Page 124 of Bet On Me, Daddy

A mischievous smile curved her lips. “Sometimes.”

“Touché, Ruby Red. Touché. Allow me to rephrase.” Lowering his head, he dropped his voice to a low growl. “My good girl does what her Daddy says if she doesn’t want to get her bottom caned and fucked in front of the entire club. Doesn’t she?”

Her eyes widened and her breath caught, but the mischief was still there, dancing in her eyes. Along with a healthy dose of need that had his cock twitching in his pants. “Y-yes, Daddy.”

“Good girl. Let’s go find our friends.”

It didn’t take long, since nearly the entire gang was seated at a huge table in the middle of the floor, including Cordelia and Ivy. They must have had the night off, because Cordelia was wearing a gray suit with the sleeves pushed up to the elbows over a very see-through corset, instead of the usual outfits she wore whenever she was working. She’d told him once that the other Doms were more likely to tip if she was dressed as a more popular fantasy like a cheerleader or a schoolgirl.

It was always fun to see those same Doms do a double take when she walked in looking like the absolute badass she was. Even more so when they watched her put Ivy through her paces with more skill than any of them could ever hope to have.

The only one missing from their group was Frankie, which probably explained the brooding expression on Holden’s face.

“You’re here!” Jumping up from the table with a squeal, Lottie raced forward, throwing her arms around Ruby’s neckbefore taking her hand to drag her back to the table. “You have to tell useverything. You’ve been very stingy with the details in our group chat, naughty girl.”

“Charlotte.” Braden raised an eyebrow. “We talked about this at home. Do you need a reminder?”

Color flooded Lottie’s cheeks as she shook her head. “No, Daddy.”

“Good. Sit down and let Ruby breathe for a minute before you start pestering her with questions.”

“I am not pestering her,” Lottie grumbled, her bottom lip pushing out in a pout. “I just wanna know what’s going on.”

“I’m sure you’ll get your answers soon, Lottie-bug. Just be patient.”

“I swear, it’s like you don’t evenknowme.”

Laughter erupted around the table as he and Ruby took their seats, and even Holden managed a smile and a shake of his head for Lottie’s brattiness.

Beckett and Ruby took their seats in the middle of the table, and he couldn’t help but feel a little bit like he was being put on display. And judging by the tightness around Ruby’s smile she was feeling the same.

Placing a hand on the back of her neck, he gave it a gentle squeeze. Not in warning, but just a reminder that he was right there if she needed him. That he would always be right beside her, no matter what. Almost immediately, he felt the tension drain from her shoulders and her expression turned almost serene.

“Oh, look how cute they are.” Hand over her heart, Ivy let out a dreamy sigh. “I’ve never seen Ruby look like that. It’s so sweet I could cry.”

“No tears, blossom. Save them for when I get you down to the pit.”

Now it was Ivy’s turn to blush and duck her head, though Beckett caught a glimpse of her grin before she did so.

“Okay, to address the elephant in the room, yes, we are together. Everyone happy now?” Ruby asked, pinning each of their friends with a glare in turn.

“I won’t be happy until youtell me what happened.” Despite the warning look from her Daddy, Lottie leaned forward, her eyes lit with excitement. “So take us through the whole thing and don’t you dare leave anything out.”

“Since you probably won’t leave us alone until we do, fine,” Ruby said with a roll of her eyes.

Leaning back in his chair, he let his girl do the talking. It was fun to hear it from her point of view, especially when she got to the part about him punching Preston in the face.

There was a collective gasp from the submissives at the table, and cheers from the Doms, including Cordelia. And, a moment later, a quiet chuckle from behind him as a hand came to land on his shoulder. “I see you didn’t need my assistance, after all.”

Twisting around, he grinned up at Killian. “No, but I did invoke your name. Hope you don’t mind.”

“Always happy to lend a helping hand in putting the fear of god into men who hurt women. I’m glad it worked out for you.”

“Wait, wait, wait.” Eyes wide with pure shock, Ruby held up a hand. “Master Ois the mafia guy you threatened Preston with?”

Killian grinned, clearly amused by her surprise. “The one and only.”

“You didn’t know?” Lottie asked, confusion knitting her brows. “I thought everyone knew.”

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