by Stella Moore
With a whimper she pushed herself to move faster, even though the friction inside her bottom was becoming unbearable. Just when she felt she couldn’t go another second, his fingers dug into her skin, holding her in place while his cock swelled and emptied into her bottom. The feeling of his seed, hot and sticky, filling her most secret place had heat rising to her cheeks.
“That’s my good girl.” His arms came around her, and Olivia melted into him. For a long while, his ragged breathing and her soft whimpers were the only sound in the room.
“You took your punishment so well, little one,” he said once he’d managed to catch his breath. “Daddy’s so proud of you.”
“Am I your good girl again?”
The same hand that had punished her and held her in place while she took his cock in her bottom lifted to her chin. With a gentleness that seemed counterintuitive to the pain he’d just inflicted, he turned her head so she was forced to meet his serious gaze.
“As I said. You are always, always my good girl. Even when you’re naughty, you are still my good girl.”
His words soothed the last of the ache in her soul. “Thank you, Daddy.”
“How are you feeling?”
“My bottom hurts. A whole lot. But I feel good. Thank you for loving me enough to punish me.”
“Always.”
She let her head fall back to rest on his shoulder. “I’m starving.”
“Mmm.” He nipped at her shoulder. “Me too.”
“Not like that,” she said, laughing. “Tummy hungry, Daddy.”
“Me too. Pizza sound good?”
“Yes! And ice cream?” she asked hopefully.
“Hmm. Only good girls get ice cream.”
“But you said I was a good girl.”
“Exactly.”
Chapter Thirteen
The tentative knock on his office door announced MaryAnn’s presence. “Mr. Monroe? Mr. Jackson is here to see you.”
James glanced at the clock on his computer and frowned. “Did we have an appointment?”
His receptionist predictably flushed bright red. “N-no, sir. But he said you said to come by whenever.”
He hadn’t said anything of the sort, but arguing with the man wouldn’t accomplish anything. “I have a few spare minutes. Bring him back.”
MaryAnn’s head bobbed up and down before she scurried out of the office. James saved the reports he was working on and brought up the Jackson account to refresh his memory on the finer details. A few minutes later, MaryAnn reappeared with a short, thin man suffering from a severe case of male-pattern baldness behind her.
“Thank you, MaryAnn. Mr. Jackson.” James held out a hand and barely resisted the urge to sneer at Jackson’s clammy, limp handshake. “Have a seat. What can I do for you this afternoon?”
“Well, I just assumed you’d want to meet in person to discuss our strategy going forward. What did you do about our previous agent?” The weasel across from him smirked. “I trust that situation’s been handled?”
An image of Olivia, whimpering and whining while she took his cock in her gorgeous, well-paddled ass flashed in James’s mind. “It’s been taken care of.”
“Well, hopefully that means she no longer works here. She didn’t seem all that interested in selling our house in the first place, and that email was just the icing on the cake.”
He swallowed the irritation, bitter as it was. The urge to defend his wife was strong, but he wasn’t about to get into a pissing contest with the little weasel. “I’ve spoken to Olivia at length about your situation. She had some very good suggestions. Did you implement any of her ideas?”
The weasel snorted. “Like leaving a couple dirty dishes in the sink really hurt anything. Please tell me you have some better ideas than that vapid bitch.”
“Excuse me?”
The ice in James’s tone apparently didn’t affect weasels. The man smirked and leaned in like he was sharing a juicy secret. “Look, props to you for scoring such a nice piece of ass. And I’m sure those big doe eyes and bangin’ body probably sell houses, but come on. We both know there’s not much going on upstairs.”
James’s fingers curled into a fist on top of his desk. “Mr. Jackson, I’m afraid this isn’t going to work out.”
“What isn’t?”
“Listing your home with us. You’ll need to find another agency.”
The look of shock on the little weasel’s face was worth every bit of business they might lose. “What kind of games are you playing, Monroe?”
“No games. While Olivia’s response to your email was unprofessional and unacceptable, your behavior in this short meeting has shown me she probably put up with far more from you than she should have. I will not entertain clients who treat my agents poorly. And I most certainly will not do business with anyone who sees my wife as nothing more than a, how did you put it? Oh, yes.” He smiled, savoring the way the man’s eyes widened with fear. “A nice piece of ass. Good day, Mr. Jackson.”
The color drained from the weasel’s face, and then returned with such a vengeance James worried for a moment he might have a stroke. Jackson popped out of the chair like a, well, weasel. “You’ll be hearing from our lawyer and you’ll be closing your doors within a month, I promise you that.”
“I doubt it, but I look forward to explaining your sexist attitude to your lawyers. Have a good afternoon, Mr. Jackson.”
The man stormed out, and James sat staring at the picture of Olivia on his desk, waiting for the fury churning in his gut to abate. When it had calmed somewhat, he stood and strode down the hall to her office. She was on the phone when he opened the door, so he quietly shut it again behind him and waited for her to finish.
Glancing over, she gave him a sassy wink. “That’s great news! Once I get the paperwork, I’ll call my clients. They’re going to be thrilled at the offer. Thanks, Jenny. Uh-huh. Bye!”
When she hung up the phone, she did what he always thought of as her ‘money dance.’ She jumped out of the chair and wiggled her hips while pumping her fists in the air. “I just got an offer for ten thousand over listing for that house on Maple.”
“Because you’re brilliant. Good job, Liv.”
“Thanks. Did you need me?”
“Yes.” As much as he hated to ruin her good mood, he wasn’t about to let this slide. “We need to talk.”
Her face fell into an adorable pout. If they’d been home, he would have pulled her over his knee for a quick, fun spanking before he fucked her senseless. Goddamn office protocol.
“What did I do?” she asked, her voice bordering on a whine.
“Mr. Jackson was just here.”
The pout disappeared, and was replaced by a combination of embarrassment and icy disdain. “And?”
“He had some very... unkind things to say about you.”
Olivia rolled her eyes, but for once he didn’t correct her. If anyone had earned the right to roll their eyes at a client, it was her. “Not surprised. Did you assure him I’d been properly reprimanded?”
“I did. A few minutes before I kicked him out of my office and told him we would no longer be doing business together.”
Her mouth fell open. “You—you did what?”
“I won’t have clients who insult and berate my agents. Especially my wife. Why didn’t you come to me, Olivia? I would have taken care of it if you’d told me how abusive his behavior was.”
“I don’t need you to fight my battles.”
After checking to make sure nobody was passing by, he rounded her desk. Reaching down, he gave her ass a long, hard squeeze. She yelped, and tears filled her beautiful eyes. He had no doubt she was still sore from last night, and short of breaking every rule they had by bending her over and paddling her in the middle of the office, this quick reminder would have to do.
“Listen to me very carefully, Olivia Jane Monroe. I respect your desire to handle difficult clients on your own. But I will not have my agents berated, belittled, or abused by clients. The next tim
e I find out you’ve been ‘handling’ a client like him without telling me the full story, you’ll spend a full day holding a plug inside a very sore bottom. Do you understand me, young lady?”
“But I can—”
He cut off her protests with another hard squeeze. “I know you can. I’m saying there’s no need for you to. Have I made myself clear?”
“Yeah.”
“Olivia.” He put as much warning as he could into her name.
Color darkened her cheeks. “Yes, sir,” she whispered.
“Good girl.” James patted her bottom and gave her a quick kiss. The reminder on his phone dinged and he lifted a hand to her cheek. “We have to leave soon.”
The grief in her eyes shattered him. He’d give every last cent they had to never see her in such pain again. “I know.”
“We don’t have to stay. We can go for the viewing and then head home if you’d like.”
“Maybe.”
He kissed her again, but this time he lingered, offering comfort and solace the only way he knew how. When they broke apart again, her eyes were slightly glazed, and he couldn’t help but grin. She was so adorable when she was all flushed with pleasure.
“Meet me in my office in half an hour. We’ll leave your car here tonight and drive home together.”
“‘Kay.”
Leaving her to finish her deal, he returned to his office to get some work done. But the reports he’d been working on earlier seemed like a jumble.
“Fucking weasel,” he grumbled. Realizing he wouldn’t get any work done, he grabbed the phone on his desk and dialed the number of the only person he knew who could help.
“Law Offices of Keppel, Monroe, and Abrams,” an overly cheerful voice answered.
“Hello, Judy. It’s James Monroe. Is my brother around?”
“Good afternoon, Mr. Monroe. He’s in. Let me just see if he’s available for you.”
James waited, tapping his fingers on the desk while he waited for his brother to answer the phone.
“What do you want?”
James grinned at the gruff annoyance in Bryant’s voice. “That’s a fine howdy-do for your big brother.”
“Ten minutes. You have ten minutes on me, asshole. What do you want?”
“Can’t a guy just call his brother and chat?”
“Not at one-thirty on a Wednesday. Shouldn’t you be out, dominating the real estate world?”
“That’s actually why I’m calling. I have a possible situation.” He gave Bryant a quick rundown of what had transpired with the Jacksons. “Think he could cause us any trouble?”
“Nah. He’ll make a fuss, maybe call you out on social media. But he can’t legally cause you any trouble. And any good lawyer will tell him that.” There was a short, heavy silence. “Did he really say that about Liv?”
“Yeah.” Just the memory of it had him baring his teeth at the seat the weasel had recently vacated.
“Want me to go kick his ass for you?”
“As much joy as that image brings me, I don’t want to make this any messier. Thanks, though. You should come over for dinner sometime soon.”
“Sure. Haven’t seen the little brat in a while. Give her a hug from me.”
“Will do.”
Feeling centered again, he hung up the phone and refocused on his reports. He’d just wrapped up one of the financials that had been giving him a headache when Olivia knocked on his door frame. “Ready?”
“Let me shut down.” While the computer powered down, he stood and motioned for her to come closer. “Come here.”
She stepped around the desk, a mischievous smile on her lips. “Yes, sir?”
James wrapped his arms around her, making her laugh with an overly enthusiastic bear hug. “That’s from Bryant. This,” he lowered his lips to hers for a deep kiss, “is from me.”
“Mmmm. Thanks, for both. Everything okay?”
“Of course. Why do you ask?”
“If you’re giving me a hug from Bryant, you spoke to him recently. And if you called in him in the middle of the day at work, something is wrong. What’s up?”
Grinning at her, he grabbed his laptop and stuffed it in his briefcase. “You’re a little too observant for your own good, sometimes.” He linked his fingers with hers and they walked out together. “Just making sure Jackson can’t give us any legal trouble.”
“Can he? The little asshole will, if he can.”
“According to Bryant, no. We’ll keep an eye on social media, since that’s where he’s most likely to make some noise. But I don’t think we have to worry about anything from a legal standpoint.”
“Good.” They stopped by the passenger door to his SUV and she turned to him. Her eyes, which never could hide anything from him, pleaded with him. “I’m really sorry I caused so much trouble.”
“Livvy. It’s done. No more apologies, little one. Understood?”
“I know, it’s just—I’m sorry.”
“And you took your punishment and you’ve been forgiven. So now you can forgive yourself. In you go.” Opening the door, he nudged her inside. He put both of their bags in the backseat, and walked around to the driver side door. When he climbed in, she was staring out the side window, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. “Do you need another spanking?”
Her head whipped around, her eyes wide with shock. “What? No! Why?”
“If you’re having trouble letting it go, maybe you need another spanking to help you forgive yourself.”
“No. No, I’m good, Daddy.”
“That’s my girl. I’m not sure your bottom could handle another punishment so soon.”
Wrinkling her nose, she shook her head at the suggestion. “No spankings. Well. Maybe a little fun spanking when we get home? Just a little one, though.”
God, was it any wonder he adored her? Looking over at her, he sent her a wink that had her blushing prettily. “I think we can make that happen.”
* * *
Their good moods had evaporated by the time they parked behind the funeral home.
“Ready?” Reaching across the console, James gave his wife’s hand a reassuring squeeze.
Olivia blew out a breath before offering a small, forced smile. “Yeah. Guess we should go in.”
The smell of lilies hit him full force the second they walked through the door. God, he hated that smell, the smell of death and grief. Setting aside his own discomfort, he slipped an arm around his wife and followed the sign in the foyer to a large, open room. The casket was placed at the front of the room, past rows and rows of folding chairs.
Beside him, he heard Olivia’s breath hitch. Focusing on her, her pulled her closer and pressed a kiss to her hair. “You can do this, little one. Daddy’s right here.”
She nodded, her eyes never leaving the large wooden box at the end of the aisle. As one, they walked past the rows of chairs to the casket. They stopped in front of the open coffin, where the body of a woman he’d never met rested.
“I’m so sorry,” Olivia murmured. “You didn’t deserve this. I’m so sorry.”
For the hundredth time, it crossed his mind how easily it might have been her. How often did she go to a showing alone? If Angela had been targeted because of that article, it could have just as easily been his little Livvy.
Breathing through the fear and panic, he fought the urge to usher her outside and into the car. He wanted nothing more than to take her home and keep her there, where she would be safe forever. But they had lives to live, and he couldn’t keep her locked away, as much as he wanted to.
Olivia shifted, and he turned with her to where the family stood by the casket. The woman beside the box was an older version of Angela. Swallowing an unexpected lump in his throat, James held out a hand to her. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”
The woman nodded absently, but her shattered eyes gained some clarity when she focused on Olivia. “I know you.”
Stepping forward, Olivia nodded. “I met Angela during the maga
zine shoot. I’m so sorry.”
“She admired you.”
“What?”
Her voice pitched higher, confusion and panic clear in her voice. James squeezed her hand, reminding her he was right next to her.
Angela’s mother continued, oblivious to Olivia’s distress. “She called me that night, talking about this other woman she’d met and how you were so successful but still sweet. It was so nice for her, she said, to meet someone who hadn’t let the business harden them or make them mean. She called me the day the magazine came out and told me the girl on the cover was the woman she’d met at the shoot, and weren’t you just the most beautiful woman?”
“I—” Olivia drew in a shaky breath. “That’s lovely. I remember her being very sweet to me that day. I’m glad she thought the same of me.”
“She was sweet. I worried about her, all the time, whenever she said she was meeting someone at a house.” Without warning, the woman lunged forward and gripped Olivia’s free hand. “You be careful. Please be careful.” She looked up at James, and the desperation in her eyes nearly broke him. “You keep her safe.”
“I will, ma’am,” he managed past the fear clawing at his throat.
“Good.” The desperation faded. Any trace of emotion disappeared from her face and she was that empty shell once more. “That’s good. Thank you for coming.”
With a hand firmly at the small of her back, James guided Olivia away and out a side door. When she began to tremble, he led her to a couch off to the side, away from the rest of the mourners. She dropped onto the couch and looked up at him, tears shimmering in her eyes.
“I didn’t know. I should have gotten her number, or kept in touch somehow. Maybe this wouldn’t have happened—”
“No.” The word lashed out of him like a whip, and she visibly cringed. Silently cursing himself, he knelt in front of her and took her hands in his own. “No, baby. You couldn’t have stopped this. It’s a tragedy, but there wasn’t anything you could have done to stop it. Okay?”
She closed her eyes, tears slipping down her cheeks. “I guess. I just don’t understand.”
He opened his mouth to tell her it was okay when a shadow fell over them. Irritated by the intrusion, he looked up to find Detective Michaelson standing over them.
