Page 25 of Daddy's Little Spy

“The day we met at the salon, I overheard you talking to Emilio. You, um, you called him a nickname of sorts and I was just… oh, god, never mind.” Certain her face was red as a damn tomato, she turned away and stared at the scenery passing by.

“Did Benny ask you to call him Daddy?” Amara’s gentle voice asked, pulling Diana’s attention back to her.

She struggled with how to respond, equal parts humiliated and fascinated by how their evening had gone. “Yes.”

“I’m not surprised. Did you enjoy it?”

“I don’t know. It was a little weird, the way he treated me like a little girl at times, but not others.”

Across from her, Amara grinned. “It does take some getting used to. I fought Emilio tooth and nail, at first.”

“You did?”

“Absolutely. But now, I can’t imagine living any other way. I’m still his partner and his equal when it comes to business. Outside of our professional lives, he makes the rules, and I confess there’s something incredibly freeing about not being in charge all the time. It helps me relax.”

“Does he — if you break the rules, do you — Jesus, why am I so bad at this?”

“If you’re trying to ask if he punishes me for breaking his rules, then yes.” Amara’s nose wrinkled, and she shifted in her seat. “Just this morning, I may have gotten a bit of an attitude when he was grilling me about my plans for the day.”

It was difficult to imagine strong, sophisticated, deadly Amara Rinaldi over her husband’s knee to get spanked like an errant child. But knowing she did unraveled some of the knots inside Diana’s stomach. Maybe she wasn’t weak, or weird, to enjoy what she and Benny had done. To crave his discipline so much she’d caught herself dreaming up ways to get him to spank her again.

The wall between them, the natural barrier between cop and criminal, faded away and they were just two women sharing their lives with one another. “Benito punished me the other night. After dinner.”

“Did he, now?” Curiosity warmed the icy blue of Amara’s eyes and she leaned forward, obviously eager to hear the tale. “Do tell.”

And she did. She shared nearly the entire sordid story, from Benito showing up on her doorstep, to him cutting her off coffee for the day — a fact which was met with outrage from Amara — to deciding to meet him for dinner and accept her punishment, to the actual spanking itself. She left out the sex, as that felt a little too personal, but she figured Amara had no problem filling in the blanks for herself.

“Well, I have to tell you. It’s nice to not be the only woman in the car getting her ass paddled on a regular basis. When are you seeing Benito again?”

“I don’t know.” And that bothered her more than she wanted to admit. “He’s called and texted, but we haven’t actually set a second date or anything.”

Frowning slightly, Amara tapped a finger on her knee. “Can I ask you to be very honest with me for a minute, Diana?”

“Ah… sure.” Nerves danced in her stomach, but she sent Amara a polite, if slightly confused smile.

“Do you care for Benny? I know you’ve only just met, but I’d like to know if it’s just a fling or if you think there’s something more there.”

Of course, she’d ask the one question Diana had avoided asking herself over the past week. “I do care for him,” she answered slowly, choosing her words carefully. “More than I probably should. Because it’s so fast,” she rushed to add when Amara tilted her head to the side.

“That’s understandable.” A loud buzzing filled the car, prompting Amara to roll her eyes as she pulled her phone from her purse. “That’s probably my husband. He gets very cranky if I don’t answer. Yes, Emilio?”

Emilio’s voice was muffled, but whatever he’d said had Amara rolling her eyes again. “Yes, I remember. I will be home in time.” Red stained her cheeks at her husband’s response. “I haven’t forgotten. I’ll be on time. I love you, too.”

Slipping the phone back in her purse, she sent Diana another sly smile. “How do you feel about dinner parties?”

“I hate them,” Diana answered, her blunt truth surprising a loud, delighted laugh out of her friend.

“Who doesn’t? Well, I enjoy them to an extent but not when they’re business related. Please say you’ll come and rescue me from death by boredom.”

Business related. Which potentially meant the heads of other families. And maybe even some of the cops they kept in their pockets. It was an opening most undercover agents could only dream of. “I’m not sure. I really do have some work I need to finish.”

“Benny will be there,” Amara teased in a sing-song voice.

Sighing, Diana pretended to think it over. Part of her was screaming It’s a trap! but it was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up. “All right. I’ll come. But I don’t have anything to wear.”

“You just let me worry about that little detail.”

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