When the party finally broke up and Diana and the actresses took off, Carla went to bed but found herself tossing and turning, unable to sleep. She went to the liquor cabinet and poured herself a glass of straight vodka, hoping it would help her sleep. When that didn't work she had another. By the time she finally managed to drift off, she had done some serious damage to the bottle.
This morning Daisy had taken off to work -- she worked part-time as a barista to cover her modest expenses. Carla scrounged around the kitchen for something to eat but came up empty. So she headed out to a cafe and by the time she got there, she had come to a decision: She was going home immediately.
It cost her a pretty penny to change flights, but very rarely did she not do what she wanted to do because of money. It was the upside of having the father that she did. She took an Uber to the airport, hangover beginning to clear now that she had some food and coffee in her. It was good to be heading home.
* * *
Back at the house, Annabel decided to keep her collar off and lay out in the sun for awhile, see if she couldn't fade that tan line a little bit. Carla wasn't due back for another day, so she'd never know. Feeling bold, Annabel pulled off her top and laid out on a lounge chair wearing nothing but her yoga pants.
After awhile she drifted off to sleep, so she never heard Carla's car approaching the house. The sound of the front door startled her awake, though, and realizing immediately what was happening, she dashed for the house to get her collar. But it was too late -- Carla was standing there in the hallway in front of her.
"Hi," said Annabel, overjoyed that Carla was home, but worried about having been caught collarless.
"Hello," responded Carla coolly. Then she reached out and grabbed Annabel around the neck where her collar was supposed to be. "What the hell is this?"
"I, um..." stammered Annabel. "There's this tan line and...."
Carla held up her hand. "I don't care." In truth she was relieved at having been handed a pretext on which to punish Annabel. She was mad at her stepmother for making her feel the way she felt, distracting her from what should have been a great time in San Francisco, and prompting her to cut her trip short. She didn't want to admit to Annabel or to herself how strong her feelings were becoming.
Pulling Annabel roughly into the living room, Carla stripped her pants off and bent her over the ottoman. After using Annabel's yoga pants to tie her hands behind her back, Carla opened her suitcase and pulled out the cane she'd been given. She swished it back and forth the air a couple times so Annabel could see.
Annabel gulped. This was a fearsome-looking implement, and while she trusted Carla not to injure her, she was afraid it was really going to hurt. When the first blow landed on her ass, she knew she had been right.