“I’m sorry, Daddy,” Taggart mumbled. “I thought I could just run down and run back before anyone woke up.”
“Uh-huh. We saw how that worked out.”
“I’m sorry, Daddy,” he wheedled. “I left a note.”
“Do you think that excuses the poor choice you made?” he asked seriously.
The pause was brief before Taggart dropped his gaze. “No, sir.”
“What should you have done?”
“Woken you or waited until you were awake.”
“Are you ever going to sneak out like that again?” Arlo asked gravely.
His gaze lifted. “Never!”
Arlo stalked over to the edge of the bed, and patted his lap resignedly. “Pants down.”
Gulping, Taggart did as he was told, then positioned himself across Arlo’s lap.
“How many spanks do you think you’ve earned for what you did this morning?” Arlo questioned using the same grave tone. He didn’t want to spank Taggart, even when he’d considered it earlier. A punishment of putting him in the corner in another room just didn’t fit the gravity of the situation for Arlo. Not when Taggart needed to understand the ramifications of his actions and consider what would happen if he ever did this again.
“F-five?” Taggart stammered, sounding almost hopeful.
“Try again.”
“Ten?” Taggart asked, a hint of a whine creeping into his voice.
“Close.”
“Fifteen!” This time he squeaked when he said it and threw his hands back to protect his bare bottom.
“That’s right,” Arlo declared, despite this not being what he wanted, but the fear he felt, and Soren’s disquiet needed addressing. “And do you know why it’s fifteen?”
“Because you were really frightened for me?” he sobbed.
“True.” He sighed heavily. “But it’s fifteen because that’s how many minutes it took me to get to you.” Arlo worked to quash the panic from the fifteen awful minutes chasing across town. “Fifteen minutes where anything could have happened to you that I’d never have forgiven myself for.” He breathed deeply, working to control his emotions, because he didn’t want to hurt Taggart, just make a point. “Now get those hands out of the way.”
“This is gonna hurt,” Taggart whined, ass clenching.
“And you’ll think about every stinging blow the next time you go to do something thoughtless enough that it puts you in danger!” Arlo declared firmly, landing a stinging slap on Taggart’s bottom the moment he moved his hands out of the way, not wanting to prolong this any more than necessary.
Taggart yowled and Arlo delivered a second, followed rapidly by a third, fourth and fifth spank.
He slowed a moment, while Taggart sobbed, caressing the red-hot splotches he’d created, hating the finger marks, but he had committed himself to fifteen. Stealing a breath before bringing his hand down once more on an unmarked patch of skin.
“Ouch! Ouch! Daddy! Ouch!”
Arlo didn’t give him time to finish hollering before he swatted him again, the crack echoing in the room as he delivered the next one. Taggart kicked, squirmed and wiggled around after that one, so Arlo waited for him to settle down before delivering the next one.
Nine and ten, he delivered one after the other, before pausing again, and leaning to speak in Taggart’s ear. “Only five more,” Arlo murmured gruffly. “And you are going to take them like the good boy I know you can be when you’re not doing things you know you are not supposed to. Were you supposed to leave the house without me?”
“No, Daddy!” Taggart whimpered as Arlo’s hand came down on his bottom again.
“And are you ever going to do it again?” Arlo questioned firmly.
“No, D-Daddy! N-no! I p-promise!”
