I just haven’t dealt well with things, I suppose. I hope I didn’t get you into trouble by being a sneak.” He glanced at her and his smile made her laugh. “Selden and I expected you’d try something. That’s why I hid the car keys. Just do me a favor, okay?” “What?” “Talk to these ladies, see if they can convince you that spanking is not the evil that you think it is. I know that Missy’s talked to you, but maybe a few more opinions will help.” “All right. I’ll do you that favor if you’ll do me one.” “What’s that?” “Tell Selden not to spank me tonight.” “I’ll talk to him. But I can’t promise that he’ll listen.”

Chapter Nine When they got to the lake, Peyton tried to think of a way to delicately approach the subject of spanking with the two women. Somehow it just didn’t seem to right to say, “So, what makes you enjoy having your ass slapped over and over?” She helped Selden unpack the lunch, pulling over a small table that Barney kept at the lake for just that purpose. When everyone had fixed a plate, she fixed her own and spotted Lacey and Houston sitting under a tree, eating and laughing. She decided to join them, and had barely lowered herself to the ground when her Houston solved Peyton’s problem for her. “You don’t like the concept of spanking do you?” Houston took a bite of her sandwich and lifted her eyes at Peyton. “How did you know that? Did Selden say something?” “No, Garrett told me. He and Ryan have been friends for a while and he mentioned it.” Peyton snorted. “So much for attorney/client privilege. Of course I guess I’m technically not his client, Barney is.” “I love Barney,” Lacey said. “He’s so sweet.” Peyton smiled in response, afraid that if she opened her mouth she would say he was sweet, except when he was tricking you into signing something that put your rump in jeopardy. But of course these women did that on their own. She remembered her promise to Ryan to talk to these ladies about spankings. She pursed her lips, and then sighed heavily. “So, your husbands are thinking of investing in the ranch? Well, not the ranch exactly, but the new part of it.” “Yes,” Lacey said with a grin. “I told Pat that I thought it was a great idea. Having separate cabins to stay with your husbands will be a good thing. Of course the first time I came here Pat sent me here, on Ryan’s advice.” Peyton tried to wrap her mind around the idea of another man allowing his wife to be spanked by someone else. She decided it was best to pose her questions and let the chips fall where they may. “I’m sorry, it’s just such a foreign concept to me. Not only spanking, but being spanked by someone who isn’t your husband. That doesn’t make any sense to me.” Lacey gave her a bright smile. “Three years ago Pat and I were on the verge of a divorce. We’d been married fifteen years, and had two kids, and we pretty much hated each other.” “So, now that he spanks you, you love him?” “Not for that reason alone, no,” Lacey said. “Pat and I had grown apart. We lived our own lives, and I was spending way too much money. I was bleeding him dry, actually. We’ve known Ryan for a long time, and he could tell that deep down we still loved each other. He suggested domestic discipline.”

“Ryan the marriage counselor,” Peyton said, remembering his comment about her and Selden still having feelings for each other. Was he right? Did they actually care for each other? She somehow doubted it, but if they did, she didn’t think spanking would bring them to the surface. After all, he’d spanked her quite a bit since she’d been back, and she didn’t feel any different about him now than she did two months ago. Did she? She pondered the idea and tried to keep up with what Lacey was saying. Something about how much she hated Pat the first time he spanked her. Then, several days later it dawned on her that he was right. She’d been doing things wrong that should be done differently. She went to him that night and they talked. “He knew he was doing things that needed to be changed, and I knew the same. So we talked about what we each wanted to do differently. I promised not to spend as much money. He promised to make it home for dinner, to spend the weekends at home and not at the office, and we both promised to tell each other when we were angry, and not to keep it bottled up inside.” “So, we decided to work things out. To compromise on issues that we didn’t see eye to eye on. And we decided to give domestic discipline a try. It has worked wonders.” Peyton looked at the ground, trying hard not to see Selden and herself in the words that fell from Lacey’s mouth, but it was hard. Except she wasn’t spending too much money in their marriage, she’d been bored. And she’d expected her husband to make a complete change just for her. She’d refused to compromise. And so had he. Where had Ryan been when they were having troubles? She realized the group had gone silent and she stared at Lacey and Houston. “Wow, Ryan the marriage counselor. Who knew?” She glanced at Houston. “Is your story about the same?” “Oh no. Garrett and I have loved spanking for a long time, both for discipline and for pleasure. We heard about the ranch through a female friend who comes here. She likes to be spanked and couldn’t find anyone to do it for her since she’s single. So she comes here.” Peyton shook her head. “I think I’m missing something, because I can guarantee that I’ve been spanked several times lately, and I’ve hated them. All of them.” “Have you seen a difference in your attitude afterwards?” Lacey smiled at her. “Yeah, it’s been worse, and I’ve been pissed off.” Lacey put her hand on Peyton’s arm. “I felt that way the first few times, too. I was so angry, and so hurt that Pat would do that to me. I thought it just wasn’t fair.” “Exactly. See, I knew I was right.” Peyton glanced around in an effort to catch Selden’s eye. She wanted him to hear this. One of his precious guests thought spanking was wrong. It just provided her point. “I don’t feel that way anymore,” Lacey replied. “Let me tell you what changed my mind.” “Please do. I’m all ears.” Even as she said the words, Peyton wished that what Lacey was about to tell her wouldn’t make sense. She didn’t want an idea that backed up spanking making its way into her mind and taking root.

“Now, I don’t want you thinking that I think it’s okay for a man to beat his wife. But think of it this way. When a parent disciplines their child they do so out of love, to correct behavior that is destructive. Behavior that could cause damage. It’s the same way when a husband disciplines his wife. He sees behavior that could have bad consequences and he takes care of it. When I looked at it that way, I saw it in a whole new light, and it changed me, in more ways than one. And it changed me for the better. Sometimes I find myself breaking the rules just so I can be spanked.” “It’s given him control over you.” Lacey laughed. “And it’s worked. When both of us were doing our own thing we were miserable. Now that Pat has the lead in our marriage, I’m following him, and happily, I might add.” Peyton stared at her, then shook her head. “Okay, I can see the husband/wife correlation. But to have a resort where women come to be spanked? That’s not done out of love. It’s done out of the pleasure of bringing misery to others.” “No.” Peyton turned to Houston, who was shaking her head violently. “It’s not done to bring misery to others. There are lots of women out there who want to be spanked, who need to be spanked. They know it and they seek it out. This place gives them somewhere to come where they can be themselves for a while, where they can use an activity that does them good to better themselves.” “Better themselves? By getting their asses spanked?” “Yes. If it does them good, then it’s bettering themselves.” Peyton was about to rebut Houston’s statement, but stopped when Selden came up. “You ladies enjoying yourselves?” “They’re trying to get me to jump onto the spanking bandwagon, but it’s not going to happen,” Peyton said. “I’m sorry to hear that,” Selden said. His tone of voice made Peyton study him harder. She knew she’d done something bad today by coming out when he’d specifically asked her to stay away, and she was somewhat shocked that he’d responded the way he had. He hadn’t screamed at her. Instead, he’d just raised his voice and let her know that she’d disappointed him, but he’d expected her to. His words had hit her in the stomach. He’d expected her to come back today, and that meant he had something up his sleeve. She wondered what it was. She didn’t trust him as far as she could throw him. She narrowed her gaze at him and when he laughed, she shivered. Yes, he was definitely up to something. “We’re heading back now,” he said. “We’re touring the cabins, then having dinner in the main house before we go to the main event for the evening.” “Oh, are you having a mass spanking?” “No. Just one. A public spanking.” “Really?” Fear crept up Peyton’s spine. “And who, may I ask, is being spanked in public? Me?”

“Are you volunteering?” Was she? Had she come to back to the house today with the express idea that Selden would get mad at her, and spank her? Did she want him to? She didn’t think so. She didn’t think that she’d enjoyed being spanked. Not the way Lacey or Houston described it that was for sure. “No. Selden, please.” She jerked her head toward the two ladies, who had jumped up and were now walking away. “Please what, Peyton? You knew I didn’t want you here today.” “I’m sorry. I’ll leave. I just wanted to…” Her words died off. She just wanted to what? She couldn’t tell him that she wanted to ruin his business, to shut down a place that she saw as totally wrong. “Try and ruin this part of the ranch. I know. And it’s too late for you to leave. You’re already here, so you need to witness the whole thing.” “I won’t let you spank me in front of those people. I’ll fight you on it.” “You won’t have to. You’re not being spanked tonight, at least not in the public area.” A wave of relief washed over her, then she was instantly on alert again. “You’re not lying to me, are you, to get me off my guard?” “No, I’m not lying to you.” He turned to walk away and Peyton stood. “Selden? Why are you not screaming at me right now?” “Why should I, Pey?” He stepped toward her. “Listen, Barney and I brought you here because you’re on a destructive path, whether you see it or not. You’ve sabotaged everything you’ve done since we’ve been divorced. I’d hoped a few good spankings would make you see that. Instead, it’s made you angrier, at me. So what I’m planning on doing is to let you watch tonight, to let you see how these ladies use spankings to improve their attitudes and their lives. I’m hoping that will help you see what I’m trying to say.” For the first time since she’d arrived at the ranch she didn’t have a snappy comeback. Instead she stared at him, her heart catching in her throat. “You think I’m on a destructive path? Why, because I’m not following what you want me to do?” He moved next to her. They were inches apart and she could feel the heat from his body. “Pey, what I want, what I’ve always wanted, is for you to be happy. But you’ve moved from job to job, leaving angry co-workers in your wake. And you are very unhappy. Admit it.” She didn’t want to say it out loud, but he was right. She’d thought life would turn out very different from what it had. She turned from his gaze, and then sighed. “Should we go back?” “Yes.” She’d taken a few steps when he spoke again. “Pey, I don’t want you to come tonight if you’re going to cause trouble. But I would like for you to attend with an open mind. Take what the ladies said to you today and use it to frame tonight’s events.” She nodded, words catching in her throat. It scared her that what Lacey said had made sense to her. She didn’t want to give spanking credence, but with testimony such as the other woman’s, how could she not?

***** Peyton wanted to spend the rest of the afternoon in her room but Selden wouldn’t let her. She wanted time to think, time to wonder why she wasn’t dissing him at every turn around the investors. Why she wasn’t telling them he was a moron who couldn’t run a business to save his life. But Selden wanted her to stay with the group. He was giving the investors a tour of the cabins, and he said since she’d insisted on being there, she had to come along, too. That way she could listen to all the information, listen to all the questions they asked, listen to the answers he gave and interpret them for herself, without the added “burden” of emotion that she had when she talked to Selden one-on-one about the resort. She wanted to tell him that it didn’t matter if others were around, she was still emotional about this subject. It seemed so very strange to her that people enjoyed spanking. Would the experience be different for her if she looked at it from the perspective that Lacey talked about this afternoon? Of course the only problem with that was she didn’t have a husband, so a spanking couldn’t come from him lovingly correcting her behavior. The spankings from Selden sure didn’t count, since they’d been divorced and he sure didn’t care about her anymore. A warm feeling tugged at the back of her mind as she remembered Lacey’s words from that afternoon. A spanking was delivered to correct destructive behavior. Was her behavior really that destructive? And if so, did Selden care enough to spank her for it? She shook her head as she remembered the blistering spanking Ryan had given her. Then, the nagging voice returned. Yes, but it was delivered on Barneys behalf, for the dirt incident. So she supposed that, in effect, it could be seen as someone correcting destructive behavior. She hated the ideas that the spankings might make sense. She didn’t want them to make sense. She wanted them to be a terrible thing that Selden did because he hated her. It would make them that much easier to take. Still painful, yes, but easier to come to terms with in her mind. If she thought they were delivered because Selden still cared for her, then that put a whole new spin on things she was unwilling to look at. Selden wasn’t supposed to care about her. They were divorced, and that meant no more caring. Didn’t it? Damn him to hell. He was messing with her mind now, as well as her behind. Peyton tuned him out as they stood in the center of the compound. He talked about new cabins, and the facility that would be used for a community kitchen and meeting place. As they moved she noticed the door standing open to the house where the two of them had lived. It had so many happy memories attached to it. Memories of laughing and loving and the hope of children that had never come about. But then again it had bad ones. Memories of their fights and of the last months of their marriage, when they slept in separate bedrooms, staying in their respective rooms until one or the other was gone.

Curiosity about what was going on inside got the better of her. She broke away from the group and climbed the steps leading to the porch. The wrap-around porch still held the rocking swing where they had sat together during summer nights. She stepped inside and shock hit her system. It was exactly the same as the day she’d left. She hadn’t taken any of the furniture, only boxes of photos and books and her clothes. The furniture, almost brand new when they’d split, showed just a little bit of wear. There was a framed photo from their wedding sitting on top of a bookshelf and when she saw it, her breath caught in her throat. Peyton hurried down the hallway to the bedroom they’d shared. The bed was the same, covered in the homemade quilt that Merry had made for them. She’d wanted to take it with her, but hadn’t had the heart to take it from the house. She crossed to the closet and pulled the door open. It was full of Selden’s clothes, or as many as he’d always owned, which wasn’t much. Jeans and denim button downs, with some colored button downs for special events. There were three pairs of boots and a few pairs of tennis shoes. Two shotguns shared a corner. “Looking for something?” His voice was soft. “You’re only living at the house because of me, aren’t you? Just to keep an eye on me.” “Barney asked me to.” “Why? Doesn’t he trust me?” “Yes, he does. But I think it was his hope that our being that close together would dig up old feelings. I think he’s sorry that it hasn’t.” “Are you?” “Peyton, I know you don’t love me anymore. So let’s just drop it, okay?” “No, it’s not okay. I asked you a question. Are you sorry that our living in close quarters hasn’t dug up old feelings?” She turned to him, her gaze fixed on his lips. She could always tell what he was thinking by his lips. When he was worried, or telling a lie, he sucked the bottom one between his teeth. He was doing that right now. “No, Pey. I don’t want us to dredge up old feelings that will make us yell at each other again.” “Right,” she said with a laugh. “We haven’t yelled at each other since I got back. It’s just been peaches and cream.” A smile crept onto his face and she returned it. “You want to see the public spanking, don’t you?” “Not really. I’m afraid it will just make me angry. And I really don’t want that.” He studied her for a few minutes, and then licked his lips. “You’ve been very quiet today, after your unexpected arrival. Something on your mind?” “Lots of things. You know I wanted to hate this place, to hate what you’ve done to it and hate the fact that you forced Barney into it. But I can see that I’m wrong. You didn’t force him

into anything. The ladies that are here today know him, which mean that they’ve met him when they were here before.” “That’s right.” The room grew silent as they stared at each other. “And do you still hate this place? Hate what I’ve done to it?” His voice was even softer, almost like a caress. “The jury’s still out.” He laughed, then said, “Well, we need to go eat. Then I have to go and sit on the jury for the public spanking. You can attend, or not. But be warned, if you make a scene or try to disrupt it, you’ll get in trouble not just with me, but with the hands who are participating, too.” “Fine, you warned me. That doesn’t mean I’ll heed your warning, though. But you obviously want me to go, so I’ll go. And if I get in trouble, I’m placing half the blame on you.” His laugh was genuine and then he sniffed and straightened his shoulders. “You know we don’t allow sex here, right?” His abrupt change of conversation took her aback. “Are you telling me that because you want me to know this is not a whore house, or because you’re going to proposition me and break the rules?” They stared at each other, and finally he said, “Well, you walked off before I could explain what’s about to happen. The lady who’s going to be spanked, Rachelle, has a huge fantasy to be spanked in public.” “So, this is being done to fulfill her fantasy?” “This time, yes. Now if an attendee does something wrong that deserves a public spanking, it will be administered. With Rachelle, we’re spanking her because it’s her last night at the ranch, and this was one of her requests.” “So tell me what this has to do with the no sex rule.” “It’s simple. I didn’t want you to confuse a sexual fantasy with a fantasy that just involves spanking. Everyone else understands, but I was afraid you wouldn’t.” “I see. So is there going to be a trial?” “Yes, there is.” “And are only men sitting on the jury?” “No, there are six people on the jury. Me, two hands, and three of the ladies who are attending the ranch. After they’ve heard all the evidence they will render the verdict.” Peyton grinned. “Which has already been set on guilty.” “Yes, it has,” Selden said, returning her grin. “But the jury will set the punishment as we see fit. Rachelle doesn’t know how many swats she’ll receive, or with what instrument the swats will be given. That’s part of her fantasy.” Peyton stared at the bed, the same bed she’d shared with Selden. “What happens if she has an orgasm during the middle of the spanking?”

The look he gave her displayed his surprise. “And do you think that’s possible? You hate spanking, and you hate everything associated with it, yet you think this woman will have an orgasm from being spanked?” Peyton wasn’t sure what to say. She wouldn’t have an orgasm from being spanked, she was sure of it. But a woman who had fantasized about it for years, who wanted to spanked, might react differently than she would. “I think it might be possible for someone who wants to experience it.” “Well, that’s a reaction I never expected out of you. Something tells me that this woman is not going to have an orgasm, but if she does, she’ll have it on her own, and not with the help of the person who is spanking her.” Peyton wrapped her arms around her chest. “Who’s spanking her? You?” “No. Garrett is.” “I see, wrap the investors up by offering them a bottom to redden.” He snorted in laughter. “Something like that. But a lot of it has to do with me wanting to watch him spank a woman. I don’t want to get someone involved who’s a sadist.” “What about the other two?” “I watched Pat spank his wife the last time they were here. And I’ll get Steve involved tomorrow afternoon.” “So it’s really a test, for them.” Peyton moved past him and walked up the hallway and into the living room. “You want a real test? Put me on the jury. Try and have that woman convince me to vote for guilty, and then to vote for a spanking. Cause I can guarantee you it ain’t gonna happen.” He moved in front of her, slamming the door shut and turning to face her. “You don’t think so? You don’t think that she could convince you that she wants this?” “No, I don’t. Look, the women today convinced me they liked spankings, and they convinced me that, if given for the right reasons, they can do some good.” She took a step toward him. “But, there’s no way a woman wants to be spanked in front of others. I refuse to believe it.” He took a step closer until they were nose to nose. “I’ll make you a bet, Peyton. You sit on the jury, and you listen to her testimony, and you vote how your heart tells you to vote. Don’t vote no just because you’ve already convinced yourself it’s wrong. Vote as the evidence tells you to vote.” “I will,” she said softly. “Good. Then, if she convinces you that she really wants it, and you order it, you lose the bet.” A feeling of dread crept into Peyton’s stomach. “And what would you win from me for winning the bet?” “It’s simple,” Selden said with a grin. “But first, you have to promise me that you’ll be fair.” “I swear it.”

“Good. If you vote for the spanking, if you decide to give her what she wants, you have to spend the week here, with me, in our house, subject to spankings just like all the other ladies are here.” Peyton laughed as if to call him a sucker. She was already subject to spankings at the main house. The only difference would be she would be staying here instead of there. Plus, there was no way she would vote for that woman to be spanked in front of everyone. Even if her dissenting vote would be the only one on the jury, at least her conscience would be clear. She nodded at him and said, “You’re on. So what do I get from you?” He grinned at her. “How does a month without the threat of a spanking sound?” She sighed happily. “Like heaven.”

Chapter Ten After dinner, Peyton walked to the compound with Selden. Walk wasn’t really the word for it. She almost skipped there, like a kid at recess during school. This was going to be so easy. She would vote no, and she would go a month without being spanked. A whole month. The mere thought of it made her heart beat with joy. The cowboys had set up the “courtroom” in the center of the compound, not far from the bench where Peyton had seen Roy spank Candy. The proximity told her this was considered the “public spanking area.” Not that many people had shown up and Peyton glanced at her watch. “The trial doesn’t start for a half-hour,” Selden said. “Do you want to use that time to move your clothes into the house?” “In your dreams, buster. There’s no way I’m losing this bet.” She took a deep breath and turned to him. “Wait a minute. If I vote no, you’re not going to claim that I’m doing it just to win the bet, are you?” “No, Peyton, I’m not. I’m counting on you to be honest, and I hope you think I’ll be the same way.” She wanted to think otherwise, but she knew that he would be honest. He always had been honest. Even when it hurt, he’d told her the truth. He’d told her that she needed to figure out what she was going to do before they decided to leave the ranch, instead of just running out and seeing what was there. She hadn’t listened, and look where it had gotten her. Feelings of remorse filled Peyton. If she had listened to Selden perhaps they would still be married. That really wasn’t a terrible idea. Their marriage had been good right up until the end, until the months she’d developed wanderlust and wanted to get out and do things. Things that were more than a trip to Denver, or a visit back east. Of course her desire to be anywhere but the ranch had turned disastrous. She couldn’t help but wonder if it had turned so bad because Selden wasn’t there with her. If they had stayed together would things be fine now? Would she have a good job, and be happy? Then again, she wondered if Selden would be happy. He lived for the ranch, for being outdoors and riding horses all day. It hadn’t been fair of her to try and take him away from all that. She closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. This was the first time she’d ever thought something like that, that maybe her inability to compromise had been seventy-five percent of the reason for their divorce. She’d always laid the blame for their problems at Selden’s feet. He was the one who’d refused to leave the ranch. But she was the one who’d tried to tear him from all he loved. So if he had gone with her to Denver, had moved away from the ranch, would he be miserable now? Would she have kept her first job and been happy? And if they had such differing emotions would they be divorced anyway, because they were miserable together?

Peyton shook her head as the confusing thoughts ran through her mind. Who was to say what would have happened? It was too late for that. What would happen now, she wondered, if she came back to the ranch? Selden hated her and he wouldn’t welcome her back. Of course there was the bet that she stay in the house for a week. What was up with that? It had come out of left field, and she wondered if it had meaning behind it, or if he was trying to show her what she could never have again. Not that it mattered, though, because she wouldn’t be there. She would be in her bedroom at the main house, safe from being spanked for a whole month. The idea made her shiver in delight. People were starting to arrive now, and Selden crossed to talk to Rachelle, the woman “on trial.” Peyton took the chance to study the set-up. There was a table on a dais that she supposed was for the judge. A chair set directly next to the judge’s table. Peyton was sure it would be used for testimony. And off to the left of the chair sat six more chairs, one for each juror. The idea of sitting on the jury seemed a little strange to her, but if it would help her to argue her point with Selden, then it would be worth it. Plus there was the fantastic bet that she was about to win. “Like taking candy from a baby,” she said under her breath, an evil laugh following the words. “It’s almost too easy.” The seats started to fill and Peyton frowned. She didn’t realize there would be that many people here. Right now she counted almost twenty-five. Missy and Roy were here, and so were all the possible investors. Of course Garrett would play his part. Most of the ranch hands were here, and several of them were with women. She wondered if they were wives, or guests of the spanking part of the ranch. Peyton made a mental note to ask Selden if most of the ranch hands were single, or married. She didn’t think they would be married if they were spanking women. And then she thought of Missy and Roy. They were married and he spanked women besides his wife on a regular basis. Maybe her idea they were mostly single came from her equating sex with spanking, something Selden told her she shouldn’t do. She supposed maybe he was right, at least from the aspect of the spankers not being sexually involved with the spankees. Selden motioned her forward and she moved toward the jury’s seats. “Peyton, this is Suzanne and Linda, the two ranch guests that will sit on the jury. And this is Frankie and Carlos, the two ranch hands that will help make the final decision. I want to go over the final instructions with the six of us so that we’re all on the same page.” He went over the instructions that Rachelle was on trial for “throwing temper tantrums in public.” “Will there be witness to this alleged offense?” Selden’s gaze could have melted butter. He narrowed his eyes at Peyton and nodded. “As a matter of fact, there will be.”

He turned back to the group. “When it’s time for us to retire and discuss the punishment …” “Right.” Peyton snorted. A sweet smile appeared on her face when he looked at her. “…We’ll go into the newly built house and discuss things.” She wanted to say something else, to let him know that she thought this whole thing was a farce, but she kept her mouth shut. If she said too much he would believe she wasn’t serious about taking part, and if that happened then the bet was off and she’d end up being a whipping post for the next month. She had to remember that and keep her mouth shut. “We’re about ready to start,” Ryan said to the group. They all moved off and Peyton stared at him. “How is it that you’re part of this? Weren’t you my keeper for the weekend?” “I was. I really wanted to take part in this, but since I had to baby-sit you my part was given to someone else. Then, when you ran away, it came back. Imagine that. I’m the prosecuting attorney.” “Surprise, surprise.” “You should be grateful I didn’t amend the docket and include your name on the list of those being tried.” A horrible feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. “You wouldn’t.” “I wanted to, to punish you for running away from me. But per Selden’s wishes I didn’t. He seems to think that you’re going to be punished enough after the trial today. Not sure exactly what he meant, but I’m sure he has something up his sleeve.” “Humph. Doubt it.” “We’ll see,” Ryan said. “Now, if you will take your seat, please? The trial is about to begin.” Once she was seated she looked over the crowd. At least forty people were in attendance. She would freak if she knew forty people were here to see her “stand trial,” and then be spanked. But Rachelle, the defendant, sat calmly at her table, her hands in her lap. She looked so normal. A plump woman with long dark hair. Peyton wondered what would ever possess her to want to be spanked in public. She wanted a chance to sit down with the woman, but doubted that it would happen. The closest she would get was the trial, which she was pretty sure would be a lot of Ryan talking, and a lot of “witnesses” against the woman and nothing more. It didn’t take the judge long to decide that the defendant was guilty of her crime, which wasn’t hard considering they had a video tape showing Rachelle screaming and cussing at several of the female guests. The guests looked very surprised at the events and Peyton, who had been sure that the whole thing was a set up, was surprised by the video. It was obvious that it had not been set up, although she did wonder about the cameras. She had to remember to ask Selden if there were cameras in all the cabins.

The fact that someone might have watched him spank her the other night was unnerving. When the punishment phase started, Peyton knew this was her chance. The only real problem as she saw it was that she thought Rachelle did deserve punishment, but not spanking. A fine would be good enough, to her way of thinking. She intended to bring that up during jury deliberations. When Ryan rose to begin the punishment phase of the trial, Peyton was very surprised to hear that he had only one witness, and that was Rachelle. She hadn’t spoken during the first part of the trial, and Peyton wondered what she would say now. She stepped to the stand and lifted her hand, swearing to tell the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. After she’d sat down, she smoothed her hand on her skirts, and cleared her throat. “Can we get this crap over with, please?” Peyton was so stunned that she stared at the woman. Ryan turned to the witness. “Excuse me?” “What happened with these women happened before I signed my contract, so you have no rights over me. I’m going home in the morning, so let’s just leave it alone.” “You believe that because you weren’t under contract, that cussing people out is just fine?” “I think I can do what I want.” A sick feeling crept up Peyton’s spine. Right before she’d lost her last job her boss had asked her much the same question. She remembered it well. She’d stood behind her desk and said, “Tell me, Peyton, what makes you think you have the right to come into my office and spill coffee on my keyboard, just because you were angry?” “Because, you can’t treat people the way that you do.” Never mind that I can do as I want. “And how is that?” “Like crap. Besides, I’m my own person, so if you don’t like it. Fire me.” And she had. Peyton squeezed her eyes shut at the memory. She’d sounded just like Rachelle. I can do whatever I want to and be damned the consequences. Rachelle was talking again but Peyton was hardly listening. She wondered if this was an act Rachelle was putting on, or if she really was a brat that needed to be taken in hand. She wanted to ask Ryan to ask that question, but she knew she couldn’t raise her hand. It turned out she didn’t have to. He walked to his desk and picked up a folder, holding it high. “Rachelle, I have here your folder from when you applied to come to the Triple T. It shows that you’ve been twice for destroying other people’s property. Arrested? She’d been arrested for her actions? “That’s right.” “Why?”

“Because, those other people made me mad. It was their fault.” “And what did you do to them?” “I slashed tires and keyed a car.” “On the same person?” “No, two different people.” Peyton started to sweat. That little shit Selden had set this up. He’d made the woman say these things. She just knew it. “I’m going to show the jury these exhibits, records of your arrests,” Ryan said, handing the papers to Selden, who glanced at them and gave them to Suzanne. They passed down the line until they were in Peyton’s hands. She stared at the dates and felt her insides roil. “When did these arrests happen?” “Two years ago.” “And when did you start coming to the Triple T?” “A year and a half ago.” “And since that time have you damaged anyone’s property?” “No.” “Why?” “Because of what the Triple T cowboys taught me.” “And what was that?” “To think about my actions before I acted on my emotions. To consider the other person before I destroy someone’s property.” Peyton squirmed some more. She stared at the papers in her hand. This wasn’t a put-up job. This woman really had broke then law. She really had slashed a woman’s tires and keyed a man’s car. Ryan gave her a piercing gaze. “Rachelle, if you say you’ve learned your lesson then why did you cuss out your fellow ranch guests?” “To ensure a public spanking.” This time Peyton sat up straighter. “I’m sorry?” Ryan shook his head. “I’m not sure I understand. Could you explain it for me, please?” “I come to the ranch every six months. I asked for a public spanking before and was denied, saying that they couldn’t punish me in public here for something I’d done in the outside world. So I decided to do something here that would warrant a public spanking.” “And why do you want to be spanked in public?” Peyton could swear there were tears in Rachelle’s eyes. “Because I want to take the memory of it with me and hopefully use it to keep myself in line until I come back.” “Do you mean to tell me you think you’re on the verge of breaking the law again?” “It scares me to say so, but yes. I hate my new neighbor, and before I came I was tempted to put sugar in her gas tank.” “And why do you think a public spanking will help you?”

Rachelle twisted her hands in her lap and bit her lip. “I’m scared that it’s the only thing that will work. I need the discipline. I need the memory of that spanking to hold me until the next time I come back.” Peyton wanted to scream out that her statement was bullshit. Selden had told her that the woman fantasized about a public spanking. A nagging doubt popped up in her brain. What if this woman truly was sorry for the things that she’d done, and she fantasized that the only way to keep herself in line was a public spanking. The humiliation that came from the spanking alone would be enough to keep Peyton from breaking the law, she knew that. Did Rachelle think the same thing? Did she hope, did she pray, that this drastic action would keep her in line? Was that part of her fantasy? And if she didn’t get her public spanking would she go back home and put sugar in her neighbor’s gas tank? Would she act out until she got in trouble in the real world? Peyton didn’t like to think it was true, but somehow she had a very sneaky suspicion that she would. And the reason she knew it is because she would do it. She’d proven that several times in the past that she would do things that were considered very bad form. And each one had cost her a job. If Rachelle went home and did this what would happen to her? This would be the third time she was arrested for destroying other people’s property. What had her sentence been the last time? Ryan hadn’t said. Peyton searched the papers in her hands, looking for an answer. She found it on the second to last page. The judge had sentenced her to community service, and she’d been ordered to pay fines of five thousand dollars, plus she had to pay to repair the items she’d damaged. The judge had also told her that if he saw her in his courtroom again for a similar offense he would send her to jail for no less than a year. Peyton thumbed back to the front of Rachelle’s file. She had two children, and no husband. She and her husband had divorced a few years ago, and she’d gone on a tear since then. “Damn you Selden.” She clasped the papers so tight that they started to crumple, the sound loud against Ryan’s questions to Rachelle. Several of the jurors turned to look at her and she smiled and slunk down in her chair. She’d been set up. There was no way she could vote not to have this woman spanked, because she could see that Rachelle was sincere. Public spanking might be a fantasy for her, but it had a very true cause that the woman hoped would do her good. And who was Peyton to deny it to her? She might want to, just so she could go spank-free for a month, but the consequences for Rachelle would be much, much worse. Peyton sighed in frustration. Selden had won his bet, and she had to spend a week at the house with him, living the life of a ranch attendee. She tried to put a good spin on it. Maybe, just maybe, during her stay she could find a way to shut the place down. But after listening to Rachelle’s testimony she wasn’t sure that shutting down the Triple T spankers was such a good idea after all.

***** “I don’t want to watch.” Peyton turned to Selden, who had not moved from her side since the jury deliberations had ended. She wondered if he thought she would make a run from it to get away from paying her debt. “You need to watch this, Pey. You’re part of the jury that voted on her sentence. You need to stand here and watch her be spanked.” “Rachelle stood near the jury table, her back to the crowd. She had her skirt up around her waist and her panties down around her ankles. Garrett stood behind her with a large wooden paddle in his hand. Roy stood nearby to count the strokes and make sure the proper number was delivered. All Peyton wanted to do was run. “We gave her too many.” “You heard what she said,” Selden replied. “We didn’t make these things up, Pey. She really did those things, and she really will do them again unless she gets a handle on her attitude.” “Then she needs to see a therapist, not get thirty strokes from a board in front of an audience.” She hissed the words out at him and was surprised when he grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently. “She has seen a therapist. Several of them. This seems to be the only thing that works for her. Personally I think she needs to find herself a husband, or a boyfriend, who will spank her on a regular basis so she doesn’t have to come back here.” “You’d lose a client that way,” she said with a sneer. “This case isn’t about making money. This is about helping Rachelle change her ways. I hope we can help her in that effect.” The first swat landed and Peyton jumped at the noise. Selden still had hold of her hand and he squeezed it again. “Let me go.” “No.” The swats started to land in quick succession and Rachelle stayed silent. From her position Peyton could see her face. She held it stoic, but she was sure she could see tears rolling down her face. Garrett slapped her behind harder and harder and Peyton started to squirm. She’d thought thirty swats were too many, and she’d told the others jurors so, but she’d been voted down. Suzanne had voted for fifty, but Selden had nixed the idea, saying that was a few too many. They had decided on twenty-five finally, adding the extra five on the end because Rachelle had called Ryan “an asshole,” at the end of his questioning. When the final swat was delivered, Garrett sat down the paddle and asked Rachelle to stand. She turned to him and Peyton was surprised to see her actually hug him and thank him.

“You’ve got to be kidding.” “No,” Selden replied. “Rachelle recognizes a flaw in herself and knows it needs corrected. This is her way of doing it, and she’d thanking Garrett for helping her.” Selden turned to her and she kept her eyes down. “We’ll start your week in the morning. Please pack a bag with everything you need so you won’t need to come down to the main house. Our house has a kitchen and I’d like you to cook for us each night, but you don’t have to. If you want to eat at the main house I’ll tell Missy.” Baring last night, it had been so long since she’d cooked that the idea actually appealed to her. She nodded her head. “Cooking is fine with me.” “Great. Please be ready at nine tomorrow morning.” She nodded again and then he left her without saying another word. Many of the spectators had left, but some were still around. She didn’t want to go and talk to Rachelle, who stood talking to Ryan, Garrett and Lacey. Somehow talking to someone who’d just been publicly spanked seemed more than a little odd to her. She turned back toward the house, needing the time to think. Her actions of the last four years had been horrible, she knew that, but she’d never destroyed anyone’s property, had she? So she’d cussed out a boss and put sugar in a co-worker’s locker. What was the harm in that? It helped her to blow off steam at people who were mad at her. As much as she was trying to defend her own actions, she knew that if she’d been the recipient of the sugar trick, or found my keyboard, unplugged or not, soaked in coffee, she would be very, very angry. What gave her the right to do these things to people and not think she deserved punishment? When she got to the house she veered off toward the barn. A ride might do her a world of good. Give her some time to think and be totally by herself. She saddled Martha and headed toward the lake they’d visited that afternoon. Martha seemed happy with the exercise and when they got to the lake, Peyton dismounted and sat down, letting the horse roam free to graze. She wasn’t sure how long she’d sat there, staring at the waters, when she heard Selden approach. She knew it was him because she knew he would know she’d come here to think. It was where she’d always come when they were married, and when she was a kid. She turned her head to watch him dismount. He took two bedrolls off his horse’s back and throw them under a large tree. Then he unsaddled the horse and called Martha to him, doing the same thing. They both knew the horses wouldn’t go far. When he turned to her she shook her head. “I’m not having sex with you, so you can just forget it.” “Fine. I just thought you might like to talk.” “I don’t like you right now, Selden.”

“Why, because I’m forcing you to take a look at yourself?” She didn’t answer and he sat down next to her. “You know Pey, I don’t like you sometimes, either. But I still love you. And I worry about you.” “Don’t be nice to me. If you are I swear I’ll cuss you out.” His laugh made her smile. “That’s fine. I brought a paddle with me, just in case. Now, talk to me.”

Chapter Eleven “So what is it you want to talk about?” Peyton drew her knees toward her, wrapped her arms around them and rested her chin on top, effectively closing herself off from Selden. “You tell me. You let out of there awful quick.” “I didn’t want to stick around and listen to you guys pat each other on the back for a job well done.” She expected Selden to jump on her words, but he didn’t. Silence reigned for a few minutes, and then he sighed. “You were in on the decision, too. Remember?” How could she forget? Instead of answering she turned her head away from him. “You listened to her testimony. You know she has a problem and that she hopes this will keep her on the straight and narrow until she returns.” “Yes, I heard.” She turned back toward him. “And I can’t help but think that you wanted me to see parallels between the two of us, me and Rachelle.” “Not hardly. She welcomes spankings as proper punishment and hopes that it will help her. You cuss me out afterwards.” “You know what I mean. You’re hoping I’ll turn toward your side. That I’ll examine myself and see that I need spanked, and often, to correct my bad behavior.” “That would be nice. But for right now I’m just happy that you’re admitting your behavior is bad.” The silence grew again and when she sighed, she tried to keep it low. “What exactly does my staying at the “spanking” side of the ranch entail? You said I’d be subject to spankings like the other ladies. But only from you, right?” “No.” She pushed herself up quickly and turned to him. “That’s unacceptable. I won’t let another man spank me.” “You let Ryan.” He was still seated, and his calm attitude riled her. “I had no choice!” “And you have no choice now. You agreed to the wager. You were so sure that you’d vote against me that you didn’t ask any questions. You can’t blame me for that. I said specifically that you’d be subject to spankings just like any woman on the ranch, and that means from the other men who work out there.” “Like Roy.” “Like Roy.” “Who else? I want to be completely clear on what’s going on.” “There’s an orientation session at ten tomorrow morning. I expect you to be on time, or that’s a few demerits.” “Demerits? Like in high school?”

“Something like that.” She shook her head angrily and stalked away from him. “Where are you going? I thought we’d camp out together.” “In your dreams. I’m going back to sleep in my own bed one more night.” She turned to watch him stretch out. “I’m staying here. Feel free to join me. I’ll even cook breakfast in the morning.” Peyton stopped in her tracks, turning her gaze toward the sky. It was beautiful outside, with the sun just starting to set. She knew the stars would be twinkling overhead soon. It had been so long since she’d camped out, so long since she’d allowed herself to enjoy something. “No funny business.” “Scout’s honor,” he said with a grin. “And speaking of that, I can build us a fire and we can roast some marshmallows.” “You came prepared.” “I came hopeful. That’s why I brought the bedrolls, and some food.” “Promise me you won’t spank me tonight?” “I promise. Let’s just sit and talk.” She nodded slowly, wondering why she was agreeing. She turned to him, her face pensive. “I’m not sure this is a good idea.” “Why, because you’ll remember that I’m not such a bad guy? That we had huge problems and both of sucked at working them out, and it ended very badly? Peyton moved back toward him and sat down. “I’m not gathering firewood.” His grin made her stomach flip. “Fine. I’ll do it. But you’ve got to set up the beds.” “Deal.” He got up and headed toward the woods. She watched him walk, wondering what it was about him that always hit her so strongly. She felt nothing wishy-washy about Selden. During her lifetime she’d either loved him with her whole heart, or hated his guts. It took a few minutes of contemplation to know that last thought wasn’t exactly true. The hatred she’d held for him since their divorce was thawing, which surprised her very much, considering the spankings he’d given her recently. Or was it because of the spankings? She was sure he would say so, but she wasn’t so sure. Either way, the week in the house with him could prove fatal for them both, if she decided to stab him in the middle of the night. Or it could stir up old feelings that she wasn’t sure she wanted to surface again. If that was the case she probably needed to make sure she was bad and received quite a few spankings. The bad feelings she had about the spankings would hold down any good feelings she had for Selden, wouldn’t it? *****

There were only four women, including Peyton, at the orientation meeting. The new women didn’t seem nervous, or in the least bit worried about what was about to happen, making Peyton think that they were return guests, and had been spanked here before. It seemed such a strange concept to her that they would come back. Roy went over the rules, very quickly, saying that most everything was included in the paperwork they had received at their homes. They were to follow the rules explicitly. When he didn’t elaborate on the rules, Peyton raised her hand. “What about those of us who didn’t receive paperwork?” There was no way she was going to make this easy on them. “The rules are simple, Peyton. All guests are to remain in the compound unless they have permission from the owners, or the camp assistants. That means you have to have permission from Selden, myself, Cooper, Tommy or Jasper.” She nodded then cleared her throat. “What else?” He gave her a condescending look and she wanted to smack him. “Times are strict. Up by eight, in bed by ten. If one of the above named men thinks you’ve broke a rule, you will be subject to a spanking.” She stared to speak again and he held up his hand to stop her. “You’re staying at Selden’s house, I know, so you won’t have seen it. But the other cabins have a list of rules. I won’t go over them here, but we expect you to familiarize yourself with them to avoid any unpleasant surprises for you.” “So it’s all about the rules?” “It’s all about discipline,” Roy responded. “And rules help you to remember what you should be doing, and reminds you that you’re here to learn discipline.” “I’m here because I lost a bet.” The other women laughed and Roy narrowed his eyes at her. “Don’t make me make an example of you. You will familiarize yourself with the rules. Do you understand?” An unpleasant tingle ran up Peyton’s spine. “Yes, I understand.” “Good. Now, ladies, go and unpack. There will be an inspection in one hour.” Peyton’s eyes widened. “Inspection?” Roy was already walking out the door and she shook her head. “What inspection? What are they inspecting for?” “Hi.” The short brunette sitting next to her held out her hand. “My name’s Sally. This is Clarice and this is Christy. You are?” “Peyton.” “Hi Peyton. Don’t worry, I was nervous my first time, too. But you’re not staying in the cabin with us?” “No. I’m staying in my old house, with my ex husband.” “Oh, that’s interesting.” Clarice lifted her brows. “You were married to Selden? He’s a hottie.” “A long time ago I might have agreed with you, but not right now.” “Too bad,” Christy replied. “If you’d like to switch places with me, then I’m willing.”

Everyone laughed except Peyton, who shook her head and frowned. “No thanks. It’s going to be hard enough giving them control over me.” “You learn a lot,” Christy said. “Trust me. I did the last time I was here.” “Not enough so that you didn’t want to come back?” “I think it’s a good thing,” Christy said. “Really and truly, it is.” Peyton nodded, even though she wanted to slap the woman upside the head and say, “snap out of it!” “So, what are the rules?” “They’re easy,” Clarice said. “You have to keep your living area clean, and each of us is assigned different chores during the day. If you don’t do them, or do them properly, you get spanked. If you continue to cause problems after your spanking the cowboy who punished you can decide if you need another spanking, or get demerits.” “Another spanking? You can get spanked twice in one day?” “Two is the limit for big spankings,” Sally said. “After that you start to build up demerits, which build into a really hard spanking at the end of your stay. Of course you can get little swats at anytime during the day, depending on what you say or do. Last time I had five demerits.” Peyton stared at her as if she’d grown another head. Sally actually sounded proud of the fact that she’d had demerits, and needed a big spanking. “It boggles the mind,” Peyton said, shaking her head. She jumped when Cooper, a husky, handsome cowboy in his thirties stuck his head in the doorway. “Chop, chop, ladies. Inspection is now in less than an hour and you’re wasting time.” The other three ladies hurried out the door, but Peyton stood still. “That means you, too.” He nodded at her. “Selden said we were to treat you like any other guest. He’s posted a set of rules in your kitchen.” “Asshole.” She muttered the word, and then stood stock still when Cooper shook his head, staring at her. “That wasn’t a nice thing to say about me.” “No, no, not about you. I meant Selden, I swear.” When he gave her an assessing gaze she nodded. “Really. Not you.” “Well, it was bad, either way. I think it needs some swats.” She shook her head, darting her gaze around the room to figure out the nearest exit. She didn’t think she could get out the window before Cooper caught her. Besides, if she ran, it would be worse. She decided to try reason. “This is my first time, and I don’t know the rules. Can’t you cut me some slack?” “No. Selden had already warned us about your mouth, and told us to be on the lookout for it.” “That son-of-a-bitch.” As soon as the words were out, she clasped her hands over her mouth, her eyes widening even more.

Cooper stared at her, then stepped inside and closed the door. “Twenty swats. Ten for each infraction. If you fight the spanking I’ll take it up another ten. And if that doesn’t work, we’ll keep increasing it.” He stared at her, his eyes dark. “Do you accept your punishment?” She wanted to say no, but she was afraid of what would happen if she did so. Selden had reminded her that morning that she’d signed a contract with him, and that even though being here wasn’t part of the contract, she was still under obligation to him. She thought about it for a few more minutes while he studied her, and then nodded. “Yes.” “Good. I want you to go into the other room and bring me a wooden spoon out of the box on the counter. After that, go the couch and take down your jeans and panties, then put your hands on the armrest and bend over slightly.” The urge to tell him to f-off ran through her mind. And she was very glad that it kept running before it could take hold. She did as he asked, jerking upright before he could spank her when the door opened. Selden walked in, shaking his head. “Already?” “Well, you did warn us about her mouth,” Cooper said. “Yes, I did.” Cooper held the spoon out toward him. “You want to do it? It’s only twenty.” Peyton snorted. “Only twenty.” “Make that thirty,” Cooper said, still holding the spoon toward Selden. The room grew quiet and Peyton’s hands trembled. She had to learn to keep her mouth shut or she wouldn’t be able to sit down at lunch. “No, you do it. I want her treated just like the other guests.” Cooper put his hand on the small of her back, urging her back into the position where her rump would be vulnerable to his spoon. “Tell me why you’re being punished.” “Because I called, um …” she looked over her shoulder, “…Selden an asshole.” “What else did you do?” “I said he was a son-of-a-bitch.” She bit her lip, afraid that Selden would add more swats now. The room grew eerily silent and she licked her lips. “Shall I add more?” Cooper asked, breaking the silence. “No,” Selden said after a few minutes. “Give her what you agreed upon, plus three demerits.” Tears built in her eyes and Cooper hadn’t even delivered the first swat. “Yes, sir,” Cooper said. He rubbed the spoon against Peyton’s behind. The first swat wasn’t that hard, and she moaned softly. After that, though, it was as if Cooper had opened a floodgate and let his spanking waters roll.

The swats were hard and landed one right on top of the other, increasing the intensity of what she was feeling. When he had delivered ten to one cheek, he delivered ten to the other in quick succession. He delivered the extra ten in alternating swats. They were hard and stung, but she kept her mouth shut. When he was done, she sniffled. “Tell me again why you were being punished,” Cooper said, his hand still on the small of her back. Somehow she knew that if she refused to do so she would get more swats. “For not watching my mouth.” “Good. Now, go to the main cabin and find the board in the kitchen. Put three marks by your name, and then go to your house and wait for inspection.” He left the room and she pulled her pants back up. “I feel like I’m in boot camp.” “Another place you learn discipline,” Selden said. Peyton wheeled toward him. “I thought you were gone.” “No, not yet. I came by to tell you that you’ll be spending your first night in the house alone. I’m going into town since we’re signing papers with our investors at Ryan’s office first thing in the morning.” “Don’t you need Barney for that? Or at least his representative, which would be me?” “No. I have power of attorney for this part of the ranch, so I’ll take care of it. You just mind your ps and qs and behave yourself. You get five swats for each demerit, and if you build up too many, you’ll regret it.” They stared at each other and finally he nodded. “See you tomorrow, Peyton.” When he was gone, Peyton stared at the spot where he’d stood. Last night had been fun, and it was a shame that today would ruin it for her. They’d actually talked about horses and the ranch. They’d roasted marshmallows and eaten them between graham crackers with chocolate. When it had come time for bed, he hadn’t made a move one to kiss her, or do anything else. She’d pondered that most of the night, lying awake and listening to him snore. Part of her wondered if she’d wanted him to make a move of some sort, to kiss her or try to move their bedrolls closer together so they could share warmth. But then again she’d told him she wouldn’t sleep with him, hadn’t she? There had been a large part of her, though, that had wanted him to make a move. And now he would be gone tonight. She thought back to the nights they’d spent in their house, laughing and joking and playing games before falling into bed and making love. “Yeah,” she whispered softly, “that was before he became Selden the spanker.” She just had to get through a week. One short week. She jerked her head at the clock at the thought and hissed in a deep breath. She had less than ten minutes until Roy came by for inspection, and she had to go and put her marks on the board. The idea to leave the board task until after inspection came and went. She didn’t want to disobey Cooper and leave herself open for another spanking today. Her goal for the week was as few spankings as possible. She would fight her bad behavior to keep it that way.

***** “To seeing your dreams to come.” Ryan held up a beer bottle and clinked it against Selden’s. “I think we found the perfect investors.” “I think you’re right,” Selden said. “Soon the Triple T Spanking Ranch will be going full force. We’ll have to hire a few more cowboys, I think, to help handle the projected influx of guests.” “Not to worry,” Ryan said. “You figured all that into the plans. This is going to be very, very good.” “Yeah.” Selden took a sip of his beer. “For a man who just sold his plan you don’t look very happy. What has she done now?” “Yesterday she told Cooper I was an asshole, and a son-of-a-bitch. It hurt like hell to hear it. I thought we’d made such headway spending the night at the lake. I didn’t touch her, although I wanted to. I knew it would make her mad.” “Maybe she’d mad because you didn’t.” Ryan took a swig and laughed evilly. “Doubt it. She made it perfectly clear that she had no intentions of ever having sex with me again. And I feel the same way. What we had is over.” “Too bad.” Ryan stared at the window and then turned back to his friend. “Mind if I try? I bet she’d be a nice little roll in the hay.” “Excuse me? Listen you little shit, if you think…” Selden’s voice trailed off as he stared at Ryan, who was doubled over in laughter. “What the hell’s going on?” “You’re as bad as she is,” Ryan said, catching his breath. “The two of you belong together. Use this week to convince her of that, and while you’re at it, convince yourself. If you let her go I swear I’m going to beat the crap out of you.” “It’s a nice idea,” Selden said. “But I’ve screwed up. Tricking her into signing the contract was a bad thing.” “Then tear it up.” “What?” “You heard me. Go back tonight and tear it up. Tell her to spend the week to honor the bet and that after that, she’s not beholden to you in any way.” “That’s not going to work.” “Yes, it will. It will show her that you know she feels trapped. Take away the trapped feeling and she might feel better about everything.” “Do you really think so?” “Yes, I do. That will let her know that you care about her. Trust me on that.” Selden shook his head and took another drink from his beer. “I hope you’re right. Because these past few weeks with her have been hell. I want to touch her. I want to kiss her. I want to spank her until she straightens out and comes back to me.” “She is back with you.” Ryan inclined his head at Selden.

“You know what I mean.” “Then prove it to her. You’ve been angry the whole time she’s been here, and she’s been angry with you. Tear up the contract and see where it gets you.” “She’ll take off, first thing.” “Wanna make a bet?” Selden grinned at his friend. “How much?” “I bet you a hundred bucks that Peyton won’t leave. She feels too much loyalty to Barney, and she knows that he needs here at the ranch right now. Plus, I’m telling you, the two of you belong together. If you both put aside your anger you might actually see it.” Selden stared at Ryan, then looked out the window. “Is there a time frame on this? I think she’ll leave within the first week, hell the first day.” “And I say she stays until Barney is back.” “You’re on,” Selden said. “Good. Now go home and take care of it. I have a hot date tonight and I don’t want to spend any more time messing around with the likes of you.” “Tonight? It’s only noon.” Selden stood and straightened his shirt. “Of course I guess you need that long to try and look as good as me.” “Get out.” Ryan pointed toward the door, his eyes narrowed. “And remember to save your money. You’re going to owe me in five more months.” ***** Peyton wiped the last dish from lunch and put it away in the cabinet. She was happy that Roy had let her come down to the main house and help Missy cook lunch, and then clean up afterwards. “There’s really not that much to do,” Missy said. “You can go back up.” “And risk doing something wrong? Not on your life. I’d rather stay here, if that’s all right with you.” “Sure. You know I like your company. But you should be aware that you’re subject to the rules even down here.” “Oh, I know that. I’m just a little more at ease here, and not as likely to pop off.” Missy turned to her, a shocked expression on her face. “Are you kidding me? You’ve been in trouble since the day you arrived, and you were always here in the main house.” Peyton laughed. “I guess you’re right.” “How does it feel being back in your old house?” “Strange. I think that may be one of the main reasons that I want to come down here. It almost feels as if nothing’s changed. If I closed my eyes I can almost image that Selden and I are still married, and still in love with each other.” Missy’s look was soft and understanding. “How was the camping trip?”

“It wasn’t really a camping trip. It was more a ‘Peyton needs to get away before she throws a fit, trip.’ And it was fun. We talked a lot.” “That’s good. You know he cares about you.” Peyton sighed, and then looked at the floor. “I know. And I still care about him. I don’t care for his methods right now, though.” “Do you remember what the ladies told you?” “Yeah, look at it as a person who loves you correcting destructive behavior. But if that was true, he wouldn’t have tricked me into it.” “It got you here.” Peyton jerked her head toward Selden’s voice. He stood in the doorway between the living room and the kitchen, his face soft. “I came here for Barney, not you.” Her voice was soft, and she knew there was no conviction in her words.” “Get spanked any more today?” His grin was mischievous. “Not yet. But I’m sure I’ll do something wrong before the end of the day.” He laughed, and then turned to Missy. “Could we have a moment alone, please?” “Sure.” She wiped her hands and put the towel down. “I’ll just go and visit Roy for a little bit.” She hurried out the back door and Peyton stared at Selden. “You going to spank me and you didn’t want to do it in front of her?” “No. Spanking you in front of someone doesn’t bother me.” “True. What, then?” “Peyton, I realized that having you sign that contract was not a good thing, and you had every reason to be angry at me.” Shock ran through her body as he pulled the papers from his pocket. “I hope you stay at the spanking part of the ranch to honor the bet. And I hope you stay at the ranch until Barney’s back because we need you. But there’s nothing holding you here, legally anymore.” He took the papers and tore them in two. Peyton stared at them, her mouth hanging open. “So I can leave if I want? What about the money I owe Barney?” “It was never about the money, we told you that.” Selden took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. “So, are you staying, or are you going to leave?”

Chapter Twelve Peyton stared at the papers on the table, trying to wrap her mind around what Selden had just done. “I can leave?” “If you want. Of course I’d rather you stayed, but the choice is yours to make.” “This isn’t a trick, is it? I’m not going to get in my car, and when I get to the gate find Roy waiting for me with a belt in his hand, am I?” “No. There is no trick. These are the papers you signed. They’re gone now, and you’re free to do whatever you want.” Peyton stared at the sheets, and then lifted her gaze to Selden. The expression on his face was unreadable. She couldn’t tell if he was mad about something, or just wanting to get her the hell out, or if maybe, just maybe, he’d had a change of heart about the contract. “Why?” “Excuse me?” “Why are you doing this?” He rubbed his chin, and then cleared his throat. “What do you want me to say, Pey? That I was wrong? Getting you to sign the contract was underhanded, and I’m not proud of it. But it got you here, and hopefully it taught you a lesson, or two.” Peyton laughed. “First lesson, read everything I sign very thoroughly.” He returned her laugh, and then inclined his head toward her. “So what are you going to do?” Peyton knew she should run. She had the perfect opportunity to pack up her bags and go back to Denver. Find an apartment. Find a job and start a new chapter in her life. Instead she stared at the papers and shook her head. “I don’t know. I need a little bit to decide, or is that against the rules? Do I have to decide right now?” “No. You can think about it.” They stared at each other for a few minutes, and then Selden got up to leave, putting his hat on and moving toward the door. “Selden.” “Yes.” He turned toward her. She focused on his face, which remained impassive. “What prompted you to do this?” His face closed off and she knew that whatever he would say, it wouldn’t be the truth. At least not all of it. “I just thought it was the right thing to do.” He nodded and then headed out the door. She stared after him, wondering what he would have said if he’d told her the truth. She stared at the papers, thinking about the two roads she could take in this situation. One would lead to her old home, and the other would take her back to Denver.

Or maybe she should just stay in Cheyenne. That wouldn’t be a bad thing. She was sure she could find a job there. Getting a new job wasn’t a bad idea, except for one thing. She felt as if she were letting Barney down. For the six months that he would be gone he’d asked her to stay here and help with the ranch. True, he’d help trick her into a contract that subjected her to spankings, but she’d still promised to help him, and if she left now, she’d be letting him down. She’d already let him down in so many ways in the past few years that she wasn’t sure she could stand living with herself if she did it again. So, that solved part of her problem. She would stay at the ranch until Barney came home, simply because she owed it to him, in more ways than just financial. She owed him for everything he’d done for her over the years. That part of her decision settled, she thought about the other part. Selden. They’d made a wager, fair and square, and she’d lost. She hated to admit it, but she had. There’d been no tricks, and she couldn’t blame him for it. And she didn’t want him to think she would renege on the bet. Still, she hated to think of subjecting herself to spankings. She didn’t like them, and never would. She thought about the women she’d met since she’d been back at the ranch. They all looked at spankings totally different. Each of them used it as a way to correct bad behavior. Could she look at a spanking that way? Could she see it as a way to correct behavior that was bad, and was destructive not only to herself, but to others? Somehow she didn’t think so, but she supposed that she could try. If her attitude were different, maybe the spankings wouldn’t be so hard. She didn’t think so, and in the back of her mind she thought she should turn tail and run while she had the chance. But she’d given her word to Selden, and she wasn’t going to go back now. She would stay with him at their old house for the week they’d planned, and then she’d come back to the main house for the remainder of her stay. She would fulfill her obligation to Barney, and she would keep her word to Selden. And at the end of the week she’d be spank free until Barney came home. What a beautiful concept. ***** Selden watched Peyton come out the back door and head for their house. He smiled to himself as the words crossed his mind. How easy it had been to consider it their house again. After all these years, it was wonderful to see her heading that way. He wondered why she was going. Was she planning on packing up her bags and leaving? Or would she stay? She hadn’t bothered to come and find him, to tell him her decision. She’d obviously made one since she’d left the kitchen. Or was she going to the house to think? The urge to follow her was strong. He could ask her what she’d decided to do. Ask her if she was staying, or if she was going. He wondered if Ryan was right, if tearing up the contract would bring them closer together. He certainly hoped so. He wanted to be with her, in more ways than one. The feelings he had posed huge problems. He was sure that, if he made a pass at her, she would slap him in the

face. Especially in light of the contract he’d had her sign and the spankings that had come from it. Still, he hoped that she’d learned some things from it. Maybe she’d get her behavior back under control. She didn’t used to be like that. He waited ten minutes and she didn’t come back down to the main house with her bags. He wanted to go up and ask her, but he didn’t want to make it seem as if he were rushing her decision. Maybe, just maybe, she was up there thinking. So he went to the barn and helped one of the hands brush a few horses. He kept a watchful eye on the house, wondering if she would come back down. After an hour, his wondering got the best of him. He headed toward the house, breaking through the trees and starting for the house. He stopped partway there and stared. She sat on the porch, reading a book. His heart leapt as he watched her. It was as if she had never left. He climbed the stairs and waited for her to lift her gaze to him. “I guess you’re staying here, huh?” “Yes. I’ll honor my word.” He nodded but stayed silent. Finally, she smiled at him. A real, honest to goodness smile. “Do you want me to cook dinner, or do you want to eat at the main house?” Selden’s eyes widened in surprise. “What would you like to do?” “Cook. This time anyway.” “Sounds good. I’ll let Missy know we’re eating up here, then.” Peyton nodded and lowered her gaze back to her book. “It’ll be ready about seven.” He nodded, even though she didn’t see him. Maybe Ryan was right, and tearing up the contract had been a good thing. He certainly hoped so. Her staying here was a huge step that was for sure. He just hoped it all worked out; and maybe, just maybe, she’d stay at the ranch permanently. ***** Peyton tried to concentrate on her book, but it was tough. She kept coming back to her reasons for staying, questioning her decision. The questions grew in her head about three o’clock, when the sounds of a spanking reached her ears. She looked out over the courtyard toward the porch of one of the cabins. Clarice was bent over Tommy’s knee, her jeans around her ankles. He was slapping her bottom with a small wooden paddle and she was sobbing. The cowboy responded to her sobs by slapping her behind harder, and her crying increased. They were talking between the slaps but she couldn’t hear the words, just the crying and the unmistakable sound of wood meeting flesh. Despite her wish to look away, Peyton watched them, wondering why someone would voluntarily come to a place like this. The thought made her heart seize up. She was staying voluntarily, wasn’t she? It could just as likely be her over Tommy’s knee as it was Clarice. By staying she’d subjected herself to all the rules of the ranch. That thought

alone should make her run for the hills, but yet she sat, and watched the spanking. It lasted almost ten minutes, and when it was done, Tommy helped Clarice to stand. She stood in front of him, her clothing around her ankles and her shoulders heaving with sobs. Their talk was quiet, and Peyton wanted to be a fly on a wall. She wanted to know what he was saying to her. Was he doing what Cooper had done to her yesterday, trying to remind her why she was being punished? Seeing if it helped to correct her behavior? Watching the spanking made Peyton realize she’d come a long way since her arrival at the ranch. At little as three days ago she would have been flying across the yard, screaming at Tommy to leave Clarice alone. And now she sat and watched, wondering what she’d done to earn the spanking, and wondering how it made her feel both physically and mentally. When Tommy walked off the porch, and Clarice righted her clothes, Peyton put down her book and started toward the other woman. “You all right?’ She stopped near the house and gazed at her. Clarice sniffled, then smiled. “I’m fine. It was my fault. He asked me to straighten the living room and instead I scattered everything around.” “Why?” “So he would spank me. I felt the need for a spanking. I also got four demerits. That brings me up to seven.” Peyton stared at her, her mouth open. She did the math in her head. Seven times five was thirty-five, and the week had barely started. “You act as if you’re proud of the number. Why is that?” “I love being spanked, and my boyfriend won’t do it, so I have to get my fix, so to speak, while I’m here.” “If your boyfriend won’t do it, that should tell you that something’s wrong about it.” “No, nothing’s wrong. It’s just an activity he doesn’t enjoy. He doesn’t judge me for it. He knows that I need it, and he knows he can trust me while I’m here.” Peyton nodded. “And why do you like it? There’s obviously nothing sexual about it for you. I’m curious why you like being spanked.” “I’m not sure I can explain it to your liking, but I’ll give it a shot. Spanking grounds me. It reminds me that there are others in the world, and I have to mind my manners and not upset them. That is unless I’m aiming for a spanking, which I do while I’m here.” “If your boyfriend won’t spank you, how do you get that grounding while you’re not here?” “Simple. I remember the spankings I’ve received while I was here. And Roy makes me keep a log when I’m gone. He gives me a good, hard spanking when I first get here for everything I’ve done wrong in the ‘real world.’” “How many times have you been here?” “This is my fifth time. I know some women, and from the looks of it you’re one of them, think it’s wrong. Don’t look at it as abuse. Look at it as something to help you grow.”

“And keep you grounded,” Peyton said, a real smiling lighting her face. She liked Clarice. She was a genuinely nice person who knew what she believed in, and didn’t allow other people to tear her down because of it. When Clarice winked at her, Peyton laughed. “Gotta go. I have chores to get done, or else Cooper’s going to give me more demerits. Of course, I might leave one of them undone, just for good measure.” She waved and went inside the house. Peyton stared after her, an idea forming in her mind. Every one of the spankings she’d received had been horrible. She’d been furious with the men for thinking they had the right, and therefore it had been a totally humiliating experience What would happen if she looked at it as Clarice did? As the other women she’d met that week did? If she did something wrong, that warranted a spanking, and tried to see it as a “loving correction of bad behavior,” or as “something to ground her,” would she not feel so bad about it? Somehow she doubted it, but she was willing to try. The last spanking she’d received was the thirty swats Cooper had given her. She could do something to make him spank her again, she supposed. She shook her head before she’d fully processed the thought. She didn’t want to try this experiment with Cooper. Or with Roy, or any of the other cowboys working at the spanking part of the ranch. She wanted to try it with Selden. And she wanted to try it tonight. ***** The smell of lasagna hit Selden’s nose before he made it to the house. Peyton wasn’t really much of a cook, but lasagna was something she did very well. His mouth watered as he stepped inside the house. “Smells good.” “I’m glad you think so. I haven’t made this in a long time. It’s hard to make it for just one. But then again it’s hard to make it for just two. There’ll be lots of leftovers.” “You won’t get any complaint from me about that,” he said. “I’m going to shower. When will dinner be ready?” “In about forty-five minutes.” “Good. Thanks, Peyton.” “You’re welcome, Selden. I hope you enjoy it.” He went to the bathroom, puzzling over her behavior. She was up to something, he could tell. But what it was, he had no idea. Maybe, just maybe, she would be good and they wouldn’t have to worry about spankings tonight. That would be nice. He’d like to enjoy eating dinner with her and talking, and watching some television afterwards. Or maybe they could sit out on the porch, enjoying the cool evening and talking. Either activity would be fine with him. He stepped into the shower, washing away the dirt from an afternoon on the ranch.

When he was done, and dressed again, he came out to find her putting the finishing touches on the table. It was almost as if they were married again. She stopped when he came into the room, lifting her gaze to his. “Something wrong?” “No. I was just thinking that it was nice to have you here.” She retuned his smile. “Thanks. I hate to admit it, but I’ve enjoyed it myself. Cooking in this kitchen was like coming home again. It felt good.” “I’m glad to hear that,” he replied. The silence grew between them, and he inhaled sharply. “Is dinner ready?” “It is. Lasagna, green beans, salad and bread. I have to admit that I got the bread from Missy. She made it this afternoon and I snatched some.” “That’s fine, as long as she knows it.” “She does. She’s the one who gave it to me.” “Well, then let’s eat.” They sat down and said grace, and then loaded down their plates. Selden took a few bites, then rolled his eyes toward heaven. “Delicious. Peyton, this is so good.” “Thanks. There’s plenty, so eat up.” He followed her advice, noticing that she only ate one plate full. When she took her empty to the kitchen, he loaded down for a second helping. There was no way he was letting this go to waste. She sat back in her place and watched him eat as she’d done so many times in the past. But in the past, at least before their problems started, they’d talked and laughed. Now she was silent as she watched him. Finally, she cleared her throat and drank some water. “How was your day?” “Fine. And you?” “Fine.” The stilted conversation made him laugh. She was up to something, he could tell it. Cooking one of his favorite meals to lull him into place. Making everything perfect. Something told him he wasn’t going to like what happened after dinner. “Are you telling me you’re leaving?” “No.” He nodded and finished off the last of his food. He could eat some more, but he wanted to leave some for tomorrow. He’d have the leftovers for lunch, and that would make him a very happy man. “Did you eat enough?” “Yes. I’m done.” He sat back as she took his empty plate into the kitchen. She cleared the rest of the table and he heard her washing up the few dishes. “Want some help?” “No, thanks. I did most of it before you got here, so there’s just a little bit to do.” He could hear the catch in her voice, and knew her surprise was just around the corner. “You want some dessert? Missy and I made some ice cream.”

“Sounds great. What flavor?” “Strawberry.” She came into the room holding a big bowl, which she promptly dumped on his lap. “I hope you like it.” ***** Peyton stepped back as Selden flew out of his chair, jumping up and down to get the ice cream off the front of his clothing. “Have you lost your mind? If you don’t want to be here, all you have to do is leave. Don’t pull any more…” He stopped speaking and stared at her, and she saw the minute the light bulb went off in his head. It was almost as if she could see the light above him. “What are you doing?” Trying to get you to spank me. She bit her lip. It had been Missy who’d suggested that she do something totally outrageous, something in keeping with the dirt incident. Something that would let him know that she knew she would be spanked. And if she didn’t fight it, he would realize that she wanted to be spanked, to experience it from a different perspective. “I don’t know,” she said softly. “The urge just came over me.” Their gazes locked, and then he shook his head. “You remember that while you’re being spanked. I’m going to go and change my clothes. You clean up this mess, right now.” She nodded and watched him leave. Then she started cleaning. She hoped this worked. He was pretty mad, but she knew that he understood that she’d done it on purpose. She wondered what was running through his mind right now. Was he cussing her, or was he laughing because she wanted to experience spanking from the “other side?” He came out from the back end of the house in jeans and a white T-shirt. And he had a doubled-over belt in his hand. “Come here, Peyton.” She moved across the room toward him, biting her lip. “Tell me why you’re being punished.” “Because I spilt ice cream all over you.” “Why did you do it?” “I told you, the urge just came over me.” “Bull. Tell me the real reason. Tell me the truth.” “Because I want to…” Her words died off and she stared at him. “Tell me, Peyton.” His voice was soft. “I want to hear you say it.” “I want to experience spanking from a different point of view. I want to know that I deserve it, and see what I think about it.” There. She’d said it. “Are you saying you don’t think you deserved the other spankings?” “No, I probably did. Probably. Maybe. At least for the dirt, yeah. I just had a different mindset.”

“I see. Later you can tell me what brought about this change of mind about. Right now I want you to go to the kitchen and take down your jeans and panties. Put your hands on the counter and bend over slightly, so your butt’s ready to be spanked. Then wait for me.” She chewed on her lip. “Can we use something besides the belt?” “Oh, we’re using the belt. That little stunt deserves it.” “Please, Selden?” She wanted a spanking yes, but she didn’t want it delivered with the belt. “Do as I say, Peyton.” She thought about telling him to go to hell, but that would ruin the experiment. She wondered if the other women had a rebellious streak that made them want to say no when they knew a spanking was near. She had to remember to ask them. When she was in the kitchen, she did as he asked, feeling very vulnerable as she waited on him. She reminded herself that this was her idea this time. She’d dumped the food on him on purpose, so that he’d have a reason to spank her. When he came into the kitchen she tensed up. “I was going to give you demerits for this, but I think it’s between us, isn’t it?” “Yes.” “Then no demerits, for the food part of it anyway. I know you want to experience this, Peyton. But don’t think I’m going to go easy on your butt. You’re going to get a good, hard licking. You can’t do things like you just did, even if you think it will bring about the results that you want. You could have just asked me to spank you and I would have done it.” “But it wouldn’t have seemed right. I wanted to be bad.” “All right. If you fight me once I start, you get demerits. If you try to get away, you get demerits. And if you cuss me, you get demerits. Do you understand?” “Yes, sir.” The sarcasm was heavy in her voice and she cringed when he laughed. “Three demerits for that.” He stepped behind her and rubbed the leather against her behind, putting his other hand in the small of her back. She tensed up, waiting for the first strike. Instead, he continued to rub her, not giving her any indication that he was about to begin. She’d started to relax just a little bit, and when she did, the first strike landed. It wasn’t that hard, but the ones that followed were. He delivered ten sharp swats to her behind and she cried out at each one. She’d thought he would stop, but he didn’t, spanking her harder and harder until she lost count. “Okay, okay, enough. I think I understand now.” She tried to scoot away, then remembered his warning, forcing herself to stay in place as the belt landed again and again. “Ow. Selden!” She stomped her foot and the tears started to fall. He remained silent, slapping her ass ten more times before finally rubbing the leather against her burning bottom. He waited several minutes, then delivered five more hard swats. “You know what to do.”

“I’m sorry for dumping food on you.” Her words came out around her sobs and she stood and turned to him. And when she did, she knew all was lost. She felt none of the humiliation she’d felt with her other spankings. Instead, she felt strangely accepting of the punishment she’d just received. And she felt nothing but warmth for the man who’d given it. All the ladies had been right. If you looked at it with a different perspective, spanking was a while new ballgame. And those feelings, coupled together with what she was feeling for Selden, scared her half to death. “Are you all right?” “Yes.” She stepped away from him, reaching for her jeans. “I just want some time alone.” “I’d rather us talk about it, Pey.” “That’s a bad idea, Selden. Let me deal with what I’m feeling, and then we’ll talk. Maybe in the morning?” She wiped tears from her face and pulled her panties up, cringing when they came into contact with her aching bottom. He looked like he wanted to argue, but instead, he nodded. And she was very glad. She hadn’t expected to feel what she was, and she needed the time to sort things out. She needed to push Selden back out of her mind. But she didn’t think that was going to happen. She started for the doorway, stopping when he called her name. “Yes?” She turned back to him. “Promise me we’ll talk. Promise me you won’t shut me out in the morning.” She wanted to say no, there was no way she would promise such a thing. Instead she nodded, knowing that single nod would be her downfall, and that by the end of the week, if she wasn’t careful, she’d be in Selden’s bed, and not her own.

Chapter Thirteen Peyton got up early the next morning, putting the coffee on around six. She opened the windows to let in the cool morning air, loving the smell of the outdoors. Her behind still ached, but not nearly as bad as it had when she’d first been spanked. She wondered if you would become immune to it, and then decided that no, you wouldn’t. Selden had just not spanked her as hard last night as he had when he’d first started spanking her. When the coffee was done, she poured herself a cup, doctored it with sugar and cream and took a sip. “Good morning.” Selden’s voice was soft and she turned to him. “Hi. The coffee’s just finished.” He didn’t say anything, just walked to the counter and poured himself a cup. He took a huge gulp that made her cringe. She’d never understood how he’d been able to drink something so hot so quickly. When he sat the cup back down, he turned to her. “How are you feeling?” “Confused. And angry.” “With me?” He stared at her in uncertainty. “No, with myself. I should be mad at this whole thing. I should have taken off yesterday when you gave me the chance, and here I am, in your kitchen, drinking coffee and about to ask what you want for breakfast.” “Eggs, some bacon, toast. There’s some homemade jam in the fridge that Missy made. It’s delicious.” Peyton laughed, a warm feeling spreading through her body. As if he knew what she was feeling, Selden’s smile grew. “Feels like old times, doesn’t it?” “Yes.” Her voice was soft. “But it shouldn’t. It’s not right, Selden. We’re not married anymore.” She wanted to look away from him but she couldn’t. They continued to stare at each other, neither of them speaking. Finally, Selden grinned. “We may not be married, but you don’t hate me anymore. If you did, you’d have high tailed it out of here yesterday.” She laughed and took a drink of coffee. “And miss the chance to douse you with ice cream? Doubt it.” “Don’t forget you get three demerits for your smart mouth.” “Maybe.” Oh lord, was she flirting with him? Stop it! Stop it! “No maybe about it, Pey. Add them to the ones you got from Cooper. That makes what, seven?” “Six. And I didn’t get them from Cooper, I got them from you. All of them.” He narrowed his eyes, but she could see humor hidden there. “Then I guess you’d better fix my breakfast, huh? I’d hate to see you rack them up, and up, and up.”

A week ago, she would have told him to go to hell. She wasn’t sure why she didn’t today. Maybe, just maybe, it had something to do with the fact that she was no longer “under contract” to him. She took a sip of her coffee and smiled at him over the rim of her glass. “Still like them over medium?” “Sweetheart, I’ll take them over medium, or over easy, any way but over my head.” Peyton started to laugh, putting her cup on the counter before she spilled her coffee on the floor. She turned to Selden, who was laughing, too. “Over medium it is, then.” ***** Missy pulled Peyton into the dining room as soon as she stepped into the house that morning. “Where have you been? I expected y’all for breakfast. I’ve been dying to know what happened last night.” “I got spanked.” “And? Don’t leave me in suspense.” She wiggled her hands back and forth and nodded at Peyton. “Tell me everything.” When Peyton was done telling her story, Missy stared at her. “You poured ice cream on him? When I said that … I mean … wow. And? How are you feeling today? Mentally.” “Strangely accepting of the whole thing. It sorta scares me.” Peyton expected Missy to tell her that was what she was supposed to feel, that spanking was right, and that it brought a couple closer together. Instead, she just looked at her and nodded. “You’ll figure it out. You’re well on your way.” “I suppose you’re going to tell me that Selden and I belong together? That I’ve been a fool all these years?” The look Missy gave her wasn’t a smug look, just one of friendship. “You don’t have to be beat over the head with something you already know. If you didn’t know it, you would have left yesterday.” “Missy?” Roy’s voice drifted through the doorway. “Where are you, baby?” She went to the kitchen and Peyton stared at the spot where she’d been standing. Her heart pounded as if it were a jackhammer. She wanted to deny what Missy had just said, but she knew it was true. She’d rationalized it by saying that she was staying for Barney, but the truth of the matter was that Barney didn’t need her here while he was gone. The whole thing had been a ruse, just to get her here. And, any anger she’d felt about it was gone. Why? Was it the damn contract that had pissed her off so much? She wondered if her time here would have gone much differently if Selden had not hidden that sneaky little clause in there that gave him the right to spank her. Of course without it she never would have submitted to his spankings.

Still, it wasn’t hard to know that they’d done it because of the self-destructive path she was on. They’d done it because they’d cared. The revelation made her heart beat even faster, and she wondered what she could do to get it back under control. She wondered what she could do to get her life back under control. There was no way to undo her divorce from Selden. Their marriage was history, and really, he’d never said he wanted to be married to her again, anyway. Living in the house with him wasn’t marriage. It was a way to keep her close so that he could spank her if he needed to. She could hear Missy and Roy talking in the kitchen, quietly laughing and joking with each other. Jealousy hit her and she swallowed hard. Of course she’d laughed with Selden in the kitchen of his house this morning. But it wasn’t anything that would happen after this week. She was living with him because of a bet, pure and simple. He hadn’t said “come back and stay with me,” although there had been moments when she knew that he’d wanted to kiss her. But she’d made it plain to him that she wasn’t open to that. Now, how did she make it clear to him that she’d changed her mind? She wanted him to kiss her. She wanted to see what sort of feelings that kiss invoked in her. Last night’s experiment had worked. Would this one work, too? And what could she do? Sure, it was a woman’s prerogative to change her mind, but she’d already changed it about spanking. Could she change it about her relationship with Selden, too? All in the same day? Or maybe she should wait. She didn’t want to rush into anything. Especially anything that would hurt the two of them. Barney was right. She’d already hurt Selden enough. She needed to think this time before she acted. And she needed to make sure she was feeling exactly what she thought she was. That meant she needed to take a few days to think about it. The last thing she needed was to bare her soul to Selden, and then find out that he didn’t care for her in that way anymore. He just wanted to spank her to help her get her life back on track. And he’d done that, hadn’t he? She was feeling better today than she’d felt in a long time. Was that because of the spanking, or was that because of Selden? Of course she knew the answer before she’d even posed the question to herself. It was because of Selden. Trying to convince him that she felt that way, however, was going to be a tough road to hoe. ***** “Well?” Ryan’s voice held more than a hint of amusement. Even though they were on the phone, Selden knew he was smiling. “You’re an asshole.” “It worked, didn’t it?” “Maybe.” “Maybe my foot. I think you may recall that, as your attorney, I cautioned against that little clause in the first place.”

Selden smiled and pulled his cell phone away from his ear, staring at it in disgust. Too bad Ryan wasn’t here in person. He would sock him in the mouth. He placed the phone back at his ear. “Did you call for a reason, or did you just call to gloat?” “Well, you know, both.” He chuckled. “Did you spank her and then…” “Ryan! What the hell do you want?” “Okay, don’t let me in on the fun details. Jerk.” He cleared his throat and Selden knew something bad was about to happen. “What?” “Well, I think we might have a potential problem.” “Did one of their checks bounce?” “No, the money came through fine. But I found out something about Steve that I find a little disturbing.” Selden stared at the phone. “Excuse me? I thought the private investigators’ reports on them came back clean.” “They did, but my investigator called me this morning, with something he found out that’s not on the books.” “What’s that?” Selden sat down on chair near the barn and prepared for the worst. “Well, we knew he was married before, and that he’s divorced. But what we didn’t know was that he had two counts of domestic violence against him in the past. His ex dropped all charges so it’s not on the books anywhere.” “Son of a bitch. What the hell are we supposed to do now?” “Nothing we can do,” Ryan said. “We monitor his activities when he’s there, and if we think he’s an abuser, we find a way to boot him out.” Selden stood and started to pace. He didn’t need this. Things were just starting to heat up with Peyton and he wanted to concentrate on that, not on some asshole who thought he now had a right to beat up on women, and that’s exactly what Steve thought, Selden was sure of that. He’d run into his type before. “You need to fire your PI.” “Hey, give the guy a break. Like I said, it’s not on the books. And he went back to Denver off hours to figure out what was bothering him and found this out. I think that’s above and beyond.” Selden snorted. “Yeah, if he’d found out beforehand we wouldn’t be in this mess. Find someway out of it, someway I can sever the ties with him.” The phone grew quiet, and finally, Ryan spoke. “Selden, I drew up those papers myself. I don’t mean to pat myself on the back, but there’s no way out of them. He’s an investor now and it gives him rights.” “Yeah, rights to spank the women. And if he gets out of hand, then it’s the ranch that pays. Barney and I could lose everything. We’ve got to take care of this before Barney gets home. Any suggestions?”

“I’m working on it. Give me a few days and I’ll try to come up with something. He’s not expected back anytime soon, is he?” “Not for at least a month. Garrett and Houston are coming back next weekend, and Pat and Lacey booked the first weekend in the new cabin when it’s done. But Steve didn’t book anything. I should have seen that as strange when it happened.” “He’s biding his time,” Ryan said. “That lousy son-of-a-bitch.” Selden looked up to see Peyton come out of the house. She wore jeans and a T-shirt, her hair hanging around her shoulders. And she was laughing at something Missy said. Laughing like he hadn’t seen her laugh in ages. His heart, and other parts of his body, swelled at the idea. “Crap,” he whispered into the phone. He wanted to touch her so badly it was like a disease eating at him. “We’ll take care of it,” Ryan said. “The danger is not immediate. I’ll work on the problem.” “Yeah, I know you will.” “You all right?” “Hell, no. I got a major woody for my ex and she wants nothing to do with it.” He snapped the phone shut, but not before he heard Ryan’s peals of laughter. He watched as Peyton took something from Missy and headed back to the house. His house. Their house. But how could he convince her of that? ***** Tommy was spanking Christy when Peyton moved through the trees toward Selden’s house. They were on the porch of one of the cabins, and she was over his knee, crying. Peyton could tell by the sounds that he wasn’t using his hand. He was using a paddle. She could also tell from Christy’s cries that it hurt. She tuned out his voice as she walked toward the house, eager to be inside. While she now understood a bit about why spanking appealed to them, she didn’t want to listen, didn’t want to watch. She put the loaf of fresh bread Missy had given her on the counter and looked around. The house was clean, but not as clean as she would like. She figured it was time for her to get out some supplies and get rid of some of the grease buildup in the kitchen, and get rid of some of the cobwebs she’d seen in her bedroom. Peyton changed into an older pair of jeans, and when she couldn’t find a T-shirt to wear, she went into Selden’s room and rooted around until she found one she’d always worn when they were married. It was blue, with a shoe company logo on it. She put it on and went to work, cleaning the kitchen with a vengeance. Soon, the countertops sparkled and all the grease was gone from the range hood. She moped the floor, and then went into her bedroom, striking the cobwebs with the broom as if they would jump back at her. She stabbed them with gusto, tearing them from the ceiling and then

running outside to dislodge them from the broom. She did all the rooms, then stood in the living room. What to do next? The bathroom? Selden’s room? Was this what he’d wanted when he bet her about staying here, to have someone to clean his house from top to bottom? She knew that wasn’t true, but the idea still flittered through her mind. Of course she also knew that having nothing to do but cleaning was one of the things that had driven her nuts when she was younger. She’d wanted to experience life, to get out in the world and do things. Well, she’d done that, and it turned out that she sucked at that part of life as much as she sucked at this part, too. Tears filled her eyes and she threw the broom onto the floor, then went into her room and lay down, tears streaming from her face. She hadn’t been there very long when she heard the front door open. She made no move to get up, or stream her tears. She heard Selden whistle in approval at the kitchen, then call out her name. When she didn’t answer, his voice got louder. “Pey?” She continued to lie there, no longer crying, her tears dry on her face. He was in the doorway now, standing there as if waiting for permission to come in. “Peyton?” “I’m sorry I wasn’t a good wife to you. I’m sorry I wasn’t any good at this.” She sat up and flung out her arms. “What? No, Pey, it wasn’t just you. It was us. Together. We were so young and both of us were so stubborn. Don’t think I blame you. If anything, I blame myself more. I should have done something to make you happier. It was selfish of me to expect you to live here, for me, and not try anything else.” “Yeah, but it turns out you were right. I wasn’t good at that, either.” He came into the room and sat down on the bed so that they were facing each other. “You wanna know what I think? I think you left here angry, and that was my fault. And I think you carried that anger into the outer world and that’s what happened. You can’t tell me the people you worked for didn’t like the things you did for them.” “No, they liked them. They just didn’t like my attitude.” “Well, I think I have a way to deal with that, don’t I?” He grinned at her and she shivered. She thought maybe he might lean over and kiss her, but he didn’t. Instead, they just stared at each other. “You’ve been busy today,” he said. “It smells good in here, like lemons.” “Thanks. I was bored. Plus, I’m confused about things.” “Confused? I thought we’d accepted that you would stay for the week here, and stay until Barney comes back.” “So, for five more months I’m here. Then what? I need to know what’s next.” He moved closer and her stomach clenched with nerves. “You can always stay here. You’re welcome whether Barney’s here or not. In fact, I bet Barney would love it. He missed you as much as I did.” “You missed me?”

“Yes. Very much. And it’s all I can do right now to not kiss you, throw you back on that bed and make love to you. I thought I could handle it with you here, but I can’t. I want you, Peyton. I know you don’t feel the same way, but I can’t help myself.” “Shall I spank it out of you?” She grinned at him, and he shook his head in mock disgust. “Then don’t fight it. And don’t pretend to know how I feel without asking me.” The confusion on his face made her grin. “Pey, it was just two nights ago that you said…” She grabbed him and put her lips on his, silencing his words. He was shocked at first, his body rigid. Then he gathered her in his arms and kissed her with a force she’d never felt before. Her breath caught in her lungs and it felt as if her heart stopped beating. His hands were on her back, gently roaming around and she moaned as he broke the kiss, then dove in for another one. “Selden,” she whispered when he finally let her come up for air. Her chest heaved with her overheated breath. “Make love to me.” He stood and she cried out in pain. Then he leaned over and took her in his arms, carrying her out of the room. “Where are you going?” For one brief, fleeting moment she thought maybe he was going to put her outside the door, tell her to go back to the main cabin before they started something that would bring major trouble for both of them. “To our bed.” Her heart leapt with joy when he sat her down on the soft mattress. “Get undressed. I’m afraid if I touch your clothes I’ll rip them to shreds.” She heard the buttons on his shirt pop off as he pulled it off. When the sound of his zipper hit her ears she quickly shed the clothes she was wearing and lay down to wait for him. He joined her quickly, their hands and lips roaming each other’s bodies. When he was poised for entry, he stopped and stared into her eyes. “Are you sure?” “Positive.” She arched her back into him, welcoming the feel of inside her. Tears leaked from her eyes and he stopped, tracing them. “If you’re ready, then what’s wrong?” “I don’t know. I’m afraid this is all there will be, and I’ll be alone again in five months.” “Never,” Selden said, kissing her lightly. “I don’t plan on letting you go.” “Promise?” “I swear it. We belong together, Peyton.” She clung to him tightly, wrapping her legs around him and grabbing at him as she climaxed. When he’d emptied himself into her body he kissed her again, lightly this time, with love. “It’s been so long,” he whispered against her lips. “I’m out of practice.” “Me, too,” she said, laughter in her voice. “Did you mean what you said, about not letting me go again?” “Yes, I did. I think deep down I thought the contract would make you mine again.”

“Then why did you tear it up?” “Because Ryan told me it was a bad thing. And he was right. I can’t force you to love me again, Peyton.” “You don’t have to.” He moved next to her and she turned into his arms. “I’m just scared, Selden. What happens if I stay here, and I get restless again? That will end up hurting both of us.” “Then we just have to find work for you to do out here. You can do marketing from here. Get clients off the Internet, or from town. We’ll set you up a computer room here in the house. If that doesn’t work, I’ll build on.” They continued to stare at each other, and finally, she licked her lips. “What about the spankings? Once my week here is up, how does that work?” “The same way it works right now. If you’re bad, you get spanked.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Don’t tell me you don’t think it’s helped you, because I know that it has. It’s not meant as abuse, you know.” “I know. The ladies say it’s someone who loves you correcting bad behavior that could turn destructive.” “And they’re right.” He kissed her nose again. “So, you’ll stay here, with me in this house, our house.” “For how long?” “Do we have to put a time limit on it? Can’t we just stay together?” “Barney won’t let us live here if we’re not married.” She laughed nervously. “You know how old-fashioned he can be.” She expected him to say something about not rushing things, that they’d tried it before and it had been a disaster. That he didn’t love her that way. Instead he kissed her nose again. “I’ll marry you this afternoon, if you want.” Tears filled her eyes again and she quickly brushed them away. “Are you serious?” “Well, it’s sorta late, so maybe we should go into town in the morning. Do you want that? We can take Missy and Roy with us as witnesses, and invite Ryan.” She laughed nervously. “I think maybe we shouldn’t rush into it. We can use the five months until Barney gets back as a trial, see how things work with the spanking added in and all. Right now we’re both feeling flush with excitement. But two months from now we may not be. You may be ready to kick me out when I start wondering why I’m still here.” “No problem. Remember, I have ways of dealing with that now. And if I had listened to Barney earlier, I would have spanked you the first time we were married. Things might be very different for us right now.” He caressed her cheek, then glanced toward his ringing phone. When he jumped up to answer it, she admitted his backside. He did have a great cowboy backside, that looked as good in jeans as it did out of them. She heard his low voice and he walked into the other part of the house. She got up and went to the bathroom, washing off quickly before dressing. She found him in the kitchen, leaning

against a counter and totally unashamed of his nakedness. He was still talking on the phone, and had taken a soft drink out of the refrigeration and was drinking it slowly. She took it from him and took a long drink, watching him intently. He covered the phone with his hand. “That’s mine, you know.” “Not anymore.” She took another drink, laughing when he grabbed a wooden spoon from a drawer and shook it at her. Then he focused on the phone, his eyes narrowing in concern. She drank the rest of the can, sitting at the table and trying hard not to stare at him. When he hung up, she lifted her brows in anticipation of what he would say. “Something wrong?” “Yeah. Steve.” “What about him?” “He’s not what we thought, and I’m concerned. He has an abusive past, and I don’t want him bringing that here. That’s not what the spanking part of the ranch is about.” “So, what are you gonna do?” “Well, my attorney tells me there’s nothing I can do. I’m going to have to let it play out, just like I’m going to have to do with you. We’ll see how things unfold.” He waved the spoon at her again. “You drank the rest of my soda.” “You’re right, I did. What are you gonna do about it? You can’t give me demerits for that.” “I can spank your little behind. You didn’t even ask.” She didn’t apologize, just lifted her brows in amusement. “So, you’ll stay with me?” “Yes.” The word came out so quickly that she wondered if she knew what she was saying. Seconds later, though, she knew that she did. “Good. I like that.” “Me, too. If you’re serious about me working from here, we need to set up Internet here at the house. And I need to get my computer and stuff from storage.” “We can do that. Tomorrow, if need be.” “Let’s wait until my week is over, and then we’ll work on the rest of it.” He examined the spoon and grinned at her. “Since we’re talking about spankings …” “We were not.” “…You need one for stealing my soda. Turn around.” “No. I may say you can spank me, but I’m not going to make it easy on you.” She jumped up and ran for the living room, with Selden hot on her trail. She stopped in the doorway of the living room, ready to bolt outside. “If you want me, you have to chase me.” “I have to get dressed first.” She grinned at him. “You’re right, you do. I’ll wait.” He started for the bedroom and she ran out the door.

“Peyton!” He went to the door and watched her run across the lawn, her laughter trailing back to him. It brought a smile to his face and he knew that she was back, and she was his. In five months when Barney came back he would marry her again. But maybe, just maybe, he could convince her to do it before then. And this time, he would make sure the vows included the words to obey. And he planned to never let her go. The End

Blushing Publications thanks you whole-heartedly for your purchase with us! There are plenty more stories such as the one you’ve purchased from Blushing Books! Visit our online store to view our might selection! http://www.blushingbooks.com This book is intended for adults only. Spanking and other sexual activities represented in this book are fantasies only, intended for adults. Nothing in this book should be interpreted as advocating any non-consensual spanking activity or the spanking of minors.