Chapter 22: Daddy Devious: Chapter 21

Over the next few weeks, Daddy and I fall into something of a routine. In the mornings, he wakes me and bathes me, dressing me for the day before taking me downstairs to his office. If he has time, he feeds me breakfast but most days that task falls to Caleb. I’ve learned my lesson about fighting this changing of the guard, but I still prefer the days Daddy can take care of me himself. It feels special, that time he carves out of his day just for me, but at least I have him to myself most evenings.

When he isn’t too busy with work, Daddy takes me shopping or to the park. He’s promised to take me to the petting zoo but so far we haven’t made it there.

In fact, the past few days we’ve barely had any time together at all. Not only has Caleb fed me breakfast, but lunch and dinner as well. Last night, Caleb even dressed me for bed, a change of routine I did not handle well and which ended with me going to bed with a red-hot bottom courtesy of Caleb. I laid awake for nearly an hour, my heart pounding as I waited for Daddy to come and add his own discipline to Caleb’s but he never came.

This morning the discomfort from my punishment has faded, but as I wait for Daddy to come and get me up, my imagination runs wild with possible scenarios. I’m well aware that delayed discipline does not mean forgotten discipline, unfortunately for me and my bottom.

The longer I lie here, staring up at the ceiling and worrying over my fate, the more restless I become. I am capable of climbing out of the crib myself but the one time I tried, Daddy made it very clear I was not to do so again. That was the day I learned exactly how well a diaper traps the heat of a freshly spanked bottom.

But again my bladder is making its needs known, and I desperately need the potty.

Is he trying to force my hand? I know he said it would be my choice unless I was very naughty, but maybe he’s changed his mind. Maybe he’s tired of waiting for me to do it on my own, so he’s decided to take the choice out of my hands.

That thought brings tears to my eyes. Is that why he hasn’t been spending as much time with me the past few days? Is he tired of my constant refusal to do this one thing he’s asked of me? Is that why he didn’t punish me last night for fighting with Caleb? After all, my thirty-day contract is nearly up, so maybe he’s simply ready to be rid of me since I can’t seem to behave myself for more than a few hours at a time.

I’m wallowing in a pit of self-pity when the door to my nursery opens. I sit up, determined to greet Daddy with a bright smile to let him know how happy I am to see him.

But it isn’t Daddy. It’s Caleb, and the smile withers on my lips.

“What are you doing here? Where’s Daddy?”

Caleb stops beside my crib, one dark brow raising in a look that turns my tummy. “Your Daddy had an emergency this morning. I suggest you get that attitude under control unless you’d like to start today the way you ended yesterday.”

He means a spanking, but I don’t care. Let him spank me. Maybe then I’ll get to see Daddy, even if it is just to get my bottom spanked again.

“Whatever,” I mumble, crossing my arms and turning my head so I don’t have to look at the Daddy imposter in front of me.

Instead of scolding me again, Caleb surprises me by laughing as he leans down to lift me out of the crib. “Someone woke up on the wrong side of the crib, I see. Maybe a bath and a fresh diaper will help with that sour disposition.”

It does not help. Not in the least. The only thing it does is make me miss Daddy even more. In all my time here, he’s never once skipped our morning routine, even when he’s had a full day of meetings. And with every second that passes without him appearing, the ache in my chest grows.

By the time Caleb carries me downstairs, I’m on the verge of tears. At the bottom of the stairs, I wiggle in Caleb’s arms, doing my best to be set free so I can run to Daddy’s office. Maybe his emergency is over and he can at least feed me breakfast.

Unfortunately for me, all my wiggling earns me is a sharp swat to my thigh. “Be still, Victoria.”

“I don’t wanna be still! I want Daddy!”

“Oh my.” A familiar smoky voice stills my struggles instantly. “What’s this attitude from my sweet little Tori?”

“Auntie Cat!” Twisting in Caleb’s hold, I throw my arms out toward her.

With an indulgent smile, she takes me from Caleb, and I wrap myself around her the way I often do with Daddy. While she’s not quite as tall as him or Caleb, she’s very tall for a woman and I’ve often wondered what her workout routine is for her to be able to hold onto another grown woman so easily.

“There, there, little one,” she croons, bouncing me exactly like one might soothe a fussy baby. “What’s wrong?”

Suddenly, I’m very aware of how childish I’m being and it finally occurs to me to feel embarrassed by my actions. How can I explain to this gorgeous, sophisticated woman that I’ve been an absolute bitch toward Caleb all morning just because I’m missing my Daddy?

I can’t, so I opt for the next best thing. A little white lie. “I dunno.”

“Hmmm. Maybe some breakfast will help cheer you up. Perhaps at the cafe, before we start our girls’ day out?”

The idea of a day out with Auntie Cat brightens my mood immediately. “Shopping?” I ask, flashing the brightest, most hopeful smile I can manage.

Tossing her head back, Auntie Cat lets out a loud laugh. “Absolutely, my sweet girl. Breakfast, a little pampering at the spa, and then we can shop ‘til we drop.”

At the mention of the spa, I pull a face, prompting another laugh from Auntie Cat. “No worries, sweetheart. You are due for another wax soon, but your Daddy would not be happy with me if I robbed him of that particular duty. I was thinking we could get our nails done, and your Auntie Cat is in desperate need of a trim. My hair is getting a bit out of control these days.”

She looks perfect to me, but getting to participate in such Big girl activities with Auntie Cat is an unexpected treat, so I’m not about to argue. “Pink nails?” I ask instead, holding up my hand.

“Whatever color you want. Are you ready, sweet girl?”

“Yes!”

“All right. Let’s go get some food in your tummy.”

Tori

My girls’ day out with Auntie Cat is everything I dreamed it would be and more. At breakfast, she lets me choose whatever I want from the menu, a freedom I never enjoy when I’m out with Daddy. And after breakfast she cradles me and feeds me a bottle of her milk, pumped fresh that morning instead of the frozen and thawed supply I’m normally given. It’s delicious, and I fleetingly wonder what it might taste like directly from the source, but I’m too embarrassed to actually ask.

While I might be all in as Daddy’s Little girl, even just the thought of asking to breastfeed horrifies me enough to keep me from actually giving voice to the request.

When we finish with breakfast, she takes me to the spa where I got waxed when I first arrived. It’s a little scary at first, but knowing they’re only going to be painting my fingers and toes helps me relax, as does the foot massage Luna gives me during my pedicure.

If it weren’t for the fact that I’m sitting on a big, padded diaper, I could almost convince myself I’m a big girl and not a baby.

Of course, that’s assuming Auntie Cat would ever let me forget it. Which seems unlikely, given how she fusses over me, exclaiming over my color choice—bright pink with glitter, of course—and asking me no less than five times if I need to “potty” during our time at the spa.

It’s nice, being the center of someone’s attention again. But it only reminds me how much I miss being the center of Daddy’s attention. The more she fusses, the more I miss him, and the blacker my mood grows.

Until, by the time we reach the boutique, I’m basically scowling at everyone, unable to even pretend to be excited about the pretty rainbow of dresses surrounding me.

“If you don’t fix your face, it’s going to freeze that way,” Auntie Cat teases me as she holds up a purple dress dotted with pale pink roses for my inspection. “What do you think of this one?”

“No.” I offer no other explanation, and it’s clear from the look that passes over Auntie Cat’s face I’m pushing my luck. And her patience.

“Victoria, I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but if you don’t fix your attitude we will just go home and you can spend the rest of the day in your room thinking about your behavior.”

Crossing my arms, I flop back against the chair I’ve refused to move from since we walked through the door. “Whatever.”

Auntie Cat’s eyes narrow dangerously. “Little girl, you are about this close to going home without any new clothes. Now, which one do you like best? The purple or the green?”

“Neither!” Overcome by the swell of emotions I can no longer hold back, I scream the word as I jump up from the chair. “I hate them all! They’re ugly! I wanna go home!”

Stunned silence falls over the shop, and I immediately regret my words. But I’m still feeling too jumbled up inside to manage an apology.

Not that it would save me. I can tell that much from the fury blazing in Auntie Cat’s eyes as she hands the dress over to the store clerk and marches toward me.

In a flash, she has me by the arm, dragging me over her lap as she settles in the chair I’ve just vacated all in one swift move. “Myra, will you hand me my purse, please?”

Auntie Cat’s tone is calm. Even, in a way that sends fear racing up my spine. Fear that’s only compounded by the loosening of my diaper as she unsnaps the sides.

The realization of what’s about to happen slams into me and I come alive over her lap, fighting and wiggling for all I’m worth. “No, Auntie Cat, no! I don’t want a spankin’!”

“Then you should have thought of that before you decided to throw a tantrum, little girl.” Cool air rushes over my skin as the diaper is whisked away. “Thank you, Myra.”

Something hard taps against my bare skin and I freeze. Auntie Cat uses the distraction to throw her right leg over both of mine, pinning me in place over her left knee and wrapping her arm around my waist. “No little niece of mine is going to behave this way in public, Victoria Rose. I’m going to paddle your bottom and then you are going to apologize to Solene and Myra.”

With that, she smacks the brush against my bottom and pain explodes across my skin. The agony of it breaks the spell holding me in place and now I’m fighting again, doing everything I can to escape the wicked implement she’s wielding against me.

But it’s no use. I’m well and truly pinned, and Auntie Cat doesn’t even miss a beat as she paddles my poor bottom. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’ll be good Auntie Cat, I’m sorry!”

“I have no doubt you will be once I’m through with you, little girl.”

The next swat lands right on the sensitive spot where my bottom and thighs meet, drawing a shriek from me at the fresh wave of unimaginable pain. As I’m twisting, I catch sight of Myra and Solene watching me, the former with a smirk on her face as she cups her Little girl’s breasts in her hands. Solene’s expression is all wide-eyed wonder, and humiliation washes over me, making me regret ever talking back to Auntie Cat, especially in such a public place.

After what feels like forever, Auntie Cat lands two extra hard swats to my sit-spots before gathering me up in her arms, rocking me gently as she whispers soothing words in my ear. “There, there, sweet girl. You took your spanking so well. It’s all over now.”

Curling into her, I let the tears come, great big gulping sobs that wrack my entire body. I sob out all the fear and the worry I’ve been clinging to for the past few days, until it feels like there’s nothing left in me to cry out.

When I finally let out a shuddering breath, Auntie Cat presses a kiss to my soaked forehead. “That was a big cry for such a Little girl,” she says in that sweet, cooing tone I’ve come to associate with her. “Do you want to tell Auntie Cat what’s wrong now?”

Surprisingly, I do. Now that my emotions no longer feel like they’re smothering me, all I want to do is confide in my Auntie, to lay all my worries at her feet so she can make it all better. And maybe that’s not fair to her, but I don’t care. I’m just a baby, and she’s my Auntie, and if anyone can fix this, it’s her.

“Daddy doesn’t want me anymore,” I tell her, my voice hoarse from crying.

“Oh, my sweet girl. That could not be further from the truth.”

“It is. He’s tired of me. He wants me to go back to New York.”

Beneath me, Auntie Cat goes tense. “I don’t know what put this idea in your head, but we’re going home so your Daddy can put this nonsense out of your head once and for all.”

Cradling me carefully, she lays me on the ground so she can put a new diaper on me. When I whine about how it rubs my sore skin, she simply pins me with a stare to rival the looks my Daddy gives me. “Good. Maybe the next time you want to act up in public you’ll remember how much it hurts to wear a diaper on a freshly paddled bottom.”

“I’m really sorry,” I whisper, fresh tears welling in my eyes as she tapes the diaper up.

“I know you are, sweet girl. Let’s get you home so you can hear for yourself that your Daddy isn’t the least bit tired of you.”

I don’t argue. Not because I believe her, but because I’m simply too tired. Auntie Cat carries me out to the car, and I’m asleep before she even buckles me into my car seat.