Page 9 of Tied to Trouble

Mandy watched him with her mouth open, her buttocks burning and stinging. She rubbed furiously until he got to his door, and then she folded her arms and greeted him with icy silence.

Az didn’t say a word all the way to her house, Mandy didn’t either. Not until they pulled into her driveway. “Okay,mister macho, just how am I supposed to get to work in the morning?” She glared scornfully over at him.

“I’ll come by and pick you up.”

She grimaced in disapproval, but held her ground when he turned the truck off and faced her with a considering gaze. “Don’t bother to see me to the door, I’ll find my own way in.” Mandy pulled on the door handle, but Az held her arm. She didn’t like the look on his face, and she fidgeted, suddenly nervous.

“Don’t get sassy with me, Mandy. You’re just one step away from going over my lap and getting the spanking of your life. I doubt you’ve ever had a real one, and God knows you sure need it.”

“Boring—you’ve already done that once, remember?” she snarked airily.

“If you’re referring to when you were fourteen, that wasn’t a spanking. Those were just love taps to wake you up.”

He would have to bring up the most humiliating experience of her life. It was when her feelings had turned from lusty admiration to hate. “Oh, I woke up all right. You ripped those crush-colored glasses right off my face and made me realize what a bully you are, Az Newcomb. My opinion hasn’t changed in the last eight years, either.” She shook his arm off. “Besides, if I choose to have a good time and flirt with someone, that’s my business. It’s a free country.”

“You let that man think you were going to bed with him when you didn’t intend to,” Az replied bluntly. “It’s called leading him on...there’s another name for it too, but I won’t repeat it.”

“Maybe I did intend to,” Mandy taunted. “Anyway, what business is it of yours who I sleep with? I already told you that I don’t want to be a virgin forever.” She tossed her head defiantly.

“That’s enough, Mandy, you’re just asking for it.” His eyes narrowed in warning, but she ignored it.

“Mind your own business, bossy butt.” Mandy’s blue eyes flashed scornfully, anger making her imprudent.

“Mandy, you’re drunk.”

She just couldn’t help herself; she was too aggravated with him. “Bossy butt...bossy butt...bossy butt,” she chanted in a childish, singsong voice. When he suddenly reached for her, she squeaked and jumped.

She wasn’t quite sure how it had happened. One minute, Az was sliding into the middle of the bench seat, and the next minute, she was face down in the driver’s seat. Her body was suddenly sprawled awkwardly across his lap, her feet digging into the floorboard as she tried to scramble upward. When a burning slap landed across the seat of her jeans, followed by several more, she screamed in rage. Bucking and kicking didn’t help; all her heels met was the underside of the dashboard, and that didn’t stop the spanks that were raining down on her unprotected backside. “Stop it, Az! I hate you! Stop it!”

“I’ll stop when I think you’ve had enough.”

“You have no right to do this.”

Mandy grabbed the steering wheel with her right hand, trying to pull herself up, or interfere with the painful barrage that was burning into her cheeks. Unfortunately, she couldn’t do either because of the broad arm that was blocking her. Az had a firm grip on her hip and seemed set on showering her with endless spanks that were building to a very painful level.

He paused, his palm resting on her blazing backside. She could feel the heat through her jeans. “I have every right. You shouldn’t lead a man on, brat. It’s a good way to get more than you bargained for.”

“It’s none of your business either way,” she spluttered.

“It’s been my business all along, and it’s still my business. You go looking for trouble, and you’re going to find me right behind you.” He landed several harder spanks.

“Ow, stop it, Az, you’re hurting me.” The last sentence came out on a plaintive wail that she couldn’t help.

“I want it to hurt,” he replied without sympathy. “I want to make sure you feel this through your jeans. And I want you to give up the ridiculous notion of losing your virginity. Just tell me when you’re ready to be sensible.” Then he continued to spank her, apparently determined to send his message home.

Mandy yelled in pain and outrage until she couldn’t take anymore. “All right, I’ll give it up!” She sobbed helplessly, confused, frustrated, and angry. She wanted to stamp her feet and punch him in the face. “I hate you, Az Newcomb,” she cried when he pulled her upright.

“You can hate me all you want, but I’m not going to let you get yourself in trouble, little girl,” he said firmly.

Mandy glared at him in the moonlight. His features were hard, the contours of his tanned face calling for her fingers to explore them. “What do you want from me, Az?” she whispered raggedly.

He was silent for a moment. “You need to get to bed, Mandy. Tomorrow comes early, and you have a hangover to get past.”

“I’m not drunk, Az. Maybe a little too much to drink, but not plastered. Besides, you can’t keep me from making my own mistakes forever. One of these days, there will be another Sam Pickering; you can’t stop them all.”

When his eyes hardened into gleaming, turquoise rocks, she recognized the same fury she’d experienced in the back of Bensons’ Market. She wanted him to kiss her, but not in punishment. Yanking furiously at the door handle, she pulled away from him and almost fell out of the truck in her hurry to get away. At that moment, she really did hate him, but not because he’d spanked her, but because he confused her.

The evening air kissed her wet cheeks and lifted her hair as she ran down the concrete walk to the side door to let herself in. Then she leaned back against the door until she heard his truck start up and leave.

---