3. Ruby

It was so extremely hard not to squirm while in the corner. Not only was she embarrassed that the hottest man she’d ever seen was watching her backside as she faced the corner her nose was in, but she was also extremely turned on.

“Widen your legs, Ruby. No squirming unless you want more time over there,” Jace said in his deep voice that made tingles run up her spine.

Shifting her feet wider, she had never been so glad she was wearing panties because otherwise she might have been embarrassed. Standing with a wider stance only seemed to make her panties damper than they already were.

Standing in the corner lasted forever. Okay, that was being dramatic, but ten minutes is a long time to think. Between the man sitting behind her running through her mind and the shameful feeling she was having about how she’d acted in the playroom, her mind felt overloaded with too many thoughts.

“Time’s up. Come here, please.”

Turning around and moving toward where he was sitting behind his desk, she met his gaze. It was different from the gaze she’d first seen when she’d met him. Instead of giving her a stern look, his expression was kind and warm. Those gray eyes seemed lighter, yet still felt as though they pierced right into her soul.

Stopping a few feet away from Jace, she stood quietly, wondering if he was going to kick her out of the club. She didn’t want to be kicked out. What she had done was so stupid and she had no idea why she had been so mean to that woman in the playroom.

Because making friends always ends up hurting you. You’re too much for people.

“Closer,” he said, pointing just in front of his open legs.

The closer she stepped toward him, the more his scent surrounded her, making her feel safe. It was silly, really. How could someone’s scent make you feel safe? But she felt safe near Jace.

“I’d like you to have a good time when you’re here at the club. I suspect that spending time in the corner doesn’t count as having a good time so maybe in the future, instead of breaking the rules, you might think twice?”

Ruby bobbed her head. Timeout really did suck. The idea of timeout had always aroused her. She had even read about it and fantasized about it happening to her. But now actually experiencing it? Yeah, no, thank you. Except she was still pretty sure she would fantasize about it later that night while using her vibrator.

“Please answer me verbally, Ruby.”

“Yes. I’ll think twice. I’m sorry,” she answered quickly.

Jace nodded his head. “Do you need any snuggles before you go back to the playroom and apologize to Maddie?”

“Snuggles?” she asked.

She was so confused. Did he want to snuggle with her?

“Sometimes after a Little is punished they need some form of aftercare. Usually, they snuggle up with their Top or the Top that provided the discipline.”

Huh. She knew from the books she liked to read that Daddies usually held their Littles afterward, but Jace wasn’t her Daddy, so she hadn’t expected that. If she said yes, she might leave a wet spot on his pants. But snuggling on Jace’s lap sure seemed nice and even though she wasn’t feeling like she was in a bad headspace, being held sounded like heaven. When was the last time she’d been held by anyone? Not since Michael and that had been over for more than a year. Before she could figure out how to respond, he spoke.

“It’s okay if you don’t, Ruby. But I always offer. I don’t want you going back to play in a bad headspace. Come on, let’s go find Maddie. You know, if you’re polite to her, she might still be willing to be your friend. She’s a very sweet little girl.”

Jace rose from his office chair and led her out of the office.

“You know where my office is now, if you ever need to find me,” Jace said as they walked through the club.

Looking up at him, Ruby wondered if he wanted her to come to his office or if he was just being polite since he was the owner.

Don’t be silly. You’ll just be a bother. He doesn’t want you.

As soon as they stepped into the playroom, Ruby noticed Maddie was still sitting at the dollhouse playing. Pausing, she looked up and met Jace’s eyes, suddenly feeling like a shy and embarrassed little girl.

“Go ahead. I’ll stay right by you. You can do it,” he said with a gentle smile.

Pulling in a deep breath, she walked over to the dollhouse with Jace following behind. Maddie’s Daddy was sitting in a chair nearby and when Ruby met his gaze, he smiled softly and nodded.

Whew. At least it seemed he was easily forgiving. Hopefully, Maddie would be, too.

“Can I sit next to you?” Ruby asked quietly.

Maddie glanced up, looking a bit unsure before nodding her head. Sinking down to her knees, Ruby sighed.

“I’m sorry I was rude. I shouldn’t have acted like that. I hope I didn’t ruin your night.”

Meeting Maddie’s gaze, she waited and wondered if the woman would tell her to get lost. Instead, Maddie wrapped her arms around Ruby and giggled.

“It’s okay. I hope we can be friends. I love playing with the dollhouse and you had it set up so cool,” Maddie said enthusiastically.

When they released their hug, she glanced up at Jace who was smiling down at them. He almost looked proud. Not that she actually knew what proud would look like. She didn’t think she’d ever had someone be proud of her a day in her life.

Leaning down, Jace gently tugged on one of her pigtails. “Good girl. I’ll leave you two to play while I go work. Be good and have fun, okay?”

She reluctantly nodded her head, feeling a swell of emotion inside her belly knowing that Jace was leaving her. Sure, they had only met thirty minutes before, but she didn’t want him to go. It was silly. And she was delusional to think a man like him would want an emotional, needy, messy Little. Hell, she didn’t even know if he was a Daddy, though she was pretty sure he would make the best Daddy in the world.

“Bye, Ruby.”

“Bye, Jace.”