“Okay, but there’s more,” she said tentatively.
“Tell me.” He nodded for her to continue.
“I shouldn’t have talked to you that way. I was rude, disrespectful, and you didn’t deserve any of it. I lashed out because I was angry and embarrassed.”
He pulled her to her feet. “Thank you, sweet girl.” He kissed her on the head. “You know I need to finish your punishment.”
She nodded and grabbed the lexan paddle from the wall. Her attitude adjuster he had called it when he hung it up as a reminder. She handed him the paddle and leaned back over the bed, “I’m sorry, Daddy.”
He watched her get situated and close her eyes, trembling as she fisted the comforter in her tiny hands. “How many, Redd?” he asked as he warmed the paddle in his hands.
“Ten, sir?”
“That sounds like a good number. Count them and repeat, ‘I will not hide things from my daddy’.” He swung the paddle down onto her already red bottom and watched as she scrunched up her face and exhaled with a grunt.
“One. I will not hide things from my daddy.”
He placed the next hard strike on the spot below her bottom, and she mewled and cried, “Two, Daddy! I will not hide things from my daddy.”
Three and four were done rapidly on the center of her bottom. She openly sobbed, stomping her little legs andpounding the floor as she called out the number with her phrase.
He placed 5, 6, 7 and 8 on the sides of each trembling cheek, where she seemed to be the least colored, and furrowed his brow, watching his little writhing in agony.
“Pleeeeeease, Daddy! I’m soooooooorry!” she shrieked.
He ran his fingers through her hair gently and rubbed her back, letting her catch her breath. He leaned over her and found her favorite stuffed animal, a black and white striped cat named Mr. McBeakington and placed it into her trembling hands.
She sobbed and clutched her little friend to her face.
“Redd, we are ending with two more. The last two are going to be the hardest ones, and you are going to say, ‘I will not be disrespectful.’ Do you understand?”
“Y-yes, Daddy,” she stuttered and held the stuffed kitten on her cheek tightly.
“Here we go. Last two.” He brought the lexan down with three fourths of his strength and watched as the spot turned white then purple before his eyes.
“Niiiiiiiiine, Daddy!” she choked. “I won’t be disrespectful!”
“Last one, baby girl.” He looked for the least ravaged part of her bottom. It was a dark red, with some purple blue marks he hated. Her sit spot would hurt the worst, but he wasn’t going to touch any of the bruises that were forming on her bottom. He might be part wolf, but he was not an animal.
He brought the lexan down, with less strength, directly onto the spot between her bottom and thigh and watched her squinch up her face. She stomped her feet and clenched her stuffed kitten tightly and let out a tired heart breaking scream. “Ten! I won’t disrespect you, Daddy! I promise!”
He threw down the paddle and scooped his little girl into his arms and held her as she sobbed.
“I’m sorry, Daddy. I’m sorry,” she whimpered.
He kissed her head and wrapped the blankets around her. “Shh, shh, it’s all over with, my sweet Little Redd. It’s over. Daddy forgives you. Time to forgive yourself.”
She sniffled and curled up into a tight ball on his lap, holding her stuffed kitten against her nose, stroking its soft black and white fur against Bertram’s cheek.
“When are you going to get yourself a cool animal, like a canine of some sort?” He grabbed her kitten and tickled her cheek. “Cats are disgusting, pompous, fluffy creatures. Not cool like big strong dogs—faithful, dependable?—”
“Stinky when wet,” she interrupted him and giggled at his low growl. “Oh, Daddy, you know there’s only room in my heart for one stinky canine.” She hugged him and pretended to purr as she rubbed the stuffed cat along his jawline.
When he left an hour later, she was sleeping soundly with Mr. McBeakington in her hands, lying on her tummy, a sweet angelic look on her face. He kissed her on her forehead and felt remorse that such a young woman only looked at peace, without the haunted look in her eyes, when she slept. And almost always after a hard spanking. He hated spanking her like that. But he had vowed three years ago that he would protect her, even from herself.
He closed her door and placed theDo Not Disturbsign on the doorknob and walked down the hall, hoping his job would finally entail something positive today.
CHAPTER 6
