The Daddy P.I. Casefiles: The First Collection by Frost, J (great novels .txt) 📕

“There’s a fine line between talking about something you want and trying to assert your will over Daddy’s. I appreciate that you’re wary about stepping over that line, little girl, but I don’t want your submission to mean you never talk with me about the things you want. Part of being your daddy is to help you achieve your goals, and I can’t do that if I don’t know about them, can I?”

That makes sense, my logical daddy. “No, Daddy.”

“Good. That’s settled and I’ll schedule Doctor Chang. Do you have any concerns about the branding?”

“No, Daddy. Well, maybe one. Will the Blunts house subbies be able to watch the scene?”

“Are you worried about Rachel and her cronies watching?”

He reads me so easily it’s scary. “I just don’t want them to hear me scream. Is that okay?”

He leans in and rubs noses with me, holding my eyes. “Yes, little love. It’s okay. I don’t want you to be worried about that during the branding. I’ll arrange it so only Doms can watch the scene.”

“Is that what the stars on the board mean?”

“Mmm, figured that out, have you?” At my nod, he says, “Keep it to yourself. Dom-code.”

That makes me grin. I love when he lets me in on his Dom secrets. Listening to him talk with his friend Niall has given me more insight into the Dom-sub dynamic than five years of being topped.

“Daddy, why don’t you talk to the other Blunts Doms the way you do with Master Niall?”

His chin wrinkles as he considers my question.

“I guess it’s because my friendship with Niall is new. We’re both pretty technical in how we approach topping, so we have a lot in common. He’s open about his technique and likes to compare notes and get my input. And I appreciate his. There are some technical tops at Blunts. Javier is one. I’m not sure if you’ve met Harry, but he is, too. I’ve known them for several years so we’ve had those conversations already.” Then he shrugs. “Also, I just like Niall a lot.”

“I like Master Niall, too.” And I owe him more than I could ever repay for taking such good care of me when Daddy was injured. “I’m really looking forward to seeing him and Vashi and Shaan again.”

They’re planning to come out to New York in September for the big festival at Daddy’s club, and I can’t wait to see them.

Daddy’s face tightens. “Yeah, me, too. We’ll make that work somehow.”

What does he mean? Is there some reason their visit wouldn’t work? The thought that made me cry into the tomatoes hits again. What if Daddy plans to sell this house before September? I can’t let that happen.

He taps the tip of my nose. “None of that, little girl. I see that worried face. Stop it right now. Since you won’t let Daddy in the kitchen today, you’re on KP-duty and then I believe we have a movie to watch before Knee Time.”

Maman used to tell me to “fix my face” whenever I was worried or upset, because ladies are supposed to smile, always. I stopped buying into her misogynistic bullshit a decade ago, but, now, I fix my face. I have a way to solve Daddy’s money worries and, once I figure out how to convince him to accept my money without topping from below, everything will be okay. I focus on that, and the fun of watching a movie together, even if it is one of Daddy’s crazy action movies, and smile as I rise to collect the dinner dishes.

* * *

The best part about watching movies with Logan? It’s not his selection, although tonight he’s picked The Fifth Element because he knows how much I adore Daddy Bruce.

It’s not laughing through the silly, stupid, or cringey parts. It’s not even thinking how much hotter my daddy is than any Hollywood star, even the well-muscled goodness currently running around the screen in a Gaultier tank top.

The best part is snuggling together on the big leather sofa, watching the movie, and feeling part of us.

Once the movie’s over, with me sniffling through Corbin’s final declaration of love to LeeLoo, Daddy sends me upstairs to our bedroom while he locks up the house. I move the ladder back chair Daddy likes to sit in for Knee Time to a clear space on the rug between the bed and dresser. Then I take off my clothes and kneel by the chair. Before Daddy comes in, I have five minutes to think about what I want to say and get in the right headspace. Logan can ask me anything during Knee Time, and he does. Tough questions. Questions I struggle to answer. And I have to answer every question fully, with complete honesty. That sounds easy and when we included it in our contract, I didn’t anticipate it would be one of the hardest parts of my submission.

But it is.

Knee Time has made me realize I’ve never been totally honest in any of my previous relationships, including my doomed marriage. Some of my lies were little fibs. Some were whopping untruths, like pretending to enjoy sex with Ash. But all of them tarnished the relationship. Daddy told me once that my heart is pure platinum. I’ve given him my heart; I don’t want to give him something tarnished.

Remembering that, and taking a lot of deep breaths, helps me get ready to bare my soul to my Dom.

When Daddy comes in, he goes first to the dresser and puts his phone in the speaker dock. There’s a soft, electronic tingle, followed by men’s chanting voices: Enigma, which is Daddy’s favorite soundtrack for Knee Time. That tells me we’re going to be talking about something important. An anxious shiver runs through me. But his music selection also tells me that if I can stick with it, and give Daddy the honesty he asks of me, then I’ll get a good-girl spanking by the time we get to “Back to the