Chapter 33
Goldie
To say dinner was tense was an understatement.
Oddly enough, the only person who hadn’t seemed affected by the unease rippling beneath every interaction had been Rowan.
Even the twins had seemed to pick up on something and she’d seen Tiernan having what had appeared to be a very intense, hushed conversation with Reagan at the end.
On a professional level, it was a dream come true.
The entire experience had given her insights not only into how the mob worked, but how it felt to be in the middle of a scene like the one they’d just left.
Nerves and excitement, which she’d expected, as well as anger.
She caught a glimpse of it every time that muscle in Reagan’s jaw jumped when she looked over at Rowan.
In the way Aria’s eyes had narrowed ever so slightly when Rowan outright lied to his father about where he’d disappeared to before dinner.
But what she hadn’t expected to pick up on so keenly was the sadness. The grief she could all but feel pulsing off everyone surrounding her. Murphy to her left, Brody to her right, and Killian at the head of the table. It was so palpable, she wondered how Rowan hadn’t picked up on it at all.
Other than he was a self-involved twat, which had become more and more clear to her during dinner.
Like when he’d talked about his girlfriend Clara, who was at home with a bad bout of period cramps.
Or as Rowan had called it “gross lady stuff” before rolling his eyes and smirking about how it couldn’t be that bad because women had been dealing with periods for thousands of years but he allowed her to beg off because he didn’t feel like listening to her whining all night long.
It was during that diatribe she’d had to lay a hand on Murphy’s thigh to try and keep him in his seat, because she could practically feel him vibrating with rage beside her.
Whether she’d actually helped or not she wasn’t sure, but Rowan had gotten off lightly with his father telling him to “shut up about things he didn’t know a goddamn thing about” rather than murdering him right at the table, so she considered it a win.
Now, however, her mind was focused more on what lay ahead of her than the fraught dinner party they’d left behind. With every passing second, her looming punishment drew closer and her nerves were being raked raw. As evidenced by the leg she couldn’t stop bouncing no matter how hard she tried.
But then Brody reached over and placed a hand on her leg, and her heart skipped a literal beat. What was it about a man’s large hand on her bare thigh that made her lose all sense?
“Would it help your nerves to know what’s going to happen when we get home, baby?”
“I… I don’t know, actually. Maybe? I don’t know.
” She was babbling, but she couldn’t seem to make herself stop.
“Like, yes, knowing exactly what’s coming will remove the element of the unknown which is definitely making me nervous.
But maybe knowing too much will make it worse.
But I won’t actually know if it will make things worse or better until you tell me and then it’ll be too late.
I can’t unknow something once I know it. ”
Glancing over, she saw the corner of his lip twitch. Apparently her anxiety was highly amusing.
Bastard.
“Do you want me to decide for you?”
Like flipping a switch, everything inside her went still. Calm. “Yes. Yes, I want you to decide.”
“Okay, then.” The hand on her leg squeezed once, giving her a boost of courage she desperately needed.
“When we get home, you will go to my office to wait for me. You will remove your underwear and leave them on top of my desk, folded neatly. Once your panties have been removed, you will bend over with your skirt up and your forearms braced on the desk. That is how I expect to find you, and if I find you any other way, I will double the count of your punishment. And considering you’re already up to eight with my belt, you do not want me to do that. ”
No. No, she did not.
Swallowing hard, she forced herself to nod. “Okay. I can do that.”
Another gentle squeeze of her leg. “Good girl,” he said quietly, his praise wrapping around her like a warm blanket.
“Before your spanking, I am going to plug your bottom with one of the larger plugs I own. It’s going to hurt, but you’ll appreciate it when it comes time to take Daddy’s cock in your naughty little hole. ”
Need flared between her thighs and she just barely managed to hold back a whimper. This was exactly the kind of scene she’d written about so many times, but never actually experienced for herself. “I don’t… No one’s ever… What if I can’t?”
Threading his fingers with hers, he raised their joined hands to his lips as he guided the car up his long driveway. “You can. I’m going to take my time with you. This may be a punishment, but I would never do anything to cause you real harm. Can you believe that for me, menace?”
She wasn’t convinced she could actually take a cock up her ass. But trusting him? Believing him when he said he wouldn’t harm her?
That had always come as naturally to her as breathing, even when it probably shouldn’t have.
“Yes, Daddy.”
“Good girl.” Releasing her hand so he could park the car, he turned, and even with only the security lights above them, she could see the determination in his eyes.
“This isn’t going to be easy. By the time I’m done with you, I want it to be very, very clear that I will not tolerate my girl putting herself in danger for any reason.
I understand why you went after Rowan, but no piece of evidence, no matter how helpful to the family, is worth your life. ”
Indignation pricked at her. “But you never would have known he was the mole without me.”
“First of all, we still don’t know if he’s actually the mole. But even if he is, what I said still stands. I won’t sacrifice anyone else I love for this family. Especially not you.”
Time seemed to slow around her as she stared at him in the dim interior of the car. “Did you… Did you just say you love me?”
“Yes.” His lips slowly curved upward as he shook his head.
“Not exactly the romantic gesture I’d had planned, but you have a way of thwarting me every goddamn time I turn around.
I’m not used to that. I like a nice, orderly life and ever since I met you, my life has been fucking chaos.
You came in like a hurricane, tossing things around, making me run around like a crazy person trying to keep you from getting yourself killed.
You’re a goddamn menace, but you’re my goddamn menace, and if I have to whip your ass every single day for the rest of our lives to keep you safe, then you can damn well believe that’s what I’ll do. ”
She’d never known it was possible to feel every emotion all at once. But the one that stood out above all the others was pure, simple joy. “That’s a hell of a way to tell a woman you love her, O’Rourke.”
Sliding a hand around the back of her neck, he yanked her to him. “You’re a hell of a woman, Quinn.”
And then his lips were on hers, stealing whatever snarky response she might have made, along with her breath.
She gave herself over to it, surrendered herself to him, to his demands.
Let herself get lost in the excitement, the romance of it all as he plundered her mouth, stoking the flames of need dancing inside her.
By the time he pulled back, her head was spinning and her entire body felt as though it had been engulfed in flames.
“My pretty little menace,” he murmured against her lips. “Do you remember the instructions I gave you?”
She was too far gone for any smartass replies. “Yes, Daddy.”
“I’m going to walk you to the door. Inside, we’ll go our separate ways, which will give you about ten minutes to follow my orders. Do you have any questions for me before we go inside?”
“No, Daddy.”
“Then let’s go.”
Brody
If he lived a thousand lifetimes with his little menace by his side, he didn’t think he’d ever tire of how nervous she got before a punishment. All but vibrating next to him, she gripped his hand tightly as they made their way up to his front door.
The fact that she was clinging to him for comfort when he was the one about to light her ass on fire wasn’t lost on him. Her trust in him was everything, and he vowed then and there he would never do anything to lose it.
“All right, menace,” he said when they reached the foyer. “I’m going upstairs to get everything I need, and when I get back, I expect to find you where?”
“Bent over your desk, with my, um, panties off and my skirt up.” Red slashed across her cheeks in an adorable blush.
“Where should your panties be?”
“Folded, on top of the desk.”
“Good girl.” Giving into his own need to “Daddy” her a bit, he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Go on. I’ll be back down in about ten minutes.”
Silently, she jerked her head up and down before turning and hurrying down the hall toward his office. He indulged himself in watching the sway of her ass beneath the curve-hugging dress she’d chosen for their dinner before turning and making his way up to his bedroom.
He didn’t rush. Rituals were meant to be taken slowly, every step savored and appreciated before moving onto the next.
So he let himself take his time in selecting which of the thick leather belts hanging in his closet to use.
Some were heavier than others, and there were a couple made of braided leather he knew would leave a mark—both literally and figuratively.
In the end, he went with one somewhere in the middle. Thick enough for her to know this wasn’t play, but not so heavy he couldn’t escalate to something with a bit more oomph when the time called for it.
Belt in hand, he made his way over to the large steamer trunk where he kept many of his favorite toys.
The plug he selected was much like the belt.
Large enough to make an impression, but not the worst option at his disposal.
Judging by Goldie’s books and the way she’d reacted when he’d plugged her in the past, he was going to have plenty of opportunities to use the larger toys in their play.
For now, he simply needed one that was large enough to keep her mind on what was coming after her strapping, and help prep her for Daddy's cock.
He spent some time weighing his options with the different lubricants as well, but in the end he decided against any of the lubes with ginger or peppermint in them.
There would be, he was certain, plenty of opportunities to teach his little menace about punishment lubes.
Gathering his tools, he headed back down the stairs to his office. Where he found his babygirl exactly where he’d told her to be. Bent over his desk, her legs spread just enough for him to see the glistening arousal between her thighs.
Fucking hell, she was perfect.
And she was all his.