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I mmy lay back on the padded mat, giggling so hard that she thought she might pee herself. She rolled onto her side, pressing her legs together.

“What are you laughing at, Cherry?” Tobias growled as he strode toward her.

“You!” she cried. “You’re a dinosaur!”

“Hate to tell you, Little one, but you’d be in big trouble if you came across a dinosaur. We’re scary, not funny. Rawr!” He held up his arms, which were really short since he was in a blow-up T-Rex outfit.

And that just made her giggle more.

Never in a million years had she thought that Tobias, of all people, would get dressed up in a silly outfit to make her laugh.

“I’m gonna get you! Rawr!” He started stomping toward her and she moved onto her feet.

“Oh no!” she cried. “The dinosaur is gonna get me! Don’t hurt me not-very-scary T-Rex!”

“Not-very-scary!” he cried. “Grown men have peed their pants when they’ve seen me, Little girl!”

Uh-oh.

“Don’t talk about peeing your pants!” she cried, holding herself.

Well. This was embarrassing.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. “You have to go potty?”

“Don’t call it going potty, Papa!” she cried.

“What would you call it then?”

“I need to use the bathroom!”

“To go potty. Come with me. It’s over here. Why didn’t you tell me you had to pee before?” he demanded.

“Because I was having fun and I didn’t want to stop.” But now things were desperate.

Immy had always been good at ignoring her own body’s needs and sometimes that didn’t go well for her, like right now.

Tobias attempted to open the door with his claw? Paw? She wasn’t sure what you would call it, but it wasn’t happening.

She started to giggle. “T-Rex Papa! Stop fooling around! Open the door.”

“Not funny, Little girl. You open it.”

She rushed past him and opened the door.

“Keep it open,” he demanded. “I’m coming in.”

She had to giggle as she watched him attempt to get through the door.

“Papa! You’re going to pop the outfit. Wait out there. No dinosaurs allowed in the bathroom. See? There’s a sign.”

There actually was. She was guessing other T-Rex Daddies had attempted to get through the door. And failed.

Tobias was grumbling. “Damn it. Keep it open while you pee.”

Not happening.

She shut the door, ignoring his grumbles. Then she rushed to the toilet and reached under her skirt to pull down her tights and panties. Then she sat with a sigh of relief.

That felt so much better. She’d thought she was going to burst.

After cleaning up, she opened the door and peeked out.

Hmm? Where was the T-Rex?

She moved slowly out. Was he hiding? Was he going to jump on her and eat her?

“Little girl,” a stern voice said from behind her.

Immy screamed and started to run.

“Immy! What are you doing?”

“Don’t eat me, T-Rex!” she yelled as she raced up the climbing wall into the fortress above it. There were guns up here that shot out soft balls. One was loaded and she grabbed it, shooting at him as he stomped toward the fortress.

Huh.

He’d changed out of his dinosaur costume. That wasn’t cool.

“Papa, you can’t come up here!” she cried. “It’s Littles only.”

He put his hands on his hips and dodged a flying ball.

“Little girl.”

“Yes?” she asked.

He didn’t say anything more, just crooked his finger at her, then pointed at a spot in front of him.

Poor Papa. Had he lost his voice? Oh well, if he wasn’t going to talk, then she couldn’t be held responsible for not understanding what he wanted.

Right?

You have to use your words.

Even Papa should know that.

He was looking awfully mad, though. So maybe she should reconsider.

Hmm. Nope.

“Little girl.” He took a step closer.

Bang .

She got him right in the forehead with a bright pink spongy ball.

Oh, she was good at this.

Maybe this was her secret, hidden, super-duper talent! Hitting Papa with spongy balls.

Sure, it wasn’t as good as being able to create spells that would put warts on Lauren’s nose.

But it was close.

“Immy. Here. Now.”

Hmm. Was it a good sign that he’d suddenly worked out how to talk?

Somehow, she was thinking not. She was also thinking that it wouldn’t be a good idea to get down there.

So as he took another step, she shot him in the chest and stomach.

Ooh. That was close to Papa’s ‘special area.’ He seemed to realize that too as he moved a hand to cover himself.

Another giggle escaped.

“Immy, you do not want to fire any more of those balls. You’re already in big trouble.”

Big trouble?

Why was she in big trouble? That made no sense.

“Why is Immy in big trouble?” she asked.

“Because Immy was naughty and disobeyed her Papa.”

“Immy did not!” she gasped. “Immy would never!”

“Immy did,” he said. “First, she shut the door when Papa told her to keep it open. And now, instead of coming down out of the fort like she’s been told to, she’s firing balls at Papa.”

“You didn’t tell Immy to come down.”

“Yes. I did.”

“Nuh-uh. You didn’t use your words.” She leaned out of the open window and shook a finger at him. “Learn to use your words, Papa.”

“Immy. Come. Down. Now.”

“Immy thinks she won’t do that,” she replied. “Immy thinks she’ll stay up here forever. It can be a nice house for Immy. Although Immy will need to put in a regular candy and cookies order. Starting with handbag M&Ms and Twizzlers.”

“Immy is not getting any candy or cookies for the next week,” he told her.

She gasped dramatically. In fact, she actually fell back onto her bottom, her gasp was so big.

“You can’t do that, Papa!” she cried when she finally recovered enough to take a breath.

“Papa can do that, or you can go over his knee for a spanking.”

“That. Is. So. Mean.”

Maybe she’d rather have the spanking.

Although she stopped herself before she said that. Because she should probably think about that for a moment. Did she want him to spank her?

Maybe. Maybe not.

She got up onto her knees, then pulled herself onto her feet to lean out the open window again. “Papa, you can’t do that!”

“Just did. Down here. Now.”

Uh-oh.

She still didn’t think it was a good idea to go down there. But what was her choice?

Hmm.

She turned and looked at the other side of the fort where there was a flying fox that went down to the floor.

It was the only thing to do.

She really had no other choice. Immy ran for the flying fox and took hold.

“Whee!” she cried as she flew down it.

The fort was only about eight feet tall so it really wasn’t a high flying fox. But it was still a heap of fun.

She landed in a pit of spongy pieces.

Okay, so in hindsight, the flying fox was not a smart idea. Because exiting a pit of spongy pieces was not a quick or easy process. She finally managed to crawl her way out, landing on the mat next to the pit while heaving for breath.

The light above her was suddenly blocked by a large man. A man who was frowning down at her.

“Unicorn poop.”

“Yes. You are definitely deep in unicorn poop,” Tobias agreed. Reaching down, he lifted her, setting her on her feet.

She swayed slightly and he held her hips until she was steady. She peeked up into his face. His jaw was tight, his face serious.

Definitely in unicorn poop.

“Sooo, have I told you that you’re looking extra handsome today?” she told him as he took a firm hold of her hand and led her toward the exit. “Oh no! We have to go? But I don’t want to.”

Tobias stopped at the bench where they’d taken off their shoes. “Sit.”

Her lower lip dropped out as she sat on the bench. “This isn’t nice. Immy will be good if we can stay.”

He crouched in front of her, then tilted her chin up so she had to look at him. “Our time is up, Little girl. Leaving isn’t punishment, understand?”

“Can’t we stay a bit longer?” she pleaded.

“No, sorry. They have a group coming in.”

“Can we come back, then?”

“Hmm, well, you haven’t been very well behaved?—”

“I’ll do better, Papa! I promise! Please!”

“You didn’t let me finish,” he said. “But we can come back. Just know that next time, Papa will spank you if you misbehave.”

“Papa! That’s not nice to spank Immy.”

“It’s not nice for Immy to ignore Papa’s orders and take off on a flying fox, which is basically running away from Papa.”

Oh drat.

She guessed that technically that was all true. But still, she thought that spanking her was worse.

Tobias slipped her shoes on and then stood to put his own shoes on before taking her hand and helping her stand.

“We really hafta go home?”

“We do,” he confirmed. “But first, as well as one week with no M&Ms and no Twizzlers, you’re going to write Papa a letter about why it is naughty to disobey me and run from me.”

“A letter! Nooo!”

“Yes. And it’s to be handwritten and no less than two hundred and fifty words.”

“Papa! That’s terrible.”

“Well, that might help you to think twice before you misbehave in the future.”

Sheesh.

Maybe she would.

Maybe she wouldn’t.

They’d just have to wait and see.