“You’re too damn cute, you know that? All right, back on the floor. I’m going to go grab us some breakfast and then I need to get some work done.”
Leaving her behind was harder than he’d expected. It killed him that he’d let Julia hurt her. To make it up to her, at least a little, he chose her favorite chocolate chip pancake to go with the scrambled eggs he’d gotten her. He’d have to feed her the pancake, but it certainly wouldn’t be a hardship for him.
He shouldered his way back into the office, carrying a tray with their breakfast. Hayleigh was curled up on the human-sized pet bed he’d found in the gift shop, her head pillowed on her arms and her eyes closed.
God, she was beautiful. From the first moment he’d seen her, he’d been taken by her classic features. The gentle slope of her nose, those huge brown eyes with the flecks of gold. But now, with her obediently curled up on his office floor, giving him her complete, unwavering submission, well, she nearly brought him to his knees.
“Breakfast is served, kitty.”
She rolled to her knees and looked up at him expectantly. When he took the plate of scrambled eggs from the tray and set them on the ground in front of her, she looked down at the plate and then back up at him.
“If you eat all your eggs like a good girl, Daddy has a treat for you after.”
“But Daddy –”
He cut her off, letting ice coat his tone. “Excuse me?”
Twin flags of embarrassment rode high on her cheeks. “Meow?”
“That’s what I thought.” He crouched down so they were eye to eye. “This is meant to be a lesson in obedience, Hayleigh. It’s going to be hard and there will be parts you don’t like. If you really can’t do it, you have your safeword. Otherwise, I expect you to clean your plate.”
It was fascinating to watch the struggle play out on her face. The battle between defiance and submission had to be difficult for her, especially when following orders was so humiliating.
But in the end, she lowered herself down onto her elbows and grabbed a small bite of egg between her teeth.
“Good kitty,” he praised, stroking her hair a few times before returning to his desk. He ate his own omelet while he worked on next month’s budget. Planning for three major holiday events in consecutive months was a headache and a half.
He was buried in dollars and menus when something bumped into his arm. Looking down, he found Hayleigh kneeling next to him, looking up at him expectantly. A quick glance over her shoulder revealed a mostly clean plate.
“Ready for your treat, kitty?”
“Meow!”
With a laugh for her exuberance, he cut off a chunk of pancake and held it up for her. Eyes bright with excitement, she opened her mouth for him to drop the treat in. His little kitty-girl munched happily, without an ounce of embarrassment. Bit by bit, he fed her the pancake, until she’d polished off the entire thing.
“That’s it for now, kitty. Why don’t you go take a nap and let Daddy finish up here?”
Hayleigh padded back to her bed and snuggled in. It wasn’t long before her soft snores filled the office.
She was still sleeping when lunch rolled around, so he left her a note that he’d be back soon and for her to not leave the office without him. Leaving her sound asleep, he snuck out of the kitchen and made his way down the hall to Derek’s office.
Luckily for him, Derek was seated at his desk when he walked in. A slight movement caught the corner of his eye and Connor glanced over to find Erika kneeling in the corner, her skirt hiked up around her waist to reveal a bright pink backside.
“Erika’s under a bit of stress right now with the Halloween party, and she decided to take it out on me this morning.” Leaning back in his chair, Derek grinned up at Connor. “Unfortunately for her, that little spanking I gave her is nothing compared to what her Dom will be doling out once he finds out about this. Isn’t that right, Erika?”
“Yes, sir,” came the quiet, resigned response.
“So, what brings you to my office, Chef? And sans a naughty little kitten?”
“She’s in my office, asleep. I left her a note in case she wakes up. I need to talk to you.” He glanced back at Erika. “It’s sensitive.”
“Erika is nothing if not trustworthy. Unless it’s personal in nature, I have no problem with her staying.”
“All right.” Connor dropped into the visitor chair across from Derek. “I have a problem, to put it bluntly. It’s no secret Julia, my sous chef, isn’t the biggest fan of some of our resident submissives.”
“The Littles,” Derek supplied, his expression flat and not revealing any of what he might be thinking.
“It would seem so, yes. I knew she didn’t like having them in the kitchen, but I apparently didn’t realize the extent of it. Last night she made some rather off-color comments to Hayleigh. And again this morning.”