You Said Forever (Club Decadence) (17 page)

Not wanting to prolong her torture, he quickly began, hearing Megan’s sharply inhaled breaths and yelp with the first stroke.  Once he applied all five strokes, he stepped back and let her Dom move in to provide aftercare.  As Tony released her from her bonds, Rick gathered the punishment implements and returned them to the designated area of the armoire for cleaning. That was usually the subs task.  Yes, it was a little emotional twist that most Doms employed.  The irony of a sub cleaning her own instrument of punishment wasn’t lost on him.  When he turned back he saw a penitent submissive being comforted and cuddled in a soft blanket by her loving Dom.

“I’m off to have a similar conversation with my wayward wife.  I predict next Friday evening, there will be two very sorry subbies repeating this scene,” Rick predicted.

“You mean you’ll do the same with Regan?”

Rick laughed ruefully, “Yes, little sister, but she’ll be lucky to get off so easy.”

Megan choked “Easy?” Tony laughed as he pulled his worried sub closer. “You know he won’t ever let any real harm come to her, Angel.”

Megan nodded as she thought about what a loving a relationship Rick had with her sister until the drama of the past few months crept up on them.  Marriage, it really took a lot of hard work.  Smiling wanly she showed she forgave his involvement in her punishment by reminding him, “Love you, Rick.”

“Back at you, Meg.” And he was out the door.

Chapter Twenty-One

Regan poured herself another glass of wine, her fourth.  She was home again.  After the meeting at Rossi, Rick had dropped her there with a warning to stay out of trouble and then gone back to work.  She had no car and Rick had ordered her not to leave the house.  Where did he think she’d go?  She didn’t even have her cell phone, having lost it in the chaos of the last twenty-four hours.  She felt like a prisoner in solitary confinement.  Yeah, old warden Spencer probably wouldn’t like her afternoon wine tasting, but she didn’t really care.  She giggled as she defiantly sipped more of her wine.  Considering the mess her life had become recently, if anyone deserved a drink, it was she.

Her new tabby cat meowed as she climbed into Regan’s lap, purring and begging for attention.  At least she had her for company.  The front door slamming startled her cat that clawed her bare leg as she flew out of her arms.  Dabbing at the bloody scratch with her cloth napkin, she looked up to see her angry man stalking into the living room.

“Dammit Regan.  You forgot to activate the security system.  The only reason we don’t assign a man to you at home is because of the security system.  I could have been a thief, a rapist or a murderer for all you knew.”

Regan giggled “I thought the prison guard was on duty outside.  ‘Sides, rapists and murders don’t usually just drive up to the front of a house in broad daylight and walk in the front door.  Do they, Bear?”  Having gathered her frightened cat, she poured herself more wine then giggled as she plopped back on the couch, cuddling the timid creature in her arms.

“Shows what you know about murderers, thieves and rapists.”  He noticed her incessant giggles then and demanded, “Are you drunk?”

“Yep.”

“It’s only 2 o’clock in the afternoon.”

“Yeah but it’s 5 o’clock somewhere.” She thought that was hilarious and laughed uproariously by herself before she took another slurp of wine from her glass.  Still giggling she looked way, way up at her husband as he moved in close and stared down at her as the cat pawed at her thighs attempting to make a place for a nap.

“Is that your cat?”

“Yep.  Would you like to pet my pussy?”  Again she giggled hysterically at the crude joke until the cat jumped down, disturbed from all the noise and jostling.  “Oops, too late.  You snoozed so you losed.”  Suddenly she frowned up at him.  “Can you sit down, Bear?  You’re hurting my neck being so tall and looking so scary.”  A little burp slipped out involuntarily and she started giggling again.  “E-scuse me.”

“You’re wasted.”  He bent down and snagged the near empty wine glass from her hand and the bottle from the table.  So much for setting the little woman straight, he’d have to sober her up before he came down on her deceitful ass.

“Hey, thash mine.”  She slurred her words in protest and stumbled after him reaching for the bottle as he poured it down the kitchen sink.  “No fair.  I’m just a little bit tipsy.”

“Tough. I think you’ve had plenty.  Besides, you know you’re not supposed to drink while on those meds.”

“Who cares?  Anyway, I quit taking them so I can drink all the wine I want.”

“I care.”  He turned and folding his arms over his chest leaned back against the kitchen counter and looked down at her.  He sighed heavily.  What was it with her and taking medication?  How was she ever going to break out of this depression if she didn’t take her meds?  He couldn’t confront her like this, she was a mess.  Or, maybe...  Yes, alcohol had always loosened her tongue.  Maybe he could for once get some honest answers from his naughty, lying, scheming little wife.

He couldn’t help but smile as he took in her appearance.  She made a very cute drunk.  Her hair was piled up on top of her head in a messy bun and her cheeks had a rosy glow from the wine.  She had looked too pale lately.  Her short, navy blue T-shirt revealed her flat sexy stomach and the low riding khaki shorts exposed a whole lot of smooth, silky thigh.  He noticed her feet were bare and she had cotton candy pink polish on her cute little toes.  “I’ve really missed you Regan.”

“I misssed you, too, Bear.”

He smiled at the use of the present tense. “When’d you get the cat?”

“As soon as I moved into the apartment, I was lonely all by myself.”

“I was lonely, too.  It felt like you were gone for an eternity.”

“Yeah, and being away from home made me lonely, fasher.  I mean faster.” She frowned as if just realizing she was slurring her words, then she shrugged and giggled some more.

That she was still calling their house home gave him hope.  He leaned down to pick up the black and gray striped cat that was wending its way through his legs, rubbing against him and meowing the whole time.  He noticed it had pretty blue eyes like Regan’s.  She purred in appreciation as he cuddled her against his broad chest.  “She’s a pretty kitty. What’s her name?”

“Lady Marmalade”

“Original name.”

“You ‘member the song?  She was a seducer of men, you know… a prostitute.” She said the last in a stage whisper, giggled then began to a goofy, dance as she sang an off key version of the song. “
Voulez-vous choucher avec moi, ce soir.
”

Releasing the cat, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her hips in close against his.  He swayed with her as she sang and laughed when she forgot the words and hummed instead.  “I’d love to
coucher avec vous
tonight babe, but we have some serious business to take care of first, yeah?”

“You’re silly, Bear.  You can’t sleep with me tonight; we’re separated, remember?”  Her guard was down and she remained playful.  She was sliding her hands up and down his arms, admiring his biceps and forearms still humming.  “You are so strong and sexy.”  She pressed her nose against his chest and inhaled. “Smell good, too.”

“Thank you.  I miss this playful side of you.  Too bad you had to get drunk before you let this Regan come out to play again.”  He kissed her softly once then continued.  He seemed to be lecturing a lot these days, just like Tony.  “And yeah, I remember we’re separated all right.  How could I forget the longest, worst two weeks of my entire life?  I remembered every time I came home to this empty house.  Or slept alone in our bed and smell your perfume that’s still on your pillow.  I remembered every time I pulled into the garage to see your Escalade gone.  It made me think of spending all the long lonely years ahead of me without you.  It’s like a knife in the gut, babe.”

“Oh, Bear.” Regan cried and buried her face in his neck.  “I don’t want you to be alone and sad like me.  All I do is cry anymore.  I’ve turned into a great, big crybaby.  How can you stand me?  I can barely stand myself.” She smiled faintly as he tucked a handful of tissues in her hand. “Thanks, I think we’re
going to have to buy stock in Kleenex.”  She went back to giggling drunkenly again, evidently thinking she was brilliantly witty and then mopped her face and blew her red nose. 

“Let’s sit and talk for a while, OK?”

“OK.  Can I have a wine cooler out of the fridge?  I’m not done getting drunk and feeling sorry for myself yet, but some big meany dumped my wine down the sink.”  She pouted prettily up at him.

“Well, since you’re not taking your meds anymore, I guess it doesn’t matter.” Rick wanted to keep her buzz going long enough to get some answers from her.  He pulled a wine cooler and a beer for himself out of the fridge.  He remembered the walk through he did of her crappy apartment and frowned.  He had checked out her fridge and only saw a tub of low fat cottage cheese.  Damn stubborn woman, she was going to waste away to nothing.  He grabbed a bag of chips out of the cupboard and shoved them at her. “Here, eat some of these with that cooler.   You’re nothing but skin and bones.”

He led her back to the couch and sat her down beside him.  She moved in closer, so he took the opportunity to sling an arm around her shoulders and anchor her to his side.  He was relieved when she didn’t seem to notice or mind.  He waited while she ate a handful of chips and washed them down with a big swig of her drink before beginning his questioning. 

“I saw your sister and Cap today.   They were having a very interesting conversation.”

“Yeah?”  She sipped on her Fuzzy Navel and looked up at him with a thoroughly intoxicated smile.

“Yeah.”  He couldn’t help but return her grin.  “They were arguing about your infertility treatments.  Cap thought it was the drugs that made you go off the rails, Meg thought it was the depression.”

“Well, they’re both right, I guess.” She finished off her drink and set the empty bottle on the coffee table.  She leaned into him and wound her arms around his neck, relaxing into his arms. “You always smell so good, Bear.  Just like man and sunshine.”

A short laugh escaped at that comment, not actually knowing what sunshine smelled like. “Thanks, I guess.”  He propped up his size fourteens and slid down further on the couch.  Pulling her closer until she was practically lying on top of him, he buried his face in her silky hair and sighed in contentment.  He had missed this so much.  “You always smell great, too.  Just like fresh peaches, Peaches.  Good enough to eat.”

“That’s my shampoo.  And don’t call me that, it’s a hooker’s name.”

He didn’t take the time to point out that she had named her new cat after a hooker.  He could hear the sleepiness in her voice and needed to get the conversation back on track before she fell asleep.  

“So, which did come first, babe, the fertility drugs or the depression?”

“The depression but the drugs and the hormones made it worse.  Doc said they had me on too much, making me act all crazy.” She snuggled against him, threw one bare leg over his lap and sighed.

“Who had you on too much?

“The fertility doctors at the clinic in town.  Doc said they’re quacks, but they were all I could afford.  I wanted to give you a baby so bad, Bear,”

Rick’s gut churned with emotion.  Megan was right; all of this crap was because she couldn’t get pregnant.  She went to a bunch of quacks that put her on God knows what kind of drugs and chemicals rather than coming to him.  Rick had plenty of money and could afford the best specialists and clinics in the country.  She’d chosen her doctors based on how much she could afford, rather than ask him for help.   

“Why didn’t you tell me you couldn’t have a baby?  That you were going to a specialist?  Don’t you trust me to stick by you, Regan?”

“I didn’t want to be selfish and keep you when I’m broken.  It’s not fair you’re stuck with me for a wife.  Meg gets two babies and I can’t even have one.”  The tears returned.  “I wanted you to have a son of your own like in your dreams.”  She was completely in his lap now, snuggling against him and rubbing her face against his neck.  He didn’t think she’d remember most of this in the morning.

Rick was pleased, this was working like a charm.  He didn’t feel at all guilty that he was taking advantage of her drunken state.  Why didn’t he try this months ago?  She continued her ramble. “Carry on the Spencer name you said.  I saw you with Jacob.  Couldn’t cheat you.  You deserve better, Bear, love you… so much.”  Her words became stilted and he had to strain to hear the last few as her voice softened and she drifted off.  He knew she was out when she started to snore softly, something she only did when she had too much to drink.  He smiled and kissed the top of her head.

“Naughty, naughty little subbie,” he warned his intoxicated woman, knowing full well she was beyond the point of comprehension. “You are in so much trouble, my love.  You have violated every one of our rules with your foolish antics and I’m just the man to call you on it.  Megan’s punishment will look mild by comparison.”

Rick carried her to their bed and gently tucked her beneath the covers, stroking her hair away from her face and giving her a tender kiss on the forehead.  He sat next to her for a long time, watching her sleep, listening to her breathing and soaking in her presence in his bed.  He had missed having her there.  It was as if a vital piece of him stopped working when she left.  He had been frozen, barely functional and his work had suffered.  He had been in limbo waiting for the time she’d return and make him whole again.

He stroked her back and patted her naughty behind.  His emotions were a confusing mix of love and anger, joy and exasperation, but mostly relief.  Now that he knew what she was thinking, he could deal with it.  He was feeling another strong emotion, too… lust.  Never in all the time they had been together had they gone two weeks without making love.   Except while he was deployed, of course and even then they had resorted to phone sex and Skype.  They both had strong sex drives and he was thankful they were well suited in that respect.

He squeezed a full cheek in his hand and groaned as his cock responded.  He’d just have to wait another day for sex, but he could hold her.  He stripped himself then pulled off her clothes, including her tiny lace panties.  She didn’t stir as he slipped into the bed beside her, turning her into his arms.  In their bed they slept naked, another of his rules which she had never complained about.  He slid his hands down her back and then took one glorious ass cheek in each hand and snuggled her closer until her hips cradled his erection.  Although aroused, he promptly fell into a sound sleep, the first in weeks, all because he once again had the comfort of his woman’s warm naked body full up against him in their bed where she belonged.