Cassie's Ordeal

Cassie loves her life on the river with Tom and her friends. She feels Tom has her wrapped in a safe and protected cocoon of love. But her world is jarred when the phone calls begin. Cassie hesitates to tell Tom about them knowing he'll over react and she will be the one under 'house arrest. ' But when the calls go from annoying to frightening she has no choice. Tom brings in the police to find out who is behind the harassment and make plans to keep Cassie safe, but he's too late - Cassie is gone without a trace. The police began an all our search, but there are few clues to go on. Will life on the river ever be the same again? ?span class='maxbutton-1-container mb-container'>?a class="maxbutton-1 maxbutton maxbutton-buy-on-amazon" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" href="http: //www. amazon. com/Cassies-Ordeal-Space-Book-ebook/dp/B01466LHKA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8038;qid=1440112086038;sr=8-1038;keywords=cassie's+ordeal" data-mbga="{'cat': 'Amazon Buy Now','action': 'click','label': 'www. amazon. com','value': 0,'noninteraction': 'false'}">?span class='mb-text' >Buy on Amazon?/span>?/a>?/span> ?h2>?/h2>All we ever really wanted on the river was peaceful living. That‚Aos why Tom and I moved here in the first place. It seemed a simple thing to ask for but despite my best intentions, peace never seemed to reign for long periods. I feel there were two primary reasons for this. The first was my best friend Sue, who could talk me into getting myself in trouble. And the second reason was my own sweet, bossy, loving, old fashion husband, Tom. Through no fault of my own, of course, the combination of these two seemed to keep me in hot water. If Sue wouldn‚Aot keep pushing me into going against Tom‚Aos wishes, and if Tom weren‚Aot so darn picky, life would indeed be peaceful. Tom‚Aos old fashion ways are wonderful most of the time. He always pets and pampers me, he guards me and guides me, and always puts my needs first. Being treated like a queen is something I‚Aove never complained about. But there is another side to having an old fashioned husband. In addition to spoiling his wife, Tom also believes that he is the undisputed boss of our family, and what he says goes. To back up his position, he has not one qualm about putting me over his knee and spanking me to get his point across. ? Now this isn‚Aot always a bad thing, mind you, Tom is the master at giving fun/good girl spankings as well as lovely erotic ones that make me purr. I‚Aod be just fine if his spanking proclivity stopped there, however on occasion it still falls firmly in the discipline category. I‚Aom not really complaining. Tom is the most wonderful man on earth and there is very little I‚Aod change about our lives together. * * * * *The children were back at college. I suppose shouldn‚Aot call them children anymore. Allie, my young neighbor, turned twenty on her last birthday. Allie‚Aos beauty often takes my breath. We met her when Tom and I bought the river house about four years ago. I never imagined when we first met, that a sixteen-year-old child would become one of my best friends, but over the last four years, that is exactly what happened. She was a looker then and has only improved as she‚Aos matured. Her long dark hair and vivid green eyes cause her to be noticed wherever she goes. But her eyes are only on one person?Ryan. I suppose I could describe Ryan as my surrogate child. What a dear boy he is. We first met him when we lived in our old home. He was a skinny, fast growing teenager looking for a job mowing lawns. Although we had a gardener at the time, I asked him to stay and help me with my flowerbeds. He had just looked so forlorn when we‚Aod turned him down. When we moved to the river, Ryan was a frequent guest, and once he spotted Allie next door, the frequency increased. Ryan and his father disagreed over his major in college. Ryan‚Aos father wanted him to work toward a business major while Ryan chose to go into landscaping and lawn design. After his first year at school Ryan came to the river to live full time. Sue and Steve have a small guesthouse and it suited his needs perfectly. Ryan is a senior now and Allie‚Aos a sophomore. I‚Aove always been grateful that their school is so close. We still often get them on weekends and they can certainly liven the place up. Tom and I have no blood relatives; our friends are our family. Once we talked Sue and Steve into moving here a couple of years ago, we had nearly all our ‚Aofamily‚Ao around us. The exception would be Annie and Andy Holmes. Annie, Sue, and I have been together as the best of friends for more than fifty years. We haven‚Aot convinced them to relocate to the east coast, but we aren‚Aot giving up hope. Thankfully, we still all manage to get together somewhere in the country several times a year. But I still miss Annie and Andy and until we convince them to move, Allie and Sue and I will try to entertain one another and keep the men-folk interested at the same time. Chapter TwoTom and I still own our old house in New Bern, and I like to check by about once a month. We lease it to Tom‚Aos company, and they have various guests and big wigs staying there from time to time. There‚Aos a lovely couple living in the house that take care of these guests and maintain the grounds. I like to talk with them in person from time to time to make sure they are treated well by the company and any guests that visit. Sue and I were going early to shop, and then Alice was fixing us lunch at the house. Tom and I talked about it the night before and all was well, but the next morning he had to stick his nose into our business. I was still in bed when Tom leaned down to kiss me good-bye. I think I made some sweet loving sound while not really wakening until he said, ‚AuHoney, Steve‚Aos driving us in today. I don‚Aot want you going on the highway in the Toy, take the big car. ‚AuI was awake in an instant and completely annoyed, but I didn‚Aot let on to either. I simply murmured again, which could have meant anything or nothing. ‚AuCassie, did you hear me?‚Au Tom asked. I mumbled something unintelligible once again and gave a faint nod, which could have been just adjusting my head on the pillow. The next moment faking sleep was no longer possible and Tom whipped back the covers and popped my bottom so hard I nearly come up swinging. ‚AuWhat was that for?‚Au I demanded. ‚AuAre you awake and do I have your attention?‚Au Tom asked sweetly. ‚AuI heard you,‚Au I snapped. ‚AuYou told me you were interfering with my day by telling me I have to drive that horrible old tank instead of my beautiful, sleek, safe, toy!‚Au‚AuAnd you,‚Au Tom told me, grinning, ‚Auwere planning on ignoring what I said and telling me later that you were asleep and didn‚Aot remember me saying a thing about it. Girl, don‚Aot you think I can tell by now when you‚Aore faking sleep?‚AuTom looked so pleased with himself. I couldn‚Aot help but laugh. He can annoy me in more ways than I can count, but I love that man. Twisting around to look at my rear I scolded, ‚AuI think you left a hand print. ‚Au‚AuHow ‚Aobout I promise to kiss it and make it all better when I get home this evening?‚Au‚AuWell maybe,‚Au I told him with a grin. ‚AuBut while I‚Aom shopping today, I‚Aom looking for a husband that‚Aos not so darn bossy. If I don‚Aot find just what I‚Aom looking for, I‚Aoll give you one more chance. ‚AuWe both heard a quick horn blast from the drive. ‚AuHave fun and be careful. ‚Au Tom told me as he headed for the door. ‚AuI love you,‚Au and he was gone. Fully awake I decide to get up and begin getting ready. Forty minutes later,???? I was ready to call Sue when she walked in. ‚AuI would‚Aove come and gotten you,‚Au I told her. ‚AuYeah I know, but my coffee maker wouldn‚Aot work this morning. I thought I‚Aod just get some here. Remind me to look for a new one today. ‚AuWe drank our coffee and planned out our day. As we entered the garage, I headed for the big car like a good girl. ‚AuWhy aren‚Aot we taking the toy?‚Au Sue demanded stopping by it. ‚AuTom doesn‚Aot want me taking it on the highway. He said to take the big car. That‚Aos why he was riding with Steve today. ‚AuSue‚Aos look of disgust was palatable. ‚AuIt‚Aos supposed to get in the sixties today, sunny, no wind ? we could have the top down while we in town and you want to drive the tank. How many more pretty days do you think we‚Aore going to get in January?‚AuI knew what Sue meant. Our winters were rarely severe, but this was a particularly nice day. I hesitated, and Sue could clearly see that I was wavering. But to her credit, if not mine, she did stop short of talking me into changing my mind. She left the dirty work up to me. ‚AuI don‚Aot know,‚Au I said thoughtfully, looking longingly at my beautiful toy. ‚AuTom would wear me out if he finds out. ‚Au‚AuHe won‚Aot be home until after five,‚Au She pointed out. ‚AuWe‚Aoll be home hours before that. ‚Au‚AuAll right! But if I get caught, I‚Aom swearing it was all your idea and that you held a gun to my head. ‚Au‚AuIt‚Aos not my decision,‚Au Sue told me standing beside the car. ‚AuI would never tell you to do something against what dear Tom said. It‚Aos completely up to you. ‚Au‚AuOh shut-up and get in,‚Au I snapped. I do love driving my toy. I left the top up as we started out, but it was going down as soon as we hit town. It was a beautiful day. Soon we were tooling along the highway in fine spirits when the car began to cough and sputter. All I could think was this cannot be happening. Unfortunately, it was. It felt like the car just wasn‚Aot getting any gas. I managed to maneuver to the side of the road. We sat in total silence. I tried to restart the car but it was clear that wasn‚Aot going to happen. I finally turned to my passenger and said quietly. ‚AuI‚Aom going to kill you. ‚Au‚AuKill me?‚Au Sue shot back at me. ‚AuI didn‚Aot do anything to your car. What‚Aos wrong with it? I‚Aom betting Tom cut your gas line. ‚AuI closed my eyes and put my head on the steering wheel for a moment. Why do these things always happen to me, and why do they always happen at the worse times? Sue didn‚Aot say anything for a few minutes. Finally she said, ‚AuI guess we‚Aore gonna have to call the boys. ‚Au‚AuOh, no, we aren‚Aot!‚Au I told her firmly. There was no way I was calling Tom. Besides the spanking I knew I‚Aod get for this, I simply felt awful that I had completely ignored what Tom had asked me to do. As much as I wanted to avoid this particular spanking I was also desperate not to hurt Tom by letting him know what I‚Aod done. ‚AuWell, we can‚Aot sit here forever,‚Au Sue snapped. ‚AuWhat‚Aos your plan?‚AuDesperation was fueling my thinking, but the answer was fairly simple. ‚AuWe‚Aore calling to get someone to tow the car back to the house. ‚Au* * * * *The wait for AAA seemed to take forever, but in reality, they came fairly quickly. The driver was looking things over and asked where he was to take it. ‚AuWe‚Aore taking it back to my house,‚Au I told him and gave him the address. ‚AuLady, there‚Aos no need to take it to your place. It‚Aos just gonna have to be towed later to somewhere it can be fixed. ‚Au‚AuNo,‚Au I told him clearly. ‚AuI just want to get the thing home. ‚AuThe driver looked at me like I was crazy, but finally shrugged and began making short work of attaching the car. ‚AuWe‚Aoll wait in the truck,‚Au I told him. For those interested, gaining access to the cab of a tow truck, while wearing a skirt and heels can present some challenges. Add to that the fact that the bottom of the door seemed to be about level with my head and you begin to see my problem. Well, perhaps this was a slight exaggeration, but to say I entered gracefully would not be correct. I was able to pull myself about half way in when Sue realized she needed to do some pushing. I felt like I was practically sitting on her head as she shoved me the rest of the way. Having gained entrance myself I turned to give Sue a hand. But pull as I might, we didn‚Aot seem to be making much headway until the driver came around and unceremoniously grabbed Sue around the waist and plopped her down beside me. I don‚Aot think I‚Aove ever seen that particular look on Sue‚Aos face before. Her eyes were so large I feared they would spring from her head. I took one look at her and couldn‚Aot contain my laughter. Not even a fierce poke in the rib from Sue‚Aos elbow helped me retain my composure, and for the entire trip home I would occasionally lapse into giggle. As we neared town the driver once again tried to persuade me to let him take the car to a garage. And I again refused. I had to get the car home and back in the garage. In a day or two when I would tell Tom it wouldn‚Aot start ? well he couldn‚Aot blame it on me. Arriving home, I was glad it was the middle of the morning on a workday. I felt as conspicuous as a thief and wanted to get the tow truck gone quickly. Our exiting the truck was about as graceful as our entrance, but we did manage it on our own. I spoke quickly with the driver to make sure our AAA membership included free towing. I was prepared to pay in cash if necessary. I wasn‚Aot having a bill come to the house. He was about to drive off when I saw a major problem and shouted for him to wait. ‚AuIt‚Aos the wrong way! It‚Aos the wrong way! You‚Aoll need to turn it around. ‚Au‚AuLady, what are you talking about?‚Au he growled from the truck window. ‚AuThe car,‚Au I said desperately, ‚AuI need it facing the other way. I need to push it into the garage, but not like it was backed in. ‚Au‚AuLady, I pick up and deliver. You‚Aoll have to do the decorating yourself. ‚Au With that he drove off with a clash of gears that surely got the attention of anyone still in the neighborhood. I was nearly as agitated as when the car stopped. I was so close but even if we pushed the car back into the garage as I planned, Tom would know something was up if it were backed in. I had to get the car turned around and pulled into place correctly. I could only think of one way. Throwing my purse into the car I turned to Sue. ‚AuCome on, we‚Aore going to have to push. ‚Au‚AuPush what?‚Au she asked stupidly. ‚AuCome on,‚Au I insisted again, ‚Auwe need to push the car out into the street, and then push it back down the street enough so that we can change direction push it into the garage like it‚Aos supposed to be. Sue just stared at me. ‚AuI‚Aom going home,‚Au She stated flatly. ‚AuYou are not going anywhere until we get this car turned around!‚Au I snapped at her. ‚AuPush!‚Au‚AuDoes it ever occur to you that I get tired of playing Ethel to your Lucy act?‚Au Sue wanted to know. ‚AuJust shut up and push, will you?‚AuSmall as the toy is we were having a hard time getting it to move. I was beginning to panic when I heard a voice ask, ‚AuWhat in the world are you two doing now?‚AuMy head snapped up to see Allie crossing her yard toward us. ‚AuI thought you were going back this morning,‚Au I told her. ‚AuI don‚Aot have a class until four and Ryan is meeting with some nursery guy that wants his help this summer. Now, what are y‚Aoall doing?‚AuWe gave her a quick rundown of our morning and she just as quickly grasped the seriousness of my plight. Allie, bless her heart, jumped right into action and took over. First, she opened the garage door, which we hadn‚Aot thought to do before all the pushing. She jumped into the car and released the emergency brake that the tow truck driver had set and put the car in neutral. Sue and I stood there looking like the complete bumbling idiots we were. With Allie‚Aos help, the car was pushed to a point where we could change directions, and push it back on to the driveway and maneuver it gently into its proper place in the garage. As the garage door rumbled shut behind us I drew my first easy breath since we had taken off that morning. Allie came over and gave me a hug. ‚AuYou really think you can keep Tom from finding out all about this?‚AuSweet Allie, whether for good or evil, she seemed to look up to Sue and me as role models. We didn‚Aot ask for the job, it just happened. I knew I shouldn‚Aot be such a bad example ? teaching her to keep things from the man you love, but Allie knew as well as I did what was in my future if Tom found out I had totally gone against his wishes. ‚AuI don‚Aot know,‚Au I admitted. ‚AuBut I sure hope so. I‚Aom glad it was just you here and not Ryan. That sweet boy used to keep my secrets from Tom when he first began to work for us, but I fear those days are over. ‚AuAllie laughed. ‚AuI‚Aom afraid you‚Aore right. But nobody‚Aos going to hear it from me. Well, I‚Aove got to go. I‚Aom taking mom out for lunch in fifteen minutes. ‚AuWhat would I do without that girl?‚Au I asked Sue. ‚AuYou wouldn‚Aot need her as much if you would just learn to listen to your husband. ‚Au‚AuIf I‚Aod learn to listen? you were the one who said? like you ever listen to yours?‚Au I finally stopped sputtering in anger as Sue‚Aos laughter rang out. ‚AuAh, Cassie, I‚Aom glad we moved here. Living around you and Tom, my life is never dull. So what‚Aos the plan now?‚AuLooking at my watch I said, ‚AuAlice isn‚Aot expecting us until one, we‚Aove got time. We‚Aoll shop after we eat. We‚Aoll have the big car so it won‚Aot matter if we‚Aore late. ‚Au‚AuI‚Aom game. ‚Au Sue told me and once again we started out ? in the proper vehicle. I thought the big excitement was over for the day. How wrong I was. *****