Sweet Salvation (21 page)

“Good, because I didn’t say anything about going to sleep. We are going to address your impulsiveness and then we’ll talk.”

Uh-oh, addressing her impulsiveness did not sound pleasant. Maybe she should own up to her part of this disastrous evening, like jumping out of the car like a freak. “I’m sorry—”

“No.” The single word was said emphatically, followed by a long pause. When he spoke again, he had regained his composure, his voice returning to its usual calm, steady tone. Still, it brooked no disobedience. “I don’t want apologies. Take these few minutes to prepare yourself for complete honesty, because I expect answers. Now scoot.”

Silently for once, she did as she was told, welcoming the reprieve no matter how brief. Her mind in turmoil, she climbed the stairs to their new master bedroom, the thought of which usually buoyed her spirits. It was one of the first rooms she’d tackled after Jared had moved her in and told her to ‘have at it.’ Redone in taupe, with hunter green and burgundy accents, it had a huge four-poster bed with draped sheers, nothing too feminine, which Jared appreciated. Across from the bed was another stone fireplace and enough room for two cushy chairs with ottomans. One was actually a chair and a half. She and Jared often read there in the evenings, cuddled closely together, quietly enjoying each other’s company. She crossed to the fireplace, switching on the gas logs and fan, which brought a burst of heat into the room. Tonight, her feelings were a jumbled mess so she found no comfort in her bedroom sanctuary. She’d told Jared she wasn’t tired; that was a fib. She was exhausted after the long emotional day. Feet dragging, she shuffled to the remodeled bathroom. Gone was the black marble, replaced with taupe to match the bedroom. There was a now a large whirlpool bath big enough for two and a huge shower with multiple jets. It was unlikely they’d be partaking of either tonight. She washed her face, brushed her teeth, and then slipped on her nightgown.

A short while later, she was as ready as ever—for bed or whatever he had in mind—and taking a deep breath, she switched off the light and opened the bathroom door. Jared sat waiting for her on their bed. Immediately, his gray eyes trained on her and he commanded her presence with the crook of a finger. Although outwardly calm, Mr. Cool was still ticked. She’d seen it often enough, the tension in his jaw and his rigidly held shoulders, but his tell-all was the silvery gray intensity of his eyes, a certain dead giveaway. He rarely lost control, for which she was glad. Because the one time she’d seen it—directed at someone else, thank the good Lord—it had been worse than scary. Oh, he wasn’t violent scary, but the icy cold voice and lethal stare, coming from a man of his size, was more than intimidating. The power and strength he exuded were predictable, his reaction not so much. It made folks wary and garnered respect; it was also unnerving as hell.

Swallowing uneasily, she approached the man she loved. She was confident she could trust him, even though she may not exactly like what he had in store for her. Still, Stacy tried a pre-emptive maneuver out of self-preservation. “I don’t know what came over me, Jared. I’m also very sorry for how rude I was to your parents at dinner.” Both statements were true. She didn’t admit that she wasn’t at all sorry for being rude to him. He deserved it.

“I love you, Stacy, so much so that I’m going to paddle your behind for that recklessness stunt. Afterwards, we’ll talk about your behavior at dinner.”

Well, crap! Her tactical offensive hadn’t worked worth a hoot. That was made perfectly clear when he patted his thigh, his non-verbal command for her to get in position. She hated when he made her assume the position. She’d much rather he take control and put her there. He knew that, but he insisted she do it herself. He said that despite their understanding about who was in charge, by willingly coming over his knee—or bed, couch, or table—it reinforced her acceptance of his role as disciplinarian.

Hesitantly moving forward, her hands knit tightly together to control their trembling. She knew stalling wouldn’t help, but she paused just out of reach.

His eyes skewered her, his regard so intense she knew he didn’t miss a single nuance of her body language. He waited, making no move to coerce or influence her decision. He didn’t have to. She had agreed to this arrangement months ago, long before she had accepted his proposal. She knew what she’d been agreeing to and now, she reaffirmed her consent to be spanked for her misbehavior by lowering herself over her fiancé’s lap.

Once she was settled, Jared wasted no time in baring her bottom, sliding her short nightgown up around her waist and pulling her thin bikini panties down around her knees. Without hesitation, his palm connected sharply and repeatedly, applying stinging swats to the fullest part of her rear. He gave her no warm-up, not tonight. Nor was there the slow buildup that she very much enjoyed, no rubbing, and no chatting about her transgression first. In just a few moments, he lit her ass on fire. Knowing his mood, she knew she was in for it. After a dozen blistering whacks, he paused.

“I don’t ever want to see you jumping from a moving vehicle again, Stacy Lynn. Do you hear me? My heart nearly burst inside my chest.”

That brief emotion-laced lecture was all he gave before resuming the spanking. He usually waxed on, taking his time, asking questions. She must have really scared him. Tears of regret stung her eyes and she felt them overflow, tracking down her cheeks as two stunning strokes alternated against each sit spot. Of course, they hurt, it was a spanking after all, but the tears were not so much from the physical pain. Rather, they were for the emotional distress she had caused him, and subsequently, herself.

Two more strokes zinged across each thigh. Okay, now that was physical pain.

Robbed of breath, it took her a moment before she managed to gasp out, “Ouch! Jared, that burns.”

“Good,” he replied succinctly. “Remember this the next time you even think about doing something so foolish.”

“I will. I swear, Jared. I’m sorry for scaring you. I’ll apologize to everyone tomorrow for my behavior. I promise.”

At last, his hand stilled and came to rest gently against her blazing cheeks. As he rubbed, the heat spread evenly across her skin. As usual, the fiery sensation also started a tingling between her thighs, which she clamped instinctively together.

“Stand up now.”

She rose shakily and stood before him feeling ashamed over her childish actions. As her panties started to slide down her legs, she reached to stop them.

“No, leave them.” His hands slid up the backs of her thighs and cupped her flushed cheeks as he pulled her into his chest. With his six foot plus frame, even seated on the bed, they were almost eye level. His expression wasn’t any less stern after administering her punishment.

“Tell me what you were thinking about when you jumped out that way.”

She frowned, her gaze dipping to his chin, still not ready.

He grunted. “All right then, tell me about your conduct at dinner. Why are you sweet and genial with everyone you meet, but whenever you get around my mother you turn as prickly as a porcupine?”

She took a deep breath and wiped her tears with her hands, then shrugged and said, “I don’t know.”

His face darkened like a thundercloud. Uh-oh! Wrong answer. Stacy knew how much he hated ‘I don’t know’ and the shoulder shrug always pissed him off too. Now, as ticked off as he was, she’d gone and given him the double whammy. Smooth move, Stace!

“You don’t know why you acted like a petulant five-year-old at dinner tonight?”

“I said I’d apologize.”

His eyes rose to the ceiling. Was he counting to ten, or praying for strength? It didn’t matter because the next instant he exhaled forcefully and rose to his feet. Pulling her across the bedroom by the hand, Jared guided her to what he called her reflection corner.

“If you’re going to act like a child, you can stand in the corner like one until you can explain yourself.”

Stacy felt his looming presence behind her as she got in position with her nose in the corner. The clearing of his throat served as a reminder of his other corner requirement. She could feel his eyes upon her as she reluctantly reached behind her and pulled her gown to the small of her back, baring her burning and undoubtedly red bottom.

“This is so humiliating,” Stacy whispered. She knew better than to complain, especially while he was in this mood, but her mouth didn’t always cooperate with her brain. She wasn’t surprised by the added swats that fell on each cheek. There was no talking during corner time unless Jared asked a question.

“How is this humiliating? This is just you and me, which is a lot less embarrassing than your behavior at dinner tonight when we had an audience. As a reward, you can stay here and reflect on your actions this evening—silently.”

He was right. She’d acted like a brat in front of his parents. It was bad enough to behave like that with just the two of them, but at a family dinner, it was inexcusable.

As the long minutes passed, she stood motionless, muscles tensed and strained, listening to him moving around behind her. He wouldn’t utter another word unless her actions necessitated further correction. Otherwise, there was silence until her time was up. When he went to the bathroom and she heard the water running, she slumped in resignation. Leaning her forehead against the wall, she did what she’d been sent there to do—reflect on her behavior.

Dinner at Jared’s parents had started out pleasant enough. His father, Russell, was a handsome man in his early sixties. The picture of health, he foretold what Jared would look like at that age. Like Jared, he was quiet and introspective, enjoying a lively debate when the subject intrigued him. Tonight, he quietly let his wife chatter excitedly throughout dinner about wedding plans.

Jared’s mother, at fifty, was still a beautiful woman who looked a decade younger than her years. Jared had inherited her wavy sable brown hair, but the rest was his father. Joanne had a vibrant personality with a natural effervescence that was infectious. Joanne, who had always been kind and accepting of her as a potential daughter-in-law, had offered to take on many of the tasks of wedding planning when Stacy had started dragging her feet. She was unflaggingly patient, voicing not a single complaint about the missed appointments with the florist, baker, or bridal salon. Tonight, she’d spoken at length about flowers; gardenias versus hydrangeas, and roses or lilacs. She had then moved her focus to the upcoming engagement party she and Russ were throwing for them. As Stacy listened to menu options like truffle soup, carpaccio, chateaubriand and bruschetta al pomodoro, her eyes glazed over. She didn’t know what any of that was. Bruschetta was Italian toast, wasn’t it? What the hell was carpaccio? Whatever it was, be it Italian, French, or Swahili, Stacy didn’t want it. What happened to a small, simple celebration? When Joanne started in on wines, caviars, and a white glove service, Stacy shut down. As she went on and on about place settings and crystal, Stacy thought she’d go mad.

“Did Jared tell you JAMA is publishing his clinical trial on that new bone growth stimulator?” Three sets of eyes turned on her. The topic was totally random, and interrupting his mother in the midst of her party planning soliloquy was rude. She’d felt Jared’s disapproving sidelong glance, having little tolerance for disrespect, but anything was better than the mind-numbing endless droning about something that she didn’t want. She just couldn’t let her go on. In the ensuing silence, she wondered if she should say something. No, Jared had promised to speak with her. She looked at him, her eyes silently signaling toward his mother, hoping he’d get the hint. Not dense by any means, he accepted the change of subject.

“I told them about the journal request when the letter arrived several weeks ago. However, I don’t think I told you my other news. Marc, Ben, and I have decided to move forward with the new surgery center deal. Mom, I’d like your opinion on the final contracts before we close the deal, if you have time.”

Stacy’s eyes widened in surprise; she’d met with the attorneys about the final contract revisions only yesterday. Were there some last-minute changes? If so, why hadn’t he mentioned them to her before? She was taking the lead on the business end of this joint venture.

“Is there a problem that I’m not aware of?”

“No. I just thought it would be smart to have Mom’s stamp of approval before we take the final proposal to the board. She knows the inner workings of the clinic. She helped open it after all. With millions of dollars on the line, another set of eyes wouldn’t hurt.”

Another set of more
experienced
eyes is what Stacy heard. He didn’t trust her. Hurt and disappointment washed over her and she looked away, her eyes accidentally connecting with Joanne briefly. Russ asked a question about the surgical facilities then and distracted Jared. He answered quickly enough that she didn’t think he noticed her reaction, but Joanne couldn’t have missed it.

As she listened to Jared and his father talk about clinical outcomes, decreased infection rates, and cutting-edge technology, Stacy thought about all the long hours she had put in on this deal. The joint venture with the new surgery center was a great opportunity for Jared and his partners. It would significantly reduce their cases at the hospital, which was a definite perk. They would still need to go to the medical center for complex and risky procedures, but minor surgeries and diagnostic procedures could be done at the new site, which was practically in the clinic’s back door.

She’d sat in on meetings for months, many early on when Jared had little patience for the boring financial details. He hated the business side of any new endeavor, which included poring over tedious spreadsheets, profitability and risk projections, capital expense itemizations, and more boring accounting details that made up the due diligence required for this type of venture. Jared preferred to get a brief summary when he had to make a decision or when a vote was called. Stacy had met at length with the attorneys when they reviewed the contract drafts and gone over the figures with the accountants until they’d been ready to pull their hair out. Some of the amendments, which would make the new business even more profitable, were her ideas, so she was wounded when he asked his mom for a final review.