Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

When Juniper suggested they go to the art table to chat after dinner, Isla guessed they had questions for her. To her surprise, they didn’t want to talk about the treasure.

“So… You and Caesar? How are things going?” Sadie asked casually after they had each chosen a picture to color.

“I’ve never felt like this before,” Isla admitted.

“You sound scared,” Celeste said with a concerned look.

“That’s not what I’m afraid of,” Isla whispered.

“Are you afraid of being vulnerable?” Zara asked.

“Yes. That’s exactly it. Did you all feel that way when you found your Daddies?” Isla wondered.

“Of course. None of us had been in this kind of relationship,” Sadie shared.

“And all of us had something threatening happening. I know it was in my mind that I was worried I was just hiding behind a powerful man for protection. But it wasn’t like that. I think the danger pushed the relationship deeper faster, but once I met Kestrel, I was a goner,” Zara confessed.

“Me, too,” Juniper chimed in, and the others nodded.

“It’s like being scared when you learned how to drive or came to Danger Bluff,” Sadie pointed out. “Having the courage to take those risks opened a whole new world for each of us.”

“For me, it was a fantasy to find a guy who loved and wanted to take care of me. It’s hard-wired inside me,” Lyra shared. “Phoenix didn’t change me. He woke up a part of me I’d hidden.”

“I really like being all of me,” Celeste added.

The rest of the Littles agreed with her as Isla remained silent. She looked around the group as they concentrated on coloring. Could she be as brave as them to live her life so completely?

Taking a deep breath, she admitted, “I freaked out before dinner about consequences and being spanked.”

“Oooh. That is a big step. Giving someone that much control,” Zara agreed.

“I’ve been wiggling on a sore bottom all night. I forgot to go to lunch today, and Daddy found out,” Lyra shared.

“That’s not healthy,” Zara scolded.

“I know. Time just got away from me. Daddy set an alarm on my watch. It will drive me crazy to stop in the middle of a piece, but I need to get up and move around. Hours go past when I play, and I lose track of time,” she confessed.

“I may be weird, but I feel better after being punished. It makes all those little voices in my brain turn off for a while,” Celeste shared.

Isla watched everyone else nod in agreement. “Doesn’t it hurt?”

“Yes, but Daddies somehow know how much you need and don’t go past that line,” Juniper added.

“So, the only way I can be unafraid of a spanking is to get one?” Isla asked.

“Yep,” Sadie answered matter-of-factly before she changed the subject completely. Pointing at Isla’s artwork, she added, “You should show that to your Daddy when you finish. He’s going to love it.”

Isla took her time, adding a few embellishments like seaweed and shells. When she knew she needed to stop, Isla put her crayons away. As she folded the flap back into the box, she looked around the group. “Thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank us. We have to band together to survive all that hunkiness,” Juniper told her, nodding toward the guys gathered around Magnus’s computer area.

Giggles burst from Lyra’s mouth, and that set everyone off. As they watched, the men turned to look at them with raised eyebrows. That made the merriment skyrocket—especially when the guys all stood and approached.

“Bedtime, Juniper,” Magnus declared.

“Oh!” the Little girl bemoaned, but Isla noticed Juniper immediately putting her things away.

“I finished my shark. Can we put it on the door?” Isla asked, looking up at Caesar.

“That’s an amazing picture. I love all the details. Of course, we need to put this up. Let’s go do that now. My door has been blank for too long.” A slow grin spread across Caesar’s face, making him even more handsome.

“I’d like that.” Isla stood and picked up her picture carefully so she wouldn’t rumple it. “Bye, everyone!”

“We’ll ride upstairs with you,” Magnus said, and Juniper jumped up to put her hand in her Daddy’s.

Caesar guided Isla to the elevator with a hand on her lower back. She loved that he touched her so often. It made her feel like he wanted to be in contact with her as much as possible. She settled against the side of the elevator, and Magnus held the door for the other couple.

As the car rose, Caesar settled next to her. His arm curled around her waist to hold her close. His warm strength ebbed into her body. The Littles were right. She should enjoy every minute with her Daddy.

A few minutes later, she taped the shark carefully to the plain white door guarding Caesar’s apartment. Isla looked around at all the other doors with satisfaction. Theirs matched now.

“Thank you, Little girl, for creating something special for me.”

“I had fun coloring it.”

“I’m glad. Come on in. It’s time for bed.”

“Do we have time to talk?” Isla asked.

Caesar looked at his watch and back at her. “You’re not going to sleep well if we don’t…?”

“No,” she admitted.

“Then we make time. Let’s go sit at the kitchen table.”

When she was settled in a seat, Caesar grabbed a pad of paper and took a chair next to her. “Let’s set up some guidelines. Your health and safety are the most important things to me. I would like you to get eight hours of sleep.”

“I’m grumpy if I don’t get enough sleep,” Isla agreed. “You need sleep, too.”

“I agree. I’ll put it on the list. I also need to know that you will listen and obey me. I promise you that I’m not a jerk dictator. I won’t order you around unless something important is happening. Your reaction in an emergency has to be automatic. That’s why we practice in small ways.”

“Like when you tell me to go take a nap?”

“Exactly. There’s a reason I’m sending you to nap. I know it’s hard to give up control. I don’t ever want you to feel like I am simply jerking you around.”

“Can I ask for an explanation?” Isla asked.

“If your safety is not in danger, yes.”

“What punishments will you use if I don’t do what you say?”

“Let’s discuss them. Do you have anything that is a negative trigger for these items… Spanking? Standing in the corner? Writing lines? Wearing a reminder in your bottom? Orgasm denial?”

Isla squirmed at the thought of Daddy putting a plug in her bottom as she focused on the last thing he’d said. “What’s that last one? You won’t make love to me?” she asked.

“I’ll make love to you, but you won’t be allowed to orgasm in that form of punishment.”

“That doesn’t seem fair. You get to come.”

“I’m not being punished,” he answered.

“Do I get to punish you?” she pushed back.

“No. With the responsibility of being your Daddy comes certain powers. The ability to reward or punish you is one.”

She had to admit that he was taking on a lot by working to keep her safe. Isla decided not to argue with that but chose to ask, “Rewards?”

“Definitely. You’ll have to decide what rewards mean the most to you. Going diving? Fun with the Littles? Date night?”

“Just the two of us?” she seized on that last one. The other two he’d mentioned were no-brainers.

“Just the two of us,” he promised.

“I’d like that.”

“I would, too.”

Isla looked down at the mostly blank page and back up at Caesar. “There’s really nothing to write down, is there?”

“The important piece is us discussing things and you asking questions when you have them,” Caesar added. “Let’s get ready for bed. You can think about this, and we’ll talk about it whenever you wish.”

Her mind whirled. Isla squeezed her thighs together. She was so wet just talking about him being in control. Distracted, she missed seeing him lean forward and squeaked with surprise as he scooped her out of her chair, carried her to the couch, and settled her on his lap. Melting against his hard chest, Isla laid her head on his shoulder. She realized she hadn’t thought about the men in the boat who’d been watching them dive or the map since dinner. He’d taken that worry away for her. Isla had no doubt that he would put himself in harm’s way to keep her safe. No one had ever cared about her that much.

“You’re thinking so hard, Little girl. Try to quiet your thoughts so you’ll be ready to sleep. Would a warm bath help?”

Celeste’s words that being spanked quieted her brain popped back into Isla’s mind. “I think a spanking would help.”

“Most likely,” he agreed. “Do you think you’re ready now for that?”

She leaned away from his body to meet his gaze. “Yes.”

Caesar didn’t ask any questions. He simply lifted her to stand between his legs. He skimmed his hands up her thighs to reach the waistband of her leggings. Pulling them down to her ankles, he requested, “Put your hand on my shoulder for balance, and lift your left foot.”

Her mind whirling, Isla mistakenly lifted her right foot. Caesar eased off her shoe and removed the material. Halfway through, she realized her mistake. “Sorry.”

“It’s all good, Little Fish. Both feet work.”

Isla realized he hadn’t called her his pet name for a while. Subconsciously, she’d missed it. Being his Little Fish was important to her.

When he lifted her and stretched her body over his hard thighs, her thoughts ricocheted back to the space around them. Isla reached for the carpet under his feet and found that neither her tiptoes nor fingers could touch. She jumped as his large hand rubbed softly over her bottom.

“This won’t be a bad-girl spanking but a good-girl one, Isla. If you need me to stop, tell me. Do you need a safeword?”

“No, Daddy. I’ll just say stop.”

“Perfect.”

She felt the touch of his hand disappear. Her body stiffened, and he smacked her bottom, leaving a stinging sensation. Before she could digest it totally, another landed and another. Caesar peppered her bottom, making her wiggle and squirm. Heat built on her skin.

“Spread your legs, Little girl.”

She froze and turned to look at him.

“Thighs apart, Isla. You don’t hide anything from your Daddy.”

Slowly, she moved her legs. She buried her head against his leg, knowing he could see everything. Isla knew her inner thighs were wet with arousal. She got wetter with every single spank.

“Beautiful.” He stroked a hand over her bottom and traced the cleft of her sex. “So wet.”

She held her breath. Would he touch her? The slap that landed directly on her pussy made her rear her head back. The throbbing between her thighs skyrocketed. Isla could smell her arousal perfuming the air as the tension inside her coiled.

The second swat made her bite her lower lip. She was so close.

The next spank landed on the rounded curve of her bottom, not where she needed it. Isla turned to look at Caesar in disbelief.

“I’m in charge, Little Fish. I’ll let you come in a while, but not yet. You don’t want it enough.”

“But I…I do,” she stammered.

“Daddy’s in charge,” he repeated as he spanked her bottom.

The heat built in her skin. She felt tears prickle on the edges of her eyelashes before tumbling down her cheeks. Isla gasped when he swatted the crease between her thighs and bottom. It was so sensitive. Overwhelmed, she drooped over his lap.

“Good girl,” he praised and rewarded her with his fingers between her thighs.

The sensations built to a critical point and stopped. Isla began to beg without realizing what words tumbled from her mouth. “Please. Please. Please, Daddy. I’ll be good.”

“You’re always good, Little Fish.”

His fingers returned to caress her. This time, when she hovered on the edge, he thrust two fingers into her. Isla arched her back as she screamed her pleasure into the room. He extended her pleasure with strokes and touches until she thought she’d lose consciousness.

When he finally removed his fingers and allowed her to descend from the bliss he’d lavished on her, she was vaguely aware of Caesar gathering her into his arms. He rocked her slowly as he spoke softly to her. Isla couldn’t concentrate on his words, but the cadence and tone nourished her soul.

She was barely awake when he stood. The rock of his slow steps lulled her. His movement to tug the comforter from the bed jostled Isla from her drowsy state. “Nooo,” she protested.

“Sit here for a minute, and I’ll tuck you in.” Caesar tugged her shirt over her head, leaving her naked. “Scoot under the covers, Isla.”

She heard herself mumbling but didn’t know what she was saying. Sinking into the mattress, she let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes. The soft sheet and comforter molded themselves around her, and she felt the brush of his hands as he smoothed them around her. The last things she remembered were a light kiss on her hair and a pat on her hot bottom.