For a moment, all she could do was stare at him as her mind tried to make sense of his words. “But…you’re a Daddy. And I’m not a Little. I have no desire to be a Little.”
“And?”
“You’re being deliberately obtuse.”
“No, you’re being argumentative.” Visibly frustrated, he ran a hand through his hair, mussing the normally perfect locks. “Let me ask you something. Is there anything about this weekend that has been beyond your limits?”
“Of course not, but —”
“With the exception of the punishments for your misdeeds at the Ranch, this weekend is exactly what being my little girl would be like. I want to take care of you, Julia, if you’ll let me.”
When she opened her mouth to tell him it was impossible, that she wasn’t what he wanted, that he would tire of her, that she didn’t deserve him, he simply shook his head and pressed a finger to her lips. “You don’t have to answer me, yet. As a matter of fact, I’m going to insist you wait until our weekend together has finished before you answer me at all. Understood?”
Wrapping her fingers around his wrist, she gently tugged his hand away from her mouth. “It’s not going to make a difference, Owen. My answer will be the same.”
“Well then, it won’t hurt anything for you to wait, will it?”
“Lawyer logic,” she mumbled, but there was no heat behind it. Her mind was too preoccupied with the knowledge that he wanted her. So much so that he was willing to overlook all manner of horrible behavior on her part, and the fact that she wasn’t actually a Little, to be with her.
What kind of man was capable of loving so unconditionally? Certainly not a man she deserved. But since she wasn’t looking to get in trouble before her epic final punishment, she kept those thoughts to herself.
“All right. I’ll wait until Monday to tell you that you’ve lost your mind.”
“Good girl. Go finish your lunch so we can get the rest of your punishments out of the way and enjoy the rest of our weekend.”
Owen
At just a few minutes before three, there was a tentative knock on his office door. Glancing at the clock with a sigh, he tapped the button to put his computer to sleep and rounded the desk.
He’d been hoping she wouldn’t finish her chores on time, but he’d been checking behind her as she finished each room and she hadn’t missed a step. Even if she was ready to get this final punishment out of the way, he wasn’t. Partly because he knew it was going to be rough on both of them, and partly because it meant their time together was drawing to a close.
How the hell was he supposed to just let her walk out of his life, if that was what she chose? Already, he was used to having her here, the sound of her laughter filling up the room, the sight of her pretty bare bottom over his knee. Even the way her temper would flare up at the smallest thing added a spice to his day he’d miss with every fiber of his being if she decided to go.
Setting those worries aside for later, he schooled his expression into stern lines and opened the door. On the other side stood Julia, freshly showered and wearing the clean dress and socks he’d picked out for her to change in to after her chores, looking for all the world like a naughty little girl being sent to Daddy’s study for a spanking.
“Have a seat.” Stepping aside, he gestured toward the plush leather visitor’s chair opposite his desk.
Silently, she skirted around him and darted for the chair. She must have sat too quickly or too hard because she made a face and shifted to the side. No doubt the plug had reminded her of its presence, a thought which had his cock straining at the zipper of his slacks despite the solemnity of the occasion.
Taking his seat behind the desk, he folded his hands on top of the gleaming wood and met her wide-eyed gaze. “What did you learn today, Julia?”
The question obviously threw her off, judging by the owlish way she blinked at him. “What?”
“What did you learn from today’s lesson?”
“Oh.” Her nose scrunched up as she considered the question, and he had to squelch the urge to kiss the tip. “Umm. I don’t really know.”
“Let me put it this way. After you spent all day cleaning the house from top to bottom, as perfectly as you could, how would you feel if I went in and say, sprayed mud all over everything and told you to clean it again?”
Tears shimmered in her eyes, and he hardened his heart against the quiver of her bottom lip. “I would feel awful. I would feel…like you didn’t respect me, or the hard work I put into cleaning.”
“Is it safe to say that’s probably how Angel felt when you ruined the chocolate house he put hours of work into?”
“Yes, sir.”
All he wanted in that moment was to pull her into his arms and cuddle her, to tell her everything would be okay. But he needed to be sure she understood the full purpose of each lesson he imparted. “Furthermore, if someone had come into the house and ruined all your hard work, then let you take the blame and punishment for it, how would you feel?”
“Awful,” she whispered.