Page 32 of Ace

“Yayyyyy!” Lizzie cried. “It’s gonna be our turn now!”

Ace counted the cars on the track and the people ahead of him in line and thanked his lucky stars she was right. He was not prepared to stave off another meltdown so soon after the last one. The floor cleared of vividly dressed Littles and Daddies and Mommies of all shapes and sizes, and the attendant opened the gate to let them onto the floor. “No running!” he called after several Littles had already started.

Ace held tightly to Lizzie’s hand so she didn’t have a choice and walked them over to two bumper cars next to each other. She chose the pink one (no surprise there) and he climbed into the blue one beside it.

“Buckle up tight,” he warned her, as he did up his own seatbelt. It occurred to him just as she finished that he should have done it for her, but it was too late now. No use crying over spilled milk and all that.

“You buckle up!” she retorted, ignoring the fact that he already had. “I’m gonna bump you so hard!”

Ace held back a laugh. His Little girl had a competitive streak a mile long it seemed.

He figured he would let her, and focus his energy on bumping other Daddies, leaving the Littles alone to have their fun. Her laughter and glee at beating him would be well worth it.

The track started and Lizzie squealed and hit the gas. Ace took off slowly behind her, turning quickly at the last second to hit a Daddy who looked like he had the same plan as Ace did. The neat looking younger man took the hit with a smile and a nod, backed up hard, and hit Ace back, just as Lizzie hit him from the opposite side.

“Ooof!” Ace cried, whipping his head around to shoot a mock glare in his Little’s direction. She shrieked with laughter and gunned it backward hitting him again.

“Oooh you,” he growled, yanking the wheel sharply to get out from between them, and racing around the perimeter of the track, looking for a chance to get behind Lizzie. He barely caught up with her and gave her car the tiniest of taps when the track turned off, signaling the end of their turn.

“Again! Again! Again!” she cried when the car stopped, running to get back in line. Ace followed her indulgently. They went five more times in a row before he started to feel dizzy and sick to his stomach.

“Again!” she cried, heading for the back of the line.

“Hold it.” He grabbed her hand and halted her progress.

“Daddyyyy,” she whined. “I wanna go again! I’m having so much fun! This is the best day ever!”

“I’m glad you are having fun,” he said, feeling very pleased with himself, “but it’s time for lunch, and then it’s time for Little girls to have a nap.”

Her crestfallen face was so adorable he had to resist the urge to pull out his phone and snap a picture, but the adorableness only lasted a minute before the stubbornness set in.

“I’m not hungry!” she cried, stomping her foot. “And I don’t need a nap!” Her attitude told him she very much did.

“I didn’t ask,” he reminded her gently, keeping his calm. “I’m telling you what is going to happen.”

Lizzie yanked her hand from his and crossed her arms over her chest. “No. I wanna go on the bumper cars again.”

A few Daddies in their vicinity made low hissing noises at the scene unfolding in front of them. Ace’s blood boiled, as he felt their cold stares on the back of his neck. It was probably all in his head, but that didn’t matter.

This felt like something Knox had told him about. She was testing him, and as a teacher by profession, he did not intend to fail.

Dropping her hand, he bent at the waist and scooped her over his shoulder, thankful his hands were no longer full of stuffies so he could do it.

“Put me down!” she cried as he carried her through the crowds. Her fists pounded his lower back.

Ace stopped in his tracks, landing a smack across her backside over the fabric of her dress. “Hit me again, and you will spend the day in the corner with a throbbing hot bottom,” he warned menacingly.

He could practically hear the wheels turning in her head as she processed his threat and debated on whether or not he was serious and if she wanted to risk ruining the rest of their day by testing him.

Thankfully, wisdom won out, and she settled, allowing him to carry her to their room without further incident. Once inside, he dropped her on her feet in front of him and regarded her sternly.

“You do not hit Daddy, and you do not tell Daddy no. When Daddy says it’s time for lunch and a nap, it’s time for lunch and a nap. You are the Little girl here, and you are not in charge. What Daddy says goes.”

Lizzie stayed stubborn against his stern glare and balled her hands into fists at her sides. “You never said anything about a nap when we made our plans for the day,” she accused. “I’m not a baby, and I don’t needa nap!”

“Your attitude tells a different story,” he said flatly.

When her angry expression didn’t change, he softened. It seemed his Little girl also had a stubborn streak a mile long. “I’m sorry I didn’t inform you that a nap would be part of today’s agenda. I will make sure to make all the parts of the plan clear in the future, but my mistake does not excuse your behavior. You are supposed to mind Daddy and be a sweet, obedient Little girl when Daddy tells you to do something. How do you think you made Daddy feel?”