Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Wyatt
Striding across the house, I made breakfast and coffee. Waking up at the ranch brought me a huge sense of comfort. It would only be better if Alden was here with us. Thinking about it, the more I believed our throuple could work out. I wished my stubbornness and inability to allow my own confidence to showcase itself had disappeared prior to Alden leaving. Whipping up loaded French toast, one of my specialties, I glanced over my shoulder when Kennedy stepped into the kitchen. She had an oversized t-shirt on, her long dark hair braided on the side. Her legs and feet were bare.
“Good morning, babygirl. How’d you sleep?”
“Mmm. Very well. Oh! Something smells amazing.”
“French toast on brioche bread filled with cream cheese and blackberries. Would you grab the syrup?”
Kennedy nodded, selecting the homemade syrup. Boxelder trees grew in our town and produced some of the best-tasting syrup that rivaled maple any day. We sat down next to each other at the kitchen table, eating and falling into easy conversation. But there was something I needed to solidify.
“We glossed over some things last night. I want to reiterate. We are in a relationship.”
She swirled a huge bite of French toast around the syrup before holding it up to my mouth. I dragged my teeth along the fork, chewing it thoughtfully. I was a good cook, but it tasted even sweeter from her hand.
“You and I?”
“Yes, but also Alden. All three of us. Have you ever been in a dominant and submissive dynamic?”
“Sort of but it wasn’t formal. More like he kept me in line when I acted out. I’ve been spanked a lot. Alden has definitely done it but there’s something else.”
“I’m listening,” I said to her, encouraging her to continue.
“I don’t really know if I have a Little side or not. Or at least not like Emma. But Elias bought her the most incredible wardrobe, obviously you know. She’s been Little around us. I’m not into all that.”
“Emma is Luke and Elias’ Little girl. But you’ve seen her perform in the ring. She’s not in her younger headspace in an arena. We’re going a bit off topic.”
“Right,” she answered, nodding. “If I’m calling you Daddy does that mean I’m your Little girl?”
“It doesn’t have to mean that, beautiful. You can call me Daddy without exploring ageplay. But if you think you might like to, I’m open to that too.”
She fed me another bite of her breakfast.
“I might not be good at following the rules, Wyatt. I’ll probably fuck up what I’m supposed to do and I might not listen.”
“All right, babygirl. Since I don’t know what you’ve discussed with Alden, humor me for a few minutes. Say I’ve told you to get your sweet little ass in bed by eleven o’clock. At midnight you text me that you stayed up late talking to a friend. Without any context or knowing how I respond, what would you expect me to do?”
She mulled over my question and I took the opportunity to feed her. Finally she wiped her mouth with a napkin, and leaned her head on my shoulder.
“I’m not sure. It’s not always about spanking, is it?”
“Not always,” I answered her plainly.
“Maybe you’d have me write about what happens when you go too many nights in a row without adequate sleep. Did you know that there are countries in the world that use sleep deprivation as a torture device?”
Chuckling, I nodded. “Actually I did know that. You’re spot-on. My typical response or consequence if you will, is not usually physical correction. It would be better in my opinion to teach a lesson so that it doesn’t continue to happen. If you understand the why behind the reason you’ll be more apt to listen. Or at least get yourself into a better routine.”
“Hm. That makes a lot of sense, Wyatt. Can you please give me another example?”
“Sure, baby. Last night you went out alone and had drinks without securing a ride home or telling anyone where you went. Am I right in my assumptions?” I scratched my chin while she swallowed hard. I thought she was going to say something, but instead she shrugged.
“Give me a verbal answer, Kennedy.”
“You’re giving me a real-life scenario. Plus you already said you were going to spank me today. Have you changed your mind?”
“No, I haven’t. Please tell me if I’m right or not.”
“I was joking when I told Alden that a tattoo of ‘You’re right’ seemed to be a good idea. Maybe I’ll fucking laminate an index card and carry it around at all times.”
“Come on, Trixy. There is a method to my madness.”
She blew out a breath and turned her body to face mine. I took her hands.
“Yes. I went to a bar in a part of town I knew most of our friends don’t typically go to. I made a bad decision because honestly, I didn’t want to hear it.”
“Hear what, sweetheart?” I pushed her gently to share.
“The disappointment! The argument that I’m an idiot. That I shouldn’t have been stupid and walked away from Alden. That I should have trusted you. That I should have done anything other than not get into a relationship with the two of you. I fucked up. Okay?”
“Hey now,” I said softly. “I wasn’t asking to get you upset. I’m trying to figure out where your head was at. I’d never intentionally make you feel ashamed or embarrassed.”
“Our friends, at least the ones that are in relationships, seem to be the happiest people on the planet. I think some of that is the reason why I held back too. My ex-husband was terrible. He didn’t do anything good for me at all. He actively prevented me from doing things I love. I never told anyone about all the fights we used to have. Where he’d belittle me and make me feel completely inadequate.”
“Aw, Kennedy.” I pulled her toward me, setting her on my thighs so I could wrap my arms around her.
“I’m sorry. This is a lot on you, Wyatt. I shouldn’t have gone off. Alden knows a lot of it, but not all of it.”
“But all those conversations we had, sweetheart? Outside. Under the stars? You never shared.”
“No, because I was mortified. And I felt hopeless. Like I’d never be able to open up to anyone ever again. That I’d never have the love I was so desperate to find.”
“Shoot. I know why you felt like you wouldn’t find love, darling.” I kissed her forehead.
“How on earth do you know why I felt like that?”
“Because the two of us are probably the most stubborn people in Falcon Creek,” I said, chuckling.
“Nah. You know Tate. He’s got to be more stubborn than you and I,” Kennedy replied.
“Not since he’s been with Jesse.” It wasn’t just my opinion. Everyone in our circle could see it.
“Okay, you’re right. He’s mellowed. A whole bunch,” she agreed.
“So, back to what I was saying. I know you felt like you wouldn’t find love or a relationship because you dug your heels into the ground and decided you wouldn’t.”
Kennedy grumbled, her fingers tracing the outline of my cheekbone. “Does your face hurt?”
“Stay on topic. Yes, my cheek hurts, but it’ll heal. Why didn’t you say something to Alden after your divorce was finalized?” I kept her on track by squeezing her upper thighs. I hoped the physical sensation would help ground her and focus her attention on what was happening between us.
“I didn’t want to. Or guess maybe I thought that after all this time… he didn’t want me. Or maybe I was scared. Not scared that he’d reject me. Scared that he wouldn’t.”
“I’m not the brightest crayon in the box, darling. What?”
Kennedy kissed my jaw, distracting me. I stopped her when she sucked on my earlobe.
“Damn, babygirl. You’re going to get me hard. Explain what you meant, please.”
“It’s like being afraid of success instead of failure. I’m used to failure, Wyatt. I’ve fucked up a lot of times in my life. Made poor decisions. Obviously I never want to cause someone grief, but…” She took a huge breath and let it out slowly.
“Okay, I think I understand.” I rested my hands on the back of my head gathering my thoughts before speaking, something I seldom did. “If you set yourself up to succeed and you fail, you can regroup. If you set yourself up to succeed and you do it, then you have to continue it. If you asked Alden out and he refused, no big deal. You’d probably still enjoy each other’s company in bed. I’m sure you’d still be friends. Am I right so far?”
“I’m starting to think you’re never wrong, Daddy.”
Oh, that title did things to me. It had been far too long since someone called me Daddy. To hear it from her soft lips with meaning? It affected me more than I thought it would. Closing my eyes for a moment, I slowly opened them. “Fuck, baby…mmm. Believe me, I’m wrong more often than you can imagine.”
“Understood. Yes, Alden and I would likely be friends no matter what nonsense happened. He’s been a steadfast part of my life for many years. I trust him completely.”
“Aha. So, if you told him how you felt and he rejected you, no big deal. But if you poured your heart out and he claimed you the way I did so thoroughly last night? Then it would be real. Instead of fantasizing about it or whatnot.” I said almost the same thing in a different way.
Kennedy slid off my lap and busied herself with the breakfast dishes. Joining her, I dried each one as she handed them to me. The tension swelled as the silence stretched on. Still, I didn’t want to push her if she didn’t want to share.
“Yes. Sorry for taking so long to say anything.” She bit on her bottom lip. “I needed to gather my thoughts. It’s easy to deal with rejection but acceptance for some reason is harder. It’s backward in theory, but true all the same. I’m also not entirely sure how our dynamic works.”
“I’ll show you, darling. Come over to the couch with me.”
She side-eyed me, but followed less begrudgingly than I expected. Sitting down, I patted my thigh. She made no move to get into position.
“Have you ever had a punishment spanking, baby?”
She sat next to me and I helped her across my lap. Bunching her shirt up to her waist, I rubbed my hand over each of her panty-clad bottom cheeks.
“Logan paddled me after I told him how messed up I let things get this past summer.”
“Damn. I’m impressed. But Logan isn’t your Dom. It’s different when you have someone who holds you accountable. Someone you have feelings for. Unless you don’t have an emotional connection to me yet.”
“I do. We are friends despite everything else, we’ve always been friends. I guess there was a part of me though that saw you as competition for Alden. Though that was probably just another wall I put up to guard my heart.”
“Aw, babygirl. I get it. On my bad days if I allowed myself to admit the feelings I had for Alden, I probably saw you the same way.”
“That makes me feel better. I should have talked to you, but honestly, I’d been drowning.”
“In margaritas?”
“Hah! No, I meant in life, but alcohol was on that list too.”
“We both made mistakes not communicating. We’ll do better. Both of us.” Kneading either side of her ass, I stopped and touched the waistband of her panties. “These need to come down. Would you like me to do it?”
She stiffened slightly, but then nodded. “Yes, please.”
“If you’re going out at night, no matter what time it is, I want to know about it. I’d rather not set a curfew.”
“A curfew! You’re joking.”
Lowering her panties, I admired the soft supple curve of her ass. I’d touched her body last night intimately, but I hadn’t spanked her. There was something very special about correcting Kennedy after her poor choices. Her behavior wasn’t acceptable. Alden told me to keep an eye on her, and I hadn’t done a good job of that.
“What would you have done last night if Leon picked you up and brought you to his house? He said nasty things about what he wanted to do to you. He was drunk. That’s a bad combination.” I hoped to paint a picture of how sideways things could have gone.
“Hopefully he wouldn’t have made the stupid decision to drive. Also, as strong as I am, he has over a hundred pounds on me. I can usually fight and defend myself, but my mind wasn’t clear or level.”
“I’m aware, which is why I’m telling you that the next time you go out I need to know about it. Am I understood?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“Good girl. If I’m not able to go out with you or transport you, I’ll find you a ride. Unless you’re going out with a group.”
“For how long?”
“Until I say otherwise.” I smacked her left butt cheek hard enough to make her jump.
“Ow! That hurt.” She glared over her shoulder at me.
“Did you think it was going to tickle?”
“But it’s just your hand! How can your hand sting?”
“This is a punishment, Kennedy. I intend to leave you sore.”
She narrowed her eyes and wisely faced forward again. “Maybe I’ve never actually been punished via a spanking. Can I ask you something?”
“Of course, sweetheart. What is it?”
“Did Alden punish you the night you two went to the barn?”
“No, that was something else entirely. I didn’t freely offer where my thoughts were at. He bared my ass and took his leather strap to it. I needed it, but I didn’t enjoy it.”
“What if I can’t handle your punishment?”
“If this spanking is too much on you either mentally or physically you can call ‘red’ or your safeword. Do you have one, trix?”
“Yes. Astronomical.”
“No way, babygirl. One syllable.”
“Beets.”
“Ick! Seriously?”
“Yes! You don’t understand. My grandparents used to grow them in our garden and they are the nastiest vegetable on the planet,” she said solemnly.
“Ugh. Okay, got it.” I targeted her sit-spots. Though she did not move out of place, her feet moved as if she was running a marathon.
“Ow!”
“Why am I spanking you?”
“Because you like it!”
Sliding my fingers along her crease, I found the base of the butt plug and drummed the opening line to the Guns and Roses song ‘Welcome to the Jungle’.
“Eeek! Wyatt!”
“If I have you over my knee, babygirl? You can call me ‘Sir’ or ‘Daddy’. Just like in the bedroom.”
“I like the way the plug feels but during a punishment it’s different, Sir!”
“You had better quit yelling at me.”
“I’m sorry, Daddy. I’m being spanked because instead of telling anyone where I was going or selecting a bar where on any given night our friends will be at, I went out alone. I drank without a plan on how to get home. I put myself in a bad situation.” Kennedy blew out a long breath.
“Tell me what could have happened if I hadn’t picked you up.”
She stayed quiet, likely in her head again. I landed a few more hard slaps to her thighs.
“Ouch! Leon could have taken advantage of me. Forced me into his car or worse things. I hope he wasn’t driving, but it could have become very dangerous for me.”
I continued the spanking, keeping the focus on her thighs. They were hot-pink and warm to the touch. “What are you going to do the next time you want to go out?”
“Let you know where I’m going.”
“Close. What are you going to do before you make plans, sweetheart?”
“Oh. Um. Let you know where I want to go because you’ll ensure I have a ride or people to go with. You don’t want me to put myself in danger again.”
“Good girl. That’s exactly right.”
We sat there in silence for a few minutes while I rubbed her bottom, kneading my fingers into each of her warmed cheeks. It was not for pleasure, and she hissed several times.
“I have decided I do not like punishment spankings,” she announced.
Despite the seriousness of our discussion, I broke out into laughter.
“I’m glad to hear that. It means I’ve gotten through to you. Follow the rules, babygirl, and you won’t find yourself over Daddy’s knee.”
“What about Alden?”
“No, I will not be putting Alden across my lap.”
“Daddy!”
“He usually prefers other methods of punishment rather than spanking,” I said in response to her question about Alden’s tactics. “Rest assured we’ll keep your ass pink, but I’d rather do it for fun and not for discipline.”
“Thank you for explaining. Do you think he’s going to be mad at us?”
Fixing her panties and t-shirt, I smoothed them down her body. If I touched her for too long we’d wind up back in the bedroom and it wasn’t the time.
I’d been worried since I announced our throuple to Kennedy last night that Alden might be angry that I made a decision without him. Hopefully the outcome of us being together would overrule anything else. “No, babygirl. Alden is going to be thrilled. Let’s go raid his snacks.”