Page 12 of Daddy's Little Spy

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Cops, he realized two hours into her shift, were a rather boring lot. The bug he’d slipped into the pocket of her blazer hadn’t picked up anything more interesting than the argument between two detectives over who had dibs on the lemon donut.

Jesus.

Maybe they didn’t even need Franks anymore, if this was what they were up against. Then again, there were bound to be more like Diana, those brave, naive souls who still believed in law and order. In justice.

After tonight, she would be his, and she’d get her first taste of his own brand of justice. The kind he applied swiftly and harshly to naughty little bottoms as needed.

And, sometimes, just because he wanted to.

Living with Amara gave him the occasional opportunity to indulge his need to discipline a wayward little girl. But it also had re-awoken his desire for a little girl of his own, one he could pamper and spoil, punish and pleasure whenever and however he pleased. There were limits to his interactions with his cousin’s wife, and the beast he kept chained up inside of him was fighting to get loose.

Poor Detective Clarke had no idea what she was up against.

That was, assuming she didn’t chicken out. He was fairly certain she wouldn’t. After all, a woman who launched a full-scale undercover operation on her own, with no backup, wasn’t exactly a coward. Reckless, certainly, but not the type to turn tail and run.

Her disregard for her own safety was something they would be discussing once the truth had been revealed. Once he’d bound her to him, legally, spiritually, physically, and any other way he could think of. Perhaps it wasn’t fair of him to punish her for something she’d undertaken before she even knew him, but he wasn’t interested in fair.

She was his, and he would protect her from anything and anyone who might cause her harm. Especially if that someone was herself.

* * *

Of course, the first time she’d ever had a shift end on time would be today, of all days. She was being robbed of those precious two hours of overtime she’d been counting on before she had to make her decision. But for once, all of her paperwork was caught up and nothing new had crossed her desk at the last minute, so there was nothing to do but clock out.

And make her decision.

Who was she even kidding? She’d known what her decision would be when she’d paused before defiantly pouring herself another cup of coffee less than two hours after Benito had laid down his ultimatum.

She’d hesitated, because deep down, in some part of herself she didn’t want to examine too closely, she’d known what her answer would be. Known that she was deliberately setting herself up to be punished by him.

And those dark, secret places inside of her had thrilled at the knowledge.

Slipping on her blazer, she pulled her phone out of the pocket of her slacks and pulled up the message he’d sent her around lunchtime.

I don’t suppose you’ve made up your mind yet.

Not yet. Sorry.

But now she had, so she braced herself with a deep breath and typed out a new message.

Leaving work now. I’ll be at the restaurant in about fifteen minutes.

Her phone buzzed with a response before she’d even made it out the front door.

Good girl. I’ll meet you there. I’ve already let Luca know you are on your way. You may have a glass of wine, if you wish.

There had to be something wrong with her for her system to hum with excitement at his praise. Good girl. What was she, a dog?

A petite blonde met her at the door. Red satin hugged her ample curves, and the same color slicked her lips. Her pale locks were pulled back in a flawless ponytail without a hair out of place.

Diana felt like a frump in comparison, despite the fact that she’d managed to make it to the end of a shift without getting coffee or bodily fluids on her clothes.

“Hi!” The blonde’s bright smile was a step above polite without edging into creepy, a balance Diana couldn’t help but appreciate. “Do you have a reservation?”

“I’m meeting a friend. Benito Rinaldi?”

A blank expression passed over the blonde’s face for a moment before her eyes lit with excitement. “You’re Benny’s girl! We have a table all ready for you.” Grabbing a menu from the pile behind her, she led the way through the restaurant towards a corner booth in the back. “I’m Teresa, by the way. My husband, Luca, owns the restaurant. Benny didn’t tell me you were a cop. Wait til Emmy finds out. He’s going to lose his shit.”

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