Chapter 5

Chapter Five

What the hell had gotten into his babygirl?

Standing in the doorway of their bedroom, he watched her sleep. She was still sucking on the pacifier, which was new. Normally she only used it for a few minutes here and there, and she’d never napped with it before.

Maybe she was sick. Worried, he crossed the room and held the back of his hand to her forehead. Not warm, which was a relief. He’d still take her temperature when she woke up, just to be sure.

The thought of taking her temperature brought to mind the special thermometer he’d purchased months ago but hadn’t quite worked up the nerve to use yet. Taylor had made it abundantly clear she wanted to experiment with more ‘butt stuff’ as she called it, but his worries and self-doubt always seemed to get in the way.

Like so many other things in their relationship, neither one of them had any experience with anal play outside of what they’d tried together. So while they had played with plugs a bit, he’d never taken that next step to actually fuck her there.

What if he screwed it up? What if he hurt her, like seriously hurt her? As much as he enjoyed the idea of claiming every last part of his sweet babygirl, the thought that he might actually harm her tied his stomach into knots. And despite the hours of research he’d done on this exact topic, he was still feeling very out of his depth.

He should call Matt. Not only was Matt his best friend, he’d also been something of a mentor to him from the moment he’d decided to take on the role of Taylor’s Daddy. And he knew for a fact Matt enjoyed punishing his Little girl’s bottom inside and out when she was particularly naughty. If anyone could help Ian navigate that particular issue, it would be Matt.

But as soon as the thought entered his mind, Taylor stirred, her eyes fluttering open with a whimper and everything that wasn’t her was pushed from his mind.

Sliding into bed with her, he gently pulled the pacifier from her mouth. “Hey there, sleepyhead. Feel better?”

“I dunno.”

Poor baby. She sounded so pitiful, and he had no clue why.

“Can you tell Daddy what’s wrong?”

“I dunno.”

Biting back a sigh, he brushed a stray lock of hair away from her face. “All right. Well, Daddy needs to check your temperature to make sure you’re not getting sick.” It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her to open her mouth so he could grab their normal thermometer, the one he kept in his nightstand at all times.

But some deeper instinct, fueled by a need he’d never quite understood, pushed him to take a chance on something new. After all, if she wanted to act like a Baby, didn’t it make sense for him to treat her like one?

“Roll over on your tummy, Tayter Tot.”

Brows scrunching in confusion, she frowned up at him. “Why?”

“So Daddy can take your temperature.” To drive the point home, he patted her bottom, and her eyes widened in surprise.

“You’re going to put a thermometer… there ?”

“Yes. So be a good girl and roll onto your tummy.”

Clutching the old stuffed rabbit she still slept with regularly, Taylor slowly did as she’d been told. “Daddy?”

“Yes, baby?”

Pink blossomed on her cheeks. “Can I, um, can I have my pacifier back while you take my temperature?”

“Of course, Tayter Tot.”

He popped the pacifier back in her mouth, amused when the pink stain on her cheeks darkened and she buried her face in Mr. Floppy’s fur.

Adorable.

Rising from the bed, he opened their closet and pulled down the box he’d stashed up there. He’d read the instructions a hundred times already, but he read them again just to be sure.

Rereading the instructions gave him the added benefit of getting to watch his babygirl squirm in anticipation. Stretched out on the bed, she crossed and uncrossed her feet and let out a dramatic sigh while she waited.

“Lift your hips so Daddy can pull your panties down, baby,” he instructed, setting the thermometer and petroleum jelly aside for now.

With a pitiful whine, Taylor did as she was told, raising her hips just enough for him to tug her panties down below her bottom.

There was no hint of the spanking she’d gotten earlier on her pale skin, a fact that always disappointed him a bit. And then he felt like a complete asshole for being disappointed.

What kind of monster wanted to leave bruises on the woman he loved?

Pushing aside those uncomfortable thoughts, he opened the tub of jelly and dipped the thermometer in, per the instructions.

“Relax for me, Tayter Tot. Like when Daddy plugs your bottom.”

Another of those sweet little whines as she relaxed her muscles, enough for him to push her cheeks apart with one hand, exposing her hole to him. Ignoring the jerking of his cock at the sight, he slipped the thermometer in.

“Daddy.” Her whining complaint was muffled somewhat by the rubber in her mouth. “Take it out. I don’t like it!”

Knowing how much his babygirl had enjoyed the other play they’d done, he doubted that very much. And yet, it gave him a perverse sort of pleasure to know that she was at least pretending not to like it. There was some part of him, some deep, dark part he tried not to think about much that enjoyed the thought of humiliating her. Of forcing her to endure something just because Daddy said so.

“We can’t take it out just yet, baby. Daddy needs to make sure you’re not running a fever.”

“I’m not sick!”

“Hmm.” He gave the thermometer a twist, mostly to remind her it was there, and grinned when her bottom automatically clenched around it. “I thought maybe the reason you were so naughty today was because you’re not feeling well. But if you were just being naughty for no reason…”

“Maybe I feel a tiny bit yucky.”

“Then maybe you should stop fussing about having your temperature taken, huh?”

“Yes, Daddy,” she said with a sigh, resuming sucking on her pacifier.

“Good girl.”

The timer on his phone signaled the end and he pulled the thermometer from her bottom. One hundred even, which was a bit high but still within the ‘normal’ range, according to the booklet.

“No fever. You’re a perfectly cooked Tayter Tot.”

“Told you.” Turning her head, she glared up at him.

“I know, but it’s a Daddy’s job to make sure of these things.” At least, he was pretty sure that was a Daddy’s job. Some days it still felt like he had no clue what he was doing when it came to being her Daddy. “How about we go downstairs and make some of that peppermint and chocolate popcorn you’ve been begging for and watch some Christmas movies?”

“Really?” Excitement lit her eyes, but only for a moment before it died out again. Looking worried, she pulled the pacifier out of her mouth, rolling it between her fingers. “But… aren’t you going to spank me again? For the ladder and for not apologizing to Matty?”

He really should. She’d taken ten years off his life when he’d seen her about to step up onto that ‘not a step’ at the top of the ladder.

Now that he’d had some time to think, however, he was second-guessing himself. Again. Matt always preached about how important it was to follow through if he’d promised a punishment, but his babygirl just seemed so… sad . How could he spank her when she was already so upset?

The answer was simple. He couldn’t. “Do you understand why what you did with the ladder was so dangerous?”

“Yes, Daddy.” Sincerity rang in her voice, solidifying his decision.

“Then as long as you promise me you won’t do it again, we can skip the spanking. You are going to call Matty and apologize before we make the popcorn though.”

“Oh.” Pushing up to a sitting position, she cradled Mr. Floppy to her chest. “You don’t think I deserve another spanking?”

“I think you’re obviously having a really hard day and a spanking won’t fix that. But popcorn and Christmas movies might.”

A shy smile curved her lips. “Maybe.”

“That’s my girl.”

There was a knot in her tummy that wouldn’t quite go away. She’d actually been looking forward to her spanking in the hopes it would make her feel better.

But Daddy had said no, and he was the Daddy. So if he didn’t think she needed a spanking, then she would try to just ignore that little knot and hope it went away on its own.

Calling Matty to apologize helped a tiny bit, especially since he lectured her for a solid five minutes about being a good girl and listening to her Daddy, and by the time she hung up the phone, the knot wasn’t hurting quite as bad.

“All right, Tayter Tot.” Phone in hand, Daddy scanned the recipe on his screen. “First things first, we need to pop some popcorn.”

“I’ll get it!” Hopping down from the stool she’d been sitting on at their island, she raced for the pantry and yanked open the door. “Found it!”

She emerged with the jar of popcorn kernels held high over her head, and Daddy grinned as he took the jar from her hand. “Good girl. Why don’t you and Mr. Floppy have a seat and I’ll pop the popcorn.”

“Aw. But I wanna pop it!”

“Not this time, baby.”

Sighing, she hopped back up on the stool and kicked her legs. “I’m not actually a baby, you know,” she grumbled as her toe smacked against the back of the island.

“Maybe you could be.”

That got her attention, enough for her to completely forget about that knot in her tummy for a moment as she looked up at him. “What?”

Turning away from the stove, he studied her, his expression unusually serious. “I noticed you fell asleep with your pacifier in this afternoon. And it got me thinking… We've never really talked about what age your Little is. Do you think she’s older, like Carly and Noelle and Jesse? Or do you think maybe she’s a bit younger?”

“Oh. Um. I’ve never really thought about it, actually. I’ve just sorta been going along with what everyone else does.”

“I get that. Neither one of us has a ton of experience in this, and Matt has been kind of our Daddy guru. But you’re the only one of your friends who uses a pacifier at all.”

“Matt sometimes makes Carly use one when we’re in the corner and being too chatty.”

“That’s different. Carly doesn’t enjoy using one. You do.”

He had a point. One that had embarrassment heating her cheeks the more she thought about it. “Is that weird? Should I stop?”

“No, baby. That’s not what I’m saying at all. If anything, I’m saying the opposite. That maybe we should try letting you be a little more… Little. Just to see if you like it.”

“Oh.” Clutching Mr. Floppy to her chest, she rolled the suggestion over in her mind while she nibbled at her bottom lip. “How would that be different from how I’m usually Little?”

“That’s a good question,” Daddy said with a laugh. “And I’m not really sure. But things like taking your temperature the way I did today. Maybe some more rules for when you’re Little? Fewer chores?”

“But I already don’t do as much as you do.”

“That’s okay. I like taking care of you. And we don’t have to make any decisions right away. For tonight let’s just… see how things go. You can use your paci and just be Daddy’s Baby for the night. How’s that sound?”

It sounded heavenly, if she was being completely honest. Just getting to be Little while Daddy did all the hard work?

Sign me up .

“Okay, Daddy. I’ll try being your Baby.”