Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 49458 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49458 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
“I did.” That blue gaze didn’t waver. “Anything you want to tell me before you get yourself in any more trouble?”
“I didn’t come up here to check out the nursery,” Essie promised.
“I’m glad to hear that. Did you come up here to find the keyhole the small key fits?”
This time she didn’t have to fake the shock on her face. “How did you know?”
“You never forgot anything when you were a kid. I figured that was a permanent character trait. I’ve waited to see how long it took you to decide to search.”
“That’s totally wrong, Zander.”
“Daddy.”
Essie definitely wouldn’t argue with him now. Maybe she could distract him and get herself out of hot water. “That’s totally wrong, Daddy. You shouldn’t be suspicious of me.”
“You’re right. I shouldn’t assume you’d be naughty. So why were you looking through my jeans?”
“Maybe I was searching my pants,” she bluffed. The closet was dark. He might have seen a pair of pants in her hands, but they could have been hers.
“What were you checking for in your pockets?”
“I have a flash drive missing. I thought I might have left the device in the clothes I wore yesterday.” Whew. Good answer. She was home safe now.
“I thought you said you were looking for photos?” he asked casually.
Crap! She had told him that. “I came up here for the photos and remembered the flash drive, so I checked for it while I was upstairs. Thank goodness I thought of it, so I didn’t walk back down and have to climb those stairs again.”
“Do not move, Little girl.”
Essie froze in place at his stern tone. The easygoing questioning had evaporated. She was in trouble.
Zander turned and walked to close the door. He took the keys out of his pocket and secured the old-fashioned lock. She swallowed hard when he headed for the nursery door. He unlocked it and disappeared inside before returning with an elaborately carved wooden box. Essie didn’t dare follow him.
“I’m very glad I discovered what that small key opened and that I took the time to clean everything in that built-in cabinet where the key fit. This will come in handy now.”
“There’s a built-in cabinet?” she asked eagerly.
“Yes. And the space is filled with all sorts of things a Daddy needs to take care of his Little girl. This had a set of instructions written in Hindi. Something your uncle had picked up on holiday, perhaps.”
“What is that?”
“A set of reminders for Little girls who lie to their Daddies.”
“Reminders?” she echoed.
“Yes. Let me show you.” Zander carried the case to the bed and set it on top of the comforter. Releasing the latches on each side, he opened the case and stepped back for her to see clearly.
“What….” The rest of that question evaporated from her mind. Essie recognized the metal devices inside. Each was shaped precisely to range from thin to thick, with a rounded tip, a gradually widening shape that shrank before a wide base at the end. The box contained a set of anal plugs.
“Daddy….” She struggled to find something to say. Essie couldn’t figure out if she was horrified or fascinated. Or both. She shifted back and forth uncertainly.
“I think these will do wonderfully to remind you not to lie to your Daddy. Maybe not this skinny one,” he suggested, picking up the smallest. He considered it as she looked on in horror before he replaced that plug. He glided his fingers over the second and paused, as if considering it, before plucking the third out of the velvet-lined box.
“This one seems perfect. Well, this size would be ideal if my Little girl admitted that this total farce about coming upstairs for a flash drive or photos or some other reason you create next wasn’t the truth. This plug would be for a Little girl who confessed she lied.”
Essie couldn’t tear her eyes away from the plug. Her bottom clenched as she imagined how the metal device would feel.
“Of course, if my Little girl still can’t be honest, I’d have to go up a size or two to help her learn to make better decisions.”
“I kept trying to figure out the smallest key. With the mystery of the other keys solved, that last one kept ricocheting into my mind. I had to know. I couldn’t concentrate on anything else,” she blurted.
“Thank you for telling me the truth, Essie. This will be the best size. Go get the lubricant for me from Daddy’s drawer.”
She studied the carpet for a minute as she digested what he had asked. She had to go get the lubricant? He was going to make her participate in her punishment. Essie peeked up to see if she’d misunderstood. Zander hadn’t moved. He was waiting for her.
Giving him lots of time to stop her, she walked slowly around the bed to his side and opened the nightstand. Collecting the bottle of lubricant, she returned to him at a snail’s pace. Zander never fidgeted. He stood quietly at the side of the bed.