The O'Malley Brides (38 page)

Bridget continued to scream obscenities and threats, which only made him more determined. 

She would take out an ad in the newspaper so the entire world would know what he’d done.   She would hire an airplane and have it writ
ten in the sky that Delbert Bertram
Winston
IV
was an asshole who spanked unsuspecting girls, while pretending to be a mild-mannered geek. 

It was all Dell could do not to laugh out loud.  She was such a little twit.

Bridget was tiring.  All the kicking and screaming was exhausting and the pain in her ass exceeded anything she’d ever imagined.  It was quickly becoming unbearable and she gathered what strength she could muster
, fighting the tears, refusing to give Dell the satisfaction of making her cry.  When his hard hand moved to the tops of her thighs, catching the tender area below her bottom, she shrieked. 

She would slip him a mickey and when he was unable to defend himself, she would parade him up and down the street stark naked.  She would… She would…

She would be good.  She would behave.  She would wash her own mouth out with soap if she swore.  She would burn all her short skirts.  She would never cut class again.  She would stop drinking.  She would do anything…anything…if only he would stop.  Finally
,
she collapsed over his lap, sobbing her heart out, limp as a wet noodle.

Dell gave her twenty more hard smacks to let her know that
he
decided when to stop spanking her, and she could not get out of it just by promising to behave.  Gently he rubbed her back keeping her firmly over his knees
.   When her sobbing had turned to hiccups and sighs, he picked her up and stood, standing her on her wobbly legs.  Taking his handkerchief from his pocket
,
he wiped the tears and snot off her face and smiled. 

Bridget was a wreck, just as she should be if he did the job right, according to his research.  Her bottom was red, hot and swollen.  Her beautiful amber eyes were red and water-logged.  Her bottom lip quivered when she reached back and felt her bottom.  Satisfied, Dell pulled her into his arms and kissed her with more passion than he’d ever thought possible. 

“Here’s the deal
,
Bridget,” he told her, taking hold of her shoulders.  “When my parents return from their trip, I will
be taking you to meet them and announce our engagement.  The wedding will be within the year.  I find
I love you to much to wait
longer.  I will deal with any future issues we may have in precisely this manner and you need to know that.  You are by far too precious to me to allow you to continue in your self-destructive pattern.  I will be back at four o’clock this afternoon.  At that time I will expect you to give me your answer.  If you should choose not to marry me and accept my guidance, I will leave after the wedding and we will have no
further contact.  The choice is
yours my love. 
I find I can no longer be just your friend.  I will be your husband and lover or nothing.”  Kissing her softly, Dell gathered his coat and walked out of her bedroom.

Chapter 21

At four o’clock on Christmas Eve, family and friends descended on the lovely Victorian house the O’Malley
’
s called home.  Beautiful
ly
decorated in vintage style, walking in the door was a step back in time.  The towering tree dominated the living room,
its
rich scent joining the bayberry candles and the boughs of pine and holly adorning the mantle.  Fresh red and ivory roses held the ivory tulle
scalloped
along the mahogany banister leading to the upper floors.  Vases of the fragrant flowers
nestled on side tables along with vintage decorati
ons.  Three little girls,
in matching red dresses with ivory sashes
,
insp
ected presents that were under the tree
, l
ooking
for their names
.  W
hen they found one, tiny
feet in black patent leather shoes, danced around the room in glee.

A steady stream of family and friends, handed over their coats to Bridget who hung them in the hall closet as she directed everyone to the dining room.  China, crystal and silver sparkled in the light from the chandelier, the buffet covered with an assortment of meats, cheeses and other appetizing dishes. 

Rory, dressed in a black tux, tended bar in the family room
as Tess shyly greeted friends and family.  Wearing a long black skirt and a glittery gold top, she served glasses of punch from the large crystal bowl. 

Molly and Patrick, who were standing up with Rory and Tess
,
looked
stunning
;
Patrick in a black tux and Molly in a strapless red chiffon gown.

Mason and Rebecca were in attendance, their first time out alone since their baby’s birth.  Rebecca wore a short black dress with a full
chiffon
skirt and sequined bodice.  Her blonde hair was swept up into
an intricate cluster of curls
and with her stiletto heels she was the picture of sophistication, until Tess saw her pinch Mason’s ass. 

Maggie wore a short, dark green satin sheath with spaghetti straps that outline
d
her trim body.  Just above her breasts nestled a lovely emerald teardrop pendant, which Nick had given her as an early Christmas present.  Like his brother Mason, Nick too had a hard time keeping his hands off his wife. 

Maeve and Colleen flitted around from room to room making sure everything was perfect.  Colleen
’s
dress was midnight blue velvet and left one shoulder bare.  Noah’s eyes followed her every step, and several times he was slapped for nibbling on her
. 

Maeve’s red and gold brocade skirt was knee-length and full.  Topped with a gold satin blouse and a wide black belt, she was the picture of a holiday hostess and mother of the groom. 

Bridget restlessly prowled from the foyer to the living room, her hands constantly smoothing down her skirt.  She had dressed with care wearing a tea length dress.  The bodice was black velvet and the skirt was red satin overlaid with sheer red chiffon.  Tiny gold crystals in
a snowflake pattern were scattered randomly around the skirt. 
Her curly blonde hair was in her typical high ponytail, woven through with red satin ribbons.

She spent the majority of her day, pouting in her room, sitting on frozen vegetables.  For the first hour or so
,
she plotted the most heinous forms of revenge she could think of.  As her bottom had cooled, so had her temper and she began to think
seriously about
Winston’s
proposal.

In the beginning she set her sights on Winston because he seemed to be the exact opposite of the other men in her family.  How
could she have been so wrong?
Not only was he very much like Rory and the rest of them
,
he was worse.  Not a hint of warning had preceded
his horrendous spanking.  Sure he got frustrated with her, even angry
,
but nothing in his character had led her to believe he was capable of such action. 
He was kind
,
smart
,
and funny
.  Y
et he
had
still apparently reached some kind
of breaking
point
.  If extremely well-mannered
,
Winston had been driven to commit an act so totally out of character, did that mean another man
—any
man
—could
and would
also resort to
using physical correction
if he didn’t approve of her behavior? 

Bridget didn’t tell anyone what had happened this morning, not even her Ma.  The afternoon was filled with chores and Bridget wrestled with her decision as she quietly completed what was asked of her.  Several
times she
caught her mother watching her with a strange look in her eyes, but Bridget said nothing. 

Part of her wanted to tell Winston to go straight to the devil and that she wouldn’t marry him if he was the last man on earth. 

Another part
of
her knew
that she
truly loved him and that she might never find another man she wanted as badly as she wanted him.
At times she convinced herself that if she were to married him, surely she could manage to avoid a repeat of this morning’s debacle.  After all
,
she was quite a resourceful girl and not above using her wiles to achieve success
. 

B
ut Winston was smart, incredibly
smart and would see right through her schemes. 

Shit!  What to do, what to do?

Pacing, Bridget wondered if Winston had changed his mind about the whole thing.  The only time he had been late for anything, was the day he got the ticket.  It was now five and he
still wasn’t here
. 
Feeling a little sick to her stomach
,
she forced thoughts of accidents and sudden illness from her mind.  I don’t know why I’m in just a hurry for him to get here, when I’m not even sure what I’m going to say, she thought.

The doorbell chimed and Bridget opened the door wide, relief flowing through her. 

“Good evening, Bridget,” Dell
said, displaying confidence he
didn’t feel.  “I hope you’ll forgive me for being late, I had a little errand to run.”

“Good evening
,
Winston.  No need to apologize, you didn’t miss anything.  The actual wedding isn’t until eight.  Won’t you come in?”
she asked politely, marveling at her cool
,
calm voice when her heart was going crazy and her hands were shaking.

Removing his black leather gloves, black scarf and long gray overcoat
,
he handed them to Bridget who hung them up in the closet.  His hungry eyes took in every detail of her appearance wondering if this would be the last time he saw her.  He wondered if her bottom was still the same color as her dress, but pushed the thought away lest he embarrass himself
with an inappropriate bodily reaction. 

On the drive over
,
Dell decided he would demand an answer from her the moment he arrived but now that she was before him, he changed his mind.  If this was the end of them, he would draw it out as long as possible, savoring every whiff of her perfume, every smile
, every
touch.  Taking her arm through his
,
he escorted her to the party, following the sounds of laughter and merriment.

The grandfather clock chimed eight times as all eyes turned to the top of the staircase.  Molly started down the steps, carrying a bouquet of ivory and red roses.  The music of Kenny G’s sax, a beautiful and haunting melody echoed around the guests as she floated across the floor, taking her place opposite Patrick.  His eyes shown with love as he smiled at his wife.

Tess and Sean appeared at the top of the stairs, Sean grinning fit to bust as Tess’s shaking hand grasped his arm tightly.  Laying his hand over the top of hers he whispered softly in her ear.

“Now don’t
you
be afraid or
nervous
,
D
arlin’
.  You’re an O’Malley now and
the
O’Malley’s
are a tough lot. 
You just go right down there and marry my son.”

“Thank you
,
Da
,” Tess replied before kissing his cheek.  Raising her head
,
she smiled at the guests and walked slowly down the stairs and across the floor until she stood before Father Donovan and took Rory’s hand.

The sight of Tess in her beautiful dress as she came downstairs on his father’s
arm was a sight Rory would
remember for the rest of his days.  So lovely it hurt his eyes to look at her,
so graceful, he couldn’t believe she would be his forever.  Her honey skin glowed in the candlelight and her dress shimmered with each step.  The yards of veil framed her and everyone else in the room faded into gold mist.  Tess was all he could see and his hand trembled as he took her small cold hand into his. 

The guests formed a circle around them as Father Donovan began the ceremony.  Molly held Tess’s bouquet and met Patrick’s smiling eyes with a wink.  Dell stood beside Bridget, and the other couples also paired up touching each other in some small way, a hand on the shoulder, around the waist or holding hands as they bore witness to Rory and Tess’
s love for one another.