Discipline by Stella Rhys Page A

down from my
giggles and recalling Ben’s face of utter rage and fury. Before
getting shown out, he’d said something about my mother and gotten
some sort of threat out about Daniel. But it didn’t matter anymore.
I’d planned on telling Mom about the breakup and Daniel no longer
wanted anything to do with me. So Ben had nothing on me. And I had
not a care in the world.
    “Ade.”
    She turned to me, her eyes still twinkling
from the laughter. I hooked my pinky with hers.
    “I owe you a ton of drinks, girl. For that.”
My grin was sheepish, apologetic. “And the past three years.”
    Her smile spread from ear to ear. “Guess we
should start tonight.”

CHAPTER
7

    Letting go felt so damned good.
    Despite relaxing since the breakup, I’d yet
to stay out past 11:30PM. Mom still called at least four times a
week between eleven and midnight, just as she had when I lived with
Ben in TriBeCa. She always asked for me to put the phone up to
Jack’s mouth so she could hear his “cute little bark,” but I knew
it was because she was keeping tabs on me. For Ben. Making sure
that I was home and being a good little wife. It wasn’t very subtle
considering she reminded me nightly to “take care of him,” which
included everything from giving his “tired muscles” a “good, deep
rub” after work to remembering that I should always “behave how Ben
would see fit.” Because staying out late with single girlfriends
was not only a show of disrespect, according to Mom, but a risk for
temptation.
    “Not that you should ever be tempted by
another when you have a beautiful gem like Ben,” she always said as
I quietly pretended to retch on the other end of the phone, solely
for my own entertainment. It helped with my need to cringe, which
was plentiful whenever Mom called to talk. I absolutely dreaded our
conversations.
    Though tonight, I answered her call with
great enthusiasm.
    Mostly because I was tipsy. It was midnight
but just like yesterday, I was still out and drinking at Todos
Santos. Last night, we had lined up shot after shot to congratulate
ourselves for collectively ridding of Ben. Tonight, our reason was
for celebratory purposes because Adriana had announced her decision
to return to the staff while I’d announced my decision to stay —
not that anyone had known of my plans to leave.
    Not that anyone really needed a legitimate
reason to drink, anyway.
    “Body shots!” Harry hollered just as I
answered my phone.
    “ What is going on, Nina?”
    Mom’s question came before I could even say
“hello,” and only then did I realize that I’d already missed a few
of her calls.
    “Hi, Mom. I’m still at work,” I said,
drawing absolutely everyone’s attention by saying the word “Mom.”
Suddenly, it was the entire staff’s mission to shout the most
inappropriate things they could think of, just for the
entertainment of my mother.
    “Aw, fuck yeah, that feels good!” Harry
yelled into my phone as I gasped, suppressing laughter while
kicking him away from my seat on the bar top.
    “Oh God, it’s too big!” Adriana
squealed.
    There was absolute horror in Mom’s voice.
“ Who was that, Nina? Where in the hell are you? Tell me
now!”
    “Mom, I’m at work!” I answered, trying not
to snort as Marco stood behind Harry, pretending to spank him.
    “I can hear the drunks around you,
Nina! For the love of God, go home before you stoop right to their
level!” Mom demanded, the panic in her voice more fitting for a 911
call. “Better yet, quit. I mean it, Nina. I can feel you turning
into one of them!” She paused for a moment and I could practically
hear her thinking hard. “Nina. I’ll supplement you some money every
month, okay? Daddy will find a way to help you out if the gallery
doesn’t pay enough. Or you know what? I can take less from your
allowance. How does that sound?”
    I groaned. “I don’t want your money, Mom.
You guys are struggling enough.”
    “Don’t say that!”
    I blinked,