Heart Song Anthology by Carolyn Faulkner (summer reads txt) 📗

me right now. I don’t cry pretty. I knew my face was swollen, and covered with red blotches. My lips were swollen, too, and would be red as could be, a telltale sign that I’d cried and cried and acted like a baby. No, I did not want Cody to see me now. I was ugly!

“Let me help you up, Jenny.” Cody used my childhood nickname, and I cried even harder. I couldn’t imagine anyone spanking a child as hard as I’d just been spanked. Still, Cody easily lifted me as though I weighed next to nothing, and I found myself sitting on my burning backside on his lap, right where he’d held me to spank me! I tried to get up, but his arms tightened around me, and he held me securely. “It’s all right, Jenny. You’re forgiven now. Go ahead and cry it out. I’ll hold you and keep you safe.” His voice was so gentle, and even though his arms were tight around me, they weren’t threatening in any way. Cody was doing his best to reassure me now, and it was exactly what I needed.

“I’m so sorry,” I managed to blubber through my sobs.

“I know you are, Jenny. I hated having to do that to you, but you can’t go around telling lies. It could get you into all kinds of trouble.” He rubbed my back and simply offered comfort, telling me it was all over now and I had a fresh slate. He wasn’t teasing me or mocking me, and when I finally managed to stop crying, he produced a clean handkerchief and pressed it into my hand. I immediately wiped my eyes and then blew my nose. Reason was slowly returning, and I was uncomfortably aware that I was almost nude from the waist down, sitting on Cody’s lap, and my backside was protesting the sitting. I didn’t know what would be worse, sitting as I was, or getting to my feet and drawing attention to a part of my body that was raising dickens with me for getting into trouble!

“There is no need to be embarrassed, Jenny. You did really well for the first time.”

“How could anyone do that to a child?” I demanded. “It was awful!”

“I didn’t spank you as a child, Jenn. I spanked you as a grown woman is spanked. A few spanks wouldn’t have been enough to get your attention and you wouldn’t have taken me seriously. You earned a lesson, and that is what you received.”

“I hurt,” I told him, aware that I sounded like I was whining.

“You are pouting now, Jenn, and that is also normal, but you need to stop. The cure for pouting and sulking is another spanking and I am sure you are too sore to contemplate another spanking on top of the one you just had.” His eyes were twinkling and reflected his humor.

“I never ever want another spanking, Cody Andrews. It was nothing like I expected it would be. I had no idea it would hurt so much, or that I would beg you to stop and sob my heart out.”

“What did you expect, Jenn? A few soft pats and a, ‘Don’t do that again, young lady.’ You wouldn’t have learned a thing if I’d given you a child’s punishment.” When I looked at the floor and said nothing, he continued. “Perhaps you expected the kind of spanking that feels good, and ends up in bed with great sex?”

Okay, my face flooded a telltale bright red, and only a fool wouldn’t have realized he was on the right track. “I see,” he said, and my eyes filled with tears again. “Now, don’t cry. I understand now, and I’m sorry you were disappointed. I prefer that kind of spanking, too, Jenn.”

“No, you don’t understand a thing!” My emotions were on a roller coaster and I was unable to keep from crashing and telling him everything. “I’ve watched you date woman after woman and break up, but do you ever look at me? No!” I yelled. “Do you ever notice that I am right here under your nose? No! I have had so many fantasies with you as the star, and then, the one time you do notice me, you make me feel like a naughty child. You threatened to fire me if I didn’t accept the spanking, and since that would be the worst thing ever, given the fact that I really am in love with you, I took the spanking. But you really hurt me, Cody. You ruined everything!” I jumped up off his lap, grabbed my pants and my clogs, and hurried into them. Then I ran into the break room, opened my locker to get my things, and hurried out the back door of the restaurant, leaving Cody Andrews sitting on that damn chair.

I arrived at my apartment and headed straight for the shower, leaving a trail of clothing behind me. I have a full-length mirror on the back of the bathroom door, and after turning on the water to heat up, I looked over my shoulder at my bottom. It was a deep red color and I felt my face flush again as I remembered the embarrassment I’d felt at Cody’s hands. If I didn’t feel a whole lot better by morning, I would quit and find another job. I started sobbing, heartbroken at the idea of never seeing Cody again. I really did love him, in spite of the fact he’d spanked me hard and long.

The water felt good on my sore bottom. I had it set cool enough that it helped some with the burn, even though the rest of me was chilled to the bone. I was careful as I dried off; even patting my skin with the soft towel was painful. I grabbed my robe from the hook and put it on, and I did a quick scrunch of my hair, preferring to let it air dry. It was naturally curly and I didn’t do