Learning to Drive... Him Crazy (5 page)

She frowned a bit as she looked at him.
"You're serious about that, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am."

"You really think it's that dangerous?"

"Honey, I'm a police officer. I see the bad
that happens and where it happens."

"Okay," she said slowly. "I'll be more
careful when I go shopping there."

"Good. Thank you." He leaned down and kissed
the top of her head. "Still ready for another driving lesson
tomorrow?"

"Yes, absolutely."

"Do you have a car in mind you'd like to buy
when you get your license?"

"Something cheap," she quickly answered.

He chuckled. "You said you've been saving
money for one. If it's taken longer than you'd hoped to get your
license, I thought maybe you'd have enough saved to buy some fancy
little sports car."

"Hardly," she said.

"Just as good anyway. I wouldn't be too
comfortable with you driving one anyway."

"Why not?"

"They cost too much, go too fast and draw
too much attention."

Now she chuckled. "Well, you don't have to
worry. I'm not even sure I have enough left for a down payment on a
little used car, nothing fancy."

"What do you mean enough left? Did you have
to use part of your savings for something?"

"Sort of, yes."

He looked down at the grin on her face and
asked, "What did you have to use it for?"

"Therapy."

"Therapy, like physical therapy? Did you get
hurt?" John was instantly concerned.

She fidgeted a little bit again before
answering, "No, it was retail therapy."

"Retail therapy?"

"Yes, to fight depression."

After a moment John said, "Okay, you better
explain that, young lady, and I hope it's not what it sounds
like."

"What does it sound like?"

"It sounds like something didn't go the way
you wanted it to, so while you were pouting you went shopping and
spent money you had saved for a car."

She didn't look at him as she said, "It
sounds pretty bad the way you put it."

"How would you put it?"

"I failed my driving test and the very next
day a shoe store I really like had a fantastic sale."

"And that was the sale you went to
yesterday?"

After a rather long pause she said, "Um,
well, actually, see—"

"You went shoe shopping after you failed
your driving test both times?"

"Maybe."

"Alana?"

She heard the definite warning in his voice
and instinctively said, "Okay. Yes, I went shopping both times. I
felt really bad."

Without another word John pulled her over
his lap and brought his hand down on her jeans-covered bottom. He'd
swatted her six times quickly before she was able to get her breath
and say, "John, stop! What are you doing?"

"Making sure you feel really bad again. But
this time you need to feel bad for the right thing, for spending
money you had saved for a car."

"What?"

"You heard me. You felt sorry for yourself
and went out and spent the money you were going to use to buy a
car, which would make it possible for you to have the job you
really want. The job you've been working toward."

He kept spanking her while he was talking,
and he wasn't kidding around. She tried desperately to wriggle off
John's lap, but without success.

"You're not going anywhere, honey, until
we're done, so you may as well settle down. Now, I told you I'm an
old-fashioned kind of guy, and I meant that. I told you I want to
protect you, and I do. I fully intend to protect you from whatever
threatens to harm you, including yourself."

"What?"

He continued the spanking as he said, "Going
on a spending spree is one form of a temper tantrum, and I will not
allow you to throw your money away, along with your dreams, like
that. You worked hard going to college and then working as
Marilyn's assistant, learning everything you need to know to be
able to hold the job you want. You also worked hard and made
sacrifices to save enough money to buy a car, thus allowing
yourself to have that job you worked so hard for. I will not just
sit idly by and watch you throw all that away."

"Owww! John, it hurts! You have to
stop."

"Of course it hurts, honey. This is a
spanking, and spankings hurt. But they also should show you that I
care too much about you to allow you to do things that will hurt
you. And I will stop when I think you've learned the lesson I'm
trying to get through to you."

"Oh, please, John. I get it now. I do.
Please stop."

John hadn't taken her jeans down. He knew
she definitely felt the spanking, but he also knew with her jeans
and panties both on it wasn't hurting as badly as she thought it
was. It was more shock and surprise on her part than pain. He
didn't want to scare her off before they got their relationship
going strong, though, so he stopped spanking, but kept his hand on
her bottom. "Do you understand having a temper tantrum like that is
hurting yourself, Alana?"

She was crying as she said, "Yes."

"The next time you're upset about something,
I want you to tell me about it. We can talk about it. But I don't
want you to go and spend money you had saved for something
important. Do you understand me?"

"Yes. I'm sorry."

He turned her over and helped her sit on his
lap, quickly wrapping his arms around her. "Okay, honey, it's all
over. You're forgiven."

Alana cried harder and buried her face in
his shoulder. She grabbed his shirt and held on tightly. John
wasn't sure why, but that touched his heart in a big way. He leaned
down and kissed the top of her head again. With his mouth close to
her ear, he murmured reassuring words to her as he held her tight
in his arms.

"Are you okay, honey?" he asked, when she'd
calmed a bit.

With her face still buried in his shoulder
she asked, "Okay how?"

He chuckled and said, "Let's talk a minute.
First off, will you please look at me?"

She shook her head. "I don't want to."

"Why not?"

"I'm embarrassed."

"Why? Because you just found out that I care
enough about you to do what I feel I need to do to protect
you?"

She peeked out at him. "That sounds much
better than saying I did something stupid and you spanked me like a
child."

"You can say it that way if you want, but
trust me, I certainly wasn't thinking of you as a child when I did
it. I was thinking only of you and what's best for you."

"And you thought that what's best for me
right now is a sore butt?"

"Yep. If that is what it takes to make you
realize you're doing something that will hurt you. I won't sit back
and watch you do it." He tightened his hold on her and said, "I
just can't do that, honey."

She laid her head against his shoulder and
snuggled into his chest while she thought about what he was saying.
He didn't say anything for a few minutes, and she was glad. She
needed some time to organize her thoughts. Eventually she asked,
"You said once that you want to protect me, right?"

"Yes. Unless you tell me you don't want to
see me again, I have every intention of protecting you."

"From what?"

"From whatever threatens you and your
happiness and well being." She looked at him and he could tell she
was thinking. He also knew if you didn't grow up with this concept,
like he and Cal had, it might be difficult to grasp at first. He
tried again to explain it. "Honey, I grew up with the idea that a
man looks out for and protects the women in his life that he cares
about. My father definitely looked out for my mother. As I've
gotten older, I've realized that's just become part of me, part of
who I am. Like I said, I may be an old-fashioned man, but it's me,
it's who I am, and I doubt I could change now even if I wanted to.
Which I don't," he added. "I like knowing I'm doing what I can to
keep the woman that's important to me not only safe, but happy, as
well."

"How do you protect her from being
unhappy?"

"By not allowing her to do things that work
against what will make her happy." He gently lifted her chin so she
was looking at him and added, "Like spending money that she saved
to buy a car, which would enable her to have the job she's wanted
for a long time and has worked hard to have."

She blushed again and tried to look down,
but he held her gently so she was still looking at him.

"Honey, I want to see you get your driver's
license and buy a car. Then I can watch and encourage you as you
become an event planner. I think you're going to be a good one, and
I'm eager to watch your business grow and become very
successful."

She looked into his eyes and saw the
sincerity of his words. She would have to take some time to think
through what he'd said, but one thing she had to admit to herself
was that right now, other than a sore butt, she felt good. She felt
not only protected, but cherished. That was a feeling she wasn't
used to, but she readily admitted she liked it.

He continued to talk to her, answering any
questions she had, while he kept her ensconced tightly in his
arms.

* * * * *

Cal held Kelli's hand and let her lead him
to her apartment. As soon as they got inside, however, he closed
and locked the door, and took the lead. He brought her to the
couch, where he sat down and pulled her down beside him. He wasn't
sure exactly how to handle this situation. He'd had a very good
time with Kelli tonight, up until they went golfing. He would very
much like to see her again, unless her attitude during their talk
was as it had been during the golf game. That could change his mind
about pursuing a relationship.

Kelli sensed something was amiss with Cal,
but wasn't sure what. She hesitantly asked, "Would you like some
coffee or something cold to drink?"

"No, thank you. I would like to have a
little talk, though."

"Okay. About what?"

"About Alana's headache."

"Yeah, it's too bad. We were having a good
time until she kind of ended it."

His eyebrows rose as he asked, "So you
really think she's the one that ended our fun tonight?"

"Well, yeah, of course. We left because she
got a headache."

"Or at least she said she had a headache and
we left."

"What are you saying? She was faking the
headache just so we could leave?" Before Cal had a chance to
respond she said, "You know, she was losing, so you may be right.
She didn't want to lose so she faked a headache so we'd leave. I
can't believe she'd do that."

Cal held up his hand to stop her. This
wasn't going the way he intended it to. He collected his thoughts a
moment, then said, "Kelli, I don't think she actually had a
headache, but I don't think she wanted to leave because she was
losing."

"Then why?"

"Kelli, I saw her cringe and look at us
apologetically a couple times when you got upset, especially when
you cursed."

Kelli was quiet a minute and looking down
toward the floor. Cal hoped she was thinking about what he'd said.
She looked up at him, shaking her head, and said, "No, I don't know
why my letting a choice word or two slip would make her want to
leave. I'll have to ask her tomorrow."

Frustrated, Cal said, "Yeah, that's a good
idea. You ask her tomorrow. See if I'm right, because I think she
was embarrassed by your behavior. And frankly, I'm surprised you're
not embarrassed by it."

"Embarrassed? For simply saying a couple
words you don't like? Why would I be embarrassed?"

"Kelli, are you always that
competitive?"


"Oh, that," she said rather quietly.

"Yes, that. Is that a common thing for
you?"

"Um, I do kind of get carried away
occasionally."

"Did you kind of get carried away
tonight?"

She paused and it appeared she was thinking
back on this evening, so he gave her time. She sighed and said,
"Um, sorry. I guess I kind of did, didn't I?"

"Kelli, are you that competitive normally
when you play any kind of game?"

"Unfortunately, I have to admit I probably
am. I know people have complained, and I've tried to change, but I
just can't stop." After a pause she said, "Although I really don't
see that it's as big a problem as some people say. Maybe they're
just bad losers, or maybe they just need to get over it."

Cal acted more on instinct than anything
when he pulled her over his lap. He used his left arm to hold her
in place, and gave her two good swats on her bottom. She
immediately yelled, "What the hell are you doing?"

He gave her two more swats, this time to her
upper thighs, as he said, "Giving you the spanking you're in
desperate need of. And cursing during a spanking will simply cause
me to move the spanking to your thighs instead of your bottom. If
you prefer your spanking there, keep cursing." He gave her two more
swats on her thighs and said, "If you don't like being spanked on
your thighs so much, then I suggest you watch your language."

He paused a moment, and when she didn't
curse again he moved the spanking back up to her bottom, where he
gave her several more swats. He continued the spanking as he
lectured her. "Kelli, I'm not sure what to make of you. You were a
very nice young lady the other night when we met and during dinner
this evening. I was looking forward to getting to know you better,
doing things together. But then it's like you became a different
person at the golf course. I wasn't real fond of that person."

"Oww! Cal, please stop."

"I'll stop when I feel you've learned the
lesson I'm trying to teach you, Kelli." He continued spanking.
"People don't like being with someone who acts like you were,
Kelli. And your attitude here this evening has been very similar to
at the golf course."

"Ow! Okay, okay. I'll change. Just stop
that, dammit! It hurts!"