Chapter 19

Lennon

"Are you sure about this, babygirl?" I stood in the foyer of Zoe's home with one hand on the doorknob and the other wrapped loosely around her waist. She was dressed in a silky black panty set and one of my sports jackets, with a pair of kitten heels on her feet. Nothing else.

Her eyes shone with pride and surety as she beamed up at me. "I'm sure Daddy."

She'd safeworded with me this morning, but it wasn't because she'd changed her mind about accepting a correction, or because she was afraid I'd be too harsh. The reason, as it turned out, had been quite the opposite. My brave, beautiful girl wanted to return to the scene of the crime to accept her punishment there. When she'd explained her reasoning, I'd been overcome with pride and love and a million other emotions, but now that the time had actually come, I was nervous.

"I want you to know you don't have to do this. Any of it."

"Lennon." Her voice was harsh with a hint of exasperation. "I know that. And I appreciate you. But…" She faltered, her delicate brows furrowing as she looked for the right words to explain her plight once again. "When I showed up at the club, believe it or not, my reason wasn't to check and make sure you weren't drinking. It had nothing to do with that. I came because I'd had a breakthrough and I wanted to share it with you, but also, I wanted to have another one. The Penthouse is a part of you. Playing there is significant for you, and I assume an important part of any relationship you imagined yourself being in."

I shook my head. "It's not important. I don't care about that. I want you to be comfortable."

"Well, I won't be until I feel like this is fully dealt with. And it wasn't a cutesy little misunderstanding or a funishment. Dealing with it the same way we dealt with those things, it didn't feel right. This feels right. Because it's not only you I upset last night. I made a scene in front of your friends and clients. And a lot of them won't be there tonight. Some of them will never know how I chose to make it right. But the ones that do, I want them to see that I know I was wrong. I want it to be clear that you didn't deserve any of what I said or did last night. I know that, and I want others to know that I know it. You deserve that." She reached up and patted my cheek. "I trust you Daddy, and I know I don't have to do this. I know you would never make me. I want to do it. So, can we please just go now? You texted your friends and told them to be there, right? They said they're coming?"

I nodded. "All but Theo."

"Okay. So please can we just go? We've already put them out enough. I don't want to keep them waiting."

She was sincere, I knew she was, but I also didn't want her to do anything she didn't want to or wasn't ready for just because she thought it was the right thing.

"Let's go."

Before I could reassure her one more time that she could still back out, she grabbed my hand and pulled me out the door.

Zoe

Was I nervous as hell? I sure was, but I was also filled with peace. When I was just an older unmarried professor the club had been a scary place, one where I didn't belong.

But it was different now, because I was with Lennon. And despite everything last night, his friends had my back as much as they could while we were still strangers. I owed this to them, and to him, and to myself.

We took an Uber to the club and rode the elevator up to the penthouse level, where the club was. Pausing outside the door, I stopped short. "Wait."

"What?" Lennon looked at me with wide eyes and I could tell he thought I was going to back out.

"While we're here, I want you to have a drink." It was hard to say the words, but I'd been thinking about it all day.

His reaction was strong and swift as he shook his head from side to side, denying my request. "No."

"Lennon… Daddy… please. Just one. A shot, or a single, or even the weakest beer you offer. But I need you to. I want you to. I need to not have a fear reaction when it comes to you and alcohol. I still don't want it in the house. I still won't drink it myself, and I appreciate greatly the compromises you made regarding my limits. But The Penthouse is one of your safe places to do that, and I don't want you to change that just because I'm here."

He opened his mouth to protest and I shushed him with a look. "I'll be okay. And if I'm not, I will tell you. But we are here because I know I can trust you. Not just with my body, but with every part of me. And that includes my broken old baggage."

He looked like he was going to protest again, but he just shook his head and sighed, pulling the door open.

This time we bypassed Eve and Zeke at the check-in point. I had no phone or wallet, so we skipped the lockers, too, and I walked with my heart pounding and my head held high on Lennon's arm to the back of the club, where he pulled open another door and guided me into a private little bar area. His friends were already there, and I could see the polite questions and cautious optimism on their faces as we entered.

For a moment I wanted to turn tail and run, but instead I smiled and led Lennon to the bar. Thank god Archer was the one behind it.

"Something to drink?" he asked me with a furrowed brow.

"Lemon water, please."

Lennon leveled me with a side-eye, as if checking in once more before going ahead.

I smiled at him, and he nodded before turning to Archer. "Single scotch on the rocks, please."

If Archer thought the request was strange he gave no reaction, and quickly filled it. Lennon led me over to a private corner away from the prying, curious eyes of his friends.

"We need to talk about your limits for this scene."

"You already know my limits."

"I know your limits for a private, intimate scene between the two of us. Not a public one with my friends and a bunch of strangers watching."

"My limits are my limits," I quickly reassured him. "They haven't changed." I took his hand and placed it over my heart. "I trust you, and myself. More than I have in a really long time. I want to do this. And I don't want to go through this scene with a fine-tooth comb before it happens. I think if we did that, I might be tempted to chicken out. I need to not have the control here. It's good for me."

His mouth opened, then snapped shut. "Okay, fine." He took three sips of the scotch Archer had poured, meeting my gaze with each one.

I jerked, but kept my eyes steady on his, sipping my own water, matching him sip for sip. Yes, I felt my blood pressure rising. Yes, my fight-or-flight response was screaming for a reaction. I tamed it, reminding myself that Lennon was nothing like my father or my ex, and that alcohol was just a beverage in the hands of the right person.

And the anxiety eased by his fourth sip. When he drained the glass, all I felt was relief that we could soon begin, and that finally, afterward, we could truly put this behind us and move on.

He set it on the table and took my hand. "Are you ready?" he asked. "Last chance to back out."

"I'm not backing out. I'm ready."

He blinked in surprise, as if he hadn't really thought this was going to happen, but he recovered a moment later. "Alright, then."

I saw the shift in his demeanor. Sudden and seamless. He wore his Daddy persona as if it were a second skin.

Lennon helped me to my feet, then slipped his jacket off my shoulders, leaving me standing in front of his friends in nothing but my bra and panties. Heat rose up my chest to my cheeks. I was embarrassed and a little ashamed, but I also felt something else. Pride. Liberation. Belonging.

And I could see those same emotions playing over his face, as well. Hooking his arm around my waist, he turned to his friends, who seemed to be pretending not to watch us. "We'll see you guys out there," he said, pulling the door open and leading me onto the main club floor.

The room was just starting to fill up. Were any of the people the ones that had been here last night? I didn't know. The whole thing was honestly a blur. My stomach knotted with anticipation, and I blocked out the onlookers, most of whom seemed to be busy with their own scenes and negotiations, anyway.

My eyes were only for Lennon. My Daddy. He led me to a spanking bench in the center of the room, and gently guided me into position. My heart thundered in my chest, ringing in my ears as I realized how fully exposed and on display I was, but this was still what I wanted. He was perfect and attentive as he fastened first my ankles, then my wrists into place, speaking softly as he knelt by my head.

"I'm here, babygirl. Close your eyes and it"s just me and you. Remember your safeword, and don't be afraid to use it. Occasionally, I might check in and ask you what color you are. Green for all good, keep going, yellow for slow down, I need a minute, and red stops everything."

"Yes, Daddy."

"Good girl. Now, this isn't going to be easy. I'm going to do what feels right, and I'm going to make sure that you get everything you need from me tonight so we can put this behind us."

Forcing a smile, I nodded my understanding.

He brushed a kiss across my lips a moment before I closed my eyes, blocking out the crowd.

"My friends are here," he told me. "And I know you're going to get mad at me for saying this, but last chance to back out. We can do this at home. We don't have to have an audience."

I didn't answer because he already knew how I felt. We'd had an audience last night. I deserved to have one tonight. More than that, I needed it.

He must have seen my resolve on my face because he didn"t say another word, and pulled himself to his feet, walking around the bench to stand behind me.

I couldn't see him, or even really hear him with all the din surrounding us in the club, but I could feel his presence giving me strength and encouragement.

"Okay babygirl." His voice rang through the noisy club, not loud enough for everyone to hear, but loud enough for more than just me. "Why are we doing this scene tonight?"

My breath caught in my throat, and I was sure if my eyes were open, I'd have a deer-in-the-headlights expression. Stupidly, I hadn't expected a question-and-answer segment. But I pushed the response past my lips. "Because I need it, Sir. I feel terrible for the scene I made last night, and the way I treated you over something we hadn't ever discussed. I need this lesson so we can move forward without any yucky stuff festering between us."

"Mmm." He rubbed his palm across my bottom, and lowered my panties to rest just below the curve of my sit-spots, exposing me while still affording me a modicum of modesty. "I want to thank you babygirl, for your bravery and your commitment to us."

His sweet, soft-spoken words of affirmation killed the nerves that had been simmering below the surface. He'd told me a million times that I didn't have to do this, but it meant a lot that he understood and appreciated where I was coming from. I popped my eyes open, twisted my head to gaze at him over my shoulder, and smiled.

I shouldn't have done that. It gave me a perfect view of the three things he was currently holding. A butt plug, a tube of lube, and a hard wooden paddle. What was it with this man and butt plugs? He had to be more of an ass man than I'd realized, because it seemed to be his go-to move. Still, I was thankful he was sticking to tried-and-true. While I was looking forward to exploring and experiencing even more with him, playing in public in a crowd of strangers was about all the experimenting I could handle for one day.

It only took me about a second to realize that the idea of being plugged and spanked in public was utterly mortifying. What had I signed myself up for? Glancing over at the back booth where his friends were gathered, I quickly remembered why I was doing this. For me. For him. For us. For the sake of making his friends' second impression of me better than the first.

My face was flaming red, it had to be, and I was pretty sure the rest of me matched. God knew my ass would be soon enough, but I settled in, and waited.

I didn't have to wait long. I heard Lennon's smooth-as-honey voice behind me announce that we were starting, and then I felt the tip of the plug pushing against my tight back entrance. Misery and humiliation bloomed in my chest, but I bit my lips and closed my eyes again. My version of grin and bear it.

Maybe Lennon sensed how anxious I was, or maybe, like me, he just wanted to get this over with and put it behind us. Either way, he didn't waste any time pushing the plug deeper and deeper inside me until it was seated between my cheeks, with only the base sticking out between them.

Then, I felt the cool wood as he rested the paddle against my ass. I whimpered. I hated the wooden paddle, but that was what made it perfect for this. I'd made him uncomfortable and embarrassed with my actions, and I deserved to feel the same.

As soon as the paddle cracked against my ass, the roller coaster of emotions I'd experienced last night and this morning before Lennon had all but broken into my house, demanding we work things out, came back with a whoosh.

I thought I'd cry out from the pain, but I didn't. I was too far in my feelings. I welcomed it, instead. Each stroke of the paddle brought something new. First the memories I'd kept buried for far too long. Of my father, and then my ex. Anger that they had ruined something for me that I should have been able to occasionally enjoy with friends or with my lover. Regret for how buttoned-up I'd kept my feelings—so much so that I hadn't shared with Lennon the depth of how strongly my hatred for liquor went, and had somehow just expected him to know. Anger at myself for how badly I'd handled a situation that didn't have to get out of hand. Lennon had been nothing but kind, loving, and understanding within our dynamic, always seeking to help me work through my issues and bring out a better version of myself. I wanted to do that for him. He said I had, but I couldn't see that. All I could see was the depths of what he'd given me. And I'd almost ruined it because he'd dared to have some drinks with friends when I hadn't told him not to. Stupid. A rush of an old familiar feeling—self-loathing—struggled to the surface, but I pushed it back. I'd made a mistake, and I was here getting my ass pummeled in a club full of strangers to atone for said mistake.

Something hot and wet fell onto my cheeks and I realized I was crying. Once the tears started, they wouldn't stop, but the paddle did.

Lennon paused his assault, rubbing my already tender ass, and said, "Color, baby girl?"

And, oh god. I couldn't think to answer him. I wasn't red. I wasn't green. I just needed a second to breathe. "Yellow," I croaked out.

In a second he was up by my head, wiping my tears with the pad of his thumb. "Hey there, babygirl. You all right? I didn't expect such a strong reaction so fast. At home you take so much more."

"I'm sorry," I gasped.

He shook his head, dismissing my apology. "Hey, it's okay. It's a lot. Some spankings just hit different. No pun intended," he added with a soft chuckle. "It's probably the added stress of having a club full of people watching. But they aren't really watching. Most of them have their own stuff going on."

I shook my head from side to side, straining against the cuffs holding me in place. "N-no, i-it's n-not that," I sobbed out. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't trust you. I'm sorry I made a scene and embarrassed you. I'm sorry I let you think even for a second that I was willing to walk away from us and everything we had, everything you've given me. Lennon, you saved my life. You gave me a whole new outlook and purpose. You made me feel beautiful again, and not just beautiful, but sexy, even." I choked on a strangled laugh. "I can't even remember the last time I felt sexy… until you."

"Oh hell, babygirl." His face was a mask of relief mixed with joy as he wiped my tears and pressed soft kisses to my face. "I think you've learned your lesson. C'mon, let's get you down from here."

"N-no!" I grabbed his arm, and held it tightly. "No. We aren't done. I'm okay. I just needed a minute."

He regarded me skeptically. "You aren't in charge, babygirl. You don't decide when we're done, I do."

"P-please," I stuttered. "I-if you quit now, I won't feel right. I'll just feel guilty and stupid for not being able to handle more."

That got him. I could see it in his face. He closed his eyes briefly, as if gathering strength, then set his mouth in a hard line and nodded with determination. "Alright. A little more. But we're done when I say we're done. Understand?"

"Yes, Daddy." I squeezed his forearm before letting go, and he stood. I closed my eyes and followed his footsteps until I heard him take his place behind me once more.

I took a deep breath and braced myself, wondering if I was crazy asking for more. The paddle cracked hard against my butt, pushing the plug deeper inside me. "Owwwie," I cried, now more focused on the pain than the emotions it was causing. "I'm sorry, Daddy."

"Oh you're going to be, babygirl. I won't have you making unfair demands of me like that again. If you have a problem with something I'm doing, you come to me with it, and we will work it out. I will always put you first, baby. Any decision I make will be made with us and our love at the forefront of my mind."

I gasped at his deeply emotional speech. Love. He'd said it. I knew he felt it, but to hear him say it… all felt right with the world. Before I could respond, the paddle cracked hard against my sit-spots.

"Arggghhh!" I cried. There was no time to breathe or tell him I loved him, too before it fell again. And again, and again, and again, and again. The swats came hard and fast, one after the other, until I was crying fresh tears. But they felt different this time. They were tears of thankfulness, love, of grace, of fresh new beginnings.

Soon I was gasping for breath again, and his hand was on my ass. "Red, babygirl."

"Huh?" I gasped. "I didn't?—"

"I know you didn't. I did. I can't go another minute without holding you in my arms and telling you how proud I am of you."

"Oh," I garbled, and before I even got it out he was in front of me again, unhooking the cuffs that held me in place and lifting me into his arms as if I were weightless, a tiny baby.

The shock of being held was replaced with a feeling of rightness as I looped my arms around his neck and cuddled against his chest.

He crossed the club in several long strides, and though I thought he'd take me back to the private owners' lounge, instead he took me to the booth where his friends were seated. I buried my face in his chest, the embarrassment still burning my cheeks while the spanking I'd just taken burned my ass. I wasn't ready to look at them yet.

But I wasn't given a choice as he slowly separated my body from his, holding me on his lap with my scorched bottom pressing against the scratchy fabric of his designer jeans. I whimpered as he grasped my chin and pressed his lips against mine. There were a thousand words spoken in that soft, short kiss, and I felt all of them as desire ran hot through my veins, wetting my pussy.

"Daddy," I whispered when he finally pulled back. "Did you mean it?"

"Mean what, babygirl?"

"When you said you loved me?"

"Oh, baby. I love you so much."

"He really does."

I turned my head toward the voice, and found a beautiful, petite, olive-skinned woman with a head full of gorgeous corkscrew curls.

"Hi, I'm Nyla."

"Hi," I whispered, barely finding my voice. It didn't seem an opportune time for introductions, but when I looked, I found a table full of eyes, all trained on me.

Panicking, I focused on Archer. He was the only one I knew. He smiled at me. "You took that very well. It seemed like you were a natural at sceneing in a club."

"Ha," I scoffed knowing he was just being kind. "Thank you. I just needed to do it."

He nodded and I looked away, just in time to see a water bottle plopped down on the table in front of me. "Drink this," a deep voice grunted.

"Theo," Lennon greeted. "When did you get here?"

I looked up to see a tall, broad-shouldered man with glasses in an expensive- looking suit towering over us.

"Sometime around the first break."

Nyla. Theo. Archer. I knew there were still some introductions I was missing, and suddenly found myself curious to match faces to the names I'd heard so much about. Lennon uncapped the water bottle and held it to my lips. I drank quickly, surprised at how thirsty I was. When the bottle was half empty, I set it on the table and turned to face them.

"Hi, I'm Zoe." I rubbed my face with the backs of my hands to wipe away stray tears.

"Hi Zoe." A pretty buxom blonde waved from across the table. "I'm Audrey."

"I'm Bas," the man seated next to Nyla said.

"I'm Jasmine." Down at the far end of the table, a raven-haired beauty in a leather minidress sat next to a man who looked like he'd stepped off the cover of GQ. "This is Bain."

Bain nodded. "I just want you to know that this man has been in love with you since he laid eyes on you over a decade ago, and I've never seen him happier or more complete."

A blush rushed my cheeks. Lennon had told me often how hard he'd crushed on me when he'd been my student, but it was different hearing it from someone else. It felt more real. "Well, I love him, too," I whispered, turning to sweep my gaze over Lennon to find him beaming with pride, the love they claimed he felt written across every inch of his gorgeous face. "I love him, too," I repeated, not caring if any of them actually heard me. I was speaking only to my Daddy.

Lennon's next move surprised me. His eyes glistened with unshed tears as he scooted me off his lap and onto the seat beside him. I gasped in shock, and winced as my tender butt hit the hard seat.

"D-daddy… what are you doing?" I suddenly felt a lot less secure than I had only a moment before.

"Something I've wanted to do since I showed up at your house this morning," he answered, digging in his pocket.

That sounded ominous. A few weeks ago, the unknown, combined with everything I'd just been through, might have sent me into a spiral. But, I realized as I drew a deep breath and met his gaze, I had nothing to fear. Not with Lennon. I was secure in his love for me and mine for him. Instead of going to a dark place in my head, I kept my eyes locked on his, watching as he reached in his pocket and withdrew a small velvet pouch.

The people around us gasped, and someone clapped their hands together in excited anticipation. Lennon got down on both knees and took one of my hands in his, using the other to shake the contents of the bag free, revealing a delicate platinum chain with a quarter-sized heart attached to it.

"Zoe, I've always known you were something special. And as much as I enjoyed lusting after you from afar for years back in my college days, nothing could have prepared me for the love we would share and the woman you would become. The day you walked into that cafe and told me all the reasons that me being your Daddy would never work, my life changed forever. I've always known there was a greater, happier, older, wiser version of myself beneath the frat boy surface, but I never had the strength or desire to let that version of me break free—until you. You have made me a better man, and I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for us. Someday, maybe even someday soon, I hope to put a ring on your finger and make you mine forever, but for now, will you please accept this collar as a token of my love and devotion, and a symbol to the world that you are mine?"

I think my heart actually stopped beating for a minute as I stared at him. I couldn't have imagined a more perfect ending to the night if I had tried. Everything I'd been through in my life suddenly felt important, and destined, so that I could have this moment with the man I knew I would love forever. My Daddy.

"Yes," I whispered, throwing my arms around his neck and kissing him deeply. "Yes, yes!"

He claimed me, first with his lips and then with his collar as the people in the club clapped and cheered around us. He scooped me up in his arms once more, and all but ran toward the exit.

"Come on, babygirl," he said in my ear. "Let's get you home."

But I was already there. In his arms.

THE END