Page 3 of Taming His Brat

She frowned and stabbed a piece of chicken a little harder than necessary. “No.”

“Is this something else we’re going to need to talk about, Charlie?” He put down his fork and leaned back in his chair. She didn’t look up at him and had taken to pushing vegetables around her plate. He wondered if she knew that she looked exactly like a five-year-old who’d been told she couldn’t have dessert.

“The contractors? No, I’ll get it done. I just didn’t have time today. I’m still putting together a list so I can get estimates in order.”

He was sure she was on top of all that. She had a business management degree, and his Charlie was nothing if not professional when it came to organizing expenses. Shame it didn’t transfer over to the rest of her life.

“Not the contractors, Charlie. The attitude.”

She was silent, but he saw her sneaking looks at him, probably to see if she was close to getting herself in more trouble. She must have evaluated his expression and decided she better back it down because her next words were, “Sorry, Sam.”

“You might as well call me Daddy because you’re about to go over my knee, girl.”

Every reaction was being weighed and judged and he made it clear with a piercing stare that had her shifting in her seat. “Sorry, Daddy.”

He could almost hear the sigh she held back, and he had no doubt she would have rolled her eyes if he wasn’t watching. It made his lip twitch and he had to fight not to show his amusement. He wouldn’t have allowed any other signs of temper after the warning, but it did amuse him how dramatic she could be when she was being put in her place.

They were still working out the details of their relationship and most of the time everything seemed to settle naturally, but his Charlie never had liked being told what to do outside of the bedroom. Which, as far as he was concerned, made it all the more interesting that she’d asked for him to take charge of her.

Her asking him to boss her around had been confusing at first. It seemed so contrary to what he knew of her. He’d spent a lot of time wrapping his head around it and the conclusion he’d come to was that it felt more real to her if she didn’t like it. That made sense and went along with her request to skip the safeword.

It had taken a bit to feel easy about that, but once he was sure it was what she really wanted he’d been perfectly willing to take their D/s out of the bedroom. He hadn’t regretted it so far. Charlie was the girl for him. He’d known it since they were kids, and once he’d stepped into the role of Daddy it had been a perfect fit.

He was used to her bratty side; it made his palm itch to smack her ass until she behaved, but he loved her spirit too. In the bedroom when she slipped into the fiery submissive role it made his cock painfully hard. But he’d never seen the little girl in need of a Daddy until she’d come back to the ranch. It called out to him, and the Dom inside had answered eagerly.

It made him feel needed, important. It touched him on a level that was entirely different from the other parts of her. It could be sexy, but that was only the smallest piece of it. He’d never realized before he’d actually experienced it, but when she called him Daddy it made him feel like he was the center of her world.

Now he wasn’t sure he could go back, not even if she decided she didn’t want the dynamic anymore. When she’d arrived on his front step, soaked to the skin and clutching a stuffed toy, his heart had melted. Right then he’d claimed her as his babygirl, though he hadn’t even known it until later.

But invoking the Daddy side of him came with consequences and if Charlie wasn’t careful, she was going to feel them even if he had to interrupt dinner to do it. From the look on her face, she realized it and he could see her trying to move past the sulk. He helped her by changing the subject.

“So, made any decisions on what you’re thinking of studying? Does it have to match your Masters, or can it be in anything?” He’d never gone to college, didn’t have a degree, and had no clue about the academic path she was considering.

If he thought too hard about it sometimes it made him feel inadequate. She was smart as a whip, and there he was with just his high school diploma to see him through. Not that he needed anything more, but sometimes he wished he’d had the chance to go on with his education.

Maybe then he’d be more of a match for her intellectually. But it was just wishful thinking and most of the time he was content with who he was. Charlie was going to have enough education for both of them by the time she was through.

“Well, when I went for my other degrees, Jimmy refused to let me major in Animal Sciences, but now that he’s gone, I think it’s the smartest move, right?” She said it in a distracted tone like she wasn’t really asking for his opinion, but he could see it wasn’t that. She was afraid he’d discourage her like her father had.

He shrugged, giving her an easy grin to soothe her. “Makes sense to me. If this is the life you want there’s no reason you shouldn’t have it, Charlie. We’ve got a ranch to run so it seems like it could only help.”

She relaxed visibly and a slight smile curved her lips. “That’s what I was thinking. And honestly the business degree will go right along with it. I’ve got a ton of ideas for…” She trailed off and gave him an uncertain look.

From the sudden flush climbing her cheeks he knew she was recalling the fight they’d had when she tried to go around him to set up some of those plans. She’d come close to getting spanked on the spot over that one, and only the fact that they hadn’t yet introduced punishment to the relationship had saved her.

Briefly. He’d taught her a few lessons about trying to take the reins already since then, and he had a feeling eventually she’d need more schooling on the issue.

One eyebrow went up as he gave her a stern look, but then he laughed and shook his head. “I’m always willing to listen to your ideas, Charlie. As long as you know who makes the final decisions around here.” He speared a broccoli floret and chewed it thoughtfully before he continued.

“Listen, part of the problem with what you wanted to do was it wasn’t going to work. You hadn’t done the research. Plans are great but you need to back them up with facts and experience. If going to school is going to give you a better base for your ideas, I’m all for it.”

She practically bounced in her seat. “Really? You promise you’ll listen, really listen then?”

He held up one hand, three fingers raised. “I promise.”

She snorted. “You werenevera scout.”

“Well, I promise anyway. Learn the trade, get some experience, and I’ll listen. Besides, if you do go all the way and get your doctorate I’d have to listen because legally you’ll have a say, right?”

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