The Art of Discipline: Running Toward Trouble (The Mockingbird Chronicles)

by Stardawn Cabot

  “Danielle?” Emma asked gently.

  “I’m sorry, Emma,” Dani blubbered.

  “Why are you sorry, Danielle?”

  Dani sniffed. “For not trusting you. I’m sorry I overreacted, and that I ran away, again.”

  “Oh, Dani,” Emma moaned. “We’re gonna work on that, aren’t we?”

  Dani nodded into her pillow, sniffling again. “Yes,” she managed.

  “Good girl,” Emma praised. “Now, we’re almost done. These last few are going to be harder, but that is because I want you to remember something.”

  Dani looked over her shoulder, blinking, as Emma rubbed her bottom. “What?”

  “That I love you, and the only place I’ll ever go is after your butt to drag it back home. You got it?”

  Despite her current position, Dani couldn’t help but smile. “I love you too, Emma.”

  Emma didn’t respond verbally, but tightened her grip around Dani’s waist, signaling to her that she was going to start the last part of her punishment.

  Dani tensed, but immediately started to kick and squirm as Emma’s hand made a repeated attack on her already scorched rear. All in all, only a dozen or so swats were delivered, but by the time Emma was done, Dani was again bawling like a small child. Giving Dani a moment to compose herself, Emma eventually pulled her onto her lap, and rocked her until the sobs settled into the familiar sniffles and hiccups.

  Before Dani knew it, she found her panties and pajama bottoms righted, and realized that she was being tucked into bed.

  Dani opened her mouth, but Emma shushed her, pressing a finger over her lips. “Yes, you are going to sleep. Yes, I’m staying right here. Yes, we will talk more in the morning. And yes, if I catch your butt out of bed before dawn, I’ll spank it again and put it right back to bed.”

  Dani frowned for a moment, but slowly melted as Emma crawled under the covers and invited Dani to curl up next to her. Resting her head on Emma’s chest, Dani listened as her lover’s heartbeat seemed to sync with her own. “Emma?” Dani asked quietly. “Are you really going to spank me every day for a week?”

  Emma bent her head and kissed the top of Dani’s. “Yes, sweetheart, I am.”

  “Okay,” Dani managed, snuggling closer to Emma. “Love you.”

  “I love you too, Dani.”

  * * *

  Opening her eyes, Dani turned over to stretch, immediately yelped, then turned back to her stomach and whimpered. Hearing a chuckle next to her, she stuck her lip out into a pout. “My butt hurts,” she whined. Reaching back, she slipped her hands under her pajama bottoms. “And it’s still warm.”

  Sitting up, Emma looked down at her, smoothing a piece of hair from Dani’s face. “Good, means that I did my job right.”

  Dani sniffed. “You don’t have to be so proud about it, you know. I may never sit again,” she lamented.

  Giggling, Emma slipped out of the bed and headed toward the bathroom. “Time to get up; we still have work today, sweetie, and you have an apology to make.”

  “Emma,” Dani groaned.

  * * *

  A short time later Dani couldn’t help groaning again as they pulled up in front of Stevie and Anna’s house. This apology was probably the hardest part of her punishment. She knew that Stevie deserved it, but her nerves were currently getting the best of her. What if Stevie was still mad at her? What if Stevie wouldn’t let them come for movie night anymore? What if Stevie wanted to spank her too?

  Taking Emma’s hand, she gulped as they headed up the front walk and then shifted nervously as they waited for the door to open. Sighing in relief as Anna opened the door, her stomach dropped once again as Anna led them into the living room.

  Stevie was already curled on the couch petting the large dog at her side. Standing, she waited until the dog leapt to the floor before turning to her guest. Smiling, she took Dani’s hands and sat with her on the couch. Looking at Emma and Anna, she spoke. “Why don’t you two give us a minute; we’ll meet you in the kitchen.”

  Nodding in understanding, the two women silently left the room.

  Dani stared at her hands, not able to look at Stevie. The quiet finally became too much for her and she slowly looked up. Finding Stevie’s brown eyes studying her, she once more looked at her hands.

  “I don’t bite, you know,” Stevie said gently.

  Dani nodded and slowly raised her head again, taking a deep breath as she spoke. “That’s not what Anna says,” she quipped before smiling.

  “Looks like my brat and I need to have a chat about my secrets,” Stevie teased.

  Taking a deep breath, Dani spoke again. “Stevie, I want to apologize for how I spoke to you at the diner. You didn’t deserve that and it won’t happen again.”

  “I see,” Stevie commented as her eyes locked with Dani’s.

  “I guess I was a bit mean to you too,” Dani continued before she paused and dropped her head again. “The dirty looks, refusing to run with you, the attitude, there really is no excuse for it. I was mad at Emma, and took it out on you. I shouldn’t have done that.”

  Pulling Dani into a hug, Stevie held her for a moment before pushing her back and holding her at arm’s length. “Apology accepted, Dani,” she smiled. “Now, what say we head into the kitchen before Anna and Emma eat all the cookies we made.”

  Sighing in relief, Dani stood up, her hands gently rubbing her backside without conscious thought. “Cookies?” she asked.

  Watching as Dani rubbed, Stevie chuckled, “So Emma made her point, did she?”

  Dani blushed as she moved her hands to her side once again. “A little too well if you ask me,” Dani admitted as they walked into the kitchen.

  Hearing laughter as she entered the room, Dani grabbed a cookie off the plate in the center of the kitchen table before leaning up against the counter. “What’s so funny in here?” she asked.

  Anna blushed. “Emma was just asking how much I trouble I’d gotten into for telling you about the canes.”

  “Oh,” Dani blushed as well. “I’m sorry about that, Anna,” she started.

  Holding up her hand, Anna shook her head. “It’s okay, Dani, I should know by now, how to say no, even if it means breaking the brat code and tattling.”

  Stevie sat down next to Anna and grinned. “Besides, I don’t think she’ll be telling any secrets about implements again.”

  “Why not?” Emma asked, looking between the two.

  Anna blushed once more as Stevie chuckled. “Because if she does that, she gets to feel that implement on her backside. Right, Anna?”

  “That’s right, and I didn’t like how that cane felt at all,” Anna winced.

  Dani gulped. “I am so sorry, Anna.”

  Standing, Anna moved to Dani and pulled her into a hug. “It’s okay, we brats gotta stick together.”

  Frowning, Dani pulled back. “It’s not okay, Anna. What I did caused you to get into real trouble, trouble you didn’t deserve.” Steeling her shoulders, she walked to Emma and gingerly sat on the kitchen chair next to her. “Emma, I think you should cane me too,” she declared in a hushed whisper.

  Emma’s green eyes widened as she pulled Dani into a hug. Dani’s tears began once again as Stevie and Anna made a quiet retreat from the room. “I’m not going to cane you,” Emma said quietly.

  “But Anna…” Dani protested through the tears.

  “I admire the camaraderie with Anna, and understand that you feel responsible. You should. It’s your fault, but it’s also her responsibility. She made her choice when she broke Stevie’s directive,” Emma reasoned gently as she held Dani and waited for her to calm.

  Pushing Dani back, Emma held her gaze. “What happened to Anna was between Anna and Stevie. What happens between you and me is different, and I don’t believe that you need a dose of the cane to understand what you did was wrong.” Wiping tears from Dani’s face with her thumb, Emma continued. “No cane, Dani. Believe me, you’ll be properly punished.”

  Sniffling, Da
ni nodded before moving to hug Emma once again.

  * * *

  Dani was sniffling yet again. It seemed to her that lately she had turned into a human faucet. Over the last three days that had certainly become the case, and yesterday had been the worst. With it being Monday, and the store being closed, the only time Emma had let Dani out was for a quick trip to the grocery store. The rest of the day went too slowly as Dani seemed to get into nothing but trouble.

  Emma promised she’d be spanked every day since she’d run away to Chicago last Friday, and so far she’d delivered. Worse though, had been Emma’s intolerance for her attitude. Emma had been extremely strict with her, not letting even the smallest infraction go unnoticed. So far today hadn’t been much better than yesterday. Rubbing her bottom, she leaned over the desk to finish some work for Ryan’s Events, wishing she could take back that little smart comment that had brought her yet another spanking.

  This time it was surprising though, for she’d never expected Emma to drag her back to the stock room. It was far enough away from the store floor that she was sure no one had heard anything, but it was still embarrassing. Perhaps she was looking for attention, but perhaps she’d finally gotten enough. Sighing, she closed the computer and sat down as carefully as possible, hissing when her bottom met the chair. Putting her head down on the desk, she couldn’t help as the tears came once again.

  It seemed only a few minutes later when the office door opened and Emma entered the room. She crossed to Dani quickly before bending and placing a gentle kiss on her head. “I think you need to head upstairs and rest.”

  Watery eyes looked up at her. “Are you coming up?”

  “No, I can’t, Dani. I’m just too busy. Stevie is going to babysit. She’s waiting for you by the stairs.” Helping Dani stand, Emma gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I love you, sweetie.”

  “I love you too,” Dani responded, grabbing her laptop and heading out of the office.

  Stevie let them get to the door of the apartment before she took the laptop from Dani, and then shook her head at Dani’s expression. “Don’t even think about arguing, Dani. Emma wants you in your pajamas and in bed. It’s naptime for you.”

  Huffing, Dani stomped down the hallway without a word. Hearing the door close, Stevie gave her ten minutes before following. Knocking on the door, she opened it to find Dani already asleep, sprawled across the bed and hugging Emma’s pillow. Smirking, she pulled a loose blanket over Dani before heading back to the living room.

  * * *

  It was several hours later when Emma entered the apartment with a bag of takeout in hand.

  “You’re going down, Ryan,” Stevie announced as she laid her cards out on the couch.

  “A full house?” Dani giggled. “A straight flush, read ‘em and weep, Taylor.”

  “You cheated, you had to have cheated,” Stevie protested, gathering up the cards.

  “Nah, you just suck at poker,” Dani teased.

  “Please tell me you’re not betting,” Emma interjected, half teasing.

  Dani looked at her girlfriend and smirked. “Nope, that’s your specialty, dear.”

  Laughing, Stevie stood. “Well, it’s been fun, kid, but I need to pick up dinner for Anna and myself. And I also need to check in with Will; haven’t seen him enough and I’m thinking he could use some parental nosiness.”

  “Thanks, Stevie,” Emma nodded to her friend.

  “Anytime, Emma, see you guys tomorrow.”

  Carrying the takeout to the kitchen, Emma turned in time to be captured in a hug by Dani. Leaning, Dani welcomed her with a kiss. “I missed you.”

  “You did, huh?”

  “Yep, and I missed these,” Dani kissed Emma’s lips once again, “and this,” she nipped at Emma’s ears, “and let’s not forget these,” she whispered, running her fingers gently across Emma’s breasts through her shirt.

  Eyes flashing, Emma looked up into the twinkly blue eyes. “You are such a brat,” she commented before leading Dani to their bedroom, leaving dinner forgotten on the counter.

  By the time they reached the bedroom they were both giggling. Various items of clothing had been discarded as they went, leaving both looking quite silly. Dani was wearing only her shirt. It was unbuttoned, her bra long removed. Emma still had her bra, but had lost everything else besides her panties and one sock.

  Kicking off that last sock, Emma lay down on the bed, pulling Dani along with her. A quick but passionate kiss followed as Emma used Dani’s collar as hand holds to press Dani closer. Breaking for air, Emma smiled. “You have too many clothes on.”

  “I do?” Dani blinked, slipping off her shirt and adding it to the floor. “I don’t think so.” She then positioned herself so she was straddling Emma’s hips. “You’re the one that has too many clothes on.”

  “Hard to take them off if you’re sitting on me,” Emma quipped.

  “I don’t think so,” Dani teased, rising up on her knees and then pulling down Emma’s panties with her fingers. Waiting for Emma to finish kicking them off, she then turned her attention to Emma’s bra. It was the kind that unhooked from the front—her favorite. Not wasting any more time, she arched her back, bent forward and began peppering Emma’s collarbone and chest with a multitude of tiny kisses.

  Emma moaned, arching her own back as Dani’s kisses hit some of her more sensitive spots. She reached up, grabbing one of Dani’s breasts in each hand, not terribly surprised when Dani soon returned the favor. Her lover managed to unhook the bra and wiggle Emma out of it before Emma even realized what she was doing.

  “There, now we are even,” Dani whispered in Emma’s ear.

  “Brat,” Emma breathed back. “Lower, honey…”

  “Oh?” Dani returned, scooting down and kissing Emma’s abdomen. “Like this?”

  Emma only moaned in response, but once Dani pulled back again, she grinned. “I have a surprise for you,” Emma smirked, slowly moving from the bed. Heading to her dresser, she couldn’t help the smile as Dani watched her movements. The woman looked like a panther ready to pounce on her prey.

  Pulling something from the drawer, Emma returned to the bed and crawled up it until she reached Dani. “I thought it was time we tried another kind of toy.”

  “A toy?” Dani’s eyes widened as her hands instinctively moved to protect her naked backside.

  Laughing, Emma shook her head. “Not that kind of toy, Dani.”

  “Not that kind of toy….” Dani trailed off as the connection was made and her eyebrow rose in question. “So what kind of toy did you think needed to join this party?”

  “Lie back and I’ll show you,” Emma purred into Dani’s ear before moving to kiss the brunette again.

  Pushing Dani lightly, Emma laid the object in her hand next to her on the bed, not allowing Dani to see it. Using her mouth and hands, Emma began a lengthy exploration of Dani’s body.

  Finally moving to Dani’s center, Emma used her tongue briefly before picking up the toy and running it through the wet folds of Dani’s body. Holding up the lavender dildo, Emma smirked at Dani’s look of want, which increased when she turned it on and Dani realized that it vibrated.

  “I like your taste in toys,” Dani commented as Emma began to tease her with the flexible plastic, pushing it inside just far enough to cause Dani to arch her back and pull her knees up, exposing herself completely to Emma.

  “What do you want, Dani?” Emma asked as she continued to tease the woman with the toy in between taunting Dani’s clit and breasts with her tongue.

  Dani almost growled as she tried to get more contact with the toy as it vibrated just inside her entrance. “In… inside, please,” Dani finally spoke as her hands began to clutch the sheets beneath her. Emma stopped all teasing and instead began pumping the toy inside Dani completely, allowing her to become used to the feeling.

  Bending once more, Emma kissed Dani’s center before her thumb began to circle Dani’s clit, as her other hand worked on finding a rhythm that Da
ni seemed to enjoy. Finding herself moving faster, she knew it wouldn’t be long for Dani and with a final flick over her clit, Dani finally claimed release, calling Emma’s name as she tightened, her mind knowing nothing but the pleasure she was feeling at the moment.

  The giggling, moaning, and groaning continued for a brief eternity. Soon Emma found herself kissing Dani, and Dani returning the favor. Thighs, elbows, lips, and soft breasts; no region on either of them was neglected until they both lay in utter exhaustion. Woven in each other’s arms, Emma had almost fallen asleep when she felt Dani kiss her forehead.

  “Hungry?” Dani whispered.

  “No,” Emma said just as quietly, only to be betrayed by a sudden rumble from her stomach. “Hush, you,” she scolded herself.

  Dani chuckled. “Think we burned enough calories for ice cream?”

  Emma’s eyes went wide. “Such a brat,” she teased.

  “So… that’s a yes?”

  “We still have the Chinese on the kitchen table,” Emma admonished.

  “And?”

  “And I still owe you your spanking today.”

  Dani frowned. “Could I trade the ice cream for the spanking and just agree to the takeout instead?”

  Emma chuckled before playfully tapping Dani on the end of her nose. “No, but if you’re good, I might let you have some ice cream for dessert.”

  “I could just have you for dessert,” Dani quipped.

  Emma smirked. “Again?”

  “Yes,” Dani purred.

  “Okay,” Emma smiled. “After your spanking.”

  “Emma…” Dani started to protest, but was cut off as Emma’s lips pressed into her.

  “On second thought,” Emma grinned after they’d broken for air. “Maybe we’ll have dessert first.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Handing Emma a large cup of coffee along with a sack from the local bakery, Stevie sat down on the couch next to her. Emma was in her usual position in the crow’s nest watching the floor below, her eyes especially focused on Dani.