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There was his tenderhearted girl. “I know you wouldn’t, babygirl. But you didn’t mind Daddy, did you?”

She shook her head again. “No, Daddy. I said I’m sorry.”

“I know you are, but being sorry isn’t a good enough consequence for disobeying me and putting yourself in danger. Is it?”

She shot her hands behind her to cover her backside. “No, Daddy,” she repeated.

“No. You were a very naughty girl. And what happens to naughty girls who break two of their rules?”

“They get a spanking.”

“Yes, they do. And by the time that spanking is over, they are very sorry little girls.”

“But I’m already sorry, Daddy.”

She only thought she was sorry now. When he got finished with her, she’d know what sorry really was. If she’d caught a bullet… his gut clenched, and he couldn’t finish the thought.

“Not as sorry as you’re going to be.”

Tildi stared down at his hands. He knew exactly what she was thinking. His hands were large and bore the callouses of a man used to working on a ranch.

“I love you,” he said.

“I love you, too.” Her voice wobbled, but firmed up when she added, “But I don’t love spankings.”

“Me either.” And that was the god’s honest truth.

He pulled her over his knees.

He didn’t pull her panties down. Not yet. That would come later. He wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her tight so she wouldn’t fall if she squirmed once he got started. And she was going to squirm.

Not making her wait, Boone spanked first one cheek then the other. He didn’t hold back. Not for this. Not when she could have died or gotten one of his men killed. He couldn’t bear the thought of her having to live with that kind of regret, so he put his whole arm into the effort of delivering that message.

“Ow. Oh. Oh! OW!” She strained against his hold. Her toes dug into the plush mat in front of the tub. “I’m sorry. Oh… owie… Daddy! Oh! I’m so sorry!”

He’d been right. She began to wiggle and squirm by the fifth swat of his hand. She was fighting by the tenth. By the fifteenth slap of his palm to her bottom her wiggles were growing frantic.

When he paused to pull her panties down to just below the curve of her cheeks, the bright, rosy pink of her normally pale ass filled him with satisfaction. “Let’s talk about obedience, naughty girl. Were you obeying Daddy when you came back up those stairs?”

“N-no!” she wailed.

“No.”Smack.“You.”Smack.“Were.”Smack.“Not.”Smack.

Boone punctuated each word with a hard swat. His Little girl would be feeling this for a day or two at least. She began to cry then, and not just a little. Loud, gasping sobs wrenched her whole body.

Boone paused again, flexing his hand. “And what are you going to do the next time I tell you to stay below deck?”

Her breathing was hitched, but she managed to get out an answer. “I-I-I’m g-going to st-stay be-below deck. P-p-promise. Ow, oh, OW!” she cried out as he gave her four more smacks, two to each cheek.

“I take obedience very seriously, little girl. Have I made that clear?”

Through her sniffling and hitched breaths, she nodded at the floor. “Y-yes, Daddy.”

“Good. Now let’s talk about you putting yourself in harm’s way.”

“C-can’t we be d-done, Daddy? Please?”

“I’m afraid not, babygirl.” He ran a finger under the elastic at the top of her panties and drew them all the way off. They would only be in the way at this point. “We’ve talked about this before, haven’t we?”