The Bartender (Sweet Texas Love Book 3)

by Shanna Handel

  Chapter 9

  Jessica pushed the stroller up and down the aisles of the home decor store, running her hand over every gray stone and tile sample. Having always dreamed of owning a large, classic Texas craftsman’s style ranch home, Jessica was eager to choose the flooring.

  All the television show fads were into making houses look old. That was not what Jessica wanted. A house that could stand the test of time, made of strong, earthen materials. Stone, brick, tile, marble. Those were the elements she desired for her dream home. And they did not come with a small price tag.

  “Did you check the sale section, first?” Ray asked, coming up behind Jessica from another part of the store.

  “Ray, it costs what it costs,” Jessica murmured, running her hand over the perfect marble. Warm rich tones with streaks of mica, she was in love. “Can you do marble for an indoor floor?” she wondered to herself.

  “Maybe if you are on The Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous,” Ray said, looking at the price tag. “Jessica, the cost of this is insane.”

  Since finding out that she was now the wealthy wife of a real estate mogul, Jessica had taken to spending, quite a bit. From her new black leather ankle boots with the little zip up the back, to her designer skinny jeans, Jessica was loving her outfit. Topping it off with a cream-colored cashmere sweater, Jessica had never felt better dressed. Noticing a tiny dot of Evan’s morning syrup on the fibers of the sweater, Jessica reached into the oversized black leather Coach bag that hung over her shoulder, pulling out a pack of baby wipes. Dabbing carefully at the sticky spot, Jessica barely noticed Ray looking her over.

  “Miss Jessica, is your hair different?”

  Flipping her freshly highlighted locks over her shoulder, Jessica shrugged casually. “I just had a hint of sun-kiss added. Do you like it?” The truth was Jessica had left Evan with Carrie, driving to Clinton for a full spa day. The day began with a salt scrub pedicure, then moving on to a full body seaweed wrap and massage. After the spa, Jessica had hit the hottest salon on her side of Texas, paying an extortionate amount, close to what she had charged at the salon in Manhattan, and had her hair trimmed, highlighted and deep conditioned. The total cost of the day was still well under what was even in half of one of Ray’s rubber banded bundles of cash.

  Ray’s brow creased, eyeing his new bride suspiciously.

  “What do you think of this tile, Ray, it’s half the price of the marble?” Jessica asked, aiming to change the direction of the conversation.

  “Where did you have your hair done, Jessica?” Ray asked, not taking the bait about flooring. “And is that a new purse,” his eyes moved down to the floor, “and shoes?”

  Jessica laughed, waving her hand in the air. “Just a few new things.”

  Knowing Ray sat down on the first of every month to pay bills and look over the monthly expenses, Jessica figured she had a few weeks to enjoy being rich before Ray caught on to her spending habits. At that time, she figured she would sit him down and explain that she was just having a little fun and would cut back. A woman could get the beginnings of a very elegant wardrobe put together in the time frame of three weeks. Returns were not allowed at most boutiques. But these were pieces that would last her a lifetime.

  “How many new things, Miss Jessica?” Ray asked, his daddy tone making a sudden appearance, as he crossed his huge arms over his chest.

  Caught sooner than she had anticipated, Jessica smoothed her hair, saying casually, “Just a few, Ray. Can we talk about this later? We are here to pick out flooring.”

  Ray looked down at Evan in the stroller. He was sleeping soundly. Then he looked back to Jessica. “We can come back later. I’d like to grab a cup of coffee with you. Have a little chat, while Evan is sleeping.” Taking the handles of the stroller from her, leading the way, Ray guided them out of the store.

  Feeling nervous butterflies fluttering in her stomach, Jessica quickly tried to add up her recent spending. Mental math was never her strength, but the number she was coming up with was much larger than she would have thought. Ray would not be pleased.

  Sighing, Jessica followed her husband out of the store. She knew the truth would come out sooner or later, but Jessica was not ready to give up her newfound shopping habits.

  Entering the diner next door to the flooring shop, Ray pulled the stroller up next to a table. Pulling out a chair for Jessica, Ray gave her one of those looks that made her knees weak. Jessica situated herself, placing the big handbag carefully in the chair next to her. Ray sat down across from her.

  Placing his phone on the table in front of him, Ray locked eyes on Jessica. “I’m scared to even look,” Ray said, ready to pull up their bank information on his screen.

  Seeing his finger hovering over the app with the emblem for their bank, Jessica cleared her throat. Twirling her hair in her fingers, Jessica said, “Let’s not then.” Giving Ray a bright smile, Jessica picked up a menu and opened it. Hiding her face behind the oversized papers, Jessica said, “Let’s see, let’s see, what am I hungry for?”

  A large hand came over the top of the menu, pulling it down to reveal the face of a not very amused husband. “Miss Jessica,” Ray warned.

  “A girl has to eat!” Jessica exclaimed. Ray’s brow raised about two inches and Jessica gave up her avoidance tactic. It wasn’t working. Time to come clean. “Okay.” Putting her menu down, Jessica gave a great sigh. “Here’s the truth, babe. I grew up kind of broke. My salon does well, but I could never afford any fancy extras. I’ve always been attracted to glamor; I can’t help myself. I mean, look at my salon. It’s on Main Street of Poke Town, all decked out in red and black leather and zebra print for goodness’ sake. And you’ve seen my magazines. I drive all the way to Kent just to flip through those beautiful glossy pages. I like nice things.”

  She was relieved to see a small smile soften Ray’s face as he said, “I’ve seen the magazines. There are quite a few of them, actually.”

  “Right? And I never could afford any of the clothes I had dreamed of. I poured my love into my coffee instead, no pun intended.”

  A chuckle came from the other side of the table and Jessica relaxed.

  “I couldn’t buy high quality things, so I would shop for knock offs, or second hand at yard sales. And I buy really, really good coffee.” Twelve bucks a pound was steep on her salary, but when the dark liquid hit her lips every morning, she knew it was money well spent.

  “So, you could have a taste of the good life?” Ray quipped. Pun for pun, that was a good sign.

  Sure, that her charms were melting the ice of her frugal husband, Jessica answered, “Exactly,” while flashing Ray a smile.

  Ray looked at her inquisitively. “Are your teeth even whiter than before?”

  “New toothpaste,” Jessica said with a wave of her hand. Now, was not the time to tell Ray that for just two hundred dollars you could have your teeth whitened in fifteen minutes at the Clinton mall.

  The waitress arrived at the nick of time. “What’ll you have?” she asked in a bored voice.

  Ray put a hand on the menu Jessica was about to pick up. “Two house salads, a grilled chicken breast,” he looked at Jessica’s pleading face, “and a burger for my lady.”

  “No fries?” Jessica mouthed to him.

  “Don’t push your luck,” Ray said, handing the menus to the waitress.

  “You want fries with that?” the waitress asked, not bothering to look up from her pad.

  “Are you going to eat the salad?” Daddy Ray asked Jessica.

  Nodding emphatically, Jessica gave Ray her most well-behaved look.

  “Yes, please,” Ray answered the waitress.

  “And a Coke, a large one,” Jessica added.

  Chuckling, Ray said, “I’ll have an unsweetened tea, please.”

  “Gotcha.” The waitress turned and left.

  “We aren’t done with this discussion, you know that, right?” Ray asked.

  “I know. But can’t it wait till later. I am rea
lly enjoying this day,” Jessica asked.

  Smiling, Ray acquiesced. “All right. Shall we talk flooring, instead?”

  “Yes.” Jessica was certain, if given a little time, she could bring Ray over to her way of thinking. What was it hurting to spend a little money here and there? He would come around. She was sure of it.

  The small room in the back of the cottage was just big enough to hold a twin bed, and a desk. Ray’s computer sat opened on top of the desk, the screen staring back at him. Taking a deep, calming breath, Ray counted to ten before he clicked on the arrow to show the second page of transactions for that month. The bank statement page opened, and Ray growled to himself. Two full pages and he was only five days into the month. Unbelievable.

  There were lines and lines of purchases all attached to stores Ray never knew to exist. Most of the store names started with, Le, or La, and a few had little apostrophes over the names. These were not your classic department stores; he could tell by the purchase amounts.

  Every transaction was in the triple digits. Ray could barely believe his eyes. Yes, his wife was looking more elegantly dressed than usual, but he had figured she had treated herself to a few new things, as she had told him. Ray had no idea that for the past three weeks, Jessica had been treating herself to a whole closet of new clothing. And spa days, massage bars and cafes.

  At the rate his wife was spending, Ray would be lucky if he would be able to put laminate down in the new house. Heck, that was only if he could afford to finish the house. Running a hand along the back of his neck, Ray stood from the desk.

  Ray loved spoiling Jessica. He wanted her to have everything that her heart desired. The amount of spending though, was ludicrous and wasteful. No matter how full their bank account, Ray’s humble beginnings would not allow for him to have his wife live this extravagantly. Something would have to be done.

  Not being able to stomach going through any more of the pages, Ray called out, “Jessica, can you come in here, please?”

  “Sure, babe. Just a sec,” Jessica called out.

  Reminding himself to remain calm, Ray paced between the door and the desk, which with the length of his legs, was about two steps. Jessica popped into the doorway, looking like a vision in a purple silk tunic and dark denim pants. Diamonds sparkled from her earlobes.

  Taking a step towards her, Ray asked, “Are those new earrings? Tell me those are cubic zirconia.”

  “Cubic za-what? No, silly,” Jessica laughed. “They are real. Don’t worry, they were on sale.”

  “How much, exactly?” In his brief overview of the bank account, Ray had yet to get to jewelry store spending.

  “Well, it wasn’t a sale, more like buy one get one free,” Jessica said, holding her arm up towards Ray. Her slender wrist was adorned with a sparkling, diamond tennis bracelet. “But I promise that was before we had our little chat at the diner. I’ve been pretty good about spending since then.”

  “How good?” Ray asked, sitting down at the computer. Skipping over thousands of dollars of deficit he had already scanned, Ray went to the date that he and Jessica visited the flooring store. Typing in a query, Ray pulled up every penny spent since the day that Jessica had promised to curb her spending.

  “Pretty good?” Jessica answered. Ray detected nervousness entering her voice. His guess was that Jessica had not been good at all. Jessica had been bad. Very bad.

  Scanning the purchases from that day to now, Ray calculated an estimate of spending. Ten thousand dollars. Unable to control his anger, Ray slammed his hand down on the desk. “You have got to be kidding me, Jessica,” he roared.

  Taken aback, her face pale, Jessica turned to leave the room. Ray grabbed her arm, turning her and sitting her down, hard onto the bed. “Sit down. We are not finished here. I’m sorry I yelled. But you are not leaving this room.”

  Jessica sat, hands in her lap, looking up at Ray, her eyes wide as saucers. Ray did not allow himself to get angry, or lose his cool. And he made a point to never, ever raise his voice. But this— he glanced over at his computer, his stomach feeling sick. He hadn’t worked the way he had to have Jessica fritter it away on designer stuff that she, heck, no one, ever needed.

  Carrying the computer over to Jessica, Ray pointed to the number at the top of the screen, under the words, total transactions this month. “Read this number to me.”

  Clearing her throat, Jessica squeaked out the number. “Forty-five thousand four hundred and seventy-seven dollars?”

  “And thirty-eight cents.” Ray snapped the computer shut, returning it to the desk. “In one month.” There were some years in the past, that amount was what Ray had earned, annually, running the bar. “All gone, in less than thirty days.”

  “Yikes,” Jessica said. She twisted the bracelet around her wrist.

  “We are so far beyond, yikes, Miss Jessica. This is not an uh-oh, oopsie, kind of mistake. This is serious trouble, young lady.” Ray wanted to flip her right over his lap and whale away at her rear end right then and there, but he was too angry to allow himself to punish her in this moment. And spanking alone was not going to cover it this time.

  “I don’t even know where to start,” Ray said, running his hand over his short hair, pacing in front of Jessica. Jessica sat, perfectly still and silent on the bed. “What am I going to do with you?” He looked her over. She was breathtakingly beautiful. The elegant clothing hung from her frame perfectly, the deep purple complimenting her golden hair, the diamonds sparkled prettily in her ears. “Jessica, I am not opposed to you having nice things and treating yourself,” he said, softened by her silence. “However, I am opposed to extravagance for extravagances sake.”

  Sitting down next to her on the bed, Ray wrapped an arm around Jessica’s shoulders. “My biggest problem with this whole thing, is that you promised me to cool it after that day in the diner. Do you call ten thousand dollars, cooling it?” he asked.

  “No. It just added up so fast. I wasn’t thinking.”

  “Exactly. You spent carelessly without a thought. I want you to go and wait for me in our bedroom while I figure out what to do with you.” Needing time to calm, it would be best for Jessica to be in another room.

  Jessica gave a nervous gulp, then looked wide eyed up at Ray. Taking his arm from around her shoulders, he said, “Go.”

  With one look over her shoulder, Jessica left the room.

  “You owe a debt, and you are going to pay me back that debt. The last ten thousand will be paid back over the next ten days. A thousand a day.” Ray stood, in front of Jessica, arms crossed. He looked dangerous.

  “How am I supposed to pay back a thousand dollars a day?” Jessica asked.

  “Chores, punishments, spankings, restrictions.”

  Growing indignant, Jessica protested, “I am not a teenager. I am a grown woman.”

  “A grown woman, with a Daddy, who is as of now, completely grounded for the next ten days.”

  “Grounded? You have to be kidding me.” Jessica jumped up from the bed, throwing her hands on her hips. One moment too late, she realized her mistake. In two seconds flat, Ray had her pinned down over the edge of the bed, her torso pressed into the mattress, his left hand on her back. Ray pressed his leg against the back of her thighs, pinning them to the front of the bed. Her bottom lay over the edge of the mattress. With his right hand, Ray paddled her bottom, hard, with loud, stinging smacks.

  “Do I look like I’m kidding?” he growled. His huge hand came down hard and fast, targeting the center of her bottom.

  “No, sir!” Jessica exclaimed, tears stinging her eyes. Ray had never spanked her so hard. “I’m grounded, I understand.” The spanking stopped. Ray took his hand from her back and stepped away from her, releasing her from her position on the bed. Jessica quickly stood up, adjusting her hair and clothing, then very obediently took a seat back down on the bed.

  Returning to his menacing stance, Ray said, “Can we continue our conversation, now, young lady? Or do you want to interrupt me
again?”

  “Go ahead, Ray,” Jessica said, demurely. Her stinging bottom reminding her tongue to control itself.

  “Over the next ten days, you will refer to me as daddy, or sir. There is no Ray in your world, right now. Understand?”

  Jessica nodded, unable to say the words required of her.

  “Answer me, young lady.”

  “Yes, Daddy,” Jessica said, her face burning.

  “I will oversee your every move over the next ten days. You obey, or the punishments get harsher. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Good. I know you aren’t ready to leave Evan overnight, but Mama and Carrie were eager to take him during the day for the next ten days. I told them you and I are having a little stay at home honeymoon. That way I can focus fully on you, and we can set the standards and expectations for this marriage. There is no way you should have felt comfortable spending like that after I specifically told you not to. That tells me I am not doing a good enough job as your daddy. If you think you can do whatever you want with no consequences, then it’s time to learn a lesson.”

  “I understand,” Jessica mumbled, wanting the lecture to end. One look at Ray’s face told her the conversation wasn’t over.

  Scared wasn’t the right word to describe how Jessica felt looking up at the huge, angry man in front of her. Terrified was more like it. But not in a way that she thought Ray would hurt her or damage her psyche. Jessica knew her ass was going to be on fire over the next ten days, on top of the grounding and whatever else Ray had planned. But if she were to say she didn’t love every minute of her husband taking her in hand in this incredibly strict manner, Jessica would be lying to herself. Looking at Ray as he stood, towering over her, arms crossed, Jessica wondered if she hadn’t, in fact, been secretly testing out her new husband’s resolve.

  The first few months of their marriage, Ray had spanked Jessica quite a few times. There was the Nancy Drew incident, as well as a few others, but Ray had let a lot of things go. Exploring the bounds of their new dynamic, Jessica wanted to know how far Ray could go. And now, she was going to find out.