Consequences(164)

Her shoulders ached from the pressure of his forearms. His words weren’t a revelation—Claire knew she was his possession. He continued moving closer with each word. “You are staying here tonight. You are not leaving me—my bed—or my presence”—the tears flowed—“Now it’s time for you to respond appropriately.” His weight shifted slightly.

Claire remembered times in the past when she hadn’t replied quickly enough or to his liking. She focused her energy on keeping her body from trembling; however, she couldn’t concentrate on that and tears—so, her words became muffled sobs. Swallowing hard, she tried to strengthen her voice. “I will not leave you.” “Even if I left your bed tonight,” “it would’ve only been because I’m upset,” “not because I want our marriage to be over.” She took a ragged breath—imagined his dark eyes—and thanked God the room was dark.


“Continue.”

“I will not leave your bed. I’ve agreed in the past,” “I agree now and forever” “to submit to your authority.” “I’m sorry if I’ve given you cause to break your promise.”

Inhaling, she tried desperately to defuse his temper. “If you recall—this entire incident started because I asked to be with you when you went away. I don’t want to leave you—I want to be with you.”

“Your ability to respond appropriately has benefited you on multiple occasions.”

He released her shoulders and laid his head on his pillow. She stopped sniffling and tried to regulate her breathing.

“Now, take off that robe.” As she obeyed he added, “I believe we’ll experiment with some other forms of response.” He rolled back toward her. “However, you are my partner. I don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to. So, perhaps you would rather go to sleep?”

Claire knew this was one of those offers you can’t refuse her grandmother used to talk about. She answered, “No—I’d rather respond to you.” She successfully avoided the trembling and almost stopped the tears. The end result was that her head pounded to the beat of her heart, currently too rapid.

“This time it’ll not be verbal.” His hands seized her petite frame as his domineering tone claimed her spirit. “As you may recall—this conversation is over.”

Claire closed her eyes and nodded. She did her best to ignore her headache and respond to her husband. Just before they drifted to sleep, Tony offered more information. “Courtney and Sue have called multiple times—I’ll think about their invitations. Emily has called and e-mailed. John called—he respectfully declined Tom’s offer. I believe Emily can wait.”

Claire’s heart sank. This new information no doubt influenced Tony’s temperament. She wanted to believe Tony’s offer to John was made in good faith based on John’s credentials. John’s refusal didn’t surprise Claire, though she was sure it did Tony. He didn’t often experience rejection. This wasn’t the first time she received the consequences of John’s actions.

What concerned Claire the most was her relationship with her sister, would she be allowed to speak to her or see her? She kissed Tony and sounded as compliant as she could muster. “Thank you, I would really like to see Courtney and Sue.” Claire wanted to move away from him—to the far side of the king-sized bed—or better—upstairs—but she rested her head on his chest. “I promise my memory is better.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” He slowly embraced her shoulder as his voice softened. “I need to be in Phoenix next week. It’s been in the seventies there—perhaps you can join me.”