“Oh. Okay.”
She still sounded unsure, and the nerves she must have been feeling 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 was more than ready to get this over with so they could get that clean slate he’d promised, for both of them. Taking her hand in his, he guided her over his lap, grateful when she didn’t fight him or even utter a word of protest.
When she was securely in position, he rubbed his hand over her pajama-covered bottom, giving them both a moment to readjust to the familiar position. “All right, little one. 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. God, he’d missed the sight of her over his knee.
As cute as he might have thought it was, she didn’t need fun and playful, she needed stern and strict. So that was what he gave her. “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 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 steeled himself 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, and he could see the bright pink of her bottom peeking out from beneath her panties. But they weren’t finished. She wasn’t anywhere close to 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.
Blocking out her whimpers of distress, he slipped her panties down to her knees. And 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. It took less than a dozen for her to throw her arm back in a desperate attempt to stop the punishment. But he easily captured her hand in his before laying six extra-hard swats down on the tops of her thighs. “Naughty Livvy. You know better than to put your hand back, little girl.”
“Ow, ow, ow, I’m sorry! Daddy! Please!”
James tightened his grip on her hand, firmly pinning her in place while he seared her bottom with more 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.
Another dozen to her sit-spots brought on the tears. His little girl went limp over his knee, sobbing as though her heart was breaking. And because his own was breaking right along with her, he pulled her up onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her.
“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.”