AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Exactly right. And as your Daddy, I can and do expect you to follow my rules. And I expect you to accept whatever punishment I decide on when you break those rules.”
“But a week is a really long time!”
“It’s nothing compared to the eternity I spent waiting for you to come out of that house. I expected you to leave in a body bag.”
Guilt twisted her stomach into knots. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“I know, little one. And while this is going to be a long week for you, I would never let your career suffer. I’ll have your phone with me at all times in case something urgent comes up. But there’s no social media, no texting, no internet for a week. Understood?”
With a heavy sigh, she nodded. “Yes, Daddy.”
“That’s my good girl. Now, let’s get you some ice cream.”
Epilogue
One Month Later
“How wasyour first week back at work?”
Stretched out on the couch in Olivia’s living room, Shannon rolled her eyes. “Boring. All of a sudden, they’re worried about my health and well-being, so I’m supposed to be ‘taking it easy’. Which basically means sitting back and letting everyone else snag all the good properties.”
Olivia secretly thought it was a good idea for her to ease back into things, but Shannon would probably flay her alive if she said it out loud. “Sorry, hon. That’s rough.”
“It is. But not much I can really do about it.” She sighed heavily, then flashed a smile that was a little too bright to not be forced. “On to happier things. When do y’all close on the house?”
“Next week.” At the mention of the beach house, Olivia’s mood instantly lifted. “They have some rentals scheduled through the end of the year we’ve agreed to honor, but the first chance we get we’re taking a week to ourselves. James will probably still have to work, but I plan on being a complete beach bum.”
“That sounds awesome. Put me down for a few days, would ya? I’ll pay the going rate.”
“You absolutely will not. I’ll take a look at the calendar and see when I can squeeze you in. But between the existing renters and Bryant, I may only be able to get you a couple days.” Olivia waggled her eyebrows suggestively. “Unless you’d like to bunk with Bryant.”
“Absolutely not.” Scowling, Shannon gave a vigorous shake of her head. “I’d rather get a room at one of those cheap hotels all the college kids crowd into than stay with him.”
“Suit yourself.” But now that she’d said it out loud, the idea was lodged into Olivia’s brain. Maybe a little…nudge was exactly what those two needed.
“Thanks, babe. I could use a vacation, even if it's just for a night or two.” Glancing at her phone, Shannon grimaced and pushed to her feet. “I need to get going if I’m going to make my therapy appointment. Of course, if you wanted to hang out, I could totally reschedule.”
“If you put it off one more time I swear I’m going to get James to paddle your ass.”
The man in question chose that moment to walk into the room, a single eyebrow raised. “Why am I paddling Shannon’s ass?”
“Because she keeps moving her therapy appointment.”
A dark cloud passed over his face. “You still haven’t gone to your first appointment?”
“Tattletale,” Shannon whispered loudly, sticking her tongue out at Olivia. “It’s not my fault, stuff just keeps coming up and I have to reschedule.”
“You know.” His tone almost too casual, James took a step in her direction, and Shannon’s eyes went wide with surprise. “Technically speaking, you never revoked consent for me to punish you. And I would say this falls under the category of ‘following doctors orders’, wouldn’t you?”
With her bottom lip pushed out into a pout, Shannon’s expression turned sulky. “I mean, if you want to be technical about it.”
“I absolutely want to be technical about it. Go to your appointment, Shannon. And if you miss another one, we will definitely be having a discussion about it. Understood?”
“All right, all right, I’m going!” Grabbing her purse from the couch, she paused just long enough to press a noisy kiss to James’s cheek. “Thanks for caring. I’ll see you guys later!”
“That girl needs a Daddy,” James muttered, shaking his head after the front door slammed shut behind her.
“And your brother needs a brat to tame. They’re a match made in heaven.”
