Chapter 11
CHAPTER 11
S uzi stared out the window for the four hundredth time that morning, once again not finding what she was looking for. What was taking so long?
“What’s up, Rosebud?” Deke called from the kitchen.
From the aroma drifting her way, it smelled like he was making pancakes. She loved pancakes. Deke always made them special. She’d eaten pancake stars, hearts, and dinosaurs. He’d even made sunshine pancakes with a smiley face made of chocolate chips and sliced strawberries around the edges for sunbeams. Yummy.
“Nothing, Daddy,” she called back and ran to the kitchen.
“No running in the house,” Deke growled. “Especially wearing nothing but socks.”
“Sorry, Daddy,” she said quickly. The last thing she needed today was cornertime and a grumpy Daddy.
She’d been so excited about what she’d ordered. She spotted something similar online right after Deke had become her Daddy. She’d had it delivered straight to Winnie’s customization shop under strict orders to keep it a secret.
Winnie had been worried at first, but before too long, she’d gotten excited about Suzi’s ideas. It was going to be the best ride the Littles in Darling had ever seen. Winnie wasn’t going to be able to keep up with all her new clients
“Have a seat at the table. I have special pancakes today,” Deke told her.
“Your pancakes are always special, Daddy. Nobody makes pancakes as good as you do.”
Yeah, she was laying it on thick, but she needed to cover all her bases. Sometimes Daddies got upset at the silliest things. She had a feeling if they lived anyplace colder, Deke would make her walk around covered in the padding people who trained attack dogs wore. Sheesh!
“Oh wow! I’ve never seen fireworks pancakes before. That’s so cool! We should take pictures of them, and I can post them on The Daily Nugget's social media pages. Or, or, hear me out… I could do an article for the paper and put pictures of all the delicious pancakes you make on the front page. We could have a banner headline that said Pancake Daddy Strikes Again. What’da you think?”
Deke paled at her brilliant suggestion.
“I think the fireworks show tonight would make a much better front page story.”
“Hmm, I’ll think about it. I have heard tonight’s show is supposed to be the best one yet. They said one of the fireworks would be in the shape of a flag. How cool is that? Wait, did you hear someone drive up?”
She jumped up, forgetting about not wanting a grumpy Daddy, and raced to the front door.
“Suzanna Blythe, you get back here. And walk.”
She’d had time to take a quick peek out of the front window and saw Gage pulling into his driveway.
“Daddy, that was only Gage! What is he doing driving down the cul de sac?”
“Sit down, naughty girl, unless you want the fire today to be on your bottom.”
Uh oh. The dreaded middle name. And that was his stern voice. It was a step worse than his strict voice but not quite as bad as his grumpy voice. She needed to do a better job of being good. She was just so excited.
“Yes, Daddy. I’m sorry. It’s just I’m excited.”
“I’ve never seen anyone so hyped about the Fourth of July. You really are one patriotic Little girl.”
“Um, yep. Yes siree, that’s me!” She stuffed an extra large forkful of pancakes into her mouth to shut herself up. She was going to ruin the surprise.
“I need to check something in the office. Do not get out of that chair while I’m gone. When I get back, that plate had better be empty. Get me?”
Her mouth was still full of pancakes, so she nodded. Deke had barely made it out of the room when his phone buzzed. She almost called Deke to tell him he left his phone on the table when Reid’s name popped up on the caller ID.
Suzi's heart almost ran up her throat and out of her mouth. What if Reid was calling her Daddy to ruin the surprise? That would be terrible. After a glance at the door to make sure Deke wasn’t close, she grabbed his phone, turned it to silent mode, and put it back on the table face down. She wanted to throw it away, but that might be going too far.
She stuffed down the rest of her pancakes. Normally, they were perfect, but today, they seemed to sit like lead in her stomach. She was so excited and nervous. When Deke started down the stairs, she put her plate in the sink and raced back to the window.
Winnie had to be there soon. As if her longing called to her friend, a huge truck bearing the Winnie’s Custom Creations logo turned the corner at the end of the street.
Suzi squealed in ecstatic glee and ran to the front door.
“Hold on a minute,” Deke demanded. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“It’s here, Daddy. It’s here!” she yelled and raced into the front yard.
“Suzanna Blythe Daily, I’m going to spank you so hard you’ll be standing up for a week. You get back inside.”
The truck pulled to a stop in front of Deke’s house. Reid hopped out of the driver’s side and stormed toward Deke. “Why in the fuck aren’t you answering your phone?” he snarled.
Deke pulled his phone from his pocket. Glancing at the screen, he turned a steely glare on Suzi. “That would be because somehow my phone was set on silent. Rosebud, you are going to be one sorry Little girl when I get my hands on you.”
Yikes! She would have said she’d seen Deke mad before, but now she was rethinking her position. His face was almost purple.
But that was okay. He’d get over it as soon as he saw what she’d bought.
Winnie slid off the passenger seat to join Suzi in the yard. Was it a trick of the light, or did Winnie grimace when her bottom scooted over the edge of the seat? The seats of those large trucks weren’t the most comfortable. She’d had to get her Daddy to give Winnie a ride in his Knight. Those seats were the bomb!
“Did it turn out?” Suzi asked as Winnie wrapped her up in a tight embrace. “Do you love it?”
“It did, and I do!” Winnie said. “You’re going to love it, too.” She lowered her voice to add, “It will totally be worth the price you’re going to pay.”
“Oh, was it more than the estimate?”
Winnie grinned. “My invoice didn’t change. But Daddies don’t like surprises. Your additional cost won’t be monetary, per se.” She glanced over Suzi’s shoulder and grinned. “I’ll let Uncle Deke explain.”
How would Deke be able to explain? Anyway, he was too busy talking to Reid. She glanced over at him just in time to see his back shoot ramrod straight.
“She bought what?” he cried out. Turning his sights on Suzi, he demanded, “You bought a car without talking to me? Have you ever bought a car before? There are lots of things to consider, little girl. I could have helped you get the best car at the best price. And you did it after you moved in with me. Did you not think to even mention it?”
She immediately shook her head, relieved she could be honest. She hated lying. “No, Daddy. I didn’t buy a car. I decided I didn’t really need one since Darling is so small.”
“I didn’t say she got a new car,” Reid growled. Winnie was right. He could be a big old grizzly bear. “I said she got a new ride.”
Deke’s gaze turned back to the truck before turning to Reid. “If it isn't a car, I don’t know why you brought the big truck.”
“Brother, I tried to warn you. But you should know this wasn’t a solo act on Suzi’s part. Winnie kept this project secret from me, too.” It was Reid’s turn to glare at Winnie. “We’ve already discussed how important it is not to keep secrets, haven’t we, Tinkerbell?”
Winnie threw an apologetic glance at Suzi and nodded. “Yes, Daddy. Thoroughly. No more secrets. Ever.”
Reid turned back to Deke. “Sorry, man, but we have new projects rolling in today, so we’re going to have to drop this off and head back to the shop. I’m afraid this is your shit to sort.”
“It looks like there are several things Suzi and I will be ironing out as soon as we are alone, too.”
That didn’t sound good. She didn’t like the way he was rubbing his hands together. She’d made it two weeks spank without getting spanked. Why did that disappoint her? Sure he’d given her the occasional swat, but nothing serious. Did he not believe in spanking? He threatened it often enough. But he hadn’t followed through. The Daddies in her books spanked all the time after all.
Not that she wanted to be spanked. Cause that would be crazy, right? She wasn’t a bad girl who went out looking for ways to get in trouble. But when she did break a rule, Deke would give her a stern talking to and warn her not to do it again.
But that was good. Sure, all her friends talked about getting their butts busted by their Daddies for things. She wasn’t jealous or anything like that. She was curious, though.
Did his not spanking her mean he didn’t care as much as other Daddies? That couldn’t be right. He showed her in a million ways every day he cared about her. She wasn’t going to worry about it. If his current attitude was anything to go by, it might be a moot point after today.
Reid had gone into the back of the truck to bring out her new ride. She ran there to watch but stopped short of the curb when Deke yelled, “Do not put a foot outside our yard, Rosebud.”
She stopped with at least six inches of grass to spare. No sense poking a Daddy beast that was already riled. Right?
The straps inside the back of the truck pinged and banged against the floor. Suzi wrung her hands in front of her so tightly she was going to have bruises as she bounced on her heels and waited.
Deke made it to her side as Winnie backed down the ramp, guiding Reid as he led her new baby onto the street.
Suzi could barely breathe through the excitement squeezing her chest. It was perfect! She was going to have the baddest ride in town. Shiny and sleek, with all the designs she and Winnie had talked about. Nothing could ruin this moment.
“You have got to be shittin’ me,” Deke growled.
Well, nothing but that.
Deke
Planting his feet next to the ramp shooting out from the back of the truck, Deke braced his hands on his hips, closed his eyes, and tried to picture bunnies playing in fields of clover. But the bunnies kept turning into Suzi, racing around the field on her new car.
“It will be okay,” Suzi said, reaching out to pat him on the arm.
He opened his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose to keep from throttling her. “Don’t bet on it,” he growled.
Swallowing his anger for now, he stepped back from the truck and waited. The bangs and thumps of straps from the back of the truck rapped like a snare drum in his head.
He’s been psyching himself up before he saw the proof of what Suzi had done. It couldn’t be that bad. She’d been without a car for a while now. Worst case scenario, she’d bought some tiny car he’d have to fold himself in half to get into. He’d much prefer to drive her wherever she wanted to go. He loved spending time with her, and that way, he could make sure she was safe.
Now he knew that wasn’t even close to the worst case. By a long shot.
Suzi had glanced back with trepidation as he’d crossed the lawn toward her. That should have been his first clue. She nibbled her lip and took several steps back, covering her bottom as she moved. Not that it was going to do her any good. His palm had a reckoning coming with her bare backside, and there was nothing she was going to do to keep it from happening. The fireworks this Fourth of July were all going to be coming from his house.
It was true she hadn’t lied. She had indeed not purchased a car without talking to him. It was so much worse than that. He blinked several times as Reid rolled the motorcycle down the ramp. But not just a motorcycle. No, not his girl. This was a Ducati Scrambler. One hot bike for an experienced rider. He’d never seen Suzi ride anything faster than a three-speed bicycle.
Oh, but it got even worse. Suzi’s Ducati was hot pink and had Hello Kitty designs covering it from front to back. He had no words, that is until Winnie handed Suzi a hot pink helmet with kitty ears.
What. The. Fuck.
Deke could hear nothing over the jackhammer of fury in his brain. She was never going to sit down again. The pure, unadulterated ire that raced through him made him want to slam his fist through Winnie’s truck. He just might have done it, too, if he hadn’t known how much it would piss off Reid.
For that reason alone, he tried to hold himself back. He really did. But no one could blame him for losing it, given the current situation.
Twisting her fingers into knots, she turned to him with that ridiculous helmet on her head. “Well?” she asked timidly, hope filling her eyes. “What do you think of my new ride?”
He looked down at her and calmly screamed. “Have you lost your ever-loving mind?”
His hands trembled as he raked them through his hair. Calm. He needed to calm down. She hadn’t even mounted the bike yet, much less ridden it. Much less driven it off the side of a mountain trying to take the hairpin curves out there. Or been found bleeding on the side of the road because someone wasn’t paying attention.
And yes, he knew that made him a hypocrite. He rode his Harley unless he was driving clients around. But he’d been riding for years, and he was a former Green Beret. And he knew the risk he was taking and didn’t pick his ride because it cost less to keep it fueled or she thought it was better for the environment.
Yeah, he sucked at calming himself down.
“So,” he said conversationally, tugging at his beard. “What about buying a motorcycle struck you as a good idea?”
Her fingers froze. Her shoulders squared as if she were readying for battle, but she still nibbled at her bottom lip. “I like it.”
“I have no doubt. It’s the most expensive yard decoration you’ll ever own because you’re never driving it.”
“And that’s our cue to leave you to it,” Reid said. Wrapping his arm around Winnie’s waist, he added, “Come on, Tink. We’ve got things to do.”
Suzi watched them drive away as if she had gone back in time and was watching the Titanic sail from port.
This had turned out so differently in her head. Sure, she’d figured he’d be concerned at first. But she’d thought he would listen to reason and calm down. Visions of long rides together up the mountain until they found the perfect spot to watch the sunset had captured her imagination.
The wind would twist and tussle her hair into snarls, impossible to brush out, but she wouldn’t care. She’d be with Deke, free and on the open road. When they found the perfect spot, he would hold her close as he kissed her senseless.
It was all so adventurous and romantic in her head.
But now Deke’s jaw pulsed with fury as he clenched and unclenched his jaw. She didn’t think he had caught the same vision as she had. Her bottom clenched in anticipation of maybe, just maybe, experiencing something she had only read about in her books.
He couldn’t be satisfied going from a bodyguard for the rich and renowned to being what amounted to a glorified chauffeur. Now, he wouldn’t have to cart her around all over the place. She’d been thinking of him as well as herself, and he was upset with her.
Hiding her trembling hands behind her back, she tried to do damage control. “Daddy, I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you before I bought my motorcycle. I?—”
He held up a hand to silence her. “Rosebud, believe me when I tell you this is a conversation you want to have inside. Let’s go.” With that ominous statement, he turned on a heel and stalked toward the house.
Those words were all it took to give her the sensation of breathing icicles. How could her breathing slow and her heart rate speed up at the same time?
He made it into the house before she took her first step. He was so mad. Well, of course, he was. She had messed up. Huge.
She considered hopping on her new motorcycle and speeding away, but since she had no experience other than riding her bicycle, she decided that might not be the best idea. There was no avoiding the discussion with Deke. Might as well go in there and get it over with. Besides, when Reid had rolled her motorcycle out of the delivery truck, he’d handed the keys to Deke.
He’d told her when she broke a rule, once she’d been punished, all was forgiven, and the slate was wiped clean. That had never been her experience. In her experience, mistakes became tools used in every future argument.
But she couldn’t very well stand out in the front yard forever.
You can do this. It’s just a spanking. How bad could it be?
Dragging her feet every step of the way, Suzi made the ten thousand mile walk across the front lawn. In one last desperate hope for a reprieve, she turned to see if Breezy was home. Maybe she would just happen to be standing in her front yard with a problem that demanded Suzi’s immediate attention.
Her hope of reprieve died as she scanned Gage and Breezy’s empty yard. With no other recourse, she trudged up the front steps, knees trembling, and entered Deke’s house. Time to face her Daddy.
She realized her mistake as soon as she made it to the living room. Too much time had passed between Deke going inside and her decision to bite the bullet and follow him. He stood facing her, feet planted wide, arms crossed over his chest, eyes blazing. He pointed at her and then to the floor right in front of him. It didn’t appear to be a suggestion that was up for debate.
She moved to the spot he’d indicated, only then noticing he stood in front of a chair he’d moved from the dining room table.
He started talking as soon as she stood before him. “Do you have any idea how much trouble you are in, little girl?”
She caught her bottom lip in her teeth again, trying to decide if that was a question she was supposed to answer. Before she could think of what to say, he placed his thumb on her captured lip and gently pulled it free.
His shoulders relaxed just a fraction. Taking her face in his hands, he glowered down at her. “What am I going to do with you, Rosebud? I’m doing everything I can to keep the Warriors from hurting you, and you turn around and buy something that will enable you to hurt yourself.”
Before she could adjust to the change in the conversation, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her to his chest. “Do you have any idea what would happen to you if someone in a car hit you while you were riding that thing? It would destroy me if something happened to you, Rosebud. I’d never get over it.” He pulled back to look down at her. “Tell me this. When did you buy it?”
“I’m sorry, Daddy. I would never want to hurt you. Not ever. I was just by myself at the house the day after you moved me in, and I heard you on the phone. Someone was asking you to do something, and it sounded important. You told them you couldn’t because you had to make sure I could get what I needed. I just wanted to have something I could go around town in so you wouldn’t be stuck taking me from place to place. I didn’t want to be that much trouble.”
Deke closed his eyes and lowered his forehead to hers. But not before she saw the pain her words caused him. Hurting him was the last thing she wanted.
“Have I ever said taking you where you want to go is too much trouble?” he asked.
Her lips trembled as she admitted, “No, Daddy. But people don’t tell you when you’re being too much trouble. They just leave whenever they wake up and realize it.”
He pulled back to meet her gaze. “I do not now, nor will I ever feel taking care of you is too much trouble. I want to take care of you. I need to do it. It’s as important to me as eating or breathing. The only pain you can cause me is by not letting me be there for you in whatever way you need me, no matter how big or small. Do you understand?”
She wanted to say yes. She really did. But she didn’t understand. It was too foreign to her. So she offered the next best thing. “I don’t understand, Daddy, but I believe you. I’m sorry I bought the motorcycle without talking to you.”
“Thank you, Rosebud. I appreciate that. But there are consequences to our choices. You broke several rules, didn’t you?”
Sniffling, she nodded. “Yes, Daddy.”
“Motorcycles are dangerous and put your health and safety at risk. That’s number one.”
She nodded again, trying to be brave but unable to keep her shoulders from slumping. He sounded so disappointed in her. She hated she’d let him down.
“Number two, why didn’t you tell Daddy you bought the motorcycle? You’ve had over two weeks to mention it, and you didn’t say a word.”
She wasn’t proud of it, but she thought about telling just one tiny white lie. It couldn’t make her situation worse. But she was braver than that, and her Daddy never lied to her. He was honest even when it hurt. He deserved the same from her.
“I didn’t tell you because I was afraid you would be mad.”
“I see. And why did you think I’d be mad?”
“Be-because I knew you wouldn’t like it.”
“Damn right,” he said, a small hint of the growl coming back into his voice.
“So, you kept something from me to keep from getting into trouble.”
She lost the battle with her tears. “Yes, Daddy. I’m sorry, Daddy. I promise I am.”
“I know you are now, little one. But hiding something from Daddy so you won’t get into trouble is still a form of lying, isn’t it.”
Rats. She hated having to admit she’d broken her rules. “Yes, Daddy.”
“You’ve earned a sound spanking, little girl. We’re going to take care of it right now. I don’t want to put it off and have you worry about it.”
She wanted to argue, but what could she say? She had deliberately done something dangerous, and she had lied about it. There was nothing she could say to deny it.
“We’re not going to decide what to do with your motorcycle today, but I’m parking it in the garage, and that’s where it is going to stay. Do I need to tell you what will happen if you so much as touch it without my permission?”
She shook her head. “No, Daddy. I won’t touch it.”
“That’s my good girl. Now, let’s get this over with. I know this is your first spanking, but you broke two very big rules. That is ten swats for each rule you broke.”
“Twenty spanks? No, Daddy, no! That’s too many. I already said I was sorry.”
“I know you did, Rosebud, and I appreciate that. That was the right thing to do. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t still consequences. Now, I want you to take off your panties and put them on the coffee table. Then you are going over my lap for your punishment. After we’re done, you are going to stand with your nose in the corner and think about what you could have done instead of buying something so dangerous and then keeping it from Daddy. Do you understand?”
She didn’t like it, but she understood, so she nodded. But then she froze. Thankfully, she had on a skirt, so she wouldn’t have to be naked from the waist down, but she had never taken her panties off so she could have her butt smacked before. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t even ask for help.
“Would you like me to help you with your panties, naughty girl?” Deke asked. Even though he didn’t sound angry, she scanned his face to be sure. The only thing she saw there was tenderness.
Face flaming, she stared at her shoes and nodded. “Yes, please, Daddy.”
He trailed his hands up her thighs, tucking his finger under the elastic at her hips. He slid her panties down her thighs and had her step out of them. She was mortified to see the wet spot from her arousal. As she stepped, the air brushed her naked pussy, making her even wetter.
How could getting scolded like a schoolgirl and being told she was getting her butt busted make her wet? But it had. Her pussy was throbbing, even though she pressed her thighs together once her panties were off.
Deke took her by the hand and led her back to the chair he’d brought into the room. After sitting down, he pulled her over his hard thighs. His legs were so long she couldn’t touch the floor with her feet or her hands. She grabbed his pants leg as he shifted her forward a bit more until her bottom was centered over his lap.
Suddenly, she panicked. This wasn’t at all what she thought it would feel like from reading about it in her books. She felt exposed and vulnerable, knowing she was powerless to stop him.
He pushed the hem of her skirt up to her waist, exposing her even more. Then he rested one large hand on her bare bottom. It covered one entire cheek. “I don’t think we need to do this. I know now I was wrong, and I promise I won’t ever do anything like that again, Daddy. Can’t that please be enough?”
“I’m afraid that’s not how it works, little girl. You are going to get a spanking and cornertime.” He rubbed his hand over her bottom, warming her skin. She relaxed slightly because it felt really good. “But before we start, I’m going to give you a safeword. Do you know what that is?”
She relaxed a bit more. “Yes, Daddy. I’ve read about them in my books.”
“Good,” he said. “This is going to hurt. That’s how spankings work. But if it gets too scary or hurts anything other than your bottom, your safeword is red. When you say red, everything stops. We’ll talk about what you are feeling and then you can decide if you can continue or if we need to come up with a different punishment. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Daddy,” she said.
She knew she could trust her Daddy. He would never harm her on purpose, but she was glad she had a way to communicate with him if it got to be too much.
“Alright. Spanking first. Ten for lying and ten for putting yourself in danger.”
He tucked his arm along her side and held her hip securely in the hand not rubbing her backside. “It is alright to cry, but you may not try to reach back and cover your bottom. If you cannot keep your feet down, I will hold them in place with my leg. Alright. A count of twenty.”
The hand rubbing her bottom disappeared, leaving her once again feeling exposed. She vowed not to do any of those things. She wouldn’t reach back or kick her feet or even cry. Twenty swats wasn’t that many. It would hurt, but how bad could it be?
Then, the first smack landed in the middle of her right cheek. Fire blazed across her skin, and her confidence disappeared. “Oh! That hurts,” she cried out.
“That’s what makes it effective,” Deke said.
He laid an equally hard smack on her left cheek, and she clenched her lips between her teeth to keep from crying out again. Two more smacks mirrored the first two, and she realized she’d been wrong. It didn’t just hurt. It was like a hundred bees stinging her bottom all at once. Her rear end was already on fire after just four swats from his paddle-like hand.
Her vow to stay quiet flew out the window. “Ow. Ouchie! I’m sorry!”
After two more smacks, she cried out again. “That’s enough.”
“That’s only four, little girl. Sixteen more to go.”
Sixteen more? She’d never survive!
He raised his arm again, this time delivering two smacks to each cheek. “Please, Daddy,” she begged. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry!”
“I’m glad to hear it. You’re doing such a good job taking your first spanking.” Then he continued, bringing his hand down again two times on her right cheek and then two on her left.
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
Suzi burst into tears. The entire surface of her bottom was scalding hot, and with thought to nothing but her future sitting capabilities, she brought her feet up to cover her aching butt.
True to his word, Deke scissored out his thigh and trapped her legs between his. Then he continued to pepper her bottom with spanks.
Suzi tried to breathe out and in at the same time. His hand seared her bottom like a branding iron. She’d had no idea it could hurt like this. The sting was fiery hot, and since he never smacked the exact same spot twice, there was no place on her bottom that wasn’t covered. No matter how she kicked, he held her in place.
This was going to be the end of her. She would be the first Little ever to experience death by spanking. No way could she survive. They were only halfway done.
She wanted to scream her safeword. But somewhere in the middle of the pain, the yucky feeling suffocating her had started to ease. She wanted them all the way gone. She’d earned this, and if this was what it took to wipe the slate clean, then she wanted it.
Deke paused just long enough to say. “Deep breath, Rosebud. I’m going to give you the last ones fast and hard, and then your spanking will be over.”
“Y-y-yes, Daddy,” she sobbed. Her nose was running, and her red eyes were puffy from all her tears, but she could do this.
“Okay, here we go.”
He did not lie. He brought his palm down hard and fast, this time five smacks to the center of her right cheek, then a matching five to the left. By the time he was finished, she was sobbing so loudly she almost missed his saying he was done.
She lay limp across his thighs, still promising to be a good girl from now until the end of time. Every muscle in her body was exhausted, and her backside throbbed in a rhythm that matched her heart. She couldn’t even think of moving.
He rubbed her back and waited for her sobs to slow before saying, “Sit up and straddle my lap, babygirl.”
She complied instantly. Something about being on his lap instead of over it with his arms hugging her close loosened more tears. She didn’t know she had that many tears. He kissed her hair and forehead and held her through them all.
“It’s all right,” he said. “Everything is fine now. It’s all over, and we never have to talk about it again. You are my brave, brave girl and Daddy is so proud of you.”
He held her until her tears slowed. The comfort of that was everything to her. Deke was such a good Daddy, even if he did spank hard. But now she was gripped with the fear she’d ruined everything.
He said everything was forgiven, but was it? She had to know for sure. Still sniffling, she leaned back slightly so she could see his face. “I really am sorry, Daddy. Even if I wanted the coolest Hello Kitty motorcycle in town, I should have told you so we could talk about it. Do you believe me?”
“I do, Rosebud.”
Well, that was good, but it wasn’t what she really needed to know. “Do you still want to be my Daddy?”
He cocked his head to the side, confusion painting his face. “What is going on in that beautiful head? You don’t need to worry about that.”
“But I was so bad. I’ll bet there are millions of Littles who wouldn’t even think about buying a motorcycle. One day, you might wake up and realize I’m too much trouble.”
He caught her chin between his thumb and finger and stared her in the eye. “What I’m about to say is very, very important, so I want you to listen. I will always want to be your Daddy, Suzi. That isn’t going to change just because you break a rule. I want to be your Daddy because of who you are, not what you do or don’t do. And that will never change.” He released her chin and wrapped his arms around her again, cocooning her in his embrace.
There was something in his eyes, some feeling there she couldn’t name, but it eased the tightness in her chest. She had never felt as safe as she did right then, on Deke’s lap, in his arms.
“I love holding you, Rosebud. We’ll stay here as long as you want, then you can do your cornertime.”
Argh! She’d forgotten all about cornertime. Cornertime was worse than spankings. Well, almost worse. At least she’d thought so until she’d gotten spanked. Recent events had realigned her opinion.
Heaving a dramatic sigh, she said, “I think I’m ready, Daddy. I know I’m ready for it to be over.”
“Yep, that’s a good thing,” he said with a grin. “You know what they say. Don’t like doing the time, don’t be doing the crime.”
She groaned, followed by laughter that bubbled up and escaped before she could stop it. Who could do that? Who else could have her walking to the corner for cornertime, skirt around her waist and crimson bottom shining, laughing?
Nobody, that’s who. Because she had the bestest Daddy in the whole world, and he wasn’t going anywhere.