The air smelled like seaweed, and I approached a chunk of driftwood and took a seat. Jolene joined me, and we spent a moment watching shorebirds outrun the incoming waves.
Turning to face her, I rubbed my chin and bounced a knee. “I can’t imagine growing old with anyone else, nor do I want to. I’ll hold your heart as if it were fragile glass so you can always remain my baby girl.” Tears bordered her eyes, and I hoped they were happy ones. “I want to marry you.” I pulled a Peen-Unseen with a velvet package hidden inside out of my pocket and let her open the antique diamond ring I’d bought for her at Babe’s Bobbles jewelry store. My heart gave a nervous jolt.
A smile took possession of her lips, and I silently thanked God.
“I want to marry you, too, Daddy,” she said, and we smiled at one another.
“You’ve made me the luckiest man in the world, Jolene,” I said, pulling her into my arms.
There was still another surprise for her. “I rented us a house here in Trinidad in the event you’d say yes.”
“I’d say your odds were pretty good. After all, our love was founded on the message of Christmas: We are never alone. Not even when the darkest storm rages, and we are stranded solo on the side of the road. Afraid to even let love into our hearts.”
The excited brilliance was vivid in her eyes like twinkle lights, and my heart burst with joy.
Chapter 20
Rex
We’d fallen into our own routine of rewards and punishment, and just because today was a special occasion, didn’t mean we’d let it slip. It was something both of us needed, and our relationship thrived because of it.
First up on the agenda was taking care of my baby girl. The house I’d rented for us had a soaking tub on a private deck overlooking Trinidad Bay. Tucked into the hillside and surrounded by trees, it afforded us complete privacy.
“Go get naked, baby girl. I’ll unpack for us and put snacks in the fridge.” There was a redwood-paneled kitchen with huge windows facing the bay where we’d have our breakfast. For tonight’s dinner, I’d made reservations at The Larrupin Café. Café was a complete misnomer. The menu was upscale and featured locally sourced dishes. This time of year, it was best to sit on the outside deck to hear the seals barking from the sea.
I prepared the tub for Jolene, and it was full of bubbles. “Put your head back under the faucet so I can wash your hair, angel.” The round swell of her breasts poked up through the surface, tempting me. After sudsing and rinsing her long hair, I freed my erection.
“Is that for me?” she asked.
“I guess that depends. Have you been a good girl?” I asked, pressing my lips to her forehead.
“You know, I’ve been thinking about that, Daddy. And this week, my therapist said I owe myself a huge apology for putting up with shit I didn’t deserve for so long. She said forgiveness is the only attitude I should have towards myself. I won’t feel forgiven unless you punish me a little,” she replied, her voice growing increasingly shaky.
The fall air was crisp and should have completely diminished my hard-on, but her words set me on fire. I wrapped her in a huge towel and completely dried her off. Seeing her nipples go taut in the cool breeze, I wanted to lick her everywhere. I felt obliged to give her what she needed to bring her the peace that only came after discipline.
I led her inside to the fluffy bed beneath an overhead skylight. The sunlight poured onto the comforter as if mood-lit by divine spirits. “On your knees, baby girl, and hold that pose.”
She did, taking her place on the bed as I ripped off my T-shirt, tossing it aside, not wasting any time to get fully naked. I placed my hand on the back of her neck.
“How long will it be like this, angel? With every waking hour spent with you making me hard? I’m going to have that pussy wrapped around my thick cock, but first, you need to behave and count for me.”
“Yes, Daddy,” she murmured.
I ran a hand over her silky skin in gentle contrast with what was about to come. It always made her hot. “Do you need to be punished?”
“Yes, I’ve been naughty. Make me behave.” She wriggled slightly on my lap, her sweet bottom swaying for me, barely perceptibly, as if thrilled at the thought of the hot slap of my hand on her backside.
I sat on the bed and pulled her onto my lap. Initially, she kicked her legs, but I put a thigh across them and clamped her wrists in one of my hands, pinning them to her lower back just above her squirming and wiggling bottom. I brought my hand down hard on her round and full backside, and the room echoed with the sound. An excellent stinging swat.
“Oh! Daddy, that was a doozy,” she said.
“And what is the rule when you are being punished?” I chastised.
She released a soft moan when I gently used my fingers to squeeze her lower lips together, all up and down the seam of her slit. Without warning, I delivered several more hard spanks to her right cheek, then her left. It put crimson-colored handprints on her delectable curves, and I sucked in a deep breath, wishing I could find a dragon to slay for her.
Jolene struggled to keep up with my pace while counting.
“Why are you being punished, baby girl?” I crooned.