Page 13 of Healing Hazel
That had every single one of us turning to see that at some point, Derek had joined us. How a man that large could stand unnoticed was a question for another day. My only concern was that I couldn’t seem to get the answer to theonlyquestion that mattered to me.
“Go ahead, angel, have some mercy and put Dr. Berringer out of his misery,” he instructed, moving forward enough to wrap his arms around his wife.
Sadie took a breath and asked, “When was the last time Hazel was naughty?”
I hadn’t been expecting another question and this one totally threw me. “Naughty? I don’t think she’s ever been naughty. At least not around me.”
“Why do you think that is?”
I felt like I was a contestant on some sort of game show who knew they were definitely not in the running to win a prize. “Because she’s good?”
Sadie’s huff was so explosive, it lifted a strand of hair off her forehead. “A good what?”
“Woman?” Even I could hear how tentative that answer was, but I didn’t bother to try again.
“Exactly!”
Looking over Sadie’s head, I met Derek’s gaze. “How about helping a guy out?”
“What kind of guy?”
Derek’s question had me willing to swear I’d fallen into some rabbit hole that hadn’t made the cut in Lewis Carroll’s book. “Seeing as you two have all the answers, you tell me.”
Okay, that was rude, but seriously, how much was a man expected to take?
“Daddy, I think he really is clueless,” Sadie noted and then added, “Not that it’s your fault, Dr. Berringer. I mean, I guess we never stopped to consider anything because, well, because we all know Hazel and figured it was pretty obvious. And, well, your brother is Master Berringer and your sister-in-law is Brooke and?—”
“And I don’t need a listing of my family tree, Sadie. I need to know what I did that was so awful that Hazel no longer wants to have anything to do with me.”
“But that’s just it, she very much does but she thinks she’s not the person you want her to be.”
“That’s ridiculous. She’s exactly who I want her to be.”
“As fascinating as this has been, I’ve got buns in the oven that are going to burn if this goes on any longer,” Julie said. “What they are saying is that Hazel isn’t a Little?—”
“So?”
“So? She means Hazel isn’t like me. Well, me when I’m Little,” Sadie said.
“I know that!”
“You do? Since when?” Julie popped up to ask.
“Since the moment I met her. For god’s sake, why would she think I’d think otherwise?”
Julie shrugged, “All I know is that she thinks you’re a Daddy looking for a Little.”
“How could she think that? It’s not like I’m clueless about Littles. I’m from England, not outer space. We have clubs there and many of the members are Littles.” I shot a glance at Sadie who seemed totally unconcerned by the side-eye. “Granted, from what I’ve seen since I’ve been here, Rawhide Littles seem to be far more active than most I’ve met when it comes to pulling pranks or bratting in order to get their arses smacked, but I don’t see what that has to do with…”
Well, hell.
Hazel hadn’t been asking why I hadn’t spanked her, at least not in that context. She’d been trying to get me to explain that the reason I hadn’t was because she wasn’t what she’d thought I wanted.
“And there’s the lightbulb,” Julie exclaimed. “The point is that while it’s as clear as day to me that you definitely have the heart of a Daddy, first and foremost you’re a Dominant. But doesn’t mean it’s clear to Hazel.”
“Haven’t you two discussed anything?” Sadie asked as if she couldn’t believe I’d been so remiss. “I mean, you’ve been dating for a few months. Haven’t you gotten naked and done the?—”
“That’s not something you need to know,” Derek said, cutting her off.
