AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I took her hand and helped her stand. "These need to go, baby girl," I said, indicating her jeans.
Wordlessly, without breaking eye contact, she worked the buckle on her belt. I watched as the dark jeans fell to her knees. She stared at me, pleading with her eyes. I took her hand and guided her over my knee. Once she was in position, I pushed her panties down to rest where her jeans were. She gave a small peep of protest, but I ignored it. "A spanking works best on a bare bottom, baby girl."
A host of implements hung above the bench where Merry had been sitting, and I chose a small maple paddle. Wood was always a good bet when you needed to make an impact quickly. I set it beside me on the bench and started with my hand.
Her bottom was milky white and freckled in places, each cheek a perfectly round canvas for the artwork I was about to create. It would be a nice deep pink by the time I was through.
I lectured as I spanked, reminding Merry of the importance of our work and the healing that so many broken children had experienced here—reminding her that she had an opportunity to be an important part of that and that she just might be the person who changed someone's life. I didn't stop until her entire bottom was a soft pink and she was weeping softly, promising to do better.
And then I picked up the paddle. I heard her sharp intake of breath as I rested the cool wood atop her rosy back end. She whimpered as it occurred to her what was about to happen, but she didn't fight it. Poor girl, it had probably been a year since she'd had a good spanking.
The first good whack of the paddle flattened her bottom, and she reared up, arching her back, but didn't rise off my lap. I was going to have to up my game. The next ten fell fast, with no space in between them. She wiggled and squirmed but didn't make a peep. I sucked in my breath. God, she needed this.
"You need to learn to forgive yourself, baby girl," I growled, resting the paddle on the small of her back.
"I caaan't!" she wailed, pushing her bottom up in a gesture that was unmistakable in meaning. She wanted more. Needed it, really. I lifted the paddle, again, and delivered a whopper that had her crying out in pain.
"You need to let things go. Everybody has bad days. Next time you see that girl, you will apologize and let go of your mistake. That's just as important as being kind, you know. Owning up and taking responsibility for your mistakes—it's a life skill—and one these kids can learn from you." I punctuated my directive with a barrage of swats to her sit spots.
"Yes, Blake." Her answer was a soft hiss between clenched teeth, and I could hear her fighting back a sob. We were getting somewhere.
"You're a good girl, Merry. You're taking your spanking so well. I'm going to give you ten more, and I want you to think about what I've said today and how you are going to do better tomorrow."
"Yes, Blake."
I counted the last ten aloud, delivering them to the fleshiest part of her bottom, alternating cheeks. I spoke no words other than the numbers after each stinging swat made its impact, giving her space to process my prior speech.
After the tenth swat fell, she finally let the sobs out that she had been holding in, collapsing against my lap as they escaped her heaving body. Setting the paddle down, I rubbed her swollen bottom, admiring the deep pink shade. When the sobs died to whimpers, I slowly pulled up her panties and helped her into a sitting position beside me.
I'll never forget the gratefulness in her eyes as she looked up at me with awe. "I feel so much better," she whispered. "Thank you, Blake. I feel like I can breathe again, without hating myself."
I took her hand and held it over my racing heart. "Oh, baby girl," I whispered. "Don't hate yourself. You are worth so much more than that."
"I wish I knew how to work past those feelings without the physical pain. I try, but I just can't seem to. Not without the release of a spanking. What's wrong with me?"
"There's nothing wrong with you, Merry. You, too, are still just a child, a teenager, healing from a hard life." She blinked back tears, and I sighed. "I'll tell you what, next time it gets to be too much and those old feelings rise up and you just can't seem to let them go, come find me."
"And you'll spank me? Until I feel better?"
"If that's what I think you need." I chose my words carefully, making it clear that I was the one who would retain control of this situation, even though, deep down, I knew that it wasn't true. I had already lost my heart. "Just come find me," I finished, brushing a soft kiss upon her cheek.
And she had.
What we had, had begun simply, innocently, and I had learned, after she left, what she had with Slade had begun the same way, shortly after. We each offered different things and covered different areas of her life. Each relationship had begun platonically and progressed slowly, and neither had ever reached consummation. That fact was the only consolation as we picked up the pieces when she'd left. We fought, sure. We had always been close, but after the yelling and punching had stopped, we had come to realize that there was only one solution. And that was only if we ever saw her again. For the first year, we searched, and after a while, we gave up and moved on, at least in theory. But neither of us ever really did. We loved Merry. She had captured our hearts and filled needs we hadn't even known we had. She had shaped us and made us who we were, and then she'd left, taking the best parts of us with her.
But now, she was coming back. God willing, we could all heal from the past, forgive one another and ourselves, and begin to move forward. Together. The three of us.
My phone dinged, and I picked it up, reading the text from Slade. They were an hour out. My reaction to the news was visceral. My breathing grew labored as my chest tightened with anticipation. My palms began to sweat, and my heart beat faster. An hour, until I saw my baby girl.
* * *
Merry
I recognized the road we were on now. A long winding rural highway that we would travel for the next hour, carrying us within a mile of our final destination, Second Chance Ranch. Nan would be waiting for us, probably with cookies and cocoa, just the way she had greeted me on my first day.
I was excited to see her. I knew there would be no anger, or awkwardness, or resentment. That's just who Nan was and how she lived her life. She would welcome me with open arms and a heart full of joy and forgiveness.
Blake was another story. I instinctively knew he was still at the ranch, but I hadn't been able to bring myself to voice his name out loud or ask Slade. Slade had mentioned him, had said we were family. It was all the confirmation I had needed that he was still there, taking care of things in that steady controlling way he always had.
