by Maren Smith
Holy fucking shit. When I saw those items, everything inside me froze for just a second. One part of me cried ‘run,’ but my feet didn’t move any more than if they’d been encased in cement boots. This right here was a scene straight out of any number of the books I liked to read, and my curiosity had me. I had to stay and see what happened next.
The softness of the door closing behind me was deafening. When I glanced back, it was to see Reed standing sentry between me and my only means of escape.
It was strange how much I didn't mind. I was more aroused than afraid, and those feelings only intensified as Reed came toward me. Our bodies were almost close enough to touch when he stopped, keeping that last maddening inch of separation between us. Grabbing my ponytail with a firm yank, he forced my head back, taking control of me.
“I very much enjoyed your little performance in the kitchen,” he murmured, his breath hot against my cheek. “But I think you've forgotten something already. You're in Daddy's house, and Daddy makes the rules here.”
The warning zinged a shot of arousal straight to my pussy as I remembered the last time he’d said that to me. Every nerve inside me came tingling to life as I cocked an eyebrow. “Is there a rule against blow jobs?”
“Don't be a smartass.” As expected, his retort was punctuated with a hard slap to my ass, near the hem of my short skirt. His fingertips grazed my bare thighs. I wanted to rip my skirt off right then and there and climb on his cock, riding him atop his giant wooden desk.
But it’s Daddy's house and Daddy’s rules, and in my admittedly limited Reed experience, that phrase meant hot dominant sex was imminent. Since that was what I wanted, I was content to wait.
“It sounds like you're saying I broke rules,” I sassed. “If I’m going to get punished for it, then I need to know what rules I broke.”
Reed responded to my red flag just like a dominant in a story book should. Without a word, he picked me up off my feet, marched the three strides it took for us to reach his desk and down I went, bending straight over it with his hand flat on my back to keep me there.
I stayed in that position; half surprised to have had that work so well. Maybe too well. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as he circled the desk to pick up the yardstick.
My stomach dropped to my toes, but pure wanton heat flooded my pussy, soaking the gusset of my panties in an instant. Was I aroused or terrified? This was foreplay, right? And foreplay meant I was one step closer to getting his cock inside me.
End game, I reminded myself, my breaths coming a little faster, my breasts brushing the desk every time I did. I had to keep my mind on the end game.
His footsteps crossed the carpet until he stood a little behind and to one side of me. That yardstick in his hand was all I could focus on
“As always, little girl, you can put a stop to anything you’re not okay with.”
“Okay.” I drew a shaky breath, taking comfort in his promise.
He flipped up my skirt and lowered my panties, sending the whisper of a light breeze up the backs of my thighs to kiss my bare cheeks. I could only breathe as I waited to see what would happen next.
“Daddy doesn’t appreciate the way you’re talking to him,” he scolded, and I jumped when I felt his very un-Daddy-like hand cup my naked pussy in his palm. My needy clit was right beneath his fingertips, but other than just cupping, he didn’t do anything with it. It was maddening. “Daddy wants you to listen to him.”
Oh, I was listening.
“Daddy wants you to mind what he says.”
Reed really liked to play the Daddy card, didn’t he? Still, I was finding it hard to care. Right now, this was as hot in real life as it had ever been on the pages of my Kindle. I kind of liked it… right now. But probably only because I was so turned on. Otherwise, this whole ‘eat your dinner, do your homework, when I say jump, you say how high’ mentality would never have made my pussy weep the way it was doing in Reed’s hot hand. If this relationship was going to continue between the two of us, then I really needed to tell him I didn’t see the appeal. Especially now, when I was just starting to explore all the adult freedom that came with being on my own.
Reed was only Daddy in the bedroom, I told myself, thinking of our last night together. Only in the bedroom, and only because that’s all the kind of Daddy that I wanted.
His voice was low and foreboding when he spoke, and I was hyper aware of the proximity of the yardstick to my exposed ass.
“In Daddy's house, Daddy makes the rules. And when Daddy tells you to do something, you don't ignore me or try to distract me with your sexy little ass and sweet little lips.”
When he said that, I wiggled my hips, giving my ass a little shimmy, and before I could even complete my wordless sass, a cracking sound echoed through the room and a sharp pain exploded across my ass.
“Did you seriously just do exactly what I told you not to do and attempt to distract me again?”
“Maybe!” I squeaked, answering recklessly. The yardstick hurt, but it honestly just increased my anticipation and made my desire to have him inside of me more frenzied.
Until the second crack. That one landed with a lot more force and his serious words sent me into shock.
“When I take a little girl, I expect certain things. Obedience tops the list. Good grades and proper nutrition and self-care are a close second.” The yardstick landed hard across both cheeks several times in quick succession and the shock and pain muddled my brain. He continued to lecture, marking each word with a stinging smack from that devil stick in his hand. “In future, you will have your homework done before you come over for fun activities, or you’ll be doing it on a hard chair with a hot bottom. You will not attempt to dissuade me from my expectations with oral sex, or any other sex for that matter.”
My mouth hung wide open at this point. He continued talking but I had stopped listening. My brain was scrambling, and my fight or flight mode had been activated.
“Green!” I cried, unsure of how to stop this. He had only said I could. He hadn't told me how. “Yellow! Red! Purple! Potato!”
Reed had already turned me to face him by the time I screamed the last frantic word, and I realized he had stopped at the first signal of my distress.
“Potato? Really?” He pulled back to scan my face and cocked one eyebrow. His expression was one of concern and amusement. “Potato?”
“I didn't know what I was supposed to say!” I screeched, more than a little worked up.
“Okay, well, why don't you tell me what happened that had you yelling potato of all things.”
“I don't want…” I paused, searching for words. “That,” I finished.
“A spanking? Well, you're not supposed to want it, but we obviously need to discuss something.”
“No, not the spanking. The other stuff. The real life stuff. The whole Daddy this, Daddy that, do your homework, eat your veggies. What's next? You'll tell me to brush my teeth and tuck me into bed?
Reed shrugged. “Only if you want me to.”
“That's not funny. It isn't a joke!” I stomped my foot. “I'm down for the kinky sex and the illicit relationship and that’s it. Keep the Daddy talk in the bedroom. And keep your rules out of my life.”
Reed looked shocked by my declaration, and oddly hurt.
He set the yardstick down across the desk I had just been bent over and frowned. “I apologize. I misunderstood. I thought you understood what kind of man I was.”
“I guess I did and didn't. I'm sorry. I knew what I wanted and didn't want, and I should have made sure we were on the same page. I'm cool with the Daddy stuff in the bedroom but not in real life. I'm on my own finally for the first time ever, and I'm not in a rush to jump into being taken care of by someone else. I want to take care of myself.”
“I see. That's understandable.”
“Good.” I breathed a sigh of relief. “Now that that's settled, I am a bit hungry. How about dinner, and then some dessert? Or maybe dessert first. I don
't know if I can wait.”
I leaned against him, hugging his waist, and reaching with one hand to grab his package through the front of his slacks. He grabbed my wrist and stopped me.
“I think you should go,” he said softly. His eyes were sad but serious.
“I… what?”
He sighed, and when he spoke, I could see the pain in every word. “I said that your feelings and wishes were understandable, and they are. But my feelings are that I know what I need in a relationship, and being here with you, my student…” He trailed off. “Teaching jobs are hard to get. I was willing to risk it for the whole shebang, but for an illicit affair with a student that could never go anywhere real, I'm sorry, it's not worth the risk. I think you should go.”
To emphasize his point, he stooped to the floor and pulled up my panties underneath my skirt. I was still in shock, with my mouth opening and closing like a fish, when he took my hand and led me to the front door, pausing only briefly to grab the backpack I had left in the kitchen.
Without a word, he opened the front door and bent down to softly kiss my cheek. “I hope you enjoy your newfound freedom, Amy Stinger. My experience is that it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.”
Chapter Five
Amy
He wasn't wrong. And maybe it was a little bit because I was reeling from the shortest but most passionate relationship I’d ever had but being on my own sucked. Well, actually, it was amazing. I loved it. I could do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, and eat what I wanted, and stay up all night and sleep all day if I wanted. That part was amazing. The effects that that part was having on my real life, not so much.
When I walked into book club a week and a half later, I knew I looked like shit. And I was late. And I was pretty sure I had failed the pop quiz Reed had sprung on us that morning. I hadn't given a single thought to the course work.
Of course, I tried to hide my baggy eyes with a fake smile and forced myself to think about the book I was supposed to have read. I hadn't done that either. It hurt too much.
But my mom was at book club, and nosy Anna with her sixth sense. I had to do my best to take it.
I walked into the center of the crowd and was greeted with warm hugs. Lisa promptly handed me a margarita. “It’s green apple. I wanted something for fall.”
I tested it with a small sip. It was really good, so I tipped my head, finishing it in three gulps and held my empty glass out to her for more.
She raised her eyebrows but filled my glass without comment.
Anna shot me a concerned look, but Delia came to my rescue, grabbing her own drink and holding it high in the air.
“Cheers! To the best group of friends a girl could ask for. May we all find our happily ever-afters, and may the curse continue!”
“May the curse continue!” the rest of the ladies yelled, clinking their glasses together.
I took another sip and looked around the room. Were there any new romances I had missed? If not, and if Reed and I were still next on the agenda, then Jasper’s so-called lucky curse was dead in the water, and so were our love lives.
“Okay, ladies,” my mom cried, getting us back on track. No doubt so she could hurry back to my father. Damn newlyweds. “This is a book club, after all! Let’s go discuss our book.”
As we headed to the group of couches in the corner of Anna's cafe, margaritas in hand, Lisa tapped my shoulder.
“It's your turn to lead the discussion,” she reminded me as I sat down. Turning to her in horrified surprise, I promptly burst into tears. I tried to get up and run to my car, but Lisa, Mom, and Anna stood in my way, forming a human barricade.
“Sweetie,” my mom prodded gently, grabbing my hand and holding tightly. “What's going on with you? I'm worried.”
Lisa took a different approach. “Sweetie, you don't have to lead the discussion. You said you wanted to. But if you changed your mind, that's okay. No big deal.”
“I don't think it's that.” Anna crossed her arms over her chest, tapped her foot and pegged me with a stern glare. It reminded me of Reed, and I crumbled. Thank god for Delia, she grabbed my hand and turned me away from the friend wall, leading me to the furthest away chair. She took my drink and handed me a bottle of water. “Tell them,” she insisted firmly. “You'll feel better.”
I shook my head and opened my mouth to tell her she was crazy. There was no way in hell telling them anything would make me feel any kind of way, but as I looked up and saw them standing crowded around in a concerned huddle, it all came tumbling out. It was rambly, and incoherent in places, and out of order. I went off about everything from only liking the Daddy thing in books to meeting Reed, having the hottest sex of my life only to discover he was my teacher, to trying to get over him, to wanting my freedom and finally ended at making a hot mess of that freedom.
The reactions were mixed. Belle was silent. The younger crowd of Keely, Staci, and the twins were all urging me to go back to class and throw myself at him, and mom, Lisa, and Anna were clicking their tongues and throwing out platitudes about how it was all for the best.
Their reactions didn't make me feel any better but saying it all out loud did. I hadn't ever told that much of it to anyone, not even Delia.
But now the story was out there, and they were all just sitting there, staring at me. I looked through the small crowd and wondered if I would be able to mad-dash to my car this time.
I was still considering it when Anna of all people saved me.
“Okay, story time is over. We still have a book to discuss, ladies. I’ll lead the discussion this week. No harm, no foul.”
I shot her a grateful look and mouthed thank you. She shrugged and gave me a sad smile.
My mom grabbed me and pulled up a chair next to mine. “Are you sure you don’t want to come live with me and your dad? There’s plenty of room.”
“No offense mom, but god no. You and Dad need alone time. I’ll be okay, I’ll figure stuff out, I promise.” I said the words but at that point I wasn’t sure I meant them. The hole of despair I was in felt like a gaping chasm with no way out.
Somehow, I made it through book club, even though the book in question was a teacher-student romance that hit way too close to home and left me questioning all my recent life choices. When I got home, I went straight to bed, telling myself that tomorrow would be different. I would be different.
I didn’t know how. I just needed to be.
Reed
I kept my expression blank as I silently placed Amy's quiz face up on her desk with a large D- and the words ‘see me after class’ scrawled in red.
Whatever my personal feelings were, Amy was a bright girl, and she had made it very clear that her success in college hinged on her passing this class. Her current performance was unacceptable, and it was clear that as her professor, I needed to talk to her about it. I just had no idea what I was going to say.
When the bell rang, and the classroom emptied, I looked up from my paperwork to see her squirming in her seat. I had to train myself not to smirk at her obvious discomfort. There was no way she’d still be feeling the effects of that spanking I’d given her at my house, but I could tell she was thinking about it. Clearing my throat, I made eye contact and raised my eyebrows pointedly.
She needed to come to me. Her head hung and her feet shuffled, but eventually she stopped in front of my desk.
“Amy, your performance in class for the past week or two has been dismal. You have to pass this class for your minor, and now, with this quiz on your record…” I paused and frowned. “Your extra credit will cover some of it, but if you continue this way, even that won't stretch far enough.”
“Yes, sir, I know.”
My head jerked up at her use of the honorific before I realized it was just a symbol of respect in deference to my authority as her professor.
I stood and crossed to the front of my desk to stand beside her. “Do you need any help? Is there a particular part of the subject matter that you are strugg
ling with? Is there something I can do?”
Her gaze was cast toward the floor and a shameful blush crept up her cheeks. “No, sir, it's not the subject matter. It's me. You were right. Sometimes freedom isn't all it is cracked up to be.”
Dammit. The truth, though I had suspected it, was hard to hear. It twisted my gut and made all my protective and nurturing instincts float to the surface. I did my best to squash them. “As a responsible adult accountable only to herself, I suggest you make some changes before your decisions negatively impact the trajectory of your college career.”
I was about to step back when she suddenly stepped closer. “I’ll bet if I had a Daddy I’d be in big trouble, huh?”
My cock stiffened and a low growl rose from deep in my belly. “Probably. Good thing for you, you don't have one.”
“About that…”
“Stop,” I snapped. “Don't.” I couldn't go down this road and let her toy with my emotions. It was hard enough having her in class every day. I grabbed a card off my desk and held it out to her. “This has my contact info if you ever have any questions. Aside from that, I suggest you find a study group to join or something.”
She looked as if I had slapped her. “Reed,” she began.
“Professor Donaldson,” I corrected.
“Professor Daddy.” She bit her lip, gazing up at me with pleading eyes. “Please, Reed, I made a mistake.”
God damn. They were the words I wanted to hear, but I was afraid of what came next. I wasn't sure this was a position I could keep putting myself in.