Marital Intimacy, Part 1

by patty ©2003

Heavy rain pounded the world outside, and inside the church, tempers were coming close to rivaling the storm. Tired wet people, humid hot weather, and a bride who was no where to be found came together to make for a tense afternoon. The minister had another rehearsal scheduled at 6PM, so he pushed the party to start the rehearsal without the bride.

Weeks of stress were coming to an end for everyone assembled. In a little over a day everyone’s work would pay off, but on that late afternoon, few of the guests and family could see beyond the moment. What, in only a day, would be a beautiful enjoyable gathering was, for the moment, a tedious exhausting enterprise.

Three times they walked through the ceremony. Three times Kathy’s sister stood in for her beside her groom to be. Finally when the members of the other party began to filter into the chapel, the minister called the rehearsal to an end. Not even one walk through went the way it should have. Nerves ran raw all around.

Kathy’s absence was deliberate, and Mark knew it. As he kissed his mother and watched the wedding party pile into cars headed to the expensive Chinese restaurant that Kathy chose for their pre wedding supper, he issued a promise through space to the woman he would marry in the morning.

“Don’t say you weren’t warned.”

He growled as he climbed into his Jeep Grand Cherokee, and reached for the phone. The charge light on the side flashed telling him there were messages, and sure enough both were from Kathy.

“I hope you all are having fun!” her voice lilted through the air. “I’m tied up here for at least another twenty five minutes. I’ll meet you at Ho’s.” There was just enough of an edge to her tone, that Mark’s suspicions were confirmed. He was a little surprised that she would dare to use their wedding guests as pawns in a passive aggressive game to one up him, but she had.

“Just about as much fun as you are going to have later tonight young lady,” he saved the message and then let the next play.

“Hi honey. I’m still here. I know you’re all probably done. I’ll be late for super. Don’t wait for me!” Kathy ended her message with a light giggle that sounded nervous.

“That’s it little girl, play your game.” Mark fired up the engine and pulled the SUV away from the curb. He headed for the little café his bride to be owned and operated. She wouldn’t need her own transportation for quite a while anyway; he reasoned answering the objections she would raise when she saw him there to pick her up.

As he drove the twenty miles to the café, he had a long talk with Kathy’s virtual presence. Even when she wasn’t there, she was exasperating to argue with. Sighing with the exasperating exercise, he let his mind go back over the night before.

__________

“Please!” Kathy sighed, when Mark pulled himself away from her.

“Honey, you know the drill,” Mark smiled.

“But we’re married!” she huffed.

“No, we’re not. Not for two more days.”

“I know you want to!” Kathy complained, and patted him where the evidence was painfully obvious.

“You better believe it, but I made you a promise, and this is the way I want it.”

“Prude!” she grumbled, and slumped back on the sofa. Weeks ago their embraces would at least progress to intimate stroking. Lately it seemed like Mark barely touched her. “Am I marrying a monk?”

“You’re marrying a man who wants you in the worst way.”

“Then have me! I want you to do it now,” Kathy crooned and leaned back into Mark to stroke him where his resistance was the most vulnerable.

“Aaaah!” Mark trembled with very real desire to give his little fiancé what she was asking for. “Stop!” His hands captured hers, and held them firmly away from their target.

“Please? I need you so much!” Kathy stretched her face up to his, and pushed her tongue into his mouth.

Mark returned the kiss, and pulled her tight against him. Kathy eased into his folds, letting her body relax so that she fit every one of them. There was no warmer, more comfortable or safer place to be than in Mark’s embrace. In a moment he broke the kiss.

“I need you too, and I will have you in just two short days.”

“Now!” Kathy huffed again. Exasperation and frustration settled in again.

“Kathy, cut it out now! I don’t want to argue about this!” Mark was equally frustrated.

“Maybe I want a sample of the goods before I buy them!” Kathy hissed, pushing him away, and slumping back against the sofa.

“You’re going to push yourself right into a different kind of marital intimacy if you’re not careful young lady,” Mark warned.

“Oh shut up!” Kathy grumbled.

“You’re asking for it!”

“No I’m not! Just watch TV and shut up. Just see if I marry a man who finds me so easy to resist!”

“You’re irresistible, I promise you,” Mark chuckled and leaned over to kiss her.

“Yeah well you’re not having much trouble resisting me,” she pushed him back, and leaned away from him. “Just maybe I’ll stand you up at the alter.”

“Try it, and I’ll come find you drag you there, make you say your vows to me, and then right there for all to see, I’ll spank your bratty bare bottom rosy red and hot.” Mark caught her arm, and pulled her back to take the kiss he intended to be reassuring.

“Well, you’ll see,” Kathy muttered after his lips released hers. She managed to maintain her pout for the next hour, until after Mark kissed her good night and returned to his apartment.

Kathy knew Mark was a traditional guy, and months ago when he discovered she was a virgin, she knew that the probability that they would go all the way with sex before marriage was close to zero. She was beginning to wonder if it would have even been different if she were not a virgin.

He was a big walking anachronism. Of course he was everything she wanted and needed in a man. Strong willed protective and every ounce a gentleman. He came along right when she needed him too. Her business was well off the ground; booming, in fact. But her life was going no where. She ate, slept and lived for her café. The struggles of the last 9 years getting here were hard to let go of, and Mark’s arrival in her life was exactly what she needed to get that done. He was her knight in shining armor. “Goddamn his chivalry anyway!”

“And damn his stern threats too!” Kathy both loved and hated the secret thrill she felt every time Mark took on his firm demeanor and scolded her like she was a naughty little girl. It pushed some uncomfortable buttons inside her. Buttons that made her almost want to push back to see if he would dare. “Almost?! Hell woman! It’s all you can do to keep from sticking your tongue out and saying ‘I dare you!’”

Tired and nervous, she puttered at aimless things around her apartment for another hour, before finally giving up and crawling between the covers in her bed. Her hands stroked, and helped her relieve some of the stress. In a few minutes, she rolled on her side and as her thighs squeezed tight on her exhausted and spent wrist, she closed her eyes and smiled. Soon she would know a man there; her man. The mystery would end in only a few days.
_________

Mark was reasonably sure that Kathy stood him up at the rehearsal as a gesture of defiance after their discussion the night before. He was none too pleased with the prospect of it either. If he was right, she would be one sorry little wife to be, spending her whole wedding day standing up.

For a thirty five year old woman, Kathy sure could act the spoiled brat little girl sometimes. Mark had a cure for that, and after they had supper and thanked all of their friends and family for everything they had done in the past months, he was going to administer some strong medicine.

When he got to the trendy bookstore café that Kathy built on a shoestring and a prayer, he found her sitting on the customer side of the front counter chatting with one of her more capable employees who was busy twisting ribbon on centerpieces.

Eclectic Ideas was Kathy’s dream. With steady work and dedication, it grew true to her dream, to become a homey café that served her brand of unique and healthy sandwiches, soups and muffins, along with decadent cheese cakes and pastries; all for customers to enjoy among vintage and specialty books and a folk art gallery. A few internet tables and antique Parcheesi and chess tables occupied the large bay window at the front. Behind them was the serving counter that was an old saloon bar.

For now all of the book tables were covered with table clothes, rented crystal and china. The mismatched worn wooden legal cabinets and shelves were adorned with white and silver streamers and ribbon. And the checkered tile floor of the main café at the back of the space was cleared and ready for dancing. A cello rested on its stand against the wall where the player left it ready for the next day.

“So, I guess you plan to go through with the wedding after all?” Mark announced his presence as he surveyed the space that was all but ready to host their reception the next day.

“I might,” Kathy smiled. “Hi honey. I told you I’d meet you at Ho’s, but now that you’re here, come look!” She stood, caught Mark’s hand and tugged him through the book haven, the café, and out the back door onto intimate patio. White roses and ivy adorned the lattice over the space, and floating candles flickered in crystal bowls filled with water. “This is our table, see?”

Mark was impressed. The whole place was transformed. Kathy did have flare and style.

“Want some wine with me while it’s quiet?” Kathy smiled proudly surveying her creation.

“Is this what kept you from the rehearsal?” Mark turned her to look at him.

“Some of it. Are you mad?”

“Should I be?” Mark crooked his eyebrow up in a stern half frown with the question.

Kathy evaded his direct gaze, and shrugged.

“You did, didn’t you? You stood everyone up on purpose!”

“Not completely on purpose, I wasn’t exactly wasting time you know,” Kathy sighed. All afternoon she’d debated whether to go to the rehearsal or not. The whole idea of rehearsing and being the center of attention made her nervous, she was annoyed with Mark and wanted to bug him just a little, but she also wanted to supervise the final touches here too. All of it combined made the ambivalence she felt easy to give over to.

“Those people didn’t deserve that Kathy. Neither did I.”

“Oh come on Mark! Everybody knows the rehearsal is always a waste of time.”

“It’s a ritual. A chance for everyone to touch bases and breath a sigh of relief that all the work is almost over. You just made that impossible.” Mark pulled Kathy back toward him, and moved his face so that she could not avoid looking him in the eye without a struggle.

“So? We can still all do that at dinner tonight. What’s the big deal?”

“Big deal? The big deal is you used all of our friends and our parents to bait me because I didn’t let you have your way last night. That’s what!”

“Oh crap! Sometimes you are so full of it I could just scream!” Kathy’s objection rang empty. She knew he was right, and as the hollowness of her own voice echoed in her mind, she realized she’d just confirmed what until then Mark could only have supposed.

“Well young lady, how’s this? We’re going to supper. You’re going to apologize to everyone. And while you’re having a good time, being polite and gracious to your guests, you can think about what happens to brats when the doors close and company goes home.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Mark answered the defiant question by turning Kathy toward the front of the shop, and spanking her hard four times. “You’ll find out! Now go! Get your purse and whatever else you need we have guests who are waiting.”

“Owe!” Kathy stumbled quickly forward trying to get out of reach. Mark managed to stay close on her heels though, and as she passed in front of the counter where her employee was putting away the last of the decoration packages, he spanked her twice more.

“Is Kathy’s bag back there?” Marked asked the smiling girl, who nodded, and lifted the purse over the counter. “Great thanks.”

Kathy blushed and almost ran for the front door. “Lock up please Juanita?” she called back unable to bring herself to see what the young woman was thinking.

“No problem. Have a nice dinner! See you tomorrow!”

Mark smiled and waved goodnight, as he followed his bride to be into the parking lot.

Kathy headed toward her little beetle.

“Oh no you don’t! My car,” Mark made it clear she was staying with him until the evening concluded.

The drive to the restaurant was silent. Mark found it amusing. Kathy found it unsettling.

Had she really done it? She wondered. Had she pushed Mark to dare do what he threatened to do so many times? The few smacks he’d just given her was the first and only spanking she ever had in her life. The sting still lingered. Thinking about it made her feel an odd blend of excitement, anticipation and shame.

Surprisingly, even though the afternoon had been stressful for everyone, and Kathy was preoccupied, the evening went well. The food was amazing, and the company was funny and entertaining. Several times when Kathy caught Mark’s gaze, the look of intent and reminder in his expression renewed the unsettled sense of anticipation that began on the drive from her café. Mixed with it was a desire for Mark that was as intense as what she felt the night before when they embraced and fondled each other on the sofa.

No one else seemed to notice the silent exchanges between them, but Kathy was certain everyone around them was reading the messages as if by telepathy. It made her blush, and by the time they hugged everyone with good byes and see you tomorrows, her nervousness was intensified a hundred fold.
_________

“Inside, no more stalling,” Mark pointed Kathy up the steps to her apartment.

“You go home now Mark.. It’ll be midnight in a little while, it’s bad luck,” she tried to say goodnight.

“Not tonight little girl, you wanted to jump start marital intimacy last night, and had yourself a passive aggressive tantrum over it. Now you get it your way,” Mark pushed her forward toward the door.

“No Mark, please not like this? We waited this long!” Kathy protested.

“Oh we’re still waiting for that part. Tomorrow night will be special just like I promised. Tonight we’re going to do something else altogether. Just as intimate, and in the long run, for you, probably just as special. Definitely long over due.”

“What?!” Kathy tried to turn around and fight entry into her living room. “Over due?”

“That’s what I said.” Mark grinned, and with purpose lifted her into the room.

“Hey! Stop! Don’t!” Kathy kicked and wiggled.

“Not yet, we’re just getting started,” Mark easily held her like a sack of grain under his arm. Her struggles had no effect on his ability to maintain his hold on her as he trudged down the hall to her bedroom. When he reached the bed, he sat on the edge, and let Kathy get her feet on the floor. “Let’s get these down first.”

Mark pulled and tugged at the belt, and then button and zipper on the front of Kathy’s stylish wool slacks. Her efforts to stop him from undoing them were useless. Mark simply slapped her hands away, and then captured her wrists in one hand and kept working with the other.

“Stop I said! I don’t want this!” Kathy upped the ante on her fight, and began pulling away.

”You should have thought of that before you decided to play games this afternoon! You are getting spanked Kathy, so settle down and accept it.”

“No! You can’t! We need to talk about this!” Kathy pulled harder, and also began to try to twist her arms out of his grip.

Mark had her slacks undone, and gravity had taken them off of her hips. “I can, and I will. You just be happy I didn’t do it where everyone you inconvenienced could watch.”

“Mark Please!” Kathy’s plea lifted an octave, when she couldn’t stop her torso’s descent down over his very determined lap. “NooOO!” A squeal accompanied her landing.

“Mark please what? Please show me what happens to wives who behave like brats? Please teach me a lesson I won’t forget?” Mark emphasized the reasons why she was over his knee with several stinging spanks.

“Oh! OwOwwwwooo! Don’t! Please don’t!” her hands tried to block the spanks, and when Mark easily trapped them, she tried to twist herself away.

“You are getting spanked Kathy. You can make it harder on yourself, or you can accept it and learn from it. Either way, you’re getting it!” Mark then set about giving it to her.

Kathy kicked and struggled, cursed and hollered. “Oh fuck! Mark stop! You’re hurting me!”

Mark had to laugh. “It’s supposed to hurt! It’s a spanking. They hurt!” He didn’t let her objections slow him down.

“Ow!”

“Oh please!”

“Stop!”

“I thought you loved me! Owe!”

“Owe! Please!”

Every cry was met by flurries of spanks. Kicking didn’t help, wiggling and trying to twist didn’t help, cursing and begging didn’t help. Mark just kept spanking. After several minutes, Kathy was miserable, and struggling within herself not to cry. Anger and outrage were evaporating. Slowly and painfully they were being replaced by calm, and warmth. Not just the scalding burn and fire on her backside, but a warmth deeper inside. A warmth that seemed to come from within her soul. This man who was spanking her raw loved her, and was doing what she needed him to do.

When she let awareness of that sink in, her struggles stopped, and all of her resistance evaporated with the last of her anger. Tears and sobs were released, and Kathy became aware of the building tension within her groin. Her kicking and wiggling to escape the pain, along with the rhythm of the spanking were conspiring with her inner self to let the spanking ignite her sexual self. She was going to reach orgasm if he didn’t stop.

“Please Mark! I promise to be good, please!” Kathy sobbed, while her hips bucked side to side and twitched with the kicks of her legs. The spanking didn’t stop, if anything it got harder and faster.

Mark sensed her impending release, and the trembling panic building in her body. He didn’t realize she was about to cum, but he knew he needed to spank her all the way to complete release.

When Kathy realized he wasn’t going to stop, and she was going to loose herself, her panic exploded. Suddenly she fought harder, forcing Mark to spank even harder to settle her down. Hat just increased the escalation within her body, until finally the spasms of orgasm took her.

Mark felt Kathy stiffen and tremble just before her body fell limp and she seemed to crumble into sobs and tears. It was the resolution he was after, so his hand came down for the last time, and began to massage and sooth her punished bottom.

“Are you ready to accept your punishment now?” he asked.

Kathy sobbed and nodded. “No more! Please no more?” her plaintive cry melted him.

“No more,” Mark lifted her up to sit beside him on the bed. “That spanking was hard enough, wasn’t it?”

“Too hard. You hurt me Mark,” Kathy sobbed. Mark just chuckled and let her hiccup and sob.

She didn’t want to admit that he had also reached and released something inside her. She knew that the overwhelming sense of calm she was beginning to fear were not just the result of having reached orgasm.

Exhausted and peaceful, Kathy leaned into Mark’s embrace, and let herself be with him in the quiet aftermath. She fell asleep in his arms, and barely stirred when Mark tucked her under the covers and let himself out of the house.

It was almost 2 AM when Mark turned the key in the lock of his own apartment. In just eight hours he would be married to the sweet compliant woman he’d just tucked in, and in twenty four she would know him as her husband and lover.