She nods against me. “Thank you.”
Now we’re getting somewhere.
“I mean, in ten years, you’ve made this business one of the most thriving ones in all of Vegas.”
She pulls away. “What?”
“Something I said?”
“See? It happened again.”
There’s betrayal in her eyes.
“What did?”
Goddammit.
“You said something about me I didn’t tell you.” Her voice cracks. “It’s freaking me out. I never told you I started this business ten years ago. How did you know?”
God. It’s time to tell her the truth. She deserves to know I haven’t done anything creepy, but she also needs to know how invested in her I am.
I open my mouth to tell her when her phone rings again.
She grabs her phone, her eyes on me warily. I nod. “Go ahead. Answer it.”
Her eyes flash. “I don’t need your permission!”
She answers the phone, and my palm itches to spank her for her insolence. On the one hand, I get where she’s coming from. She needs to know she can trust me, and we’re still new. On the other hand, a daddy and babygirl dynamic have some very clear ground rules, and mouthing off to daddy earns a good, hard spanking.
She hangs up the phone and looks over at me. She hesitates when I crook a finger at her, but finally walks over. I wrap my fingers around her hair and bring my mouth to her ear.
“This is your one warning, little girl. Heed it.”
She takes in a deep breath. I can tell by the way her pupils dilate that she’s turned on. I grip her hair tighter.
“Daddy expects respect.”
She blows out a breath and tries to nod, but I’m holding her hair too tightly in my grip.
“Say yes, daddy.”
She pinches her lips together. I give her a few seconds to obey, but when it’s clear she doesn’t want to, I shake my head.
“I warned you.”
I tuck my foot under a chair and drag it out, sit heavily, and yank her over my lap.
“Gabriel!”
I slap my palm against the fullness of her ass, and she squeals. I give her another spank, then another. She’s scissoring her legs and fighting, but I think she needs to fight me. She needs this, and so do I. She knows that if she disobeys me she earns a spanking, and the whole power dynamic we share turns her on.
“Are you going to be a naughty little girl?”
“No, daddy!”
Smack.
“Are you going to obey your daddy and behave yourself?”
“Yes, daddy!”
I rub my hand over her heated ass, my voice lowering, my hardened cock straining beneath her belly. “Are you going to trust daddy to help you through this?”
“Yes, daddy!” she says. I hear a sniffle. In two seconds I’ve got her nestled against my chest. She buries her face on my chest and cries.
“Baby.” I run my hand down the back of her head, rocking her. “Shhh.”
She hiccups before she looks up at me, her eyes shining. “Oh my God,” she breathes. “It’s so hot when you get all bossy and dominant and take charge like that.”
She grabs me by the back of the neck and yanks my mouth to hers. I moan into her, standing while I do, her legs wrapped around me. I lay her down on the bed and kiss her until she’s arching into me, spreading her legs. I run my hands over her body, holding her to me, my own need to fuck her consuming all thoughts.
She pulls away too soon. “I have a meeting to go to,” she whispers, her eyes heavy-lidded.
“Tonight, baby. Tonight we make this better. Yeah, baby?”
She nods. “Yes, daddy. I’m so sorry, daddy.”
I kiss her forehead and embrace her. “It’s all over now. Trust me, Miranda. Just do your best to trust me, and we’ll get through this together.”
She looks thoughtful for a moment before she speaks. Finally, she nods. “Yes, daddy. I can do that.”
But I wonder if she can. Will she trust me when she finds out I’ve looked into her past? Will she believe my obsession with her is healthy and normal? Or will she run in fear?
“Keep your phone with you at the meeting,” I tell her. “I want you to stay connected. Do you understand me?”
She nods. “Yes, daddy.” But there’s hesitation in her eyes. She’s pulling away from me, I know she is.
I let her go with reluctance, and we both right ourselves.
Her phone rings, and she takes the call. Her eyes swing to mine, and for a moment I’m afraid she’s hearing something about me she doesn’t want to hear. My body tightens. The next moment, she hangs up the phone and sighs.
“I really wish I could stay here with you all day.” She gives me a genuine smile, and I breathe out in relief. Jesus. I can’t live like this.
Tonight, I’m taking her to dinner and I’m telling her everything. My past. Why I’ve researched her. How dedicated I am to her, and how I’ll be sure she has everything she needs. How she’s my very special girl, and I’ll take the best care of her I know how.