I had you figured out, I knew for sure at the dishwasher.”
Racking my brain, I try to think of what time he’s referring to. “What do you mean?”
“I had just told you how important it was to be sure you stand away from the dishwasher when you open it so the steam doesn’t burn you. The very first time you went to open it, you were hanging over it, exactly how I had told you not to. I grabbed your arm and said, ‘Are you forgetting something, young lady?’ Your face flushed and your breathing changed. And I knew.”
I remember the feeling I got when he said the words, young lady. The fluttering of butterfly wings taking flight in my tummy. “I remember.”
Lowering his mouth to my ear, he whispers, “When we get home, I’m going to make you remember how important it is that you listen to Daddy’s words. And obey my rules when I’m not there to protect you.”
I murmur, “I didn’t realize my ringer was on silent, or that Lulu sent the driver away.”
He says, “That’s one.”
“One what?” I ask.
“Excuse. And therefore, lick with my belt.”
A cold creeping rises in my belly. “What do you mean? No way.”
He raises a brow in warning. “Yes way.”
Scooting away from him, I protest, “But I didn’t even know what time it was. That’s not fair.”
“That’s two,” he says.
“This is crazy! It wasn’t my fault.”
“And that’s three. Want to keep going?”
Slumping down in my seat, I remain silent for the rest of the ride.
Competing emotions flood me as I imagine what it will feel like to have his brown leather belt come down across my backside. Excitement tightens my core, making my pussy slick. Nervous energy fills my stomach as I tremble with dread.
This car ride promises to be the longest one of my life.
Chapter Twelve
Victoria
We arrive at the apartment.
I hover nervously by the couch while he locks and deadbolts the door. When he turns to me and our eyes meet, my stomach trembles with anticipation of the unknown.
What will he do with me?
He’s over to me in three long strides. Running his hands through his hair, his face a mask of anguish. “Tori, I was worried sick.”
A thousand excuses come to my mind, but I hold them back. “I’m sorry.”
I’m no longer thinking of what will happen to me, I only feel terrible for what I’ve put him through.
“You know that when you agreed to have a daddy in your life, you gave your consent to be punished when Daddy deems it appropriate?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I want to light your ass on fire so the next time you’re sitting at a bar, chatting with your friends, you’ll remember to keep an eye on your phone.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I promise I’m not the kind of man to ruin your evening or call you a thousand times when you’re with your friends. I just need to know you’re safe.”
“I understand.”
“I called because I received an alert while you were out—one that goes to all the Brothers when there’s been a security breach. It’s an alarm that tells us to be sure we know where our loved ones are until the threat is neutralized.”
The phrase ‘loved ones’ sticks to the center of my mind. Does he mean ‘loved ones’ as in, a person I love? Pushing the silly thought from my mind, I focus on the task at hand—apologizing. “I’m sorry, that must have been very upsetting for you.”
He runs an agitated hand through his hair. “When you didn’t answer my calls, I called the driver. He said he was on the way back to me to tell me he’d been dismissed.”
I say, “I swear, I had no idea Lulu sent him home.”
He nods. “I know. And you won’t be punished for it. But not keeping an eye on your phone? That, I’m going to correct.”
I begin to inch back from him. “How?”
He says, “By plugging your pretty bottom. Then giving you a taste of my belt.”
Heat rushes to my face. Shifting my weight, I can’t make my gaze meet his. He’d mentioned once before, the very first time he spanked me for trying to slap him, that sometimes the husbands of the Beauties punished their women with more than just spanking... by plugging their bottoms as well.
From his pocket, he slips a shiny metallic plug and a tube of what looks like lube.
I’d filed the memory in a locked file cabinet drawer in my brain, labeled not going to go there. Now, with Luke standing before