by Stella Moore
Mindy was watching him, chewing on her bottom lip the way she did when she got nervous. Fox set the phone down on the table and studied her. He wasn’t pissed. A little angry, but nothing out of control. Mindy was obviously still hurting, so she’d done the completely normal thing and told her closest friend what had happened. He was tempted to let it slide, but he had a feeling it would do more harm. She might think he didn’t care enough to correct her, which would just snowball the whole situation.
“Are you mad, Daddy?” she asked quietly.
“A little. Why do you think I’m mad?”
She shrugged. “Because I told Jenna about what happened?”
He felt the spike of temper and willed it back. “Do you really think that’s why, little girl?”
Her shoulders slumped. “No.”
“Then why do you think I’m mad?”
“Because I said some mean things about Sid.”
“Yeah, you did. I don’t care if you vent to Jenna, even if it involves my sister. But you and Sid are both important to me, and I’m not going to tolerate you gossiping about her.”
“I can’t believe you’re sticking up for her!”
“I’m not defending her actions, but yeah, I’ll stick up for her if you’re going to talk about her like that. Just like I stuck up for you. Now, come here.” Setting the phone on the side table, he settled back against the couch to give her room to lay across his lap.
“But I don’t want a spanking. It’s not fair!”
If he’d just heard anger or attitude, he would have hauled her right over his lap and lit her ass on fire for it. But there was hurt there, too, and he knew he couldn’t spank that away.
“I know you don’t want one, princess. But you’re getting one anyway. You’re not being punished for being upset or even telling Jenna about it. You’re being punished because you took it to the next level and did the exact same thing Sid did to you. Be honest: Is that really unfair?”
He watched the struggle play out on her face. She was too honest to outright deny it, but she didn’t want to fess up to it, either. After a long stretch of silence, she shook her head. “No. It’s fair.”
“Then come lay over my lap and we can get it done and watch our movie.”
She crawled across the cushion and stretched out on the couch, with her bottom up over his knee. He pulled her pajamas down just enough to bare her, raised his hand, and brought it down hard on her right cheek. A bright pink handprint bloomed on her pale skin, and he felt himself growing hard.
He might not appreciate the reason he had to punish her, but God did he love the act of it. Loved having her lay across his lap, meekly submitting to his discipline. The way her body jerked when his hand connected with her bare skin. Watching her round, gorgeous bottom turn to pink under his hand. Even washing her mouth out earlier had been strangely erotic. The sight of her standing before him, her eyes silently begging for mercy even as she accepted the punishment, and then the way she’d been so sweet and remorseful after. Everything about it turned him on.
Pushing those thoughts aside, he focused on spanking his naughty little girl. He didn’t want to drag it out, since it wasn’t a really awful offense, so he spanked fast and hard, focusing on the bottom curve of her ass where she’d feel it when she sat up.
“You will not talk about people behind their backs.” He continued spanking as he lectured, and she began to squirm over his lap, shifting her hips to escape the spanking. But he’d been at this long enough that he could easily hit a moving target. “You’re better than that, princess. You are sweet, and kind, and loving,” he shifted her forward so he could really focus on her sit spots, “and I will not allow you to stop being any of those things. Understood?”
“Yes, Daddy!”
Oh man, how he loved that response. She was the first woman to ever call him that without prompting, and the first who really seemed to enjoy it. “Good girl. Almost done.” He turned up the heat for the last few, and she drummed her feet against the couch as he scorched her bottom. When he felt he’d made his point, he stopped spanking and began stroking her warm skin. His hand stung like hell, but he had a feeling her bottom was feeling it even more.
She was sniffling, but not really crying, which had been his goal. Not every spanking needed to end with tears for him to make his point. Pulling her pajama bottoms back into place, he helped her sit up.
“I’m sorry I was mean about Sid,” she said quietly, her cheek resting on his shoulder.
“I know, princess. But I think you need a break from your phone. For the rest of the day.”
She tensed, and he braced for an argument, but a few seconds later she relaxed again. “Okay, Daddy.”
His heart puffed a little with pride. “Good girl. Ready for the movie?”
“We can still watch it?”
“Yeah, princess.” He shifted so he was laying down with her stretched out on top of him. Grabbing the remote from the coffee table, he hit play and pressed a kiss to her hair. Tomorrow, he’d be having a talk with his family. But for tonight, he just needed to be her daddy.
He knew Sid didn’t have class until noon on Mondays, so after his session with Mindy, Fox called Aaron to take over for the rest of the morning. Parking the Jeep in front of his childhood home, he jogged up the front steps and let himself inside.
As he’d expected, both his parents were sitting at the little breakfast nook his dad had built years ago, sipping coffee. He’d called them after he’d sent Mindy to bed the night before to let them know he would be coming over.
“Morning. Is Sid up?”
“I’ll get her.” His mom stood and paused to pat his arm before heading up the stairs.
“How’s Mindy?” his dad asked, setting his newspaper on the table.
“Good. She was over it this morning from what I could tell.”
His dad nodded. “She seems spunky. I like her.”
Fox grinned. “Yeah, me too.”
The sound of arguing drifted down the stairs and Fox rolled his eyes. Not exactly how he’d wanted to start this conversation. Finally, the arguing ended and was replaced by the sound of Sid stomping down the stairs to the kitchen. She barely glanced at Fox before walking over to pour a cup of coffee.
“Sidney, have a seat.”
She might have argued with Fox, but they had both learned at an early age never to argue with their parents. With a glare for Fox, she walked over and flopped down at the nook. Their dad looked up at Fox and gave a small nod.
“So, here’s the deal, Sid. Mindy is important to me. If I have my say, she’s not going anywhere. Got it?”
Sid rolled her eyes. “Oh my God, I didn’t even do anything. It’s not my fault your princess can’t take a joke.”
Fox started to speak again, but was cut off by his father. “What kind of joke?”
The first flicker of concern passed over Sid’s face. “I just made a joke about her meeting Fox at his gym. Because, you know, she’s not exactly athletic looking.” She paused, looking from Fox to their dad. “It was irony! It was funny!”
Their father’s voice took on the low, calm tone they both knew from their childhoods. “Sidney Marie Washburn. You were not raised to be rude to guests. And you were certainly not raised to be cruel. You’re going to apologize to Mindy the next time you see her, and you will mean it. Do you understand me young lady?”
Though her expression had turned mutinous, Sid nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“And I don’t care if you are twenty years old, if anything like this happens again, I will tan your hide. Now,” he rose and carried his mug to the sink, “I have to get ready for work. You kids play nice.”
“Thanks a lot,” Sid angry whispered when he was out of earshot.
Fox shrugged. “You had that coming. I meant what I said. She’s important to me. So you need to get over whatever issues you have with her. We cool?”
She rolled her eyes again, but her expression had softened. Regardless of her be
havior, they loved each other. “Yeah. We’re cool.”
Chapter 18
“So, how are things with the Foxy Fox?” Jenna asked, grinning at Mindy over her Long Island.
Mindy sighed and shifted in her chair, enjoying the residual ache from the long, thorough play session she and Fox had engaged in the previous night. They’d gone shopping and each picked out something new to try. The bath brush he’d chosen had been wicked and quickly set aside as a punishment-only implement, but the pack of wooden spoons she’d chosen had worked out rather well. “Things are excellent. He’s excellent. I’m excellent. Everything is—”
“Excellent,” Jenna finished with a laugh. “I get it. Now for the juicy stuff. What the hell is up with his sister?”
Mindy sipped her wine and tried not to blush. The spanking Fox had given her last Sunday hadn’t been that bad, but the lesson had sunk in. Truth be told, she was a little ashamed of the things she’d said. “I don’t know. Maybe she was just having a bad day.”
Jenna rolled her eyes and took a sip of her drink. “What’s the deal? You were all about how she was a total bitch and then you went radio silence for the rest of the night. Now you’re being the bigger person? What gives, kid?”
Mindy had to consciously focus on not fidgeting nervously. “Nothing. I just don’t think I should talk about her like that. She is Fox’s sister after all.”
“Wait.” Jenna narrowed her eyes and leaned forward. “Did Fox say something to you?” When Mindy didn’t respond, she shook her head in obvious disgust. “I can’t believe he took her side! She was a total bitch to you for no reason.”
“It’s not like that. Can we just talk about something else?” Mindy asked with more than a little desperation.
But Jenna wasn’t the type to let things go. The fact that she was on her third Long Island probably wasn’t helping things, either. “No, uh uh. Look, I sat by while you wasted your time with Todd the asshole, because I knew he didn’t matter and I figured it was just a matter of time before that blew up. But Fox is different, so I’m not about to sit back and let you get your heart trampled on by another guy who refuses to put you first.”
“God, Jenna. You’re making this a big thing when it’s not. Fox chose me. He took me home when I asked because he could see how upset I was. Just because he laid down the law and told me not to talk about Sid behind her back doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about me.”
Jenna froze, her drink halfway to her lips. “What do you mean, he laid down the law?”
Fuck. She really hadn’t meant to say that. “Nothing. It’s nothing. What’s your new client like?”
“Don’t change the subject. What is it with you and these controlling ass men? You’re a grown woman, Mindy. You can damn well have a gossip session with your best friend when someone is an asshole to you.”
“Fox isn’t controlling.” Jesus, how had this spiraled so out of control? “He just… Forget it. You wouldn’t understand.”
“He just what? What wouldn’t I understand? What aren’t you telling me, Mindy?”
The part of her brain in charge of self-defense was screaming at her to shut up, shut it down, change the subject. There was no way her tough, kick ass, independent bestie would understand. Not in a million years. But God it would be so nice to talk to someone, even if that someone thought she was crazy. “Okay, if I tell you, you have to swear not to freak out. Got it?”
“Why would I freak out? Just tell me, already.”
Mindy took a deep breath and leaned forward. “First things first, this is completely consensual. It is the type of relationship I’ve always wanted, but figured I’d never have. Fox has never forced me into anything. I just want you to understand that. Okay,” she plowed ahead before Jenna could respond. “You know how I’m into, like, being spanked?” Her cheeks felt like they were on fire and they hadn’t even gotten to the interesting parts.
Jenna grinned and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. “It’s come up. But lots of people like a little plain with their pleasure. What’s that got to do with Fox’s sister?”
“Oh, God. Okay. Here goes. It’s not just sex.” She waited a heartbeat but Jenna’s expression just went blank. “I mean, he doesn’t just spank me for sex. He has rules and if I break them, I get spanked. Like, for real spanked, not just for fun.”
“You’re joking, right?”
Mindy shook her head. “Nope. And before you flip out, like you promised you wouldn’t,” she said when Jenna’s eyes flashed, “remember what I said. I’ve wanted this since I can remember. I’ve read books and researched and fantasized since I was a teenager about submitting to someone this way. I hit a point where I figured it wouldn’t happen, so I settled. I know this is probably really weird for you, but I love Fox. And he makes me happier than I’ve ever been.”
“Repeat that last part for me.”
“What? That he makes me happy? He really does, Jen.”
Jenna shook her head. “No, the part where you said you’re in love with him.”
“Oh.” Mindy grinned. “Yeah. I realized it Sunday before we left for his parents’ house. I love him, Jen. I didn’t even know I could feel this much for one person, but I love him. And I don’t know if he loves me, but I know he cares. And that’s enough for now.”
Jenna leaned in, her eyes searching Mindy’s face. “Okay.” She leaned back and shook her head again. “You’re in love.” Now that the indignation had passed, her expression turned openly curious. “So, is this why you went dark on me Sunday night? Daddy didn’t approve of you gossiping with me?”
Mindy nearly choked on her wine. “No, he did not,” she managed.
“Did he spank you?”
“Jenna!”
“What? Now that I know, you can’t expect me not to ask questions. So, did he?”
“Oh my God. Yes,” Mindy hissed, looking around to see if anyone was listening. “He read our messages and then he spanked me and told me I was better than that. And he was right. It was one thing to tell you what happened, and something else entirely to say the things we said about Sidney.”
“But why did you just ignore me all night? You could’ve just said you didn’t want to talk about it anymore.”
“I wasn’t ignoring you. Fox thought I needed a break from my phone, so he took it away. Jesus, this is embarrassing.”
Jenna’s eyes went wide, and then she let out a long, loud laugh. “He took your phone away? That’s hilarious. Wait. When you wouldn’t go out with me last weekend, was that because of Fox?”
“Yes. I was grounded.” Mindy felt her lips twitch into a reluctant smile. “I kind of liked it.”
Again, Jenna shook her head. “I don’t get it. Like, at all. But if it makes you happy, kid, go for it. Hey, if you’re being a bitch can I call Fox and have him spank you? Because that would be useful a few days out of the month.”
“No! He wouldn’t punish me just because you asked him to!” At least, Mindy didn’t think he would. But then, depending on her behavior, he just might. Knowing Jenna, she’d be testing that theory the first chance she got. God, what had she done?
“What else do you get punished for? I need details, kid.”
“Just stuff. Like talking back or swearing too much. Talking bad about myself, like the other day I made a comment about my thighs being huge and he paddled my ass with a wooden spoon, right in the middle of making dinner.”
“Good. If he’s going to beat your ass for getting down on yourself then I’m officially on board.”
Mindy rolled her eyes. “That figures.”
“And don’t think I won’t tattle on you for that,” Jenna shook a celery stick in Mindy’s direction. “Keep that in mind the next time we go shopping. I’ll call him and have him come whip your ass right in the store.”
She supposed some people might find Jenna and Fox’s attitudes suffocating. But Mindy heard the love beneath the threats with Jenna just as much as she heard it with Fox. “I love you too, big sis.”
Jenna grinned and waved the waiter over for another drink. “Yeah yeah yeah. Enough with all this nonsense. Tell me more about the sex.”
Laughing, Mindy sat back and prepared to share all the nitty gritty details of her life with Fox.
Chapter 19
Fox watched his friend and client as the huge man sweated through another bench press. With a loud grunt, Tim lifted the bar one last time and returned it to the rack.
“Not bad, spaghetti arms,” Fox said, stepping away from the bench.
Tim sat up and glared at him. “Fuck you, chicken legs. I’d like to see you do better.”
Fox grinned. “You know I could. That’s it for tonight. You know what to do.”
“Thank the baby Jesus. Hey, where’s the princess tonight? Thought Friday nights were hers.”
“Nah, she’s out with a friend. That was just a one time deal last week. She wasn’t in any shape to do her workout in the morning, like she normally does.”
“Ah. So what’s the deal there? She seems sweet.”
“She is. I think it’s the real thing. I’m goofy for her, man.”
Tim smirked. “It shows. When you say the real thing, you mean…?”
Fox nodded. “Yup. Who would’ve thought the perfect baby girl would just walk in here one day?”
“Walk in here making all kinds of demands, no less. I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks. Hey, we should have lunch with the guys, soon. We haven’t met up in ages.”
“We should. When was the last time anyone hosted a munch?” Tim’s eyes locked on something behind Fox, the dark blue switching almost instantly from amused to predatory. “Well, hello, gorgeous.”