#LoveSpanks

It's finally here. Love Spanks!

This will be a long post, but it's full of good info.

Welcome to Love Spanks 2013!  Would you like to win a Kindle Fire or Nook Color (donated by Blushing Books), a $40 gift certificate to Loose Id (donated by Loose Id and Cara Bristol), a $15 gift certificate to Amazon (donated by Stormy Night Publications), or a book bundle (donated by Stormy Night Publications)?

For updates and the complete list of information, please see the main contest page.

Here is a quick rundown of the rules:

1. Visit each blog between Saturday, February 9th and Sunday, February 10th to read the posted stories and excerpts.
2. Leave a comment answering the story question on each blog.  You will receive one entry per blog for the grand prize drawing.
3. If you have visited all the blogs, visit Anastasia Vitsky’s blog to sign up for FIVE bonus entries to the grand prize.
   Deadline is midnight EST (UTC -5) on February 10th!!
4. If you successfully completed the Spank or Treat challenge and were notified by Ana, you may add “VIP” to your comments.  You will earn THREE bonus entries toward the grand prize.  (Yes, we will be doing this again.  Yes, if you successfully complete the Love Spanks challenge you can become a VIP for our next activity!)
5. Visit any of the participating blogs on Valentine’s Day to find out the lucky winners.  Will it be you?

FREE BOOKS!
As an extra treat, all Love Spankers are eligible for free books!  (Donated by Lazy Day Publishing)

• Of Yesterday by Alta Hensley
• To Love a Woman by Jade Cary
• Rules of War by Sue Lyndon
• Deep in the Heat of Texas by Amy le Blanc, Melissa Ecker, and Alta Hensley

To download your free copies, go here. 
 All the other rules can be found here.

Plus, I'll be giving away a $10 Amazon gift card to one lucky commenter who answers the question at the end of the story. Please leave your email address in your comment.

After that, be sure to visit all the other Love Spanks participants and comment on their blogs to enter individual contests as well as the grand prize drawing.

Whew. And now, here's my part:

I'm so excited to share this story with you. It's a follow up to my book Twenty One Days to a Better Attitude. In the original story, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Darcy Hughes has her life tightly under control, at least until Ben Dawson moves in next door. Ben’s attempts to be friendly are quickly rebuffed. He calls her out on her rude behavior and suggests that a good spanking will cure her bad attitude. 

This story picks up a few weeks later.

A Better Valentine's Day

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Darcy!” Mindy, the administrative assistant and staff wrangler called out.

Darcy paused and looked around the central area of the county prosecutor’s office. Red, red, red. Everywhere was red: streamers, hearts, balloons. Fortunately a big bowl of red foil wrapped chocolates sat on Mindy’s desk. Darcy took a handful and stomped to her office.

Valentine’s Day. Damn. First, she’d forgotten all about it, which was good because that saved her from spending more of her day pissed off, second, it was the most annoying work day of the whole year.

In a job that saw the worst of humanity on a regular basis: drug dealers, child abusers, thieves and murderers, you’d think that Valentine’s Day would be a highlight. Not for Darcy Hughes, Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney and all around grouch.

She made a mental note to schedule the day off next year. Maybe she’d make an appointment for a colonoscopy. It would be an improvement.

For her this day would be a marathon of reminders that she'd failed at love. Every office in the building from the board of elections to the dog catcher would have flowers delivered to some lucky lady who would blush and giggle and parade them through the office, or the whole courthouse if she could figure out a way to do to it, to show that she had a Valentine.

Valentines: the universal sign that you were spoken for.

Darcy couldn’t remember the last time she got a Valentine, though she suspected it probably was deposited into a foil covered shoe box on her desk in the third grade. Even the few dismal adult relationships she’d had seemed to always go down in flames before February 14.

Most people would try to bury themselves in their work in order to avoid the constant reminders of romance, but even if Darcy tried that tactic, which she was prone to do, it wouldn’t help. You see, courthouses have courtrooms and courtrooms have judges and judges perform marriage ceremonies.  

Much as it annoyed Darcy to watch brides on TV competing with each other for the best wedding, while acting like spoiled self-centered brats, at least they didn’t interfere with getting her work done. Although she applauded the practical aspects of a quickie courthouse ceremony, on Valentine’s Day the volume of giddy brides was nearly puke-inducing.

Darcy needed a judge’s signature on a document she’d spent several days preparing, but in order to get to him, she had to wait behind three couples who wanted to be amongst the first married this Valentine’s Day.

The whole thing made her skin crawl. She was a professional, after all. Her business should come first.

She scowled and took her place in line.

*****

Ben Dawson grabbed his bag from the airport carousel and hurried to his car. His flight had been delayed which put his plan several hours behind schedule. He’d have to make a couple of adjustments, but it could still work.

He smiled to himself as he pulled onto the highway.

He had a feeling that Darcy didn’t like surprises. No, it wasn’t just a feeling. It was a certainty. Darcy was a control freak who liked everything her way and planned out in every detail.  Adaptability was not her strong suit. Bossiness was.

But damn, she turned him on. He loved her feistiness. When she got on a roll of self-righteous indignation, it was all he could do not to bend her over the back of the couch and screw her until she stopped talking and started moaning.

He hadn’t done that…yet. He knew she wanted him to and often she went out of her way to provoke him. 

Other times, she provoked him without even trying.  

When he’d first spotted Darcy stomping across her driveway to his house on moving day he’d had one overwhelming thought: “She needs a good spanking.” His second thought was another thing he’d like to do to her that was also stress relieving. And no, it wasn’t yoga.

That had been six weeks ago. And every Saturday night since then, he’d gone to her house and spanked her naughty bottom. 

He wondered what the folks down at the prosecutor’s office would think if they knew that every week Darcy “The Dominator” Hughes got  her butt reddened by her new neighbor.

Maybe they wouldn’t be so surprised. Darcy thought she had the whole world fooled into thinking she was tough and independent, but to him it was obvious that she was simply afraid of being hurt so she’d put up some pretty high walls and wrapped herself in a cloak of law and order.

She’d let her guard down a few times during their Saturday night spanking sessions, but he longed to see her in the wild abandon of passion.

*****

Darcy finally got the judge’s signature, scurried back to her office and closed the door. How many more hours until this day would be over?

She opened her email and found a message from her friend Rhonda. Happy Valentine’s Day! Will you and the new neighbor be steaming up the sheets later?

Darcy chuckled and shook her head. There was nothing subtle about Rhonda, which explained why they got along so well. They both shot from the hip. What you see is what you get.

Which is why Darcy had no idea what to say in response to Rhonda’s message. You see, Darcy had fibbed. Stretched the truth. Lied.

Well, what else could she do?

She could hardly tell Rhonda, or anyone, that the reason she couldn’t go to the movies or out to dinner or to see the latest play on Saturday nights was because she had a weekly appointment to get a spanking from her sexy neighbor. Could she?

So she told Rhonda it was date night. It was sort of true. They had a date for a spanking. Usually they had pizza and wine beforehand, though sometimes Darcy was in such a mood and there was so much bickering that clearly the spanking needed to be administered first.

She still had trouble wrapping her head around the fact that spanking made her feel better. There was just something about laying herself across Ben’s lap that began the process of draining away her stress. She felt safe.

Yep, bare assed across a man’s lap while he prepared to administer a spanking made her feel safe.

It made her feel a lot of other things too.

And that explained why she was extra cranky today.

She’d thought---hoped---that she and Ben would be in a relationship by now but it sure didn’t seem like it. And, according to all the dating advice books, if you aren’t sure if you’re in a relationship or not, you aren’t.

Would it have killed him to send some flowers or a card or even, heaven forbid, make a call to wish her a Happy Valentine’s Day? She rarely heard from him during the week, though he showed up every Saturday night with a smile on his face and discipline on his mind.

She hated to admit how much she looked forward to Saturday nights.

Maybe Ben would bring her a Valentine Saturday night. It would be late, but it would go along with their weekly schedule.

To hell with that. It was Valentine’s Day and if he didn’t want to be in a relationship with her then she was going to put an end to the whole thing. No more spankings. No more anything. In fact, she looked up the number for a local realtor, printed off the flyer from the website and put it in the pocket of her jacket. She’d sell her house and the neighbor problem would be solved.

Who did he think he was? Showing up when it pleased him just to spank her with no intentions of having a real relationship with her. She’d show him.

*****

Originally, Ben had planned to leave a Valentine for Darcy on the windshield of her car so she’d get it when she left for work.

Although the chemistry between the two of them was evident, he’d never acted on his desire for her. He wanted a woman who was willing to submit to him and follow his rules. He’d been burnt in the past and didn’t want to repeat that mistake. He was taking things slowly with Darcy, but the arrival of a holiday devoted to love and romance seemed the perfect time to take things to the next level.

Now that he had missed his chance to set his plan in motion this morning, he had to re-think his strategy. Should he wait until she got home or go to the courthouse and find her?

It would be fun to see the look on her face when he showed up unexpectedly. He liked keeping her on her toes.

******

“Overruled. The defendant is released on his own recognizance.” The judge’s voice boomed through the courtroom.

“Your Honor,” Darcy stood to address the court “A five thousand dollar cash or surety bond is completely reasonable in this situation.”

The judge leaned forward and peered at Darcy over the bench. “Are you implying, Ms. Hughes, that I am being unreasonable?”

Darcy clenched her fists in frustration but kept her tone measured. “No, Your Honor, I am simply----"

The judge interrupted her. “We stand adjourned.” The gavel rang down on the bench and everyone in the courtroom, including the half dozen couples waiting to be married, stood while the judge exited.

Great. What’s better than losing a pretty simple argument in court? Doing it in front of an audience.

Darcy glanced over at the spectators which included two women in full bridal regalia, one in a lovely short white dress, two in jeans and one woman who looked very excited wearing  shorts and a Mickey Mouse T-shirt. She had a veil attached to a pair of Mickey Mouse ears and when she turned Darcy saw the name “Ana” embroidered across the back.

Oh for Pete’s sake. Will this day never end? Darcy pushed through the door of the courtroom and nearly knocked over a bride, this one carrying a pink suede flogger as a bouquet. “Mimi, are you alright?” the man in a tuxedo whom Darcy assumed was to be the groom said to his intended in a sexy voice that distracted Darcy causing her to bump into yet another woman in white.

That was the final straw. “Move it, bitch. Real woman working. Get out of the way.” Darcy elbowed the soon-to-be-Mrs. forcing the other woman to take a step backward to keep her balance. A misplaced step on the long train of her dress sent the woman tumbling, veil flying and flowers flinging.  

*****

Ben made it to the third floor of the courthouse. He was new in the area and had not visited the historic building with its winding marble staircase and wide hallways divided by pillars. The long line of couples waiting to be married made it easy to find the courtroom.

Maybe he could sneak in and see Darcy in action. She was probably a real spitfire in the courtroom.

The idea of Darcy pacing the courtroom, arguing her case to a jury, pointing an accusing finger at the defendant, played through Ben’s mind like a geeky porn movie. He tucked the box of chocolates under his arm and went in search of his naughty neighbor.

“Move it, bitch. Real woman working. Get out of the way.”

The voice. The tone. The words. It could only be one woman.

Eyes flashing, feet stomping, the object of his desire strode toward him like an angry bear.

He stepped behind a pillar. The click of her heels on the marble floor helped him time is actions and at precisely the right moment he grabbed her arm and pulled her into his secret hiding place.

The sudden halt to her momentum combined with the height of her heels sent Darcy toppling into Ben who had no choice but to wrap his arms around her to steady her. Her chest pressed against him and her mouth was mere inches from his. Instinctively he leaned forward to claim her lips in their first real kiss.

“What the hell are you doing here?” The mouth that he’d intended to ravish hissed at him.

Darcy pulled herself out of his arms and tugged at the hem of her jacket to straighten it. When she finished righting her clothing she glared at him. “I have work to do. Are you spying on me?”

Man could she get under his skin. “No, I am not spying on you.”

“Spies hide behind pillars in courthouses and nab people. That’s what you did. Therefore, you’re a spy.”

“Wow. That’s some hefty legal reasoning right there.”

“Oh shut up.”

By this time two newlywed couples and a floral delivery person had stopped to watch the Ben and Darcy show.

“Darcy,” Ben looked meaningfully over her shoulder to signal that they were not alone, “maybe we should finish this conversation in private.”

Darcy ignored his hint. “There’s no more conversation to have. Get out of the courthouse before I call the bailiff over and have you escorted to your car.”

“That seems like a good use of taxpayer money.”

“Bite me.”

“Maybe later.”

Ben took a firm hold of Darcy’s elbow and walked her toward a darkened room. “Let go of me,” she growled.

Ben nodded to a couple of the new husbands who had a distinct look of pity in their eyes.

*****

The heavy wooden door clanged shut behind her and she heard Ben turn the lock. Oh crap.

Late afternoon sun shone through the windows at the back of the room and once her eyes adjusted to the low light she recognized her location. The law library.

Now that everyone did their research online, the old law library was rarely used other than for local bar meetings and occasionally for some research that was just easier to do the old fashioned way. It was a majestic, manly sort of room with antique bookcases lining the wall. Wooden chairs surrounded substantial tables and amongst the stacks there were old leather wing chairs tucked away for quiet reading.

“That was quite a show you put on out there.”

“You’re not supposed to be here.”

“If a woman is a brat and the man who spanks her doesn’t see it, is she still a brat?”

“You’re not the man who spanks me.”

“I sure thought I was.” He reached around and gave her butt a quick smack. “Yep.  Seems familiar.”

He was the most aggravating man Darcy had ever met, and in a profession heavily populated by jerks, that was saying something.

Maybe that was the problem. He wasn’t a jerk. He was always calm and caring. He paid attention to her and made her feel special.

But he’d never even given her a real kiss. Sure, he’d spanked her bare butt a number of times, and he was always caring and gentle with her afterward, often kissing her forehead or her temple in a way that soothed and calmed her.

Damn it. She was tired of being soothed. She wanted to be fucked.

“You’ve got some nerve.”

“I’m not the one accosting brides.”

“Who do you think you are? You come strolling into the courthouse where I work like you own the place and like you own me. But you don’t. You’re just mean and selfish and all you want to do is use me for your own kinky spanking pleasure.”

“Is that what you think? That this is only for me?”

“Yes.”

“And you get no enjoyment or benefit from the ‘arrangement’ we have.”

“No, I don’t. In fact, I think that our ‘arrangement’ is a complete failure and I don’t ever want to see you again.”

Darcy turned on her heel and reached for the doorknob but the lock was old and hard to turn. Her shaking hands didn’t help the situation. Finally, she kicked the door in frustration. Dumb idea. Despite comments written in the courthouse men’s room, Darcy did not wear combat boots. Pain shot through her big toe.

Ben rushed to her side but she pushed him away. The pain in her toe quickly subsided. The pain in her heart continued to throb. “Just let me out of here.” She worked the doorknob with the persistence of a yappy dog on a pant leg, ignoring the tears of frustration that pricked the corners of her eyes.

Strong arms wrapped around her waist and Darcy found herself lifted off the floor.  “Put me down.” She windmilled her arms and kicked her feet like a kid having a tantrum.

And like a wise parent of a child having a tantrum, Ben did not give in to her bad behavior. He managed to get seated on a hard wooden chair, where he grasped Darcy’s arms together behind her back and trapped her flailing legs between his thighs.

“So,” his hand cracked down on her skirt-clad bottom, “you don’t like our ‘arrangement’.” Four quick swats landed on her right cheek before he continued. “You think you don’t get anything out of it.” He peppered the left side of her butt with rapid spanks. “Is that right?”

Darcy continued to kick her legs. She wished her hands weren’t trapped behind her because her nose was starting to run and tears of anger and frustration were flowing freely. In addition to the indignity of a spanking, she was also a snot covered cry baby.

Definitely getting a colonoscopy next Valentine’s Day.

A hard swat to the curve between her thigh and butt got her attention. “You haven’t answered me.”

“Yes.”

“Yes, you haven’t answered me or is ‘yes’ your answer to my question about our arrangement.”

Just when Darcy’s aggravation started to fade, it came back in full force. She inhaled and then let her thoughts, and words, fly. “I think this is bullshit. Spanking does nothing for me and you are a selfish jerk who only thinks of himself.”

“Really?” Ben punctuated his words with a hard crack to the top of her thigh. “Do you think that’s why I came to the courthouse today? To satisfy some selfish urge to spank you?”

“Well, why else would you be here?”

The spanking stopped and Darcy wasn’t sure if she was relieved or annoyed. Was that it? He didn’t even care enough to give her a decent spanking?

In an impressive display of female clothing removal Ben unzipped her skirt and pulled it down to her knees. Her still kicking legs managed to fling the skirt so that it landed on the top of a stack of books.

Her panties followed and ended up hanging off the corner of a portrait of an old judge.

Ben’s hands rubbed across the curves of her ass and the Darcy started to relax. Her legs stopped kicking, but she knew the spanking wasn’t over.

The crack of Ben’s hand on her bare skin echoed around the large room.

“You,” sniffle, “haven’t answered my question.”

“Why am I here?”

“Yes.”

“Right now I’m here to help you relax a bit before you find yourself escorted out of the building by a bailiff.”

“I don’t need to relax.” Now that she’d stopped kicking, Ben had fallen into a familiar rhythm. Left cheek, right cheek, left thigh, right thigh and back in the same circuit. Silly as it sounded, the pain and the rhythm were comforting to Darcy.

“Really? You always call the people in the courthouse hallways ‘bitches’ and try to push them down?”

“N-no.” Had she really done that?

“Seems like you’re having a tough day.”

“I hate Valentine’s Day.” Ben changed up his pattern and worked on reddening the tops of her thighs in a stingy assault to her tender flesh.

“You hate it?” His hand cracked against the curve where her thigh and rear end met. Darcy winced. Valentine's Day wasn't the only thing she hated at the moment. 

“Absolutely.”

“Why?”

“Can’t get my work done. The whole building is full of florists and brides and people acting all mushy. This is a courthouse. We administer justice, not hugs and kisses.”

“Oh. I think I see the problem.”

“I’m right, aren’t I?”

“No, you’re not.”

During their conversation Ben ended the spanking and rubbed Darcy’s butt and back in gentle circles. Now he turned her over and set her in his lap. He pulled a starched white handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped the tears and other bodily fluid from her face. He returned the cloth to his pocket then smoothed Darcy’s hair away from her face.

“Maybe it’s time to have more hugs and kisses in the courthouse.” His finger outlined her lips. Blood pounded in Darcy’s ears. She stared at his mouth as it moved toward hers.

In all the hours she’d spent fantasizing about what this moment would be like, and there had been many, it still paled in comparison to reality. His lips were soft yet insistent, gently teasing her to respond. When she kissed him back, he tightened his hold on her and deepened the kiss.

The pain in her butt was forgotten. The pain in her heart disappeared, along with most of her self- control. Her hands wound their way into his thick hair and gripped his head like she feared he’d run away.

By the time Ben finally lifted his mouth from hers, they were both bright eyed and breathing hard.

“I think you’re right,” Ben said.

“About hating Valentine’s Day?”

“No, about our ‘arrangement’. I think it’s time to make some changes.”

Darcy’s breathing became shallow. Did he mean what she hoped he meant? She wasn’t sure what to say, so for once she kept quiet.

“Just like the courthouse, we still need to administer some justice and punishment, but maybe we need more hugs and kisses too.”

Darcy’s toes curled and she felt a dopey grin spread across her face. “Really?”

Ben’s mouth lowered to cover hers again but before he claimed her lips again he asked that all important question.

“Darcy, will you be my Valentine?”

The End. 

Question: Please share either your best Valentine's Day (without too many lurid details) or your worst. One commenter will be chosen at random to win a $10 Amazon gift card. Please include your email address in your comment.

Be sure to visit all the other participating blogs. You won't want to miss any of the fun. 

Adaline Raine
Alta Hensley

Anastasia Vitsky 
Cara Bristol
Celeste Jones
Claire Colinsgrove
Constance Master

Jade Cary

Korey Mae Johnson

Patty Devlin 
Renee Rose
Starla Kaye 
Sue Lyndon

For updates and the complete list of information, please see the main contest page