by Maren Smith
“Thanks. When can we do it again?” I really wasn’t concerned with much else. I just wanted more orgasms.
“Well that depends. Are you going to be a good girl?” He winked.
I squinted at him. “I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“You are stubborn and sassy, that’s enough naughty to get you into trouble.”
“Well that’s not fair.” I crossed my arms over my chest and pouted.
“If I am your Daddy, I decide what is fair, not you.”
Understanding began to dawn on me. A Daddy was a benevolent authority figure. I sat silently and considered that for a moment. I came to the human world to make my own life. I wanted to be my own authority, however, I wanted Wade more. I’d never felt so drawn to another being. There were some very handsome Mermen in my world, but none of them looked, sounded, or acted anything like Wade.
He regarded me for a moment before lifting his eyebrows in question. “Do you have anymore questions about Daddies?”
“Not right now, but I have others.”
“But of course you do.” He shook his head, but he was smiling.
It seemed like a good time to learn more about him. “How did you become a Daddy? Is it taught?”
“I have been this way for as long as I can remember. I think some of it can be taught, but I believe you have to be born with the innate need to serve and protect. If you don’t have that need, then a Daddy role may not be as fulfilling as it can be.”
“Have you been someone else's Daddy?”
“Okay, that’s enough questions about me. How about we focus on information that will help you heal? Is there anything in the shop that jars your memories?”
There were a lot of familiar things, but I didn’t really care about that.
“All questions could help me heal, right? Anything can make me remember. I want to know about you.”
“We have talked about me enough. We are moving on now.”
Of course that didn’t stop me. In fact, it made me push harder.
“But what about when you were a boy?”
“Okay, that’s enough questions.”
“What were your mother and father like? What happened to them?”
“Coral, I said that is enough.”
“Did you always live at the beach?”
“You know for someone with memory loss, you sure do remember a lot about what someone’s past should look like.”
“Oh excuse me, let me inform the memory gods they are not playing by your rules.”
“Listen to me, little girl. I am just as confused and frustrated as you are. I want answers the same as you and you have no right to speak to me like that, do you understand me?”
When I didn’t answer, he scooted in closer, completely invading my space. Pinching my chin hard between his finger and thumb, he forced me to look at him.
“I asked you a question.”
I held his eyes, but didn’t respond.
“You know, for someone who keeps getting so upset for being treated like a child, you sure are acting like one. Do you know what happens to little girls who have too much attitude for their own good?”
I had so many things I wanted to say to him but none of the words would form on my tongue.
“They get punished.”
That got my attention and I sat up a little straighter. “You have no right to give me a punishment.”
“Maybe not, but the way I see it, I’m the only one you have at the moment. If you’re going to stay with me and we’re going to explore the Daddy/little girl dynamic together, then we are going to be setting some serious ground rules. And just like right now, if you choose to break those rules, there will be consequences. If you can’t agree to that, then I can’t be your Daddy, I can’t in good conscience give you orgasms, and we should probably find you other living arrangements.”
I didn’t like the sound of that at all and my anger faded into sadness and rejection. “You would send me away?”
“No, little one. I will never abandon you, but I also will not live with someone who doesn’t show me mutual respect. My apartment is small and if we can’t get along, it won’t be good for either of us. We need to keep you calm and stress free in order for you to get better and that won’t be the case if we are constantly at odds.”
Biting my lip, I gave a slight nod. “I’m sorry. I’m just really scared,” I admitted.
“Scared of what, little one.”
“I don’t know. What happens next?”
“Everything will be okay, I promise.”
“But what about my memory?”
He sighed, squeezing me tighter. “We will just have to wait and see.”
“Will you stay with me? Will Oliver stay with me?”
“I don’t go anywhere without my dog, but more than that, I don’t think he will let you out of his sight.” We both looked down at Oliver, who was sitting as close to me as he could possibly get without jumping into my lap. “See. Neither of us are planning to leave you anywhere. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Good girl. Let’s close up shop for the day, we're both tired.”
I couldn’t argue with that, I was exhausted. There were so many thoughts and feelings flowing through my mind and body and I felt like I couldn’t keep up. Wade picked me up off the stool.
“Tomorrow we can work on strengthening your legs so that you are able to walk on your own.”
“I like being held.” I laid my head against his chest.
“Well, I like holding you, but a little autonomy will be good for you.”
I knew he was right, but there was a pull inside of me. I wanted to be taken care of by this man. I wanted to call him Daddy and follow his rules, even if I didn’t know what that even looked like yet. It just didn’t matter. Then a thought occurred to me.
“Do Daddy’s have orgasms?”
“Yes, little one. We do and we like them just as much as our girls do.”
“Well maybe, you should have one then.”
“I have had one,” he admitted. “It’s the only way I have been able to function after seeing you come apart so beautifully under my hand.”
“You did? When?” Now I was confused. I didn’t witness him getting any sort of pleasure.
“I took care of myself while you finished your bath.”
“Well, that’s not fair. If you give me orgasms shouldn’t I be able to give you them too?”
We got up to his apartment and he set me down on the bed.
“I would like that very much, but it isn’t time for that yet. Maybe someday.”
“Why not? I don’t understand. Don’t you want me to make you feel good? You have done so much for me. I want to do something for you.”
“Not today.”
“But why?”
“Because I said no. Now lie down and rest. I’m going to make some dinner and then we are going to get ready for bed. It’s been a long day.”
“I’m not tired,” I lied.
“I don’t care. Lie down and close your eyes for a few minutes.”
He was not suggesting, he was commanding and by the look on his face I wasn’t sure I wanted to challenge him.
With a sigh, I obeyed and turned away from him. If he was going to be so stubborn and ridiculous then I would too. That was my last thought before sleep consumed me.
Chapter Five
I woke feeling disoriented, and in need of the bathroom. Wade was nowhere to be seen. Oliver’s head popped up from the floor as soon as I swung my legs over the side of my sleeping area.
“You slept through the night. Wade has already gone down to the shop. You need to call for him. He will want to know you’re awake,” Oliver warned as I braced my hands beside me and pushed myself to standing.
“I will when I’m ready. I can do this on my own.” I was still so confused about all that had happened and even though we went to sleep on good terms, I wasn’t ready to see Wade again. I needed to get some strength and
balance in my legs so that I could do everything I dreamed I would do on land. I was ready to get on with my big adventure.
Oliver shook his head. “You are going to buy yourself trouble, wee lass. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Yeah well no one warned me about any of this, that’s why I’m in this mess,” I pouted as I held on to things around me and began slowly making my way to the bathroom.
“You clearly didn’t pay enough attention to your Human Studies.”
“I paid enough,” I mumbled, knowing he was right, but Human Studies was never made a priority because they really didn’t want to put emphasis on our year abroad. I’d easily cheated my way through the course and the test. I didn’t realize how different two worlds could actually be. If only I could get my hands on those materials, they’d probably be pretty helpful right about now.
Using the surrounding furniture, I made it to the bathroom without too much trouble, but that's where my luck ended. My foot caught on the entrance and I stumbled to the floor, hitting my head on the sink on my way down.
“Coral?” Wade called, and I heard the thumping of his footsteps coming up the stairs. Or maybe the thumping was in my head, I wasn’t sure until he was pulling me off the ground. “Are you, okay?” He didn’t give me a chance to answer before he was scolding me and that uneasy feeling in my gut returned. “What are you doing out of bed? Didn’t I tell you I didn’t want you doing things on your own until you were stronger?”
“I’m fine. A little autonomy is supposed to be good for me, remember,” I argued holding the sore spot on my head.
Wade sat me on the toilet and pulled my hand away. “Let me see the damage.”
“I’m fine,” I repeated trying to pull away, but he held tight to my wrist.
“You are perilously close to getting a spanking, young lady,” he warned in a deep voice.
Wade seemed just as agitated as I was, but I didn’t care. “Leave me alone, stop worrying so much and give me some space! I need to get back to normal things and going to the bathroom on my own certainly is a normal thing.”
“You do not get to tell me to stop worrying when you have a golf ball sized lump on your forehead. You are not in charge around here, I am.”
“You are not the boss of me.” I crossed my arms and scowled at him.
We stared at each other for a second before I squirmed, now needing to use the toilet more than I had originally. Wade stood me up and removed the bottoms of my clothes before sitting me back down.
“Go,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Aren’t you leaving?” I held on, not wanting to expel in front of him. “This is private business.”
“I’m not going anywhere. You have lost your right to privacy until we sit down and have a serious conversation and I can trust you to follow my rules. And by conversation, I mean, my hand slapping against your bottom.”
“My bottom?”
“Yes, your bare bottom. Now go.” He nodded toward me and I shook my head.
“I can’t. You can’t. You need to leave.” ‘Bottom’ was a new term, but I didn’t have time to ask questions. I needed him out of my space.
“I promise you that I am way more stubborn than your bladder.”
I clenched my teeth and closed my eyes just as the warm flow of liquid left my body. My cheeks heated and I couldn’t look Wade in the eye.
“I don’t like this feeling,” I informed him as I reached for the toilet paper.
“I don’t like being disobeyed.”
I didn’t answer. I was still mad and embarrassed and I just wanted this whole scenario to be finished.
“Let’s go, we need to have a little chat.”
“I don’t want to chat with you.”
“I don’t care, you don’t have to say a word, but you will listen and learn that when I say something, I mean it.”
Helping me off the toilet, he righted my clothes before carrying me back to my bed.
“How is your head?”
“Fine.” I wasn’t lying. It was a little bit sore, but it didn’t hurt any worse than my knees had after my fall.
Setting me down, he got down on one knee and pinched my chin in his fingers. I didn’t want to cower away from him, but his behavior made my stomach twist and as we stared at each other, I had to fight not to look away.
“What did I tell you about letting me help you? I know you want to do things on your own, I want that for you too, but you are not strong enough yet. You are going to hurt yourself worse if you keep pushing yourself harder than you should before you’re ready.”
His anger turned to concern and my heart clenched with guilt remembering our conversation about Daddies from the day before. He was doing everything for me and I was being a brat.
“I’m sorry, Wade.” I tried to look away, but his grasp on my chin made it impossible.
“I’m sorry too, little one.” His voice softened but his grip did not. “I really am. I know this isn’t easy, but if we don’t get on the same page, it's not going to get any easier and your recovery will be stalled. I want to take care of you. Will you please allow me to do that?”
“I will, I’m sorry.” Hearing he wanted to take care of me made the guilt even worse and my eyes filled with water once again.
“Save those tears, little one. You might need them when I’m blistering your bottom.” He let go of my chin and stood with his hands on his hips.
“I don’t understand.”
“I warned you that if you did not listen, I was going to punish you. It’s time you understand that when I speak I mean business.”
I didn’t want to be punished, but I didn’t have any arguments either. He had warned me and I had continued to ignore him.
“Now, you have two choices. I can call the women's shelter and work on getting you some emergency help, or you can allow me to see to your punishment and we can move forward from there. And before you misunderstand what I am saying, let me be perfectly clear. I do not want you to leave, but your punishment will not be pleasant and I need you to know that you have choices here. If you choose to stay, you are consenting to my rules and my discipline from here on out.”
I bit my lip, I couldn't leave even if I wanted to because I needed to be near Oliver. But it was more than that. I didn’t want to leave Wade either. Something about him called to a deep part of me. Hearing that he wanted me around and that he wanted to take care of me broke through a wall. As nervous as I was about his threats, I trusted him.
“I know it's not fair of me to ask you for such a serious decision in a short time so here is what is going to happen. I am going to take you down to the shop with me. You will sit on the stool where I can keep my eyes on you and think about your choices. You will not be permitted to move off of the stool or speak without asking for permission and you will stay there until I am finished working.”
“What if I don’t need time to think? I already know my answer.”
“I don’t want you to feel rushed, little one.”
I didn’t feel rushed and I needed him to believe me. “Please, I want to stay with you and Oliver. I want you to help me get better. Will you punish me so we can be okay again? Will you be my Daddy?”
The blatant request seemed to surprise him and he raised his eyebrows. “I’m glad you want to stay, but I would feel a lot better if you thought more about it. As far as being your Daddy, we will save that discussion for later.”
Later, later, it was always later. Why wouldn’t he just talk now? Why couldn’t we discuss things now? What was the point in all this waiting?
“I don’t need to. I feel so terrible for my behavior. Please punish me.”
Wade took a deep breath and nodded. “If that’s your choice, then let me go downstairs and lock up for the morning. You stay put. Consider this your timeout since you aren’t physically able to stand in the corner. Oliver will tell me if you don’t obey, right boy?” He patted the shaggy dog on the head. Oliver barked in
agreement and I could tell in his eyes, he was going to have a lot more to say to me once Wade left. “I will be back in five minutes.”
He left quickly, and I listened to his steps fade before turning to Oliver. “I know what you’re going to say.”
“I’m proud of you.” It was my turn to be surprised. “It takes a brave lass to ask to be punished. Especially when there are other options.”
“I don’t want to be sent away.”
“Aye, none of us want that. Wade will nurture you. He’ll be good to you. You only have to let him.”
“I will, I promise. Oliver, what’s a spanking? How bad is this going to be? Can you tell me about it?”
“There’s no time. I promise you that Wade will never harm you but he is certainly going to teach you a thorough lesson you won’t soon forget.”
Once again, while I would have loved to have more time to talk to my guardian, we could hear Wade returning. Time seemed to go by so much quicker on land.
I folded my hands in front of me and squeezed tight. I was nervous and anxious to get this over with.
“Be sweet and accept what you have coming,” Oliver whispered, laying his head on top of my wringing fingers. I was thankful for the comfort and I leaned down to kiss him just as Wade came in.
“It’s amazing to me how we have become so attached to you in such a short time,” Wade mused. “I’m glad you chose to stay, Coral girl, I think he would miss you.”
“I would miss him,” I responded not looking up from the shaggy dog. “I think I might even miss you too.”
“I hope you still feel that way after your spanking.”
“I will,” I stated with a false bravado.
Wade sat next to me on the bed and wrapped his arm around me. “I’m glad you are trying to be brave and I am honored that you are submitting to me for your punishment, but I need you to know this will not be easy for either of us. This is one of the hardest parts about being in charge.”