Chapter 10
CHAPTER 10
Gordon
“Bar… I mean Bev wants to check out Blake and Lori before we all sit down,” Gordon said once they’d all returned to the lodge.
“I’m not surprised,” Derek said. “Are you sure you’re all good with this?” He gestured to the crowd around them. “Say the word, and I’ll change the plan.”
“But we want to hear the story too,” Sadie said.
Gordon looked at Bev who stood holding the hands of Lori and Blake. “What do you think?”
“Unless you want to spend the next week retelling the story a few dozen times?—”
Before Beverly finished, Gordon cut in. “I believe once will be quite enough for all of us.” As three heads nodded, he turned to address Derek. “How about we meet in a half hour. In your office?”
Derek chuckled. “I might have a large office, but believe me, it’s not big enough for this.” He took a moment to consider as suggestions of a meeting place were tossed out before he lifted a hand. “Thank you for suggestions, but I don’t believe we need to involve every guest, resident, staff member, or Little on the entire Ranch. That rules out the lobby. I’m not willing to put a deadline on how long this might take which rules out the cafeteria as people will be expecting lunch at some point. We’ll meet upstairs in the family room, Nurse MacIntosh knows where.”
Chef Connor spoke up. “I’ll have coffee and hot cocoa ready by the time you get there.”
“And cookies!” Hayleigh said and when her Daddy gave her his best stare, she shrugged and took his hand. “Everyone knows you can’t have cocoa without cookies, Daddy.”
“And sprinkles!” Haven suggested.
“Don’t forget marshmallows,” Wren called.
“Syrup!” Sadie shouted.
“Is it always like this?” Lori asked as her new friends enthusiastically voiced their suggestions.
“Pretty much,” Blake said with a grin. “Isn’t it great!”
“You coming, Daddy ?”
Gordon saw Bev grinning like the cat who’d swallowed the canary. “Lead the way, Mommy. ”
As they left behind what appeared to be the entire population of Rawhide Ranch, but obviously wasn’t according to the man who ran the place, Gordon couldn’t take his eyes off the trio walking slightly ahead of him. Letting the woman he’d known as Barbara Meadows walk away all those years ago had been one of the hardest things he’d ever done. Hearing her call his name, seeing her appear before him as Beverly MacIntosh had been shocking. But to also learn the man he’d known as Officer Brighton was her Little boy was just surreal.
“Okay, clothes off,” Beverly said the moment they’d entered what Gordon saw was an actual infirmary. “Gordon, can you help them as I get a tray ready?”
“Sure,” Gordon said, clapping his hands when the Littles just stood there. “You heard Mommy, let’s get these clothes off so she can make sure you’re okay.”
“We are okay,” Blake quickly informed him.
“Really?” Gordon’s brow arched as he reached out and touched Blake’s arm. Pulling his fingertip away, he held it up. “So what’s this?”
“Ketchup?”
The attempt had Gordon chuckle. “Lori, it seems your brother is just as sassy as you are.”
“It could be ketchup,” Lori said in Blake’s defense.
“Shall I smear it on a hotdog and serve it up for your lunch?”
“Ewwwww, no! That’s just gross!” As if realizing her defense had already proven weak, she looked up at Blake. “Sorry, but… ick!”
Blake grinned. “Yeah, that would be pretty icky. I prefer my hotdogs with mustard.”
It was silly but served to have both Littles collapse into giggles. Rolling his eyes, Gordon said, “Arms up.” Undressing giggling Littles was quite the feat, but Gordon tugged and pulled until both Littles stood in nothing but their underwear.
“Do either of you need to go potty first?” he asked. When both shook their heads, he looked down at his Little girl. “Do you need a diaper change?”
“No, Daddy, I’m not napping , remember?”
When her eyes flicked to Blake, Gordon realized it might have been better to ask her the question more privately.
Lori turned to meet his gaze. “It’s okay, Daddy. Blake is a big boy and wears panties, so he doesn’t need changing either.”
“I don’t wear a diaper or panties! I wear underwear! See!” Blake snapped the waistband of his briefs.
“Sorry. I didn’t know boys could have cute undies too. I have panties like yours, but mine are pink and have Skye on them instead of Marshall.” She gestured toward the Dalmatian puppy wearing a fireman’s uniform romping all over Blake’s briefs.
Gordon supposed it should have been awkward, but for some inexplicable reason it wasn’t. It was as if two separate pairs had existed, building their lives together, happy with each other yet feeling as if something was missing until today. To hear the two talk so openly together, made him smile.
“Enough about panties and undies, Mommy is ready to check you out.” He lifted Lori up to sit on the high bed, and when Blake climbed up to sit beside her, he wasn’t surprised, but felt a twinge of disappointment the Little hadn’t waited for his help.
“Well done,” Beverly said as she returned with a rolling tray.
Gordon noticed that when she pulled the cloth off to display its contents, Blake looked a bit relieved. He didn’t have time to consider why as Beverly handed him a bowl and a cloth.
“Wash whatever looks dirty. If you discover a scratch, stop scrubbing until I take a look at it and give my permission for you to continue. We don’t want any dirt left to infect a scrape but we also don’t want to make it worse. Any gouges might necessitate a call to Dr. Quincy or Dr. Carter to come?—”
“Bev, they didn’t fall off a cliff. I rather doubt they’ve been gouged.”
Hazel eyes flashed behind the lens of a pair of tortoiseshell glasses. “Oh, I wasn’t aware you’d returned to college to earn your medical degree.”
“I didn’t, I’m just saying?—”
“That’s what I thought. Now, back to the examination. Don’t swallow any story about how fine they feel. You’ll need to make sure to look at every inch. Any questions?”
Helping was one thing. Being bossed about was something else entirely. “Just one.”
When he didn’t continue, Beverly paused in soaking her own cloth and turned to look at him. “Well? Are you going to ask it or am I supposed to read your mind?”
Gordon heard both Littles inhale and caught them looking between him and Beverly as if watching a tennis tournament. If there was one thing he knew with absolute certainty, it was that if he screwed this up, they would be swept away by a tsunami of awkwardness.
Instead of answering her, he turned to the Littles. “If you’ll excuse us a moment?”
Two blonde heads bobbed, eyes wide as Gordon plucked the cloth from Beverly’s hand, took the bowl from her and set it on the tray along with his. When she simply gaped at him, he took her arm and led her to the next bed. Giving Lori and Blake another look, he said, “Stay right where you are. Blake, please make sure your sister doesn’t wiggle off the bed.”
“Yes, Sir,” Blake said as both his and Lori’s eyes followed his hand when it lifted to pull the curtain between the beds closed.
Lori’s “Wow” was answered by Blake’s “Double wow.”
Gordon grinned at the exclamations of the Littles before turning his attention to the woman who stood with her hands on her hips. “What do you think you’re doing?” she hissed.
“Trying to save you the embarrassment of having our Little eavesdroppers watch me smack your bottom,” Gordon said without hesitation.
“What!”
“I see you now wear glasses. But since there are no plugs in your ears, I’m assuming your hearing is still good.”
“My hearing is just fine, but you can’t threaten to?—”
“Spank you?”
Beverly’s cheeks began to turn pink as she sputtered, “You… you wouldn’t dare!”
“I’d think you would be a bit too young for senility to begin setting in. It may be almost five years since we’ve been together, but I rather doubt you’ve forgotten?—”
“I’m not the least bit senile, Gordon Sheffield, and you know it! I meant, you can’t!”
“Do you also have a Big responsible for you?”
“Of course not, there’s been no Dom since you.”
Leaning closer, Gordon calmly said, “In that case, do I really need to remind you that unless you safeword, not only can I, but I’m going to do exactly that. The only question is if I’m going to need to remove my belt as well.”
Beverly’s mouth opened and closed several times as her face flushed. She could fuss all she wanted, but Gordon knew this woman. He knew the way her pupils dilated and knew that beneath that cute little uniform of her profession, her nipples were already puckering tightly. He knew how her skin pebbled when he ran his tongue across it, and he’d never forget how lovely her ass looked when he’d bared it and applied his hand and more to her pale flesh. Hell, he even knew that at any moment her eyes would drop to glance at his waist…
The moment they did, he had to bite back a grin. The Domme in front of him was fading away as the submissive inside Beverly remembered exactly how this was going to go.
When her eyes lifted, the blush deepened at being caught staring at the buckle of his belt. “They… they’ll hear,” she whispered.
He followed her gaze as she looked toward the curtain where the light on the other side assured the silhouettes of Blake and Lori were clearly displayed against the white fabric. If he wasn’t mistaken, the two had not only moved closer together, they had turned to face the curtain and were leaning forward as if watching a scene from one of their favorite shows unfold. Well, didn’t they say the most memorable films were based on true stories?
Gordon took Beverly’s arm and turned her to face him. “Bev, think carefully. Do you see us becoming a family, all of us together?”
Beverly respected him and the question enough to give it some thought. She looked from him to the curtain, and when she lifted her face to his, her smile reflected her answer. “I not only see that, I want it with all my heart.”
“I do as well. So, yes, they will hear, and they’ll understand that while they will obey you with my unwavering support, you, Bev, will obey me. I might be Lori’s Daddy, but you need to remember I am still your Dom.”
Gordon released her arm and stepped back. He’d made his serve and the ball was in her court. It was up to her how the match ended.
You could have heard a pin drop. It was as if everyone was holding their breath, waiting to hear her answer and yet Gordon didn’t hurry her. This was a step she’d taken years ago but he’d go no further without her consent. He’d had no real idea of how much having it meant until she spoke.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have bossed you around. I-I guess I sort of forgot how it feels to, well, um… you know.”
“Bev, I need to hear the words.”
“How to submit.”
“Accepting me as your Dom?”
“You’re the only Dom I’ve ever had, but if you’re making me verbalize it?—”
“I am,” he said sternly. “Want to know why?”
She rolled her eyes but answered, “Because you’ve always been a stickler about safe, sane, and consensual.”
“True enough, and let’s not forget I can be pretty hard-nosed about rules as well, so I suggest you keep those gorgeous eyes from rolling like the bars and cherries on a slot machine.” Gordon’s grin softened the rebuke. “But the real reason is because I’ve missed the hell out of you, Bev, and I am both gobsmacked and incredibly grateful that we are all together again.”
“Me too,” she said as he pulled her to him, holding her tightly. After a few moments, she said, “Um, you’re squishing me.”
“Oh, sorry.” Gordon chuckled and relaxed his hold. “I think I was a bit scared I was going to wake up and discover this was all just a dream.”
“Pinch him!”
Their heads swiveled to look at the curtain to see Blake’s larger head leaning down as if to stare into Lori’s face. “That is not the cure for everything, you know.”
“It worked on you!”
“Shhhh, they’ll hear you.”
They’d have to be deaf not to, but it was Beverly whose words Gordon concentrated on. “It’s not a dream. It’s the most unexpected, incredible gift I could imagine. And, yes, Sir, I offer you my full consent.”
The words stirred more than memories. They had his heart clenching as he realized how much he’d missed this woman. As much as he loved Lori, he’d never stopped loving Barb—no, Beverly . He glanced back to the curtain. He had no doubt Beverly loved Blake and he loved her. He knew that, despite logic, Blake and Lori were already siblings. That left only Blake and himself as the unknowns.
He had spent hours wondering what had happened to the policeman who’d looked at him like he was a savior and had seen the young man’s eyes when the verdict had been given. He’d not needed to say a word for Gordon to understand he’d failed him. Gordon had not had a chance to speak to him that day and when he inquired about him, he’d been told that Officer Brighton had resigned and disappeared. Perhaps after hearing the part of the story he didn’t know, Blake would forgive him and would accept him as more than just Lori’s Daddy and come to love him as his own.
His attention returned to Bev when he felt her hand on his arm. As if knowing his thoughts, she said, “He’s an incredible young man with a heart as big as yours.”
Grateful, Gordon nodded and bent to brush his lips against hers, the memories of other kisses flooding through him. It was Bev who pulled away, giving him a smile. “We only have a half hour, remember?” Not waiting for his answer, she turned to place her hands on the bed beside them.
Gordon was about to plant his hand on the small of her back to hold her in place for her spanking when she looked over her shoulder. “Excuse me, Sir, but the Dom I remembered never spanked over clothing.”
With a grin, instead of pressing his hand against her back, he tugged her uniform up until it was wadded around her waist. Leaning close, he spoke into her ear. “Awfully scanty panties, Nurse MacIntosh.”
Beverly shrugged. “You’d prefer I wear granny panties?”
With a snort, Gordon stepped back. “Actually, I’d prefer you wear none at all.” With that, he pulled her thong to her knees and brought his palm down against her bare ass. His handprint bloomed against her pale skin and she gave a little yelp. Or perhaps the yelp had come from behind the curtain, he wasn’t sure, but it didn’t really matter. What did was that with a single swat, he’d asserted his authority.
Of course that didn’t keep him from delivering eleven more to make sure that everyone on both sides of the curtain understood what would happen if they decided to question that authority.