Chapter 6
CHAPTER 6
ARROW
O ne day. Not even twenty-four hours and she’d broken one of his rules. He knew she would test her boundaries sooner or later, but this was a lot sooner than he’d thought.
“Where are you?” He demanded into the phone when Emilee finally answered. It’d been years since he’d felt anxiety like this, and he didn’t like it one bit. His spanking hand was tingling with the desire to warm her behind.
“I’m at the park,” she responded quietly. “Why?”
Why?
Did she just ask him why? The tingling in his hand grew more intense. He closed and opened his fist at his side. She was safe. He took a deep breath. “Did you just ask your Daddy, why? Why do you think I am asking you where you are, Kitten? Rule number three. What is it?”
“To be responsible.”
“And when I was telling you rule number three, what did I tell you?”
“I’m supposed to tell you where I am and who I’m with.”
“Correct. I texted you to come straight home after work today, did I not?”
“Yeah.”
Because fucking Officer Mills had confronted his girl at lunch at The Rusty Crab of all damn places. The men of Valhalla and The Spartan Watchmen had eyes and ears all over town, but especially at The Rusty Carb. Mills was an idiot. An idiot he would deal with in time. For now, he had a little girl who needed to learn, and fast, not to disobey her Daddy.
“Did you come straight home after work, Emilee?”
“No.” He waited a beat and when she said nothing else, he growled into the phone. He hoped she could feel the irritation in the sound. “No, Daddy.”
“It wasn’t the lack of Daddy causing my irritation, Kitten. I have to run by The Clubhouse right now. You better be there when I get there. Do you know where it’s located?”
“I have some idea.”
“I’ll text you the exact address, put in your GPS. You are closer to it than I am. You are already in trouble, Kitten. Don’t double your punishment by directly disobeying me again.”
“What if—” she paused.
“What if, what?”
“What if I don’t want to do this with you anymore?”
“You aren’t jumping ship within a day of our agreement.”
“But, what if I don’t want to do this anymore?”
“Anymore? Baby girl, we just got started doing this. What you will not do is jump ship at the first sign of conflict. Here’s what you are going to do. You are going to stop panicking and start listening to your Daddy. Get in your car and drive to the coordinates I just sent you. Do it now, Emilee. The only words I want to hear out of your pretty little mouth is, ‘Yes, Daddy.’”
The long pause was unsettling to him. Then, he heard the two sweetest words in the English language.
“Yes, Daddy.”
Arrow’s thoughts raced as he headed towards the clubhouse. Mills was invested in intimidating Emilee into silence. What the bastard didn’t understand was that Emilee was the least of his worries. Dax, Arrow and the entire weight of their communities were going to come down on the bastard. In time. Dax was doing some research, making sure Mill’s corruption didn’t go back farther than Emilee. Chances were if he’d made the wrong choices the night he’d hit Emilee, he likely made more. He debated on what to do with Emilee.
If they’d been together for a while, there’d be no question as to what he’d do. He’d march her little butt upstairs to his bedroom at the clubhouse and spank her right then and there. She’d spend the next little bit with her nose in the corner while he finished his work before he took her home and fucked her tight asshole. Arrow did not appreciate having his rules broken but he would absolutely not tolerate direct disobedience and defiance.
They hadn’t been together for a while. It was a new relationship. He didn’t want to push her too hard too fast. Whatever he decided, he needed to do it with a calm head.
Truth be told, he wasn’t mad at her. Oh, he was pissed alright, but not at her. Mills’ audacity infuriated him. Emilee was safe, and he needed to make sure she stayed that way.
“What’s going on, brother?” Slash asked Arrow as he slowed to a stop next to the newly equipped guard shack at the Watchmen’s compound. They’d taken a cue from Valhalla and installed a top-of-the-line security system around the premises, including a twenty-four-hour manned front gate.
“Not much.”
“Your girl is here. She’s inside with Kylie.” Slash answered the question before he could ask.
“Thanks, brother.”
Without another word, he went through the gate and parked his truck beside Emilee’s car. He hadn’t taken a good look at it the night before, but standing next to it now, he noticed how worn her tires were.
“Whose death trap is this?” Irish asked, parking his bike on the other side of Emilee’s car.
“My girl’s,” he answered. “And before you say anything else, yes, I have a girl. No, you didn’t know about it. Yes, it’s a recent development. No, she won’t be going anywhere else in this piece of shit until it has a full inspection and has four new tires on.”
“Well, damn, you answered all my questions before I could even ask them,” Irish said with a grin.
“Don’t grin too big. You won’t be smiling when I’m done talking with you and Wyatt about the amount of money that is missing from the club’s account.” Irish’s smile quickly vanished.
“Fuck.”
“Not the half of it. Let me get my girl situated and then I’ll meet you in my office,” Arrow said.
“I’m going to grab a beer from the bar first. Sounds like I’ll need it.”
“Grab me one, too.” Arrow said, walking into the clubhouse behind Irish. It always felt like coming home. Didn’t matter if he’d been there yesterday or it’d been weeks. Every man inside the building was his brother, if not by blood, by shared bonds. They’d die for him, and he would, without hesitation, put his life on the line for any of them. Loud laughter filled the air around him and he followed the sound. Three men sat at the bar. Lucky and Rampage were laughing at something Irish had told them.
Looking around, he quickly found Emilee. She was sitting in one of the oversized leather recliners in the very back of the room. Kylie sat in the one next to her and they seemed to be deep in discussion. He approached quietly and cleared his throat, letting them know of his presence and respecting the confidentiality of whatever the two were talking about.
“Hey, Arrow,” Kylie said, glancing up at him. “I hope you don’t mind; I saw Emilee sitting in her car and invited her in.”
“Invited? More like commanded,” Emilee said lightly.
“Yeah, true. I didn’t give her much of a choice,” Kylie said with a short laugh.
“I’m glad you did. I want her to feel as welcomed here as she does at our house.” He picked his words carefully, wanting Emilee to know his house was her house for as long as she needed. He hoped she’d decide to stay with him and not move into the apartment above her work.
“Are we headed there now?” Emilee asked.
“No, I have a meeting with Irish to go over some financial information,” he told her. Kylie raised her eyebrows and Arrow nodded. She’d been briefed about the situation earlier in the week.
“Need me to sit in?”
“No, I’ve got it. But, could you keep Emilee company while we talk? It shouldn’t be too long. Maybe you can show her around?”
“I’d be happy to. You know, I’m totally happy with the women you men have been choosing as of late. Glad to not be the only female in the building.”
“I’m glad you approve of our choices,” Arrow said, a bit tongue in cheek. “I don’t know what I would ever do if you didn’t.” Kylie’s laugh trailed after him as he headed towards the stairs. When he reached the top, he looked down to see Kylie giving Emilee a tour. Emilee looked up and met his gaze. She timidly lifted her hand and waved at him. He waved back and mouthed, “be good.” He took note of the blush spreading across her cheeks and smiled when she glanced away. His girl was absolutely adorable.
An hour later, they were standing outside, having a bit of a showdown after Arrow told Emilee he didn’t want her driving the car without a full safety inspection. The shadows from the clubhouse lights danced across her scowling face. She was still bristling, her arms folded defensively across her chest. He leaned against the hood of her car and cleared his throat.
“I know you did not just tell me no,” he said.
“You aren’t taking away my car,” she said. “It’s more than just my car, it’s been my home for months and it’s one of the few things that I own. It’s mine, Arrow.”
“I’m not taking away your car,” he said slowly. “I’m having one of my close friends look it over and make any necessary repairs it needs to keep you safe while you drive it.”
She looked down at her hands and shifted from one hip to the other. “I can’t afford that, Arrow.”
“Why do you keep calling me Arrow?”
“I can’t call you, well, you know…” she blushed.
“Daddy? Why not?”
“Someone might hear,” she protested.
“When we are in public, I don’t expect you to call me Daddy. I’d like you to call me Daddy when we are alone, at The Citadel or at The Spartan Watchmen’s Clubhouse. You are safe in all those places. The men here are all Daddies and Dominants. They won’t blink an eye. If it makes you totally uncomfortable, we can talk about it. I’d like you to try, if you can.”
“I guess.” She shrugged. “But I still don’t have the money to pay for any repairs.”
“Did I say there would be a charge?” he asked her.
“No, but you can’t pay for my repairs.”
“I can’t?” He raised an eyebrow at her. “Let me tell you, Kitten. I don’t like you telling me what I can or cannot do.”
“No, because that’s your job.”
“That is exactly my job,” he told her. “I set the rules, and you, little girl, follow them. Although, you’ve had some trouble with that concept today, haven’t you?” She met his gaze but didn’t answer him. “Kitten, my rules, they're not chains. They're more like... the lines on the road. They guide you, keep you safe, especially when visibility is low.”
“I’m not a biker. Do you have any metaphors I can relate to?” she snapped sarcastically at him.
“Sure. How about plain English? You broke the rules, and when we get home, your ass is going to pay the price. Is that clear, little girl?” He quirked an eyebrow at her, not impressed with her sarcasm.
She looked up at him through thick lashes, her sarcasm momentarily suspended. She blinked quickly, and he saw a momentary flash of emotion before she schooled her features again. He’d break down her walls.
“I didn’t really break any rules,” she muttered.
“No? Did you text me when you left work today, Kitten?” He pushed off her car and walked around to stand next to her.
“I… No, I guess not.”
“Did you come straight home like I told you to?”
“No, but that doesn’t break any rules.”
“Do I have to make a rule that says you will obey me when I tell you to do something, or is that implied in this type of relationship?”
“I guess it’s implied.”
“I wanted you to come with me to the clubhouse for the first time. I was looking forward to showing it to you through my eyes. Instead, you had to meet me here and Kylie showed you around.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize…” Looking embarrassed, she shifted her weight again and looked down at the gravel instead of at him.
“You couldn’t have realized. We hadn’t talked about it.”
“I guess I can see where you are coming from. Maybe, I broke a rule or two.”
“Maybe? Definitely. You definitely broke the rules. Do you think it was safe for you to have a run in with Officer Mills and then run away, instead of calling Daddy?”
“How did you know?” She gaped at him. “How did you know I ran into him at lunch?”
“We will talk about this when we get home,” he told her. “And that is where we are headed right now. We’re going to leave your car here, in the secured lot, and you are going to ride back with me in the truck. Tomorrow, Axel will take it to his shop and inspect it. Once he tells us what it needs, we will talk. Together. Nothing will be done on your car without your input.”
“Promise?”
“I promise. There will come a day when you won’t need me to promise, Kitten. You will know if I say it, I mean it. I will never lie to you. I’ll never lead you on. I will never make a promise I won’t keep. Okay?”
“Okay.”
He reached his hand out for hers, and she slowly gave it to him. “Now, let’s go home. We need to have a conversation about what happens when a naughty little girl disobeys her Daddy.”