The Demure Bride (17 page)

Rob once again removed his belt and Amanda took a couple steps backward while he was doubling the leather and making sure that the buckle end was safely out of the way. He wanted to punish Mandy, not harm her. "Why are you backing away, little girl? I have warned you what would happen if you run from me again."

"Rob, I am already in so much pain I don't think I can handle a strapping. Besides, I am terrified. All I can think of is how Ted Fox beat me," she whispered, her eyes wide and full of fear. "I don't want you to use a belt on me," she begged. "Please don't! I will do as you say and stay in the house, but please don't beat me, Rob!"

Rob could see that she was shaking and he silently cursed himself for being such a fool. He understood now why Amanda ran from him; she was terrified that he would whip her like Ted Fox did, and put her in her bed, unable to move without pain for days. He dropped the belt on the floor and opened his arms. Amanda came to him immediately, sobbing as he held her close. Her body was shaking and he pulled out a chair, sat down, and held her on his lap until she quieted and he knew she could hear him. "I am sorry I frightened you so much, my dear. I should have realized that my belt would bring up memories best forgotten. I will never take off my belt again to use it as a punishment; you have my word on this."

"I know in my heart that you aren't like him," Amanda said as she snuggled closer. "The fear made me run from you," she explained. "I was trying to be brave, but all I could think of was how he beat me... You aren't like that, and I am so sorry I..."

"Shhhh." He stopped her. "There is no need for you to apologize for feelings you have. The belt was a poor choice, and I am the one who begs your forgiveness for deciding to use it to spank you. There are plenty of things that can be used to make a good point on your bottom."

"You aren't still planning to spank me again...?" She raised her head to look at him in disbelief. "Rob, noooooo!" she wailed when she looked into his dark eyes. They were filled with regret, but also with determination to follow through on what he promised.

"Amanda, I know you well. You gave your promise to stay inside this house because you were afraid of my belt. A promise given from fear will not hold up... and I have yet to change your mind. You are going to get the serious spanking I promised you, and I will brook no argument. Take off your boots and those horrid pants so you do not trip, and find a wooden spoon or a piece of kindling that can be used as a paddle. I do not want any arguments or protests. This spanking is going to happen and your cooperation will determine how long and how hard you are spanked." He gave her bottom a pat, but it was hard enough to make her jump.

Amanda felt tears well up in her eyes once more. Rob was still going to spank her, but at least he wasn't going to use his belt. She should be grateful for that much, but her poor butt was throbbing and burning already. The thought of further punishment made her cringe. The only thing she could do to make it easier on herself was to cooperate, and do as Rob said... even if it went against the grain. And that was the crux of the situation, she realized as she tugged off her boots. The blow to her pride was worse than the pain to her bottom. It was embarrassing and humiliating to be told to take down her jeans, and now he was asking her to remove them completely so she could walk around the large kitchen, searching for something he could use to spank her! It was a terrible punishment! And, of all the times for her Papa and Goldie to be gone from the ranch! There wasn't even a hand close by she could appeal to for help! Whitey would probably offer to help Rob! Was she really being stubborn by insisting she was old enough to make her own decision?

"You are stalling and taking your sweet time, my dear, and I am almost ready to start adding extras."

"I am not stalling. It is hard to get these boots off!" she argued, tugging. "They got wet and now they are too tight. I hoped they would give if I wore them, but I will need new ones," she complained. To her dismay, Rob stood, holding her in his arms. He then plopped her on the wooden seat of the chair with no concern for her poor bottom! In seconds he had her boots on the floor, and her pants on top of them! He took her arm, pulled her to her feet and gave her a meaningful look. "Okay, I will find something, but don't expect me to get something that is going to hurt a lot! I am already hurting something awful, Robert Thorne!" she told him, pouting for all she was worth.

Rob wanted to smile at the picture she made as she slowly walked over to the cabinet where Goldie kept her cooking utensils, but he refrained. This matter was serious and he had to impress upon her that this was a time for obedience. She could prove herself independent after he dealt with Sir Gregory Flockton. The man was truly evil, and his son had been just like him. A friend of his sister's, an innocent young girl, was visiting... and Phillip lured her away from the house and raped her... after beating her viciously. Rob came upon them, heard Jill's screams, and pulled Phillip off of her. Phillip reached for the gun he always carried, and Rob fought with him for control of the weapon. The gun went off, and Phillip was dead. Jill refused to speak to anyone, and she remained in her room, staring into space most of the time. Her physical wounds healed, but the wounds in her mind kept her a prisoner in her bedroom. Sir Gregory Flockton did his best to have Rob arrested and tried for murder, but the inquest proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Rob was defending himself. A couple of young maids who used to work at the estate of the Flocktons came forward and told of the abuse they suffered at the hands of father and son. Sir Gregory Flockton vowed revenge on Rob, but went away for a while, determined to let the talk die down. It was reported that the ship he was traveling on was lost at sea, and Sir Gregory was drowned along with the crew and other passengers. Rob had no idea how the man survived, but it shouldn't have surprised him. The man was purely evil, and Rob wasn't about to let him get close to little Amanda. She was going to stay inside where she would be safe from the man. If that meant he had to paddle her daily to keep her too sore to sit her saddle, he would take on the job with a dedication that would insure she was safe.

"Amanda, you have been looking for nearly five minutes now. There is a limit to my patience, and I am perilously close to losing my temper. I expect you to pick up something right now and come over here."

The only thing lying there that looked thin and like it wouldn't hurt as much as a wooden spoon was a long, smooth, very thin, flat spatula that Goldie used to smooth icing on a cake. The flat part was attached to a round wooden handle, and it was about eighteen inches long. It surely couldn't hurt as much as Rob's hand! She picked up the spatula and carried it over to him.

"Are you sure about this?" Rob asked her. She obviously thought she was making it easy on herself, but from the way the blade was carved, it was going to sting like fire.

"Yes, I am. You said I could pick," she reminded him. She was feeling a bit smug. From the look on Rob's face she could tell he had his doubts about the spatula. He probably expected her to pick up one of Goldie's heavy wooden spoons, but Amanda knew better. She didn't want another spanking, and she didn't want one that was going to make her so sore she couldn't sit down at all!

"Very well, Mandy. Since you are positive this is the item you wish to choose, let's get this spanking started. Come and lie over my lap."

Chapter Twelve

Amanda gave Rob one last pleading look, hoping that he would change his mind about spanking her, but the look in his dark eyes gave her to know that he was totally serious and about to run out of patience. Her backside was already too sore from the previous spankings he'd given her to risk making him angry and increasing the punishment he had planned. Bravely, she stepped forward, stopping just out of his reach as he sat on the kitchen chair. "Rob, I am truly sore and I really do not wish another spanking. Could you please forgive me?" she asked, her green eyes full of pleading.

A sheen of tears filled Amanda's lovely green eyes and Rob found himself wanting to simply open his arms and offer forgiveness. But then his mind flashed a picture of Jill's battered and bruised body, and he recalled her cries of pain, and he knew he simply could not risk having Amanda disobey him in this matter. A good punishment could very well keep her from losing her life in the worst manner possible. Sir Gregory Flockton was evil and he would hurt little Mandy for the sheer joy of making him suffer. "You are forgiven, Amanda, but you will also accept the punishment you have earned. I am not going to permit you to behave as you have without giving you a good lesson. Now, lie over my knee so we can get this paddling started. I do not wish to use my belt and cause you emotional distress, but if I need to teach you to obey me during a punishment, I will do whatever it takes. Do you understand me, young lady?"

Amanda nodded, feeling very small. At least she picked something rather flimsy from the drawer where Goldie kept her cooking utensils. She used the very thin wooden spatula to spread frosting over the delicious cakes she baked. It was the thinnest item in the drawer, and compared to the heavy wooden spoons with the large bowls, the spatula would not hurt nearly as much!

Rob felt like he had won a long, hard battle of wills when the little redhead finally complied with his wishes and crawled over his lap. Her body felt warm and her rounded bottom was quite pretty under the thin cotton fabric. The drawers weren't a bit fancy, but they suited Amanda, and Rob's imagination could picture what was underneath the simple fabric. Once she stopped squirming and was settled, he wrapped his left arm around her waist, raised the spatula, and gave her the first stinging swat across her right cheek.

Amanda screamed in pain and did her best to throw herself off Rob's lap. He simply tightened his hold and she could not move. A second line of fire crossed her left cheek and she yelped again! "Owwwww! It hurts too much! Let me pick something else!"

"You picked this, Amanda, telling me it was the thinnest item in the drawer and that it could not hurt much, and even when I asked if you were sure, you insisted you were. Now you will accept what you have chosen." He gave her another hard smack on her sit spots and Amanda bucked and then burst into tears. He was a bit shocked at the strength of her reaction, but she had earned a punishment and she was going to have a punishment to remember the next time she was tempted to leave the house without permission. If Sir Gregory Flockton were to capture her, this little spanking would seem like love taps in comparison. He spanked again and again while Amanda cried out, begging him to stop.

"Stop! Please, Rob! It hurts too much and I cannot stand it!"

"Good. Perhaps you will think the next time you are tempted to defy your father and me." Rob ignored her cries of pain and set fire to her rounded cheeks and her upper thighs and the tender area in between.

Amanda was sobbing and begging for mercy a long while before Rob thought her sufficiently punished. He continued to spank her over and over, leaving welts on top of welts. Amanda was positive she would never sit down again, and she prayed for her father to come home and catch Robert Thorne spanking her! She was sure her Papa would give Rob a piece of his mind and make him apologize to her! Not that she was ever going to forgive Rob for spanking her after she begged him to stop! He was being cruel!

"Now, young lady, do you promise me you will stay inside this house until you are told otherwise?" Rob asked, positive that Amanda would agree and tearfully apologize for her stubbornness.

"I am a grown woman and I will make my own decisions regarding my safety. I won't have you or my father making my decisions!" was the sassy answer coming from her mouth.

"I can see we are a long ways from the answer I want and expect to hear," Rob announced, exasperated with her for being such a brat. He started spanking with the thin wooden spatula again.

Amanda cried out in dismay. The punishment hurt like the very devil, and Rob was spanking even harder! She knew she simply could not tolerate the punishing blows and she finally begged him to stop. Rob ignored her and continued spanking her behind as if it was his mission in life to see to it that she was totally miserable. The wooden spatula was stinging and leaving welts all over her backside, even though she was wearing her drawers. "Please, Rob, no more! You win! I will stay inside; I promise!" He continued to welt her bottom. "Rob? Did you hear me? I said I will stay inside! I promised!"

"How do I know I can trust you?" he demanded, pausing to hear her answer.

"Because I am going to be too sore to sit a saddle for days!" she replied, crying so hard he had trouble understanding her.

"I am going to make you a promise, Amanda Chambers. If I need to spank you daily to keep you permanently too sore to sit down, I will do so without one qualm of regret."

"I will not break my promise," she immediately answered... anything to stop the horrible spanking. "Please, I have had more than enough. I am in serious pain."

"It is not up to you to decide when you have had enough. I still owe you a serious spanking for running away from me instead of coming to me and talking. How am I to keep you safe if you do not trust me to do what is best for you?"

"I do trust you! It is
you
who do not trust
me
!" She argued with him, earning herself another volley of sharp cracks on her sit spots. "Stop! Please! I do trust you, Rob!" she screamed.

He ceased spanking her and waited until she stopped crying once again. "I have yet to hear an apology from you for arguing with me, and for riding off the way you did."

"I apologize," Amanda whispered, giving in. She was so sore now that moving was painful.

"Good, now we will deal with the fact you ran away instead of speaking to me and telling me of your fears. It pains me to know that you do not trust me, Mandy."

"Rob, I
do
trust you!" she insisted. "I really do! It took me a while to realize
why
I was so frightened. My instincts told me to run and so I did!"