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  Rebecca wanted to crawl in a hole. "Jesus, can we please change the subject?" She finished off her mimosa, hoping the drink would help soothe her nerves.

  "She is," Neely offered.

  Rebecca shot her friend a dirty look. "Fine. But even if I was interested, I was just telling your pain-in-the-ass-wife that we would never work." She looked at Caine, hoping that what she was about to say wouldn't insult him. "Nothing against you, Caine, but I don't want to be with a man who wants to spank me."

  "And I was just telling my stubborn-in-need-of-a-spanking-friend that she is being awfully judgmental for someone who knows very little about it and has never tried it. Well, unless you count last night."

  Caine nodded his agreement. "Sawyer's a good man."

  "We're getting ahead of ourselves. I don't even know if Sawyer is interested. He didn't say or give me any idea that he is," Rebecca pointed out.

  "He spanked you, right?" asked Caine.

  She nodded. "Yes."

  "Then he cares and is interested. I know Sawyer well enough to know that he wouldn't just spank anyone. There was more to it than you know."

  "He was just mad because I fainted. I didn't eat anything, and he was angry that I didn't listen to him. That was all there was to it."

  "Yes, because tattoo artists just spank their clients for fainting, right?" Neely said with a roll of her eyes.

  "Sounds like he had a good reason, then," Caine added.

  "Did he spank your bare behind?" Neely asked.

  "Neely!" Rebecca looked at her and then shot her eyes quickly to Caine. "Really?"

  "Well did he?" Neely continued to press.

  "He pulled down my pants but left my panties on," Rebecca confessed, trying not to look at Caine.

  "Then he definitely has feelings for you," Neely added. "That is a very intimate act."

  "Agreed," Caine said. "Sawyer doesn't go to spank parties or anything like that. It isn't a game or for fun for him."

  Rebecca nodded. "He said as much right before he did it."

  "Well then, I think you know your answer as to whether Sawyer cares or not," Caine concluded. He stood up on his final word. "And with that, ladies, I have hit my max on girl talk. You two have fun." He leaned down and kissed Neely on the forehead before turning and going inside.

  Rebecca glared at Neely. "I could kill you. Really? In front of Caine?"

  Neely shrugged, with a huge smile on her face. "What?" she asked innocently. "We needed a male perspective."

  Rebecca rolled her eyes and picked up her empty glass, signaling that she wanted more to drink. Neely was happy to oblige. "Can we change the subject please? I've had enough spanking talk to last me a lifetime."

  Neely smiled warmly. "Fine. What else are you up to?"

  "I'm going to quit my job. I hate it," Rebecca announced.

  Her friend didn't seem shocked. "Sounds like a good idea. I never thought it was a right fit for you."

  "Yeah. I'm not sure what I'm going to do, but Coley told me about this spiritual retreat I thought I would check out. She said it does wonders for her when she needs some time to figure things out. At this point in my life, what do I have to lose?"

  Neely nodded in agreement. "Just be careful. Coley goes to some crazy places."

  "I know she does, but I feel so lost. My life feels like it's spiraling, and heading in a direction I don't want it to go. I need to find the person I once was. I need to figure it all out. So if some hippy dippy retreat helps me, then I'm all for it."

  Neely just smiled as she took a sip of her drink.

  "So, I saw this article about how as the years progress, men are growing more facial hair and shaving less. You know, the whole 'lumberjack' trend. Anyway, the article then goes on to say that as the years progress, women are doing the opposite and keeping less and less hair on their vaginas, even going so far as to shave theirs bald." Rebecca smiled as she took a drink of her mimosa to control the impending giggle. "Isn't that the craziest thing you've ever heard? The article even had a break down by decade. Apparently, my bush is stuck in the 90s."

  Neely laughed. Not just laughed, actually, guffawed was more like it. "What?" She laughed so hard that tears started to wet her eyes.

  "It's true. It says that starting back from the year 2000, we should all have bare bushes."

  Neely continued to laugh. "What do you have?"

  "Well… I have the landing strip, I guess you could say. What about you? Are you stuck in the 90s with me? Come on, you can tell me. There's no shame."

  "No!" Tears started streaming down Neely's face as she laughed even harder. "I'm bare, and have been forever!"

  Rebecca had never seen Neely laugh so hard. "What? You're completely bare?"

  "Yes!"

  "Come on! Are you telling me this article is right? Am I behind the times? Oh my God! I have a 90s bush!" The realization that she wasn't up on the current grooming habits set in.

  "Ha! You have a goatee bush! Well, at least it isn't permed." Neely continued her fit of giggles, loud enough that her neighbors could hear. "I'm laughing so hard, I think I may pee myself."

  "Seriously! Why did I not know about this? Are you telling me that it's normal to not have any hair down there?"

  Neely nodded, her face red from lack of oxygen. "Yes, well, unless you are a granola."

  "Granola? What the hell is that?" Where had she been all these years?

  "Hippie. They let it all hang out." Neely's attack of giggles continued. "At least you don't have a full bush."

  "No, then I'd have a 70s bush based on that damn article. But it's still bad that I have a 90s bush. God! Why did no one tell me?"

  "Didn't you notice when we were sweating our asses off in the sauna?"

  "No! It's not like I examine others women's hoohas!" Rebecca took another drink, taking in the insanity that she had somehow missed this important female hygiene memo. "So…" She paused for a moment, trying to figure it all out. "So, you just shave the whole thing?"

  Neely continued to laugh and nodded. "Yes, or you could wax it. Haven't you heard of the Brazilian?"

  "Yes, but I can't imagine having the hair ripped off my pussy lips with hot wax!" As if the Gods were against her, Caine walked outside right as Rebecca said the words, 'pussy lips'.

  "I'm going to run to the store. Can I get you ladies anything while I'm out?" he asked, acting as if he hadn't heard her, but revealing his discomfort by not making eye contact.

  Neely just laughed and shook her head as Rebecca said, "No, we are fine."

  Rebecca's face was on fire as Caine retreated back inside.

  Taking a calming breath to control her laughter, Neely asked, "Do you at least trim that patch of yours? Or do you have this bushy patch of weeds?" She squealed with laughter at her own question. "When Andrew went down on you, could he floss his teeth?" And the laughter continued.

  Rebecca crossed her arms in a fake pout. "Funny. My bush isn't out of control or anything. I shave… sometimes."

  "Do you use those little grooming scissors, at least?"

  "Scissors? No. I don't have any scissors. Oh God, this is classic. I've had the wrong bush for almost two decades."

  "Well, I guess you know what you're doing tonight," Neely said, as she swallowed the last of her drink.

  "Yes, I do. It's time to say goodbye to the 90s."

  Chapter Eight

  Sawyer sat in his studio, grateful that he'd only had one client and they had been an easy one. His head just wasn't in the game, and hadn't been for several days. Rebecca consumed his thoughts. The spanking was one thing, and a huge thing at that. But it was more. There was something about that skinny, freckled-faced, redhead that mastered his thoughts. She wasn't his usual type at all. Sure, she had—or would eventually have—a full back tattoo, but he usually dated women who were covered in ink and piercings. His women were harder, edgier, and a hell of a lot more wild. They also were open for all sexual kinks, whereas he had a pretty good feeling that his little Rebecca
was as straight as an arrow when it came to sex. But there was something about her. Something that made him want to see her again.

  And the spanking! She hadn't resisted; in fact, she'd pretty much asked for him to give her one. His palm itched at the memory as he smiled, thinking of her cute St. Patrick's Day panties. It was tiny little things like that which had him melting for this girl. She was different, a tad quirky, strong and independent, yet reminded him of a broken bird at times. Everything she did was a contradiction, and he loved not knowing what to expect when it came to her.

  He grabbed a magazine that some of his tattoos were being showcased in and started flipping through. Anything to get his mind off this girl. It was crazy. He barely knew her. They had only spent, what, several hours together? Eighteen, to be exact. Maybe he was just in desperate need of getting laid.

  It had been a long time since he'd been with anyone, and even longer since he'd even considered a relationship. Hooking up with some tattoo groupie would be easy enough, and he'd sure as hell taken advantage of that fact in the past. He was a hot-blooded man, after all. But if he was being honest with himself, he was growing tired of it. And after all the Domestic Discipline talk with Rebecca, he had a new desire for it. He couldn't really have DD without commitment, and he knew that. Some hot, BDSM, naughty girl spankings, sure, but not true DD. And he wanted it. But was Rebecca the girl? Allowing her panty-clad ass to be spanked out of curiosity more than anything else was a far cry from agreeing to a DD lifestyle—very different.

  "What's up your ass?" Amos asked, snapping him out of his daydreaming. His brother sat across from him and started messing with the ink bottles on his workstation. Amos' hands shook, dark circles plagued his face, and his eyes were still bloodshot—from a hard night of partying, no doubt.

  Sawyer slapped his brother's hand. "Leave my shit alone."

  "Jesus, man. Someone on the rag today, or what?"

  He loved his brother more than anything, and after their mother had died, Amos was the only family he had, unless you counted their deadbeat dad. But the man could work his last nerve. His brother fought his addictions on a daily basis and struggled with life in general. Amos did everything to the extreme, regardless of the law or the safety of it. With a heart of gold and a spirit unmatched by anyone, Amos exuded living life to the fullest.

  "I have a lot of things on my mind."

  "Yeah, well whoever she is, she must be a hot one."

  Sawyer smirked. His brother knew him well. "That she is."

  "Good in bed?"

  "I don't know."

  "You haven't fucked her yet, and she already has you all dreamy eyed? Jesus Christ!"

  Sawyer winced at the crude sentence. He didn't like Rebecca being thought of or talked about like she was just some bar fly. "It's not like that. She's one of those good girls."

  Amos chuckled. "Yeah, well, those 'good girls' are the dirtiest in bed. They like to be fucked hard in the filthiest of ways."

  Sawyer kicked the chair Amos was sitting in, feeling his temper building. "Shut up. Don't talk like that." Why was he feeling such a sudden need to protect her?

  "Fuck! I was kidding." Amos paused and studied his brother. "I was just kidding around. Sorry, man."

  Sawyer shrugged and turned his attention to cleaning up his station. "Why are you here, anyway? I don't have you scheduled for a tattoo."

  Amos cleared his throat. "I was hoping I could borrow enough to cover my rent. I'm a little short this month." Amos was always short covering one bill or the other. "I'll pay you back with my next paycheck." Which also wasn't true. Amos had a way of conveniently forgetting his debts.

  "How much do you need?" Sawyer didn't even look up. Being asked for money by his brother was nothing new or shocking. It was as normal as taking a piss.

  "Three hundred. Four, if you have it."

  Without saying anything, Sawyer walked over to a safe in the corner of the room. He quickly opened the combination and counted out a bunch of twenties and a few hundred dollar bills. He pulled out five hundred and rolled it up. He then walked to his brother and handed him the money without saying a single word. He didn't want to encourage Amos, but he also didn't want to make him feel bad or less of a man. He knew Amos would do it for him in a heartbeat.

  "Thanks, man." His brother pocketed the money without even counting it. "So, this chick. When do I get to meet her?"

  "We aren't dating or anything."

  "Why the hell not? If she has a hold of your heart like this, then why haven't you made her yours? That's not like you at all."

  Sawyer stopped and stared at his brother, taking in his question. Why hadn't he? He wasn't one to play games or fuck around. If he wanted something or someone, he made it happen. He didn't overthink things or make it more complicated than it had to be. Not normally. So why was he acting like a drama-filled teenage boy avoiding doing anything about his feelings? Why was he not doing anything about it? He wanted Rebecca. He did.

  "You're right," he said, nodding somewhat as he stared off into space. "It's time I get off my ass and make her mine."

  * * * * *

  What the hell was she doing up here? How could she have possibly thought that climbing this tree and sitting here for hours was a good idea? Search your soul, they say. Find internal peace, they say. Yeah well… her soul was hungry, and there was no peace to be found as she munched on a handful of raisins and pine nuts.

  "Have you lost your mind? What are you doing up in that tree… bare-ass naked?"

  Sawyer?

  Rebecca tensed, not even daring to look down for fear that the smallest movement would send her falling to her death. Yeah, maybe being up in this damn tree wasn't the smartest thing to do.

  "Get your ass down from there before you hurt yourself," Sawyer demanded, but his voice had a hint of amusement in it.

  Sawyer. Her heart beat so hard against her chest that she feared it would knock her right out of the tree. Days had gone by since she'd last seen him. Days of wishing she had the guts to say she wanted more. That she wanted him.

  She looked down through the branches at the man she thought had no interest in her at all. He was out of her league. Wasn't he? Sawyer's tattooed arms were folded against his chest as he anxiously awaited her descent. His dark hair tousled in a perfectly delightful mess, and his emerald eyes looked up at her, sparked with worry.

  "Do you need me to help you?" There was concern in his voice even though he hid it with a smirk of his lips; lips that Rebecca wanted to feel against hers. What was he doing here? How did he even know how to find her?

  Reaching for the thickest branch to hold her weight, she slowly made her way down. "I'm coming." She tried her best not to picture what she looked like completely nude as she awkwardly maneuvered the branches. She most certainly wasn't leaving anything hidden from his watchful eyes. No doubt he could see every crack, hole, wrinkle, you name it—lovely situation indeed.

  "I swear to God, Rebecca, if you fall, I'm going to bust your butt."

  Scowling, she continued to climb. "If I fall, my butt will already be busted," she grunted as her feet finally made contact with the ground.

  Despite the fact that she stood before him completely nude, Sawyer's presence eased the feeling of being lost that had tormented her. He gave her a sense of comfort, as odd as that was considering the situation she was in.

  He removed his black t-shirt, revealing his heavily tattooed chest and stomach. The ripples on his abs were covered in decorative color. He truly appeared to be a masterpiece of art. She couldn't help but study his torso as he moved closer to her. "Here, put this on," he said, as he handed his shirt to her. "Why are you up in that tree?" He smiled and chuckled slightly. "And why are you naked in that tree?"

  She snatched the shirt from his hand and slipped it on. Luckily, the large size of it covered her ass and girl parts from his view. "I am trying to be one with nature. I'm trying to connect with the earth." When he raised one eyebrow and smiled, she added, "Do
n't judge."

  Sawyer shook his head and raised his hands in surrender. "Who am I to judge?"

  Rebecca grinned. She knew how ridiculous she appeared. She had missed the way in which Sawyer could always stay open-minded. Nothing seemed to frazzle him—even seeing a naked woman up in a tree.

  "So were you successful? Are you now one with nature?" He smiled and crossed his arms against his bare chest once more. "By all means, if you feel the need to be close with Mother Earth again, I can always take my shirt back."

  "How did you find me?" she asked, changing the subject.

  "I asked Caine. He found out from Neely."

  "Why are you here?" She hadn't been sure how their next meeting would be, but being naked in front of him, at The Spiritual Oasis, was not exactly what she had envisioned. Rebecca now wanted to kick Coley in the shin for convincing her that coming here would be a good idea.

  Sawyer took a deep breath before speaking. "I feel like we left things unfinished."

  Yanking on the hem of the shirt to cover more of her body, she asked, "Unfinished? How so?"

  "Come on, Rebecca. Are you telling me that there was nothing between us? I spanked you, for Christ's sake. It's not like I spank all my clients after a tattoo is done. Plus, the way we talked… it was so easy and simple. I opened up to you like I've never done before."

  She remained silent, not sure what to say. Her insides were doing acrobatics at the memory of being across his lap.

  Sawyer approached her, reached for a strand of her hair and gently tucked it behind her ear. She looked down at the ground but didn't pull away. "Are you having some sort of midlife crisis? Why do you feel this need to change?" he said gently.

  She continued to look down at her bare feet, not wanting to meet his eyes. "I feel lost." The confession rolled off her tongue so simply.

  Cupping her jaw, he tilted her face and kissed her. No hesitation, no question in his eyes, no asking for permission. Sawyer took her kiss as if it were always his to take. His lips were warm and smooth, yet powerful at the same time as his mouth sank into hers. He swept his tongue against hers, and she groaned as she pressed her body against his bare chest. The intensity, the emotion, the hunger for this man had only grown with the few days apart. What was it about him that made her knees grow weak from just a simple kiss?