Mark put his bike away in the garage and strode into the house with Kevin, seeing his cousin Mike sitting in the kitchen reading a magazine on cars. "Hey Mike, how ya doing?"
"Just fine, buddy, just fine. Seems you two have a little problem?" he said, grinning at the bigger men as they shook hands.
"Yeah we sure do. It's a little problem I can't wait to straighten out," Mark grumbled, raising his eyebrows questioningly. "Thanks for bringing them back. Where are they?"
"Your little lady is out the back somewhere. Don't worry," he said, seeing the look on Mark's face. "I made her promise not to leave the grounds. Seems she can keep a promise, even if she has a strange way of going about it." He stood up and stretched, throwing the magazine back on the kitchen table as he looked at Kevin. "I don't know which one you want to get your hands on, but I'm pretty much betting it's Lenny?"
Kevin nodded, smiling grimly. "Oh, yeah, she's the one I need to have a talk with. Where is she, with Amy?"
Mike shook his head. "She's in her house, with strict instructions not to even attempt setting foot outside her door." He cocked his head as he heard a car approach. "Right on time," he said, smiling. "Charlie came to pick me up, and I am starving for my dinner, so I'll be off. Oh, and just one thing," he said turning back to face Mark, "go easy on them both, they're a lot smaller than you and they're scared."
"They're scared? Good, they should be scared!" Kevin snapped, frowning fiercely as he thought about his truck.
"Yeah, maybe they should. That doesn't mean you should give them reason to justify that fear, okay?"
"Ah hell, we ain't gonna beat them up or nothing! Why is everyone so goddamn protective of those two?" Mark muttered.
"Because, having met Amy, I know that she's too sweet a little thing to be going with a monster like you, that's why!" Mike shot at him, grinning. "Well, what are you going to do then? Slap her on the wrist and tell her not to do it again?" Mike asked, grinning at the image that popped into his head.
"Oh, I'm gonna slap her, but it ain't gonna be on the damn wrist, I was thinking of somewhere a little more southerly!" Mark growled, and Kevin echoed his sentiment, not waiting around any longer and leaving the house.
Mike laughed and clapped Mark on the shoulder. "Okay, buddy. Well, I'll see you soon okay? Maybe I can bring Jade over to meet you, you haven't seen her yet."
"Jade huh? That your new girl?" Mark asked, a smile reluctantly pulling at his lips.
"Yeah, and she's real cute, so keep your eyes off her!" Mike said.
"Strange thing, but I have a precious jewel all of my own. Amy's full name is Amber," Mark explained, then frowned. "Now get the hell out of my house so I can get on with business!"
Mike laughed and left, not in the least bit insulted, and Mark stood patiently waiting until he was sure the car had left. His anger had only abated slightly since he had found out about her disobeying him, and now he would finally have a chance to vent it. He walked out of the back door, slamming it hard behind him, his narrowed eyes scanning the surrounding land for any sign of her. He shouted her name and waited, but no sound returned. Goddamn it, he thought, she would pay even more for making him come after her! He strode out of the garden and down through the land until he saw her sitting curled up against a tree on the other side of the lake. He saw her raise her eyes and jump when she saw him and she shakily pulled herself up, her hands resting against the tree as if it could save her. Well, it can't, he thought grimly, marching around the expanse of water and watching her back up rapidly as he closed in on her. Her nerves got the better of her and she turned tail and ran.
Mark would have laughed at her antics had he not been so furious. He caught up with her in two strides and spun her around to face him, glowering down at her from his superior height. "You want to explain what the hell you think you were doing?" he yelled as she tried to draw away from him, his temper getting the better of him.
Amy flinched when he yelled, her mouth drying out in fear and her body starting to really quake as she waited for him to vent his formidable anger on her. She couldn't answer him and she saw his eyes narrow at her continued silence, his hands releasing her to clench into fists.
"No answer huh?" he said through gritted teeth, glaring at her as she backed up again. "Get over here!" he bellowed, pointing in front of him and waiting. When she hesitantly, and quite obviously reluctantly, did as she was told, he grabbed her arm and hauled her along next to him as he marched back to the house. "I told you not to leave, and not only do you disobey me but you have the nerve steal Kevin's truck and then lie about it! You will pay for that, little girl," he said, dragging her through the house and into his study, where he stood breathing heavily as he finally looked down at her, suddenly really seeing her fear. He loosened his grip on her arm and watched as she backed quickly away from him, heading for the corner of the room. His anger was still in partial control and he walked slowly forwards, stalking her and making her back up even more until the wall stopped her. Her eyes wouldn't meet his and she looked down, staring at her feet, her bottom lip trembling.
She knew from past experience that begging didn't help, nothing she said would steer him from his course of action and so she stayed silent, seeing the floor shimmer as her eyes filled with tears. She had never imagined that he would ever make her feel this way, but she quickly resigned herself to it, so it was something of a shock when his hand lifted and gently nudged her chin up.
Mark winced when he saw her face, saw the tears she couldn't contain and the way she was shuddering. "Nothing to say?" he asked, his voice soft now but still with a slight edge, indicating he could be pushed over it easily. He almost pulled her close to him and cuddled her, but he fought the impulse. What she had done was wrong, he reminded himself, and it didn't matter who she was or how much she meant to him, she wasn't going to get away with it. He was convinced of that until she spoke.
She took a shaky breath. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice breaking on the word as a tear ran down her cheek and she shrank back against the wall, trying to make herself as small a target as possible.
He grimaced and hauled her up against him, tucking her head on his shoulder as he carried her over to his big chair and sat down in it. "Dammit, baby, I'm not going to hurt you!"
"You're mad at me," she said in a small voice, unable to still her shaking or stop her tears.
"Of course I'm mad at you, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna beat on you. Not all men hit. What you did was wrong. No, not just wrong, it was also illegal. If you'd been caught you'd have been arrested, plus God knows what else could have happened! You should count yourself lucky that I thought to have Charlie and Mike keep hold of you!" He was talking sharply now, angry at her still. "What if you'd had an accident?"
Amy sniffed and wiped at her eyes, not looking at him. "I'd...I'd have paid for Kevin's car to be fixed," she said, thinking logically.
"I don't give a damn about the car!" he said, his voice getting louder as he pulled her face away from his shoulder so he could glare at her. "The car could have blown up for all I care, it's you I'm worried about! You could have been hurt, you stupid, irresponsible, child!"
Amy felt her mouth dry out again at his visible anger, but she managed to whisper, "I'm not a child."
"If you act like one, I'll treat you like one!" he snapped, his eyes narrowing again. "Do you admit that what you did was wrong?"
She nodded dumbly, finding it difficult to breathe. "And do you think that you should be punished for it?"
She sat with her mouth hanging open dumbly. How did she answer that one? He grabbed her chin and made her look at him.
"Well?"
"I...guess so," she whispered miserably, swallowing the huge lump in her throat.
"Good, we agree on something then," he said and lifted her up. One minute she was on his lap the next she was face down over his legs, her rump in the air and his hand pressing on her back.
"What...?" she gasped and then went stiff and yelped as she felt his hand come down on her backside. Pain and heat bloomed out on her soft flesh as he did it again, and she struggled violently, unable to move herself off his legs because of the big hand holding her down. He slapped again, and then again, not stopping until he had counted out twelve strokes and then pulled her up. Her face was red and she had more tears on it, her eyes looking hurt and angry at the same time as she glared at him.
"Anything to say now?" he asked her, watching as she moved quickly away from him, one small hand moving to her backside to rub it gingerly.
"You said you wouldn't beat me. You're a bully!" she said, her voice trembling.
"Maybe I am, but you damn well deserved that and you know it! Tell me it didn't teach you a lesson, tell me you're gonna disobey me again," he demanded, coming to his feet to stalk her again. "Which reminds me, I'll be looking at Kev's truck soon and if it has a mark on it, I'll be doing that again. Don't say I didn't warn you! God, even Sara never pushed me this far!"
Her mouth dropped open at the hurtful comment and she reacted without thinking, her hand shooting up to hit him hard across his face as she snapped out, "don't you dare compare me to her!" Her slap had enough force and anger behind it to whip his head sideways, not having expected the move. He didn't give her time to worry about his reaction, or even to get scared at all by her own behaviour, his hands shooting out and grabbing her shoulders so he could give her a hard shake.
"Believe me, there's absolutely no comparison! She behaved better than you do!" he shouted, hauling her back over to the chair and pulling her across his lap again.
Amy's eyes nearly bugged out of her head when she felt him slap her again on her tender backside and she struggled furiously. "Let me go! You....you bastard...!"
"Watch your language, you little shrew!" he snapped, his palm landing hard on her backside, making her give a yelp of pain. "I told you that I wouldn't let you get away with slapping me again!"
"Ow!" she yelled as he hit her again, her struggles slowing somewhat. "I wish Sara was still here giving you fits! No wonder she went off with someone else if this is how you treat people!" she snapped.
"And no wonder your father beat you, if you acted like this!" he shot right back, enraged beyond belief at what she had said. He pushed her abruptly off his lap and watched dispassionately as she fell on the floor.
Her face went stark white at his words as she pulled herself up and a second later she was turning and running out of the room at his furious demeanour. She went straight to their bedroom and slammed and locked the door, throwing herself on the bed and laying there, crying her eyes out, as she felt the pain from his spanking throb in her muscles, the pain from his words much worse to endure. She hated him, she decided, trying not to feel guilty at what she had said, knowing that she had hurt his feelings. She hadn't meant it, but he wouldn't know that. Now she was left to wonder if he meant the nasty words he had said to her as well, and her mind muddled around trying to work it all out as she tried to get comfortable.
This was the first time she had felt unwelcome in his house or in his company, and she hated the feeling. It made her want to leave and, before she gave it any more thought, she pulled her suitcase out from the wardrobe and started throwing her clothes in it. When she had finished she sat down on the bed and bit her lip, thinking about the meal she had wanted to start earlier on. She couldn't even go and do that now, not with him in such a temper, and it wasn't like he would come looking for her to see what she was doing, not now she'd broken his trust in her. She would wait a while and then she would just call a cab and leave, she reasoned. She was sure now that he wouldn't mind her riding in a cab. He didn't care anymore.
Mark tried the bedroom door a couple of hours later and found it unlocked, and he walked into the room, one quick glance telling him that she wasn't there. His breath caught when he saw her suitcase on the bed, the lid open and her clothes filling it. He didn't want her to leave. God, he thought, he hadn't even thought that this might be a consequence of his actions. Then he frowned. She had been up here a long time, and she would probably have packed straight away, so why hadn't she left already?
He looked in the en-suite bathroom, but she wasn't there either, so he stood silently and listened, not hearing a thing. Maybe she had gone outside again, he thought, and he went in search of her with a troubled frown. What if she had run off because of the way he had treated her? A search of the estate later and he still couldn't find her and he looked inside the house again, checking all the rooms, his heart heavy. The one place he hadn't looked was the main bathroom and he doubted she'd be in there, but he looked anyway.
She was laying asleep in the bath, her eyelids still puffy from where she had been crying and he winced as he crouched down near the tub, letting her sleep while he studied her, allowing his relief to course through him as he looked at her small form. She managed to surprise him at every turn and, even though it could be infuriating, it was also exciting. She would keep him on his toes, he thought.
He reached out and gently shook her shoulder, watching as she woke up reluctantly and then scooted up in the bath when she saw him sitting there, her hands covering her chest as she tried to hide the wince when her backside took her weight.
"I made dinner," he said, hating the feelings of guilt he had creeping through him. He had to keep reminding himself that she had deserved it.
"Oh...I...er...I'm not really very hungry," she said quietly, not looking at him.
"Maybe not, but you will eat," he said, his voice harsher than he meant it to be and she flinched.
"Okay...thank you," she said softly, her eyes constantly darting from him to the water. She looked so nervous that he knew he was going to cave in and end up apologising to her, just to see her smile again if nothing else.
"I'm sorry," she said quickly before he could speak. "I didn't mean..." she swallowed and tried again, her voice failing her.
Mark sighed when he saw her bottom lip tremble and leaned over the tub, pulling her up against him and rocking her. "Amy..."
"I'm so sorry," she said, starting to cry. "I know it's too late, but I didn't mean what I said. Please don't hate me."
Mark groaned and kissed the top of her head. "I couldn't hate you if I tried, sweetheart. Stop crying now, come on, it's all okay," he murmured, continuing to whisper softly to her as he tried to calm her down. It took a long time and he felt like crap when she finally stopped howling into his shoulder, knowing it was him who had made her like it. Eventually she gave a soft hiccuping sigh and relaxed against him with one final shudder, worn out from her bout of crying and enjoying his warmth and strength.
"Amy, I'm sorry, sweetheart. I didn't mean what I said either," he said, stroking her damp hair with one hand, the other holding her pressed against him.
"S'okay," she murmured, her voice sounding husky from her tears.
"No it isn't, I had no right to say what I did. I should never have brought her name into it. You're nothing like her at all, and that's a really good thing. You hurt me with what you said, I guess I was hitting back," he admitted, sounding disgusted with himself.
"So was I," she confessed, still snuggled against him. "You hurt me."
Mark ran his hand down her back and cupped her bottom in his palm, kneading the tense muscles even as she tried to squirm away from the touch, her flesh too sensitive. "I'm sorry it hurt you so much, but I ain't sorry I did it. I'd do it again too, although maybe I'd control my temper a little better," he told her, watching as she drew her flushed wet face away from his shoulder and stared at him accusingly. "Ah, don't look at me like that! I want to be with you, honey, and if you want to be with me then you have to know what I'm like. I will not put up with the sort of behaviour you displayed today. You got me?"
"You'd hit me....like that...again?" she asked, trying to identify the feelings coursing through her.
"In a heartbeat. That doesn't mean that I actually want to though. But let me throw the question back at you. Would you disobey me again?" he raised his eyebrows and waited for her answer.
"No," she said quickly.
"Then I won't have to hit you again will I?" he said reasonably, putting more pressure on her backside and pulling her closer to his big body. He released the pressure when she moaned, rubbing his palm lightly over the soft curves. "Want to explain why you stole Kevin's truck?"
"I wanted to surprise you," she started to explain and he burst out laughing.
"Well, hell, honey, it worked!" he said, placing her in front of him and grabbing a towel to dry her with. He quickly accomplished that task and carried her through to the bedroom, selecting some clothes and dressing her, then staring down at her. "Let's go and eat, then we can spend the rest of the evening cuddling, what do you say?"
"I'd like that," she said quietly, taking his hand and holding it securely when he offered it, looking forward to getting back to normal if that was possible.
While they sat eating, Amy glanced around and frowned. "Where's Kevin?"
"He went off to find Lenny, I assume he's still there. I'll go and look when we've finished, okay?"
"Okay," she nodded, concentrating on her meal once more.
As soon as Mark took the last mouthful of his food he leaned across and kissed her, looking vaguely guilty, then going out the back door to find Kevin.
When he did find him he dissolved in hysterics at the sight that greeted him. Kevin was standing at the bottom of a big tree near Lenny's house, his hair matted with what looked like syrup, and he was staring up furiously at Lenny, who was sitting precariously halfway up it on a slim branch.
"Don't fucking laugh, Calloway," Kevin spat out, his eyes sparking as he looked at the girl in the tree.
"What the hell happened to you?"
"She happened!" Kevin growled, glaring up at Lenny again. "But she can't stay up there all day, and when she comes down I'm going to teach her a lesson she won't ever forget!"
"Well, why don't you go up and get her?" Mark asked, staring up and seeing that Lenny wasn't wearing a coat and it was starting to get chilly outside now.
"I tried that," the other man muttered, pointing to a broken branch that had snapped under his immense weight. "I can wait."
"Shame, I made you some dinner which is getting cold, too," Mark mused, raising his eyebrows.
Kevin frowned and rubbed his stomach, never one to pass up a meal. "Well, I guess I could come and eat."
"Of course you could, she ain't going nowhere for a while. Well, she might come down the tree, but she lives here doesn't she? Where else could she go?"
"Don't you go thinking you've got away with this," Kevin shouted up at her, glaring. "I'll make sure you pay, so don't relax anytime soon!"
"Ooh, I'm so scared!" she shouted down at him with false bravado, and he gritted his teeth.
"Goddamn it...!"
"Kev, come on, let's go," Mark said, grabbing his friend's shoulder and forcibly dragging him away from the tree. As they walked back to his house he studied the other mans face. "What's gotten into you? You never lose your temper that easily."
"She got into me, she's a damn brat. It's about time someone took a belt to her," he muttered, walking into the house and smiling tightly at Amy as he sat down and dragged his lukewarm dinner towards him. He started munching on the food without saying another word and Mark had to hide his smile. He couldn't remember a time when a woman had ever gotten under Kevin's skin the way Lenny did, and he had to wonder if it was just hatred they felt for each other.
