Page 55 of Bet On Me, Daddy

God, she was so fucked-up.

But then Beckett looked up at her and smiled, and everything inside her simply shifted back into place. Maybe it was wrong, maybe there was something incredibly broken inside her that she craved his approval the way she did, but was it really hurting anything to indulge those desires in the safety of the club? After all, that’s what places like Club BDE had been built for.

As long as it didn’t spill out into the real world, in here she could be as submissive—or not, depending on her mood—as she wanted.

“Hi there, Ruby Red. Would you like to join us now?”

“Yes, Daddy.” Her tongue still tripped on the honorific a bit, earning her an even wider smile from the impossibly handsome man in front of her.

“Do you think you’ve learned your lesson about responding to people in an appropriate and timely manner?”

Oh, man, where was a random hole in the floor when she needed one? Being punished in front of Ice and Silver had beenbad enough, but being lectured like this made her want to crawl under the table rather than sit at it. “Yes, Daddy.”

“Good girl. Sit.”

Ignoring the embarrassment churning in her gut, she slid onto the bench beside him. But when she reached for a mushroom, he laid a hand on her arm, giving her a subtle shake of his head when she looked over at him.

Beckett leaned over and picked up the mushroom she’d been reaching for, and when he brought it to her lips, he dropped his voice low for only her to hear. “That’s still Daddy’s job, little girl. Hands in your lap.”

Across the table, Silver’s eyes were round with excitement. Clearly she was reading something into Beckett choosing to hand feed her even after her punishment had ended.

Truth be told, Ruby was struggling not to read anything into it, herself.

It was… sweet, she decided as she chewed. Sweet and erotic, for reasons she couldn’t quite name. And so like Beckett, to want such a deep level of control that he wouldn’t even allow her to feed herself.

Which is exactly why you two don’t work outside the club.

“So, Ruby, tell me about yourself.” Silver’s smoky voice cut through Ruby’s chaotic inner thoughts. “I feel like everyone else knows you so much better because you all work together but we hardly ever get a chance to talk. Do you just work here at the club?”

“God no,” Ruby said with a laugh. “I wish. I work pretty much full time at Charleston Brews, the coffee shop downtown? Usually I open, work until around lunch time and then I run deliveries for one of those food delivery services. And some nights I work here, which is great because everyone is super generous with tips and I pay almost nothing for my membership.”

Beside her, Beckett stiffened, but didn’t say anything as he brought another bite of pork belly to her lips.

Silver let out a low whistle. “I’m exhausted just listening to you and I’ve been on multiple world tours.”

“It’s not so bad.” Ruby shrugged. “Today kinda sucked because it was supposed to be my one day off this month, but I have a friend who manages a temp agency and she asked me to sub in for them at the last minute.”

“Did you say youroneday off a month?” Beckett’s voice had dropped to a low growl that, under any other circumstances would have been hot as fuck, even if it did tie her stomach into knots to hear it.

But this wasn’t some sexy rule she’d broken. This was her real life, and she’d been very clear about their dynamic not affecting their real lives. Turning her head, she raised what she hoped managed to be a haughty brow. “Yes. Do you have a problem with that?”

Beckett’s gaze flicked toward Ice, then back to her face. And she watched as he deliberately shifted his features, an easy smile stretching his lips. “Nope. No problem. What you do outside the club isn’t any of my business.”

Okay, that was weird. But in the end she’d gotten the answer she wanted, so she wasn’t going to question it. “Good.”

An awkward silence fell over the table, and Ruby was just beginning to worry she’d ruined the whole evening when Silver smiled. “So, when do you want to start those drumming lessons, Ruby?”

“Lessons?” The corners of Ice’s mouth turned down in a frown. “Since when are you giving lessons?”

“It just came up in conversation the other day.” The lie slipped easily from Silver’s tongue, and Ruby briefly wondered how much trouble she’d be in if her Daddy ever found out exactly how it had come up in conversation. “You know Ruby wantedto be a drummer and, well, I’ve got lots of free time these days. Figured it might be fun to pass along some knowledge.”

Excitement raced along Ruby’s veins. Technically, she hadn’t fulfilled her end of the bargain yet, but if Silver wanted to go ahead and reward her, who was she to argue? “I’m free tomorrow night.”

“Perfect. I’ll text you our address. Wanna meet me there around five? We can order a pizza and have a lesson.”

The teenage girl inside Ruby was screaming so loudly she wondered if everyone around her could hear her. “Sounds good.”

“Great.” Silver grinned, and Ruby nearly melted into the floor. “It’s a date.”

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