Chapter 6
Chapter Six
The nerve of Oliver thinking she was going to show up for drinks, just because he would be there. So much ego. As if, after all these years, he could twitch his little finger, and she’d go running.
Not that he was wrong—but that wasn’t the point.
She was cranky and annoyed, so it didn’t help that when she rolled her suitcase into her bedroom, she discovered that it had been redone. All her things were gone. She stopped short in the doorway.
“Gee, Mom, thanks for the warning…” But of course her mother hadn’t known she was coming.
It was like getting kicked in the chest. She felt like her life had been erased, and on top of the shock of seeing Oliver again, it was too much. She sat down on the side of the bed and took a few minutes to work on her breathing as she looked around at the freshly painted walls.
She needed to be rational about it. After all, she only came home to visit once or twice a year, if that. Keeping a room just for her was silly, but why did it hurt so much to find everything gone? It was another blow to her confidence, and that wouldn’t do.
If she was going to repair the damage from the earlier meeting with Oliver, then she was going to have to push all of that upset aside. Luckily, she had plenty of time to get ready. A long hot shower was the first step to fixing her self-esteem.
When she left the house shortly before eight, she was feeling much better. Her makeup was perfect. The outfit made her feel like a star. It was, maybe, a little dressy for cocktails, but that was fine. The tight red number hugged every curve, and the heels that went with it were the very definition of ‘fuck me pumps’.
When she walked into the lounge, she drew eyes and reveled in the attention. But the blue eyes she looked for weren’t there. There was a sinking inside, a settling feeling, as her mood started to drop, but she cut that off immediately.
She tossed her hair back over her shoulder and headed to the bar to get a drink. As she waited for the bartender to notice her, she looked around the room, trying to match faces to memories. Sara Ann had been meeting people at the door and checking names off on her list, so they’d already exchanged hugs and greetings.
But inside there were very few people she recognized. It was a sea of strangers, with a vaguely familiar face here and there. Which was why she hadn’t intended to come in the first place.
“Hey, brat.” His breath tickled her ear as he whispered the words and then moved around in front, so she could see him. “Sorry I’m late. I had to move a couple of things around, since I hadn’t intended to be here tonight.”
She controlled her smile, flashing him just a little teeth so she didn’t seem too excited. “That’s fine. I saved you a seat.” She kicked the stool next to her with her foot. Her purse had been holding the space for him.
He looked around and then tilted his head. “Hmm, it’s a little chaotic over here. Why don’t we find some place a little quieter?”
That suited her. She shrugged and slid off the tall stool, snagging her drink with one hand and her purse with the other. He led them to a corner table and took a seat, with his back against the wall. Jamie took her time settling, so that he got a good look at her outfit and all her curves.
Try thinking of me as a little sister now.
“You look amazing,” he said, as she finally got comfortable.
“Thank you, Ollie.”
He winced at the nickname. “Been a long time since anyone called me that .”
She laughed. “I see you’re rocking the civilian look tonight. No fatigues?”
He looked down, as if he’d forgotten. “Oh, right. Regulations forbid drinking in Army uniform, and there’s no point in coming to something like this if you can’t have a few drinks.”
“You look good.” The truth was, he’d looked just as good in fatigues. The casual clothes didn’t change his posture or bearing. She’d tag him as military no matter what he wore. “So, how long have you been back?”
“A few months. I’m still getting used to it. I’ve been overseas for a long time.”
He asked her something about her job, she replied, and it went back and forth as she sipped her drink and tried to figure out how to move things along. Jamie was interested in his life. She wanted to know all about it, but at the same time… she wanted to skip all the small talk and bring the conversation to the serious topics. They only had the weekend after all.
“So, now they’ve got me in this teaching position, and I think it’s probably going to be a long-term thing. I’ve got six years left, and I might be able to stay here for all of it. At least, I’m hoping.”
“Do you really think you’ll be stationed here for six years?”
He shrugged. “I’m told it’s possible. They’ve been trying to fill this teaching position for a while.”
There were so many possible responses to that, and all of them would make her sound desperate and silly. She forced herself to be cool about it. “It will be nice being in one place for a while, after all the moving, right?”
“Absolutely. And if I don’t get rotated back out into the field… well, that would be… good.” The words had an odd tone. There was a hint of dark emotions, and she wondered what it had been like for him.
She wasn’t going to ask, not while they were just getting reacquainted. Instead she focused on other aspects. “So, any kids?” It was easier than asking if he was married.
He snorted. “No. No kids. No anything, to be honest. My life, until now, hasn’t really made any of that easy.”
She tried not to react to that information. “What? They don’t have women in whatever countries you were sent to?”
He sat back in his seat, grinning. “Oh, they had women. Plenty of gorgeous women, and I had a few moments. But?—”
She fought to keep her eyes from narrowing as a surge of jealousy shot through her. “But?”
He shrugged. “Anything more than temporary wouldn’t have worked out. The job wasn’t conducive for relationships.” His eyes settled on hers. “And you? Kids? Husband?”
“Nothing, and for the same reason, I guess. My job uses up most of my time. I don’t really get the chance to socialize, and dating is too much effort.” Too much effort for a man who wouldn’t be him .
Before she could blurt out something embarrassing, a waitress wandered over to take drink orders. Jamie asked for a second rum and coke. Oliver ordered a beer and a shot. The pause gave her a chance to catch her breath and cool her emotions.
He was single. She was single. There was chemistry, surely, he could feel it. And he would be stationed only two hours from her, for the foreseeable future. It has to be fate, right?
The conversation never went to a more intimate place, as much as she wanted it to. People kept stopping by to say hello to one of them. Once things got rolling, Sara Ann briefly invited herself to sit down and completely monopolized the conversation, until something distracted her, and she bounced off to another table.
And then, just when Jamie was working up the nerve to ask some more questions, Sara Ann announced that she’d planned some games.
“Games? Are we still in high school?” Jamie groaned and shook her head. “I just wanted to drink and talk.”
Oliver laughed, and then he laughed harder when Jamie won a prize for remembering and performing the school song. If the prize hadn’t been a fancy gift basket full of wine and snacks, she wouldn’t have gotten up, but it was worth the humiliation.
The waitress brought Jamie another drink after that, but Oliver declined. When she ordered her fourth, his eyebrow went up, but he didn’t say anything. Things were wrapping up by then and people were starting to leave, but she wasn’t eager to go.
They were the last ones out the door, aside from Sara Ann, who was packing up her games, and paused as they passed her. “You kids behave now. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she said in a smug tone.
“Is there anything you wouldn’t do, Sara Ann?” Jamie tossed back.
“Hmm, with him? Probably not, so don’t blow it.” She gave Oliver a wink and made shooing motions at the two of them.
Jamie tried to ignore the hot flush that crawled over her face. Trust Sara Ann to bring everything to the surface like that. They stepped out into the parking lot, and she was happy for the cool evening air against her skin. “Sorry about her, she’s… a lot.”
Oliver grinned. “She is, but I had fun tonight. And hey, you got a basket out of it, so not a total loss, right?”
Jamie decided to be honest. “It would have been worth it to spend the time with you anyway. I just wish we’d gotten to talk more. But it’s not that late… maybe we could go get something to eat?”
“That sounds like a great idea. I’ll drive, of course.”
She squinted at him. “Why ‘of course’? Is this some macho man rule? Can’t be in a car with a woman driver?”
One eyebrow went up as he stared her down. “Nope. But you had way too much to drink. Your blood alcohol would be over the legal limit. So, there’s no way I’d let you drive.”
Jamie couldn’t hide the smirk. “Is that so?”
“You don’t want to be a brat about something like this, Jamie. Drinking and driving is…why are you laughing?”
She’d tried to hold back the laughter, but she just couldn’t. He stood there looking so serious as he worked himself up into a lecture. She couldn’t even answer him through the giggles pouring out.
“You want to let me in on the joke, brat?” He folded his arms across his chest and continued to stare at her.
It took her a minute to choke out an explanation. “Knew I’d be drinking. Took an Uber. My car’s not even here.” Every word was punctuated with snorting and snickering.
Oliver just sighed and closed his eyes. “And you couldn’t just tell me that because…”
She swiped tears of laughter off her cheeks. “I just wanted to see what you’d say. Did you really think I was going to drive after all those drinks?” That was honestly the truth of it.
She’d wanted to see if he’d get stern about it. Wanted to see if he’d wind himself up and start lecturing, and he had. “You’re so gullible.”
He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. “You know, Jamie, that mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble. You’re lucky I’m not in charge of you, or?—”
“Or what?” She tossed her hair back over her shoulder. Her chin jutted out in stubborn challenge. “What would you do if you were in charge?”
Oliver’s eyes seemed to darken into a deeper blue as they fixed on her. His gaze held weight, and she squirmed under it, waiting for him to speak. He left her dangling for a few seconds before he leaned in and said, in a low voice meant only for her, “I really wouldn’t ask me that, unless you want the whole unvarnished truth, Jamie.”
A shiver rolled through her and her panties instantly dampened. It was the growl in his tone, and the threat in the words combined that did it for her. But of course, after he’d said that, she had to push. “I want to know.”
“You sure about that?” He chuckled and shook his head. “We’re not kids anymore, Jamie. You used to drive me nuts in high school. Always pushing. Always playing pranks. Always talking back. I didn’t know what to do about it then, but trust me, that isn’t a problem now. I’ve been thinking about things I’d like to do to you for years.”
“Wait… are you talking about punishment, or—” She cut herself off before finishing. It had started off as a joke, but now she couldn’t tell if he was serious or not. And the way he spoke, it was almost like he was flirting, but it would be humiliating to assume that and be wrong.
“Or what? Spit it out, brat.”
She cleared her throat. “We were joking about punishment, but now it seems more like you’re talking about, uh, sex.” There was a tremble in her voice but there was nothing she could do about it.
“I wasn’t joking, and yes that too.”
Too . Her legs suddenly went weak and her heart seemed to shudder in her chest. “I…”
“Nothing to say, brat? Where are all those smart-ass remarks?”
“I-I just…”
This was not her best buddy from childhood. This wasn’t her high school crush. This was an Army officer who was used to being in charge, and suddenly she found herself without words.
“Still want to know what I’d do if I was in charge of you?” He was so close.
Their bodies were nearly touching, and she could feel the warmth of his breath across her skin. “Yes?” She hadn’t meant it to sound like a question, but it made sense, since she was no longer confident about her decision. Her insides fluttered and she was torn between excitement and some emotion she couldn’t name.
“Well then, if you were mine… that is, if I were in charge of you, I would keep that delightful ass of yours bright red at all times. Ever since I saw it framed so nicely in that window, I’ve been thinking how much I’d enjoy having you over my knee.”
“Gah.” It wasn’t even a word, just a strangled kind of gasp that pretended to be one.
“Tell me, Jamie, do you think you’d be such a brat if you got spanked every day? Or would it take more? Maybe a hard spanking, followed by a hard fucking, while your ass burns and throbs every time I pound into you?”
Something deep inside pulsed and the scrap of silk between her legs soaked through to an alarming degree. Her excitement would be trickling down her legs in a second. “You-I-I?—”
He watched her without comment. His gaze slid across her features like he was studying her reaction. “Sorry you asked now?”
“No,” she said, in a husky voice she barely recognized.
That seemed to please him, and his mouth turned up at one corner. “So, my brat has a kinky side. I wondered.”
Her eyes opened wide. Surprise colored her tone, “You-you wondered?”
“Hoped, I guess, would be the more accurate word.”
She just stared, her mouth hanging slightly open. “How did you know? You haven’t even seen me in years.”
He shrugged. “I didn’t know, but I put together the clues. I started thinking about the way you constantly pushed, and then seemed so disappointed when I didn’t react, or let someone else handle it.”
“I was just a kid. That didn’t mean anything…”
“We were both kids and I didn’t understand any of it at the time. But as an adult, out in the world, I learned a few things about myself. And when I started checking out the kink scene, I realized there were some people who acted up because they liked to be punished. Naturally, I thought of you.”
She swayed and his hand closed on her arm, bracing her.
“Careful there, sweetheart.”
“I’m not—I don’t… I mean, I’ve had fantasies, but I hadn’t had much chance to explore any of it.” She’d been spanked, mostly as foreplay, but never… punished. Not real punishment.
The idea of it was hot. It seemed weird, because she knew she wasn’t supposed to enjoy punishment, but that was part of why it was so sexy. It made no sense, but the fantasy… that fantasy had always been exciting.
He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything the door behind them swung up and Sara Ann pushed through with her arms full of boxes and decorations. She stopped short and gaped at them. “Are you two still here ? For Pete’s sake, go on and have some fun!”
Jamie forced herself not to snarl at the interruption. Just when we were getting somewhere too.
“We’re going,” Oliver assured her. “Night!” He pulled Jamie over to his car and opened the door for her. “Get in quick, before she comes to give us in-depth instructions on what to do next.” It sounded like he was only half joking.
Jamie quickly slid into the front seat, but she’d been grateful for the interruption. She needed a minute, or twenty, to metabolize everything he’d said. It was an overwhelming amount of information to take in, considering she hadn’t even known if he was single a couple of hours ago.
And she was so fucking turned on.
She’d tried to tell herself that it was unlikely there would be any chemistry. That he was probably married. There was no reason to believe there would be anything between them.
She’d told herself that, even if all signs were positive, she wouldn’t expect more than a renewal of friendship. That anything more would be built slowly over time. She’d pictured more frequent trips home so they could slowly get to know each other again.
Apparently, she was a fucking liar. The worst kind of liar at that, since it was herself she’d been fooling. Now all she could think about was climbing him like a tree.
The car sank as he dropped into the driver’s seat. “Still feel like a meal?”
She was starving, but… “Actually… how would you feel about grabbing takeout and heading back to my mom’s house?”
One eyebrow slowly went up as he turned to look at her. “What happened to your mom’s rule?”
“I guess I’ll just have to break the rule, but my understanding is that you know how to deal with bad girls. Maybe you should punish me for it.” She hadn’t planned to say it, and she certainly hadn’t intended the teasing sing-song voice, but she didn’t regret it.
He just looked at her and a slow smile spread across his mouth. As the seconds ticked by in silence, she grew nervous and shifted in her seat. Finally she couldn’t take it anymore, and opened her mouth to say something, though she wasn’t sure what.
He got there first. “Is that your way of saying you’d like to try things with me in charge?”
It was, but she had a couple of questions before she committed. “Are you going to be bossy? Stern?”
His mouth twitched. “Probably. I’m a Dominant and that’s usually how it works.”
“Are you really going to punish me?” she asked, trying not to sound hopeful.
“If you need it.”
Jamie wasn’t sure if that meant he’d punish her if she acted up, or just that he’d do it if she needed him to. She decided the answer was probably just going to be ‘yes’ either way.
“Do I have to call you Sir?”
He snorted. “Sweetheart, people call me Sir all day long. I’m an officer, it’s part of the gig. I don’t mind it, but it doesn’t really hit my hot buttons. So, you can if you want. Or… you can call me Daddy, and you’ll be the only one.”
She liked that. She liked that a lot . “Daddy, huh?”
He nodded.
The title fit him so well. The caring. The dominance. The word seemed to caress the inside of her mouth, and it came out in a soft, breathy tone, “ Daddy .”
He groaned and closed his eyes. “Yep, that’s going to work just fine.