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"Fine. Spank me. I don't care." The twisting and churning of her gut called her a liar, but she wasn't about to admit it to Jason.
"I'm not going to spank you. But you are going to go downstairs and apologize to Luca, once you spend some time in the corner."
The laugh that burst out of her held zero traces of humor. "Absolutely not."
He took a step forward, and she instinctively scrambled backward onto the bed. "You said you weren't going to spank me!"
"Well, I wasn't planning on it, but I might change my mind if you don't get your nose in that corner by the count of three. One."
"Jason, I am not standing in the corner like a child," she argued, even if she did feel like one at the moment.
"Two."
"Stop counting! I can't think with you counting!"
"What's there to think about?" He pointed across the room. "Your Daddy said to go to the corner. So, you go to the corner."
"You're being ridiculous." Desperately trying to ignore the pounding of her heart, she tilted her chin up defiantly. "I'll apologize to Luca, but I am not standing in the corner."
"Three." Quick as a snake, he snagged her ankle and pulled her to the edge of the bed.
"Jason! Stop!"
"What do you think you should be calling me right now, little one?"
The pounding changed to a strange little flutter in her chest. "Um. Daddy?"
The smile he gave her was quick and fierce. "Good girl." With an easy strength, he lifted her to her feet, turned her toward the corner, and swatted her twice. The sting was more than she'd anticipated and she danced in place to relieve the burn.
"Corner. Now."
Unwilling to risk more of that kind of spanking, she practically ran to the only empty corner in the room.
"Hands behind your back. Nose on the wall."
Folding herself into the awkward position, she tried not to think of what an embarrassing picture she made. "How long do I have to stand here?"
"Fifteen minutes. If you're ready to apologize, we'll go back downstairs. If not, you can do another fifteen."
"I'm ready to apologize now." Not that she would mean a word of it, but she'd spent thirty-odd years learning how to tell people what they wanted to hear, whether she meant it or not.
"Your time doesn't start until you quit talking. Nose on the wall, mouth closed for fifteen minutes."
A million responses ran through her mind. But since none of them were anywhere in the orbit of respectful, and she had no intention of dragging this out any longer than necessary, she kept her mouth shut.
It wasn't fair. If they'd gotten to her parents in time, they would never have fallen for Branson's bullshit explanations. And now she was standing in the corner like a child, because nobody could do their damn jobs.
Her stomach did a flip she reluctantly recognized as guilt. The men downstairs, along with the man behind her, had gone above and beyond anything she'd ever expected to rescue her. Three months ago, she'd been trapped in her own personal hell with no hope of escape. Then, with one unlocked door and a sister with no concept of personal space, her secrets had been exposed.
And before she even knew what was happening, her sisters were planning her escape. And when Teagan had gotten caught sneaking cameras into her bedroom, the men had stepped up without a second of hesitation. For weeks, they'd planned, down to the last detail, so she wouldn't be put in harm's way when she left. They'd argued about the best plan, and even though she'd defied all three of them and done things her own way, they'd still held up their end of the bargain. They'd rescued her.
And she'd thrown their love and their sacrifice in their faces.
As soon as the tears started to fall, Jason was there, stroking her back and murmuring to her. "Let it out,tesoro. That's my good girl."
The urge to protest his praise was strong, but she didn't want to risk starting her time over. All she wanted was to be in his arms.
As if reading her mind, he pressed a kiss to her hair. "Two more minutes, little one."
