Yours Tonight (Reign 1)

ality.”

Knock. Out.

In a verbal left hook, my father managed to call me a liar, defend Brock, insult me, and blame this entire mess and the lack of a client on me in one fell swoop. All while maintaining the passive aggressive approach and using words like “issues.” And it hurt worse than anything he’d ever said.

“Good bye,” was all I managed to get out before the tears spilled over. I tossed my phone on the couch and caught the water before it could skate further down my cheeks. I wouldn’t cry over this. Reality was too much to handle, but crying would only prove to myself that I gave weight to his words. And I wouldn’t.

Maybe there really was nothing left of the man I once knew as my father. Because all I could see was manipulation.

I called for Harper to let her know I was off the phone.

“Everything okay?” she asked, resuming her seat.

“Yes and no.” I needed to tackle one thing at a time. Since I wouldn’t help my father with his scheme of “wooing” my boyfriend for his professional gain, I’d stick to the more important issue: understanding Jack.

“What was your dad calling about?”

“He’s just trying to suck up to get something out of me.”

“Dick,” Harper mumbled.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “But there’s more than that going on.”

“With Jack?”

“Yes. Whenever I try to get any kind of personal details out of him, he gives me a little, then totally shuts down.”

“Just enough to drive you crazy, huh?”

“Exactly!” I threw my hands up. “And now I’m sitting here wondering what to do. Trying to plan some kind of solution based on what may or may not even be relevant.”

“Slow down,” Harper said. “First, you start with what you know for sure.”

I took a deep breath and mentally calculated all the tiny tidbits of Jack I’d gathered over the length of our relationship.

“He controls his world. He’s intense.”

“Duh,” Harper agreed.

“He doesn’t think so himself, but he’s thoughtful and kind. He makes me feel strong, and he’s…”

Harper raised her brows, waiting for me to finish.

“Let’s just say his intensity carries into the bedroom.”

“Ah.” She nodded. “And you are comfortable with everything he does, in and out of that bedroom, right?”

“Yes. Jack is very considerate of me. He pushes my limits, but in a good way. I’ve never been scared, and he’s never restrained me.”

“Has he done anything else?”

I took a deep breath. “He’s spanked me.” The words were barely audible.

She stared at me for a moment. When she didn’t say anything, I moved quickly past that little fact and went on.

“He’s close with Cal, they’re like brothers. Grew up together, and he said they protected each other, which makes me think something happened.”

“Okay, there’s the speculation. You have to be careful with that.”