e said no. You should have told her you were being punished and you couldn’t leave the house. This is unacceptable, Addy.”
“I know. I really am s-sorry. I felt b-bad the entire time.”
“Not a fun trip out then?” Dash asked.
She shook her head.
“Dash was worried when he couldn’t find you. So was I. We had no idea where you were. I hope you bought some things, because you won’t be shopping for quite a while.”
Addy nodded. She’d figured that.
Dash shook his head. “We were feeling sorry for you. That’s why I came home early, to tell you that you could use the computer and the TV again. Instead, I found my disobedient brat had run off.”
Addy shifted, groaning as she realized how close she’d been to the end of her punishment.
“I don’t suppose you’d still consider doing that?” she asked hopefully.
Dash snorted. “Oh no, baby girl, you’ve earned a whole new punishment for this.”
“For the next two weeks you are not to talk to Michelle,” Eliot interjected. “And you are going to be getting a morning and evening spanking.”
Addy gulped but didn’t dare protest.
Eliot brushed her hair back from her face. “I love you, Addy-girl. I don’t like seeing you sick.”
“And I don’t like not knowing where you are or if you’re safe,” Dash interjected.
“We’d rather you spoke up and talked about your frustration with us than take off and not let us know where you’re going, okay?” Eliot said.
Addy smiled at that. “You’d have spanked me if I protested your punishment.”
“Not if it was done respectfully, sweetheart. We love you; we’ll always try our best to listen, okay?”
She nodded at Eliot’s words. “I love you guys too.”
“Why didn’t you just tell Michelle you couldn’t go shopping?” Dash asked. “Shopping is hardly a good enough reason to gain more punishment.”
She shifted uncomfortably. “Shopping is important to Michelle. And, well, I didn’t want her to know I’m still being punished.”
“Why not?” Eliot asked with a frown. “It’s not like Michelle has never found herself in the same position.”
“But Michelle thinks I’m weird because I need it,” Addy explained.
Dash held her tight as Eliot grasped her chin, forcing her to look at him.
“You know there’s nothing wrong with you, don’t you, Addy? There is nothing wrong with needing to be held accountable for your actions, for needing us to take charge and punish you when necessary. You are a strong, beautiful, capable woman.”
Addy smiled. “I know. It just surprised me. I thought she was the same as me.”
“She is, darling,” Dash said. “She’s just lying to herself. Don’t worry, Michelle will find her way.”
*****
“Evening, honey, yum this looks great. What did I do to deserve this?”
Michelle smiled at the pleased look on Rick’s face as he took a look at the roast with all the trimmings she’d made for dinner.
“Guilty conscience,” she admitted as her stomach churned.