“Daddy is very mean,” he agreed, writing on the rules’ whiteboard.
“And I don’t need a nap.”
“Sure you don’t, teeny.”
“I won’t sleep. I’ll just lie there, bored out of my mind.”
“As long as you stay in bed for the whole hour, that’s fine,” he told her.
“A whole hour! This is cruel and unusual punishment.”
“It’s terrible,” Linc agreed as he continued to write on the whiteboard. “Not sure how you put up with me. I figure you’re only with me because of my looks.”
“You’re definitely good eye candy.”
He put down the whiteboard and leapt towards her, tickling her until she begged for mercy.
“I have to pee.”
He chuckled as she raced off to the toilet. Little brat. When she returned, he was looking down at his list of rules with satisfaction.
“There, I think we’ve got most of the rules. No doubt more will come up but I reckon that covers it for now. What do you think?” he asked her as she sat next to him, turning the board towards her.
Marisol gave him a skeptical look.
“What? You think I missed some? Let’s see what we’ve got. Mari’s list of rules. No lying. She must talk to Daddy if something is worrying or upsetting her—”
“Those rules apply to Daddy too, right,” she interjected.
“Of course. Next rule. No going anywhere without Daddy’s knowledge. That’s not me being a controlling jerk. It’s about safety. I simply want to know where you’re going and when you think you’ll be back. You can’t leave the ranch until we’ve decided that it’s safe. And until you’re more knowledgeable of the ranch, I’d prefer that you didn’t walk around on your own. If you want to visit one of the other Littles or go on a walk, tell me. I’ll take you. I don’t want you getting lost. Okay?”
“Yeah. That’s probably a good idea.”
“If someone like Abby comes to visit and asks you to go to her place or one of the other Littles’ houses, just send me a text okay? Not trying to keep you locked up. But I would like to know where you are. Coming home and finding you gone would have me panicking and sending out a search party.”
“All right, Daddy.”
“Next rule. No walking while reading.”
“Okay.”
“You must always wear a seatbelt, no matter if you’re on the road or the ranch.”
She sighed dramatically. “Fine, Daddy.”
“And if you ever are driving, you must drive safely, which means no speeding or using your phone while driving. And no driving my truck.”
“I still think I could manage it.”
“Teeny, you can’t even see out the front window. I ever catch you trying to drive it and you’re getting my belt. Breaking a health and safety rule will always result in you getting a hot ass. And those punishments will be done as soon as is safely possible.”
Damn, she was cute when she pouted.
“Next rule. No talking down about yourself. That’s very important. You’ve had a small punishment, but the next time you do this, the punishment will be much harder.”
She nibbled at her lower lip nervously. “Okay, Daddy. Although for the record, I thought that punishment was plenty hard.”
“Did you? No talking about serious topics while eating. No moving from Daddy’s lap without his permission. When you are Little, you will not swear and you will address Daddy as the most wonderful, handsome Daddy in the world.”