Chapter One
Cancer, oh, lord, she had cancer.
Mari sobbed, letting her pain, her fear break free. She’d been holding her worry inside for too long. Now, she had an outlet.
Her flaming bottom had provided that.
She stood in the corner of the living room like a naughty little child. Her nose firm against the wall, her hands on her head, her skirt tucked up to reveal her naked, red buttocks.
And she sobbed. Huge, loud sobs that rocked her very soul.
Not because her butt hurt. Well, it did. But she’d had plenty of roasted bottoms in her time— none of them had ever caused a reaction like this.
Cancer. She had cancer.
“Honey, calm down or you’ll make yourself sick.”
Mari heard the worry in Dan’s voice. Knew her husband was wondering if he’d been too harsh with her. But she couldn’t make herself stop crying long enough to reassure him.
“She’s still crying?” Jake, her other husband, asked as he entered the room. “I’ve seen her endure worse spankings with less reaction. What the hell is wrong, Mari?”
She shook her head, unable to explain. Dan placed his hands on her shoulders, turning and tucking her into his chest. Mari dropped her arms and hugged his waist. He kissed the top of her head, crooning to her softly.
God, how could she tell them? This would devastate her men. They’d lost their mother to breast cancer. Watched her die. She knew this would ruin their happiness, completely turn their world upside down. They’d been her rock for so long. Her men, her life.
No, she couldn’t tell them. She had to do this on her own.
Dan picked up his slight wife, easily carrying her over to the sofa. He sat, settling her on his lap, ensuring that her sore bottom wasn’t resting on his hard, jean-clad thighs. He tucked her head beneath his chin and started rocking her. Sobs rocked her body as she continued to cry, breaking his heart.
Dan hated causing her pain, hated listening to her cry but he firmly believed that it was better she have a sore butt than think she could risk her safety without consequence. If a spanking helped her to remember to look after herself then he was prepared to listen to her pain-filled cries each time.
But not this. This was different. These cries sounded like her heart was breaking and it was tearing him in two.
Had he been too hard on her?
Had he bruised her? Harmed her?
“She deserved the spanking,” Jake said calmly, as always able to read what his brother was thinking. “She knows better than to climb a ladder. If she had fallen, she could have been seriously injured. She knew the consequences of what she was doing.”
Dan knew his brother was right. Mari knew the rules well and had chosen to deliberately disobey them. But knowing she’d earned the spanking was little consolation as deep shudders rocked her slight body and his t-shirt became soaked with her tears. Some crying and sobbing was expected. But this was over the top.