“Holy hell, girl!” her friend fussed as she opened the door and pulled her into a bear hug. “Where on earth have you been? I’ve been sick with worry.”
“I’m so sorry, Bets. You aren’t going to believe what happened.”
Betsy tugged her inside and set her up with coffee and a slice of to-die-for banana bread while Shannon filled her in on her weekend with Gideon.
“Your ex is Gideon Eli? Lord love a duck, woman, you never said a word! Now that I think about it, Eli is the spitting image of that rock and roll stud. Yowza!”
“I didn’t know you were a fan, Bets.” Shannon laughed at her friend who was fanning herself with her hand. “Are you having a hot flash?”
“No dear, thankfully those power surges are far behind me, but I’m still a woman and know some sexy beefcake when I see it.”
“You know that I’m with Gid now, don’t you?” Shannon teased.
“Pshaw, you better get used to women looking at that piece of eye candy, sweetie. So, is he going to marry you and make an honest woman of ya?”
Shannon held up her left hand and Betsy screamed at the sight of her diamond. They chatted for a while before climbing to the third story apartment to start packing.
As they boxed up Eli’s things, Shannon realized something. “I guess this means you have to find another job, Bets. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t fret about it. Something will turn up. I get Henry’s pension check, so I’ll be okay for a bit. I am going to miss you and the munchkin though.”
“It’s only twenty minutes. We can visit whenever we like.”
They reminisced and cried as they packed up and carried the boxes to her car. When it was time for her to leave and pick up Eli, they hugged and cried some more.
As Shannon drove back to Gideon’s place, Eli talked a mile a minute about how his friends didn’t believe his dad was a rock star and that even his teacher had doubted him. “Do you think Dad can walk me into school tomorrow? I can’t wait to see the look on their faces when I walk in with Gideon Eli. They didn’t believe me about the house or his tattoo or my room looking at the ocean.”
Shannon laughed, “Slow down, Eli. You have to admit it sounds like a dream, instead of reality. Would you believe Jonas or Jack if they told you the same thing happened to them over the weekend?”
“Probably not.”
She pulled the Lexus up to the security gate and pressed the remote—nothing happened. She pushed it several more times, but it still didn’t open the gate. Looking at the security keypad, she tried to remember the code but came up blank.
Crap!
“Eli, do you remember the passcode to the gate?”
“Pepsi911?”
“No, that’s for the security system in the house.”
“Um… Nope, I don’t remember either.”
Shannon dug through her purse. Even though Gideon had told her not too, she had jotted down her codes on the card she kept her pin and other passwords on. As she looked at the 3x5 index card, she grimaced. The thing was practically full on both sides. It was no wonder she couldn’t remember.
Finally, she entered her security code on the touch pad and pulled inside. Watching in her rearview mirror, she waited for it to close—nothing. Turning in her seat, she tried the remote again—still nothing.
Damn technology,
she thought. It’s more trouble than it’s worth.
“Just close it when we get to the house, Mom.”
“Good idea, honeybun.”
A few minutes later, she was slowly creeping into the garage. She’d been a nervous wreck every time she got behind the wheel today. Never having driven such a nice vehicle before, she was worried she would scratch or dent it, so she’d driven well below the speed limit and had been extra cautious parking.
“Can we go swimming, Mom? Please.”
Checking her watch as they entered the house, she shook her head. “After dinner, hon. Gid—I mean your dad, will be home in less than an hour and I thought I’d see what we can find for dinner.” She reset the security alarm as she spoke and breathed a sigh of relief when it beeped and the green light came on.
“Let’s see what there is to eat.”
They explored the kitchen and found the ingredients for spaghetti and salad, Eli’s second favorite meal. The kid must have Italian ancestry somewhere. She’d have to ask Gid about that. She was chopping up veggies for a salad when she heard music playing, just a few notes of a familiar tune. Shannon dried her hands and walked toward the playroom where Eli was playing some kind of street racing game.
“Did you hear that?”
“Huh?” He didn’t even turn his head, eyes remaining glued to the fiery scene displayed on the screen.
Obviously, he was going to be of no help. It sounded again. About a dozen notes or so, it sounded like “Come Back To Me”, one of Gid’s most popular songs. It was another of his heartbreak songs. She tried not to let the regret resurface as she remembered the words when the notes played again, twice in succession. Was that a doorbell? She walked to the front door, shaking her head.
Such decadence.
She’d have to tease Gid about having a doorbell customized with his own song. She didn’t know such a thing was possible.
Peeping out the window, she saw a man and a professional looking woman in a business suit. Disarming the system, she opened the door cautiously. “Can I help you?”
“I’m Lacey Newburgh, from the National Examiner. Can I have a word with you, Miss…?”
The Examiner was one of her favorite gossip rags. “Me? Why would you want to talk to me?”
“Are you Gideon Eli’s new girlfriend? You were spotted around town with him and a young boy.”
The man had pulled out a video camera and was recording as the woman fired off questions.
“No comment. I think you should go now.”
The reporter stuck a microphone in her face. “How about a sound bite, miss? Just your name or the name of the boy. He looks just like Gideon. Is he a secret love child? Are you his mistress?”
“You need to go before I call the police.” Shannon slammed the door and twisted the lock, throwing the dead bolt. Leaning against the door, her heart raced as she whispered, “Holy crap, they were paparazzi!”
Rushing to the kitchen, she dialed Gideon from the house phone.
“Hey babe, I’ll be home in about ten minutes.”
“Good. Because there is a reporter and a cameraman at the door asking a bunch of questions about Eli and me. I don’t like it. Please hurry.”
“How did they get inside the gate?”
Uh-oh!
“Shannon?”
“My remote wasn’t working, and I forgot to close the gate when I got inside.”
“I’ll be there soon. Stay inside.”
She paced nervously as she waited for him to get there. About ten minutes later, loud voices arguing sounded from the courtyard. She peeked through the window and saw Gideon with two other men. One was crowding the reporters toward their vehicle. He was huge, even bigger than Gid. The other was standing protectively next to Gideon. They looked like security.
A few minutes and several heated words later, the pair got into a Saturn that had seen better days and left. Gid shook hands with the two men in black and headed for the front door. She went to disarm the system and gulped. Oops, she’d forgotten to reset it after talking to the reporters. With any luck, Gideon wouldn’t ask about it or find out, but she was doubtful that would happen. Releasing the locks, she opened the door and stepped outside to greet him.
“In the house, Shannon.” His tone was stern and she knew she was in for it. She’d messed up big time.
“Were those security guards?”
He was alongside her now and took her arm, guiding her inside. He locked the door behind them and went to the keypad. Punching a few buttons, he brought up a screen she had never seen before. “Dammit, Shannon, this has been unarmed for almost thirty minutes.” He shot a fierce frown her way as he reactivated the system.
“I guess I forgot after I talked to them.”
His low, frustrated growl was his only response until he walked into the living room. He then stopped and sniffed the air. “What’s burning?”
“My pasta!” Shannon rushed to the kitchen, where she found the pasta had boiled dry and was fusing in a black, stinking mess to the bottom of the aluminum pot. Grabbing pot holders, she carried it to the sink and filled it with warm water. The fan coming on behind her told her Gideon had followed and had flipped on the exhaust fan over the stove.
“I’d like to see you upstairs, Shannon.”
“Okay, but what about dinner?”
“Is there anything else that might burn while we’re occupied?”
“I can turn off the sauce.”
“Do it and meet me upstairs.”
He walked out then and a feeling of dread coiled in the pit of her stomach. She’d broken two security rules. Was he planning to spank her for it? She put the lid on the sauce, then went to check on Eli. He was still engrossed in his video game and would probably have to be dragged away from it for dinner.
Plodding slowly up the stairs, she headed for the bedroom to find the angry man of the house. As she entered, she saw him seated on the sofa near the French doors.
“Close and lock the door, please.”
She did and then approached him tentatively. “It’s not my fault the remote didn’t work, Gid. Then, I guess I was so focused on getting the code entered right when I got inside that I forgot about the gate.”
“That doesn’t explain why the alarm was off for a half hour, and with paparazzi at the door to boot. We talked about this, Shannon.”
“I got distracted. In my defense, the alarms, gates, and codes are a bit confusing.”
He patted his lap and indicated he wanted her there. When she went to sit, he stopped her.
“No, baby, on your belly, you’ve earned a spanking.”
A riot of emotions washed through her at those words—dread, excitement, trepidation, arousal.
Most of all arousal,
she admitted to herself, as she felt a surge of heat and moisture coalesce between her thighs.
“No stalling. It will only make it worse.” He held out his hand for her.
Taking a hesitant step forward, she grasped his hand and he gently guided her into position. He waited until she was settled before wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her in closer, adjusting her to his liking. A hand swept over her behind and down the back of her thighs, catching the hem of her dress. He lifted the thin cotton until he exposed her panty clad bottom. She shivered as his fingers snagged the waistband and pulled her panties down her legs to mid-thigh. His warm hand caressed her gently, and she felt goose bumps erupt along her skin.
“Two spankings in two days, Shannon. How many real spankings did you get when we were together before?”
“Two, maybe three.”
“And that was in ten months. Do you remember why I spanked you?”
“I left the apartment door unlocked once. Another time I lost my keys and walked home from the library and didn’t call anyone.”
“Hmm… I remember I paddled you for that one. It was 10 o’clock at night and not the best neighborhood by any means.” He slipped a hand between her legs and spread her thighs a bit more, his fingertips trailing along her pussy lips as he moved them apart. “Have you noticed you seem to have a problem with locks and keys and security in general?”
He was right, but she hated to admit it. Betsy always kept an extra key to both her apartment and her car for that very reason. She’d received a lecture or two from her friend for the same reason. It was embarrassing—a grown woman with a child who couldn’t keep up with her own keys or remember to lock doors.
A pinch on her bottom got her attention. “I asked you a question, Shannon.”
“Yes, sir. I have a problem with locks and keys and security in general.”
“I’m glad you’ve owned up to it. Still, we have to fix it once and for all. Today was two harmless paparazzi. The next time it could be a stalker, a thief, or worse. I won’t have you risking your safety or Eli’s with carelessness, do you understand?”
“Yes, Gideon. I’ll try harder to remember.”
“That’s my girl.” She felt his hand move away from her bottom and return with a smarting sting. He placed a matching swat on her other cheek, and she yelped. Soon he’d established a steady rhythm of slaps until he’d painted her entire backside with a fiery heat. She didn’t bother to count them. Gid never gave a number. He’d always said setting an arbitrary number was pointless. Instead, he preferred to go by her response, her mood, the level of contrition, and the fire and color he’d ignited on her ass. That’s how he knew she’d had enough.
Tonight, he was relentless. After he’d spent a good ten minutes on her cheeks, he moved lower to the tops of her thighs, which she hated. It always made her squirm and beg for a reprieve, and tonight wasn’t any different.
She whimpered and tears began to fall after two fiercely stinging slaps, and she bucked and squirmed uncontrollably.
“Please, sir. I’ll do better. I promise.”
“I heard those same promises a decade ago, Shannon. The spankings didn’t change your ways back then. What is it going to take?” He rubbed her heated skin as he spoke.
“I don’t know. I’m just absentminded, I guess.”
“You’re going to have a very sore butt if you don’t find a way to remember, honey. This is important, and I will paddle you each and every time you forget. The stakes are higher now. I’m a wealthy man. There are a lot of creeps and weirdoes out there who could get ideas about ransoms and blackmail and the like.
She sniffled. “I really am sorry, Gid.”
“I know you are, but sorry doesn’t help protect you against an insane fan or a thief with a gun.” He resumed the spanking, applying a second layer of spanks on top of her already fiery skin.
Finally, he stopped and stroked her soothingly, his left hand gliding up and down her spine while his right, gently rubbed her tender bottom. When her tears had slowed and her breathing had tapered to only an occasional shuddering sigh, he let her up, taking her onto his lap in a seated position this time.
“Do you think you’ll remember to close the gate and activate the alarm next time, Shannon?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I hope so. I want you and Eli safe.”