Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 160684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 160684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
She glanced down at her hand with a huff.
So much attitude. That suited him. It gave him a reason to punish her. Nothing too harsh. However, a few pops on the bottom never harmed anyone. If it kept her safe he was more than prepared to spank her backside. Or have her write lines while sitting with a plug up her bottom.
It was strange, though. He hadn’t been a Daddy Dom in a long time. Hadn’t intended to be again. But Effie brought out all of his Daddy instincts. Part of it was probably all those cute earrings she wore. And the confetti shoes that she hadn’t taken off.
Part of it was just Effie herself.
Something about her screamed at him that she needed his protection. And Steele liked being needed. So did Grady.
In fact, he thought that his best friend might need it more.
He definitely functioned better with control. And he’d never have that with Steele.
Fuck. He needed to get this out of his head and get her to that school.
“Come along, Effie.” He tugged her into him, wrapped an arm around her shoulders and rushed her out of there.
“What . . . what are you doing?”
“Getting you to the school. What’s happened? Is your boy sick?”
“N-no.”
He was texting as he walked, letting Raul know he needed him. He got to the back door and opened it.
“Wait there for my signal to move,” he commanded.
“What?”
He ignored her question and leaned out, looking around. Only Raul was there.
“Come.”
“Is there a problem? Danger?” she asked as she stepped out, looking around cautiously.
He shot her a surprised look. “No, of course not.” He opened the door and ushered her in. “If there was any danger, I wouldn’t allow you outside. Tell Raul where we’re going.”
She rattled off the address for the school and Raul nodded before raising the privacy screen.
Steele drew her seatbelt over her and then did his own. He still needed to look at a booster seat for her.
“But you acted like there was danger,” she pointed out.
“Always pays to be cautious, Spitfire. Taking your safety for granted will get you killed.”
“Do you always live like that?” she asked.
“Of course. Now, what’s going on with your kid?”
“Um, the school said that he was caught fighting with another student. But I don’t understand. That’s just not Brooks. He’s a really good kid. And I know that most people think their kids are the best kids out there. But with Brooks, it’s true. He never gives me any problems. He’s super smart. Never breaks the rules and is always home by curfew. He gets straight A’s. I nearly flunked high school because all I was interested in was dancing.”
“You wanted to be a dancer?”
“So badly,” she whispered. “And I was good. But I just . . . it’s hard to make a career out of dancing. So I worked a lot of different jobs after school, just whatever would allow me to have time to dance. And now, I just dance at home, where no one watches me.”
Fuck. Now he was jealous that Grady had gotten to see her dance. He’d said she’d danced like a dream. Well, until she’d gotten to the pole that is.
“Thought stripping might have been the perfect career for me,” she muttered. “Forgot about the stripping part, though. No one actually wants to see me naked.”
“Baby girl, you’re overwrought, which is why I’m going to ignore that. But say that again, and you and me? We’re going to have trouble.”
She gulped and looked over at him. “Trouble?”
“Uh-huh. The sort where you can’t sit properly the next day.”
“I don’t . . . I don’t think you’re allowed to spank me.”
“I am if you give consent.”
“But Grady—”
“Grady will agree if he hears what you just said.”
“Yikes,” she whispered. Then she took in a deep breath. “I’ve got to be calm when I go in there. A grown-up. I know Brooks is still a teenager, but sometimes it feels like he’s the mature one. What . . . what if they try to take his scholarship? Oh God. Oh God.”
He could see her fear. Feel it. He had to get her to calm down. She was tugging at her ear so hard that he was worried she was going to rip the earring right out.
“It’s going to be all right.”
“Can I hold your hand?”
He was stunned for a moment and didn’t reply.
“Never mind. Stupid Effie. I’m so sorry. What was I thinking? You’re my boss and I’m asking you to hold my hand like a child. Jelly bean. I need a jelly bean or two or ten.”
She picked up her handbag and was searching through it, muttering to herself. Things started flying out of the huge thing. Should she even be carrying something that enormous when she had a bad back?
Suddenly, something flew through the air and smacked him in the face. What the hell?