Page 44 of Barron

Stepping back from the last opened cupboard, she frowned at the empty shelves. How could he live this way, and how was she supposed to take care of him? Growling to herself, she turned her attention to the last set of cabinet doors above the fridge. Caesar lifted his head, clearly curious. The sound she’d just made was a familiar language.

“I found your food, no problem.” She spoke to the dog. “At least you’re taken care of.” Dropping her hands on her hips, she made a full turn. If she’d expected illumination to come from some hidden corner, she might as well forget it. None came.

Yoanni glanced at the small eating table, considered pulling a chair over, then changed her mind. Maybe in thegarage she’d find something a little more stable to climb on. Sure enough, she turned on the lights in the garage and saw the stepladder propped against a corner. This would work.

The thing was heavy, but once she managed to wiggle her shoulders under one of the steps, she put her arms around it and lifted high enough to bring it to the kitchen without dragging the legs along the floor or making a racket.

Satisfied with her efforts, she opened the ladder in front of the fridge and climbed to where she thought she could reach the cabinet doors. However, she was a short girl. In order to open the doors, she had to get on the second step from the top. Not the safest thing to do without someone spotting her from behind, but the ladder seemed sturdy enough. She went for it.

Standing on the tips of her toes, she reached forward, opened one cabinet door, and blew out her cheeks with frustration. More empty shelves.

“Stop!”

Barron’s voice startled her. Yoanni’s foot slipped out of the step, the ladder wobbled, and she held on to the top with both arms, praying the thing wouldn’t tip over. No chance of that happening. She glanced down and found Barron’s scowl. He steadied the ladder with both hands.

“You scared me,” she moaned pitifully.

“I scared you? You gave me a heart attack, Yoanni María Sanz. Do you have any idea how close you came to falling? Get down this instant.”

Yoanni moved down, ensuring each foot went onto the right step. She didn’t want to give him any more ammunition to scold her. Despite his rightful anger—he did have a point; she’d dangerously reached forward—she was unexpectedly pleased. Once she reached the floor, she turned to face him.

“You know my full name?”

“Sure Ido.”

“Oh, Daddy. You took the time to find out. Makes me so happy.”

He narrowed his gaze. “Be happy all you want, but you’re not escaping.”

Oh, heck. He hadn’t forgotten, and her antics on the ladder had made it worse. Maybe she should pull out her most innocent expression.

“I…don’t know…”

Barron laughed, brushing her cheek. “You’re the most precious thing on this earth. Lord, you warm my heart. But that was a nice try. You had one pending. Now it’s double, and best of all, you’re dressed for it.” He pointed to the dining area. “Move, little girl. Go stand next to a chair.”

She gave him her best, most pathetic moue. Barron shook his head. Yikes! He wasn’t budging. Sighing in resignation, she walked to the chair he’d pointed at and stood, waiting for instructions.

“Gotta tell you,” he said as he slowly walked to the chair. “That sleep T-shirt you have on is real cute. But when you leaned forward, your ruffly panties peeked out, calling my name.” He sat and extended his palm. “Remove your panties and give them to me.”

Eyes wide, her mouth slightly open, she stared at him. “You want me to…what?”

“Are you saying I didn’t explain myself?”

“No. I didn’t mean that at all.”

Oh, wow. This Daddy Barron was more dominant than in the past. She was confused and excited at the same time. He meant to spank her bare bottom, and she, by willingly obeying and removing her panties, was going to make it happen. She was an active participant in her own punishment, and that sent her arousal through the roof.

You could refuse.

Hell, no. She wanted his hand striking her bottom. She wanted the heat he gave, with every desperate cell in her body. Even now, the sensitive nub between her legs twitched and tickled in anticipation.

“Yoanni?”

“I thought…” She lifted a shoulder. “You’d help me do this.”

“Help you how?”

“You know, put me over your legs and pull my panties down.”

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