She lowered her gaze and climbed into the truck, folding her hands in her lap. He reached in and grabbed the seatbelt, pulling it over her chest and clicking it into place. He could feel the warmth from her body as he moved across her, but he wasn’t giving into carnal thoughts. Not now. Not until he knew what the hell was going on and figured out how to keep his little girl safe.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” she whispered as he started to pull back out of the truck.
He paused, looking into her eyes. His face was so close to hers, he could feel her soft breaths wash across his cheek. “I think you’re sorry you got caught more than you’re sorry you kept something from me. But we’ll sort that out at home. Right now, quiet.” He tapped her lips with his finger, then stepped down from the truck and shut her door.
His little girl was sorry.
But not as sorry as she was going to be.
He hadn’t lied when he’d said he was a strict Daddy.
His little girl was about to find out how strict he could be.
Chapter 19
She was a fool.
An absolute buffoon to think George would have kept his big mouth shut. She hadn’t meant to deceive Ryder; she’d only wanted to keep him from getting hurt.
“Ryder—”
“I swear to you, Sam, if you say another word, you are going to be sorely sorry.” He pointed a finger between them.
The air in the elevator thickened. His irritation was palpable, and she needed to do something to alleviate it. Soothe him in some way—and derail his punishment ideas at the same time.
The spanking he’d given her for swearing at him hadn’t been light, and he’d been going easy on her then. He didn’t look willing to show the same kindness now.
The muscles in his neck were tight, his jaw locked, his glare hot and focused on the door. He wouldn’t even look at her. She had to make it right.
“Ryder…Daddy,” she whispered.
He made a sound, a cross between a growl and a groan, right before he grabbed her arm and spun her around, pressing her to the wall of the elevator. She cried out, trying to scramble away, but he pinned her with one hand flat to her back while his other fired off half a dozen spanks to her ass. The thin fabric of her summer dress might as well have been laying on the floor for all the protection it offered from his strict hand.
He didn’t speak a word once he released her.
She pried herself off the wall and stood back beside him, rubbing her ass while she stared at the numbers flickering above the door. When they arrived at his floor, he casually placed his hand on the small of her back, leading her out of the elevator and down the hall.
If anyone had seen them, they never would have known her ass tingled from his firm, well-placed smacks, or that each step she took brought her closer to her demise.
She stood behind him while he unlocked the door. His t-shirt stretched across his broad shoulders and tapered down at his waist. She wanted to slip her arms around his middle and hug herself to his back. But from the tension she sensed in him, he probably wouldn’t be open to that.
He pushed the door open and moved to the side, his arm sweeping behind her to bring her inside. She hurried her steps down the hallway toward her room. Maybe he needed more time to calm down. It was late, perhaps if she fell asleep, he’d leave her be until the morning, and by then, have forgotten all about it entirely.
“Not so fast, Sammy. You and I are having a conversation. Get your ass in the living room. I’ll be right there.” He hooked his arm around her waist and turned her away from her safe haven.
“Daddy, I swear, I’m sorry. And I think—”
“Still talking even when I said not to.” He gave her a quick smack to her ass and propelled her gently into the living room. “Don’t worry, I can fix that. I want you out of your dress, just in your panties, no bra, when I get back.”
She gave a worried glance at the large windows. The blinds weren’t drawn; anyone looking in would see them.
“The windows—”
“The glass is tinted on the outside. No one can see in,” he assured her as he left her to obey his command.
She wiggled her fingers, trying to find a way out of this mess. But there wasn’t any. He already knew, or at least partially, what was going on, and she’d been keeping it from him. How many times had he asked her if something was wrong while Paul and Anderson continued to bombard her with calls and texts? She’d lied each and every time.
But her intentions had to count for something. She’d been trying to protect him.
A door closed down the hall, and she scrambled to rip off her sundress and wiggle out of her bra, putting them in a pile on the coffee table. With her arms crossed over her chest, she waited for him.
When he came back, he carried a thick paddle in one hand and the pacifier gag in the other. Her mouth dried, and she took a wobbly step back. He fixed a heated glare on her that stopped her retreat from going any farther.
“Please, Daddy. I don’t—”
“Come here.” He pointed to the carpet at his feet where he’d stopped behind the couch.
She stared at the paddle.
“Sammy, come to Daddy right now,” he said in his growly voice.
With her stomach sinking to the floor, she shuffled across the living room to stand in front of him. She couldn’t lift her gaze to him, not yet. His disappointment filled the air between them.
“Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to sit on the floor while I read through your phone. I want to see every text message and listen to every voicemail that pertains to this Randall guy.”
“You’re going through my phone?”
“Only regarding Randall. I won’t look at anything else.”
There wasn’t anything else. She’d been so buried in her schooling and dealing with Randall’s trial, she’d cut loose any friends she’d had. Not that she’d had anyone close to begin with.
“You don’t want me to just tell you?”
“I think you had your chance for that.” His eyes narrowed.
She lowered her gaze to his chest. “I’ll tell you everything.”
“Yes, you will. But first, this.” He uncapped his left hand to show her the pacifier he held in his palm.
“I don’t want to do that.” She shook her head.
“I know. But you will anyway.” He tossed the paddle onto the couch and draped the gag over the arm. The silicone bauble pressed against her lips. “Open, Sammy.”
She shook her head. “I don’t wanna.”
“That’s not the right answer.” He pushed the pacifier forward, and it popped through her lips, pressing down on her tongue. She scrunched up her face and started to push it back out, but he’d been prepared for that and pressed his finger to the outside ring.
“If you spit it out, I’ll use the gag,” he warned.
Her heart fluttered. The gag would be worse. She grunted, but kept the pacifier settled in her mouth.
“You have to suck lightly to keep it in place,” he said, still pressing his finger against it.
“No, I don’t,” she muttered, but it came out weird with the pacifier blocking her words.
“You do because I said you do.” He raised his brows. She stared up at him, her arms still hiding her breasts, her mouth now stuffed with the pacifier. Arguing wouldn’t win her any points.
“Go on, Sammy, suck.” He raised his chin a fraction, almost daring her to defy him. But she knew better.
Pushing aside the balloon of humiliation building in her chest, she followed his order and began to suckle the pacifier. A small smile curved his lips.
“Good girl. Now, sit on the floor with your legs crossed while I start reading. And drop your arms to your sides. Those titties aren’t for hiding.” He pushed her arms away from her chest and tweaked her nipples.
She took in a deep breath and moved down to the carpet like he told her. Once she was settled and her hands were folded in her lap, he sat on
the couch, pulling her phone from his back pocket.
His thick finger scrolled through her messages, and she could see his expression darkening with each swipe. She chewed on the silicone in her mouth, her nerves ramping up.
“Don’t chew, Sammy, suck. You wanted to keep silent about all these things, so now you can. Keep quiet and suck on your pacifier like a good girl.” He flicked his gaze away from her phone, holding it steady on her until she went back to suckling the damn thing. Tingles ran over her body at his glare, zapping straight to her pussy. Her heart knew she was in trouble, knew she’d disappointed her Daddy, but her body recognized the authority in his eyes and wanted his touch.
It was hard being his little girl.
He returned his attention to her phone, leaving her to watch him in silence. If she could just explain, get a few words in, maybe he’d understand.
“What panties are you wearing today?”
She started to talk, but he held up his finger. “Show me.” He twirled his finger.
Fire erupted on her cheeks. Apparently, he wasn’t ready to hear her voice yet. She scooted to her knees and turned around to show him the panties.
He huffed. “Daddy’s Good Girl? I think not. Take them off.”
Her chest ached at the heavy disappointment in his words, but she did what he said and slid the satin panties over her hips and shimmied her legs out of them. She tossed them onto the pile of her other items and went back to sitting for him.
After several long minutes dragged by, he let out a hard breath and slid the phone onto the coffee table. Setting his gaze on her, he bit his tongue, letting the very tip stick out of his lips.
She tried to hold his gaze, but regret sank into her. She could have told him. Should have told him.
“Randall is your ex-boyfriend, right?” he asked, but held up a finger when she tried to answer. “Just nod.”
She frowned behind the pacifier and gave a small nod.
“He’s involved with some really bad people and you overheard his plans for a robbery, then later testified at his trial?”
She nodded again.
“He was sentenced, but now he’s out. Your brother and Anderson—I assume he’s a friend?”
Another positive reaction.
“They are keeping an eye on the situation there, but they wanted you to take precautions here. Like tell the person you’re staying with.” His voice dipped at the end.
She blinked, letting a tear slip down her cheek as she responded again.
“And you didn’t tell me because you didn’t want me to get hurt. Is that right?”
She moved her gaze down to her lap after she nodded.
“There’s a call on your phone, while we were at Gallant Domination. Lasted just under five minutes.” He reached over to her and plucked out the pacifier. “Tell me.”
She licked her lips. “It was Randall.”
His jaw tightened. “Go on.”
“He said to stay away from Indiana and not to answer any questions about him. Not to talk about him at all. He’s trying to get his conviction overturned.” She answered readily, holding nothing back.
“Why? If he’s out on parole?”
She shrugged. “He wouldn’t really answer that. I think it’s because if he’s on parole, he has to follow rules about traveling outside the state. And he has family in Michigan, near Detroit. He might want to go there.”
“Have you been asked to go back to Indiana to testify? I didn’t see anything here about it, but if Randall called to tell you to stay away, I assume he’s concerned for a reason.”
“Anderson, he’s Paul friend and my attorney. He said it’s possible, but so far, nothing’s been determined.”
He leaned back, remaining silent as though he were replaying all the information through his mind. Maybe he was coming up with a worse punishment than the paddle staring at her from the cushion next to him.
“I swear, I was only trying to make sure you were safe.” She raised her gaze to his, trying to make him understand.
Pressing his elbows to his knees, he leaned forward, bringing his face too close to hers for her to pretend she didn’t see the resolve in his eyes.
“Your job, little girl, isn’t to protect me. That’s my job. Your job is to be a good girl, to be honest with me. Not keep secrets that could put you in danger—or me.” His jaw ticked. “What do you think would happen if Randall came knocking on my door while you were at an interview? I wouldn’t have known who he was. I would have been completely unprepared.”
She hadn’t thought of that. If Randall had made the trip to Chicago, he would have introduced himself as her ex-boyfriend—or a friend. Ryder wouldn’t have known any different, and who knows what would have happened then.
By keeping him in the dark, she had put him at risk.
“I didn’t think of it like that,” she whispered. Her heart ached for what could have happened, for what was happening right there. The disappointment in his eyes hurt.
“Your intentions were pure. I understand that.” He ran a finger along her jaw. “But you were very naughty. You kept dangerous secrets from me. You lied to me when I asked if something was wrong. All those times your brother called and you were busy texting him, you said nothing was the matter. You said he was checking up on you.”
He didn’t need to keep listing her misdeeds, she already knew them well enough. But he seemed intent on making sure she completely understood what she’d done wrong.
“I know, Daddy, and I’m sorry. Really, I am. If I hear from Randall again, I’ll tell you right away,” she vowed.
His lips curled at the edges and he huffed. “Damn right you will, little girl. But we’ll talk about the new rules, after your spanking for breaking the old rules.” His finger left her jaw and he moved on the couch until he was settled on the middle cushion. Picking up the paddle in his right hand, he motioned with his left.
He wanted her over his lap.
Her bottom vehemently disagreed.
“Sammy, over my knee right now, little girl, or you’ll be getting my belt as well.” His voice hardened to steel. There would be no give, no mercy here. Only the results of her actions.
She swallowed hard and sucked in her bottom lip.
“But the paddle hurts so much,” she whispered as she moved up to her feet, folding her hands in front of herself.
“Yes, it does. And I’ll make sure you feel every bit of it.” He didn’t even pretend like he was going to go easy on her. He was going to make her spanking miserable.
“I hate punishment spankings,” she whined, shuffling a little closer to him.
“Then you should have thought about that before you were so naughty, don’t you think?” He turned his dark glare up at her.
Her heart panicked and skipped a few beats, but her feet continued to move forward until her legs bumped up against his.
“I know, but…” All words flew from her mind when he grabbed hold of her and yanked her down over his lap. The air whooshed from her lungs from the hard impact to her middle. Automatic self-preservation kicked in, and she tried to scramble away.
“Nope. None of that,” he decreed, and placed two sharp smacks to the backs of her thighs. He hadn’t used the paddle, just his hand, but the instant sting shocked her still.
“When I tell you to get over my knee for your spanking, you don’t delay, and you don’t start trying to weasel your way out of it,” he said, a pointed finger poking into her ass cheeks. “Do you understand me, Sammy?”
She took a shaky breath and nodded. “Yes, Daddy. I’m sorry,” She was only making it worse for herself. The mess she was in was her own doing, and the time came to clean it up.
But she didn’t want that damn paddle.
“Daddy?”
“Yes?” he asked, running his hand over her upturned ass.
“Can you maybe—not use the paddle? Maybe just your hand?”
A loud burst of laughter was her answer.
“I t
hink maybe you’ve forgotten who’s in charge here.” He shifted beneath her, but before she could turn to see what he was up to, the pacifier gag was in front of her face. “Open that pretty mouth of yours,” he ordered.
She clamped shut and shook her head.
“Sammy, you’re not taking your punishment like a good girl. That will only make it worse. Now, open your mouth and let me help you keep your words inside, or you’ll end up with a paddling plus a belting.”
A tear slipped down her cheek. She just couldn’t get the situation under control. The pacifier gag was horrible, but he really was only trying to help. She needed to keep her words in check, stop trying to manipulate the spanking, and take her punishment.
With a shaky breath, she parted her lips. The fat pacifier shoved inside, filling more of her mouth than the little pacifier she’d had to hold herself. He worked the straps behind her head and buckled them, careful of her hair.
“There. Now you’ll be good for me, won’t you?” He patted her thighs.
She tried to speak, but it was so muffled, she sounded silly. Instead, she flopped her head down on her folded arms and gave over to him. Everything about to happen was her own fault. She deserved her paddling, and she would take it with as much grace as she could.
His hand cupped her ass cheek briefly before he began the spanking. At first, it was manageable, and she figured he was going to let her off with a hand spanking. But after a dozen or so spanks, his hand crashed down harder and harder, until she began to wiggle over his lap.
“Almost done here, then we can get started,” he said.
Get started!
She shook her head, and her right hand flew back to protect her ass when the burn began to spread.
“Do I need to get my ropes?” he asked, pinching her thigh.
She shook her head and slowly slipped her hand back in front of her. If he had to stop to tie her down, she doubted he would take any sort of pity on her poor ass.
“Keep your hands in front of you. If you reach back again, I will get my ropes and bind you, and then the paddle will be the least of your worries. Do you get me, little girl?”
WINDY CITY: The complete series Page 93