Chapter 4

Chapter

Four

L aying his hand upon her bright red nethers, Thom did his best to soothe her hurt with gentle, circular rubs. That plea had cost her dearly, so had her loss of control. He knew she hadn’t wanted to cry, didn’t want to plead for him to stop, but he knew it had been necessary. If half of what Noah had told him was true, then she had a lot of walls. It wasn’t hard to recognize those walls had been at the foundation of her reluctance so far. She wasn’t going to believe his intentions or his capabilities if he couldn’t break her down. She was a submissive and somewhere inside her, she wanted to submit, but first he was going to have to show her that not everyone was an abusive asshole. Yes, she wouldn’t always want to obey, and when she didn’t, there would be consequences. But his discipline would never devolve into beatings, and although there might come a time when he was angry when he spanked her, it would never happen when he wasn’t in control.

“I’m sorry, Daddy,” she wept.

“Are you?” he asked, resting his hand on her vividly colored backside.

The way she’d colored up for even his milder swats meant obviously it had been a while since Avery’s last spanking. That would either work to his advantage or add to the problem. He hoped for the former but was more than prepared to deal with the latter if need be.

“Yes, Sir,” she said, swallowing back tears.

He was glad to hear the honorarium come without prompting. “I’m sorry too. Do you know why?”

Hiccupping, she shook her head. “No, Sir.”

“I’m sorry because I really didn’t want to spank you”—he felt her body stiffen and every instinct he owned keyed into that, as well as how she reacted when he finished—“until after we’d talked.”

Her body did not relax. She lay across his knee, her hands closed up in tight fists where he held her wrists pinned at the small of her back.

“About what?” she said, without a single emotional inflection to help him gauge what she was feeling. That in itself told him plenty.

“About the fact that I’ve been wanting you for a very long time now, but I didn’t think for a second you would be interested in someone who isn’t as dominant as, say, Noah. But when I recognized you and Casey were one and the same…” He trailed off, shaking his head. “Let’s just say it’s a good thing I didn’t catch up with you in the parking lot. If I had, little girl, you would not have any doubt in your mind over whether or not I’d really spank you.”

Very subtly, the stiffness in her eased. She cocked her head, though not far enough for him to fully see her face. “R-really?”

“Really do I want you, or really would I have spanked you in the middle of the rodeo parking lot?” he countered with a quirk of a smile. He gave her bottom a fond rub and a pat. “Because I promise, honey, Noah has been encouraging me to go after you for months, and I more than promise that if I’d caught you last night before you’d made it to your car, Casey the Clown would have been de-pantsed for ‘his’ second show of the evening. It’s anybody’s call which the audience would have talked about more.”

She didn’t move, but the one eye that he could see was huge, fixed, and staring at the sofa cushion before her as she digested that tidbit of information. Her bright red bottom clenched beneath his caressing hand. It made him smile.

He patted her again. Time to finish this; the end of her very first spanking from him and the ritual that, if he got his way, she would come to know extremely well.

“Do you understand why Daddy had to spank you?” he asked, letting the drift of his open hand lazily caress from the backs of her thighs to the top of her cherry-hot bottom, up and down, from side to side—a gentle, loving reminder that he didn’t have to be done if she wasn’t yet ready for him to stop. “Baby girl, I think you’ve been risking your neck as a way to compensate for what you really want, and that’s a relationship with a dominant who won’t let you get away with all the sass and belligerence you just gave me, isn’t that right?”

Wilting, Avery bowed her head. She sniffled again. “Yes, Sir.”

“Do you understand that you could have avoided this spanking altogether, if only you hadn’t talked back and gotten snarky with me?”

Her hands, still caught in the grip of his, tightened into fists again. Her bottom squirmed under his hand. “Yes, Sir.”

“If you’re ready to be a good girl, then I want you to sit up on Daddy’s lap so we can talk about the things we need to discuss face to face. Do you think you can do that?”

“Yes, D-Daddy,” she whispered, fumbling over the word.

“There’s a good girl.” He helped her to stand, pausing long enough to strip her the rest of the way out of her jeans and rendering her naked from the waist down, before settling her on his lap again. He had to suppress his grin when she winced.

Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her close. She resisted letting him tuck her head onto his shoulder, but only at first. She was the smallest thing, huddled up against him, every muscle in her little body tense and beginning to tremble, as if any minute she might shatter into a million pieces.

“It’s okay,” he told her, stroking her hair and rubbing her back. And as if that permission were all that she was waiting for, Avery, the strongest, most capable woman he’d ever known, flung her arms around him and burst into great, gulping tears that sounded as though they came from the depths of her soul.

“It’s okay,” he whispered again, rocking her back and forth, whispering and nuzzling, letting her feel his strength and gentleness, forcing her to accept his reassurance and dominance. Thom wasn’t sure how long he held her or how long she cried; he just knew he needed to provide that comfort as much as she needed to accept it.

When her sobs finally dwindled back to sniffles and hiccups, he reached for the handkerchief in his back pocket. Helping her compose herself, he dried her eyes and even held it to her nose, refusing to let her take it from him before she, blushing all the way up to the roots of her hair, blew her nose.

“Better?” he asked, kissing her temple.

She nodded.

“Words, Avery.”

Her fingers fidgeted in the hem of her shirt, though she didn’t try to tug it down far enough to cover to her pretty little pussy from view. “Yes, Daddy.”

“You’re not in trouble anymore. I know we kind of took several presumptive leaps forward in this relationship which you haven’t yet agreed we’re going to have, but when you aren’t in trouble, you don’t have to call me Sir or Daddy. Unless, of course, you want to, in which case that will make me very happy.”

Her brow furrowed, and she stared at her knees but didn’t say anything.

“Ready to answer some questions? I expect some might be uncomfortable to answer, but I also expect you to be brutally honest with me. Can you do that?”

She twisted her fingers in the hem of her shirt again. “Yes.”

“All right.” Confession time. He steeled himself to give her the same degree of brutal honesty that he expected in return. “Over time as I have gotten to know you, I have found myself growing more and more attracted to you. Hindsight being what it is, I wish I’d let you know sooner. But, as you have already mentioned, we have a good working relationship that I really didn’t want to jeopardize either, especially if you weren’t into the lifestyle…”

For the first time, she looked directly at him. Her eyes were still wet, shining with unshed tears. “I don’t want that, either. But if you want me to call you Daddy, we might have a problem. I’m not a little.”

“You don’t have to be a little to be my little girl,” he replied. “All you have to be is submissive, and all you have to do is what Daddy, your dominant, tells you to do. Just like any other relationship in the lifestyle.”

She blinked as if that were something she hadn’t considered until he said it.

“Avery, would you like to explore the possibility that you and I could have a good dominant/submissive relationship together?”

Her fidgeting stilled; her body stiffened. She didn’t move, not even it seemed to breathe, not for the longest time. Not until finally she dipped her head in a single nod of consent. “Yes, Daddy.”

She still wasn’t in trouble. That she would use that title to answer that of all questions made him beyond happy. “The first thing I want to do is bring us both onto the same page. So you know what to expect from me, we’re going to write down the rules and I want you to put them somewhere you can see them every day. Okay?” he asked, not so much for permission, but to ensure she was agreeing. “Once we have them written down, we’re both going to sign them.”

“Okay.” Relaxing a little, Avery shifted, almost surreptitiously trying to cuddle closer. As if she expected to be rebuffed, she hesitated before lowering her head to rest it on his shoulder.

Thom’s heart soared within his chest. Not only was she on board with their relationship progressing the way he’d dreamed about for so long, but he couldn’t remember ever seeing Avery look as vulnerable with anyone as she was letting herself be right now with him. No matter what it cost him, he was determined never to make her regret this. Not with him.

He stroked her hair. “I ought to wash your mouth out for swearing, but since we hadn’t yet agreed to the rules…”

“I swore after you told me.”

Cocking an eyebrow, Thom searched her face. “But we hadn’t agreed on it, and for this to work, we both have to have input. That doesn’t mean I get to make up rules on the spur of the moment and just expect you to follow them. Both the rules and the consequences need to be agreed on beforehand; I really believe that. Which doesn’t mean that, if you keep breaking the same rule, I won’t up the ante so to speak on your punishment until you decide minding me is the better choice.” Taking her chin between his thumb and finger, he said, “If you need me to wash your mouth out right now, I will. But for the sake of fairness, I am willing to let it slide.”

“I’d like to let it slide too,” she said slowly. “I don’t particularly want a mouthful of soap, but what I don’t want more is someone who won’t carry through when he says he’s going to do something.”

“Trust me, you are not going to have that with me. This is one daddy who believes in consistency.”

She pushed herself upright again, her fingers once more fidgeting restlessly in the folds of her shirt as she said, “What if I’m not the most… best behaved person you’ve ever met?”

He almost laughed. “Avery, honey, believe it or not, I have actually been paying attention at work. And frankly, I think everything I need to know about your penchant for blind obedience was expressed loud and clear in the bullpen last night.” When her brow furrowed again, he rubbed her back and softened his tone. “Nobody’s perfect, baby, and I don’t expect that. When you get it wrong, rest assured I’ll be here to spank your pretty little bottom and set you back on the straight and narrow.”

For the first time, the flash of a quick smile tugged the corners of her lips just before she looked away. He was more than happy to see it.

“If you want or need a spanking, I expect you to ask for it. If you break a rule, I expect you to tell me. If I find out you misbehaved and didn’t tell me, you’ll get spanked once for the rule you broke and then again for lying to Daddy. Okay?”

There was no hesitation in her agreement. “Okay. Can I ask you something?”

“Anything, any time. This kind of relationship only works if both people feel free to express themselves, appropriately. Noah told me about what happened.”

All trace of that smile vanished. If he hadn’t grabbed her arm, she’d have vaulted off his lap. Instead, caught bare-bottomed on his lap, with her wrist trapped in his hand and his arm locked around her waist, Avery growled.

His tone sharpened instantly. “Good little girls don’t growl, and they don’t plot revenge on the guy that came through for them when they needed him to. In Noah’s defense, he only just told me, and this was after I told him that you’ve been putting your life in danger.”

“I’m good at bullfighting,” she protested. “I mean, I am really good and it’s a real stress reliever. One of the only ones I’ve got!”

“The motorcycle in your garage says differently,” he pointed out. “So does your plane, and this is non-negotiable. Casey the Clown is all done. If you find yourself in need of stress relief, I have several ways to help you with that—some more pleasurable than others.” He waggled his eyebrows, startling a giggle out of her.

He’d never heard that sound before. He doubted if anyone at Wild Mustang had either. It was a delightful laugh, lightly bubbling like water tripping down a stream.

“I’m glad to hear that, but still…”

“Non-negotiable, Avery. If you choose to keep arguing with me about it, then you’re going to find yourself spending time with your nose in the corner while you think about what put you there. For the record, when you argue with me, it makes me think I didn’t get through to you…”

“No, you did,” she said quickly, wiggling and grimacing as her punished derriere ground against his hard thigh.

“Good to know. So, tell me, what do you want out of this relationship?”

She blinked at him again. “Wh-what do you mean?”

“I’ve known couples where the dom only provides discipline; others were friends with benefits, with the benefits ranging from sex only to discipline only, and just about anything in between. In others, they were a committed couple with one dominant and the other submissive. For the record, I prefer that last one but will settle for the first. I don’t think I’m capable of the second.”

“Let me guess, you’d be the dominant?” she asked teasingly.

He chuckled. “Damn straight. I don’t think either of us is capable of the other’s role, but how we progress is up to you.”

Thom didn’t realize he was holding his breath until Avery loosened one of his hands from around her waist. Parting her legs, she slipped it down into the shadow between her thighs.

The heat of her beckoned to his fingers. “Are you sure?” he asked.

She nodded, her breath hitching as she said, “Daddy’s little girl would very much like a demonstration of Daddy’s more pleasurable forms of stress relief.” Her cheeks flushed as she quickly looked away from him, admitting, “Just once, I want you to touch me when it isn’t a fantasy.”

Oh, now that was good to know. Thom almost chuckled again, but then his fingers found her engorged clit and every thought he had abruptly centered on the silky feel of all that wetness as he circled the tender bud, rolling it between finger and thumb until she grabbed both his shoulder and knee and moaned. He’d never heard a more seductive sound, not just in the sexual sense, but in the way it pulled him in and captivated him. He’d never wanted a woman more, either. His cock had done nothing but strain against his fly since he’d pulled into her driveway. Certainly, it had never longed to pleasure anyone as intensely as it was now, wanting Avery in deep pulses that radiated from his balls to his rock-hard shaft.

“Is that so?” he asked, his voice dropping several registers, clearly indicating the depths of his own arousal.

Winding an arm around his neck, Avery alternated between rubbing her needy breasts against his chest and touching them herself. That she hadn’t had a decent dom in her life was obvious in the way she waffled between not knowing what to do and wanting to take care of her need herself. Her last dom was to blame for that. Dom? Ha. That rat bastard who had abused her was the worst kind of wannabe, not even deserving of the title ‘dom,’ but his little girl would never fear being treated in that way again.

He shut that thought out, fixing his attention solely on Avery instead. Everyone started somewhere. He had no problem showing her what a true daddy was—protector, cheerleader, confidant, mentor, anchor, disciplinarian, and lover. His was a strong and healthy libido, one he was sure she’d find far more to her liking than either spanking or bullfighting, and God knows, he’d often wondered what she would look like lying naked beneath him. Finally, he was going to get to scratch that itch.

She plucked at her own nipple again. He understood her need. They were tightly budded; the peaks of them easily seen and felt through both their shirts and her bra. But as much as he wanted to rip all layers of clothes out from between his skin and hers, he needed to establish his dominance and control of their relationship. For her sake as much as his, he wanted her to know he could and would take command whenever and wherever she needed him to.

“No.” He caught her wrist when that errant hand crept up to give her nipple another tweaking pinch. Between her tensing thighs, he gave his own not-so-gentle disciplinary pinch instead, hard enough to make her catch her breath. “If Daddy doesn’t give permission, you don’t get to do that. Hands behind your back. Keep them there until I tell you differently.”

Her mouth parted, but she obeyed without protest. Rewarding that obedience, he stroked her from clit to slit until she was all but writhing in his embrace. Not from pain this time, but from the pleasure his touch caressed from her weeping, clenching, beautifully responsive pussy. No doubt in his mind, his Avery was a hedonistic kitten and she wanted someone to make her purr. He stroked her, flicked her, slid two fingers up into her wet heat until she threw her head back with a shrill gasp. Her breathing turned shallow and thready. She spread her thighs that much wider, allowing him easier access and rocking her hips as he began to plunge his fingers in and out, increasing both the speed and pressure he found her G-spot. He stroked it, pressing his thumb hard against her pleasure nub, and she stiffened with a shuddering cry. Her pussy clamped on his fingers as she climaxed. He continued to stroke, loving every milking twitch until her shaking stopped and he withdrew his hand.

“Thom,” she whined, her hips still rocking.

“I see my baby girl likes to have her princess parts stroked.”

She shivered, her nipples still peaked and obviously still needy if the way in which she was arching to stroke them within her own bra and shirt were any indication. “Very much,” she said. Opening her eyes, she looked at him. “She’d happily suck Daddy’s cock… if he wanted her to. But what she really likes is when Daddy fucks her.”

Thom could feel the aforementioned appendage further engorging, if such a thing was even possible. He’d been so hard for so long, he didn’t think he could handle much more. “Do you understand that you, all of you belongs to Daddy from now on? That means all of your pleasure parts…”

She stilled. “D-do you mean anal? I’ve never really enjoyed anal…”

“That’s because you’ve never had Daddy fuck your ass the way he likes to do it. I’ll be gentle and I will happily teach you how to enjoy it. But it’s Daddy’s decision what hole he wants to fuck and it’s his kitten’s responsibility to provide that pleasure to him. Understand?”

“But you won’t hurt me?” she asked softly.

“I can’t say it will always be painless, but it’ll never, ever be like it was in the past. And I don’t share, Avery, not even with you.”

“What do you mean?”

“You don’t get to play with yourself unless I give you permission and it would only be in extreme circumstances that I would do that.”

“So, what am I supposed to do if you have to go away? Is using the shower massage the same as touching?”

“I don’t know, do you think welting is the same as a spanking?” he asked, arching his eyebrow at her.

“Right. That’s a no go on the shower massage.”

Thom laughed. “Don’t you worry, princess, Daddy has a high sex drive and you’re the sexiest thing he’s ever seen.”

“That’s good because your kitten likes to fuck like an alley cat, thinks her new daddy is the cat’s meow, and has for some time.”

Thom groaned. “Don’t tell me that! God, I hate to think how much time we wasted.”

Avery took his face in her hands and kissed him deeply. “Not wasted. We just needed to be ready for each other.”

“Do you think you’re ready for Daddy?”

“I think I’ve been waiting for you my whole life. But can we talk about the bullfighting?”

“Arguing, Avery. Did I not get through to you earlier?”

“No, you got through. I’m sorry. Are you going to continue to rodeo?”

“On a far more limited basis. When I do, you can come with me, but you will stay away from the rough stock or I’ll take my belt to you and you’ll find sitting down very uncomfortable.”

“Fine,” she said sullenly. “But just so you know, this is so arbitrary.”

“Watch the tone, little girl.”

She shivered. “This is so unfair. Do you have any idea what you do to me when you call me little girl in that tone of voice?”

Thom slipped his hand back between her legs and slid two fingers into her wet heat. Avery began to breathe quickly and unevenly—the sound confirming what his fingers felt plunging into her honey as her sheath pulsed around them. “I’m starting to figure it out. Rule six, you will always tell Daddy when he does something you like or don’t like.”

“You want to talk rules right now?” she groaned.

He stroked her with his fingers just to hear her groan like that again. “Rule seven, you will tell Daddy whenever you are aroused. Rule eight, only Daddy can touch or play with your princess parts. Rule nine, you will always sleep naked with me and will only wear panties that Daddy has given you when he tells you he wants you to. I like the idea that I can get to you easily to punish or pleasure you. Rule ten, you will not argue with Daddy. While I will happily listen to your opinions and differing points of view if you’re being respectful, if you try acting like a brat, there will be no negotiating. Rule eleven, no dangerous activities; that means bullfighting or anything else you can think of that could get you badly hurt or killed. Rule twelve, you will take care of yourself in all ways—eating right, getting enough sleep, drinking enough water, no negative self-talk, etc.”

“Jesus…”

“Avery…” he warned.

“Shit! Shoot! Sorry!”

“You sure you don’t need that soaped mouth?”

“Yes, Sir, I’m sure. I’m sorry. I’ll try to do better, but that’s going to be hard for me. I’m not sure, but it wouldn’t surprise me if my first word was a curse word.”

“And now you’re an adult. I’ll cut you a little slack but not for long.”

Avery guided his hand back between her legs and moaned when he tugged and then pinched her clit.

“About rule seven…” she purred.

Thom laughed. “I take it you’d like me to scratch that itch for you?”

“Very much so. Would Daddy like his kitten to pleasure him with her mouth until he’s leaking his cream?”

She licked her lips and it became all Thom could do not to throw her over the back of the couch, mount her from behind, and hammer her pussy until she was screaming and had come for him several times.

“There will come a day when I want nothing better, but right now, I think you need to go get naked in bed. I can feel my phone vibrating. I need to check who it is, but then Daddy will come join his kitten and see if he can’t make her yowl like the alley cat she professes to be.”

Avery laughed and stripped off her t-shirt and bra, flinging them onto his head and running naked back toward her room. He removed her clothing, noting the size of her bra for future reference. Digging his phone out of his pocket, he glanced at the screen and swore.

“I heard that,” Avery called back down the hall.

“Daddy’s prerogative,” he called back.

“Arbitrary!”

His spanking hand already itching, Thom dialed back the last person to call. “Unless there’s about to be a nuclear holocaust, it will have to wait until tomorrow,” he growled as a greeting.

“Nice to talk to you too,” came Noah’s voice from the other side of the world.

“Seriously, unless this is really important, I’m kind of busy.”

“Busy as in taking care of a certain little blonde spitfire of our acquaintance?”

“A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell.”

“So, there’s kissing involved? I’d have thought spanking more appropriate.”

“As I said, and I am a gentleman.”

“Oh, we’re getting to the aftercare and restoration of positive feelings portion of the agenda.”

“Not to put too fine a point on it… yes. Now what the fuck do you want?”

Noah laughed. “I had an update on Christian and Fariq, but nothing that can’t wait until tomorrow.”

Thom sobered. “You sure?”

“Yeah, buddy. I’m sure. You go take care of your girl and we’ll talk tomorrow. And Thom, a word of advice?”

Envying Noah’s relationship with Zara, he said, “Sure.”

“Never spank her harder than you’re prepared to fuck her. Also, ginger can be an effective tool in getting them to remember who’s in charge.”

Thom laughed. “I’ll be sure to tell her you said that.”