Page 76 of The More the Merrier

Claire wanted to run. But as she made to fling the blanket off and make a hasty retreat off the sleigh, it started to move.

“Last chance, Claire. Answer me or I will pull you over my lap and spank you in front of all these witnesses.”

His words breached the haze she’d been suffering from. “No. I do not want to be punished.”

“You’re lying again, little one, try again.”

Claire was mortified. What the hell was happening? Why was he calling herlittle?And why was she so turned on by it?

“I don’t understand what is happening,” Claire answered honestly, “but when you say those things, it excites me.”

“Daddy.”

“I’m sorry. What?”

“I don’t understand what is happening but when you say those things it excites me, Daddy.”

Daddy? Could she say that word? It hung between them like forbidden fruit.

“Daddy.” Her hushed word wasn’t much more than a whisper, but he heard her.

“Good girl.” He crooned in her ear. With that done, Ati shifted back to his regular self, or the self she’d been witnessing since she slid into him. Claire fell into a quiet almost hypnotic state created by the lull of the sleigh, the cool mountain air, and the jingling of the bells on the harnesses attached to each sled. But stronger than those were the tones of Ati’s voice as he pointed out local businesses and then as they moved beyond the village, wildlife that Claire never would have noticed if his sharp eyes hadn’t pointed them out.

She lost track of time as the sleigh maneuvered through endless forests until arriving at the pond. They called it a pond, but it was a massive lake, and on the west bank, were at least twenty people putting up tents and moving in large open coal pits that looked like long grills.

“What are those?” Claire pointed at the long grills.

“Braziers or that’s my term for them. Gregor loves Shakespeare and much of our six-day retreat is a take-off of what they did in England back in the 15th century.”

“Oh. That explains the masquerade, and didn’t you say we had a ball?”

“I did, and we do. Let’s take a stroll, Marian.” The sleighs had all pulled over and passengers were disembarking and breaking off into couples and groups. She allowed Ati to lead her away from the others.

“I have something I want to show you.”

He took her arm, and they walked through a canopy of pine trees for several minutes until they came to a small clearing. A tiny cottage with smoke coming out of the chimney sat beside a stream, that was currently frozen. What looked like a woodshed stood off to the right and slightly back.

“Does someone live there?”

“Not exactly. It’s little more than a ski shed, but I like to come here to be alone.”

They stamped the snow off their boots on the porch. Ati opened the door and Claire was pleased to see a cheery fire in the grate and a large, overstuffed sofa with deep seats facing the fireplace, and super glad not to see a dead animal hanging on the mantle. Instead, there was an artist’s rendition of the village. To the right was a small kitchen with a table and chair set, and to the left was a cozy little area by the window with an overstuffed chair a side table with a lamp and a bookcase.

“This is adorable, I love it, but what are we doing here? Won’t the others come looking for us?”

“We have time. We also have privacy to address your behavior earlier.”

Claire spun on her heel. “What do you mean? You gave me the chance to answer you and I did.”

“You answered me, and while I gave you the chance to answer my question, you said you didn’t know what was happening with your body, but my words turned you on. Isn’t that right?”

Ati had moved from the door and stood so close to Claire that she could feel his breath on her skin.

“You have an itch to scratch, do you not? You want to be punished by Daddy. You love being cared for, don’t you, Claire? You want a man who will spoil and punish you in equal measure.”

Claire gulped. In her whole life she’d never met a single man who came close to what she wanted and needed. Now, in less than twenty-four hours, she had two she wanted more than anything. Maybe if employment did, after all, come her way, she could find one who was Ati and Gregor rolled into one.

“Yes, Daddy, I do.”

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