Jack was on his way to pick up his sister from the airport. She was coming to scope out the city and to seek employment opportunities. She was newly divorced after a long separation and wanted to start anew. They had been raised in a small town in
Jack had moved to Baltimore
years ago and had made a great life for himself. He purchased an old house in a great
neighborhood thinking he would settle down, find a lady and raise his
family. So far he had not found just the
right lady and so here he was, in suburbia, with a huge house and no one except
him to roam the many vacant rooms. When Karen told him she wanted to make a
fresh start he suggested she come visit and see what she thought. It might be the perfect fit for everyone.
Karen loved what she saw.
When she saw the house she was charmed beyond belief. It was such a pretty house on such a
beautiful street and the surrounding area looked just like a movie
setting. He told her he was glad she
liked it and she would be more than welcome to move in with him. She told him that would depend on a lot of
factors but she thanked him for his generosity.
Two days later Karen was interviewing for a paralegal job
with a large law firm downtown. This job
would be a godsend for her and go a long way to establishing a new beginning
for her and the kids. As she was leaving the building she bumped into a man
just coming through the door. The papers
he had in his hands were now all over the floor. She was so apologetic and helped him to
retrieve his belongings. He told her not
to worry he was preoccupied and not paying attention. She told him the same thing. They laughed.
He invited her to join him for a cup of coffee at the coffee shop.
“I would like that and it’s my treat. It’s the least I can
do after spewing your papers all over the lobby” Karen said.
“Not necessary” he said.
“Maybe not, she replied, but I am still going to treat”
“Oh, one of the independent type city girls” he replied.
“Thanks for the compliment” Karen said
“What do you mean, said Rey
“Well, I am just visiting the city. I’m from a small town in Iowa . My brother lives here and invited me to come
take a look because I wanted to make a fresh start.”
He told her that was great info but he still didn’t know her
name. His name was Reynolds Johnson and
that his friends call him Rey.
“OMG , she said. Reynolds Johnson of the law firm Reynolds
Johnson & Associates”
“Yes, my fame precedes me.
I don’t know if that is good or bad” he said.
She told him she had just been interviewed for a paralegal
position at his law firm and that was why she was in the building and wool
gathering when she bumped into him.
“Are you any good at your profession?” he asked.
“I would say I am very good.
I have been doing it for a long time” she answered
“I like that. Well then, once I get upstairs I will check on your
application. But first, you really will
have to tell me your name.”
“I am Karen, Karen Blake Sorenson” she said laughingly.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
That evening they had dinner at a waterfront
restaurant and Karen told him all about her interview and then meeting Reynolds
Johnson in the lobby. Jack laughed and
said she had bumped into the most eligible bachelor in the city. He had been widowed two years ago and he was raising his two children. Karen told him all she was looking for was a
job. On the way out of the restaurant Karen and Jack were waiting for the valet
when another car pulled up. Reynolds
Johnson and his two children stepped out.
“Twice in one day Ms. Sorenson” he said.
“Must be my lucky day, she replied.
She introduced Jack to Rey and Rey in turn introduced both
of them to his two children. When Jack’s car was brought up Karen said it was
nice seeing him again and meeting Dani and Dennis and stepping into the car
added: “I hope I’ll be hearing from you
soon”.
Rey smiled and put an arm on each of his children and walked
into the restaurant.
-------------------------------------------
Two days later Karen interviewed for another position and
was offered the job on the spot. She readily accepted the position. She called Jack and told him the good
news. She would be flying back to Iowa
the next day because there were tons of things that needed doing within the
next two weeks.
----------------------------------------------------------
When Karen landed there was a message waiting from Jack. He
told her Reynolds Johnson had called for her. She called Jack and said she had
talked to them this morning and told them she had accepted another position.
“No, Jack said.
“Reynolds Johnson personally called, not his office. I told him you had flown back to Iowa
today. I just wanted to tell you not to
be surprised if he calls you”
Sure enough there was another message. She called and was surprised when Rey
answered the line.
“Hi Rey, this is Karen Sorenson returning your call.
“Hello Karen, where am I catching you?
“Actually, at the airport.
I just landed back in Iowa ”.
He told her he wanted to call her personally to tell her the
position had been filled. He told her
she had excellent qualifications but they had re- hired someone who had
previously worked for them. She thanked
him for getting personally involved and told him she had already accepted a
position at another firm and that was why she was back in Iowa . She needed to move her children and household
to Baltimore within the next ten
days.
He told her when she got back to town to give him a call
because he wanted to buy her dinner. He
felt he owed her that much. She told him
it wasn’t necessary.
“Maybe not, but I want to do it anyway” he told her.
The move went very well considering how quickly it had to be
done. Jack was gracious enough to move
upstairs so that she and the kids could have the downstairs. Jack had his own
entrance providing privacy for any overnight guests. They would only share the
kitchen and Jack said he never used it that much anyway. She was able to get the kids enrolled in the
local “Y” program for the remainder of the summer and for after school once the
summer was over. She could drop them off
and pick them up on the way to and from the office. Things were really falling
into place and she was thrilled.
Karen started her new job that following Monday. It was a large firm and a lot of opportunity
for her. She was so busy the first week
just flew by. There was a company picnic
that Saturday and she thought the kids would love it. While she was play softball she lost a
bracelet that was a family heirloom. The
sentimental value far outweighed the monetary value but it was something she
treasured. She had everyone looking for
this bracelet to no avail. She left word
with the park staff and even offered a modest reward for the return on the
bracelet. Two weeks went by and she
decided to post ads on several local bulletin boards. She received many responses as a result of
these ads. One of them was from Rey
Johnson. He told her he had seen the ad
and recognized the phone number. He
chided her for not telling him she was back in Baltimore
and then gave her a lecture about placing an ad with her phone number in such
public places. He told her that might
have been fine in the small town in Iowa
but not in a large city such as Baltimore . He went on and on and when he was done she
felt thoroughly chastised. She hadn’t
received such a dressing down since she was a little girl. She told him she
hadn’t given it a thought because she hadn’t included her name and thanked him
for his advice. He said he was probably
overreacting but you couldn’t be too careful these days. She liked how protective he seemed, not only
now, but since she had first met him.
When he asked her to dinner she told him yes but she would have to find
someone to sit with her kids. He
suggested she come to his house for dinner and bring the children with
her. It was a way for the children to
become acquainted. She said yes and they
made plans to meet the following Saturday.
He lived in a gated community and when she was buzzed in she
was led to his house that overlooked Chesapeake Bay . There was a circular driveway leading to a
three story brick house. Rey and his children were standing on the porch as she
pulled up. She felt a little intimidated
by the neighborhood and this house but Rey put her and her children at ease
immediately. He introduced himself to
her children and then his children to her.
As they walked in the door, he put his arm around her waist and led them
through the house to the back deck. She experienced a tummy tingle at his touch
– something she hadn’t experienced for quite a while. He had hor’s d’oevres and cocktails for
them, and kid friendly snack food and lemonade for the youngsters. All the kids
immediately took off to the dock leaving Rey and Karen to themselves. She thanked him for being so thoughtful to
include her children.
“I figured if we were
going to date we might as well get the kids used to each other. If something comes of our date, terrific and
there’s no pressure later on of getting to know the new guy or gal; and, if
not, at least the kids have made some new friends”.
“So, should I consider this our first date”. She asked him.
“That’s exactly what you should do”, he responded.
He barbecued hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill, had made
a green salad with strawberry shortcake for dessert. It was perfect; they ate outdoors and watched
the lights of the city and then all went inside for a rousing game of Chinese
checkers. When it came time to leave, he
told the kids how much he enjoyed meeting them and gave Karen a brief kiss on
the cheek. She could feel the heat on
his lips and knew she wanted more, much more from this man.
On the way home the kids chatted constantly about how much
fun they had. “Did you have fun too Mom
and can we go back again?”
“I think that is a distinct possibility” she told them with
a great big smile on her face.
They continued to spend time together, sometimes with the
kids sometimes without. He treated her
and the children wonderfully. He was
definitely a good dad but could be a bit of a hard taskmaster. He expected things a certain way and she
noticed that he brooked no sass or misbehaviors in the children. There were ground rules to be obeyed and when
they weren’t, the children would find themselves without privileges until he
deemed they had learned their lesson. He
never interfered with her children in that manner but would raise an eyebrow
when he felt they were out of line. He
even took her to task once in a while but she didn’t think anything of it until
one day she threw a temper tantrum about something he said to one of her kids. He directed her out of the child’s hearing
range and told her he didn’t accept that kind of behavior from his children and
he certainly would not accept it from her because it set a bad example. He was
a Class A lecturer and she just wanted him to be quiet.
“Don’t chastise me like I’m a child, I’m a parent”
“Then act like a parent”.
She stomped her foot and as she turned around to go back to
the kitchen he delivered a swat to her fanny.
“What was that?” she asked
“It was a small sample of what I would really like to do
right now”
“And what is that?”
“I would like to take you over my knee and spank the
daylights out of you for acting like such a brat”.
That stopped her in her tracks and left her speechless. She wasn’t sure how to react to that
statement. She was saved when his
daughter walked in and asked her dad a question. Karen took this opportunity to gather up the
kids and said they were leaving.
Once she was home and the kids were settled she started
thinking about what he had said and the behavior that had led to his
statement. She knew she didn’t like the
idea of anybody correcting her children implying that she was a bad mother. He
had not done that but this was a sensitive topic because it was something her
ex-husband always threw up to her in their arguments. She realized she had over reacted and felt
bad about how she had handled things.
Maybe he had the right idea.
Maybe she did deserve a spanking.
The idea wasn’t abhorrent to her.
If she was honest, the thought of being across his knee was a little
exciting. She needed to apologize. He
was probably even more upset with her because of the way she left but she
didn’t think she could take any more lectures tonight. So instead of calling she sent him a text
message that she was sorry and that maybe he was right.
She expected him to text back and when he had not done so
before she went to bed, she wondered if she had ruined her chances for a future
with Rey. She tossed and turned all
night. She still hadn’t heard from him that morning and when noon rolled around and no message; she felt
heartsick. When she left work that
evening, he was standing by her car. Her
heart leapt.
“We have to talk”.
“I know, but right now I have to pick up the kids”
“I called your brother and asked if he would be available to
do so because I had planned a surprise for you”
“How dare you be so presumptuous?”
“And this is just one of the things we are going to talk
about”
They drove to a small quiet restaurant and settled into a
booth in the back. It was a little
awkward at first but once Karen had a few sips of wine she found her
voice. She told him she had thought
about the events of the previous evening and realized she had overreacted. He told her she definitely had and he
apologized for the smack on the fanny but that she had him so riled it was just
a natural reaction.
“I’ve thought about that too Rey and you may just be
right. I have a quick temper, it doesn’t
last but it flares brightly for a while” her face reddened as she said these
words.
“Are you saying you think you deserve a spanking sometimes?
“Yes…….that’s what I’m saying and sometimes I really would
prefer it rather than listening to one of your lectures.”
He laughed and said “Well, I am a lawyer and I would have to
take that under advisement, but I think you have just named your own sentence”.
------------------------------------------
Three days later, the sentence was carried out. Karen had her first spanking from Rey. It was memorable. What was even better was
there was no lecture and there was great aftercare.
She never did fine her bracelet but somehow it didn't seem to matter, she had found so much more.
