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commitment—and he wanted both. Although his wife had consented to the spanking, she had not been ready, mentally or emotionally. Afterward, her teary hazel eyes had reproached him—when she could bring herself to look at him at all. She’d flinched when he’d touched her. He wanted his wife to respect him and his authority as head of their household, but fear him? Never.
    Jared forced himself to relax his tight grip on his brandy. His father-in-law had admitted he hadn’t disciplined Melania the way he should have, but Jared didn’t blame Conner; he directed his anger at himself. As Melania’s husband and protector, he should have ensured she was prepared. Her happiness and well-being came first, and he’d failed her.
    Before the wedding, Jared had warned Melania he would rule their home with a loving but firm hand. He thought he had spelled it out clearly. She’d seemed to understand.
    He wondered what he could have said or done differently, but he couldn’t change the past; he could only move forward.
    Jared forced his gaze from the spanking bench and studied the liquid in his snifter as he swirled the cognac. He puffed on his cigar, sending a stream of smoke into the cloud scenting the room.
    Tucker broke the silence. “Nothing like a good cognac and a fine cigar.”
    “Not to mention a wonderful meal. Melania’s an excellent cook,” Otis said.
    Tucker patted his stomach. “Fantastic. I ate way too much.”
    Jared set his brandy on the side table and placed his cigar in the ashtray. “She did a great job. She wanted everything to be special.” Melania had worked damn hard for an entire week. She’d toiled like a workhorse.
    Otis sipped his cognac and looked at Jared over the snifter. “So you and Melania have settled in.” The words sounded like a statement, but Jared could hear the question of concern. He thought he’d done a good job of covering his consternation, but Otis knew how to read him. He and the older man had been friends for a long time and became closer after the death of Jared’s parents years ago.
    Jared smoothed his palms over the knees of his slacks. “I spanked Melania for the first time about an hour before everyone arrived.”
    Otis nodded. “I thought I recognized the signs. She was careful at how she sat in the chair.”
    Jared hesitated. Domestic discipline was a personal, intimate matter. Rod and Cane members normally kept the details private, but Jared could use advice from someone more experienced, who had been there. Otis had been a disciplinarian and spankophile for more than forty years. He and Liz had been married for at least twenty-five. If anyone knew how to make a domestic discipline marriage work, Otis did. Even Tucker, who was younger than Jared by nearly a decade, had two years of a domestic discipline marriage under his belt.
    “I’ve been second-guessing myself ever since.” Jared sighed. “I don’t regret spanking her. It was justified and appropriate, but Melania was not as conditioned emotionally as I had assumed she was. I wonder if I should have gone a little easier on her.”
    “Why didn’t you?” Otis asked.
    Jared rubbed his jaw. “Because she didn’t just make a simple mistake or an error in judgment.” Her actions had been premeditatedly sneaky. Jared had a strong hunch Melania had planned to buy the shoes the moment she’d set eyes on them. “Although what she did was minor, her intentions were serious. I felt it was important to set expectations early in the marriage.”
    Jared flexed his tense shoulder blades. Although his wife’s behavior disappointed him, he didn’t want the men to judge her harshly. “Melania is young and a little immature, but with proper guidance, she’ll mature into an obedient wife.”
    Although Otis and Tucker were too discreet to ask, their unspoken question hovered in the air. Jared picked up his glass and stared at the liquid. “Melania went behind my back and bought a pair of shoes after I told her