Page 39 of Sadie's Little Christmas

“Thank you, Santa!” Throwing her arms around him, she then hopped off his lap and skipped away to join a few of her friends and show off her prize.

There was one more Little between him and Sadie. One more person before he’d have the girl he wanted the most sitting on his knee.

He welcomed green-eyed, red-haired Lacey Davidson onto his lap and went through the motions again.

At fifty-one, Lacey was one of his older Littles. A car accident three years ago had cursed her with two back surgeries and three cervical discs that had to be fused together. She had special Daddy Dom needs, which he was taking his time in fulfilling. The last thing he wanted was for the person he picked for her to, accidentally or intentionally, inflict further injury on her already taxed body.

He smiled as Lacey settled on his knee, bracing himself for the “no” that would have to follow. He already knew what she wanted. She’d been asking for it for all six of the months that she’d been with the Ranch so far.

“Hi,” she said, equally braced because, apparently, she already knew she wasn’t going to get it.

He bopped her on the end of the nose, hoping to get that thin smile to reach as far as her eyes. “How is my Lacey Little-bit today?”

“Good.” Her gray eyes lit with a look that was both knowing and mischievous. “How is Master Derek? Sick to death yet of being squealed at and sat on?”

“Never,” he replied with a smile. “I’ll never get tired of it.”

“Sounds like famous last words to me.”

She was relaxing as she smiled, so he didn’t take offense.

“Sounds to me like some had an extra helping of Cynical Cereal this morning. Be careful because I happen to know for a fact a good helping of the Loopy Johnny cures that in a minute.”

“Don’t threaten me with a good time,” she promptly bratted.

He didn’t even have to look at her collar to find her present. There were only two left in his bag, and he knew what Sadie’s felt like the instant his fingers brushed it. Switching directions, he found Lacey’s.

One Loopy Johnny coming right up. It was three long loops of paracord, all tied up with a crimson and black handle. He’d had it made especially for her. Unlike any other implement he could think of, the cords were light enough not to damage her back, whisper-soft upon impact, and packed one hell of a sting. Enough to reduce any born-certified brat like Lacey from incorrigible to determined-never-to-be-naughty-again within the first few swipes.

“Not fair!” she wailed with a laugh when she saw it. “Why does everyone else get toys?”

“Everyone gets their own ‘good time.’ Take that to Headmaster Jenkins and tell him I said not to stop too soon.”

“Ugh!” Her head fell back on her shoulders as she groaned. She started to get up, then stopped. Her face said she alreadyknew the answer, but still, she said, “Is there any point in asking?”

She wanted to ride a horse so badly, but he didn’t dare let her. The risk to her health was simply too great.

“No,” Derek said, sad but firm.

Her smile turned sad, too, but she didn’t argue.

“Tell the elves, they suck,” she said, waving the Loopy Johnny at him.

“Tell Jenkins not to spare your hide.”

Tsking and with his steadying hand under her elbow, she got up off his knee. Mumbling “dang it” under her breath, she limped away in search of the Headmaster, then there was no one left but Sadie.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to come to him. He could tell by the wistfulness in her eyes as she’d watched him with the others. He knew she wanted to come closer, that she was every bit as drawn to him as he was to her. It was that damn part of her head that didn’t want to be thought of as silly or childish, not at the grand age of eighteen, that kept her back.

He held out his hand.

Her right knee buckled, her leg wanting to take that forward step, but her uncooperative feet keeping her rooted where she was.

“Go on,” Nanny J said, giving her a physical nudge. “How will you ever get what you want if you’re always too afraid to take it when it’s being offered to you?”

How indeed?

She blushed, her gaze dipping to his waiting fingers. The fingers he’d spanked her with and loved her with, and with which he had every intention of taking her to the very brinks of her limits tonight as soon as they got home. Was she thinking about that?

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