Daddy's Demands: Twenty-Five Steamy Daddy Dom Romance Novellas

by Madison Faye

  The twenty-minute drive back to her apartment was silent, except for her sniffles. It took her the whole time to calm down, enough to think and speak. But when he finally parked the truck and turned to her, she let him have it.

  “What the hell was that?” She let the fury leap out of her, straight toward his surprised gaze. “I needed that training ride.”

  “You were freaking out, Marnie, and in no shape to ride on a stationary bike let alone a road bike. You could have hurt yourself.” He frowned.

  “At least it would have been my decision! You took it away from me.”

  “Listen here, little girl, I was just trying to protect—”

  “You can’t save me from everything. Didn’t you figure that out three years ago?”

  Horror and hurt flared in his eyes, and he snapped his head back like she’d slapped him.

  “This Daddy stuff was just a bedroom thing. You took it too far.”

  “Okay, I’m sorry. Let’s just go inside and talk about this.”

  “No. We’re done. Training, sex, kink, all of it. I’m through with all of this.”

  “But how will you—”

  She interrupted him again. “I’ll do it on my own. Thank you for your help. I’ll make sure to give you a great review online.” Marnie opened the door and carefully stepped out of the truck. “Thank you.”

  He shook his head as if to shake the confusion out of his gaze and then pushed his door open. “I’ll get your bike for you.”

  “Thanks.”

  He walked it over to the front of her apartment and set it against the wall next to the front door. “If you need anything at all, please call me.”

  “Yeah. Okay.”

  She waited until he’d driven off, her bike was safely inside, and she was on the couch with her favorite blanket wrapped around her before she let the first tear escape. Then she broke down. Jake’d given her everything he said he would. Why had it freaked her out more than the thought of that damn bike?

  After allowing herself another hour of wallowing, she called the course director. The guy was kind enough to find another closed course slot for her—this time only fifteen minutes, but it would have to do—and told her to be back at five p.m.

  She did it. Of course, she almost ran off the course twice, and had to throw up beforehand and halfway through, but once she hit her stride the last few circuits, she had it down pat. Only a bit of fear and dizziness.

  Marnie had done it. All by herself. No overbearing trainer/Daddy trying to push her, so he could hold the power over her. No. That wasn’t true. He’d never acted like he wanted to keep her down or keep his power over hers. She’d freaked out when all he’d done was try to help her. She really was a bitch.

  She thought of calling him a hundred times over the next week but didn’t. She’d pushed him away, and he deserved to be treated better.

  When she competed in the trials on Saturday morning, she fell a few times. But she didn’t get back up because of her own inner strength. No, she pictured that big strong man with the rugged jaw and piercing blue eyes telling her firmly, but lovingly to get her ass back up. So maybe she was strong enough to do it on her own, and that felt amazing. But not as good as remembering the man who’d had her back and given her that extra push. He’d empowered her, never overpowered her.

  When she came in second and qualified for the Olympic team, she should have rejoiced. Her Olympic dreams were finally going to come true. But the man who should have been there celebrating with her, wrapping a big towel around her, grabbing her bike, hugging her and saying, “I’m so proud of you, baby,” was nowhere to be seen. She accepted her trophy and her team papers as she told him so angrily she wanted to… by herself.

  A second-place finish had never stung so much.

  * * *

  Jake had never been prouder than when he watched his spitfire stride over to that second-place spot after the PT-4 triathlon trials. Careful that she didn’t see him—he didn’t want to distract her or shake her confidence—he followed her through the toughest parts of the race. During the swim portion, he’d been on the bridge, using binoculars. During the cycling part, he’d raced with his own bike to two different spots where he could watch her easily on the circular course. She’d been completely in the zone, no fear on her face as she pedaled for all she was worth. Only determination. It helped that she was in the spot between competitors with fewer jostling cyclists around her. When she made it to the running part, she’d shone, racing down seven of the women. The five thousand meters was the event she would have run at the Olympics three years ago. And everyone around her acknowledged her skill. If she’d had another quarter mile, she might have run down the winner. But it didn’t matter, his girl was going to the Paralympic games.

  No. A long sigh escaped him. Not his girl. Not anymore. Yeah, he’d helped get her started, but he’d always known she was the one pushing through everything. She was the one who aggressively leapt for the next training session. He’d only really been in charge of making sure she knew that. And hell, he’d done a piss poor job of that. If he’d done a better job of reminding her that he was just the cycle, that she was the one who had to pedal it. He was racing flats; she was the strong, firm legs pumping hard to run to new records. He was just the tool to be used to help her do it herself. And he’d gotten so involved, so distracted by falling in love with her, he forgot to tell her all of that. She’d empowered herself a long time ago just by walking into his training center. All he’d done was give her a few pushes. She’d done the rest.

  She’d been right to kick him to the curb. He’d been too overbearing, too pushy, too damn dominant. And his woman hadn’t wanted that much dominance in her life. Yeah, she responded so well to the hard training sessions and his gruff orders. She responded even better in the bedroom, practically glowing when he turned her over his knee and called her a naughty little girl as he spanked and stroked and licked and claimed her. But he’d taken it too far.

  He should have stopped, listened to her, and asked her what she needed instead of trying to protect her. The tears in her angry eyes as she told him that he couldn’t save her had gutted him. It brought back that day when he’d let her down, when she’d lost everything because he hadn’t done something different. Any millions of things he could have done different may have made the difference in her life, her career.

  He drove back to his place, happy she’d finally achieved her dreams, but anguished and sore. Because his heart was broken. He didn’t deserve her. Didn’t deserve the happy memories he had from the past few months with her.

  Turning off his cell phone, he grabbed the TV remote, turned on an old war movie, and collapsed onto the couch. He wasn’t going to be much good for anything else this weekend, so he might as well sleep it off. Maybe he could at least find her again in his dreams. Daddy’s perfect little spitfire.

  Chapter Five

  The blare of the horn right before she tensed… She knew what was coming next. The squeal of the tires, the impact of the car on the back of her bike. Her body thrown backward. Head crashing into the windshield. Helmet flying off. Soaring, tumbling, scraping. Thump. More screeching of tires. Her screams. Dizziness. Pain. All so much more than she could bear. Then his voice.

  Jake Ryder’s perfectly resonant deep voice as he calmed her and let her know he was there for her. He hadn’t said everything was going to be okay. Hadn’t lied and said she wouldn’t lose her leg or be in far more pain than she’d ever imagined. Jake had been there for her when she needed him most. And it wasn’t just the accident. That had been his job. But afterwards. Like when he’d sent her the flowers at the hospital. Each birthday, sending her flowers with a note about her amazing strength. Then the card in the mail two and a half years later, with his gym’s address on it, and a note saying, ‘Whenever you’re ready.’

  It had taken another six months for her to finally work up the nerve to step into his place. He’d given her everything she’d asked for. Time, sup
port, an easy trainer in Louisa—okay, she hadn’t asked for that one out loud, but he’d read her needs perfectly. She’d needed to be in control of how hard she’d push. And when she was finally strong enough to ask for more—in her own unique way—he’d given it all to her. Jake pushed boundaries with her, physically and emotionally. Yeah, he might be a tad overbearing at times. But she knew she couldn’t have it both ways. A warrior like that wasn’t going to just kneel just because she got a bit loud with her expectations. No, he’d just given it back to her. Everything she needed, even the things she hadn’t known she needed. Like the safety net.

  He’d been so strong around her, she forgot that his strength was only showing like it did because she was mirroring it. He never would have pushed the sweet and timid Louisa like he worked Marnie. Which meant Marnie was strong. Strong enough to get past the shit life had handed her. Strong enough to get past those damn trials and make the world team for the Paralympics. Strong enough to soar… Not because Jake got her up and moving or carried her or forced her to compete. No. It was because he supported her, empowered her. Told her she was strong enough to do it herself, and he would catch her if she fell.

  What more could an athlete ask for?

  What more could a woman ask for in the man she loved?

  Picking up her cell phone, she pressed his name and waited for the call to go through.

  “Hey,” he answered.

  “Hey.” All the things she wanted to tell him, everything she’d done wrong the past several years, an apology for pushing him away as badly as she had… She opened her mouth to tell him everything and ask him to forgive her fears.

  He beat her to it. “I love you. I’m sorry I was an asshole, and if you’ll have me back as your trainer, I’ll make sure to never cross that line again.”

  “How soon can you get to my place?” she asked, her heart heating with joy.

  “Ten minutes. Nine if I don’t put on shoes.”

  Laughing, she sat down on the couch, the weight of the world off her shoulders. “Take your time and find your shoes, then get here. I have things to say to you and I want to say them to your face.”

  “Okay, I’m on my way.”

  “One more thing.”

  “Yeah?”

  “I love you, too. Daddy.”

  Chapter Six

  Jake watched his girl warming up, the sweat glistening over her gorgeous, toned body. He wouldn’t have believed it possible a few months ago, but they were here in Tokyo. Ready to take down the hardest competitors in the world. She’d never competed in the triathlon. It should have taken her so much longer to figure out the transitions, how to change out her foot to the biking foot, and how to economize her energy. But she did it. She mastered every single training event with a single focus that only a true Olympian could manage. And she did it missing one leg. Hell, he would have curled up in a ball and said screw it all four months ago.

  But his girl was like a pit bull. She was hungry, confident, ready to conquer the world. He was no longer afraid of her failing because she’d already won. She’d overcome obstacles many never could. He was so proud of her and couldn’t wait to greet her at the finish line.

  The gun went off. Racers of all shapes and sizes, some with seer guides, some with missing appendages—legs, hands, arms, all with amazing tenacity and heart, took off into the water for the 750-meter swim. When Marnie came out of the water, she attached her biking foot and climbed onto her bike. She was right in the middle of the second pack of racers, where she needed to be. Jake raced over to the west side of the bike course. It had the only sharp curve in the course, and he wanted to watch to make sure she made it through both times. Not like he could do anything about it. Marnie was in control of her own race, something he’d had to remind himself of repeatedly. All he could do was be emotionally supportive until this was over. He prayed it was enough. Please let her make it through the bike portion without a fall. Several athletes had slid off course, and one had crashed into another athlete during that sharp turn. Jake was going to make sure the race directors got a piece of his mind when this was over. Just because this was the main Olympic course didn’t mean they should use it for the Paralympians. Some of them were riding in wheelchairs and tandem bikes, not suitable for that curve.

  Jake remembered the wide eyes and heavy breathing Marnie had showed during her first training ride on the course a few days earlier. Coaches and trainers could ride with their athletes on training days. He’d suggested she take it wide and slow down fifty meters out. Something that would cause some racers to pass her but it would hopefully keep her on the bike and safe.

  Today, when she passed by, she kept going. There were three other cyclists around her, and there was no way for her to maneuver out of the way. As they sped around the curve, one cyclist’s rear tire fishtailed, and she slid into Marnie. Marnie and the other woman crashed. One fell on her side and slid into some bushes on the side of the road. Marnie went flying over her handlebars, and all Jake could do was watch in horror as his girl did two full body tucks, her hands covering her helmet, before she landed on her side on the asphalt. He and one of the paramedics on standby throughout the course rushed to her side. Another rushed to the other woman’s aid.

  “Don’t move,” the paramedic said as he crouched to check for injuries.

  “Are you okay, baby?” Jake knelt and watched Marnie take off her helmet.

  She brushed off the paramedic’s hands and with tear-filled eyes, nodded at Jake. “I’m fine. Just shaken up. Is my bike okay?”

  Jake got it standing up and checked the tires and frame. “Yeah, all good. But are you?”

  “Miss, I think you should let us take you back to the medic tent to check you out for injuries.”

  Marnie’s chin jutted out and her brows furrowed. Tears still streaked her face, but her eyes were only filled with fierce determination. “I said I’m okay. Now please let me go.”

  Jake held the bike out for her as she mounted it, making sure she was perfectly balanced as he held the bike still. “This is your time. Go.” He gave a small push to the center of her back and watched her slowly start pedaling away and around the curve. He’d never been more scared or prouder.

  * * *

  Marnie pulled off the biking foot and replaced it with the carbon fiber Cheetah foot. She tied the laces for her right racing shoe, then the left, and took another quick sip of her water. As she jogged out of the exchange zone, she started the next lap on her watch. That was her best time in exchange yet. In a few years, she could be pretty good at this sport. But for now, it was time to do what she did best. Run.

  She let go of all the yucky dizziness that had tried to overcome her senses after that fall during the bike segment. She had been so scared, so overwhelmed. But Jake’s voice had calmed it all. Well, enough for her to get back on and work through the rest of it. Yeah, she was still scared for the next ten minutes of biking. And memories had threatened to distract her. And she’d totally overcompensated, coming to a near crawl, almost off the course, going so wide and slow on the second time through that she had lost two more positions. But that was okay. She was still upright. She was doing this. And with every revolution, every pedal, every deep breath, every thought of Jake being there, it had finally dissipated, and she was just another racer out there doing her own thing.

  She increased her speed, reveling in the feeling of her quads stretching and her hamstrings heating. There was nothing better than racing on your legs. Yeah, one of them might not be quite as good as the other anymore, but that was okay. It was still her body. And her body loved the thrill of the sport. Each step coming closer to the goal everyone reached for. And it wasn’t winning. It was finishing the race to the best of her capabilities. Overcoming the hills and the ruts, the cracks, the heat, the occasional cramping, the tight muscles, the burning, the tired shoulders. It was glorious. As the sounds of wheels, feet—carbon fiber and other types—and deep, slow breaths surrounded her, she beamed and dug
in for the race of her life. This was where she belonged. Competing with other people who needed it just as much as she. One of them would win gold. But they would all win. Because they had raced. She drew her knees up a little more, relaxed her shoulders, and quickened her strides as she went around a curve.

  “You’re doing great,” Jake called from just before the water station. “Eighth place right in front of you. Second is only two minutes out.”

  Slowing down to grab a cup of water, she grinned. “Don’t think I can get first?”

  He jogged behind her on the side of the road as she chugged her water. “I’m being realistic. First is eight minutes out. Now get your ass moving.”

  “Yes, Daddy,” she called and picked up the pace again. It was time to get some real running done. She had two minutes to gain in three thousand meters. A grin spread across her face as she passed eighth place like she was standing still. She was already a winner. Now, time to get a silver medal.

  Chapter Seven

  “I’m so proud of you.” Jake snuggled with Marnie in the hotel’s comfy king-sized bed. Lying next to her, he stroked the wet hair off her forehead and kissed her on the lips.

  She returned his kiss and grinned at him slyly. “Yeah, sex in the bathtub is a pretty big deal. I can’t believe we didn’t soak the floor.” She shrieked when he pulled her up and over his lap.

  He smacked her still warm, damp bottom several times, loving the way it jiggled and reddened from his palm. “Saucy little thing, aren’t you?” He slapped her wiggling bare globes again and pressed her down against his hard cock. “I was talking about the medal this morning, smart girl. Bronze, third place overall in the world. That’s a pretty amazing thing, especially for a newbie to the sport.”