Ignoring Tanner, the man reached out, grabbing the woman’s waving arm.
Oh, hell no. Tanner gritted his teeth. With that move, this fucker had crossed the line. Now Tanner would get to teach him the error of his ways.
A female voice rang out, clear as a bell, kicking the Daddy inside him into high gear. “Get your hand off me!” shescreamed.
Junie?
Tanner shoved the man to the side, blood roaring in his ears. Sure enough, there she stood—dressed in a short pink dress that screamed Little, eyes wide with fear and embarrassment.
And that dick tourist had his hand on her wrist. Tanner’s world sheeted red.
He stepped to the man’s side, grabbed him by the hair, and jerked the man’s head enough so Tanner could look him in the eye. Exercising every ounce of his self-control, he managed not to immediately punch the guy in the face.
Doing his best to contain his fury that this asshole had his hand on his Junie, Tanner issued the only warning the dick was going to get. “If you want to keep that fucking hand, you better take it off my Little girl. Now!”
One look at Tanner’s face had the man’s anger morphing into fear. He let go of Junie and froze, “She said she wanted to play.”
Tanner shifted his grip to the man’s collar. “That is a fucking lie, asshole. And even if she had, everyone here has the right to say no at any time.”
Roman gripped Tanner’s shoulder. “I’ve got this, man. You might want to try to handle your Little girl.”
Tanner’s jaw flexed as he shoved the tourist, forcing the man to stumble back into Roman’s grip. “I need to know this asshole understands me first. Believe me, I’ll deal with my Little girl in a second.”
Roman smirked, his gaze flicking toward the stairs leading back up to the main bar. “No doubt, my friend… if you can catch her.”
What the fuck?
Tanner followed Roman’s line of sight, and his stomach dropped like a stone.
Junie was on the run.
Peach-apricot hair flew behind her as she ran full tilt toward the exit. The sight of her trying to escape him sent a hot surge of possessive determination roaring through his veins.
The hunt was on. She was fast, but he was faster. Just before she reached the door, he caught up with her.
This time it washishand closing around her wrist, firm but careful, pulling her back against his chest in one smooth motion.
“Let go of me!” Junie yelled, the same words she’d thrown at that asshole earlier, without looking back to see who had her.
Tanner’s grip tightened just enough to let her feel his control. He leaned down, his mouth brushing the shell of her ear. “Not a chance, Cupcake. You came into my club, dressed like sin, begging for trouble, and then let another man put his hands on what’s mine. You’re not going anywhere.”
She relaxed into him the second she heard his voice and shivered hard in his hold, but she still tried to tug free. “Tanner?—”
“Daddy,” he corrected, the word rumbling against her ear like a promise and a warning all at once. “In this building, I’m Daddy. And I’m about to teach you exactly what happens when a naughty Little girl doesn’t mind her Daddy.”
He didn’t give her time to argue. In one fluid motion, he bent and scooped her up, tossing her over his shoulder like she weighed nothing. Her surprised squeak went straight to his cock.
Tanner carried her back through the club toward the private playrooms, one big hand resting possessively on her ass. Passing Roman again, he said, “I’m on break until further notice.”
“Understood,” Roman said, his grin going wider. “Have fun.”
Tanner’s cock pulsed, and he took a deep breath. That type of fun would have to wait. This was about dealing with a Little girl who had earned a long, hard spanking. Though he’d admit, he was going to enjoy every single second of delivering it.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Junie’s world tilted sideways as Tanner carried her through the club. Her face burned with a mixture of humiliation and something far more complicated. She was slung over his broad shoulder like she weighed nothing at all, one of his strong arms locked firmly around the backs of her thighs. Her hair swung with every purposeful step he took, and her hands clutched at the back of his shirt because she had nothing else to hold on to.
The gaze of other people watching them burned her skin as he walked. Lifting her head up to see—because she was a glutton for punishment— she found several types of gawkers. Some were curious. Some smiled knowingly. A few even looked like they recognized exactly what was happening.
