Free A Thousand Yesses by Jane Henry

should you spank?” he asked.
    Rodney
sighed patiently. “Dominance and submission isn’t all about the spanking,” he
said. “And there is no right or wrong time to begin, if spanking is something
you’ll be doing in your relationship. Some establish a relationship online
first, or elsewhere, but basic trust has to be established.”
    “Why
would we be here if we weren’t looking to spank some tail?” someone asked. He
was a shorter guy, sitting back in his chair, arms crossed over a hefty gut,
balding in front.
    Rodney
looked to Maverick.
    Maverick
stalked to the front of the room. “Yeah, we know most of you guys are here
because you want to hook up with a submissive. Hot, isn’t it? Having a girl do
anything you damn well ask her to?” Cackles were heard, as the audience perked
up. “Sounds easy, doesn’t it?” he said. “She’ll suck your cock and you can take
her to bed, and all you have to do is turn her over your knee if she gives you
lip, right?” Hoots and hollers, and Maverick was acutely aware of Celia’s eyes boring into him. He spun around to face the room.
    “Well,
I’ve got news for you,” he said. “It doesn’t work that way.” Silence
descended.
    “Before
you can even think about taking a girl over your knee, you better be
damn sure you’ve got your head screwed on right.” His eyes went straight to
Shane, who met his glare squarely. “Spanking a girl brings about all sorts of
feelings you need to be prepared for. It puts her in a position of
vulnerability and you in a position of authority, and neither of those
should ever be taken lightly.”
    Shane
looked at him unflinchingly.
    A
soft murmur went up, as several people nodded.
    “Domming
isn’t for pussies,” Maverick growled. “It’s tough shit. You’ve gotta be willing to lead. You’ve gotta be willing to listen. If she’s giving you her submission? You treasure that. It’s not something that comes on a silver platter. Her trust
in you needs to be fucking earned.”
    Shane
narrowed his eyes but Maverick didn’t look away. “And yeah, I know some of you
are looking to spank some tail. Some of you are looking to get laid. And you
get the right girl, and you’ll get all that and more. But unless you’re willing
to lay yourself on the line for her, that won’t last. A quick lay and a sexy
spanking can be had anywhere. Cheap thrills are just that – cheap. You
want the real deal? You man the fuck up and do what it takes.”
    Rodney
was tugging on his arm. The tone in the room had shifted, and Maverick knew
Rodney was ready to move on.
    “All
right, then,” he said. Who’s ready for the demo?” Hoots and hollers went up around
them and Rodney nodded to Louanne. Maverick strategically ignored both Celia
and Shane as he went to the back of the room again. His phone buzzed.
    He
looked at the screen. Marianna?
    Come
home. Mom is acting weird. I’m scared.
    A
chill went over him.
    * * *
    Celia
could feel Maverick’s tension from where she sat.
    What
had just happened?
    His
eyes on his phone, she looked up at him and saw the flash of concern pass
through his eyes. As Rodney arranged his items up front for his demonstration,
and a people chatted as he prepared, Celia caught his attention.
    “What’s
going on?” she asked in a low voice. She felt Shane’s eyes boring into her from
behind, but she ignored him. He was hot, and shit, that guy could deliver a
spanking, but it all seemed like play-acting to her. Nothing in her really
wanted to obey him, and she knew he was in it for the kink, too. Still, he
didn’t like to share.
    When
Maverick looked at her, he didn’t have any more of that red-hot anger she’d
detected earlier. It pleased her to see that anger, to know she had the ability
to cause that kind of stirring within him, even if he was going to
freaking ignore her for two solid weeks, the asshole.
    “Marianna,”
he said in a low whisper. “She’s freaking out. Said Mom’s acting weird.”
    Celia
felt