Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 54208 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 271(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54208 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 271(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
He patted her bottom one more time. “I’ll be happy to spank this naughty little bottom sometime soon. I know you’re curious. But not right now.”
She nodded, her pretty cheeks turning ten shades of pink again.
It was obvious she’d never had a Daddy before, so everything she knew or thought she knew had come from books and probably the internet.
Unable to resist, Hawking kissed her again and released her. “Do you have a laptop in your bag, CB?” He nodded toward the large purse she’d set on the desk.
“Yes, but I turned it off and haven’t used it for several days because I was afraid Dr. Hughes might be able to track me somehow. I was paranoid. That’s why I turned off my phone, too.”
“That was a smart move, Celeste. I’m proud of you. Can I take your computer downstairs and let Magnus look at it? He might be able to see if someone is tracking it. Your phone, too.”
She rushed over to her bag and pulled out both items. “You’re going to want this as well,” she said, holding up a hard drive.
Hawking pocketed it.
“You won’t destroy any data on that, will you?”
“No. Never. Magnus is a computer genius. He’ll preserve it. I promise. Meanwhile, he’ll give you a temporary laptop to use.”
She blew out a relieved breath, grabbed another box from the bag, and held it up. “Sadie brought me this new phone when she came for lunch. I didn’t open it yet.”
Hawking took the box and opened it up. “Let’s get it set up for you. I’ll put in all our numbers so you can contact any one of us if you need something. Though I expect you to try me first.”
She twisted her fingers together while she watched him set it up. “Thank you,” she whispered.
When he was finished and looked at her, tears were running down her cheeks. He set the phone on the desk and pulled her into his arms again. “It’s all going to be okay, Little girl. I promise.”
God, he hoped so.
Chapter Nine
“Where are we going?” Celeste asked that evening after Hawking came to get her. She’d spent the afternoon using his laptop to peruse the local stores for things for her playroom, but she hadn’t been able to put anything in the cart.
She couldn’t spend his money, and she certainly couldn’t spend her own, so she’d looked and lusted after a lot of things as if she were living in a make-believe world.
“To join the team for dinner.” He glanced at the computer she sat in front of. A moment later, he frowned. “There’s nothing in the cart.”
She tipped her head back to look up at him. “I couldn’t, but it was fun looking.”
He turned her desk chair to fully face him and tipped her chin back. “Celeste, you need pretty things for this playroom. It doesn’t have bedding or toys or books or games. Nothing on the walls. It’s boring. It’s a blank slate, waiting for a Little girl to outfit it.”
She glanced around. He was right, but still… “I can’t spend your money.”
“Sure, you can, CB. If you don’t, you’ll hurt my feelings.” He gave her a huge fake pout, even batting his eyes.
She giggled. “You look silly.”
“Daddies are sometimes silly. Now, let’s go downstairs to eat with the team. After dinner, you can tell your story.” He helped her stand and turned her toward the living room.
She glanced back toward the special room. She hadn’t told him, but she’d spent a lot of time picturing what it would look like if she really did buy all the things she’d looked at. “Am I going to sleep in the playroom, Daddy?”
“That’s up to you, Cuddle Bug. You said before you wanted to sleep with Daddy, but if you’re not ready to do that, you may sleep in here as long as you like.”
She shook her head. “I want to sleep with you, please, but why do you have a bed in here then?”
He led her to the door. “For naps and times when you want to be alone.”
“I’ve been alone for a long time,” she told him as they left the apartment. Suddenly, she didn’t want to be alone any longer. It made her feel sad.
“You’re not alone now, Little girl,” he said gently as he guided her out to the elevator. While they waited, he took her chin. “You’ll never be alone again.”
She swallowed over the lump in her throat and stared at him. It was hard to believe he was serious or that any of this was real.
“You’ll see, CB,” he said as if he’d read her mind. He threaded their fingers together as they entered the elevator.
“Are we going to the restaurant?”
“Nope. We’re going to the basement.”
“Basement?”
He set his thumb on the pad in the elevator, and the door closed just like it had earlier to bring them to the fifth floor. “Yes. Wait until you see it. It’s like a command center. It’s also a safe room. It’s where the team touches base and works when we’re not out doing something for the resort.”