Tempted by her Daddies: Chapter 24

Salem cupped her chin in his hand, tilting her face back.

“I want to tell you something and you need to hear me. I will always protect you. I promise. No one will hurt you while you’re with me.”

She blinked up at him. “But who protects you, Daddy?”

“I can protect you and me, baby.” It was so cute that she thought she had to look out for him. But he didn’t want her doing anything stupid.

Stepping between him and Oxford before hadn’t been a smart idea. Not that either of them would do anything to harm her. But he never wanted her to put herself in a dangerous situation. Especially not to protect him.

“You got between me and Oxford before which wasn’t a good idea. While I know he’d never harm you, there might be other situations with someone who would hurt you. Understand?”

“I guess so.”

“You’ll always be safe with us. And I can’t imagine us wanting you out of our sight.”

Her eyebrows rose and he realized what he’d just said.

And how possessive and controlling it sounded.

“Ahh. I probably shouldn’t have said that out loud.”

“Probably not,” she agreed. “I am going to have to go some places by myself eventually, you know.”

“Like where?”

“I don’t know. The gynecologist?”

“Why wouldn’t we go to the gynecologist with you?” he countered.

“You want to go with me?”

“Yes. Next appointment, let me know. I’ll go with you.”

“What if you’re working?”

“One of us will make ourselves free. Roman can always shuffle his schedule around. See? Where else would you need to go?”

“I, um, well, I’m sure there will be somewhere. I can protect myself.”

Nope. He still didn’t like that. But he didn’t say anything, because he really didn’t want her going anywhere alone.

He opened the door. “In you go.”

Curiosity filled her as she stepped into the punishment room.

Ominous name.

She glanced around, taking it all in. “Huh.”

“Something the matter?” Salem asked as he closed the door.

“Well, punishment room sounds so scary. Like there should be torture devices inside.”

“Torture devices?” he asked as he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt.

Wow.

He had the sexiest forearms. And his hands.

Man.

She could feel her body tingling in awareness as she stared at his hands.

“You okay there, Little one?” he asked, sounding amused.

What?

Oh crap. She was staring at his hands like a stalker instead of answering the question.

Wait . . . what was the question?

Dear Lord.

Was this going to be her downfall? Sexy arms?

“You thought that something called the punishment room would be filled with torture devices?” he reminded her.

“Oh yeah.” Right. That’s what she’d been talking about. She wandered around the room, touching the leather sofa against one wall, then the wooden chair facing the corner. Odd placement. Finally, she moved to the large cupboard.

“I was just expecting chains from the ceiling, maybe a rack, some power tools, even a bit of blood, you know?”

She turned to find him staring at her in surprise.

Was it something she’d said?

“You have an active imagination,” he told her. “What movies have you been watching? Or is it those books that you and Roman read? Maybe I should be paying closer attention.”

“Uh, no, those books don’t have anything like that.” She watched him carefully as he walked toward her. “Just an overactive imagination.”

“Hmm.” He cupped her chin, tilting her head back. “I don’t want you watching or reading anything that will give you nightmares.”

“I . . . I . . . won’t.” She swallowed heavily. When had anyone ever cared if she got nightmares?

Never.

Well, not that she could remember, anyway.

“If you have any nightmares, I want you to come to me, understand? You trust me to keep you safe, don’t you, Little one?”

She was entranced by him.

He should have been a hypnotist not an MI6 agent. Tamsyn swallowed heavily.

“Yes, Daddy.”

And she didn’t even have to fake the sincerity in her voice. That was the scary part.

Because she wanted to go to him with her nightmares . . . only she knew she wouldn’t.

Tamsyn would never want her nightmares to touch someone as amazing and wonderful as Salem. He didn’t deserve that.

None of them did.

“I don’t like the look on your face.”

“Sorry. Is this better?” She scrunched her face up and bared her teeth.

“Oh, much better.” He smiled and her heart melted more.

It was impossible not to fall for these guys. Not when they showed her day after day all the ways they would take care of her if she was theirs.

And she really, really wanted to be theirs.

“I can handle your nightmares, Little one,” he told her, rubbing his thumb over her cheek. “I promise you that. I can see you want to hold them all back, probably to protect me. But that’s not the way I work. My woman lets me protect her, understand?”

“You’re starting to sound like Alexei.”

“Hmm. Disturbing. But did you ever consider that perhaps Alexei is starting to sound like me?”

“That’s even more disturbing,” she said. “Because that means on the outside you look like a normal guy but on the inside you’re a living, breathing caveman.”

“Not sure I’d use the word caveman. But when I want something, I get it. And when something is mine, I protect it, I take care of it, and it does what I say.”

“It? I’m an it?”

His lips twitched. “No, you’re definitely my Little one, my Pet, my baby. Notice there was one word I said a lot there?”

“My.”

“Yep. Mine.”

“So what you’re saying is that you’re just as bad as Alexei, if not worse, but you just hide it better.”

“Now she gets it.”

“That’s disturbing.”

Leaning in, he kissed her.

And, oh boy, what a kiss. She didn’t know how he had the ability to make her melt in seconds, but he did.

It was like the rest of the world faded away and all that was left was the two of them.

He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck, squeezing lightly and she felt her legs give way. The dominant move did it for her every time.

Thankfully, he seemed to be prepared for her losing control of her limbs as he moved his hand from her chin and placed his arm under her ass, lifting her into the air.

When he drew back, he held her cradled against his chest. She breathed in heavily, trying to slow her racing heart as she buried her face into his chest.

“You all right, baby?”

“Just trying to remember how to breathe.”

Salem let out a chuckle and she smiled. She loved making him laugh. “Would you like me to help you?”

“Help me?” She leaned up to give him a skeptical look. “Just how would you do that?”

“By putting my lips against yours and breathing for you.”

“Ah, that was what led to me losing my breath in the first place, so no. I have this.”

He was still smiling and relaxed as he carried her to the sofa and sat with her on his lap.

“I like this,” she told him, cuddling into him.

“Me too. I can’t remember the last time I was this relaxed. Or smiled this much.” He rubbed his hand up and down her back.

“Do you come here often?” she asked. She tried not to tense up at the thought of him bringing other women here. Of him taking them into this room and kissing them.

“Uh, no, actually. I’ve only been here four or five times, I think. Why do you ask?”

“It’s just that you seemed to know Oxen well.”

“First, I would suggest you never call him that in his hearing. And second, I actually know him from the club. He’s a member. I’ve heard he’s branching out and opening more stores across the United Kingdom.”

“So you don’t bring every girlfriend there, huh?”

He eyed her for a moment. “You don’t need to be jealous, Little one.”

“I’m not jealous.”

Drat.

She was totally jealous.

“No lying.” He gave her a stern look. “That just added extras onto the spanking you’re owed.”

Wait.

What?

“What spanking?” she asked. “I’m getting a spanking?”

“Why do you think we’re sitting in a punishment room?”

“Uh, I don’t know.” She hadn’t thought it through. “I was distracted by your arm porn and then the kissing. Why am I getting a spanking?”

“Because you got out of the cart and left without permission when you knew that you were meant to stay with me. And you’re getting extras because you just lied about being jealous.”

Well.

That just sucked.

“I wasn’t lying, exactly. I was just evading the truth.”

“Evading the truth sounds like another way of saying lying.”

“Why do you have to be so clever?”

“I have brought two girlfriends here. But obviously, they didn’t work out. And that was several years ago. I haven’t dated anyone in well over two years. The last person I brought here was my sister, Alina, when she was over for a visit. And one of her men was with us. I’m a member so I had to come with them to give them access. None of them meant as much to me as you do.”

Great.

Now she felt awful.

Because she didn’t want to hurt him. She didn’t want this to end badly.

But it likely would.

Like everything she touched, it would probably turn to shit.

“We all have pasts, baby,” he told her. “And I don’t regret anything in my past. Because it all led me here, to this moment, to you.”

“How are you so damn perfect,” she complained.

He grinned. “I think you were calling me a caveman before, so I’m not sure that perfect is the right word to use.”

Salem was perfect compared to her.

“Little one? Are you upset?”

“Just with myself for earning extras,” she grumbled.

“Poor baby,” he mused. “You are in trouble, aren’t you?”

“Maybe you could just forget about those extras?” she suggested.

“I could. But I’m not going to. That wouldn’t set a good precedent now, would it?”

“Do you always do the right thing?”

“I try to.”

And that was the difference between them. Because she wasn’t sure she’d ever done the right thing in her life.

“I don’t know that I’ve always done that.” She bit her lip. She wanted to say more, but she couldn’t. But the guilt was kind of overwhelming her. “Am I a really naughty girl, Daddy?”

Part of her wanted to take it back, but she had to know. Perhaps she really did deserve this spanking. She had disobeyed him. And she had most definitely lied.

Oh, how she’d lied.

So much that she probably deserved to be spanked every day for the rest of her life.

Although maybe she wouldn’t tell him that because she did quite enjoy sitting.

“Hey, we’re all a bit naughty sometimes.” He cupped the side of her face, staring down at her.

“Not you,” she said. “You’re perfect.”

“No such thing as perfect, unless I’m looking at you.”

Tamsyn shook her head. That wasn’t true. In fact, it was so far from the truth that it was laughable. “Not me.”

“Hmm, well, maybe I should say that you’re perfect for me. And being perfect for me doesn’t mean that you always have to do everything right, that you always have to follow the rules. Do you want to know a secret?”

Uh.

She guessed, even though it seemed a strange thing to ask in the middle of a conversation.

“The truth is . . . if you were truly perfect, if you never did anything naughty, if you followed all the rules and never put a foot wrong . . . well, you wouldn’t be perfect for me because I rather like that I get to spank you.”

She gasped, making it very long and dramatic.

Because a secret like that needed some drama.

“You like to spank me?” she cried, outwardly outraged.

And secretly, relieved.

Salem’s eyes danced with amusement. “I know it’s shocking, but yeah, I do.”

“That’s just mean, Daddy. You shouldn’t like spanking me. You should like spoiling me.”

“Well, luckily, I like that too.”

“You do?” she asked breathlessly. She’d just been joking. She didn’t really expect him to spoil her.

“Oh, yeah. And I’ll be spoiling you . . . right after I spank you.”

Again, her lower lip dropped out. “I still don’t want the spanking.”

“Then you shouldn’t have broken the rules. If I don’t punish you, then what’s to stop you breaking them again? And next time you might get hurt. I can’t allow that.”

“That seems like some Daddy logic right there,” she said.

“Poor baby, you’re regretting your choices right now, huh?”

“Uh-huh.”

“That’s normal. As long as you’re not regretting choosing me.”

Was that a hint of vulnerability in his voice? She’d never heard that from Salem before. She hadn’t thought that he’d ever doubt himself.

And why would he? He was Salem.

What could possibly be improved on?

“Never,” she whispered. “It would be impossible to regret choosing you.”

Leaning in, he kissed her lightly. “Good. I want you to remember that in a few minutes.”

She gulped.

Then he lifted her, standing her on her feet. “Now, do you know why you’re being punished, Little one?”

“I’m going to assume that ‘because Daddy is a meanie’ is not an acceptable answer.”

“You’re right,” he replied. “Because all that answer will get you is some time in the corner.” He gestured toward the chair facing the corner.

Oh, she should have realized that was why the chair was there.

“You’d be sent to sit in the corner and think about your answer and how you might choose something more appropriate. And then you’d come out of corner time and walk over to me to give me that answer.”

“And then what?

“Then you’d get a spanking and all would be forgiven.”

“Forgiven? Really? Does a punishment really work like that?” she asked.

She was skeptical. Because in her experience, forgiveness was impossible to come by. And from what she’d seen of other people’s relationships, things were often brought up over and over again. It didn’t seem that humans found it easy to forgive and forget.

Then again, sometimes they shouldn’t forgive and forget because some things were simply unforgivable.

“It does for me. Once a punishment is given, that’s it. You’ve paid your dues and hopefully you have learned from your mistake.”

“Well, hopefully.” She wasn’t so sure.

“Do you want to ask any more questions?”

“Umm.”

Questions. What kind of questions could she come up with to delay this?

“I can see that you don’t have any questions,” he said dryly.

“I might! I’m just trying to think of some.”

Salem chuckled. “Little one, I don’t think you’re meant to tell Daddy that you’re trying to delay your spanking.”

“Ohh. But you said not to lie, Daddy.”

He shook his head. “Brat. So I did. Let’s get this spanking done before you say anything that’s going to get you into more trouble.”

She groaned. But that was actually a good idea. She really didn’t want to add to her spanking.

He reached for the top of her pants and she took a step back.

“Daddy, what are you doing? You haven’t even bought me dinner.”

“I’ll buy you dinner later,” he told her. “But this isn’t about sex. We need to strip off your pants for your spanking.”

“What? Why? And do we really have to do this here?” She glanced around the room. “What if they have cameras in here?”

He glanced around as well. “Who are they?”

“I don’t know . . . someone . . . anyone . . . the Ox. What if the Ox is watching us right now? Do you really want him to see my bare bottom?”

“He’s not watching. There are no cameras.”

“Are you sure?”

“It would be illegal to film us without our permission.”

“I hate to tell you this, Daddy. But the kind of person who would film someone getting their butt paddled, isn’t really gonna be concerned with permission or legalities.”

He thought about that for a moment. “Point taken.” Then he got to his feet and started searching the room.

Huh.

He was actually taking her seriously. She hadn’t really expected that. But she did appreciate it.

Fifteen minutes later, they’d searched the room and were back in their previous positions.

This time, when he reached for the top of her pants, she didn’t stop him.

She had nothing. She was out of excuses.

Darn it.

He pulled her pants and panties right down to the bottom of her feet. “Step out.”

“Are you sure the door is locked?” she asked worriedly.

“Yes, I’m sure.”

“You’re sure you’re sure?”

“I am,” he reassured her. Then he helped guide her over his lap.

Okay.

So this was happening.

It felt different than it had earlier or with Alexei. Of course, those had just been a few spanks.

They hadn’t really hurt.

But Salem didn’t rush. He took his time. He positioned her how he wanted, then rubbed her butt.

“Such a gorgeous bottom,” he told her.

She started to relax bit by bit.

And that’s when he smacked his hand down on her bottom.

He’d tricked her!

Got her all relaxed and happy, then bam!

“Ouch, Daddy!” she cried. “That hurt!”

It hadn’t really, but she figured she should protest. That was what he’d be expecting and it might get him to stop early.

Maybe.

“It’s meant to hurt, Little one. That’s the idea.”

“Well, the idea sucks!” she complained.

“Poor baby,” he crooned.

And then he hit her again!

That really wasn’t nice. She started to wiggle, seeing if there was a way she could get free. But he pressed her down against him, his hand heavy and firm on her lower back as he smacked her again and again.

“Daddy, stop!”

“Not yet, Little one. The only way I stop is when I’m ready to stop or if you say your safeword. Are you saying your safeword?”

Pfft. Say her safeword over a small spanking?

She didn’t think so.

“I don’t need to say my safeword, Daddy.”

“Good girl. You’re being so brave. I’m so proud of you.”

Seemed a bit silly to be proud of how well she was taking her spanking.

But at the same time, she couldn’t deny the way that her body warmed from the inside out.

She liked being praised.

Who knew? Not her.

But it wasn’t like she’d ever really been praised before so how would she have known?

The spanking continued for far longer than she’d thought it would. By the end of it, she was kicking her feet and letting out small cries. There were no tears. But she couldn’t remember the last time she’d cried.

A long, long time ago.

And she wouldn’t be crying today. But she kind of wished that she could because she thought that it might offer some more release.

However, something inside her did feel lighter as he lifted her and settled her on his lap. She was facing him, her legs spread over his lap.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face into his chest as he rubbed her back.

She felt strange. Almost vulnerable. As though she wasn’t quite settled into her own skin.

This was silly.

It was just a spanking.

Tamsyn couldn’t figure out why she felt this way. She’d gone through far worse and not been affected like this.

But it wasn’t about the pain. It wasn’t really about the spanking exactly. She could have gotten free at any time. She’d chosen to stay over his lap and be spanked.

Because she trusted him?

It was a scary thought.

Maybe that was why she felt so vulnerable. Because she’d completely trusted him to take care of her and he’d kind of stripped her bare.

“Little one? Come back to me now. It’s all done. It’s all over now and I need you back here with me.”

She shuddered. She wanted to go back to him.

His hand wrapped around the back of her neck, squeezing firmly.

“Come here. Come to me. Right now. Breathe. In. Out. And again. Back to me.”

The sternness of his voice and the firm hold he had on her helped her take a deep breath and come back into her body. She pulled herself together.

Really. This was ridiculous.

“Sorry,” she muttered, completely embarrassed.

“You have nothing to be embarrassed about,” he told her firmly. He moved his free hand up and down her back.

The gentle way he massaged her was in contrast to the firm hold he had on the back of her neck.

And for some reason, it totally soothed her. It was like he was holding her together, pushing her down against him. But at the same time showing her a softness that she needed.

“That’s it. Good girl,” he murmured. “Just relax into me. You were such a good girl for me. You behaved so beautifully. I’m so proud of you.”

Dear Lord.

Those words just seemed to wrap around her and give her a giant hug.

What should she do now, though? Should she move? Probably. Tamsyn doubted that he wanted to sit here all day with a half-naked woman on his lap.

She tried to pull back, but he tightened his hold on her.

“Just stay where you are. I have you. Let me hold you. I need it.”

He needed it?

Oh, she hadn’t realized. Well, she wanted to give him what he needed. He always took care of her.

So she snuggled in and let him hold her.

Because he needed it.

And she just might need it too.