False Pretenses [Rod and Cane Society 2] Read online

  "Why not fine her?” asked a newer board member.

  "The bylaws don't allow for it,” Jordan said.

  "Our organization is more than seventy years old. It formed when few women were employed outside the home and had a source of income other than their husbands’ or parents'. It may be time to reevaluate the bylaws, but that's not the business on the table today,” Otis explained. “So, do I have a motion from the floor?"

  "I move Emma Dupree be subject to a level-three corporal correction,” McGinnis stated.

  "No fucking way!” Dan leaped from his chair, fisting his hands. If he had to, he would drag Emma kicking and screaming out of the mansion before he'd allow her to receive forty lashes with a cane.

  "Mr. Tanner!” Otis rapped his gavel. “Please control yourself. Do we have a second?"

  Silence followed the question, and McGinnis glowered at Dan.

  "Very well, motion fails due to lack of second. That did seem rather severe, Paul,” Otis commented.

  Dan sank back into his chair, his heart pounding. McGinnis was out for blood. Literally. A level-three caning would have left raised welts and would most likely have broken the skin. He raked a hand through his hair. Why was such a thing even in the bylaws?

  "A level-three has never been meted out in the seventy-year history of the Society,” Jordan pointed out.

  "I move we implement a level-one corporal correction,” Jared said quietly.

  "I second,” said another member.

  Otis restated the motion and called for discussion.

  "I move we stop this insanity and revoke Emma's membership,” Dan said.

  "You can't vote, and you can't make a motion!” McGinnis snapped.

  "Mr. McGinnis happens to be right.” Otis nodded. “You may participate in the discussion inasmuch as you are here in an advocacy capacity for Miss Dupree. But you cannot vote or offer or second a motion. And in any case, one cannot make a new motion while one is on the floor."

  Dan pictured himself introducing McGinnis to the motion end of his fist. But beating the crap out him, as satisfying as it would be, wouldn't help Emma. He had to keep a cool head if he was going to get her out of this. She couldn't possibly have known what she was agreeing to.

  "Emma is a new member. She's a single woman. If she had been married, we wouldn't be here,” Dan argued. “The matter would have been brought to her husband, who would have handled it privately. Given those circumstances, I believe leniency is in order."

  "True,” agreed a board member. “But unlike a married woman whose membership is often submitted by her spouse, Miss Dupree joined on her own and agreed to our terms."

  "Exactly!” McGinnis said. “She knew what she was doing.” A scowl darkened his already ruddy face. “A level-one paddling is nothing more than a slap on the wrist. At the very minimum, she ought to receive a level-two. Paddling is not sufficient. I think her behavior merits caning.” A level-two was primarily a paddling, but with the final strokes delivered with a cane.

  "The goal of physical discipline is to correct behavior. Emma has had a change of attitude and heart.” Dan glanced at each board member, trying to read their faces. “She joined as a skeptic and has become an advocate. In effect, the outcome of discipline has been achieved."

  "If you believe Miss Dupree's remorse is real,” McGinnis sneered, “then I have some oceanfront property in Death Valley I'd like to sell you."

  "My impression is that Miss Dupree's remorse is genuine,” Jordan said.

  Otis peered over the rim of his readers. “I agree with Mr. Bevy. I believe she sincerely regrets her actions. I suspect that subconsciously, Miss Dupree chose to write about the Society because she was drawn to it, that the concept of discipline fulfilled a deep need. She's the kind of woman who benefits the most from Rod and Cane."

  Several board members nodded. “It's obvious she could use the discipline,” membership chairman Steven Glickman said wryly.

  "We have certain rules and expectations in our home. My wife knows them. When she violates those rules, I spank her,” said the board's recording secretary.

  "Accountability is part of discipline.” Otis nodded. “Actions have repercussions, and while I believe there is justification for leniency, I believe Miss Dupree would benefit from experiencing the consequences of her actions."

  Like a listing ship, the board's opinion shifted with Otis's words. Dan could feel the collective mind of the board adjust to the destination Otis had designated.

  "Shall we vote on the motion?” Otis asked.

  The men nodded.

  "All in favor of administering a level-one correction to Miss Dupree?” Otis called.

  Five ayes rang out.

  "Nay.” McGinnis glowered.

  "The ayes have it; the motion carries.” Otis rapped his gavel.

  Dan's heart thudded. Emma's punishment wasn't as severe as it could have been, but it was unpleasant enough. He felt as if he'd let her down. The only thing he could do now was try to convince her not to go through with it. A disciplinary paddling would not be anything like the erotic spankings he'd given her. She had to realize that.

  "We need to select an administrator,” Jordan said. “According to the bylaws, we may draw lots, or we may select someone by vote."

  "Let's draw lots,” McGinnis said.

  Emma would have a one-in-six chance of having McGinnis paddle her, and he would do his best to convert a level-one into a level-three. Dan's stomach lurched.

  "I move we appoint Mr. Tanner as administrator,” Jared said.

  "What?” Dan and McGinnis gasped together.

  "I second the motion,” the board's recorder said.

  "That's absurd,” McGinnis sputtered. “He's the last person who should have that responsibility."

  Their reasons were different, but Dan agreed with McGinnis. He couldn't do it. Erotic spanking occurred within a wholly different context. He couldn't bring himself to punish Emma for real.

  "I don't—” Dan broke off when Otis lifted his hand.

  "Before you object, let me ask you this: if you're not the one to mete out discipline to Miss Dupree, who here would you appoint to do it?” Otis raised his eyebrows.

  The president's words punched him like a left hook. Who indeed? Dan tightened his fists at the thought of McGinnis wielding the paddle. He glanced at Jared, Otis, the others. They would be, if not merciful, more evenhanded, but he'd have to thump them too if any of them touched her.

  "No one,” Dan announced grimly, the onus of responsibility settling on him like a lead weight.

  McGinnis jabbed a finger in Dan's direction. “He's fucking that broad."

  "Two hundred dollars, Mr. McGinnis.” Otis snapped his gavel. “You were warned. One more inappropriate outburst and you'll be excused from the proceedings."

  McGinnis flashed his eyes menacingly at Dan. “My apologies to the board. I merely wished to point out that Mr. Tanner has a conflict of interest due to his relationship with the young lady.” The words were civil, but the tone was anything but.

  Jared twisted his mouth wryly. “By that reasoning, none of us would be appropriate disciplinarians of our wives."

  McGinnis pointed his scowl at Jared. “You're obviously on Tanner's side."

  "I'm on the side of justice. Discipline should be measured and controlled, not angry or emotional,” Jared said. “The goal is to teach and guide appropriate behavior, not to exact revenge."

  "I'm not saying I agree with Paul.” The recording secretary spoke up, glancing at McGinnis. “But how do we know Dan won't soft-pedal the discipline?"

  Another member nodded. “We all spank our wives. But it's a duty we fully embrace. In this situation, clearly Mr. Tanner doesn't feel discipline is warranted. Mr. McGinnis might be correct in this instance. I don't think Dan is the right person."

  Triumph glinted in McGinnis's malevolent gaze. “That's what I've been trying to say."

  Dan's heart constricted. He didn't want to paddle Emma, but cons
idering the possible alternative—McGinnis—it was the only way to protect her. “I can assure you all, I will perform my duty to the fullest extent,” he said urgently.

  One of the dissenting members spoke. “With all due respect, Dan, I'm not convinced. I think you'll hold back to save your lady friend some pain."

  "You're not allowed to vote because of your relationship, so I'm inclined to think you shouldn't be the one to carry out the board's decision,” said another.

  "Are you questioning my allegiance to Rod and Cane?” Dan went on the offensive in an attempt to defend Emma. “I've served this organization in an exemplary manner. I haven't given any of you reason to believe I would shirk my duty.” He glowered at his opponents.

  "I'll monitor the session,” Jordan said. He gestured toward the drapes concealing the two-way mirror. “And the board will be able to observe as well."

  "In the event that the board determines Mr. Tanner is not fulfilling his obligation, a new administrator will be appointed,” Otis said. “I believe we've heard all arguments from both sides. Let's vote."

  Dan's heart hammered as he sized up his support. Otis and Jared would vote for him, but they accounted for only two ayes.

  He knew with certainty which way McGinnis would go, and was almost as sure about the two other dissenters. He glanced at the recording secretary. He would be the swing vote. If he sided with McGinnis, Dan couldn't shake the horrible feeling his nemesis would be the one to discipline Emma. But even if the recorder voted with Jared and Otis, the best Dan could hope for was a tie. What would happen then? How would the deadlock be broken?

  None of this favored Emma. The wall clock ticked ominously.

  Otis cleared his throat. “All in favor of Mr. Tanner administering the discipline of Miss Dupree?"

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  Chapter Nineteen

  In the disciplinary chamber, Emma knotted her hands in her lap and perched on the edge of a ladder-back chair that faced a large mirror. Her fate rested with the men on the other side of the mirrored wall. The rooms were obviously soundproofed, because she couldn't pick up so much as a murmur.

  Seeing Rod and Cane members in all their glory had caused her legs to tremble with apprehension. Despite physical differences of age, build, hair, and eye color, the men appeared to be cut from the same dominant cloth. They commanded and controlled, demanded and received female submission.

  It opened her eyes to view Dan in that context. She'd considered him a masculine man, but among his peers, all softness had vanished. The strength and power of his taut muscles, his erect posture, his chiseled features, had attracted and scared her at the same time. It was difficult to picture this stern-faced stranger as the lover whose cheeks had dimpled so adoringly, who had held her so tenderly, who had spanked her so playfully.

  Her betrayal undoubtedly contributed to the austerity of his demeanor, but she sensed the demands of Rod and Cane influenced it as well. Within the mansion fortress, Dan was a different person.

  If he had approached her with that same fierceness she saw in the boardroom, she wouldn't have allowed him to spank her—but she would have craved it more. Emma inhaled a shuddering breath. Yes, seeing Dan with these men revealed not just a side of him, but the essence of who he was. A man among men.

  Otis Davenport clearly led the pack. It wasn't his place at the head of the table that set him apart, but the aura of command that enveloped him like a mantle of armor. As she had before, she sensed Otis would be fair and evenhanded; he would demand a full quarter, but wouldn't exact a cent more.

  Emma respected Otis. She loved Dan. The other man scared her.

  She didn't know his name, but the instant she'd entered the room, his animosity filled the chamber like a malevolent fog. The malice in his eyes had nearly made her abandon her decision and flee from the room.

  But she wasn't a coward or a shirker, and she was determined to atone for the violation of trust and accept whatever punishment Rod and Cane deemed fair.

  Unfortunately it wouldn't change the situation between her and Dan. In baring her bottom, she'd exposed her heart. Dan's rejection on the mansion steps and his lack of contact since indicated her worst fear had come to pass—she'd destroyed their relationship. When she'd dredged up the courage to seek his gaze during the meeting, he still wouldn't look at her. He'd remained silent during the entire hearing, except to protest retention of her membership. He intended to expel her from the organization as well as from his life.

  Emma blinked back tears. Maybe over time she could convince Dan she'd changed and had become the woman he'd thought she was. But while maintaining her link to the Auxiliary might pave the way to reconciliation, that wasn't why she wanted to keep it. She needed the discipline, the sense of duty and honor Rod and Cane stood for, to help her channel her drive and impetuousness.

  She hadn't felt this anxious since her root canal. Come to think of it, the board's decision was like that dental procedure—necessary but unpleasant.

  Emma nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and stared at her pale, wide-eyed reflection in the large mirror. Were the men watching her now? No doubt the panel of reflective glass was a two-way mirror on her side, a transparent viewing window on the other. A curtain had covered it when she was on the governance chamber side. Had the men drawn the drape?

  The disciplinary room hadn't been included in the Auxiliary new member tour. Melania had told her that a room existed at the mansion where men sometimes brought their wives when special circumstances required special discipline.

  Emma never expected to see it, let alone be in it. Stark, austere—nothing about the room welcomed or brought comfort to the occupant. Other than her hard chair, the only other “furniture” pieces were a couple of spanking benches. She'd never seen them before, but she recognized them immediately. One positioned the spankee in a kneeling position, while the other looked like a pommel horse, a wide leather “seat” resting on four sturdy, adjustable legs.

  More disconcerting were the spanking implements aligned with precision on the wall: paddles in many sizes, all drilled with holes to decrease the wind resistance and increase the sting; long dowels of various diameters used for caning; and leather strops that would feel anything but soft and supple when they slapped against bare skin. Emma shivered as she realized her bottom would soon feel the physical imprint of the Rod and Cane name.

  How bad would her punishment be? Would she be paddled or caned? Or both? To be physically reprimanded frightened her, but it worried her more to contemplate who might administer it. What if Rod and Cane appointed the glowering man to do it? Had his wife been one of the women she'd interviewed? Emma shuddered.

  Though humiliating, the public nature of her punishment might serve to protect her from excess, she realized. Jordan Bevy seemed compassionate. As did Otis and Melania's husband, Jared. She could only hope that the men who had reason to resent her would protect her by adhering to Rod and Cane's code of honor.

  Suddenly the door swung open. Her stomach stopped churning and leaped into her throat.

  Otis entered, followed by Jordan, and lastly, Dan. Had he come to gloat?

  Emma got to her feet and locked her knees together to still the trembling. Her mouth went so dry, her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. She pushed up her glasses.

  Davenport and Bevy's shielded expressions revealed no emotion, no hint of her fate. She suspected they'd be damn good poker players. She stole a glance at Dan. He stood rigidly, as if every vertebra of his spine had been fused, his eyes cold. A muscle twitched in his iron jaw. Clearly he hadn't forgiven her and desired to eject her from the organization and his life.

  "Miss Dupree.” Otis's voice echoed like a muted roar in her ears. “The governing board has determined your breach of confidentiality warrants a level-one physical chastisement."

  "Level one?” Emma wet her dry lips.

  "Paddling. The board has reached a consensus of thirty-two strokes."

  E
mma's gaze flew to the pain-inducing implements on the wall. Could she do this? Fresh doubts pummeled her.

  "Do you still wish to proceed?” Davenport asked.

  "Emma.” Dan's voice hit her like gravel thrown in her face, and she jerked. His mask of icy fury slipped to reveal the pain motivating it. Of all the people she'd hurt, she'd injured Dan the most. She would never forgive herself if she didn't try to make it right.

  Emma took a breath and lifted her chin. “Yes, I do."

  "Mr. Bevy"—he nodded at the other man—"will remain in the room to monitor the process.” He gestured to the mirror. “The board will view the procedure from the governance chamber."

  Procedure. Davenport made it sound like a sterile and routine operation, when it compared more to a humiliating public flogging. At least she wouldn't be pelted with rotten vegetables.

  But then Otis hit her with a verbal tomato as he exited: “Mr. Tanner will administer the paddling."

  SHOCK AND DISMAY ricocheted across Emma's face. Dan wanted to shake her and spank some sense into her. Surely Rod and Cane couldn't mean this much that she would endure this? She ought to tell them all to go fuck themselves.

  With Paul whipping up sentiment against Emma, the board had listed away from leniency and deadlocked on the vote to allow Dan to discipline her. Otis had claimed executive privilege and had broken the tie before a motion to select McGinnis as disciplinarian could be made. Dan was grateful; only the power of Otis's favor had placed Dan in this room and not McGinnis.

  But God help him, Dan would not be able to go easy on her. Like hawks, the men would watch, and if anyone suspected he wasn't adequately discharging his duty, McGinnis would be sent in. Dan couldn't risk that. It killed him to not be able to hug Emma, tell her he loved her and convince the pigheaded woman she didn't have to do this. Ironically she deserved a spanking for her stubbornness.

  The only good to come from this debacle was the realization of how much he did love her. Nothing she had done mattered anymore.