Page 31 of Daddy’s Naughty List (Dirty Daddies 2024 Anthology #4)

Chapter Thirteen

How had this all gone so fucking wrong?

He expected some naughtiness. As Dom had said, it seemed to be hardwired into his babygirl’s DNA.

But this… this went beyond naughty. This was a carefully crafted and executed plan to do something dangerous. And what was more, she’d lied right to his face about it.

What the hell was he supposed to do with that?

“You okay?”

Leaning against the sink, Ian closed his eyes against the wave of emotions crashing over him at the sound of Matt’s voice. Guilt, anger, fear, and a dozen other feelings he couldn’t quite name. “No. No, I’m not okay. And if you’re here for some version of ‘I told you so’, I don’t want to fucking hear it.”

“Fair enough.”

They stood there for a while, in the heavy silence, before Ian finally found the strength to turn and face his best friend. “I’m so fucking sorry, Matt. If I’d had any clue she would do something to put them all in danger like that…”

“I know. I don’t blame you.”

It should have been a relief, but it only made the guilt in his stomach churn harder, faster. “You should. I let this happen.”

Matt opened his mouth then snapped it shut again, his lips pressed into a tight line as he clearly debated what to say. “Let me ask you something,” he finally said at length.

“What?”

“All the times you’ve chosen not to punish Taylor… did you honestly think you were doing what was best for her?”

Yes. Of course. But even as the words popped into his mind, he found himself questioning them.

“I don’t know.” Frustrated with Taylor, with himself, he ran a hand through his hair. “I just get so in my head sometimes, you know? Like, what if I’m being too hard on her? What if she doesn’t actually need me to be this strict? What if I’m just some sadistic asshole who enjoys hurting pretty girls?”

A grin blossomed on Matt’s face, surprising him. “Welcome to the club.”

“I’m being serious, Matt.”

“So am I.” But the smile faded, erased by the worry in Matt’s eyes. “How long have you been feeling like this?”

“I don’t know. A few months, I guess?”

“Jesus, man. Why didn’t you come talk to me?”

“You’ve got your own shit to deal with. Between Carly and Emma you’ve got your hands full.”

“I swear to god if there was even an ounce of submissive in you, I’d be tempted to take my belt to your ass,” Matt grumbled, his expression turning fierce as he jabbed a finger into Ian’s chest. “I’m only going to say this once, asshole, so you better listen good. I’m never too busy for you, especially when you’re going through something. You need to talk things out, ask questions, hell even if you just need someone to assure you that you’re not a monster because you enjoy spanking your naughty Little girl’s bottom, I’m always here. Got it?”

Some of the weight he’d been carrying for so long lifted from his shoulders, but not all of it. Not by a long shot. “I like hurting her, Matty. I love waking up the morning after a hard punishment and seeing my marks still on her skin. What kind of man enjoys putting bruises on the woman he loves?”

“Do you think I’m a monster? Or Dom, or Rex, or hell even Edie for that matter? Because I guarantee you all of us enjoy putting our marks on our Little girls one way or another.”

He sat with that a moment, letting it roll over in his mind. “No. I know you’d rather cut off your left arm than see Carly get hurt.”

“So the next time you start feeling guilty, apply that same logic to yourself.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I guess.”

“Have you talked to Taylor about any of this?”

“No.”

“Dumbass.” Matt shook his head. “Didn’t you learn a damn thing from me when Carly and I broke up?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“I ended things with her because I made assumptions about what she wanted without actually talking to her. Biggest fucking mistake of my life and it almost cost me the woman I love. Don’t make that same mistake, Ian. When we’re done here, take Taylor home and talk to her. Tell her how you’re feeling and ask her if she wants you to be less strict.” Snorting out a laugh, Matt smiled, but there was a hard edge to it. “Though if this little stunt is anything to go by, the answer to that is ‘Absolutely fucking not’.”

“You think so?”

“Brother, if this wasn’t a cry for her Daddy’s attention, I don’t know what is.”

At Matt’s words, an idea began to form in Ian’s brain. “Well, if attention is what she’s wanting, attention is what she’s going to get.”

It felt like forever, waiting for Matt and her Daddy to finish talking. And when Matt returned to the living room, his expression hard as a stone and equally as blank, the knots in her stomach tightened even further.

“Girls, the grownups are going to go in the kitchen to discuss your punishments. You are all to stay right where you are. Understood?”

Their chorus of “Yes, Sir” rang out, and one by one all the Daddies turned and left the room. Edie went last, shooting them all a meaningful glare before she too exited the room.

“We’re in so much trouble,” Taylor whispered, tightening her arms around her stomach.

“Maybe it won’t be so bad.” Despite her cheerful tone, Carly’s voice quivered a bit. “Nobody actually got hurt or anything.”

“You really think that’s going to stop them from blistering our asses?” By contrast, Noelle’s voice was full of disbelief with a hint of anger. “I seriously can’t believe I let y’all talk me into this. We all should have known better.”

“We did,” Ginny said with a shrug. “We knew it was a risk and we chose to do it anyway. Now it’s time to pay the piper.”

“You’re awfully chill for someone who’s about to get spanked,” Noelle grumbled.

“Oh, I’m an anxious fucking mess. But I also know we deserve whatever we’re about to get.”

“I wish they’d just punish me.” Sniffling back tears, Taylor wiped at her eyes. “It was my idea and I’m the one who lied to them. I was even the one who tried to climb the ladder and knocked it over. I deserve to get spanked, not the rest of you.”

“No!” Throwing her arms around Taylor’s neck, Jesse squeezed so tight Taylor worried she might run out of air. “We all agreed to it, so we all should get punished.”

“I’m happy to hear you say that, Jesse Lynne.” Stepping into the living room, with all the Daddies behind her, Edie crossed her arms. “Because that’s exactly what’s going to happen.”

Crap .

Watching five Little girls’ eyes go wide with shock might have been amusing under any other circumstances. As it was, the sight still filled Ian with a smug sort of satisfaction.

This just felt right . All the second-guessing, all the worrying, all the self-recrimination had flown out the window as he’d laid out his plan for the others. And when he’d gotten nods of approval down the line, including Rex and Dom, a sense of calm he hadn’t felt in months had settled over him.

Now, stepping to the front of the group, he let his gaze travel over the group of nervous Littles in front of him. Ending, of course, with his own babygirl. And though his heart broke at the sight of her puffy, red eyes, he knew they were doing the right thing.

“Here is what’s going to happen. All five of you are going to line up and present your bottoms for the paddle. Each of you will receive five swats from the paddle, given to you by your own grownup. That is your punishment for agreeing to go along with Taylor’s naughty plans. Once all of you have received your swats from your grownup, Edie will give you another five for completely disregarding her wishes by trying to put up the Christmas lights after she said no. Do you all understand?”

He watched as five heads bobbed in unison. “Good. Now, Taylor. Per your own admission, this was your plan. It was also your idea to lie to me and the other grownups about why you wanted to play outside on your own. Correct?”

Eyes wide, Taylor bobbed her head again. “Y-yes, Daddy.”

“Because your decisions and your actions put your friends in danger, you are going to receive your five paddle swats from me and Edie, as well as one more from every other grownup in this room. So that’s a total of fourteen swats for you.”

The other Littles exploded, their indignant shouts echoing around the room. But a few hard stares and whispered threats eventually quieted them down, though Noelle continued to stare daggers at him.

Too damn bad. His Little girl had earned this punishment, and he was damn well going to deliver.

“Furthermore,” he continued, rolling over Noelle’s threatening growl, “Matty promised you a spanking from him, personally, if you or any of the other Littles broke the rules he laid out for you. What were those rules?”

“Um.” Taylor’s voice was barely a whisper. “N-not to use any tools and, um, not to involve the animals. But Daddy, we didn’t break either of those rules! We didn’t, I promise!”

“Unfortunately for you, little girl, we are all in agreement that a ladder is a tool. On top of that, you also broke the rule I gave you about staying in the front yard. So before you and your friends line up for your paddling, you are going over Matty’s knee for the spanking he promised you.”

“That’s not fair!” Eyes blazing, Noelle jumped to her feet. “She’s already getting punished more than the rest of us, it’s not fair she gets a whole other spanking on top of that! You’re just on some fucking power trip because?—”

“Noelle.” Dom’s voice, calm but firm, cut off her tirade. “Stop right there, little girl. You and I will discuss this at home.”

“But—”

“No. This isn’t up for debate. You will sit back down and listen, or I will take you into Edie’s bathroom and wash your mouth out with soap before you get your bottom paddled. Am I making myself perfectly clear, little girl?”

They stood, staring at each other for several long, tense moments before Noelle finally caved. “Yes, Daddy.”

“Good. Sit down. Now.”

With an indignant huff, Noelle dropped back to the ground, her arms crossed over her chest.

Ignoring the stabbing sensation in his chest from Noelle’s words, Ian let his gaze travel over the sulking group again. “Does anyone have any questions they would like to respectfully ask?”

Noelle rolled her eyes, but the other four Little girls just shook their heads.

“All right. You can all sit right there and watch Taylor take her spanking from Matt, and hopefully the next time someone tries to talk you into breaking an important safety rule, you’ll think twice.”