Page 29 of Disciplined

Now it was her play. She was at a crossroads.

Presley closed the laptop and set it on the coffee table. She padded back into the kitchen and grabbed her now cold cup of coffee, not even bothering to warm it in the microwave before heading upstairs to take a long shower and get dressed. She did some of her best thinking under the spray of water and today she had a lot to think about.

And on the bright side, she’d at least look her best if she did decide it was time to say goodbye.

CHAPTER NINE

CALEB

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

Why had he given Presley an ultimatum?

Caleb had picked up her shoes over two hours before and had been driving around, aimlessly wasting time, afraid to go home and find her gone.

Stop being such a pussy. You’re supposed to be the one in control here.

The only thing he’d decided for sure on his meandering drive was that he’d botched this up from the beginning. He’d been so determined not to make the same mistakes he’d made in his previous relationships, but then instead he’d fucked up in a totally different way.

Setting clear rules and consequences was one of the most important jobs for a Dom when beginning the kind of relationship he wanted. It was on him that he hadn’t pushed Presley to truly understand and commit to a DD lifestyle long before she’d crossed a line he couldn’t ignore.

Sure, he’d talked about dominance and submission, but when Presley had fallen into her sexual submission so naturally, he’d been lulled into thinking it would just extend outside of the bedroom. He should have shown her those websites months ago, let her read up and ask questions. He could have introduced the idea of maintenance spankings so they could have eased into things instead of waiting until she’d earned a true punishment. So many baby steps they could have taken.

But he’d done none of those things, and now he might lose her because of it.

In his defense, in all their time together, she’d never given him any reason to punish her, which was a miracle.

Had he been overlooking problems, too afraid to lay down the rules? Not really, but if he was honest with himself, he could see things had been brewing for a while.

Meeting the men who were dating her best friends had been a real eye opener, and like it or not, they were now at a point where they needed to solidify the foundation for the future. He just prayed that future would have Presley still at his side… and on her knees, and in his bed.

The other thing he’d figured out while driving down Rodeo Drive for the umpteenth time was that as much as he hated to admit it, he was looking forward to adding true punishments to their relationship—not because he was a monster who wanted to hurt her, although he got hard just thinking about how beautiful she would be, tears on her cheeks, the soft submission in her blue eyes as she completely turned herself over to him.

No, it was because he missed the deep intimacy a true discipline session brought. He yearned for that enhanced connection with his baby girl but knew it would only happen if she trusted him enough to lead her.

As the traffic light turned green, Caleb finally turned onto his street. He’d put it off long enough. It was time to go home and find out if he’d pushed her away.

* * *

The house wassilent when he came into the kitchen from the garage. Glancing around, their breakfast still sat on plates at the table, uneaten and cold. The orange juice he’d asked her to drink was still full and mocking him.

With a growing dread, he walked to the living room, his gaze going to the now empty couch. His laptop was closed and sitting on top of the unopened Sunday paper. A quick check found the first-floor bathroom and his home office empty as well.

He was a confident man. A boss. A leader. He owned and ran a multi-million-dollar international business. He wasn’t used to the uncertain anxiety building up in his chest.

Caleb was more comfortable being in control, but in the silence of his empty house, he had to acknowledge again that forcing Presley into a DD lifestyle was not an option. She had to make the commitment of her own free will and just like the previous women he’d attempted to build a DD relationship with, it looked like she’d decided it just wasn’t for her.

A wave of sadness so profound washed over him that he collapsed onto the couch. He’d been so sure they were perfect for each other. That she’d leave without even leaving a note was unbelievable to him. Was the idea of receiving a true punishment for broken rules so abhorrent to her that she’d just walk away without even trying to talk things out?

He wanted to be angry at her for giving up so easily, but instead, he was too tired and defeated to be mad. And anyway, he knew he deserved the lion’s share of the blame for fucking this up by not being more open about the details much earlier.

A wave of exhaustion made him want to just curl up and sleep. Not only had he not slept great the night before, but he also suspected that he hadn’t completely shaken his jet lag hangover yet.

Maybe a hot shower and a nap would help.

Caleb pushed back to his feet and moved up the stairs slowly, dreading finding his king-size bed empty, but when he pushed the door open, he ground to a halt in the doorway and gave a silent prayer of thanks.

She was still there.

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