Second-hand embarrassment is real, my friends. Proceed with caution 🥴
Julianne's POV
I see a slim storage type of space in the corner and I start to head for it when his hand stops me as it grabs mine.
"I'm NOT forcing you into a closet, Julianne," he says darkly as he looks around for another place.
Heavy footfalls sound closer inside, and I see the panic in his eyes.
"You're not. I am," I whisper as I go to the corner and hide around it, praying that a spider doesn't crawl up my leg.
I peek around just enough to see Gage walking back over to the couch, and quickly tossing my soda into the garbage before sitting on the couch and pretending like he's bored as he scrolls on his phone.
"There you are," another deep voice says as he opens the sliding glass door, and Gage turns around in faux surprise.
"Hey! I thought you and mom were on a date," Gage says as he sticks his phone in his pocket and stands to face his dad.
Why is his dad so hot? And his brother? Strong genes, I guess
"Mom's Tesla was driving weird, so we came back. I told her we could grab the Model Y but she didn't want to go all the way back into the city."
Gage nods, and his dad looks at him hard for a minute. "First day of freedom and you're back here?"
"I just got back a little bit ago," he says casually as he crosses his arms to try and look bored.
His dad nods as he scratches the back of his neck and sighs. "We need to talk about this grade, kid. I know you think it's just a D, but Gage, Princeton won't accept this."
"Dad, I have a good grade in that class."
"That's funny, because I ended up calling Mr. Fitz. He said that this test will have you hovering around an A-. That's unacceptable."
"I'm sorry. I'll get it up." Gage says softly as he shifts from foot to foot.
"I know you will," his dad says as he squeezes his shoulder in a comforting motion, and I'm surprised. I thought Kenna said he was scary.
He seems pretty great
"Alright, get in position," his dad says softly, and my heart sinks.
What?
Gage's back straightens and his fists clench. "Ok, but can we go inside?" He asks in a strained tone.
His dad looks around with a confused look. "Inside? Your mom and brother are inside. No one's out here. Come on. Mom and I are going to go grab a drink at Quinn's before we get Willow."
Gage scratches the back of his neck and clears his throat.
"Please? The gardeners have access to the cameras out here."
"What's with you?" His dad asks incredulously as he unbuckles his belt and pulls it through the loops.
"Dad...." Gage says in a desperate voice, and it catches his dad's attention.
"You're home awful early, kid. Is someone here?" He asks as he walks over to the bar and looks behind it.
"I just....I really really tried on the test, but Psychology is hard for me. I don't get it."
"Then we will get you a tutor. You know the rules. If you get anything below an A we discuss it. If you get anything below a C you get punished for it."
"Yes sir," Gage sighs in defeat as he walks over to the edge of the couch so he's facing my direction and puts his hands on the arm, bending over.
His dad sighs in frustration. "Gage, I'm about to lose my patience with you."
Gage shakes his head in defeat as he stands up and unbuttons his pants, pulling them down in one quick motion, and I look away.
I bet he's completely mortified
"What's the punishment for a bad grade, Gage?" His dad asks calmly, and I peek my head back around to see his dad with his left hand on Gage's shoulder. Gage's lower half is blocked by the couch, but his eyes are open and focused on a spot on the couch... and he looks so.....
Well, like he wants to die
"One stroke per age, sir."
"How many are you receiving?"
"16, sir"
His dad says nothing else as he wields the folded belt and it lands sharply on Gage's butt.
Even though I can't see him, I can tell the difference that it makes on bare skin. When Holden gave the belt to Tate, I could still hear it thud each time it connected to Tate's jeans.
But the snap against bare skin makes it sound cruel and inhumane.
I try to give him what little privacy I can by not watching. I keep expecting to hear him cry, yet every time another lash of the belt falls on him, there's silence.
My curiosity finally gets the better of me after the tenth strike, and I peek ever so slightly around the corner. Gage is remaining completely still as he stares at the spot on the cushion.
When the eleventh strike falls he winces just a tiny bit, but remains stoic.
At the fourteenth lash, a tiny grunt leaves Gage's lips and he shifts slightly, not once taking his eyes off of his designated spot on the couch.
When the sixteenth and final spank lands, Gage stays totally still with his breathing even and his face tear-free.
How the heck did he do that?
"You may fix yourself," his dad says calmly
and politely, and in the next breath I see Gage bend down, and I hide again as he pulls his pants back up.
"I won't ground you since you just got released, but I expect you to speak with your teacher on Monday and see if there's any extra credit you can do. I'll have your mother find you a tutor for the rest of the semester."
"Thank you sir," Gage says in an even voice without a hint of discomfort.
Seriously, how did he do that?
"Alright, we're gonna leave. You hanging here the rest of the night, or are you on your way back out?"
"I'm gonna head out for a bit but I'll be back by curfew."
"I know you will be," he says with a polite smile, and nods as he turns and goes back through the sliding glass door.
Gage watches his dad walk away and then turns and sits down on the couch, a little more carefully than he did a few minutes ago.
I stay where I'm at, waiting for Gage to come and get me, but as he continues sitting on the couch and looking at his phone for ten minutes, I start to wonder what I should do.
Are his parents gone?
"Gage?" I finally whisper, and he looks up from his phone.
"They're gone," he says in a curt tone, and I get out of my hiding spot.
I walk over to him carefully but he simply stares out at the ocean and refuses to look at me. When I sit down, it's as if he has no idea I even exist and I feel so unbelievably uncomfortable.
"Are you okay?" I finally ask, and I see his mouth turn up in a dark smile.
"You good if I just take you back now?"
"Yeah."
He sighs as he stands up and still refuses to look at me, and I want to cry. I had the best day ever and now....His dad completely ruined it and he's so humiliated that he will probably never talk to me again.
We walk down the concrete stairs in absolute silence and when we get to his car, he gets in without opening my door for me.
He does something on the phone to erase the Ring data of us getting into the garage, and when he backs out of the driveway, I know I need to say something.
But the tension is so unbearable that it's hard to breathe.
I realize my time is running out with him as we make our way back to the main part of town, so I finally clear my throat and glance at him. His mouth is set in a tight line and he's gripping the steering wheel hard.
"Kenna told me when we moved here how strict locals are...Holden isn't as strict as your dad, but......"
"Please don't," he interrupts.
"I just, I get sp...."
"Julianne, I really need you to stop. Please?"
I don't say another word as he pulls into a parking spot, on the opposite side of the parking lot as his parents' car, and puts the car in park.
"I won't leave until I see that you get inside," he says curtly, and when I turn to thank him, he can't even look at me.
"I had a really good time," I say softly, and his jaw clenches as he looks at his lap.
I get out quickly and when I shut the door, tears start falling before I can stop them.
I don't turn around to wave goodbye though. If he didn't shed one single tear while he got spanked, I'm surely not gonna let him see me crying and make him feel even worse.
I just walk into the bar as fast as I can, and wonder if Gage is actually watching me walk away.
~*~
I immediately see Gage's parents in a little corner booth, but I simply walk over to the bar and Nico sees me right away.
"Woah. What's wrong, Julianne?" He asks in a tone he doesn't often use as he comes around the bar and pulls me into a comforting hug.
"Where's my brother?" I cry into his chest, and he shushes me as he rubs my back up and down.
"Which one?" He asks so gently, I'm wondering who this man is. He's always the first one to crack a joke. I rarely see him serious.
"Either" I sob.
I look up and meet his chocolate brown eyes, and they're filled with both rage and concern. "Tate is in the back. Holden is dropping drinks off to that party in there. Do I need to kick his ass?" He asks darkly, and when I shake my head he doesn't relax at all as he watches me hard.
Holden comes out joking around with a waitress, but stops dead in his tracks when he sees me with Nico's arms wrapped around me.
"What's wrong, Julianne?" He asks with panic in his voice.
I go to talk but I get too worked up and the tears fall even quicker now.
Holden simply walks over and gently grabs my arm as he leads me to the back room, and I ignore the looks from patrons as I go.
"Shit! I'm gonna kill him," Tate says darkly when he takes one look at me.
"Stop," Holden barks. "What happened, baby?"
Baby? I must have him freaked
I try to talk but once again, my stupid tears clog my throat and I can't. It's Holden's turn to pull me into a hug, and I rest my head on his chest this time.
And somehow, it's as if all of my worries start to lessen, because I know he can fix it.
When I pull away I take a calming breath and stare deep into my brother's concerned eyes.
"We had the best time," I sniff.
"Sure looks like it," Tate snips.
"That isn't helping, Tate. Let her talk," Holden snaps back.
"And then his dad came home, and I hid in a storage closet type thing because they didn't know I was there....."
Holden straightens his back a little with his hands still on both of my shoulders.
"What? I thought they were home?"
"No, they weren't. We stayed outside like I promised...But they don't know we went out on a date. Gage didn't tell them because he's not allowed to date me."
"Why?" Holden asks in shock as he lets go of my shoulders and stares at me hard.
"Because.....Because....." shoot, I didn't think that through!
"Why isn't he allowed to date you, Julianne?" Holden asks in a hard tone.
"Because you're just a teacher," I say in a whisper.
Holden says nothing but I can tell that hurt him. It hurt him deeply, but he simply nods for me to keep going.
"They came home because they had car trouble, but Gage had gotten a D on his test in Nico's class and his dad got him in trouble. He didn't know I was there, so he made Gage pull his pants down and he spanked him with his belt."
Holden closes his eyes in second-hand embarrassment and shakes his head.
"That poor kid," he finally says as he opens his eyes and stares back at me.
"His dad left to come here, and Gage was so humiliated....he couldn't even look at me. He's never gonna talk to me ever again. I had the best time and.....And they ruined it!"
Holden's eyes are pained as he pulls me into another hug.
"I'm so sorry, Annie."