Page 13 of His Loving Guidance
Ben needed to be firmer with Gina. If she continued putting herself at risk and disobeying him, he would seriously consider the use of physical discipline. He swallowed hard, praying she didn’t leave him if he had no choice but to resort to putting her over his knee and spanking her bare bottom.
God, he loved her. He couldn’t imagine life without her. But he also couldn’t imagine life to continue on as it had for the last few weeks. He stood up and began clearing the table, determined more than ever to make his errant young wife see reason. Even if it took a sore behind to make her grasp it.
* * *
Gina sat on the bed, hugging herself. She felt utterly lost and out of control. Shame swept through her at the memory of how rude she’d been to her husband. But she wasn’t a child, and he had no business forbidding her from going out with Chelsea, even if Chelsea didn’t always make the best decisions. Didn’t he trust her?
Fatigue descended on her, as well as a heavy dose of guilt. The last few weeks since Chelsea had come back to town had been a blur of activity. Initially, she had been overjoyed to reunite with her old friend, and she had thought their first few outings to bars had been to celebrate their reunion. However, it was now clear to Gina that Chelsea had a drinking problem. She also went home with a different man every night.
Gina felt sorry for her friend, but every time she suggested they see a movie or go out to dinner, Chelsea teased her that she didn’t know how to have fun anymore and had turned into a square. Maybe Gina needed to learn how to stick up for herself better, but for now it was too late. She’d already promised to pick Chelsea up at seven tomorrow evening. She didn’t want to go back on any promises.
Ben’s mention of the rumors surrounding her friend’s past circled in her mind. Was it really possible Chelsea had been in a jail? If so, what crime could she have committed? Gina gulped hard and nerves tightened her stomach. Chelsea didn’t drive and claimed her license had been revoked due to a series of speeding tickets and fender benders. She also didn’t work and seemed to mooch off of her grandmother, the elderly woman she was supposed to be taking care of.
Childhood memories danced through her mind, and Gina smiled as she recalled all the fun times she’d had with Chelsea. They’d become friends in kindergarten and had remained best friends until Chelsea’s parents got divorced and she moved away in the fifth grade, all the way to the west coast. They’d exchanged letters for a short time, but Gina had stopped sending her letters after Chelsea stopped responding to them, when they were both twelve.
She sighed, her heart sinking with the realization that her friend had been exceedingly vague about her life up until now. She claimed to have worked retail jobs until her family begged her to come live with her grandmother, but damn it Ben was right. Chelsea’s grandmother was in great health and didn’t seem to need a caretaker.
But Ben had also been too bossy. Who did he think he was, telling her she wasn’t allowed to visit bars anymore? She tried to ignore the heated tingling between her thighs as she recalled his stern, commanding tone. He’d never stood up to her so firmly before. Of course, she hadn’t given him cause to until now.
Doubts paraded through her psyche. Had they gotten married too soon? Didn’t they know each other well enough yet? If she didn’t know better, she would think he worried about her meeting a man at a bar and cheating on him. Their one-year wedding anniversary was coming up in two months, and she suddenly worried for their future. Would there be other times when he forbad her from doing something? Other times he laid down the law as if he were her parent?
Ben was a manly man. Tall, muscular, ruggedly handsome with dark hair and eyes. He was successful and owned the most reputable car repair shop around. He was well-respected in town, and she’d felt like the luckiest girl in the world on the day they became husband and wife. But now…now she wondered how the man she loved could be so controlling.
Ignoring the strange fluttering sensation in her stomach as she replayed the conversation they’d had in the dining room over and over again, she resolved to make him understand they were equals and he couldn’t treat her like a child. She would do as she pleased, and that meant she would still go out with Chelsea tomorrow night, even if Ben didn’t approve.
In truth, she dreaded bar hopping with her friend yet again, but she couldn’t back down and let Ben think she was staying home simply because he’d ordered her to. No way. Whatever had gotten into her husband, hopefully he would stop acting like a caveman after she demonstrated her independence.
She heard the clinking of plates downstairs as Ben cleared the dining room and tried to push aside her guilt over him cleaning up because she’d stormed off. Normally they cleared the dining room and cleaned the kitchen together after dinner each night. It was a ritual she mourned for right now. If they hadn’t gotten into a fight, they would be talking and laughing together. Now instead they would probably spend the remainder of the night in tense silence.
She headed to the bathroom, planning to get ready for bed and fall asleep before he ventured upstairs. Well, at least pretend to be asleep. As fast as her mind was racing, she doubted sleep would come easily.
A thought struck her. She’d never gone to bed mad at Ben. Until now. At this realization, her heart plummeted to the floor. She didn’t like what was happening between them, but she didn’t know how to stop it.
