Total pages in book: 184
Estimated words: 188108 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 941(@200wpm)___ 752(@250wpm)___ 627(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 188108 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 941(@200wpm)___ 752(@250wpm)___ 627(@300wpm)
“Oh. I’m sorry. But I wasn’t wandering. I had to pee.”
“I’m guessing your hand hurts,” the man said to Salem.
That was a strange thing to say. She stared at Salem’s hands. They just looked like they always did. Why did he think they would be sore?
“Why would his hand hurt?” she asked.
“From all the spankings he has to give you,” the big man rumbled.
“She’s new to this, Oxford,” Salem said.
Oxford? That was his name? Well, she guessed Ox kind of worked for him. He was as big as an Ox. And she’d always thought they looked grouchy.
“You’re not, though. You should have made it clear that she was to stay with you at all times.”
Umm . . . oh no. She didn’t like this guy telling her off. But she really, really didn’t like him telling Salem off.
No one scolded her man.
“Hey, don’t talk to my Salem like that.” She stepped between the two of them and glared up at the big Ox.
“Or what?” Amusement filled his face.
“Or you’ll answer to me.”
Salem wrapped his arm around her waist and drew her back. “It won’t happen again, Oxford.”
The big man just grunted. “Littles running around on their own is just going to cause trouble, you know that. Also, aisle twelve holds all the spanking implements. You might want to pick up one or two. Save your hand.”
What? That was so rude!
As the Ox strode off, she attempted to run after him. She was going to give him a piece of her mind. But Salem drew her up off the ground.
“He’s so rude! Let me down! Let me at him. I’ll teach him. I don’t need any spanking implements to teach him a lesson.”
“Whoa, calm down.” Salem turned her around and held onto her shoulders. “You need to stop and calm down. Oxford might be somewhat stiff and stern, but he owns this place, and he can make the rules.”
Stiff and stern?
“He’s got the manners of a donkey and the personality of wet cardboard.”
To her shock, Salem’s lips twitched. “Wet cardboard?”
“Uh-huh. Nothing worse than wet cardboard, it’s just mush. He’s got the personality of mush.”
Salem’s smile grew and he shook his head. “You are so much trouble, you know that?”
“I am?”
“Uh-huh and you’re also in trouble.”
She pushed her lower lip out. “But, Daddy, why am I in trouble? The big Oxen was the one being mean.”
“The big Oxen . . . oh, is that a play on his name? Or his looks?”
“Both.”
“I like it. I’ll have to tell Alexei. He and Oxford do not get along.”
“Because Alexei doesn’t like people telling him what to do,” she guessed.
“Exactly. Now, Oxford’s mushy personality aside, you’re in trouble because you knew that you weren’t meant to leave my side. And I don’t want to talk about the definition of meandering. Because you know you should have asked me to take you to the bathroom.”
“But I can do it on my own, Daddy.”
“That isn’t the point. The point is that you knew the rules and you broke them. What happens when we break the rules?”
“We get ice cream!”
“Nope. You get punished.”
“Well. That wasn’t the outcome I was hoping for.”
“I’m sure it wasn’t. Come on.” He took hold of her hand and led her back to the cart. Then he lifted her into it and did up the seatbelt.
“I don’t think I even want to know how you got out of this.”
“It really wasn’t that hard,” she told him.
“I think we might need to get you one of those leashes. Then you won’t be able to wander off or go to the bathroom on your own.”
A leash?
Um. Not happening.
He pushed her to the side of the building where a number of doors were. She caught sight of a sign next to one door.
Feeding Room.
Then another.
Nap Room.
Then he stopped outside the third one.
Punishment Room.
“I want to visit the nap room,” she said hastily.
“Are you tired, baby?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Poor girl. I’ll put you down for a nap after your punishment then.”
That wasn’t what she’d meant!
24
Salem cupped her chin in his hand, tilting her face back.
“I want to tell you something and you need to hear me. I will always protect you. I promise. No one will hurt you while you’re with me.”
She blinked up at him. “But who protects you, Daddy?”
“I can protect you and me, baby.” It was so cute that she thought she had to look out for him. But he didn’t want her doing anything stupid.
Stepping between him and Oxford before hadn’t been a smart idea. Not that either of them would do anything to harm her. But he never wanted her to put herself in a dangerous situation. Especially not to protect him.
“You got between me and Oxford before which wasn’t a good idea. While I know he’d never harm you, there might be other situations with someone who would hurt you. Understand?”