My Charming Valentine (6 page)

Vance sighed and placed the rattan cane
back on its rack. “Very well, but you’ll know where to come if you change your
mind.” As he took the tawse to wrap it, Ettie handed her the next envelope.

Accepting it, Phoebe first looked at
Patrick.

“Expecting another prize?” he asked,
after taking the wrapped tawse.

Phoebe blushed and thought about denying
it, but decided she wouldn't like to have her new purchase demonstrated in
front of their friends. Lifting her arm, she gave her wrist a little shake.
“You’re the one who's been spoiling me all day,” she said.

“And still am,” he said, pulling another
box from his pocket.

Pulling out the charm, she laid it on her
palm. It was a ping pong paddle with a small ping pong ball attached to chime
against it. “I’d forgotten about the need to disguise our kink.”

“Do tell,” Vance encouraged, as Patrick
attached the charm to her growing collection.

“Well, we knew we were both spankos from
that first time,” Phoebe explained. “Back then there weren’t exactly a lot of
places you could walk in and buy such wonderful implements. The internet didn’t
exist yet, and not a lot of artists had studios as eclectic as yours.”

Patrick took over the telling. “Phoebe’s
parents always had a ping pong table set up in their garage. One day we were at
a family cook out and we’d gone out to get some additional folding chairs.
Well, Phoebe complained that she was expected to do all the work while her
spoiled little sisters just sat around. She’d been complaining a lot lately,
which was not like her. I’d had enough and grabbed the nearest thing and
paddled her butt.”

Phoebe jumped in. “I discovered two
things that week. First, a ping pong paddle really packs a wallop, and the
reason I was crabby was because I was pregnant with Sam. My hormones were all
over the place.”

“That’s so sweet,” Ettie said. “A baby.”

“I’m thinking your parents might not
agree,” Vance said. Ignoring the women’s gasps, he grinned. “I mean, you stole
their paddle; how’d you expect them to play?” He and Patrick laughed as their
women rolled their eyes.

“The point is, we decided that as our
kids grew up, they might well question a flogger or strap lying around the
house, but common things such as a wooden hairbrush, a kitchen spoon or a ping
pong paddle didn’t raise their eyebrows,” Patrick explained. “And, smartass, we
bought our own paddles and table. Our kids became quite good at table tennis.”

“Open your clue before I say something to
earn a spanking,” Ettie suggested, pointing to the envelope.

Pulling out the card, Phoebe read the
clue aloud.

It
doesn’t matter the distance, however far and wide
–
you’ll forever be close to my heart and belong by my side. I’ll cherish
your presence wherever we roam, but my darling Phoebe, it’s time to go home.

“Now that’s romantic,” Vance said,
placing a kiss on Ettie’s cheek before she could speak.

Phoebe agreed and tucked the envelope
into her coat pocket, the basket having been left at home earlier. She stood on
her tiptoes and placed a kiss on her husband’s cheek. “I’ll follow you anywhere
for as long as I live. Let’s go home.”

They left after giving and receiving
hugs. Though the game had come to an end, Phoebe was entirely content. It had
been a wonderful day. Fastening her seat belt, she turned to her husband. “I
know we still have a few sushi rolls, but if you want dinner, maybe we should
stop at the store.”

“No cooking, remember,” he said, as he
pulled away from the house. “I’m sure we can rustle up something.”

Not as positive, she didn’t think it
worth arguing over. They always had cereal and milk, which wouldn’t require any
effort. It didn’t take long before they were once again pulling into their own
driveway.

Patrick lifted her from the truck. Before
she could step away, he turned her away from him. “Close your eyes,” he
instructed.

Phoebe turned her head to look at him and
saw he’d pulled a blindfold from somewhere. “Gosh, Pat, how much stuff can you
carry in that coat?”

“Enough,” he growled, as he popped his
hand against her bottom. “Turn around and close your eyes. We might be home,
but that doesn’t mean the game is ended.”

Properly chastised and excited, she
obeyed. Once the blindfold had been securely tied around her head, he took her
hand and walked slowly to the door.

Once inside, he grinned. He’d racked his
brain trying to figure out how he was going to be able to prepare the house and
keep his final surprise a secret. His dilemma was solved when he ran into Cory
one day and they talked about how he was hoping to find Kenzie work in Corbin’s
Bend, since they were planning to move in together in March. Patrick had
outlined his plan, and when Cory assured him that Kenzie would be thrilled to
turn their house into a romantic get-away, he’d given them carte blanche.
Looking at the dozens of candles flickering on almost every flat surface, and
the scattered rose petals on the floor, Patrick had to hand it to the young
woman. It certainly felt romantic.

“Stay,” he said, after closing the front
door.

“Back to freeze tag are we?” she quipped,
and then giggled as he popped her butt. He did help her out of her coat and
took her gloves and hat, hanging them in the closet with his own, before he
moved to make sure the rest of the house was ready. It only took a glance into
the kitchen to see the table had been set, tapers glowing in the center next to
a tall vase. He could smell the aroma of the food he’d ordered, and then did a
double take. Grinning, he made a note to tell Bernie she was a genius. Instead
of flowers, the vase contained long lengths of the cinnamon and sugar coated
churros that Phoebe loved. They were wrapped with a red ribbon and made a
unique and interesting centerpiece.

A quick glance towards the door showed
that Phoebe was still in place, her head turning as if trying to follow him
across the room. He checked the bedroom and his grin widened. The bed had been
turned down, pink and red rose petals scattered across the white sheets, a
small white box sitting beside a long stemmed rose on Phoebe’s pillow.

The bathroom had more candles, and there
was a bowl of rose petals waiting to be dropped into the bath. A bottle of
bubble bath sat next to the bowl. White towels were stacked on the counter,
ready to be used. With everything ready, he returned to his wife.

“Welcome home, honey,” he said as he
removed the blindfold and cupped her face in his palms. He kissed her and then
stepped aside, watching as her eyes took in the candlelight and the petals.

“Pat, this is amazing,” she said, and
then sniffed the air. “Oh, is that Endele’s I smell?”

“Of course,” he said, as he took her hand
and led her into the kitchen. “Since we both adore Mexican food, it was the
natural choice. Now sit down and I’ll get the food.”

She sank into the chair he pulled out for
her and then giggled when she saw the centerpiece. Reaching for a churro only
got her hand slapped away.

“That’s decoration,” he teased, as he
moved to the oven to remove the containers.

“Funny, that looks like dessert to me,”
she said, as she reached for the frozen margarita that was at her place. “How
on earth did you do this? I mean, my glass is still frosty.”

“Some things are better left to the
imagination,” he said, as he put a plate in front of her. He had fallen in love
with Mexican fare when he’d left the Army and moved to Texas to marry Phoebe
and begin their life together. He fixed his own plate and sat across from her.

“Remember the first time you tried a
jalapeño?” she asked with a smile.

“Yes. I thought you were trying to kill
me,” he chuckled. “Next thing I knew we were growing our own so that you could
make poppers.”

“Well, karma bit me in the butt the time
I bit into one right off the vine. God, I swear I can still feel the burn.”

“You drank a gallon of milk,” he said as
he lifted his glass. “A toast – to my wife, who has taught me so much and
made me grateful for every lesson.”

Phoebe lifted her glass and tapped it
against his. “And to my husband who has given me the most magical Valentine’s
gift ever. Thank you, Patrick, for being my husband and making all these
beautiful memories with me.”

They each took a drink of the delicious
beverage and then began to eat. He’d ordered enchiladas, queso dip and chips,
stuffed poblano peppers, as well as beef fajitas. The quantity assured they’d
have enough for lunch the next day, and he’d already made reservations at
Amore’s, the community’s Italian restaurant, for Valentine’s Day dinner.

He put the food away as Phoebe sat
munching on the churro he’d finally allowed her to take from the vase.

“These candles are pretty incredible,”
she said as she looked around the room. “They almost look like they are really
burning.”

“Well, I know real ones might be more
romantic, but I wasn’t absolutely sure of the timing. I didn’t want to catch
the house on fire.” He’d told Cory he wanted candles but didn’t want them to
have to hang around or run about lighting them when he and Phoebe returned to
the house. Cory told him not to worry. These looked real but were battery
operated, and the flickering came from small bulbs tucked into the ‘wax’ of the
candle.

Drawing her from her chair, he led her
into the bedroom.

“Oh, Patrick,” she sighed, turning to
throw her arms around him. “You are just about the most perfect man on earth.”

“Just about?” he teased.

“Well, I’d say the most perfect but we
both know how you would hate to have your head swell.”

Patrick grinned and quirked his eyebrow,
loving to see her face flush as her eyes dropped down his body. “We’ll address
swelling in a bit. In the meantime, I’ll get our bath started while you, my
dear, get naked.”

“Yes, Sir,” she said, snapping him a
salute.

Patrick just shook his head and went into
the bathroom. He turned on the taps and adjusted the temperature until it was
perfect. He added a capful of the bubble bath and as the bubbles began to
froth, he sprinkled some of the rose petals onto the surface.

“I take it back, you are the most perfect
man alive.”

Turning, his breath caught in his throat
at the sight of his wife. She might be in her fifties but to him, she was as
beautiful now as she had been at nineteen when he’d first met her. Holding out
his hand, he drew her to him, bending to kiss her.

“I love you,” he said softly.

“I love you, too,” she whispered and then
stepped back. “I’d love you even more naked.”

They took a long, languid bath together,
hands stroking across wet skin, lips tracing kisses across the same. Though
they’d often made love in the tub in their earlier years together, both
preferred a bit more comfort nowadays.

Patrick wrapped a towel around his waist
before helping her from the tub and wrapping her in one of the towels, slowly
drying every inch of her body.

The towels were discarded as he took her
hand and led her back into the bedroom. She squealed as he lifted her into his
arms and set her on the bed. Handing her the rose and the small box, he sat
down beside her.

Opening the box, she removed the final
charm of her scavenger hunt.

“This is you,” she said, as she ran her
finger across the larger heart. “And then there is me, Sam and Katy, all safe
within your embrace.”

“And surrounded by my love,” he added, as
he took the charm and added it to the bracelet she’d refused to take off during
their bath.

She pretended innocence of his intentions
when he pulled a wrapped object from her basket and watched the paper be
removed to expose her new antique hairbrush. “Oh, how sweet, you are going to
brush my hair.”

“Sure, I can do that,” Patrick said, as
he ran a fingertip over the soft bristles before turning it over and running a
palm across the broad back. “But it would be a wasted effort now. Perhaps after
I redden your fanny.”

She squealed when he flipped her onto her
stomach and pressed his pillow under her hips. The squeals then grew louder as
the brush smacked into first one cheek and then the other.

“Remember, that’s a precious antique!
Quincy will kill you if you break it.”

“Good try, babe, but I’m pretty positive
Quincy knows exactly why I bought this today.” He continued smacking it against
her nates until she was no longer squealing. Instead she was moaning, her
bottom lifting to meet each smack, her legs parting.

They made love as if discovering one
another all over again. Patrick pressed her down onto the mattress, knowing the
pressure against her sore butt only added to her arousal. After bringing her to
climax twice, he flipped her over and entered her from behind, his hands
squeezing and pinching her red ass until they fell over into the abyss
together.