Page 32 of Daddy, Sir

“Except my sister hired you, so technically, you’re not working for me,” he countered.

When her crew started nodding their heads in agreement, she rolled her eyes. “Semantics. At the end of the day, you, Lieutenant Dan, are the property owner. Not Mel, who is also in trouble with me for not saying anything.”

“She didn’t know I’d decide to ask you for a job.”

“Still no.”

“Then give me an unpaid internship.” He caressed her knee, then squeezed gently and leaned close to whisper, “I’ll even let you call me Lieutenant Dan without spanking you.”

Although he was probably teasing, her belly cramped almost painfully, and she swore she had Niagara Falls in her panties. Just the thought of going over his knee with her jeans pulled down…

“It’s not illegal for a property owner to work on their own house,” Jolene said, thankfully distracting her from the moisture drenching her core. “You can’t stop him after you leave for the day, and you’d also have him there to approve the design details like paint and shit.”

“Yeah,” Jasmine said. “Just have him sign an insurance waiver, keep him away from power tools and ladders, and move on. It’ll only be until his house is done.”

Dammit. She should have been careful about what she wished for when she wanted him to not be her employee.

Knowing it was a waste of time, she sighed and said, “We all have to agree. Do we keep Lieutenant Dan or kick him to the curb?”

Chapter Four

Daniel

His hands were still twitching from the effort it took to stop himself from grabbing the check from her. The habit was too ingrained to be ignored, but the meal was Sadie’s party, her employees, and her business.

He consoled himself, knowing she wouldn’t be paying for any of their dates—of which there would be many—assuming he could tease her out of her irritation.

“I vote we keep the eye candy until his house is done, but not for The Majestic,” Beatriz said.

“Eye candy?” he asked, hiding a smile.

She shrugged. “What can I say? You’re pretty.”

“We are not objectifying a property owner,” Sadie replied, giving Beatriz a dark scowl.

“You don’t think I’m pretty enough for a few catcalls and whistles?” Daniel asked. He wanted to believe her angry expression carried a hint of jealousy but knew better. “I’m crushed.”

Her face reddened and he hid a smirk when she didn’t reply. Teasing Sadie was almost as fun as imagining her over his lap for a spanking. He was betting her ass would turn as pink as her cheeks, but it wasn’t just the fierce sexual attraction he had for her.

He wanted to know what made her tick. What was on the inside of her gorgeous head?

“I agree with Beatriz,” Lourdes said, once everyone stopped laughing. “Keep him away from pointy objects but let him help on his own house if he signs a waiver.”

For a moment, he wondered if he should be insulted, but Lourdes had a point. He hadn’t even considered liability and insurance, and for that, he owed Sadie an apology. The last thing he wanted was to risk her livelihood, and by extension, that of her employees.

“Same,” Jasmine said. “He could do interior paint and cleanup.”

“You’re just saying that because you hate cleanup,” Sadie muttered sourly. At least it looked like she was considering the idea.

“Who doesn’t hate cleanup?” Jasmine smirked at her. “It’s also safe enough for someone who isn’t on our liability insurance.”

Pinching the skin between her arched eyebrows, Sadie sighed. “Fine. We keep Lieutenant Dan until we finish his house.”

“Yay!” Jasmine called.

“But…” Sadie held up a hand to quiet the cheers. “He has to promise to do as he’s told and stay away from power tools, ladders, and anything sharp.”

“I’ll do exactly what you tell me,” Daniel murmured into her ear, enjoying her shiver. In a louder voice, he added, “As longas Sadie starts asking more questions when she hires people. No more assholes.”

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