Page 36 of Harmonizing with Little Heaven Leigh

“I’m sure you are, but unless you’re using your safe word, this spanking is going to continue.”

She was silent.

“You always have that option with me, Heaven Leigh. Do you need to safeword?”

“N-no, Daddy. I’m fine,” she admitted with a series of soft sniffles.

He hadn’t expected her to actually safeword. They both knew that she was nowhere near her limits yet. She was being dramatic because she hated the brush, and because, most likely, for a moment she had felt overwhelmed. Reminding her that she had the option to safeword seemed to settle her.

Having options meant she still had control, and his Little girl needed to know that sometimes. “That’s better. Now, let’s finish this punishment.”

Her thrashing had shifted her position, so he took a moment to readjust her before he carried on with the spanking. The last part was brisk. The brush flew up and down so quickly it was almost a blur, as he paddled her thighs until they were just as red as her cheeks.

He could tell when the tears came. Her shoulders shook, and the sniffles turned into soft hitching breaths, and then finally into sobs. He moved the spanking to a close with one last circuit to make sure he hadn’t missed any spots. The final few spanks were stinging upward swats. Aimed at the undercurve of her cheeks, they made her bottom bounce and ripple with each strike of the hairbrush.

And then he was done. He let the brush fall to the carpet with a soft thud and began to rub her back in slow gentle circles. “It’s over,chiquita. The punishment is done.” His gentle voice didn’t penetrate at first, but he kept repeating it until she heard him, and stopped waiting for the next smack.

She slumped with a relieved sigh and he let her lie there, draped across his thighs for a couple of minutes before he helped her to sit up. It took some squirming to find a comfortable spot in his lap. There were whimpers as her scorched bottom scraped across the rough fabric of his jeans, but finally she settled, curled in his arms.

“Better?” he asked, as he rested his chin on the top of her head.

“My butt is on fire.” There was a grumble to her words, but they were muted, as if she didn’t have the energy to be upset about it.

“It’s supposed to be. I wanted to make sure you remembered this.”

She buried her face against his shirt and then, a minute or so later said, “You’re not really going to spank me again in the morning are you?”

“I certainly am,chiquita.” Of course, the morning one wouldn’t be much more than a touch up, nothing like he’d just given her. Just enough to refresh the sting and send her off to school with something to think about during class.

“Can you write me a note saying they can’t spank me, at least?”

“I don’t think so, Heaven Leigh. I think you can expect to see more trouble every time someone finds another one those pranks. I hope for your sake we found most of the mean ones.”

She twisted, tilting her head up to stare at him aghast. “But, Daddy… I’ve already been punished. I’m supposed to be forgiven after. That’s—that’s the whole thing.”

“Ihaveforgiven you, Heaven. I forgive you for making things you know I wouldn’t approve of. I forgive you for hiding things from me. I forgive you for all the complaints I received from people who stumbled over your tricks this week.”

He patted her sore bottom. “But I can’t give you forgiveness from other people, and there are plenty who are annoyed at you right now.”

“Oh, but…” She trailed off. Her bottom lip wobbled, and her eyes spilled over with tears again.

“I’d start your day with some apologies, if I were you.” A long shuddering sigh escaped her as she settled back against his chest. He gave her a reassuring squeeze and kissed the top of her head.

No doubt the Littles’ Wing would see her best behavior for the next couple of days—she wouldn’t want to earn any punishments while her backside was still sore. But if they saw her wincing every time she sat, maybe they’d feel like she’d been punished enough. If not… oh well.

As annoyed as they might be, the staff of the Wing loved all of their charges, and most would quickly get over the embarrassment of being the ones to have soap in their mouths for a change.

“I love you, Heaven Leigh.”

She didn’t look up but snuggled closer. “Even when I’m naughty?”

“Especially when you’re naughty,” he assured her.

EPILOGUE

A few weeks later they were having a peaceful night in the shop. The front doors were closed, the windows shuttered, and they were working in the kitchen at opposite sides of the center table. They’d sung along to the classic rock station on the radio for a while, and then switched to talking, but after a while she drifted off mentally.

Her body continued to roll out the dough, and cut the shapes, but her mind was elsewhere. Sometimes that happened while working. Repetitive tasks could be soothing, almost like meditation, and before you knew it, you had lost track of the world.

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