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

even knows who he was fighting for. That he used to belong to a one-percenter motorcycle club somewhere upstate. That he was a male stripper in the Florida clubs long before Magic Mike made male strippers sexy. I’ve never asked Harold about any of the rumors, although I know he owns a Harley, because I’ve seen him ride it into the club’s parking lot. I also know he has quite a few scars, some of which could be bullet wounds, because I’ve seen him naked more than a few times. Neither his bike nor his scars make any difference to me; he’s just a strong, solid top whom I respect and have looked to as a mentor for the seven years we’ve known each other, even though we don’t lean in the same direction.

“Nice to see you, Harry,” I say. “Sorry to disrupt your scene.”

He shakes my hand and helps me buckle two straps together. “No problem. How’s the leg?”

“Improving, thanks.”

“Your girl delivered your invitation. She’s a good girl. Polite and respectful.” He nods at Emily, who has followed him into the room and is standing out of the way, holding Pence’s hard limit list between her hands, waiting for me to acknowledge her. “What’s the brat in trouble for?”

I explain, keeping my eyes on Emily to make sure hearing the insults again doesn’t trigger her. While I’m speaking and after I give her the nod, she takes the laminated list and hangs it on a hook on the end of the pillory so everyone can see it. She returns to stand by me. When I get to the part about Pence shaking his dick at her, she shifts her weight from foot to foot, but otherwise doesn’t react and stands silent, with her head down and her hands clasped behind her back. My sweet girl.

Harold grunts as I finish. “Mind if I say something to him?”

“Be my guest.”

He walks over to Pence and stands beside the pillory for a moment, before resting one beefy hand on Pence’s head. “I’m fond of you, brat, but I’ve seen you stepping further and further out of line recently. I’d planned my own punishment scene tonight as a gentle correction, but you stepped so far over the line you’re in another fucking continent, so I’m going to let Master Logan take the lead in bringing you back where you need to be.”

Pence whimpers and shakes. He was counting on Harold getting him out of this. No wonder he wasn’t trying.

Harold continues in his deep, measured voice. “I’ll participate no matter what you choose and we’ll have words while I punish you to get to the bottom of whatever’s turned you into the bitchiest bitch of the west, although I think I have a pretty good idea and I’m telling you now, it’s no excuse. When it’s all over, either way, you’ll come home with me and I’ll do your aftercare. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel, boy, and you keep that in mind over the next few hours. I’m not telling you you can’t safe word. You always can, and if you do, we’ll all respect it. But you know how I feel about you using your safe word to duck out of punishments. I’ll be disappointed in you, and you’re going to face me again on Wednesday as usual, so this particular problem isn’t going away.”

Pence takes several ragged breaths as Harold pats his head and steps away, returning to stand near me, rocking back on the heels of his black boots and sticking his thumbs in the pockets of his well-worn jeans.

“It’s no excuse, but you know he was being loyal to his friend,” Harold says to me, his voice low.

“Loyalty’s commendable,” I respond. “But what he did was bullying, and I won’t tolerate it. There are ways to show loyalty, like you just did, without being insulting or hurtful. Let’s hope he learns from your example.”

Harold snorts. “Hasn’t so far. How’s your girl holding up?” He raises his voice. “Emily, let me look at you.”

She lifts her head and offers Harold a small smile. Knowing that social situations like this are hard for her, particularly where she’s surrounded by Doms, I take her crossed wrists in my hand and rub my thumb firmly over the pressure point in her left wrist. She gives a soft sigh; her shoulders drop an inch. Carrying some tension about the confrontation and Pence’s punishment after all. I’m pretty sure what option Pence will pick, and that will give me plenty of time to take care of my little girl.

Harold takes a long look into her eyes, then nods to me. “You might have some work to do there,” he says to me, telling me what I figured out already. “But she’s a brave girl. She’s not going to run away from her daddy’s club just because the brat threw a bitch fit. But if he waves his prick at you again, missy, I’ll sew the damn thing to his stomach so he has to piss in his face. You hear me, brat?”

He raises his voice so much the whole club must hear him. Pence visibly shudders and I meet Dana’s eye as she fights to keep from grinning.

“Your minute’s up, Pence. Tell me your decision and then answer Master Harold.”

“Option two, sir, and yes, Master Harold, I hear you, sir. I’ll never, ever, do it again. Thank you for taking care of me, sir.”

“Prettily done, brat,” Harold booms. “But the wrong fucking choice. Did you pick it because it would please Master Logan and show you’re truly sorry? I don’t think so. You picked that option because you’re afraid of Master Logan punishing you himself. Now you’ve got six hours ahead of you instead of two, and we won’t get home until two-thirty in the morning and I’m too fucking old for that, which I’ve told you before, so you haven’t pleased me, either. Bad brat. For that, I’ll do the