Page 22 of Daddy!

We had been sharing an enormous apple cobbler—minus the alamode, due to my issues with dairy—but I put my spoon down at his tone. "Daddy?"

He was busy moaning orgasmically over the dessert, so he didn't see my reaction at first. "Yes, babygirl?"

I wasn't looking at him, but I knew the moment he saw my expression, because he covered the hand that was on the table with his own, stroking his thumb over the back.

"What is it, lamb?"

"Did I do something wrong?"

"Is your bottom newly sore?"

I frowned, answering tentatively as I shifted in my chair. "No."

"Have I told you that you're going to get a spanking and explained to you why?"

"No."

"Then, you're not in trouble. Two easy ways to tell." I was still frowning a bit at that answer. "Look at me, Tahlia."

"You know I don't play games. I didn't when I was essentially your Dom, and I won't now that I'm your Daddy. I might have decided to punish you purely for my own amusement as your Dom, but I certainly won't do that as your Daddy. That wouldn't be fair at all. I'm not going to try to catch you out or trip you up. When I decide on your rules, I'll tell you what they are and add and subtract from them as needed, through frequent discussions with you. But I think they're going to be pretty set. I won't hide any from you in hopes of tricking you into earning a punishment. You know that's not how I am."

I nodded. He was an extremely honorable man, and he actually worked at being that way.

"I always want you to be happy and healthy, so that's what the rules will aim for. I want them to mean something to the both of us, not be silly, frivolous things to bolster my ego and make you feel bad about yourself—just the opposite. I want them in place to help you do the right thing, to do the thing you know I'd approve of. And if you choose not to, then that's what spankings are for." He sought my eyes. "Okay, sweet pea?"

I nodded, for real, this time. "Yes, Daddy."

He fed me a spoonful of cobbler, then pressed a bit of the ice cream onto the tip of my nose, making me laugh.

"And it occurs to me that my tone of voice might have been off when I mentioned adding that rule, too, and I'm sorry if that's what made you worry unnecessarily that you were in trouble." He grinned at me and fed me another spoonful. "I'm new at this Daddy gig, you see, and I'm not always going to get everything right, even though I definitely want to. So, I'll be more careful about how I say things like that in the future, baby, I promise."

"That's okay, Daddy," I said, covering his hand with mine this time and saying in my most serious voice, "I want you to know that you're not in trouble…this time."

The reward for my efforts was the fact that he laughed so hard that he nearly did a spit take with his cobbler.

I took a perverse sense of pleasure in that.

Chapter 7

It was a glorious day and a glorious weekend. Because I didn't have to work, he convinced me to stay until he had to go in, Monday morning, instead of leaving Sunday night.

When we got back from our day out, it was only about three in the afternoon, and he announced as soon as we got in the door that he was going to put me down for a nap.

He expected me to follow him into the bedroom, but I was dragging my feet as much as I dared, whining, too, as much as I dared, "But I don't wanna take a nap!"

I could hear him chuckling from where I was, still closer to the front door than to him.

Mane came to lean his shoulder against the door jamb, crossing his arms over his chest and fighting not to smile at me, I could tell. "Wouldn't you think, peewee, that a little girl whose bottom is in the sad shape yours is in would be a little less likely to pout?"

"No," I answered instantly and truthfully, wondering immediately if I shouldn't have said it, but it just made him throw back his head and laugh.

He began to stalk slowly towards me. "So speaks a real and true little!" He chuckled, still bearing down on me.

I had half a mind to try to escape, but I wasn't good at hiding my intent from him.

"Do you really want another spanking for running away from your Daddy, honey?" he asked in such a calm, practical tone that I hated him.

My sigh was terribly put upon. "No," I peeped. "But I don' wanna nap, neither!"