Page 31 of Dirty Discipline, Vol. 1

One of his biggest regrets of losing his parents so unexpectedly is that Troy never got a chance to talk about domestic discipline with his father. Only as an adult, years later, did Troy figure out the official name for their family dynamic. While he’s researched DD extensively online enough to know he longs to find a woman searching for the same intimacy in a marriage, he regrets that he can’t talk to his father about this important topic.

Uncharacteristically emotional tonight, Troy reaches down to stroke the silly piece of rock that had brought back so many memories. When the goose wobbles at his touch, Troy bends down to investigate, finding a single key smashed under the concrete statue.

A strange mix of relief and anger courses through Troy. Sure, he finally has a way into his sister’s house to await her return, but he’s not happy at all that anybody wandering by could have found the same key and be waiting in her dark house to accost his sister upon her return. He tries to shrug it off, knowing how safe the close-knit community of Eagle’s Pass is, but he plans on cautioning his sister to find a better hiding place for her backup key.

With a chuckle, he wonders what his adult sister would do if he upended her for a spanking like he’s sure their father would deliver under the circumstances were he still alive.

Suspecting Traci will need to park in her garage upon her return, Troy takes a minute to move his car across the street before grabbing his overnight bag and letting himself into her house. He feels a bit guilty for barging into her private space, unannounced, yet it is his sister, after all. He really doesn’t think she’ll mind considering he’s stayed here in her guest room on three separate occasions while on leave.

After taking his wet boots and coat off in the entry, he throws his duffle bag on the guest bed before heading to the kitchen to see what Traci has in the fridge in the way of adult beverages. He appreciates that she stocks his favorite beer when she knows he’s coming, but since she was in the dark on his plan, he only finds several large bottles of wine chilling along with a rather sad array of food. Yogurt… and more yogurt, a few half-used condiments, two cases of diet soda and Traci’s strange favorite snack food, jars of dill pickles. Right on schedule, his stomach growls.

Serves you right, asshole. You should have called her earlier today to wish her a happy birthday and find out her plans.

Troy had talked to her earlier in the week and she hadn’t mentioned any special plans for her birthday, giving him the idea of surprising her. His luck, some of her friends must have whisked her away on a weekend ski trip. That would explain the lack of food in the fridge and also why she’s not answering her phone. She must be on the slopes.

Knowing it’s too late to drive back to the city, Troy throws the one and only frozen pizza from the freezer into the oven and settles in on the couch with a glass of too-fruity chardonnay to await his gourmet dinner. He sees her normal stack of books on the coffee table. She’s never more than an arm’s length away from reading material. Rifling through, looking for something non-psychology related to read, he’s surprised to find several risqué romance novels mixed in with the heap. He starts reading a novel touting itself as ‘The hottest read of the year.’ Not exactly how he’d planned the night.

The sound of Traci’s car in the driveway jars Troy awake. He’s momentarily disoriented by his surroundings. He had fallen asleep on the couch after forcing down a few slices of frozen pizza while watching TV in the dark. The last thing he remembered was the start of the late show after the evening news. The additional loud rumble of a large truck out front confuses him. His sister drives a small hybrid, a car Troy had cautioned her against driving in Colorado winters.

He flicks the TV off with the remote, grabbing his cell phone to check the time. He glances to see it’s just after midnight. He pushes his six-foot frame to his feet to make his way to peer out the long, decorative side window flanking Traci’s front door. It’s pretty dark out, but what little light there is from the nearest streetlamp reflects off the bright white snow to cast enough light for Troy to spot his sister struggling to get out of her car, stepping into the deep snow of the driveway. What looks like a hulking football lineman is already climbing out of the cab of his jacked-up truck, parked directly behind his sister.

Shit. Isn’t she going to be surprised to see me?

Troy suddenly feels like a complete idiot for assuming his sister would be happy to have him surprise her. Clearly, she’d made other plans for her thirtieth birthday… plans he suspects she would prefer her brother not know about. She’s never mentioned seeing anyone seriously, but clearly she must have a boyfriend if she’s inviting the guy in this late.

Unsure how he should spring his surprise on his sister, he moves across the room to the bank of light switches in the kitchen not far from the front door. The houses in Eagle’s Pass all have an open floor plan and he’ll be able to turn on the lights from the kitchen and call out his ‘surprise’. Troy waits anxiously while he hears shuffling of feet on the outside front porch. He can hear his sister’s voice through the door. “Thanks for making sure I made it home, Ronnie. G’night.” If Troy didn’t know better, he could swear his sister sounds tipsy. Her words are slurred through the door.

“Oh come on, little lady. The night is young. It’s way too early for me to go home and anyway, you haven’t let me give you your birthday spanking yet. I know all you chicks from Eagle’s Pass love to have your butt lit up by a big strong guy like me. Let me in and I’ll be sure to show you and that hot ass of yours a good time.”

Troy stands frozen to his spot, in shock at his sister’s choice of a date for her thirtieth birthday, his blood pressure rising with anger directed at her escort. He prays this was a blind date or better yet, just a misunderstanding. He’s waiting for her response when he hears a thud against the front door from the outside followed by a sharp slap.

“Knock it off, Ronnie. It’s late and I ‘ave appointments in the morning. You need t’ go home.” Listening to his sister slur her words infuriates Troy.

She fucking drove home impaired. I guess her only other option had been to ride with the troll.

“Like hell I’m leaving. I spent a Goddamn fortune buying you drinks tonight. The least you can do is invite me in for one nightcap. I promise, baby, I’ll go home right after one drink.”

‘Say no… tell him to bugger off… get lost…’

What comes out of her mouth is “Well, okay, but only one dink. And no funny business.”

The jingle of keys in the lock is followed by the rush of cold air from the ongoing snowstorm outside. The front door isn’t closed one second before the hulk named Ronnie has grabbed Traci, swinging her around to press her back against her own front door, trapping her between the hard wood and the hard muscles of her unwelcome guest. The jerk is so large, Troy can no longer see any of his sister, but he does hear her struggling to free herself from the aggressor’s grip.

Troy is enraged. Flipping every light switch on at once, the entire space is immediately flooded in bright lights. Troy has to squint in the sudden blaze of white, but he has an advantage. At least he knew the flash was coming, unlike the brute manhandling his sister. Troy is sprinting by the time he gets to the front door. Not bothering to stop, he hurls his full-body weight into the side of the massive intruder, knocking the troll to the floor. He’s about Troy’s height, but based on how hard he goes down, easily seventy-five pounds heavier. The advantage of surprise coupled with the sheer velocity of his tackle have Troy successfully wrestling the asshole to the floor where Troy presses is forearm to Ronnie’s neck, cutting off his oxygen flow long enough to subdue him.

Only once Troy is relatively sure Ronnie is going to stay down without striking back does he let the high-pitch scream of his sister register.

“Traci, knock it off. It’s just me.”

The screaming stops, replaced with a shaky voice. “Troy?”

“Yes. Were you expecting someone else? Maybe a home intruder or even a mass murderer?”

“What are you talkin’ ‘bout?”

“You. Letting this asshole into your house. What the hell were you thinking, Traci?” Troy doesn’t try to hide his anger. He’s pumped up on a dangerous cocktail of fury and adrenaline.

Troy can’t see his sister, but he hears her shuffling across the room to plop down onto the couch. He sees the hulk is preparing to fight back. Troy tries to defuse the situation. “Listen, I don’t want any trouble. I’m gonna let you up and you’re gonna leave. I don’t want you to come near my sister again, you understand?”

---