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Claire swallowed
hard, terrified to look anywhere but the wooden plank floor beneath
her bare toes. What had seemed such a good idea a mere twenty-four
hours ago had turned into a nightmare. The large man towering over
her was furious, and demanding answers, and Claire was fairly positive
he would not be pleased if she told him the truth.
“A taste of the cat might produce some answers, Captain…?”
the stout, bearded man who’d found her hiding place and dragged
her kicking and screaming before the ship’s Captain, spoke
in his hoarse, gravely voice.
“The cat is too harsh for a lad of such tender years,”
the Captain declared.
Claire’s momentary relief was shattered when he added, “My
razor strop will work nicely on his arse if he doesn’t speak
up and stop quivering like a wee lass!”
Darian Chalmers was startled when he was suddenly impaled by the
biggest green eyes he’d ever seen. They were flashing fire
at him, and he was suddenly aware of two things… He would
be roasting over an open flame if looks had power, and the pint
sized creature glaring at him was no lad in need of a strapping,
but rather a stunningly beautiful young lady, in need of a hand
applied to her soft bottom. He decided that he was just the man
for the job…! No man dared to look at him in that manner,
and he would be damned if he would permit it from the slip of a
girl standing before him as if she owned the ship she had stowed
away upon! “Val, go and give the order to head us back to
port. We will be returning this child.”
“But, Captain…!” the man was obviously startled.
“Do it now, Val.” The deep voice was polite but firm
with resolve, and the first mate gave a simple “Aye”
and went to do as he was bid, glaring at Claire.
Once the door was firmly shut, Darian grabbed the female’s
arm, took a seat on his chair and pulled her down over his lap,
and then commenced spanking the seat of her breeches. “Have
you no sense at all, girl? Dressing as a lad and boarding a ship
full of men? Do you have a fancy for being raped? Or are you simply
foolish?”
Claire was struggling to free herself, but to no avail. The arm
wrapped around her tiny waist was holding her firmly, and her wriggling
backside provided an ample target for his hard hand. “Ow!
Stop it, you brute! You are hurting me!” she screeched. “Stop,
I say!”
“You are in no position to order me about, lass. You have
earned this punishment with your stubbornness, and you will take
every bit of it.” Darian continued to spank her until she
was sobbing across his knee, and only then did he relent and stand
her on her feet. Her hat was dangling on the ends of her long red
hair, and Darian was stunned yet again by her beauty. What on earth
was she thinking to put herself in such danger by stowing away on
his ship…? “You can stop your crying and tell me what
you are doing here, little girl. And, I warn you right now, if I
do not like your answer, I will take you over my knee again, and
I’ll not be so gentle!”
“Gentle? I doubt you know the meaning of the word!”
Claire scolded him, reaching back to rub her stinging bottom.
“And I doubt you have ever had a palm applied to your comely
backside, little girl, or you would not be standing here defying
me. I shall have an explanation, and I’ll have it right now,
or you will feel my strap!”
Claire looked wistfully toward the door, but even if she made it
that far, and up on deck, there was nothing but ocean to protect
her from the man. He looked so big, even sitting in the chair. His
shoulders were broad, and she could attest to his strength! His
hair was dark, and so were his eyes. His face was easy to look at,
even though his expression at the moment could only be described
as foreboding. He was determined to have the truth, and she was
positive that he would not like what she had to say. Perhaps she
should make up a story… one guaranteed to make him feel sorry
for her?
“I have an emergency, and must reach the colonies… and
yours was the only ship that appeared to be leaving soon…”
she improvised.
“What kind of emergency?” Darian asked.
“My mother is ill and dying, and she begged that I come to
her immediately. My father hates her, and refused to give me money
for passage.”
“Did it occur to you that your father has every right to insist
upon your obedience? That he refused to give you money for passage
because it is a dangerously long voyage for a child, and the odds
are such that your mother will already be gone by the time you arrive…?”
To his dismay, she covered her face with her hands and started wailing.
He got to his feet helplessly and patted her back in what he hoped
was a comforting way. “I am sorry. I did not mean to hurt
your tender feelings… but in the time it took the letter to
get here, and for you to arrive in the colonies…” he
let his voice trail off meaningfully, and was treated to another
spate of weeping. “Damn, why didn’t your father tell
you this himself?”
“He hates my mother…” Claire was having fun. “He
used to beat her… and she ran away from him!”
“And left you behind?” Darian was shocked, thinking
of his own parents and how much they loved each other after thirty-five
years together.
“He was happy to be rid of her, but he wouldn’t have
let her take me away. He dotes on me…” she boasted just
a little.
“How did you expect to hide in the hold without being discovered?”
he growled, thinking the young lady needed a good lesson.
“I was hoping to hide for a day or two, and then ask to be
allowed to work for my passage. I can cook.” That was the
biggest lie of them all, and Claire had to bite her lip to keep
from giggling.
“Girl, this is a ship full of men. Have you any idea at all
of how dangerous it is for you to be here?”
“I just wanted to see my mother one last time,” she
permitted her eyes to fill with tears, and her lower lip to tremble.
“What you did was very foolish, and needs to be thoroughly
punished,” Darian told her matter-of-factly.
Claire backed a few steps away from the man, wanting to be sure
she was out of reach. “I have already been punished…”
she reminded him. The last thing she wanted was another spanking
at his hands. Why, even her father hadn’t spanked her since
she was a small child!
“You were spanked for being stubborn and a bit of aggravating
baggage. This punishment will be to point out the foolishness of
your ways. And when I return you to your father, I will make sure
he intends to follow through with a good switching,” Darian
promised.
“No… I mean, that will not be necessary. I have learned
my lesson already…” Good grief! Could this situation
possibly get any worse?”
“I sincerely doubt that. You don’t seem the least bit
repentant to me.”
“But, I am!” Claire quickly assured him.
“I haven’t heard the first ‘I am sorry, Sir,’
pass your lips, little girl.”
Claire felt her cheeks turn pink with embarrassment. “I am
sorry, Sir,” she dutifully replied, trying her best to sound
contrite.
“For what?” he demanded, looking at her in exasperation.
“Why, for stowing aboard…” her eyes told him she
thought him a dolt for not already knowing that piece of information.
“I can see a lesson is surely needed. Come here, girl,”
he patted his thigh meaningfully.
“No, I will not! You have no right to put a hand to me! I
am not a child!” Claire drew herself up to her full height,
and swept the cap off her thick red hair, and let it fall about
her slender shoulders in wild disarray. She put her hands on her
hips, and leveled the same look upon the Captain that was known
to send servants into a dither to do her bidding before they ended
up on the street without a reference. “I do not know who you
think you are, Captain, but this has gone far enough! I am not some
low born chit that you can order about and expect to do your bidding!
Since you are returning me to port, I will overlook the fact you
already overstepped your bounds, but if you dare to touch me again,
in any manner, I will have you arrested, your ship impounded, and
your crew thrown into gaol with you!” Claire didn’t
find it at all ridiculous that she was threatening the large Captain,
while standing in his cabin, wearing boys’ breeches, a shirt,
and barefoot. After all, she was Lady Claire Winslow, and used to
doing as she pleased, when she pleased, and if others didn’t
approve, well, that was just too bad… for them!
Darian slowly got to his feet, his dark eyes snapping as much as
her green ones… “You have just earned yourself the punishment
of your lifetime, little girl. It is obvious you have been sadly
neglected by your father, and this is a lesson long overdue. We
have nearly twenty-four hours before we reach port, and I daresay
that I can make you regret threatening me and my men when you are
the stowaway, and the one who needs to be making amends for disrupting
and inconveniencing our lives.”
“You cannot punish me! I will tell my father!” Claire
retreated another step or two.
“I can and will punish you, and I will tell your father myself.
He will be thanking me if he is half a man!” Darian predicted.
“I am serious, Captain… I do not even know your name!”
she cried out as she avoided the hand that was reaching for her.
“Captain Darian Chalmers,” he supplied her with his
name. “You may address me as Sir,” he informed her.
“And you may address me as Lady Claire—“
“’Lady’?” he hooted, thoroughly amused.
Claire blushed from her bare toes to the roots of her red hair as
he scrutinized her appearance and obviously found her sadly lacking.
She felt her temper flare, and without giving it a moment’s
thought, she picked up the first thing she could get her hands on,
a book, and heaved it at his smug smile.
Darian ducked, or he probably would have lost a tooth or two! As
far as he was concerned, she had made her reckoning that much worse!
He lunged for her as she let fly with another missile, and lifted
her off her feet and threw her over his shoulder. “Now, ‘Lady
Claire’, we will see if we can teach you some manners!”
He marched to the oversized bed, and took a seat on the soft mattress,
and threw her over his left knee.
Claire screeched when he jerked her breeches down to her knees,
leaving her backside bare to his gaze… and to his hand! The
first spank landed on a cheek that was still tender from the earlier
chastisement, and Claire frantically tried to escape. He simply
held her tighter, and whaled away on her poor bottom, turning it
a fiery red.
“You are in for a lesson you will never forget, ‘Lady’
Claire,” he promised, putting some real strength behind the
spanks he was rapidly delivering to her rounded cheeks. “Sitting
will not be comfortable for several days at least, and I daresay
when I am finished with you, you won’t be nearly so inconsiderate
of other people.”
“Please stop! Please! I am sorry!” she pleaded for mercy.
“I have heard that before. I did not believe you then, and
I do not believe you now. You don’t even know what you are
saying ‘sorry’ for…” his hand found the
back of her tender thighs and started spanking her there.
“Yeouch!!! Owwwwwwww! No, Please… Pleassssse, not there!!!
Stop! I am so sorry! I am sorrrryyyyy!” she yelled. He stopped
and she sagged in relief, hurting too much to care that her bare
bottom was on display.
“Why are you sorry?” he asked.
“For throwing the book at you,” she tearfully replied.
“Well, that is a start,” he commented. “And for
your threats?”
“For them, too,” Claire nodded, and then gasped when
he swatted her again. “Owww! I am sorry for threatening to
have you and your men arrested. I did not really mean it!”
she insisted.
“That’s better.” He paused, and then asked, “Is
there anything else?”
“I am sorry for stowing away… and for making it necessary
for you to turn back to take me home.”
“You will be punished for that,” he told her.
“You have already punished me!” she reminded him.
“For having a temper tantrum. You have still to accept a major
punishment for my inconvenience, and another for risking your life
by stowing aboard a cargo ship. You will need to have your father
explain to you how dangerous this bit of foolishness was…
but in the meantime, I will give you plenty to think about. You
will spend the rest of your time aboard this ship either across
my knee being spanked, or standing in a corner, or sitting on a
spanked backside contemplating the error of your ways. The severity
of the spankings you receive will depend on how well you accept
your punishment.”
“I am already sore! Surely you cannot mean to continue…?”
Claire asked tearfully.
“I can and do mean to continue, just as if you were my own
wayward child.”
“But I am NOT a child!” she protested.
“You have certainly done nothing to prove otherwise,”
he told her, then chuckled. “Be thankful you are a child,
little girl. If you were a grown woman I would have to be much harsher
with you.”
That did not bear contemplating, and Claire vowed to remain silent
on the subject of her age… until she had her father’s
protection. Then she would see to it the Captain was arrested for
treating her so shabbily!
“We will deal with the inconvenience to me and my men first.
Do you have any idea how much time you are costing me? You are costing
me three full days of travel. This could make a difference in a
safe journey or one that is perilous with storms!” he scolded.
Well NO, it had not occurred to her, not at all… since she
hadn’t expected him to set sail so quickly! Most ships stayed
in port for a long while. She was to spend one night aboard to win
her bet with Simon, Richard, and Peter. None of them realized the
Captain would set sail before morning! “I apologize for inconveniencing
you, Captain, and I will have my father make monetary restitution,”
she offered, hoping he would be placated. He was not.
“Your father did not inconvenience me, young lady. You did,
and you will be the one to pay the price for doing so. He lifted
her to her feet, and marched her to a corner. “You will stand
right here with your bared arse on display, thinking of all the
lost hours you’ve caused us. Three days equals how many hours?”
he demanded, wondering if she had even a vague idea of how to do
simple arithmetic.
“I am not ignorant, Captain. Three days is seventy-two hours…”
her voice was dripping with sarcasm.
“You will receive seventy-two lashes from my strap, one for
each hour. And, you will also receive an extra ten for the sarcasm,
little girl. You have exactly one hour to stand here and dread the
strapping you are going to receive.”
“An hour!”
“Unless you want to make it two?” he demanded, one eyebrow
arched perfectly.
“No!”
“No, Sir!” he corrected her with a hard spank to her
flaming backside.
“No, Sir!” she repeated, and then whimpered. “I
do not want another punishment…”
“I am sure you do not,” he agreed, then warned. “Keep
your nose right here, little girl, and be silent. No squirming,
and do NOT let me catch you rubbing your sore backside. If I have
to correct you for any of these, you will be soundly spanked, and
your hour will start all over again. Is that perfectly clear?”
his voice was stern and uncompromising.
“Yes, Sir,” Claire replied. She would use the hour to
come up with something to prevent him from taking a strap to her.
Surely, there was something she could say…? Maybe another
apology, accompanied by tears…? It worked on her father most
of the time… but then, her father was not the type of man
who resorted to corporal punishment. He was the sort who sent her
to her room, then felt guilty for doing so. She didn’t think
Captain Darian Chalmers wasted time feeling guilty.
Darian glanced at the young girl every so often, and had to admit
he was surprised by her composure. Either she was genuinely sorry
and accepting her punishment as just, or she was scheming and plotting.
He grinned and promptly decided that the spirited little lady was
the type to argue a point to the bitter end. It was more than a
little obvious that she was used to getting her own way, with little
regard to the means employed. He couldn’t undo fifteen years
of indulgence in one day, but he was going to give it his best.
If he were the girl’s father, he would thrash her once a week
just to teach her obedience, then marry her off as soon as she turned
eighteen… to a man who would continue her lessons with the
palm of his hand.
How much longer did she have? Standing here was embarrassing. She
could feel the Captain’s dark eyes staring at her bared bottom,
and it had to be the most humiliating experience of her twenty years!
Surely the guys had gone to her father for help? Maybe even now
he was coming to her rescue? Wouldn’t that shock the Captain
to his toes? Wouldn’t it be just if he was the one given a
thorough thrashing? Claire lost herself in the fantasy, picturing
the big man on his knees, pleading with her for mercy… Which
she would deny him, of course! He deserved to be punished for treating
her like an errant child!
Claire was starting to fidget. He suspected that the hour spent
in contemplation was wasted. She didn’t appear remorseful…
in fact, her whole demeanor proclaimed she was gearing for a big
tantrum, and he was not going to put up with it. He got to his feet,
and then walked to his trunk. He opened the lid, and reached inside
to withdraw a leather strap. His father had presented it to him
several years ago, just before he wed Patience. Patience was just
as sweet as her name, and he’d only used it twice in the three
short years they were together, and then it was more to ease her
of imagined guilt than it was to correct any misdeed. She and their
babe had died in childbirth, and he’d packed the strap away,
wondering if he would ever have need of it again.
“What have you to say for yourself, ‘Lady’ Claire?”
he decided to be fair and give her a chance to speak before bending
her over and punishing her.
Claire jumped nervously and looked around. Had an hour passed already?
Her embarrassment was forgotten as she contemplated what he intended
to do to her. Where was her father? Didn’t he know that he
was supposed to be here by now? That rescuing her from this madman
was his responsibility? She wasn’t about to suffer the indignity
of another spanking… especially one with the strap he held
in his hand! It looked soft and supple, but she had no doubt that
it would hurt even worse than his hand! She did not want another
punishment!
“I am sorry, Sir, for not thinking how my presence on this
ship could be an inconvenience for you and your crew. Please accept
my apology and my sincere promise it will never happen again.”
“Pretty words, Claire, but I think you are saying them to
avoid a strapping, not because you are genuinely remorseful. Come
over and kneel on the bed. You may hug the pillow if you wish to
smother your cries, but I expect you to keep your bottom up high
for the strap.”
“Please do not! I am not a child, and I do not want another
punishment! I am already sore, Captain Chalmers. I beg of you to
stop this deplorable treatment. My father is going to be upset enough
with you as it is… If I tell him you whipped me with a strap,
he will very likely see you hanged.”
“I doubt that, little girl. Now come and do as you were bid,
else I have to put you in place and give you extras for defiance.
You are a long way from having your punishments over with, and I
would think cooperating in your best interests… unless you
have no desire to sit for a month of Sundays when you return home…?”
he asked rhetorically.
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