Charming Isabella (4 page)

Coleman
laughed and said, “Thought they were for tomorrow . . . isn’t it bad luck or something to see your bride before the wedding?”

Jack laughed back and said
, “Hey, it’s not my fault the bride earned herself a spanking. And, as you know, those are always on the bare.” Jack laughed again and looked over to see the bride laughing and glowing. “Besides, that only applies to the dress, and believe me, I could care less what that looks like. I’m much more interested in what’s underneath.”

The men laughed loudly
, causing Izzy to look up. She felt that flutter in her stomach again. She couldn’t get that irritating man out of her mind—or thoughts of being bottom-up across his knee. She watched as the men obviously shared some joke, both laughing and totally at ease with each other.

She didn
’t see her Aunt until Elizabeth spoke. “He is beautiful, isn’t he?”

Izzy jumped and blushed.
“He’s okay, I guess.” Elizabeth laughed and said, “Oh, honey, I worry about you. That man is one gorgeous hunk. He seems very nice as well. I’m glad he’s your date tomorrow.” Izzy didn’t smile as she had expected. Instead, she looked over at Nancy.

Elizabeth noticed and said quietly
, “Honey, what’s wrong? Talk to me, please.” Izzy shook her head and mumbled something about her duties as she quickly walked away.

Elizabeth turned to watch her, concern in her eyes.
Her husband, Tom walked up and saw Izzy walking away. “Hey honey, what’s the matter? Is our Izzy okay?”

Elizabeth turned to him and
stepped into his embrace. “I’m not sure. Something’s up, but she doesn’t want to talk to me about it. I’m worried about her, though.”

Tom kissed his wife and said
, “Then go to her, Beth. Make her talk to you. I know this must be hard on her, seeing her best friend get married. I don’t want to see her upset, and I don’t I want anything to spoil Nancy’s wedding tomorrow. Both our girls deserve to be happy.” Beth nodded and after kissing his cheek, went to find her niece.

Beth searched through the yard and called for her at the house. Not finding Izzy, Beth headed towards the barn. She found her standing in front of a stall, softly stroking the face of her favorite horse, Bailey, speaking quietly. Beth paused, her heart aching. Izzy had a special affinity for animals and seemed to run to them when she needed the most comfort. Beth decided not to intrude until she saw Izzy lay her forehead against the horse. Her shoulders begin to shake and Elizabeth heard her sobbing.

Beth immediately went forward.
“Oh honey, Isabella, come here, baby.” Izzy turned and threw herself into her aunt’s arms. Beth just held her until her sobs began to calm. She led her to a bale of hay, sat down and pulled Izzy down beside her. “Tell me what’s wrong, Izzy.” Izzy shook her head, embarrassed to be causing such trouble. “Honey, I know you are hurting, but I can’t help you if you lock me out. Please talk to me Isabella; please trust me.”

Izzy felt torn
, but seeing how concerned her aunt was, she took a deep breath. “I’m not sure . . . I . . . well, I keep making a fool out of myself today. I’m worried about Nancy, but I seem to be the only one.”

Beth looked surprised
. “Nancy? Honey, Nancy seems perfectly fine to me. In fact, I’ve never seen her happier. Why are you concerned?”

Izzy felt conflicted but also knew that her aun
t loved Nancy as much as she did. “Aunt Beth, she . . . well, she has gotten into some . . . some kinky stuff I guess you’d call it. Jack . . . he has her doing things I never thought she’d be into.”

Beth didn
’t look shocked; instead, she smiled and looked around the barn. “Should I be concerned about any of our poor livestock?”

Izzy gasped and then saw her aunt smile.
She immediately felt a little silly and said, “No, I’m sure they are fine. It’s just that, well, she has gotten deeper into that submissive stuff and really does work to serve Jack.” She blushed but added, “Do you know he just spanked her and makes her wear stuff?”

Beth patted her hand and said
, “Isabella, you aren’t a stranger to spankings—or submission, for that matter. If Jack felt she needed a spanking, I’m sure she understood why.” She saw her niece give a small nod. “Isabella, be honest with me, as well as with yourself.” Izzy slowly relaxed again and sighed but nodded again. Beth smiled and said, “And as for her so-called ‘kink’, have you talked to Nancy? Does she know you are concerned?”

Izzy leaned back and began to twirl a long piece of hay between her fingers.
She had always felt safe in the barn, and it relaxed her. She turned to her aunt and said, “I have. She . . . she seems fine. She really loves Jack and can’t wait to get married tomorrow.”

Beth nodded and waited
, but Izzy didn’t say anything else. “Izzy, she is your best friend and has been part of our family for years. If you have serious concerns, you need to share them with Uncle Tom and me. If you have any reason to believe Jack might ever hurt her like Bryan….”

“
No!” Izzy shouted and jumped up from the hay. Beth was a bit shocked but said nothing. Izzy paced in front of her for several minutes and then finally returned to sit beside Beth. She saw the love and concern on Beth’s face and took both of Beth’s hands in hers. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to shout. Jack would never really hurt Nancy. I know he spanks her, but she’s never told me she felt anything but love and security from Jack. He loves her so very much. Nancy will always be treasured and protected. Jack would die before he let anyone hurt her. He saved me, didn’t he?”

Beth smiled and said
, “Yes, Isabella, he did. That alone tells me what type of man our Nancy is committing to. They very obviously are meant to be together; does it really matter what their lifestyle choices are? If they are happy and love each other, are always there for each other, if Nancy feels loved and protected, then who has the right to judge them? You know how difficult it can be to feel normal, to fit in when society tries to make even something as natural as being spanked when we deserve it seem brutal. What is wrong with allowing people who truly love each other to participate in an open and dynamic sexual lifestyle?”

Izzy blushed and nodded
, “I know . . . I know and I’ll always be here for her or for you or anyone else who has chosen that path, but God, it still scares me sometimes. It reminds me of such a horrible time.”

Beth enfolded the young woman in her arms and said
, “Not all men are like Bryan, Isabella.” She felt Izzy try to pull away but refused to let her. “Iz, stop it. You were hurt and hurt very badly. You have come such a long way; don’t regress. Let their love show you that most men are good. Most men cherish the women they love. Dominants don’t truly try to control or subjugate their submissives. That power lies with the woman. She gives herself completely to him, but it only works when he doesn’t abuse that love or that trust. Bryan wasn’t a dominant, Isabella. He was nothing but a brute, playing at the game. He didn’t embrace the true meaning of the relationship. He was only concerned about making sure he controlled you fully. Even when you tried to leave, he wanted to make sure that if he couldn’t have you, no one could. It took guts to pull out of that, and you’ve got to let it go. We’re all here for you. Don’t give up on finding someone to love you. Isabella, Nancy is truly living her life and has found the perfect man to share it with. Sweetheart, Tom and I wish for nothing more than for you to stop living in the past and start living again.”

Izzy
shook her head and said, “Please don’t worry about me. I’m fine. I love the bookstore and worked hard to make it a success. I have good friends and a wonderful family here. I’ll be fine.”

Beth sighed
, “No, Isabella. You have a life, but you aren’t really living. God, I could just kill that asshole for doing this to you!”

Izzy jerked in surprise.
Her aunt never cursed! “Asshole?” she asked, smiling slightly.

Beth grinned and said
, “Yes, I’ll say it again. He’s the biggest asshole I know, and I don’t care if your Uncle spanks me for saying that. It’s the truth!”

Izzy giggled and said
, “Oh Aunt Beth, you are just too much, and I love you guys so much. Thanks for listening. I’m just being silly and I admit, maybe a teeny bit jealous of their happiness and ease with each other. I know Nancy is happy, and I promise not to do anything to ruin her special day. I guess it was just a little harder than I thought, going down memory lane, but I’ll be fine now. Bryan is long gone, and I’m over all of that. I even promised to go to their commitment ceremony.”

Beth was surprised but pleased.
Everyone had been trying for months to break through to Izzy, and now a tiny crack in her wall was widening. She didn’t seem to realize that she had admitted being jealous, but Beth heard her loud and clear.  “I know that will be hard for you, sweetie but I’m proud of you. I know Nancy wants you there.”

Izzy shrugged
, “It’s not a big deal, and she is my best friend. I’ll be fine, Aunt Beth.”

“
It is a big deal; don’t make light of it. But I know you can do it. I know that deep inside you are searching for what you truly need.” Izzy again began to shake her head in denial, but Beth said, “Please Isabella. You are exactly like Nancy and me, even if you don’t want to admit it. It is not something you can simply change because you had a horrible experience. It is in your genes, your heart and your soul. Timid men and boring, vanilla sex is not what makes our hearts flutter or our panties wet.”

Izzy gasped and blushed.
She shook her head and giggled, “Oh Aunt Beth, you always get to the heart of the matter, don’t you?”

Beth grinned and said
, “Of course. Life is far too short to deny what makes it worth living. By the way, do I want to know about what ‘stuff’ Nancy is being made to wear.”

She was delighted when her niece giggled again and she saw a twinkle in her eyes.
  “I probably shouldn’t say, but it was beautiful and erotic. Maybe she’ll show you herself. Now, I’m sure Uncle Tom is looking for you. We should get back to the party.”

Beth s
miled and further shocked her niece by saying, “Hmmm, maybe she will. I just wonder if it has anything to do with her waist?” Izzy gasped again, and Beth simply smiled. “Well, silly, how do you think Jack knew what size she was? I’m pretty sure he didn’t need to know such exact measurements simply to buy her some sexy nightgown.”

Izzy laughed for the first time with true abandon.
“You are just so naughty, Aunt Beth! How on earth did you manage that?”

Beth smiled and replied
, “What’s so hard about taking some additional measurements when our girl was being measured for her wedding gown?”

Izzy laughed again and said
, “Remind me not to let you come near me with a measuring tape!” Beth grinned, and the pair stood and hugged each other. Beth was happy and felt a surge of hope that Izzy was truly coming out of her self-imposed shell to once again be the delightful, happy young woman that seemed to have gotten lost when Bryan was in her life.

As they linked arms and began walking back, Beth teased
, “Now that’s settled, can we talk about your hunky date?”

Izzy blushed but laughed and bumped her hip against her aunt
’s. “That topic is off limits, and if you say anything, I’ll have to tell Uncle Tom that you were saying naughty words!”

Beth bumped her back and laughed
, “You wouldn’t dare . . . after all, and I do believe I heard that word from you, as well, so your little butt is in as much danger as mine.”

“
My butt definitely isn’t little, but I get the point. I’ll admit he is intriguing and has me wondering if a better relationship is possible for me. He has to think I’m an idiot, though. All I’ve done is yell and accuse him of being a brute. Man, he does have the bluest eyes and the best smile! His touch gives me the shivers.”

Beth did a little
dance, which caused Izzy to realize what she had just admitted to. She looked sternly at her aunt, “Hey! That’s a secret, so you can’t tell anyone, or I’ll make sure Uncle Tom knows you said it twice and I’ll give you up to Nancy! Pinky swear?”

Beth laughed
, and they were linking their pinkie fingers to seal the promise when Tom saw them. He grinned, glad to see that the two women he adored seemed to be happy, the worry gone from Izzy’s face. He met them and threw his arms around the two of them. “What’s so funny, you two?”

Both women shook their heads
, and Izzy said, “Nope… for the safety of our bottoms, we’ll take the Fifth!”

Tom shook his head
, “I know you two deserve to be turned bottoms-up from that alone. However, even I can’t break the power of a pinkie swear.” The women leaned into him as he bent to kiss them both. He led them over to the buffet line and soon they all had heaping plates filled with delicious food.

Coleman
stepped out from the dark stall he had slipped into after doing his own search for the tiny redhead. He had been about to approach when he heard her aunt calling for her. He had intended to slip away, but at the sounds of Isabella’s tears, he simply listened, his heart aching as he heard Isabella sob. He felt no guilt now, as the conversation had kept him rooted and hidden. He wondered exactly who Bryan was and what that “asshole” had done to hurt her so badly. He also intended to speak to Jack, as it was clear his best friend had played an integral part in the tiny woman’s life. He’d been slightly shocked but then grinned, hearing her aunt openly discuss not only spankings, but much more. He understood why Jack’s present had fit his bride so perfectly and gave a nod of thanks for Beth’s openness about her niece’s and friends’ chosen lifestyle, one they all seemed to have experienced.

He was
pleased to see Izzy laughing and relaxed. He remembered her reference to bottoms, and his heart thumped a bit faster in his chest. She had the most delicious-looking bottom he’d even seen on a woman, and he couldn’t wait to see it in its natural state. He felt his cock shift and he smiled. He didn’t know much about her as of yet, but he’d make it a point to learn all he could. Hadn’t she just admitted to finding him intriguing? So his touch made her shiver? She obviously wasn’t quite as stuck-up or prudish as she had originally appeared. She had gone through something truly life changing and hurtful. He was determined to show her that her aunt was right: most men weren’t of the asshole variety. He knew without a doubt that, whoever Bryan was, he’d better steer clear of not only Isabella; he’d better never come face to face with Coleman. The man might be able to hurt a woman, but he wouldn’t stand a chance against him. He walked out of the barn to make his way closer to her. Nope, he wasn’t done with her, not by a long shot, and now seemed as good a time as ever to start knocking down her walls.