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“Please,” she whines. “I don’t feel like I can take another bite.”

“Eat three more bites for me, and I’ll give you nearly anything you want.”

Her eyes are so wide, so innocent, as she blinks up at me. “What are the parameters?”

“Well, I’m not going to give you money or anything. That’s not the sort of bribes I deal in.” Not with her, at least.

“What about spankings?”

I freeze. “You want me to spank you?”

“Never mind. It’s stupid.”

My grip tightens. “It’s not stupid. Why do you want me to spank you? Have you done something wrong?”

Again, that flash of guilt zips across her face before she turns away from me. “Not really.”

“Talk to me, Steph. Why do you want me to spank you?”

“I… I can’t. Just. Just forget it.”

“No. I will not forget it. You what?”

“It just makes everything go away for a bit. That’s all.”

A soft smile teases the edges of my lips. “Tell you what. You give me five bites on your own, go change into your nightclothes, and I’ll give you what you need.”

“And you won’t tell Brody?”

“Why would I tell Brody?”

“Because this is wrong. It’s… Well, it’s not cheating exactly.”

“Sweet girl. I’m only spanking you. It’s not as if you’re asking me to stroke your pretty pussy until you come, are you?”

From what little I can see, her face is bright red. Perhaps I’m skirting the line just a bit, but by tomorrow evening, it won’t matter.

“You can’t talk like that. What would Brody think?”

Irritation runs up and down my spine at her insistence of talking about the same boy who’s actively cheating on her the night before their wedding. “He’s not even here to have a thought. But I am, and I think every inch of you is lovely.”

She shakes her head but doesn’t say a word.

“Are you saying your pussy isn’t pretty? I find that hard to believe. You are one of the prettiest girls I’ve ever seen. Can’t imagine someone like you having an ugly pussy.”

That, at least, gets a giggle out of her. “I wouldn’t know. I don’t make it a habit to compare pussies.”

“Fair enough. So what’s it going to be? Are you going to be my good girl and eat five more bites for me so I can spank you?”

“Yes, Daddy,” she murmurs, sliding her fork into her mashed potatoes.

Stephanie takes her time, stretching out the five bites until I’m almost sure she doesn’t want me to spank her. Soon enough, she squirms off of my lap.

“It’s just spanking. So it’s not wrong. Right? I mean, you’re just being the best life coach you can.”

“And you’re being such a good girl by asking for what you need. Head on upstairs, and I’ll be up in a few minutes.”

Nodding, she slips away from the table, silent like a wraith. I watch her ass as it sways with every step, my balls clenching with each innocent movement.