Kyle’s Bargain (23 page)

Kyle’s eyebrows rose. “I hope she’s saying good things.”

“Oh yes, definitely! She thinks very highly of you.” The
woman turned to Meg. “I think she might be a wee bit jealous too.”

Meg wasn’t sure how to respond to that and settled for
saying, “Maybe.” Fortunately another couple approached to talk to the teacher
so they could make a graceful getaway.

They proceeded into the auditorium and found seats. As they
waited for the show to start, Kyle did entertain her with whispered suggestions
about things they might do some time. But he stopped and got quiet when the
lights went down and the program began.

The play went just about as Meg expected from having seen
numerous previous examples. Lots of ragged edges, forgotten lines, awkward
movements and even a pratfall or two. But no one laughed at the mistakes.
Laurie did her part very well. She remembered all her lines and only made one
small error in the dance routine. Meg’s heart swelled with pride watching her
sister perform, knowing how much work she’d put into trying to make it perfect.

“She did great,” Kyle said as the show ended and applause
swelled in the auditorium. He stood up and clapped heartily along with the
other parents and families.

Afterward, while driving them home, Kyle swung off the route
to their apartment and pulled into a strip shopping center, parking in front of
a grocery store. “I think this calls for a celebration,” he said. “Wait here.
I’ll be right back.”

Meg watched Kyle cross the parking lot and enter the store.
Love and fear rushed over her in a wave of unsolvable mixed emotions. She
wanted the future with him. She still didn’t know if it could happen and so was
desperately afraid to let herself hope for it.

Laurie bubbled on about the play and how much fun it was,
stopping once to ask, “I did okay, didn’t I, Meggie?”

Meg dragged herself out of the maelstrom of doubt to
reassure her sister. “You did wonderfully.”

True to his word, Kyle wasn’t in the store long. He returned
with a bag that he handed to Meg. She felt something very cold and suspected
ice cream.

“What is it?” Laurie asked.

“You’ll see,” Meg promised.

Laurie jumped up and down, squealing when she saw the ice
cream. Meg didn’t keep it around because it was one of the few things Laurie
would eat all of in one sitting given the chance. And her freezer was pretty
tiny anyway. Consuming it was a messy business at best as Laurie ate slowly,
letting much of it melt away before she got it down. Kyle didn’t seem to mind
that it dribbled down her chin or that excitement sometimes got the better of
her while she was eating.

She couldn’t tell what he made of the abrupt change of mood
that led to Laurie throwing a tantrum when Meg said no to a second helping. It
was one of her better efforts too—noisy, stomping and headbanging. Meg sent her
off to bed and she finally went, shouting about how unfair her sister was all
the way.

“I’m sorry,” Meg apologized. “I should have warned you. Any
time she gets overexcited, she’s likely to have a big letdown. I call it her
‘crash and burn’. It’s not really her fault. She just can’t handle the overload
of emotion.”

Kyle stood behind her and pulled her back against him,
nuzzling her neck. “You don’t have to apologize for her. I understand. It’s
okay.”

Meg felt a bit of the figurative weight on her shoulders
lighten, but wasn’t sure she could trust it. “It’s not so uncommon.”

“You reminded me a while back that she’s a teenager.”

“True.” Meg sighed. “Can I take a rain check on the whole
Saturday-night routine? I’m really too exhausted and I don’t want to leave when
Laurie’s in this kind of state.”

“Of course.”

“Can we extend our agreement for another week to cover it?”

“Done.” He turned her in his arms so he could kiss her. It
went on and on, hotter and hotter as he explored her mouth and his hands roved
over her body until she was ready to drag him to the couch. But there was
Laurie…

He finally tore himself away. “I’d better go. If I don’t do
it now, we’ll end up naked on your living room floor. Not that I’d mind, but
under the circumstances it probably wouldn’t be the best idea.”

“No, probably not.”

Once he’d left she found herself wondering if he wasn’t too
good to be true. What was she missing here?

* * * * *

Kyle spent a lot of time over the next couple of days
wrapping his mind around the revelation of just how much Meg’s sister’s
limitations might affect their relationship. He thought he’d grasped it, but
Meg was right that he couldn’t really understand until he’d seen and begun to
live with it.

If he married Meg, he’d be taking on her sister as well. For
better or worse. It was a lifetime commitment. Not the sort of thing one should
do without giving it serious consideration. Over the next couple of days it
popped up in his thoughts several times, but as often as not it led him into
memories of some of the better times with Meg, a distraction he enjoyed but
didn’t need.

On Wednesday, that problem faded to the back of his mind
when he got another rejection for financing, leaving him with only one
application still out. He could submit others, of course, but he doubted the
results would be any different. He called Meg but was disappointed when she had
to turn him down again for dinner. Laurie was sick.

This was how it was. Her sister’s needs meant she wouldn’t
always be there for him and it—

He slammed down on that when he realized it was childish
whining. He was a man, not a boy who needed his mommy and had to have
everything he wanted when he wanted it. And Meg was a woman with
responsibilities. She never whined about them either, even when it obviously
cramped her and got in the way of what she wanted.

If they were together, though, they could share their
burdens. Always be there for each other. For better or for worse.

And if it was for worse? On his side or hers? They’d figure
it out. One way or another, they could work it out.

On Friday he dug out Rita’s engagement ring and sold it.
He’d always despised the gaudy thing with its enormous solitaire diamond. He
used most of the money to buy a new ring for Meg, a smaller diamond surrounded
by emeralds and garnets. If she didn’t like it, he’d take it back, but he felt
sure she would be thrilled with it.

When to ask was more of an issue. Probably whenever he could
work up the nerve to do it. Maybe not Saturday night, though. That didn’t seem
quite right to him. Sunday, when they took Laurie on what had become a routine
to walk in a park somewhere? The girl tended to go off to follow an animal or
butterfly or anything else that caught her eye. They could hang back, he could
find a private place and ask her.

Fortunately Laurie was recovered by the following Saturday.
He and Meg shared a nice dinner at a Chinese place and then went to his home
for the regular disciplinary session. He’d just opened a new bottle of wine for
the two of them when the phone chose that inopportune moment to ring. He
ignored it until the machine picked up and he heard Rick’s voice say, “Sorry to
disturb you on a Saturday night, but we have a situation we’re hoping you can
help with. Call back when you can.”

At Meg’s nod, Kyle dove for the phone. “Rick?”

“Hey, I bet I’m interrupting something,” Rick said. “Sorry.”

“Actually we just got back from dinner and hadn’t started on
phase two yet.”

“Meg is there, I presume.”

“Score.”

Rick hesitated before he said, “Maybe we should talk about
it tomorrow.”

“You said you had a situation and you sound…upset.”

“Lindy and I had an argument. No, a fight. She said— No, I’m
not going into all the reasons. Anyway, she did something wrong. She’s
apologized for it and I’ll forgive her but… We both think she should be
punished for it, but I’m afraid I’m too angry to handle it right. Alone.”

“Let me consult with Meg,” Kyle said. He turned and gave her
a quick version of the conversation.

“Do they want to come here or do they want you to go to
them?” she asked.

“It’s ‘us’. And I’m not sure. Does it matter?”

“I don’t guess it does. You want me to… Do what?”

He shrugged. “Not sure. Maybe just be a witness. Maybe be
moral support.”

Meg frowned and was quiet for a moment before she nodded.
“I’m not sure what I’m getting into here. It scares me a bit.”

“You say the word and we’ll leave, okay? If you don’t like
it or just want to get away, say so and we go.”

Meg smiled. “Okay.”

Meg hoped she hadn’t just committed to something she
couldn’t handle or couldn’t stand. She couldn’t help but be a little curious
about what would happen, maybe even a little apprehensive about seeing how this
couple interacted with Kyle in a more intimate setting. Suppose they did
something that really upset or bothered her. How would that affect her relationship
with Kyle?

As they drove to Rick and Lindy’s place, she asked him,
“What can I expect?”

Kyle shook his head. “I’m not really sure. Rick wasn’t too
specific about what was going on or what they planned. Some kind of discipline
for Lindy is all I know. No idea what form it might take, what else is going on
or what might happen afterward.”

Meg didn’t find that terribly reassuring.

When they arrived at the apartment, Rick answered the door.
He looked stressed and frazzled with his hair disarranged and spots of high
color showing on his cheeks. He sounded subdued and even depressed compared to
the way he’d been the previous week as he said, “Come in.”

Lindy came down the hall behind him. Her eyes were swollen
and red, her face blotchy. She gave them a watery smile. “Thank you for coming.
Did Rick…?” Her voice broke.

“He didn’t tell us much,” Kyle said. “Just that you two had
argued and as part of the reconciliation you’d asked for discipline.”

Lindy nodded. “I did something stupid… And it hurt him.” She
glanced at Rick. “I’m so…” She turned and ran from the room.

Rick shrugged. “It was stupid and thoughtless, but I swear,
I think she’s hurt herself more than she hurt me.” He pushed his fingers into
his hair, making the strands stand up. “I don’t know how to convince her.”

Meg glanced down the hall then back at the men. “Let me.”

Rick nodded without much enthusiasm.

Meg found Lindy in the master bedroom at the end of the
hall. The other woman sat on a window seat, legs pulled up so her knees were
almost under her chin. “Can I come in?” Meg asked.

Lindy turned and attempted a smile. “Come in.”

Meg plopped herself down on the other end of the cushioned
seat, which was tucked into a bay window overlooking the front of the house.
“You’re feeling pretty raw right now,” she ventured. “But you’re still wearing
the ring. He hasn’t asked for it back?”

Tears swam in her eyes. “Not yet.”

“You’re supposed to be getting married next week. I think he
would have asked for it back already if he was going to.”

“I’m not so sure. I said some terrible, stupid things…and he
was just trying to be nice.”

“He loves you. He’ll forgive you. He knows you’re sorry.”

“It’s just that I’m so compulsive about money,” Lindy burst
out. “And I was worried about how much we’re spending on the wedding. He was
trying to be wonderful when he bought the new car for me, but it caught me at a
bad moment. I wasn’t nice about it. I didn’t think he should be spending the
money on it when I had a perfectly useable car. I know it’s old and not in the
best of condition but… I was so
stupid
! I couldn’t just accept it as a
gift.”

“Still, you’ve apologized, haven’t you?” Meg asked.

Lindy nodded.

“And he accepted it?”

She nodded again.

“And you asked him to punish you for it. Are you afraid?”

For a moment she didn’t answer. “A bit.”

“That he’ll be too harsh? Is that why you wanted Kyle?”

Lindy’s smile was both wry and sad as she shook her head.
“Afraid he won’t be harsh enough.”

“Kyle can help him with that.” It astounded Meg to hear
those words coming out her mouth.

“I just hope I can bear it well.”

“You’ll do fine. Let’s get it over with.” Meg extended a
hand to her.

Lindy took it and stood. “This is sort of bizarre, isn’t
it?” she asked. “Most people try to avoid punishment for the things they do
wrong and we want it.”

“Only because it’s being dealt out by the men we love and
respect. The men we want to be our Masters. This is part of the deal.”

“Yeah. But no matter how much I know I want it, when it
comes down to actually submitting to it, I get the shakes.”

“Me too,” Meg admitted. “But afterward…”

Lindy smiled and nodded as they headed for the door. “Yeah.
It’s all about afterward, isn’t it? The glow, the satisfaction, the lovely
burn, the… Maybe I’m weird about this too, but I like to have marks afterward.
It’s like the badge of…courage or submission or something. But I have lots of
company if I’m weird that way. Lots of sub women, anyway.”

“Count me in.”

“Still, this isn’t going to be easy.” Lindy squared her
shoulders as they went out into the hall. “Time to face the music. Thanks for
the moral support.”

“Any time, hon. It continues. You have safe words?”

“Oh yeah. Rick’s adamant about it.”

They got to the living room where both men waited. “Ready
now?” Rick asked.

Lindy nodded, her expression calmer than earlier.

“In the guest room.”

They all tromped back down the hall to the closed door
opposite the master bedroom. Lindy pushed it open and they followed her in.

At first glance the space looked like a standard guest
bedroom. It took a subtler eye to note that the four-posted single bed was
oriented against the far wall to allow plenty of space for someone to swing
their weapon of choice at the victim who could either bend over the side or be
fastened upright to the corner post at the foot. Hooks in the form of decorative
brackets hung on each support. The usual dressers were supplemented by an
armchair in the corner with a reading table beside it and a stuffed hassock in
front.

“Strip and stand by the bed,” Rick ordered.

Lindy drew a breath and quickly removed her shirt, jeans and
underclothes. Her fair complexion showed a tinge of pink flush as she stood in
front of them all, nude. She was slender and lighter boned than Meg, but her
hips were wider and her bottom more rounded.

Rick went into the closet and returned with an armful of
wicked-looking instruments. He laid five of them on the hassock—a small, round
wood paddle, a longer leather paddle with holes cut out, a long, narrow leather
strap, a bunch of twigs wrapped up at one end and a thing that looked like a riding
crop. Dear heaven. He was going to use all of those?

Rick took the remaining pair of straps and walked around the
bed to the narrow aisle between its far side and the wall. He hooked the straps
to something out of sight then laid the loose ends on the bed.

Instead of coming around again, he called, “Lindy?”

She walked to the bed. The mattress and box spring made it
high enough that the edge hit her at mid-thigh. Without prompting she knelt
beside it, laid her head and chest on the surface and extended out her arms
across it. The straps had some kind of fasteners on the ends, which Rick
wrapped around each of her wrists. He tightened something on the lower ends of
the straps that stretched out her arms to full length without straining her
shoulders.

When she wrapped her fingers around the straps, Rick knelt
down on the far side, and said quietly, “Give me your hands.”

She released her hold on the straps and laid her palms on
his.

Rick nodded at Kyle then glanced at her. “Meg, there’s a pad
and pen on the dresser. I want you to keep count.”

He turned to meet Lindy’s eyes. “There are several issues
being resolved with this lesson. You hurt me, yourself and our relationship
with your thoughtless words. You repudiated my Mastery with them and questioned
my judgment. I realize they were words spoken under stress and you’ve
apologized more than once for them. I’ve forgiven but we can’t forget until
it’s been dealt with.” He drew a breath and swallowed hard. “I want this to be
as much a reminder and a lesson as a punishment. It’s not going to be too harsh
or cruel, but it isn’t going to be quick or easy, either. It’s going to be a
lesson in submission and remembering. You’re not a doormat and shouldn’t be.
But in our relationship, you’ve acknowledged that I’m the Master and you submit
to me. That means you don’t tell me I’ve made a bad decision. You don’t insult
me by telling me I’ve spent too much on a gift. Or anything else, for that
matter. If you have doubts or reservations about something, you
ask
if
we can talk about it. I’m willing to be reasonable, but I am still the man you
submit to. You’ve said you wanted it that way. Is it still so?”

Lindy drew a sobbing breath. “Yes, Master. I’m sorry,
Master.”

Rick looked up at Kyle for a moment then back at Lindy. “Kyle
is going to give you one hundred strokes with five different implements. He’s
not going to do it hard and he’s not going to do it fast. It’s going to take a
while, and you’re going to look at me the entire time. Take your eyes off me
for too long, I say, ‘Eyes’ and you get an extra hard swat from Kyle that
doesn’t count in the total. Got it?”

What she saw in Rick’s eyes—the love, the concern, the sweet
sternness—warmed Meg’s heart. She’d seen a similar expression on Kyle, but not
to the same extent. She wouldn’t mind it, though. Wouldn’t mind at all. She
didn’t think she would, anyway.

Lindy nodded, watching Rick intently. “Yes, Master.”

“Ready to start?” It came out more harshly.

Meg felt her own stomach lurch and twist. Lindy’s back rose
as she drew a huge breath and let it out slowly. “Yes, Master.”

Rick nodded to Kyle.

Kyle turned to pick up the smaller, wood paddle. He met
Meg’s eyes as he lifted it. “Keep track of the count for me? Let me know when
I’ve hit twenty with each.” Meg wasn’t sure what he saw in her expression, but
it seemed to worry him. “Are you all right with this?” He asked it quietly so
the others wouldn’t hear.

“Yes,” she breathed. “I’ve just never… This is all kind of a
revelation. A very different take on what I saw at the club.”

He nodded. “We’ll talk more about it later. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Kyle turned and positioned himself behind Lindy. He raised
the little paddle and brought it down smack in the middle of her left butt
cheek. It wasn’t a very hard spank. Lindy jolted but made no sound and kept her
eyes on Rick. Color flooded into the area where the paddle had struck when Kyle
pulled the wood back. Meg made a mark on the pad even while she kept her eyes
on Lindy.

The other woman watched Rick steadily as a spot of pink
showed on her bottom and disappeared. Meg couldn’t actually see her face, but
the angle of Lindy’s head and neck indicated the direction of her gaze. True to
Rick’s promise, Kyle took a good minute or so before he delivered the next
spank to the center of her right buttock.

Meg knew those smacks were so light they probably barely
stung at all. She wondered how it would feel to be in Lindy’s place, facing a
long spanking at the behest of the man you loved, administered by a close
friend while you knelt before them, naked and exposed, with at least one
relative stranger watching. To be so helpless yet held firmly, carefully by
your Master, lover and future husband. Staring into his handsome, stern, loving
face.

As she marked off the second and then the third strokes, Meg
tried to put herself in Lindy’s place. She couldn’t manage it. The thought of
having strangers watch, or Rick actually doing it, was more than she could
process. At least Lindy had known Kyle for some time. Had actually done this—or
something close to it—before.

Meg marveled at Kyle’s patience in delivering the spanks in
measured and decidedly sedate rhythm. The small paddle didn’t deliver much of a
blow and Kyle wasn’t smacking very hard, so by the time she called out that
he’d reached twenty, Lindy’s bottom barely showed a pink flush.

Kyle set down the small paddle and picked up the heavier
leather one. Its larger size would mean he could strike across both cheeks at
once and the holes would ensure even more bite. But his first stroke with the
heavier paddle wasn’t hard, barely enough to make a small plopping sound.

Lindy didn’t move or moan. Her gaze remained locked with
Rick’s. The intimacy of it made Meg feel like an intruder but also a privileged
friend given the opportunity to share something deeply personal and moving—a
turning point in their relationship.

Kyle’s next few strokes landed with only a little more
force, just enough to leave pink stripes across Lindy’s bottom. Then he moved
down to the tops of her thighs and laid several lashes across them. Those
showed as brighter, raised patches that grew darker after a few minutes. After
the third one, Lindy twitched and moaned, though she didn’t look away from
Rick’s face.

The paddle’s aim moved back up again, the strokes getting a
bit harder but still not using anything like all the strength of Kyle’s arm. He
kept up the slow, even rhythm through all the strokes, making the last few not
much harder than the first had been.

When she called, “Twenty,” he lay down the paddle and picked
up the long, narrow strap, doubled it over in his fist and whipped it across
her bottom. The crack was marginally louder. Lindy gasped and wriggled her
bottom.

If she moved much more, she would display her pussy to both
her and Kyle. Kyle had no doubt seen it before but still… There was an amazing
level of trust and confidence in what she permitted. Did she do it entirely for
love of Rick because he wanted this from her? Or was there some level of need
for it in her?

Meg sort of suspected it might be both, though logic said
the first would preclude the second. Seeing this stirred hints of a similar
desire in herself, yet she knew she’d never act on them except in the small,
limited way she’d learned to do with Kyle.

She watched him as he laid another stripe across Lindy’s
bottom. The skin there now showed a definite pink flush with deeper rose lines
appearing where the strap hit. Still, he wasn’t striking particularly hard. It
didn’t get any harsher until the last few with that instrument and even then it
was far from severe.