He chuckles, his body shaking and causing me to bounce on his lap. “You put a lot of thought into that little rebellion, didn’t you, Baby girl?”
I don’t respond.
“You want your bottom spanked.” It’s not a question. It’s an observation.
Holding my breath, I don’t move.
“How about this? Let’s move to the bathroom. You can potty and brush your teeth. After that, you can lie on your tummy on the bed, and I’ll spank you. How does that sound?”
Like heaven. “Okay,” I whisper.
Mace bends his knees so he can push the ottoman away with his feet. He sits upright, scoots to the edge of the chair, and brings me forward. “Can you stand, sweetheart?”
I finally uncurl my body and lower my feet to the floor.
“Good girl.” He kisses my temple again, making me shiver.
The T-shirt falls around me, and when I glance down, there are wet spots I knew would be on the front. Maybe he won’t notice.
Mace rises, takes my hand, and leads me back through to his bathroom. “I’ll go turn out the lights and double-check the alarm.” He leaves me in the bathroom and shuts the door.
Chapter Nine
Autumn
* * *
I’m trembling. I was so warm on his lap, and now I’m alone and cold from exposure. It takes me a minute to convince my legs to take me to the separate toilet room, and then I make it to the sink.
When I see my face, I gasp. It’s swollen, even though I haven’t cried recently. My eyes are puffy. There are dark circles under them. I’m usually so pale that I wear foundation to avoid looking like death. I don’t have any makeup with me. There might be a concealer in my purse, but that’s it.
My eyelashes are nonexistent. Without mascara, it looks like I don’t have any. Same with my eyebrows. How is Mace not rather horrified when he looks at me?
When I glance down, I find a new toothbrush on the counter. I open it, brush my teeth, and put it in the stand next to Mace’s. It feels so domestic that my heart rate picks up.
At a soft knock on the door, I spin around and hurry to open it.
“You okay?” he asks.
“Yes, Sir.”
He gives me a slow smile. “One day soon, you’re going to call me Daddy.” He sets a finger under my chin. “And it’s going to melt my heart.”
I could do that now, but it’s scary. It’s a big step with dozens of implications.
He leans in to kiss my forehead, then nods over his shoulder. “Climb onto the bed. I want you on your tummy with a pillow under your hips.” His hand slides to the back of my neck so he can direct me toward the bed.
As soon as I clear the doorway, he enters the bathroom and shuts it behind him.
Taking a deep breath, I follow his instructions. This might be the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I have no idea how I’m going to react to being spanked. From my research, it could go either way. Some people love it; some people hate it.
I’m glad he’s not here to watch me get into the right position. I feel awkward, climbing up and situating a pillow under my stomach. I spend way too much time tugging the T-shirt down to make sure I’m not exposed, probably for no good reason. He’s not going to spank me over the cotton. He’s already said as much.
I’m still shifting my weight, trying to get settled, when Mace joins me. A lamp on the nightstand is the only light on, which he clicks a few times to dim.
As I lean on my cheek, facing him, he closes the distance until he’s against the mattress and sets a palm on my lower back. He’s no longer wearing a shirt, which is extremely distracting. I’ve never seen him shirtless. There are tattoos across his upper chest. The middle one says Believe.
He’s mouthwatering, as I knew he would be. His jeans hang low on his hips. He’s barefoot. I kind of want to slide off the bed, kneel at his feet, and tip my head back to look up at him. I would even clasp my hands behind my back. The visual makes my pussy wet. How many times have I pictured such a scenario? It’s not even in line with my age-play fantasies.
