Page 58 of A Little Christmas Caper

“I guess,” Allie mumbled. “I’m still mad at her, though.”

“I know, little one.” Nick’s voice had softened considerably. “But you have to accept that even the people in charge make mistakes sometimes. And as hard as it may be, it’s your job to forgive them, even when it doesn’t seem fair.”

Eyes trained on the ground, Allie scuffed the toe of her shoe against the carpet. “I guess.”

Although her stomach was jumping with nerves, Michelle laid a hand on Allie’s shoulder and offered a reassuring smile when she finally lifted her head. The betrayal in those dark brown eyes nearly killed her, and even without the spanking she had coming she knew it would be a long time, if ever, before she broke that particular promise again.

“It’s okay. You should be mad at me. I broke a really big promise and I let you down, babygirl. I’m so sorry, but I know that doesn’t even begin to cover it.” Swallowing hard, she forced the next words past her lips. “Which is why Nick—Daddy—is going to make sure it never happens again.”

It was part apology, part plea for him to just get it over with. Which he must have heard because he nodded. “I don’t suppose your little shopping spree included anything I could use to punish my naughty little girls, did it?”

Fuck. He just had to ask that, didn’t he? “Yes…” she paused, letting the word roll around in her mind for a moment before she finally spoke it aloud. “Yes, Daddy.”

“Good. Find whatever it was and bring it to me so we can put all of this mess behind us. Allison, I want you to stand right there until I tell you to move.”

Allie’s eyes went wide and her mouth fell open in surprise. “You want me to… watch?”

“For now.”

“Um. Okay, Daddy.”

If she was any more embarrassed, Michelle was certain she would have burst into flames right there on the spot. As it was, she could feel her cheeks burning as she turned to search the bags. She’d bought a few different toys to use with Allie, but there was one thing she’d bought just for herself. It was that item she was on the hunt for because nothing else would cleanse the deep, clawing guilt in her gut.

Chapter 24

Nick

Watching Michelle search the various bags and boxes for the item she’d most likely bought to use on poor little Allie amused him to no end, despite the circumstances around the punishment she was about to get. It was obvious her actions had hurt Allie deeply, but it was equally obvious to him that Michelle had been hurting. Whether the shopping spree had merely been a byproduct of her emotional turmoil or a cry for help, he wasn’t sure. The only thing he was absolutely certain of, was that he was about to have two very sore, very sorry little girls on his hands.

Two very,verysore little girls, he realized when Michelle finally located the item she’d purchased and carried it to where he’d taken a seat on the bed to wait for her. Where he’d expected a fun little paddle, he was handed a long, thick leather strap attached to a gleaming wooden handle. From his experience so far, he doubted she’d ever intended to use it on Allie. This was all for his sweet little pet.

Mentally adjusting his plans, he accepted the strap and set it aside. Gripping Michelle’s chin in his hand, he met her tearful gaze. “Why are you getting this spanking, darlin’?”

“I broke my promise to Allie and went over our budget.” No excuses, no pleading, just a straightforward acceptance of her mistake.

She looked so sad already, all he wanted to do was pull her onto his lap and hold her. But without the soul-cleansing of a punishment, he had a feeling she would spend the next few weeks, possibly months, beating herself up over what she’d done. Steeling himself against her tears, he kept his voice firm as he explained what was coming. “Here is what’s about to happen. You’re going over Daddy’s knee for a nice long warm up, and then you will be receiving one stroke from the strap for every hundred dollars you went over. How many is that, pet?”

“Ten, D-Daddy.”

“Can you handle ten? If not, we can use Daddy’s belt, instead.” Ten from his belt would still be a solid punishment, but not quite as severe as the thick strap.

“I can take it, Sir.”

“All right. Let’s get this started, then.”

She reached for her leggings, but he gave her hands a light swat. “That’s Daddy’s job, little girl.” It was a small thing, but he hoped it would go a long way toward cementing himself as “Daddy” in her mind.

Red color bloomed in her cheeks, but she held her hands up out of the way so he could tug her leggings down to her knees. When she was bare, he guided her over his knee and rubbed some warmth into her bottom.

“Ready?”

“Yes, Daddy.”

He didn’t ease her into it, as he might have another time. Instinct honed by years of being a Dom told him she needed fast and hard, needed to be pushed to her breaking point, and possibly just a bit past it.

So he gave her what she needed, and though it was obvious she was trying to take her punishment with some grace, it took less than a dozen hard swats to have her squirming and whimpering over his lap. Tightening his hold on her middle, he moved the punishing blows down to her sit-spots and the tops of her thighs, all of which earned him several high-pitched squeals of protest.

But to her credit, she didn’t beg or make empty promises or even really try to roll out of position. It was, he was certain, partially her training, though, he couldn’t help but feel that the weight of her guilt was pinning her in place even more effectively than his own arm.

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