Weeping Willow (Spanking Story)

Chapter 11, Part 2: Owen's POV

Cooper smirked, a gleam of amusement flashing in his eyes. "Not a bad choice, O," he said as I passed, elbowing me gently in the side.

I tried to act confused, but couldn't keep the blush from staining my cheeks. Apparently, my brother had seen everything.

"So, uh..." I muttered, slinking into his office. "I kind of have a date?" I wasn't sure how to approach the subject without getting a rejection; there was no way I was missing this date!

The door clicked shut, and I made sure to keep my gaze steady on the team picture on the back wall.

Calloused fingers caught my chin in a gentle hold, and spun my head to look into my older brother's nostrils. "You have a what?"

"Um," I licked my lips, suddenly dry. "A date. With that girl. On Saturday?" Questions were good. They weren't demands, but it wasn't exactly like I was asking permission either. I really didn't want to have to sneak out of the house--not with my current track record.

"Oh, you do?" Cooper was still amused, and released my chin with a quick flick of his fingers. He thumbed through some papers on top of a file cabinet.

"Yeah. I'm taking her to dinner? Like a gentleman. And we'll be back by... uh... midnight?" I tried. Cooper didn't seem angry yet.

With that, he turned toward me again, eyebrows raised. That wasn't a good sign.

"Um... eleven?"

His eyebrows rose even higher, if possible.

"Ten," I said. "Definitely ten. And I'll text you when we get there."

Cooper winked, sending me a thumbs up. "Sounds good." He grabbed his whistle and key from the hook hanging by the door. I breathed a sigh of relief. Score!

"Don't leave the office unless it's for the restroom. Oh, and Owen? We aren't done talking about this, not by a longshot." With that, he shut the door promptly behind him. I let my head drop into my arms, not managing to stifle a groan. That was going to be some chat.

~*~

I stood in front of the mirror, and felt more like a teenage girl than I ever had in my fifteen years. Never in my life had I cleared out my closet, dresser, and under the bed pile and found absolutely zippo to wear. I hadn't known that dating a chick would turn me into one!

I owned exactly one dress shirt, which I wore every Easter, Christmas, and the rare family function we decided to frequent. Because I had hit my growth spurt earlier in the year, the sleeves were a bit short, and the buttons rested snugly against my torso. Besides that, there were permanent sweat stains from the barbecue I wore it to last summer, where I spent hours on end playing sand volleyball in triple degree heat. So, that was out.

I also had nicer collared shirts, but I didn't want to look like a dweeb. Also, those were what we wore to school every day, and I wanted Leah to see me in something other than my typical uniform. However, I couldn't just wear some old T-shirt. Then she'd think I didn't care. This was Olive Garden we were going to, with the fancy coasters and waiters in button downs. I couldn't screw this up.

I looked in my closet, a last futile attempt to find any article of clothing I hadn't tossed around my room yet. The rack lay bare, plastic hangers stripped bare like trees in the winter. However, toward the back, behind a winter coat, I saw a gray corner peeking out. Upon further inspection, I noticed it was a gray, button down vest, which I had received for Christmas. I had hidden it because it made me look like a walking boy band, but now I held it out speculatively.

It wasn't half bad, especially if I paired it with the soft blue v-neck I had set aside on my bed. It would hide the ketchup stain, and it was dressed up enough without it seeming like I was trying too hard.