His Babygirl

by Jane Henry

  “Oh yeah?” she said in a breathless whisper. “How would Daddy punish me?”

  “Stand you in the corner,” he whispered. “Send you to bed early. Lots of ways to make you behave, honey.” He tucked a stray lock of her hair back. Although they were both smiling, and the mood was playful and sexy, he meant every word. He would stand her in the corner or send her to bed if she misbehaved.

  She leaned in closer. “Would you spank me, Daddy?” she whispered.

  He moaned, grabbing her ass and squeezing firmly. “Course I would. You damn well know it.”

  She closed her eyes and sighed.

  He stroked her hair as he spoke to her. “A few ground rules, Allie-girl. We've got most of those in place. You know I expect you to behave. But I also want to make sure you take care of yourself. I'll make sure you eat your meals, and get to bed on time. Got it, baby? Tonight, I want you in bed in an hour. That's reasonable. And you make sure you eat breakfast before you take off for work tomorrow. Got it?”

  She nodded.

  “Good girl. Now come and rest your head on me while we watch a show. Okay, baby?”

  She nodded again, curled herself up on his lap and rested her head on his chest while he picked out a home improvement traveling show, not something he normally watched, but she said she loved it. But before the globe-trotting couple had picked out the charming villa on the Mediterranean, Alice was fast asleep on his chest. He stroked his hand through her hair. She looked so much younger when she was asleep, without the cares of the world on her shoulders. God, he wanted to give that peace to her every day. He held her like that for a while, holding her against his chest, arms tucked around her. But finally, it was time to get her to bed.

  It was an easy matter to get to his feet and take her in his arms. Her head fell against his shoulder. Dipping his head down, he kissed her forehead as he stalked to her bedroom. He peeked in at her rooms as he walked. She had what looked like an office or guest room across from Charlie's, but hers was a good distance away down the hall. He was pleased to see the arrangement. A bedroom straight across from Charlie's could get… interesting.

  When he reached her room, it was dark, but he could just make out the shadow of her dresser and bed. Crossing the room in a few large strides, he placed her down on the bed. She woke as he laid her down.

  “Oh, I must've fallen asleep,” she murmured.

  “Sleep now, baby,” he whispered. “Do you have a spare key? I’ll lock the door behind me.”

  “In the drawer next to my bed,” she said, her eyes shut.

  His phone buzzed obnoxiously in his pocket.

  Damn. A text that couldn't wait.

  They're on the move. Go. Meet me at central ASAP.

  He opened the drawer and removed the keys. Alice stirred.

  “I need to go now, baby,” he said. “Work call. You be a good girl, get some sleep and text me in the morning. Yeah?”

  She nodded sleepily. “Yes. Night, Daddy.”

  He leaned in and kissed her cheek, tucking the blanket up around her shoulders and around her back. “Sleep well, baby.”

  It took all his willpower to walk out the door.

  Diego Santiago sat in the cramped office, a little hole-in-the-wall room that was off the grid, a single lamp burning on a bare desk so small Slay had to move his legs to the side because he couldn’t fit them underneath. Diego’s jaw clenched, arms crossed so tightly his muscles bulged and flexed, his long, sturdy legs out in front of him with his ankles crossed. His firm jaw sported a five-o'clock shadow, and his longish black hair fell over his forehead. His coffee-colored eyes were mere slits of fury, and full lips pursed. Slay leaned against his desk, nodding.

  “Let's go over every detail,” he said. “One at a time. Salazar sent a man over to Westland Community College, fed off some students there and passed out some smack, but took two girls who wanted to barter rather than pay.”

  Diego's nostrils flared. “Yup.”

  Slay ran a hand over his shaved head. “Question, Diego. Any of those girls happen to be tight with Nora?”

  Diego's jaw clenched even tighter. “Yep. One of them goes to Nora’s high school and is taking the same dual enrollment class at WCC that Nora’s in. Fucking hell, Slay. It's so goddamn hard to keep my mouth shut and stay tight with these sons of bitches.”

  Slay nodded once. “When do you think you'll have enough to bring this whole circus down? Haul their asses to jail?”

  “End of the month.”

  Slay's brows shot up. A one-year undercover gig of epic proportions was about to go down, and he'd be part of putting their asses behind bars. Quickly, his thoughts went to Alice. The closer they came to the end of the investigation, the more dangerous it would be for all of them. He couldn't share details with her, of course. She’d better do what she was goddamned told so he could keep her safe.

  “You've got shit on Salazar's screwing underage girls in the past. These two he took this weekend… they were over eighteen, so not underage. Consensual?”

  Diego gave one curt nod. Shit. They couldn't slap that on his ass then. Still, there were ways to make him pay.

  “So you're pissed over this one because you're closin' in, and the mother fucker decides to rain on your girl's stomping grounds.”

  Diego's eyes shot away from Slay's. He snorted. “Nora is hardly my girl.”

  “Cut the shit, Santiago. You've been all over her since we got her out of Salazar's clutches a couple months ago. Nothing wrong with that. Nothing to hide. No shame, brother.”

  Diego met his eyes. “Nothing to hide, except the fact that I’m undercover in Chalo’s organization. The chick thinks I’m a fucking drug dealer and pimp. She looks at me like I’m lower than scum.”

  Slay continued. “But you know you can't let personal feelings get in the way of making the right call.”

  Diego frowned and his jaw clenched. “Yeah. I know it.”

  “So tell me what you know about Salazar’s connections to Pevrell and Brahms.”

  “Jesus, those filthy rich parents over there are no better than—”

  “Watch it. My girl's kid goes there.”

  Diego paused, meeting Slay's eyes squarely, though Slay dwarfed him in both size and age. “You can't let personal feelings—”

  “Shut it, Santiago.”

  Diego's eyes danced, but he nodded. “Seems there's a woman whose kid goes to P&B who got herself hooked on Chalo’s product. Gary Levitz was her contact. He let her run up a tab, and she can't make the payments. High as fuck, those payments. So a few months ago, seems Levitz made her a proposition. She's trafficking Chalo’s “clean” shit, high end, pricey. Got a safe tucked away in her townhouse in town, and a few “clients.” But now Chalo is turning up the heat. Gary’s been getting sloppy with his contacts. Nailin' the chick on the side, cutting her some slack.”

  Levitz, the same asshole who’d been eating pasta with Alice. Slay's hands fisted as Diego continued.

  “Gary has to make a play, get back in Chalo’s good graces. He’s got what Salazar is calling his Santa special coming in this weekend. The college kids leave for Christmas break soon, and he's ready to make a move. Get them more invested. Finals are over their heads, gotta go home to their moms and dads and give a good report. So he's getting a couple more students to push at the college, and having the woman at P&B push her stuff heavily so she can get her kid shit for Christmas.” He paused and took a deep breath. “And Levitz has been eyeing your girl. Last night, the woman from P&B called Alice.”

  “Because there's a fucking bake sale,” Slay said.

  Diego shrugged. “Could be. Keep an eye on it, brother. It was the same woman Levitz and Salazar are in tight with, Mindy Freeman. I wouldn’t want any girl of mine to have any ties to Levitz or anyone else who works for Chalo.”

  Slay's heart was beating in a tempo he could hardly control, the blood pounding in his ears. If he ever got those bastards in a room alone…

  But no. He had to ke
ep his shit together. In the morning, Alice would call him and he would make plans to take her on a real date. He'd wine and dine her, and if the timing was right, take her back to his room. He needed to build trust, and it would happen in more ways than one.

  He pushed himself to standing. “Thanks for the update, Santiago. Things will move over the next week.”

  Diego unfolded himself from his chair, and they shook hands briefly, Diego's grip so tight it would make a lesser man wince, but Slay liked the firm grip. They both knew without having to say it that in the next week, anything could happen. They’d both been on the rescue side of an operation, and both had seen brothers taken down in the line of duty. It was crucial he and Diego had each other's backs. If all went as planned, Salazar’s ring could be annihilated. Alice and Nora and all the other innocents in this would be spared the shitty details, and be safe once again.

  As they walked to the exit, Diego turned to Slay. “Man on Alice tonight says all looks quiet. But watch your back, brother.”

  Slay wanted to be there. He wanted to be under her roof. But if she were going to trust him, he couldn’t push himself on her. He had to prove himself trustworthy.

  He nodded as he opened the door to the hallway. “Keep her safe, Santiago.”

  Chapter 7

  Alice tugged experimentally on the hem of the red dress and eyed the reflection in her full-length mirror critically. The dress was simple and lovely, with long sleeves that stretched just past her wrists and a neckline high enough that even her mother might find it conservative. But it was shorter than she was used to. Way, way shorter. And the word tight did not begin to describe the indecent way the stretchy fabric caressed her body.

  In the mirror, she saw three sets of eyes watching her, and three feminine heads nodding in approval, but she wasn’t convinced. “I just don’t know,” she said dubiously, twisting back and forth. “It’s not really… me?”

  Three exclamations of disbelief greeted this statement and made Alice smile.

  This experience of having a group of girlfriends in her bedroom helping her prepare for a date was a completely new experience for her. Being a really young mom had made close friendships challenging—most of the other moms in Charlie’s class were a good deal older than Alice, and most of the women Alice’s age were just beginning to think about settling down and having kids. But somehow, in just the past few months, Alice had found a group of women who accepted her (and Charlie) with open arms, almost like… family.

  From the spot she’d co-opted at the foot of Alice’s bed, Tessa Damon—the manager of Cara, who had become Alice’s boss a few months ago and her trusted friend soon after that—shook her long auburn hair back and made a noise of disagreement. “Honey, it’s so totally you. Put the shoes on and you’ll see,” she said, nodding toward the strappy black heels on the floor. “It fits you like a glove. And you have the perfect figure for it—not too small and not too big, unlike some of us.” She looked from Alice’s moderate curves, then down at her own impressive bust line, and sighed. “Heidi let me borrow it for a party Tony and I went to a couple weeks ago, and I didn’t get past my own front door.”

  Alice met Tess’s eyes in the mirror and frowned. “You mean because the dress was uncomfortable?”

  Heidi, the second member of the trio, who was sprawled on the bed next to Tess, shook with laughter in a way that made her long, brown ponytail dance. Her pretty blue eyes flashed as she prompted knowingly, “Yeah, explain what you mean, Tess!”

  Tess shot Heidi a glare, though her eyes were lit with humor. “No, the dress was perfectly comfortable,” she explained to Alice. “But Tony took one look at me and went all caveman! ‘Oh, hell, no!’ ” she said, in a decent parody of Tony’s deep voice. “ ‘No way. My woman is not going out in public in that thing.’ Practically started beating his chest. I’m guessing you ladies know the drill.” She rolled her eyes, but her soft smile said she loved her guy’s possessive, protective nature.

  It was hard for Alice to imagine Tony Angelico, the most laid-back boss in the history of bosses, as the alpha-dominant type, but when it came to his woman, Tony had no problem letting his inner caveman loose.

  Heidi shook her head fondly. “Those Angelico brothers. They’re so cute when they regress.” Alice figured Heidi would know, considering she was married to the oldest of the three Angelico brothers, Dominic.

  Heidi’s younger sister, Hillary, who had been sitting on the slipper chair in the corner scrolling through something on her phone, with her short, wavy reddish-brown hair pulled back in a thin, silver headband, glanced up at this. “I dare you to tell Dom he’s cute when he regresses, Heids. Heck, I dare you to tell Matt that,” she snickered, referring to her boyfriend, Matteo, who happened to be Dom’s twin brother and Slay’s best friend.

  Heidi shot Hillie a withering glance. “No way, Tinker Bell!” she teased, using the nickname that made the petite, formerly-blonde Hillary scowl. “You can taunt your man yourself. I don’t need any help getting in trouble.”

  Heidi turned back to Tess with a wide, innocent smile. “Now, if our mom were here, she’d tell you that was the perfect opportunity to educate Tony on how, as a mature, independent woman, you won’t allow a man to dictate what clothing you put on your body. Maybe throw in some things about how you’re not responsible for men’s reactions to you, and how you own your sexuality.”

  Tess pursed her lips and nodded solemnly. “Yup. I really should have educated him. But you know, Tony and I got a little distracted after that. Missed opportunity, I guess.” She and Heidi exchanged a glance, and both burst out laughing.

  Alice shook her head in amusement at the back-and-forth as she wriggled her feet into the shoes.

  “I wore that dress exactly once,” Heidi said. Her blue eyes twinkled and the diamonds in her wedding ring flashed in the lamplight as she sat up. “Back in October, Dom and I went to dinner with Paul and John at this lovely little inn out in Concord. It was a little bit chilly, so I wore a shawl over the dress, but when we got to the restaurant, I took the shawl off.” She snickered at the memory. “Oh, there was chest-beating aplenty. Dom glared at anyone who looked at me, even the poor waiter. John told me after the fact that he thought Dom was ready to pee in a circle around me.”

  The women, including Alice, all laughed. John was the pastry chef at Tony’s restaurant, Cara, so Alice knew him fairly well. And she knew that although he looked like a blue-eyed angel, he had the most snarky and hilarious sense of humor… especially when his boyfriend and dominant, Paul, wasn’t there to keep him in check. She could totally picture him saying this.

  “And, you know, strangely enough, when we got home, we got all distracted, too,” Heidi mused with a grin. “I think it must be something with that dress that guys just can’t resist!”

  Hillary and Tess exchanged a glance, and Tess pressed her lips together to suppress a laugh.

  Hillary didn’t bother. “Yeah, it was totally just the dress that Dom found distracting, Heids,” she deadpanned. “Otherwise, you two would’ve been watching Law and Order reruns all night like you usually do, right?”

  In reply, Heidi grabbed a small pillow off the bed and lobbed it at her smiling sister, who batted it away without looking up from her phone.

  “I think you’ll need to borrow the dress next, Hillie. You must need a little distraction in your life if you’re sitting over there on your phone while we’re talking about our guys!” Tess teased. “Are you playing that candy game?”

  Hillary sighed and put her phone down. “No! I’m just trying to figure out my, um, calendar. Something’s off, I think.” She shook her head and waved a hand through the air dismissively. “Whatever. Anyway, I doubt I would get the same results with that dress. I’m so short that it would come down past my knees and I don’t have Tessa’s assets to fill out the front of it. I’d look like a pilgrim.”

  “Aw. And you and Matteo aren’t into naughty-pilgrim role play?” Tess teased.

  Hil
lie snorted and grabbed the pillow back up off the floor to launch it at Tessa. “I think we’ll leave the pilgrim roleplay to you and Tony.”

  Tess giggled and caught the pillow. “It could be fun!” she protested.

  “Hush, both of you!” Heidi laughed. “Charlie will be home soon!”

  At Heidi’s words, Alice caught sight of the clock and had a mini panic attack. “Ladies, I love you, but you’re not helping me!” she groaned. “I’m freaking out just a little bit over here. I have no idea what Slay’s plans are for tonight, I’m not sure how to dress for this date, this guy I went on one date with keeps texting me and will not get a clue, Nora and Charlie will be here any minute, Slay will be here in less than an hour, I haven’t done my hair or makeup, and I’m completely in over my head!” She scraped her hands through her hair and tugged in frustration.

  Tess stood and walked over to put her arm around Alice’s shoulders. “Sweetie, we’ve got this. I brought my whole makeup kit, Heidi brought the dress and shoes, and Hillie’s really good with hair. We’ll have you ready in two minutes.”

  Hillary stood and dragged her chair over to place it in front of Alice’s full-length mirror, then gently pushed Alice into it. With deft hands, she scooped and twisted Alice’s long, blonde hair into a casual but elegant coil. Heidi procured a handful of hair pins from Alice’s dresser and held them out to Hillary so that she could secure the style.

  A moment later, Alice twisted her head back and forth, and her eyes widened. “That looks… perfect.”

  Hillary shrugged, pleased. “No problem, babe. You’ve got awesome hair.”

  “Okay, I’m not as fast as Hillie, but hold still and I’ll be done in a few minutes,” Tess said, stepping between Alice and the mirror to work her magic with the cosmetics.

  “So, while Tess does her thing,” Heidi said, leaning her back against Alice’s dresser. “Why don’t you tell us why you’re really freaking out.”

  Alice blinked. “I told you, I’m running late, and I…”