Page 294 of Dirty Discipline, Vol. 2

“Sorry, Daddy,” Riley apologized and then started laughing.

“I’m not going to ask who thought of cleaning up here. Let me see where you’re hurt,” he said, pointing at a square of linoleum in front of him.

“A bus just pulled up!” Sue called through the kitchen door.

“No time, Daddy!” Riley refused and tried to scoot past him.

When he wrapped his arms around her to hug Riley to him, she groaned. “You’re hurt, Little girl, and not going anywhere until I see what damage you’ve done.”

“Maybe she should go to the hospital?” Ellie suggested, feeling tears gather in her eyes.

“No way!” protested Riley.

“Ellie, are you okay?” Milo asked as he held a struggling Riley in his arms.

“I’m fine,” Ellie assured him.

“Go change your shirt and help with the bus. I’ll check out Riley and see what she needs to do,” Milo assured her.

“Thank you,” Ellie told Milo before waggling her finger at Riley. “Do what your Daddy says.”

“Bus!” Sue called again from the bakery.

“Coming!” Ellie shouted down the hall and ran to the bathroom.

“No running,” Milo reprimanded.

Throwing a mean look his way, Ellie disappeared into the bathroom. She carefully stripped her still batter-covered and wet shirt over her now clean hair and stripped off the hairnet she wore when baking. Replacing everything, she hid her wet hair under one of the bandanas she stocked for the line workers and threw open the door in record time to dash out.

Riley’s Daddy had her corralled in the corner. He had her apron off and shirt raised. Ellie couldn’t see a red mark on Riley’s tattooed skin, but she knew it had to hurt.

Ellie knew of all the Daddies, Riley’s paramedic Daddy would know what to do for her and would make sure that she did it. Tarson was hard at work mopping the floor in the kitchen area. Ellie felt so guilty for making him clean up her mess. Mouthing sorry when he looked up at her, Ellie went through the door to find a massive line.

Immediately, she went to work boxing up cupcakes and pouring sodas and coffee. About fifteen minutes later, Riley showed up. She tapped Ellie on the shoulder.

“I’ll take care of this. Someone won’t let me carry trays to restock. Can you do that?” the tattooed woman asked.

Worried, Ellie whispered, “Are you okay?”

“Taped up with ice packs. I may become an ice cube, but I feel fine.”

“I’ll get the trays,” Ellie told her.

When the last customer from the tour bus passed through the line, the sweet tour guide approached the cupcake display. “I caught you at a bad time,” she apologized.

“Megan, we’re always glad for you to stop in. Let me get you a cupcake and some coffee,” Ellie offered. She’d learned to treat the organizers of groups with a free treat so they’d come back again.

“That would be very sweet of you. Could I have that cupcake there in the corner?” she asked, pointing to one Ellie had pushed to the back of the display case.

“Oh, that one is bad. You don’t want that one.”

Megan snickered. “Bad? How can a cupcake be bad? Surely it wasn’t naughty?”

Ellie giggled. “I just mean it fell over in the case and the frosting got smooshed. It’s not pretty now.”

Megan gasped dramatically. “I feel sorry for it then! It’s rejected? Give me that cupcake. Even bad cupcakes deserve to be eaten. They don’t taste any different.”

Ellie thought hard as she boxed up the ugly cupcake and handed it to Megan. “We certainly don’t want to hurt the feelings of any cupcakes.”

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