features.
“Who says I'll let you?”
Archer evidently didn't deign to respond to such a silly question and Jake folded her arms over her chest and sulked for the rest of the evening. Eventually Archer declared that it was bedtime for little girls and drove her home. Jake continued to sulk in silence the whole way, and Archer likewise remained silent until Jake stepped out of the car and slammed the door shut behind her. The tinted window rolled down to reveal Archer's magnetic gaze.
“Listen kiddo, Mackenzie doesn't know it, but I look out for her. You're trouble of the worst kind Jake, trouble that doesn't know how much trouble it is. You'll tell Mackenzie what happened tonight, and you'll see me tomorrow.”
“No I won't. I'll never see you again!” Jake taunted, emboldened by being back at home.
“You'll see me tomorrow, one way or another,” Archer promised. The dark tinted window slid up and Jake was left to stomp her feet on the pavement and flip the car off before turning tail and running into the lobby.
***
“Where have you been!” Mackenzie hissed. Her hands were planted firmly on her hips, her beautiful face a mask of concern and anger. She wore nothing but the night robe she'd dragged on when Jake slammed through the front door and woke her up in a panic.
Jake's shoulder's sagged in response to her Aunt's anger, letting the denim jacket slide down her slim arms, making her look like even more of a wreck.
“Out with Archer...” she began.
“Out with Archer!? Out with Archer!? I told you to stay away from that woman, didn't I?” Mackenzie growled, advancing on her unfortunate niece. “And dressed like that too? It's a wonder you made it back in one piece!”
“...Getting my ass spanked.” Jake finished the sentence, stopping Mackenzie in her tracks.
“I beg your pardon?”
“She spanked me. She said I was a silly kid and it was dangerous to have just gone out with her and she spanked me. Really, really hard,” Jake said, folding her arms across her chest and avoiding Mackenzie's gaze. “And then she said to come in here and tell you what happened and she said that I would see her tomorrow.”
“Huh,” Mackenzie replied thoughtfully.
“Except I won't because she'll just hit me again, and you don't want me to, right?” The note of hope in Jake's voice was adorable.
Mackenzie looked down at her niece and thought. So Archer had involved herself. That could be a good thing, or that could be a terrible thing. Clearly telling Jake to stay away from her hadn't worked. Perhaps it was time that Miss Jake learned that there were consequences for her actions, that making a bad choice could haunt you for some time.
“If Archer wants to see you, Archer will see you,” Mackenzie replied. “Now get to bed, before I decide to add to your punishment.”
Ordinarily, Jake would have laughed at the threat, but the throbbing in her behind let her know all too well that threats of spanking, even if you were almost 21, obviously rang true in these parts.
Without another word, Jake scuttled off to bed.
Chapter Five
Stephanie toyed with a pencil and stared at her blotter. In front of her, the computer screen was blank. Deadline was at 5 pm. The clock on the menu bar of her PC insisted that it was 4.35 pm, but Stephanie didn't see how that could possibly be true, as that would have to mean that she was about to miss a deadline for the first time in her career.
She sighed, sat back in her chair and tossed her pencil forcibly towards the cork board that held assignments and photographs. It lodged point first, testament to how much and how thoroughly it had been sharpened. Stephanie had spent a great deal of time today sharpening and resharpening her pencil. She had a drawer full of equally lethal pencils, in fact.
“It's not fair,” Stephanie muttered to herself, running her hands through her short, glossy
Sarah J. Maas
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Jake Logan
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