Molly's Cop (11 page)

"I wouldn't like it if my favorite employee was taken advantage of in any way," Drake said firmly, his deep blue eyes looking right through Michael.

Michael suddenly realized the man knew a lot more about his assistant's situation than she realized he did. He also suspected the concern was more paternal in nature than it was romantic, or even employer to employee. "I assure you that Molly is safe with me, Mr. Bridges. I want only the very best for her for always."

The man smiled then. "Good. Molly has needed someone like you in her life for a long time. Take her home and don't yell at her too much. I know it was foolish on her part to save my life, but I am very grateful she made that decision."

Yell at her? Molly heard Mr. Bridges' words and then she looked at Michael... really looked at him. He was upset with her! But Michael did not yell when he was upset; no, he spanked! She wanted to confront him and tell him that he had no right to even think about spanking her, but Lloyd came running inside, and it was obvious from his expression that the story was already on the news.

"Kat!" he called, and then he was holding his wife and squeezing her tightly, tears leaking from beneath his eyelids. "Are you all right, darling?" he asked emotionally.

"I'm fine. I wasn't in any danger, Lloyd. Oh, don't you dare make me cry!" she whispered as she wiped tears from his face. "I'll tell you all about it, I promise, but right now I just want to go home. I'm parked across the street."

"We'll get your car home, Kat. You aren't driving right now," Michael said firmly, every inch the police officer. "Lloyd, will you drop Molly off at the house...? I have to go in and do the paperwork."

"I'd be happy to take Molly home," the other man replied.

"Molly, I'll be there as soon as I can, and you can just prepare yourself for a damned good spanking. I told you to stay down under that table! You endangered yourself!"

"I couldn't let that awful man shoot Mr. Bridges, Michael!"

"I wouldn't have allowed that to happen."

"No, you would have stepped in front of the gun and been shot yourself!" she accused heatedly. "We are going to fight about this, Mister!" she warned, much to Kat's amusement.

"That is Mister Lieutenant, little girl!" Michael retorted and didn't stop to think how ridiculous it sounded until people turned to look at him in amusement. His sister was nearly rolling on the floor she was laughing so hard! "Trust you to take her side!" he growled at Kat.

"She is my sister now," Kathleen proudly declared, linking her arm through Molly's. "Let's go, Molly."

"My handbag is upstairs in my office. I need my cell phone just in case the home calls about Gramma," she quickly explained before Michael could tell her she didn't need the bag.

"I've already brought down your bag, Molly," Drake informed her. "Now you go on home and have a cup of tea. If you need to talk, you have my numbers." To her absolute shock, he leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Thank you for being so brave, Molly. I will never be able to repay you."

She gave him a smile, but her eyes were too blurry with tears to see. "You had no clue what was going on, no chance to protect yourself... I couldn't do nothing."

A few moments later she was seated in the back seat of Lloyd's comfortable car, listening as Kat told him she couldn't sit still and it was all his fault! To her surprise he pulled the car over to the curb, stopped it, and then pulled Kat into his arms to kiss her. "I love you, Kat."

"I know you do, and I love you, Lloyd."

He smiled and then they drove to the O'Keefe house. Lloyd and Kathleen came inside with Molly to make explanations, and quickly learned that Mary had heard enough news to be worried sick about the situation. She had tried calling, but all the lines were busy at the law firm, and Molly wasn't answering her cell phone. Neither was Michael, and even though the reporters claimed no one was injured, Mary was worried about them, positive the off duty officer was her son. Seamus arrived, and the story was repeated for his benefit, even as Mary served him his lunch. She insisted on fixing food for all of them, and Kathleen gave Lloyd a pleading look, which he seemed to understand. He said he wanted to get Kat home and have some time alone with her before the kids came home from school and daycare. That bit of information made Mary smile in approval, and she bid them good bye.

"Is my boy mad at you?" Seamus asked bluntly.

"Yes, and I don't know why he should be!" Molly answered, indignation in her voice.

"You disobeyed him, first and foremost," Seamus told her. "He tried his best to keep you safe, and you disobeyed him. You didn't stay put; you moved so you could watch what was happening so Kathleen could tell the dispatcher. Then, as if that wasn't already enough to earn you a sore butt, you put yourself in danger by knocking down your boss and protecting him with your own body. Michael isn't going to handle that part too well, even if you did save the man's life."

"I think Molly was very brave!" Mary defended her.

"No doubt about it," Seamus acknowledged, but I'm telling you, wife, if you'd moved one little finger from where I put you and told you to stay, I would set your sweet butt on fire with the flat of my hand. Putting your life in jeopardy like Molly did would ensure you wouldn't sit down for a month of Sundays!"

"That is just plain ridiculous, Seamus!"

"Like forgetting to get the brakes changed and sliding into a telephone pole with three little ones in the car?" he asked softly.

"Seamus!" she whispered in embarrassment.

"Mary Kathleen, you know I've always dealt firmly with you when you risked your life; Michael will do the same with Miss Molly, and it's because he loves her so much that he will make her regret saving her boss' life." He chuckled. "Fear is a strange thing, Miss Molly. If anyone but his girl did something like that, he would be calling them brave, but because it was you, and his fear over what 'might' have happened is strangling him, he will give you one heck of a spanking." He looked at her, "Does that make it better, honey? Knowing the why behind his anger?"

Molly thought about it and then smiled ruefully, "I think it does, but I'm still going to do my best to talk him out of it."

"Good luck with that," Seamus said, chuckling. "I've got to get back to work. I have a new man, and I'm not sure of his work yet. I already caught him trying to cut corners and told him we don't do that on any of my sites. He gave me a 'sucker' look, and if he does that once more, he'll be looking for work again."

"Perhaps his old employer did things that way?" Mary asked sympathetically.

"Oh yeah, but I already told him I don't believe in that; do it right the first time. He agreed, and the minute my back was turned, he was doing slipshod work." Seamus shook his head, kissed his wife, and left.

Molly ran upstairs to change her clothes and then went back down to help Mary clean up the kitchen. It wasn't long before the kitchen door opened and Michael came in, looking forbidding. "Excuse us, Ma. Molly and I are going over to my place for a while." He took Molly's hand to pull her toward the door."

Molly resisted. "We can talk right here. You just need to calm down and think about this from a rational point of view."

"If I take the time to think my belt will be coming off," he promised.

"Michael Seamus O'Keefe!" Mary protested.

"Ma, I love you dearly, but this is between Molly and me." He finally picked the redhead up off her feet and carried her out the door. "She won't be home for dinner," he added.

"Michael O'Keefe, how dare you treat me like a recalcitrant child?" Molly felt her temper take control of her mouth. "Put me down right now!"

He did, on the front seat of his car. He reached over her to buckle her seat belt and then leaned into her face to say, "Do not touch this seatbelt; do not think of running. It would be a big mistake." With those ominous words, he slammed her car door and then stomped around the vehicle to the other side. Once he was behind the wheel, he started the car and drove to his house, not saying one word on the way there.

Molly didn't try to talk to him, either. She was too angry to trust herself not to say something she would regret later. He opened her car door and she simply glared at him. He reached down to unlock her seatbelt and then said, "Don't test my patience, Molly. You know damn well and good you deserve the spanking you're going to get."

"I know no such thing!" she denied. "I saved my boss' life, and probably yours, too," she told him. "I do not deserve a spanking for reacting the way I did."

"You put your life in danger, and that is all the reason I need to make you regret disobeying a direct order."

Chapter Eight

Molly resisted when Michael took her hand and tried to pull her out of his car. She thought he was being unfair, and she definitely did not want the spanking he was determined to administer. "Michael, you are overreacting!"

"You disobeyed me, Molly."

"I was trying to help. The dispatcher was asking questions and Kathleen couldn't answer them. So, I crawled over to one of the chairs and crouched down where I could see what was happening and give a description of the guy with the gun. I did not deliberately say, 'Oh, this is a good opportunity to disobey Michael!' I wanted to help."

"Molly, I am going to pull you out of the car and spank you every inch of the way inside if you do not get your butt out of this car right now." Michael was angry with her.

"You are not listening to me, Michael O'Keefe!" Molly crossed her arms over her chest and refused to budge. "You are acting like an overprotective Neanderthal! Will you please calm down and turn off your emotions and just listen?" she pleaded.

"Okay, Red. Have it your way," he said with exaggerated patience before leaning down and putting one arm under her legs and the other around her back. Just that quickly, Molly found herself lifted from the car, and in the next second she was dangling over Michael's broad shoulder.

"Put me down, Michael O'Keefe!" she ordered, balling her hands into fists and pounding on his back. In the next second his hand landed on her jean covered backside with a painful whack. "Owwww!" she yelled. "Michael, don't!" she pleaded, but he was out of patience, and true to his word, he gave her upturned backside a stinging spank for every step he took toward the house. "Noooo!" she wailed. "This is so not fair!" He did not answer, just continued to spank her with precise deliberation, making sure her sit spots and thighs were included in the chastisement. Once they were inside, he carried her into the living room, and only then did he put her down.

Molly landed on the sofa and immediately tried to scramble to her feet when her stinging backside made contact with the leather cushion. Michael put his hands on her shoulders, effectively holding her in place. Then he scolded until she was in tears. Once he said all he had to say, he sat beside her, flipped her over his knee, tugged down her jeans and panties, and he spanked her in earnest. Molly kicked and cursed, and that only increased the strength behind the smacks he was landing on her stinging and sore bottom. He made it clear he would not tolerate cursing, and then he continued the spanking for putting her life in danger. Molly promised herself she was not going to say 'sorry', but once Michael made it clear that the spanking would not stop until she expressed sincere remorse, she swallowed her pride and claimed she was 'sorry'.

Michael knew the little redhead was lying in order to get him to stop the painful punishment and he decided to take off his belt. She was never ever going to do something so dangerous again; he simply wouldn't have it, and if he had to stripe her bottom to impress that upon her, he would! Molly grew up without discipline and it showed.

When Michael stood her on her feet, Molly was relieved to have the terrible spanking over with. Michael got to his feet and when he reached for her, she thought he was going to pull her close and offer comfort, like he did before. She was startled when he pulled her to the side of the sofa and then gently pushed her down over the padded arm of the leather sofa. "What are you doing?" she asked tearfully, beginning to realize that her assumption the spanking was over was erroneous.

"Taking off my belt," he informed her, sliding his belt through the loops of his pant, the swishing sound giving her chills. "I want to be sure you regret your foolishness, and I guarantee you will by the time I'm finished striping you."

"Michael, I am already sore enough! I hurt!" She desperately tried to change his mind. "Please don't do this!" she begged.

He doubled the belt in his hand, making sure the buckle would not strike her and then handed her a throw pillow and ordered, "Molly, you keep your hands wrapped around this pillow and don't reach back. I do not want to accidentally injure a finger." He took a deep breath and then added, "I expect you to stay in place. This is going to hurt and it is going to let you know how serious I am when it comes to your safety." He was done talking, and he raised the belt and gave her the first lick across the fullest part of her butt. Molly screamed and tried to get up. He put his left hand on the small of her back. "I told you to stay in place, little girl. You are not going to escape this punishment, so I expect you to accept it and know that I'm doing this because I love you." He gave her another hard lick and she cried out in pain for the second time.

"Michael, stop! It hurts too much!" Molly cried out. "Please!" She yelled a third time when the belt left another welt across her bottom. It really hurt and burned and she was positive he was tearing strips of skin from her inflamed backside. "No more! No more!" Another lick landed on her sit spots and she started sobbing. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she screamed, sounding sincere.

"What are you sorry for?" Michael asked, longing for this punishment to be over. It was tearing him up inside to hear her cries of pain.

"I'm sorry I frightened you so much, Michael. I promise I will try to never do that again!"

She wasn't there yet, he decided. He striped her thighs next and Molly kept apologizing. After another five he asked, "What are you sorry for, honey?"