“All you have to do is get out of bed and allow me to remove your tail and I won’t have to punish you again. Come on, little cow.”

“Get the fuck away from me!”

Before Barbie could respond, a shadow filled the doorway. Dottie’s heart leapt with joy a moment before it plummeted into her stomach.

She might be happy to see Uncle Luke, but he did not look at all happy to see her.

“What the hell is going on in here?”

Chapter Eight

The raised voices had reached him several doors down from Dottie’s room. Mostly Dottie’s, though Helen’s voice was louder than he was used to hearing from her, as well.

And when he’d heard Dottie shouting for Helen to get the fuck away from her, he’d picked up his pace.

Now, he was standing in the doorway to their room, Alice kneeling next to her bed with her eyes wide, Helen standing in front of Dottie’s bed with her crop in hand, and Dottie on her bed, the fury slowly draining from her face as her gaze clashed with his.

“I’m waiting for an explanation,” he said when none of the three women in the room answered him.

It was Hellen who finally turned, embarrassment creeping into her cheeks as she dipped her head. “I apologize, Master Lucas. I was trying to get the girls out of bed.”

“Ah. And our newest heifer is being a bit stubborn this morning?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“I should have warned you she might be a bit of a handful. You take care of Alice; I’ll handle our Dottie-girl.”

Relief washed over Helen’s face as she nodded once before hurrying over to Alice. The pair made their way out to the hallway as he slowly crossed the room to stand in front of his naughty little cow.

She was still making an effort to look defiant, though her face had paled considerably already. Coming to a stop in front of her bed, he crossed his arms over his chest and raised a deliberate eyebrow. “Care to explain what’s gotten into my sweet little cow this morning?”

“No,” she replied sulkily.

Dealing with brats could be a bit of a tightrope. Push too hard and they’d shut down. Not hard enough and they’d keep pushing the envelope until they learned exactly what they could and couldn’t get away with.

Not that he minded a bit of boundary testing. But he would not tolerate rudeness towards his employees, not as hard as they worked to keep his program running with the smooth efficiency he’d come to expect.

“All right. Up on all fours, little cow.”

Her bottom lip pushed out into a pout. “Why?”

“You’ve earned yourself a thorough strapping. I don’t tolerate my students disrespecting the staff the way you did this morning.”

Without waiting to see if she would obey, he turned and walked to the armoire, where he retrieved a thick strip of leather from the interior. It wasn’t the heaviest or most fearsome of his straps, but it would certainly make an impression.

He wasn’t all that surprised when he turned around to find her still laying on the bed in full sulk. It was adorable, honestly, but he couldn’t let her get away with it no matter how much hewanted to forget all about punishing her and give her a good hard fucking instead.

“That’s an extra two for not being in position, little cow. I suggest you don’t drag this out any longer than necessary.”

She looked over then, her eyes widening as her gaze landed on the leather in his hand. “Oh, Uncle Luke, no! Please don’t spank me with that!”

“Too late, little darlin’. You had your chance to be good and you decided to be naughty instead. Now, are you going to get in position or am I going to have to take you to the stocks?”

“Wh-what are the stocks?”

“Exactly what it sounds like. You’ll be bent over with your neck and wrists trapped between two slats of wood. Once you’re locked in, your naughty little bottom will be in the perfect position for my strap. Everyone in the program will be able to watch your punishment. Would you prefer that to being spanked in the privacy of your own room?”

“No,” she whispered, tears glistening in her eyes. “That sounds awful.”