The Author's Friends (8 page)

“Carla, thank God, I was beginning to worry.”  Michael looked at his watch. it was 5:30. 

“I made a little detour, so I won’t be home tonight.”

“You aren’t hurt, are you?”  He looked outside. It was already getting dark.

“I was offered the job, Michael.”

“Carla, that’s wonderful. Have you made a decision?”

“No, I need some time to sort through my thoughts.  Please don’t worry. Everything is going to be just fine.”

“Of course it will be.  Are you sure you don’t want company?  People have been known to pay me for sorting through their thoughts.”

“I was on the road and stopped for a room in Bedford Springs.”

“That’s about an hour and a half away from Pittsburgh, isn’t it?  Nice choice, Carla, we should go there together some time.  Are you going to be okay by yourself tonight?”

“Really, I’m fine and promise to see you tomorrow.  I love you, Michael.”

“I love you, too.”

Carla ended the call and settled back against the headboard of the king-size bed.  She’d been driving from Harrisburg that afternoon going over in her mind what happened the day before.  The mere thought of having a position that could potentially change the future of the state was a bit intoxicating.  In some ways, it was an ego trip.  Her opinion of most politicians was that many were in it for the power.  She hadn’t sought such a life for herself, but she couldn’t help but be flattered by the offer. 

Rachel’s had told Carla she’d have to accept the job by Monday if she was going to take it.  With this deadline, Carla knew she had to think without the influence of anyone else and that included Dana, Richard, and particularly Michael. 

It was during her drive home that she saw a sign for The Omni Bedford Springs and decided to get a room in the five-star resort for the night.  She’d worried that Michael might not react well to her change of plans, but in his usual low-key manner, he conveyed his understanding.  So there she was, alone in the hotel, left with her own thoughts.

She laid her head back on the pillow to relax, and her cell phone rang. It was Dana calling.  Carla stared at the phone and decided to let it go straight to voicemail.  She needed to sort things out on her own; hopefully, her friend would understand.

It was close to six o’clock and time for the spa appointment that she made when she checked in.  An hour-long massage, a long shower and dinner served in her room with a nice bottle of wine were just what she needed.  If she couldn’t think her way through this dilemma with some self-indulgent pampering, then she didn’t deserve the post she was being offered. 

Meanwhile back home, Michael sat down in his study with Wally on his lap.  He had tried his best to be supportive of Carla.  Many of his patients over the years had been faced with similar life changing events, and he almost always allowed them the space to work through it on their own.  He knew that if he’d aided their decision, most times they would probably question the results and end up unhappy.  He didn’t want Carla to be unfulfilled, but at the same time he wanted her with him.  So he ran through all the potential scenarios and thought about what his response would be if she accepted the job.  Unfortunately, he didn’t have much latitude.  He had his own practice and trying to start over again in another part of the state wasn’t practical.  So in the end, he really didn’t have a lot of options. 

The idea of losing her almost nauseated him.  He deliberated for a about a half an hour. He knew that all he could do was support Carla in her decision - that’s what therapists did.  Damn!  This wasn’t one of his patients, this was someone he loved and wanted to be with forever.  He couldn’t just sit and wait for her to come home; he needed to do something.

An hour and a half later in Bedford Springs, Carla was in her room sipping on a glass of merlot totally relaxed after her hot stone treatment and a light salad via room service.  Going over all the options in her mind, she soon realized that maybe they weren’t as feasible as she’d surmised.  No matter how she looked at things, everyone she respected and loved was affected.  The answer was finally clear.  It was time to become the woman she’d always wanted to be.

She climbed into bed rejoicing that clarity had come so quickly.  Now she needed to get a good night’s sleep, but just couldn’t settle down.  A small lamp on the nightstand illuminated the room well enough for her  to read, but she was too jumpy to concentrate.  Carla knew Michael had a hard rule against Dana’s method for falling asleep, but what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

Her hand reached down under the front of her panties looking for warm and moist comfort.  She moaned stroking her soft skin, thinking of the last time Michael took her over his knee to punish her bare bottom.  Her hips lifted off the mattress as she whined and purred, swirling her drenched pussy over and over, remembering the back of the flat hairbrush being sharply applied to her soft behind.  “Push up your bottom, Carla,” were the words that resonated in her mind as she turned her head on the pillow and faced the door that opened onto her first floor porch - seconds away from a whirling, twirling, heart-stopping orgasm.

Michael watched through the window with arms crossed as her eyes widened with surprise catching a glimpse of his presence.  He nodded his head for her to continue, enjoying not only the voyeurism of her climax, but Carla’s embarrassment of getting caught doing something she knew was prohibited.  With a smile on her blushing face, she closed her eyes and continued; somehow knowing he was watching just made it that much more exciting.  With fingers soaked and her clit pounding like a drum, she returned to the memory of a good hard spanking over Michael’s knee.

His eyes sparkled watching Carla’s beautiful face go from surprise to pleasure and hoped he was the vision in her thoughts.  With his usual patience and gentle demeanor, he waited for her to finish completely.  After she unlocked the door to the porch, he calmly stepped inside and took her into his arms.  Hugging her tight, he silently kissed each cheek while guiding her to a corner chair so she could sit in his lap.

“My Peanut was a naughty girl.” He shook his head and gently kissed her neck.

“I’m sorry, Michael.  Would it help knowing that I was thinking of you the whole time?”

“It does, but you know the rules.  Are you allowed to touch yourself while I’m not around?”

“No, sir.  But in a manner of speaking, you
were
around.” She giggled and blushed at the thought.

“Damn. Good thing it was me and not someone else.  Did it ever occur to you to close the window blinds, young lady?”

“What a day,” she said changing the subject.  “As you know, I really wasn’t expecting company.”

“You made it clear that you wanted to be alone, but I couldn’t help myself.  Do I need an attorney to cut a deal?”

“You want to trade ‘self-pleasuring’ for your ‘peeping tom’ misdemeanor?”

“That about sums it up, counselor.  What do you think?”

“Throw in a good girl spanking and it’s done.” She rubbed her cheek next to his and cuddled close.

“You’re tired, Carla.  What do you say we climb into bed and talk about our indiscretions tomorrow?”

“You’re the smartest man I know, Dr. Cohen.”

*****

“Richard, I’m worried; I called Carla and she didn’t answer.  Then I called Michael and he didn’t pick up either.  What do you think is going on?”

“I heard from Michael about an hour ago.  He called and asked if I would bring Wally to our house because he needed to make a quick trip out of town for the night.  He didn’t want to take the time to explain, and I didn’t press for any details.”  Richard put on his coat.

“Something has to be wrong then.  People just don’t run out in the middle of the night without some reasonable explanation.  I’m going to call Carla, again.”  Dana moved over to the phone on the desk.

Richard walked across the room to make his point clear. “It’s not the middle of the night, Kitten, and he seemed quite calm.  If it was something bad, I’m sure he would’ve said.”

“Michael is always calm. You can’t read anything into that,” Dana said quietly as she put the phone down.

Richard let out a sigh.  “You can try her again, but I think you need to trust that Michael knows what he’s doing.”

Dana stood for a moment and then sat down in her chair at the desk and sulked.  “I’m going on record right now that I hate not knowing what’s going on with my best friend, and if something’s wrong ….”

Richard bent down and kissed her forehead.  “Darlin’, you need to have a little faith in our friends.  I’m sure this will all work out.  Now I’m going to pick up Wally and will be back in a half hour.  Why don’t you work on your book. It’ll do you good to concentrate on something else.”

Dana was frustrated and stared at her computer keyboard trying to gain some focus.  Where had she left off with the story?  Oh yes, they’d just put on a show of steamy sex in front of an appreciative crowd.  This scene should definitely take her mind to another place.

Brad and Kristin spent the next afternoon mostly in the confines of their room talking about their careers.  Of course it was risky to date a co-worker, but neither was willing to end their relationship.  If nothing else, they both knew that sneaking around was fueling their sexual appetite for each other. 

Saturday evening, after dinner and a nice bottle of wine, they came back to the room.  Brad rummaged through his suitcase to find four unusually long beautiful cashmere scarves to display across the bed while Kristin was in the bathroom freshening up.  When she returned wearing only her thong panties, Brad was sitting on the edge of the bed.  She walked towards him and bent over to touch the softness of the colorful fabric. 

“They’re beautiful.”

“So are you,” he said as he stroked the fullness of her bum bared by the thong.  “Do you trust me?”

Kristin nodded, sensing what Brad had in mind, as he motioned for her to lie across the bed.  One by one he gently tied a scarf on each of her wrists and ankles; the small poster bed was perfect for his planned vision.  He secured the end of each scarf to a post making sure that Kristin was unable to maneuver, while testing to make sure they weren’t too tight.  Brad looked at her lustfully. She was such a soft and feminine woman.  With her eyes closed and head turned to the side, she anticipated the excitement to come.  He wondered if she’d done this before.His girl didn’t appear nervous.

“Keep your eyes closed Kristin,” he whispered while cutting the string on each side of her panties with a pocketknife.

Fully clothed, Brad sat next to her on the bed lightly tracing circles around her erect nipples with his finger.  Goosebumps covered her skin as he drew an imaginary line down her abdomen, thinking her squirming body was a beautiful sight.

Brad positioned himself in between her legs as his lips barely grazed her neck with soft kisses.  With eyes obediently still closed, her head rocked from side to side.  His wet tongue happily found its way down each breast, retracing the path he’d just taken with his thick digit.  Kristin pulled against her restraints, but the knots held tight in the soft wool.  She wanted desperately to guide his head down to her most sensitive area, but didn’t really need to. Brad knew where to go.

His skilled tongue slowly navigated around her clit, causing her juices to trickle down her inner thighs.  As his pressure ever so slightly increased, Kristin’s legs began to convulse, though unable to move.  Her hips arched, displaying her eagerness. But the intensity of her fight against the restraints only added to his visual pleasure.  Brad could feel his own wetness beneath him as he gyrated against the bed, enjoying every sensation.

Lifting her up slightly, he teased her anus with the tip of his lubricated finger, rubbing the dark rim over and over.  She again tried moving against the restraints, but they didn’t budge.  He pushed his finger slowly up her ass, moving in and out until she twitched helplessly with delight.  With his tongue in her pussy and finger inserted up to a knuckle, they simultaneously worked their magic.  Kristin couldn’t hold back any longer, tugging and pulling wildly as her whole body finally tensed then quivered violently in short delightful spasms over and over. 

Brad quickly removed his pants and straddled her torso taking hold of his penis, cradling it in between her breasts.  As her held her breasts firmly and stroked in earnest, his cum squirted in long, even spurts.  Gently, he guided his penis to slowly massage the warm liquid around her nipples.  She opened her eyes, smiled at him lovingly and moaned in satisfaction.  With his hands clasped around her wrists, he bent over and kissed her, releasing some of her own taste into her mouth.  Untying each scarf and gently rubbing Kristin’s delicate reddened skin, they looked into each other’s eyes.  There was definitely more than physical satisfaction involved.

Dana stopped typing when suddenly she felt a wriggly little body rubbing up against her leg. It was Wally.  Richard was home.

“This is so relaxing, Michael, we need to come back sometime.  I hear the restaurants are fantastic.” Carla sipped her coffee as they rocked in wooden chairs on the outside porch and enjoyed the cool, crisp morning.

“Yes, but I highly suggest we return in the summer.  That way, we can recreate this scene decked out in the white hotel robes they left us in the bathroom instead of our coats.” He clinked cups with her and motioned toward the room.  “Not to change the subject, but do you have an answer for Rachel yet?”

“I really could have called her last night, but as you know, the timing wasn’t exactly right.” She grinned and imitated someone looking in the window with binoculars.

“Don’t blame me, missy.” He shook a finger at her.  “You were on your way to happy land when I found you.”

“I’m not blaming anyone.  All kidding aside, this has been the hardest decision I’ve ever made, Michael.”

He drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair.  “I think I spied a container of bubble bath by the tub.  How long has it been since anyone bathed you, Peanut?”

“Hmm, that sounds like heaven, but does the phrase ‘elephant in the room’ mean anything to you?”

“I think an elephant will be too large for the bathroom, my dear.  Let’s leave it outside until a bit later, shall we?”

She smiled and continued to rock in the chair, occasionally trying to peek in the window as he prepared her bath.

After waving Carla inside, Michael quickly helped remove her coat and boots, sending an anxious chill down her spine.  Her cold hand was taken in his warm one as he led her to the bathroom and closed the door.  The small room was balmy and soothing with droplets of steam covering the mirror.  She slowly raised her arms, allowing him to remove her sweater and bra. He unsnapped her tight jeans and tugged them off.  Sitting on the closed toilet he gently pulled her onto his lap to remove a pair of thick socks, and as she stood, a quick, tender pat was administered to her bum, indicating his desire to watch Carla seductively slide her panties down. 

He slowly lowered her by hand into the freestanding old-fashioned tub and knelt on the floor, squirting more fragrant soap into the warm water creating an abundance of bubbles.  Drifting into a heavenly fantasy, her thoughts wandered somewhere between a princess and a little girl as the bath became lightly scented with lavender.  She suddenly took in a sharp breath to speak, but was stopped quickly with a gentle touch to her lips. 

“Shh-shh, don’t evaluate, my love, just relax and enjoy.”

He tilted her head back slowly, saturating her hair with a cup of warm water before messaging a fragrant shampoo into her scalp. Her tired eyes closed as the soap was thoroughly rinsed out of her blonde tresses, and he generously lathered a soft, white washcloth with which to bathe her.  Blissfully, she went with the moment, reclining onto a tub pillow as Michael’s attentiveness continued. She sighed has he carressed her neck and breasts before moving down to her her tummy.  When she was completely covered in suds, he put the cloth aside and allowed his skillful hands to lightly stroke her skin, smoothing away all stress and anxiety.  The moment that her upper body was rinsed clean, Michael rotated his finger in a circular motion. 

With a heavy sigh and a pout on her lips, she turned over revealing her pink and very warm cheeks.  On hands and knees with her round globes barely floating out of the bubbles, he slid his soapy fingers up and down the length of her vagina, skillfully cleansing and arousing her at the same moment.  Tenderly, he circled her swollen clit a number of times to the brink of excitement and then with a slow moving slippery thumb, issued a warning to the cleft on her bottom.  It was certainly no surprise to Carla that his final destination would be her quivering hole he enjoyed so much.  Circling the tender rim, around and around, he finally pushed in gently with an expectation that she would arch her back to invite his digit, right where she wanted to possess it.  He loved to watch as she gradually backed into his extremity, swallowing it up with the sway of her hips.  It was an arousing visual for him; their shared anal kink was obvious, and her flush of embarrassment only made it that much more enjoyable for both of them.

With a rinse and smack to her wet, wobbly behind, bath time was officially over.  Her serious frown instantly let him know that she wished to remain in the tub.  But as he waited with an outstretched towel and raised one eyebrow, she knew it was better to comply than ruin the moment.  Carla was dried gently, wrapped in softness and pulled onto his lap as he sat back down on the closed toilet to give her a warm, strong hug.

“Stay put and I’ll bring you a fresh pair of panties.  It’s time for us to talk.”

*****

The interview in Harrisburg was energizing, and Carla looked forward to sharing thoughts with Michael at the end of her first day back to work.  He heard the door open in his reception room, and Carla rushed through the inner office to greet him with arms outstretched.  “I see Sarah went home early.  Are your patient hours over for today?”

He stood at his desk to receive and hug her.  “Yes, we’re alone, Carla.  Do you think this would finally be a good time to talk?  We’ve gotten nowhere since our return from Bedford Springs yesterday.” 

“I’m really sorry.  The other night I thought I had this all sorted out, but then Rachel extended my deadline.  So, while I was at the office today, I met with a couple of the partners to fill them in and decided to write up a list of pros and cons.  The day was a real whirlwind for me. You can’t believe what happened.” She spoke quickly as she threw her coat on the nearby couch.

“Carla, how long can we put this conversation off?”

“I’m not doing this to torment you, although it’s no secret that you enjoy ‘zat’ sort of thing from time to time.”  Carla emphasized her point with a smile and a wink.  “But I think you’ll find this little tidbit pretty interesting.”

“I hope this isn’t going to be office gossip.” Michael’s fingers were laced over his head in frustration.

“Come on, stay with me for just a minute, then I promise we’ll talk about us.”

Michael sighed in agreement.  Carla immediately seated herself in his lap, got comfortable and excitedly began her story.

“It was almost noon, so there weren’t too many people around the office.  I decided to eat in today and headed down to the lunchroom to pick up a bottle of water.  I thought it was odd that the blinds were closed, but assumed that maybe one of the lawyers was conferring with a client.  Walking closer to the room, I heard some noises that sounded just a bit weird, so naturally, I decided to peek in.” 

“Of course, you did.” Michael gave her a squeeze and grinned.

“I quietly pried the door open, and you won’t believe what I saw.”

“Something you probably shouldn’t have.” His eyes were starting to narrow.

“Jim, one of our associates, had his assistant bent over the lunch table.  He whispered something in her ear and lifted her skirt.”

“You stood there and watched them?”

“Oh my God, who could leave at that point?  He slid her panties down right below her bum and started rubbing it.”

Michael shook his head in disbelief.  “They didn’t see you?”

“Well, Joanne’s head was down and Jim became very busy smacking her bottom with a ruler.  It looked like she got herself one hell of a spanking.”

“She didn’t fight him?”

“No, this looked absolutely consensual.  In fact, from what I could see, both of them were enjoying themselves immensely.”

“It sounds like you were busy savoring the moment too, Peanut.”

“Seriously, I felt like a real pervert.  But I just couldn’t stop.”

“So, how did you eventually manage to pull yourself away?” Michael asked facetiously, crossing his arms.

“After he spanked the area just below her tender,
young
ass, I was worried she might start crying. Seriously, we’re talking about some visible  red stripes!  So, I regained my composure, closed the door and hustled back to my office.  I was sitting at the desk in some kind of daze when Jim appeared at my door.  I tried to smile and mumbled a greeting, which he didn’t return.  Then as he turned to leave, he stopped, grinned and said that he hoped I ‘enjoyed the show’.  Really, those were his exact words.   Michael, I thought I was going to die of embarrassment.”

“Jesus.  I have to admit, that was quite a story.  You know if you’re feeling jealous, I have a ruler somewhere here in my drawer…”

“That’s not funny.”  Carla snuggled deep into his chest.  “I have another story. Can you stand one more?”

Michael rolled his eyes to the ceiling. He’d been patient waiting for their discussion about her new career opportunity, and figured he could hold on a little longer.  Shaking his head, he lightly kissed her on the cheek.  “First, a certain young lady needs to raise her skirt and bend over the table.”

“Really? I’m going to tell you my decision right now, including all the colorful details.”

He slid her off his lap and sharply applied his palm to her backside.  “And I look forward to the entire story, but I think we need to deal with your little adventure today first, don’t you?”

She rubbed her bottom and had a confused expression on her face.

“I’m not going to punish you for making me wait so long for an answer about your job opportunity.  That decision was yours to make, and I wanted you to take all the time you needed.  Your voyeurism at the office today, is another story.  Should I summon Jim and Joanne over to watch me spank you?  They were having a private moment, and you spied on them.  The door and blinds were closed for a reason, Carla.  It wasn’t like you were invited to a spanking party.”

She paused and pointed a finger at him.  “But it was okay for
you
to watch
me
through a window?  Does Bedford Springs Resort ring a bell?  You’re not losing your short term memory yet, are you Michael?”

“My memory is just fine.” He crossed his arms and tried not to smile.

In brave defiance, she crossed hers.

“The blinds on your windows were
not
closed, young lady, and if I remember correctly, pleasuring yourself is not permitted unless I’m present.”  He tilted his head to the side.  “Is this debate over now, counselor?”

“Yes, sir.”  She knew her defense was worthless and watched with wide eyes as he opened his desk drawer.  A wooden ruler was slowly removed, which he tapped on the palm of his hand.

“Yes, this will do nicely.  Turn around, my love, and pick up that long skirt of yours.”

Carla obeyed, and without being told, slowly lowered her panties just below her backside.

“Ahh, we’re going to try and recreate the scene, I see,” he whispered in her ear as he massaged her bare cheeks.  She slowly bent over the table in response, knowing that Michael was enjoying the view.

“Keep your hands busy holding on to your skirt, and no clenching. I want that beautiful bottom nice and soft for me.”  He gently tapped the ruler onto her creamy flesh until she relaxed and, using his wrist, snapped the ruler solidly on her left cheek, waiting for a blush-colored streak to appear.

“Ow, that hurts!”  Carla’s body jerked at the first strike.  Closing her eyes tightly, her mind prepared for the next. 

When satisfied with the hue, he struck the right one creating the same impact and waited for the matching imprint to appear before applying the ruler again.  The last two strokes were quickly administered, right above the first two.  She grimaced knowing she was not permitted to rub the stinging sensation, but still didn’t move.

“You took your punishment well, Peanut.  I’m so proud of you.” Michael gently touched the red lines on her bottom, carefully inspecting each one, before whirling her around into his strong arms.  Her skirt fell back down as he carried her over to his leather office chair.  Carefully, he sat her in his lap removing not only her high heels, but also her black bikini panties that had fallen around her ankles.  With her back up against his chest, he hugged and kissed her neck lovingly, rocking her softly in his arms.

“Would this be a good time to tell me your decision?  I can’t wait to hear the whole story.”

Michael released Carla from his grasp, allowing her the space to turn around.  Playfully, she fingered his short dark hair and started to speak.  “Well, I told you that I met with a couple of the partners.  After I explained my situation, they told me to hold off making a decision.  I really didn’t know how to interpret that directive.  But later in the day, one of the partners came into my office and told me that the executive committee had called an emergency meeting.  After a brief discussion, he offered me a full partnership in the firm, effective immediately.  Naturally, I was stunned and flattered.  It seems because of my exceptional work over the years, they’d already placed my name on the short list.”

“What did you tell them?”

“Without hesitation, I accepted on the spot.  As exciting as it was to have an offer from the governor, I couldn’t seriously consider moving to Harrisburg.  I’ve never felt more loved or in sync with anyone in my whole life before you.  Who else could I have told that office story to who’d understand how turned on I was?  It completely pushed all my buttons!”