Page 57 of Inside Out
“By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.”
~William Shakespeare
“We’re all born with a superpower that tells us when evil is near.”
~Romeo Bradley
I’ve always considered myself to be a man who relies on sound reason and logic, but I’ve never ignored my gut instincts when it came time to make decisions or analyze a situation. Reason and logic told me everything with the play would go on as planned and the POS group would become a distant memory. Why wouldn’t I think that when I looked into the eyes of each board member as they vowed not to let bully tactics from an extremist group pressure them into letting our kids down? They looked at the data Priscilla and Sandra had comprised and said they were convinced this was nothing more than attention-seeking from a group trying to make a name for themselves.
“Bad press is better than no press,” Cait said to the group.
“Press?” Earl asked. “You think there will be press?”
That’s when I realized that no matter what they said to me privately, things could turn on a dime if a mob of zealots showed up or even a news crew from one of the local news stations. Blissville’s proximity to Cincinnati, Dayton, and Columbus made it a distinct possibility that one, or all, of the media outlets had heard about the board meeting.
Cait’s reply was swift and succinct. “You better dress up just in case. We want to look good on camera when we fight the good fight for our kids.” Earl didn’t look too sure, and a few others lowered their eyes instead of meeting mine. I knew when I left the meeting nothing was guaranteed, but I forced the worry away so I could have a good night with Julius.
Julius.
During my drive home, I realized I could face whatever decision the board handed down the next night as long as I had Julius to celebrate or commiserate with afterward. Julius pulled up in front of my house just as I exited my car. I was running behind, and he was a few minutes early. The first thing I noticed was the battered, brown leather bag slung over his shoulder, and then I noticed what he was wearing. I stood and gaped at him as he headed toward me with a confident—make that arrogant—stride. He wore a navy blue suit, pressed white shirt, and a bow tie that matched his pants and jacket. His pants hugged his legs like they were tailored to fit only him. I couldn’t wait for him to lose the jacket because I knew his ass would look amazing. Jules had put on a pair of black glasses with rectangular frames that made his hazel eyes look brighter.
“Hello,” I said when he stood in front of me. Damn. He made my mouth water.
“Good evening.” His voice sounded formal with clipped words and stiff tones. My dick was getting stiff too. “I have prepared a lesson for you.”
“School me, baby,” I said eagerly, making it nearly impossible for Jules to keep a straight face. His lips quivered for a mere second, but he managed to get it under control. “What’s in the bag?”
“You don’t get to ask the questions here.I’min charge.”Fuck.He was so hot.
“We better go inside before I embarrass myself in front of my neighbors.” I started to head toward the house, but Jules stepped in front of me, barring my path. He wrapped my tie around his fist then pulled me closer.
“Aren’t you forgetting something.”
“I will kiss you hello once we get inside.”
“She has four legs, dances around in circles, and burrows herself under her blanket instead of sleeping on it. Does that help?”
“I haven’t forgotten Dolly. I just thought we could—”
Jules silenced me with a firm shake of his head. “You need to show discipline, and only then will you be rewarded. Hand me the key so I can let myself inside your house while you retrieve your girl.”
I silently handed him the keys and walked across Lily’s lawn toward her front door. She didn’t answer my knock nor was my presence greeted with excited doggy barks. I trotted down the steps and looked around the side of her house. Like many properties in Blissville, Lily and her husband had a detached garage behind the house. I noticed her car wasn’t in the driveway, and I’d never seen her park inside the garage. I figured she must’ve run a quick errand and had taken the dogs with her, so I jogged back to my house and found Jules sitting stiffly in the club chair facing the door. He had his leg raised and folded so his right ankle was propped up on his left knee. I noticed the outline of his hard-on through his pants and knew he was as turned on as I was. Then I saw the ruler lying across his lap.
“Oh fuck.” I’d never experimented with power play and spankings before, but the hot look in Jules’s eyes told me I wanted to give it a try.
“Where’s Dolly?” God, his voice was rich and dominant. “I gave you an assignment, and it looks like you’ve failed to complete it.”
“But…”
“I don’t want to hear any excuses out of you. You need to learn a lesson.” Jules lowered his right leg and patted his muscled thigh with the ruler. “Get over here and lie across my lap.”
“Yes, sir,” I said. In my haste to cross the room, I hooked my leg on the coffee table and tripped. Instead of sexily presenting my ass to him for a good whacking, I fell into his lap and nearly tagged his nuts with my knee. Julius released all the air in his lungs with anoof. “Fuck me,” I growled, feeling my face turn from a warm, sexy flush to a burning-with-embarrassment red. “I’m so sorry.”
Julius blinked his eyes, and the stern countenance was gone. He held me tight against his chest as his head fell back against the chair, and he laughed harder than I had ever heard him laugh before. I joined in because I knew he wasn’t laughingatme. Julius didn’t have a mean bone in his body. It was the ridiculousness of the situation that had both of our eyes filling with tears.
“I’ve ruined the mood,” I said.
Julius took my hand and pressed it against his bulge. “Not a chance.”Whack.Julius slapped the ruler against the palm of his hand. “Across my lap, Dr. Bradley.”