Reckoning

by Fields, Sara

  The inside of the building was clean and simple. There were a few checkpoints, but there wasn’t any sort of security or even a single drug dog waiting. This was a blatant reminder of the kind of power and influence the Father and the family held. He didn’t play by the rules. He made them himself.

  We were escorted to a private jet and seated inside. It took almost no time at all for the plane to fly down the runway and lift up into the air. I had hardly even clicked my seat belt closed before we started moving.

  Janet was thankfully quiet on the flight and I was left with my thoughts for much of it. I was grateful for that because I didn’t want to say the wrong thing or make her think I cared for Dean more than I should.

  The flight was mercifully short, and it was still daylight when our wheels touched down. There was another limo waiting for us and we were swept away into the city of Lisbon to a hotel. Janet had booked a penthouse suite for a week for the two of us and I wasn’t looking forward to being in close quarters with her for that long while we practiced the story that we’d put forward so that I could pull off my marriage con on my next mark.

  When we walked into the room, there was a massive dining room table near the entry way. On top of it was a pile of manila folders stuffed with paperwork.

  “Those are all the potentials for your next mark. Why don’t we sit down and get to work? We can even order room service. It’ll be great fun,” Janet offered.

  Yeah.

  I’m sure it would be an absolute fucking delight.

  * * *

  For the next week, Janet and I worked together to finalize our story, curtailing it slightly to work best for my next mark, Salvador Pereira.

  He was a world-famous winemaker and vineyard tycoon with multiple properties in Portugal, France, Italy, and various other countries throughout Europe. He was rich, single, and most important, he liked girls who needed a strong rich man to take care of them. He even had a special love for women of Norse descent, which meant I spent a very long day in the hotel spa getting my hair bleached and dyed, as well as thick blonde extensions. By the time I was finished, my head was sore, and my hair fell down to my hips. Janet decided she liked the combination of my light blue eyes with the blonde hair and decided to wear colored contacts herself that were designed to be the same color as mine.

  Once I was adequately prepared, it was time for the two of us to attend a wine tasting taught by the wine master himself.

  In my research, I found that he liked his girls to have simple taste, so I dabbled only in light makeup and a pretty sundress that was just enough to catch his eye, but not enough to make it look like I was trying too hard.

  Salvador was a nice-looking man and when I sat down at the wine bar, his eyes settled on me for several moments longer than all the rest of the people attending. Even with Janet posing beside me as my sister, I still caught his eye again and again.

  I smiled back, feigning interest as I swirled the small sample of wine in my glass to awaken the flavors just like he’d told us to. I did everything right even with Janet sitting beside me, but it all felt so much emptier than ever before. At the end of the tasting, she excused herself to visit the restroom and Salvador ventured over to me, leaning over the bar with obvious interest in my direction.

  “Hi, there,” he began. He’d already introduced himself, so there was no need for him to do that again.

  “I’m Emma,” I smiled; at the same time I dropped my eyes in a show of embarrassed interest that was sure to catch his attention. From his file, there was every indication that he liked his women demure and only a little bold.

  I lifted my eyes a bit more confidently to see his expression, and I knew that my instincts were right.

  “Your hair has been catching the light rather brilliantly all afternoon, Emma,” he said with a smile.

  “Thank you,” I whispered, and I could feel myself blush a little at his compliments.

  “Would you like to take a tour of the facility with me? I have some extra special vintages I’ve been needing to sample, and it would be awfully helpful if I had another to taste it with me,” he said hopefully and I knew that he’d taken the bait.

  “That would be wonderful,” I answered excitedly. I twirled my hair in my fingers and glanced down again, painting on the shy girl act as best as I could, and he fell for it.

  Hook, line, and sinker.

  I caught Janet out of the corner of my eye, and I waved to her. She smiled knowingly and left the winery. As the rest of the attendees trickled out, a tall man walked through the doors wearing a beanie and something of a hipster outfit.

  “Can I help you?” Salvador asked politely. He hid it well, but I was pretty sure he was annoyed to have someone walk in like this so close to closing time.

  “I’m looking for someone,” the man said, and I stilled.

  Daddy.

  I gulped. My eyes flew to the door. Janet was nowhere to be seen. With a deep breath, I turned to face him.

  Those ocean blue eyes found mine. He didn’t need to say anything at all, but I knew that he’d figured out my scheme. I bet he’d figured it all out. He started speaking first.

  “Your hair looks different from the last time I saw you,” he ventured, sitting down beside me. Salvador’s gaze slipped back and forth between us.

  “Another day then, Emma?” Salvador pressed. He was interested, but I hadn’t cinched it yet.

  “I’d really like that. Why don’t I come back in just a little bit?” I asked him sweetly and he smiled.

  “Can I take you to dinner tonight?” he asked, and I grinned. I could feel Dean watching and it was difficult to have his eyes on me at the same time that I was trying to draw in a mark.

  “If I say yes, can I taste more of your wine?” I asked playfully and Salvador grinned widely.

  “I’ll set something up for seven tonight,” he offered.

  “It’s a date then,” I smirked, and his face lit up.

  “I’ll leave you two alone. Enjoy the facility and let me know if you need anything,” Salvador added and he walked away, leaving Dean and me alone in the wine bar.

  He cleared his throat.

  “I want you to go and take a seat at the table furthest from the window,” he instructed, and a sudden feeling of dread hurtled through me. I turned to face him, trying to gauge what he was thinking and finding the hard look of his disappointment instead.

  “Yes, Daddy,” I whispered. I swallowed hard and he pointed to where he wanted me. I went. I didn’t need to be told twice.

  I sat down and Dean joined me. He was quiet as a waitress came and locked the doors from the inside before she waved and disappeared into the back.

  “Lift your dress. I want it up around your waist,” he demanded.

  “But I…” I began, and he shook his head.

  “You will do as you’re told, little girl. There is no one here after closing and I won’t hesitate to spank you here if you fail to obey Daddy’s instructions,” he chastised me, and that same dread exploded into open anxiety.

  “Yes, Daddy,” I whimpered, and I lifted my dress.

  “Take off your panties and hand them to Daddy,” he demanded next, and my mouth opened in surprise.

  “I can’t,” I said breathlessly and all he had to do was clear his throat before I rushed to push my panties down far enough so that they slid down my legs. I flushed heatedly as I reached down and untangled them from my ankles.

  He held out his hand and I wanted to throw them at him, but I elected to take the safer route and placed them gently in his waiting palm instead.

  “Good girl,” he whispered, and my thighs quivered hard.

  “What are…?” I started and he shook his head. The rest of my question died before it even left my lips.

  “Daddy is going to be the one asking the questions, little girl,” he said boldly, and I whimpered softly with nervousness. I sat there with my bottom bare on the wooden chair, more than aware that my pussy was entirely naked to
o.

  I realized with a sinking fear that I was wet too.

  “Hands on the table. Daddy knows you’re soaked for him. It’s going to be a very long time before he allows you to touch that needy little pussy,” he demanded.

  My blush deepened and the swirling feeling of trepidation intensified. I was in trouble. He didn’t need to say the words to tell me that I was. Everything about his voice and demeanor indicated that I was going to be one sore and sorry little girl before he was through with me.

  But there was something else.

  There was comfort in his finding me. He’d come back for me twice and with that came a certain sense of relief just to have his presence around me again.

  “How does it feel to be made to bare your bottom like this in a public place, little girl?” he asked.

  “Embarrassing,” I muttered. I stared down at my hands splayed on the dark wooden surface of the table. I trembled before him, contrite, scared, and entirely too nervous to see him again.

  “Good. You’re lucky it’s simply bare right now and not as bright red as it should be,” he scolded.

  I whimpered again.

  I sounded so utterly weak.

  “There’s a reason that I chose this table, little girl. Do you know what that is?” he asked carefully.

  “No, Daddy,” I replied anxiously. My gaze dropped down to his large hands. He flexed them and I trembled hard, wondering if he would really spank me in a place like this.

  “The only camera in this winery is focused on the bar and the register. You cannot see this table from any of the windows outside and even if someone were to walk in from the back, I would be able to hear them before they could see us,” he replied.

  I wasn’t sure if he was telling me this to scare me or to comfort me. Maybe a little bit of both. I chewed my lip, not knowing what to say, but it turned out I didn’t need to talk at all.

  “You told me you worked alone, but that was a lie, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes, Daddy,” I whispered.

  “Who is the woman that’s been accompanying you everywhere?”

  “The Fixer,” I answered. There was no hiding the open trepidation in the shaking of my voice.

  “She’s someone important, isn’t she?” he asked.

  “Yes, Daddy,” I whined softly.

  “I take it she is dangerous,” he said.

  “Yes, Daddy,” I said meekly.

  “What does she do?”

  “She’s a highly trained assassin,” I replied quietly.

  “I see.”

  “She’s been sent to decide if I’m still an asset to the family,” I muttered.

  His eyes flashed to meet mine.

  “And if she decides that you aren’t?” he asked, his voice dropping to a dangerous decibel that I’d never heard before.

  “Then I die,” I said flatly, and I had to bite back a sob.

  “Daddy needs you to know that he won’t let that happen, little girl. Daddy is going to protect you,” he said firmly, and I shook my head.

  “You can’t keep me safe from the family. If the Father decides that he wants me dead, it is simply a matter of time until it happens,” I replied.

  “Spread your legs, little girl,” he demanded, and a small cry escaped me as he pushed himself up from his seat. He stood behind me and I almost forgot to breathe as he leaned forward and slid his palms down the curve of my shoulders. His right hand descended a bit further and reached down to cup my pussy as I anxiously spread my legs.

  He slapped my pussy three times in quick succession. There was no pomp or circumstance to the way he punished me. By the time it was over, the shock had faded, and the only thing left was a burning sting in between my legs that simmered at first only to grow blazing hot in the following seconds. I keened and his palms returned to my shoulders.

  Desperately, I moved to close my legs and reached to cup my sore pussy, meaning to give myself some semblance of relief.

  “Keep those legs open and your hands on the table, little girl. Daddy has something to say and you’re going to listen,” he continued.

  I rushed to obey, not wanting him to spank my pussy like that again. Especially here.

  “Yes, Daddy,” I whimpered.

  “Daddy has already shown you that he isn’t the man that you originally thought, hasn’t he? He has far more money and accounts than you knew about, which means there is a whole lot about me that you don’t know, little girl,” he scolded.

  “Yes, Daddy,” I answered, my voice giving away just how fragile I felt.

  “Then how do you know that Daddy can’t protect you, little girl?”

  I tried to find the words to answer, but there was nothing there. He was right. I didn’t know him. I’d only glimpsed a hint of the resources at his disposal and if he’d been able to hide all that money from the family, maybe there was more to him that I could have dreamed of.

  “You’ve never had a mark find you before, have you?”

  “No, Daddy,” I breathed.

  “Daddy’s found you twice now, little girl, hasn’t he?”

  “Yes, Daddy.”

  “I want to tell you something, my little con artist. Will you listen to me?”

  “Yes, Daddy. I want to listen,” I replied, and I hesitantly realized that I was telling the truth. I did want to listen. I wanted to know more.

  Because Daddy was here.

  Daddy wanted to keep me safe.

  “Daddy received a message from you the first time, and he didn’t heed it because you weren’t in control then, were you, little girl?”

  “No, Daddy,” I whimpered.

  “Daddy received another message a week ago, little girl. It was from someone who calls himself the Father and Daddy chose not to heed that message either. Do you know why, little girl?”

  “No, Daddy,” I gasped as his hands moved my hair aside and his fingers stroked up and down my throat, slow and steady and entirely too enticing.

  “Daddy isn’t afraid of a man like that, little girl. He’s taken down men just like him, time and time again and this time will be no different,” he said firmly, and I wanted to believe him. I just couldn’t. I knew what the Father and the family were capable of.

  I didn’t say anything at all.

  “Right now, your friend is waiting in your hotel, but you aren’t going to return to her. Instead, you’re going to come with Daddy,” he added.

  “I can’t,” I replied and before I could react, his hand returned to my pussy and spanked it three more times, even more firmly than before. I cried out and bit my lip, keeping my legs open even though I desperately wanted to close them. My nails dug into the soft wood of the table as the terrible sting blazed between my thighs. I tried to keep quiet, but it was a measure in futility. He knew how much it hurt. I knew that he’d meant it to.

  “Yes, Daddy,” I whispered, knowing that I no longer had a choice.

  His palm returned to cup my cheek. With his thumb, he casually petted my cheekbone, and I closed my eyes.

  “I’m scared, Daddy,” I whimpered.

  “Of what, little girl? Are you scared of Daddy?”

  “I… No, that’s not it. I mean, I am, but I’m petrified of something else,” I whispered.

  “Tell me, little girl,” he pressed. He was gentle and there was something in me that finally wanted to tell him what had made me run from him again after he’d found me the first time.

  “They’re going to kill you. The both of us,” I said with horror and his hand cupped my face a little bit closer.

  “Daddy said he was going to protect you, didn’t he?” he asked carefully.

  “Yes, Daddy,” I replied, chewing my lips anxiously.

  “You’re going to have to trust me, little girl,” he added.

  “Yes, Daddy,” I repeated softly.

  “I’m proud of you for telling me the truth, little girl,” he said softly, and his words settled around me and the nervous part of me suddenly felt so much better. �
��You may lower your dress now. I’m going to keep your panties in my pocket though. I want that pretty pussy bare so that you remember to listen to Daddy.”

  “Yes, Daddy,” I blushed. I hesitantly removed my hands from the table and pulled my dress back into place.

  “The Fixer is going to come looking for us,” I said softly.

  “I know. The two of us are going to work together to handle her,” he replied.

  “Us?”

  “Yes, little girl.”

  I turned to him with confusion, but there was nothing in his expression that indicated that he was lying.

  “You mean that?” I asked.

  “I do. I made a vow to you once and I mean to keep it,” he replied, and I swore my heart collapsed into pieces at that very moment. “I’m not going to let you walk away from me again, little girl. I’m going to keep you by my side even if it means that your little bottom is bright red every single day to keep you there.”

  “Dean… I…” I began.

  “When we are alone together, you will refer to me as Daddy,” he warned.

  “Yes, Daddy,” I replied, and he reached for my upper arm and hauled me up. He pulled me into his arms and tilted my chin up so that he could brush his lips against mine.

  “We’ll deal with the Fixer together, but first you and I are going to have a discussion. You didn’t tell me everything even with the marks of my belt on your bare little bottom when I last punished you, did you?”

  “No, Daddy,” I breathed.

  “You need to be punished for that, don’t you, little girl?”

  I opened my mouth and for a moment, I contemplated telling him that I didn’t need that, but I knew that would be a lie. For some insane reason, it settled me to know that Daddy was going to punish me. I knew it was going to hurt. I knew it was going to be hard, but I needed hard. I needed Daddy to show me he was in control no matter what happened.

  That made me feel safe.

  Daddy made me feel secure.

  “Yes, Daddy,” I finally whispered.

  “It makes Daddy very hard to think about punishing you and reminding you who’s in control,” he murmured.