“What are you going to do?”
“I’ll make sure no one can ever assume so much power in the manager position.” Roman rubbed his hand over his face. “Tomorrow, I’ll craft an email to all the store owners and managers to remove the mall manager position as the only way to contact me.”
“We could write it tonight.” Coco could see that the event weighed heavily on him. Roman couldn’t go back and rewrite history. Maybe if he did something positive now, he would feel better.
“You want to help me write it? I’d like that.”
Coco typed while Roman dictated. When he asked her for her opinion, she could tell he honestly wanted to know what she thought. Crafting the perfect tone took a bit of time, but they were both happy with it when he pressed send.
“You didn’t have to put in that line asking people to wait until tomorrow to contact you if it wasn’t a time-sensitive emergency so you could tend to your family,” she told him. Inside, she appreciated Roman putting her first. She didn’t think anyone had ever done that since she’d been a young child.
“You are my first priority, Little girl. Tell me how you’re feeling.”
“I’m okay.” She wasn’t, but he was dealing with too much as it was.
“Come here and sit on my lap, Little girl.”
Coco clambered onto his lap and relaxed against his broad chest. The sound of his steady heartbeat under her ear reassured her. She pressed a kiss to his neck.
“Thank you, Coco. Tell me the truth now. Are you scared?”
“No. Not at all,” she lied. While she’d helped him, Coco had managed to control her fright. Now without something to distract her, the world seemed to close in on her. The horrible shaking she’d experienced before kicked back into her body with a vengeance. Coco clung to her Daddy.
“Coco. Look at me.”
She shook her head. He’d see right through her deception. Somehow her Daddy always knew when she was not telling the truth.
“Little girl.” His tone was firm. Coco wanted to obey, but she couldn’t.
The world whirled around her as her Daddy rotated her to stretch over his lap. He stripped off her leggings and panties in one easy movement. He stroked a warm hand over her sensitive flesh.
“Coco, look at Daddy.”
Covering her face, Coco buried her head against his leg. Her fear seemed too big and too personal to expose. She didn’t want him to know how weak she was.
His heavy hand landed on her bottom. Smacking her tender skin over and over, Coco squirmed as the sting from her spanking intensified. He held her firmly pinned in place as he punished her for not following his instructions. The pain cut through the worry in her brain, whisking it away. Her mind could focus only on one thing.
Tears cascaded from her eyes as Coco sobbed. Her body stilled, drooping limply over his lap. Her Daddy was here. He was okay. She turned her head to look back at him. Instantly, her spanking ended.
“There’s my baby girl.”
He gathered her back into his arms and rocked Coco gently as he wiped her cheeks dry. “Blow your nose, Little one.”
She hesitated and reached for the tissue in his hand.
“Daddy’s job, Coco.”
When she relented and let him help her, Roman gently tended to her. Coco loved every second of his care. She nestled her head on his chest. “Daddy?”
“Yes, baby. I think you need to be super Little right now. Would you like that?”
She nodded and clung to his shirt.
“Daddy needs that, too.”
He carried her to the nursery. “What a pretty baby I have,” Roman told her as he settled her on the changing table. “Let’s get these clothes off. My sweet Little girl doesn’t need these big-girl clothes.”
Coco allowed him to shift her as he stripped off her clothes. When she was nude, Roman stroked his hand over her skin. His touch forced her to focus on him and not on anything else. Her breath caught in her throat as he cupped her breast. He leaned down to capture her nipple in his mouth. As he rolled the taut peak between his teeth, Roman stroked his hand down her abdomen. Moving slowly, his fingers trailed lightly over her skin.
