A Top’s Entitlement

Written By: LJ

This in response to the Tea Room’s March Challenge.


Glen let himself in the front door and snapped on a light. He placed his bags on the floor next to the stairs and tossed his keys down on the table in the lower hall. It had been a long week and he was relieved to finally be home.

The convention had been very informative but he had decided to forgo this evening’s awards dinner in favour of flying out early. He picked up his car at the Calgary airport and drove home in hopes of getting there before TJ did. The empty house led him to believe his surprise would be a success.

After a refreshing shower, Glen stretched out on their bed to relax and wait for his lover to arrive. By Glen’s reckoning, that should be in any time now. But within minutes, his week of meetings and of trying to sleep in a strange bed after travelling to the other end of the country, seemed to catch up with him. Fight as he might to stay awake, he eventually gave in to the pull of exhaustion.

He woke several hours later, chilled from lying on top of the covers and with his bladder adding to his overall discomfort. TJ’s absence was glaringly noticeable and immediately became cause for concerned since it was now well after midnight.

After relieving himself, Glen pulled on a sweatshirt and pants, slipped into a pair of slippers and went downstairs. In walking through the lower floor of their home, he spotted a number of things out of place. Dirty dishes left in the sink, clothing not put away, and laundry beginning to pile up next to the washing machine. Glen shook his head and wondered what JT had been up to all week. He was usually fairly good at keeping up with the daily chores.

After several attempts to reach his errant partner on his cell phone, Glen reluctantly accepted it as a lost cause and left one final message demanding TJ call home as soon as possible. Suddenly remembering a certain employee of TJ’s, with a habit of spending countless hours on the internet, Glen sat down at his desk in the study and turned on his computer. Sure enough, Sally was on Facebook and readily responded to Glen’s greeting via voice-mail.

She enthusiastically began regaling Glen with all TJ and his staff had accomplished while Glen had been away. Acquiring the small business next to his own that had closed recently, enabled TJ to expand and remodel the pharmacy. This week they’d worked long hours rearranging shelving and merchandise. Twice TJ had spent the night at Sally’s so they’d get an early start the next morning.

Sally was a kind-hearted, gentle soul. She was also a bit of a scatterbrain. But TJ recognized her worth as an excellent employee and a terrific friend. She was unaware of the type of relationship Glen and TJ lived, and therefore had no way of knowing the information she had just given Glen would land TJ in a fair bit of trouble.

When asked if she knew the present whereabouts of her employer, she zealously filled Glen on the day’s activities and how totally worn-out it had left everyone. It took another twenty minutes for Glen to learn that his partner had dropped Sally off at her apartment shortly before eleven that evening. He had turned down her offer to sleep on her couch again, saying he had things to do before Glen got home from his trip. By Sally’s estimate, TJ should have been home some time ago. This bit of news only increased Glen’s fears for his lover’s well-being. That, added to the headache he was getting from listening to Sally’s rambling, meant he best be prepared for a long, sleepless night.

Deciding that keeping busy would better pass the time, Glen set about taking care of the unfinished chores. He unpacked his suitcases, got a laundry started and cleaned up the kitchen. When he ran out of things to do in the house, he headed over to his studio above the double garage. There he managed to occupy a few hours by going through the samples he’d brought back with him, and filing away brochures for future use.

Concerns for TJ constantly niggled at the back of his mind. He had to keep reminding himself that TJ was an adult and capable of taking care of himself. Also that TJ had no idea that Glen had returned from his trip earlier than expected. Of course that reasoning did little to alleviate the frustration Glen felt at his partner having deliberately disregarded a number of their rules the moment Glen’s back was turned.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

TJ lethargically stirred. He was vaguely aware of shivering and wondered why he felt somewhat rest as well as so cold. He stretched the cramps from his body as best he could but found the space he was in a little too confining. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he looked around to get his bearings.

“Why the hell am I still in my car? Come to think of it, exactly where is my car?” he grumbled, trying to recall the events that had lead up to his being here. He remembered dropping Sally off and driving away, second-guessing himself as to whether or not he should have taken her invitation to crash at her place for the night.

God, he had been so tired. He vaguely recollected slowing down to round Cranky Corner and then…. nothing. He drew a complete blank.

“Shit!” he exclaimed, heavily dropping his head on the steering wheel. “I fell asleep while driving. More accurately, I passed out! Question is: for how long?” He rubbed the condensation off the windshield, but with only a meagre amount of moonlight filtering through the trees he was still unable to get a clear view of clock on the dashboard. “I gotta get outta here,” he muttered, his mood steadily worsening.

After several hard shoves against the driver’s door, TJ realized it was not going to open more than a few inches because of the thick brush he was wedged into. Sliding across the front seat, he attempted to open the passenger door but found it stuck solid. Getting a flashlight out of the glove compartment, he climbed into the rear of his car and managed to squeeze out the back driver’s side door. He carefully made his way around to the passenger side. He discovered much to his dismay that the right front bumper of his beautiful Grand Prix was badly crumpled against a large oak tree and because of an early spring thaw, all four wheels were almost axle-deep in mud. There was no way he would be able to back the vehicle unto the road which was a number of car lengths from where it had come to rest in a small wooded area.

He trudged towards the highway and stumbled up the embankment, falling once and hurting his leg in the process. “Apparently driving off the road while asleep is a lot easier than getting back up when fully awake,” he griped to himself.

Successfully making it to the shoulder of the road, he turned and saw that his car could not be seen from the highway. He then spent several minutes stomping around and swinging his arms about himself to keep warm while planning his next move. Should he walk back to town or just try to make it home before daylight? The decision was made for him when he heard the sounds of an approaching vehicle. It was coming from the direction that indicated it was heading back to town.

He hurried across the road and stuck out his thumb. His spirits lifted considerably when an old truck pulled up in front of him and the driver reached over to open the door.

TJ thanked the man for the lift as he climbed in, grateful for the warmth that enveloped him when his rescuer turned up the heater.

Switching on the overhead light and squinting to get a better look at his passenger, the older gentleman grunted and shook his head. “You don’t look to good, boy. I think it best if I just drop you off at the emergency room. Meanwhile, I don’t mind listening to how you came to be out here.”

TJ figured satisfying the man’s curiosity was the least he could do to repay him for his kindness. It was such a welcoming relief to be out of the cold, even though it didn’t last nearly long enough as they arrived at the hospital all too soon in TJ’s opinion. He got out of the truck, thanked the man and hobbled into the ER. The short drive had been enough to stiffen up his injured leg.

The triage nurse kindly accepted his explanation of momentarily losing control of his car and careening off the road, even though it appeared to him as if his story wasn’t entirely believed.

‘Probably a guilty conscious,’ he thought in an effort to brush it off. ‘I’m just grateful there was no one else on the road.’

An hour later, TJ had been checked for a concussion and found to be generally fit. All his cuts and scrapes had been attended to; the abrasion on his forehead had been disinfected and a small sterile bandage had been put on it. His knee had required a bit more work, but fortunately had not required stitches.

It was well after six AM when he was told to call someone to pick him up and regardless of it being so early, TJ used his only quarter to immediately call Sally. “I fell asleep and drove into the woods by Cranky Corner,” he whispered his confession into the mouthpiece of the pay phone, glad to be out of hearing range so he could speak to his friend in private. “Can you arrange for someone to come get me, please?” It was a relief to hear her assurance that she would take care of everything.

While he waited, he thanked his lucky stars that Glen wasn’t home yet. He hoped his partner never learnt of this particular adventure. One can only imagine his mortification when twenty minutes later the last person TJ expected, walked into the waiting room.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The sun was just coming up when Glen stopped what he was doing and made himself a cup of coffee. He had barely sat down to enjoy the fresh brew when the phone rang. It was an excitable Sally talking a mile a minute. By the time Glen had her calm enough to understand what she was saying, he was in need of calming. His partner had been in an accident but was unharmed and expecting someone to pick him up.

Glen shouldered into a jacket, stepped into loafers and grabbed his keys, wallet and cell phone almost simultaneously. He had become rather adept at multi-tasking as of late. Living with TJ made that a very handy talent to possess.

It was during the drive into town when he had the time to dwell on all the information Sally had unwittingly supplied him with that his anger began to take root. He was livid by the time he walked into the ER and came to a stop in front of his errant partner.

TJ blanched at the appearance of his Top and caught his breath at the expression on the older man’s face. He couldn’t recall ever seeing Glen so angry and wondered what all Sally had told him about the mishap and the events leading up to it. There were so many questions running through his head, but TJ couldn’t verbalize any of them.

“I-I…” TJ stammered and was almost relieved by the raised hand in front of him.

“I’m not interested!” Glen grounded out between clenched teeth before turning on his heel and heading back towards the big glass doors, leaving his Brat with little choice but to follow.

Unknown to TJ, Glen had stopped at reception to ascertain his partner’s whereabouts and to verify Sally’s statement that TJ was indeed unharmed.

At the car, TJ paused as he reached the passenger side and tried once again to explain, only to be told to get in and keep quiet. The drive home was accomplished in nerve-racking silence.

Following Glen into their home, TJ caught up with him in the kitchen. “Glen, wait…”

“No! I told you I wasn’t interested.” Glen’s voice was sharp as he stepped out of his shoes and hung up his jacket. His movements rough and unbalanced, clearly indicative of his disposition. “I’m going to bed. I’ll be in the guest room and short of the house catching on fire, I do not want to be disturbed.”

TJ’s jaw dropped and he starred open-mouthed as his partner left the room. He stood listening to the heavy footsteps ascending the stairway and cringed when he heard a door close with unnecessary force.

Getting over his shock, TJ looked down at his cat and enquired, “Did my Top just throw a temper-tantrum? Because that’s exactly what he’d call it if I acted like that.” Miss. Muffin showed her indifference by haughtily sauntering over to her bowls in expectation of something to eat.

“I don’t know why he’s acting so strange. He’s always insisted we talk things over as soon as possible when I’ve done something foolish.” TJ talked as he feed and watered his pet, hoping it might help lessen his confusion. It didn’t and he was steadily working himself into a panic. “Maybe it would be a good idea to find out what I’m up against by asking Sally just how much blabbing she did. I also want to know how she even knew Glen was home ‘cause he wasn’t due in until later this morning.”

TJ tried to settle at the computer, but the words Sally was typing had him getting antsier by the minute. He’d thought his day couldn’t get much worse when he learnt that Glen had arrived home early and at some point in time had contacted Sally in the likelihood of locating TJ.

Reading his friend’s messages as they appeared on the screen had TJ realizing things were indeed getting worse. Sally had told Glen about their entire week. His stomach plummeted when he read ‘fell asleep at the wheel and drove off the road but he’s okay’.

“Oh my God, I am so dead,” he groaned, lightly banging his head on the desk in hope of finding a distraction. “I am in shit up to my eyeballs. No wonder Glen is so pissed off. He may never speak to me again and I can really blame him.”

He signed off and sank further into the big leather chair, completely self-absorbed in absolute misery. He felt his world crashing around him and desperately wanted to talk to someone who understood his and Glen’s relationship, and who might be able to offer some support and possibly a small amount of comfort.

Unaware of the time, he picked up the phone and dialed an old friend. Swaying back and forth in the chair, he nervously waited for someone to answer. “Hello, Jayson? It’s me, TJ. I think I’ve blown it; big time!”

At Jayson’s insistence, TJ related the events of the past week. He made sure to include all the sordid details regarding the breaking of several rules. He also made sure to inform the other man of Glen’s ‘temper tantrum’.

“So you finally pushed him that far, huh?” was the older man’s sardonic response. “Not that I hold him responsible, with all you’ve been up to. God only knows, if anyone is entitled to throw a fit, it’s Glen.”

“He’s gonna break up with me and kick me out, isn’t he? And it’s my own fault,” TJ sadly declared before starting to cry.

“That’s not going to happen, TJ. Listen to me, Brat! You can be a lot of work at times, but Glen adores you. He just needs some time and space to come to grips with this latest fiasco of yours. Give him that much, TJ.”

“But it so hard, waiting like this. I hate delays and Glen knows it.” The crying stopped for the moment but the remaining pout was easily detected in the young man’s voice.

“Stop feeling sorry for yourself and suck it up,” Jayson firmly scolded. “Glen’s probably exhausted. Just let him sleep it off. You go catch some extra winks yourself.”

“But Glen’s in the guest room and I don’t wanna be in our big bed by myself.”

“Then get a pillow and blanket, and curl up on the sofa in the living room,” Jayson instructed. “And don’t you dare leave the house, TJ. I mean it. If you do, you’ll be answering to me.” As TJ past mentor, Jayson knew the tone needed to gain the younger man’s compliance.

“I’ll do what you say, Jayson. And thanks for everything,” TJ softly added.

“Good man. Now, being as it is only a little after seven here, I’m going back to bed. I have a Brat of my own who is beginning to fret. Have Glen call me when the smoke clears, okay?”

“Oh, sorry man; forgot about the time difference. Please give my apologies to Riley. Thanks again, my friend.” With that, TJ ended the call. Although feeling somewhat better, he would still be a lot happier when this whole episode was behind them.

He had one more thing to take care of before he could comply with Jayson’s directives. He got out the yellow pages and found the phone number for Pat Mason’s Auto Body. Then he called and made arrangements for his car to be towed in for repairs. He could only imagine how much that was going to set him back.

After quietly making his way upstairs, TJ paused next to the room his partner was in and listened for several moments. Not hearing a sound, he silently opened the door an inch or two and peeked in. Glen was sprawled across the bed with his arms wrapped around the same pillow his head was resting on and softly snoring.

TJ just as silently closed the door. His eyes filled and tears threatened to overflow as he changed into sleep
pants and a T-shirt before gathering up a pillow and quilt and heading back downstairs. He curled up on the
living room sofa, pulled the quilt over his head and cried himself to sleep.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was well past noon when Glen entered the living room and walked over to sit on the coffee table. He looked down at his sleeping partner and sadly shook his head when he saw the tell-tale signs of dried tear tracks on TJ’s cheeks.

“What am I going to do with you, my precious Brat?” he lovingly mused as he brushed the hair back from his lover’s forehead. He smiled faintly when beautiful brown eyes opened and looked up at him somewhat warily.

“Can we talk yet, Glen?” TJ croaked as he pushed off the confining blanket and tried to sit up.

Glen nodded and helped the other man get into a sitting position facing him. “We’ve quite a bit to discuss, don’t we?”

“I was scared when you left me on my own. I thought it was over between us, but Jayson said I was panicking and to give you time to work things out.”

“I’m sorry you were scared, love. You needn’t have been because it certainly isn’t over between us and hopefully never will be. It’s okay that you called Jayson though.” Glen understood his Brat’s need to talk to someone who was aware of their lifestyle. “And thank you for not disturbing me, babe.”

TJ sent his partner a crooked smile and sighed out his relief. His Top was back in full form and would take care of things. From the beginning when they had first incorporated discipline into their relationship, Glen had been in charge. He had promised they’d always smooth out these bumps in the road and start over each time.

“You’re welcome, Glen. But why did you need a cooling-off period in the first place? You’ve never needed one before.”

“I was beyond outraged and completely exhausted. I knew there was no way I’d be able to deal with it all in an acceptable manner, TJ. I could have easily irreparably damaged our relationship. I may have even totally lost control and harmed you, I was just that furious.”

“Gotcha,” TJ murmured, his eyes widening. He’d never known Glen to even raise his voice in anger, let alone lose his temper to that extent. ‘Guess he had every right to this time.’ TJ kept that observation to himself.

“My intent when I first went upstairs was to put together a plan of action, so to speak. But I wasn’t able to think straight and ended up falling asleep, which proved to be a good thing. I woke up readily to weigh out the various options available for taking care of the situation we now find ourselves in.”

TJ swallowed nervously. “And what did you come up with?”

“I’ll get to that, TJ. First I need to be sure you understand all you did wrong and my feelings about your actions. Care to start?”

“Not really, but I will,” TJ muttered, shifting uncomfortable. “I put in a lot more time at the drugstore than our rules say I can.”

“And we have rules about you working such long days because……?”

“I have a tendency to get overtired and then thoroughly ratty with anyone unfortunate enough to be around me.”

“So what made you decide to put in so many extra hours, TJ? You had options. While the renovations were going on we spent a great deal of time talking about the final phase, about doing the work a couple of hours each evening and on weekends whenever possible, about it probably taking a few weeks to complete. There was never any mention of turning the project into a five-day marathon.”

TJ fidgeted, feeling awkward. “I wanted to finish up the store and surprise you?” He was unsure of his reasoning now that he’d been put in a position of explaining it.

“It would appear both of our surprises failed to meet their goals,” Glen commented a little self-mockingly. “When you weren’t home by midnight, I no longer gave a fiddler’s damn about surprising you. I was too dang worried about your whereabouts and if you were okay. For some reason, I was unable to get through to your cell.”

TJ cringed. “Yeah, believe it or not I forgot it on my desk at the store. I was running late and had to drop off three of my employees. Providing meals and transportation were two of extra incentives I offered in return for their help. That and the addition hours’ pay went a long way. Sally must have told you all about it, huh?”

“She did, and in great detail. Do you have any idea what bothers me most in all this, TJ?”

“Oh, the accident?”

“We’re not there yet. Guess again!” Glen firmly suggested, crossing his arms and sitting back to await the other man’s reply.

“Okay, so disregarding the last incident, do you mean besides breaking the rule regarding my overdoing at the store? And in addition to forgetting my phone?” TJ’s frown clearly showed his confusion. “Sorry, Glen; I really have no idea.”

“You premeditated planned to do what you know would be unacceptable while I was out of town. Going behind my back showed a complete disregard for our roles in this relationship. It was especially disrespectful to me as your Top, Thomas.”

The hurt in Glen’s voice was TJ’s undoing. Not once had he ever considered his partner putting that spin on what he’d done. He dropped his head into his hands as his eyes filled with tears. “I am so very, very sorry, Glen. Under no circumstances would I purposely disparage you or mock our relationship. I love you too much and I’ve always held you in the highest esteem.” TJ’s voice cracked and he barely managed to get out, “Are you going to spank me now?”

“Not for this, TJ. As we’ve discussed in the past, a spanking isn’t a magic fix-all every time you find yourself in trouble.”

“But I deserve both a spanking and whatever else you have in mind.” Guilt was quickly overriding all the other emotions TJ was struggling with.

“You’re grounded for at least the next month. I will be driving you to and from work. Tomorrow, you will set up a schedule where you work up to forty-eight hours a week and no more unless I okay it. However, that will only happen in extremely rare circumstances.”

“But your hours are more flexible than mine, Glen. What if I’ve finished for the day and you get held up? What happens then?” TJ was entirely unaware of whining. He’d be appalled if Glen brought it to his attention.

“The odd occurrence of that scenario will provide you with the opportunity to demonstrate you can be trusted when my back is turned to do the right thing. You will stop work on time and take yourself off to your office where you will relax and wait for me. You can go online, play games, listen to music, watch a movie, read, nap or whatever, as long as it does not involve an activity that has anything to do with your business. You have a very efficient staff, TJ; all of whom can be trusted to carry on in your absence.”

TJ nodded his agreement to adhere to what would prove to be exceptionally difficult directives for him to abide by. He was bound and determined to show his Top he could stick to the rules they had established quite some time ago. “What about not having my phone on me at all times?” he apprehensively inquired.

“As worried as I was, babe, on this occasion we’re not going to make a bid deal of it. You usually have that I-phone practically glued to your belt and rarely leave it anywhere. So how about if you just show it to me every morning before we head out and again when I pick you up later in the day.” Glen knew that to do absolutely nothing would unnerve his partner and yet he really didn’t feel the need to make a serious issue of it. They still had another major concern to deal with.

“Yeah, that will work.” TJ glanced up and sighed woefully. Although realizing they had yet to resolve a matter that was of even greater magnitude than the others, he was beyond stunned when he heard Glen’s somber request.

“I want you to go upstairs and get the hairbrush off my dresser, TJ.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Because we do not own a paddle and driving while impaired requires more than a hand-spanking.” Glen had reason to wonder if he’d be obeyed and was somewhat relieved when TJ got up to do his bidding, after only one attempt to verbally defend his actions.

“But I wasn’t impaired!” was the stanch defense from a wide-eyed Brat bent on avoiding what would be a first-time method of punishment; one more severe than others in the past.

“Well, young man, I happen to consider the operating of a vehicle while exhausted to the point of falling asleep at the wheel and driving off the highway, the equivalent to being impaired. You may have survived the accident none the worse for wear; but you could have so easily have injured or killed yourself, and possibly someone else. You were very fortunate. Aside from the costly repair bill you’ll be taking care of on your own, additional penalties are at my discretion. However, I will not choose to use the hairbrush unless I have your consent. That is at your discretion.”

TJ sat with his head bowed, quietly studying his fingernails and chewing on his bottom lip. He glanced up to try and read the expression on his partner’s. Glen seemed to have aged a little overnight and TJ wondered how many gray hairs he had added to the older man’s thick, wavy hair. He was obviously weighing out the pros and cons. Though the cons in his mind outweighed the pros, for some inexplicable reason, he stood up and unhurriedly headed towards the stairs.

Glen’s admiration for the man jumped up a notch or two. He well knew the burden of guilt his Brat would presently be struggling with and acknowledged it would be up to him as TJ’s Top to absolve him of it.

Upon TJ’s return, the hairbrush was handed over and placed on the sofa next to Glen’s left hip.

Glen gazed up into coffee-brown eyes and he felt his chest constrict at the sadness he saw in them. Taking TJ’s hands in his, he softly inquired, “You know why we’re doing this, don’t you, sweetheart?”

“Yes,” TJ murmured in a voice already heavy with tears as shame, self-reproach and contrition threatened to overwhelm him.

“All right then, let’s take care of it,” Glen gently stated while helping TJ out of his sleeping pants and leaving him in just an overly long t-shirt that hung to mid-thigh.

Moments later, the young man was positioned facedown across his partner’s lap; his upper body resting on the chesterfield by Glen’s right side. TJ squirmed to get as comfortable as possible as he reached for a throw pillow to wrap his arms around.

Glen lightly caressed TJ’s smooth backside for several seconds in order to give TJ plenty of time to settle. When he felt the timing was right, he raised his left hand and delivered a resounding wallop to first one brown cheek and then the other. Quickly getting into the rhythm developed over a number of these sessions, he soon had the entire bottom evenly coloured a reddish hue.

TJ was softly crying at this point, but making no attempt to escape the punishing hand that was setting his rear end ablaze.

Picking up the hairbrush, Glen steeled himself for was to happen next. He tightened his hold around TJ’s waist, took a deep breath and carried on, determined to teach his Brat a lesson and to eradicate the remorse the younger man was experiencing.

He landed four powerful swats on each of the already stinging cheeks. Each swat was followed by a loud shriek from the owner of those cheeks, leaving TJ hoarse by the time it was over. Glen tossed the hairbrush on the floor and felt TJ’s weight increase on his thighs as the well-chastened man went completely limp.

Shifting positions, Glen slowly maneuvered his partner’s drooping body until TJ was turned on his side and partially lying on the sofa, the rest of him safely enfolded in strong, loving arms. It took longer than usual for the soul-wrenching sobs to subside, during which time Glen didn’t say a word. He merely rocked gently back and forth, humming to sooth the man who had him in a death-grip and was saturating the front of his shirt with tears.

TJ couldn’t recall ever being this wrung-out; or his butt ever being this sore. Adrift in the familiar world of after-spanking lightheadedness, he dreamily played back the events of the last twenty-four hours. Yesterday, he had been stressed out from trying to meet a self-imposed deadline and doing something he knew his partner would strongly disapprove of. Plus he had definitely been a lot more frightened by the accident than he would admit at the time. Then there’d been the crushing burden of guilt from having disrespected his partner, his lover, his Top; and from having dishonoured the promises they had made to each other.

But Glen had upheld his promise to keep them on track. Using methods that worked best for them, the older man had cleaned the slate so they could now pick up the pieces and start again.

“We’re okay, Glen?” TJ murmured when he was finally able to speak coherently.

“We’re always okay, babe. Never doubt it.”

TJ sighed out his contentment and snuggled against Glen’s broad chest. He knew even though his Top had just torn a strip off his behind, the older man would spend the rest of the day keeping him nearby and watching for tell-tale signs of adverse repercussions from both the accident and the punishment. They’d also be discussing some of the events in greater detail, but without reproach or chastisement.

“One of the most embarrassing things about being spanked is that Micah knows,” he muttered several moments later.

Glen rolled his eyes. While it was true there had been a few unexplainable incidents around the house, he still hadn’t accepted the idea that they shared their home with a couple of ghosts. This was not the first time, he found himself wondering how many grown men had imaginary friends to blame things on.


“What was that, JT? I missed it.”

“I said I shouldn’t let it bother me because Micah gets spanked more often than I do.”

“Really!” Glen sounded astonished. “I find it hard to envision a Brat who gets into more dilemmas than you do.” He chuckled when his teasing earned him a hefty punch on the arm.

The End