Page 21 of A Submissive's Gift
The concession Charles was asking for wasn’t that much, and yet Barbara knew it was a price she simply couldn’t pay—not if she wanted her brother’s life to ever return to normal, and Elizabeth and Nancy to truly feel safe. She allowed Greg to feel the full force of the contempt from every other man in the room as she stood and paced the length of the table for a few minutes, as if giving the proposal some consideration. Finally, she crossed her arms and shook her head, informing them that she couldn’t care less if the upcoming holiday was celebrated in the courtroom down the hall, instead of at home surrounded by family and friends. To make her point absolutely clear, she placed her hands flat on the table and leaned close to Greg.
“You are a pitiful excuse of a man, Mr. Spenser. I promise I will not rest until every person in this city—hell, this entire great state—knows that you are a coward who uses deplorable tactics when bested by superior designers. This is not a world run by the ‘good-ole-boys’ any longer. You’ve not only attempted to slander my friends’ good names by lying about their professionalism, but you actually donned the vestments of a religious authority and attacked an innocent woman. Not only do I not give a damn if I celebrate Thanksgiving by eating a cold turkey on rye in the courtroom, but I’ll guarantee that I won’t stop until justice has been done. Tell me, how many clients, especially those men who actually respect the females on this planet, do you believe would think of hiring you—even if by some miracle your ass isn’t thrown into jail by Christmas Eve? I suggest you sign the agreement as it’s written… unless, of course, you’re curious to discover what gifts your cellmate might have for you on Christmas morning? I guarantee the only stocking you’ll see is the one he shoves into your mouth to stifle your screams.”She straightened and smiled as if something had just occurred to her. “It makes me shiver in delight imagining the pleasure he’ll be enjoying will give you an entirely new understanding of the phrase ‘ho-ho-ho’.”
She didn’t move a muscle as Greg grabbed the papers, flipped to the last page and scrawled his signature. Once Charles had added his own, Barbara accepted the papers and stood up. “That was the smartest move you’ve made in your life. Happy holidays.”
No one relaxed until the door had closed behind Greg, and Barbara slumped down in her chair. It was several minutes before she looked up, her smile growing as she reached up, unpinned her hair, and shook it out. “God, I hope I never have to play lawyer again,” she said, throwing pencils, pads of papers, law books and other paraphernalia into the depths of her open briefcase. She squealed when she felt her chair being pulled away from the table, and herself lifted from her seat.
“If that was playing, I pity anyone who ever came up against you when you were being serious.” Logan hugged his sister to his chest before releasing her to Liz.
“We can’t thank you enough,” Liz said, taking her turn to give Barbara a hug. “I don’t think we could have made it through this without you.”
As Craig enveloped Barbara in his arms, he felt the tension she had been carrying for the past few weeks finally release as she relaxed within his embrace. “Who knew my Bunny could also be a little pit-bull?”
Barbara shook her head as she leaned against Craig and looked at the people who made up her family. “Greg will never be allowed to step a foot back inside Texas state lines again without being thrown into jail and I pity whatever state he decides in which to set up his shop.”
The conditions of the final agreement forced Greg to close his firm in Houston, and agree not only to leave the city, but to stay out of the state. Though he had grumbled out in the hall, forcing Charles to try to get a few points changed in his favor, it had merely been a last-ditch effort. Being faced with the knowledge that Elizabeth seemed willing to undergo whatever was necessary to see his client prosecuted, seeming not to care that her name would be dragged through the mud, had given Charles pause. When Nancy had also promised to press charges for his breaking the order not to come within five hundred feet of her or Liz, and with all the other party goers, one an actual Houston police officer, willing to testify that Liz had been a total innocent in the attack, Charles had told his client that his recommendation was to shut up and take the offer.
With Logan and Jason glaring at him, and Barbara in his face, bringing very unpleasant possibilities to mind, Greg had wisely taken his lawyer’s advice. It had become clear that to him that his firm had no chance of ever digging itself out of the hole his actions and his jealousy had dug. Remembering his lawyer’s suggestion that another state, one far outside the influence of Garrett Foster’s firm, was actually an opportunity to begin his life again, Greg had capitulated, accepting the offer, and allowing everyone to put that night’s events to rest.
After a dinner celebrating their victory, Craig led his lawyer back into the house. When she immediately began tearing off her suit, he grinned, knowing exactly what she was saying without her speaking a word.
He helped her into the purple drop-seated pajamas after she stepped out of her bubble bath, having allowed her a long soak before bathing her tenderly. There hadn’t been time recently to give her such attention, not that he hadn’t wished to, but he’d understood she’d needed to keep her entire focus on her professional role. She had been so wrapped up in the case,spending every waking hour in preparation, that when he called her every evening, they’d bypassed the “tucking in” ritual she adored when it became clear that she would simply throw back the covers and work on the case until total exhaustion forced her to fall into bed in the wee hours of the morning—only to wake up a few hours later to begin again. Craig had made sure she knew he was there by preparing meals and leaving them in her fridge, which she could then pop into the microwave and eat while poring over the legal books that covered her dining room table.
Climbing onto Craig’s lap where he sat in her large armchair, Barbara felt the tension and pressure finally beginning to dissipate, but she also knew she needed more than a bath and a cuddle. “Daddy?” she said hesitantly, her face buried in the side of his neck.
“Yes, baby?”
“I still feel unsettled inside.” Barbara sighed and sat up. “I keep picturing myself as a pit-bull, snarling and threatening. It isn’t a picture that I like anymore.”
Craig didn’t belittle her feelings. While the others had been surprised but thrilled to see the pit-bull come out, he knew what it had cost her.
They had spent the last several months slowly building up their age-play dynamic, delving ever deeper into their roles, and discussing taking their play to the next level. After leaving the harsher side of her life behind her, having to step outside the world she had chosen in its place and be that person again had been more than hard on her—it was unsettling enough to have her struggling to find the true persona that had led her to peace and security in both herself and with the man who loved her.
“Baby, when I called you a pit-bull, it was to let you know how very proud I was of you. It was amazing to see you work so hard to find a way to put everything behind us, but in a way that didn’t leave lasting scars for your family and friends. You area magnificent attorney, Gracie. It takes a great deal of strength to do what you did. I’m not only talking about today and the case, I’m also talking about your decision months ago to stop practicing law and pursue the life that makes you truly happy. It was a great gift you gave Logan and Elizabeth, sweetheart, especially knowing how it made you feel inside. You are an incredible woman.”
Barbara let his words flow through her. It was true that she had made the decision to leave her firm, but she’d only found the strength to do so with this man’s help. He had been the one person who seemed able to see past the attorney she had become to focus on the woman struggling with that choice of career.
“Thank you, but even though I cooked Spenser’s ass, I’d much rather cook with you, Daddy. I’m not saying I won’t be willing to put on that awful suit again if my friends or family need me to, I’m just saying I’d much rather put on my overalls and help run Haven or don my apron and cook meals with you in that fabulous kitchen. I just need to know that I can put the pit-bull aside and be your Bunny girl again. I’ve really missed that part of me.”
“You’ll always be my Bunny girl.” As her Daddy, it was up to him to address her feelings and find a way to lead her back into the world of being Little. “How would you like to invite Angel’s family for dinner this weekend? Perhaps spending time with another Little will help you discover that you will never lose that part of yourself, even when you have to step out in the Big world.”
Barbara’s smile let him know she was thrilled at the suggestion. She bent forward and kissed his cheek. “Thank you, Daddy, I’d love that.” Snuggling down into his arms again, she sat back up just a few minutes later. “I said some mean things, Daddy. Daddy, I even told Logan to shut up. That wasn’t very nice, was it, Daddy?”
Craig grinned, wondering whether she realized she’d addressed him as Daddy with every sentence she had just uttered. He figured she did—after all, you didn’t become a successful attorney without knowing the power of words. It seemed that his Bunny was using that power to speak of her needs. He knew she was really reaching for an excuse to go over her Daddy’s lap—a place she hadn’t been in weeks. She had certainly done nothing to deserve a spanking, but he had no doubt that was exactly what she was asking for.
He lifted her chin to meet her eyes with his own stern ones, accepting that there was one more thing she needed to let her close her own case. “No, it wasn’t, Bunny. In fact, it was very naughty of you. I think a spanking might help you remember that your Daddy will always be here to set your fanny on fire when you need it. What do you think? Would that let my Bunny release those feelings that are clearly eating her up?”
Barbara gave him another kiss before sliding from his lap, only to lay herself across it. As she felt him lowering the flap of her PJs, she lifted her hips to allow him to lower her panties, baring her bottom. When his hand rubbed over her cheeks, she turned her head back to look at him. “Thank you, Daddy, I knew you’d understand.”
“No, thank you, Bunny, for trusting me to take care of you. Now, no more talking. I’ve got a beautiful little bottom to turn scarlet.”
Her eyes widened at the mention of the hue she could expect him to create, but it was with a sigh of contentment that she lowered her head.
By the time he tucked her into bed, her bunny stuffie in her arms, she felt better than she had since the costume party. Her bottom throbbed hotly, the heat trapped inside the pajamas, but the spanking had definitely worked to release her sense ofunease. This was exactly where she belonged, and exactly who she wished to be.
“I love you, Bunny,” Craig said, bending to kiss her cheek. “You rest now. Daddy will come to bed in a little while.” He waited for her response, but smiled when he realized she was asleep. He hoped she would find the rest her body needed, as she hadn’t truly slept well in days. Flipping off the light, he gathered up the discarded business suit, praying that she wouldn’t have to don it again for a very long time—but knowing that if she did, he’d be there to guide her back into the world she had chosen with her heart.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
