Page 21 of Tied to Trouble

“What was that all about? Why did Sam have a gun? What did Az say?” The questions tumbled out of Beverly’s mouth, one after the other.”

“Nothing!”

“Okay—if you say so.”

“I’m sorry, Beverly,” she apologized, “but Az makes me so mad I could scream.” She banged her small fist against the steering wheel and winced as she drove toward Beverly’s house on Apple Street.

Mags sat up and whined, her tongue licking Mandy on the arm.

“It’s okay, Mags, I’m just mad.” She patted the Golden Retriever soothingly on the head.

“Just out of curiosity, why are you so mad?”

Mandy’s glance slid sideways to Beverly and back to the road. She’d never kept any secrets from her best friend before, but she didn’t know how to tell her that Az had spanked her—and intended to do it again.

Beverly was living with her boyfriend, Wiley, and the couple had set a wedding date. Impulsively, she asked, “Beverly, does Wiley expect you to do everything he tells you? I mean—is he on any kind of a male macho trip?”

“What do you mean?” Beverly’s voice was guarded, and Mandy glanced over at her in surprise.

“I mean, if you had been me this morning, and Wiley was Az, what would he do?”

“Well,” Beverly hedged. “Wiley and I are engaged. I didn’t even know you and Az were dating.”

“We’ve known each other forever, Beverly. He’s been bossing me around forever, too, and I’m done with it,” she boasted with a bravado she didn’t truly feel. “He did ask me to dinner.”

Bev stared skeptically. “So,areyou dating?”

“I don’t know what we are. Anyway, that doesn’t matter. Just tell me what Wiley would do.”

“If I tell you, do you promise not to say anything? To anybody?” Beverly’s voice was pleading.

“Of course, I won’t. You know me better than that.”

Beverly flushed and shifted uncomfortably on the seat. “Okay, then, I guess I can tell you. Although you have to promise me you won’t think I’m weird.”

“No, I won’t think you are weird. Beverly, we’ve known each other all our lives, for heaven’s sake. What is so bad that you’re afraid to tell me?”

Mandy whipped the pickup over to the curb to park in front of her friend’s house. She watched curiously, waiting for her to continue.

“We have sort of an agreement, I guess you would call it.” She flushed slightly, the color creeping up the white column of her slender throat. “Oh, hell—there’s no easy way to say this, so I’ll just say it. If I did what you did, Wiley would put me over his knee and spank me.”

“You’re kidding,” Mandy squealed. She had begun to suspect it might be that with all of Beverly’s hesitation, but the revelation had shocked her anyway. “And you say you agree to that?”

“You can’t say anything to anybody.” Beverly stared defiantly at her. “You promised, Mandy.”

“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t tell a soul.” Her voice lowered a few notches. “That’s what Az intends to do to me,” she confessed.

It was Beverly’s turn to look shocked. “You’re not kidding, are you?”

“I wish I were. I can’t get over how much Az has changed. He’s not the same person he used to be. I don’t think I like this new one any more than I did the old one either.”

“He spanked you last night, didn’t he?” Beverly guessed, grinning.

“Yes, damn him.” She threw her shoulders back and banged her fist on the steering wheel. “But he isn’t going to get the chance tonight, because I’m not going to be home when he comes to pick me up.”

“Mandy!”

“I’m not. He has no right, Beverly. Good grief. At least you and Wiley are engaged and have an understanding. I guess that kind of... sort of... gives him some rights, doesn’t it?”

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