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She twisted her fingers in the hem of her shirt again. “Yes.”
“All right.” Confession time. He steeled himself to give her the same degree of brutal honesty that he expected in return. “Over time as I have gotten to know you, I have found myself growing more and more attracted to you. Hindsight being what it is, I wish I’d let you know sooner. But, as you have already mentioned, we have a good working relationship that I really didn’t want to jeopardize either, especially if you weren’t into the lifestyle…”
For the first time, she looked directly at him. Her eyes were still wet, shining with unshed tears. “I don’t want that, either. But if you want me to call you Daddy, we might have a problem. I’m not a little.”
“You don’t have to be a little to be my little girl,” he replied. “All you have to be is submissive, and all you have to do is what Daddy, your dominant, tells you to do. Just like any other relationship in the lifestyle.”
She blinked as if that were something she hadn’t considered until he said it.
“Avery, would you like to explore the possibility that you and I could have a good dominant/submissive relationship together?”
Her fidgeting stilled; her body stiffened. She didn’t move, not even it seemed to breathe, not for the longest time. Not until finally she dipped her head in a single nod of consent. “Yes, Daddy.”
She still wasn’t in trouble. That she would use that title to answer that of all questions made him beyond happy. “The firstthing I want to do is bring us both onto the same page. So you know what to expect from me, we’re going to write down the rules and I want you to put them somewhere you can see them every day. Okay?” he asked, not so much for permission, but to ensure she was agreeing. “Once we have them written down, we’re both going to sign them.”
“Okay.” Relaxing a little, Avery shifted, almost surreptitiously trying to cuddle closer. As if she expected to be rebuffed, she hesitated before lowering her head to rest it on his shoulder.
Thom’s heart soared within his chest. Not only was she on board with their relationship progressing the way he’d dreamed about for so long, but he couldn’t remember ever seeing Avery look as vulnerable with anyone as she was letting herself be right now with him. No matter what it cost him, he was determined never to make her regret this. Not with him.
He stroked her hair. “I ought to wash your mouth out for swearing, but since we hadn’t yet agreed to the rules…”
“I swore after you told me.”
Cocking an eyebrow, Thom searched her face. “But we hadn’t agreed on it, and for this to work, we both have to have input. That doesn’t mean I get to make up rules on the spur of the moment and just expect you to follow them. Both the rules and the consequences need to be agreed on beforehand; I really believe that. Which doesn’t mean that, if you keep breaking the same rule, I won’t up the ante so to speak on your punishment until you decide minding me is the better choice.” Taking her chin between his thumb and finger, he said, “If you need me to wash your mouth out right now, I will. But for the sake of fairness, I am willing to let it slide.”
“I’d like to let it slide too,” she said slowly. “I don’t particularly want a mouthful of soap, but what I don’t want moreis someone who won’t carry through when he says he’s going to do something.”
“Trust me, you are not going to have that with me. This is one daddy who believes in consistency.”
She pushed herself upright again, her fingers once more fidgeting restlessly in the folds of her shirt as she said, “What if I’m not the most… best behaved person you’ve ever met?”
He almost laughed. “Avery, honey, believe it or not, I have actually been paying attention at work. And frankly, I think everything I need to know about your penchant for blind obedience was expressed loud and clear in the bullpen last night.” When her brow furrowed again, he rubbed her back and softened his tone. “Nobody’s perfect, baby, and I don’t expect that. When you get it wrong, rest assured I’ll be here to spank your pretty little bottom and set you back on the straight and narrow.”
For the first time, the flash of a quick smile tugged the corners of her lips just before she looked away. He was more than happy to see it.
“If you want or need a spanking, I expect you to ask for it. If you break a rule, I expect you to tell me. If I find out you misbehaved and didn’t tell me, you’ll get spanked once for the rule you broke and then again for lying to Daddy. Okay?”
There was no hesitation in her agreement. “Okay. Can I ask you something?”
“Anything, any time. This kind of relationship only works if both people feel free to express themselves, appropriately. Noah told me about what happened.”
All trace of that smile vanished. If he hadn’t grabbed her arm, she’d have vaulted off his lap. Instead, caught bare-bottomed on his lap, with her wrist trapped in his hand and his arm locked around her waist, Avery growled.
His tone sharpened instantly. “Good little girls don’t growl, and they don’t plot revenge on the guy that came through for them when they needed him to. In Noah’s defense, he only just told me, and this was after I told him that you’ve been putting your life in danger.”
“I’m good at bullfighting,” she protested. “I mean, I am really good and it’s a real stress reliever. One of the only ones I’ve got!”
“The motorcycle in your garage says differently,” he pointed out. “So does your plane, and this is non-negotiable. Casey the Clown is all done. If you find yourself in need of stress relief, I have several ways to help you with that—some more pleasurable than others.” He waggled his eyebrows, startling a giggle out of her.
He’d never heard that sound before. He doubted if anyone at Wild Mustang had either. It was a delightful laugh, lightly bubbling like water tripping down a stream.
“I’m glad to hear that, but still…”
“Non-negotiable, Avery. If you choose to keep arguing with me about it, then you’re going to find yourself spending time with your nose in the corner while you think about what put you there. For the record, when you argue with me, it makes me think I didn’t get through to you…”
“No, you did,” she said quickly, wiggling and grimacing as her punished derriere ground against his hard thigh.
“Good to know. So, tell me, what do you want out of this relationship?”
