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

that Gina is vanilla and there are toys in the guest bedroom he can use on you as long as he washes up after.”

I hear DirtyGurl’s indignant squawk even over the noise of the café.

“Be good,” Daddy warns her, although he’s still grinning. “I’ll know if you’re not.”

Her response makes Daddy chuckle as he taps off his phone.

“She’s watering the flowers and playing with Sable. That’ll teach her not to call first. I can’t believe Gina let her in. We need another security talk, clearly.” He works his phone for a minute. “I’ve let Jiro know we need to head back in an hour.”

His phone pings, and he laughs.

“Jiro says he’s already had more than enough shopping, but Laurel still wants to look at handbags.” He puts his phone away and smiles at me. “Do you want to see if those sleep shorts are on sale?”

I’d rather sit here on the soft cushion, soak up my daddy’s attention, and have another surprisingly yummy latte. “I have plenty of things to wear to bed already.”

“I should probably take them all away from you and make you sleep naked, little girl.”

I squirm on my chair and wince.

“I saw that,” Daddy says. “Give me a number for how sore you are.”

I consider for a moment. “A strong three.”

“As opposed to a weak three?”

“Three point nine five.”

“So really a four.”

“Not quite a four.”

Daddy shakes his head at me, but he’s smiling. Despite all my soreness, seeing him happy again makes me feel floaty inside. “Something serious we need to talk about, little girl.”

I swallow too hard and wish I had more latte to chase it with. “Did I do something wrong?”

I’ve tried to be friendly with Laurel, who has made it easy, and respectful of Jiro, but maybe I’ve gotten it wrong again. Even putting aside the million times Maman told me I was awkward, I know I’m not always good with strangers.

Daddy’s amused smile softens. “Wipe that anxious look off your face, Emmy. You’ve been an angel, even when you were teasing Max. The serious thing we need to talk about is the wooden horse. You got exactly what I wanted you to get out of the punishment, but I need to know if it was too much and if you want to remove the wooden horse as a possible punishment in our contract the way we did isolation. I’m not promising I’ll agree. I just want to discuss it.”

I blink at him in wonder. He wants to recap my punishment the way we would a scene?

“Daddy,” I whisper.

He reaches across the table and takes my hand, rubbing his thumb over my knuckles. “Tell me what you’re thinking, sweetheart.”

“I don’t. Want to take it out of our contract. I mean, it was awful while I was on it and I never, ever, ever want to earn another punishment like that, but I don’t want to prevent you from using the wooden horse if you think it’s necessary.” I squeeze his hand, trying to find the words for the bubbling happiness I feel. “Ta, Daddy, thank you for asking my opinion.”

“You’re welcome. Some of the other Doms, well, Master Javier, felt that it might be too much pain for you. I know it wasn’t, because I’ve learned your pain tolerances. But if you felt it was more than you could take a second time, I’m open to discussing it.”

I shake my head, overwhelmed with love for this man. “I trust you. If you need me to take it again, it’s for a reason.”

“Yes, it is. I’m pleased you see that. Punishments don’t always give a bottom clarity. Pence’s punishment was one hundred percent deterrence. But I always want yours to bring you some insight.” He lifts my hand and kisses my knuckles. “And I’m very pleased to hear that you trust your daddy again.”

“It wasn’t that I stopped trusting you. I just, for little while, felt I wasn’t good enough for you.” I add hastily, “But I don’t feel that way anymore.”

“Good. That was part of the point, too. You endured something you probably didn’t think you could because I demanded it of you. You are more than good enough for me, Emmy. I need you to believe that.”

“I do.” Today, I do. Tomorrow, I’ll try very hard to remember it and never let doubt infect what I have with my daddy again. “Could we make one stop on the way home? It’ll be quick and I’ll pay for it.”

“We can make a stop and I’ll decide whether or not Daddy pays. What are we getting?”

“Balloons, Daddy.”

“Balloons?” Logan asks, tipping his head to the side.

I nod. “I want my outsides to feel like my insides.”

Daddy’s grin stretches until his cheek muscles must ache. “Then we definitely need some balloons. Pink and purple?”

“And green,” I say. For Laurel, because she’s an emerald dragon.

* * *

We have to hail a second taxi from the Village Party Store; all my balloons plus four people don’t fit in one cab. I’m a little anxious as we climb in the second cab, because cabs are expensive and Logan hasn’t let me pay for anything even though I really do have enough in my allowance account. But he just smiles and hugs me and admires the six dragon balloons I’ve picked out in addition to an entire circus’s worth of pink, purple, silver, and green balloons.

We’ve spent silly money on the balloons, but the store had these cool chrome balloons that I hadn’t seen before. They were so pretty; I couldn’t help drooling over them. When Logan saw me admiring them, he insisted I get some even though they were crazy expensive. He doesn’t seem worried about the expense, and as long as he’s relaxed and happy, I can be, too.

DirtyGurl and Theo are standing on the stoop of the house when we arrive. Blue dreadlocks flying, DirtyGurl runs down to greet us. After hugs all around, I pass her a handful of balloon strings and, together, we