Daddy's Odds (The Daddy Guard: Las Vegas #2)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

“Do you like my new outfit, Daddy?”

Kelsey McKay asked the question as she let out a tiny, bubbly laugh while twirling toward Marco Ruggieri.

She probably should have given him time to put his stuff away at least, but she just couldn’t help herself. It had been hours since she’d seen Daddy! So she spun against him, put her hands on his jagged, muscular shoulders, and hopped up onto him until her legs were wrapped around his waist.

Marco staggered back against the front door, dropped his keys, and then quickly took hold of his girlfriend.

“I love your outfit, babydoll.” He followed the praise up with a quick kiss on her lips, one on her forehead, and then back to those lips for a longer one that assured Kelsey he’d missed her as much as she’d missed him.

She felt his hand slide beneath the short frilly pink dress she wore to find her ruffled panties. Gently massaging her bottom, he kissed her neck, and then said, “I can’t wait to get a better look at how cute you are. But first, I’m going to put you down and let’s clear a few things up.”

Kelsey’s stomach flipped over and her pulse quickened. She had a pretty good idea what Daddy wanted to talk about, but she hoped she was wrong.

“Of course,” she said in her upbeat tone—though she wondered if Marco could tell it was forced.

Once her feet were on the floor, a smile creased his lips as he looked her up and down. “Now, that is a cute dress. Twirl for me.”

That giggle she’d had when he first entered came back, and she forgot all about everything else except looking cute for Daddy as she obeyed.

“Mmm, mmm, mmm,” Marco said with a shake of his head and obvious affection gleaming in his dark eyes. “Cute dress, cute panties, and the cutest Little. But I noticed those are big girl undies, honey. Daddy told you he wanted you in pull-ups today, didn’t he?”

Standing before him a few feet away now, Kelsey hung her head. “Yes, Sir.”

“But more importantly,” he continued, “where did you get that dress and those little panties, sweetie?”

Oh boy. Here it comes.

Suddenly their penthouse apartment in downtown Las Vegas felt suffocatingly small.

“At Lilly’s Little Boutique. It’s the new store that my friends told me about! You know, Trixie and Stephanie? I went with them.”

Marco stepped closer. “When, honey?”

Kelsey gave him a half shrug. “A while ago. I… wanted to pick this out just for you.” She twirled again. “Don’t you think it’s cute, Daddy?”

He closed the gap between them even more. “Honey, I asked you when. Was it today?”

Her mind raced, searching for an excuse or explanation that would make this better. But she drew a blank. Finally, with her gaze cast on the floor, she gave Marco a slight nod.

“And what did I tell you before I left this morning?"

Kelsey gulped a hard knot down her throat, clearing the way for her nervous response. “That I had to stay inside until you got back because things are really tense with your… work… right now.”

“That’s right.” He put his hand under her chin and gently tilted her head up until she was looking up into his eyes. “And what did I say going out alone was?”

“Dangerous.”

His eyes were steely. “Anything you want to add, little girl?”

“It’s dangerous, Sir.”

“That’s better.” He stepped back and appraised her again. “Now, I told you I’d take you wherever you wanted to go when I got home. But that you needed to stay put until then. What did you do, though?”

“Daddy!” she cried. “Trixie and Steph are really safe! Their Daddies are in the Daddy Guard, even! No one would mess with them.”

She watched as Marco ran a hand through his black hair. He was clearly trying to decide how he wanted to handle this situation.

Don’t give up hope, Kelsey. There’s a chance you can talk yourself out of this and avoid a punishment!

Finally, he said, “Little girl, did I say you can go out with someone if you think they’re safe or did I tell you to stay in this apartment?”

Kelsey hung her head again as the realization that she wasn’t getting out of this one settled over her.

Crap!

“You told me to stay right here, Sir.”

Marco sighed. Pacing a bit, he waved his hand.

“Honey, you have everything you need right here. And it wasn’t like I was keeping you locked up for days or something.

Just a few hours. And you disobeyed me.” His hand went to the back of his neck where he rubbed it, clearly trying to relieve the tension.

The tension that you caused him, Kelsey told herself.

“Babydoll, do you know why I’m so upset?”

A single tear cascaded down her cheek as she nodded.

“It’s dangerous out there, my love. Especially right now.”

So many questions flooded her mind.

What is your line of work exactly?

Why is it so dangerous right now?

When will it be safer?

But she knew Marco didn’t like to talk about it, so she never pressed. She trusted him. If he needed that space and that privacy, so be it. For now.

Maybe he sensed some of these burning questions, because he offered her an apologetic smile and said, “Kelsey, I’m working to make things better. It’s going to happen. I just need a little bit of time.”

“I know, Marco. I’m sorry I disobeyed you.”

He acknowledged the apology with a slight bob of his head. “Go get the paddle, babydoll. Daddy needs you to understand just how important this is.”

“But Daddy, I?—”

“Get the paddle, little girl. I’m going to give your bottom pow-pows.”

She thought about protesting further, but it wouldn’t do any good. Daddy was loving but strict.

Besides, she had no one to blame but herself. Marco had explained the rules very clearly that morning. She was the one who chose to ignore them.

And now, she’d be the one to face the consequences.