“Thank you, Daddy.” She hiccupped. “That was just what I needed.”
 
 Petting her hair, I gave her a peck to her forehead. “Do you need some water? A snack? An ice pack for your bottom? Or are you ready to lie on the bed for me?”
 
 “May I have some water?” She asked this shyly, and I kissed her again, this time on her red nose.
 
 “Of course. I think you’ll need it.” I winked at her and went to grab her a bottle from the fridge.
 
 She drank her fill and set the half empty bottle on the nightstand. “I’m ready now.”
 
 “Good girl. Go lie on the bed.”
 
 She scrambled off to do as she was told and I stood, watching her as she lay on her back, her skirt rumpled around her thighs.
 
 “I hope this next decision will be easier for you.”
 
 Her eyes widened, and she worried her lip. “I don’t think I can?—”
 
 “Girlie. Daddy knows.” Grabbing her ankles I pulled her a little closer to the edge of the bed, bending her knees and parting them so she was open for me.
 
 “Pretty little butterfly,” I said, running a crooked finger softly over her bare mound and lips. “This time the consequences of your lack of choices won’t hurt, they may disappoint though.” The corner of my mouth slid up as she visibly shivered.
 
 “Tell me, girlie, what do you want? Daddy’s fingers? Daddy’s tongue? Mm, or do you want Daddy’s cock?”
 
 Mira licked the webbing between her index finger and thumb, yanking me from my memory. She shook salt onto the wet spot and picked up her shot glass. I did the same, although sort of numbly since the blood in my limbs had been rerouted elsewhere.
 
 “To shitty days, shitty tea and…” she paused to look me right in the eye. “And not shitty company.”
 
 My heart thumped faster, and we both slammed back our shot. I grimaced and hissed, which wasn’t very manly, but tequila was nasty. Her face twisted too, and we both reached for our limes sucking them simultaneously.
 
 I couldn’t taste a thing suddenly, no lingering burns or sour flavor, I was too focused on her mouth. Her upper lip, slightly thicker on the left than the right, was covered with grains of salt and her plump bottom lip, shiny with lime juice, made mewant to shove the table away Hulk-style and gather her into my arms and kiss her fucking senseless. She flashed me one slightly crooked tooth—the eye tooth also on the left, as she smiled at me as if she knew exactly what I wanted to do to her.
 
 “You’re stunning,” I blurted, and she blinked at me, her hand frozen around her margarita glass mid lift. Swallowing she looked down at the glass, her face flushed.
 
 “I don’t feel stunning. I feel like I’m chasing my tail.”
 
 “If only you could see how amazing you are, you’d know why Silas is practically tripping over his tongue for your attention.” I chuckled at the way she snapped to look at the server.
 
 “He’s not.”
 
 “He totally is.”
 
 “He’s a friend and also a sub. We did a scene with his Mommy once years ago and he’s been trying to convince me to do it again ever since.”
 
 “What was the scene?” I was genuinely interested because to me it was as plain as the nose on my face that Silas had a major crush on Mira.
 
 “I was the girl next door, and we were getting hot and heavy in his room while his mom was at work, and then she came home… and well, I’ll leave the rest to your imagination.” She looked away. “It was fun, but not something I’ll do again, no matter how much he begs. I’m not really into playing with anyone lately, not with everything going on.”
 
 “I see. And by everything, you mean?”
 
 Again, her eyes came back to mine swiftly. “You know. And I’ll always be a sub, I’m just no longer interested in exploring it in any serious way. It’s a hobby now. And I never want anyone to expect more from me.”
 
 “A hobby?”
 
 She shrugged. “Something I do for fun.”
 
 “I guess that’s better than just outright denying yourself.”
 
 “Is that what you’ve been doing?” Her eyes turn curious. “How come you haven’t been back to the Ranch until now?”