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“You are. Let’s take this to my office.”
Looking positively gleeful, Cat steps inside and closes the door behind her. “Lead the way.”
Unwilling to give my little princess a chance to run again, I bend and scoop Juliet up, flinging her over one shoulder. Her dress flies up, exposing her diaper, and I give in to the urge to plant a firm swat on her bottom even though I know it won’t actually hurt all that much.
Not that you can tell from the way Juliet shrieks and pounds at my back with her fists. She’s lucky she’s too small to actually hurt me, but that isn’t going to save her bottom.
With her slung over my shoulder, I head for my office, Cat hot on my heels. She closes the door behind us, and I flash her a grateful smile.
“Cat, would you mind sitting at my desk, please? I’m going to need your assistance for this.”
“Of course, Jasper.”
Practically dancing, she makes her way to my desk, taking my usual spot and placing her hands on the gleaming wood. I bend to place Juliet on her feet, catching her round the waist when she turns to flee.
“No more of that, little girl.” Turning her to face me, I capture her chin in my hand, forcing her furious gaze up to mine.
The fury is mitigated somewhat by the pacifier she’s still furiously sucking on, making her look like an angry toddler about to throw a tantrum.
“You can be mad at me all you want, but what’s about to happen is all your own doing. I gave you a chance to show meand your Auntie Cat that you could be a good girl, but you chose to be naughty instead. And what’s worse, you could have gotten yourself seriously hurt in the process. This is not going to be an easy lesson for you, princess, but I intend for you to learn it one way or another.”
Taking her arm, I guide her to the desk, forcing her to bend at the waist. “Cat, would you mind holding her hands for me, please?”
“I would be honored. Give me your hands, sweetheart.”
Unsurprisingly, Juliet curls her hands into fists as she shakes her head, her hair swinging wildly back and forth.
Lifting her dress, I land half a dozen hard swats to the backs of her thighs, making her dance in place. “Give Auntie Cat your hands, Juliet.”
Another shake of her head, another half dozen swats to her thighs. She squeals around the pacifier as she prances, trying to escape the blows.
We repeat the process another three times, and her thighs are a bright, angry pink by the time she finally crumbles. Sobbing quietly, she unfurls her hands, placing her palms in Cat’s outstretched hands.
“There is a time and a place for brattiness.” I let my tone gentle, just a bit as I run my hand over her heated flesh. “When you are already in the middle of a very big punishment is neither the time nor the place. Am I understood, Juliet?”
She nods, the gesture punctuated by her soft sniffles.
“Good.” Flipping her dress up to expose her bottom, I undo the clasps on her diaper, pulling it free and setting it off to the side. The reusable diapers we purchased for the island can be removed and replaced as many times as needed, making them perfect for gaining access to a naughty bottom whenever necessary.
With Juliet’s delightfully round backside bared to me, I step back and consider my options. Desire darkens Cat’s eyes as I run my hands over Juliet’s trembling bottom.
Rounding the desk, I pull open the top drawer to retrieve a long, thick paddle. Juliet’s eyes go wide when she sees the heavy wood in my hands, sending a delicious thrill through me.
Good. She should be scared.
“Let’s see.” I draw the moment out, as much to relish the anticipation as to give her plenty of time to worry about what comes next. “You pushed your Daddy, ran away, fell on the steps because you were running in the house, and you hit me when I was carrying you to my office. Any one of those offenses would earn you a long hard spanking over Daddy’s knee, followed by some time in the corner to think about making better choices. Altogether, however, I think your behavior this morning calls for a much harsher punishment.”
I take a step back, the familiar feel of wood in my hands making me so hard it’s a wonder I don’t come on the spot. This is where Juliet belongs, trembling at my mercy, her bottom in the perfect position for her Daddy’s discipline. There is arightnessin all of this that I can’t quite explain. But I know, in the depths of my soul, that my little stepsister was always meant to bemine.
“Right now, you are going to get your bottom paddled until I am personally convinced we will never need to have this conversation again.”
I tap the smooth wood against Juliet’s bottom, my eyes meeting Cat’s over Juliet’s shoulder. And we both grin as I raise the paddle high, then bring it down against my Little girl’s bare skin with a satisfyingcrack.
Chapter Seven
Juliet
Fire explodes across my ass as the sickeningcrackof the wood echoes in my ears. I want to keep my cool, to not embarrass myself further in front of Catharina, but that flies out the window with the second stripe across my skin. Without thinking, I try to jerk away, to reach back and protect myself from my punishment, but Catharina’s grip on me only tightens.