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Chapter Two
The vise around James’sheart 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.
