by Jane Henry
“Is it so hard to believe that’s what I want too?” he asked. “The real deal?” He stepped toward her and her heart pounded with hope and longing. “I’ve been waiting for this, for you, a long time. So, yeah, I was cautious, I took things slow. I waited, I watched you. I needed to be sure that you could give me what I needed, Allie. That it was what you needed, too. And now I’m sure. You’re it for me.”
You’re it for me. She’d wanted to hear him say that for so long… But if he thought she’d melt at this statement, he was dead wrong.
“So… the past few months have been, what? A test?” she demanded. “To see if I was submissive enough, babygirl enough, to meet to your expectations?”
He set his jaw but didn’t deny it.
“Slay, at any point in your thinking, did it occur to you that your sub, your babygirl, would have needs too?”
His eyes narrowed. “Christ, Allie. Don’t be ridiculous. Of course it did. And that’s why I’m trying…”
She shook her head and stepped forward, until they were nearly toe-to-toe.
“You’re trying to give me what you think I should need. What some random stereotypical babygirl that you have in your mind should need. But what I really need is a different thing completely! I need for my opinions and feelings to be heard. I need someone who will put me and my kid first. Who’s not just about spanking my ass in the middle of the night, but fixing my goddamn kitchen faucet, which is spraying hard enough to put my eye out! I don’t need someone who insists I call him Daddy without doing a damn thing to be my daddy—like making me feel safe, like calming me down. You want the real deal? Then show me you can be that, Slay. And then we’ll talk!” she said furiously.
He leaned down so that his face was inches from hers, his brown eyes no longer angry but assessing, and said a single word. “Fine.”
“Fine?” she demanded. “Just like that?”
“Yeah, baby. Just like that,” he agreed, his lip twitching up at the corner.
She shook her head. Arrogant, gorgeous man. “Slay, you need to listen,” she repeated.
“Listened, Allie. Heard every single thing you said. You’re right. I should’ve approached this differently. My error. I see that now.”
She stared at him, almost unable to credit the words he was speaking. She hadn’t been sure a man as completely and unapologetically dominant as Alex Slater could apologize without crumbling to dust, and yet here he was, admitting his error. Apologizing. Well, more or less.
His hand reached around to cup the back of her neck, his big fingers threading themselves through the long, blonde hair at her nape.
“Let me lay it out for you, babe. From this minute forward, let there be no doubt: I am your daddy.” He cocked an eyebrow and Alice hesitated, then nodded minutely. He smiled. “The rules I put in place before still stand. But I’ll add this one: From now on, you need to share with me. You need to tell me what you’re thinking and how you’re feeling. I’ll listen. I’ll sort you out. You’ll trust me to take care of you and Charlie.”
“Trusting can’t be a rule, Slay,” Alice whispered. “It’s gonna take time for me to…”
He shook his head. “Trusting is a choice, Allie. Let me prove this to you. Give me that chance.”
She wanted to! God, did she want to. A million doubts swirled inside her head—what were the chances that a man like Slay would want to take on the chores and challenges that came with a single mom and her kid?
But she’d be damned if she wouldn’t give him the opportunity to try.
“Okay,” she told him. “I’ll trust you.”
The hand in her hair tightened and she gasped.
“Say again?” he asked pointedly.
She blew out a breath and took a leap. “I’ll trust you, Daddy.”
His answering smile was breathtaking, and so was the fast, hard kiss he pressed to her lips.
“What time do you have to be home?” he demanded.
Her mind whirled to keep up. “Home? Uh, Nora’s on until midnight,” she stammered.
He glanced down at the large watch on his wrist. “That gives us nearly four hours,” he told her, and his eyes, when he looked up at her, fairly smoldered. “Plenty of time.”
“Time for what?” Alice asked, though the clench of her belly and the beading of her nipples meant that her body already had a pretty strong idea what he planned to do.
“Time to show little girls what happens when they lie to their daddies.”
Oh. She swallowed and her palms became damp. Yeah, she definitely had enough time for that.
“Get in, Allie-girl,” he said, cocking his head toward his enormous beast of a truck.
Alice didn’t need to be told twice. Her heart was already thundering in her chest in anticipation of her imminent punishment.
“Yes, Daddy,” she agreed.
Chapter 4
Yes, Daddy.
His cock tightened in his jeans. The image of Alice strewn over his lap and the Yes, Daddy dripping off her lips would make him lose his shit. God, this woman.
She tucked herself into the expansive, leather-clad interior of his truck as he swung himself up and shut the door. Clicking the lock, he leaned over and nabbed her seat belt, clicking it into place. She frowned slightly. “I can do my own seat belt.”
He pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows. “Didn't say you couldn't,” he muttered. “But now I am. There are a few things that make daddies a bit different from the rest, Allie-girl. And one of them means I get to take care of you. You want to establish trust? This is how we do it, baby. One little thing at a time. When your ass is in my truck, I drive, and I fasten your seat belt.”
Her brows furrowed a bit, but she nodded. Good girl.
It would take some getting used to, but she'd learn.
He flicked his directional, taking a left on Main and tapping the steering wheel to the classic rock he always kept on low, as background music. He had a few choices. He could take her back to The Club, and easily find a room where he could punish her. Or, he could take her back to his place and christen the “office” playroom.
The choice was an easy one.
“I'm taking you to my place,” he said.
“Okay,” she whispered. She kneaded her thighs with her hands, a nervous gesture. He barely tempered a smile. Good. She ought to be nervous. A babygirl about to get her ass punished had every reason to be nervous. Still, what she'd said back there at the restaurant, when she yelled at him...
Yelled at him.
He exhaled. The first thing she'd learn was that babygirls did not yell at their daddies.
But she'd made a good point. For months, as he'd waited her out, to see if she was really capable of being his full-time submissive, maybe it hadn't been the best idea to keep her in the dark. But if he had told her, would he have been able to truly see what she was made of? To see what she really needed?
Though he was a dominant who knew what he wanted and cowed to no one, he was not above a sincere apology. When he fucked up, he owned it. And he'd fucked up.
He reached a large hand out to her trembling hand on her thigh, and gently stopped the frantic kneading. “Baby.”
He could hear her audible sigh as she stilled. “Yes?” she whispered.
“Being nervous before a discipline session is natural,” he said. “But you're gonna hurt yourself pushing that hard. Hold my hand instead. Both hands in mine, honey.” He placed his hand palm-up on her lap. She obediently put both hands in his, as he pulled onto his street. Closing his hand, he held hers still, his thumb circling the top of her hand soothingly. He could feel her visibly relax next to him. Good. Very good. One baby step at a time, and she would know. Eventually she would know he could be trusted.
He pulled into his parking lot and parked the truck.
“Wow, I didn't know you lived here,” she said.
He shrugged. “Pretty decent neighborhood. People mind their own business, and the drive to work is easy.” It too
k him ten minutes to get to The Club and fifteen to get to Inked. Rent here was steep, and she likely knew it, but both jobs paid well, and he could well afford it. He knew she could not, and felt it best to downplay that he could.
Alice moved to unfasten her seatbelt, and he barely stifled a chuckle. Oh, she had so much to learn, and it would be his pleasure to teach her. A low growl froze her in place.
“Daddy undoes your belt, honey. You keep your ass right there.” He pointed a finger at her. Her hands stilled as she obeyed. He got down from his seat, slammed the door, and stalked over to her side. When he opened her door, it pleased him to see she hadn't moved. He unsnapped the seat belt and lifted her down from the cab. “A gentleman opens the door for you,” he said low, in her ear, as he lowered her to the ground. “A daddy helps you out.”
Her cheeks flushed and she lowered her eyes, nodding. Good girl. Such a very good girl. It was almost a shame he'd have to spank her ass.
Almost.
As they walked to the entryway of his apartment building, he reached a hand out to the back of her neck and gently grasped her. A claiming gesture, one that would make her know she was his and mark her. As they walked up the small stairway, he released her neck and held her hand, opening the door quickly and gesturing for her to enter the building first. “After you,” he growled. It was an order, not a show of chivalry. She would soon see how things played out when she was in trouble.
As he led her in silence down the hall to his apartment, her wide eyes took everything in. He began to go over in his mind the reasons why he was going to make sure when little Allie went to bed tonight she'd be sleeping on her belly.
She'd lied to him. That fucking douchebag jerk she was with—God! She'd told him a flat out lie. There would be honesty between them no matter what.
She’d yelled at him. Called him an asshole. Disrespect, danger, dishonesty… he clenched his jaw, opened the door, and fairly hauled her in by the elbow. Her gorgeous eyes widened even further.
“Sit,” he said, pointing to his sofa. He had shit to do before he dropped everything and focused on the session they were about to have. He wanted nothing on his mind but her when he had her over his knee.
“Wow, this place is…” she began, but he interrupted her.
“We're not here for chitchat, young lady,” he growled. “There will be time for that after. For now, you sit your ass there until I call you to me.” He had to temper his anger, and she needed to know he was serious. She needed a good, hard spanking. She needed to know what happened when she disobeyed him, and how seriously he took her safety. So much hung in the air between them.
It was imperative he get in touch with his men before another minute passed. He stalked to his office, opened the door and shut it firmly behind him. Walking to the second door, he opened it with a series of keys, input his pin, and pushed the door open. Time to unload intel, and make sure his guys were onto the sick bastard his girl had eaten dinner with. God.
He delivered his update in a clipped tone, and at the very end, called the men off. “She's with me for next few hours,” he said. “You know the drill. When she's with me, you stay the hell away.” Message delivered, he shut everything off. It had taken him all of three minutes to finish communications, before he shut and locked the door and went back into the main area of his “office.”
Bringing her in here would likely scare the hell out of her.
Good.
He stalked to the door, opened it up, and was prepared to call her into him. Having her come to him would work well, prepare her to submit to him and receive her punishment. And Christ, did she have one hell of a spanking coming.
But she wasn't sitting on the couch. For one brief minute, his heart leapt in his throat, as the very real threat Salazar and his gang posed weighed heavily on his mind. In two large strides, he was in the center of his living room, and there she was, not sitting as she'd been told to do, but standing in front of his entertainment center, staring at the small black and white picture of him and Matteo overseas.
“Wow,” she said, “you guys look so young. It's almost cute how—”
“Alice.” His voice was low, harsh, fucking pissed off.
She spun around to look at him, her eyes wide. “What?”
What? God, she wouldn't sit for a fucking week. He inhaled, slowly exhaling through his nose to calm his anger. When he spanked her, he needed to be in complete control of himself. He was so much bigger and so much stronger.
He spoke in a low, measured tone. “Where did I tell you to sit?” he asked.
Her eyes flitted to the couch and her mouth formed a perfect “o.” “On the couch?” she whispered.
He realized he was clenching his jaw when he had to unclench it to speak. “Is that a question?”
She shook her head and swallowed hard. “Um, I… well, I was sitting, and then I saw this picture over here, and I…” her voice trailed off. “I should've stayed on the couch,” she finished weakly.
He nodded. Her eyes dropped to his arms crossed on his chest, and she swallowed again, before she looked back up at him. Her voice was a whisper when she spoke. “I'm in big trouble, huh?” Her eyes looked both apprehensive, and something else… hopeful? He needed to spank her, he needed to spank her hard, and he needed to spank her now.
“Come here, please,” he instructed. Folding her hands behind her back, she came to him, literally dragging her feet. Through the thin fabric of her top, he could see her peaked nipples. His cock tightened. She stood in front of him, craning her neck to look up into his eyes, and he stared back at her as he uncrossed his arms and placed one hand at her chin, her entire face engulfed in his large hand. He held her face so that her eyes didn't leave his.
“Yes, baby,” he whispered. “You're in big trouble. Tonight, you'll learn that Daddy means what he says. Daddy needs to give you a good, hard spanking. Do you know that, Allie-girl?”
She swallowed, her eyes never leaving his. “Yes, Daddy,” she whispered, her voice catching.
Though his palm itched to connect with her sweet, vulnerable ass, he was almost tempted to let her off the hook. She looked so sweet, daddy trailing off her lips like it was the most natural thing in the world.
He brushed a thumb over her cheekbone as he whispered to her. “I don’t want to punish you. There are a million other things I’d rather be doing right now. But you need this.” Her eyes watered as she nodded slowly.
His fingers traveling to the back of her neck, he pulled her closer to him and kissed her forehead. “No one's ever been in here,” he said.
Pushing open the door, he felt her visibly tense with a sharp intake of breath as he drew her in the room. “Oh my God,” she whispered. “Slay, you—I mean, Daddy—this is… holy hell. You have a dungeon in your apartment?”
“I prefer to call it my office,” he said. “It's not exactly in the basement.” He barely stifled a chuckle.
Her voice dropped as she turned to him. “No one’s been in here?”
“No one, honey. You’re the first.” She smiled shyly. It was her room as much as it was his. But he’d ease her in. He watched with amusement as her wide eyes took everything in like a kid in a candy shop.
“There's a spanking bench. And… is that a tawse? Oh my God. I heard those are wicked. And… those are… God! Are you going to—those pegs, are those for you to—like, am I getting whipped? That's like, a whipping post, right? And there's… a flogger, and… oh, wow, a leather paddle… it’s beautiful. But the acrylic one? Yeowch, no thank you.” She continued, and he felt his lips quirk up. She was a connoisseur, and he had no small amount of pride as her wide eyes took everything in with a delightful mixture of awe and fear. It was cute, how she both admired his tools and rejected them.
As if she'd have a choice. So adorable.
She stilled as she approached the more hardcore toys in his collection. He'd been collecting for years. He was a patient man. Good things came to those who waited. It was his mantra.<
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She was fingering the Wartenberg wheel, the silky folds of a blindfold, and the thick adjustable cuffs. Her brows furrowed at the blindfold and her voice dropped. “Well, I'm disappointed,” she muttered, her voice laced with sarcasm. “No St. Andrew's cross? Sensory deprivation hood? Ball gag?”
“I don't like gags,” he said with a shrug. “If I want my girl's mouth gagged, I know how to gag it.” Her eyes widened as he continued. “The cross is too removed. And I don't like hoods.”
“Daddy?” she said softly, her eyes looking at him pleadingly. “I don’t like blindfolds.”
He nodded. “Understood.” He’d respect her limits. He had to. But the freedom to explore his room was coming to an end.
“Alice. Eyes to me, now, babygirl.” She looked over at him, her brows raised expectantly. He pulled out the straight-backed chair, the feet scraping along the floor. It was a large one, custom-made for his solid frame, big enough for him to easily take her over his lap, and sturdy enough to withstand a good, long session. “There will be time later for us to talk about what we like, what we don't, hard limits, and all that shit. For now, there's a certain little girl who needs a good session over her daddy's knee.” His voice dropped. “Come here.”
She swallowed, dragging her feet as she walked over to him. He was so much taller than she was, when she stood in front of him, they were practically eye level.
“Yes, this is Daddy's play room,” he said. “And there will be time to explore. Yes, that's a whipping post, but no, I'm not using it… tonight.” Her wide eyes grew even wider. “When we play, we'll try everything out. Little by little. There’s time for play and there’s time for more serious things. Why are we here tonight, Alice?”
“Because I'm… going to get a spanking,” she whispered, shifting on her feet. His eyes dropped to her chest and he couldn't help reaching out one hand to grasp a hardened nipple beneath her top. He flicked the pad of his thumb over her nipple, drinking in the sound of her moan. “I… disobeyed you,” she said, her eyes closing as he encircled her nipple, his fingers gently grasping her breast. “I… called you names,” she whispered. “Oooohhh.” His hand had dropped between her legs, up her thigh, past her skirt, and he stroked one finger over her panties, flicking over the soft silk covering her clit. He had to focus. No more of this. He pulled his hand back and anchored both hands on her hips, drawing her so close she stood between his legs, his hardened length pressed up between her thighs.