Strapford Wives
Part2
Their route out of San Antonio took them past Sea World, which precipitated a brief if not so minor melt down from the back seat. It was moving day, and they wanted to beat the movers to the new house, so an outing at Sea World was not in the cards. For some reason a new house, new neighborhood, hiking trails and new friends to meet didn’t quite equal whales and dolphins in the minds of a seven and nine year old being uprooted for the second time in 5 months. Colin handled the dissent well, Gabby felt guilty. Had she been alone making the drive with her boys, she probably would have indulged at least a four hour diversion.
It took a few hours, but once they made the turn onto the winding tree lined FM 77265 (FM = farm to market road) and passed the sign welcoming them to Hickory Trails boredom and apprehension gave way to excitement. The keystone of the “Town Center” was a beautiful sprawling park where children and attentive parents and couples strolled. The shops rimmed the lane that branched around the park. The route through Hickory trails ended in a 20 mph circle that offered three options, a loop back to the lanes branching off the other side of the park square, a fork off to Birch Terrace or another up to Leatherwood Heights.
“Want to tour Birch Terrace first?” Colin asked.
“Not today honey,” Gabby responded more to fatigue than curiosity. She did want to see the other community since the brochures didn’t even come close to doing justice to Hickory Trails, but for now, she most wanted to get into her home and begin to situate – a chore she knew was going to take months. Brian (7) and Justin (9) were also more than ready to get out of the Land Rover too.
Leatherwood Heights was a little over a mile further up into the hills north of Hickory Trails. The ‘town’s’ hub was situated along a broad mile long boardwalk that was built on the East side of a crystal clear lake fed by filtered surface run off which further filtered deep underground into a huge underground water feature known as the Edwards aquifer. Eight narrow lanes fanned further up the hills, each looping back on themselves just beyond their exit from the hub. Each, a little over a mile up and back was sparsely populated with only two or three, five acre properties branching off them. Theirs was at the nadir of Ironwood Crescent.
Gabby was awestruck when Colin slowed and turned their SUV into their driveway. Terra cotta brick pillars framed the entrance to their ‘homestead’ and plaques on both welcomed them – 02 Ironwood Crescent - The Mclean Residence. The plaques on each pillar were identical. The house wasn’t immediately visible, but just a quick turn and a dip, and there it was – three stories, the same terra cotta color brick as the pillars that welcomed them – hunter green trim and shutters. Again, the pictures and brochures did no justice to the reality. Flowerbeds were already fully planted and in bloom!
“This is ours?” Gabby whispered. Their name already fixed to the entry pillars answered her question, but something in her needed Colin’s assurance.
“This is it,” he confirmed.
The moving van was already there, and Gabby noted that there were many more than the four movers who packed them now helping to unload.
Almost before Colin pulled the Land Rover to a full stop and released the child locks, a circle of adults and children broke off from helping the movers and came toward them. The welcoming smiles were genuine. Even so, Gabby balked. “What the hell were these strangers doing handling her things, traipsing in and out of her house (new or not) without her specific invitation?” she wondered. “Colin must have asked,” she reasoned. She said nothing, assuming that he had, but made a mental note to take up how invaded it made her feel with him later.
The kids from their new neighborhood swept the boys up instantly. “Can we go? Can we go?” came out of entreaties to go see the park.
Gabby balked shaking her head, but before she could say anything, Colin told them, “Go, have fun, but be back here by 4. You’ve got work to do in your rooms before supper.”
“Honey?” Gabby objected.
“They’ll be fine and we’ll all do better without them underfoot after the drive. Let them blow off steam ok?”
Gabby didn’t hide her annoyed grimace, but she nodded and then turned to finish being introduced to the posse of neighbors that she felt had swarmed her family and invaded her space. The men almost instantly captured Colin and pulled him toward the moving van, while their wives quickly spirited Gabby up the front steps and into her new home. Again the photographs she’d been given had done no justice to what she was now seeing in person. Boxes occupied the center spaces of some rooms, and some of their furniture had been placed tentatively in or near the space it might logically occupy. Her bedroom was already unpacked and arranged! So was her kitchen! “Who the hell do you people think you are?” Gabby muttered under her breath. Her aggravation went mostly unnoticed, but one of her new peers wrapped her arm around her and tugged her close…
“Takes a bit of getting used to, they mean well though,” Linda (Leatherwood’s now second newest wife) whispered. “Rearrange when they leave. It’s not as much work as unpacking on your own, trust me.”
Gabby laughed. “Everyone gets this?”
“Yup,” Linda nodded. “Can’t say you’ll get used to it, but I recommend you let them get all the heavy work done before you complain to Colin. If he says word one to the husbands they’ll call the wives off. Trust me you don’t really want that right off the bat.”
“I’ve unpacked and moved on my own before,” Gabby was puzzled by Linda’s stance.
“And it was a whole lot of work right?” Linda chuckled.
“Yes?” Gabby shrugged. “So?”
“Just let them. It’s expected. Buck the culture here and you’ll make it harder on yourself than necessary. This isn’t any town USA, but no matter how you feel now and what it’s going to be like for you getting your sea legs here in the next six months, it’s worth all of it. It’s worth it,” Linda cupped Gabby’s face and captured her attention with a sincere smile.
And so, within a few hours Gabby and Colin were moved in and almost completely unpacked. A chore Gabby expected was going to take her months was accomplished by strangers on only hours. Gabby had questions for Linda, but she couldn’t find the words. What did she mean saying ‘buck the culture here’, or ‘make it harder on herself,’ and most especially what was it ‘going to be like getting her sea legs here?’ The questions didn’t get asked. The rest of the day just moved too fast.
Within a half hour, Gabby was separated from Linda, spun around from neighbor to neighbor and by 4 PM she was completely exhausted. Her boys came home exactly on time, raced up to their new rooms, and with their new friends completely moved in to their new rooms before the barbeque supper was made ready for all. Burgers, hot dogs, fajitas and steaks hit the grill, guacamole, potato salad, pico de gallo, salsa, buns, mustard, ketchup and minced onions all appeared with beverages (both virgin and alcohol laden) without Gabby her kids or even Colin even lifting a finger.
“Absorb, just absorb,” she told herself as every one of their new neighbors made a point to welcome them. By the time the food was ready literally every Leatherwood Heights family had joined those who’d been there to help move them in. Gabby politely accepted apologies from the few women who’d been unable to help her unpack. She was a bit unnerved by how distressed some of them seemed to feel. Not even her assurances that she really wanted to situate her own family and they shouldn’t give it a second thought seemed to help alleviate their worry.
********
Well after midnight, their boys finally settled in bed, Colin walked Gabby through their new home’s custom security and communication system. From their bedroom and master bath they could see and hear every room in the house.
“Seems like over kill to me honey? Why do we need such an elaborate system?” she asked.
“Because this part of the house is isolated and acoustically separate,” his grin was evil. “We can and need to hear them, but they can’t hear us.”
“Hmmmm?” Gabby smiled and kissed her husband. “What possible benefit could that be?”
They puttered together putting sheets on the bed and finding the box with their quilts and pillows so that going to bed comfortably would be possible. They were both exhausted yet wired by all of the day’s stimulation.
“Is it just me, or are these people kind of intense?” Gabby nudged Colin once their evening wound down, their boys were in bed and they were alone in their nearly situated master bedroom.
“Don’t you like them?” Colin seemed to miss her point.
“I didn’t say that,” Gabby reacted more intensely than she intended.
“You don’t!” Colin stiffened.
“No Colin! I didn’t say that! It’s a first for us though and you know it. All of these people helping and everyone who couldn’t help apologizing like they’d been negligent? It’s weird.” Gabby thought she was stating something her husband already knew, even though this was true. —
[He had been welcomed by a mentor as she had been, and the message he’d been given was one he’d always identified with. “Get your wife in line.”
How to do that was discussed extensively while furniture was moved and reassembled and heavy boxes were opened and emptied. “Spank her soundly according to her offense.”
“Her offense?” Colin feigned ignorance.“Are you the head of your household or is Gabby?”
“We both are.” Colin responded honestly.
“So who decides when you don’t agree?”
“We talk, we pray and I say,” Colin knew immediately where the conversation was going.
“Should she challenge your public decisions about your family?”
“I know what you mean,” Colin acknowledged. “That is an area we haven’t had much reason to formally approach as a couple. Gabby is normally relaxed and comfortable with our shared direction. Her resistance earlier was very much out of character, I think the move has her off balance.”
“You’ll appreciate the influence she’ll enjoy here.”
“Give us some time to ease in, we’re a good fit here, some things deserve gentle guiding,” Colin chuckled.
“A firm hand works faster.”
Colin left that reference to hang in the air unanswered. Before he publicly discussed the nuances of the culture he’d brought his family, especially his wife into, he needed to let Gabby ease into it. He knew she was wired to find comfort in a community where the male was expected to be the head of household, but so far, they’d only taken baby steps in the domestic discipline department. It wouldn’t be fair to her to have the community assume that either of them were fully savvy in the ways of their new peers..] —
“Sweet heart, I’m only going to ask you this once more. Trust me. This is a good place for us, I wouldn’t betray us, and even if you can’t trust that yet, we’re here. Go with it. Open up to it. This is not the only place in the world where neighbors place community first, and if I have to remind you how many times you’ve marveled at it on TV and said this was what you most dreamed about in a community, so help me!” Colin tried to stop Gabby’s semi irritated chatter about the benign, even loving invasion that was really nothing more than an enthusiastic welcome.
“It was invasive and intense Colin!” Gabby insisted.
“No Gabriel, it was friendly. These people are glad we’re here, and we owe them. You know darned well it would have taken us months to unpack properly never mind put furniture back together on our own. The only thing left for us to do is rearrange and decorate. Hell brat, you and I both know that left alone, we’d still have unpacking to do this time next year!”
Colin’s tone was tighter than Gabby was used to. She felt an irresistible urge to force compression and squeeze out whatever he was trying to hold in.“Okay! Pa-ardon meEeee! Gawd Colin! Okay, they’re friendly. Freaky friendly, but pardon me for being me and not quite knowing how to take them!” she snipped.
As she anticipated (and hoped) Colin didn’t like the snide shift Gabby’s response had taken.
“Go fill the tub, I’ll finish this and join you in a few minutes,” Collin stiffened and turned a serious warning gaze on his wife.The tub in their master bath was a large ‘garden tub’ with whirlpool jets, more than large enough for both of them. “And if I’m not finished with what I have to say?” Gabby shot back.
Her retort found and fully engaged a needful raw edge in her husband’s being setting in motion events that would make this day one they would both forever remember as pivotal.“You’re going to find out what I have to say, and just maybe more than my voice will do the talking, but first we’re going to relax and soak,” Collin’s answer was almost a growl.
“What? You gonna spank me?” Gabbie laughed.
“Yes I am.” Colin answered. There was no humor in his response.
“Better not try,” Gabby spoke under her breath, though her thought found no voice. Something deeper insider her heart was ambivalent about that threat.She obeyed and withdrew from the possibility of more conflict and ste her purpose to doing what her husband asked of her; fill the tub and make it ready for them. Gabby was stripped and settled in the hot water as it rose above the jets. She’d trickled Laura Ashley’s “Emma”§ body lotion into the water along with Ivory shower gel. “Emma” was her scent, and the shower gel promised only the addition of a clean frothy foam and lather.
When Colin climbed in with her, his bulk pushed the water level up enough that they had to turn off the tap. There were many cleansing and delicious activities they were able to do with just suds and the jets. After a long prelude of kissing, caress, washing and touch, Gabby felt clean and safe. In that state, she rinsed her torso and then climbed over and eased on top and mounted Colin’s fully erect penis. The shuddering gasp that came from him as she pressed down seating herself fully on him – answering her need for and love of him exactly where it needed to be, was almost perfect. They were both so tired and distracted that the tub had to be drained of tepid water and refilled hot twice while Gabby rode Colin gently.“
I love you,” Colin smiled after the last refill as he cupped her breasts kneading them with his firm hands and gently pinching and twisting her nipples. Gabby shuddered with the exquisite thrill of sensation that act sent through her. It was as if a tense silken cord was woven through her torso connecting her nipples to her clit and g spot. The temptation to pick up her pace and ride him faster was almost impossible to resist, but she needed slow loving – wanted to revel in the protracted build up to climax that fatigue and desire conspired to make possible every so often.
“I love you too!” Gabby gasped. “Mmmmmmmmmmmmm!”
“Like that?” he crooned
“Too much,” she nodded.
“Grind me. Settle down tight on me, rock and grind. Squeeze your pussy on me,” Collin commanded and reinforced his authority by tightly squeezing and twisting her nipples.
“Ohhh! Honey! I’m going to come too fast!” Gabby’s whine was lost on Colin.
“Let go sweet pea, or I’ll lose myself on you.”
“You’re close too?”
“You know it.”
“OK!” Gabby dropped her torso onto Colin and obeyed him. She pressed her clit down onto his pelvis, filling herself fully with him. The sensory fullness this caused pushed her rapidly beyond pleasure toward climax. His length massaged the pressure sensitive entrance to her womb, his girth caused her movements to knead her very responsive g spot and her rocking-circling motion against his body directly stimulated her ultra sensitive clit.
“Oh fuck!” Colin telegraphed his state. “Not yet baby. More of that!”
“I’m going to come honey!” Gabby whispered, biting Colin’s left shoulder, trying to hold out. She was rapidly reaching the point of no return.
“Work it for me!” his voice was husky.
Gabby closed her eyes losing herself to the bliss his request and what they were sharing induced.
“Oh fuck!” he gasped. “Fuck!”
Gabby felt Colin’s body tense under her. “Now?” she begged.
“Now!” he pulled her face to his taking her mouth deeply with his tongue.
“Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.” Vocal release of both of their initial climactic spasms was contained in that deep kiss. When their kiss broke only due to their shared need for air, their shared release became vocal. Gabby’s climax preceded Colin’s by only a few contractions. “You’re wonderful,” Colin kissed Gabby’s closed eyes wrapping his arms around her trembling body.
“Thank you!” she whispered. “You’re amazing!”
Slow easy coupled rocking followed well after the last waning contractions of climax passed. Gabby rested and reveled comfortably on her husband’s torso until his erection subsided fully. Colin was the one to nudge her off and around to sit up facing him. They rinsed the slick film of sexual sweat off of each other, and Colin carefully massaged her pussy clean of the milky, gossamer silken weave of her arousal and his seed.
Colin pulled the plug and they both stood to climb out of the tub, each wrapped the other in one of the bath towels Gabby dug out of one of the few boxes not disturbed by her new neighbors. Their new bathtub was officially broken in, Gabby grinned as Colin’s firm hands briskly toweled her dry letting that thought take her mind. Her technique for toweling Colin dry was decidedly gentler. Gentle or not, neither Gabby’s toweling technique nor the sex that transpired between them worked to distract Colin from the promise he’d made before sending her to prepare their bath.
Both were dressed for bed, Gabby in one of her over sized T-shirts and plain white ‘fruit of the loom’ high cut panties, and Colin in his T-shirt and briefs; Gabby pulling back the bedding on her side of the bed, when Colin caught her by the wrist and said, “We have some unfinished business yet Gab.”
“What?” her question was genuine.
“You taunted me to spank you and I told you I would do it,” he almost seemed to grin.
“I’m too tired to play any more honey,” Gabby objected.
“You weren’t playing when you taunted, and I wasn’t playing when I promised to do it. We’re both going to follow through now,” Colin’s answer was firm.
“You mean it? You’re going to spank me for real?”
“Yes, I do, and I’m going to do it right now.”
Gabby pulled back. Her held wrist prevented escape. Her mind spun. They’d played with spanking from the first weeks of their 10 year marriage, and even engaged in activity that encroached on disciplinary spanking not too long ago. She’d been absorbing and digesting that semi-disciplinary session for weeks. On one level it was what she’d been dreaming about all her life, on another it was too close to something secret within her that she’d tried to hide from for as long as she could remember. That being spanked for discipline had been fodder for her masturbation fantasies for all of her sexually aware life, and she’d suppressed that she’d been putting Colin in that dreamy role for all of their life together, was a secret she kept from him; a secret she feared someone might discover. Her needs, only sporadically kissed by what seemed like isolated mostly sexual spankings held on for dear life to the back burner of her being though, defying her conscious will to put them away and suppress them. Gabby was afraid Collin might reject her and find her disgusting if he ever knew she didn’t just desire spanking for its sexual spice, she wanted to be spanked hard, she fantasized about being taken over his lap and spanked harder than she could stand every time she was responsible for discord or stress in their lives. To give in to her secret dreams now – this way – without disclosure and honesty – Gabby balked.
“No!” her distress was genuine, fueled by much more than fear of pain.
“Yes!” Colin pulled her close. “And we’re going to have a long talk about this tomorrow or as soon as our life allows. I know you need this. I need this. We’re going to draw some lines shortly. Right now you’re getting the spanking you need and the spanking I need to give you.”
Gabby couldn’t help the tears that escaped her eyes, nor could she pinpoint where they came from – relief, agreement, fear of discovery, fear of pain, fear of herself – her secret – her ‘deviant’ desires, dissent, embarrassment? She wanted to be spanked, yet even though her heart felt like it would beat through her chest a cadence palpably matched by an anticipatory desire that pulsed deep within her groin – with just the insinuation of a real spanking coming to fruition, the secret embarrassed part of her fought it.
“Why?” she struggled against Colin’s secure pull.
She was across his lap and he’d delivered a number of hard spanks before he bothered to venture an answer. “Because this is what we need as a couple,” Colin answered Gabby with all of his heart as he stepped up the soundness and pace of the already furious spanking he was administering. He stopped only breifly after the first hard round of thirty to pull her panties down, and then set in again to make a very firm impression.
Colin’s steal gaze before pulling her over his lap wilted her fight, and Gabby struggled and cried, this was the hardest and longest spanking of her life. Though the long OTK session didn’t quite achieve its ideal goal – a thorough and open discussion of what and why; along with reconciliation of how – it was only a matter of time before that evolved if Colin’s promise that discussion was coming and lines they both needed were about to be drawn was kept. The acoustics of their new home isolated their activities perfectly. It was the first time Colin had ever initiated spanking officially separated from and after rather than as an element of sex, and only the second time he’d taken it into the territory of her disciplinary desires. Gabby’s mind spun with the potential. In the moment, she couldn’t have realized that very soon, both of them would disclose long protected secret needs. She couldn’t have known that the marks from this spanking that she would check and touch with embarrassed longing each day as they faded were symbolic ‘marks’ of one of the most positive and generative evolutions in her life and her long afraid sense of self.
§ Emma perfume: no longer available – yet the only subtle and truly feminine worthy – not overpowering scent that Laura Ashley ever sold.