Free Unexpected Consequences by Cara Bristol

not to and then hid them. When I confronted her, she lied.” Jared shrugged. “I don’t care if she buys a dozen pairs of shoes. I wanted to see if she trusted me enough to follow my direction. She didn’t.” His chest tightened. Melania had not only disappointed and angered him, she’d hurt his feelings. Her trust in him wasn’t wholehearted; it was conditional.
    Tucker squinted through the cigar smoke. “Don’t take it so personally, man. If our wives were perfect, they wouldn’t need to be spanked. The purpose of discipline is to correct those lapses.”
    Otis puffed on his cigar. “Tucker is right. Trust takes time to grow, but appropriate discipline can hasten the process. You took the first step today.”
    The knot of uncertainty in Jared’s chest loosened, but vestiges of doubt remained. “Maybe I just should have given her a few swats. Let her become accustomed to being disciplined first.”
    Otis looked at him. “You know Melania better than anyone. What does your gut tell you? If you expect her to trust your judgment, you have to trust it too.”
    Jared nodded at the wisdom of Otis’s words. He’d given careful forethought and consideration whether to discipline Melania. It wasn’t until afterward, when he saw how upset she was, that doubt had crept in. Of course she wouldn’t want to be spanked; it was unpleasant. She was bound to be upset and even pout a little afterward. As the leader, it was his duty to decide what was right for both of them. His heavy mood lightened a little more. Otis was correct; he needed to trust his judgment.
    “That’s good advice.” Jared raised his glass to Otis.
    “No matter how prepared you think they are, the first time—the first few times—requires an adjustment period on our wife’s part and ours as well,” Otis said. “Your Melania is only a little older than Liz was when I first married her. Lizzie was still in college and hadn’t decided on law as a career yet. Even though I made sure she was fully aware of my expectations, we went through a transition period.
    “In the short term, discipline changes behavior. But to change attitude takes a while. A woman must process the experience, to think about why she was disciplined.” Otis set his cigar in an ashtray. “Give Melania that processing time. Expect a little sulking. Just don’t allow it to drag on. If that happens, you’ll have to step in again.”
    Otis glanced at Tucker. “And for a woman to have been spanked right before dinner guests descended upon her, I’d say Melania recovered her poise exceedingly well.”
    “Absolutely,” Tucker agreed.
    “Thank you,” Jared said. Melania had avoided him until the arrival of their guests. During dinner she was quiet and not her bubbly self, although she acted gracious to their guests and made every effort to welcome them. She hadn’t permitted the spanking to interfere with her duties as hostess. Because he knew her, he could see the difference, but he doubted the others could.
    Tucker crossed his legs, then braced an ankle on his knee. “I started spanking Candi while we were engaged. She pouted quite a bit at first.” He chuckled. “Still does sometimes. Once I spanked her twice in one day—the first time for staying out too late with her friends and not calling me, and the second time for excessive pouting. Despite occasional sullenness, she’s on board with discipline, although I think being on maintenance helps. She knows when the spanking will occur and can put herself in the right frame of mind. And me too, for that matter.”
    Jared realized he’d been unrealistic in expecting a single spanking to instantly fix the situation. Domestic discipline required a lifelong commitment to the practice, much as meditation or physical exercise did. He and Melania were beginning their journey together and would find a spanking practice that provided the most beneficial outcome for them both.
    Jared returned his scrutiny to the spanking bench.