Her Old-Fashioned Husband Page 6

  Tom glanced at the clock on her dresser. “Oh, about four hours ago.”

  “What?” Frankie stared at the clock in shock, realizing it was now two pm. “I-I-”

  “You what?” he asked calmly, his voice flat, emotionless.

  Something was very, very wrong.

  Of course something is wrong, idiot, she berated herself. You spent last night drinking and partying, you didn’t answer your husband’s phone call, you fell asleep in these god awful clothes, probably smelling like a brewery and you didn’t even wake up when your husband got home.

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t awake when you got home,” she said, trying to gauge just how angry he was. His face remained impassive, although she swore she saw his eyes flash. Damn, she wished her head wasn’t trapped in a slowly closing vice.

  “Really? Out of all the things you could apologize for that’s what you’re going to go with?” he asked coolly.

  Frankie bit her lip as she sat. She rubbed her head, trying to ease the pain.

  Tom rose and walked into the bathroom. He returned with a glass of water. He passed it to her, as well as some painkillers before returning to his seat.

  “Thanks,” she murmured, tears welling in her eyes. Had she behaved so horribly that he couldn’t even bring himself to hug her?

  “Where were you last night, Frankie?” he asked. “I called you. Heath came around to check up on you. I was awake all night worrying and it seems you were off partying and having a good time.”

  She winced. “I’m so sorry,” she began. “I went out for dinner with some friends from work and one thing sort of led to another and we ended up at a nightclub.”

  “I hope you had a really good time, sweetheart,” he interrupted. “Because that’s the last time you’ll be out partying for a very long time.”

  Frankie swallowed heavily. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that you are grounded, young lady. For two weeks. No meeting with friends, no going out for dinner with them, no talking on the phone or messaging them. No computer. I want you home each night at 5.30pm, understand me?”

  Frankie’s jaw dropped. “Grounded? You’re joking right? I’m twenty-seven years old.”

  “And you’re behaving like a spoiled teenager. Do you realize how terrified I was, Frankie? Wondering where you were? If you were hurt? If someone had attacked you? Raped you? Killed you? What were you thinking? How hard would it have been to answer your phone or hell, send me a text to let me know you were okay?”

  Guilt raged as she listened to him scold, still in that awful flat voice, his disappointment in her clear to see.

  “I know, you’re right, but—”

  “No buts, no excuses. You were already in trouble for hanging up on me. Then you blatantly disrespected me and our relationship again by disappearing without telling me where you were going. Without even sending me a simple text so I didn’t worry. I don’t know how I’m supposed to trust you to be by yourself anymore, Frankie. In fact, I don’t think I can. I can’t leave you, knowing you might foolishly place yourself in harm.”

  “I wasn’t harming myself,” she said tearfully. “I was with friends, I was safe.” She wasn’t sure why she’d done it. Tom held up a card. She gulped as she realized it was the one that man had given her last night.

  “Where did you get this from, Frankie?” he asked, his voice deadly.

  She swallowed heavily. “I-I—”

  “Think very hard about your answer, because it had better be the truth. You’re already in for a severe punishment on top of being grounded; you don’t want to add to it by lying. Now, I suggest you start at the beginning, tell me everything, including where you got those atrocious clothes from.”

  Frankie stared at him, realizing he’d never been so serious with her. He’d been angry at her before, but he’d never been like this—so very tight and controlled.

  And so Frankie told him everything. Her night out, her borrowed clothes, the nightclub and the ride home.

  Tom just stared at her for a long time when she was finished, the right corner of his mouth twitched; unfortunately she knew he wasn’t holding back a smile.

  “So let’s get this right. You went out for dinner, turning off your phone, something I have forbidden you to do.”

  Frankie winced, wanting to argue his use of the word forbidden, but knew that was the least of her worries right now.

  “And then you went to a nightclub, dressed like a slut, where you got so drunk you didn’t even know where you were, am I right so far?” he asked.

  Frankie nodded, opening her mouth to explain, but he held up a hand, stilling her. “Don’t talk, Frankie. Not yet. Just nod or shake your head when I ask a question.”

  She nodded again.

  “And then, as you were trying to figure out who to call to give you a ride home, a stranger approaches you. Instead of retreating into the club and calling one of your brothers, you instead decide to get a ride with him. A man you don’t know. A man who could have done anything to you and I would have had no idea since you told no one where you were going. Tell me, Frankie, what the hell were you thinking?”

  “I guess I wasn’t,” she said in a small voice. Yeah, she could hear how bad it sounded. “But nothing like that happened. He wasn’t a crazy killer or anything.”

  “But you didn’t know that!” he nearly yelled, shocking her. Tom never raised his voice. Well, unless he was watching football, of course.

  “You were completely vulnerable. I just-I don’t know what to do about this, Frankie. I don’t know how to instill in you a sense of self-preservation. I need to make sure this never happens again, but I...” he trailed off, just shaking his head.

  Frankie let out a sob, getting out of bed to kneel at his feet. Ignoring her queasy stomach and throbbing headache, she leaned her forehead in his lap.

  “Please, Tom, please.”

  She hated having him so disappointed in her. Hated that she’d caused this rift between them.

  “Please, what?” he asked, looking down at her tiredly.

  “Please punish me,” she begged. “I want to make this right.”

  “I don’t know if you can.”

  She shook, sobbing. No, please God, no. She couldn’t bear it if he gave up on her. “You’re leaving me?” she managed to ask.

  “Christ.” He grabbed her under the arms and lifted her onto his lap. “Of course I’m not leaving you.”

  “I’m so much trouble. I’m stupid, I put myself at risk, I worry you. You need a wife, not a rebellious teenager. Hell, even if I got pregnant, I doubt I’d make a good mother. No one would blame you if you left me. You’d be better off without me.”

  Tom tucked her head against his chest, his large hand splaying over the side of her face as he rocked her gently.

  “Hey, I do not want to hear such nonsense out of your mouth,” he said firmly. “You are not stupid. And I happen to think you’d make a fantastic mother. You’re kind, funny, smart. Baby, we’ve got plenty of time to have children, don’t we? We don’t have to rush things. I think we should take a break, I don’t like what it does to you each month, you’re spiraling into depression and I won’t have it. I’m your husband. I’m supposed to protect you from things that hurt you. And each month I see you in such pain I want to punch something. I just can’t stand it.”

  “I’m sorry,” she cried. She’d been so filled with her own misery; she hadn’t been able to see past it to see his much pain.

  “What do you say we take a year off from trying to get pregnant? Just a year to let us be by ourselves. I’d quite like to have you to myself without this pressure.”

  “What if there is something wrong with me, though?” she asked, terrified that would be the case.

  Tom kissed the top of her forehead. “We’ll get tested, put our minds at ease. Do you agree to wait, though?”

  Frankie thought long and hard. She was tired and sad. She’d been so obsessed with her need to have a baby that she hadn’t seen the effect it was having on her, her husband, her marriage. And truthfully, some time to themselves to just be together sounded ideal.

  She nodded. “We’ll wait.”

  “Thank you, baby.” He ran his hand over her hair. “I can’t just ignore the rest of it, though. Sweetheart, the last two nights I sat up worrying about you, scared you were in trouble and I couldn’t help you. If we keep going in this direction, things will end badly. I need to put a stop to it.”

  Frankie nodded, taking a big breath. She knew what needed to happen. “You should spank me.”

  Tom chuckled, surprising her. When she glanced up at him, though, his face was solemn. “Oh honey, this is going to be much harder than a simple spanking. Remember, your grounding? It’s now up to a month.”

  “But Tom,” she whined, unable to help herself.

  He stared down at her sternly. “Argue with me, young lady and I’ll double it.”

  “Tom, you’re treating me like a kid, can’t you just spank me and get it over with? Not that spanking me isn’t a kid’s punishment.” But at least then it would be over and he would forgive her, she could erase that disappointment from his gaze when he stared at her.

  “You’re never too old for a spanking,” he told her, something he’d said over and over. Hell, and before that she’d heard it many times from her brothers as well.

  “And you sure weren’t acting like an adult last night. An adult wouldn’t worry her husband the way she did. Wouldn’t act out to get attention. Wouldn’t get in a goddamned stranger’s car. I am seriously worried about you.”

  Frankie gulped.

  “No, you’re grounded for the next month so I can know where you are at all times. You go to work and then come straight home. I hate you traveling so far each day, I worry about you constantly. When you’re not at work, I want you here where I know you will be safe. I have to know where you are until I lose this tight, nasty knot inside my stomach. And you deserve this as a punishment. You’ve shown supremely poor judgment, so for a while I will be making all the decisions. Understand?”

  She nodded, chewing at her lower lip.

  “You’ll also be getting a spanking each morning and night for the next fortnight.”

  Frankie gasped, shocked. “What? But I thought you were grounding me as punishment for worrying you? Why am I being spanked?”

  “You’re being grounded because I think you should lose the privilege of being able to come and go as you please and because of your lack of respect for me and my feelings by not answering your phone or letting me know where you were going. The spankings are because of the very real danger you put yourself in. I’m very serious about your safety, Frankie, and by the end of the two weeks, you’ll know that well. And I’m not forgetting the spankings I owe you for hanging up on me and forgetting to eat dinner.”

  Frankie knew she looked like a fish, her mouth opening and closing.

  “You can’t do that.” She finally found her voice. “I won’t be able to sit at work.”

  “Then it’s going to be an uncomfortable two weeks for you,” he said calmly, his voice very firm.

  “You’re so mean, I won’t stand for this,” she cried, trying to climb off him. He held her easily, subduing her quickly as she started to struggle.

  “Just settle down,” he growled. “You don’t want to add to your spankings.”

  “You’re just a big bully, let me down!” Frankie knew she sounded like a little girl, but she couldn’t help herself.

  Tom rolled her against him so she was on her side, her stomach against his. His hand landed rapidly on her exposed buttocks. Her skirt had long since given up on covering her. It wasn’t a long spanking, but it was heavy and made an immediate impact.

  “Calm down and I’ll stop,” he told her.

  Frankie settled against him with a wail, crying. He spanked her a few more times. All her fears and upset from the last few days poured out against his shirt as he sat her up, rocking her again.

  He didn’t try to silence her, just held her and ran his hand up and down her back as she cried. By the time she’d finished, his shirt had a wet patch from her tears and she was feeling exhausted.

  “Frankie?”

  “Hmm?”

  “You know I only do this because I love you and because I believe you need this, need me to take charge. You ‘re not ever scared of me are you?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “Never. When you use that voice on me, the one that tells me you’re in charge now, my stomach drops and a kind of peace comes over me. I guess because I know you’re in charge and I trust you to take care of me. I don’t have to worry, because you’ll be there to look after me.”

  She buried her face against him in embarrassment. He kissed her forehead, rubbing her back soothingly.

  “Thank you for being so honest, baby. I know that wasn’t easy. Honey, there is something I’ve never talked about with you, because I found it too painful and because I wasn’t sure how you would react. But I’ve realized not that I can’t expect you to give me all of yourself if I’m not willing to do the same. And I want all of you, Frankie. Warts and all. You’re bottling things up, honey. There are times when I see you worrying about things, only you won’t talk to me.”

  He kissed her forehead. “Sometimes I worry about what exactly is going on inside this head of yours.” His voice grew deep. “Frankie, there is something I never want you to forget and that is that I love you and want to protect you. Never forget that.”

  “I love you, too,” she whispered.

  He kissed her. “It’s settled then. But first, there’s a question I need to ask. I want an honest answer. Do you know just who gave you a ride home last night?”

  Tom waited for her reply, praying she had no idea who had driven her home last night was. Because if she did, if she’d lied and betrayed him... well, he had no idea what he would do.

  “No. I’m sorry,” she said quickly, obviously thinking he’d be furious at her answer. “I know I shouldn’t have gotten a ride with someone I didn’t know. But he said he knew Brax and he was willing to wait with me while I called him. I just... I know there are no excuses. But his name must be on his card. I guess I should call him and thank him.”

  “No,” he said sharply. Frankie jumped in his arms, looking at him with wide, frightened eyes. Tom squashed his anger.

  “I don’t want you anywhere near this guy. Understand?”

  Frankie gaped at him. “Why? Do you know him? Is he dangerous?”

  “Yeah, I know him,” Tom said grimly. “And I wouldn’t have put it past him to set this all up just so I would have to see him again. He knows as soon as he shows his face to me he’s a dead man.”

  Rage filled his veins. His hands clenched, his jaw tensing. A soft hand ran over his face, trying to soothe him.

  “Tom? Who is he?”

  “Roarke Landon. He was my best friend’s brother. My mentor. Hell, I thought he was my friend.”

  “Was?”

  “Yeah.” He looked down at his wife, so small and delicate to him, even though he knew she didn’t believe that. “He killed Austin, my friend. He killed him. And now he’s here. But for what?”

  Frankie took a deep breath, shocked at the pained anger in her husband’s gaze. What did he mean? The man who’d given her a ride home was a killer?

  “He-he killed your best friend?”

  Tom looked down at her and sighed, his face softening. Thank God. She’d never seen him like this before.

  “Roarke is-was Austin’s older brother. I met Austin in college. We fast became best friends. He even took me home to his family’s house during the holidays. I spent a lot of time with his family, they’re really good people. Austin had four older brothers. Roarke was the oldest. To us, he was this older, together guy who had this special way with the ladies. He came and visited us at college when we turned twenty-one and took us to this club he owned. It was a BDSM club. That was our first introduction to the lifestyle. Roarke had been a Dom for years; he was well immersed in the lifestyle.”

  Frankie was shocked. BDSM? She’d read about it, she loved erotica. But Tom had never mentioned it before.

  “I wasn’t really interested in it, but Austin was. I went a few times because he wanted too. But mainly I just watched. Although I did learn a lot about spanking techniques.”

  He grinned and Frankie squirmed.

  “What went on in the clubs wasn’t real enough for me. I wanted to settle down with one person, not just play at things at clubs with different subs. I knew exactly what I wanted— domestic discipline relationship with someone I loved. Then I saw you again and I fell hard. And I knew you would benefit from having structure in your life, from discipline. Domestic discipline works well for us, don’t you think?”

  She blushed, avoiding the question. “So you’re not into the lifestyle anymore?” Part of her was relieved, she wouldn’t like to experience some of the things she’d read about. But the other part of her was curious.

  “I never really was. Although I admit there are certain parts I enjoyed. Learning how to keep in control, about how to put my partner first, her safety, her pleasure.”

  Frankie shivered at the word.

  “Did you like when I took control the other night on the phone, Frankie?” he asked, his voice deep.

  “Yes,” she whispered. She shivered at the memory.

  “Would you like more, baby? Would you like me to tie you up and have my wicked way with you? I wouldn’t mind tying you up, having you at my mercy. What do you think?” He grinned and she felt a low stirring in her gut. Yeah, that wouldn’t be too bad at all.

  She bit her lip. “I think I’d like to try that with you. I trust you.”

  Leaning down, he kissed her, his tongue tangling with hers, stirring her arousal.

  “How come you’ve never talked about Austin before? What happened?” she asked.

  Tom’s eyes grew sad. “He fell in love. She was a sub called Lou-Lou. I didn’t like her much but I respected his love for her. She was manipulative and catty. But he couldn’t see it. Roarke could, though. They had a number of arguments over her. The last argument was the worst. Roarke told Austin that Lou-Lou was only with him to get to Roarke. That it was Roarke she wanted, not Austin, not a poor, young med student. Roarke has a lot of money. He’s a powerful man, but he doesn’t let people close. No one except family. He considered me family.”

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