Page 24 of Leland

“I know. I fucking loved it.”

“You did?”

“Yes. Sugar, when you called me that, it felt like everything in my life fell into place.”

“It did?”

“It did,” he confirmed. “I know we agreed to a dynamic for six weeks, but I really hope you’ll be mine for much longer than that.”

“Like a real Little girl?”

“You’re a real Little girl now, silly. I just want you to bemyLittle girl, officially and forever.”

“Why me?” I asked. I hated to voice the question, but I needed to know what he saw in me that made him want me so badly.

“You are so sweet and strong. Fuck sugar, I don’t know anyone as strong as you. You had every reason to give up and you didn’t. There aren’t many details I know about the cult, but I do know that you gave everything you had to get Emily out of that situation. She told me how badly you were beaten when you tried to escape your arranged marriage, but you didn’t hesitate o do it all over again to save Emily from hers. You have the most beautiful spirit. You are gorgeous. Absolutely stunning. You have more kindness in your little toe than most people have in their entire body. What’s not to adore, baby?”

“But I get so angry, and I say things that hurt people, or do things that hurt people… or me.” I struggled to sit up so he placed his hands under me and pulled me into a sitting position as gently as he could. It was still very painful.

“You want to know a secret?”

I nodded, excited to learn something new about Leland.

“I used to drink really badly.Really badly.”

“You did?”

“I did. My parents passed away in a house fire when I was eighteen. While looking for something to help me cope, I started drinking. I was never an alcoholic, but I hurt some people that love me because of the way I was handling my pain.”

Reaching out, I took his bearded face in my hands. “I’m so sorry, D-Daddy.”

He placed his large hands over my own. “I love hearing that from your sweet mouth, sugar. My point is that we all have battles we’re fighting, but that doesn’t make us unloveable.”

It was such a hard concept to understand, but Leland seemed so sure.

“Okay,” I agreed. He hadn’t been wrong so far. I was just going to have to trust him.

“We do need to talk about one more thing, baby.”

I waited for him to speak.

He moved his hands from mine, down to my forearm and lifted it. “The self-harm of any kind stops. I know you’re cutting and pulling your hair, are there any other kinds you’re engaging in?”

Looking down at my arm, I swallowed the anger I was feeling. It was okay to need help. I didn’t have to be embarrassed. “No, Sir.”

“Why do you do it, Little one?” His tone was sincere and that helped me have the courage to be honest.

“The pain feels like a factory reset. I can feel so angry and then d-do it, and the anger goes away for a bit. It doesn’t really make sense,” I struggled to explain.

“That’s what a spanking does for people, so I will take care of you anytime you need a reset from now on.”

“Yes, Sir. I got a tiny reset from when Blade spanked me, but it was only once a week and it didn’t last.”

“Well, it’s a good thing Daddy can do it a lot more than once a week, isn’t it? No more hurting this beautiful body. Do you understand?” His tone was firm, but not unkind.

“Yes, Sir.”

“Try again, Sugar.” His goofy smile and hopeful eyes made me have the warm and fuzzies, which was a completely new feeling. I didn’t hate it.

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