Page 18 of Lisa's Unexpected Valentine's Day

He took a deep breath and blew it out forcefully. “Then would you mind explainingwhyyou chose to spy on us?” He leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms over his chest.

She rolled her bottom lip under and bit down on it until she tasted pennies. A flash of anger swept through her body. How the hell was she supposed to answer that? How much more ofher pride was going to be ground out of her before the week was over?

Only in this case, she wasn’t the one who had been wronged. Out of everything that had happened to her in the past couple of days, this was one thing she deserved. She let go of the anger, and humiliation slid in to fill the empty hole it left behind.

“I don’t really know.” She sighed. “The door was open, and I-I wanted to see what it was like to have what you guys have.” The admission came softly, barely above a whisper and her glance dropped back to her lap.

“I see. I suppose we have to take some—some,” he stressed “responsibility since this would probably not have happened if the door had been closed. However, Maya neglected to inform me that we had a guest in the house.”

Lisa winced. That made things even more awkward, and she was absolutely mortified now. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that you—she said you’d understand, because it was an emergency, and it was okay. I’ll—I just need a few minutes to get everything together and then I’ll be gone. Honestly, I’m just… so sorry for all of this.”

The words came out in a stammered rush, and even as she said them, she was busy cramming things back in the bag. If he hadn’t been standing in the doorway, she might have just made a break for it and left all her stuff behind.

“Wait a second, Lisa. Slow down, take a breath and look at me.”

There was no room to argue in his tone. She wasn’t sure if he was using a judge voice or a Dom voice, but it made her want to obey. Looking at him was the last thing she wanted to do, but the instructions helped to stem the panic and after a few deep breaths, she was able to meet his eyes.

“Now, Maya was right. I’m absolutely fine with you staying here, and I certainly don’t want you sleeping in your car in anykind of weather, but especially not in the middle of winter. I’m displeased that she didn’t warn me… but that’s an issue I’ll deal with directly with her.”

“So… you don’t want me to go?” The hesitation in her voice was at least partially because she couldn’t believe he still felt that way after everything.

“No, of course not. However, we’re going to set some rules. I’ll respect your privacy, and I expect you to respect ours in the future. That means no spying, knocking before you enter a room, and if we don’t know you’re within hearing distance, I expect you to make your presence known.”

He was laying it out like she was a child who had no manners. She probably deserved that, considering, but it grated on her nerves. “I don’t usually go around spying on people, Rick,” she snapped the words and when his eyebrow slowly rose, she realized how rude she sounded.

“I just meant… this isn’t like me at all. I’m ashamed of myself, so you don’t have to worry about it happening again.”

“Good. I’m glad to hear that, because if it does, we will be having a much less pleasant conversation.”

She blinked once and then twice. The second time her eyes stayed shut for a long moment. Had he just… was that a threat? He was a Dom, so maybe he meant…

Her insides flipped and she swallowed hard. “You—you’re not talking about punishing me, are you?” She had to force the words out after several false starts.

He tilted his head, squinting, as if he couldn’t believe what she’d just asked. “No, Lisa. God, no, of course not. You don’t have to worry about that here. Just because I’m a Dominant and you’re a submissive, doesn’t mean I feel like I have the automatic right to discipline you in that way.”

Lisa shriveled inside at the underlying note of disgust in his tone. She quickly looked down. Ofcoursethat wasn’t what hemeant. “I’m so stupid,” she blurted. “I just—I wasn’t sure how it worked. I mean, I’m under your roof so I have to follow your rules and…” She trailed off feeling like an idiot.

If Rick had ever liked her, he’d certainly changed his mind about her now.

Even without looking up, she could feel the heavy weight of his gaze on her. The silence stretched out painfully, but she refused to say anything else.

Finally he did. “You’re not stupid, Lisa. And your question was reasonable, all things considered. I’m sure Maya has filled your ears with stories about her punishments. And you got to see some of how our dynamic worked in October.” He stopped and cleared his throat. “And I guess a bit more tonight, right?”

Her face couldn’t get any hotter than it already was, but his pointed question still somehow heightened her embarrassment. The urge to squirm like a guilty puppy was nearly overwhelming. “Yes.”

“Maya said you’ve never really had a Dominant. So, I’ll explain. A good Dom doesn’t use the power he has over someone outside of the scene to force them to submit to physical punishment. You need a place to stay, while we sort out your problems. It wouldn’t be ethical or moral of me to insist you accept punishment, just because I’m briefly in a position of authority as your host. Do you understand?”

His tone had been softer. He’d deliberately gentled it while he explained, and that helped some.

“Yes, Rick.” For a second she’d been tempted to call him Sir instead, but thought it might be crossing a line.

“I’m sorry for the misunderstanding. I simply meant if you can’t follow my rules, then Iwouldhave to ask you to leave, but I really don’t want to do that, and I’m sure it won’t be necessary.”

She nodded her head, finally able to meet his eyes again. “It won’t be. I promise.”

His mouth curved in the hint of a smile. “Good, then we shouldn’t have any issues. You should get some sleep.” He straightened and then turned to go, but before he’d taken a step, he paused and looked back. “You’re lucky it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to discipline you, Lisa. What you did tonight would have earned you a long hard spanking, and some other punishments besides.”

Her eyes widened and she licked her bottom lip as a nervous laugh escaped her. “Good thing then.”

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