Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 53862 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 269(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53862 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 269(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
Overwhelmed and a little excited, she inched closer. “You did all this for me?”
Celeste nodded. “We like to come up with excuses for impromptu parties as often as we can. They’re fun.”
Zara tucked an arm around Lyra’s and guided her away from Phoenix. “We Littles need time to unwind and have fun.”
Juniper nodded. “Plus, you need to make a tarantula for your door. It’s so bare,” she joked.
It was like a birthday party. The kind a child would have. Five grown adults having a fancy tea party with crafts and snacks and giggling. Would there be giggling? She knew there would be.
Glancing over her shoulder, she found Phoenix smiling at her. “Go on, Little one. Have fun. I need to check on some maintenance issues at one of the entrances to the resort. I’ll be back before dinner.”
Her heart felt full. She knew he loved her. He’d told her so already. She felt the same powerful emotions toward him but hadn’t said it out loud yet. She hoped she at least conveyed her feelings through her eyes because, right about now, she had the urge to turn around, run to him, jump into his arms, and hug him so tightly he could never get away from her.
He winked and smiled broader. “Have fun.”
Magnus rose from the computer center and turned toward them as they all claimed spots at the table. “No shenanigans, girls. I mean it. If you need to plan something naughty, it has to happen here in the basement, and it absolutely can’t involve any more scary movies. Plus, any mess you make, you will clean up yourselves. Understood?” His voice was gruff, but his eyes danced at the same time.
“Yes, Daddy,” Juniper said as she rolled her eyes. She waved a hand toward his desk. “Go do work things. Ignore us.”
The grunt he made suggested that would be impossible, but he adjusted his ballcap and resumed sitting at the row of monitors.
Celeste tried to stifle her giggles with a hand over her mouth, but she failed.
“What does he mean about shenanigans?” Lyra asked as she took a seat.
Zara sat next to her. “When we get together, we have a tendency to plot something naughty.”
“Why?” Lyra asked in confusion. Phoenix had suggested the same thing, but she hadn’t understood what he’d meant.
Sadie shrugged. “Because it’s fun.” She leaned in and whispered, “And because we like to get spanked on occasion.”
Lyra sucked in a breath, glancing around at all of them. “You do naughty things to intentionally get spanked?” Why did the idea make her squirm?
Their heads all bobbed.
Juniper leaned closer. “Has Phoenix spanked you yet?”
Lyra’s cheeks heated as she nodded. “Yes. This morning, after I conned Sadie into letting me play outside without checking with him.”
Sadie squirmed in her seat. “Yeah, I got spanked for that, too.”
Lyra gasped. “Oh no. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to get you into trouble.”
Sadie shrugged, a grin on her face. “It was worth it. I knew perfectly well I shouldn’t have plotted that concert outside without calling Rocco. I kind of needed a good hard spanking.” Her face changed, sobering. “I feel really bad about the fact that a stalker almost got to you. I didn’t think what we did would put you in any real danger.”
Lyra reached across the table and set her hand on Sadie’s. “It’s okay. I don’t blame you. It was my idea. I didn’t think I was in danger anymore, either. Plus, I was feeling defiant. My last boyfriend was bossy to the point of being abusive. I know Phoenix is nothing like that, but my mind got carried away, and I wanted to make my own decisions. It wasn’t my brightest moment.”
Lyra shifted her weight back and forth. Her bottom had been sore ever since. It had burned while she’d played all afternoon and was still tender now. The elastic of her panties was irritating her reddened skin.
“Let’s eat junk food,” Celeste declared in a cheerful voice, bringing them out of their temporary funk.
They each reached for a variety of treats, filled their pretty plates, and poured the sweet punch into their cups. For several minutes, they were quiet while they filled their tummies with sugar.
The desserts were delicious. Lyra hadn’t had many treats in a long time. She hadn’t felt like it. Most of the time, her stomach had been in knots, and she hadn’t felt like eating at all, especially not anything as tasty as cakes and cookies.
When they were finished, they piled up their plates, and Sadie passed out papers and scattered crayons and colored pencils in the middle of the table. “Do you like to draw and color?” she asked Lyra.
“I don’t even know,” Lyra answered honestly. “It’s been a long time since I’ve done anything like this.”
Celeste nodded. “I felt the same way when I first came here. Now, I make sure I take time to embrace my inner Little and indulge her at least part of every day.”