Naked and Defiant (18 page)

"Do you really want me to do this?"

"Yes, I do."

"Then make the arrangements. You are not the
only one who realizes what they have taken for granted. I always
thought I would have you and tried to keep it from changing. I lost
you in the process."

"But I am back. Instead of repeating the same
mistakes, let's try a different path. Maybe this one will make us
both a little happier."

Griffon kicked
the table leg in his father's kitchen, toppling a glass of water to
spill on the wood.

"Boy, you are going to have to face this
eventually. You have been here a week and need to accept that
sitting around, drinking beer, and kicking my tables will not get
that girl back for you," the elder Badger said firmly. He sat
across from his son. "Do you remember that storm that swept onto
the mainland when you were twelve?"

"Yeah. That was the night that little black
lamb got separated from the flock. The dogs and I spent the entire
night looking for the poor thing. What of it?"

"The only reason she didn't drown in the
river was because she got herself all tangled up in the brush. Do
you remember what you did?"

"Do we really have to talk about this?"
Griffon grumped. "There is no purpose in bringing up that incident
again."

"I want to hear about it," Tasha demanded.
"You are making me wait indefinitely in the middle of a sheep
station as you muddle through this Man-o-pause bullshit of yours.
The least you can do is to entertain me. FYI, I will never eat
mutton again. I don't know how you manage it."

"That is one lady who sounds like she needs
to visit the shearing shed," Mr. Badger winked at Griffon. "She has
grown to be quite sassy since the last time I was around her."

"That is going to happened soon, Da. Trust
me." Griffon eyed the women warningly. "She has been like this
since the minute we left the courtroom. Consider yourself lucky
that she loves you like family. A stranger would really feel the
sharp edge of her tongue."

"I really don't give a damn about shearing
sheep," Tasha commented, the underlying threat missing her
attention. "Tell me about the storm and that poor lamb."

"Griff was so angry with the bush for
tangling the animal that he chopped it down into several hundred
pieces. That was right before he burned every leaf. He was too
emotional to understand that the very thing he hated was the very
thing that kept the animal alive. Sometimes we don't see the good
in front of us because all we seek is evil."

"What is the big deal about chopping down
that stupid tree? Do you have a point, Da?"

"I always have a point when I try to
embarrass you in front of a pretty lady," Mr. Badger grinned. "If
your mother was still with us, what advice would she give you?"

"Oh! Oh! I know this one!" Tasha twittered,
waving her hand in the air and ignoring the angry furrow forming on
Griffon's brow. "She would tell you to get you head out of your
arse and go find your 'giiiiiiirlfriend'!" She mimicked the sound
of sheep bleating.

"You know what, Da? You are right. She does
need a visit to the shearing shed. Excuse me," Griffon said,
standing abruptly and grabbing Tasha's wrist.

"Hey! What did I do?" Tasha asked, as he
dragged her outside and towards the empty sheds.

"You have been whining about the smell since
we got here. You've been bossy and disrespectful to me in front of
my father on several occasions. You've been …"

"Okay, I get it! But can't this wait until we
get home? Your dad …"

"…has known you as long as I have. When
he
makes a comment about the shearing shed, I know that he's
got an itchy palm as well. In you go."

"This place reeks. It's dirty …"

Griffon looked around at the pristine
cleanliness of the specifically-designed sheep clipping area. Other
than the metal grates in the floor which allowed the bleaching and
scrubbing of the room, everything was covered with smooth, poreless
surfaces and sealed paint.

"This room only smells when there are sheep
in here. Between wool-gathering seasons, it is kept so clean that
you can eat off those floors. Go to the wall unit and pick out a
harness."

"Noooo …." Tasha gripped his hand, "Please,
Griffon? I'm sorry. I'll behave, I promise."

"You have until the count of three, Tasha. Go
get a harness and then return to this bench. I plan on making this
little event memorable … New Zealand style."

"And if I refuse?"

"Do you really want to go there?" Griffon
asked, gravely.

"This is not very professional, you know,"
Tasha pouted, tracing an invisible pattern on the smooth floor with
her toe.

"This is not a courtroom. Behind closed
doors, we do not maintain the same relationship as do other
coworkers. That has never been a problem for you until now. What
gives, Tasha?" he asked, seating himself upon the large white bench
against the wall.

Tasha shrugged, her eyes not leaving the
floor. "I don't know. I guess I am afraid of things changing
between us. You aren't the same with your feelings for Jade as you
were with
demon
spawn
… uh, I mean, your ex."

"Keep talking."

Tasha's eyes welled with tears, surprising
Griffon. The only time he had seen her cry was after a spanking.
"You really love this girl, Griff. She does not strike me as the
kind of woman who will share you easily. A lot of subs are very
possessive and I get the impression that she will be one of
them."

"You're possessive. How is that
different?"

"I share you with the office staff because,
well, I have to. I am also the lead and get the most
attention."

"I see. So this is about your fear of losing
my attention?"

"I suppose," Tasha muttered. "It's stupid,
but it's how I feel. You are the only man I can't hide my feelings
from. You are my best friend, and I am afraid that if you bring her
in …"

"I assure you that nothing will change
between us. Come here," he held his arms out for his old friend and
pulled her onto his lap to hug her tightly. "You have been my
closest companion and most trusted advisor for ten years. I am not
letting you go. We still don't know what is going to happen with
Jade, but I can promise that you will not be pushed out of our life
if she and I come together."

"How do you know that?" Tasha asked, leaning
her head on his shoulder.

"I've told her all about you. We had nights
of being stuck in the shelter with a storm raging around us. She
knows everything."

"Everything? Including your office
policy?"

"Especially my office policy," he chuckled.
"She expressed the desire to get to know you. She has never had a
female whom she could trust. I also suspect she is interested in
gaining some advice about how to weasel out of trouble. I wasted no
time in describing your expertise."

"I am kind of good at that, aren't I?" Tasha
smiled, cuddling in his muscular arms.

"The best. Please tell me that you are done
with the bitchiness?"

"I'm done. Thanks," she kissed his cheek and
prepared to stand.

"Where do you think you are going?" Griffon
asked, holding her wrist tightly. "Take those jeans down."

Shaking, Tasha slipped her fingers into the
waistband of her jeans and offered up a pleading look in Griffin's
direction. Seeing that he was unwilling to change his mind, she
yanked her jeans down to her knees, all the while looking
shamefully at the floor. Griffin gently pulled her reluctant body
across his lap, raising her bottom high in the air while
positioning her forward so that her head dangled at his calves.
With a loud sigh, he slid her panties down past her thighs and
waited for the sound of her submissive sigh.

"I'm very disappointed that, after all of
these years, you still doubt my commitment to our friendship.
Tasha, we've been through so much together. You were there when I
started my company. You were there when I got married and adamantly
advised against it. You were there when I got divorced, and not
once did you say 'I told you so.' Over the last ten years, you've
been by my side through thick and thin, guarding my back from every
attack under the sun. What have I done to make you believe that I
would not want you in my life any longer?"

"You haven't done anything, Griffon. I
allowed my insecurities to show, and I'm sorry. I should never have
doubted you," Tasha said, her voice choking with emotion. "I was
just afraid of losing you."

"You never have to fear that," Griffon
proclaimed, resting his hand on her shivering bottom. "What you
should fear, however, is the lesson I am about to teach you. I hope
that it will make some impact and show you exactly how much I
care."

He raised his hand in the air and landed the
first smack upon her upturned bottom. Tasha gasped, turning her
head to look at him with shock. "That fucking hurt!"

"I have not even begun, my dear," Griffon
chuckled. "And do I have to remind you what happens if you do not
watch your language?"

"This is so humiliating," Tasha grumbled.
"You never make me go in this position."

"That is why spanking your bare bottom works
so well on you, especially on the rare occasions that I have to put
you over my knee. This position forces you to submit and opens your
ears to hear me expressing my anger and disappointment in you. When
this little backside is underneath my palm, instructions about how
to behave properly are actually heard and taken to heart. You might
be a live wire in the courtroom, but here, with your bottom over my
lap waiting to be thoroughly spanked, you're nothing more than a
little girl in need of direction."

His hands began to fall in a heavy rhythm,
not once losing their beat, quickly turning her pale bottom to a
vivid pink. "I'm sure that after today, you will never make the
same mistake and doubt our relationship again, will you?" he
admonished.

Tasha began to kick furiously in a useless
attempt to escape the wooden hand that fell relentlessly upon her
rear end. He could feel her heart pounding against the material of
his slacks, but he did not pause. Her cries increased in intensity
and volume, her legs scissoring frantically at twice the speed of
his slaps.

Tasha's bottom was a deep cherry-red within
minutes, and the only sounds in the room were of her muffled sobs
and the loud smacking of flesh meeting flesh. Griffon paused to
adjust her position, pushing her further forward across his knees,
so that she had no choice but to plant her hands flat on the floor.
He felt her bracing in anticipation of what was yet to come.

"OW!" Tasha bellowed, reaching back to
protect her bottom. "Not so hard!"

"Really now, Tasha? You have received much
harder spankings from me in the past. You need to take your
punishment like a big girl." He gave her a few seconds to regain
her composure, shifted her slightly forward to project her bottom
higher into the air, and then resumed. His hand whipped down, this
time landing a little lower than the first smack. His grip
tightened around her waist as she attempted to wiggle away, and he
landed a series of ten vicious smacks, one after another. Tasha
clenched her fists and pounded on his legs, her kicks accelerating
as the unbearable pain began to work its way down her thighs.

With determination, Griffon concentrated on
her sit-spots. Tasha began to bob wildly, flailing her arms and
legs and sobbing out intelligible phrases that Griffon assumed to
be an apology. Yet, he still did not stop, with his goal to bring
her to a bawling mass of indignity. There was no room for mercy.
Not this time. Never again would she doubt him or their friendship.
Every breath she took contained an apology and a promise, but he
knew her well. Even exhausted, Tasha had not broken. Unfortunately,
that meant taking her to the next level. But first …

He hoisted her from his lap and gathered her
protectively against his chest. "Why are you resisting?"

"I don't know," Tasha whimpered. "I'm
sorry."

"Do you remember my promise to you?"

Tasha groaned, "Very well. You said you would
never let me go until I completely submitted. Who had that great
idea?"

"That great idea was devised by you, darling.
You specifically requested that I don't allow your tears and
protests to influence me. You also said that if you did not break,
then you did not feel forgiven."

"Oh yeah. I hate your memory," Tasha
sniffled. "Is it too late to change the policy?"

"Would you really want me to?" Griffon asked,
stroking her hair. He kissed her cheek, "Ah, no answer. Go stand in
the corner and stay there until you are ready to pick out a harness
from the cabinet."

Tasha's eyes stayed downcast as she trudged
to the sparkling white wall and leaned with her nose in the corner.
Griffon crossed his legs patiently, waiting for her to gain the
courage to continue. It amused him that, in play, she was quite
sassy and eager to receive pain. The bravado did not continue when
it came to actual punishment ….

"I have all day, Tash. Just let me know when
you are ready."

With the reluctant sigh, Tasha banged her
head against the wall three times. Dragging her feet, she
approached the tack cabinet and removed a slender leather harness
from the hook. Not willing to look Griffin in the eye, she kept her
face to the floor and reached out her arm to hand him gear.

Griffon twirled the single narrow strap in
his hands. "There is nothing like well-oiled leather. After years
of rubbing against the natural lanolin of the wool, these harnesses
take on the type of softness you can't find anywhere else. Of
course," he smacked it against the palm of his hand," all of this
oil allows the strap to be heavier, thus, the impact is much more
memorable."