8. Chapter 8
Daphne
“Kiera, you look like that juice box has personally offended you.” She giggled. Kiera started laughing so hard she nearly fell off the bench.
“Well, it has. ‘Cause it’s empty and I’m still thirsty.” Her pout wasn’t nearly as effective with the loud giggles. Her Daddy handed her some water, which wasn’t the same as juice, but she wasn’t going to say anything.
“Alright, girls.” Eamon got their attention. “It’s time to saddle up and head back down to the house. Kiera, when we get there, you’ll need to show Daphne the playroom and movie room.”
“Ok, Uncle Eamon. But why?”
“For starters, because I said so, Little girl.” She looked sheepish as he narrowed his eyes. “But also because you all are going to be moving in with me for a while.”
“I am not moving in with you,” Daphne replied adamantly, shaking her head. She was not doing that. She couldn’t stand him and didn’t care if he was her brother’s best friend. She wanted nothing to do with him.
“You don’t have a choice, Daphne. Something has come up and we need to keep you safe. So you, Kiera, and Liam are moving in with me in the guest wing. You will have your own room and ensuite bathroom. You will be safe.”
She glowered at him. “Fine. As long as Kiera and Liam are staying, too. But I need to get my stuff.”
“It’s already taken care of. My staff went to pack your stuff, and it’s already at the house in your room.”
Suddenly, she felt her face grow hot, her eyes burned with tears, and she tried to swallow past the lump in her throat.
“Hey, hey, hey, what’s all this?” Uncle Liam kneeled while Kiera hugged her from the side.
“W-what if they forgot bankie? I’ll die! I need my bankie. I can’t sleep without it.” She sobbed, unable to fathom a world in which she did not have her pink, cuddly blankie.
“Take a breath, sweet girl. I’m sure it’s there.
Why don’t we head to the house and you can check and see for yourself?
If it’s not there, I will personally go to the house to get it for you.
But I promise you will have it to sleep with today.
” Uncle Liam rubbed her legs as her sobs quieted and she nodded.
“C-can we leave now? Please?” She needed her bankie like she needed oxygen.
“We can. But I think it will help if you look at this picture your Auntie Freya just sent me.” Eamon held up his phone, and sitting next to a panda stuffie she had never seen before was her beloved bankie. She grabbed his phone, holding it close as if she were holding it in her hands.
“Tell Auntie Freya thanks for sending that. I know it’s silly, but that’s my comfort item and I love it and I can’t sleep without it and I would be devastated if something ever happened to it.
Some people have stuffies and I have a bankie.
It’s been everywhere with me. My ex hid it once, and I thought I was going to die.
He’s a poop.” She had noticed recently that more Little tendencies came out when she was upset.
“I’m so sorry that he hid it from you. That will never happen here.
Your bankie is safe, and so are you.” He patted her knee and stood.
“Let’s get these horses back to the barn and head home so I can give you a tour.
You didn’t get to see much earlier and there are such fun rooms that await you.
” Eamon was being nice to her, almost too nice.
She really didn’t like him, nice or not.
He was a gangster, and she wanted nothing to do with him.
“Whatever, it doesn’t matter. Let’s just go.
” She sneered as she found Ghost and used the bench to jump on him and start walking slowly while the others caught up.
Eamon reached her and tried to engage her in conversation, but she just started jabbering with Kiera.
She kept up a steady stream of conversation with her the entire way back.
When they got to the pen, Murphy and his brothers were there to take the horses.
“I want to help cool Ghost down. It’s my job as the rider to make sure he’s taken care of.” She stomped her feet at Eamon’s edict to let the Mason brothers take care of the horses so they could get cleaned up for dinner.
“You may want to help, but that’s not going to happen. Murphy and his brothers will take care of the horses; it’s their job. Your job is to be a good girl and do as you’re told.” Eamon matched her stance and glowered at her.
“You are an insufferable, bossy butthead!” She threw the reins in Murphy’s hand and stomped off towards the house, but not before she heard Murphy say, “You’re going to have your hands full with that one.
She’s feisty.” Her fists were clinched by her side, and her stomps grew heavier and louder as she made it to the house and into the kitchen.
Taking a breath, she addressed her new Auntie Freya, “Could you please point me in the direction of my new prison? I mean room.”
Raising a brow, Freya replied, “Little girl, you will mind your attitude or you can feel my spoon.”
She mumbled an apology, which seemed to, at least temporarily, placate her Auntie.
“Kiera, please show her to the pink room. You and your Daddy are staying in the purple room. You two need to shower, put on clean clothes, and then come up here for dinner.”
“I’m going to skip dinner, thanks. Kiera, lead the way.”
“I don’t think they’re going to allow you to skip dinner.
But let’s go before you get yourself another spanking.
Auntie Freya has on her spanking face and that’s never a good sign.
” Kiera grabbed her hand and hauled her out of there.
She really needed to keep a check on her mouth or she would never sit right again. Eamon just made her so mad!
“I know. I’m just pissed the fuck off right now and have no way of getting out my feelings. My brain is all jumbled up, and I don’t like it. I don’t like being told what to do. I’m an adult who can take care of herself. I don’t need a bunch of bossy buttheads to tell me what to do.”
“I know it seems like they’re being overbearing, but they really do just want to keep us safe.
Eamon especially. He doesn’t harm women or children.
In fact, I overheard them talking once about taking down a human trafficking ring.
They may do illegal stuff that I know nothing about, but I also know that deep down, they’re really good men. ” Kiera squeezed her hand.
“Whatever. I mean, I’m glad they do that, but it doesn’t change how I feel about him. Uncle Liam is at least nice to me, but Eamon can get fucked for all I care.”
“You better not let them hear you talking like that or you’re gonna eat soap and get another spanking.” Kiera shook her head. “Well, this is your room. We are staying a couple of rooms down from you. So if you need anything, we’re close.”
“Thanks, Kiera.” She didn’t know how to process her feelings and just wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out.
She paused in the doorway, taking in the beauty of this room.
It was fit for a princess. A large platform bed sat in the corner with a canopy over it.
There was a dresser with a TV on it, a table and chairs with craft supplies in one corner, and two bookshelves filled with books.
It was painted cream, with pink bedding and accents all over the room.
There was even a tiara sitting on the dresser.
This room had to belong to someone else.
She didn’t know why that made her sad, but she suddenly felt like crying.
She went to the ensuite bathroom and gasped.
It was gorgeous. There were huge windows that had the most beautiful view of the fields.
She could see Ghost and Avalanche and the rest of the horses in the field grazing.
There was a massive shower and a soaking tub with jets.
She couldn’t wait to take a bubble bath in that thing.
Sighing, she turned on the shower and got undressed.
She stared at herself in the mirror. Rubbing her hands down her soft belly, she turned to look at her bottom.
There were faint switch lines, but nothing that would have indicated they had spanked her three times in one day.
She was sore, but it was nothing she couldn’t handle.
She turned back around and took herself in.
She sucked in her stomach, seeing how skinny she could make herself, and then huffed at herself for being ridiculous.
She was who she was, and it didn’t matter what anyone else thought of her.
With that thought, she showered off her day, taking her sweet time to shave her legs.
The hot water felt glorious on her sore muscles.
It had been so long since she had ridden that she used muscles she didn’t know she had.
She was going to be sore for several days to come, but it had been worth it to be on a horse again.
When she came out of the room, she found her cell phone sitting on the bed. She picked it up and immediately called Damian.
“Hey, sweetheart. How are you?” Damian’s voice was enough to break the dam and she sobbed. “Hey, hey, Daphne. Take a breath. You’re ok. Talk to me.”
“I’m just s-so overwhelmed. And I m-miss you s-so much.” She was hiccup sobbing at this point.
“You’re safe there. I promise. I wouldn’t have left you there if I didn’t know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are safe with Eamon.”
“He’s a jerk face and I hate him.” She sounded pouty, even to herself.
“Do you hate him because he’s done something wrong or because he whipped your ass for calling him a bastard?”
“That WAS wrong, Damian! I told him he wasn’t allowed to spank me and he did it anyway. It’s breaking consent. And isn’t consent a thing here?”
“Yes, consent is a thing. But you have consensual non-consent with Uncle Liam and I gave him my blessing as your older brother. You deserved every lick you got, and I’m sure even more than he gave you.
” It was true, she couldn’t deny. CNC was very much a part of her dynamic with Liam and she loved having that with him but she trusted him.
She did not trust Eamon and consent was built around trust.
“Yeah, well, it’s dumb and he shouldn’t have done it.” She was pissed.
“You’re right.”
“I am? I mean, of course I am. I don’t even know him. I didn’t know you were really friends until now. Why did you hide that from me?” Her voice quivered.
“I’m sorry. I was trying to protect you from his world. He’s mafia, and I never wanted that world to touch you. He wanted me to join, but I refused. I have done consulting work with him but never actually joined the mafia.” Damian sounded regretful, but it didn’t explain anything.
“I guess I can accept that, but it doesn’t make me feel any better. And I know that Uncle Liam and I have a CNC relationship and you are in charge of me in a lot of ways, but I still didn’t like him spanking me.”
“I understand that, and I will talk to him. You need to trust him more before he can spank you. I get that. I’m sorry. Even the bossy types make mistakes. Forgive me, squirt?”
“Of course I forgive you. It’s him I don’t.” She was swinging her legs back and forth, hitting her feet against the bed.
“You listen to me, Daphne Erin Stone, and you listen very closely.” His sharp voice startled her, and she sat up straight. “Are you listening to me?”
“Yes, Damian, I’m listening.” Her voice was quiet and subdued.
“Eamon is there to keep you safe. You will listen to him or you will deal with me. You have never given me a reason to blister your ass, but trust me, if I find out you have been anything but a model guest, I will absolutely take my meanest paddle to your bottom. Do I make myself crystal clear?”
“Clear as glass, big bro,” she sassed.
“Daphne. I’ve about had it with your attitude. What is wrong with you?” he demanded.
“I don’t know! I feel like something is happening that I can’t control and I don’t like it. I don’t like being told that I’m not allowed to leave the estate under any circumstances, and I don’t like Eamon. He’s a bossy butt and I don’t want to stay here.” She sounded petulant, but she didn’t care.
“Your other option is to come here and stay with me.”
“That’s not an option and you know it. I’ll stay here and I’ll be good, I promise.” She sighed. “Well, I promise to mostly behave.”
Chuckling at her, he said, “I think that’s about as good as it’s gonna get, huh?”
“Yup!” She grinned, her mood shifting for the better.
“Call me anytime, squirt. And please be good and listen to Liam and Eamon. They really are looking out for you.”
“Fineeeeee. But I’m not happy about it.”
They talked for a few more minutes before she hung up.
She was keeping him slightly at a distance.
If he knew what had happened to her, he would lose his shit, and she needed him to not go to jail.
She got dressed and grabbed a book from her bookshelf, and crawled into bed.
She was exhausted and just wanted to read until she fell asleep.