Shit. She hadn’t really thought this through. “I, um, I just meant it doesn’t feel fair. It wasn’t all my fault! Why am I the only one being punished?”
“Stand up.”
Confused but grateful to be out of easy spanking reach, she scrambled to her feet. It wasn’t until she was standing in front of him in her little girl clothes while he studied her with those ice-blue eyes that she realized how much more humiliating this position was. She felt like a naughty little girl being interrogated by her daddy, which was probably exactly how he wanted her to feel.
Leaning back against the couch, he studied her, the fingers of his right hand tapping against his knee. “Why are you here, Julia?”
“Because I made an agreement with the Ranch.” A stupid, impulsive agreement which she was regretting more and more with every passing second.
“Details, Julia. Tell me exactly why you are standing here, in my home, about to get your bare bottom spanked and paddled and whipped until you’re a very sorry, very sore little girl.” He paused, she imagined to let the weight of his words fully sink in, before he continued. “Why did you agree to this weekend, Julia Lynne?”
Tears, unbidden and mortifying, formed in her eyes. “Because I didn’t have a choice!”
Sighing heavily, her temporary daddy pushed to his feet. “All right. We’ll start with your first punishment and maybe then you’ll be ready to discuss why you are really here. Go put your nose in that corner over there, arms behind your back.”
With a huff, she stomped to the indicated wall and wrapped her arms behind her. Corner time had never been her favorite, but combined with the frilly little girl outfit, the humiliation was almost more than she could bear.
This really fucking sucked.
Owen
Allowing himself a grin since her back was turned, Owen watched the not-quite-repentant little girl stomp over to the corner and take her place as directed. At her core, she was a well-trained submissive, even if she wasn’t showing it just then. He’d seen hints of it during the course of their conversations over the past few weeks.
It had been a complete stroke of luck, really, that she’d come to him all those months ago, seeking legal advice for suing her previous employer, Rawhide Ranch. At first glance, she’d had a rock-solid case of harassment and intimidation.
Too bad for her, the Ranch’s lawyer, Jared Stark, had been his mentor at the very first law firm he’d ever worked for. Jared had also been his mentor on a more personal level, helping him to become the Dom and Daddy he was today. One phone call to Jared and he’d gotten the real story of Julia’s bullying and harassment of some of the Ranch’s Littles.
Once he’d confronted her and forced her to admit the truth of what had really transpired at the Ranch, she’d agreed not to follow through with her threats to sue and he’d assumed he would never see her again. That had been nearly two years ago.
But then she’d shown up in his office a few weeks ago, still angry and defiant but desperate for his help. Connor Blackburn, her previous boss, had refused to give her the letter of recommendation she needed for a job with a high-end restaurant. Not that Owen could blame him, knowing what Julia had put everyone at the Ranch through. But the more time he spent with her, the more he glimpsed the vulnerable, scared Little girl hiding under that prickly outer shell.
It had been that vulnerability which had led to his proposal. One weekend as his Little girl, accepting punishment for her behavior at the Ranch, and a heartfelt apology to everyone she’d hurt during her time there. In exchange, Connor would write the recommendation letter Owen had requested on her behalf.
Connor and Derek, the owners of Rawhide Ranch, were only aware of the apology, though it was obvious from Owen’s most recent conversation with Derek that the other man had some strong suspicions about how he planned to secure said apology. They’d both carefully danced around the details, which he felt was probably best for everyone involved.
Leaving his naughty girl to contemplate her situation, Owen retrieved an armless chair from the dining room and positioned it where she would see it as soon as she turned around. Beside the chair, he sat a heavy wooden hairbrush on the floor alongside the belt he pulled from his slacks. Both would be right in her line of sight as he warmed up her bottom for her first punishment.
As much as he truly believed this was for her own good, he couldn’t deny his enjoyment at the picture she made, sulking in the corner in her pretty ruffled dress. It had been longer than he cared to admit since he’d had a woman in his home, submitting to him this way, and he planned on savoring every second of this weekend. Settling on the chair, he allowed himself a few minutes to simply drink in the sight of her.
When she began to shift restlessly from one foot to another, he called for her. Shoulders slumped forward, she seemed a bit more subdued if no less mutinous as she approached him, dragging her stockinged feet with each step.
Pulling his phone from the pocket of his slacks, he tapped the screen to pull up the document he’d asked to have emailed to him. When he found what he was looking for, he handed the phone to her. “Read that.”
She rolled her eyes but took the offered device and silently scanned the screen.
“Out loud,” he clarified.
Her full bottom lip moved into a perfect pout. “I don’t want to.”
God, he loved a brat. But he wasn’t about to let his affection for her or his amusement at her response interfere with what needed to be done. “I’m sure you don’t. But you’re going to. Read.”
With a soft huff, she returned her attention to the screen and began to read aloud. “When I had kitchen duty, Julia teased me for being Little when she saw me in the bathroom after I’d been paddled by Chef. Then she said the dishes I’d just cleaned were dirty and she dumped them back in the sink so I had to wash them all over again. It made me mad, but I didn’t want to upset Chef all over again, so I didn’t say anything.” With another roll of her eyes, she handed the phone back to him. “The dishes were still dirty! She didn’t rinse them right before she put them through the dishwasher.”
His own temper sparked at the blatant dishonesty, and he let his disapproval color his tone. “I should warn you, Julia, I have little tolerance for lies. Do you want to know what happens to Little girls who lie in my house?”
“I’m not lying!”
“You are honestly telling me that every single dish Hayleigh washed that day was still dirty? I could see one or two spots, but an entire stack of dishes?”