My new artist is working on the cover for Lessons, and it looks great so far. It’s not the same aesthetic as the rest of my covers, but I think that’s okay. I’d love to give you a preview of it, but that would be telling; you’ll just have to wait for the cover reveal, which will hopefully be soon.

In the meantime, here’s something fun: Lessons has existed, in one form or another, since 2012, which is when I first had the idea for this story. I dug down into my archives this morning and found the original manuscript. This is the first spanking my original main character got, way back when.

The Princess again crushed the letter in her hand, though this time more thoughtfully. “So. Mr. Pine, is it?”

“Peter, Your Highness. At least, for now.”

“‘For now’?” Her eyes went wide before she could control her reaction — who was this teacher to tell a Princess what she could and could not call him? “Let me tell you something,” she said, her voice low as she stepped toward him. “I am Eleanora Faolchú, Princess of the Kingdom of the Rushing River, and you,” she snapped, poking him hard in the chest, “will– eep!“

That last was a squeak of fright because the man had grabbed her wrist and, catching her off-balance, pushed her over the arm of a couch. She tried to right herself from this undignified position, but Peter’s hand was firm on her lower back and she couldn’t get the leverage she needed. “Unhand me this instant!” she shouted. “I’ll have you clapped in irons for this, and–“

A loud WHOP sound cut her off, followed by a spreading pain in the left side of her posterior.

Before she could react, another WHOP and her other side was burning as well.

“What in all the hells?”

Peter didn’t respond. Not with words, anyway. Instead, as she glanced back, she saw his hard, resolute expression and his large hand descending toward her upturned backside. “No!” she cried.

It didn’t stop him.

WHOP! WHOP! WHOP! WHOP! Hard, painful blows rained down on her bottom. 

WHOP! WHOP! WHOP! WHOP! She kicked and struggled, but couldn’t escape. 

WHOP! WHOP! WHOP! WHOP! The man’s hand was like a carpet-beater, with her bottom as the rug, and every time he hit her, it was with enough force to jolt her entire body against the couch.

WHOP! WHOP! And to her disbelief — and horror — the pain was so awful that ears began welling in her eyes.

WHOP! WHOP! Her cries of shock became whimpers as she realized he wasn’t stopping.

WHOP! WHOP! Her skirts and petticoats provided no protection against the impact of his hand — WHOP! WHOP! — as he landed blow after blow — WHOP! WHOP! — on her defenseless backside, a backside — WHOP! WHOP! — which had never felt pain like this in all her WHOP! WHOP! WHOP! — twenty-two years.

WHOP!

The Princess heard herself sniffling and whimpering as she waited for Joshua to continue this awful, degrading procedure, her backside on fire, clenching and twitching with each move he made, but to her surprise no more blows came. Instead, his large, strong hands were helping her to stand up and then his arms were around her, hugging her.

What? What in the name of all the Kingdoms? She pushed him, hard. “Don’t you ever touch me again!” she growled. “You beast! You charlatan! You bastard! You–“

Without warning, the Princess was grabbed, dragged to the couch, and pulled down across Peter’s lap, bottom up.

“No!” she cried. “Please, no more, I’ll be good, I swear, I didn’t mean– ow!“

All her words turned to babble as Peter’s hand fell upon her backside again… and again… and again… until the Princess feared that he’d never stop and all she’d ever do for the rest of her life was cry hot tears of pain and — for some reason she couldn’t yet pin down — shame.

The book has been through several transformations since 2012. Later this year, you’ll get to read the latest, and final, version. I’m looking forward to hearing what you think.