Page 49 of Plum's Priest Daddy

Chapter Twenty-Six

Plum had been avoiding him. Well, sort of. She was here, now, after all, having a double date with Saoirse and Arthur in an upscale Italian restaurant before the four of them went to play at Hive.

But she had been a little distant in the week since he’d mentioned wanting to talk. He hadn’t pushed it, and she’d seemed relieved to avoid having the conversation. It made him a little uneasy, a bit disappointed. He’d been looking forward to telling Plum how he truly felt about her and hoping to hear she felt the same way. But he wasn’t going to push and he wasn’t going to dwell. Especially not tonight when they were out with friends.

It filled his heart that she got along so well with Arthur, and especially Saoirse. Plum had been friendly and charming and funny all evening, and of course she looked incredible in a black dress with white polka dots, black heels that accentuated the curve of her calves and lipstick that could only be described as crimson. He was proud to have her by his side. Would be more delighted still when she was under his hand at the club.

Arthur was asking Plum about her business as they took turns sampling the desserts the girls had picked out. The tiramisu he had in front of him was a pleasure of sweet cream and spongy cake with the kick of espresso—it reminded him of Plum herself.

“How’ve you found getting good help? We’ve had a couple of disappointing hires lately and I’m not sure what’s going on.”

Plum licked some panna cotta off her spoon and looked pensive before replying to Arthur.

“We’ve had some bad hires too, I think everyone does sometimes. But not lately. I’m fully staffed up and my team has been like clockwork for the past few months.”

“So Andy is still working out?” Gideon asked.

He’d tried to keep tabs on Plum’s latest hire, and was pleased his advice to hire the young man who’d recently been released from jail for a drug offense was proving to be a good decision.

“Oh, yeah, for sure,” Plum agreed as she scooped up another bite of custard along with a slice of ripe strawberry. “He’s great. Works really hard, volunteers to stay late. I hate to lose him as a busboy because he’s so on top of things, but I’m thinking about getting someone else to deal with that stuff and moving him to the counter.”

“That’s great,” he told her. “I’m so pleased. Does it make me an incurable jackass if I say I’m proud of you for hiring him?”

Plum turned to him, smiled and shrugged. “You’re an incurable jackass anyway. But you were right.”

She leaned in, kissed his cheek while settling a hand on his thigh and it made him ache in all the best ways.

It was in moments like this he felt the deepest certainty that they were meant to be together. It came close to the soul-deep conviction he had about his vocation. He had been called to serve God as a conduit for his teachings and love, and he was meant to spend the rest of his days doting upon, caring for, and playing with Plum Brolingtide.

“Just this once. Don’t let it go to your head,” she teased and he couldn’t help but share a put-upon look with Arthur. He suspected the other man could appreciate having a girl who could be a sassy little know-it-all, though he suspected Plum took that route far more often than Saoirse.

It lit him up the way the girls giggled together then, and set to their own whispers. Yes, he and Plum needed to talk because he couldn’t stand not claiming her as his for a moment longer.

* * *

“What on earth are you girls doing?” Arthur roared as he and Gideon stepped through the door of the private room they’d arranged at Hive.

Saoirse and Plum were sitting on a quilted blanket in the middle of the floor while Plum painted Saoirse’s toe nails.

Saoirse was in full-on little gear, a ruffly dress that had a pacifier clipped to the collar, and the frock was short enough that it showed off her darling little rainbow, sun, and cloud-printed diaper cover. She was adorable. His sweet Plum was just as cute, though in her middle way, wearing the same schoolgirl outfit she’d worn to see Eric.

The girls looked up at them, mouths open at Arthur’s raised voice. Arthur could be very stern and he’d heard the man was terrifying in the courtroom, but he was generally so mild mannered—to hear him bellow like that was startling verging on hilarious.

“Daddy—” they both started and Gideon had to swallow a laugh. This had been a very good idea.

“No,” Arthur said, moving to grab Saoirse above her elbow and hauling her to stand. “You were supposed to be in bed hours ago, not getting your nails done.”

“And you,” Gideon chimed in, as he cuffed Plum around the back of her neck with his hand, “were supposed to be studying for your test after putting baby Saoirse to bed. You are both in immense amounts of trouble, and your little bottoms are going to pay for it.”

“But Daddy—”

Their chorus of doe-eyed, pouty protests was adorable, but it wasn’t going to do them any good.

“No buts, you two. Your daddies wanted to go out for a little while and you both promised to be on your best behavior but what do we come home to? Two naughty little girls who did not keep promises. You’re both getting punished, right now.”

Arthur scooped Saoirse into his arms and Gideon used a hand under Plum’s arm to get her on her feet and then led her with his hand on the back of her neck to the large couch. Each of the men sat on an end of the couch and didn’t waste any time in settling their girls over their laps, their sweet little heads resting on the arms of the couch.

After flipping up skirts, pulling down undies or removing a diaper cover and diaper, there were two lovely bared bottoms just waiting to be spanked. Gideon and Arthur grinned at each other and then the real fun started.

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