Staking Their Claim Read Online Free Page A

out.”
    “You mean the whorehouse?”
    “How do you know about that place, lass?” Nigel stepped over, his face concerned.
    “I don’t,” she lied sheepishly. “Other than its reputation. And I know enough of that to know I don’t want to work there.”
    “Damn right you don’t,” Cody said. “But that’s where you could have ended up if we hadn’t tracked you down, young lady. It was a risky, foolish thing you did, coming here. Now get your things.”
    The tall cowboy’s firm resolve angered Jenny. He wasn’t asking her, but telling her—ordering her around as if she were some little girl and not a grown woman who had just braved a harrowing trip and staked a claim despite intimidation. After all this time, he still treated her like a little girl. Well, she wasn’t having it.
    “Go to hell, Cody Drake!” she said. “I’m not going anywhere with you!”
    She felt a moment of satisfaction when her brother’s friend turned away. For a moment, Jenny thought he was going to leave. But instead he pulled a chair away from the wall, brought it to the center of the room, and grasped her again by the arm before sitting down and pulling her over his lap.
    “What are you doing?” she asked angrily.
    The answer came in the form of a hard smack to her bottom.
    “Let me up, you… you… bastard!”
    But Cody didn’t listen. Instead he began to spank her—hard. The fabric of her trousers was thin and offered little protection against the sting of his correction. Within a few seconds, the sting had turned into a burn that Jenny didn’t think she could endure one more second.
    “Stooooop!” she wailed, kicking her legs and rocking back and forth in an effort to work herself off of Cody’s lap. “Let me go!”
    To her horror, she realized she was sobbing, fat tears rolling down her face and into her open mouth. And he was continuing to spank her like a naughty little girl, his hand working over an entirely new area now that he’d set fire to the crest of her bottom. The blows were now landing just at the base of her upturned nates. It was a whole new level of agony for a young woman who had never been spanked in her life, and the humiliation was nearly as intense as the discomfort.
    And then, finally, it was over. Cody’s hand lay on her throbbing bottom for a moment before Jenny was lifted gracelessly back to her feet, where she stamped on the floor and rubbed her backside, her sobs continuing unabated.
    “There, there, love. It’s just a wee spanking. And well-deserved from where I’m standing.” The Englishman had stepped forward, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket. He put an arm around Jenny’s shoulder and held the cloth to her face. “Now blow like a good girl. Cody’s right. You can’t stay here. We’re taking you home with us, where it’s safe. And you’re going to be a good lass and not fight us.”
    His words were kind in tone, but the definitive delivery sent a firm message nonetheless. It was two against one, and these men were not going to take no for an answer. Jenny’s bottom throbbed with hurt, and she was shaking as she stood there, helpless now, her capacity to decide for herself stripped by two men determined to protect her.
    When Cody turned to gather her things, she spoke up.
    “No,” she said. “Let me do it. These are my belongings.” As she tried to slow her breathing, Jenny walked over to the table and picked up her cloth satchel. She immediately secreted the threatening letter inside of it. There was no need to let the pushy cowboy and his fancy-talking friend know about that. Next came the few pair of trousers she’d brought, the shirts, and the extra pair of boots. There was no women’s clothing. All she’d brought was some old things that had belonged to her brother as a boy.
    “Let’s go,” Cody said. “Put your hat back on and tuck your hair under it. No need to raise suspicion. We’ll be walking past the desk. Keep quiet and keep your head down. Act