Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

T he raised voices had reached him several doors down from Dottie's room. Mostly Dottie's, though Helen's voice was louder than he was used to hearing from her, as well.

And when he'd heard Dottie shouting for Helen to get the fuck away from her, he'd picked up his pace.

Now, he was standing in the doorway to their room, Alice kneeling next to her bed with her eyes wide, Helen standing in front of Dottie's bed with her crop in hand, and Dottie on her bed, the fury slowly draining from her face as her gaze clashed with his.

"I'm waiting for an explanation," he said when none of the three women in the room answered him.

It was Hellen who finally turned, embarrassment creeping into her cheeks as she dipped her head. "I apologize, Master Lucas. I was trying to get the girls out of bed."

"Ah. And our newest heifer is being a bit stubborn this morning?"

"Yes, Sir."

"I should have warned you she might be a bit of a handful. You take care of Alice; I'll handle our Dottie-girl."

Relief washed over Helen's face as she nodded once before hurrying over to Alice. The pair made their way out to the hallway as he slowly crossed the room to stand in front of his naughty little cow.

She was still making an effort to look defiant, though her face had paled considerably already. Coming to a stop in front of her bed, he crossed his arms over his chest and raised a deliberate eyebrow. "Care to explain what's gotten into my sweet little cow this morning?"

"No," she replied sulkily.

Dealing with brats could be a bit of a tightrope. Push too hard and they'd shut down. Not hard enough and they'd keep pushing the envelope until they learned exactly what they could and couldn't get away with.

Not that he minded a bit of boundary testing. But he would not tolerate rudeness towards his employees, not as hard as they worked to keep his program running with the smooth efficiency he'd come to expect.

"All right. Up on all fours, little cow."

Her bottom lip pushed out into a pout. "Why?"

"You've earned yourself a thorough strapping. I don't tolerate my students disrespecting the staff the way you did this morning."

Without waiting to see if she would obey, he turned and walked to the armoire, where he retrieved a thick strip of leather from the interior. It wasn't the heaviest or most fearsome of his straps, but it would certainly make an impression.

He wasn't all that surprised when he turned around to find her still laying on the bed in full sulk. It was adorable, honestly, but he couldn't let her get away with it no matter how much he wanted to forget all about punishing her and give her a good hard fucking instead.

"That's an extra two for not being in position, little cow. I suggest you don't drag this out any longer than necessary."

She looked over then, her eyes widening as her gaze landed on the leather in his hand. "Oh, Uncle Luke, no! Please don't spank me with that!"

"Too late, little darlin'. You had your chance to be good and you decided to be naughty instead. Now, are you going to get in position or am I going to have to take you to the stocks?"

"Wh-what are the stocks?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. You'll be bent over with your neck and wrists trapped between two slats of wood. Once you're locked in, your naughty little bottom will be in the perfect position for my strap. Everyone in the program will be able to watch your punishment. Would you prefer that to being spanked in the privacy of your own room?"

"No," she whispered, tears glistening in her eyes. "That sounds awful."

"Then you have until the count of three to get in position. One."

He didn't even get to ‘Two' before she was up on all fours on the bed. Pride swelled in his chest at the sight of her, naked and submitting herself to his discipline with her full breasts swaying beneath her.

"Lower your teats to the bed so your bottom is nice and high for me."

Moaning with embarrassment, she did as she was told, pushing her ass high in the air, silently begging for her punishment whether she meant to or not.

"That's a good little cow. Ten for your misbehavior this morning, plus the two for not getting into position when you were told. Do not move out of position or we will start over again. Understood?"

"Y-yes, Uncle Luke."

"Good girl."

Stepping back a bit, he raised the strap and brought it down across both cheeks. Dottie's cries filled the room, making his cock jump at the sound. He took a moment to admire the redness blossoming on her skin before delivering the second stroke.

"You have a bad habit of disrespecting people in authority as well as people who are trying to help you, Dottie. And my staff happen to fall into both those categories. This lesson isn't just about how I expect you to treat them, but how I expect you to treat everyone in your life, even after you've left the program. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Uncle Luke! I'm sorry!"

"I know, darlin'. But you're going to be a lot sorrier by the time I'm through with you."

Oh, god. If she'd thought his hand had hurt, it was nothing compared to the deep burn of leather as he brought it crashing down across her ass a third time. Her bottom instinctively clenched against the pain, reminding her forcefully of the tail still lodged inside her. Everything was on fire and she was in agony.

But it wasn't just the pain of the strapping that had tears springing to her eyes. There was a pressure in her chest, growing heavier and heavier with every word he spoke.

It took her longer than it probably should have to recognize it as guilt.

Guilt for the way she'd treated her parents. Guilt for the way she'd treated their staff. Guilt for the things she'd stolen, the trouble she'd caused. Guilt for the way she'd lashed out at Helen this morning, all because she wasn't getting her way.

No wonder her parents didn't want her around anymore.

"You are a good person, Dottie. I've known you for your entire life and I know damn well you aren't the spoiled little brat you seem to want everyone to think you are."

A fifth stroke of the leather caught the bottom curve of her ass, the edge of the strap digging into the sensitive spot where her butt met her thighs and the tears slipped free. "I'm not a good person," she whispered.

"Oh, my sweet cow. Of course, you are."

"No I'm not!" she screamed, her words thick with the tears now running freely down her cheeks. "I wouldn't be here if I was a good person!"

Twice more the leather connected with her ass, driving the tail deeper inside her, the burn in her bottom inside and out a constant reminder of the punishment she'd earned. Not just the strapping, but being sent to Uncle Luke's ranch in the first place.

"Is that really what you think?" Uncle Luke asked, his voice surprisingly gentle.

What the hell else was she supposed to think? She'd been so awful her parents had sent her away, sent her to a place where she was stripped naked and humiliated, all for the purpose of teaching her how to be a decent human being.

But she couldn't actually get the words out. When she opened her mouth to explain, all she could manage was a choking sob.

Then she was being swept up into a pair of strong, familiar arms. Clinging to him, she wept into his neck as he carried her out of the room.

"Poor little cow," he murmured as they walked. "You go ahead and cry it all out. Daddy's got you."

Daddy . Unlike before, the word was a comfort now, a balm to her soul. She clung to it mentally the way she clung to his neck, desperate for some kind of anchor to keep her from drowning in the sea of her own guilt and despair. She was vaguely aware of their movement through the hallways of the barn, then outside and to another building, but she was weeping too hard to pay much attention.

Eventually, the tears ebbed, and she lifted her head, blinking at their surroundings. Instead of the barn, they were in a large room filled with heavy wood furniture. The scent of leather and cigar smoke filled her nostrils as she sniffled back more tears. "Where are we?"

"My office. I wanted some privacy for us to talk."

"For you to send me away?" It was the only reason she could think of for him to bring her here, away from the others. To save her the humiliation of being the first person to ever get kicked out of the program.

She really was hopeless.

"No, baby. Just to talk. Why do you think you're not a good person?"

Relief that she wasn't being sent away again warred with confusion. "I figured that was pretty obvious. You said it yourself. I treat everyone horribly. I'm a total bitch. Even my own parents don't want me around."

"That's not what I said at all. Just because you've been acting out a bit doesn't make you a bad person, Dottie."

"A bit? I got arrested , Uncle Luke! My parents had to come get me from jail! That doesn't happen to good people!"

"Sure, it does. Half of my students have been in some kind of trouble with the law at one point or another. Do you think they're bad people?"

"I dunno. I haven't met them."

Laughter rumbled in his chest, drawing a reluctant smile from her. "Then you're just going to have to trust me when I tell you they are good, loving people who just lost their way a bit. Like you."

"But what about my parents?" It was the one sticking point she couldn't seem to get around. Even Alice had said it was unusual for her parents to have arranged her stay at the ranch. "They sent me here because they're so sick of me."

"That's… not exactly how it happened, little darlin'."

"What do you mean?"

"Your father called me, yes, but I'm the one who recommended my program. He said no, at first, but I pushed the issue a bit."

"You did? Why?"

"At first, I was just doing a favor for a friend. But then I looked up your social media, and I saw how fucking beautiful you'd become since I'd seen you last. And I knew I wanted you for my own. Even if your parents hadn't agreed, I would have found a way to get you here." Gripping her chin between his thumb and forefinger, he tilted her head back, forcing her to look up and meet his hungry gaze. "I wanted you for my own, Dorothy, and I was prepared to do whatever it took to have you."

"Oh." The word was a breathless whisper.

"You aren't the horrible person in this equation, darlin'. I'm afraid that honor goes entirely to me. Because I know damn well I have no business wanting you, but I plan on claiming you all the same. The program was just a means to an end."

"You… you want me?"

"So much it hurts. I planned to give you some time to get settled in, do some of the work in the program before I told you, but if I'm being honest it's killing me a bit to have you so close without making you mine."

Uncle Luke wanted her. This man she'd known her entire life, who had watched her grow from a little girl to a young woman in obvious need of his discipline, a man who could probably have his pick of any woman on this ranch, wanted her . There was awe there, wrapped up in the thrill of something so forbidden.

"What would it mean? Being yours?"

His hand stroked her back, comforting and arousing her all at the same time. "It means I would own you, Dottie. Body, soul, mind, every last bit of you would belong to me. You would be mine to cherish and care for, and you would be mine to punish whenever I think you need it. And I can promise you would need it on a very regular basis, my naughty little cow."

The welts across her ass throbbed at his words. But the pain only seemed to fuel the desire flaring to life between her thighs. "Does that mean I wouldn't have to complete the program?" she asked slyly.

Though he raised an eyebrow in that stern way he had, his lips twitched like he was holding back a smile. "No. The program will be good for you. And if you're going to be my personal pet, you'll still need to learn to obey my staff. They will still have my full authority to punish you as needed, but I will warn you that if you earn a punishment from them you will receive double from me at the end of the day."

"Oh." The word came out as a breathless sigh. She didn't want to be punished by anyone except him, but the idea of being his personal pet made her ache in ways she'd never known a woman could ache.

This was all so wrong. So completely, utterly wrong.

And she'd never wanted anything more in her life.

"All right. Make me yours." Dragging in a breath, she forced herself to look him in the eye as she gave him the words she hadn't been able to give him before. "Make me yours… Daddy."