Page 16 of Learning Little Lizzie

“Right.” Snorting out a disbelieving laugh, she turned her head away again, mostly so he wouldn’t see the tears pooling on her lashes. “Like you’d know anything about it.”

“As it happens, I do. But that’s a conversation for another time. And we don’t have to talk about your parents anymore if you don’t want to.”

“I would literally rather talk about anything else. Except my hard limits list,” she added when his lips twitched with clear amusement.

“Then let’s talk about the Ranch. I’m new here, and still getting to know my way around. What should I know?”

Finally, a topic she actually enjoyed. “Well, for starters, you should know that Master Derek’s wife, Sadie, is the prank queen of Rawhide. Though Wren has been giving her a run for her money here lately, and when Piper comes to visit with her Mommy and Daddy, all bets are off.”

“That sounds… ominous.”

“Nah, it’s mostly good fun. Well, most of us think it’s good fun. The bossy types don’t always seem to agree. But between you and me, I think they all enjoy being in trouble so it’s pretty much a win-win for everyone involved.” She paused, tilting her head to the side as memories played over in her mind. “Except Chef Connor. Somehow he always ends up in the middle of their pranks and it’s pretty fifty-fifty on whether or not he’s going to be a good sport about it. The odds are more in your favor if you can get his wife, Hayleigh, involved. He’ll still light you up with his spoon, but if Hayleigh is part of the prank, he doesn’t stay mad nearly as long.”

“How often do you get involved in these pranks?”

“Not a lot. Mostly they keep it all between the Littles.” Inspiration dawned and she grinned. “Of course, if you’re wanting me to act like a Little, then I suppose I’ll have to talk to Sadie about making sure I’m included going forward.”

“As long as you’re prepared to accept the consequences,” he shot back with an easy shrug.

Need pulsed between her thighs. Like Sadie and her ilk, being in trouble just did something to Eliza. While she enjoyed a good spanking for spanking’s sake just as much as the next masochist, she loved being in trouble. Loved the pit in her stomach when she realized she was about to be spanked, loved the strict words and stern looks that always came with any punishment. “What kind of consequences?”

“I suppose it depends on the prank. Care to give me some examples?”

“Ah…” She shifted through her memories of the past two years at the Ranch. “Well there was that epic Prank Day where they all pulled different pranks at the same time. Hayleigh hid all of her Daddy’s wooden spoons, Piper covered her Mommy’s office with toilet paper. Oh and Heaven Leigh replaced a few things in Master Derek’s office with cake.”

“Cake?”

“Yeah, you know. Like those uber-realistic cakes? I think she got his phone, so when he tried to call everyone to warn them about the pranks, he just picked up a handful of cake instead of his phone.”

To her surprise, Samuel laughed. And not just a little chuckle. No, this was a head-thrown-back, from the belly kind of laugh.

It was a really great laugh. Which was probably why her tummy felt so funny.

“I’ll be honest, Eliza. I’m not sure I’d be able to stop laughing long enough to spank you for any pranks involving cake. Hiding implements, however…” He pinned her with a stern look, but it was undermined somewhat by the laughter still dancing in his eyes. “Once you retrieved them all, we would be spending a fair amount of time over the next few days reacquainting your bottom with each and every item.”

“What if I hid them and replaced them all with cake? Wouldn’t that create like, a punishment paradox or something?”

“You’re welcome to test that hypothesis as you wish, little one.”

She blinked at his response, and before she could smother it, a laugh burst free. “Was that a very academic way of telling me to ‘fuck around and find out’?”

“It was.” Now his expression did turn a bit stern for real. “I’m letting that naughty word slide with a warning since it’s part of a well-known expression. But I do not give many warnings, Eliza.”

“Noted.” Having to watch her language was going to suck, but surely she could keep it under wraps when he was around. She’d just save up all her f-bombs for when she was hanging out with her friends.

That thought reminded her of what he’d told Kylie as they’d been packing up her dorm. “Can I ask you something?”

“You can ask me anything, little one.”

Dammit. The way he called her “little one” in that tone, like he actually meant it as a term of endearment was starting to get to her. “Do I really have to ask your permission to have friends over?”

“Yes. You’ll also be expected to stick to a schedule, which we will set up this week. Any deviances from that schedule will need to be approved by me unless it’s an emergency.”

“This sucks.”

“I’m sure it does. And I’m aware there will be an adjustment period. But can you really look me in the eye and tell me that you aren’t in desperate need of more structure and discipline, Eliza?”

“Maybe not desperate need,” she mumbled.

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