Page 33 of Ranch Rules

Her thoughts were quickly diverted as she felt Thomas rest his hand on her bare cheek, bringing her focus right back where he wanted it. “Tell me why you’re getting a spanking.”

Her eyes moved to Lora once more. She couldn’t help but notice that Nate too seemed to be waiting on her answer. She dropped her eyes to the carpet once more. “Because I... got on Nate’s computer without permission.” She winced as the words left her mouth. Natalie had known if she was caught she’d get punished for it, but having witnesses just made the shame and embarrassment so much deeper.

“I can’t hear you.”

Wait, he was kidding... right?

When she didn’t answer, he smacked her right cheek, and she winced as her skin tingled with pain. “I asked you a question.”

“I... I said that I got on his computer without permission,” she repeated, louder, clenching her cheeks.

It was with good reason because he smacked her left cheek and then her right again. “That didn’t sound too respectful to me, what do you think, Nate?”

Natalie couldn’t help but cringe with the knowledge that he—and probably Lora—was watching her get spanked.

“No, I don’t think it did, Tom.”

“Care to try again?” He prompted her with a tap to her backside, his hand lower, where her thigh met her cheek.

His fingers splayed on her sit spot distracted her from the question. It was hard not to be reminded of what they had done earlier, and even though the position she found herself in now made her feel awkward and unsexy, her body responded to his touch despite it all. Feeling her sex pulse at the memory of him inside her heightened her humiliation over his knee.

Another quick, sharp smack pulled her back to the present. “What did I tell you about my patience, darlin’?”

“I’m sorry, sir!” she squeaked. “I shouldn’t have gotten on to Nate’s computer, sir. I knew it was wrong, I knew it was against the rules, and I did it anyway. I really am sorry,” she added, this time looking at Nate. When he gave her a nod, she dropped her gaze to Lora, feeling her face flush at the embarrassment of it all, and mouthed, “Sorry.”

The other girl offered a tiny smile and Natalie felt her heart lift, even knowing what was coming. Maybe she hadn’t made an enemy after all.

He gave her cheek a squeeze that made her whimper from the pain. “That’s better.”

“Now, how about you, little girl? What do you have to say for yourself?” Nate’s stern voice reverberated throughout the room.

“You’re spanking me because I lied to you, sir. And I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry, Daddy.”

Natalie froze, her curiosity piqued at the way she spoke to him. She’d known they were engaged, of course, but... why was she calling him Daddy?

“Good girl, that is exactly right.”

She cast a glance at Lora who was gazing up at Nate with an expression of complete submission and admiration. Something pulled in her chest. True, this whole encounter was bizarre, no doubt about it, but there was no denying that Lora adored Nate, and he clearly returned her affection in equal measure. Maybe she didn’t get this whole spanking thing, but it was evident that it worked for them. For the first time in a long time, Natalie realized how lonely she had been. Maybe that was why she kept so busy, taking on more work even when the other partners encouraged her to slow down. Was it possible that she piled work on top of work to distract herself?

But before she had any more time to think about it, Thomas’s hand descended on her bare buttocks in a one-two pattern that made her gasp out in surprise and pain. But he didn’t stop this time. There were no more questions, no lecturing, just his large, callused hand smacking her poor defenseless bottom. She was squirming over his lap from the onset. As the spanking continued, the stinging pain turning into a burn that moved across her ass, and her squirming accompanied pitiful whimpers.

Next to her, Lora was also being spanked. The room was filled with the sounds of flesh being smacked and two very sorry, repentant little girls crying out. Lora must have felt eyes on her, because she looked up, her blue eyes full of tears.

Too distracted by her scorched cheeks to feel as embarrassed as she first had, Natalie locked gazes with her, silently commiserating as they were spanked.

Despite her preoccupation with her painful predicament, she still took notice of the fact that Lora was taking her spanking lying perfectly still with only the occasional moan. Natalie couldn’t help but marvel at her self-control, but the more Thomas spanked, the more the fire dug into her tender skin. When he moved to her sit spots, all thoughts flew from her head except the desire to escape.

Without even being aware of it, she began to clench and unclench her fists. Before she knew what she was doing, she dug them into Thomas’s legs.

The spanking stopped immediately and Natalie scrambled off his lap, her panties falling to her ankles and tears streaming down her cheeks as she stood. She reached behind her, grabbing both cheeks with her hands as though she could somehow take away the searing burn. She turned to look at Nate, who was continuing the punishing of his fiancée without paying Natalie any mind.

Her chest was heaving as she felt the heat in her bottom continue to rise. Then she dared to glance at Thomas, who had not moved from the chair. The moment she caught sight of his face, her belly knotted. Uh-oh.

“What exactly do you think you’re doing?” he barked at her.

She was used to facing pretty fearsome guys in court, but right this moment, her panties around her ankles, she’d never been more vulnerable and couldn’t help but shrink in the face of his anger. Even worse, she knew she deserved it. “I’m sorry,” she cried pitifully. “I didn’t mean to. It was an a-ac-cident. I swear!” Her eyes begged him to believe her.

The firm line of his mouth didn’t change, leaving her unsure of whether he did or not. “Naughty girls don’t get to decide when their punishment is over,” he told her, his voice a level of stern she hadn’t known possible.

---