“All right, then let’s go back to you.” Logan motioned for her to sit down but she refused. Fighting back a sigh, he reached for her and pulled her to sit on his lap. “I blame myself for not seeing the signs earlier.”
“What signs?”
“The ones right in front of me: your spending habits; not reaching out to your friends from home; your constant need to keep yourself busy and not relish in idle thoughts.”
“Well, how could you have seen any of that while you were away?” She worried her lip a little, then fretted. “It’s not just your job. If I’d let you inside, and gave you a real glimpse of how things are, I’m sure we wouldn’t be in this mess.”
“I rather like being inside of you.”
“Logan! We’re in the middle of a serious conversation and your brain immediately…” she trailed off as a huge grin spread across his face. “Dammit. You know I’m a sucker for your smile.”
“Mmm hmm?”
“In all seriousness, I haven’t been open at all.” She quirked a brow at him. “And I don’t mean my legs.”
“Such a travesty, really. You’ve got quite the pair.” He nuzzled along her neck while trailing his hands down her thighs to rest just above her knees. “I know what you’re doing. You’re using your charms to distract me from the point.”
“I’ve really missed you.” Claudia placed her hands on top of his. “And I’m not bewitching you.”
“Says you.” He kissed the base of her throat, then dragged his tongue as far up her neck as he could comfortably reach. “Keep talking.”
“I packed CJ away because I couldn’t deal with the possibility of rejection out here. It was hard enough to stop calling my mom and sister’s cellphones every freaking day just to hear their voices.”
He stopped his actions, not wanting to appear indifferent to whatever she was about to share. From the hint in her voice, he expected it to be deep. He also knew it wasn’t just her mother and sister. No, she used to spend an hour or more dialing the phone to catch the answering message, or listening to old voice mails from those she’d lost. “I know, I remember.”
“Yeah. It hurt so bad when I imagined the gaps left in Ryan’s baseball and soccer teams. The empty hole left by Caitlyn’s bubbly personality on the cheerleading squad. The endless questions by Gabby’s pre-school classmates that her teachers must have had to answer. Not to mention how painful it must be for their other aunts and uncles. Their other set of grandparents who also lost their son! I’ve been so selfish that I never even tried to reach out to any of them.”
Logan rubbed his hands up and down her legs, hoping the gesture comforted her more than it appeared to. She had been so close to her sister, Missy, and her nieces and nephew, the ones she remembered so fondly. Then of course there was her brother, his wife, and their kids as well as her aunt, whom she was also very close with. It was just too much grief all at once. It overwhelmed her brain in ways he couldn’t relate to, but he still supported her as much as possible.
“I know I haven’t been making very good choices. All because CJ was crass. She was loud-mouthed and blunt without sugarcoating her opinions. She couldn’t fit in with these perfect, little housewives.” Claudia rested her head against him. “I’ve lost all sense of myself.”
“I want to help you find the parts of yourself that you’ve locked away.” Logan slid his hands up to her hips, then twisted her around to face him. “I read something interesting this morning.”
“You did? Something like an article?” A cell phone trilled loudly, and Claudia dug it out of her pocket. “Hold your thought a second? It’s Hayley.” She answered it on the third ring. “Hello?”
Before she could say anything else, Logan plucked it out of her hand. “Hayley? We’re right in the middle of something. Do you desperately need to talk to Claudia?” He pressed the speaker button and held it away from his ear.
“Hi, Logan. No, it’s not urgent. I just wanted to see if she wanted to come over this weekend. It’s not super important. I’ll call back later.” Hayley’s voice filtered through.
“Logan,” she mouthed. “Give me the phone.”
“Thanks, love.” He smiled. “I’ll have Claudia call you later.”
Claudia pursed her lips but didn’t offer an opinion on the situation.
“Thanks! We’ll all catch up soon. I’ll talk to the two of you later.” Hayley ended the call on her side with an audible beep.
“I really need to talk to her.” Claudia rolled her eyes, then made a give me motion at the phone.
“We don’t need any more interruptions.” He placed her cell down on the coffee table. “Back to what I was saying about this morning.”
“Give me my phone, Logan.”
“You can talk to your friend later. Right now we have something more important to discuss.”
“Oh right, a discussion,” she scoffed. “I highly doubt you’re going to grant me another clean slate. I bet you’re about to spit out some sort of ultimatum. Am I right? Shape up, Claudia, or ship out.”
“When have I ever given you an ultimatum? You’re not following what I’m trying to say.”
“Go ahead. Correct me if I’m wrong.”
“Okay, we’re changing locations. Let’s go take a trip to the kitchen. I want to show you something.” He patted her thigh as he turned a blind ear to her attitude this time, since he would be addressing it later. She got the message, and got off his lap, but her eyes still showed irritation.
“How to cook?” Claudia sauntered across the living room, and it took a lot of composure not to spank the sassy right out of her. “Or,” she continued, “maybe tricks to get the refrigerator to work at its maximum efficiency without sacrificing energy?”
He let her lead them into the kitchen without a retort, then stepped around her. “No, it’s not about things you normally do in a kitchen.” Logan spread out his hands to the room. “So, you think you’ve seen everything in here, right?”
“I have seen everything in here. It’s my kitchen.”
“All right. Have you ever looked closely at the cutting board above the sink?”
“Have you?” she snipped back in a haughty tone. “I mean, it’s decorated. I never use it.”
“I rather admire it. I can’t believe you’ve never really looked closely at it before.” Logan approached the counter then reached for the wooden board. It was richly engraved with the first letter of their first names on either side. The middle showcased an elaborate ‘B’ framed by his family crest.
“Uh, well, I don’t know why I would. I mean it’s very pretty and all but not very useful. It’s sort of like some of the ladies I walk with on the regular.”
“What a terribly judgmental comment.” He shook his head. “I think you’re attempting to distract me again. I promise you, it’s not going to work this time.”
“A girl can hope.” Claudia shrugged, but nothing about her stance seemed casual. “Why are we talking about wooden objects when we could be doing other things?”
“Well, there is a deeper story here. My great-grandfather gave one to his son, and then my grandfather made one for his son.” He brought it over, and reverently handed it to her. “My father followed tradition.” Logan couldn’t keep the grin off his face, and smiled broadly.
“What sort of tradition? Engraving?”
“Why don’t you flip it over and see for yourself?”
Claudia raised an eyebrow but curiosity got the best of her and she flipped it. On the back she saw another engraving, and read it out loud, “Apply to bottom until blushing. A spanked wife equals a happy life. Here’s to a long and prosperous marriage.” Her cheeks pinkened as the meaning sank in, and she quickly set it on the counter. “Logan!”
“Darling?”
“You can’t be serious! You’re basically saying it’s some sort of paddle?”
“No, not some sort. According to my great-grandfather and the long line of Burke men anyhow, what you’re staring at is a genu
ine paddle. One best applied to your spouse’s behind.”
“What? You want to apply that thing to my behind?”
“Pay attention, love. If I had known how much you’ve been struggling to accomplish goals, and racking up crazy bills, on top of some other things I’ve been meaning to bring up to you, then I would have definitely mentioned discipline before today.”
“Discipline? Oh no! Don’t you drum up some excuse about me actually wanting that thing.”
“Right.” He rubbed his palms together. “It’s not an excuse if I’m following your little manifesto.”
“Ma-manifesto? You mean my drunk wish list of stupidity?” Something in her tone changed, and her face flushed even rosier than a minute ago. “You found my list?”
“I did. And I took very good mental notes, so even if you go on a search and destroy mission, I have it memorized. The first few things – working out more, volunteering at the animal shelter and getting elected to the community committee for event planning? Those type of goals are all admirable, and completely doable by you.”
“Yeah, I want to achieve all of them. I firmly believe I can.” She twisted a long piece of hair around her finger several times, hinting towards her uneasiness at the next topic. “The other things I wrote weren’t serious. Come on! You didn’t actually believe them?” Claudia laughed, but it sounded forced.
“I’ve known you a long time, love. I’m giving you one chance to carefully reconsider what you just said.” He stroked his beard as he spoke, then he folded his arms across his chest, as if waiting on her rebuttal.
“Hayley made a list too. She said she was going to show Chase. I assume they went over it inch by inch while making little kissy-faces at each other.” She scrunched her nose up as if the mental picture painted itself in her mind. “Then I bet he set more rules for her to abide by.”
“Stay on topic. I’m not concerned with your friend’s resolutions or how she acts when talking to Chase. We’re talking about everything you jotted down last night.” He cleared his throat. “Most notably the bit about me being more dominant in our relationship.”
“So, what if I do?” She admitted it once it became clear he wouldn’t let it go. “It’s not like I want you to order me around.” Claudia tilted her head to the side. “I bet it would be all about me walking around naked while cooking, and cleaning – all the while pining away for you!” Her eyes didn’t meet his, as if something like the above scenarios had flitted through her brain at some point.
“While the image of you parading around here with your glorious body on display is quite appealing, it would be mutually beneficial rules. The purpose is to get back on the same page – together.” He closed the distance between them, then took each of her hands in his. “Are you following me, so far?”
“Fine, I hear what you’re saying, Logan. Let’s just get to the heart of the matter. I know what happened and what this is about.”
“Okay. What is this about?”
“I was a naughty little girl who decided to go on a shopping spree.” She blinked her moss green eyes up at him and formed the loveliest pout on her lips. “I’ll get a little part-time job and pay off my tiny pile of debt. And I promise, I won’t ever make Daddy mad again.”
This wasn’t his wife talking, despite the words coming out of her mouth. No, this was some bizarre mask she was hiding behind so she didn’t have to face true repercussions, or so he believed. He knew her better than to believe one bullshit apology. Her flip-flopping pointed to the real reasons she hid. It wasn’t just the negative emotions she pushed away, but the good ones too. There was a thick wall encased around the genuine Claudia, one almost as thick as her skull.
“You’re not getting a job at the moment, but we can talk about it later on.” Logan scanned her eyes for a hint at something deeper, but he found no clues. “I assure you, I’m not playing games here, love.”
“Then what are you doing? I was going to bring up the charges at some point. For the record, I would never snoop through your stuff. I actually trust you.”
“Claudia, I’ve had just about enough of the attitude.” He held up a hand. “This has nothing to do with trust. I was looking for a pair of shoes I bought a few months ago that were misplaced. I happened to find the credit statements stashed in a random shoe box.”
“Whatever you say.”
“Listen, I’ve been awake for nearly twenty-four hours. I’m going to go shave, take a nap and shower. Not necessarily in that order. When I come back down, I expect we can have a more civilized conversation.” Logan planted a kiss on her cheek.
“And if we can’t?”
“Well, then I suppose you’re going to feel the consequences. Interpret that however you like.” He kissed her again. “I love you.”
“I love you more.” Claudia bit down into her lip when he pulled away, but didn’t say anything else as he walked out of the kitchen and up the stairs.
He hoped she would see how badly he wanted to bridge the gap between them without causing her any unnecessary pain. That was the last thing he wanted for her, but something needed to change and it needed to happen as soon as possible.
Claudia stared at the bedroom door for much longer than anyone should. It was her bedroom after all. She could enter whenever she pleased. That was the whole point of having somewhere private. But, Logan was in there. And he was some mixture of angry, disappointed, and frustrated because of her behavior and choices. She hovered her hand over the doorknob, and fretted. Why is this so freaking hard?
“Afraid you might catch me naked?” His voice teased from behind her.
She must have been deep in thought to miss his footsteps in the hallway. Claudia turned around to face him, then slowly drank in the sight of him. He had a towel wrapped around his waist, but everything else was bare including his muscled chest and solid arms. Had they always looked so defined? How long had it been since she’d really enjoyed the details? Their sex live wasn’t as exciting as it used to be, but they still got horizontal on the regular – enough to keep her satisfied, or so she’d thought. She chided herself and promised to pay closer attention to his needs.
“Uh?” she offered sheepishly.
“You’re practically drooling.” He smirked as he placed one hand flat against the door, caging her in between it and his body. “You all right, love?”
Claudia lost the battle to keep her hands at her sides, and instead ran them over his pecs and abs. She brushed her fingers along his collarbone, then stood on tiptoe and kissed him hard on the mouth. He responded in kind, and tangled his free hand in her long hair. Logan tugged her closer, deepening their kiss. She moaned into his mouth, then bit down into his lip.
Claudia twirled the knob behind her to open, and pushed back against the door. The movement parted their lips, but Logan followed her inside. He scooped her half off her feet, then carried her to the bed. She arched upwards and boldly removed the towel. He quirked a brow, but climbed completely on top of her. In a flurry of breathy movements, she made quick work of her clothes until they lay in a pile on the floor.
“I’m fine,” she finally answered. “I just missed you.” Claudia moaned when his finger stroked her inner thighs, brushed lightly along her mound, then tapped on her tiny pleasure nub. The sensations rocked her, as if she’d forgotten how hot their lovemaking could get. She forced herself to be immersed in each sensation without guilt. He continued the pattern, then changed it up by nipping and sucking in the same spots. The pressure and intensity alternated each time, and drove her wild. Claudia scratched her nails down the length of his arms and up again. “Oh my god. I missed you so much.”
“Oh yeah?” Logan shifted slightly to catch her eyes. “Show me how much.”
Claudia licked her lips in anticipation, then sat up without breaking eye contact. Her hand wrapped around his dick, and she stroked it the way she knew he liked it. She leaned forward slowly to take him in her mouth at the same time, then pulled back to lick around the tip.
He groaned with satisfaction, then again when she stroked harder. She wet the head a little more, then increased the pressure. Her free hand trailed over his hipbone, then teased down to the tender skin just behind his boys. Feeling frisky, she tickled lightly, then waited for a reaction.
“You must have missed me a whole lot,” he growled then eased himself out of her mouth. “Turn around.”
She quickly moved as instructed, and he wasted little time sliding his cock into her wet slit. Claudia moaned when his hands gripped her hips, and he thrust into her. He increased the speed, then let go of one hip to crack his hand down across her ass. She moaned again at the unexpected sensation, then again when he continued. He pumped in and out of her, while he alternated smacking and rubbing her butt.
“Oh my god,” she cried out, unable to say anything else. Pleasure burned through her in a delicious heat, which ended with both of them reaching their peaks. Logan stilled, then slowly withdrew from her core. She shuddered as the last orgasm washed over her, then sank completely into the mattress without bothering to shift positions.
Logan climbed further up the bed, then turned her to the side, and wrapped his arms around her. She kissed the only part of his body she could reach, some part of his upper arm, and sighed. She wanted to say something, anything, but she welcomed the silence in the safety of his embrace. All of this had been a long time coming, in more ways than one.
Chapter 4
After reconnecting physically yesterday, he had thought they would be in a better place to discuss his plan, but Claudia wasn’t having it. She paced up and down the length of the room, pausing only to adjust the ornaments on the tree in the window or pick up discarded wrapping paper, overlooked while they opened presents. It boggled his mind, since she’d laid out lots of insight for him in the shape of her numbered list. He excused himself for a moment, and headed to the kitchen to get a beer. Logan found his favorite brand in the fridge, courtesy of Claudia, then he returned to the living room.
A Spanking Good New Year: Short Story Collection Page 28
