Then Catharina opens the door, and my jaw practically drops to the floor.
If I could have designed my dream room, it would be this one. Well, sans the crib and the other stuff that was obviously designed for an adult-sized toddler. But the red-and-white color scheme carries into the room, along with the dancing strawberries. Even the rug in the middle of the floor is a smiling strawberry, and the crib is painted a matching bright red.
“Oh my gosh, it’s so cute!”
“I had a feeling you might like it. Go on.” Letting go of my hand, she nudges me forward. “Feel free to explore as much as you like, little one.”
Gavin was right about the fumes being strong, but I don’t care. The room is gorgeous, and everywhere I look is something new. Like the giant dollhouse along one wall, or the adult-sized rocking horse, or the stuffed bear in one corner that’s nearly as big as I am.
Then I discover the closet, and I very nearly faint.
“Are these clothes all for me?”
Rows upon rows of tulle and silk greet me as I step inside a closet that is larger than my apartment. The fluffy dresses aren’t my usual style, but they are absolutely stunning nonetheless. Reaching up, I run my fingers reverently over the soft material in a rainbow of colors as Catharina steps into the closet behind me.
“They are. I’m sorry I didn’t have time to get more, but we’ll go visit Solene so you can pick out whatever you like.”
“Solene?” Something about the name pricks at my memory but it takes me a moment to properly place it. “Like the designer who just fell off the face of the earth, Solene?”
“The one and only. She came to live on the island when we first started building it, and she’s been here, designing clothes for our Littles ever since.”
An old, familiar hurt wells in my chest. “Oh. Um. It was really nice of you to want to buy me clothes, but they’re probably not going to fit. Designers don’t usually make things in my size.”
“My silly little imp.” Her eyes positively twinkle as she smiles down at me. “Of course they’ll fit.”
Of course you’d think that.Humiliation floods my cheeks. What would someone like Catharina, who looks like she just walked off the cover of Vogue, know about being the fat girl? “Never mind.”
“Here. Let’s try one on, just to see.”
The absolute last thing I want is to try on a bunch of too-small clothing in front of this gorgeous, successful woman. “No, thank you.”
“Come on. Which one do you like best? Oh, what about this one, with the cherries? It has a bit of that retro vibe you like.”
It’sexactlythe style I like, though clearly tailored more for a child. And the knowledge that there’s no possible way it’s going to fit has anger sparking in my chest. I know, on some level, it’s just my body’s way of covering my shame, a shame I’ve carried my whole life, but that doesn’t stop the words from leaving my mouth with more attitude than is wise. “I said no, Catharina! Leave me the fuck alone!”
In a fingersnap, everything about the woman in front of me changes. Hardens, in a way that tells me I am in big, big trouble.
“And here I thought Gavin was the one needing a lesson in manners, but it turns out it’s my Little girl, instead.”
Chapter Six
Catharina
“No, Mommy!”
Throwing her hands behind her, as if that’s enough to prevent the punishment she has coming, Alexis backs up into the long bench in the middle of the closet. She makes such an adorable picture, her eyes wide and cheeks flush with fear as she stares up at me, her bottom lip trembling ever so slightly.
As cute as she may be, however, she has still earned a good hard spanking over her Mommy’s knee. Little girls cannot be allowed to get away with rude behavior even once or they’ll start pushing those boundaries more and more.
Gripping her arm, I guide her out of the closet and into the bathroom. My naughty Little girl immediately slaps a hand over her mouth, shaking her head.
“No soap, please, I’m sorry, Mommy!”
Her words are muffled by her hand, but the meaning is clear enough. “Don’t worry, little imp. I wouldn't risk your health by washing your mouth out twice in one day. Mommy has avery different punishment in mind to help you remember your manners.”
“But I said I was sorry!” she wails as I grab her hairbrush from the bathroom vanity. It’s identical to the one I keep in my purse, but where my purse brush is for any naughty Little girl in need of a spanking, this brush will only ever be used onmyLittle girl. It even has her name engraved on it, though I doubt she would appreciate the sentimentality of such a gesture at the moment.
Hairbrush in hand, I lead her back out to the nursery and to the chair I had specially made for this exact purpose. Not only is it sturdy enough to hold both of us, no matter how much my Little girl fights and wiggles, there are special compartments beneath the seat that hold everything I could need to teach my naughty girl a lesson.
