Daddy's Precious Jewel

by Polly Carter

  “Don’t look like that,” he said seeing the confusion and concern on her face. He bent and kissed her. “It’s still quite early; I thought we might go out and get some exercise in the fresh air. Would you like to go down to the river?” He knew this part of town and that there was a grassed area with paths and playgrounds along the edge of the river in easy walking distance.

  She nodded vigorously.

  “Right then, let’s do that. We can go for a run when we get there. Do you need a jacket?”

  She shook her head and went to the front door.

  “Ready?” he asked, joining her.

  She nodded and he let them out and locked the door behind them.

  Chapter 12

  Marcus

  “Come on,” Marcus said, encircling her waist with his arm as they reached the street and headed towards the park. Pearl reached her arm around his waist and they walked in step without trying, their hips moving in unison.

  “Oh, this is magical,” Pearl whispered when they reached the river and she stopped to gaze awestruck at the glassy water glowing pink and yellow as it reflected the evening sky and setting sun.

  “It is,” Marcus replied, standing behind her and holding her in his arms. “Do you feel like a run, then? If we follow this path, it breaks off a little way up and that other one,” he pointed across the grassed area to where she could see another path, “comes back around so it makes a good circular track. It’s not far. About three kilometres, I think.”

  Pearl slipped from his arms. “You can’t catch me,” she cried gaily taking off at a brisk run.

  “Hey, slow down.” Jogging behind her, slowly enough so as not to catch up, he watched her, admiring her delightfully plump bottom bouncing as she ran.

  She’d surprised him when she’d said she didn’t know what to call him; he knew what he wanted her to call him — Daddy, but it was probably too soon to spring that on her unless he got an inkling she was thinking the same thing. He was still worried she might run away if he pushed her too soon. The more time he spent with her, the more he saw of the Little girl inside. Whether she was consciously aware of her need to be a Little girl sometimes, he didn’t know; he didn’t even know if she was aware that some big girls were Little girls as well.

  He’d deliberately brought her to the park to give her another opportunity to let her Little girl out. He’d told the truth about feeling the need for a run, but he had also brought her here because they would pass a playground and if his suspicions were right, he expected Pearl would want to stop and play, and he would stand at the bottom of the slide and catch her and push her on the swing.

  Pearl had slowed from her first burst of speed, and he had no trouble drawing alongside.

  “How are you doing?” he asked.

  “Whew!” she giggled breathlessly, skipping sideways so she was facing him. “It’s hard work. My legs are getting tired.”

  “Well, that’s probably because you took off so fast instead of pacing yourself. And because you’ve only got short legs. We can rest if you see a place you want to stop,” he said easily. He was used to running and could easily run twice the distance they were going.

  “I’m okay,” she said determinedly. “I can do it.”

  Marcus loved that about her: her perseverance. She didn’t give up when things got tough, despite being such a little thing in such a big world. And when she got knocked down, she bounced right up. How many people would have been able to go back to Mon Addi after what Marcie had done to her? Probably not many, but she didn’t suffer from false pride. She knew what she wanted and was prepared to make the required effort. It made him even angrier that Marcie had tried to bring her down for her own selfish ends.

  Pearl reminded him of a tenacious puppy, smart and strong while still being ingenuous and unspoiled. It tugged at his heartstrings and roused his protective instincts. He wanted to be by her side, encouraging her, helping her if he could, keeping an eye on her, and taking care of her.

  As they ran comfortably together, he wondered what was going through her mind. Was she attracted by his wealth? She hadn’t had much experience with men; was she just enjoying the attention? Was she going to learn about being with a man from him and then go in search of someone else? Or, and his heartbeat quickened, would she truly surrender to him and be his Little girl?

  As if to give hope to his last question, she stopped and cried out, “Ooh, goody! There’s a playground. Can I have a swing? Please? Oh, please? I love swings. And slides.”

  Marcus laughed, feeling a rush of relief. He wasn’t wrong about her. Surely not.

  “Of course. Let me push you.”

  “Whee,” she cried with glee as she climbed onto the swing and he pushed her high. “Higher,” she demanded. “Higher.”

  “Had enough,” he asked twenty minutes later, after she’d swung and slid and climbed numerous times on everything the playground had to offer, and evening was beginning to close in on them. He was way too big to fit on most of the playground equipment, but had been perfectly content to watch from below as she played happily. “It’s getting too dark to see what you’re doing. And I’m about ready to eat.”

  Pearl laughed, jumped down next to him and patted his belly before collapsing onto the sand and making a sand angel.

  “Can we have pizza for dinner? I love pizza and I haven’t had it for ages.”

  “Not since last weekend, anyway,” Marcus said with a laugh, holding out his hand to help her up and then brushing the sand off.

  “Can we anyway?” Pearl pleaded, clasping her hands together under her chin and adopting the most pleading expression she could. “Please? Please?”

  “Of course,” he agreed with a grin and kissed her nose. “Let’s get going then before it gets dark.”

  “I’m going to race you,” Pearl cried gaily, dashing off, but Marcus was quicker and caught her before she’d got far.

  “No. No racing. Not in the dark. It’s too dangerous. You might fall or bang into something or get run over by a bicycle.”

  “All right,” she said innocently, but the minute he let her go, off she ran. Again, he caught her and took hold of her hand.

  “Hey, naughty girl. I said no running around in the dark. Hold my hand and walk with me. Do you hear? I’m serious.”

  “But I want to run,” she said. “I won’t fall over.” She tried to wriggle free but he held her hand too tightly.

  “And I don’t want you to. Behave yourself, Pearl,” he warned her. “We’ve had lots of fun in the park, but it’s dark and I don’t want you having an accident. If you don’t behave, you will be having pizza for dinner and a spanking before bed. Do you understand? I’m not kidding.”

  It had become a battle of wills and Marcus was surprised. He’d not seen this aspect of her before. She wriggled her arm, trying to pull her hand free, but he held it tightly. “I said walk with me. Or are you trying to earn yourself a spanking?” He paused, but she didn’t reply, just stared at the ground and kicked it with her shoe. “You’re tired and hungry; aren’t you, little girl?” he asked gently. “We’ll be home soon, so behave yourself and you can have pizza and a bath and hop into bed with the new pussy cat cover without getting your bottom spanked first. Okay?”

  Pearl didn’t answer and the light was so gloomy, Marcus couldn’t see her face. Again he wondered what she was thinking. Had he frightened her with his threat to spank her? He felt her relax and loosened his grip on her hand.

  “Come on, then, sweetheart.” He let go of her hand to put his arm around her shoulders but she took off into the dark.

  “Damn! Pearl? Pearl?” Marcus called, following in the direction he’d seen her shadowy figure disappearing. Peering into the steadily enveloping darkness devoid of artificial lights, Marcus pulled out his phone and switched on the torch. Scouring the way ahead, all he could see was a garden surrounded by an ankle-high picket fence. It surrounded a clump of bushes, ranging from waist to chest-high, quite big enough to hide on
e small, naughty runaway.

  “Pearl,” he called as he neared the bushes. “Pearl!” His reply was a muffled giggle followed by a scuffling and then the thudding of feet as she jumped the fence on the other side of the bushes and headed towards the road.

  “Damn!” he growled, hurrying after her. He had no choice but to try and outrun her. She had taken a turn in the park that led to a different road than the one they’d come in on, and there was every possibility she may not easily, or at least quickly, find her way to the flat. While it’s true that most young women move safely around the streets, for an unlucky few it is a tragically different story, and Marcus couldn’t bear to think of Pearl winding up in that second group. It would break his heart if anything happened to her. He had to find her, and get her home safely and then…!

  He caught sight of her as the lights from the street illuminated the edge of the park; she had reached the pavement and was about to cross the road. He sprinted the last bit catching up to her at the precise moment a group of four youths came around the corner and blocked her path.

  “Whoa! Hey, little lady,” one of them said as the others milled around her, looking her up and down and making lewd remarks.

  “See that, lads? She couldn’t get to us fast enough.”

  “Hahaha. Don’t sweat it, baby. We’re yours for the taking.”

  “Show us your tits.”

  Marcus stepped into the light. “Fuck off.” His voice was a deep, menacing growl.

  The younger men shrugged and held their hands up in mock surrender.

  Pearl seemed entirely unaware of potentially having been in danger and was bent over, giggling and puffing. Marcus was also puffing and the rapid beating of his heart, which had only a small amount to do with his recent exertion, was making it almost impossible for him to speak. He pulled her into his arms and clutched her to him, watching warily as the youths sauntered past staring rudely at them, making comments too low to be heard and laughing loudly.

  Pearl giggled and snuggled into his chest.

  “You nearly didn’t catch me,” she teased him.

  “Why did you do that?” he asked calmly, not allowing his concern to cause him to lash out at her in anger.

  “What?”

  “Run away from me like that after I specifically asked you not to?”

  She shrugged, made a feeble attempt to loosen his hold and avoided his eyes. “Fun?”

  “Look at me, Pearl.” He paused until she did. “All I asked was that you walked with me, holding my hand. It’s dark and there could be strange people about. To be honest, I’m confused about why you would behave like that. You’ve been so sensible and good up until now. What got into you?”

  Pearl kicked at the ground with her foot, her signature move whenever she was feeling discomfited. She shrugged again. “Are you angry with me?”

  “I’m trying not to be. I don’t want to be angry with you, but you frightened me. What if I hadn’t seen which way you went and hadn’t been right behind you? What if you’d run into someone like you nearly did there and they’d hurt you? Could you even find your way home from here?”

  Pearl frowned, confused about why he’d asked her that until she suddenly realised that the streets were not familiar and she had no idea where she was.

  “I thought I was going the way we came,” she said in a very small voice.

  “Well, you were wrong. And although you are a smart, capable woman and can mostly take care of yourself, there’s no need to take unnecessary risks. You scared me.” He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. “You’re so precious. I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you, especially while you’re with me. Please don’t ever do that again. Promise?”

  “I won’t. I promise,” Pearl said contritely.

  Marcus kissed her on the mouth, long and hard. “All right,” he said gruffly, taking her hand. “Let’s go home and have pizza. And then we’ll have another chat about this.”

  They crossed the road and headed toward the flat.

  “Erm,” Pearl mumbled as they got closer.

  “Yes, my precious but naughty girl, what is it?”

  “Well, remember how you said you’d spank me if I ran away?”

  “Yes, I said that.”

  “You didn’t mean it. Did you.” She said it as a statement not a question.

  “I most certainly did mean it. I fully intend to put you over my knee and spank your bare bottom before you go to bed. You can get into your bunny onesie after your shower. That is your spanking pjs.”

  “I don’t want you to spank me.”

  “Don’t you?” Marcus pulled a fake sad face, then a serious one. “Well, you could have fooled me. I warned you explicitly that if you ran away, I would spank you, and you ran away. That seems to me to be a little girl asking to have her bottom spanked.”

  “Not really,” she argued, “because I didn’t think you’d actually do it.”

  “Well, you are going to find out that I will actually do it, and you won’t make that mistake in future. So, what sort of pizza would you like? I may as well order it and it should be delivered about the time we get home.”

  Chapter 13

  Pearl

  Walking home, holding hands, Pearl and Marcus might have been any relaxed couple on a date, except for the turmoil in Pearl’s mind. They’d be home soon, pizza would be delivered and they’d have dinner together. Then, Marcus had said, she would have to put on her bunny onesie with the flap at the back so he could spank her. Part of her didn’t believe he was serious, but the other part remembered all the times since she’d met him that he’d talked about spanking her.

  What would she do if he wasn’t just teasing? Well, he couldn’t make her. Would he spank her hard? Would it hurt?

  “Erm,” she said, wanting to say something but unsure what and embarrassed to broach the subject.

  “What is it, little girl?”

  “Nothing.” She turned away, and he squeezed her hand so she’d look at him. He smiled encouragingly and her heart flip-flopped. He was so lovely. She smiled bashfully. He dropped her hand, put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him, bending to kiss the top of her head.

  “My little girl, aren’t you, baby?” he murmured.

  “Yes,” she whispered with a soft giggle as she snuggled against him and wrapped her arms around his waist as they entered her apartment building.

  “The pizza should be here in about five minutes. Why don’t you run along and wash up and I’ll make a cup of tea while I wait for it,” Marcus suggested as they let themselves into her flat. “Would you like one?”

  “Yes, please,” Pearl replied heading for the bathroom.

  A short time later, they were seated at the table with their hot steaming pizza and cups of tea. Marcus hadn’t mentioned spanking again, and Pearl was starting to believe it had been a warning but not something he planned to follow through on. She would have to be careful, though, in case she pushed him too far. She shivered, not with cold and not with fright, but wondering what that would be like, what he would be like if she pushed him too far.

  “So, I’ve got some news,” Marcus said between mouthfuls, breaking into her thoughts.

  “Oh? What? Good news? Not bad news.” Pearl made a sad face.

  Marcus patted her hand. “No, not bad news. I hope not anyway. I guess time will tell. No, apparently my brother is coming home.”

  Pearl’s hand stopped mid-air, her mouth agape. “Oh, I didn’t know you had a brother.”

  Marcus paused, picked up a small piece of tomato that had fallen off his pizza onto his plate and put it in his mouth. “Well, he’s been gone awhile. Didn’t seem any point in suddenly blurting it out. Not that I was hiding it from you. I would have told you eventually.”

  “Where’s he been?”

  “Overseas. Drifting around. Taking drugs. And money from Mother.”

  Pearl frowned. “You don’t like him?”

  “It’s not that I d
islike him. We were close as kids. He’s two years older than me, and we were pretty much brothers-in-arms from the time I was about two. We’d both joined the family business and were working together when he suddenly quit his job, took off overseas and went completely off the rails, drinking, taking drugs, not working. That sort of thing. It’s been a terrible worry for Mother. I think she tried to wipe him from her mind, figuring one day he’d be found dead somewhere or disappear forever. But,” he paused and opened his arms, palms up, “he’s decided to come home apparently, and bring a sackful of money with him.”

  “How long has he been gone?”

  “Hmm, three or four years, maybe. Must be nearly four, I guess. I was sent after him a couple of times, but he was adamant he was staying where he was. He was a mess last time I went. I honestly didn’t think I’d ever see him again.” He gritted his teeth, hardening his cheek, but that was the only indication of how painful it had been. “So, I don’t dislike him, but I am pretty angry and I did lose a lot of respect for him.”

  “That’s sad. I love my family so much. I couldn’t imagine being on bad terms with them, even though I don’t see my brother much either.”

  “You’re lucky.” Marcus pressed his lips together and sighed. “Yeah, we’ve never done family particularly well.”

  “So, when is your brother – what’s his name? – coming home?”

  “Ray. Not straight away. He’s going into rehab for a while and then, when he’s ready to leave, he’s going to work in London for about a month or so. Mother is flying out tomorrow to see him and make arrangements. But she’s already planning a welcome home party for when he does arrive, so I guess you can meet him for yourself then. If you’d like to come, that is?” he added hastily, realising he was taking her acceptance for granted.