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Cassie and it s nice to meet you. She smiled and
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extended her hand, which he took gallantly and
leaned over it in a kiss.
The pleasure is all mine fair Cassie, he
imitated in Shakespearean style. Your smile is like
the sun, your eyes like deep pools of azure, your
hair&
Oh good grief, giggled Cassie. You must be
angling for some toast, right? You better come on
in Romeo.
Why thank you fair Juliet. Yes, I am perishing
for want of sustenance. His brown eyes twinkled
as he walked in the door. So, do you like
Shakespeare? he asked curiously as she dropped
two more slices of toast in the toaster. His rangy
frame lounged comfortably against the counter,
watching her.
I ve read Romeo and Juliet if that s what you
mean, not sure how much I liked it. I thought Juliet
was kind of dippy to kill herself over a guy, you
know? She found herself immediately comfortable
with Frannie s nephew and it felt good to laugh
again. She giggled at his affronted expression.
I m a drama major myself, a sophomore at the
Uni, so of course I love Shakespeare! he said.
How about you?
I m home schooled and will be a senior this
year, she replied. Next year I ll be ready for Uni
though and I want to be a teacher. The two young
people smiled at each other, hitting it off instantly.
How long are you staying here for? he asked,
taking a bite of the toast she had prepared.
I ll be here until Wednesday. Tuesday is my
birthday and I ll be seventeen.
Seventeen huh? That means 18 birthday
spanks. Can I come to the party? he teased.
How do you get eighteen spanks out of
seventeen? protested Cassie, laughing again at his
good-natured grin.
Seventeen for each year and one extra hard
one to grow on of course. Didn t you ever get a
birthday spanking? He looked curiously at her.
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No, my parents never did that.
Well, its time you learned all about it! He
gave her a wolfish leer. Wanna practice?
Practice what? asked a deep voice.
Two heads swiveled around to see Ryan coming
into the kitchen. His eyes narrowed as he inspected
Duncan from head to foot.
Duncan took the inspection good-naturedly and
grinned at Ryan. G day mate, I m Duncan
Standish. Frannie is my Aunt and she sent me
around to make sure you folks had everything you
needed. I was just explaining to Cassie here about
birthday spankings. Looks like she s never had
one.
Cassie grinned dryly at Ryan. And I m not in
any hurry to embrace the experience either, she
said, thinking of the hard swats Ryan had landed on
her tender bottom.
Well, you have to have a birthday spanking
Cassie, its tradition, said Ryan, pouring himself a
cup of coffee and nodding to Duncan. But it
doesn t hurt& much, he added, grinning wickedly at
her.
Duncan looked at his watch. Oh hey, I have to
go, but would you like to go swimming this
afternoon, Cassie? He looked hopefully at her then
glanced at Ryan. That is, if it s okay with you?
I m sure we ll all be going swimming this
afternoon Duncan and you are welcome to join us
as long as Cassie wishes it, Ryan responded before
Cassie could answer.
Uh& yeah& that would be great, Duncan, she
replied, rolling her eyes where Ryan couldn t see
her.
Okay, he grinned cheerfully. I ll see you
around 1:00pm then! He turned and left and
Cassie faced Ryan.
I really don t need your permission to date,
Ryan, she said to him, her expression serious.
Ryan considered her for a moment, and then
answered. No, I don t suppose you do. It s just a
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habit of mine from years of looking out for my
younger sisters. He walked over to her and tipped
her small chin up with his lean fingers. You feeling
better?
Cassie hesitated, and then replied, Yeah& I am.
It was such a shock at first& to find out Marty was
capable of that kind of criminal activity. I thought I
knew him so well& she trailed off. She gulped
hard and took a deep quavering breath. It s okay,
I ll get over it.
Ryan hugged her close, knowing that she would
get over it& eventually. Being young and her first
crush, it would probably be easier than she thought.
Finding her laughing and joking with another young
man had been a good thing as far as he was
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