Laying Down the Law (11 page)

“You’re driving right now, aren’t you?”

“Are you?” She turned it back on him.

“Pull off the road; you’re too tired to be driving. I’ll come and get you.”

“Tanner,” she protested.

“Mind me, Callie,” he replied sternly and she pulled off onto the side of the road.

“Fine, I’ve pulled over, but this is ridiculous. How will I get my car home?”

“One of my deputies is coming with me, he’ll drive it home. Lock your doors and stay put.”

put.”

When Tanner arrived a short time later with one of his young deputies, Callie was more than ready for bed and was thankful to hand over the keys to someone else. Without speaking to Tanner she allowed him to hand her into the high cab of his truck and closing her eyes, drifted off to sleep as he drove them home.

Callie awoke hours later to the sound of chirping birds.

“Jesus, what time is it?” she muttered to herself as she looked over at the alarm clock on Tanner’s side of the bed. She really needed to get her stuff unpacked; she needed her own lamp and her own alarm clock. Rising into a seated position she moved her legs over to the side of the bed and just sat trying to find the energy to rise and have a shower.

“What do you think you are doing?” Callie looked up to find Tanner resting against the doorframe, his arms crossed across his chest.

“I thought you had to work today?” she asked in surprise.

“I was up most of the night; I decided to take the day off. Besides, I have some business to take care of here.”

Boy, she really didn’t like the sound of that!

“I’m sorry I worried you last night, Tanner,” she said sincerely. “I should have left you a note to explain where I was; I guess it’s going to get some getting used to, living with someone else.”

He nodded his head in acceptance. “I had no idea where you were, Callie. What if you’d had an accident? Fell asleep on the way home?

You know you’re not supposed to drive at You know you’re not supposed to drive at night by yourself when you’re so tired, Callie.

Your judgment is slow and you’re an accident waiting to happen. I don’t make these rules just to hear the sound of my own voice.” Callie dropped her head, ashamed. He was right, she’d been inconsiderate, and no matter if she didn’t agree with his dictate about not driving at night, she realised she had worried him unnecessarily and that she really had been too tired to drive home.

Not speaking, she rose and pulled off t-shirt and panties, turning so she was crouched on her hands and knees on the bed, her bottom raised up in offering.

“This deserves more than a hand spanking,” he warned her and she watched him walk over to a drawer and pull out a wide, thick paddle. She gulped.

“I’m going to take this paddle to your

“I’m going to take this paddle to your bottom, Callie. You’ll be spending the rest of the day in bed. You’re exhausted and I will not have you getting sick. I want you home by 6pm each night this week and you will have a strict bedtime of 10pm.”

“Tanner,” she started to protest but he just shook his head.

Tanner spanking with his hand

immediately.

“You’re pale, exhausted, and you have dark circles under your eyes. I won’t have you getting overtired, Callie, and I will not listen to any argument. Any argument that I hear will result in an additional spanking each morning before you go to work. Would you like to spend the day working with a sore bottom, miss?” He spanked her bottom heavily with his hand to emphasise his point and she shook her head.

“I’m sorry, Tanner.”

“This is partly my fault; I should never have stopped your punishment on the couch yesterday. I won’t be making that mistake again.”

“Before we begin tell me why you are being punished.” Begin? What did he mean begin? Hadn’t he just been spanking her?

“Because I was thoughtless and I didn’t leave a note for you.” He briskly spanked her some more with his hand, making her bottom flare and burn.

“And?”

“And I drove home when I was too tired to drive.” Smack, smack, smack.

“And?”

She sobbed. “And I called you while driving?”

driving?”

“That’s right, you broke the rules, Callie and you’ll get twenty of the paddle for each.

Now, let’s begin.”

By the end of the spanking she exhausted, and thoroughly punished. Tanner tucked her into bed with a kiss on her forehead.

“I do love you, squirt.”

“I know, I know,” she said with a smile before drifting off to sleep.

The End