Shane's pov

Having successfully evaded Neil during the remainder of the evening at the fundraiser, I foolishly thought I was in the clear. The error of my ways became crystal clear when I heard his steely tone through the Bluetooth as we drove home that night.

His words rang through my ears, "My office, first thing Monday morning," sending a chill through me as I stood in the hallway outside his office. I glanced at my watch, 8:22am, before entering and greeting his secretary.

"Good morning, Liz, I believe your husband is expecting me."

"Good morning, Admiral Donovan, and yes, he is expecting you. Please allow me to show you in," Liz replied sweetly. Rising from behind her desk, she ushered me into Neil's office, closing the door on her way out, granting us some privacy.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" I ask, feigning ignorance as to why Neil summoned me here.

"Apparently, first thing in the morning is 8:23am for some people." Neil gives me a disapproving look. "We'll discuss that later."

"Yes sir." This must be how the girls feel when I lecture them I think as I vehemently resist the urge to roll my eyes while Dr. Curtis continues to scold me.

"While I appreciate the discretion with which the incident with Stacey at the fundraiser was handled, it did not go unnoticed," Neil cuts straight to the chase.

"I'm terribly sorry that incident occurred on such an important night for the Foundation. I assure you, sir, Stacey has been properly disciplined and she will be writing you and Mr. Burns letters of apology."

Neil crosses his arms over his chest and gives me a look indicating he's not convinced.

"In order to avoid incidents such as this in the future, perhaps I should handle Stacey's discipline myself."

Wanting to protect Stacey from further punishment, I try to convince Neil that won't be necessary.

"Sir, I've already spanked Stacey, not once but twice, for her behavior that night. I promise you, she knows without a shadow of a doubt that her actions were unacceptable and they are never to be repeated." I have to bite my tongue to keep from reminding Neil about my original objections stemming from allowing the girls to attend the fundraiser in the first place.

"See to it that an incident such as this never occurs again with one of your girls, Donovan..."

"Yes sir."

"...or I'll be forced to deliver both your punishments first hand."

I couldn't hide my surprise at Neil's mention of including me in the category of punished versus punisher. I shudder to think how that scenario would play out.

"Have I made myself clear, Donovan?" Neil's tone leaves no room for interpretation.

"Yes sir."

Neil returns to his seat behind his desk, getting back to work. After a few awkward moments, he finally dismisses me.

Later that night in Shane's room

Stacey's pov

I nervously play with my hair as Shane makes good on his promise while we sit in his room, waiting for Mike to arrive. This meeting, however, isn't about informing Mike about the events that took place at the fundraiser. I overheard Shane talking on the phone with Mike earlier in the day, when he was presumably at the airport, so I know Mike is aware of what happened. No, this meeting is intended to be a lesson in humility.

Once Mike arrives, for whatever reason I find it so much harder to confess to him in person even though I know he's already learned about my disobedience from an outside source. I searched for the right words as I looked him in the eyes, witnessing first hand the disappointment brought on by my behavior that night. I looked away, uncomfortable knowing I let both of my guardians down.

"While I trust Shane did a thorough job administering your punishment, Stacey, I feel I cannot let this go unanswered."

I swallow hard, fearing what Mike has in store for me. My eyes fill with tears in anticipation of more pain being inflicted on my already extremely sore backside.

"Stacey," Mike says softly, wiping the tears from my face. "Look at me, darlin'."

My breath catches in my throat as I try to inhale deeply, raising my head to meet Mike's gaze. My breathing remains erratic as I try to fight back more tears.

"Don't worry, Stacey, I'm not going to spank you, although I'm tempted."

"You're not?" I really want to believe him but I'm not convinced.

"I am, however, going to punish you and..." Mike goes into stern dad mode, "... I am going to ask you for an explanation of your behavior at the fundraiser."

"I don't know. I'm sorry, okay," my small voice trails off at the end, as I look down at my hands, avoiding their gaze.

"Stacey Marie!" Mike snaps, "I asked you a question and I expect an appropriate answer." Seeing me sniffling, Mike sighs, "Look at me." He waits until he has my full attention before continuing. "I'm sorry is not an explanation and I don't know is not an appropriate response."

I can feel their disappointment, like a heavy weight upon my shoulders.

"I guess, I just wanted to have a good time and I wasn't really thinking about anything beyond that." Mike and Shane are silent, presumably expecting me to offer more of an explanation. "I really don't know what else you want me to say."

Mike gives me a heartbreaking look and then delivers on it.

"To say I'm disappointed by your behavior that night, doesn't even begin to scratch the surface, Stacey. You let me down, you let Shane down, and you let Dr. Curtis down. Your actions were not only immature but incredibly selfish. You failed to consider how your decisions and resulting actions would affect anyone else. I certainly hope you're ashamed of the way you acted because I certainly am."

Someone play the Minecraft hurt sound (Oooof). That was brutal. Mike's words are painful to hear. I try to wipe the tears from my eyes before they trickle down my cheeks.

"I know I let you down and I'm sorry but I can't turn back time and take it all back. I don't know what else you want from me." My emotions are ramping high now and, unfortunately, overriding my common sense. "You're not being fair." As soon as those four words left my mouth, I instantly regretted it.

Shane shook his head in disbelief. Mike's chin immediately snapped up, his eyes glared at me with a fury hot enough to light a fire.

I wanted to look away but I couldn't. He slowly walked to where I stood. My instincts told me to flee but my feet were inexplicably cemented to the floor. My heartbeat quickly surpassed one hundred beats per minute.

"Did you seriously just accuse me of not being fair?" Mike's eyes were narrow as slits, his tone cold.

I felt like Pandora's box had just been opened, unleashing Hell on earth. My mouth was so dry, I doubted my ability to speak. I felt my lip actually quiver, fearing Mike much more than demons, at this moment.

"Take a minute and choose your words carefully, Stacey, as you tell me exactly how I'm treating you unfairly." Mike crossed his arms over his chest and breathed in deeply through his nostrils, since his lips were tightly pressed together in an unforgiving scowl.

I swallowed hard, trying to find my voice but thinking better of it, I remained silent.

"Should I assume by your silence, Stacey, that you're rethinking your stance on my ability to be forthcoming while disciplining you?"

Eyes downcast, I shamefully nod my head in agreement with Mike's assessment.

I hear Mike exhale loudly before saying, "You're trying my patience by not answering me properly."

His hands on his hips, the warning in his voice is quite clear.

"Yes sir," I say, knowing that's what he wants to hear.

Sensing the insincerity underladen in my reply, Mike frowns.

"You want to know what's not fair, Stacey? How about the fact that I return from a charity outreach mission after a fourteen hour flight, to find one of my daughters was not only disobedient, but also disrespectful at the most important fundraiser for that charity. To top it off, now that I stand here wanting nothing more than a shower and a good night's sleep, I instead am faced with the task of reprimanding that less than remorseful daughter."

Mike rubs the back of his neck, out of frustration.

"I should be hearing an attitude of repentance, not entitled defiance, Stacey." Mike's words increase in volume, mirroring his anger level. He turns his back to me, closes his eyes, pinches the bridge of his nose and breathes in loudly as a means to quell his temper.

"You were supposed to set a good example as a representative of Dr. Curtis's organization but instead, you chose to act up and even break the law, for chrissake. Your despicable behavior reflected poorly on Shane, Dr. Curtis, and I, along with countless other people, who worked hard and sacrificed in order to enable the Foundation to provide much needed help to thousands of individuals. OF ALL THE SELFISH, IRRESPONSIBLE, AND IDIOTIC STUNTS YOU'VE PULLED, THIS ONE REALLY TAKES THE CAKE, STACEY. YOUR BEHAVIOR WAS NOTHING SHORT OF DISGRACEFUL."

Mike turns and walks away from me.

"I can't even look at you right now." Sadness and disappointment are quickly displacing his anger.

Mike rakes his hands through his hair before leaning over Shane's desk. With his back still to me, he says, "You're grounded for another two weeks. I have nothing more to say to you, Stacey. Please go to your room."

The guilt-inducing sadness in Mike's voice crushes me like a boa constrictor slowly squeezing the life out of its prey.

I sniffle and mumble a hasty, "Yes sir," before retreating to my room.