by Alta Hensley
“Frank. Good to see you.” Costello put out his hand to his boss for a handshake. Once the pleasantries were exchanged, he pointed to the toilets.
“She in there?”
“Ariana? Yes,” Costello answered.
“Nancy said there was some trouble with her tonight.”
“I’m about to deal with Ariana’s behavior, even though it wouldn’t have happened if Nancy hadn’t gone forward with the enema without my knowledge. I like to inform the girls when it’s going to take place and why. It’s important that they understand they are doing it for me, so when they get sold, they know everything they’re asked to do is for that Daddy.”
Frank nodded. “I agree.” He turned to his cousin. “We aren’t going through all this hassle of training these girls just to torment them for our own fun. Their new owners may do so, but that’s not what we do here. We sell quality products, and we can’t do that if you get in the way of their training.”
“Of course.” Nancy lowered her gaze.
“I hope she didn’t bother you with this,” Costello said, pleased to see her plan at getting Frank involved had obviously backfired.
“No, no, I was here anyway when I ran into her. I was going to check in with Shelby and Gianni. But since I’m here. Might as well meet this Ariana girl. Bring her to the dayroom for her discipline. It’s good for the other girls.”
Costello’s heart slowed. “Sure thing,” he agreed. What choice did he have? If he said no…fuck that, no one said no to Frank.
Ariana had been through so much already for the day, and now she was going to have to bear a public punishment. And she didn’t have the Lullaby to help cloud her mind from the realities of it.
“I’ll see you in there then,” Frank said.
The door closed behind them just as Ariana came out of the toilets.
“Ariana.” He sighed. “You really picked the wrong night to misbehave.”
“I was only confused.”
“It doesn’t matter.” He shook his head. “You’re going to have to learn to obey every command given no matter by who or if you understand why.”
“You’re going to spank me.” Her shoulders dropped with the statement. The wet tresses of her hair brushed along her collarbone.
“Of course, I am,” he said harshly. “And Uncle Frank is here. He’s in the dayroom. That’s where you’ll get your paddling as a reminder to the other girls not to disobey their nannies.” Even if their nanny was completely wrong in giving the fucking order they were handing out.
“What?” she asked, taking a step back.
“No. Don’t even try to wiggle out of this.” He grabbed hold of her arm and dragged her forward. “The sooner we do this, the sooner it’s over.”
“Don’t sulk, Ariana.” Costello tugged on her harder when she tried to dig in her heels.
A paddling in front of everyone? And Uncle Frank? What if she couldn’t keep it together? What if she didn’t act right, and he saw right through it?
“I’m not,” she tried to reason with him. “Can’t we go to your room?” She hurried her steps to keep up with him.
He cast a dark glare at her as they approached the dayroom door. Shoving her against the wall, he cupped her chin and pushed her head back until she was locked into his gaze.
“No, Ariana. We can’t go to my room.” His nostrils flared. He wasn’t just angry with her, there was a hint of worry dancing in his dark eyes. “I have to bring you in there and paddle your ass for everyone to see, because Frank Romero said so. And he’s my fucking boss. Do you get that?” He lowered his voice. “And for your sake, I hope you’re ready to give the best fucking performance of your life.”
Her heart stopped. Cold ran through her veins.
Costello knew.
He fucking knew.
“Daddy, what do you mean?” she asked with as light of a tone as she could muster given the fact her entire insides were shaking with the tsunami of fear his statement had caused.
“Don’t play with me right now, Ariana. Save the act for in there, because if Frank gets suspicious, we’re both fucked. You have no idea how much danger you could be in.”
Tears fell from her eyes. So much was at stake.
“I don’t understand,” she whispered, hoping if she just kept up the pretense the intense dread would subside.
Costello’s jaw tightened. “You will soon enough. Now let’s go.” He released her chin to grab her arm, digging his fingertips into her. He yanked the door to the dayroom open and hauled her inside.
The other girls, already dressed in their pajamas, were sitting on the gray carpet lined up like they were waiting for story time. Only tonight there wouldn’t be any funny stories and colorful picture books.
In the front of the room, where the night nannie would sit to read to them all, was a bench. Her throat closed around her cry. It was a spanking bench. She’d seen them online. There were two padded spots for her knees, and then a long leather bench for her to lie over. Leather bindings hung from the knee supports, the bench, and the two hand grips at the front of the contraption. She’d have nowhere to wiggle to, not that Costello ever allowed her to get free of his grip once he had her.
“Oh, God,” Ariana groaned as Costello continued to lead her to the bench.
“Girls,” Uncle Frank said, standing beside the bench. “I’m sorry that your story time has been cancelled this evening, but it’s for a good reason. Every lesson you learn here is for your benefit, so that when you’re adopted, you can be the very best little girl for your forever daddy. Ariana was not a good little girl tonight. She was disrespectful to Nanny Nancy, and you know how hard Nancy works to keep you girls safe and happy.” Frank paused, giving the girls a chance to nod in agreement.
Ariana knew none of them actually agreed. Even in their drugged hallucinations of this reality they’d been forced into, the complaints among the girls about Nancy were the same. She was seen as evil.
Costello pointed to the bench. “Climb up, young lady,” he said in his low tone as Frank continued to explain to the girls the reasons for this public humiliation.
“I can’t,” Ariana whispered to herself as she climbed onto the bench, and Costello strapped her legs down on the knee supports with the bindings.
“You don’t have a choice,” Costello muttered into her ear as he pulled the thick belt over her back and buckled it.
“Ariana’s daddy is going to discipline her, and I want all of you to watch quietly. Learn from her mistakes so you don’t find yourselves in a similar position,” Frank announced.
“Grip the handles,” Costello instructed, pointing to them. Through a haze of fear, she wrapped her hands around the grips and pressed her forehead to the leather padding. The table was tilted forward enough that her ass was propped higher than her head.
Frank shifted his position to the other side of her bound body.
“Learn your lesson, little girl,” Frank said to her then moved away.
Ariana picked up her head enough to see him move to stand beside Nancy. The satisfied sneer on Nancy’s lips sent a bubbling anger through Ariana.
But once she caught Costello walking back over to the bench with a thick, long paddle in his hand, the pure fear returned.
“Why are you being paddled, Ariana?” Costello asked in his disciplinarian voice.
She closed her eyes. “Because I talked back to Nanny Nancy,” she said, throwing in a sniffle at the end for Frank’s benefit.
This was so fucked up. So fucking wrong.
“And what is Daddy’s rule about talking back?” he asked, pressing the hard wood against her asscheeks.
She swallowed. If he kept this up, she was going to make a mess by vomiting up every damn cookie she’d ever eaten while being here.
“No talking back,” she responded and tightened her grip on the handles. “I’m really sorry, Daddy,” she whined.
“I know you are,” he said and the paddle pulled back from her ass. Bracing hers
elf, she clenched her eyes and her teeth.
It didn’t help.
The impact shook her. She’d never felt anything like it before. The sting spread over her ass, and before it faded, he brought the paddle down again. She bit down on her lips determined not to cry out. But there seemed to be no end to the pain. Her ass would be too swollen to sit on for weeks.
But at least she was alive.
The pain…
Alive.
“You were a bad girl tonight, weren’t you?” Costello chastised, bringing the paddle down even harder on her thighs.
Resolve lost, she howled. It was too much. Way worse than his belt.
“Answer me,” Costello snapped.
“Yes, Daddy!” she cried out as the paddle continued to assault her ass. She would be black and blue before he was done.
“And will you be a bad girl again?” he asked, pausing for a moment.
She sucked in a breath. The pain numbed her brain. What did he ask?
“Ariana.” He patted her ass lightly with the paddle. “Will you be a bad girl again?”
She sniffled, no longer an added touch for Frank’s benefit, and shook her head. “No, Daddy. I promise. I’ll be a good girl always.”
“I hope so,” he said and brought the paddle down again. She pulled on the hand grips and tried to wiggle her hips away, but the damn straps had her completely bound. She wasn’t going anywhere, and Costello didn’t seem in the mood to finish her punishment.
Over and over again, the paddle was brought down on her upturned ass. By the time she realized he’d stopped, she was a complete blubbering mess. Tears ran down her cheeks, dripping onto the leather padding beneath her. Hard sobs racked through her body.
“There now.” Frank took the stage again. “I hope Ariana learned her lesson, and that you all will take care not to find yourself in this position anytime soon.”
Costello handed the paddle to Nancy. “Clean this, and put it away.” He turned to the night nanny standing near the girls and pointed. “You, unstrap her and take her to my room. She’ll stay with me tonight.”
“You risk spoiling her,” Nancy piped up. Ariana turned her head, trying to find Costello, but he moved again behind her and out of her line of vision.
“She’ll apologize to me privately for her behavior tonight.” Costello’s cold tone crossed the room.
Nancy’s frown deepened.
“Good idea,” Frank stated with approval. “Uh, Mae. Come with me please. I’ll tuck you in tonight.” He held out his hand toward the girls sitting behind Ariana.
Through his trousers, his cock was perfectly outlined. He’d gotten rock hard watching Ariana’s ass get lit on fire, and now he’d be using Mae to relieve himself.
Nausea rolled through Ariana. He could have chosen her. What if he did another night? Costello worked for him; he couldn’t deny him.
It was very clear that Frank Romero was a man to never deny.
The straps began to loosen around Ariana’s calves, but the whirlwind of fears was just starting to ramp up. Costello knew the medicine wasn’t working on her. He knew she was only pretending.
What would he do?
What would he say?
And Frank’s his boss.
If Frank took Ariana one night, could she fool him?
She couldn’t wait any longer. She had to find a way out. There was no more time left. Her ass throbbed, her chest ached, and her head spun. No matter what, she was getting out of the House.
Costello marched down the hallway to the stairs leading to his room, seething on the inside. Fucking Nancy. Ariana’s ass had to be on fire. She’d have bruises marring her creamy skin for at least a week because of that damn paddling. If he’d wanted her marked, he would have chosen to do it himself. But as it was, the choice had been stolen from him so Nancy could get her fucking clit hard.
“Is this your room?” Frank asked Mae as Costello maneuvered around them.
“Yes, Uncle Frank,” she answered with as much bravery a girl could, given her circumstances. Costello shoved that concern from his mind. He had bigger worries.
By the time he reached the stairwell, he was moving at a trot. Taking the stairs two at a time, he hurried to his room. Ariana was probably crumpled up in a ball sobbing. He hadn’t gone easy on her. He couldn’t. Frank would have questioned him.
The floor where the Daddies had their suites was empty. They were all still downstairs getting ready to take their own little girls to their rooms to tuck them in. Now that they’d all had a good show with Ariana, they would take advantage and teach their own girls whatever lesson they wanted for the night.
When he reached his room, he stopped to take a deep breath. First, he would comfort her, check her ass for damage, and then calm her down. Then, he’d confront her about the Lullaby not working with her.
Sure he was walking in on a girl losing her composure, he opened the door slowly and quietly.
As he stood in his doorway, Ariana, holding the smallest of his arm chairs as high as she could, ran across the room at the window. He blinked, momentarily lost in the image as she slammed the chair into the glass.
It got her nowhere. She bounced off the window, falling back onto her naked ass, and the chair rolled to her side.
“Fucking hell!” He slammed his bedroom door. “What the hell do you think you’re doing!” He rushed to her side, kicking the fallen chair out of his way.
Wild panic burst across her expression, and she jumped to her feet. Before he could grab her, she ran to the window and flailed her fists against it. When he grabbed her arms, a current of tremors ran beneath his grip.
“Ariana. Stop!” He yanked her from the window and encased her in his arms, holding her tightly to his chest. She continued to struggle, but soon her energy faded away.
“I have to get out of here! I won’t let you give me to him. I won’t be put to sleep! I won’t.” She sobbed into his chest.
He rested his chin on top of her head and fisted her damp hair, pressing her against himself. She could wail and scream into his shirt, and with some luck she wouldn’t be overheard. Though the other Daddies were busy having their own fun with their girls.
“Ariana. Stop it,” he said again, forcing his tone to dip even lower. “You have to calm down so I can talk to you.”
“You’re going to let him kill me,” she cried, sagging in his embrace.
He sighed and changed tactics. In one swift movement, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to his bed. Managing to climb onto the bed without letting her go, he settled her on his lap and leaned against the headboard. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed openly into his chest.
It was the first time she’d broken since she’d arrived. Their first meeting had shown her furiousness, but after that, she’d gone into her act of being a little girl. She’d never let herself break down in front of him, and from what he’d heard of her nightly sleeps—she hadn’t then either.
He ran his hand in circles around her back, soothing her until her sobs slowed and there was only an occasional sniffle. As much as she truly was an adult, he suspected some of her really was a little at heart.
“Are you ready to talk?” he asked, tucking her beneath his chin.
“When did you figure it out?” she asked in a small voice. Not one she used to pretend she was little, but her real voice, tender and sweet.
“I suspected not long after I first met you. There was something different about you. Sometimes you’d look at me, and I could see the age in your eyes.”
“I tried so hard,” she said, wiping the back of her hand across her nose.
“I know you did. And I don’t think anyone else suspects. It’s only because I’ve been so close to you, seen your reactions to things I’ve said and things we’ve done.”
“I don’t think I can do this anymore. I’m so exhausted.” She punctuated the statement with a yawn.
“You have to. It’s not an option. If Frank finds out, I�
��m not sure I can protect you. You’ve been taking the Lullaby for a week now. If it’s not working by now, it’s not going to, and you’re taking up a spot in his House.”
When she looked up at him, the defeat shining in her eyes ripped his chest open.
Costello grabbed her chin to keep her focus on him. “I don’t know how yet, but I’ll figure something out to help you. But you have to do what I tell you. No disobedience. None. And you can’t provoke Nancy or any of the other nannies.”
“You aren’t going to turn me over to him?” she asked. The surprise in her tone cut at him. Of course she’d be afraid that he would do just that. He’d been contemplating it since he became convinced she wasn’t as little as she appeared.
But so much had changed.
The rules of this game had morphed into…
Well…things had changed.
“Fuck no.” He gripped her chin between his thumb and forefingers. “You belong to me, Ariana. No one else will ever touch you or take you.” He sealed his claim over her, pressing a hard kiss to her lips. Moving his hand from her chin, to cupping the side of her face, he deepened the act, brushing his tongue across her bottom lip then sweeping into her mouth. She moaned against his mouth, pushing herself further up his lap and matching his energy. Her fingertips touched his jaw.
When he broke away, the fear and desperation in her gaze had been replaced with hope. New tears built in her eyes, shining and clear.
“I thought you were going to hand me over to him.” She sighed and gestured toward the window. “I’m sorry about the chair.”
He leaned over to get a better look. Two of the legs had broken off in her attempt to break free.
He shook his head. “How the hell am I going to explain that?” he muttered. “And what the fuck did you think you were going to do? We’re on the third floor, Ariana. Were you going to leap to your death? If you hadn’t broken your neck—you’re naked. Were you just going to walk into town nude with your ass all red like it is?” The image of her walking through the darkness of the city and coming across men who would rather see her beneath them than helping her in any way flooded his mind.