14
Julia
Even though she wasn’t expecting a punishment, waiting for Derek to summon her again was still somehow the absolute worst. Her breakfast sat on Erica’s desk, mostly untouched, since the nerves dancing in her stomach had made it almost impossible to keep anything down.
She was reduced to pacing the floor in circles, her mind a nonstop series of what ifs and what next. She’d never really considered what she would do if she couldn’t cook. The idea of not being able to follow her lifelong dream was…unthinkable.
But she had no choice but to think about it, and since it seemed as though she had nothing but time on her hands, this seemed like the perfect time to do said thinking. Maybe she could do something chef adjacent. Nobody would trust her to teach, not if they caught so much as a whiff of what had gone down here at the Ranch.
Some kind of buyer or taste tester or something, maybe. Everyone had always told her she had an excellent palette.
Whatever she chose, it would pale in comparison to the rush of kitchen life. The noise, the banter, the thrill of racing to send out the perfect plate. Even her current position was better than not cooking at all.
Her heart ached at the thought of losing it, but there was nothing to be done. Flopping down into Erica’s office chair with a resigned sigh, she picked at the croissant the kitchen had sent over with her breakfast.
An eternity and half a croissant later, the door opened, illuminating Derek’s wide, handsome face. “There are some people here who would like to speak with you.”
Suddenly, the sweet, flaky pastry seemed to stick in her throat. Swallowing hard, she stood, wiping her sweaty palms on the seat of her jeans. With her pulse hammering in her ears, she followed Derek back into his office.
Connor was there, as expected, standing beside Derek’s desk with his arms crossed over his broad chest, as huge and commanding as ever. She’d always loved that about him, how large he seemed, especially in comparison to her. Maybe, she realized with a sudden clarity, because she’d been looking for someone to protect her from all the crap life seemed intent on throwing at her.
But for the first time since she’d met him, her heart didn’t skip a beat. There were no butterflies dancing in her tummy, no rush of excitement at the sight of him.
Those reactions were reserved for the man standing in front of the desk, his hands gripping the edge so tightly his knuckles were turning white. It was as if his death grip on the wood was the only thing keeping him from bending her over said desk and paddling the daylights out of her.
“What are you doing here?”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she wished she could take them back. Three identical stern expressions were sent her way and she didn’t know a single submissive, no matter how badass they thought they might be, who wouldn’t wither under such scrutiny.
Pushing away from the desk, Owen stalked towards her. When they were nearly toe to toe, he reached up, grabbing her chin in his hand. “You, little girl, are in enough trouble without copping an attitude. So unless you would like to have this meeting sitting on a hot, freshly paddled ass, you will watch your tone. Am I understood?”
“Y-yes, Daddy.”
From the corner of her eye, she saw Connor’s eyebrows raise, the look he shared with Derek, and wished the floor would open up and swallow her whole. No doubt she was going to be the topic of all the Ranch gossip for days to come.
“Good girl. Take a seat and we can discuss this nonsense of you refusing Connor’s recommendation letter.”
A spark of fury lit inside of her and she yanked away from his grip, turning to glare at the man behind the desk. “You told him? I told you it wasn’t his decision. This is my life.”
Gripping her arm, Owen marched her over to a chair and forced her down into it. With his hands braced on the arms, caging her in, he spoke in a low, threatening tone. “And as your lawyer, it’s my job to ensure you don’t ruin said life with emotional, irresponsible decisions.”
“It’s not irresponsible.” Emotional, yes. But how could they not see that this was the only option?
“I’ll be the judge of that, babygirl. For the rest of this meeting, you do not speak unless I instruct you to. I am telling you that as your lawyer and your Daddy. I don’t want you saying anything you might regret.”
“I’m not under arrest, Owen.”
“One more word and I swear to god I will gag you.”
Flopping back against the chair, she crossed her arms and glared up at him. The infuriating man had the nerve to smile at her before moving to take the seat beside her.
“Well, this certainly has been an eventful morning,” Derek said, his voice dry but his eyes sparkling with that sense of mischievous humor she remembered from her time at the Ranch. Relief unfurled some of the knots in her stomach, and she managed a small smile in return.
“Sorry to cause such a scene.”
“You worked here long enough to know this hardly counts as a scene here at the Ranch.” Derek’s grin flashed, but he quickly sobered again. “But we do have some things to discuss so we can all move past this, once and for all. Julia, I believe you have something to say to Connor?”
Not willing to risk being gagged, she glanced at Owen for his approval. His brows drew together, but in the end, he gave a reluctant nod.