Page 61 of Dirty Discipline, Vol. 1

“I guess I’ll let you off the hook then.”

“So… I need to hear it. Do you trust me, Hallie?”

The question hangs heavy in the air and they both know the question is way more than just about skiing.

Her answer is a whisper. It’s intimate, meant only for his ears. “I trust you, Troy.”

He releases the breath he hadn’t known he was holding, relief flooding in. He pulls her into his arms to hug her tightly to him. He’d love to kiss her but thinks better of it with their current audience.

They are torn out of their brief interlude by Adam’s clearing of his throat and standing to walk across the room to deliver a gift to Hallie’s lap. “Here you go, Hallie. This is your gift from your Aunt Gina and me.” Troy detects uncertainty in the older man and suspects the confident HoH is feeling unsure. It makes Troy curious about what is in the package.

Hallie doesn’t open it right away. When she starts pulling at the ribbons and wrapping paper, he can see her fingers trembling. He whispers into her ear, “What’s wrong?”

She turns to him whispering, knowing everyone is watching them. “I know what this is.

I… well… I heard them talking about it the other night.”

Troy doesn’t know what’s in the package, but he understands Hallie isn’t happy about it.

“Well, okay. Is it something you don’t want?”

Tears are spilling from her red-rimmed eyes. Her answer is almost choked out. “I don’t know.”

He smiles, trying to comfort her. “Well, there’s only one way to figure this out. Go ahead and open it. It can’t be that bad, right?”

He sees her push her fear aside, and she finishes opening the gift box to uncover a big folder with the Eagle’s Pass logo all over the front of it. Troy doesn’t need to open the folder to know what’s inside. It isn’t a surprise to him at all.

Aunt Gina’s crying is the only sound to be heard over the Christmas carols playing softly in the background.

“Your aunt and I know you don’t have the money to buy into the co-op on your own, but this is where you belong, Hallie. Here with your only family. We’ve gone ahead and put your name in on an application and paid the down payment so you can stay here in Eagle’s Pass with us. Merry Christmas, honey.”

Adam and Gina obviously meant well, but Troy could belt them for springing this on Hallie like this. Deciding where she is going to live needs to be discussed. Deciding to live in a town based on the principles of the domestic discipline way of life is not something to be taken lightly for anyone, but for Hallie, who has obviously experienced violence in her life, it is a huge decision. No wonder she was afraid to open this present. She doesn’t want to hurt her aunt and uncle’s feelings by rejecting the gift, but she also doesn’t want to get railroaded into living in a place that could make her miserable.

A pregnant pause has fallen over the room, all eyes on Hallie. Maybe he’s being a hypocrite by jumping in with his opinion on the matter. At least Adam and Gina are blood relatives. Who the hell is he to butt his nose into this decision? Yet, when Hallie turns to him, vulnerable and sad, there is nothing he wouldn’t do to make her feel better.

Troy looks up to the HoH in the room, choosing his words carefully. “That’s quite a generous gift, Adam. I know having Hallie here with you and Gina has made you very happy. Hallie is lucky to have family that loves her so much.”

The men are in a visual showdown. Adam is intuitive enough to pick up on Troy’s protective stance. “But…” Adam is defensive.

Troy stays calm. “But nothing. It is a very generous gift. I’m just not sure Hallie is ready to decide where she wants to live yet. She still has a lot to work through with Traci.”

Adam snaps back. “And she will be able to do that since she’ll be living in Eagle’s Pass full time.”

“But what if Hallie decides this isn’t the right place for her? Let’s face it. This is a very unique town with very unique rules and customs. I’m not sure Hallie is ready to commit to living in Eagle’s Pass. I thought she had more time before the January Housing Board meeting to make up her mind?”

“She doesn’t need to wait that long. She needs to stay here with her family.” Each of Adam’s answers are coming back faster and more terse. He isn’t used to having his decisions questioned. As the only other male in the room, Troy suspects he’s the only one who can say what needs to be said with a hope of getting through to the older man.

“With all due respect, Adam, none of us, including myself, can push Hallie into accepting a domestic discipline way of life. To make her live here if she truly cannot accept the way of life is actually worse than the kind of judgmental crap all of us who have lived outside of Eagle’s Pass are faced with when friends and neighbors find out about our unique kinks and practices.

You choose to live here so you could be with like-minded people who won’t judge you. Doesn’t Hallie deserve the same courtesy?”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about, young man. You don’t live here either. The people of Eagle’s Pass will welcome her with open arms. They will love her and protect her as their own.”

“I’m sure they will, but that isn’t the real problem now, is it?”

Adam looks like he is about to blow, so upset he is not able to come up with a new retort to Troy. Troy looks down at Hallie in his lap and finds her staring up at him in awe. It gives him the courage to push forward.

“Let me give you just a couple of examples from the last twenty-four hours. Last night at the party, we were welcomed with party gifts. Hallie was given a lotion for TiHs to use on her ass after receiving a harsh punishment. She took her gift in stride, but you should have seen the look of fear on her face when I opened my heavy wooden spoon. We all know the men of Eagle’s Pass are not home using those spoons to cook Christmas brunch today, now, don’t we?”

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