Imperfect Consequences Page 5

  “Trouble in paradise?”

  “Is there such a thing?”

  “Hmm. Since you have a day off and it is almost noon, let’s grab some lunch and talk, really talk. How about Ruby Tuesday’s?”

  Smiling, Shannon nodded. “Perfect, I’d like that.”

  “Good. We’ll have some wine and talk like we used to. It seems like we have more than just a little catching up to do.”

  As they headed for the restaurant, they conversed about shopping and jobs, their family and little else until they were seated with a glass of wine in front of them.

  Tina leaned over the table, her eyes darting back and forth across Shannon’s. “All right, girl. I know you too well. What’s going on with you and David?”

  Shannon twirled her glass, embarrassed at her own story. “We’re just arguing a lot. Who am I kidding? We argue all the time.”

  “Do you mean like the last time you two were having issues?”

  “Similar, but I honestly think this time we’re headed for divorce.” Saying the words out loud for the first time was almost final, as if there were no fight left in her.

  “That bad?” Tina asked, patting Shannon’s hand.

  “Bad enough.”

  “What happened?”

  Shannon shrugged and scanned the perimeter of the restaurant absently. Admitting the truth was gut-wrenching and felt as if she were accepting defeat.

  “Come on, honey. It’s me you’re talking to. Who knows, maybe I can help. Granted, I’m not the best at relationships right now, given I couldn’t pick out big busted rodeo girl, but…”

  They both laughed and for a few seconds, tension eased enough that Shannon could breathe. “I think David’s having an affair.”

  “I guess that’s going around,” Tina replied through clenched teeth. “I hate to hear it about David. I would say I could never see him cheating on you, but I would have sworn Joe wouldn’t do that to me until that bright and sunny day.”

  “I guess you never know. I found some e-mails and they’re pretty damning.” Shuddering, Shannon had memorized several of them, and as the words flowed in the back of her mind, she cringed. You’re a sexy man, and I know I could help ease you out of your blues. I know what a man like you needs, what he craves. We can share so much together. Shannon could almost hear Jade’s husky voice purring out the words.

  “Do you think this affair has gotten physical yet or just flirting?”

  “The flirting has gotten to the point of talking about shoving his cock in her pussy. Isn’t that bad enough?” Shannon realized her voice had raised just enough to allow the older couple across the aisle to give them sneering looks.

  Tina opened her eyes wide. “Don’t snap at the messenger, girl.”

  “I’m not. It’s just…” Shannon couldn’t finish.

  “I’m just suggesting if this sexy flirtation has stayed as sexual bantering, then maybe you can salvage your relationship. That is, if you want to. Only you can decide.”

  “Yeah, I guess.” Taking a sip of her wine, Shannon sat back as the waiter approached.

  “Do you love him?”

  “Have you decided, ladies?” the young man asked.

  “Give us a few minutes, please,” Tina replied as she smiled sweetly. “We’re in no hurry.”

  “Take your time.” The waiter gave Shannon a smile before walking away.

  “At least you still have what it takes, honey. I’d flaunt it, if you ask me.” Tina purred and licked her lips before lifting her wine glass. She kept her eyes pinned on the waiter’s ass.

  Shannon groaned. “You’re incorrigible and I don’t want anyone else.”

  “You just answered your own question.” Tina smiled coyly. “Now, what are you going to do to fight for your relationship?”

  “That’s just it. All we do is fight. We fight and yell, I throw temper tantrums, and he tells me I do everything wrong. That starts another round of fights. I know it sounds silly, but if we could be on some neutral territory for a little while, we both might calm down.”

  “That’s what you need to do and to talk to each other, not at each other,” Tina suggested.

  “That’s what I tell him.” Shannon thought about the fight from the night before. They’d both gone past the point of being rational, but she’d really pushed the envelope, her anger breeching nasty. “I try so hard it seems like, and we just can’t find neutral ground. There are days I feel like I’m completely out of control. I can’t seem to focus. I find myself losing my sanity. I know, don’t laugh at me here.”

  “I’m not laughing at all. That would be like the huge pot calling the kettle black,” Tina said, a grin spilling across her face. “When I found out about Joe, I was a bitch on wheels. Whew! The man was terrified to sleep in the house.”

  Shannon chuckled. “Well, that I can understand. I don’t know. Maybe our marriage can’t be saved.”

  “If there’s still love, then any relationship can be saved.” Tina’s eyes flashed. “So, you’re pitching the most fits? And yes, men can pitch wild and wooly ones.”

  Grinning, Shannon nodded in agreement. “David certainly can. I don’t know really, probably I am. He has his days, and we have our screaming battles, but I really can go over the top.”

  “Attention?” Tina tilted her head.

  “Who, me? As in, like a child?”

  “As in, exactly like a child. My bet is he’s working a lot like he always did, years ago. Right?”

  Shrugging, Shannon couldn’t even count the number of weekends he didn’t go into the office or have some paperwork to complete. “True. The firm is doing well, and he works extended hours.”

  “Cut into your passion and intimacy?”

  “Yes. What are you getting at?”

  “If you can’t get David’s attention from simply being his wife, you’re going to have to try and garner it any way you can. That’s human nature and has always been your personality. You refuse to take no for an answer. You’re sullen when you don’t get your way. You tell little white lies when it suits whatever point you’re trying to get across, and you can be a drama queen. Tell me I’m wrong.”

  While Tina’s eyes were twinkling and a mischievous grin riding her lovely face, Shannon was still incensed. Her anger lasted about thirty seconds, until she realized every word her friend was saying rang true. She acted like a stilted prom queen far too often. “Fine. You’re right. You make it sound like I need to be put over his knee and spanked like a very bad girl.”

  “Well…” Tina took a sip of wine before leaning over the table, her eyes locked on Shannon’s. “How far will you go to get your marriage back on track?”

  “How far?”

  “Yes. To what extreme will you go to in order to fix your relationship?”

  “Counseling just doesn’t work for us. We always find a way to get around the system,” Shannon stated. She thought about the few times they’d gone together, and she realized now, she and David had merely been playing at changing their ways.

  “I’m not talking about counseling, other than what you do together. And you both have to be honest and very open with each other.”

  “Those are certainly attributes that help in any relationship, so what are you talking about?”

  Glancing around the restaurant, Tina lowered her voice. “First of all, I am talking about a good old-fashioned spanking.”

  Shannon burst into laughter. “How much wine have you had? A spanking isn’t going to fix what’s broken with us. Trust me.”

  “I’m not talking about a single spanking. I’m talking about a lifestyle change.”

  “A lifestyle change? How so?” Granted, David used to playfully spank her, and she loved his strong hand and the role playing, but how in the world did Tina think this was going to help with what she and David were going through?

  “Hear me out. I have a friend who lived near me in Savannah. Betty went to my church, and we used to have coffee and sometimes go shopping, just girl ta
lk. Somehow one day, we got around to talking about her life with her husband and about Joe and me. We agreed couples have issues, and she told me how they managed to fix theirs. They’d been married for over thirty years, and she told me they were even more in love now than they were as newlyweds.”

  “I guess it happens,” Shannon snarked.

  “Yes, it does. I asked her their secret, and she came right out and told me. They practice domestic discipline.”

  Narrowing her eyes, Shannon tried to figure out what Tina meant. She’d never heard of it before. However, she could tell Tina was serious. “Okay, you have me stumped. What does this involve?”

  “Well, the practice began in Christian homes a long time ago.” Tina gave her a calculated look.

  “Hold on, now. Let me stop you right there. You know I’m not religious.”

  “And you don’t have to be, Miss Impatient.”

  “Okay. I’ll stop.” Shannon leaned in.

  “I’m no expert in this lifestyle, at all, but Betty said that she and her husband had been practicing this since their late twenties, and she felt they were closer than the majority of couples in their social circle. They never argue, and they are much more intimate since incorporating this change.”

  Shaking her head, Shannon toyed with her wine. “And this is all about spankings?”

  “Corporal punishment is indeed a portion of the lifestyle they share. Betty’s husband is the head of their household and as such, he made the rules she’s required to follow. She didn’t get into a lot of details about what they are, but did mention every couple sits down and decides what their rules are. Infractions are met with punishments and for them, this involves over-the-knee spankings. Betty even told me that very often when she’s very stressed, she’ll ask her husband for a hard spanking. I can tell you she seems very happy, and she said the time spent together when her husband is counseling her about her behavior problems is nurturing and freeing.”

  Shannon studied Tina’s face. “You mean to tell me this is a bit like the 1950s?”

  “Exactly. Think about your parents. I’ll bet you they did a bit of this behind closed doors, and you didn’t even know what was going on. They were discreet. I have my thoughts that my mom was a well-spanked woman.” Tina smiled slyly.

  Shannon thought about her parents, and there were an awful lot of secret meetings held behind closed doors. And her parents never argued. Blinking furiously, she gulped her wine.

  “See. My personal opinion is that men were bred to be in charge, and when they were forced to be team players with women in business and in the home, they forgot how to be men and ruling the roost. I know that sounds Neanderthal, but maybe divorce rates would be lower. You know? Maybe men wouldn’t feel like they needed to have affairs.”

  “I don’t know, Tina. That’s a lot of maybes to suddenly just give up control and allow your husband to yank you over their knee and spank you for some infraction,” Shannon scoffed.

  “Just think about it. Men were hunters and gatherers and were in charge for centuries. Now, everything is pure equality or women scream bloody murder. Don’t knock the lifestyle unless you learn more. Betty gave me some things to read because I was curious. Couples swear by the change in their relationship. I realize you have a need for control, and this isn’t something that can happen overnight. You both have to be committed to trying this out for at least a period of time and not simply have an experience or two. That was Betty’s advice.”

  “Did you consider it?”

  Tina inhaled deeply. “I mentioned the idea to Joe, but by that point there was no trust in the relationship. You have to have trust. That’s the most important aspect. Do you trust David?”

  That was the huge question. Did she, or could she? She loved him with all her heart and wanted nothing more than for everything to work out between them. “Ugh.” Lowering her head, she groaned. “What am I going to do? I don’t want a divorce. I want my marriage back, the way we were. I want love and passion and sex.”

  “We all do,” Tina chuckled.

  “Yes, I know.”

  Tina swirled the tip of her finger around the lip of her glass. “This might sound crass, but Betty told me their sex life was hot to trot, baby. She said they were like teenagers.”

  “Really?” Now her interested was piqued.

  “Uh-huh. She told me after every spanking, her husband asked her to suck his cock. Can you imagine? A red ass from a fresh spanking and dropping between his knees to suck and lick and… whew, is it getting hot in here?”

  Tina’s face was turning red. Then again, Shannon’s pussy was clenching at the thought. “Mmm. I’m just not sure I could get turned on after being spanked like a child.” But the thought was almost overpowering. She could only imagine David’s reaction, his husky voice as he told her, in no uncertain terms, what to do, suck his cock and swallow his cum.

  “Oh, I sure as shit could. I think there’s nothing sexier than having a man completely in charge, being an authoritative disciplinarian—just like men were born and bred to be, and you know it. Imagine the possibilities. After sucking him for a while, he’d force you onto all fours, thrusting his thick shaft into your pussy first and then your ass. Finger lickin’ good.”

  “Tina!” Stealing a glance at the tables around them, she could tell others could hear their spicy conversation.

  “I speak the truth. Now, where is that sexy waiter? Would you like me to ask him to drag you into another room, maybe give you a much-needed spanking?”

  For a full minute, Shannon daydreamed about the very moment she received her first spanking and the way David reacted, his tone harsh as he was explaining what a very bad girl she’d been. She could almost feel his hand striking her bottom, pain coursing through her. Then, what if he took her hard, just like he did a couple nights ago, shoving his thick dick up her cunt, driving into her with such force that she could barely breathe. What if… God, the fantasy was incredible.

  “Don’t look now, but you’re drooling.”

  Shaken out of her vivid vision, Shannon panted. “Interesting concept.”

  “You know, this might be too extreme for you.” Tina raised her eyebrows as she sipped her drink. “Are you ready to order?”

  “First, I need another glass of wine.”

  “That we can do. I can tell you’re interested.” Tina beckoned for the waiter. “Do you think this is something David would consider? He might appreciate the knowledge he was in control and then, who knows what might happen, how your relationship might change.”

  Shannon shivered as she considered the possibility. She could imagine being over his knee, his hand whipping her naked behind. Myriad thoughts raced in the back of her mind. “I don’t know. I just don’t know.”

  “But you’re curious? I can tell you are.”

  Licking her now very dry lips, she tilted her head. Could she turn over control to David, allow him to be head of the household? Could she confess her sins and receive needed discipline? “I might be crazy here.”

  “But?”

  “Tell me more.”

  Shannon spent the better part of the late afternoon reading blogs written by women who referred to themselves as being taken in hand. They were first-person stories from women who were in domestic discipline, DD as they called it, relationships. By all accounts, the women were professionals in various industries, with careers, as well as families. The majority hadn’t married into a domestic discipline relationship, either. From what she read, many couples felt their bond was much stronger and much more passionate after making the change.

  What surprised her was how open these people were by showing off various punishment gadgets; pictures of belts and paddles, some of the wooden pieces were hand carved and very ornate. She was shivering just imagining how much being struck by the implement must hurt. They also had no qualms about showing vivid colors of their crimson asses. She winced at a few of the photos. Punishments were serious. Wiggling in her chair, she could r
emember the few spankings she’d received as a child. They hurt like hell.

  For so many reasons, she couldn’t stop reading. Her searches led her to actual websites dedicated to the lifestyle. Shannon was fascinated at how very detailed some rules were and how they were being enforced. Some of the women were given other forms of discipline, including corner time and even some extremes of having their mouths washed out with soap. My God, there was an entire group of women whose blogs were dedicated to the use of soap; Ivory was by far the bar of choice. Gulping, she sat back in the chair, just staring at her laptop screen.

  As she continued, she realized she was very turned on. This wasn’t supposed to happen, was it? Was she crazy for wanting David to be demanding of her, relentless in his requirements to follow the rules? She couldn’t get the notion out of her mind. She clenched her pussy in an effort to stop quivering, but the action only made her pant. Wet and hot, she slid her chair away from the desk, swiveling back and forth. Thinking about David’s reactions was daunting, and as she tried to imagine whether or not he’d be shocked, she absently eased her hand inside her blouse.

  Flicking her finger around her nipple, she moaned when the bud became hard, pressing against the lace of her bra. This was ridiculous, she was so turned on. Inhaling, she tried to concentrate, reading another passage in a blog, and the way the woman was describing their heated moment of passion was too much.

  Shannon rose from her chair, jerking up her skirt and tugging down her thong. Instantly, she swirled the tip of a single finger around her clit, amazed how sensitive she was. Shutting her eyes, she imagined being between David’s legs, sucking his cock. She realized she was envisioning two nights before. Suddenly she was tingling. She gripped the edge of the desk with one hand as she opened her legs as wide as her skirt would allow.

  “Mmm.” She circled her clit and pinched the tender tissue, relishing for a few seconds just how sensitive she was. Shannon thought about her vibrator collection nestled in her nightstand drawer. Maybe pulling out her favorite toy would provide some relief.

  She left her panties on the floor and walked into the bedroom, grabbing the multifunction Rabbit vibrator from the drawer. Yes, you’ll do just fine. Hitting the on switch, she smiled upon hearing the whirling sound. The second she lay down on the bed, she propped her feet up, opening her knees and stared at her old friend, smiling in anticipation.