Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Catharina
By the time we’re through with the enema and her bath, my little imp is thoroughly exhausted, enough that I was tempted to call Doctor D and reschedule.
But that would mean we’d have to go through the entire process again in a few days’ time, so as hard as it was for both of us, I had to quell the urge to coddle her.
Curled up beside me in the back of my car, she whimpers softly every time she shifts, likely due to the lingering effects of her painful morning.
My heart twists at the pitiful sounds and I press a kiss to the top of her head for comfort.
I wouldn’t change a thing about this morning, but I do feel…
not guilty, I don’t think, but perhaps regret that my Little girl has had such a difficult time over the past twenty-four hours.
As much as I have enjoyed punishing my naughty little one, I do want her to be happy here.
Tapping her arm gently, I point out the window as we enter the downtown area of our little island. “Look, baby. There’s Solene’s. And the cafe, where we’ll go to get something to eat after your appointment.”
With a quiet sniffle, she sits up and rubs at her watery eyes. “Is that a toy store?”
“It is. If you’re a very, very good girl for Doctor D, Mommy will take you to pick out some new toys if you want.”
“What kind of toys?”
“Whatever kind you would like. There’s an entire section dedicated to nothing but stuffed animals. All of the other Littles on the island have their own. We could pick out a special one, just for you.”
“Really?” Eyes bright with excitement, she bounces excitedly in her seat, the winces and shifts up to her knees, taking the pressure off her sore bottom as she stares longingly out the windo. “I haven’t had a stuffed animal in forever.”
My heart twists at the thought of my sweet babygirl being deprived of anything, but I set that aside and smile at her. “Really, baby. As long as you behave yourself for Doctor D, you may pick out one stuffed animal and one other toy at the store.”
“Okay, Mommy!”
There have been a few moments since yesterday where I’ve wondered if she’s just been putting on a show for my benefit.
But right now, seeing how excited she is over a new stuffed animal, I know deep in my soul that even if she’s not ready to admit it, there is a Little girl hiding inside my Alexis Paige.
And I am just the woman to bring her out and give her all the love and discipline she needs to flourish.
Alexis
The car rolls to a stop in front of a building with “Doctor’s Office” printed on one window. All around the words are drawings of rainbows and suns and what appear to be unicorns.
Maybe Doctor D isn’t so bad, after all.
That thought is dispelled the second we step inside the lobby. A pretty blonde woman is bent over the front desk, sobbing loudly as the man pinning her down smacks her bare ass with what looks like a wooden ping-pong paddle.
Bells ring above our heads, alerting them to our presence, and the man pauses to smile at us. “Catharina. Lovely to see you again. I just need a minute with my naughty Little girl and then Camilla will take you back to your exam room.”
“Of course, Doctor D. Take all the time you need.” Catharina crouches beside me as the doctor swings the paddle again and the woman’s loud cries echo around the room. “There are some toys over there in the corner if you want to play while we wait, babygirl.”
“Um. Okay. Sure.”
Doing my best to ignore the wails coming from the front desk, I settle on the floor and try to focus on the toys in front of me.
One of them looks exactly like something I remember from my actual childhood, interlooping strands of plastic each with its own little figure meant to be moved from one side to the other.
While it isn’t a difficult task at all, it’s enough to distract me until the sounds of wood meeting bare flesh cease and the doctor pulls the weeping woman into his arms.
“Are you going to be a good girl and finish your paperwork on time today, Camilla?”
I peek up from my toy, fascinated as the woman nods and swipes at her streaming eyes. “Y-yes, Daddy. I’m sorry I was so bad.”
“You weren’t bad, little one. You made some very naughty choices, but you are still my sweet sunshine, even when you’re naughty. Understood?”
A tremulous smile curves the woman’s lips. “Yes, Daddy. I understand.”
“That’s my good girl. Let’s go get you cleaned up and into a fresh diaper, and then you can get your Auntie Cat and her Little one settled.
” Glancing over his shoulder, he flashes us a surprisingly warm smile.
Or at least it’s surprising to me, given what I just witnessed.
“I apologize, but we’ll be a few minutes longer. ”
Catharina waves a hand, as if batting away his words. “No apologies needed. We don’t have anywhere else to be right now.”
I watch them leave, curiosity welling inside me until I can’t hold it back any longer. “Is everyone here like you and Uncle Max?”
“Yes.” Reaching over, Catharina runs a hand over the curls she carefully refreshed for me this morning, and though I don’t want to find the gesture soothing there’s no denying the way my stomach stops jumping at that simple touch.
“Not everyone has found their Little one yet, but nearly everyone on the island is a Mommy or a Daddy. With the exception of the ranch hands, who seem to prefer Pets to Littles.”
“I can’t blame them. I like animals more than most people, too.”
Her laugh rings out, loud and delighted as she gives my curls a gentle tug. “You and me both, little imp. Would you like to visit the farm sometime and see the animals?”
“Can we?” It’s the first truly exciting thing I’ve heard since I set foot on that plane. “Can we go now? Please, Mommy?”
“Not today, little one. We have too much to do. But soon, I promise.”
Puffing my bottom lip out, I clasp my hands together and widen my eyes enough to bring tears to them. “Please, Mommy? I’ll do anything.”
For a moment, I think she might cave. But then she grips my chin, forcing my head back as she leans in, her lips curved up in that wicked smile I remember from before. “Anything, little one?”
“Um. Well. I guess that depends on what ‘anything’ means.”
“Smart girl,” she murmurs, brushing a kiss over my lips. “Promising a woman like me ‘anything’ is a dangerous move, little imp. Keep that in mind the next time you’re tempted to bring out the crocodile tears.”
It’s not all for show when my bottom lip trembles.
There’s a sharp pain just beneath my heart, and I’m not sure if it’s just the embarrassment of being so thoroughly chastised, or if I do actually feel guilty for trying to manipulate her.
“I just wanna go see the animals,” I mumble, dropping my gaze to the low v-cut of her dress.
Her breasts swell as she quietly sighs, and for a second I’m distracted from my disappointment by the thought of what that smooth, creamy skin might taste like.
“And you will, baby, just not today,” she says, once again nudging my head up so I have no choice but to meet her onyx gaze. “Okay?”
It’s tempting to argue some more, but I’m still so sore from my punishment. And, I can admit at least to myself, I don’t really want to fight when she’s being so nice. “Yes, Mommy.”
“Good girl.”
Her praise washes over me, melting away the yucky feelings her scolding left behind, and I’m able to return her smile.
But before I can say anything else, someone clears their throat, drawing Catharina’s attention away from me and to the pretty blonde in the doorway. “Um, we’re ready for you, Auntie Cat.”
“Thank you, Camilla.” Rising from her seat, Catharina holds out a hand to me.
“Come on, Alexis. Time to go see Doctor D.”
My heart lodges in my throat, but I manage to gather enough courage to place my hand in hers and let her draw me to my feet. Camilla beams at us, the brightness of her smile somehow not dimmed at all by the redness around her watery eyes.
“It’s nice to meet you, Alexis. I’m Millie, and I’ll be your nurse. Has your Mommy told you anything about what to expect?”
“Not really. But I’ve been to the doctor before.”
Millie glances up at Catharina, and jealousy churns in my stomach at the look they share, and the smile Millie isn’t quite able to hide. “Visits with Doctor D are a bit more… intimate than you might be used to.”
“More intimate than getting cold metal shoved up your vajayjay?”
Giggling at my dry response, Millie shrugs and pushes open a door to an exam room. For the most part, it looks like your typical doctor’s office, except for the dozens of childlike drawings on the walls.
“Daddy’s been letting me decorate,” Millie explains when she catches me studying what looks like it might be a picture of a horse. If the person drawing it had never actually seen a horse and was trying to draw it based only on someone else’s description of a horse.
But I’m not a complete bitch, and even if I was, Catharina’s presence would be enough to keep my tongue in check, so I summon a smile for Millie and nod. “They’re really pretty.”
“Thanks!” Pride all but shines out from her as she grins at me. “I know I’m not much of an artist, but I have fun. We get to draw almost every day at school.”
School. Right. Mommy told me all about school and ballet classes. “Do you like school?”
Millie’s whole face lights up. “I love it! Sometimes I wish I could go every day like the others, but Daddy needs my help here a couple days a week still. Have you met the other Littles?”
“Just Victoria. I don’t think I want to go to school, though.”
Raising a single brow, Catharina pins me with a stern look. “It’s not up for debate, Alexis. We can talk about it more at home.”
“Sorry.” Pink slashes across Millie’s cheeks as she shifts nervously from foot to foot. “I didn’t mean to cause a problem.”
Catharina’s expression softens as she flashes a warm smile at Millie, and again I feel that ugly twist of jealousy in my stomach that my Mommy is giving that approving smile to someone else.
“You didn’t do anything wrong, sweet girl.
But we should probably get moving before your Daddy comes in and catches us dillydallying. ”
Sweet girl. There’s that term again, the one I want to tuck away somewhere and keep just for myself.
And what the fuck kind of word is “dillydallying” anyway?
“Sorry, Auntie Cat.” The blush on Millie’s cheeks darkens. “I’m just so excited for the final member of our family!”
Behind me, Catharina chuckles softly. “I’m sure your Daddy will understand your excitement. But we should still get started. What do we need to do first?”
“Um. Blood pressure and temperature.” Millie sighs, her shoulders slumping slightly as she flashes me an apologetic smile.
“I’m gonna go ahead and apologize for that ahead of time.
Daddy caught on that I was taking Nelly’s temperature the grown-up way and he was super mad. So we gotta do it the Little girl way.”
“What does that mean?”
Before Millie can explain, Catharina pulls me toward her, flipping me over her left knee with an ease that knocks the air from my lungs.
“It means the thermometer goes in your bottom instead of your mouth, little one. Now be a good girl for Mommy and stay still while Millie shows me how to take your temperature.”
Horror rises in my chest and I kick my legs in a desperate attempt to dislodge myself from her lap. “Mommy, no! I wanna take it the right way!”
“This is the right way, Alexis Paige.” Two stinging swats land on the tops of my thighs, immediately ceasing my struggles. “If you keep fighting me, I will spank your bottom red and there will be no trip to the toy store after our visit. Am I understood?”
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I know that I’m not actually a child.
But I certainly feel like one right now, with my thighs stinging from Mommy’s discipline and my chest aching from the weight of her scolding.
And dammit, I really, really wanna go to the toy store, for reasons I can’t even begin to fathom.
Whether I understand it or not, though, the desire is enough to have me blinking back tears as I nod. “Yes, Mommy. I understand.”
“That’s my good girl. Let’s get this diaper off you now.”
Embarrassment heats my entire body as she strips the diaper from me, exposing me to the entire room.
Which is only her and Millie, who I assume is a real nurse despite the odd circumstances, so I shouldn’t feel so humiliated by my nudity.
But I do, and I cover my face and let out a low moan as Catharina uses one hand to spread my bottom cheeks open wide.
“Okay, so, you want to dip the bottom of the thermometer into the petroleum jelly before you put it in her bottom.”
“Like this?” Catharina asks.
“Perfect! Now, you don’t want to just shove it in, you want to push it in slowly and kind of rotate it from side to side so you don’t hurt your Little one.”
“Thank you, Millie. You’re being so helpful.”
Again I’m left with that twisting in my gut listening to my Mommy praise someone else. “It’s almost like that’s her job,” I mutter to myself.
But I obviously wasn’t quiet enough, because Catharina’s voice is sharp and scolding when she speaks again. “You have just lost one toy at the store for your rudeness, little girl. Apologize to Millie.”
“No! That’s not fair!”
Something cold presses against my bottom hole, and I instinctively clench against the invasion. But Catharina pushes it further in despite my attempts to keep it out, twisting and turning it just like Milie told her to.
“Apologize to Millie or when this thermometer comes out of your bottom, you’ll be getting reacquainted with Mommy’s hairbrush, Alexis Paige.”
Not getting a trip to the toy store would be a bummer, but another spanking with Mommy’s hairbrush would leave me sore and aching the rest of the day. Eager to avoid that fate again, I rush to apologize. “I’m sorry, Millie.”
“It’s okay. I know this kinda sucks.”
Surprisingly, her words ease some of the humiliation still flooding my body. “It really does.”
“But it’s important. Daddy can seem kinda mean, especially during an exam, but he really does just want to make sure you’re healthy.”
“That’s right, little one,” a deep voice says from the doorway, and when I look up I find the silver-haired doctor there, smiling at his Little girl. “Now, let’s get these vitals finished up so we can begin Alexis’s exam.”