Prologue
"Honey," she said as I opened the front door, "I'm sorry."
I didn't say anything, just stood aside while she entered the front room.
"Honey," she repeated, "I'm sorry."
I turned and faced her, putting on my best glare.
"Stand right fucking there," I said and turned.
"David," she sort of wailed as I walked into the dining room.
I grabbed one of our dining room chairs, one of those with no arms, and walked back into the front room, looked around, and set it carefully in the middle of the room.
She watched.
I sat and turned my head to look at her.
"I'm sorry," she said for the third time.
"Come here," I said, pointing to the floor just to the right of where I was sitting.
She came and stood, head hanging, looking for all the world like a 14-year-old girl caught sneaking out.
"I warned you," I said and then reached up as quick as all of those hours in a karate dojo had taught me and grabbed her by her hair and pulled her down across my lap.
She was in a short skirt because I enjoyed showing her off.