It wasn’t that she didn’t like the idea of engineering. Sometimes it was fun to figure out how things worked, the physics or math of it all. But at the end of the day, it didn’t bring her joy. Really, if she had her way about things, she’d happily live her life cocooned in the library, reading the day away.
A waiter appeared to take their orders, with Addison ordering for each of them and, after some back and forth, substituting the bacon-wrapped asparagus for Kylie’s corn pudding.
Rude.
And yet… comforting. She’d never actually had a Mommy before, but she’d dreamed of scenarios exactly like this. Scenarios where her Mommy put her foot down about pretty much everything. Giving her rules and expectations andstructure.
It was everything she’d ever dreamed it would be, and so much more.
“All right, then.” Picking up the wine that had been delivered while they’d been chatting and discussing their dinner options, Addison leaned back in her chair and pinned Kylie and Danny both with an impressively stern look. “We’re going to talk about what happened in my class this morning.”
Nerves twisted in Kylie’s stomach, and she couldn’t even bring herself to glance up at Danny.
Luckily, her bestie took the lead. “We already talked about that.”
Okay, maybe notluckily, judging by the way Addison raised that singular brow, sending the butterflies in Kylie’s stomach dancing.
“We discussed the events leading up to your punishments, but not the punishments themselves.” Her gaze shifted, zeroing in on Kylie and she had to resist the urge to squirm in her seat. “I want to understand what happened when I was spanking you, Kylie. You seemed rather… distraught, toward the end. Was I spanking you too hard?”
“No, no, it was nothing like that.” Clearing her throat, Kylie wiped her suddenly clammy hands on her dress, her gaze dropping to the table. “Well, you were spankingreallyhard, but not more than I could take.”
“Then what happened? I’d like to know so I can hopefully avoid triggering you again in the future.”
Oh, be still my heart.“It wasn’t you. It was me. And I’m fine now, promise.”
“Kylie Anne, look at me right now.”
There was no denying the urgency or the steel in Addison’s voice. Forcing her gaze back to the other woman’s, Kylie nearly gasped at the fire she found burning in the bright green.
“The relationship you want to have with me requires a great deal of trust and vulnerability. Not just from you, but from me as well. And I cannot,will notbe able to trust you if you refuse to be honest with me. So, tell me what happened or we will call an end to this entire endeavor right now.”
“Hey, she’s trying.” Insult rang out clear in Danny’s voice as he shifted closer to Kylie. Everything about his attitude screamed “protective big brother” which might have made Kylie giggle under different circumstances.
Unfortunately, Addison clearly didn’t find it the least bit funny, judging by the way her jaw firmed. “Daniel, you are not doing her any favors by trying to shield her from this conversation. If you need to step away, there is an empty corner right over there you can go stand in until you’re ready to rejoin us.”
Color exploded across Danny’s face. “I’m just saying, she’s trying and you’re coming down really hard on her.”
“Danny.” Kylie spoke softly as she reached over to lay a hand on his arm. “I’m okay. And she’s right, she needs to know what happened. That’s what a good Mommy does, isn’t it? Makes sure she knows what upsets her Littles?”
“I guess.”
Giving his arm a reassuring squeeze, Kylie dragged in a breath and turned back to Addison. “When you said you were disappointed in me, it caught me by surprise. Nobody’s ever said that to me before.”
Addison’s brows rose. “Nobody?”
“Not that I can remember,” Kylie said with another shrug. “When I’m Big, I hardly ever get into trouble. And when I’m Little, the only people who ever really spank me are Danny and Uncle Sammy.”
“Who’s Uncle Sammy?”
“Oh, um, Eliza’s Daddy. I have play dates with them sometimes and Professor Eaton said I could call him that when I’m Little. Is that okay?”
“Of course, honey. I’m not upset, I was just confused.” Sipping her wine, Addison let her gaze drift between Kylie and Danny. “What do you think it was about the phrase that upset you so badly?”
“It just hit me really hard. Like I said, nobody’s ever said it before so I wasn’t expecting it. And, well, I try really hard not to disappoint people, no matter my headspace.”
“You are a very good girl, Kylie Anne. But I want to make something very clear. While I will no doubt be disappointed in your behavior from time to time, I will never, ever be disappointed inyouas a person. Do you understand the difference?”
“Yes…” The wordMommytrembled on her lips, but Kylie swallowed it back. “Yes, Ma’am.”
