Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 155903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 780(@200wpm)___ 624(@250wpm)___ 520(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 155903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 780(@200wpm)___ 624(@250wpm)___ 520(@300wpm)
Aww. He thought her butt was cute?
Focus, Faith.
This could be life and death. You must outwit Daddy to save your butt-butt.
Because that look on his face told her that she was in trouble.
And you’re only digging yourself in deeper.
“One.” He pointed at the floor.
She moved her weight from foot to foot. The urge to obey him was so strong that it almost hurt to shake her head.
“Two.”
Suddenly, she was staring down at his feet.
“Three.”
Huh. How did she get here? Her feet must have moved of their own accord. Because now she was standing right in front of him.
Yikes.
“Just as well,” he growled. “But next time, I want you here on one.”
“But why bother to count to three if you want me there on one?” she asked, staring up at him.
“Good point. Next time, you get a count of one.”
Wait. That wasn’t what she meant.
Right. He was looking really stern now. It might be time for her to use her Little charm on him. She wasn’t sure if she had any . . . but she guessed she was about to find out.
She gave him a wide smile. “Hello, Daddy. Fancy seeing you here. You’re looking mighty fine today.”
Reuben folded his arms over his chest. “What are you up to?”
“I couldn’t help but notice how handsome you are. The most handsomest, kindest, loveliest Daddy to ever walk the planet.”
“Ahh, you’re trying to flatter me so I don’t spank you.”
She gasped. “Daddy! Why would you spank me?”
“For lying just now.”
“When I called you handsome? That wasn’t a lie.”
“Kindest? Loveliest?” he said dryly.
Okay . . . that was more like a stretch of the truth than a lie, though.
“And, anyway, that wasn’t what I was talking about. You want this giant squishy butterfly. Don’t you?”
“I . . . um . . . well, but it’s massive. I mean, it will take up half the room.”
“That’s not what I asked, Little Blossom. You need to stop lying.”
“I’m not! I just . . . it is big and probably expensive, and I’d be just as happy with Piggy.” She held up the hedgehog.
He took Piggy and put him in the cart.
Then he grabbed Flutter and put her in the cart as well.
“Daddy!”
Smack! Smack!
His hand landed twice on her bottom. It didn’t really hurt, but it did shock her. He’d just spanked her.
In public.
Sure, no one was here, but still . . . anyone could have seen them.
“Daddy! You spanked me.”
“That was hardly a spanking. Just a reminder to behave. But when we get home, you’re going to sit down and write fifty lines. Each line will say, ‘I will not lie to my Daddy.’”
That was so mean.
“I was just trying to save you money!”
Slap!
“Daddy!” He was out of control. She reached back to rub her bottom.
“Stop worrying about money. That’s Daddy’s job.”
But she couldn’t help it. She was always worried about money. She couldn’t turn that off.
Reuben wrapped his arms around her, tugging her against his body. “I know it’s hard, but if I don’t want to buy something, I will tell you so. All right?”
Would he?
She sighed. She guessed she had to trust that he would.
“How come you’re allowed to tell me no?” she grumbled.
“Because I’m the Daddy.”
He certainly was.
40
Rule Eight: Must let Daddy spoil you
By the time they made it to the back of the store, where the play area was, they had a full cart.
“Can I play here, Daddy?” she asked. “Please?”
“I suppose you can for a few minutes.”
“You can leave her here while you go shopping, sir.”
They glanced over as an older woman approached.
Faith moved closer to Reuben. He wrapped an arm around her.
“I do have a few more things to get,” he said.
He did? Like what? Their cart was overflowing.
“Do you want to stay here while I get the other things? Or I can wait here while you play, then we can both go.”
She bit her lip while deciding. “I think I’ll be okay here on my own, Daddy.”
The woman smiled. “I’m Andrea and I’ll be here the whole time. We have these wristbands for each of you.” The woman held a black band up with a flashing red light on it. “You can press this flashing light, dear, if you need your Daddy to come back. It also alerts me too. And I can call you back as well,” she said to Reuben.
Reuben nodded, and she gave each of them a wristband. Reuben still appeared a bit unsure. He cupped her face between his hands. “You’ll stay right here. You will not leave. And you will press that button immediately if anything happens.”
“She’ll be fine, sir,” Andrea reassured him. “She can’t leave, and this is a safe area.”
Reuben shot the woman a hard look and she gulped in response, taking a step back.
Uh-oh.
Faith had forgotten how intimidating her Daddy could seem to other people.