“Yeah,” Chelsea said wiping tears from her eyes. “That’s probably for the best. And don’t worry, I won’t get another pet.” Pulling free, she took a step back. “Thanks for taking care of her.”
4
Jennifer stomped back to her office, so furious Kaden could see the steam pouring from her ears. He wished he could take some time to teach Evan the finer points of caring for a woman, but it would likely end up with him in jail.
Domestic discipline was fine and dandy. So was spanking, as long as both parties were agreeable. Beating a woman because you could was unacceptable, and as a Dom, he was hard-pressed to keep himself from tearing Evan a new asshole. Or better, introduce him to a few of the dommes he knew.
There were a few ladies in New York who would take great pleasure in taking Evan in hand. Hell, maybe they could teach Chelsea a few things, too.
Yanking open a cupboard, Jennifer retrieved a small box and a pair of headphones. Sitting across from her, he asked, “What is that?”
“Shortwave radio. The police have one, and if someone’s listening, I’m going to have them go to Chelsea’s. If she’s very lucky, they’ll catch him in the act.”
“You could have called out with that when I wrecked,” he said, somewhat reproachfully, but he wasn’t too upset about it.
“Yeah, if someone is listening.” She grimaced and her cheeks turned pink. “To be honest, I’d forgotten I had it. I’m sorry. I’ll have them send someone out for you and your car so you can go on about your business.”
The office phone rang, making them both jump in surprise. Jennifer laughed softly. “Saved by the bell. I wasn’t sure I remembered how the thing works.”
She answered the call, spending a few minutes reassuring a client. Ending the call quickly, she dialed again.
“Hey, Mike. It’s Doc Dane from the clinic. I’ve got a couple of things for you.” She tapped the speaker button and leaned back in her chair.
“What’s up, Doc?”
“Funny,” she replied, a smile on her face.
The man on the other end of the call laughed. “I don’t get to use it that often, sorry. But seriously, what’s up?”
“I’ve got you on speaker. Chelsea Grant brought her husky in for a gunshot wound. Evan admitted in front of me that he’d shot her, and Chelsea left with him. I want you to go to her house and check on her.”
“You got it. We can press charges for the animal abuse at least. Do you have custody of the dog?”
“Yes. You know I can’t legally send Princess back there, even if she wasn’t stoned out of her gourd on meds.”
“Good girl. What’s the second thing?”
“I have a gentleman named Kaden McCleod in my office. He slid off the road at the bend just north of the clinic, and needs a tow and a ride.”
“Are you okay with him being there? I can send someone out, but we’re pretty shorthanded.”
“He’s fine, but I’m sure he’d like to get on with his life.”
“We can probably get someone out this evening, but if he’s okay with it, could you keep him?”
“He’s not a stray cat,” Jennifer said, her lips twitching into a smile.
“I’m fine,” Kaden interrupted. “I didn’t have any plans for Christmas, so I don’t mind hanging out with Dr. Dane.”
The line went silent for a moment, then the officer said, “Well, that would be a help for us, especially with Chelsea and Evan.”
“Take care of them first. The good doctor and I are going to have a snack and maybe play cards. Hell, I think I even have a Christmas movie and a bottle of wine in my car.” Kaden leaned forward, catching Jennifer’s gaze. “I also want to tell you that Evan made threats against Dr. Dane. I threw him out, but I’d prefer to stay in case he decides to come back.”
Mike huffed out a breath. “That asshole just doesn’t know when to quit, and Chelsea probably won’t press charges.” He sighed again, adding, “We’ll take care of it, but I appreciate you keeping an eye on Dr. Dane.”
“No problem.” Kaden leaned back in his chair, keeping his gaze firmly on Jennifer. She hadn’t said a word since he interrupted and stared at him with a surprised expression on her pretty face.
“Do you need any food or water brought out?” Mike asked.
“No,” she said, pulling her gaze away from him. “We’re good. Dr. Lindholm’s wife sent over a bunch of food before the storm started.”
“Good. I’ll let you go so I can get out to Chelsea’s. Merry Christmas, Doc.”
“Merry Christmas,” Jennifer whispered as the call ended. She set her elbows on the desk and rubbed her forehead. “Sorry I can’t get you home for the holiday.”
Leaning over, he took her hand, drawing it away from her face. “You got me out of the wreck of my car and doctored me right up. I’m too far from home to make Christmas anyway, and I’d much rather spend it with you.”
Though Kaden’s words made her feel a little less guilty, Jennifer was still furious at Evan. Chelsea too, for that matter. She tried to be kind. There had to be things going on in Chelsea’s head that made going back to Evan seem like the best choice, but having never been in that position, Jennifer couldn’t judge her for it. It still pissed her off, especially knowing that Evan probably wouldn’t get what was coming to him unless he did something he couldn’t take back.
Despite her exhaustion, she couldn’t sit still. The boarders were already fed and walked, and barked up a storm as she passed the kennels. She needed to get outside and burn off some frustration on the woodpile. Fetching a splitting maul from the barn, she got to work. She’d forgotten her coat and the snow leached into her socks from the openings in the Crocs, but she didn’t care.
Anger and frustration kept her warm, along with her exertions. A log went flying, split down the middle, and as she stopped a moment to catch her breath, she saw Kaden approaching.
“It’s time to come inside and get warm, Dr. Dane. You’ve been out here long enough.”
“Jennifer is fine,” she said, setting another log on the block. “I’ll come in later, but help yourself to whatever’s in the fridge.”
“All right,” he said, his voice mild. “Thank you, but you need to come in now.”
“Later, please. I’m busy.”
As she lifted the maul, Kaden snatched it out of her hand and laid it on the block. “Now, Jennifer,” he said, his voice low and dangerous.
Ignoring him, she reached for the maul, but screeched in anger mixed with fear when he picked her up and flung her over his shoulder.
“Let me down!” she shouted. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Taking you inside. It’s freezing, and even if you’re pissed enough that you don’t feel it, you can’t stand out there all day in scrubs.”
“I’m fine,” she snapped. “Put me down now.”
“I will when we’re inside.”
She let out a low growl and glared at the curve of his backside. She’d never know what came over her, but she stretched out her arm and pinched his ass as hard as she could.
WHACK.
The blow to her upturned bottom came out of nowhere, surprising her into silence. She caught her breath as he opened the door. “Did you just spank me?”
“Yes. And I’ll do it again if you don’t behave yourself.”
He closed the door behind them and put her down, the sudden rush of heat from the furnace making her sweat. “Are you pretending to be Evan now?” she asked. She tried to sidestep and escape, but he caught her easily.
Putting his hands around her waist, he picked her up and pressed her against the wall. Squeezed up against him, she inhaled the citrus scent of his aftershave mixed with fabric softener. He smelled delicious. His lips only a few inches from hers, he said, “I am not Evan. I’ll spank you. I might even take a belt to your cute butt if you’re being a brat. But I will never, ever harm you, nor will I allow you to harm yourself.”
“I’m not seeing the difference. Now put
me down.” Although she struggled, she couldn’t escape Kaden’s strength. Truly, she wasn’t sure she wanted to. No one had ever cared enough to say anything when she did something dangerous. She did see the difference. Kaden was like the dominants in one of her books, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to test that with someone she barely knew.
He swung her into his arms and strode toward her office. “Discipline is not abuse,” he said. “Discipline is agreed upon in advance. When you’re a brat, you get spanked. Simple enough, right?”
“I haven’t agreed to a damned thing,” she replied. “Let me go, please.”
He put her down and cupped her face. The gentle touch made her shiver. Jennifer had no idea how he was doing it, but he was pressing every button she had. All those alpha heroes she’d read about had nothing on Kaden McCleod.
“You’re going to agree, and I am going to spank you, honey. I know you’re upset, but you knew better than to stand out in the cold like that.”
“I split wood all the time when I’m frustrated!” she argued.
Kaden pushed a piece of loose hair off her face, his hands warming her chilled flesh. “That’s fine. It’s a great way to burn off stress. But you know better than to go out in a set of scrubs when it’s this cold. To make sure you remember, you’re going to go over my lap for a spanking.”
“Why are you doing this?” she asked, unwilling to admit he was right. “You barely know me, and I’m a grown woman.”
“Because I’m not going to watch you put yourself in harm’s way again. Your skin is like ice, and I know your feet are soaked.” He tipped her chin up, forcing her to meet his stern gaze. “After your spanking, you’re going to take a nap because I know you’ve been up all night. The next time you take your frustration out on an innocent piece of wood, you’ll be wearing a coat and boots.”
Jennifer bit her lip. This was her chance to see if she’d like what he described. She’d read about it so often that she couldn’t help but want to try it for herself. It was possible she’d hate it, which would spoil the fantasy, but maybe it was better to know that. And with Kaden, she could find out with someone who would be gone before the end of the day, and she wouldn’t have to deal with any messy emotions or the inevitable breakup. Plus, she trusted him, though she didn’t know exactly why.
Taking a deep breath, she said, “Okay, I guess. Let’s get this over with.”
He smiled and kissed her forehead. “Good girl,” he whispered. Without another word, he sat and tugged her face down over his lap. Her arms dropped and she tried to catch herself on his pant legs before she overbalanced and landed on the floor.
His hand fell to her backside, the blow stinging through the thin fabric of her scrubs. It hurt even more because her skin was cold. Despite the initial blast of overheated air that had made her sweat when he carried her inside, she now realized just how cold she was.
“People like Evan hit women to make themselves feel powerful because they’re too weak to take on someone their own size. A dominant,” he continued, “knows the difference between correction and abuse.” He spanked her harder, catching the lower curve of her ass. “A good dominant won’t punish a woman for no reason, and I don’t mean the lame ass reasons most abusers come up with.”
He spanked her again, a flurry of smacks that made her screech in pain. “I mean a good reason. Doing something that is harmful to yourself is a reason for a spanking.”
Jennifer tried to cover her ass with her hands, but he caught them, holding them in one hand as he spanked her. “And you spent almost forty-five minutes outside without a coat or decent shoes. Is that in any way a safe activity?”
She shook her head, tears clogging her throat, both from the spanking and the realization that he was right. Though she’d always been good at suppressing her feelings, Kaden’s spanking pushed them to the surface, and she had no choice but to let them out. “No,” she whispered.
“Good girl. Five more and we’re done.” His hand fell harder, the blows making her howl until she broke down sobbing.
God, it hurt so bad, but when he stopped spanking her and stroked her blistered butt, the pain turned into something else. Heat filled her core, traveling down from her punished backside to fill her with itchy, pulsating warmth. Spending Christmas alone, Evan and Chelsea, and no sleep, coupled with the incredibly demanding surgery on Princess, suddenly overwhelmed her, and she couldn’t stop crying.
Even when Kaden pulled her into his arms and held her, stroking her back as he whispered what a good girl she was, the flood of tears kept coming, soaking his sweater.
“That’s a good girl,” Kaden whispered. “Let it out and rest.”
To her surprise, she obeyed. The sting in her backside faded to warmth, the tendrils of heat making her want something a little more energetic than a cuddle, but before she knew it, she was asleep.
5
Kaden sat with Jennifer in his arms, supremely content. She’d taken her punishment like the good girl he knew she was, and had cried herself into a deep, restorative sleep. She’d have to attend to the animals in her care, so he couldn’t let her sleep for long, but for now, he could enjoy holding her.
Thankfully, he’d managed to keep his dick under control when he’d been spanking her, but it had been a near thing. Every time she’d squirmed against him, he’d had to shift her on his lap to keep her from pressing against it. He couldn’t help it. Even clothed, the sight of her round backside threatened to undo his rigid control. A punishment spanking was no time for him to grow wood.
Her stress level must be outrageous. Between rescuing him, Chelsea’s dog and the ugly scene with Evan, and being alone and working on Christmas, she couldn’t have gotten any rest. Worse, he hadn’t seen her eat, or even swallow down a bottle of water in the whole time he’d been with her.
Jennifer wasn’t a brat, and while he was glad for it, she was a bit more challenging. She was self-sufficient and worked hard. He would never fault her for that, but she didn’t take care of herself either. Women like Jennifer needed a softer touch. Exert too much control, and they’d get aggravated and walk out. Too little, and they’d work themselves sick. And he was very interested in taking on the challenge of the woman snoring softly in his arms.
“Mrrow?”
Kaden looked up and watched a three-legged black cat wrapped in green bandages limp into the office. Nosing at his feet, the cat looked up and let out a somewhat more demanding meow as it laid its single front paw on Kaden’s knee.
Holding Jennifer tightly, he leaned down and, careful of the animal’s injury, swept the cat up into his lap. The cat turned around a few times and settled down, purring loudly.
Her dog followed, groaning as he jumped up on the couch. The retriever flopped down, his head resting on Jennifer’s feet. Kaden tucked her head more securely against his shoulder. He considered dozing off, but he didn’t know if the police would arrest Evan or not, and he wasn’t about to leave Jennifer or her animals vulnerable to that asshole.
Extracting his phone from his pocket, he grimaced when he saw there was still no signal. Texts sometimes went through, though. He sent one to his folks, wishing them a Merry Christmas, then scrolled through his contacts to find Madame Serena and Mistress Luisa.
Serena taught gender studies at SUNY, and had a blossoming private practice as a pro domme. Luisa had been one of her students, and following graduation became her protégé and partner. Neither of them had any patience with abusive men, and he decided to give them a present.
He’d known men like Evan. When confronted with two such dazzling beauties, he’d forget all about being married. Evan’s surprise and his friends’ present would come when they got him alone.
Luisa answered his text right away, promising to ask Serena about visiting Vermont when the storm cleared. It was good to know he wasn’t completely out of touch, but none of his friends were in any position to help him.
And truly, he didn’t want to be helped. Bending down, he inhale
d Jennifer’s scent. She smelled like strawberries mixed with a faint tinge of disinfectant from the dog’s surgery. He wanted to dress her in a pretty white dress and cuddle her on his lap as he let her read one of those filthy stories he’d found on her reader.
Then he’d ask her to tell him her favorite scene, and they could role-play… She snorted, grumbling nonsensical words as she turned her face into his shoulder and settled deeper into sleep. He chuckled softly. She was so damned cute.
On the verge of waking, Jennifer squirmed. She was almost too warm and tried to throw off the blanket covering her.
Except it wasn’t a blanket. It was a man’s silk-clad arm banded tightly around her waist. She opened her eyes in the dimly lit room, finding herself sprawled over Kaden’s hard chest, with Nero deeply asleep on his back in her lap. Caleb was stretched out on the other end, his head laid on Kaden’s thigh.
“Did you sleep well?”
Kaden’s voice made her flinch in surprise and embarrassment. She had no idea what to say to the man, a near stranger, who had witnessed her break down so completely. Deciding not to mention it, she said, “Yes, thanks. I need to get up and do rounds, though.”
She shifted her weight, but stilled when she felt the thick ridge of his cock poking into her ass. Was that for her? She grimaced and plucked Nero from her lap, settling him with Caleb. Of course, it wasn’t. What man didn’t react to friction?
He squeezed her once, pressing her harder against his groin, before letting her go. “All right.”
She scrambled off his lap, blinking in surprise when he followed her. “Help yourself to whatever’s in the fridge. I’ll get your suitcase from your car while I’m at it, and you can use the shower in the bathroom if you want.”
Kaden crossed his arms over his chest, the muscles in his forearms bulging. “When was the last time you had something to eat or drink?”
Jennifer blinked at the abrupt question. “Um… What day is it?”
Jennifer's Christmas Daddy Page 3
