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Tears pricked at Casey’s eyes. She felt humiliated. Melissa caught sight of Casey’s dismay and intervened.
“Stop that,” she said smartly. “It’s not your business. How would you feel if we read your private messages?”
The sharp tone halted the other two, and they saw the distress in Casey’s face. The phone was quickly handed back by Vicky, who sensed her vulnerability.
“Sorry,” said Vicky. “It’s the drink.”
Casey clutched the mobile in her hand and kept her lips tight together before giving a small nod of understanding.
The evening did not truly recover from the infraction. Attempts were made to return to the jovial tone of the earlier hours, but the moment had been lost and Casey was tired. Just before midnight, her friends left, and each offered one last apology as they stepped outside.
Sleep was a restless affair that night. Tossing under the sheets, Casey could not escape from the sense of guilt. She should have ended the distant conversation and informed Rob she was not alone. She should have focused on her guests and not on her slutty thoughts. Much as she missed Rob, she had allowed herself to be distracted. He would be angry at her and her lack of discretion.
The next day she carried out her allotted tasks and then moped about the house. It was no good. She needed to be occupied, because Rob was due back later in the day. She polished the silver cutlery in the dining room, and the vases were treated to fresh flowers from the garden. By the afternoon, even the kitchen cupboards were emptied and wiped down. Replacing the contents, Casey carefully aligned the labels to the front, just as Rob liked the cupboards to be arranged.
In the distance she heard the old oak door shut with a shudder. Casey raced to greet Rob.
* * *
The kiss was lingering, the embrace long and warm. He sniffed her hair and ran his hand up and down her back before releasing his grip on her body.
“I missed you, sweet Casey,” he murmured. “I’m also tired and hungry.”
Casey had put much effort into cooking a meal for Rob. She had set the dining room table with the silverware and poured a glass of wine for him in the crystal cut glass. The meal was conducted in silence, allowing Rob to savour and digest his food. It was as he brought his knife and fork together that he finally addressed Casey’s worrisome demeanour.
Casey could not help her emotions. They were untamed and displayed themselves on her features blatantly—the fretful mannerisms as she twirled her hair in a finger, tapped her toes on the wooden boards, and avoided Rob’s observant dark eyes. He smelt the fresh roses in the vases and saw the sheen on the cutlery, and he was sure there had been other unusual improvements in the removal of clutter about the house.
“Tell me,” he said simply.
Her approach to his request was to crash and burn before his eyes.
“Oh, punish me, Rob,” she wailed outlandishly. “I’ve been so indiscreet and indifferent to our privacy.”
“Indiscreet?” Rob sat back in his chair, concerned. “With your friends? Last night?”
“You will have to spank me severely,” rambled Casey. “That ghastly cane you dispense so viciously when I’ve been very bad…”
Rob interrupted, placing his hand on her jittery arm. “Casey, calm down. What are you trying to tell me?”
Casey recounted how their texts were seen by her friends after the phone was snatched from her hand. “They handed it back and apologised,” she said in conclusion.
Rob pursed his lips. “I should hope they did. Are they still your friends?”
“Yes, I suppose so. I didn’t kick them out.” Her voice lowered. “I suspect we were all a little drunk.”
“I see.” Rob cocked his head to one side and noted Casey’s trembling lips. “Now I know why there are flowers everywhere and the silverware looks immaculately polished. An attempt at winning me over? Or maybe you sought to keep yourself occupied.”
Casey said nothing. Her eyebrows knotted quizzically. Rob had to smirk at the unveiling of her distraction activities.
“My dear girl, did we mention spanking or kink?” he asked, causing her to recall their words of exchange, and she shook her head.
“I did imply I have to seek permission for touching,” she reminded him.
“Many girls would tease their boyfriends with such remarks. No, there was nothing in our dirty words to imply your devotion and obedience to me. What they read were the sexy thoughts of lovers.”
Casey visibly sighed with relief. “You’re not going to spank me?” she asked with trepidation.
“You say that as something you wish for,” he said.
