Page 60 of Big Daddy Christmas
“Yes, Sir.” Misery welled up inside her as he turned away. She watched him for a moment, tears stinging her eyes. “Daddy?”
“What is it, Ruby?”
Again, his tone was flat, not angry, and that flatness threatened to smother her. “Nothing. Never mind.”
Blinking back tears, she turned away and hurried into her closet. Even though she couldn’t remember going in there the night before, she needed a moment to herself. She knew she was being ridiculous, but Beckett had never been so… cold to her before, and she could barely breathe through the weight of his disappointment sitting on her chest.
In her closet, she gave herself a moment to breathe. Just breathe. In and out, the way her therapist had taught her when she’d been suffering from multiple panic attacks after she’d left her first Dom.
Oddly enough, the thought of Preston helped to settle her. If it had been his friend’s wedding she’d ruined, no matter how unintentionally, she would never hear the end of it. It was the kind of thing he’d throw in her face no matter how many times she apologized.
Beckett would never do that. As pissed as he might have been at that moment, he’d eventually calm down and they’d talk things out. Then he’d spank her, mostly because she would need him to in order for her to feel better, and that would be that.
So she could handle him being a little icy for the time being. God knew she deserved it.
How the hell could she have been so stupid?
Fresh tears welled in her eyes at the thought, but she willed them back as she pulled open a drawer to rifle through her underwear.
No rings.
She repeated the process with every drawer in her closet, panic once more wrapping its insidious tendrils around her chest as each and every one turned up empty.
Where the fuck were those damn rings?
Closing her eyes, she dropped down onto the padded bench in her closet and tried to think. She hadn’t been anywhere near blackout drunk when she’d gotten home, and she did vaguely remember moving the stuff in the bathroom around. But that was the problem. All of her memories were far too vague to actually be of any use, and she gave a frustrated scream as she dropped her head into her hands.
“Guessing you haven’t had any luck either.”
Worry slammed into her gut, making her stomach roll as she forced her head up to meet his quietly furious gaze. “No, Sir. Beckett, I’m?—”
He held up a hand to cut her off. “I know you’re sorry, Ruby. Saying it again doesn’t help us find those rings any faster.”
“Yes, Sir.”
The corners of his mouth dipped down in a frown, and for a moment she thought he might call her out for not using his proper title. Even before they’d officially become a couple, he’d preferred Daddy to Sir.
But he didn’t call her out, and her stomach twisted, making her very grateful she hadn’t eaten yet.
“I’m going to go downstairs and check the cars. I know I brought them inside when I picked them up from the jeweler, but at this point I’m at a loss as to where they could be.”
Another apology trembled on her tongue, but he’d already told her he didn’t want to hear any more from her, so she swallowed it down and nodded.
Turning on his heel, he strode from the room, and she indulged herself in a short ugly cry before forcing herself to her feet. Her phone buzzed, and she pulled it out of her pocket, groaning at the alarm she’d set for her new departure time.
If she didn’t leave soon, she’d miss her spot in the hair and makeup line. Which was probably fine, it wasn’t like they didn’t have a dozen other people to work on while they waited for her.
The real problem was Lottie. It was only a matter of time before she realized Ruby wasn’t there and started asking questions. Frankie’s plan of telling everyone she’d gotten in trouble would only buy so much time before Lottie started to get suspicious.
Mind made up, she shrugged out of her robe and pulled on the cute mistletoe underwear Lottie had given them all at her bachelorette party a couple weeks ago. Ivy had already reported very favorable results from the underwear after she’d surprised Cordelia with hers, so maybe they’d be enough to make Beckett laugh whenever he got his hands on her later. At this point, she was willing to do pretty much anything to mitigate the punishment she knew awaited her at the club.
Once she was dressed, she grabbed her phone and headed for the stairs. Only to bump straight into her Daddy’s hard chest.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Swallowing hard, she forced her head up to meet his icy gaze. “The hotel. If I don’t leave now, they’re going to start to worry about me and I figure the best thing I can do right now is keep Lottie from freaking out.”
Again he frowned, and she wasn’t sure if she was hoping he would stop her or let her go.
