Page 29 of Melt For Us, Daddy (Big Daddy Energy #4)

“I love you, my sweet girl. You are my everything, and I won’t have you speaking those ugly lies about yourself.”

Tears burned at the back of Ivy’s eyes before the first swat even landed. Disappointing Cordelia was at the very top of her Things To Never Do list and lately that seemed to be all she was capable of doing.

But when she tried to bury her face in her arms to hide her shame, a hard tug on her ponytail pulled her head up. “No, blossom. I didn’t allow Jacob to hide from me, and neither will you. Turn your head to the side so I can see that pretty face while you take your punishment.”

The pleasure of being called pretty warred with the humiliation of being forced to turn her head, to look directly at the chair Jacob was seated in, his eyes round with… was that wonder? Desire? Some fascinating combination of the two?

And then the spanking started, and all of her focus went to the punishment being delivered to her unprotected bottom.

Unlike the slower, more measured spanking she’d given Jacob, Cordelia didn’t hold back as she swatted Ivy’s bottom over and over.

It wasn’t long before those stinging spanks morphed into a burn that covered every inch of exposed skin.

Part of her wanted to show Jacob it wasn’t that bad. That even though it hurt and it was a punishment, Cordelia wasn’t actually harming her.

But Cordelia’s words during Jacob’s scene rang in her ears. You will not keep those sweet sounds from us, boy. And Ivy had been right there with her, encouraging him to whine, to cry, to trust them enough to let it all out.

What right did she have to demand that level of trust from him if she wasn’t willing to give it herself? Wasn’t that, on some level, what she’d been so upset with Cordelia about when Jacob had first shown up? Demanding trust but not giving it in return?

So even though it was a little embarrassing, she let the first cry slip past her lips just as Cordelia focused her swats on Ivy’s sensitive sit-spots.

“Ow, Daddy! It hurts!”

The next swat was definitely harder and Ivy yelped at the flash of pain. “Does it? Good. Because it hurts me to hear you talk like that about yourself, Ivy Mae. It hurts me that after two years together you don’t believe me when I tell you what a kind, compassionate, loving person you are.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” All thoughts of Jacob, of what he might be thinking or feeling were shoved to the back of her mind as the grief of knowing she’d disappointed her Daddy took over. A sob rose in her throat and tears slipped down her cheeks as she surrendered to her punishment.

Unfortunately for her, it wasn’t over yet.

The cool wood of her brush tapped against Ivy’s scorched skin and she moaned. “Daddy, no, I’m sorry, it won’t happen again I promise!”

“You’re damn right it won’t. I am not going to have my babygirl wandering around thinking all those nasty things about herself. Ten with the brush and I want you to count each one, nice and loud. ‘One, thank you, Daddy’, and so on.”

Fuck. She hated counting with a passion. But she would do it, because her Domme demanded it, and she was at her core, a good girl desperate to please.

“Y-yes, Daddy.”

A thousand bees attacked her skin all at once. Or at least, that’s what it felt like when the brush connected with her bare ass.

“Ow, ow, ow! One, thank you, Daddy!”

Another swarm of bees sent hot, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks. “Two, thank you, Daddy!”

“Such a good girl,” Cordelia murmured, a second before number three caught the bottom curve of Ivy’s ass, making her cry out in pain.

“Th-three, thank you, D-Daddy!”

Four. Five. Six. One by one, she counted them out as she sobbed over Daddy’s lap, oblivious to everything but the painful punishment.

And one by one, each swat chipped away at the heaviness that had settled in her chest when Cordelia had scolded her at the kitchen table. Seven. Eight. Nine.

“Last one, blossom. You’re being such a good, brave girl for me. I love you so fucking much, baby. You know that, right?”

Some days that felt like the only thing she knew. The only truth she could cling to in a world where nothing else made sense. “Yes, Daddy,” she whispered.

“Good. One more and then you’re all done.”

Resisting the urge to bury her face in her arms, Ivy braced for that last swat, a cry ripping from her throat when it came. “Ten, th-thank you, Daddy!”

“Come here, baby. It’s all done.”

As she always did at the end of a punishment, Ivy pushed herself up from Cordelia’s lap, practically launching herself into her Daddy’s arms as she wept. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’ll be g-good, I promise!”

“I know, baby. And I know how hard this has been on you. You’re being so brave for me and I’m so proud of you.”

“I don’t feel brave,” Ivy admitted with a sigh, letting her head fall onto Cordelia’s shoulder. “I feel like I’m just making this all harder on you than it has to be.”

“This is an impossibly hard situation for all of us, blossom. We’re all just doing the best we can, even you.” Cupping Ivy’s cheek, Cordelia looked down at her. “You don't have to be perfect for me, baby. I’ll still be here, even when things are messy and complicated. Okay?”

Love filled her, warming her from the inside out. “Yes, Daddy.”

“My good girl. Do you feel up to playing school for a little bit or do you want to go upstairs and lie down?”

“I’m okay. I need to go clean the kitchen, though.”

“Absolutely not, little girl. You know the rules. You cook, I clean. After dinner, Jacob will help clean. For now, you’re going to sit down and teach Jacob something new. History, math, I don’t care.” Lips curving up in a smile, Cordelia tapped the end of Ivy’s nose. “That's up to you, Ms. Baker.”

Ivy giggled at the playful response. “Yes, Daddy.”

Helping Ivy to her feet, Cordelia tugged her panties and leggings up over her aching bottom before rising and pulling Ivy back into her arms. “No more mean words about my babygirl. Understood?”

“Understood.”

“Good girl.” With one arm still around Ivy’s waist, Cordelia turned to face Jacob, who was still watching them in silence with those wide, pale eyes. “You okay, baby boy?”

“Yes, Ma’am. I think so. Um, is Ivy okay?”

God, could he be any sweeter? “I’m fine, honey. A little sore and a lot embarrassed that I messed up so badly, but I feel much better now.”

Confusion twisted his features. “You do?”

“I do. I messed up, but I was punished and now all is right with the world again. But if it’s all the same to everyone else, I think we’ll be having our first lesson on the couch today.”

Laughing, Cordelia pressed a kiss to her temple. “I’ll allow it, just this once. But if it happens again, you will be sitting that sore bottom on those hard kitchen chairs.”

“Yes, Daddy.”

“Good girl. I’m going to go clean. You two… learn something.”

As Cordelia turned to walk away, Ivy looked over at Jacob and deliberately rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. The gesture earned her a laugh from the man in front of her.

“All right, Jakey. Let’s go ‘learn something’.”