Page 69 of Daddy's Lesson
I wanted to let her go. I knew I should. But this was all just a big misunderstanding, and if I could just get her to listen, if I could just say my piece, surely I could get her to see that.
“Zoe!” I yelled, my cry piercing the air between us. “Stop!”
Magically, she did, but when she faced me, she was sobbing, and her face was contorted in anger. “How dare you? How dare you come here and get shit-faced drunk the second you’re away from me? What, you think just because it's expensive booze, and not gut-rot, trailer-park shit that makes a difference?”
I couldn’t follow her logic. Obviously that was a ridiculous notion, but I’d never said or inferred anything of the sort.
“It’s just alcohol. I didn’t drink it around you. I’m not a drunk. I honestly had no idea you had a problem with me drinking just because you choose not to, and to be honest, that's quite frankly unfair and ridiculous.”
“Unfair! Ridiculous!” she sputtered. She stepped toward me before remembering herself and stepping back.
At this point the whole club was staring at us, and I could see Zeke hovering in the background, ready to escort her out if she touched me again.
“You’re unfair and ridiculous!” she continued. “Why is it I have to do everything you say, and you can’t listen to this one thing I ask of you?”
I took a deep breath, steadying my nerves. I could feel my face flaming and every eye in the place trained on the two of us. “Except nothing I have asked of you is unfair or ridiculous, and you’re mad about something you never asked of me. You told me you didn’t drink. So I haven’t been drinking around you or in your house. But newsflash, this is my place. And you said you weren’t coming. If I had known you were going to be here, yeah, I probably would have refrained out of respect, and because I don’t like to drink too much, anyway, if I’m going to play. But never once, not once, did you tell me you had a problem with me drinking when I wasn’t with you. And honestly, even if you had, I probably wouldn’t have listened. Because there is nothing wrong with what I did tonight. I’m in my own place of business, which happens to be a club. I’m not alone. I don’t have to drive. It’s a Friday night, and all I’m doing is kicking back and having a good time. The one who is out of pocket here is you.”
“Whatever!” she sputtered.
I could see the pain etched on her face, getting deeper with every word I spoke, but nothing I’d said was mean. I wasn’t going there like she was. I hated the way this was shaking out, but I was still proud of the way I’d handled it. Well, to an extent. I’d have much preferred scooping her into my arms, wiping her tears, and then painting her ass cherry-red for the way she’d spoken to me, not to mention putting her hands on me.
“I’ll leave your bags on my porch,” she spat as she turned to trounce out of the club. Looking back at Archer, she added, “Obviously I’m canceling my membership and I will no longer be requiring services.”
That pissed me off more than the rest of it, because that was my chance to fix this when she’d calmed down circling the drain. I couldn’t let her do that. Couldn’t let her end us. We’d been so good, and this was just a giant misunderstanding.
“Zoe, wait!” My voice cracked as I called out after her.
I was ready to chase her into the parking lot, but Archer and Bas grabbed hold of me. Nyla stepped in front of me, blocking my path before I could even think about fighting them off.
“Lennon, just let her go. She’s obviously triggered and not thinking clearly. There’s some trauma there.”
Her succinct observation fizzled my anger. Hanging my head, I dropped into a nearby chair and looked ruefully at the bottle of scotch. I wanted a sip to take the edge off, but with a hundred sets of eyes still on me, and her having screamed about me being a drunk, it didn't seem like a wise choice.
Nyla sank to her knees in front of me as I buried my face in my hands. “It’s okay, you handled it well. I think you did the best you could have in this situation.”
“I don’t know…. I just… this sucks. She’s obviously hurting. I’m her Daddy. I should be the one to fix it.”
“You can’t. Not right now.”
“Okay, everybody.” Bas’s voice boomed through the club. “Nothing more to see here. Back to your previously scheduled programming.”
There were quiet whispers and shuffled movements as people resumed their play. I’d lost the urge to watch, or to do anything. I just wanted to go after her. I just wanted to beg her to talk to me, to try again, to not give up on us.
“Hey, Len, let’s go back to the lounge, okay?” Archer joined Nyla and they pulled me to my feet. I let them guide me away from the prying eyes and into our private sanctuary while Theo helped Audrey up from the spanking bench Archer had left her secured to, and Bas restored order in the club.
As the door closed behind us, Archer headed to the bar and poured three drinks, handing one to each of us. I held it, but didn’t sip. My enjoyment of the beverage would be ruined, and my feelings on alcohol were splintered at the moment. What had happened to my babygirl to make her feel the way she did—to have such a strong, visceral reaction to me having a few drinks with my buddies?
Yeah, I’d imbibed a bit more than usual tonight, but not an obscene amount. I wasn’t slurring my words. I’d kept control over my emotions and reactions.
“Lennon.” Nyla’s soft voice interrupted my thoughts. “Did you know she felt that way?”
I shook my head, looking up to meet her eyes. “I swear I didn’t. I have no idea where that came from. And obviously I didn’t know she was going to show up here tonight, either.”
“Well she obviously feels like she said something.”
“Nyla, she didn’t. I swear. I know she doesn't like to be around drinking, and she doesn’t drink. I haven't had a sip all week, and if she had joined me like I asked her to, that streak would have continued, but since she chose not to I didn’t see the harm. I swear. I had no idea she’d react like that. I still have no idea why. I mean, fuck, I can take a stab in the dark…”
“Yeah, we all could after that display.” Nyla frowned. “Has she ever reacted that strongly to anything else? Like other situations? Is she prone to flying off the handle like that? Nyla winced. “I hate to ask, but some people are.”