Chapter Eleven
Rouge
I was angry. A tight ball in my belly had formed this morning and it had grown and grown all day. At 3 pm I felt like it might actually split me in two. I knew what I was supposed to do, but I couldn’t make myself do it. Today was my first day back at work since the attack. Leland stayed with me for ten whole days. He’d slept on my couch and never once advanced sexually–the perfect gentleman. Every morning, he’d woken me with chocolate milk and pancakes shaped like animals.
After breakfast he would hold me in his lap and we’d snuggle while I had a sippy cup of juice and watched cartoons.
This morning, I had pancakes and juice, but no snuggles.
Then Paisley got sick and she was laying in my Daddy’s lap waiting on her Daddy to come get her. Logically, I knew she didn’t know she was in Daddy’s lap. She was feverish and slightly delicious, but I found myself wanting to throw stuff at her too.
It was very unkind of me because I was also very worried about her, but I wanted to be worried about her while she laid in Smoke’s lap or something.
I stomped across the shop and into Daddy’s office.
“Sam’s going to be here in fifteen minutes.”
“Thank you, Sugar.”
That was it? That was all I got?
“Your office smells like ass and armpits.” What the fuck, Rouge?
“Watch your mouth, Little one.”
“How can I watch it? It’s on my face, I can’t see it.”
Daddy’s eyebrow raised and my tummy flipped.
“Rouge,” he started. The bell over the door chimed and I raced to the front, ignoring him.
“Hey Sam. I’ll get you checked in,” I greeted.
“Thank you, Rouge.” How are you feeling?”
Most of the small town knew about the attack and I’d had to answer this question so many times that my answer felt rehearsed.
“I’m feeling much better. Thank you for asking.”
“Good. We can’t have the best artist in Strickland down and out.” I’d realized after this week, just how loved I was by the town too. Even though they’d often seen my fits of temper, they still loved me, just like my Daddy and the rest of my friends..
“If I’m the best artist, how come you have Leland tattoo you?” I teased, making him chuckle.
“Because you were full for the next six months when I started coming here, sassy pants.”
Laughing, I went to tell Daddy that Sam was here, only to be reminded of the thunder twat in his lap. I slapped my hands over my mouth when I thought those words about Paisley. I loved her. The jealousy monster just had a tight hold on me.
“Sam’s here,” I told Leland while trying to calm the monster inside of me.
“Rouge, Daddy wants to talk to you. It was rude…”
I covered my ears with my hands. “I can’t hear you.”
“Rouge Mary Kay!” he scolded, before pulling a thermometer from under Paisley’s arm. He looked relieved, so I knew that must mean it was lower.
Rolling my eyes, I removed my hands, hating that he’d used my entire name. I was named Rouge Mary Kay because my momma was selling Mary Kay when Emily and I had been conceived and the Rouge Cream Formula had been her biggest seller. I wasn’t sure why Emily had gotten an actual name.
“Go have a seat in the naughty chair.”
“No.”
“Excuse me, Little girl?”
“No, I don’t want to sit in the naughty chair. I’m not the one being naughty.”
“Really? You don’t think saying ugly words and then walking away when Daddy was talking to you was naughty?”
Tapping my long black acrylic on the door frame of his office, I pretended to consider his words. “No.”
“No?” he asked, incredulously.
“No. You’re being naughty though.”
“I’m being naughty?”
“Yes. Why do you keep repeating what I’m saying? Is it your hearing? Is it ‘cause you’re so very old?” Ohmygosh.
“Please tell me how I’ve been naughty? Have I been disrespectful?”
“No.”
“Have I walked away while you were talking to me?”
“No.”
“Have I said ugly words?”
“N-no.”
“Then how was Daddy sassy to you?”
I scrubbed my foot along the tile on the floor. “I dunno.”
“Go. Sit. In. The. Chair.”
“Yes, Daddy,” I answered, running to safety. I sat on the pretty chair in the corner of his office. Despite it being used for punishments, Daddy had made it so pretty. It was white with pink, green, and teal polka-dots on it and it had a pink frilly cushion for me to sit on. There was a timer attached to the back that only a top could touch, but you could hear each second as it ticked by. That part was maddening.
It felt like I was going to be here for a very long time considering Daddy hadn’t even set the timer yet. Poor Sam. I bet he thought I disappeared.
The bell over the door rang again and I turned to look at Daddy.
“Leave it.”
I knew the other artists were more than capable of getting it, but I kinda liked to greet everyone.
Heavy footsteps filled the hallway and Daddy’s office. “Thank you so much, Leland.” Onyx said, holding his arms out for Paisley who ran into them..
“No problem. I hate that she’s sick, but she didn’t vomit again and her temp was down to 102.8 when I checked last.
Vomit? I felt instantly bad. I didn’t know she’d thrown up.
“Thank you. I called Elliot on the way here and he’s meeting us at the hospital. She finished all of her antibiotics for strep and seemed to be better. He’s going to admit her to make sure it’s not antibiotic-resistant.”
Guilt made my tummy hurt and I reached down to rub it.
“Let us know what they say and if you guys need anything.”
“I will, thank you again.” he said. There was the sound of shuffling around, a whine, some soft words, and then more footsteps before the office door shut.
“Come here, Little girl,” Daddy commanded.
Uh oh.
Standing, I walked as slow as I could to him. “I think I should go check on Sam.”
“Kay is setting up my station for me. I would have liked for my best girl to do it, but it seems she was having some kind of tantrum.”
***
Leland
I was so fucking proud of Rouge. Yes, she’d been a total brat this morning, but she hadn’t used hurtful words—well besides calling me old—or gotten physical.
“Do you want to tell Daddy why you were so naughty this morning?”
“No.”
Laughing, I shook my head. “Daddy shouldn’t have phrased it like a question. Tell Daddy why you were such a brat this morning.”
“I’m so mad at you.”
“Why, sugar?” I asked, pulling her between my legs.
“Because.. Because… You’re a cactus-cock.”
“A cactus-cock?”
“Yas!”
“Would you like to elaborate on why you feel like Daddy qualifies as a cactus-cock?”
“You didn’t snuggle me this morning!” she wailed.
“No baby, I didn’t. I let you sleep as long as you could so you would feel well rested for your first day back.”
“Oh.”
“Oh,” I repeated.
“Y-You snuggled Paisley.”
“Aw, baby.” I lifted her into my lap. “I wasn’t snuggling Paisley. I was making sure she didn’t vomit again while waiting on Onyx. I was worried she would aspirate so I was holding her.”
“W-what does aspirate me?”
“It means that since she wasn’t fully alert, she could have gotten some of the vomit in her lungs and it could have made her very sick.”
“Oh. I don’t want her to be very sick,” she sobbed.
Learning forward, I kissed her forehead. “I know you didn't, baby. You were just struggling with a little jealousy, huh?”
She nodded.
“Go grab Boo from your backpack and come back to my office okay?”
She wiped her face with her hands, but I quickly caught them and dried her tears with a tissue. Once she was tear free she raced from the room. I used the time to text Kay and ask her to go ahead and set up Sam’s stencil. Sam was a Daddy too and he would understand my Little emergency. After the text sent, I stood and opened the mini fridge in my office. Grabbing the pink sippy cup, I walked over to the couch and sat down.
Rouge rushed back into the room holding her bat stuffie.
“Come here and snuggle with Daddy, Sugar.”
She ran into my arms and plowed into me with enough force to take my breath away. She quickly scaled my legs and was in my arms in no time. I handed her the juice and tipped her back so she could suck it. I wondered what she would think of a bottle, maybe some days she wanted to be in a younger headspace. Making a mental note to talk to her about it later, I patted her bottom.
“Thank you, Daddy.”
“For what, baby?”
“For giving me what I needed.”
“Daddy will always give you what you need, including the spanking you have coming for your tantrum today.”
She flushed adorable and nodded. “Yes, Sir.”
“Tonight before dinner your cute booty is going to have to pay the price for your actions today.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“I am very proud of you, though, Little one. You were upset and angry, but you didn’t say any unkind words, or run away…”
“Or throw anything,” she interrupted, making me chuckle.
“Or throw anything.” I agreed. “You did still get angry, but there was a great deal of improvement and honestly, your fit was very… Little girlish.”
She nodded. “Yeah. I didn’t wanna hit her, just get her outta your lap.”
Laughing, I squeezed her tight. “I adore you, Sugar,” I said, kissing her nose.
***
“Ouchie. Ouchie,” Rouge cried as I brought the brush down on her bottom.
“Your ouchie bottom will help you remember that Daddy will always keep his promise, even if that promise is to blister your ass.”
“Daddy,” she cried, kicking her tiny feet.
“That’s right. I’m your Daddy and there was no reason to be jealous today, was there, Rouge?”
“No, Daddy.”
Four swats to the backs of her thighs made her screech, but didn’t hinder my goal to make sure her ass matched that fiery temper of hers.
“Did you need to be disrespectful today because you were upset with Daddy?”
“N-No, Daddy.”
Three spacks bounced off her left cheek.
“What should you have done when you were upset with me?”
“T-Talked to you about it.”
Three smacks on the right cheek caused her to squeeze my calf.
“That’s right, Daddy will always listen when you need to tell him something. He would never walk away from you, cover his ears, or say mean things about your age would he?”
“N-No, Daddy! I’m sorry!”
Six more spanks with the brush, all evenly distributed, left her a sobbing mess over my knee. I helped her to her feet and kissed her mouth softly.
“You did so well, sugar. You took your spanking like such a good girl. I know that was hard. Fifteen minutes in the corner and then Daddy’s gonna hold you the rest of the night, okay, Little one?”
“O-Okay, Daddy.” She followed the direction of my finger to the corner closest to the door.
“I’m setting a timer, baby.” Before I could even press start, she rushed back into my arms and kissed me hard on my mouth. “I love you Daddy. I love you so much. Thank you for giving me what I needed even if it was super ouchie.”
Wrapping my arms around her, I kissed her back. “Oh, sugar. I love you too.” Wiggling from my grip, she put herself back in the timeout corner while I sat on the bed smiling like I’d just won the lottery. Hell, I had just won the lottery. Rouge still had a long way to go with her healing, but I was so fucking honored to get to be by her side during her journey and I couldn’t wait to see what our future held.
THE END