Sweet Salvation (8 page)

“I care for you, Stacy. I’d like to see where this leads.”

He expected her to speak coherently after that? Was he kidding?

Allowing her a few more minutes of recovery time, he continued. “What you’ve seen these last few days is what you’ll get from me. I’m usually laid back, easy going, and fun.”

“Yes, please,” she managed, finally putting lucid thoughts together. “I’d like that too, Jared, very much so.”

“I’m glad of that, but I’m not finished. You were right when you said I could be bossy, autocratic, and dictatorial. I’ll admit that’s another very real side of me at times. I know what I want and usually won’t take no for an answer, but I’m not unreasonable. I can listen and compromise, although if it comes to your health or safety, be prepared to lose.”

“Are you trying to scare me off? ‘Cause if you are, you’re doing an excellent job.”

He smiled sheepishly for a moment before continuing sincerely. “I know I can be intense sometimes, but I don’t want you to ever be scared of me, Stacy. I would never hurt you. I promise, you’ll always be safe in my arms.”

“You threatened to spank me!”

“True, but I see a spanking as an attention-getter more than anything. It lets you know I am serious about something you have or haven’t done that is important to me, or in the future, to us. Other than a hot bottom, you won’t be harmed by a punishment from me.”

“Punishment?”

“If it happens, and I expect it will, probably sooner than later, I would make up for it afterward with cuddles and kisses and steamy hot sex.”

“The making-up part sounds nice, but can’t we just talk about it like adults?”

“Of course, we would always talk like adults, but if I told you to do something and you put yourself in jeopardy by failing to do it, that would be blatant disobedience and would earn you a spanking.”

“Like the other day? You said if I was your woman you would have taken me over your knee.”

“Yes, it is exactly like that. I told you to stay put and you left without the crutches I was arranging. At the risk to your already injured knee, you walked out. If you parked in the rear lot as you usually do, that’s at least 500 yards, then drove home in rush-hour traffic in your manual transmission Jeep.”

“But you said it was fine.”

“No, I said it looked fine but we would needed to recheck in a week. Very often, injuries like small tears don’t show upon on the initial scans.”

“So I could still have a worse injury and have made it worse.” Her voice was quiet as she considered all this. She hadn’t know what risks she was taking.

“Now do you see why I was so angry and wanted to paddle you?”

“Yes, I guess I do, but it seems—” Her voice trailed off as she searched for the right word.

“Old-fashioned?”

“Yes, that’s it. The man lording over his woman, it’s like out of some medieval books I’ve read.”

“Not so unusual, honey. As a matter of fact, this type of relationship has had a resurgence in recent years. Couples are becoming more traditional in their relationships, which keeps the roles well defined and expectations clear. I think it makes for stronger bonds between two people. Furthermore, and this is a big one, I wouldn’t be lording it over you. I don’t want to be your superior or your lord and master; that isn’t my intention at all. I’m talking about defined rules, expectations, and consequences for your actions.”

“And spankings.”

“Yes, although that is the least of this.” Jared brushed a tendril of hair from her cheek as his eyes searched her face. “If this is something that you can’t deal with, I’ll understand. We can put this aside and go back to what we were before.”

“Which was what exactly?”

“Passing acquaintances, I suppose.”

“More like colliding acquaintances.”

“I’ll try not to tackle you any more in the future. I promise.”

“Much obliged.” Stacy’s brief smile faded, replaced quickly by a frown. Her thoughts had so frequently turned to him over the past two years and he had been a near constant in her mind in the last few days. Ever since he’d mentioned spanking her, she hadn’t been able to get that idea out of her head either. The image of being bared and placed over his knee freaked her out a bit, at the same time making her tingle in all of her wonderfully naughty places. Each time, like now, she found it surprisingly erotic, and wasn’t that bizarre?

“Where have your thoughts gone, Stacy? You have a faraway look in your eyes.”

She flushed, the heat spreading fast until her cheeks were burning and her ears felt singed. “I think I’m willing to try it your way, Jared.”

“You are?” He let out a pent-up breath, looking at her in surprise as if unaware he’d been holding it.

“Thought I’d cut bait, didn’t you?”

“Pardon?”

“You know that saying, fish or cut bait?”

“Sorry. I don’t know what that means.”

“My daddy used to say it when I had trouble committing to something. He was telling me to take it or leave it, whatever it was. Does that make more sense?”

“Yes. You’ve decided to fish.”

Nodding, she smiled softly.

He took her mouth in another steamy kiss that once again left her breathless. They cuddled and kissed on her couch for the rest of the evening, then gentleman Jared called it a night, much to her regret. Before he left, what he whispered in her ear caused her heart to melt as much as her panties, and she fell just a little bit in love with him.

“Be ready next Friday, sweet Stacy, because as I’m sure your daddy would say, ‘I’m fixin’ to start courtin’.”

The following Friday they had their first official date. Her knee was still sore, so dancing was out. Many of the other activities he’d recommended in the area would also have to wait until she was healed up, like the Detroit Zoo (only minutes from her apartment; she had never been), and the Henry Ford Museum with its outdoor historical village. There was a spring festival this weekend but walking in the late season snow that still covered the ground would have been difficult too. There was always a movie, but then they couldn’t talk. He’d said to leave it all up to him, telling her only to wear a dress and be ready at six o’clock.

He’d picked her up in his silver BMW, the sweet ride she’d drooled over before. After he’d handed her into the low-slung vehicle, he buckled her in—a nice touch—giving her legs an admiring look which had Stacy glowing and hiding a small smile.

“Nice car,” she said as he pulled out of her lot.

“Yeah? I was thinking about trading.”

Stacy was instantly deflated, hoping to ride it with the top down when the weather warmed up.

He must have seen her look because he asked with an amused smile, “Disappointed?”

“Yeah, it’s a sweet ride.” Rolling her head against the leather headrest, she smiled at him as she thought of going off road in Miss Scarlett. “I love to take my top off and go 4-wheelin’.”

He choked on a laugh just as she realized how that sounded. “Take the top off my Jeep, Jared. Get your mind outta the gutter. The wind blowing my hair all over and the sun warm against my skin feels awesome. Why would you sell it?”

“It doesn’t do well in the snow and when Marc and I go ice fishing we have to take my truck. It’s a pain covering all the cargo when it snows or rains.”

She hadn’t heard a word after ice fishing. How boring would that be? “Do you mean you go out on a frozen lake and cut a hole in the ice, drop a line and wait?”

He laughed at the disbelief in her voice. “Sounds boring, does it? You’ll be surprised to know, that’s exactly what we’re going for. Our work can be hectic so it’s nice to get away and do some kind of mind-numbing activity every once in a while.”

“I think you’ve got a winner then if that’s what you’re going for.” She leaned her head back and let out a fake snore.

“Funny girl, don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it.”

“I don’t think I’d like going out on the ice. Every minute I’d be scared about falling through. I’ll pass.”

“We don’t just fish when we go up north. We take our snowmobiles too.”

“Now we’re talking.”

“What about skiing or snowboarding?”

“I’ve never been but I’ve always wanted to give skiing a try, or tubing.”

“So you’re an outdoorsy girl?”

“No, but I’m fascinated with the snow.”

“You’d like the cabin. It’s quiet, relaxing, there’s a big fireplace and it’s nice to come back to after a long cold day playing in the snow.”

“It sounds romantic.”

“Yeah, but I’m usually up there with Marc so we leave romance out of it.”

She snickered at that, and he grinned. “I’ll make the arrangements.”

They rode in silence for a while. Stacy’s thoughts were filled with a romantic getaway for just the two of them. He was moving things along faster now. Although she was a little nervous, she didn’t mind it at all.

“Where are we going tonight?”

“I thought we’d have dinner, then go back to my place, if you’d like. I’ve hung at your place all week. I thought it was time to show off mine.”

She got quiet as she immediately imagined her first time with Jared. She’d dreamed about it all week; well, as soon as her knee had stopped throbbing. As she healed, she’d traded one throbbing for another. He’d seen her every day this week, sometimes twice if they were able to squeeze in lunch around his schedule. He kissed her often, passionately, hungrily, but he hadn’t taken it any further. Would he make his move tonight? Did she want him to? He was her boss. Would it be awkward if things didn’t work out? Of course, that would be difficult, but she wanted him, so badly.

He reached out and captured her hand, his enveloping her much smaller one and squeezing it gently. “You don’t have to do anything you’re not ready for, Stacy. If you’re uncomfortable going to my place, we can do something else.”

She wouldn’t describe it as uncomfortable, more like excited, eager, or raring to go, but she couldn’t tell him that and come off looking like the sex-starved woman she was. Her response instead was nonchalant. “It’s not that; I was just wondering if I was dressed all right for dinner.”

He laughed shortly. “You look gorgeous. The dress is perfect, but you’re a terrible liar.”

She ignored him and his last comment. “It’s been a while since I’ve dressed up for dinner.”

Sharp as a tack, he read her twofold meaning and grasped her hand harder, offering his reassurance. “No pressure, baby. You look beautiful.”

They dined at the Upper Parthenon; a Greek place she’d heard of but never tried. She’d never had Greek before and wasn’t sure about all the lamb so she played it safe by going with the house specialty, chicken meatballs. Jared had the lamb chops. He’d given her a taste and she was happy she’d gone with the chicken. He’d also ordered wine. She was glad because it helped settle her nerves.

Soon they were parked in his circle drive and she was waiting for him to open her door. Unable to help herself, she gawked out the window at his huge house; it had three floors, for pity’s sake. Although it was dark, the outdoor lighting allowed her to see that the stucco and stone house was situated on a wooded lot, both secluded and private.

The door opened and she took his hand. As she attempted to stand, she couldn’t, so distracted was she by his house that she’d forgotten to unbuckle her seatbelt. Finally exiting the car, she continued to stare gape-mouthed at the house. Good grief, he wasn’t just the well-off doctor, as she’d thought, he was rich. His finger beneath her chin gently shut her mouth. “It’s not a mansion, honey. Come on. There’s something I’d like to show you.”

Nodding, she felt him take her hand and tug her along toward the house. The entryway was spacious with its natural wood and light marble floors. The living room was huge with hardwood floors and the most beautiful stone fireplace she’d ever seen. He tugged her through room after room. There was also a library and a study. The kitchen was enormous with high-end appliances and granite counter tops. It was a dream house, except for one thing, not a small thing, and it seemed to be a pattern.

“Jared?”

“Wait. Don’t say anything until you’ve seen it all.” He tugged her down a long hallway. When he came to the first door, he opened it, turned on the light and let her enter first, a hand at her back.

Her gasp was audible and echoed in the room. She turned to him, eyes wide.

“No. If we talk about it now, we’ll never get finished.”

“But—”

“Humor me. I had to do this with my parents and Marc, too. So trust me. Come on. There’s more.”

He flipped off the light and pulled her to the next door where he repeated the process, placing a finger over her mouth, reminding her to save her comments. By the time they got to the double doors at the end, she was ready to burst.

“Just one more room, then you can tell me what you think.”

He opened the doors to what was obviously the master bedroom. It was cavernous, or maybe seemed that way due to the vaulted ceilings, but the neutral walls and plush carpeted floors were warm and welcoming. There was a seating area in front of another fireplace and at the end was a set of French doors surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows.

“Okay, now you can let me have it.”

“This room is fabulous, Jared. The hardwood floors and granite in the kitchen are beautiful. But Jared, except for this room, you don’t have a stick of furniture. And I hope I don’t hurt your feelings, but the paint colors, wallpaper, and draperies are—” She stopped. How did she put this politely? Absolutely hideous, was that too harsh?

She couldn’t help it, although she tried, as a ripple of laughter bubbled up. “Oh, Jared, that main bathroom with the red velvet walls and the pink fixtures, it looks like—”

“A brothel?”

“Yes! And that mustard yellow in the first bedroom and the baby poop green in the next, it’s plain awful. I’m sorry, darlin’. The house itself would be gorgeous and the grounds from what I could tell were beautiful, but the décor—gag. Whoever the decorator was, good grief, sugar, she’s lost as last year’s Easter egg.”

There was silence behind her and she turned. Jared was looking at the floor, Oh dear, surely she hadn’t insulted him. He’d been laughing too, hadn’t he?