Courted by Discipline: A Courting Romance (In Hyacinth Book 1) Read online

  “Usually the classes in green are before lunch, classes in blue after lunch. What are your other two classes?”

  “Well, art and advanced sewing are listed fifth and sixth but they have a line through them.”

  “What?” Cami stuck her head around Kathy’s arm to look at her schedule. “Weird. I’ve never seen that before. I wonder if those classes were full and you have to pick two more?”

  “I better go check.” Getting back on her feet, Kathy went back inside and headed toward the administration area.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” The snapped voice made her swing around where Mrs. Struthers was glaring at her over her spectacles.

  “There’s a problem with my schedule. I’m going to straighten it out.”

  “There are no problems with schedules,” she said in a rather snide tone and Kathy realized she didn’t like her science teacher very much. “I put them together.”

  “But my classes have lines through them.”

  “Let me see.”

  Kathy handed over the list and if she could look any more displeased, Mrs. Struthers managed it. “Oh, you have early release. As such those classes have been removed from your schedule.”

  “Early release? How did I get that?” Not that she was complaining. Getting off two hours early? That was great.

  “Your—” sniff “—courter requested it. As such, you have all four pre-lunch classes and then are off for the day.”

  “Oh, thanks!” Once the list was handed back to her, Kathy sped back out of the building to find Dora and Cami with their heads together comparing their schedules.

  “Well?” Cami asked, turning toward her.

  “Xander got me early release. I get out at one rather than four.”

  Both of the other girls groaned. “So lucky,” Dora sighed. “I have Struthers last class of the day.”

  “Eww,” they all said.

  When she saw Xander later that evening when he came over to take her to dinner, she ran and jumped into his arms. “Well, hello to you, too,” he said in a wonderful deep voice that made her body do things it had never done before she met him.

  “Thanks for early release.”

  Chuckling, he nodded. “I would like to say I did it for you, but the fact is I did it for me. I figure this way you can do your homework before I get off work. Are you ready for dinner?”

  “Yep. Mom, we’re going out!” she called out.

  “Have fun, honey!”

  Their courtship so far had gone along swimmingly. In the third stage now, Xander had begun to give her small tasks to do to get her used to following him. The thing was, it was not only easy to follow him, but the tasks he gave her were relatively simple. She had only gotten in trouble once. He made her stand in the corner of her living room for thirty minutes while he and her parents chatted. There had been, at first, embarrassment as he sent her to the corner knowing her parents were there and observing it. But once she settled, there was peace, too. If her father had felt her boyfriend was in the wrong, she was pretty sure he would objected. Of course, Gerald Bretherton and Xander Covington were getting along very well. She thought that was a good thing. Cami was iffy on it.

  “It’s great they get along. But what if you do something and they both punish you for it? I’ve had that happen, a lot. First Dad spanks me and then Xan does and my brother doesn’t pull his strikes. I love him, but ouch!”

  Since starting the third stage, she saw Xander almost every day. As long as she let her parents know when she was going out and approximately when she would be home, they trusted him enough not to worry about where. And he took her to some fun places. They hiked up in the mountains, took a lazy day in a boat on a nearby lake, drove to Seattle for a Saturday. Meanwhile, she learned more about the man and so far, she liked everything she heard. Well, everything she heard that mattered. Kathy did her best not to think about all the girls he had dated, of which some he had gone all the way with. She really did try to not think about that.

  “So you see,” she continued to talk to the puppy who was still pouting at her, “I won’t be back until next summer and you’ll have been adopted way before then.” The lights above her flashed a few times. “Uh-oh. I better go check and see what’s going on. Let me put you back in your pen.” After locking him in with his three brothers, she went to the front office. Cheryl, her boss, looked upset. “What’s happening with the lights?”

  “Oh, this happens a few times a year,” Cheryl admitted. “Storm’s coming and the electricity goes out. It never fails, actually. Why don’t you go home? That way you won’t be here when the panic really hits.”

  Glancing at the clock, Kathy knew her mother wouldn’t be around to pick her up for another hour as she had gone shopping out of town. Which left her two options: call someone else or walk home.

  A huge boom filled the air and the lights flickered and went out, the emergency lights coming on seconds later, along with massive amounts of barking from behind the dog door. “Oh, here we go,” Cheryl moaned. “The noise is just going to get worse from here on out.”

  The noise was practically deafening now. Kathy was pretty sure a few minutes of it and she might go deaf. “Guess I’ll have to walk,” she commented, her promise to Xander from months ago tapping at the back of her brain. He had asked her not to walk to or from the shelter. But that was before. Surely during a time like this it couldn’t count. Calling people to ask for rides wasn’t something she enjoyed doing. Besides, she could get home quickly and get ready for their date this way without having to bother him. At least, that was what she convinced herself of.

  “Watch out. You don’t want to be struck by lightning.”

  Well, wasn’t that a pleasant thought. Kathy hadn’t worn a coat as it had been hot out when her mother drove her here. Her short shorts and white t-shirt would get very wet if it rained. Peeking out the door, she didn’t see any rain and figuring she had to do something, she took off at a jog. It would still take a half hour to get home, but it was better than the caterwauling going on at the shelter.

  As she jogged along, there was a slight apprehension as she passed by the area of town Xander had requested she not go near, but that had been months ago and with a storm like this, surely nobody would be out in it. Not even a bad guy. Besides, she would get home, take a shower, and he would never have to know. Right? Unfortunately, Kathy had never been one to hide her indiscretions. They made her too guilty. Maybe if she told him, they could just get her punishment over with. And telling Xander was safer than informing her father. Dad could spank her, Xander could not. At least not yet.

  As a strike of lightening hit some way off and the loud boom sounded a second later, she covered her ears as she continued to jog. Almost as if orchestrated, the water came down in a torrent, as though someone upended a bucket over her head. “Drat!” she cried as she sped up. She didn’t even hear the car until it pulled up beside her.

  “Kathy, get in!” Xander called and she leapt in beside him, closing the door next to her. It wasn’t until he turned on the heat that she realized she was shivering. “Honey, put this on.” He removed his shirt and handed it to her. “Yours is see-through.”

  His calling her honey made her smile and then she looked down, turning pink at how see-through her shirt actually was. Her shirt clung to her breasts which her demi-cup bra didn’t cover much of. Wrapping his shirt around her shoulders, she said, “Thanks. I thought I’d get home before it poured.”

  “Went for a jog?”

  “Uh…” Oh, dear. She was going to have to tell him now. “Actually, today was my last day volunteering at the shelter. The power went out and they sent me home.”

  “And you didn’t call?” Xander had made sure she had his number as well as those for the rest of his family if she needed it.

  “I didn’t want to bother you.”

  For a couple minutes he didn’t speak and she hoped she was off the hook. “Do you remember me asking you never to walk out ther
e?”

  “Well, yes, but what was I to do? Mom wasn’t expected back into town for an hour and the noise was deafening.”

  He parked in her driveway and turned and looked at her. The disappointment on his face made her pout. “I’m sorry, Xander.”

  “Let’s go inside.”

  Knowing he was going to discipline her, she followed him up the steps and unlocked the door, glad to be in out of the storm. “Go up and dry off,” he said calmly. “Then come down and join me.”

  “Okay.” Running up to her bedroom, she wondered what he would do. Corner time? Lines? An essay? She had broken a promise to him. That was huge. Kathy was just glad they were in stage three. If they were in stage four, she would have more than likely be taken to her dad’s study and asked to bend over the desk so he could spank her. She wasn’t sure if she was ready for that.

  Peeling her wet clothes off, she tossed them in the bathtub to wring out later and changed into flannel pants and a sweatshirt. After rubbing her hair dry with a towel, she trotted back down the stairs.

  “Exactly,” Xander said and she looked up to find him on the phone. “I’m glad we agree, Gerald.” Gerald? He couldn’t be talking to her father, could he? Oh, drat. He looked up and beckoned her over and she walked up to him and sat down. “Let me put you on speaker so she can hear it from you.” He held out his phone and her father cleared his throat.

  “Kathy, Alexander and I have decided that you’re now in stage four. As such, he may discipline you in any which way he chooses as long as it’s over your clothing. Do you understand?”

  Kathy gaped at the phone. Her father had done it. He’d given Xander the right to spank her.

  “Kathy? I asked if you understood.”

  “Yes, Daddy,” she whispered, not looking at the man next to her.

  “Good. Son, you’re welcome to use my study.”

  “Thank you, Gerald. I will.”

  Xander put the phone back in his pocket and stood up. “Kathy, go to the study.”

  Standing up, she made her feet move as she walked back to the room she would rather not be in right now. She wanted to submit to Xander because she knew she was in love with him, even if she hadn’t told him, but she had never been spanked by anyone but her father before and Cami said he hit hard.

  As they walked into the room, he closed the door behind them as she went to stand in front of the desk.

  “Come here,” he said, taking her hand and drawing her over to the couch. After he sat down, he turned her so that she faced him. “Kathy, I know this is new and you’re scared, but I’ll never harm you. Ever. I take being the head of house seriously. And as the head in this relationship, I expect you to follow my guidance and to keep your promises. Do you know why I’m going to spank you?”

  This was so much harder than being spanked by her father. It was so… personal. Xander insisted they keep eye contact and she knew she had to answer. “Because you asked me not to walk there and I did.”

  “Yes and no. I’m spanking you because you agreed not to walk there and then did. Do you understand the difference? Kathy, if we get married, then I’ll be your head of house and when I ask you to do something, I’ll expect compliance and being the girl you are, I know I would receive it. As we’re in a courtship, I can only discipline you for what you have readily promised me you would do. You broke your promise to me.”

  Tears sprang to her eyes and she felt her mouth tremble. Hurting him had never been her intention. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Xander. I didn’t mean to break my promise. I just… I didn’t think.”

  “I know, honey. Discipline is a good help with that.”

  Her father said the same thing and unfortunately they were both right.

  She expected him to point her over to the desk just like her father did, or perhaps to lean against the wall, but instead, he patted his lap. “Over my lap, Kathy.” He was going to spank her over his knee.

  Over.

  His.

  Knee.

  Sure, she had heard of it, but had never had it herself. Her father had never taken her across his lap. Maybe that was something you only did to your wife or girlfriend. “Um…”

  “Over my lap,” he repeated, firmly and yet still kindly.

  “You don’t have a paddle or anything.”

  He raised his hand. “Yes, I do.”

  He was even going to spank her with his hand. Well, today was a day for all sorts of new things. Shaking slightly and not from the cold, she moved to his right side and bent over his lap, squeaking softly when he pulled her hips forward so that her feet and hands did not touch the floor. Kathy felt incredibly exposed even though she was completely dressed.

  At least with his hand it wouldn’t hurt so much. He was being nice to make this more of a symbolic spanking rather than really planning to tan her hide. And as she did feel badly about letting him down, that was enough. She was sure.

  Until his hand fell.

  Her eyes widened and she lay across his lap in shock. That could not have been his hand. Not only had the sound been louder than the thunder outside, but it was shockingly painful. She looked over her shoulder as his hand fell again. A cry left her lips at the third swat and by the fifth, she began to fidget and writhe until by the tenth she lost the ability to count and just tried to not do something childish like put her hands back to protect her backside.

  How could anyone’s hand be that hard? She had held his hand. It was firm, masculine, and she loved how it felt when her small hand was wrapped in his. But surely, nobody’s hand should fall that hard.

  “Please!” she gasped as tears trickled from her eyes and her hiney burned with the strength of the sun. “Please, Xander. I’m sorry.”

  His hand continued to fall and her legs kicked and she squirmed, her right arm reaching back against her own reasoning to try and protect herself. Before she could do so, his fingers took hold of her wrist and held it firmly and yet gently to her waist as he continued.

  Cami was right. Her brother was serious about discipline. At some point, Kathy lost the ability to fight the battle going on inside and just burst into tears, her left arm grasping something to hold on to as his hand continued to rain down on her backside.

  When he finished she didn’t move, liquid running down her face as she hiccupped and coughed, unable to believe a hand had caused the same kind of reaction that it usually took her father’s paddle to do. As she began to catch her breath, she found herself lifted and in his arms. She grasped onto him and continued to sob softly as she found him rocking her back and forth.

  He hummed something soft in her ear as she slowly got a grip on herself. She felt strange, utterly exhausted and yet also free. Sure, when her father spanked her, it had assuaged her guilt and made her feel better. But this… Her arms wrapped around his neck.

  She wasn’t sure what it was, but something had been weighing her down for days and now it felt gone. As though his spanking her had knocked it loose allowing her a freedom she didn’t know existed. “I love you,” she whispered softly and his arms tightened around her.

  “I love you, too.”

  At his words, more tears fell from her eyes, but this time, they were tears of joy and lifting up her face, she met his kiss. Up until now his kisses had been gentle, kind, loving, and the kind of platonic kiss you would receive from a first boyfriend. This kiss, however, was different. His lips moved over hers and as his tongue traced a path along the crease, she found herself responding. Her heart sped up and her hands gripped his hair as emotion flooded her like nothing she had ever felt before. Just as she began to feel out of control, he slowed down, bringing the boil down to a simmer before pulling back.

  Looking into his loving eyes, she had never felt so happy. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too, Kathy. I’m not sure June can come fast enough.”

  Her heart sped up a bit as she realized what he was probably saying. June was when their contract was up. Was he saying he wanted to marry her?
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  He stroked her face. “Honey, we’d better go back to the living room. I’m a man who isn’t used to living like a monk and while I have the best intentions of controlling myself and treating you the way my future wife should be treated, I also want you. It’s best we go hang out somewhere we can be seen.”

  Blushing, but thrilled as well, she nodded. He lifted her up onto her feet. “How do you feel?”

  “My rear end is on fire,” she said wryly making him chuckle. Looking up into his eyes, she added, “And I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my life.”

  Epilogue

  June, 9 months later.

  Turning this way and that, Kathy gazed at her reflection in the three-way mirror. Her mother had done an amazing job on her wedding dress. When Xander proposed on Christmas Eve, it had been a wonderful moment. He had taken her for a walk in the lightly falling snow. His words were so wonderful they had made her weep and then he pulled out the ring. Tears sprang to her eyes as she looked down at her left hand. It had been so hard to give the ring up for the few days before her wedding as it was being secured to the wedding band.

  “When I put the ring on you on our wedding day, I don’t want it coming off,” he had explained.

  So much had happened in the last few months. She was accepted to Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee and would be starting in the fall. Xander had researched, taken several trips out there, and found them a wonderful little house relatively close to school. His support of her dreams, even when she still had no idea what those dreams were, made her feel lucky.

  Having only four courses her senior year had been a blessing as her mother had teased her that Xander was her most important course. Even if she had been teasing, she was still right. Kathy realized that she, herself, was also an important course. Being under Xander’s firm hand, she had learned a lot about herself. She thought she had understood who she was, but now, she had a steadier hold on it and thankfully a man who was willing to help her give a stronger comprehension if needed.