Page 35 of Use Me, Daddy

“Yes,” she answered, her voice trembling.

I cleared my throat. Her bottom may be sore from my hand right now, but that wouldn’t stop me from bending her over my desk and taking my belt to her bare ass.

Her face paled a little, likely remembering my earlier threat.

“Yes, Daddy,” she corrected, her cheeks turning redder with every syllable.

I smiled, satisfied.

She wasn’t quite broken in, not yet.

But she would be.

“Good girl,” I murmured, and her cheeks flushed, her eyes darting away from mine. “Now, why don’t you take the rest of the afternoon off? You’ve earned a little break.”

The look on her face was almost comical, the mixture of shock and indignation making her eyebrows shoot up toward her hairline. She swallowed hard once more before she broke eye contact with me, turned away, and fled.

“See you tomorrow, baby girl!” I called out.

She’d be back. I was certain of it.

The Iron Wolf Tavern was unusually quiet when I stepped in later that night, the usual hum of conversation replaced with the low thrum of tension along with the clinking of glasses. I could sense it in the air—something had shifted, and as I made my way past the heavy oak tables and the familiar faces nodding in recognition, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was happening.

My brothers were already gathered at our usual corner table. Sergei was nursing a drink, his eyes scanning the room with that ever-watchful gaze, while Nikolai’s booming laugh cut through the silence. Ivan was typing something into his phone, fully caught up in whatever he was doing, probably working on some code meant to make us rich men. But Maxim’s face was setin that hard, unyielding expression he wore when something needed fixing.

Something—orsomeone—needed to be handled.

I pulled out a chair and settled in, nodding to my brothers. Before I could even get a word out, Maxim leaned forward, his voice low. “The Orlovs are getting bolder, and I don’t like it,” he said. “Word is they’ve been reaching out to some of our contacts. Offering better deals, more protection. They’re trying to poach what’s ours.”

I nodded, absorbing the information. It wasn’t unexpected, but it was still a nuisance.

“And what have we done to remind them who runs this city?” I asked, leaning back in my chair, my fingers drumming lightly on the table.

Nikolai grinned, a dark gleam in his eyes. “Let’s just say a few of their men won’t be able to walk straight for a while. But that’s not all. Mikhail Orlov is trying to hit us where it hurts—our businesses too.”

That got my attention. “Which ones?”

“The gallery,” Ivan said, his voice a quiet rumble. “I intercepted some chatter about them wanting to disrupt one of your upcoming auctions.”

Of course. My gallery, my sanctuary, my territory. The one place where I had full control.

My thoughts immediately flickered to Amy, picturing her dark hair tumbling over her shoulders as she threw her head back, the image of her ass flexing over my knee as she writhed and screamed and came for me.

Maxim cleared his throat, and I met his gaze head on.

“Let them try,” I muttered as my thoughts turned back to the business at hand. “They won’t get far.”

“We need to shore up security. Our enemies are getting bolder. They think we’re too distracted with our legitimate fronts to notice what they’re doing,” Maxim added.

He leaned in closer, his voice dropping. “Aleksei, I know your mind’s half on that pretty new assistant of yours, but focus. We can’t afford any mistakes right now.”

I gave him a small, tight smile. “I’m focused, brother. Trust me.”

He studied me for a moment, then sighed. “Just remember—if you think she’s worth it, don’t fuck it up. Keep her out of this mess with the Orlovs. They’re dangerous.”

Maxim’s words struck a chord, and for a second, I almost let myself think about what it would be like to pull Amy even deeper into my world, to protect her the way Maxim had with Riley. But I shoved the thought away.

She wouldn’t just agree to marry me.

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