Don't Tempt Me (14 page)

"What did you do?" Jenna asked curiously. Will almost never talked about his childhood.

"The normal stuff that little boys do," he answered. "One time I really deserved a switching, though, was when Joey Carnes and I sneaked into mean old Mrs. Grimes' kitchen and put dog poop into the pot of soup she was cooking. She caught us in the act and marched us both home and told our Mothers what we did. Mom was so embarrassed, and she gave Mrs. Grimes money that we didn't have to pay for the meat and vegetables in the soup she was going to have to throw away, and then she told me I would have to do extra chores to pay her back the money. Mrs. Grimes thought that fair and then left. Mom marched me outside to cut a switch and I asked her why she was going to switch me when I already had to do extra chores. She said the switching was for the meanness that made me do something so awful. She wore out two switches on me that day; then sent me straight off to bed, sniffling, and my belly empty. I heard my Dad come home from work, and listened to her telling him what I did and that she'd switched me proper. He came to see me and sat down and explained that if Mrs. Grimes and her son had eaten that soup they could have gotten very, very sick. I felt bad then. He asked me if the welts from the licking I got still hurt. I said yes, and he said, 'Then I guess I won't have to whip you again. Go to sleep now, son.' I didn't sit too well for several days after that, and my Mom made me work hard to earn back every penny she gave Mrs. Grimes."

"That seems harsh," Jenna said.

"Maybe, but I learned a good lesson, and I never did it again." He got up and gently covered Jenna before going to put away the tube of gel and get ready for bed.

Jenna woke early and moaned when she tried to get up and go to the bathroom. She was still very sore, in spite of the meds Will used the night before. She turned on the shower, and the spray felt like needles on her sensitive skin. A glance in the mirror confirmed her worst fears. She was crisscrossed with lines from the switch, and they looked very sore. Sitting at her desk was going to be difficult at best. She seriously thought about calling off, but knew that her husband would be upset with her if she did that, and she truly needed to go to work and get several things done so that she could be off work on Thursday and Friday for their long weekend trip. Since it wasn't an emergency, she didn't feel right about shoving her work on other overworked attorneys in the firm.

Jenna quickly applied her make-up and styled her hair and then left the bathroom to get dressed, wondering what she could wear that would be comfortable.

"Jenna, don't get dressed until I put more gel on your bottom," Will ordered, his voice still husky from sleep.

"I don't think I could bear having you touch me right now, darling," she admitted. "I'm so sore..."

"I'm sure you are, but I need to do this so you're able to handle a car trip. Lie over the bed, and I promise to be as gentle as possible."

"Will, please! I've already done my make-up, and if you make me cry again, I'll look a fright today!"

"Jenna, obey me," he said firmly, and went into the bathroom to get the tube of gel. When he came out he was pleased to see she'd removed her robe and was lying facedown on the bed, waiting for him. Her lovely bottom was even sorer than he thought it would be, and the welts crisscrossed each other vividly on her pale skin. He didn't know how on earth she was going to sit all day. Her sit spots were particularly raw. "Perhaps you should stay home today?" he found himself suggesting.

"Believe me, I considered it, honey!" She gritted her teeth as he gently applied the medication. "But, I really need to work if I expect to take off Thursday and Friday. Oh, Will, this really
hurts
!" she complained.

"Your skin is so delicate," he said accusingly. If he ever switched her again, he would make do with just one, he silently promised himself. He could see that he was causing her extreme pain as he gently moved his hand over her cheeks, sit spots, and each of her legs. He finally finished and said, "There now, that should help, Jenna. We'll do this again tonight, and hopefully you'll be much better tomorrow morning."

"You said that last night!" she accused, inching off the bed backwards so she didn't have to turn over and put her abused bottom against the mattress.

"It would have been a lot worse this morning without the gel," he stated knowingly, watching her blue eyes widen in shock. "A switch means business. Two of them means serious business. Adding the third was too much for your delicate skin." He leaned down and kissed her cheek, mindful of the fact he hadn't brushed his teeth yet. "My only excuse is that I don't handle being scared very well, Jenna. I was too harsh with you yesterday, and I hope you realize that I am deeply sorry."

"I do, darling, and I want you to stop beating yourself up now, please. I am the one who frightened you, and I will keep reminding myself that how sore I am reflects how much I am loved."

"You are a special woman, Jenna Cole." He gave her a hug and then said, "You'd better get some clothes on, woman, or I'm going to get other ideas and make you late for work."

Jenna giggled and said she wouldn't mind being late for a good cause, but he reminded her that she was too sore to enjoy what he had in mind, and then he added, "I'll hurry and get cleaned up, honey. I'm going to drive you to work so you aren't distracted by trying to sit. I need to make sure you're safe."

"But, what if I need my car today!"

"Call me. I'll come and be your personal chauffeur." His tone of voice told her there was no point in arguing with his decision.

Jenna dressed as comfortable as possible and then made the bed before going downstairs to make a quick breakfast for them of scrambled eggs, whole wheat toast and fresh fruit. The coffee was already done and she realized that Will must have programmed it before he came upstairs the night before. When he entered the kitchen a few minutes later, she had their breakfast on the table. To her surprise, he put her cushion back on her chair. She gave him a grateful smile. Sitting was worse than she thought it would be, but she managed to choke down her breakfast in record time before jumping to her feet. Will looked at his watch and asked, "Do you mind if I finish my coffee before I drive you to work?"

"We have plenty of time," she replied. "I just don't enjoy sitting right now."

"I'm sure you don't." He appeared thoughtful, and then said, "I don't normally suggest this, honey, but I truly believe you've suffered enough. Get a pillow and take it with you to sit on today."

"Will, I just can't! People will ask questions!"

"Tell them your posterior is injured. If they ask what happened, give them a smile and tell them it's too embarrassing to discuss, and then change the subject. If they ask again, tell them politely you really do not wish to discuss it with them."

"That might work for you..."

"Then tell them to call me and I will handle it," he bossed.

"Oh great!" Jenna rolled her eyes.

"Get the pillow, Mrs. Cole."

She knew an order when she heard one, and even though her face was flaming, she carried it inside the office. Her husband, the well-respected Judge, followed her inside, and to her shock, stopped at her assistant's desk in the outer office and said quietly, "My wife suffered an injury last night. She is mortified that someone is going to ask questions and think her foolish, so I would appreciate it if you simply head them off and tell them she had a problem while gardening. Also, if you notice she is becoming agitated or miserable as the day wears on, call me and I will come immediately and take her home early."

"Yes, Judge Cole."

Will kissed Jenna goodbye, winked at her, his dark eyes twinkling, and then left her to her pile of work. Jenna did take a break a couple of hours later to call Mary and see how she and Allen were doing, and they commiserated with each other over sitting down issues. Jenna was relieved to hear that Mary and Allen were doing great, and that Allen was going to handle the situation pretty much as Will predicted he would. Satisfied that her friend would be all right, Jenna immersed herself in work once again. Will showed up at noon with a wonderful lunch for the two of them, and they enjoyed it in the privacy of her office. He asked if she was ready to come home yet, and she said 'no'. At the end of the day, he returned, took her home, and applied more of the gel to her sore bottom, and again at bedtime.

Jenna refused to take, "No, you are still too sore," for an answer, and Will knew then that he was truly forgiven by his pretty little wife. The next morning, Jenna was relieved when it didn't hurt nearly as much when he applied the medication to her posterior... and by Thursday, she was only a bit tender when it came time to leave for Katy's house. Just as they were ready to leave the house, the telephone rang, and it was Katy's husband, Craig, calling. "Have you seen my impossible wife, sir?"

Chapter Ten

"Why, no!" Will answered his son-in-law's question. "Katy isn't here! Should she be?" he asked, a worried look in his eyes.

"I don't know, sir. Katy has been moody ever since she was accused of betraying client confidentiality. I know she is pregnant, but surely all of this moodiness can't be because of the baby...?"

"Are you two fighting over other things?" Will asked, determined to figure out what was wrong.

"A fight would be an improvement over the way things have been," Craig admitted. "Katy won't tell me why she is so upset."

"When did she leave?" Will asked. "Are you sure she isn't at work? Or just shopping?"

"I've called the office and she isn't there. I've tried her cell phone and left messages; I've called her friends. The only one I can think of she would run to is to you, sir."

The doorbell rang then and Jenna rushed to answer the summons. It was Katy. "Is it okay if I stay for a while, Jenna?" the young woman asked, her large brown eyes full of tears she was trying to hold back.

"Of course it is, Katy," Jenna said soothingly, pulling her inside and giving her a hug.

Will appeared in the doorway, the telephone still at his ear. "Katy is here, Craig." He listened, and then said, "You may be sure of it," before turning the handset off. "Katy, honey, what is going on?" he asked, putting the cordless phone down on the table beside the front door so that he could pull his daughter into his arms and give her a paternal hug. To his surprise, she burst into tears.

"Oh, Daddy, my marriage is over!" she wailed.

"Now, I'm sure it's not that bad," Will said soothingly. "Jenna, could you fix us some tea? Herbal, honey. Nothing with caffeine," he added, protecting his unborn grandchild.

"Of course I will," Jenna agreed, deciding it was the only thing she could do at the moment to help her husband and Katy.

"Come and sit down, Katy, and tell me what is going on." Will led his daughter into the living room and seated her on the sofa beside him.

"It's Craig," she said, tears running down her face.

"Craig was worried about you when he called to see if you were here," Will said, puzzled. "He asked me to keep you here, and he is on his way to sort this out."

"More than likely, he is worried about the baby... not me!"

"What makes you think that, honey?" Will asked patiently.

"I can't tell you, Daddy!"

"Of course you can tell me, Katy. I'm your father. You can tell me anything."

"I don't want you to get all angry and do something that would get you in trouble!" she insisted.

Will frowned as he considered her words. "Is Craig cheating on you?" he demanded.

"Noooo!" Katy denied indignantly. "He wouldn't do that."

"Okay. Then why am I going to get angry and want to pound on him?" Will asked calmly.

"He treats me like a little girl sometimes and I simply won't have it!"

"I see," Will answered, but he really didn't see and he wished Jenna would hurry with the tea and come and help him. Katy was always a bit melodramatic.

"Thank you, Jenna," Katy said when Jenna carried a tray containing a teapot and several cups into the room. "A cup of tea always makes everything better," she added, then started crying again."

"Katy, what's wrong?" Jenna asked, sitting on the arm of the sofa and putting her arm around the younger woman's slender shoulders. "You know that your Dad and I will do anything we can to help you. Please stop crying and just tell us what is wrong."

"Oh, Jenna, I love Craig, but he is never satisfied with anything I do. He is forever finding fault and getting upset with me. He refuses to accept that I have the right to do as I please. He thinks he has the right to... set rules... and enforce them!" she stated. "He treats me like I have no mind of my own!"

"Are you trying to tell your Dad and I that Craig spanks you when you mess up, Katy?" Jenna asked softly.

Katy nodded and burst into tears again. "How can he love me when he treats me so horribly? I can't possibly stay married to him when he thinks he can punish me for every little thing I do!"

"What did he punish you for?" Will asked curiously, trying to listen to Katy.

"I'm not going to tell you, Daddy," Katy said. "I don't want a lecture on speeding... Ohhhhh! That's how upset I am! I did not want you to know that!" Katy was obviously angry with herself. "Please don't scold me. I know it's wrong to speed, but I was running late, and I got caught. The officer could have let me off, but she was in a rotten mood and took it out on me."

"Katy..."

Will started to speak and Jenna hurried to cut him off. "Katy, your Dad isn't going to scold. He is very concerned about you. It isn't healthy for you to be so upset while you are pregnant." Jenna gave Will a meaningful look.

It was obvious he didn't like being told to hush on the subject of Katy's speeding, but he swallowed his irritation and said quietly, "Jenna is right about that, honey. Your hormones are causing you to take a situation and blow it out of proportion. It is normal for a husband who loves his wife to scold, and even to discipline, if the situation warrants."

"Like a parent?" Katy asked.