Page 67 of Dirty Discipline, Vol. 1

“Don’t be stubborn. Let me help you up. You were doing really good there that time. Right up until you realized how fast you were going and then you panicked.”

Troy has hoisted her back on her feet where she stands hopping on one foot while he reaches down to grab her dangling ski and reattach it to her boot. As he stands, Hallie can see the humor dancing in his eyes. She has to give him credit. He has honored his promise to stick to her like glue. He’s even proven to be a very patient teacher and with the exception of making her use one of the chairlifts, he hasn’t pushed her too far out of her comfort zone.

“Are you getting hungry? We could take a break and grab some lunch before we head up to the next run.”

“The next run? You mean we need to do it again?”

Troy can no longer contain his laughter. “Honey, the object is to get as many runs in as you can in a day. No one does just one run.”

“No one but me. That is exactly how many I did last time I came.”

“Well, that’s because you went with idiots. Tell me the truth, are you hating it?”

“Honestly, I’m mostly having fun. I wish the small little kids would stop zipping past me.

They make me feel like a loser.”

“Well, you’re not a loser. You’re doing great for your first time.”

“As much as I’d like to take a break, I’m afraid if I sit down, I might not get up again. I’m pretty sure I’m using muscles I never even knew I had, and I’m really wishing I’d thought to bring that damn lotion to use on my sore bottom. I suspect it might come in handy tonight on my bruises.”

Troy hugs her to him tight. “Oh Hallie. You’re adorable.”

“Sexy.”

“Adorable and sexy. Let me demonstrate.” Troy captures her Chapstick-covered lips in a tender kiss. As cold as it is outside, he does a fine job of warming her up before reluctantly coming up for air.

Hallie has a better idea of how she’d like to spend their afternoon. “Sure you don’t want to just check in at the lodge?”

“Oh boy would I ever. Unfortunately, they’re full at this time of year and there’s no way they have our room ready yet. Anyway, what kind of an instructor would I be if I let you quit now?”

“The best kind. You could move on to instructions in other things.” The words have left her mouth before she realizes she does not want to pursue this line of discussion.

“Oh baby, I hope you’re going to let me instruct you on a great many things. But first, let’s grab food. I need you to keep your energy up.”

They manage to get three runs in after lunch and Hallie is proud that she hadn’t fallen even once since her disastrous crash trying to disembark a particularly scary ski lift. It was the only time she’d been ready to kill Troy because once he knew she wasn’t hurt, he had trouble helping her up and out of the line of fire of the skiers coming up behind them because he’d been laughing so hard. Apparently, it was a very graceful fall… not.

Hallie can’t remember being as happy as she is at this very minute. She has the perfect view of Troy as she sits in the comfortable leather chair next to the roaring fire in the lobby of the Alpine lodge. He’s at the desk checking them in and she is absolutely positive that he’s the most handsome man in the entire lodge.

As nervous as she’d been skiing, a whole different kind of anxiety is consuming her now. In a matter of minutes, she’ll be truly alone with Troy for the very first time. In many ways they barely know each other. She doesn’t know what his favorite color is or his favorite classes in school. She’d love to hear more about his childhood or trouble he’d gotten in with his childhood friends. All of those things can come over time. She has more immediate knowledge she needs from Troy Jackson.

The upcoming Housing Board meeting, where she’ll need to decide if she wants to stay in Eagle’s Pass, is never far from her mind. Like a threatening rain cloud, it hangs over every part of her life. Traci, Aunt Gina, and Uncle Adam have all tried to help her investigate her options for school and employment, but more importantly, sort through the confusing feelings about spanking. In the end, she knows that only Troy is going to be able to really help her make her final decision. She’s combed through the admission packet and has decided she’s pretty sure she could get used to living in a town where everyone practices DD. Everyone she’s met has been friendly, and if it takes getting cheesy spanking gifts as party favors to live near her aunt and uncle, she’s pretty sure she can manage.

If only it were that simple. Her heart lurches… and her damn panties cream… as she recalls the section in the admission packet that outlined the community rules and more importantly, the punishments available for sanction should the rules be broken. For the HoHs, that could be stiff fines, community service or worst case, expulsion. But for the TiHs, it can mean anything from a public apology to public service to a very public spanking. Hallie had nearly thrown up reading the firsthand accounts of both witnesses and punished submissives printed in the glossy color packet. She had to laugh at the irony of the detailed description and photo of the heavy ceremonial paddle used for all public punishments being printed right next to the information touting the state-of-the-art pet clinic and fenced dog park.

“Hey, you okay? You look like you’re about to cry.” Hallie had been so lost in thought, she’d missed Troy’s return.

She tries to put on a happy face. “Everything is great. You get our key?”

Troy drops the bag he’d been carrying and kneels in front of her, taking her hands in his. “Don’t do that.”

“What?”

“Lie to me.”

Hallie doesn’t deny she’d lied. There’s no point. The tear that had just escaped pretty much blew her cover. “Okay. How about I’d rather not talk about it?”

“Better, but not great.” Troy hesitates. “You aren’t having second thoughts about staying here tonight, are you? Because if you’d rather I drive you home, I’ll do that. We haven’t talked about it, but I’m not going to force you to do anything tonight that you don’t want to. You know that, right?”

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