Imperfect Consequences

by Piper Stone

  “Did I hurt you?”

  “No. It’s… Please, just let me up.” When he hesitated, she fought kicking him. “Please, let me up.”

  Zach eased back on his haunches. “Okay. I… what did I do wrong?’

  “It’s me, okay?” Scrambling off the bed, she was thankful they hadn’t gone any further. “Just go.” Shannon could no longer look at him.

  Rising to his feet, Zach brushed his hand through his hair. “I’m sorry. I thought you wanted this.”

  “I did, but…”

  “I understand.”

  Breathing a sigh of relief, she walked to the door, grateful nothing had really happened. “Thank you for understanding.”

  Zach grabbed her around the waist, pulling her back against his chest as the door swung open. He grabbed her breasts roughly. “I’m going to have you.”

  “Shannon. Fucking Christ. Get your hands off her.”

  Hearing David’s voice, one full of rage, she gasped, flashes of the past sweeping through her.

  “Who the hell are you?” Zach said as he kept his hold.

  She watched in horror as David ripped her out of Zach’s arms, pushed her aside and did exactly what she had been terrified of him doing.

  David coldcocked him.

  Epilogue

  David found her on the deck, her arms folded, a look of pure haunting terror on her face. He couldn’t believe he’d decked the guy, knocked him out cold. Not in his entire life had he ever done something so rogue like. And she’d been pissed as hell at him. No amount of apologizing seemed enough. Shannon was skittish and barely looked at him.

  He studied her shaking form, the way the sunlight cast such a beautiful gaze on her skin, and sighed. They had so much to talk about. While he thought she believed him about Anastasia, he couldn’t be certain. They’d talked, as well as cried, through the night and as it approached noon on Sunday, they seemed to have nowhere else to turn. But he had one thought remaining.

  He walked closer and stood next to her, allowing her space.

  “Have you made your decision?” she asked quietly, her voice barely audible.

  “My decision?”

  “Are you going to divorce me? I understand if you do, but I want you to promise me that you won’t hurt Zach. It’s as much my fault for leading him on. He’s not a bad guy and doesn’t deserve to be destroyed in all of this.”

  David opened his mouth to reply and knew she was truly concerned he was going to kick Zach’s ass. “Punching him was heat of the moment, nothing more. I’m not going to do a thing to him. I just didn’t want him roughing you up.”

  She gave him a slight smile. “He wouldn’t have.” They remained quiet for a few seconds.

  “Are you going to divorce me?” David asked, longing to reach out to her.

  She gave him a tentative look. “I believe your story about Anastasia and you found me. I was close to committing adultery. I allowed him to…” Unable to finish, she moaned and lowered her head.

  “But you stopped.”

  “But I wanted him.” She turned toward him, her eyes misted.

  David closed the distance, rubbing her arms. He lowered his head, kissing her forehead. “I love you and we can get through this. My decision is, we need to get some help.”

  “A marriage counselor?”

  “Tina came to me. I know about the camp. I think it would be a good idea. I not only want to be here for you, but I need to be stronger for you. I know there’s something… something from your past that you can’t get through.”

  Taking a step backwards, Shannon’s face filled with shock. “She fucking told you? She told you?”

  “Whoa. Hold on. She told me nothing other than you needed to be able to trust me in order for me to help you. I’ve done nothing very trustworthy in the last two years. Have I?”

  His words seemed to surprise her. “I haven’t been very good at giving you what you need either.”

  “Well, that stops now. Two weeks. We’re going and maybe one day I can instill trust in you. Maybe one day you can tell me what’s wrong so I can help you. Know this, no matter what you tell me, I’ll be here for you.” David could see such pain in her eyes and he wanted to beg her to tell him, to give him some idea of what she was dealing with. But he was going to give her space and time to heal and time to believe in him. God, he loved the woman so much.

  “I love you. I just need time.”

  “I know you do. I’ll be here.”

  Shannon rubbed her arms and nodded before heading for the door. “Don’t worry about the bitch. If she comes around my office, I’ll take care of her.”

  David chuckled. “I know you will.” He waited until she walked inside before leaning over the railing, tears slipping from his eyes. Was he strong enough? His heart racing, he was so happy he’d made the arrangements to go to the camp. Even the lovely space in Hilton Head was going to give them some respite. Now, if only they could heal all the wounds buried deep inside. If only.

  “David.”

  A shiver raced down his spine from the single word. For some reason, he knew not to turn around. “Yes?”

  “I was married before.”

  The way she said the words meant the marriage had ended badly. He remained quiet, but nodded his head.

  “I was young and stupid and I thought he loved me. For a little while everything was okay and we were fairly happy. Money was tight. He lost his job and started drinking and… well, we were about ready to get kicked out of our house. He changed. He became abusive and beat me. I got away from him once, but you know how it goes. I was in love and he begged me to come back. He’d found a temporary job and things went back to normal.”

  Hearing the anguish in her voice, David turned and gripped the railing and swore he’d kill the motherfucker if the asshole was alive. No one was ever going to hurt her again.

  “Um… anyway, things went from bad to worse. He went back to the abusive man he was. I had no friends. He’d isolated me completely and I had no one to turn to.” Her face was ashen and she nibbled on her bottom lip before starting again. “I, um, met a really nice man at the library. We talked and found mutual interests. The library was the only place he’d let me go alone. I found such peace in reading.”

  “I can understand.” David heard the skips in her voice.

  “Anyway, Jeffrey and I got closer, and I truly looked forward to meeting him every other day or so. He was such an amazing guy. We ventured out, got coffee, then a drink. One thing led to another and we started having an affair. The time was incredible.” Shannon’s eyes lit up. “I was gathering the strength to leave Mark. I was almost at that point and then…”

  “Mark found out.”

  Shannon nodded. “Went ballistic and um…” Tears rolled down her face.

  David couldn’t stand it any longer, the tall and very beautiful woman he’d married didn’t seem to exist. In her place was a frail girl, one so frightened and so lost. He walked toward her and stopped when she held out her hand.

  “He found me in his arms and dragged me out of the hotel room. He was so pissed.”

  David moaned audibly and slapped his hand over his mouth. My God. How could she have endured this? He knew what was coming.

  “When we got home, he beat me badly. I was left bloody and I would have died had it not been for Tina. That’s the night we became friends. She helped get me to the hospital. And it’s, um, not that I didn’t want kids. It’s that I can’t have them.”

  There was something about her admission, a story told with emotion, but so matter of fact, that it touched his soul. David allowed the tears to flow as he stumbled toward her, half expecting her to race away. When she lifted her head and smiled, he wrapped his arms around her. “Mother fucking monster.”

  “That’s not all. Mark went completely crazy, hunted my Jeffrey down and... and in a fit of rage, he…” Sobbing, Shannon wiped her eyes as she took a step back from him.

  “Fuck.” David pressed the back of h
is hand across his mouth.

  Nodding, she darted a quick look in his direction. “Mark beat the shit out of him. Jeffrey died from his injuries.”

  “Jesus Christ!” He’d never expected this. Never.

  “Yeah, I was in shock and if it hadn’t been for Tina, I don’t think I could have survived. Mark was sent to prison for manslaughter. And he just… well, he recently got out of prison.”

  “The nightmares?” David whispered the question.

  “Yeah. I can’t and won’t see the fucker again. I just can’t.”

  “You never have to.” This time he walked closer, his heart racing.

  Shannon exhaled slowly. “When you hit Zach…” Her voice trailed off.

  “You relived it.”

  “Yes.”

  “Sweet Jesus, I’m an idiot.”

  Touching his arm, Shannon shook her head. “No, you’re my savior. Always.”

  David was awe struck by her love and her beauty. “My beautiful wife. Why did you decide to tell me?”

  “This was my decision because I trust you so much and I love you with all my heart. You are the love of my life.”

  As she nuzzled into him, David had a feeling the monster wasn’t out of her life yet. He wasn’t going to push her, but he would find out. “Now, we heal together. I’ll be here for you no matter what.”

  Easing back, she nodded. “I know. Now, I can see forever together.”

  As they held each other, David shivered and prayed to God he had the strength. The next chapter was going to be the most difficult of his life, but he was going to let nothing stand in the way of helping her heal. And in the end, maybe he could as well.

  “I love you.”

  The End

  Discipline

  Imperfect Consequences Book Three

  Piper Stone

  Chapter 1

  “Respect. You don’t know how to respect me.”

  “Redemption,” Shannon countered, glaring at her husband. “That’s exactly what I need, David, and in truth, that’s the one thing I deserve. Especially since you can’t give me any honesty.”

  “What did you say to me?” David’s voice boomed.

  “You heard me. I can’t trust anything you say any longer.” She knew she’d gone too far, especially since they’d both made some mistakes, but she was overwhelmed by raw emotions. She could see the anger in his eyes building to full blown rage. When he walked closer, she tipped her head, defiance crisscrossing her face.

  David exhaled slowly as he stood over her, his breath sounds ragged. Without saying a word, he turned and walked toward the front door, snagging his keys. He stopped just as he placed his hand on the doorknob. “We’re going to talk about this later. No matter what you and I are going through, I’m still in charge in this household and you completely disrespected me. We’ll talk about your punishment later. Be here by five thirty and…”

  “But I can’t. I have a client,” Shannon interrupted. The look on his face was so cold. She swallowed hard and lowered her head. “Yes, sir.”

  “Five-thirty sharp.”

  Shannon Parker stood with her hand on the glass, her fingers flexed. She winced and could still hear the clatter of the door slamming hard enough the knickknacks in the hall cabinet clanged together. Punishment? David was going to spank her ass until she couldn’t sit down for a week and she deserved every hard strike. Whatever had given her the audacity to challenge him this morning was beyond her. Granted, they’d been dealing with a hell of a lot as of late, but her behavior was reprehensible. They were both just so stressed over work and life. No excuses, though. None. Fidgeting, she glanced at her watch. Five thirty was going to come soon enough. She didn’t fear his discipline, in fact, she needed his strong hand, but she knew they were both reaching the end of their ropes.

  There were at least a half-dozen reasons her heart was racing. Her ex-husband was now out of prison, parts unknown, but she knew he was going to hunt her down. She was actually surprised she hadn’t heard more about him. Mark was no doubt developing a game plan. Why now? Why? Her marriage was falling apart, their life sharing a domestic discipline relationship no longer providing the needed structure. Her career as an attorney was floundering, given her inability to focus. Then there were the horrendous nightmares keeping her awake every night. Thoughts of suicide had crept into the back of her mind. As the sun shimmered in through the window, she rested her head on the glass. Tears streamed down her face and at this moment, all she wanted to do was die.

  “You can’t think this way. You have to be strong.” She was a woman who usually forged her way through difficulties without being phased, but her heart was aching so much. She’d had nightmares about her ex, worried he might try and hurt David. Mark was an abusive, angry man, one with a need for revenge. Mark’s demons had remained, even after all of the years of incarceration. Then again, prison wasn’t what the poor wretch needed. She suspected he was bi-polar, but no one had listened to her after the horrific incident.

  A glimmer of sun caught her eye, a hint of warmth crossing her face. David hadn’t called, hadn’t texted her once, and he always did. No matter how horrific their arguments in the past, he’d always called her. While the fact remained, he was head of household and had been for several months, he’d always made certain she knew what to expect in the way of discipline. Not this time. David was beyond furious with her. So was her boss. Blowing off her client was the last thing she should have done. She had a few days to finish one hot case before she went away on vacation and blowing off the meeting today would most likely come with consequences.

  Vacation. Going away for an all intensive domestic discipline retreat couldn’t exactly be called a vacation. But they’d both agreed they needed time alone to work on their marriage. Well, that was before everything seemed to fall apart.

  When she heard the front door open and close, her entire body tingled from both desire, as well as apprehension. David’s presence always had an electric affect on her, especially when he entered the house silently. My lord, the man was pissed. Shannon resisted turning around. For a few minutes, she’d thought about putting out his favorite implements that he used for punishment. She even had gone so far as to pull out the wooden hairbrush, rubbing her hand over the dense bristles, smacking herself on the thigh. Then she’d grabbed the paddle, the one that had a home on the back of the closet door.

  Merely thinking about how hard the strikes hurt when he disciplined her with the hole-filled paddle gave her tremors. Finally, she moved to the back of their walk-in closet and fingered his selection of leather belts. There was no telling what he was going to use, maybe more than one. Shannon clenched her ass muscles as she thought about the last time he’d been this angry. Sitting had been nearly impossible for two days. To think, she had court in the morning. Envisioning the judge glaring at her as she attempted to defend her client was somehow debilitating. She groaned softly and closed her eyes.

  She heard his keys being placed in the small container in the kitchen, the thumping noise something she’d come to expect. Then she knew he would slide his briefcase next to the desk in the den and carefully hang his suit jacket in the closet before he’d approach her. He was meticulous with his routine, no matter what was going on. His lingering musky cologne filled her nostrils, the scent encouraging her pussy muscles to clench.

  “Whew.” A single moan escaped her lips. Shannon was happy she could still appreciate the simple things about their marriage. She loved him with all her heart. Sadly, she was just terrified even delving into domestic discipline hadn’t been enough to help what continued to be a difficult and argumentative relationship. And she was all to blame. At least tonight she would take her punishment without complaining, merely accepting the fact her mouth was a huge part of their problem.

  When she heard him come into the living room, still remaining silent, she bit her bottom lip to keep from crying. A full two minutes went by.

  “Shannon. Please go undress. Then st
and in the corner until I’m ready to talk to you about this morning,” David stated.

  She could hear such tension, as well as sadness in his voice. Easing back from the window, she couldn’t bring herself to look at him. “Yes, sir.” Every step seemed to be more difficult, her nerves raw with emotion. When she entered the bedroom, she took a full minute to scan the entire perimeter. They’d enjoyed so many passionate moments right in this room, as well as pillow fights and grueling discussions. They’d had many breakfasts in bed and times when he comforted her during bouts of emotions and tears. They’d talked for hours, sharing fears as well as burning desires, both personally and because of their respective careers.

  Shannon had never been this close to another man, especially not her abusive, drunk ex-husband. She had to stop this. Comparing or even thinking about her past wasn’t going to do this situation any good. She had to face facts. Her marriage to David had always had a shadow sitting on her shoulder. David had endured many a harsh word because of Mark’s nasty demeanor. She owed David forgiveness, if nothing else.

  After removing all her clothes, carefully folding each piece and placing them on top of the dresser, she whimpered. Just once. David was fair in his methods and amount of discipline. He knew when she’d had enough, and how much the particular infraction required. For some reason, she was still nervous, more than usual. She slowly twisted the switch on top of the nightstand, the click as the warm glow illuminated the room giving her a start. A single nervous laugh slipped from her mouth and as she turned to face the wall, she caught her reflection in the mirror. Shannon shook her head.

  The walk from the corner closest to the head of the bed seemed like forever. She stood with her feet together, her arms by her side, gliding forward until she was a mere inch or so from the wall. Corner time was meant for her to reflect on her behavior, the simple act allowing her to refocus. The time spent in the corner varied, depending on the severity of the infraction. Talking back, he loathed. Disrespecting David was incomprehensible. Then there was lying.