Aftercare: General's Daughter, Book 4 Read online

  “What are you talking about?”

  “During your suspension,” Scott said, “We have decided to send you to school. High school.”

  Oh, so that’s where this was going! The stinkers. Sam felt a wave of relief travel through her. They had been convincing actors and had actually frightened her into believing she was in trouble!

  “High School! Are you crazy? I’m 18 and a post-grad scientist! This is absolutely ridiculous! I know more than those stupid teachers!”

  “You will lower your voice right now. You need to learn humility and how to behave in a normal environment, with normal people and with normal conflict. We’re pretty certain you won’t go breaking anybody’s bones there. We’ve already enrolled you. You start the day after tomorrow.”

  “No!” She stomped her foot, playing along. “This isn’t fair! I didn’t do anything wrong. Michael, tell them!”

  “She didn’t, you guys. Please, don’t do this to her.”

  “I warned you, young man. Up to your room and stay there. NOW!” Dr. Quimby pointed to the stairs.

  “Yes, sir,” Michael whispered, standing to obey. He glanced at his sister sadly before retreating to his room.

  “Back to you, Little Miss. Get into the office to finish this discussion,” Dr. Quimby commanded, leading her to the soundproofed room. Scott peeked upstairs then joined them, closing the door behind him.

  “You know what’s up?” he asked, sitting on the edge of the large desk.

  “Yes, sir. Although, I must admit you had me going there for a while. Don’t scare me like that! I wish we could tell Mike and Rich.”

  “We were ordered by SJA not to.”

  “I never thought I would see the day that you would obey the orders of a female colonel, Uncle Scott,” Sam said mischievously. “Her being decent looking didn’t have anything to do with that, did it?”

  “Joyce is a professional soldier, youngster. And she knows her duty.”

  “Joyce, huh? Did you drum up a date with her to discuss her duty?”

  “Samantha, stop teasing your uncle right this minute,” Dr. Quimby ordered. “Save it for later when we all can be involved.”

  “Shut your trap, Joe.” Scott scowled. He turned to his smirking niece, “This is going to be hard for you on many levels, baby. I don’t know how you are going to get information. The profile of the girls being solicited is all we have.”

  She accepted the folder he handed her and began to study it carefully. “Commonalities include all of them being military dependents, having social problems and grade issues… Multiple suspensions and expulsion. No drug activity to speak of… In other words, they seem like they are simply defiant teenage girls looking for some attention and extra money,” Sam observed. “Their poor parents.”

  “It makes me appreciate the fact that all we have to really worry about regarding your teenage defiance is your big mouth and taking long dives in a place where you couldn’t be safer.” Scott sighed. “Here’s our dilemma, I have to go to Washington in two days for a mandatory flag officer conference and Dad has to go with me. That means Michael is in charge while we’re gone.”

  “So? You’ve left him in charge before.”

  “Not when you had to go to school and possibly cause problems. You are going to have to find a way to fit into the same category as the girls that are being solicited and that means trouble. I can forbid him to discipline you, but I’m afraid it will make him suspicious.” Dr. Quimby sighed.

  She nodded. “True. He is smart enough to know something is up. Great timing, you guys. Is there any way to delay this?”

  “Sorry kiddo. No. Not for our conference and certainly not for the welfare and safety of those kids. I don’t know how we will make it up to you, but I promise to try.”

  “It is all in the line of duty.” Sam sighed, fiddling with a pen. “Maybe you can talk to him about leniency. This isn’t the lab, so he has no jurisdiction.”

  “We’ll try to think of something. Please don’t get yourself into any real trouble. You still have our rules regarding your mouth and being respectful. You can skip and disregard homework, but no smarting off to any adults,” Dr. Quimby ordered sternly.

  “And no showing off. You are supposed to be a regular kid, not a Rhodes scholar,” Scott added.

  “How about fighting?”

  “If you can fight like a girl, fine. Otherwise, no.” Scott frowned, pointing at her.

  “Should I dress slutty? Neither Michael nor Rich will go for that,” Sam grinned mischievously.

  “If they catch you, we can’t help you. So don’t get caught,” Scott commented.

  Dr. Quimby smiled sadly, running his large hand along the side of her face and cupping her chin, “I wish this was not necessary, but I am glad you’re willing to do this. You might be able to help these girls and get rid of the bastard who is hurting them.”

  “If I find him, what should I do?”

  “Kill the son of a bitch,” Dr. Quimby whispered.

  She nodded. “If it’s a matter of me or him, you better believe I will. With no regrets.”

  “I love you, baby. Just promise you’ll be careful.”

  “I promise Daddy. I always have my backup if needed. My transmitter and Michael. He can find me anywhere if I have no choice in blowing my cover.”

  “He’s going to be livid about not being involved. We have to make sure he doesn’t find out. I hate to do that to you, honey, but we are under orders,” Scott said.

  “But she’s just a colonel. And you always boast about how you can get your way with pretty, unattached ladies…”

  “As much as I would like to have my way with that pretty, unattached lady, the fact is that these orders are coming from higher places. Now, throw a tantrum, tell us how unfair we are and that you never want to speak to us again,” Scott commanded.

  “Okay. I love you. Here goes… YOU JERKS! I hate you! You are so unfair! I never want to speak to either of you ever again!” she screamed, slamming the office door.

  “Watch your mouth, young lady!” Scott bellowed.

  “Fuck you! I hate you!” Sam yelled, running up to her room and crashing the door closed behind her. She held her breath, waiting for the sound of footsteps. She suspected that she had pushed the last statement a little too far. Sure enough.

  “Open this door this minute, Samantha Anne!” Dr. Quimby ordered, pounding on the locked door. She slowly obeyed, returning to the edge of her bed as he slammed the door behind him. “You know better than that,” he said quietly.

  “I was trying to make it real,” she whispered, biting her lip.

  He sat down. “Yes, but now you forced me to have to make it real as well. Over my lap, right now. I don’t care what’s going on, you will not swear at us like that, for any reason.”

  “I’m sorry, Daddy. OOOWWWW!” she yelped as his hand quickly found its way across her bottom. He spanked her sharply and quickly, making her spell out the offending phrase. She squealed, unable to escape as each sharp smack covered her tiny derriere in quick succession as he matched each letter with three swats. The running shorts covering her backside failed to afford enough protection from the pain of his strong swing and Sam was crying softly by the time he finished. With a pained sigh, her father lifted her into his arms, kissing her tears away as he embraced her tightly.

  “I won’t have anything or anybody undo the work we’ve done with you. That’s something I won’t compromise, okay? I’m sorry I had to do this, but you pushed it way too far with the swearing, baby.”

  “I know. I’m sorry. Is… is Scott coming up to wash my mouth out with soap?”

  “He’ll come up, but I doubt he’ll do anything. Except yell. No more cussing.”

  “Yes, sir. I’m sorry.” Sam sniffed.

  Scott walked in as Dr. Quimby walked out. He winked as he bellowed his displeasure and informed her that he would have her taste soap instead of his ruler. She begged and pleaded for him to spare her, promising to watch
her temper in the future. Sam washed her face with the soap to leave the scent, and waited quietly for the typical ten minutes of the punishment. After Scott left, Michael snuck in – as expected.

  “Hey, are you all right? I can’t believe they are doing this.” He laid down on the bed next to her to stroke her hair. Her eyes were still a little red (from the irritating soap).

  “I’ve never felt so unwanted, Michael. They don’t want me around. Why would they want to humiliate me like this?” She sniffed. He was quiet, contemplating an answer.

  “I don’t get it. Maybe they think you will react more like a teenager if you are around other teenagers. They probably feel guilty for making you into a 18 year old killing machine.” He sighed. “I don’t know what I’m going to do without you in the lab. It will be so weird.”

  “I don’t want to go to school. I swear, Mike, I’ll get myself expelled. I’m an adult. This is so wrong.”

  “I know, honey. It’s only two weeks and I have faith that you can make it through. Please don’t get yourself expelled, either. The only thing it will succeed in doing is pissing them off. I just don’t want them to feel that they have to actually send you away somewhere to make their point. You know about their Washington trip, right?”

  “No,” Sam lied, resting her cheek on the inside of his arm.

  He stroked her face and sighed deeply. “I overheard Scott talking to Dad about this mandatory conference they have to go to in DC. They’ll be gone for ten days. That means I’ll be in charge most of the time that this is going on. It sucks for both of us.”

  “Good, then I don’t have to go to school.”

  “If they say you do, then I can’t change it. I wish I could do something. I don’t understand their reasoning, but if they both think this is for the best, we have to trust them.” He looked miserable.

  Sam felt guilty for putting him through this. Oh well, if she got into any trouble, his anger with her would eliminate her guilt. “I promise you, Mike, I won’t do this willingly,” she said stubbornly.

  Michael touched her lips. “Please don’t make me have to get on your case. I really don’t like doing that. Just tough it out. Remember, it’s only two weeks. You made it through OCS and ocean ops training. You can do this.”

  “But I was a Marine! Not expected to act like a dumb kid. I’ll never forgive them for this.”

  “Just try to plough through it and trust their judgment. They never do anything without a reason. Do you want me to see if Rich can stay with us while the folks are gone? I think you would feel a little less put out, right?”

  “They won’t let him. They said I was grounded.”

  “That means you can’t go out on a date, but not that your date can’t come here. I’ll ask, okay?”

  “Okay. Just don’t get in trouble because of me. Mike?”

  “What, baby?”

  “Did you and Jen have sex?” Sam asked to change the subject. Her stomach was hurting, having to lie to him and seeing how accommodating he was trying to be.

  “Where did that question come from, nosey?”

  “The fact you didn’t answer me says yes. Was it good?”

  “Little sister, it was incredible. Thank you again for her.” Michael smiled, softly caressing her arm.

  “I like seeing you happy. I’m glad for you.”

  “Me too. I’m going back downstairs and try to put out some of the fire. I love you. Can I get you anything?”

  “No, thanks. I love you too, Michael.”

  Michael trotted downstairs to talk with his parents. They were both indifferent regarding his responsibilities while they were away, merely informing him to be fair and not over-react in case his sister did something out of the ordinary. They reminded him that the environment, and the circumstance, was completely foreign to her and requested that he practice patience and leniency if possible. Michael, relieved by the instructions, promised to do so.

  Chapter 3

  “One more thing, son. We are truly sorry that this occurred at a time when we have to be gone. We did not want to have to leave you to take care of this mess. I hope you understand that we decided to do this for her own good. She’s too reactive in the military setting and needs to learn to pull back and think first.”

  “I’m happy to help, Dad. I’ll probably be easier on her then you two would be, anyway. I really feel sorry for her. She feels she is being discarded.”

  “She’s not. Quite the contrary, we are trying to expose her to normalcy. One day, she’ll understand. I hope,” Scott said kindly.

  “No matter what, though, please do not allow her to disobey our house rules. All still apply. I honestly don’t care about what happens unless she gets mouthy or rude with an adult. Or gets into a serious fight. Anything else can wait until we get home,” Dr. Quimby said firmly.

  “Whatever you need, I’ll do. I wanted to ask if it was okay for Rich to stay with us while you’re gone. I think he can help me keep her from flying.”

  “I didn’t think of that. It’s her MO when she feels trapped. Scott? What do you think?”

  “She’s supposed to be grounded. Very well, but she is not to leave this house except if she needs to balance or do PT. You tell Rich that he is here as an MP, not her boyfriend,” Scott ordered.

  Michael nodded. “I will. Thanks. He can babysit if I decide to go out, too. It will give me a little break from the tantrums.”

  “She might not be that bad. At least, I hope she will show you and Rich some constraint. I told her not to show off, but I suspect obeying that might be a major problem.” Scott sighed.

  ***

  “NO, NO, NO!” Sam stomped her foot, glaring at her brother. “I am NOT going and you can’t make me!”

  “Sammi, we don’t have a choice. Please, don’t make this so difficult for me.”

  “We do have a choice. And mine is that I’m not budging.”

  “Sis, come on. I have a meeting this morning and don’t have time for this. We’ll talk about it tonight.”

  “I’m staying home,” the girl said stubbornly; part of her enjoying the opportunity to annoy her brother (with her father’s permission). She also knew of his promise to be patient with her and was seeing how far that went.

  “Shit. I’m late. Rich? Help me please.”

  “What’s going on?” Rich asked, coming down the stairs, dressed in cammies.

  “I have to go early to work and she won’t move. We’ve got to get her to school by eight. Can you take her?”

  “Glad to. Are you going in your pajamas?” Rich asked, tucking in his tee shirt.

  She wrinkled her nose. “Of course not. I’m not going.”

  “Oh yes, you are. See you later, Mike. Let’s get you dressed.” He yanked her off the couch and pushed her towards the stairs. She trudged up them, feeling his hand on her back.

  “I don’t want to do this, Rich. Please, don’t make me.” She looked like she was going to cry. Who would have thought she’d never had acting lessons? She was even convincing herself.

  He kissed her. “We aren’t happy about it either, but let’s just get through this. Here, slip on these jeans and this top. I won’t look.”

  “Why not? Look all you want. It doesn’t mean I’ll let you touch today,” she said, lifting off the oversized tee shirt and standing before him naked.

  Rich turned away, swallowing. He now had the full image of her perfection burned into his mind. “Get dressed before I paddle that backside,” he growled with his back to her.

  She didn’t like the sound of his threat and obeyed. She had heard of his method from Jen and was not eager to test him just yet. “You are so mean. Let’s go,” she grumbled, pulling her hair into a ponytail and slipping into sandals. She grabbed her gear bag, which carried a change of clothes. Rich kissed her quickly before taking her to his jeep.

  “Do you want me to walk in with you?” he asked. She shook her head.

  “I don’t need anyone else drooling over my smoking hot boyfri
end. But you can kiss me.”

  He obliged, feeling her wilt in his embrace. “I’ll see you this afternoon. I’ll come get you at 1530.”

  “Okay. I love you,” she whispered, kissing him again.

  “I love you more. Be good.”

  He drove off and sighing, she walked inside to the office. “I’m new here. Samantha Lewis.” She gave the name they had signed her up under to protect her identity. Michael had been told that they did it so the other military kids wouldn’t accidentally recognize the general’s name and treat her differently. It was Michael’s idea to borrow Lewis from Rich.

  “Welcome, Miss Lewis. Here’s your schedule and a map to your classes. You have study hall first period. That’s down in the library. Have a good day,” the secretary said.

  “Thanks,” Sam responded, glancing at the map to memorize it, then tossing it in the trash. This was noticed by several onlookers. She went to the library and plopped in a chair next to a nice looking blond guy.

  “You’re in my seat,” a blonde girl in a cheerleader uniform said to her. Sam looked behind her and along the side of the chair.

  “Really? I don’t see your name on it.”

  “You need to move.”

  “No,” Sam said, propping her foot on the table, “I don’t think I do.”

  “Les, come with me. We are not sitting here near the trash.”

  Sam laughed as the blond guy followed the little chit. This might be fun after all. Her first class was Calculus. Boring. She placed her head on the desk as the teacher lectured.

  He cleared his throat. “Do you have a headache, Miss Lewis?”

  “No, I’m just bored silly,” she answered honestly. Several students giggled.

  The teacher frowned. “Would you care to solve this problem on the board then? Come up here.”

  “Don’t need to. It’s 5x over 9 to the 7th. Please wake me when you have something a bit more challenging, okay?” She yawned, hearing more giggles.

  He frowned again. “You are here to learn, Miss Lewis. Unless you feel you know more than I do, I suggest you pay attention.”