Daddy's Way Read online

  In her room, she hopped onto the bed, drumming her feet against the side while she waited. A few seconds passed and she realized she was too nervous to sit still. She hopped down again and began pacing the room.

  “Olivia Jane.”

  The sound of his voice froze her in place. It wasn’t fear, exactly, that sent the butterflies dancing in her stomach. It was some strange mix of anxiety, anticipation, and excitement. She turned to the door, and her breath caught in her throat at the sight of her daddy filling the doorway.

  He’d changed out of his perfect business suit into a pair of jeans and a button-down shirt. The sleeves were rolled to his elbows, perfectly showcasing his lean, taut forearms. And threaded through the loops of the old, faded jeans was the thick leather belt her bottom was well acquainted with. Was she drooling? She lifted a hand to her mouth just to be sure, relieved to find her chin dry.

  “Yes?” The word was barely a whisper.

  He lifted an eyebrow, a gesture that never failed to have her tummy doing somersaults. “Are you doing what you were told?”

  She was so distracted by him, by the longing in her heart, it took her a moment to remember what he’d told her to do. When she did, she rushed to her bed and hopped up on mattress again, her hands folded in her lap.

  James walked over to the large desk in the corner of her bedroom and grabbed the straight-backed chair. He carried it over to the bed and placed it directly in her line of sight before dropping onto the hard wooden seat.

  “You want to go first, little one?”

  The endearment emboldened her, and Olivia nodded. Her fingers twisted against each other in her lap, and the nervousness she’d held at bay all afternoon flooded her. “I...” She swallowed, her throat suddenly too dry to speak. “I just, I know things have been weird and I...” She looked up and met his gaze, his eyes filled with emotions she hadn’t seen in so long she’d forgotten what they looked like. “I want my daddy back!” The words burst out of her, accompanied by a rush of hot tears streaming down her cheeks.

  Seconds ticked by with the silence growing heavy and strained between them before he spoke. “Do you?”

  “Huh?” Sniffling, she swiped at her eyes and stared at him.

  “Do you really want your daddy back? Or is that just what you think I want?”

  She blinked, momentarily at a loss for words. “What kind of question is that? I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t want it!”

  Sighing deeply, he scrubbed a hand over his face. “I want to believe you, Olivia. God, I want to, so badly. But I need to know you mean it.”

  Flabbergasted, she gestured at her pajamas. “What do you think this is all about? You think I just put on my little girl PJs and had you come in here, to my space, for the hell of it?” Though she hadn’t been given permission, she slid from the bed and knelt in front of him. “Why don’t you believe me?”

  “It’s a lot of little things. At first I thought you were just pushing the boundaries, testing me. But then the last few times I punished you, you seemed to resent it. Not immediately, but you were... distant, for a day or so after.”

  As much as it hurt to hear, he was right. She’d gotten so wrapped up in being a hot-shot realtor, it had grated to have him issuing orders. Looking back, it was clear to see how she’d pulled away, little by little.

  “You’re right. I was having trouble balancing my career and our home life. But,” she broke off and shook her head.

  “No. None of that, Olivia. Finish your thought.”

  Chewing on her lip, she finally lifted her head to look up at him again. “Can I be completely honest?”

  “Always.”

  She took a deep breath, reaching deep for the courage to say what needed to be said. “I did pull away. And there were days I struggled with submitting to you. I own that, and I know that’s on me. But you let me push you away. You never talked to me about it or asked me why. You just let me go, and it broke my heart.”

  The silence that filled the room weighed on her. Did he feel it too? Did it sit on his chest, making each breath a chore like it did for her?

  “You’re right.”

  Shock had her mouth falling open. “What?”

  “You’re right. I thought you wanted me to back off, and instead of sitting down and talking it out, maybe renegotiating our dynamic, I pulled away from you. I’m sorry, Livvy. I let you down, both as your husband and your daddy.”

  The knots in her stomach began to loosen. “We’re both to blame. I wasn’t honest with you about how I was feeling.”

  “How about we give ourselves a fresh start? Wipe the slate clean and hit the reset button tonight.”

  She smiled, love for him filling all the empty places she hadn’t realized were there. “Okay, Daddy.”

  Chapter Two

  The vise around James’s heart loosened at his wife’s simple response. Okay, Daddy. When was the last time he’d heard those words from her lips? When was the last time she’d called him Daddy at all?

  He’d thought she was over being his little girl. And though it had broken his heart, every day, he’d kept his mouth shut. All he’d ever wanted was for her to be happy, and he’d thought she was happy with her role as his wife and business partner.

  But that afternoon, he’d gotten a glimpse beneath the tough exterior. When he’d walked in her office, she hadn’t been quick enough to hide the glimmer of tears in her eyes. So he’d pushed his luck. And when he’d leaned over her desk to lay down the law, it hadn’t just been tears shimmering in her eyes.

  There had been pure, raw need. A kind he hadn’t seen in her or felt in himself for months.

  And when she’d walked out of her bathroom, her hair in the high ponytail he adored, wearing nothing but a plain pink tank top and pair of pajama bottoms with tiny hippos frolicking on a field of blue? His heart had stopped.

  But he’d needed more. Needed to hear it from her lips before he felt like he could let his guard down. The relief he’d felt when she’d finally blurted out that she wanted her daddy back had nearly made him weep with joy.

  And now, with her kneeling at his feet, watching him expectantly, he had some decisions to make. They needed a fresh start, and if he knew his girl, there was only one way to go about it.

  “Stand up, Olivia.”

  Her eyes went wide, and there was just a little flicker of fear in the brown depths. But she pushed to her feet and stood in front of him, her fingers picking at the fabric of her pajama bottoms.

  “I’m going to ask you a question, and I want an honest answer. Okay?”

  She hesitated, then nodded reluctantly.

  “Have you been acting out at work to see if Daddy would punish you?”

  Another hesitation followed by a much smaller nod.

  He’d wondered. Months ago, when the distance between them had begun to grow, her behavior at work and at home had changed. More and more he’d overheard her swearing in the office, or being rude to MaryAnn. He’d thought it was simply her exercising her newfound independence. Hindsight being 20/20, he could now see the behavior for what it was: a cry for help.

  Well, his little girl was about to get all the help she needed.

  “I thought that might be the case. So, here’s what is going to happen. You’re going to go over my knee for a long, hard spanking on your bare bottom. Then you’re going to sit at your desk and write lines while I go make us some dinner. After dinner, we’re going to have another talk. How the rest of the night goes depends on our talk.”

  “What kind of talk?”

  “We’re going to talk about where we went wrong and how we can make sure things don’t go so far off the rails going forward.”

  “Oh. Okay.”

  He heard the nerves in her quiet voice, and they were written all over her face. Normally, he would enjoy the anticipation, making her wait and squirm before he finally delivered her punishment. But he wanted to get this over with so they could get back to normal as quickly as possible.
With that in mind, he took her hand and guided her over his left knee.

  “Daddy’s going to make sure you’re a good girl from now on.”

  The small whimper that escaped from her lips had him hardening uncomfortably. Ignoring his own discomfort, he raised his hand and brought it down on her bottom with a smack that echoed in the small room.

  He gave himself a moment to enjoy the feel of her bottom giving way under his hand. To appreciate her little gasp of surprise, and the sting in his own palm before he focused on giving his little girl the spanking she needed. He spanked fast and hard, not giving her time to recover from one swat before he laid down the next. Olivia wiggled over his knee, her bottom jiggling with each swat.

  “Ow! Daddy, stop!”

  Her feet drummed against the floor as she struggled, and damned if it wasn’t the cutest thing he’d ever seen.

  “Daddy will stop when you’ve learned your lesson, little girl.”

  “I—ow!—I have! Please, Daddy!”

  It really was adorable how she thought they were done when he hadn’t even pulled her pajama bottoms down. James paused long enough to do exactly that, chuckling at the pale purple cotton against her olive-toned skin. “Were you hoping wearing my favorite color would earn you some leniency, Livvy?”

  “Maybe,” she admitted, twisting her torso around to grin up at him.

  “Cheeky brat.” Because he knew she’d be disappointed if her ploy worked, he put a little extra force behind the next flurry of swats.

  Howling, Olivia kicked her feet up to cover her bottom and he paused the spanking to frown at the disobedient form draped over his knee. Had it been so long since he’d punished her that she’d forgotten the rules?

  “Olivia Jane. Put your feet on the floor right this minute.”

  “But Daddy, it hurts!”

  He hardened his heart against the long, plaintive wail. “At the risk of sounding cliché, it’s supposed to hurt, little girl. Feet down or we finish with my belt.”

  The threat was enough to have her dropping her feet to the floor immediately. He picked up where he left off, and the room filled with the sounds of his hand connecting with her bottom and her pitiful cries.

  By the time he paused again, she was panting and whimpering over his knee. He could see the bright pink of her bottom peeking out from beneath her panties. But they weren’t finished. She wasn’t where she needed to be, and he’d promised her a bare bottom spanking. If he didn’t deliver on his promise, she wouldn’t trust him to keep his word on anything else they’d discussed.

  So he blocked out her whimpers of distress and slipped her panties down to her knees. When his hand connected with her bare bottom, her whimpers turned to shrieks.

  Now he took his time, letting each swat sink in before layering the next on top of it. When she reached a hand back to protect her bottom from the onslaught, he easily grabbed her wrist and pinned it to her back.

  “Daddy! Please!”

  James tightened his grip on her hand, firmly pinning her in place while he seared her bottom with firm, well-placed swats. When he heard her breath begin to hitch, he moved lower, focusing his attention on the sensitive curve of her lower bottom. He wanted to be sure she felt his love for her when she sat down to write her lines.

  It only took a dozen on her sit-spots to bring on the tears. His little girl went limp over his knee, sobbing as though her heart was breaking. After another six solid swats, he helped her up so she could curl up on his lap.

  “Shhh, little one. There’s my good girl. I’m so proud of how you took your spanking.”

  “Hurts,” she said, her voice little more than a whimper. Sniffling pitifully, she pressed her face into his neck.

  “I know. But don’t you feel so much better now?”

  “No. My bottom hurts.”

  Chuckling at her petulant protests, he pressed a kiss to the top of her hair. “Well, how does your heart feel?”

  She sighed and snuggled in closer. James closed his eyes, savoring the feeling of having his little girl in his arms again.

  “It’s better,” she eventually admitted. “I’m sorry I was so bad.”

  “You weren’t bad. Sit up, little one.”

  She obeyed, wincing when her tender bottom pressed against the stiff denim of his jeans. Cupping her cheek with one hand, his eyes locked with hers. “I love you. And I’m sorry I didn’t see how badly you needed me. From now on, I’ll try to pay better attention. But I need something from you, too.”

  “What, Daddy?”

  “I need you to come to me, and be honest with me if I’m not being the daddy you need. You’re not to act out at work to try and get my attention. And to make sure you remember that, you’re going to write ‘I will be honest with Daddy’ fifty times and ‘I will not act like a brat at work’ fifty times.”

  Her lower lip pushed out, and he couldn’t resist leaning in and capturing her lips with his own. The taste of her was better than the sweetest wine. She sighed into the kiss and when her arms came up to loop around his neck, he nearly gave in to his need for her.

  But his little girl still had some lessons to learn. And since this whole fiasco was partly his fault, it only seemed fair for him to suffer right along with her. Reluctantly, he pulled away and broke the kiss.

  “Let’s get those lines started and Daddy will go make dinner.”

  Still pouting, she stood and shuffled over to her desk. He followed behind, carrying the chair back to its rightful place. Olivia wrinkled her nose before looking longingly at the pillows on the bed and then back at him, her question clear in her eyes.

  “No, Livvy. I want you to feel how much your bottom hurts and think about that while you’re writing your lines.”

  “Yes, Daddy,” she conceded with a sigh before lowering herself into the chair. She winced when her bottom pressed into the unforgiving wood. He gave her a minute to squirm before he placed the paper and pencil in front of her.

  “Fifty of each, Livvy. What happens if you don’t finish before I come back upstairs?”

  “I get another spanking.”

  “With?” he prompted gently.

  “Your belt,” she whispered, her wary gaze landing on the thick leather encircling his waist.

  “That’s right. One for each line you don’t finish. You better get started, little one.”

  She sighed, but picked up her pencil without argument and started writing. Leaning down, he pressed another kiss to her hair and left to go make dinner for his favorite girl.

  Chapter Three

  When the door shut behind her daddy, Olivia sighed loudly and shifted in her chair, trying her best to take some of the pressure off her burning bottom.

  As much as it hurt, she couldn’t really complain. She’d wanted her daddy back, and that was exactly what she’d gotten. It still sucked that she had to write stupid lines, though. She hated lines, something her daddy was well aware of.

  I will be honest with Daddy. Her tummy clenched as she wrote the words for a fifth time. She hadn’t been honest with him, and now she knew it had hurt him as much as it hurt her.

  “Stupid,” she muttered under her breath. A single tear slipped down her nose and plopped on the paper.

  “Goddammit.” She glared at the wet spot. Daddy expected her paper to be neat and presentable and now she’d have to start all over again, which meant she wouldn’t finish and she’d get a whipping with Daddy’s thick, scary belt. All because she was a big crybaby.

  Resentment started to build, crowding out the happy, contented feeling she’d had after her spanking. It wasn’t her fault, really, that things had gone so sideways between her and James. So why was she the only one being punished? It wasn’t fair.

  Resentment grew to outright anger and she slammed the pencil down on the desk. She stood up and yanked her panties and pajama bottoms up, wincing a bit when the cotton brushed against her raw skin. The flash of pain made her pause. If she didn’t finish her lines because she messed up an
d had to start over, there was always the chance James would show her some mercy. But if she didn’t finish because she was being stubborn, even the smallest chance at leniency would evaporate. Sitting comfortably would be a distant memory if he kept his promise of one stroke for every line she didn’t finish.

  But it still wasn’t fair. Dammit, she’d paid the piper with that drawn-out session over his knee. Her bottom was still warm to the touch and sitting on the chair had been hell. It simply wasn’t right for him to keep punishing her.

  Her mind made up, she stormed out of her pretty little bedroom down the hall to their master suite. Here, James’s influence was more noticeable, though her taste still reigned supreme, much like the rest of their house. Ignoring the guilt gnawing at her tummy, she grabbed her Kindle and stretched out on top of the cream-colored duvet. She opened the book she’d been trying to read all week, about a daring female spy and the hard-nosed man she’d been paired with who didn’t take lightly to her putting herself in danger. It didn’t take long for her to lose herself in the story, and she was deep in a world of intrigue and danger when the Kindle suddenly disappeared from her hands.

  Blinking in surprise, she lifted her head to meet James’s furious gaze. With more calm than she felt, she smiled up at him. “Oh. Hey. Is dinner ready?”

  The widening of his eyes was actually rather comical, but she wisely smothered the laugh bubbling in her chest. There was bratty and defiant, and then there was just fucking stupid. Laughing at him when he was clearly furious with her definitely fell under ‘fucking stupid.’

  “You have five seconds to explain why I shouldn’t take my belt off right now and give you every one of the ninety-five licks you have coming, young lady.”

  The resentment that had pushed her to disobey in the first place rose to the surface and she pushed herself to her knees so they were eye to eye. “Because it’s not fair! I shouldn’t have to get punished over and over when you fucked up, too!”