Chapter 1 #2
Today wasn’t the first time Rory spanked her.
When he’d found her sleeping on a park bench for the third time in one week, Rory had put his foot on said bench, pulled her over his knee and smacked her poor defenseless bottom until she was a weeping mass of contrite female.
The fact that he had absolutely no right to administer such a punishment hadn’t deterred him in the least. Along with a stern lecture about the dangers of a woman sleeping in a park where he’d seen multiple crimes lately, he had her car impounded.
Instead of arresting her for vagrancy, which he certainly could have, being that she was homeless with no job and no shelter except her little car, he deposited her at his mother’s doorstep.
Although she had been terrified, the O’Malley’s had taken her in with no questions asked.
It wasn’t long before she found herself embedded in a big Irish family with all the love and baggage that entailed.
Rory was the oldest and by far the most serious.
Patrick, the second son, was funny and warm.
Married to the ethereal Molly, they had two boys, Ryan and Michael, who were fifteen and thirteen.
Colleen and her husband Noah had three children, Devlin, who was eight and twin six-year-old girls, Rose and Lilly, who were identical almost down to the last freckle.
Maggie was marrying the love of her life this very day.
Their oldest son, Jason, was fifteen now and Todd just turned nine.
Little Caitie was four years old, going on sixteen.
Bridget was the youngest O’Malley and still somewhat of a wild child despite being a full-time college student.
All in all, they were quite a surprise to Tess who grew up with just one sister.
After their parents were killed in a car accident, her older sister, Maria, took her in until she turned eighteen.
A week later, Maria swiftly packed up and moved to California, wishing Theresa well but clearly glad to have no further responsibility for her care.
Tess used what little money she’d saved to find a small efficiency apartment in a seedy part of town.
Working as many hours as she could, she took whatever college courses she could afford and still be able to eat.
For several years Tess was able to eke out a living in this fashion, although some would have called it simply surviving and miserable to boot.
Unfortunately, the restaurant she worked at was being forced to close and she quickly found herself not only out of a job, but homeless, as she could no longer afford the rent.
Then Rory came along. At this point she still wasn’t sure if he was angel or devil. While she was grateful to have the support of the O’Malleys, she certainly wasn’t feeling too charitable toward one O’Malley in particular today.
The whole hair debacle started innocently enough.
A week ago, Tess gathered around Maeve’s kitchen table with the O’Malley women discussing hairstyles for the wedding.
Just as Bridget jumped up and gathered Tess’s hair high on her head, showing her how wonderful she would look in a bob, Rory walked in the back door.
He got a cup of coffee and leaned against the counter, watching with keen interest as his family raved over how nice Tess would look with short hair.
“I forbid it,” fell out of Rory’s mouth before he could stop it.
Tess’s head might have been on a swivel, so fast did she turn around.
“Excuse me?” she asked, not sure she actually heard him right. He couldn’t possibly be talking to her.
“You heard me. But on the chance that any of you misunderstood, I’ll repeat myself. You may not cut your hair under any circumstances.”
Jaws dropped around the table and complete silence ensued until Tess rose slowly and faced him.
“Who are you to tell me I may not cut my hair?” she demanded, trying to hang onto her temper. “It is my hair and I shall do with it as I please.”
“Do not defy me on this, Theresa. I mean what I say, and believe me you won’t like the consequences,” he informed her dryly as he calmly sipped his coffee.
“Rory,” Maeve began, stunned at the uncompromising attitude of her son.
The table erupted and suddenly Tess was defended by multiple female voices each trying to be heard above the next.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Bridget shouted.
“What the hell?” Colleen added.
“Rory, this is too much, even for you,” Maggie interjected
“Hush,” Rory ordered. “I have my reasons and please don’t encourage Tess to misbehave. She finds enough trouble on her own,” he continued as he calmly rinsed out his cup and put it in the sink.
The only one to remain quiet was Molly, whose crystal blue eyes met and held Rory’s for a second before she dropped her gaze, blushing furiously.
Rory barely made it out the door before Tess was surrounded by irate females offering comfort and advice.
At the salon, the day before the wedding, Molly tried her best to convince Tess her hair would look lovely with the pillbox hat in a French twist, but Tess was having none of it.
Rory issued a challenge and she was not backing down.
Yes, he helped her immeasurably when she was at the lowest point in her life, but that did not mean he could take over her life.
It was her hair and as Molly sank into her salon chair in defeat, Tess brazenly told the stylist to “chop it off.” It was for a good cause, after all.
The stylist groaned as she cut off over two feet of Tess’s silky black hair.
The style itself was attractive, Tess thought this morning, as she put the finishing touches on her make-up. Already dressed, she leaned over the antique vanity, trying to get as close to the huge oval mirror as she could. The bedroom door opened, closed with a click, and she turned.
“I am almost ready, but …” her voice fell away as Rory flipped the lock into place.
He studied her in silence as her heart rate rose rapidly. Incredibly handsome in his black tux, Tess trembled as fear wrestled desire within her. Swallowing with difficulty, she forced herself to turn back to the mirror and her shaking hand picked up her mascara.
“Don’t put that on yet,” he insisted, walking up behind her. The image in the mirror clearly showed the size and strength of him compared to her petite form.
“Why not?” she asked, her voice sounding much stronger than she actually felt.
“It’s less you’ll have to fix,” he replied as he wrapped his large hand around her arm and gently pulled her toward the bed.
Tess had a feeling she knew where this was going and tried to dig her heeled pumps into the carpet, but she was no match for Rory’s determination.
With embarrassing ease, he led her to the bed where he sat down.
With Rory sitting they were almost eye to eye and his look pinned her in place and stopped her struggles.
“Why?” he asked. “Why would you defy me?”
“I did not cut my hair to defy you,” she insisted. “I cut it because I wanted to.”
“Bullshit! You’ve never once mentioned cutting your hair until my sister put the idea in your head and I’m pretty sure you did it to spite me because I told you no.”
“That is not true,” she insisted even though she knew he was probably right.
She’d loved her long hair, had been proud of it and always considered it her best feature.
The new cut was very nice, easy to care for and much lighter in feel.
Until this very moment she’d been perfectly happy with it.
Tess’s lip began to quiver and her eyes filled with tears. Was he right?
Rory pulled her between his knees and held her close for a few moments. The soft woman against him almost made him forget why he’d come upstairs. Keeping her in front of him, he gently brushed her lips with his, enjoying the sound as she caught her breath.
“Don’t disobey me again. There’s always a reason for what I ask you to do or tell you not to do,” he told her softly his lips almost touching hers.
“I understand,” she told him, shaking but relieved to be back on good terms. Thank God, he had decided to forgive her.
In the next instant Rory pulled her over his knee, her upper body comfortably on the bed.
Pulling her gray satin dress up to her waist, he was delighted to find a stiff pink crinoline over a slim pink slip which he removed completely.
Tess struggled as he pulled down her pink lace panties exposing her shapely rear end.
“Rory, please, what are you doing?” she gasped as her legs began to kick.
“I would think that would be obvious. I believe I said you would not like the consequences. How am I doing so far?” he asked grinning.
“Um—so far you were right. I do not like this at all. Please let me up and I promise I will not defy you again,” she pleaded breathlessly.
“No.” Rory began to spank her, his large hand covering almost her entire bottom. Crisp slaps echoed in the room and Tess was more concerned with the noise than the pain. That changed quickly as heat began to build on her red backside.
The crying and pleading came next as Rory continued to spank her poor bottom with increasing strength.
Just before the howling started, he snatched a pillow off the bed and offered it to her.
Grabbing it out of his hand, Tess stuffed her face into it as tears stained the fabric.
Her pumps became missiles that Rory dodged as she kicked her feet in helpless agony.
Rory didn’t stop until her entire bottom including the undersides of her cheeks were bright red and hot to the touch.
Not wanting to shame her in the short dress, he left her thighs pristine, this time.
At that point he helped Tess up and settled her on his lap, holding her close and mopping her tears with a handful of tissues he snagged from the nightstand.
“No more defiance from you, young lady,” he informed her sternly even as he gently kissed her head and smoothed her hair out of her face.