Sean Penny stepped out of the tube and glanced around the station platform. There were still people milling about, but he was thankful it wasn’t the daytime crowd. This particular activity of the Spanking Club wouldn’t work if someone thought he was trying to kidnap the woman involved. If someone called for the police, things wouldn’t turn out as planned.

 A glance at his watch showed he was right on schedule. Naomi, Lady McIntyre, would be coming down the escalator at any moment, ready to take the tube to restaurant where she was to meet her husband, Sean’s best friend Gavin, Lord McIntyre.

Only she wouldn’t be going to a restaurant, she would be going to an impromptu meeting of The Spanking Club, where she would spankee, and her husband the spanker. The fact Gavin had called the unexpected gathering meant Naomi had been a naughty woman, obviously. There would be three club members, and their wives or significant others, there as the jury. Of course they would find her guilty and her punishment would be a spanking, in front of everyone present.

Naomi had no idea this was happening. It had been planned this morning, when Gavin had called to say that Naomi had broken a rule, and he’d promised her a spanking that weekend.

“I’ve decided not to wait that long, though,” he’d said. “It needs to be done tonight, are you in?”

Sean had given his approval to the plan, then worked the rest of the day. Now as he waited on Naomi, he felt a tingle of jealousy for the relationship Gavin had with Naomi. It wasn’t the first time he’d felt that way, and it always left him feeling empty inside. He wanted a relationship with a woman, one that would be permanent. But so far he’d been unable to find someone he could spend the rest of his life with.

There were several single members of the Spanking Club who had left him know they would be open to a relationship with him. Although he liked these women, he didn’t love them, and he didn’t see the possibility of their friendship turning into love, either.

Which was sad. He’d spanked every female member of the club, from Bianca to Georgianna, and although Georgianna had expressed an interest he knew Gray was waiting for her to come to him. She’d wanted Gavin before he’d married, then turned her attentions to Sean. He’d made it plain he wasn’t going to offer for her affections, but she was still trying. If Gray spent more time in London, she would already be his. Sean hoped his friend would find time to get here, stay here, and tame the woman. She certainly needed it.

He glanced at his clock, then looked at the escalator. There she was, right on schedule. Gavin had assured him she wouldn’t be late, because she was worried about upsetting him more than he already was.

“She’ll be there, don’t worry. When she gets there, bring her to our Chelsea townhouse, and I’ll take it from there.”

Naomi was looking down, glancing at her mobile, or maybe she was watching the moving staircase. Either way, when she reached the end of it she stepped off, looked up, and Sean could tell by the look on her face that she saw him immediately.

The smile on her face was broad, and very expressive and she called his name and waved.

“What are you doing here?” She leaned up and kissed his cheek and he returned the peck.

“I’m here to collect you,” he said, keeping his voice deep and authoritative. “It is time for you to be corrected for whatever it is you did this morning.”

The smile on her face disappeared and she tried to take a step away from him, but Sean had his hand on her wrist. “You are to come with me.”

“No.” She tried to pull away, which gained them a glance from a man passing by. Although he couldn’t see him after he’d moved past them, Sean knew the man stopped. He could feel his gaze upon them. Sure enough, seconds later he was back, looking at Naomi.

“Miss, everything alright?”

“Yes, thank you.” She swallowed hard, and she smiled at him. “We’re just having a bit of a discussion.”

“I see.” He glared at Sean. “Well, if you’re certain.”

“Yes, I am. Thank you for your concern.” She took a step toward Sean, and as if that convinced him, the man tipped an imaginary hat to her and moved down the platform.

“We need to go,” Sean said. “We really shouldn’t keep Gavin waiting.”

He could see the indecision on her face. She hadn’t been expecting this, and she wasn’t happy about it. If she defied her husband’s orders, though, her spanking would be worse than what she would get if she went along quietly.

The indecision was clear, and then finally she nodded. “Where are we going?”

“Your Chelsea townhouse.”

“Well, at least I’ll feel at home.” She stepped onto the up escalator. “Is your car outside?”

“Nope, we’re taking a taxi.” He winked at her. “And then it’s dinner afterward, someplace where you’ll have to sit down on your freshly spanked bum.”

“Oh joy.” She chuckled. “I get an unexpected spanking, but I get food after. I want something more than bangers and mash.”

Sean laughed. “You’ll have to take that up with your husband. This little meeting is his idea. I’m just here to do the leg work.”

*****

Watching Gavin spank Naomi did nothing for Sean’s mood. He’d been feeling sorry for himself all day, and seeing the two of them together only increased that pity. He wasn’t sure how he would handle the situation Gavin found himself in, but he was fairly certain he wouldn’t do it in public. Or would he?

Spanking someone during a club meeting was one thing, but what was obviously a punishment situation should have been done in private. Of course Gavin had wanted the “jury,” which consisted of Hudson, Peter and Mark.

Gavin had been vague about Naomi’s infraction, which was strange to Sean. Gavin was not near as strict as Sean was. Several times, Gavin had told his friend that he was “too rigid,” that he needed to relax more. But Sean had been brought up to believe that rules were meant to be followed, and he did that in both his professional and personal life.

As a barrister he had to do things by the book, so it was easy to carry that trait with him when he was out of the office.

Knowing how relaxed Gavin could be, Sean wondered what sort of infraction had brought this about. He’d just said she’d “broken a rule,” and the jury had taken him at his word. Their ruling had been a spanking, of course.

Now, Sean listened to the sound of Gavin’s hand slapping his wife’s bottom and wished, once again, that he had a wife himself.

Slap, slap, slap.

Someone whom he could love.

Slap, slap, slap, slap.

Someone who could love him.

Slap, slap, slap, slap, slap.

Someone he could spend the rest of his life with.

More slaps against Naomi’s bum. More chances for Sean to feel sorry for himself. What the hell was wrong with him? It wasn’t like him to wallow in self-pity. If he were truly feeling like himself he would call up a female member of the Spanking Club and tell her to meet him at his house.

Then he would spank her bottom in a way they would both enjoy. He knew he could ring Georgianna at any time of the night and she would come running. She loved to be spanked, but Sean didn’t want to step on Gray’s toes. His friend had made it plain that he intended to claim Georgianna, and Sean wouldn’t do anything to come between them.

Rebecca would be a good choice. She worked in his office, and he was her sponsor, after all. Perhaps he could give her a call.

He’d been so self-absorbed in his thoughts about being alone that he’d missed the end of the spanking. He supposed that shouldn’t surprise him, since he’d barely been around, mentally, for the first part of the event, truthfully.

Naomi stood and straightened her clothing. Then she went to the corner where Sean knew she would spend the next ten minutes. When she was in place, the couples started to leave, and Gavin made his way over to where Sean stood.

“Want to talk about it?”

“About what?” Sean shrugged and hoped his smile didn’t look as fake as it felt.

“About whatever is bothering you.” Gavin pointed to two chairs. “Something has been eating at you for the last few months.”

Gavin narrowed his eyes just a little. He didn’t move toward the seats. If he relaxed he might be tempted to spill his guts. Sean could see his longtime friend was trying to figure out a way to continue the inquiry without pissing Sean off. When he spoke again, Sean knew he hadn’t thought about anything.

“How about we have a Spanking Club meeting this weekend. I think it’s been too long since the last one. Naomi’s behavior proves that. Most of the members have agreed. Saturday night at our place in the country?”

Sean shook his head. “Sorry, I have other plans.”

“Hot date?” Gavin lifted his eyebrows. “Bring her along, because I’m sure any woman you’re involved with is into spanking.”

“I wish.” Sean laughed. “I don’t have a date. I’m leaving for America early Sunday morning, and I have a ton of things that need to get done before then. That means I can’t go about spanking someone Saturday evening, unfortunately.”

Gavin glanced at his watch, then looked back at Sean. The glance told Sean he was keeping track of the time left on Naomi’s time in the corner. “Why not? You can come back into London Saturday night.”

“As I said, I have a great deal of work to do this week, and I’m not going to be done.”

“Naomi, come here, darling,” Gavin said. “Excuse me a moment.”

Sean watched them as they drew together. Gavin stroked her arm, and she leaned her head against his shoulder. The green-eyed monster was back, and he wasn’t sure exactly how he was going to get rid of it.

They talked and kissed, and before long they were walking toward him. “Time for some food,” Gavin said. “Are you in, or are you letting us down?”

It was on the tip of his tongue to say no, but getting out for a while would be good for him. As they left the townhouse and started off on foot for the nearest pub, he told them about his trip, how he was going to Amarillo, a town in the Texas Panhandle where he would meet up with his aunt and uncle, who lived there, and do some work on the family trust.

“I won’t be gone long,” he said as he held open the pub door for his friends to go inside. “Three days.”

“Then we’ll postpone the meeting,” Gavin said after they’d located a table in the crowded pub. “A club meeting will help you to relax once you get back.”

“Don’t postpone it on my account,” Sean said. “I’ll be fine.”

They didn’t argue with him. Instead they kissed, a sweet peck followed by a deeper, more meaningful kiss. It only increased the unease Sean had felt all evening. They’d fallen in love so quickly, and Sean had doubted the relationship from the start. Sean had tried to talk Gavin out of it, saying the pair needed more time to get to know each other. Now he could see he was wrong. People did have an immediate attraction to each other, they could fall in love at first sight.

Gavin and Naomi were a perfect example of that. Now if Sean could only follow their example, things would be perfect. He needed to find a woman, one whom he could love for the rest of his life.

Unfortunately, the chances of that happening were slim to none.

*****

Sterling Barnett ignored the no parking sign and slammed her car to a stop next to the curb. The sudden movement jerked the safety belt tight and pulled her back against the seat.

“Ouch!” She winced as she threw the car into park. She was late, as always, and if she didn’t hurry, Mr. Caristers’s guest would not be here. He wasn’t expecting her, after all, but she’d promised her employer, who was also her Godfather, that she’d be here early to pick up one Sean Penny from London, England…and his plane had landed more than half an hour ago.

Of course he was supposed to be here last night, but she supposed that wasn’t his fault. He’d been caught in Newark, or in Dallas, she couldn’t remember which. Not that she would have been on time for last night’s pick-up either. She wasn’t very good at getting to places she was supposed to be where she was supposed to be there.

It was a trait she’d had since she was a child, not that it mattered to her parents. They were carefree types themselves, and when she showed up an hour late for dinner they’d just shrug and say, “Find what you can and enjoy it.”

If there had been structure in her life, she would have learned to be on time, or so she told herself. But if there were structure, she wondered if her artistic abilities would develop as they had. She supposed one wasn’t equal to the other. Plenty of her artist friends actually showed up on time to things. They all made jokes about her coming in late.

Late, just like she was right now. She undid the seatbelt and bolted from the car. The automatic door opened as she rushed toward it; then she stopped short, scanning the baggage retrieval area.

“Please, please, please let the luggage be late,” she whispered. Even as the words came out, though, she knew they were for naught. There were two people standing there, both of them women. “Crap on a stick,” she said, wincing as both women turned around to look at her. She hadn’t realized she’d spoken so loudly.

“Sorry.” She gave them a wave and a smile; they responded with no wave, and a frown she recognized, one that said, “Nice young ladies don’t say things like that.”

Sterling quickly turned away, eyeing the car rental counters. Her heart leapt as she saw a man standing near one. He was tall with sandy hair, which matched the photo she’d been shown.  All she needed to do was get a look at his face.

She nodded at a security guard who frowned at her as she briskly walked across the floor. Once at the counter she leaned over and then turned her gaze back to the customer.

Just as the clerk asked her to step back, please, Sterling realized she had the right person. And he was about to sign a rental agreement. She slammed her hand against the paper and said, “Don’t sign that!”

He lifted the pen that he’d about to put to paper. “If you’re the competition, I’m happy with what I’ve selected. But thank you for your offer. Now, please move your hand.”

Clipped, British accent. Definitely the right person.

“No.” The woman behind the counter was motioning for the security guard and Sterling groaned. “Please, Mr. Caristers sent me to get you. He asked that you not rent a car; he said he’d loan you one of his while you’re here. I’m late. I’m sorry.”

“Obviously.” He put down the pen and inclined his head ever so slightly toward the clerk. “Thank you, but it seems I won’t be requiring the services of your company.”

The clerk glared at Sterling, who gave her a smile and a shrug. “Sorry.”

“So you said,” the man replied, even though she hadn’t been talking to him.  He picked up his credit card from the counter and put it into his wallet, which he tucked into his suit jacket pocket.

They stepped away from the counter and Sterling tried to ignore the clerk’s muttered, “Work down the drain.” She felt as if she should say something to her that would soothe her anger, but she knew that wouldn’t work.

“So, you’re Sean, right?”

“Sean Penny, that’s correct.”

“Good. Sarah showed me a picture, but I just wanted to check one more time. I’m Sterling Barnett.”

“Not a very Texanish name, Sterling.”

“My parents are anglophiles.” She shrugged. “That’s how I came to work for the Caristers. You ready to go, or do you need to pick up more luggage?”

She eyed the small bag that he’d picked up before they walked away from the car rental agency.

“No, this is all. I’m only going to be here three days.”

“Really? Eugene made it seem as if you were going to be here a week or more. He has all sorts of plans for you.”

“Intriguing.” He pointed the bag toward the door. “Shall we?”

“Of course, sorry.” Boy, this guy seemed like he had a stick up his butt. He was far too structured for her taste.

“So you keep saying.”

Sterling fought the urge to tell him he didn’t have to sound so rude, but she bit her tongue. It would be better to just take him to the Caristers’s house, drop him off and leave. She’d done her work for the day, and didn’t have to be back there until Wednesday, and, if Sean were right, he’d be gone by then. Sounded like a plan to her.

Once they were outside the building she was thrilled to see the car still there. Part of her had expected it to be towed since she was parked in an illegal spot. She indicated the vehicle before she hurried toward the driver’s side. He stepped to the passenger door. As she unlocked the car she saw him looking at the sign, his disapproval evident.

“I was in a hurry,” she said as they climbed into either side.

“If you had been on time, you wouldn’t have had to park illegally.”

The urge to sneer at him almost took over. Instead she swallowed it, knowing it would get her nowhere. She turned on the car and put it into gear.

“We have about an hour’s drive ahead of us. Do you need anything before we head that way?”

“Nothing, thank you.”

Except maybe to take that stick out of your butt, she thought. She’d heard of Brits being stuffy, but this guy was more than stuffy. He was downright rude.

She pulled onto the main road, thankful for the music coming from the radio. He hadn’t made an attempt to start a conversation, which was probably a good thing. He’d probably take his time to list her faults in driving the car, or harp about her being late.

They rode in silence for about ten minutes, and then he shocked her by saying, “How long have you been employed by the Caristers?”

“Two years,” she replied, “but I’ve known them since I was a kid. They worked with my dad in the oil business until they retired. Actually, my dad didn’t really work there. He has oil and gas rights. Anyway, the Caristers are my Godparents.”

“You were never a kid.”

She turned a confused gaze on him.

“Watch the road, please.”

“Don’t tell me how to drive.” She gripped the wheel tighter as she did exactly as he’d asked. “And what do you mean by I’ve never been a kid? You think I was born and turned eighteen the next day?”

“A kid is a baby goat,” he said, his tone weary. “A child is a baby human.”

“Oh for the love of Pete,” she groaned. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Look it up in a dictionary, if you would like.” From the corner of her eye she saw him look in her direction. “Who is Pete?”

“It’s an expression of exasperation, which means…‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’”

“So you said you’ve got to be kidding me twice?”

“Now you’re just messing with me.”

“Perhaps.” For the first time she heard humor in his voice. “You must forgive me. It has been a long trip.”

“Which turned you into as ass?” She bit her lip and winced. She never should have said that.

“Yes, I rather think it has. Let us change the subject, shall we? What exactly do you do for the Caristers?”

“I run them to the doctor, the grocery store, the bookstore, the mall, the movies, the…well, wherever they want to go.”

“So you’re the chauffeur?”

“Basically.” She took the Washington Street exit and stopped at the sign, waiting for her chance to turn left. “They live a ways out of town, and they like to do things. Neither of them drives anymore, so they hired me.”

“I see.” This time she could hear the disapproval in his voice. “Why is it they don’t drive? Neither of them are that old, not even seventy. Is there a law against older persons driving here?”

“No.” She piloted the car past an eighteen-wheeler. “They just don’t like to drive in town. Neither of them have great eyesight anymore, and they realize that they could be a danger to themselves and others. So they hired me. It’s a win-win situation.”

“I see.” She wanted to tell him that he seemed to have a few phrases that he said over and over, but that might be pushing things. Oh the other hand, screw it. He was obviously looking down his nose at her, so why not push things?

“You see what, exactly?”

“It seems like an odd job for a young woman.”

“Right,” she said. “I suppose in Britain all drivers are old men in their sixties who have already had ‘proper’ jobs?”

“Perhaps.”

She glanced over to see he was looking out the window. “Most women my age are fashion designers, or shop girls, or princesses? Is that the drill?”

“Perhaps.”

She slapped her hand against the steering wheel. “Stop saying that. Listen, I provide a valuable service. I may not be making a lot of money, but I enjoy my life, thank you very much.”

The temptation to stop and put him on the side of the road was almost overwhelming. But she liked Eugene and Sarah too much to do that.

“I’m just saying it’s an unusual career choice for a young woman.”

“What a crock of crap.” She gunned the motor when her chance to turn came, taking it way too fast. Watching him grab the handle above the door that people normally used to get into the SUV made her smile.

“You’re going to kill us both.”

“I know what I’m doing.” She pressed down on the accelerator a little harder. The faster she got him to the Caristers, the faster she would be rid of him.

“Is this one of their vehicles?”

“No, it’s mine.” She pressed down a little harder. “They have two cars, but they’re beign services so you can use one. Which means, thankfully, that I won’t have to drive you anywhere.”

“I appreciate that.” He turned his head toward her, watching the other side of the road. “That was an officer of the law we just passed, and judging from the lights that came on as we drove by, I would say you are in violation of the speed limit.”

Sterling looked down. “Well hells bells.” One look in the rearview mirror showed the DPS trooper was definitely coming after her. Who could blame him, she supposed. She was going eighty in a seventy-mile zone. She let up on the accelerator and eased the car toward the side of the road.

“So much for getting rid of you quicker.”

“Indeed,” he replied. “Just try not to get arrested by being rude.”

“You son of a…” she clamped her mouth shut and hit the button to roll her window down just as the officer appeared at the side of her car, asking for her license and proof of insurance. “This is turning out to be a hell of a day.”