Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It took serious effort not to rub as she was leaving his office. Her backside ached like she’d accidentally sat on a nest of fire ants, and Master Derek had definitely been determined to make a point… or twenty.

As she passed Erika’s office, she did finally get a look of sympathy. Erika must have assumed that the long visit behind closed doors was because of the punishment being lengthy. She wasn’t wrong, although there had also been talking before and after, plus a cuddle which soothed the emotions, if not the physical ache.

Master Derek had a hard hand and she’d already been struggling to keep her legs from kicking up before her panties were swept down to her knees. As thin as they were, there was still an immediate escalation of sting once they were gone.

Heaven did her best to be stoic, clamping her lips closed to hold back the cries each time his hard hand slapped down. Even that first part seemed to go on forever. It was easily double the other spankings he’d given her, and fat round tears were starting to roll over her cheeks by the time he was done.

Not done with the spanking though, just done with using his hand.

She heard him pick up the paddle and tensed. “M-Master Derek, please. I—won’t—” She cut herself off abruptly before saying something she knew wasn’t true. Heaven didn’t lie. She evaded, she refused to answer, but she didn’t lie.

If she said she wouldn’t break that rule again, it wouldn’t be the truth and she knew it, so she stopped, took a deep breath, and tried a different tack. “I don’t want to break the rules anymore,” she assured him. Of course, she hadn’t wanted to break them before either. She’d felt compelled to, which wasn’t the same thing at all.

“I know you don’t, but I think we both know that unless some changes are made, it will keep happening. So, first we’re going to take care of the punishment for repeatedly breaking the same rule, and then we’re going to see what we can do to fix it in the future.”

Before she had a chance to reply, the paddle came down on her bottom with a solid swat. The size was more than enough to cover one entire cheek at once, and the grooves of the imprint made a real impact—so to speak. She hissed in a breath between gritted teeth.

“We have rules for a reason, young lady,” he said. The paddle snapped down on the other cheek and both her feet left the ground at the same time.

Stoic went out the window, so did quiet and still. She twisted on his lap, one hand flying back to try to cover her sore bottom.

Master Derek was experienced with punishing naughty Littles and was obviously prepared for this to happen. The moment her hand came back, he’d grabbed it and pinned it firmly to her back. “There will be none of that, Heaven Leigh.”

The paddle came down eight more times. Four swats to each cheek and by the final one, she was sobbing her heart out and pleading with him in an incoherent babble. When he was done and had pulled her up into his lap to cuddle her, she found herself wondering if the design and Ranch name had been imprinted on her skin like a brand. It sure felt like it.

After the spanking was the best part of being punished on the Ranch. She wasn’t one of those Littles who needed punishment for its own sake, but being punished was almost worth the comforting that followed. The aftermath, when her mind was quiet, and all her self-doubts were tucked away.

That was when she could let go completely so someone else could take care of her. Master Derek was good at knowing the right thing to do and say once the spanking was past, but so were most people on the Ranch. They got it.

They understood that everyone got something different from the experience. They knew what to watch for and how to handle just about every situation. For Heaven it was reassuring.

In the strict religious household she’d grown up in, there had always been punishment. Sometimes it was deserved, many times it felt unfair, but no one ever held her afterward like this. She reveled in the warm calm moments.

Once the tears had trickled to a stop and her breathing had evened out, Master Derek explained the other part of her punishment. “Since you’re struggling so much with the rules and seem to have too much time on your hands, I’ve decided that we need to keep you busier. It’s not exactly a punishment, but, hopefully, a temporary fix for this problem.”

Heaven sniffled and looked up at hm. “Chores? Like what?” She was picturing herself scrubbing floors on her hands and knees and that didn’t sound like it would fix anything.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but before you came here you were a baker, right? Fancy cakes?”

He knew everything about her, so despite it being phrased as a question, she knew it really wasn’t one. He was very aware of her career and where her money came from. She gave him a slow nod. “Yes, Sir. Cakes and other stuff.”

“I’ve seen some examples of your work and… it’s impressive. Seems like we might as well use those skills while keeping you busy and out of trouble. We do have a couple of Littles who are able to hold jobs when in adult headspace, so I’ve arranged for you to work with Angel, our chocolatier, in the kitchen. He has his own work area, out of the flow of traffic and he’s agreed to supervise you for a few hours every morning.”

Heaven’s eyes rounded and her brows went up. “Really? I… I have missed baking a lot and I often use modelling chocolate for my creations, so it would be great to work with an expert.” Littles at the Ranch definitely didn’t get to use the kitchen.

They weren’t even supposed to go in there—well, except for Hayleigh but she was a special case. Her Daddy was the chef after all. She liked Hayleigh a lot and they’d spent a decent amount of time together since Heaven had arrived.

Heaven didn’t bond with people easily and she tended to be distant at first in any new situation, but there were a few Littles who had broken down her walls almost immediately. Hayleigh was one. Sadie, Master Derek’s wife, was another. She considered both of them friends now.

“I had a feeling that was what you needed. Do you think this will help while we try to find a more permanent fix for this issue?”

Heaven nodded quickly. Getting to spend time in a kitchen again, working with chocolate, and best of all getting a break from the structure the Littles lived under, all sounded great. She hadn’t realized just how much she needed that, until he offered her the opportunity.

“Use your words please, Heaven Leigh.”

“Yes, Sir. I think it will help a lot,” she assured him. She hesitated and then added, “Master Derek? How did you know?”

One eyebrow went up. “How did I know what, Heaven? Know that you were struggling? Know that you needed something to keep you busy? Know that you were ready to take on some real work?”

“Um, yeah… all of that.” She’d known she was on his radar. Ending up in his office every week ensured that, but she hadn’t realized he’d looked beyond normal Little naughtiness to see that there was a real problem.

Master Derek chuckled. “It’s my job to know, Heaven Leigh. We take the care of our Littles very seriously here. If you aren’t happy, then we have to know why so we can fix it. Right?”

Heaven bit her lip and then nodded slowly. That did make sense. She just wasn’t used to people seeing the real her. Master Derek somehow saw past the masking, and she wasn’t entirely sure she was comfortable with that.

“Good girl. Now, you understand this is a bit of a special situation, so I’m going to have to give you some additional rules to make sure there aren’t any issues.”

She groaned. More rules? That was what she was trying to get away from.

He seemed to read her mind and she could see the corner of his mouth twitch. “Yes, I’m afraid so.”

She sighed. It was still better than nothing.

“This is not a free pass to go anywhere you like. You are allowed to go to the kitchen to work, but otherwise the rules still apply. If you’re caught anywhere but the kitchen… I may have to rethink this plan. Am I clear?”

“Yes—yes, Sir.”

“Good. Now, you understand I’m trusting you, not just to follow the rules, but to keep yourself safe. I understand you’re a professional in the kitchen with a lot of experience baking. But—”

She waited, saying nothing as he drew out the pause.

“There’s a reason we don’t let Littles in the kitchen unsupervised and you do have a strong Little side, so I’m going to need you to promise that if you notice your headspace shifting younger, you’ll let Angel know. Is that fair?”

Her first instinct was to tell him he didn’t need to worry about that, but she stopped and considered it for a second. It had never been a problem before, but until she’d come to the Ranch, she’d never really given her Little feelings an outlet. That side had been locked down tight along with all the other things she thought were weird or wrong.

Since arriving… that was different. The open acceptance that surrounded her, and the environment created specifically for people like her, had given her permission to unlock all those urges and desires. And she did find her headspace shifting on a sliding scale from adult to Little without a lot of warning.

Maybe it made sense that he was concerned. “I promise, Sir. If I’m not feeling very Big, I’ll tell him.”

“Good girl, that’s all I needed to hear. Now, your new schedule will start tomorrow. I already let Nanny know about the change. You will check in with her in the morning when you leave, and then go straight to Angel. Clear?”

“Yes, Master Derek. And… um, thank you for… just thank you,” she said, as she slid out of his lap, tugging her clothing back into place.

He smiled. “No one wants you to be unhappy, Heaven. This whole place is designed to unlock your dreams and give them voice. That can’t happen if you’re miserable.”

Master Derek had given her a lot to think about and her mind was whirling all the way back to the dorm. She was equal parts excited and nervous. What if Angel was mean? She’d met him a couple of times, just in passing and he’d seemed okay, but working with someone was very different.

Hayleigh would probably be someone to ask about that since she was in the kitchen more than any of them.

Since she’d already missed most of class and wasn’t feeling up to sitting down and focusing, she hid in her room until lunch, and then made a point of searching out her friend to poke her for information. “Hayleigh! Eat with me? I need to ask you something.”

“Sure thing, but only if you tell me what happened this morning. I heard a rumor you got in trouble again!” Hayleigh’s eyes were wide, and she was shaking her head like she couldn’t believe it.

“Uh, yeah. Um… I did. Let’s get lunch first.”

They picked up their lunches and carried their trays over to a table in the corner. Heaven took her time, arranging everything before she leaned in and told Hayleigh all about her meeting with Master Derek.

“Crap on a cracker! I’m surprised you can even sit right now,” her friend said. There was awe in her expression. “I would definitely not want to be sent to his office three days in one week. Nope.”

Heaven shifted in her seat, wincing. “Yeah, not my best idea. I just… I was going crazy and the thought of sitting in class had my head buzzing. I needed to get out.”

Hayleigh shook her head. “I hope it was worth it.”

“Kind of? I was actually almost back when I got caught. I think they warned everyone to look out for me special, because I was being sooo careful and then bam!” She smacked her hands together and the loud crack made several people around them jump. “Oops.” She dropped her hands.

Hayleigh giggled. “You can’t be making spanking sounds around here, Heaven. People will have panic attacks.”

Well, when she put it that way… Heaven dissolved into quiet laughter too and it took them a few minutes to get back on track before she could talk again. And then, between bites of chicken tenders and fries, she told Hayleigh everything that had gone down in the office.

Her friend looked impressed. “Wait, really? You get to work with Angel? Wow… they’re usually really strict about Littles in the kitchen. Even I’m not really supposed to hang around. Daddy usually has me wait in his office.”

“Well, I mean… I am a baker and all. I worked in kitchens for a living.” No one, not even Hayleigh, knew she was the majority owner in a whole chain of bakeries. It wasn’t like she was a billionaire or anything, but there’d been that television show about their cakes.

It had gotten picked up for streaming a couple years back. And then there was the grocery store cake line. The name was… recognizable now, and Heaven Leigh preferred to fly under the radar whenever possible.

“I guess, but still, that’s pretty cool. What do you think about Angel? I bet you’re going to looooove working with him. He’s really nice and those dark eyes and the way his hair curls at the ends…” Hayleigh sighed dramatically.

Heaven wasn’t fooled. Hayleigh didn’t have eyes for anyone other than her Chef, but she was clearly trying to make the chocolatier sound interesting. “I guess Master Derek and Sadie aren’t the only matchmakers around here,” she said, rolling her eyes.

That got another giggle out of her friend. “I’m not matchmaking. I’m just suggesting you keep your eyes open to the possibilities, M’kay? I mean Master Derek said the best solution was for you to get your own Daddy, and Angel’s single so…”

“That doesn’t mean he wants me, Hay. I mean maybe he’s not even interested in having a Little who isn’t always a Little. Maybe he’s gay. Maybe he’s not even that into the lifestyle. I mean, has he ever spanked anyone?” She shrugged.

“Well, you’ll have to figure out the answers to the first two questions. As for the last…” Hayleigh pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Honestly, I don’t know. I can’t recall ever hearing about him spanking anyone, but he’s definitely threatened a few times. Mostly no one wants to get on the bad side of the magic chocolate man, I think.”

That made sense because… well, chocolate was the nectar of the gods as far as most Littles were concerned. “He is nice though?” Her insecurities might have been showing a bit.

Hayleigh nodded firmly. “He definitely is, and very patient. He smiles a lot while he works, so I think he really loves his job. Oh! Halloween is coming up in two weeks. You’ll get to help with all the amazing Halloween treats!”

Heaven stiffened and her emotions started to shut down immediately. Somehow she’d managed to ignore the holiday coming up. It was unfortunate that Halloween would be the first big one she’d experience since her arrival. She’d heard so much about how they went all out with events.

Something about her expression must have clued Hayleigh in. “Is something wrong?” she asked. Her voice was colored with concern.

“I don’t really… do Halloween.”

There was a screech from just behind her chair and Heaven jumped. She half-turned to see what had happened. “You don’t do Halloween?” It was a Little she didn’t know well. Becky hadn’t been there long, and she was in the Butterfly classroom.

Heaven whose Little side was older, hadn’t really had much contact with her. Now she was feeling put on the spot with a stranger, and she wasn’t sure what to say. She certainly wasn’t going to explain her past, or why Halloween made her feel uncomfortable. “Um, no. I just don’t like it.”

The squeal had attracted the attention of Littles sitting around them, and suddenly everyone was flocking over. They clustered around her pouring out shocked questions.

“But… costumes! Don’t you like to dress up?”

“It’s the candy for me! How can you not love free candy day!”

“Halloween is so much fun here. You have to like it!”

“Why don’t you like Halloween? But it’s the best holiday ever!”

She gritted her teeth, forced a smile and got up without answering any of them. Carefully squeezing by everyone, she went and emptied her mostly full tray, before heading for the exit. She could hear Hayleigh behind her calling her name, but she ignored it and kept going.

The temptation to run off and hide somewhere was so strong she had to concentrate on every step she took right back to the Littles’ Wing, and straight to her room. Getting caught somewhere she shouldn’t be, might ruin the new situation Master Derek had created for her. That was the last thing she wanted.

The good news was, with everyone at lunch, the room she shared with another girl was empty. She flopped on the bed and pulled a pillow over her face. She held it there to muffle the howl of frustration she wanted to release, but it wouldn’t come out.

It was only when she was really feeling the Little space, that she was able to express that kind of emotion and the talk of Halloween had pushed her firmly into adult mode to protect herself.