Disciplining Little Abby (25 page)

“A little,” she admitted, then rolled her eyes. “Okay, a lot.”

Chris fixed a plate and set it in front of her. Pulling a fork from the drawer, he set it beside her plate and then fastened a bib around her neck. She started to protest, but he waggled a finger in warning. “Last time you ate spaghetti it took me three washes to get the sauce stains out of your clothes. Not doing that again.”

Abby speared a meatball and twirled her fork around, trying to wrap as much spaghetti around the tines as she could. Even so, she still wound up having to slurp up several uncooperative strands. The disgusted look on Chris’ face when she did so made her laugh.

“Ugh, don’t laugh with your mouth full,” he admonished her, which only made her laugh harder. She could tell by the look in his eyes that he wasn’t really put out by her lack of table manners.

After dinner, Abby picked out a bright pink nail polish and sat on the bed so Chris could paint her toenails. Pink had never been one of her favorite colors until she met Kali. Now the obnoxious pink polish made her think of all the fun they’d had together, and wearing it made Kali seem just a little bit closer to home. Abby was surprised at how much she missed her. They texted constantly and kept up with each other on Instagram and Twitter, but it wasn’t the same.

Watching Chris meticulously paint each nail without getting a single dot of polish where it didn’t belong made her miss Kali that much more.
I have her to thank for him
. If Kali hadn’t told Chris about Spectrum, if she hadn’t left her party and rushed to the hospital to prove she wasn’t a secret mistress, if she hadn’t taken Abby under her arm and helped her accept who she was, she’d still be stuck at her dead end job, going home to an empty apartment every night, and hating her life.

When at last her nails were dry, Chris announced it was bedtime. “Past bedtime, actually,” he admitted. “You’ve got a big day tomorrow, and I’ve let you stay up too late as it is.” He took her to the bathroom and watched while she brushed her teeth, then left her alone so she could pee.

When she came out, he started to take her into Kali’s room, but she shook her head and tugged at his hand. “I wanna sleep with you tonight.”

The smile he gave her made her tummy flutter. Abby wrapped her arm around his waist as he led her to his room, hugging him tightly before letting him help her into bed. Rolling to her side, she waited while he retrieved her pacifier and blanket from the other room. When he returned, she took them and snuggled the blanket under her cheek.

“I wish I had Mr. Jingles,” she said before popping the pacifier in her mouth. “But I’m glad I have you, Daddy.”

“I love you too, babygirl,” he whispered, stroking her hair gently as he stood up. “Sleep now. Tomorrow will be here before you know it.”

* * *

Chris turned the light out and closed the door behind him. As wired as Abby had been all week, he’d expected her to put up a fight about going to bed. She’d certainly been a pill about taking her bath earlier, and he hadn’t enjoyed having to spank her the night before her big day. Fortunately she seemed to run out of steam as soon as dinner was over and was more than ready to go to bed when he told her to.

His own sleep would be slow to come. For weeks his mind had been on overload, busy with ideas and plans for the future. Kali had promised to drive up for the relaunch party and stay through to Sunday afternoon. It had been tough keeping that bit of information from Abby, but somehow he’d managed to not let it slip.

The woman at the furniture repair shop where he’d dropped off Mr. Jingles had promised to have him ready the morning of the relaunch party. Aged stuffed animals weren’t her forte, but he couldn’t find anyone else willing to take on the challenge. Chris just hoped she came through. He had something special planned, and he needed Mr. Jingles to pull it off.

After picking up her discarded clothes and scattered nail polish bottles from all over the house he finally headed for bed. He could just see her outline in the pale blue light cast by his alarm clock. From the steady sound of her breathing, he knew she was asleep. Slowly so as not to wake her, he eased himself into the bed and draped one arm protectively across her sleeping form. She stirred slightly, then fell still again as he buried his face in her hair. The faint scent of coconut cleared his mind, and at last he drifted off to sleep.

Rolling over, Chris opened one eye and checked the clock on the other side of the bed, rolling his eyes when he saw it was only six-fifteen. It didn’t matter what day of the week it was, he always woke up early. Beside him Abby still slept in the same position she’d been in when he’d come to bed. Breathing deeply, he nuzzled his face into her neck as he slid one hand slowly down her side, lightly caressing her hip before slipping down to her flat stomach.

Every morning he woke up with her at his side he sent up a small prayer of thanks to whatever deity had brought her to him. He found himself in awe at her ability to go from grown woman to innocent young girl in the blink of an eye, and every time he thought he had her figured out, she surprised him. He’d told her from the very first that she was meant to be his, and he’d never felt more sure of those words than at that very moment, lying next to her in the dark.

Carefully so as not to wake her, he drew the sheet back. Her pale skin took on a magical glow from the faint blue light of his alarm clock. Slowly he let his eyes graze over her body, taking time to memorize every detail, the soft curve of her hip, the freckles sprinkled across her shoulders, the tiny scar on her right thigh from a skateboarding accident when she was sixteen. In sleep her face was angelic, and his heart ached when looking at her.

Moving a few inches at a time, he pushed himself further down in the bed, leaving a trail of tiny kisses down her spine as he made his way down. With his fingertips pressing lightly against her hip, he rolled her to her back, freezing as she stirred and mumbled something in her sleep. When her breathing slowed once more, he gently parted her thighs and positioned himself between them. Using as little pressure as possible, he began to trace the outer lips of her pussy with his tongue, occasionally dipping down to flick her clit as he passed by.

Even in sleep she began to get wet for him, and as his tongue circled her clit, he heard her moan softly. She tasted like honey and smelled like heaven, and as her hips began to writhe under his touch, he moved his arms forward, pinning her body between his elbows as his hands moved to caress her small breasts. Her nipples were like hard candy beneath his palms, and he lightly squeezed them between his fingertips.

“Daddy,” she exhaled, tilting her hips forward as his tongue pushed between her lips to taste her sweet juices.

“You taste so good,” he whispered. Flicking his tongue along her clit, slowly at first, then increasing in speed in response to her insistent hips, he glanced up to see her upper body begin to rise off the bed. Her head hung limply backwards and her mouth formed a perfect O as her fingers burrowed into his hair and demanded more.

Bringing one hand back down, he dipped a finger into her soaked pussy, then slid it down to tease her bottom hole. Abby whimpered, her fingers desperately clutching his hair as her hips jerked and lifted to meet his touch. Chris let out a low chuckle as Abby began to mumble incoherently. The next time her hips bucked, he ran his tongue the length of her pussy all the way to her eager bottom. The instant the tip of his tongue darted in her bottom hole, she nearly jumped off the bed, sitting straight up and howling as she came. Her entire body was wracked with violent shudders, and if it hadn’t been for Chris’ hands restraining her, she would have fallen off the bed.

After she crashed back down, Chris rose up and admired her in the dim light. Her cheeks were flushed and her skin glistened with sweat. Black hair spilled over the pillows in a tangled mess, and her mouth hung slightly open as she gasped for air.

Only a few minutes later, her breathing had returned to the steady, deep rhythm of sleep. Chris wondered if she’d remember what happened when she woke up later, or if she’d think it had all been an incredibly erotic dream. When he was positive she was sound asleep, he slipped out of bed. Pulling the sheet over her, he bent and kissed her softly on the cheek.

“Sleep well, babygirl,” he whispered, pushing a strand of hair from her face as he gazed lovingly down on her. “Big day ahead.”

* * *

Abby woke to sunlight filtering through the blinds and the smell of coffee wafting down the hall. Her body felt boneless and she couldn’t remember ever having woken up so completely relaxed. Blinking groggily, she rolled over to check the clock and found it was already 10:30 a.m. Kicking the covers aside, she crawled out of bed, sliding her bare feet along the rug until she found her slippers, then staggered down the hall towards the siren song of coffee.

“Look who’s finally awake!” Chris set down his coffee cup and kissed her on the forehead.

“You let me sleep too late,” she complained.

“You looked too peaceful to wake up. Pleasant dreams?”

The way he looked at her when he asked made her blush. She’d had some pleasant dreams, some very dirty ones in fact, though she could barely remember any of it now. Reaching for a cup, she reminded him she had a big day and should have gotten up earlier.

“Negative. Party starts at two, and I’m under strict orders not to bring you until then. Julia and Amanda have everything under control. That means,” he added as he pulled the cup from her hand before she could fill it, “you and I are going to IHOP for breakfast. Or lunch anyway. Go get dressed.”

“Coffee first,” she begged. Coffee was reserved for big girl time, but she crossed her fingers he’d make an exception considering what day it was.

“Tell you what,” he said. “You get dressed and be ready to leave in fifteen minutes, and I’ll take you to Starbucks for that Frappuccino thing you like after IHOP. Deal?”

Fifteen minutes was barely enough time to use the bathroom and brush her teeth and hair, but Abby wasn’t about to pass up a shot at caffeine. She ran to Kali’s room and quickly pulled a pair of shorts and a tank top from the bottom drawer. Kicking her slippers off, she slipped into a pair of flip-flops, then skipped to the bathroom and brushed her teeth. Her hair was a mess and her bangs stuck up on one side where she’d slept on them funny, so she ran a brush through it twice and hurriedly pulled it back into a single ponytail. As an afterthought, she dug her pink lip gloss out of the cabinet drawer and swiped it across her lips.

“Perfect,” she told the mirror.

* * *

Chris looked up as she returned to the kitchen and laughed. “And they say women need hours to get ready.” Tossing the paper across the counter, he grabbed her car keys and headed for the door.

“Come on babygirl,” he said as he opened the door and stepped back for her to pass. “Big day today.” Closing the door behind him, he followed her to the car.

You have no idea just how big it is
, he thought as he opened the car door for her. Just thinking about it made his breath hang in his throat.

They rode in silence, both lost in thought as they made their way across town. For months it seemed like this day would never come, and now that it had, they could hardly think of anything else. Chris’ chest swelled with pride every time he thought of all his babygirl had accomplished in the past few months. The constant doubts and insecurities had been replaced with self-confidence and determination, and yet when her luminous baby blue eyes landed on him, he knew she was still his sweet, innocent, trusting Abby.

He took her to the same IHOP they’d gone to after that first date. At the time he’d been more interested in possessing her, fixated on the things he would do to her and what she would do to him. Somewhere along the line, things changed, he changed. Now all he could think about was being with her, the sound of her voice and the way her head tilted when she pouted.

“Bitcoin for your thoughts?”

Blinking, he looked up to see Abby staring curiously at him.

“You’re a million miles away.” She grinned as he looked at his plate and realized he’d finished his burger without even realizing it.

“I was just thinking about us,” he said, reaching across the table to lace his fingers in hers. “And about today.” Glancing at his phone, he saw they had two hours to show time. “We’d better get a move on.”

“Will you do my hair?” she pleaded, giving him her best puppy dog eyes.

He pulled her hand to his lips, kissing her fingertips before grabbing the check. “I’ll do anything you need,” he promised.

* * *

True to his word, Chris carefully straightened her hair and pulled it into high ponytails, then fussed over her bangs until they hung perfectly straight across her forehead like she liked them. To her delight he’d given her a gift bag and insisted she open it before she got dressed. Inside was a pair of low rise, black cargo pants and a dark purple halter-top that left her midriff bare.

“I had help picking it out,” he admitted as she quickly tried it on. “The salesgirl said you’d knock all the skater boys dead in it.”

After looking in the mirror, she had to admit he was probably right.

They were still two blocks away when they began to pass skaters heading the same direction.

“Pull over,” she blurted out. “I’ll take my board the rest of the way, just like I’m one of the crowd.” She reached into the back seat to grab her knee and elbow pads as he eased the car to the side of the road. Jumping out, she quickly pulled her board from the backseat and waved him on.

“I have to run a few errands,” he hollered out the window as she dropped her board on the ground. “I’ll be there in about an hour, okay?”

Abby nodded and waved goodbye as he pulled back into traffic. As she stepped onto her skateboard, a couple of young boys whizzed by her.

At least there will be people there,
she thought as she made her way towards the skate park. When she finally rounded the second block and saw it, her mouth fell open.