Magical Mayhem (7 page)

"Are you truly bruised, Megan?" he asked of her when he saw her look longingly toward the throw pillows on the sofa.

"I don't know," she answered honestly. "I couldn't see any marks when I looked, but I am sore deep inside, and it hurts to sit down."

"Well, I feel better then," he allowed. "I wouldn't forgive myself if I bruised you so much you couldn't sit. But soreness, well, that is the purpose of a spanking, although I'll admit I am shocked you are so sore. It must be your redhead's complexion," he maintained.

"It must be because you don't know your own strength, and because you have done nothing but spank me for one thing or another since we met! And, we just met a couple of days ago! I am sore, Montague, and I am begging you not to resort to spanking again."

"I won't... as long as you behave yourself," he added virtuously. "I can't stand there and do nothing if you get stage fright again."

"Yes you can!" she argued. "In fact, I insist upon it. Montague, I already hurt so much I can't stand it. I know that I misbehaved last night, out of wounded pride and temper, and I know you have every right to be upset with me... and even to insist on a punishment, but I am begging you not to spank me again right now... not at all... not even if I get sick before the performance tonight. I don't think I could handle it."

Montague could see she was serious, and he could see that she was still expecting some form of punishment for her behavior the night before. He made a decision that he hoped he wouldn't regret, turning once again to his absent father for advice. "Very well, Megan. We'll try it your way today, provided you accept your punishment for trying to upset the show last night."

"You are going to punish me?" she asked, knowing very well she deserved some form of correction.

"Yes, beginning right now." He took her arm and walked her over to the table and sat her down on the chair with a thump. "You will sit here, eat your breakfast, with no complaining and no squirming, and you will remain on this chair until I tell you that you may rise."

Chapter Five

Megan couldn't help but cry out when Montague roughly sat her on the wooden chair without a bit of warning. Her backside was so sore, and he'd decreed that it was her punishment for the way she behaved last night to sit on the chair until he told her she could get up. Megan thought it a terrible punishment and opened her mouth to tell him so, but he cut her off.

"If you start complaining, young lady, I will give you a thorough spanking after we eat. Sitting on that chair until I give you permission to get up is my attempt to be considerate of your sore bottom, but if you push me, I'll see to it you know what a really sore behind feels like to sit upon."

"I don't want another spanking, Montague, but it really hurts to sit here," she told him, looking up at him in dismay.

"It is a punishment, Megan. You earned it, didn't you?" he asked her, his voice soft as he tried to make her understand why he was insisting she sit.

"I know I did, but... I don't know if I can do this."

"You will do it or you will wish you had." He wasn't going to feel sorry for her. She remained seated as he removed the covers off the hot food and filled her plate as well as his own. "This all looks good, Megan, and since you didn't eat after the shows last night, I expect you to clean your plate. You haven't been taking proper care of yourself, and I know it."

"I eat enough!" She was stung, even though it was true. She hadn't had a lot of money lately to buy food, but he didn't need to know that! "I can't eat ALL of this!" she said in horror as she looked down at the plate he placed in front of her. "There is enough on this plate for two people, and you have to eat, too!"

He held his plate in front of her and she saw that he'd taken even more for himself. "I ate dinner last night while you were sleeping. Tonight you will eat before you go to bed. You are sleeping too much, and that isn't healthy, either."

"You sound like my mom, and I can assure you that I do not sleep too much."

"Eat your breakfast, and sit still or you'll be over my knee the moment we're finished."

Megan wanted to stick her tongue out at the aggravating man, but she resisted the urge. She did not want to go home a failure. Just once she wanted to keep a job longer than a few weeks. She wanted to prove to her parents and her older brothers that she was a responsible person, one who was capable of doing a job satisfactorily. Montague was permitting her to keep her job, so she needed to concentrate on that fact. Slowly, she started eating the scrambled eggs. They did taste good, but she couldn't eat the huge amount he placed on her plate.

"You aren't leaving those eggs. You need the protein."

"I ate half of what you served me, Montague! Do you know how many eggs that was?"

"No," he admitted. "I just know that you are going to finish them."

"I can't! I'm not as big as you are!" She picked up a piece of toast and took a bite before eating some of the fruit on the table. She looked at him. "I'll bet your sisters don't eat this much!"

"They haven't been going hungry just to make ends meet, either. And if you don't stop fussing that spanking is going to happen sooner than later."

Megan did her best to sit there quietly and eat her food, but sitting was proving arduous. Her bottom hurt so much, and once she had eaten her fill, she felt there was no point in continuing to sit at the table while she was hurting so much. She tried not to move, but the more she thought about it, the harder she found it to sit. She simply needed to get up and off her abused backside. "Montague, I am finished now. May I please get up?" She tried to make her voice sound nice and sweet, in the hopes she could rise from the hard chair.

He looked at her and shook his head 'no'. "I believe I told you to sit still and wait until I told you that you could rise...?"

"I didn't get up; I just asked you, very nicely, if I could get up."

"No. You haven't finished eating."

"Yes, I am finished."

"You will sit here until you eat."

"I do not want to eat anything else; I'm full!" she complained. "I'm not as big as you are!" Her butt was screaming at her, and she closed her eyes, trying to will herself not to think about the pain. She truly needed to get up and go to her bathroom and see if soaking her bottom would help. As if to remind her she needed to hurry, her bottom started throbbing, and she tried to move unperceptively, just enough to ease the pain, but it only made matters worse! "Please, Montague, I am hurting more than you can imagine!" Without realizing that she was going to do so, Megan jumped up before she started crying. "I'm sorry, but I was in pain and simply couldn't stand it anymore. You have no idea how much it hurts to sit there." Montague didn't look happy with her. "Please don't be angry; I can't tolerate the pain."

"You didn't accept your punishment, Megan," he told her, frowning. "You didn't finish your breakfast, either,"

"I can't eat that much food!" she argued, putting her hands on her hips as she faced him. "Please stop trying to make me eat as much as you do. It just isn't going to happen."

"Megan, you are pushing me, and I am not pleased. I ought to start your sit time all over again," he threatened, and then felt like a heel when her green eyes filled with tears.

"Please don't, Montague. I promise you I am sorry for the way I behaved last evening and I won't allow it to happen again." She implored him to believe her, and when he nodded graciously, she felt ridiculously like throwing herself into his arms. She was shocked to realize how much she cared for the man, and she'd known him for such a short time! The feeling was overwhelming, and she quickly excused herself and ran for the privacy of her bedroom.

Montague didn't stop Megan from running away. He didn't know what was wrong with him, but he couldn't believe he'd allowed the little redhead to get to him the way she had. A few tears in her pretty green eyes and he was mush; putty to be molded however she wanted. It was simply ridiculous! He finished eating, and then pushed the cart out into the hallway for hotel personnel to pick up.

He then stood looking out the window. Had it only been a couple of days since he met Megan? It felt like a lifetime. She brought out his protective instincts, and she made him wildly angry without even giving it half a thought. Why, he couldn't believe her outrageous behavior on stage during his last show! She'd deliberately pushed his buttons, and all because he was trying to help her with her stage fright! He had a right to be upset with her, but when he saw her packing her bags this morning, it was all he could do to keep from kneeling on the floor and begging her to stay. He'd had many assistants, but he couldn't bear to lose little Megan. She already had some mystical power over him. Based on the things his Dad told him, Montague feared he was in love. The very thought terrified him.

In her bedroom, Megan was lying face-down on the bed, trying to stop her heart from hammering in her chest. She didn't know what was happening to her. She'd never dared speak to any other employer the way she did to Montague. Her feelings for him were causing her to take dangerous changes with her job.

The telephone in the suite rang shrilly, sounding off loudly in all of the bedrooms. It rang a second time before it was answered... and she couldn't help but wonder who was calling. She got up off the bed and walked to the door, opening it slightly. Maybe the hotel was not happy with her performance and was calling to tell him that she was no longer welcome on their stage...? She tried to listen, but was moved to hurry to Montague's side when she realized that he was getting bad news. She heard him promise to come home as quickly as he could get there.

Montague hung up the telephone and then turned to Megan and hugged her tightly. "We need to head home, Megan. My Dad has had a heart attack, and is asking for me. How soon can you be packed?" he asked.

"It won't take long, Montague. What about all of your magic props?"

"We'll get those after I find a replacement act for me." He told her to go and get packed while he made some calls. Within minutes he'd informed the hotel management about his father, and told them he'd already found another magician willing to come in and perform the rest of his gig. The hotel was grateful, and sent people to help pack his magic. Montague was shocked at how easy everything went, but Megan took charge and bossed everyone, including him. They were on the road much sooner than he thought possible, and the truck loaded with his props was on its way home, too.

"Are you sure you feel like driving, Montague? I can drive if you want me to...?"

"No. I need to keep myself occupied."

"Do you want to call your Mom and get an update?"

"I already did, just before we left. Dad is stable. That's all she could tell me. I have no idea what that really means. She is more focused on telling me to hurry up and get there so she has someone to help her with decisions. I could hear the worry in her voice, and that isn't normal for her. It is going to take hours, though, so all we can do is call for updates every so often. Mom has my cell phone number now, so she'll call if anything changes."

They drove for the next several hours and Montague finally stopped for gas and snacks. It was obvious that the attendant knew Montague, but he pretended ignorance as they paid for their gas and sodas. Montague seemed unaware of anything but getting back on the road as soon as possible. He seemed to drive faster and faster, until Megan was concerned they would be stopped by a highway patrolman. Montague finally left the highway and drove straight to the house he called 'home'. Megan knew her parents' modest home would fit inside Montague's home several times and she suddenly felt as though she shouldn't be there. Montague took her hand in his and hurried them inside. The house was just as fancy on the inside as she feared it would be!

"Oh, Mister Six, you're home! Mrs. Caro will be happy to see you. The family is all at the hospital."

"How bad is it, Grace?" Montague asked the woman, stilling holding tight to Megan's hand. Megan watched as Grace tried to pull herself together to give Montague the answer he craved.

"I won't lie to you, honey. Your Daddy is bad off. You best get on over to the hospital right away!"

"Grace, this is Megan. She is my new assistant. Could you get a room ready for her, please?"

"I surely will," she answered, smiling... probably because Montague still was holding tight to Megan's hand!

"Do you want to stay here, Meggie?"

"No, I'll go with you, Montague." She wanted to be with him to give him strength and comfort should it prove necessary. He didn't argue, but immediately unloaded their suitcases and Grace waved him on, promising she would take care of getting their bags to their rooms.

The drive to the hospital was comparatively short. Once inside the hospital, Montague led her down the long hallways and up the elevator until they arrived at the Cardiac ICU. There was a waiting room outside the ICU, and that is where Montague found his family. He walked straight to where his Mother was sitting and she immediately rose to hug him and kiss him.

"I'm happy you're here, Six. Your Dad has been asking for you."

"How bad is it, Mom?" Montague asked, and Megan could hear how worried he was.

"Daddy is in the ICU, Six!" one of the younger women replied sharply. "It's bad, okay?"

"Holly, I know you are upset, but for goodness sake, your brother just got here and he is concerned about your Dad, too." The scolding words from their mother made Holly cross her arms and hug herself while she gave her brother a dirty look.

"Dad is pretty weak right now. He's tired and he needs a lot of rest. So far the Doctors are hopeful he will make a full recovery." She smiled then and said, "You need to introduce your friend, dear."

Montague suddenly realized that he was dragging Megan around as if she was a part of him. Her poor hand had to be ready to fall off! "Mom, this is my new assistant, Megan Marley. Megan, my Mom, Caroline Montague." Megan was polite as she greeted his mother, and then he introduced her to his sisters.