Melody woke to an empty bed. She’d become quite accustomed to sleeping with Luc and making love before they started their day. They’d fallen into a pattern—if he fixed breakfast he would bring it to her in bed, but if she fixed breakfast, he would most often join her in the kitchen and fuck her a second time.

She could hear the shower going and went to hop out of bed and get breakfast started. As she sat up, her body reminded her of the welting she’d received and the hard lovemaking that had been part of her penitence and forgiveness. She stood quickly, taking her weight off her still very sore behind. She walked over to the dresser and looked over her shoulder at the angry red welts that showed vibrancy both in color and in size. She traced them with her fingertips, trying not to increase her pain.

She walked to the bath and entered as he was getting out of the shower. He reached for her and pulled her to him, kissing her.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

She nibbled on his lower lip. “It wasn’t the sound of the shower that woke me. The bed feels empty without you in it.”

She could feel his rumbled laughter as well as hear it. It triggered a decidedly feminine giggle in response.

“I don’t think, souris, that it is the empty bed that made you seek my company but rather a pussy that has been too long without my cock in it.”

She rubbed her beaded nipples along his torso, enjoying the way his coarse chest hair made them even harder.

“You could be right about that. What are you going to do about it?”

Luc tweaked her nipple and smiled when she winced ever so slightly but didn’t try to draw away.

“If only I had the time. It’s late and I need to meet Ryder down at the barn. But I will fill your needy vessel repeatedly tonight when we are alone.”

“Wait and I’ll come with you. I want to see Queenie.”

Luc arched his eyebrow at her and reaching down to lightly finger the welts he had put in place the night before.

“And are you forgetting that you are not to leave the house until Monday?”

Melody searched his face. He wasn’t angry or upset, just reminding her that she was in effect grounded.

“Can I at least go to the Flying M?”

“No. Sierra is aware and if you two need to get together she can come here, unless of course, she’s pushed at Ryder to the point where she is now to stay home as well.”

Deciding that was not going to be able to dissuade him, Melody opted instead to kiss him again before asking, “Do you want me to make you something you can take down to the barn and eat for breakfast?”

He idly fondled the side of her breast, running his hand beneath it before ducking his head to kiss the spot between that one and its twin on the other side of her torso. He kissed his way up her breastbone and the column of her neck before kissing her again.

“Thank you, sweetheart, that would be nice.”

“Breakfast sandwich or burrito?”

“Burrito... plenty—”

“I know, plenty of salsa. I’ll have it waiting for you.”

Melody left him to finish getting ready to start his day. She grabbed the shirt he had on the day before and slipped it on before going out into the main house. She wasn’t sure why still feeling the effects of Luc’s attentions the night before, being told she was grounded, making him a simple breakfast and wearing his shirt made her so happy, but it did. She no longer questioned it, just embraced that it did.

* * *

Luc looked at his reflection in the still steamy mirror. “You are one lucky bastard.”

He quickly finished dressing and joined Melody in the kitchen just as she was finishing wrapping up his burrito. She made an aluminum foil holder and gave it to him as he kissed her on his way out.

He trotted down the steps to the barn just as Ryder’s truck pulled in.

Ryder glanced at his watch. “Hmm, just now eating breakfast?”

“As you know, mon ami, there are some things far more enjoyable to do in the morning than eat breakfast.”

Ryder dropped the volume of his voice. “Depends on what you’re eating.”

Luc laughed out loud. “It does indeed. Slayer should be here today.”

“Hopefully your Melody won’t feel the need to threaten him with a bucket,” said Ryder with a grin.

They went in to check Slayer’s stall. Luc was proud of the men he’d assigned the task of reinforcing it. They’d done an excellent job.

“Eddie, have you seen Billy?”

“Not since he left yesterday morning to go see Julie. One of the other guys who’s seeing a friend of hers said it got loud at the diner. Unless you need me for something, I’d best get back at it.”

Luc nodded and Eddie left them alone in the barn.

“That’s not good,” said Luc.

“Maybe the four of us should have lunch in town today,” said Ryder.

“Not a bad idea. Let’s take the girls, although I should leave Melody home.”

Luc nodded. “If she got the message and she’s with you, you’ve most likely made your point.”

“She did take her punishment well last night. I was so proud of her. Isn’t that odd?”

Ryder shook his head. “No. I feel the same way when Sierra admits she was wrong, deserves to be punished and then submits.”

Luc grinned.

“Oh, no, that is an evil grin, “said Ryder.

“I think my sweet girl should accompany us to lunch but I’ll give her something to focus on.”

Ryder laughed. “I thought that was an evil grin.”

Luc’s phone rang. It was the transport company with Slayer. They were hoping they had a group of experienced men to help unload the nasty-tempered stallion. Luc assured him that if they got Slayer to Crooked Creek in one piece, that he and his men would get him unloaded.

“Sounds like they had a rough trip,” said Ryder.

“Not as rough as I feared. So far, no one is in the hospital. If we can say that at the end of today, it will have been a good day. We’ve got at least a couple of hours before they arrive.”

“I’ll go get Sierra and bring the SUV and we can all go in together. They way if we need to rent some kind of moving truck to help with Julie, we can.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

The two men walked out of the barn. Ryder headed back for his truck and Luc updated Eddie with the plan for both getting Slayer into his new stall safely and that Ryder, Sierra, Melody, and he were going to go into town to check on Julie and Billy.

“If you need help, just call. We all like Julie and like you said to Billy, she’s one of us now.”

Luc smiled and trotted up the steps to the house. He found Melody in her office going over some figures. He found it amusing that she was standing at her desk and not sitting.

“Ryder just left to get Sierra. We’re going to all go into town for lunch at the diner.”

“Worried that Billy hasn’t returned?”

“Worried is probably too strong a word, but I don’t think it’s a bad idea to be available.”

“So am I ungrounded?” she grinned.

“If you would like, you can come with me. But I do intend for you to be mindful of behaving while we’re gone.”

The look that passed over Melody’s face when she lifted her head to look at him and realized his intention made him laugh.

“No, Luc...”

“Melody, you go take off your leggings and put yourself over the edge of the bed.” He held up his hand to ward off her protest. “No arguing. You do as you’re told.”

* * *

Melody searched his face. She knew there was no way he was going to give on this point. She weighed her options and decided that bowing to his authority was her best course of action. She sighed and walked back to their bedroom.

As she entered their room, she decided to fetch both the plug and the lube. She might as well make it easy for him. She pulled down her leggings and bent over the side of the bed.

After he joined her, Luc very gently stroked her backside. As he outlined one of the welts with his fingers he leaned down and kissed her cheek. Melody closed her eyes. She could hear Luc opening the tube of lubricant. He continued to rub her bottom ever so gently.

“Melody, reach back and spread your cheeks so I can watch the plug as I insert it.”

“Luc...”

“You be a good girl and tell me that you know how naughty you were yesterday and that you need and deserve to have to wear this butt plug to remind you to behave.”

Melody reached behind, gently taking each cheek in her hands and spreading them apart for Luc’s gaze. She felt her body responding to his dominance. She felt as though the entrance to the place he meant to put the plug was pulsing, winking at him in rhythm to how he had fucked her there the night before.

Luc leaned down. “Is my good girl remembering what it was like to have her man sink his cock into that hole instead of placing a plug there?”

She nodded but couldn’t bring herself to speak.

“I want to hear you say it, Melody.”

With a resigned sigh she said, “I was naughty yesterday and need and deserve to wear the butt plug to remind me to be a good girl.”

Melody felt the tip of the plug push against her back hole.

“Breathe, sweetheart. Just relax and don’t fight it. You know it isn’t bad once it’s in and you told me last night you like the way it fills you up.”

“I know, but to have to wear it out...”

“No reason not to. No one will know except you and me. And knowing that you are being brave and accepting goes a long way toward letting me know you want to behave.”

She sighed again and forced her body to relax and accept the foreign object. She inhaled sharply as he slowly but steadily pushed it in so that it was resting deep inside her, stretching her uncomfortably. She wondered why if she was feeling discomfort, she could also feel her nipples starting to harden and her pussy begin to get wet.

Once it was all the way in, Luc leaned down to nuzzle her. Again she had a sharp intake of breath as two of his fingers entered her core and began to stroke, feeling her liquid heat become more abundant.

“Such a good girl. By the time we get home and get Slayer unloaded and have dinner, you’ll be more than ready to take my cock in both of your holes, won’t you?” he said seductively.

Melody rolled over carefully onto her back and wrapped her arms around his neck and over his strong shoulders. “Why not make it all three?”

Luc laughed. “Now that’s the way I like it when you want to be naughty.”

“You aren’t going to make me wait until tonight, are you?”

“We’ll see how well you behave at lunch. Now get your leggings pulled up. Ryder should be back with Sierra any minute.”

Melody had no sooner pulled herself back together and applied a little makeup when Ryder honked the horn of the SUV. Luc escorted her down the stairs and helped her into the SUV.

Melody could tell that Sierra wasn’t happy about something. As was often the case in cattle country, the men were sitting up front while the women were in the back.

“What’s up?” Melody asked Sierra softly.

“Oh, the head man up there is being a macho jerk,” said Sierra in a voice that was loud enough to be heard by all.

“And if the wife of the head man isn’t careful, he’ll send Luc, Melody, and a couple of the boys into town while he takes her back to the house so he can tend to her bratty attitude.”

“You’re not being fair. I’m every bit as good with rough stock as you are,” Sierra said accusingly.

“Maybe even better,” said Ryder, agreeing with her. “But I am the head man especially in this marriage. I will keep you safe whether you like it or not. I’m warning you, Sierra, I’m not going to put up with much more of this. Settle down or I’ll take you home and settle you down. And you can spend dinner tonight in the same state Melody did the other night. Is that what you want, little girl?” Ryder said, looking at his wife via the rearview mirror.

“No,” said Sierra in an angry voice.

It was obvious to Melody that her friend and her husband had been arguing before they arrived.

“No, what?” barked Ryder.

Something in his tone seemed to get through to Sierra. Melody saw her shoulders slump.

“No, sir,” Sierra said sullenly.

“Sierra, that’s enough. No, what?” said Ryder, who was clearly becoming exasperated with her.

“I’m sorry,” she said in a modified tone. “No, sir. But I want to see...”

“I know, baby,” soothed Ryder.

Melody noted that Ryder was like Luc; the minute Sierra yielded, he backed off.

Ryder continued, “But Slayer is dangerous and neither of you is to be anywhere around him. Luc and I are in agreement. If either of us catches either of you breaking that rule, the appropriate male partner will be informed.”

“And,” said Luc, “that naughty girl will have a chat with her partner’s belt. Once we’ve got him off the truck and into his stall you can come see him, but you are not to get within arm’s reach of his stall front or anywhere close to him.”

“But if you’re going to get those PMU mares bred as they are coming into heat, how are you going to do that?” asked Sierra.

“He’ll be turned loose with the mares, which is why neither of you is allowed in Queenie’s pasture,” said Luc, turning around to make eye contact with Melody.

“If he’s such a bastard, why do you want to let him have our girls?”

Luc smiled at her. Melody could tell he understood her concern for the mare of whom she had grown so fond.

“He won’t be mean to the mares, sweetheart—just to humans and most especially to those who have been told by their partner to keep away from him.”

Both women snorted, which prompted chuckles from both men.

* * *

They pulled into a parking spot at the front of the diner, but before they could enter the establishment, Julie’s older brother, commonly known as Junior, greeted them at the door.

“You ain’t welcome here. Especially you,” he said, pointing his finger at Melody. “I don’t know why you think it’s all right to steal our best waitress and give her some high-falutin’ notions.”

Melody put her hand on Luc’s arm, but stepped in front of him.

“We didn’t steal anyone. And your sister’s talents are wasted as a waitress. She’s a highly trained chef with exceptional skills. I can understand you being sorry to lose her, but either you afford people opportunities to better themselves and follow their passions... or someone else will.”

Sierra stepped forward. “So, I take it she isn’t here. We’ll go by the house and see if we can help her and Billy get her things back to Crooked Creek.”

Both Sierra and Melody turned their backs and headed to the truck. Junior made to follow them and found his way blocked by two tall, muscular cowboys who had no intention of allowing him to do anything more than watch them walk away.

Luc stepped into Junior’s personal space and Junior stepped back.

“Keep in mind, Junior, that your sister is now part of the crew at Crooked Creek. We take care of and protect our own. Your days of bullying your sister came to an end when she accepted our offer.”

Luc and Ryder turned and headed back to the truck.

“Oooh,” said Melody once they were in and Ryder had started toward Julie’s family home. “What a jerk. No wonder she wanted to get out of there.”

They arrived in time to help Billy and Julie load the last of her things into Billy’s truck and into the back of the SUV.

“I’m sure glad you guys showed up,” said Billy. “I was trying to figure out how to make it in one truckload.”

Julie came out with her mother. Julie gave her a last hug and then walked to Billy, who put his arm around her.

“You take good care of my baby,” her mother said to Billy.

“Don’t you worry. I will,” the ranch hand replied.

“And you’re always welcome at Crooked Creek,” offered Melody.

“Good lord, I haven’t been up there since... well, long before Ryder came back. I may just take you up on that.”

They were able to load the rest of her things into the back of the SUV. Julie got into Billy’s pickup truck and the other two couples loaded back into their SUV. Both vehicles headed back to Crooked Creek.

“As none of us got lunch, why don’t I fix something for us when we get back to Crooked Creek?” offered Melody.

“I can help and maybe we should check if Billy and Julie want to join us,” said Sierra.

“Thank you, ladies, that’s a great idea,” said Ryder.

The four friends rode back to the ranch talking about where to put Julie until the foreman’s cabin was done.