Heidi (closed for Angeleyz)

"Heidi, my ass," Callum Donnell muttered.

He'd been sitting at the kitchen table since dawn. There were still no sounds of life or movement from Heidi's bedroom.

The sun had been up for hours. He'd watched the first light of the new day steal across the horizon, looking out at the lonely, deserted landscape, the gorse, the heather, nothing else out there whichever way he looked; how the hell did I get to be her last living relative? He had to wonder about that.

Yesterday, the long drive from the airport in his ancient Land Rover had been more of an endurance test than a homecoming. Top speed, forty-five, with everything rattling and shaking. At least it had stopped her talking too much, kept conversation to a minimum.

After the airport and the city they'd hit the four lanes, then the two lanes, finally the single-tracks, unpaved, with grass growing in the middle, up and down, twist and turn, like a roller-coaster through a green, rolling landscape with hardly even a tree to look at. He'd seen the disbelieving look come into her eyes. It must have been quite a wake-up call coming from her background.

"There's no TV, satellite, telephone or cell-phone coverage,' he'd told her. She'd stood beside their ride struck dumb with a kind of stunned expression looking at her new home for the first time. "Power comes from a generator out back."

He'd carried her things inside, more luggage than he'd ever seen. Pink, matching luggage; now he'd seen it all.

Now, from the sunlit kitchen, he could see her things still sitting piled in the hallway, maybe she was waiting for room-service to put them in her bedroom.

Sunlight streamed in from the large window opposite the simple four poster bed, its golden rays beaming directly on the young woman sleeping fitfully there. She flopped an arm over her face, unconsciously shielding herself from nature's attempt to rouse her. Birds chirping on the windowsill slowly made their presence known through the thick layers of sleep.

Flinging an arm up and over her head, Heidi VanEtten made a few half hearted attempts in search of the intercom on her headboard before finally opening an eye and looking sleepily around. Blinking a couple of times at the unfamiliar surroundings, she murmured sleepily, "What the hell.." and rubbed her eye a couple of times as if that would help explain the sparsely furnished room.

It took several long minutes before the events of the last couple of weeks came back to her. Grandfather wanting her to come visit him in the hospital the next night of the hottest party in town... as if a visit, even in a private wing, would outshine that... Finding out that he had passed away while she was partying after finally waking up after noon the next day... Being grateful that Grandfather had pre-arranged all his funeral details so that she didn't have to go into one of those creepy funeral parlors more than once...Being shocked when Mr. Stevenson, Grandfather's lawyer had said she was having to go stay at some relative's house that she didn't know until he could wrap up all the paperwork associated with Grandfather's estate and review the contents of his will with them... Leaving Mrs. Brown to pull some essentials together for the trip while she had a spa day...

The long flight... Meeting Cal.. Cale... Whatever his name was. Some old guy in his 40s or 50s who looked like one of Grandfather's gardeners... He had scared the crap out of her.. all silent like... and the way he had sized her up... like she was the one who was somewhat lacking... the torturous ride to his house in the boonies... The shock of hearing that he had no TV, satellite, telephone or cell-phone coverage... Wondering who the hell could live like that before idly speculating where he hid all the bodies of the visitors who died from sheer boredom in this godforsaken part of the world.

Heidi yawned as she stretched, her muscles all knotted from sleeping on the hard mattress. "Thing's gotta be 20 years old," she mused, "along with everything else here." She squinted at light coming in the window, thinking it had to be early morning and wondering when breakfast would be delivered. She desperately needed some caffeine before her brain would function and she could begin laying out her arguments to Cal... Cale... whatever it was... about taking her back to the city where she could check into the closest 4 star hotel as this hovel was so not going to work.

Callum liked the peace and quiet of his lonely house, especially first thing in the morning, it was his favourite time of day. Sunlight slanted in through the kitchen window and dust motes drifted slowly in the air. The back door stood open and he could see his old Land Rover where he'd parked it yesterday. With its faded paintwork and dented bodywork it looked as if it belonged there.

Over the past five years he'd ruthlessly stripped every superfluous thing from his life; luxuries, modern conveniences, people. How much did a person really need? Not too much, he'd come to discover.

He'd found he liked things to be a certain way, it gave order to his world, and order was important. He had very few possessions that he didn't need, everything had a use. He was good with his hands and he could fix most things with a little thought, skill, and ingenuity.

The house blended into the landscape, old and weathered, the roof sagged in places; the point being, it looked right. Colour, structure, everything. It looked right for where it was. The same with his vehicle, anything else would have been overkill, would have been out of place.

His gaze moved from the old-fashioned cooking range to the pile of pink luggage still lying in the hallway and his sense of peace and order began to evaporate. No sign of the girl; 11:00AM and she was still in bed. Did people really sleep that late? She'd missed breakfast by a good few hours. Maybe she'd get up in time for lunch. Or supper.

He'd fought against her coming there, resented her being there. She didn't belong, that's all there was to it. She'd be as out of place as a new, fire-red Ferrari parked outside, jarring and offensive to his sense of order.

He went outside, trying to push the thought of her from his mind, the way he always did when something was bothering him and he didn't want to think about it anymore.

It was easier said than done. When he got into the Land Rover he could smell her perfume from yesterday, something expensive, exotic, and lingering. As he turned the ignition he felt a kind of twisted sense of savage anticipation when he thought about the way her new life would compare with her previous, pampered existence. Major wake-up call. Compensation of sorts for his having to tolerate her presence.

He swore under his breath as the starter ground and the old, tired engine wheezed but refused to start.

Sighing deeply, Heidi pushed herself up, the sheet following away and pooling in her lap. She stretched her arms out wide as she arched in her back in a feline fashion. God, she needed a massage after a night on that mattress. Her blue-grey eyes surveyed the room before her in disdain. Her closet at home was bigger than this Spartan room! She leaned over and retrieved her cell phone from the nightstand. Her first inclination was to check her various social media accounts before she remembered what Chatty Cal had said about no cell-phone coverage. She was almost positive that annoying man had smirked at her when he had said that last night. Of course, seeing how old he was he probably didn't understand what a cell phone was, let alone comprehend having tens of thousands of Twitter followers. Checking the time, she noted that it was just about 11 o'clock - where was that breakfast tray?!

Heidi was finally pushing herself onto her feet when she heard it - a grating high pitched squeal followed by a low wheeze. "Oh no he's NOT leaving me alone in this hell hole," she muttered to herself as she jumped into her black, hip hugging yoga pants and pink midriff baring tee-shirt that she always carried in her "crash" bag. She tore out of the room bare-footed, afraid the car would leave before she could stop it, and was out the front door and standing at the driver's side in a flash. Victor, her personal trainer would have been impressed...

"Dude, you can't leave me here... There's no reason for me to intrude on your privacy while we wait for Mr. Stevenson to get whatever paperwork he needs. You need to take me back to the city where I'll check into a hotel and stay out of your hair," Heidi said in a rush, pretty sure she had managed to keep her disdain hidden. Flashing her best butter up the headmaster smile, she brushed her honey-blonde hair from her eyes and waited for his response.

He saw her coming, a flash of movement, blonde hair flying; trim and athletic, gym-toned, sun-lamped, probably manicured and pedicured, and God knew what else. Maybe she had someone come in wipe her ass when she took a dump as well.

The look on her face was a picture though, made him wish he had a camera. Consternation and indignation and something else in her eyes that was gone by the time she reached him. Anger? Possibly, maybe she was getting ready for a tantrum, a spoiled little rich-girls display of petulance, until she saw him looking at her. Smart how she made it disappear, kept it in check, just a shame she didn't do it before he saw it.

Right there was everything he despised about the way society was heading; the blonde hair, the privileged background, private tutors, with a figure like one of the better made blow-up dolls and probably about as much intelligent activity going on inside her head.

The engine caught as she finished her little speech. Funny how her words didn't match the expression she'd been wearing when she'd burst out the door. Now she was Miss Nice-As-Pie, trying to sound reasonable. He got a smile and everything.

Dude? he thought. No one had ever called him dude in his life.

He gunned the engine a couple of times, the chassis trembled, everything rattled and shook, and clouds of blue exhaust smoke filled the air.

He looked at her without saying a word then he put in the clutch and pulled away, drove ten feet along the side of the house, and parked up inside the old barn lean-to that served as a makeshift garage. The engine stopped with a tired gasp.

In the cracked rear-view mirror he could see her standing in the same place staring after him, a little blonde figure all alone in the sunshine with miles of empty moorland behind her.

Heidi watched, flabbergasted, as he pulled his piece of crap away without so much as a word. Who the hell did he think he was?! No one, and I mean no one, treated a VanEtten like that, and this ass was supposed to be family? Please... Forgetting she was barefoot, she stomped her foot in agitation and ended up stepping on a sharp stone, which caused a flurry of colorful words to spill from her lips.

Contenting herself with a heartfelt one finger salute towards her oh so gracious host, Heidi hobbled back inside to check out her foot. Ensuring it wasn't bleeding, she peeked inside the kitchen looking to see if perhaps there was some coffee but didn't see any.

With her stomach rumbling, she headed back to her closet of a room to scrounge from her handy crash bag. A friend had once observed that Heidi could probably live for a whole weekend with just the contents of her bag, and while she wouldn't go that far... She usually kept a few things stashed away in case she had to crash at a friend's house after a party.

Plopping down on the bed, Heidi rummaged around the bag until she found a bottle of water and an energy bar. Taking a sip of the tepid water, she tore open the energy bar and nibbled on it while she sat fuming.

"This is ridiculous," she finally said aloud, hating the silence, "it's not like I asked to come here."

As he strode back to the house he kept seeing the look on her face as he'd driven away; stunned at first followed by hot and angry. Then she'd given him the finger.

He wondered briefly if he was being too hard on her. It was possible; he didn't want company, wasn't used to it. But then he thought of her arm outstretched, her stiff, one-finger salute and he dismissed any feelings of compassion.

He could see how it was with her. She'd always had her own way, thought it was her right, she'd never been denied anything her selfish little heart desired. Someone should have turned her over their knee a long time ago, it might have given her a whole new perspective on things.

Her bedroom door stood open. She was sitting on her bed.
"We need to get a couple of things straight, Princess," he began.

First, he told her, he wasn't her dude. He wasn't anyone's dude. He told her he didn't want her there any more than she wanted to be there. He told her how it was with Stevenson and her grandfather's will, he didn't like it any more than she did, but the truth was it could take months rather than weeks for everything to be settled.

He stood in her open doorway. He didn't raise his voice, he didn't have too, but he laid it all out for her, made it easy to understand. "That's something you might like to think about," he said. "You might want to think about your attitude and how the two of us are going to get along."

He told her that even if he took her back to civilisation - which he wasn't about to do - it wouldn't be any use. Her bank account had been frozen, all funds withheld until the old man's affairs had been settled. She wasn't the only one with a personal interest in the way things played out. In the meantime...

"In the meantime," he said, "since you're relying on my charity and you're a guest in my house for an indefinite period of time, maybe you should start thinking of a way to make yourself useful around here."

Maybe, he told her, it was time she took her head out of her own ass and saw the real world for the first time in her life.

"I know it's probably hard for you to grasp but there's a whole other world outside the self-indulgent fantasy-land where you live."

The sooner she realised that, he added, the better they'd get along.

Heidi was still sprawled on the bed, stewing, when the deep voice came out of nowhere from the doorway.
Outside of the tightened fingers that mangled the remainder of the granola bar, Heidi was proud of herself for giving no indication of how much his sudden appearance in the doorway freaked her out.

With an expressionless face, she listened to him prattle on about not being anyone's dude. 'Yeah, shocker, you old hermit,' she thought, 'you're not near anyone to be their anything...'

Heidi had to swallow a groan when she heard his pronouncement of it likely taking months versus weeks to settle Grandfather's estate. Major death sentence... with King Downer here. Thankfully the ice that had frozen her facial features kept her from sneering at his statement about her attitude and how the two of them would get along. 'Easy...,' she thought again, 'It's called get me out of these sticks...'

Of course the major killjoy that he was had to go and ruin that plan when he explained the part about her bank accounts being frozen. 'Holy shit,' she mentally groaned, 'can this get anyone worse?' as she kissed her idea of joining up with some friends on their summer abroad - their final high school hurrah.
Between that and the caustic comment that it was time to get her head out of her ass and see the real world, Heidi got the impression that perhaps he might think she was a wee spoiled. Sure she had been spoiled rotten by her father and mother, but she had been a late in life surprise for the childless couple... Add to the fact that she was the first girl on Daddy's side of the family in generations... Well of course she was indulged. Her mother might have gone over the top when Daddy was... Her mind shied away from the real term and substituted in 'the incident when Daddy died' as Mother and her therapist insisted, but that was only her way of showing Heidi how much she was loved.

When he was finally finished his preaching, Heidi forced herself to take a swallow of her bottled water and asked in as reasonable voice as she could muster, "Well Warden, I don't see any artwork that needs to be catalogued and I doubt you need me to plan a party to introduce me to all of your friends, so what exactly do you think I should do to get over this self-indulgent fantasy-land that I live in?"

It was strange how some of the most physically attractive people had the least attractive personalities.

Callum's impromptu speech was the most he'd said to anyone in weeks but he could see that he wasn't making much impression on Heidi.

She was a good little actress, kept her poker face throughout, sat there looking up at him, a little flushed maybe, hearing him out, but that was all.

She was attractive, there was no denying, but that was part of the problem. She knew it; her hair, the way she looked, walked, moved, dressed.

He knew the type, saw it in her manner the first time he’d set eyes on her at the airport. All that was missing were the movie cameras that she probably imagined faithfully recorded every moment of her day.

Words wouldn’t touch her, they couldn’t penetrate her long-cultivated sense of self-belief. She came from money. It had always been there. Never had to work for a living or think about anything more useful than how she was going to indulge herself from one day to the next.

He wondered if she ever passed a shop-window or mirror without pausing to admire herself. Everything about her set him off the wrong way.

"Well Warden, I don't see any artwork that needs to be catalogued and I doubt you need me to plan a party to introduce me to all of your friends, so what exactly do you think I should do to get over this self-indulgent fantasy-land that I live in?"

As soon as she opened her mouth he knew he’d been wasting his time. Her tone was heavy with sarcasm, he wasn’t going to get through to her. It wasn’t even worth trying. What did they teach her in those fancy colleges, anyway? Obviously nothing useful like good manners or how to be polite.

He just looked at her then shook his head before turning away and going through to the kitchen.
“I guess there’s some things money can’t buy after all,” he said.

Heidi narrowed her eyes as he shook his head and had the nerve to turn his back on her while saying "I guess there’s some things money can’t buy after all". No fucking way did he just look at her as if she had no redeeming qualities and then just try to berate her for a lack of manners.

"Yeah, like relatives who understand the real world," she muttered under her breath, wondering if he was always this uptight or if it was only her that got to see this oh so charming side.

Catching sight of her frowning face in the mirror over the dresser, Heidi did her best to smooth out her features, her mother's admonishments about avoiding frowns to avoid premature wrinkles ringing in her ears. As if she wanted to catch a husband at her age! She might have been groomed since the time she was ten to be a trophy wife, but she was going to get some more fun under her belt before she had to worry about mundane stuff like that.

Still feeling aggravated from her various run ins with the warden, Heidi flopped down on the floor and tried to run through some miscellaneous yoga stances before ultimately settling in a half lotus position and just trying to clear her mind.

In contrast to the sunshine of that morning there were rain clouds forming in the east as Callum returned to the kitchen. It made the room darker and robbed the green landscape of its colour as he looked out of the window.

He was frustrated and annoyed by Heidi's presence. Every time he thought about her he felt his annoyance increase. They were on entirely different wavelengths which made it almost impossible to talk to her. Something about her - maybe everything about her - hit all his wrong buttons.

Some people you could talk too and reach an understanding, but some you couldn't. There was no common ground because they were too unlike each other; she was never going to see things from his point of view and his own stubbornness and sheer bloody-mindedness prevented him from trying to be more accepting of her.

Part of the problem, although he was loathe to admit it, was that just by being there she reminded him of how long it had been since he'd had a woman. For one reason and another it felt as if he'd been celibate forever and when he finally meets a young woman she turns out to be a spoiled beach babe who'd apparently spent most of her life looking at herself in the mirror...

Sighing, he shook his head. His thoughts were going around in circles again and not getting him anywhere. Everything came back to Heidi's presence.

He knew what she needed, something someone should have done a long time ago before she got so full of herself. And even if she didn't need it taking her over his knee still seemed like a good idea, kind of like a statement of intent; maybe they should start as he meant to go on. It was his house, after all. His house, his rules. All he knew for sure was that he couldn't let the situation continue as it was. Sometimes decisive action was called for.

What had she asked him? something about what was she supposed to do to get out of the fantasy land she lived in? Then there was the crack about the party to meet his friends. And calling him warden. Sarcasm, always the sarcasm. Well, that worked both ways.

"Hey, Princess," he called, turning to face the hallway, "if you want to do something useful and its not too much trouble, you might want to move your luggage from the hallway and put it away before I fall over it. There's no room-service here, in case you were wondering."

Heidi had just about reached the moment where she'd swear she felt her mind empty, that sweet sensation of feeling stress and tension drain from her muscles when she heard the annoying words...Immediately the tension was back. The little voice inside her head started making snide comments about not caring if he did fall over the cases... That perhaps a good slip on his ass would remove whatever the hell had crawled up it. She tried all the techniques that Victor had suggested to find her way back to that relaxed moment, but it was too late.

Grumbling as she untucked her legs and stood up, Heidi made all sorts of comments about his questionable parentage when she realized that she was probably just insulting herself in the process. A rueful smile crossed her face as she noted that she actually didn't remember what side of the family his royal jerk-ness was even on. Not that she really cared to know any more about him since she was hoping this stay in purgatory wasn't going to be as long as he said, but it was amusing in its own way that she didn't know if she should be calling him Uncle, Cousin or whatever since he apparently didn't care for dude.

Deciding it might be prudent to put her cases in her room as she didn't trust him not to pitch them outside, Heidi slowly moved the cases from the pile in the hallway to the room. She didn't know what Mrs. Brown had deemed was essential for her to bring, but by the time she was on her sixth case, she decided that she must have packed bricks. She let out a couple of choice swear words when she almost dropped one of the cases on her bare foot, and some more when she managed to catch three of the fingers on her right hand between two other cases. By the time she had squeezed the last case into the prison cell that was her room, she was hot, her fingers were throbbing and she was spoiling for a fight.

Marching towards the kitchen, Heidi stopped just inside the doorway. Leaning against the doorframe, she crossed her arms over her chest, which caused the pink tshirt to ride up even more. "Looks like you're safe from those killer cases now, although I personally think they helped liven up this eyesore." When he didn't immediately respond, she continued, "I have to ask... Did you lose a bet with someone? Is that why you live way out here like this? Or are you licking wounds over something? Some woman finally have enough of your charming personality and come to her senses? There's gotta be some reason..."

It was probably a mistake to watch her move the suitcases. She made it look like hard work, as if she’d never had to do it before; hard to believe but it seemed quite likely. But his mistake was to watch her bend over wearing those soft, yoga pants.

Heidi might have the worst personality in the world but she also had probably the nicest ass he’d ever seen. Her pants clung to her well-shaped cheeks, hugged and displayed them so well it was almost impossible to look away.

As well as that there was her blonde hair, the way it hung down and she had to keep tossing her head to throw it back. The pink cut-off top probably revealed more than she intended or was aware every time she moved or straightened with the heavy cases. Unless she was aware and just didn’t care.

She glanced his way a couple of times, her face a little flushed, her expression petulant and aggrieved and he guessed she didn’t like being told what to do.

All in all, putting aside her attitude problem, she was the best looking young woman he’d seen in a long time. She was the whole package; looks, body, hair, everything. Almost everything, he amended. Every time she opened her smart mouth the illusion was shattered.

"I have to ask... Did you lose a bet with someone? Is that why you live way out here like this? Or are you licking wounds over something? Some woman finally have enough of your charming personality and come to her senses? There's gotta be some reason..."

There it was again, her smart-mouth, except this time she was closer to the truth than he cared to admit. Was it just a lucky guess? he couldn’t tell, but she was beginning to irritate him all over again in all kinds of new ways.

She was leaning against the door frame with her arms folded, heat in her eyes, a challenge in her words. Always the same mocking tone of voice.

Callum had always been a man of few words, a very private person. Talking about himself was never easy. She didn’t know that, didn’t know anything about him, but he had the feeling that if she kept on the way she was going she might discover a lot more about him than she’d care to know.

“Princess,” he said, quietly, “be careful now what you say or you and I are going to have a serious falling-out here.”

Heidi snorted inelegantly before her husky laugh spilled out. "You have got to be kidding me? A falling out?!" she mocked before drawling out the next word, "Duuuuude, you and I have never gotten on the same plane to have started in in the first place. You have soooo gotta get over yourself."

From the kitchen window, Heidi could see lightening streak across the rapidly darkening sky. It was like nature was in synch with her mood. Flicking her contemptuous glance back at him, she couldn't help notice his stiffening body language. She wasn't sure why she did it. Maybe it was the jet lag... maybe it was the way he kept harping about her lifestyle... the way his own voice crusted over in ice when he called her Princess, but there was something immensely satisfying seeing the way his blue eyes turned stormy, his fingers clenching... whenever she spoke. Grandfather often warned her not to poke a tiger with a stick, but she was a VanEtten and she'd be damned if she'd let some self righteous old stick in the mud talk to her like he did.

"What? You think you're so special because you hide out here in the boonies with no one around to see your weird ass moods?"

Hazarding a guess, Heidi continued in the same light, mocking voice, "She must have done a number on you..." Looking around the kitchen, she continued, "what... some 10-15 years ago? My goodness, man, you need to learn to let things go."

Her statement was punctuated by a couple of loud claps of thunder followed by a sudden downpour of rain beating against the window. Before she could take a breath to continue, the lights in the kitchen flickered once, then twice. A barely visible expression of fear crossed her face before she was able to contain her features.

Fingernails digging into her arms, she asked in a petulant voice, "Please tell me you have flashlights in case the weak ass generator can't keep up... Oh wait, based on the condition of things around here, we probably have to use torches like cavemen or something."

“Flashlights? Nothing so advanced. Might have a couple of candles lying around here somewhere,” Callum said.

The kitchen had darkened considerably with the coming of the storm. The wind was picking up, driving the rain against the window.

“What’s the matter, are you afraid of the dark?”
He was mocking her now. It was childish but oddly satisfying. “Do you have issues? That what you call it?”

A part of him welcomed the coming of the storm, it was nature’s way of clearing the air. When elements in opposition met it was inevitable that the stronger one would eventually overcome the weaker. It was a basic law of nature, something Heidi had yet to grasp.

“I think you’ll find it was Miss Havisham locked up her house and became a recluse when she was jilted. That kind of thing doesn’t happen in real life, Princess. I don’t want to spoil it for you but that wasn’t a true story or anything.”

Heidi looked more vulnerable in the darkening room. Her hair still shone, she still had an attitude, but it seemed almost like an act that she was putting on. Perhaps she wasn’t as confident as she appeared after all. It was something to think about.

“I’d prefer it if you didn’t call me dude. I think I mentioned it already but you obviously have a hard time keeping it in mind. You can call me Callum or Mr Donnell, either one.”

He looked at her, held her gaze, a slight smile touching his lips. It might have been the storm or Heidi’s attitude, or it might have been the prospect of teaching her a much-needed lesson, but whatever it was, Callum realised he was starting to have more fun than he’d had in a long time.

Heidi wasn't overly surprised by the lack of flashlights in this dump, but she wasn't sure that candles would necessarily make her feel better either. Her heart started racing at the thought of the creepy shadows that candles put out, and it was all she could do not to whimper. It was only through sheer willpower... and years of therapy.. that kept her from falling apart at the thought of what might lie just beyond a candle's glow.

Heidi was so intent on keeping it together that she ignored the taunt in his voice and the childish gleam in his eyes at her 'issue' with the dark. Heidi's lips tightened in response to the smile on his face. It was the first smile she had seen grace his face since he picked her up at the airport, and it was one she didn't overly trust. While it did make him seem almost approachable, there was something shark like in it as well. Just as she was getting ready to respond, the sky lit up in a brilliant display of lightening, followed almost immediately with a boom of thunder that shook the entire house.

Swallowing the scream that was caught in her throat, Heidi's nails cut into her upper arms so much she was afraid she drew blood. Not wanting to show him any more of her vulnerability, Heidi smiled coolly at him and said, "Well Mr D, I think I'm going to go do some more yoga. Enjoy your light show..." Not waiting for a response, she turned and headed back to the relative safety of her room.

As he watched Heidi turn away Callum wondered what was going on with her. He’d thought she was spoiling for a fight, being her usual pleasant self, then the storm broke...

Her body had stiffened. She was holding herself now, hurrying back to her bedroom. In retreat? He didn’t think so, at least, not because of anything he’d just said. So, what then? Something else?

Part of him said just to let it go but he was still irritated by some of the things she’d said to him and it wasn’t in his nature to leave something unfinished.

His last glimpse at her expression had revealed another side to her before she’d turned away. She’d looked softer, more vulnerable, and suddenly a lot less sure of herself. It was a much better look for her than anything else he’d seen so far.

“Hey, Princess,” he called after her, “don’t walk away. We’re not through talking yet.”

He started after her as another flash of lightning lit up the rooms with strobe light intensity. Thunder crashed violently overhead and he could hear the old house creaking as the strength of the wind increased.

He found himself looking at her ass and felt the same hot urge rising up inside him again, the same desire to teach her a lesson, but this time the feeling was suddenly more urgent and intense.

He moved faster, suddenly determined. It felt right. It was time. The storm was a part of it. It suited his mood. He’d never wanted Heidi there and all she’d done since he’d met her was give him the benefit of her smart mouth.

Heidi's jaw ached from how tightly she was clenching her teeth as she padded down the darkening hallway. 'Don't let the lights go out. Don't let the lights go out,' she thought to herself as she hurried back towards her room. She knew that it was stupid to get worked up over something so silly, but considering the root of her 'issues' as he had lightly dismissed... had belittled them... well, it was hardly surprising. She immediately threw the brakes on those thoughts. It wouldn't help to go down that rabbit hole, and if anything, would just further the chances of him getting to see her in full panic mood. And if there was one thing she despised, it was for someone to be aware of her weaknesses. Looking over shoulder at his taunt, Heidi was dismayed to see him coming swiftly up behind her. She couldn't quite make out the look in his eyes, but there was an intensity to his posture that she didn't understand... didn't trust. With an almost inaudible squeak, she turned back around in time to cross through the doorway, hand flailing to find the light switch.

"Not now, Mr. D... I.. I... really need to my workout," Heidi managed to call out just as her fingers found the switch. Flicking it several times, she was appalled to find that nothing happened. Caught between trying to hole up in a darkened room by herself and facing him, she forced herself to turn around, blocking the entry and saying in a slightly trembling voice, "I... I'd... I'd like some candles and matches, p-p-please... So I can do my workout... We... we can finish our... discussion after the storm is over."

Callum saw the look of dismay in her expression. She was a good little actress, he knew that already, but he thought that this new look was probably the first display of true emotion he’d seen from her.

“Please?” he repeated. “Oh, you know that word? Did you just remember it? I didn’t think it was in your vocabulary.”

She’d turned to stand in the doorway as he reached her and he stood over her, glaring at her. He was breathing hard, adrenalin and heightened emotions now kicking in. He could smell her perfume, it reminded him of money, of where she came from and everything she stood for.

Her hair was in disarray and she was looking up at him with the clear, enticing whites of her eyes showing bright in the early gloom. She looked alarmed but he didn’t care very much, actually sort of liked it.

He could remember only too well the barely disguised disdain he’d seen in her expression earlier. The sarcasm every time she spoke. The spoiled rich-girl tone of her voice.

She was blocking the doorway. Over her shoulder he could see the unmade bed in the shadows with her suitcases stacked untidily against the walls. He could feel his emotions getting away from him but he didn’t fight to hold himself in check.

“Yoga?” he said. “I’ve got another kind of work-out for you, Princess.”

He took her upper arm and spun her around and hurried her into the bedroom and towards the bed.

“You want some inner-peace, all of that? I’ll give you some inner-peace. It’d be my pleasure.”

Heidi was just getting ready to make a smart ass comment to his “Please?” “Oh, you know that word? Did you just remember it? I didn’t think it was in your vocabulary, " when she saw him looming over her, glaring once more. What the hell was his problem now? He was breathing hard like he had just finished a work out, but his face was almost expressionless. Almost... but what she saw unnerved her. 'Holy crap,' she thought to herself, 'It looks like he's going to go postal.' Heidi was caught totally off guard when he grabbed her by the upper arm and started pushing her deeper into the bedroom. Her first thought was that he was going to lock her in the bedroom in the dark, but then he beelined towards the bed.She wasn't sure what exactly he had in mind, but Heidi started dragging her feet nonetheless as she tried to yank her arm from his iron grip. "What the hell, Mr D?! This isn't funny. Let me go. Let me go right now!" Her voice ended in a panicked squeak even as her mind was racing, trying to convince herself that he was just trying to be funny in his own weird way.

"What the hell, Mr D?! This isn't funny. Let me go. Let me go right now!"

Callum smiled coldly. He liked the way she said those words, how she tried to be firm when she spoke, and how she couldn’t quite bring it off.

She started to resist but that was okay, it just made him even more determined. Made it even more satisfying to hurry her to the bed.

He could feel his anticipation increasing. He was looking forward to this perhaps a little more than he cared to admit to himself. It had a useful, practical purpose but he couldn’t pretend that was the only reason.

Part of it was Heidi herself, who she was, where she came from, the prospect of teaching an attractive but spoilt young woman a much needed lesson. But it was deeper than that; Callum was enjoying himself.

“Let you go? I don’t think so, Princess.”

They’d reached the bed. He didn’t give her time to react or make any more smart comments. He sat down and spun her around and pulled on her arm and in one smooth, fluid movement she was bent over his knees, head down and ass up.

Outside the thunder rolled across the miles of open moorland. Lightning flashed and threw the shadow of the window frame onto the opposite wall.

Callum contemplated the taut, firm outline of her ass cheeks through her clinging yoga pants and slowly and deliberately raised his hand.

“You know the best thing about living way out here on the moors, Princess? No one can hear you scream.”

Heidi wanted to scream in frustration as she desperately tried to break his grip. This could not be happening! 'Bad things happen in the dark, bad things happen in the dark,' a young voice chanted over and over in her head.

Let you go? I don’t think so, Princess.

Just as she opened her mouth to make her demands, he shocked the hell out of her by sitting down on the bed and turning her over his knee like she was some disobedient child. One minute she was standing, the next minute she was sprawled over his lap with her head down and her ass up.

'Bad things happen in the dark, bad things happen in the dark...'

Heidi struggled to push herself off, trying to use her elbows against him... Against the bed for leverage... but he was able to effectively pin her down with one large hand against her back.

You know the best thing about living way out here on the moors, Princess? No one can hear you scream.

His words shocked her into momentary stillness before she panicked and began an all-out-attempt to get free, squirming like crazy and shrieking, "let me go... Let me go... LET ME GO!"

Heidi’s struggles and cries simply made Callum even more determined to continue what he’d started.

“You didn’t say please this time? Have you forgotten that word already?”
Her weight across his knees was negligible and his sense of satisfaction and anticipation was heightened by her struggles.

He felt himself become aroused, his cock suddenly, gratifyingly hard. He was immediately aware of it straining beneath her. Getting turned on seemed only fitting, it was a part of it.

Heidi was squirming as she fought to rise but her movements only stimulated him even more. His gaze was fixed on her ass, gym-toned and round and firm. And now vulnerable.

He brought his hand down, starting hard and fast, not holding back; he wanted her to feel it. He wanted it to hurt.

The sound was loud and deeply satisfying even against the background noise of the storm; he thought there was no other sound quite like that of a firm, open hand falling hard on a taut, deserving, well-shaped ass.

It was all the more satisfying because Heidi so richly warranted her punishment.

“No more smart comments, Princess? No more sarcastic remarks?”

His hand rose and fell delivering a sharp flurry of stinging spanks that he alternated from cheek to trembling cheek.

Heidi tried to remember her personal trainer Victor's self defense tips, but at no time had he ever covered how to extract yourself from being paddled like a child. This was ridiculous. He was ridiculous! What the hell did he think he was trying to do?! Squirming wasn't working. Kicking wasn't working. She'd claw him with her fingernails, but his pants protected him too much.
She kicked out a few more times in reaction to his words, and then she felt it. 'Holy shit! Please tell me that isn't what I think it is...' she thought to herself. Heidi was so distracted by the hardness poking into her that she was caught totally off guard by the first stinging slap. She sucked in a breath, while at the same time, flinching hard in reaction.Heidi was in shock. No one had laid hands on her for a spanking since... well she couldn't think of a time. Tensing with each slap, she bit down on her bottom lip to keep from begging him to stop. She was determined not to give him that satisfaction even though her ass felt like it was on fire.

Callum felt a rush of pure pleasure every time his open hand came down hard on Heidi's ass. He felt her tense herself and that was okay, it made his cock press even harder beneath her.

All of his emotions seemed to be in overdrive, he could feel his heart racing, his cock throbbing, thick and hard. He’d needed this.

He paused, breathing hard, and boldly resting his open hand on her ass he cupped the fullest curve of her right cheek and gently squeezed.

He was enjoying himself now, relishing this moment. It was only what she deserved; she needed to be taught a lesson, why shouldn’t he indulge himself and get some pleasure from it at the same time?

“Think of this as a wake-up call, Princess,” he said. “I don’t want to hear any more sarcasm or smart remarks.”

As he spoke he moved his hand slowly and intimately from one shapely ass-cheek to the other. Her yoga pants clung to her and beneath them he could feel the subtle, inviting outline of her panties.

Thoughtfully, he watched the slow passage of his hand down over her ass to the back of her thighs and then back again.

“Any more trouble from you and we’ll be doing this again,” he said, slowly. “But next time you won’t be wearing...”

He paused then and left the sentence unfinished.
Outside, the storm seemed to be abating, the intensity of the rain had eased, but thunder still rumbled in the distance. Night was falling and from time to time the small, cramped room was still lit by far-away flashes of lightning.

Callum had been barely aware of anything beyond what he was doing but now he looked up and with a sigh he took Heidi’s wrist and drew her to her feet. He could feel his cock thrusting stiffly inside his jeans, he knew that she’d see it as she stood before him; that was okay, too, he could live with that.

“Things are going to be different around here from now on, Princess,” he said, still sitting on the bed and looking up at her.
“Nothing to say for once? Speak up. Do you agree or do I need to bend you over my knee again? Your choice.”