Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Essie had breathed a sigh of relief when Zander and Ivan guided the last massive chair out of the attic.
Her aunt and uncle had kindly provided a bunch of faded but viewable photos of the ballroom as that beautiful space had been years ago.
Whoever had stored the furnishings on the top floor had grouped together the pieces in the east corner.
As soon as the cleaning crew could polish them to their original shine, Essie could arrange the ballroom in its original glory.
Even wearing a mask over her mouth, she’d had to work in short segments in the attic to avoid dust problems. Essie had decided Zander must be part dust bunny because nothing bothered him at all.
He’d helped her with the ballroom and cleaning the nursery.
Now that they’d rescued everything from the storage area, he could concentrate on that special room on their third floor.
That third key still intrigued Essie. She had searched the sitting area and their bedroom but hadn’t found another concealed keyhole. Whatever that last key opened had to be inside the nursery. Zander had confiscated the keys to keep her from searching until the hidden room was safe for her.
Glancing up from her computer, Essie wondered if he’d left those keys in their room somewhere.
She could go take a quick peek while he was working on his estate.
In a flash, she reached the staircase. Slowing down between the second and third floors, Essie had second thoughts.
Zander would not be happy if she poked her nose back into the nursery.
She pushed possible consequences out of her mind and powered up the last few steps. The door to the suite of rooms sat cracked open. “Sara? Are you up here cleaning?” Essie called.
When no one answered, she figured Sara had simply missed getting the latch clicked fully. Essie could smell the lemon wood polish Sara always had the staff use to make the rooms so appealing. To ensure no one was tidying the bathroom, Essie walked through the rooms quickly. The place was deserted.
If Zander had left the keys, they’d have to be in a drawer.
Essie ran her hand inside each section of the dresser Zander had claimed.
He didn’t have a lot of clothes in the mansion since his things were still being fumigated back at his estate.
Finding nothing, she checked his pants hanging in the closet and even searched inside the duffel he’d brought to the room.
Sighing deeply, she propped her hands on her hips and looked around the bedroom. “If I were a set of keys, where would I be?”
“Buried deep in my pocket, away from a Little girl who’s not supposed to explore,” Zander said.
“Oh!” Essie whirled around to see Zander leaning against the doorframe. “Hi!” Instantly, her heart rate sped into overdrive. He’d caught her.
“Hi, yourself. What are you up to?”
How long had he watched her? “I decided to take a break, and I wanted to see if there were any more photos I should check out.” That sounded logical, right? She watched his face, hoping he wasn’t suspicious.
“Don’t you think Sara would have found them when she cleaned these rooms?” Zander asked, walking toward her.
“Maybe not. I mean, Sara’s great at her job, but she wasn’t searching for photos.” Essie felt a twinge of guilt for suggesting Sara would miss anything.
“Your aunt took everything before she closed the rooms, remember?”
“Things could fall down behind a dresser or in the back of the closet,” Essie suggested, trying to cover her tracks in case he’d seen her searching.
“True.” Zander stopped a foot away from her and studied her.
His blue eyes seemed to stare into her soul. Essie swallowed hard. He hadn’t guessed what she was really doing, had he? He pushed his hand into his pocket and pulled out the keys. “You weren’t looking for these, were you?”
“Why would I need those?” she asked, hoping she sounded innocent.
“Why indeed? Unless you’d chosen to be naughty and you wanted to peek into the nursery?”
She widened her eyes as if in shock. “Oh, no. You told me to stay out of the nursery until you got the room completely cleared of dust.”
“I did.” That blue gaze didn’t waver. “Anything you want to tell me before you get yourself in any more trouble?”
“I didn’t come up here to check out the nursery,” Essie promised.
“I’m glad to hear that. Did you come up here to find the keyhole the small key fits?”
This time she didn’t have to fake the shock on her face. “How did you know?”
“You never forgot anything when you were a kid. I figured that was a permanent character trait. I’ve waited to see how long it took you to decide to search.”
“That’s totally wrong, Zander.”
“Daddy.”
Essie definitely wouldn’t argue with him now. Maybe she could distract him and get herself out of hot water. “That’s totally wrong, Daddy. You shouldn’t be suspicious of me.”
“You’re right. I shouldn’t assume you’d be naughty. So why were you looking through my jeans?”
“Maybe I was searching my pants,” she bluffed. The closet was dark. He might have seen a pair of pants in her hands, but they could have been hers.
“What were you checking for in your pockets?”
“I have a flash drive missing. I thought I might have left the device in the clothes I wore yesterday.” Whew. Good answer. She was home safe now.
“I thought you said you were looking for photos?” he asked casually.
Crap! She had told him that. “I came up here for the photos and remembered the flash drive, so I checked for it while I was upstairs. Thank goodness I thought of it, so I didn’t walk back down and have to climb those stairs again.”
“Do not move, Little girl.”
Essie froze in place at his stern tone. The easygoing questioning had evaporated. She was in trouble.
Zander turned and walked to close the door. He took the keys out of his pocket and secured the old-fashioned lock. She swallowed hard when he headed for the nursery door. He unlocked it and disappeared inside before returning with an elaborately carved wooden box. Essie didn’t dare follow him.
“I’m very glad I discovered what that small key opened and that I took the time to clean everything in that built-in cabinet where the key fit. This will come in handy now.”
“There’s a built-in cabinet?” she asked eagerly.
“Yes. And the space is filled with all sorts of things a Daddy needs to take care of his Little girl. This had a set of instructions written in Hindi. Something your uncle had picked up on holiday, perhaps.”
“What is that?”
“A set of reminders for Little girls who lie to their Daddies.”
“Reminders?” she echoed.
“Yes. Let me show you.” Zander carried the case to the bed and set it on top of the comforter. Releasing the latches on each side, he opened the case and stepped back for her to see clearly.
“What….” The rest of that question evaporated from her mind. Essie recognized the metal devices inside. Each was shaped precisely to range from thin to thick, with a rounded tip, a gradually widening shape that shrank before a wide base at the end. The box contained a set of anal plugs.
“Daddy….” She struggled to find something to say. Essie couldn’t figure out if she was horrified or fascinated. Or both. She shifted back and forth uncertainly.
“I think these will do wonderfully to remind you not to lie to your Daddy. Maybe not this skinny one,” he suggested, picking up the smallest. He considered it as she looked on in horror before he replaced that plug.
He glided his fingers over the second and paused, as if considering it, before plucking the third out of the velvet-lined box.
“This one seems perfect. Well, this size would be ideal if my Little girl admitted that this total farce about coming upstairs for a flash drive or photos or some other reason you create next wasn’t the truth. This plug would be for a Little girl who confessed she lied.”
Essie couldn’t tear her eyes away from the plug. Her bottom clenched as she imagined how the metal device would feel.
“Of course, if my Little girl still can’t be honest, I’d have to go up a size or two to help her learn to make better decisions.”
“I kept trying to figure out the smallest key. With the mystery of the other keys solved, that last one kept ricocheting into my mind. I had to know. I couldn’t concentrate on anything else,” she blurted.
“Thank you for telling me the truth, Essie. This will be the best size. Go get the lubricant for me from Daddy’s drawer.”
She studied the carpet for a minute as she digested what he had asked. She had to go get the lubricant? He was going to make her participate in her punishment. Essie peeked up to see if she’d misunderstood. Zander hadn’t moved. He was waiting for her.
Giving him lots of time to stop her, she walked slowly around the bed to his side and opened the nightstand. Collecting the bottle of lubricant, she returned to him at a snail’s pace. Zander never fidgeted. He stood quietly at the side of the bed.
Essie extended the container out to him. “Daddy…”
“Hold on to that for a minute,” he told her before she could finish.
Zander sat on the bed, drawing her between his legs. He set the plug next to him before wrapping his powerful hands around her hips. “Lying will damage our relationship. Even small white lies add up to create a wall between us.”
The truth of his words rattled her. “I didn’t mean to be bad. I was so curious, and I hate that I can’t get into the nursery to explore.”
“I can see that. Did you think of asking for an update? I would have told you how the cleanup was coming.”
“Or you could have told me,” she whispered.
“Or I could have told you,” he agreed. “Daddies can learn as well. I’ll keep in mind that you’d like more information. You’re so busy, I didn’t want to add something else to take your mental energy.”
“Does that mean you get a plug too?”
“No.” Zander picked up the device by his side and held it up. “Why are you wearing this?”
“Because…” Essie hesitated. “Because I lied?”
“Yes, Little girl. You made up several stories,” Zander reminded her.
“And that’s bad,” she agreed. “But I didn’t know I could ask questions.”
“And now you do. I have a feeling you were aware that lying is bad.”
She couldn’t argue with that. “Yes, Daddy.”
Zander unfastened her pants and pulled her panties and slacks down to her knees. “Over my lap, Little girl,” he directed, guiding her into place over his thighs.
Still gripping the lubricant bottle. Essie dangled over his legs.
Her fingers and toes barely brushed the ground, making her feel precariously perched, but Zander’s powerful forearm on her lower back held her steady.
He wouldn’t let her fall. Essie bit her lip.
Torn between embarrassment and arousal, she didn’t know how to act.
He rubbed his free hand over her bare bottom. Essie’s face flamed hot as she imagined his vantage point. “Daddy,” she whined.
“What a beautiful baby I have. I’ll take that now, Essie.”
He plucked the container from her fingers when she offered it to him. “Good girl. Relax, sweetheart. I’ll always take care of you.”
Essie covered her face as she did the exact opposite of his instructions.
She automatically clenched her buttocks.
Maybe he would give up if he thought she was too tight.
He spread her bottom cheeks easily despite her efforts.
She heard a click before a cool drizzle landed on her small entrance.
Essie jumped at the feel of his finger spreading the liquid across that nerve-rich area.
A squeak slipped through her lips when that fingertip pressed inside.
“I’m sorry you lied, Little girl, but Daddy needed to know that your bottom is so narrow. Thank goodness I found these dilators. You’ll wear these regularly to widen this passage.”
“No, Daddy,” she wailed. She wanted to hate this completely, but the sensation of his fingers gliding in and out of her did funny things to her. Soon, her inner thighs were wet with her slick juices. Without meaning too, she lifted her bottom up to meet his next stroke inside.
“That’s better. Good girl. Maybe you’ll decide you like Daddy’s touch on your bottom.”
She shook her head vigorously, not trusting herself to answer aloud.
“Hmmm….” Zander didn’t sound like he believed her. He removed his finger and immediately pushed the rounded nose of the metal plug against her rosette. Slowly, he inserted the device. Essie reached back when he got to the widest part.
“None of that, Little girl,” he corrected her.
He quickly captured her hands in his large grip and pinned them against the small of her back.
She wanted to struggle, but he held her too firmly.
Calmness settled over her as Essie accepted his power over her.
A secret part of her treasured Zander having total control.
A moment later, the plug settled into her tight opening.
The larger metal flange held it securely in place, stopping the device from sinking further inside.
Essie shivered from the cold metal filling her. She stayed as still as possible as Zander rubbed her spine.
“Okay, Little girl. Let’s get you on your feet.”
She peeked back at him, horrified. “Aren’t you going to take it out now?”
“Twenty minutes. I don’t want to interrupt your work.
I’ll come down to your office and retrieve the plug then.
” Zander helped her up on her feet as she gasped in reaction to the sensation of the intrusive implement moving inside her.
He restored her panties and slacks in position before standing to kiss her.
As he walked to the bathroom to wash his hands, Essie stood gaping at him. Surely, he didn’t expect her to walk down the stairs wearing this and then sit at her desk for the rest of the time—if she could even make it to her office before twenty minutes elapsed.
“I could stay here,” she suggested.
“No, Essie. Go back to your desk. No snooping in here for Little girls who don’t tell the truth.”
Looking back at him as she carefully walked to the door, Essie gave him time to stop her. Zander didn’t say a word. He simply put the lubricant back in the drawer and closed the wooden box. Then, standing patiently, he waited for her to leave.