Imperfect Consequences Read online

  The second she placed the vibrating tip to her tender tissue, she jumped. “Oh!” Sensitive wasn’t the word. Very slowly, she swirled the tip around her clit and moved up and down the length of her pussy, every move deliberate. The batteries were fresh, the intensity powerful. She panted and writhed, her heart rate becoming ragged almost immediately.

  Continuing to think about David and his voice, the booming timbre that had always given her shivers, she allowed the hundreds of vibrating tips to tickle her skin. Goose bumps popped up along her arms and legs, and she stared at the ceiling as her blood sizzled. Unable to resist having the thick dildo inside, she twisted the toy as she pushed the tip inside her cunt. Amazingly, her muscles grabbed for the invasion immediately. “Whew…”

  Slipping the rubber shaft inside an inch at a time, she jerked up from the bed, a soundless whisper floating from her mouth. Unable to focus, she opened her legs even wider, and the slight ripping noise from the material of her skirt made her giggle. She began driving the vibrator in and out of her pussy, twisting her hand to create more friction. Within seconds, she was breathless, stars floating in front of her eyes. Harder and faster, she thrust deep inside, her cunt muscles clamping around like a tight vice.

  She was wet and hot all over. Grunting, Shannon tossed her head back and forth as the most delicious visions of David, completely naked and licking her pussy, rolled in her mind in shimmering color. An orgasm was building, crawling up from her painted toes to her calves, creating a wave of tingles. Her entire body was shaking from the delicious sensations rushing through her, and she longed to have David by her side. No, she wanted his cock driving in and out of her, taking her just like he used to.

  As she panted, the climax continuing to build, she smiled and arched her back. “Oh, oh, oh…” The orgasm was powerful, delicious rounds of electric jolts sweeping from her legs up the length of her body. “Ah!

  Shannon kept the vibrator buried inside, her cunt muscles twitching around the thick shaft. The single climax became a wave, the power jerking her up from the bed. She moaned, a few beads of sweat trickling down from her forehead. This was juicy and delicious.

  Seconds later, she lay exhausted, chuckling to herself as her tissue became ultrasensitive. As she eased the shaft out, she held the toy in front of her face, admiring the wet slick of pussy juice covering the entire length. Maybe being spanked on a regular basis was a good idea. The second she turned off the switch, she heard the sound of her cell phone ringing. Jumping up from the bed, she bolted toward the desk, her sixth sense telling her David was calling.

  Sure enough, his number flashed. “David. I was… I was worried.”

  He hesitated. “No reason to be worried. I’m just fine.”

  “Good. I’m glad.” She could hear a ragged tone in his voice.

  “Look, we have a lot to think about. I’m not coming home tonight…”

  “With her? Are you staying with her?” Shannon blurted out the words before she could stop herself and heard David exhale. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “Obviously, we have a lot to talk about, and I want to do so with a very clear head. I’m staying at Bruce’s tonight. I’ll be home tomorrow, we can talk then. I just didn’t want you to worry.”

  He hung up without even allowing her to reply. As she stood with the phone in her hand, glaring down at the vibrator she had to fight to keep from dropping to the floor, despair settled in. This was very real, and David was no longer in love with her. She could tell, because he sounded so cold.

  “What am I going to do?” Tears spilling from her eyes, Shannon glanced back down at her laptop, hitting the space bar. The two words seemed to be etched on the screen. Domestic Discipline.

  Chapter 4

  As Saturday dawned full of stormy clouds, Shannon stood by the window. She hadn’t slept for more than a few troubled minutes here and there, and that had been after falling into bed around two in the morning. After David’s call, she’d cried for an hour, then chastised herself for having such extreme emotions and succumbing to tears. She’d heard the terseness in his voice, the chill, and knew what the discussion was going to entail today. And she couldn’t say she blamed him.

  Studying the computer and every scrap of information she could get her hands on about domestic discipline, head of household, and all the other phrases for the corporal punishment lifestyle, she’d printed out articles and snippets of blogs, rules posted on the internet, and jotted down various website addresses. All the information bundled neatly into a folder, she’d placed the inch-thick file on the kitchen table, waiting for David’s arrival. And who knew when he might be coming home? Home. She was beginning to wonder whose home the house would be after today.

  Her heart heavy, she pitched the rest of her coffee and grabbed a bottle of water out of the refrigerator. She glanced at the clock and nodded, seeing it was already after eleven. How long was she going to have to wait until the boom was dropped? Shannon had barely cracked the plastic top off the bottle when she heard the front door open. Tensing, she blinked back another round of tears and waited as patiently as she could.

  David walked into the kitchen, his face ashen. When he noticed her standing in the shadows, he nodded and slipped his keys on top of the counter. “Hi.”

  “Hi.” He was as upset as she was. She eased out from the corner, longing to reach out to him. There was an electric shield between them. “I’m glad you’re here. I was worried about you.” She noticed he had on a different outfit and for a few seconds, jealousy wound around her throat, constricting her breathing. She resisted lashing out at him.

  “I was just at Bruce’s. He was kind enough to let me crash there for a couple of nights. I think being alone did me some good and allowed me to think.”

  “I understand. Do you want some coffee?”

  “No. I’ve had plenty this morning,” David said quietly.

  Shannon could tell he was studying her face. “I’m sorry I snapped at you the other night. I admit to you, I found some e-mails on the computer and I freaked out a little bit.”

  David shook his head. “I don’t know what to say. You’ve tried and convicted me, and you don’t know anything about my relationship.”

  “Relationship?” Shannon snapped. “Now it’s a relationship?”

  “She’s my client, Shannon. My client and yes, she’s flirtatious and yes…”

  “And so were you! You were both dripping with innuendos. Blatant sexual notes and ideas.”

  “Stop.”

  “Stop?” she hissed. “You’re a fucking asshole. You’re sleeping with her, aren’t you?” When he remained silent she took two long strides, slapping his face.

  “Shit!” Reeling, he took two steps back and shook his head. “You don’t understand at all.”

  “I bet I do. You’re fucking her every chance you get.” She looked away, tears slipping past her lashes. A few seconds passed by. She ached inside.

  Exhaling slowly, David walked closer. “I didn’t mean for you to find those, and I certainly didn’t mean to hurt you, but the fact is, we have a problem in our relationship.” He held up his hand, stopping her from talking. “Let me finish. I was wrong, bantering with her sexually. I was wrong. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it.”

  “Are you sleeping with her?” Shannon whispered.

  His face softened. “No. I’m not and I have no intentions of doing so, either. She and I just hit it off and we started to talk.”

  “About your wife? About how horrible things are?”

  “Jesus.” David’s eyes flashed. “Shannon. Let’s sit down and talk. Okay?”

  She huffed.

  “Please. This is important.”

  She stood stoically.

  “Please,” David implored.

  Nodding, Shannon moved toward the chair, her legs shaking. As she sat down, she fingered the file, trying to figure out how to even broach the subject of DD.

  “I know that finding the e-mails fue
led more bad blood between us, but you have to admit, we’ve been at odds for months now,” David began, as he eased into the chair.

  “More like at each other’s throats. I can’t seem to do anything right around you.”

  “I don’t think that way at all.”

  “But that’s how you act. That’s how you treat me!” Shannon heard a whiny edge in her voice. Calming her nerves, she looked away.

  “Don’t pull a face. Not right now. We have to talk about this like adults. We need to really rationalize what’s going on between us. I don’t want to consider divorce, but I don’t know if we can live together any longer, not like this anyway.”

  “What are you saying, David? What? You don’t love me any longer? You don’t want us any longer?”

  David hesitated, then rubbed his eyes. “I’m saying maybe a trial separation is worth a try.”

  “A trial separation? You know exactly what happens with separations. You know!”

  “Well, do you want to continue to live like we are, warring all the time?” David demanded. “Do you want no peace and a loveless marriage? Do you?”

  “No, but…”

  “Well, neither do I. Shannon, I’ve tried to figure out a way, trust me.”

  Pushing back her chair, Shannon jerked to her feet, glowering over the table. “I love you! You may have stopped loving me a long time ago, but I never stopped loving you. Never. I was the one, two years ago, who suggested a counselor. I was the one who tried to change and tried to give you more. I was…” Sobbing, she shook her head and walked away from him. He didn’t care. He just didn’t give a shit.

  “I never said I didn’t love you.”

  “Yes, you did!” An exasperated silence filled the room and she half walked, half stumbled, to the window. Placing her hand on the glass, she sniffed, trying to hold back the dam. She heard his chair creak when he stood, knowing he was coming closer.

  When he was barely a foot behind her, he sighed, the sound breathless. “I care about you with all my heart. You’re the only woman I’ve ever truly loved, but I can’t handle what’s happened to us. I can’t handle you lashing out at me all the time, and before you say anything, I am guilty as well. But you’ve changed, and in truth, I don’t like the woman you’ve become. And please, just let me finish.”

  “Care? You fucking care about me? Jesus Christ.” She turned slightly, enough to see his expression. Remaining quiet, Shannon could see such concern on his face and love in his eyes, and she wanted to hear him out.

  “You’re just not you anymore. You’re sullen and unhappy with yourself and everything about you. I don’t know what happened or how you lost the vivacious woman I knew, but you did. I blame myself for not allowing you to grow. I know I was tough to deal with and you did everything you could for me. What I think is, you need some time to learn again about the woman Shannon is deep inside. You need to make yourself happy.”

  There was something very powerful about the way he said the words, as well their meaning. As she faced him, she could see complete resignation in his eyes. He’d given up on them. “So, you want out? Really?” Several seconds went by before he said anything, and in the brief pause, she became more committed to what she wanted to share with him. Was it simply too late?

  “I want us both to be happy. I want to enjoy my life and I also want you to know that there isn’t going to be anything with Jade or with any other woman. I’m not interested in exploring someone else. Okay?” David gave her a half smile, a nervous tick appearing in the corner of his mouth.

  What in the hell was she supposed to say? “Not okay. I can’t trust what you’re saying.”

  “I think some time apart is good for us. You know it as well as I do.”

  Shannon remained quiet.

  “Okay. I’m going to stay with Bruce for a little while. I’ll grab a few things and we’ll talk first of the week.”

  “Wait. I want you to hear me now, about something and it’s important to me.” Shannon walked back toward the table, glancing down at the file.

  “All right. What?”

  She resisted chiding him. Instead, she placed her hand on top of the file, brushing the tip of her finger back and forth across the top. “I know part of what’s going on is about my behavior, or my bad behavior. I realize that.”

  “It’s much more complicated than that and you know it.”

  “Please. Let me finish this time.” Shannon looked into his eyes. She had no doubt her expression was imploring.

  “Fair enough.”

  “I get I’m not myself. I’ve known that for a long time and I want to be the woman you married. I long to be happy and carefree, giving you space and giving me a kick-start. I need the man I married, he wasn’t afraid to take control. My David was the man who refused to take no for an answer from anyone, including me. I think, over the years, we grew too comfortable with each other, and the buttons I pushed were more about fear and worry. Now, I am not a stupid woman, and I realize how we are as a couple might not be repairable, but I’m ready to try anything and I do mean anything.” Shannon lowered her head, convincing herself this was the right path to take.

  “Okay. I believe you. What are you suggesting we do?” David’s voice was quiet.

  “I’m not certain I can explain it very well, if at all, right now. As you can probably imagine, I’m pretty distraught. I don’t know yet what to say or think about Jade, except that I know I had a part in allowing you to find something you needed outside of our marriage. Not that I condone what you did, but I get it.”

  “I wasn’t trying to hurt you,” David whispered.

  “But you did.” Shannon allowed him to see the pain in her eyes. “I met a friend for lunch yesterday, out of the blue, and she told me about this… this lifestyle. At first, I thought it was ridiculous, but then I became intrigued. The more I investigated, the more I realized this could help us.”

  “This?”

  Shannon shook her head. “Yes. It’s not what you expect and I doubt you’ve ever heard of people who participate in this and...”

  “You make whatever this is, sound like a cult,” David interrupted.

  “Please. Please! This is important to me. I can’t just throw away what we have without trying. I expect… I hope you want to try as well. If I’m wrong and you can’t tolerate this, then fine. I can at least say to myself I tried against all odds.”

  He followed her eyes down to the file. “What’s in there?”

  “Information and articles I’ve collected that I hope you’ll read, and then we can talk. Just know that I’ve given this a lot of thought, and I know if we’re lucky enough to get our marriage back to any degree, then we both have to work hard. I also know if we do this, we have to trust each other. Completely.” Tears brimmed in her eyes again, and she was disgusted with herself for being so emotional.

  “Shannon, talk to me. Tell me what you think is going to help us.”

  She shook her head. “No. I’m asking you to read and think and read it over again. What I’m proposing is unconventional and will change us forever.” Her heart racing, Shannon slid the file further across the table and without looking at him, walked toward the kitchen door.

  “Shannon, wait.”

  “No. I think you’re right. I need some time, too. We’ll talk in a couple of days, David. I’m not going to mention this again. If you want to work on our marriage, I’ll do everything I can, but if you don’t, then I’m fine with that. I have to face reality with us and I want to be happy. I deserve to be with someone who cares about me. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  David opened his eyes wide, hesitated, then nodded.

  For the first time in her life, she knew walking away and leaving him to learn on his own was the right choice. But as she walked, then raced toward their bedroom, she couldn’t stop the flood of tears.

  “What in the world have you been staring at for two hours?”

  David glanced up at Bruce and the beer he was offer
ing. Wrapping his hand around the cold bottle, he shook his head. “Hell, if I know.”

  “Mr. Cryptic strikes again.”

  “Sorry. I have no idea what to say or how to explain what I’m looking at, in truth.”

  “Oh. That sounds all mystifying and shit.” Bruce laughed and glanced over David’s shoulder.

  Sucking in his breath, David cringed, wanting to push his best friend away. He’d been staring at the websites listed in Shannon’s notes for hours, trying to figure out what in God’s name had possessed her to talk to anyone about their problems and even consider something this extreme. Shit. He’d spent too many hours providing intimate details to Jade, who had in turn weaseled her way into his psyche, and he’d allowed her an in, too much of one. He was such an asshole. “Mystifying might just be a good word, or possessed, perhaps.”

  “Hmm.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “My God, you’re jumpy. That’s an interesting spanking pic there. Very hot. You into some kink you never told me about?”

  David took a long pull on his beer. “Maybe. Kinda. Hell, I don’t know.”

  “So definitive tonight.” Bruce eased around the desk, facing him. “Is this about Shannon?’

  Shrugging, David looked away.

  “Okay. That’s a big, fat yes. You have said almost nothing since you came back with a suitcase in your hand. What’s going on?”

  “I told her we needed some time apart.”

  “Oh shit! I’m sorry,” Bruce said, his eyes growing wide. “What in the world happened?”

  “The usual, the discussion becoming terse.”

  “Did you talk to her about the other woman?”

  “There is no other woman!”

  Bruce held his hands up. “Whoa.”

  David groaned. “Not really, anyway. Honestly.”