Page 9 of Big Daddy Christmas
A couple weeks ago, their friends had surprised them with an impossibly generous gift: enough money for them to purchase Ivy’s dream house outright, without even dipping into the money they’d set aside for a down payment. Cordelia, proud, stubborn woman that she was, still struggled with the idea of accepting their ‘charity’ no matter how many times Ivy tried to convince her a gift wasn’t charity.
“It’s going well. We went furniture shopping a couple days ago since we have a lot more space to fill now,” Ivy said with a laugh. “But I’m having a blast filling it. And watching Jacob pick out stuff for his own room was just the cutest fucking thing ever.”
They’d all agreed that while they’d share the same bed, they also needed their own space. And with six bedrooms, they had more than enough room to spread out. So they had their shared room, as well as a bedroom for Jacob, office space for Cordelia, and an extra room for Ivy to do whatever she wanted with.
If she could ever decide what to do with it. Really, she didn’t care about having her own space. Her happiness was in her service, not just to Cordelia, but now in taking care of their boy as well. But Cordelia had insisted on her taking one of the rooms for herself, so she’d agreed.
“Oh, I bet that was so cute.” Lottie sighed dreamily. “He’s just the sweetest thing. I’m so glad he has you. How are his sisters doing?”
“Good.” It was Cordelia who answered now, clearly much more comfortable with that topic than talking about their house. “Hannah’s taking the GED classes with Jacob. She’s talking about law school.”
“Law school? Really?” Frankie sat up straighter, leaning in a bit. “Has she decided where she wants to go for pre-law? Lottie and I have plenty of contacts if you need us to talk to someone for her.”
“She definitely wants to stay close for her sisters. I’m a little worried about her trying to take all that on while also taking care of Sarabeth, but she seems pretty determined.”
“And she has you.” Leaning over from her chair, Ruby patted Cordelia’s arm. “If that’s what she wants, you’ll find a way to make it work. You wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Are you calling me stubborn, Ruby?”
The hint of playful sternness in Cordelia’s voice had Ruby grinning in response. “Yup. Stubborn as a fucking bull. But it’s part of your charm.”
Laughter rippled through the group as Cordelia muttered under her breath about Ruby being a brat. The conversation shifted after that, to Silver and Ice’s attempt to relaunch their music careers, Ruby’s struggle with juggling her college courses and her work and the resulting fallout with Beckett who was convinced she was doing too much, and Frankie’s decision to pursue therapy as a career rather than returning to med school.
Right in the middle of Ruby telling them all about the punishment she’d gotten for agreeing to take an extra shift at the coffee shop after she’d stayed up late studying, Ivy felt a familiar tug at her dress beneath the blanket she and Cordelia shared. Sucking in a sharp breath, she forced herself to pretend nothing was happening, to laugh when everyone else laughed, chime in when everyone assured Ruby her Daddy had overreacted while Cordelia pulled the silky material of her dress higher and higher.
“That’s my good girl,” Cordelia murmured in her ear as she slipped two fingers between Ivy’s soaked lips. “You’re going to sit right here and let Daddy play with this pretty pussy while our friends chat. If anyone figures out what’s going on, I will take you inside and spank your bottom red. And I will make sure everyone hears you being punished like the naughty little girl you are. Understood?”
Goddammit. Her woman knew exactly what kind of effect a threat like that would have on her. While Ivy did everything in her power to avoid real punishments, she’d come to love the more playful kind that fed Cordelia’s strict nature. And the thought of being taken into the house and spanked where their friends could hear everything…
A delicious shudder wracked Ivy’s body, earning her a concerned frown from Silver. “Are you okay, Ivy? If it’s too cold, we can go inside.”
Cold? How could she be cold when the heat of embarrassment was burning her alive? “Nope, I’m good.”
“Okay, well, let me know if that changes. That goes for all of you.”
Behind Ivy, Cordelia’s chest rumbled with laughter. “I always said you’d make a damn good Domme. I stand by that.”
Silver grinned. “Maybe in another lifetime. Ice would shut that down so fucking fast, and I don’t really have the urge to play with anyone else.”
“Speaking of…” Lottie tilted her head to the side, suddenly watching Ivy and Cordelia with far more interest than was safe considering Ivy was getting finger-fucked to oblivion right in front of them. “Are you guys going to let Jacob play with anyone else? Are you going to keep playing with others?”
Cordelia’s fingers went still and Ivy had to bite back a groan of frustration. “We’ve talked about it a little bit. He doesn’t seem interested in playing with anyone else, but he agreed to keep an open mind about Ivy and I playing with other people. I want to get him more comfortable with the club in general before we even think about that, though.”
“And what if he realizes he’s not okay with it?” Silver frowned. “You guys love playing with others. You especially love watching Ivy bottom for other people.”
Another laugh, this one low and wicked, vibrated in Cordelia’s chest and even though all eyes were on them, she slowly stroked her fingers through Ivy’s slit. “I really, really do. But this has all been a huge adjustment for our boy, and I don’t want to push him into anything he’s not comfortable with. I can’t say I wouldn’t miss it, but it is a sacrifice I’m willing to make if that’s what he needs from us. I’m sure Ivy feels the same way.”
“I do.” Were her words as strangled-sounding to everyone else as they were to her? Would that be what gave her away? “It helps that he’s been really mature about it when we have discussed the possibility. He’s grown so much these past few months. I’m really proud of him.”
“Hmm. I’m really proud of both of you, blossom. You’ve both handled an impossible situation with more grace and bravery than anyone I know.”
Love welled in Ivy’s chest and she pressed herself even closer to her woman. “Thank you, Daddy.”
“God, you two are so sickeningly cute.” Frankie drained her wine and rose to her feet. “I’m going to grab another drink. Anyone want one?”
“I’ll come with you. I need to use the ladies’ room, anyway.”
It was a lie, but she was desperate to get away from Cordelia’s roaming hands for a few minutes.
