get a drink of water. Leah had left a robe hanging on the bathroom door for him. Instead of getting dressed he pulled that on. When he opened the door he heard a soft, strange, rhythmic noise he couldn't quite place.
The house was dark. A few carefully placed nightlights and his familiarity helped him make it to the kitchen without incident. The noise sounded louder now and almost sounded like ... splashing?
He spotted a dark shape on the lanai. When he stepped out the kitchen slider, he saw Kaden standing in the shadows, staring at the pool and leaning against the wall near the sliders leading to the master bedroom.
The pool light wasn't on. In the dark water, Leah maintained a blistering pace down and back. He knew she swam a lot, one of the reasons Kaden had the large twenty-five meter pool built, but ... day-amn.
Kaden didn't look at him, never took his eyes off the pool. He leaned in as Seth stood next to him. “Your first lesson. Never leave her alone when she's like this,” he murmured.
"Does she know we're watching her?"
"No. If she cries before she gets out, she'll be okay. If she comes out looking like a fucking zombie, I'll immediately take her to the playroom."
Seth stared at Kaden. Kaden smiled in the dark. “Sorry. That's what we call it. Sounds better than dungeon, don't you think?"
Seth stood vigil with Kaden for nearly an hour. He couldn't believe she was still going when she finally pulled up short at the shallow end and stood, gasping, leaning against the edge. She stood frozen for several minutes, then sank beneath the water.
A low moaning sound floated out of the pool, accompanied by a flurry of bubbles. She broke the surface and took a long, hitching breath before sinking below the water again.
Kaden nodded. “That's good."
"What the fuck?"
He looked at Seth. “She's screaming."
She repeated this for nearly ten minutes before resting her head on her arms on the pool's edge, softly crying.
Kaden nodded again and gently tapped Seth's arm, pointed to the kitchen sliders. They went inside and closed the door behind them.
"What the fuck?” Seth asked again.
Kaden shrugged. “She wears herself out in the pool, pushes herself to the point of physical exhaustion. I mean, she can't spank herself. She promised me she won't cut herself, although right now I'm scared she might not be able to keep that promise if we can't keep on top of things. She punishes herself. If it was daylight, she'd probably go run five miles or something. She hasn't had to do this in a long time. I thought she might do it last night but she didn't. She was too exhausted from crying."
"How will I know?"
Kaden looked grim. “You'll know. You might think you'll sleep through it but you'll get to the point where if she rolls over in bed at night, you'll know it."
Seth glanced out the sliders, where in the soft moonlight he watched Leah crying in the pool. “Shouldn't we go out there to her?"
Kaden shook his head. “Not right now. Not in a case like this."
"Fuck."
"There will be times she'll come to you and outright ask to play."
"Play? Is that whips-and-chains-excite-me code?"
Kaden smirked. “Yeah. Whatever. There will be times she gets bratty."
"Bratty?"
"I know. It's a lot to explain. When she's bratty, sometimes she needs play, sometimes she needs punishment."
"Whoa.” Seth rubbed his forehead. “If whipping her isn't punishment, what is?"
"Withholding."
"Huh?"
"Not letting her play. You'll learn the difference about what she needs."
"You've so fucking confused me now, I'm lost."
"If a kid begs for ice cream in a store and pitches a tantrum, do you give it to them?"
"What the fuck do I know about kids?"
"Well?"
Seth sighed. “I don't know. I guess not."
"You don't give it to them. It's rewarding bad behavior if you do. A lot of times you'll know from her body language, how she's talking, interacting with you. You'll see her start to ... I call it dull down. It's like she's zonked out. Not
The house was dark. A few carefully placed nightlights and his familiarity helped him make it to the kitchen without incident. The noise sounded louder now and almost sounded like ... splashing?
He spotted a dark shape on the lanai. When he stepped out the kitchen slider, he saw Kaden standing in the shadows, staring at the pool and leaning against the wall near the sliders leading to the master bedroom.
The pool light wasn't on. In the dark water, Leah maintained a blistering pace down and back. He knew she swam a lot, one of the reasons Kaden had the large twenty-five meter pool built, but ... day-amn.
Kaden didn't look at him, never took his eyes off the pool. He leaned in as Seth stood next to him. “Your first lesson. Never leave her alone when she's like this,” he murmured.
"Does she know we're watching her?"
"No. If she cries before she gets out, she'll be okay. If she comes out looking like a fucking zombie, I'll immediately take her to the playroom."
Seth stared at Kaden. Kaden smiled in the dark. “Sorry. That's what we call it. Sounds better than dungeon, don't you think?"
Seth stood vigil with Kaden for nearly an hour. He couldn't believe she was still going when she finally pulled up short at the shallow end and stood, gasping, leaning against the edge. She stood frozen for several minutes, then sank beneath the water.
A low moaning sound floated out of the pool, accompanied by a flurry of bubbles. She broke the surface and took a long, hitching breath before sinking below the water again.
Kaden nodded. “That's good."
"What the fuck?"
He looked at Seth. “She's screaming."
She repeated this for nearly ten minutes before resting her head on her arms on the pool's edge, softly crying.
Kaden nodded again and gently tapped Seth's arm, pointed to the kitchen sliders. They went inside and closed the door behind them.
"What the fuck?” Seth asked again.
Kaden shrugged. “She wears herself out in the pool, pushes herself to the point of physical exhaustion. I mean, she can't spank herself. She promised me she won't cut herself, although right now I'm scared she might not be able to keep that promise if we can't keep on top of things. She punishes herself. If it was daylight, she'd probably go run five miles or something. She hasn't had to do this in a long time. I thought she might do it last night but she didn't. She was too exhausted from crying."
"How will I know?"
Kaden looked grim. “You'll know. You might think you'll sleep through it but you'll get to the point where if she rolls over in bed at night, you'll know it."
Seth glanced out the sliders, where in the soft moonlight he watched Leah crying in the pool. “Shouldn't we go out there to her?"
Kaden shook his head. “Not right now. Not in a case like this."
"Fuck."
"There will be times she'll come to you and outright ask to play."
"Play? Is that whips-and-chains-excite-me code?"
Kaden smirked. “Yeah. Whatever. There will be times she gets bratty."
"Bratty?"
"I know. It's a lot to explain. When she's bratty, sometimes she needs play, sometimes she needs punishment."
"Whoa.” Seth rubbed his forehead. “If whipping her isn't punishment, what is?"
"Withholding."
"Huh?"
"Not letting her play. You'll learn the difference about what she needs."
"You've so fucking confused me now, I'm lost."
"If a kid begs for ice cream in a store and pitches a tantrum, do you give it to them?"
"What the fuck do I know about kids?"
"Well?"
Seth sighed. “I don't know. I guess not."
"You don't give it to them. It's rewarding bad behavior if you do. A lot of times you'll know from her body language, how she's talking, interacting with you. You'll see her start to ... I call it dull down. It's like she's zonked out. Not
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