True Perfection [Aspire 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) by Allyson Young

closed her eyes against his cruelty. She deserved their censure, but it still hurt.
    Gordon said, “It’s been a day of firsts, Warren. Haley got a paddling today that I never thought I would administer. Oh, she needed it. She feels that she deserves all kinds of punishment for something she didn’t do, and I provided it. And then she serviced me to make further amends. I thought we had cleared the air, that her punishment helped her purge the poison, only to be told that she expected me to throw her out. I’m not certain if that was before or after you did the same thing. You told me that she would be a brat because I indulged her too much, and once I again I defer to your insight. So, how should we proceed?”
    Haley heard the hurt in Gordon’s voice, and her gut clenched. What had she done? She cast around in her mind, trying to figure it out, but Warren was already speaking.
    “I think that we’ll let Haley choose.”
    Choose what? Haley’s thoughts were whirling.
    “Haley? Do you know why you’re being punished?”
    Haley looked at Warren’s face, struggling to find the answer. She had to try. “It’s not because I got you hurt?”
    Warren struggled to sit up further and reached out to touch her face. He shook his head. “I am not going to repeat this, Haley, so listen very carefully. I can’t begin to understand your tortured reasoning, but you had nothing to do with what happened. Yes, if you weren’t working, something I selfishly wished you wouldn’t do so that I, we, could have you at our beck and call twenty-four-seven, we might not have been in that restaurant. And the idiot who was so jealous of you might not have attacked you. And I wouldn’t have had the privilege of protecting you.”
    He stopped to drink some water, and Haley managed not to speak, managed not to argue with him.
    “And yes, both Gordon and I do believe that we know what is best for you, what you need, but again we are sometimes blinded by our intense need for you. The vacation idea was indeed high-handed and premature, but we were feeling the pressure, worried that you were pulling away. We plead impatience. We also plead our deep, devoted love. Haley, there isn’t anything Gordon and I wouldn’t do for you if it is at all feasible, including accepting the fact that you need your independence outside of our bedroom. We don’t want to stifle you because we love you. You, Haley, not the subservient woman you’ve decided to portray because of misplaced guilt. Do you understand?”
    Haley managed to nod.
    “We can’t hear you, Haley.” Warren’s voice lashed her into speech.
    “It was like a nightmare,” she whispered. “I thought my choices had killed you. And that Gordon would hate me for pushing you both away and for setting this thing up to happen. I knew my thinking was skewed, but my feelings drove my brain. I’m so sorry.”
    “Haley!” Warren’s voice again cracked like a whip, and she flinched.
    “I’m sorry that I put those feelings onto Gordon. Onto you. I’ve hurt both of you by assuming that you would blame me for this and worse, be capable of throwing me out.”
    Warren visibly relaxed and looked at Gordon again. “I could accept your assumption about me. I was an ass when you left me before. But Gordon? You’ve screwed up, Haley.”
    Gordon abruptly released her hair and walked away. Haley turned to see him drop down into the visitor’s chair. His features looked stark. Haley rose and went to stand in front of him. He stared at her, and his dark eyes glowed with sadness. Haley reached down, crossed her arms, and grabbed the hem of her dress with both hands, pulling it up and over her head. She popped the clasp of her bra and dropped the straps to let it drift to the floor. Her panties followed suit, and she tried not to hiss as they dragged against her sore bottom. Gordon opened his arms, and she curled onto his lap. She didn’t say anything. She was done apologizing and effacing herself.