Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

Trent

I pulled Maureen close to me as I led her out of Master Derek's office with my arm around her shoulder. All I'd wanted since she left the Dungeon was to check on her, to make sure she was okay, and I was so glad to finally have her alone so I could do just that.

It was late by the time we left Master Derek's office, and the Ranch was oddly quiet for a Friday evening. Pulling her around the corner, I sat us down on one of the couches outside the counseling offices, turned to face her and took her hands in mine.

The moment I did, her face crumpled. "God, Trent, I can't believe how badly I fucked up. Mira trusted me. She's never really scened with anyone before, and she was willing to put that trust in me to give her what she needed. And like an idiot, I failed her. It… it hit really close to home, and I got too wrapped up in trying not to think about that, in pushing the feelings and memories away, to focus on her. But I zoned out instead." Her voice cracked and her eyes filled with tears.

There was something else, something she wasn't saying, but I didn't focus on that. Offering her this comfort was far more important.

"Mira is okay. And you didn't break her trust. She understands it wasn't intentional. She was only worried about you, she wasn't mad."

I wasn't expecting that to prompt her to cry harder.

"Oh dear." I gathered her into my arms and whispered, "Come on, let's get you home."

"No!" she cried, pushing out of my embrace, and wiping her dripping eyes with her sleeve. "No, I need… I need to talk about this. Are you sure you're okay with it? With, um… spanking me, I mean? I feel like you kind of got forced into it."

If only she knew. "I'm more than okay with it. You want to talk it out? Set a time? I'm free all weekend, pretty much. Maybe tomorrow evening after dinner?"

Again, Maureen shook her head. "I… please, Trent. I don't want to wait. Can we just do it now?"

Raising my eyebrows, I checked my watch. I'd expected her to want to get it over with, but I hadn't been expecting this. "It's kind of late. It's already been a pretty long day. Are you sure you don't want to just get a good night's sleep first?"

"I won't be able to sleep. I won't. I'm just so… disappointed in myself. Please, Trent… I… I need this."

It was a big deal for her to admit that. I could see it in her face and I wanted to honor that. I also wanted to make sure she was in the right headspace to be able to fully submit and surrender herself. I'd thought giving her time to process would be the best way to achieve that, but…

"Okay," I finally agreed. "But, let's eat first. Did you even have dinner tonight?"

"No," Maureen admitted, looking defeated.

"I'll order up room service and we can eat while we negotiate. C'mon," I coaxed as I helped her to her feet. "Your place or mine?"