Page 21 of Melt For Us, Daddy (Big Daddy Energy #4)

Ivy

S tanding in the bedroom she shared with Cordelia, Ivy frowned down at the bottle of vitamins in her hand. An unfamiliar feeling was rolling in her gut, one she hadn’t felt since her early days in the lifestyle.

Jealousy .

It gnawed at her stomach, making her feel vaguely ill.

And the worst part was, the logical part of her brain knew she was overreacting. Just because Cordelia said she was proud of someone else didn’t mean anything. She used that phrase in scenes all the time. Scenes they participated in together, with absolutely zero jealousy on either side.

Maybe that was the problem. They hadn’t been in a scene. She’d just been talking to him, praising him for simply being a decent human. And that green-eyed monster Ivy didn’t even think lived inside her anymore had reared its ugly head.

She should tell Cordelia. Whenever they scened with someone else, Cordelia made it clear that if she ever felt jealous or uncomfortable she could use her safeword and they would talk things out.

But she was being ridiculous. And she knew she was being ridiculous. So really, there was no reason to upset Cordelia when she had no right to be jealous in the first place.

Shoving the nasty, uncalled for feelings down, she made her way back to the kitchen, her steps slowing at the sound of her woman’s voice.

No. At the sound of her Daddy’s voice.

Pleasure fluttered in her chest at the thought. Cordelia was her Daddy. There was power in that, an implicit promise that she would always come first, that Cordelia would care for her above anyone else.

That was a promise she could cling to if that green-eyed monster popped back up.

“Ivy?” Cordelia’s quiet laughter sent butterflies dancing in Ivy’s tummy. “No, my Ivy hates being punished. So she does everything in her power to avoid it.”

My Ivy. Another promise.

“But she said she likes to be spanked.”

Poor Jacob. He sounded so confused. And he really did seem genuinely interested in understanding their dynamic. Their love. It couldn’t be easy for him. She shouldn’t be such a bitch about him needing a little of Cordelia’s attention.

“She does. Not all spankings are for punishment, Jacob. And there is a concept in our world of a ‘funishment’. Which is a bit like playing pretend. The spanking itself is very real, but the reason behind it is more like a game. Like what you saw at the club that first day, where Ivy was teasing me and I said I’d use my belt on her.

It was just us playing pretend together. ”

“And she likes that.”

“She loves it. And she knows I enjoy disciplining naughty subs, even if it’s just for play. So knowing that it pleases me brings her joy.”

“That’s all… very confusing,” he said with a sigh.

“I know. But just try to remember that whatever I do, I do with Ivy’s best interests at heart. She is my submissive, which means her needs come first for me, always.”

“Okay. I’ll try.”

“That’s all I can ask.”

Feeling steadier than she had been, Ivy stepped into the kitchen, shaking the bottle of vitamins. “Got them!”

Cordelia looked up, her eyes lighting with happiness. “Good girl.”

God the things those two simple words did to her. Especially from her Daddy.

“How does bacon and eggs sound for breakfast?”

“That sounds perfect, blossom.”

Turning to Jacob, Ivy smiled, relieved to find it wasn’t as hard as it might have been if she’d still been feeling so jealous. “Would you like some breakfast, Jacob?”

His gaze slid to Cordelia, and Ivy had to fight off a wave of annoyance. “Is that okay? If she makes me breakfast?”

“I don’t own her, Jacob. If she’s offering, it’s because she wants to, which is her prerogative.”

“ She has a name and she is standing right here.”

Cordelia looked up, one blonde brow raising. “Yes, she does and yes, she is. So, Ivy, is there a reason you are getting snippy with your Daddy?”

Because she still didn’t have a way to explain her feelings without sounding like a total asshole, Ivy shook her head. “Sorry. Guess I’m still just out of sorts from all the changes.”

“Ah. It will get better, baby, I promise.”

“I know. I just need to be dramatic first.”

As she’d hoped, the teasing response made Cordelia laugh, and Ivy was able to return to her work. Making breakfast, just like she did every morning.

Except, nothing was where it was supposed to be. The kitchen was a completely different layout from the one in their apartment, and where she thought things should be because it made the most sense never turned out to be where they actually were.

By the third time opening and closing a cabinet that didn't have what she wanted, she was ready to scream. Or cry. Or maybe all three.

And her Daddy either didn’t notice or was deliberately ignoring her growing frustration. Probably the first, because she was so focused on someone else.

“Jacob, why do you keep making that face?” Cordelia asked, and Ivy had to swallow a not-so-nice response as she opened yet another cabinet in search of a bowl to scramble up these fucking eggs.

“What face?”

“Every time you take a sip of your coffee, you make a face. Like it doesn't taste right.”

“Oh. Ah… I don’t know.”

Uh-oh. Even Ivy could tell he wasn’t being truthful.

Good thing she’s not your Daddy, Jacob.

But when Cordelia spoke again, it was in that low, commanding voice Ivy knew so well, and those tendrils of jealousy once more wrapped themselves around her stomach.

“I am willing to give you a lot of leeway on a lot of things, Jacob, because I know you are still getting used to life outside the church. But I will not, under any circumstances, accept being lied to. Understand?”

“Y-yes, ma’am.”

“Good. Now, please tell me what’s wrong with your coffee.”

“There’s nothing wrong with it. I just didn’t add the milk and sugar like you usually do and it’s…”

“Gross?” Cordelia supplied with a laugh. “Yeah, that’s why I add that stuff. Why didn’t you add it if that’s how you like it?”

“Um, well. Merlin and Kestrel didn’t, and Zach doesn’t, so I thought maybe that’s just how men are supposed to drink it.”

Poor kid. Even through the jealousy, empathy stirred. What was it like, going through your whole life trying to live up to those stupid, impossible ideals?

“There’s no wrong or right way to drink your coffee, Jacob. And there’s definitely no ‘manly’ way to drink it, no matter what someone else might tell you.”

“But…” Whatever look Cordelia was giving him was enough to have him stopping in his tracks. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Good boy. Now. Get up and put some damn milk and sugar in your coffee so you can stop making that face.”

Good boy. Those two words had a lump forming in Ivy’s throat.

It doesn’t mean anything. It’s just a force of habit.

It’s fine.

It’s all going to be fine.

Cordelia

They finished breakfast, leaving them with nothing pressing to do. And by them, she meant Ivy mostly. Cordelia had no problem lying around all day watching tv, and sometimes she was able to get Ivy to relax with her, but for the most part her girl needed something to keep her occupied.

“Ivy, baby,” Cordelia said as she finished wiping down the dishes, the one chore she’d insisted on keeping even when she’d gone from best friend to Domme because it didn't feel fair for Ivy to do all the cooking and the cleaning. “Last night Merlin said there’s a cabinet in the living room with games. Why don’t you go find us something to play? Take Jacob with you.”

To her relief, Ivy’s eyes lit up at the suggestion. “Yes, Daddy!”

Even Jacob looked excited as they ran off, and her heart constricted at the thought of how much of his childhood he’d missed out on. When she’d first escaped the cult, she’d devoured television and movies, catching up on everything she’d missed over the years.

As she’d told Ivy when she’d first explained about her past, it was how she’d gotten her name.

Esther Young was the name she’d been born with, but the day she’d turned eighteen, she’d decided to change it.

And she’d been at the end of a Buffy The Vampire Slayer binge, devastated by the knowledge that Buffy and Cordelia weren’t going to act on their epic enemies-to-lovers storyline, so she’d given herself the happily ever after they’d deserved together.

And so, Cordelia Summers was born.

She wasn’t sure Jacob was quite ready for Buffy, however, or most of the shows she and Ivy enjoyed together. Board games were a nice, innocent way to introduce him to the outside world without scarring him completely.

But when she walked into the living room, she froze in horror at the familiar black box sitting on the coffee table as Ivy passed out cards.

“Absolutely not, little girl. Put it back.”

Ivy’s head jerked up, hurt flashing in her eyes, and Cordelia immediately felt like an asshole for her harsh tone. “What? What did I do?”

“Nothing, baby. But Cards Against Humanity is not really an appropriate game for us to play right now.”

“Oh. But you love this game.”

“I do, but… maybe something else, at least for now.”

“Fine.”

Dammit. She hadn’t meant to, but clearly she’d hurt Ivy’s feelings. And she didn’t have the heart to call her out on her attitude. “What about UNO? You love UNO.”

The fact was, Ivy was a shark at UNO. So Jacob would learn from the best and it would give Ivy a bit of a boost.

Thankfully, the suggestion seemed to perk her babygirl up. “Okay!”

After digging up an old set of cards, Ivy shuffled the deck as she explained the game to Jacob, who looked more than a little overwhelmed by the whole thing.

Leaning over, Cordelia patted his knee and winked.

“Don’t worry. We’ll go through it nice and slow the first round. We won’t even keep score.”

“What’s even the point if you’re not keeping score?” Ivy asked with a roll of her eyes.

“To teach Jacob the rules, Ivy Mae.”

“I don’t mind if we keep score.” Jacob smiled for Ivy, clearly trying to ease the tension in the room.

Looking smug, Ivy smirked as she shuffled the deck. “See? He doesn’t care if we keep score.”

It was lucky for her babygirl Jacob hadn’t consented to hearing or seeing Ivy get spanked, or else she’d already be over Cordelia’s knee.

Pinning her girl with a stern look, Cordelia kept her tone gentle but firm.

“Would you keep score if you were playing a game with your students for the first time?”

Ivy’s cheeks turned pink at the rebuke and she shook her head as she passed out the cards. “No, Ma’am. You’re right.”

“Good girl. Why don’t you flip that top card over and walk Jacob through it slowly.”

If there was one thing in the world Ivy took very seriously, it was her role as a teacher.

And this was no different. She even, to Cordelia’s surprise, showed Jacob her cards so she could explain why she was choosing one option over another, and Cordelia’s heart swelled with love for her sweet babygirl—and relief that whatever had been bugging Ivy earlier seemed to have worked itself out.

She didn’t actually want to punish her, even though she had a sneaking suspicion it would help Ivy’s stress levels a good bit.

They played two rounds before they decided to keep score with Ivy unsurprisingly trouncing them all.

But even though he lost, soundly and multiple times, Jacob seemed to enjoy the game.

Merlin and Kestrel were in and out of the house all day, and they joined in for a couple of rounds, but they quickly found other things to do when they realized exactly how much of a shark her babygirl was.

She’d never been more proud.

After lunch, however, things started to go downhill. None of the games they played seemed to keep anyone’s interest for too long so they switched over to watching a movie. Which meant choosing from the stack of DVDs in the living room which hadn’t been updated in at least the last five years.

And most of which were clearly chosen without children in mind.

Not that Jacob was a child. She knew that. But still . Subjecting him to R-rated movies right out of the gate felt irresponsible, even though she’d never had anyone telling her what she should and shouldn’t watch when she’d first left the cult.

And yet, she couldn’t bring herself to approve any of Ivy’s picks. By the sixth one she rejected, Ivy threw her hands in the air and jumped to her feet. “You pick the fucking movie, then!”

Seated on the other end of the couch, Jacob froze, his eyes going wide as he looked from Cordelia to Ivy.

If they’d been at home, if they hadn’t been trapped in this house with so much uncertainty and danger hanging over their heads, if she didn’t have to worry about upsetting Jacob, she would have pulled Ivy over her lap for a stern reminder on speaking respectfully.

Possibly washed her mouth out with soap considering this was the second time in less than a month they were having the same conversation.

But all of those things were true. And she was well aware her babygirl was struggling, so she tamped down her own annoyance as she rose from the couch.

“All right. I’ll choose. And while I’m choosing, you are going to go sit at the kitchen table and think about how you speak to me.

You can join us when you're ready to be my good girl again.”

Tears glittered in Ivy’s eyes. “Forget it. I don’t want to watch a stupid movie anyway.”

Spinning on her heel, Ivy stormed from the room, her footsteps heavy on the stairs. Which was intentional, because she was too tiny to make much noise unless she wanted to.

Anger sparked in Cordelia’s chest. No matter how out of sorts she was or how much things sucked, Ivy was completely out of line.

“Should you go check on her?” Jacob asked.

She was tempted to. But between her own temper and Ivy’s foul mood, they would likely just end up saying things they both regretted if she followed her upstairs now.

“No. Obviously she needs some time to herself.”

Ignoring the twin aches of anger and worry in her chest, she crossed over to the cabinet full of DVDs and managed to find a stack of animated movies.

Jacob probably wouldn’t be into the various princesses and their adventures, but too damn bad.

Besides, it would be good for him to experience some more feminine things.

Lose the idea that he couldn’t enjoy things just because they were ‘for girls’.

With that in mind, she popped in the first DVD and took her place on the couch. She would take an hour or so, enjoy the movie. And as soon as it was over, she would march herself upstairs and figure out what the hell was going on with her babygirl.