When her sobs had subsided, he helped her stand up.
“Go and stand in that corner over there,” he pointed. “Put your nose to the wall and think about why you are there; why you got punished.”
She reached for her clothing, but he shook his head. “No. Stay as you are. I want to see that red bottom on display for me. No rubbing.”
“Yes, Daddy.”
He watched as she waddled to the corner, her red bottom in stark contrast to her pale thighs. Like the good girl she was trying to be, she stood close enough to the wall that her nose was touching it and bounced up and down on her toes, transferring her weight from one leg to the other by lifting her heels off the floor one at a time.
“Hold your shirt up out of the way,” he commanded. “I want to see that bottom.”
“Yes, Daddy.” Even from a few metres away, he could still hear her sniffling as she spoke.
“Good girl,” he praised her as she lifted her shirt up and held it against her hips, giving him a clear view of her punished bottom. Even from where he was sitting, the darker red circles from the spoon were evident on the pink background, framed by the white of her thighs.
After a few minutes, Matthew called her back to him. He kissed her temple as he settled her on his lap. “What have you concluded?” he asked her gently.
“I’m sorry, Daddy,” she said, her voice quiet. “I should have told you.”
“Yes, you should have,” he agreed. “But why?”
“Because I wouldn’t be in this situation if I had,” she admitted, choking on another sob. He rubbed her back soothingly as she took a deep breath and carried on. “Even if you can’t help me, knowing that I’m not alone in this would have made it easier. Maybe I still would have checked my personal emails in work hours, I don’t know. But I probably wouldn’t have blown up at Janice. I owe her an apology. And maybe some flowers. Do you know what she likes?”
Matthew smiled. His baby girl was impressing him more and more. “No. But I can find out.” He bent and kissed her, catching her lower lip in his teeth, nibbling possessively as her hands wrapped around his neck, tangling in his hair, pulling his head down lower. He kissed her just to the point of urgency, then broke off.
“More,” she whispered against him, trying to tug him back down, but he pressed a finger to her lips.
“No.” He shook his head. “You’ve just been punished. Naughty girls don’t get rewarded after a spanking.”
“Not fair,” she pouted, folding her hands in her lap, and he was certain she would have stomped her foot on the floor in a tantrum, if her legs had been long enough to reach it from the tipped-back position she was in.
He tapped her mouth with his finger. “Put that lip away,” he commanded softly. “No pouting. Unless you want to go back over my knee?”
“You’re mean,” she grumbled, but she did stop pouting.
“Good girl. Now we need to find a solution to your problem.”
That got her listening. She settled back against him and looked up at him. “Have you got one? Because I’m getting pretty desperate. Right now, my only option is asking my parents for help, and I really don’t want to do that.”
“Yes, I have a solution, little girl. Two of them, actually. The first option, if you want to stay around here and keep Lily at her school, is to find a house you like—any house—and I’ll subsidise your rent.” He hesitated for a moment, waiting for her to object and when there was none, he ploughed on. “The second option is for you to move in with me. I live on the shore so it means Lily will have to change schools, but there’s a good little rural school nearby, and I have five acres and a big house. I think you and Lily would be happy there.” He waited again, for her to give an opinion, but again, there was none. She sat there in silence, looking shocked.
He poked her in the ribs gently, startling her back to reality. “So, little girl. What do you think?”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to be indebted to you.”
“Do you want another spanking?” he growled. “The spoon’s right here,” he told her, fishing it out of the couch cushions and smacking it lightly against her thigh. “You are not indebted to me, and you never will be. You’re my little girl—I want to take care of you.”
“But both of those options are expensive, and I can’t pay you back.”
“I don’t want you to pay me back.”
“But...”
“Money is no object, little girl,” he told her, cutting her off. He waved the wooden spoon under her nose menacingly. “I’m an only child, and my uncle has no children. He’s always been very generous to me. He put me through law school and gave me the partnership in his law firm. I have plenty of money, sweetheart. Let me share it with you. Please.”
He watched her expression change as the reality of what he was offering dawned on her. Her eyes widened, she smiled, and excitement danced in her eyes. “You’d let us move in with you? Really? Like a proper relationship?”
He kissed her nose. “I would love you to move in with me.”
Instantly, her face fell. Her smile vanished, the sparkle in her eyes disappeared. Her whole demeanour changed and her voice broke. He felt her tremble. She looked down at the floor. “But what if it doesn’t work out?” she asked softly. “I gave my heart to a man once before and he broke it. He left me. I couldn’t stand it if you
