“Ugggh.” She throws an arm over her eyes, blocking out the light. And me, if I had to guess. “It’s too early. I don’t wanna get up yet.”
“Too bad, kitten. We have an appointment and trust me when I say you do not want to be late.”
“Appointment?” The curiosity that I am sure will be the death of me creeps into her voice as she pulls her arm away and peers up at me through narrowed eyes. “What kind of appointment?”
“With Doctor D. Every Little girl gets a checkup with him when they first come to the island.”
“Oh, well, I just had my annual physical a few months ago so I’m good. Going back to bed now.”
Before she can roll over, I wedge my knee between her legs and take her wrists in my hands, pinning her beneath me. And although I’m feeling more amused by her than angry, I force my expression into stern lines as I look down into her suddenly very wide, very awake eyes. “Did you just lie to your Daddy, kitten?”
Twin flags of pink rise to her cheeks. “Umm… no?”
“Natalie.” I put a hint of steel into my voice. “Have you forgotten already that I knoweverythingthere is to know about you? Like the fact that you haven't set foot inside a doctor’s office in over two years, even when you had that nasty bout of the flu last November?”
“How do you know that?”
“I told you, kitten, I do my research.”
For a long moment, she holds my gaze, and I swear I can see the wheels in her mind working. Probably trying to figure out if it’s worth the potential punishment to lie to my face again.
Then she blows out another breath, the sound so adorably full of aggravation I have to swallow a laugh. “Okay, fine, you got me. I don’t like doctors.”
“Understandable. I’m not a fan, myself. And I’m sorry to say that Doctor D is unlikely to change your opinion of them. But he’s an excellent doctor, and he specializes in taking care ofLittle girls such as yourself. So whether you like it or not, you are going to visit him today.”
“But I’m not sick.” Her voice pitches up to a whine and her bottom lip pushes out, making her look and sound so much like a sulky Little girl my heart practically melts.
“Which is why you’re going to the doctor now. So he can make sure you stay a healthy Little girl.”
“But—”
“It’s not up for debate, Natalie. And you are already in enough trouble for lying to Daddy. So I do not want to hear another word of argument from you. Am I understood?”
Because I’m looking down at her, I have the pleasure of watching her pupils widen with pure, raw need. “Yes, Daddy,” she whispers, her voice hoarse with that same desire.
“Good girl. Now, use your diaper so Daddy can give you the spanking you’ve just earned for lying to me.Again.”
Chapter Ten
Natalie
Diapers. Doctors. Spankings. What the hell else does my sadistic Daddy have in store for me today?
“Can’t I use the bathroom? Please, Daddy?” I put a little whine into my voice, remembering what he said last night about how much he enjoys hearing it. Maybe if I’m pitiful enough, he’ll let me off the hook.
No such luck.
“Absolutely not. Little girls use their diapers, not the toilet.”
“But I don’tlikeit.” I whine again, widening my eyes a bit as I pout up at him.
Pure, wicked amusement lights his eyes as he gathers my wrists into one hand and runs his free palm down my torso. “My sweet little kitten. When have I ever given you the impression that any of this is about whatyoulike?”
Okay, that’s a fair question. “I dunno.”
“Then let me be very, very clear.” Pressing on my abdomen, he smiles down at me, the slight baring of his teeth sending a shiver up my spine. “You are here becauseIwanted you here.You are my Little girl, and everything you wear, everything you eat, everything you do is purely for my enjoyment. While I am willing to take your preferences into consideration for some things, at the end of the day, you exist for my pleasure, and my pleasure alone.”
Suddenly, this no longer feels like something I’m just playing along with until I can get myself off the island. Staring up at him, with that jagged scar running down one side of his face and that predatory gleam in his eye, I am very, very aware of how dangerous Evander Hawthorne really is.
