Chapter 8
Tane
Tane had known Silas for a few years ever since Silas moved into the city from up in Canada. A shared loved of hockey and the fact that they were both guys who loved a few beers and late night fun and games had brought them together as friends and it was always a pleasure to make time to see Silas.
But of course the real attraction at Roast Days that day was Jacob.
“I liked what you did in practice today,” Tane said, picking up his rich, dark coffee milkshake and taking a sip through the metal straw. “Keep that up and Tremaine will be thinking of you as the captain in waiting.”
Tane smiled as Jacob blushed from the compliment.
For all of his cocky exterior and brattish outbursts, it was perfectly evidence to Tane that Jacob was in fact a sensitive young man who craved guidance and sometimes a firm hand too.
But Tane also believed in giving praise where it was due and saw nothing wrong with talking up Jacob’s potential to be the captain one day. Not that Tane was looking forward to giving up his role as the team’s leader. Far from it.
Being the Enforcers captain was by some distance the proudest moment of Tane’s career. It even eclipsed the personal and team accolades that had come his way over the years.
There was just an unbeatable feeling that came with leading his team out onto the ice.
A group of men, bonded by their desire to fight for the pride of the jersey together.
The roars of the crowd that came with each goal and victory were something that Tane knew he would never be able to replicate elsewhere in life once it was time to hang up his skates for one final time.
However in Jacob, Tane could see that there was hope for the franchise in a post-Tane Rivers world. Jacob had all the quality and skill on the ice, and suddenly it was looking like he might just have the leadership and spirit to back it up too.
“How’s your shake?” Tane said, noting the broad smile on Jacob’s face.
“I think I’ve got brain freeze!” Jacob grimaced. “It’s cold and I drank it way too fast. And the triple shot is kind of blowing my head off too. Damn.”
“Ah yes, the age old tale of the boy who wanted it all too soon,” Tane chuckled, playfully patting Jacob on his knee. “Maybe you need to learn more discipline when it comes to milkshakes. I could always give you another hot ass to help?”
For a moment, Jacob seemed taken aback.
Tane wasn’t sure if he’d read the signals wrong or stepped over the line. The last thing Tane wanted was to make Jacob feel uncomfortable. But Tane needn’t have worried. Moments later, an eager grin came over Jacob’s sweet face.
“Well the last spanking did help me quite a lot,” Jacob said, his cheeks rosy red and a sly smile breaking out on his face. “I’ve never been spanked that hard before. But…”
“Go on?” Tane said, arching his eyebrow.
“Even though it was hard, I felt like you were doing it to help me,” Jacob said. “It wasn’t just for your pleasure. I actually felt like you were giving me the spanking to teach me something I needed to know.”
Tane felt himself beam with pride.
This was what he wanted to hear, and Tane had to work hard to retain his composure and keep his cool.
“Glad to have been of service,” Tane said, still struggling to hide his delight. “It was a pleasure. And it’s not like I didn’t get anything out of it too…”
There was a pause as both Tane and Jacob sunk some more of their delicious shakes.
Before long though, the pair of them were talking as if they’d known one another for years. Everything from their top five all-time hockey players to favorite movies, and then their dream holiday destinations too.
As Jacob began to describe his dream trip to Asia, Tane could see the enthusiasm and wonder in Jacob’s sparkling eyes. The boy had so much life in him, and experiences that he wanted to take on board.
Tane knew that the life of a hockey player was seen by many as being a glamorous and fun existence.
But the reality could at times be different.
As enthusiastic as Jacob was about travelling, Tane knew that the realities of a career in hockey might make some of that pretty damn near impossible to organize.
Injuries, injury rehab, and a heavy playing schedule all made real vacations difficult to plan. But Tane couldn’t bring himself to put a downer on Jacob’s wonder and open hearted enthusiasm.
But what Tane didn’t realize was that Jacob was just as clued up as him, even taking into account his younger years…
“I think it’s why I party so much,” Jacob said, leaning back in his chair and with a reflective look on his face. “I know I probably won’t get to do all these long vacations until I retire. So in the meantime I just think screw it, I’ll have fun whenever and however I can.”
Tane nodded. It was difficult to argue with what Jacob was saying, but at the same time Tane knew that Jacob’s partying was getting out of hand – and that was without factoring in the Cardini family factor too.
But right now wasn’t the time to be getting too deep, Tane wanted to keep the good times going and make it clear that Jacob’s improvement at Pine Rise was going to be rewarded…
“Silas! How about a double reload on these shakes?” Jacob hollered. “Single shot of coffee on the next round though.”
“You got it!” Silas replied, a knowing smile on his face as Tane and Jacob began to talk about another shared passion in the shape of video games.
For Tane, this was turning into one of the best hangouts he’d enjoyed in a long, long time. And as far as Tane was concerned, he wasn’t about to let it end any time soon…
* * *
Tane opened the door to his house and allowed Jacob to step into the large hallway ahead of him.
“So, do you remember the place from last time you were here?” Tane said, playfully ruffling Jacob’s hair.
“Very funny,” Jacob replied, trying not to smile.
“Okay, I think we should go into the office and I’ll show you some ideas I’ve been working on,” Tane said, pointing toward the oak door to their left.
“Tactically, I think Coach Tremaine is one of the best in the business, but I think we need to talk to one another about how we’re going to link up on the ice. ”
“Sure,” Jacob said, smiling as they walked into Tane’s office.
With its wood paneled walls and shelves littered with personal accolades from across the full span of his career, Tane’s office was a constant reminder of how far Tane had come.
“See, I was a rookie like you once,” Tane said, picking up his Young Player of The Year award from his very first season in the league.
“But you know I’m going to beat your first season stats, right?” Jacob said, provocatively doing a little victory dance. “I’ll beat them easy too!”
Tane growled, not enamored with Jacob’s sudden upturn in cockiness.
The sugar and caffein combo has gone to his head.
And it was all going so well too.
If he keeps this up, the boy will be bent over my desk before he knows it.
“Come back to me when you’ve got twenty years in the bank,” Tane said, shaking his head. “Then we can talk about stats.”
“Whatever!” Jacob continued, clearly not picking up on Tane’s irritation. “I’ll break all of the records. You saw how well I trained this morning. Now I’ve got that going for me, I’ll be unstoppable.”
Tane was beginning to feel frustrated with Jacob.
It was as if his earlier praise and then the fun hangout had gone to Jacob’s head. Tane was beginning to feel like Jacob might just need another spanking to keep him in line.
“Boy, I think you need to calm down,” Tane said, noting how Jacob seemed to be on a mission to push the boundaries of respect between them.
“Or what?” Jacob said, grinning mischievously before blowing a long, hard raspberry in Tane’s direction.
“Or this!” Tane retorted, taking Jacob by the hand and spinning him around and bending him over the top of his large mahogany desk. “These jeans and whatever’s underneath are coming off and you’ll be regretting your sass very shortly I imagine.”
Tane yanked Jacob’s jeans and tight white briefs down to his ankles and immediately reached for the wooden spoon that he kept in his desk drawer.
“You’ve taken my hand, now let’s see how your ass likes the feel of my time-tested wooden spoon,” Tane roared. “It’ll be ten on each cheek. And you’ll keep that ass perfectly still or We’ll start from zero.”
“Easy!” Jacob said, stomping his feet on the floor.
“We’ll see about that soon enough,” Tane replied, wafting the spoon through the air as a practice spank.
Tane waited a moment and took aim. Tane had one of the highest shot conversion percentages in the league, and he wasn’t about to let his aim desert him when it came to punishing Jacob’s bottom either.
“YOWWWWWWWWW!” Jacob squealed, clearly taken aback by the sensation of the spoon landing on his cheeks with such force. “That wasn’t what I was expecting.”
Tane shook his head. It was clear that Jacob had never actually taken discipline from a spoon before. This was going to be a steep learning curve for the boy, but it was well deserved, and Tane wasn’t in the mood to hold back either.
The next four swats with the spoon landed just as sweetly and Tane could see that Jacob was now gripping onto the sides of the desk for dear life.
“Think about what got you in this situation, boy,” Tane barked. “And maybe next time you’ll think twice about your words.”
“Y-y-y-yes, Sir,” Jacob said, his voice trembling in pain and anticipation for the next volley of swats.
Tane felt a surge of adrenalin from hearing Jacob address him as Sir for the first time. But if Jacob thought that this meant he would get let off the hook any easier, then he had another thing coming.
As far as Tane was concerned, being called Sir was simply confirmation that Jacob was ready to take things to the next level. Tane now felt that the trust and connection was there between them to truly make this a punishment that Jacob wouldn’t be forgetting in a hurry…
“Present that bottom for me,” Tane commanded, his rich voice bouncing off the walls and high ceiling in this office. “When your Daddy spanks, he expects perfect placement from his boy.”
“Yes, sir,” Jacob said, his words tumbling out of his mouth and the rapid readjustment of his legs and butt pleasing Tane immensely. “I mean Daddy. I mean, Sir. Owwwww!”
The remaining swats of the spoon were delivered with unerring accuracy and no little power either. To Jacob’s credit, he showed great discipline to stay still and take each shot like a pro.
And after bringing down the final swat, Tane immediately scooped Jacob up in his arms and carried him out of the study and into the bathroom.
“You did so well,” Tane said, setting Jacob down on the bathroom’s thick white rug. “And now it’s time that I help cool that ass of yours down. Get on all fours face your cheeks toward me.”
“Yes, sir,” Jacob replied, totally submissive and compliant with Tane’s instructions. “I don’t know why I suddenly went so bratty. It must have been the extra sugar or something. I think maybe next time I’ll stick to just one shot of espresso.”
“Hmmmm, that might be a good plan,” Tane said, a wry smile on his face as he began to daub thick dollops of cooling cream on Jacob’s throbbing behind. “Now after I get your bottom nice and cool, how about I tuck you into my bed and you can have a little nap?
“I’d like that a lot,” Jacob replied, cooing at the sensation of Tane rubbing in some cream down the crack between his cheeks. “And I like that too…”
Tane smiled – and he was tempted to take things further given Jacob’s response.
But the most important thing for the boy in that moment was getting into bed and taking a nap. And no matter how big the erection in Tane’s pants was getting, Tane wasn’t going to let anything stop him from doing what was best for his sassy sonofagun brat.
* * *
With Jacob sleeping in Tane’s bed, Tane leaned back in his office chair and let out a long sigh.
It wasn’t a sigh of frustration or unhappiness though.
No, Tane felt happy. Administering another spanking to Jacob and then seeing how Jacob recognized the benefit of it was something that made Tane feel like he had done his job right.
But the question remained… were he and Jacob destined to be together in a more concrete, permanent sense?
“Time for a whisky,” Tane said, noticing the drinks cabinet across the office.
However before Tane could even get to his feet, he saw a message ping on his cell phone. And confirming his worst fears, the message was indeed from Antonio Cardini…
ANTONIO: Tane… taking the boy under your wing, I hear? Your methods are your choice. But understand that when it comes down to it, the family expects results – and personal feelings will matter for very little if we have any difficult decisions to make. I hope I am understood.
Tane put his phone down and ran his hands through the grey hair on his temples.
The last thing he wanted to deal with was another cryptic message from Antonio Cardini.
But even though the message was fairly vague in many ways, what shone through loud and clear was that Antonio was keeping a very close eye on not only Jacob’s movements, but Tane’s too.
Tane didn’t especially appreciate being monitored like this. He was a private man who cherished time out of the limelight. Knowing that he was being watched by the Cardini family was far from his ideal scenario.
This can’t go on for too much longer.
I need to protect the boy.
And I need to protect myself too…