I cross to him, and he pulls me onto his lap. Not sexual. Comforting.
"Talk to me. What happened today?"
"Everything went wrong. Corporate order, spilled milk, broken espresso machine. I was drowning and didn't have time to stop and eat."
"You always have time to take care of yourself. Jess was there. You could have stopped for five minutes and eaten a sandwich and downed a bottle of water. Taking care of yourself is non-negotiable."
"I know. I just... I get in task mode and forget."
"That's why we have rules. To help you remember." His hand strokes my back. "But lying to me? That's serious, sweetheart. That breaks trust."
"I know. I'm so sorry, Daddy."
"I believe you. But apologies aren't enough. We need consequences."
My heart pounds. "Like what?"
"Like, I’m going to spank your little ass for lying to your Daddy." His eyes search mine. "Do you understand why this is necessary?"
"Because I broke the rules."
"Not just that. Because you need to process what happened, accept the consequence, and move forward without carrying guilt." His hand cups my face. "This isn't punishment, baby girl. This is correction. To help you let go and do better next time."
"I'm scared."
"I know. And that's okay. But I need you to trust me."
I think about the past two weeks. About how Tyler has never once pushed me too far. How he checks in constantly. How he always puts my wellbeing first.
"I trust you."
"Good girl. Now, I need you to tell me your safe words."
"Red means stop. Yellow means slow down. Green means keep going."
"And if at any point this is too much, you use them. Understood?"
"Yes, Daddy."
"Okay." He shifts me off his lap. "Go to the bedroom. Take off your jeans but keep your panties on. Then come back here."
My breath catches. "Okay."
"Good girl. Go."
I walk to the bedroom on shaky legs. This is really happening.
I strip off my jeans, leaving my panties and shirt on, then return to the living room.
Tyler's sitting on the couch now, sleeves rolled up, expression serious but kind. Why does he look sexy as hell? It should be a crime to look sexy before giving a spanking.
"Come here, sweetheart."
I cross to him, and he guides me to stand between his knees.
"Do you understand why we're doing this?"
"Because I didn't eat and I lied about it."
