Page 20 of A Very Naughty Christmas

“But you said I could,” she reminded him.

“Yes, but that was before we came over here. Look at it; see how the water keeps splashing onto the space you’ll be climbing? It’s going to be wet on there and hard to keep your traction.”

Sara’s brow furrowed. Didn’t he have any faith in her at all? “I can do it.”

“I’m sure that you’re very good at the rock wall at the gym, but this is a bit different. And—”

Was he making fun of her now? “I rock climb all the time!” she interrupted. Almost as soon as the words came out—sounding much too indignant and bratty, she realized—her stomach sank. She’d just interrupted himandargued. Suddenly mindful of the worker that was listening to them, waiting for a decision to be made, her cheeks flushed.

“Your safety is my first priority,” he continued as though she’d never cut him off. “So, I’m sorry, while I know you’d love to show off your skills, the answer is no.”

There was no arguing with the firm, determined tone and her blush flamed hotter. She’d hoped that he’d just let them walk away then and there, but it was clear from the way his eyes were fastened on her—though her own gaze was set firmly on the asphalt, she could feel it—that he was waiting for an answer. “Yes, Sir,” she mumbled, her head down.

“Thank you for your time,” Daddy said to the fair worker before taking her by the elbow and steering her away. “I think it’s time for us to be getting back.”

“What?” Sara’s head shot up as she registered his words. “But we haven’t done everything.”

“I guess you should have thought about that before you chose to argue with me—and after I gave you a lesson in the car earlier, too. I’m very disappointed in you, little girl.”

Sara’s emotions wavered between sadness that she’d let him down and indignation at the unfairness of it all. “You promised to buy me cotton candy,” she reminded him in a much quieter tone.

“I’m sorry, honey. Cotton candy is for good girls, and I’m afraid you haven’t earned your treat. Now let’s go.”

She knew better to argue this point, and with a long, disappointed sigh, she allowed him to guide her out of the fairgrounds and back to the parking lot. Only as they neared the car did her disappointment about not getting her cotton candy begin to fade, replaced with another, more pressing realization: she was in trouble.Bigtrouble.

She glanced at Daddy Alex—he hadn’t said as much, but she suddenly knew it to be true. Damn it! How had she managed to screw up not once, buttwicein one day? Her stomach sank and she felt like a very sorry little girl as he opened her door. She slid into the car and let him fasten her seatbelt without a word.

“I… I’m sorry,” she ventured as he got in.

Daddy didn’t look at her as he started the car and began to back out. “We’ll talk about it later.” Then he turned on the radio—a classic rock station that she normally would have enjoyed if she hadn’t known that she was facing the prospect of a hard spanking. It was clearthat, for the time being, the conversation was closed.

She tried to enjoy what she knew would be a very temporary reprieve, but she couldn’t get her mind off of what was to come. She knew that she never should have argued with him—andit was a second offense, too! She hadn’t meant to; she just wasn’t used to having a daddy yet, that was all.

Maybe she could explain that to him, and he’d understand. She glanced at his stern, stoic profile. Yeah, sure. He’d understand all right. Sara’s tummy did another little flip and she worked hard to keep her lower lip from trembling. It was going to be a tough sale all right and she’d probably end up with a tanned tail for her trouble, but she’d give it a shot.

“Um, Daddy…”

“I said we’d talk later, little girl,” he replied, his stern voice brooking no further argument.

Yep. Later. That’s what they’d do—talk.

Chapter Five

He was going to go easy on her. He’d decided that long before they’d pulled into his driveway. He was going to give her a firm lesson, yes, but overall, it wouldn’t be too hard a spanking. He’d hoped that today would be a day purely for funishment,notpunishment, which was why he’d given Sara the warning spanking in the car before they’d even walked into the fair. He had to admit, for the most part, she’d done pretty well. And he knew that she was going to have to have time to adjust to the new aspect of their relationship. He would have let her off the hook entirely if he could have, but he knew that to do so would be a disservice to her. She needed to learn the boundaries as quickly as possible.

“I want you to go inside and go straight to the corner,” he told her as he opened the passenger side door and unbuckled her seatbelt. “Put your nose to the wall and think about what you’ve done to earn yourself a spanking.”

She visibly flinched when he saidspanking, but nodded. “Y-yes, Sir.”

“Good. Now get moving.”

She climbed out of the car and began to walk toward the house, but he hurried her along with a couple of light smacks to her behind, ignoring the doe-eyed look she gave him over her shoulder. In fact, he enjoyed it so much that he kept giving her bottom light smacks every few steps she took until she was practically hopping toward the door.

“Daddy!” she protested in a pleading mewl. “Someone mightsee!”

“All they’ll see is a little girl about to get the medicine she deserves.”

With a quiethmphshe turned to face him and leaned against the frame of the house, keeping her bottom firmly pressed against the boards.

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