“I really am going to kill him.”

He laughed. “No, you’re not. Noah never betrayed your secrets or told me anything specific. I only knew that your last relationship had ended badly after I shared with him how I felt about you. And it was only when I shared with him that you had a very dangerous side job that he told me anything specific.”

“You make me feel safe and loved and cared for,” she said. “The first time you spanked me is the first time I ever felt truly safe. Calling you Daddy and Sir makes me feel like we both know our roles. And when you scold me or call me little girl or kitten, it’s all I can do not to have an orgasm on the spot.”

“All good things to know.” Pulling her into his lap, he kissed her tenderly. “Having a daddy isn’t just about great sex or being called names that are loving and not demeaning. Part of me feels compelled to see to the needs and desires of the woman you are, the aforementioned mind-blowing sex. That part includes the part of the man that plans to use you hard and keep you sore until your body gets used to handling my libido. I want tohear you scream my name and call me Daddy as you come. Then there’s the other part that wants to cherish the little girl in you that lies right beneath the surface, that needs those rules and protocols, that needs to be spanked when she’s been naughty.”

Avery nodded. “And I was really naughty. I knew when I did it that you would be upset with me.”

“The ends don’t always justify the means,” he said, his cock swelling as he rocked her. He knew she could feel the bulge rising beneath her. “Daddy’s going to spank you for risking your life and for your deliberate disobedience. I’m going to spank you because you’re my little girl and you need to know that I will always care for you, even if part of that caring means you’ll end up over my knee begging me to stop long after I’ve turned your pretty little bottom bright red. Even when that means the strong, vibrant woman I love needs to be humbled by Daddy’s use of her bottom hole. Even when you’ve screwed up more than once and Daddy thinks you need to be welted or to have your pussy spanked. I want you to know, how much Daddy loves you and that I will always be here for you no matter what. Understand?”

Her need to submit ran deep. The more he talked, the more he felt the tension easing out of her. With every punishment he named, the closer she snuggled in to him until her head was on his shoulder and her arm was hugged around his neck.

“Thank you,” she both whispered and sniffled.

“Is there anything you want to add before we begin?” he asked.

“Only that I’m sorry I disobeyed you. I should have gone to the team for help.”

“I appreciate that, and I forgive you. But you still need to be corrected for believing that you knew better than Daddy, don’t you?” He waited for her reply, giving her all the time she needed to contemplate the ordeal ahead and, knowing what was coming, to truly submit herself to his authority.

“Yes, Daddy,” she whispered.

Thom kissed her again. “That’s my good girl. Daddy’s proud of you. I want you to go into the bedroom and take off all your clothes. Stand in the corner between the bed and the window. Before I punish you, for as long as you’re facing the corner, I don’t care how you stand. I want you completely focused on why you’re there and the discipline you’ve got coming. When I’m done punishing you and send you back to the corner, however, you’re to stand like you did at your place in Arizona—hands flat on the wall, bottom pushed out, and legs spread. You’re going to put yourself on display so Daddy can admire his handiwork and your acceptance of his loving correction before he fucks you from behind.”

Her breathing had changed. No longer slow, deep, and rhythmic, it had become shallow and rapid. He liked that change, especially when he noticed her nipples had tightened.

“Okay, up you get,” he said, helping her to her feet.

“Daddy?”

“Yes, baby?”

“Do you have to use my bottom hole?”

“Daddy doesn’thaveto do anything. Daddy will fuck whatever hole he chooses, whenever he wants to. You need to be humbled, Avery, and that is how I am choosing tonight to do it. I promise, I’ll be gentle with you when I take you like that, but as they say, the first time is usually the worst and I know my cock won’t make it easy for you.”

“You’re going to make it hurt,” she said flatly.

“No, not this time,” he assured, stroking her back. “It’ll be uncomfortable, almost certainly, but not painful. Not if I can help it. To put it in perspective, baby, the spanking that precedes it will be painful. The fucking I give your pussy in the corner afterward is going to reflect your punishment and will leave you sore too. But when Daddy uses your bottom hole for the firsttime, he’s going to go nice and slow so that his little girl gets almost as much pleasure as she does when Daddy plows her pussy. You, little girl, will submit, and will take pleasure in doing so. I intend to have you screaming Daddy’s name as you come.”

He loved seeing her blush almost as much as he loved hearing her giggle. Turning her toward the bedroom door, he got her walking with a soft swat to her soon-to-be very sore bottom. “Go on, go get ready for Daddy. I’ll be in within a few minutes.”

Chapter

Thirteen

Avery could scarcely breathe. As she walked into the bedroom, she considered all the reasons for why. First, there was fear. Well, not fear, exactly, but concern. Concern that after so many years of dreaming and fantasizing about this, she might be screwing it up. Concern that Thom planned to spank her again; he’d already proven he could deliver a spanking that left a residual sting. Concern that her boss seemed to accept and endorse her relationship with Tom. While it was nice to know she wouldn’t have to hide anything, she did wonder if his seeing her as submissive to Thom would make him question her ability to do her job. Concern that she might have jeopardized it even more by the way she’d chosen to launch her own private rescue.

That really had been stupid. Hindsight being what it was, if she had it to do over again, she definitely would have done things differently. Sadly, that prototype chopper didn’t come with a time machine built into its stealth array. There was no going back and changing things now.

She drew a deep breath, trying to quell the butterflies raging in her system. Not only could Thom provide her with an effective spanking, but she absolutely knew he would, and it would beeffective on multiple levels. It would let her know, as he’d said to Mac, the depth of his displeasure at what she’d done. It would be harsh enough for her to find cathartic release, physically bringing her to tears and mentally allowing her to forgive herself for what she’d done. And lastly, it would arouse her to all these heights that she’d never known before submitting to Thom. The very thought of being face down over his knee as he spanked her was enough to make her wet and cause her nipples to bead into tight little raspberries.

The only issue, and perhaps the one that concerned her the most, was his plan to use her bottom hole. It wasn’t that she feared he would hurt her. God knows, she’d been through that before. She could take it, but even if she couldn’t, Thom wasn’t that other guy. She loved him. So, although she knew his spanking was going to hurt, and although his pounding of her girly parts would leave her just as sore and aching afterward, she was determined to submit to all of it. Including that uncomfortable moment when his large cock pierced the tight rim of her back hole, sinking his impossible length so deep inside her that she ultimately felt it all the way up into her chest. She could take that—the punishment and the humbling aspect—because she loved and trusted him. What really concerned her was that he was right when he said she’d take pleasure from the act as well.

Standing next to the bed, Avery removed her clothes, folded them neatly, and placed them in the top drawer of the dresser. She glanced up at the room’s two windows. This place was so remote, she couldn’t see another sign of human habitation in any direction, but there was still something extra embarrassing about undressing with curtains wide open. Obviously, he wanted her to feel vulnerable and exposed.

She probably ought to mention to him that when he’d sent her to the corner that last time, it had been the first timeshe’d ever been made to do that. He’d said he didn’t care how she stood before a spanking, but Avery wished he’d given her instructions on what to do with herself. He said he wanted her to think about why she was being punished. She suspected he also wanted her to think about just what that punishment was going to entail. She might also mention to him, at some point, that there was very little chance that she could do anything else but that.