After they planned out the next day’s events of outfit planning, packing, and video watching—holy cow, they were going to watch spanking videos in her living room—she headed out to the nearest pharmacy. She spent fifty dollars in cash—lest someone find out her embarrassing acquisitions—and came home with three bags of stuff she had never seen before in her life.
Dumping the contents onto the table, she glared at the cosmetics—Gawd, they were taunting her. So what did a girl do with all this crap anyway? Ugh, too tired suddenly, she decided to leave the pretty colorful stuff for the morning. Pretty stuff usually went better with coffee, right? Tonight, she’d just curl up with her laptop and do some research.
Spanking. Videos. Daddy Dom. Little Girl. Enter.
After scrolling past a few videos, she clicked on a link for a company called Shadow Lane. Images of red bottoms and pretty women in different poses, all with their rear ends on display, filled her screen. There were men too. Some seemed to be dishing out the spankings, and a few were over the laps of very stern-looking women.
She kept tabbing down until she saw the models that called to her. These ones looked like fun. She entered her numbers for her credit card and downloaded the videos.
Chapter Five
Connor looked at his watch. Nine-fifty a.m.—he was only ten minutes early. Juggling the two cups of hot coffee, he knocked on the door and heard a loud curse, followed by a thundering of feet and a chair falling to the floor. He set the coffees down and knocked harder. “Alex. What’s going on in there?”
“Nothing. Nothing! Come back later. Now’s not a good time.”
He heard some more mumbled curses and the sounds of items being thrown around the room, and his instincts went on high alert. “Open the door, Alex.” He pounded so hard it echoed down the hallway. “You have three seconds to open this door or I will break it down, and neither of us is going to be happy. One… two…”
The door slowly inched open, and he strode inside. No signs of forcible entry or danger, but there were clothes strewn everywhere as if she had dumped an entire dresser out into her living room. A chair lay on its back in the kitchenette. She must have knocked it over in her rush.
That’s when he took a good look at her. “What’s going on, Pip?”
She wore a cute blue and black striped schoolgirl skirt and white socks pulled up to her knees. Alex was trying unsuccessfully to burrow her face into her white button-down shirt. One long blond pigtail had fallen out of its tie and hung haphazardly around her face, and the other was sticking out between the buttons on her shirt as she groaned miserably.
A sudden realization came to him. Alex had been trying to dress like a little. He appreciated her attempts to be a professional and forced himself not to smile. She would lose it if he laughed at her. “Come on, Pip. Let’s see what you have going on in there.” He tugged at her shirt, but she continued on with her turtle-like movements.
“No.” Her muffled voice sounded high and almost pouty. “It’s really bad.”
“It can’t be that bad.”
She withdrew her head from her shirt, and a rainbow of colors—cotton candy colors hitting everything except her eyelids, clumpy blacks along her eyelashes, bright reds on her cheeks, and a combination of fuchsia and purple that might have started out on her lips, but had crept outward a bit—assaulted his senses. She looked like his cousin’s old ragdoll after it had been over-bleached and thrown in the spin cycle for too long.
He couldn’t help it. He laughed.
The shirt went back up over her head. “Gah! I am not easy, breezy, or beautiful, and the creators of this stuff should be cursed to a hundred years without coffee. Stop laughing!” she shrieked, then stumbled, headless toward the bathroom.
He grabbed Alex and yanked her to the right just before she face-planted into the wall, and she came out of her turtle shell long enough to glower up at him. Black mascara ran down her cheeks, not from crying, probably from that damn escape attempt. The bright pink and dark blue all around her eyes reminded him of cotton candy. Very messy cotton candy, like when he was a kid, and it had melted all over his hands. The only difference was he didn’t want to lick this stuff. Her lips were too pink, and she had made her mouth look about three times larger than normal by reapplying lipstick one too many times over. Her cheeks were covered in strawberry shortcake red, mixed with dark gobs of mascara and eyeliner. Poor thing was a mess. The only thing that kept him from laughing again was the fury in her clenched fists and the hurt in her blue eyes. At least he thought he remembered them being blue. It was hard to tell with all the goop. “Can I help?”
“Unless you have some secret makeup affinity that I don’t want to know about, no. I can handle this.” She winced and rubbed her cheeks roughly. “Just give me a few minutes to wash this crap off.” She slammed the bathroom door in his face.
Time to call in reinforcements. He grabbed his cell phone out of his pocket and sat down on the couch that didn’t have an armful of underwear and bras. Speed dialing number three, he waited for his favorite cousin, Gabby, to pick up.
“If you’re calling to rag me out about last week, I’ve already had that discussion—three times,” a female voice grumbled into his ear.
“I’m not calling to rag you out.” Not yet. He needed to find out what had happened first. “I need your help. Are you busy?”
“You need my help?” Incredulity and a high-pitched laugh echoed over the connection, as he started picking up clothes and neatly piling them onto the couch.
“Yes, Tink. I need your help.”
“I really wish you would stop calling me that.”
“No, you don’t. You love that I give you special names.”
She giggled. “Yeah, you’re right. So what do you need, Bear?” she asked, using her nickname for him after seeing him get truly angry one time.
“Are you still in town with Jason?”
“I’m still in town, but not with Jason.” She practically seethed over the phone. “I thought that’s what you wanted to talk about.”
Good riddance. He had hated that loser, but only barely accepted him for Gabby’s sake. “What happened? Did he dump you?”
“For my best friend!” Her voice went a little higher and he massaged his ears.
He would love nothing more than to throttle the bastard for hurting her, but he was pleased the relationship was over. “So how’d you react?” He knew her. Chances were she had lashed out a tad without thinking things through. Like someone else he knew. He grinned and glanced at the closed bathroom door.
Dead silence.
“Gabrielle Louise.”
“I, um, filled up his Camaro with trash, including a full week of litter boxes from the shelter I help at.”
A wide grin stretched across his face, but he kept his voice neutral. “Destruction of property is an offense punishable by up to one hundred eighty days in jail and a thousand-dollar fine, young lady. And that’s if it isn’t charged as a felony.”
Gabby squealed at his tone, and he could visualize her brown eyes widening as her cheeks flushed bright red. “Marcus said that too. And Toby said something along those lines. Cameron threatened me too.”
He bet they had all laid down the law with their spunky little sister. Gabby’s older brothers were very protective of her, and reminded her to behave all the time.
“We’ll discuss the asshole’s car later. First, I have something right up your alley.” He texted her Alex’s address. “How soon can you be here?”
“Fifteen minutes. Eight if you promise to stop giving me the look you’re giving me right now.”
“Don’t speed, or I’ll give you more than a look,” he growled, causing them both to laugh. They both know he might threaten a little, but he would never touch her. Hell, she had older brothers if someone needed to be stern with her, so he was free to spoil her.
“You’re mean, Bear.”
He could picture her sticking her tongue at him playfully. “Just
get here safely.”
Okay, he had eight minutes to get this place presentable.
* * *
It took forever to scrub that stuff off her face. And who the hell got blusher—or was it bronzer—inside their ears? Maybe it was concealer. Ugh, she hated this stuff. That’s why she never wore it. It’s not like she had ever had a reason to be girly. Her father had wanted a son.
Besides mascara, lip liner, lipstick, and eyeshadow didn’t exactly mesh with weapon maintenance, firing, camping, and hiking. Hmmm… Unless she got lost. The stuff was bright enough, she could lay down a trail to follow, and probably see it in the middle of the night. She’d take her purchases on her next hike. At least she’d get some use out of it.
She wondered if Connor was still out there. She had hidden in here for the last twenty minutes, hoping he would get the hint and disappear. She could come out, and he would be gone. Then she would never have to see that look on his face again. Oh, my God, she had been so humiliated. It was bad enough seeing herself in the mirror looking like a feral circus raccoon. But Connor seeing her like that? And laughing! She had almost died right there.
Never again. She would just have to be herself for this mission. Besides, little girls didn’t normally wear makeup, right? Then why did her stomach hurt and her heart feel like it weighed a thousand pounds? Damn it. She wanted to please him. She shouldn’t. This sucked. She looked at her freshly washed face and rosy cheeks. At least something good had come out of this. Her face was the cleanest it had ever been. A couple hundred scrubbing pads, followed by vicious rubbing and rinsing would do that. She opened the door and sent up a small prayer that Connor would be gone.
No such luck. He stood in the hallway, smiling down at her. “I was about to come check on you. You okay?”
She nodded. Embarrassed to look at him.
“Good. I want you to meet someone.” He took her hand and led her into her own living room. “Tink, meet Pip.”
He chuckled when she and the other woman both glared up at him. “Okay, okay. Alex Makowski, meet my favorite cousin, Gabby.”
Relief coursed through her that this was not a girlfriend. But that was stupid—she shouldn’t care if he had an adorable girlfriend with a pixie haircut and smile, button nose, and sweet brown eyes. Gabby appeared to be about her own age, maybe a year or two younger. Her wide smile was infectious as Alex shook her hand.
“Connor says you two are doing an undercover mission,” Gabby said.
“It’s okay.” Connor addressed Alex’s questioning look. “I brought Gabby in as a specialist.”
“What kind of specialist?” The cute little woman with the big brown eyes looked like she should be cuddling baby animals while singing and frolicking through a forest. She most likely had never held a pistol in her hand, probably could not defend herself if attacked from behind, and most likely said OMG in every sentence.
“Hair and makeup.”
Crap. Now that actually made sense.
“If you want me, that is.” The sweet woman smiled at her before glaring at Connor. “She might not want help from a perfect stranger.”
“You’re not a stranger,” he said gruffly. “You’re my cousin, one of my favorite girls, and I trust you. So she should too. It’s that simple.” He shrugged and sat down.
Gabby rolled her eyes and sighed before turning back to Alex. “Is he this hard-headed at work too?”
“Much worse,” Alex commiserated, receiving a dark look from her partner. “Well, it’s true. You just brought a perfect stranger into my home, and asked us both to carry on as if we’ve known each other all our lives.”
He grumbled and pointed them to the chairs. They made eye contact and stood there until he growled at them, then both sat down laughing.
“Remember I mentioned my cousins and the farm?”
Alex nodded.
“Gabby’s father and mother were the ones who took me in when I lost my parents. They took me out to their farm, and I lived with them until I got my head on straight.”
“It was a really long time. He was stupid.” Gabby snorted at the semi-glare on his face. “You were. You were such a thug wannabe.”
“Yeah, I was pretty messed up. Gabby’s father gave me the discipline I needed to get myself back on track. Her brothers beat the crap out of me whenever I became too big for myself.”
“But Connor gave it back pretty hard,” Gabby laughed. “Lots of testosterone in my family.”
“You’re the only girl?”
“Three older brothers, one younger, and Connor right in the middle.”
“Life must have sucked for you.”
She shrugged. “Dating was pretty hard. But I’m glad they looked out for me. Connor was always my biggest protector. Remind me to tell you about the time he played—”
“That’s enough reminiscing for now.”
“She’s not going to freak over a little tea party, is she?”
“Enough. Time to close your mouth.”
That made both women laugh when Gabby started making fish mouth motions. “It’s closed. See?”
“Okay, I’ve heard enough for today,” Alex laughed and stood up, stretching her legs and her arms. They seemed so close. That’s what brothers and sisters would be like. A real family. And she could tell Connor adored his cousin. She wished she could have had something like that growing up. “You seem pretty cool, and if Connor gives you his approval, I’m good. So what do we do now?”
“Well, no offense but we have a lot of extra hair to take care of.”
Alex fiddled with her ponytail.
“Not that hair.”
Oh. The heat must have risen twenty degrees in the room as she looked down at her unshaven legs.
“You ever been waxed before, Alex?”
“Um, where?”
“Everywhere.” Her new friend giggled.
“On that note, I’m going to leave you girls alone. Have fun.” He seemed in a hurry to get out of there.
“Bear.”
He stopped short of the door and looked at Gabby, who had her hands on her hips.
“Good makeup, proper hair supplies, and salon trips cost money.” She looked up at him meaningfully.
“Oh, I can pay for my own stuff.” Alex was embarrassed enough, and didn’t need to add owing money to her partner to the mix.
“That won’t be necessary.” Connor handed Gabby his credit card.
“You sure you don’t want to come with us?” Gabby looked up mischievously at him. “We’re going to shop and wax and do makeup and talk—”
“I’ve got to check on some other things. You go ahead. Take the card. Get some lunch too.”
“We will.”
He pulled Gabby in closer and looked between both of them. “Don’t go nuts, girls. I’ll know right away. And I won’t be happy.”
Gabby laughed and rolled her eyes, and Alex stopped her laugh when Connor’s dark gaze met hers. “Be good and I’ll see you at dinner.”
“We’ll text you when we’re done. Don’t worry, Alex. You’re in good hands. By the time we’re finished, we’ll be besties.”
Did she want to be besties with this adorable woman? Alex didn’t have time to think about it before she was pulled out the door. “I think coffee and snacks are in order.”
“Connor’s treat?” Gabby grinned.
“Heck, yeah. Though I was hoping for something stronger.”
Gabby smiled as they got into her cute little Volkswagen. “Drinks come later—also Connor’s treat. But first let’s go get the hard stuff done. That’s what I always do when given the choice between fun and not so fun.”
Okay, she was going to like this woman.
Chapter Six
Alex hated this woman. She groaned and grimaced at her new freshly waxed eyebrows. Okay, she didn’t hate Gabby, but she sure hated that hot wax. It hurt—not as bad as the ripping part, but still… Gabby had pulled her into a nice little salon, and Alex thought maybe she was getting her nail
s done. Something that would still prove painful, but in a different way. But no. She had been signed up for The Works. Gabby, sipping at her coffee while paging through a fashion magazine, had pointedly looked at her and told her, “There’s supposed to be two eyebrows. We have to take care of the middle.”
So Alex received her first ever waxing job, muttering the whole way, until Gabby reminded her about the bright side. Connor was paying for it. At least there was an upside to torture with wax.
“Legs and underarms next,” the sweet little Korean lady said, smiling before leading her into the back room. Gabby followed them and closed the door behind them.
“Okay, Alleycat, take off your pants and top, and lie down on the bed. You want some wine or something?”
They wanted her to get naked right there in front of them?
“It’s easier if they don’t have to pull your clothes out of the way. The wax is hell on clothes,” Gabby pointed out.
Okay, time for a little exhibitionism in the salon. “Do I get dollar bills for this?” she grumbled and Gabby laughed.
She shimmied out of her jeans and shirt, folded them neatly before placing them on the chair, then climbed up onto the table and lay down. “I think I want that drink after all.”
While the wax lady laid out the strips, Gabby went in search of the complimentary cheap wine. They ought to give you something stronger in a place like this. Damn, who did this to themselves? Oh, yeah, Gabby had explained that to her too. Waxing would keep the hair away longer, and make her skin smoother. And heck, since she was going to be too busy getting spanked by a daddy, while simultaneously trying to neutralize a death threat, who had time to shave?
Hot wax bubbled in the pot next to her. Wasn’t that how they defended castles in the medieval period? Hot wax? This was a weapon. They shouldn’t use it for cosmetic purposes. She grimaced as the first line of wax was laid across her shin bone. Men came up with all the beautifying ideas—high heels, bras, wax… “Yeow!”
Undercover Daddy Page 4