I furiously scribbled notes in my planner as Master Derek spouted off ideas about the Rawhide Ranch Christmas Party. His exuberance about the holiday was infectious, and I found myself bouncing on the balls of my feet just thinking about the festivities to come. Growing up, Christmas had been full of family, food, and fun, but that was before I was kicked out and shunned completely. At sixteen, my parents found out about my interest in spanking, and they decided I was not fit to be their daughter. They were afraid their holier-than-thou friends would find out their “perfect daughter” was some sort of deviant. I had been so surprised by their reaction I’d walked out the door and never looked back.
“And we need to find a Santa Claus,” Derek announced with finality.
“Got it, Sir.”
“Good girl. That’s all for now. Can you start working on those things this morning?”
“Yeah, totally.”
Derek’s eyebrow quirked, and I quickly realized my mistake. “I meant, yes, Sir.”
“I’m sure you did. Fetch the crop please, naughty girl.”
I dropped my chin to my chest and let my hands fall to my sides. Dammit, why is this so hard for you? In the office he is Sir. Sir. Sir. Sir. I berated myself all the way to the implement closet and back again with the evil little torture device. Master Derek always asked for the crop if it was going to be a short, sharp lesson. Since it was the third time I had forgotten his title that morning alone, I wouldn’t have been surprised if I ended up finishing out the workday standing.
He stood and made a show of unbuttoning his cuffs and rolling up his sleeves. “Position, please.” He was not asking, he was commanding, but his sweet Southern charm would not permit him to be impolite. He really was the most perfect man; his wife Sadie was a lucky girl.
I laid my chest flat against the desk with my forehead pressed to the polished wood, my arms fully extended in front of me, palms down, and my feet flat on the ground shoulder-width apart. The position was uncomfortable enough, and knowing Master Derek would leave me there for as long as he saw fit was unnerving. Luckily, he did not seem to be in an overly sadistic mood as I felt my skirt being lifted over my waist. He did not plan to make me wait long today. I shivered as cool air hit my bare ass and brushed across my moist folds. Being punished always caused my pussy to flood. I did not like letting Master Derek down, and I certainly did not enjoy the initial sting of the crop, but none of that kept my body from reacting strongly.
Without warning, the crop sliced hard against my sit spots. I jumped slightly but succeeded in keeping my position, which was a small miracle. Master Derek was a strict man, and breaking position during punishment was not acceptable. I took in a deep breath, letting it out as the crop struck three times in succession. My body tensed, and my knees bent slightly, but I was able to stay put.
“Why are you being disciplined, Erika?”
“Because I failed to remember to use your title, and you are training me to be a well-mannered submissive, Sir.”
“Indeed. How many times have you forgotten my title this morning?”
“Three, Sir.”
Again the crop fell three times, but this time the leather slapper concentrated on the underside of each butt cheek. I wished, not for the first time, that his aim was a little less precise. He struck the same spot over and over, guaranteeing a lasting impression. The pattern of the three count continued. Sit spots, left cheek, right cheek, over and over again. I balled my hands into fists and was chastised with a swat across my thighs.
“Ow! I’m sorry, Sir,” I cried for the first time since he started. It was impossible to keep completely still, and I swayed my bottom back and forth, desperate to alleviate some of the sting.
Master Derek set the crop on the desk and lowered my skirt. I waited for him to release me, not wanting to earn any more stripes.
“You may take the crop back to the closet,” he directed as he returned to his desk chair.
I did as I was told and turned to wait for more instructions.
“Come here, my girl.” His voice went from the harsh coldness of a disciplinarian, to the warm kind tone I had come to adore. I moved to the spot in front of him and knelt.
“I’m sorry for my behavior, Sir. Thank you for correcting me.”
“You’re welcome, little lady. Now come up here.” He opened his arms, and I crawled into his lap for the mandatory cuddle. When I first arrived, I’d had a hard time accepting his warmth, but now it was my favorite part of the scene. Punishment did not happen without aftercare; he was adamant about that.
The door to the office flew open, and Sadie, Derek’s wife, stomped in, making a grand entrance, as was her way. Her pigtails swung, and the pout on her face screamed trouble. I turned my face into Master Derek’s chest to hide my smile. She was too adorable for words.
“Daddy, we need to talk,” Sadie announced with a stomp.
“Did you forget how polite little girls are supposed to enter a room?” Derek’s voice rumbled in response, but I could hear the smile in the words. He loved his wife and all of her girlish sass. She kept him on his toes.
“I’m mad,” she pouted, throwing her arms across her chest.
“I can see that, but even when angry, you need to remember your manners. Please go out into the hall and try again.”
She sighed heavily and turned to leave, closing the door firmly behind her as she exited.
“What am I going to do with her?” Derek asked with a chuckle. It was a rhetorical question, but I answered anyway.
“Keep her, Sir. Just like you do the rest of us.”
“I suppose so. You think you can manage to keep yourself out of trouble for the remainder of the day, or do you need to finish your work sitting bare bottomed on a punishment mat?”
I bolted up and looked him straight in the eye. “I will be good, Sir. I promise.”
“Good girl. Get to work so I can deal with my sassy little brat.”
“Yes, Sir.” I retrieved my planner and left through the connecting door to my office. It wasn’t much, but it was my own space, and I loved it. I looked dubiously at my typically comfortable desk chair and decided to give it a try. As I took a seat, I hissed, wiggling a little to try to find a comfortable position. I needed to be on my computer to finish my tasks for the day, which made sitting my only option, at least for a while.
The door between my office and Master Derek’s always remained open unless he requested otherwise, and I could hear Sadie knock on the door and receive permission to enter.
“Daddy, we need to talk.” Her tone hadn’t changed, but her words did not hold the same demand as they had minutes earlier.
I giggled at her persistence. When her mind was set on something, she would not let it go for anything.
“Daddy, that woman you have in charge needs to be fired.”
“Which woman, Angel?”
“You know which one! Ms. Price! She’s mean, and she has it in for me!”
“I believe Ms. Price usually has good reasons for getting on your case. You can tell me what happened later. For now, how would you like to discuss Christmas?” Derek asked, wisely changing the subject. There was no way he was going to fire Ms. Price, and no way Sadie’s complaints would be effective.
A squeal of delight echoed through the adjoining rooms as Sadie allowed herself to be distracted from the matter at hand. I felt guilty about listening to their conversation, so I tried to busy myself, but my boss and his wife were two of the most entertaining people on the planet. Their love was so deep, so pure, so beautiful. I could only hope to find someone who matched me that perfectly one day.
“I thought you would like that,” Derek continued. “Who do you think would make a good Santa Claus?”
I racked my brain for an answer to his question but came up empty.
“How ‘’bout you, Daddy?”
“I would love to, little one, you know that, but I can’t play Santa and do everything else at the same time.”
“The other people could do the other things. You be Santa!”
“Not an option.” He shut her down. “Next choice?”
I opened Master Derek’s virtual Rolodex on my computer and scrolled through the names, looking for a potential candidate.
“How ‘’bout Uncle Jared? He’s old! He could do it, and we haven’t seen him in foreeeeever.” She drew out the last word, and Derek laughed.
“That’s a wonderful idea, angel, but don’t let him catch you calling him old, or he will tan you good.”
I shook my head, knowing this was true. Jared had visited the ranch on multiple occasions in the past. He loved Sadie and spoiled her rotten, but he took his role as her Uncle seriously, and he did not tolerate disrespect at all. I shuddered. The man was all Dom and sexy as hell. Thinking about him made my body tingle. Since the first time I met him, I’d had a secret crush on him.
Derek’s voice rose slightly as he called out to me through the open door. “Erika, can you get Jared Stark on the phone, please?”
I gulped thinking about calling the man I secretly pined over. Jared was an old friend of Derek’s, and he visited the ranch a couple of times a year. He was a seasoned Dom and carried an air of strength and confidence that made me shiver. I had trouble even making eye contact with him, and he loved to tease me about it.
“Erika?” Derek spoke a little louder.
“Oh! Yes, Sir. I’m sorry. Would you like me to do it now?”
“Yes, please.”
“Yes, Sir.” My throat tightened as I located Jared’s contact information. Calling him on the phone was the last thing I wanted to do, but it was a job responsibility, and I wasn’t about to admit to Derek or his wife why the simple task was so hard for me.
“Angel, why don’t you go back to your classroom or to the dorms with your friends?” I pulled the contact card from the Rolodex and held it between my shaking fingers. I could hear Derek dismissing Sadie in the next room, but it felt like I was listening through a tunnel.
“I wanna talk to Uncle Jared!” Sadie whined. I wished I could let her call him, but handing over my duties to the boss’s wife was not advisable.
“We can call him again later,” Derek told her, soothingly. “This call is about business.”
With a sigh, I dialed the number on the card and held my breath.
“Okaaaay.” Her footsteps faded as she left the office, and the first ring of the phone sounded in my ear. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, trying to calm my pounding heart in an effort to keep my voice from shaking.
The lines of the deposition before me bled together as I stared at my scribbled notes. Work felt like the same thing every day, even though it was a new client and a new case. The mundane pattern made concentrating difficult, and I had long since lost the fire and passion for my cases. Retirement was looking better and better each day, and I quickly approached retirement age.
I decided to pack up for the day just as the phone at my desk rang. I looked skeptically at the caller ID, wondering if I should let it go to voicemail, but when I saw Derek’s number, I couldn’t help but grin. The man had impeccable timing.
“Stark,” I answered, out of habit. The sultry voice on the other end of the line shook.
“H-Hello, Mr. Stark. This is Erika Lane. I’m calling on behalf of Master Derek. Would you mind if I put you on hold while I transfer you?”
“Hello, Erika. How are you, little squirrel?”
“Me?” her voice squeaked.
“Yes, you. Is there someone else on the line I don’t know about?” I grinned. The little submissive fascinated me in a way no woman had in a long time. I loved to catch her off guard and listen to her stumble over her words or watch her squirm in her seat.
“N-no, Sir, I’m doing well. Thank you for asking. I, um, Master Derek would like to speak to you. May I transfer you?”
“Trying to get rid of me so quickly?” I leaned back in my desk chair and crossed my legs, getting comfortable for the best conversation I’d had all day, or all week for that matter. Erika was adorable, and she flipped all my dominant switches.
“N-no, Sir. Of course not. I-I’m just doing my job.”
Her voice shook with nerves, and I would bet my paycheck she was wiggling on a sore bottom as she practically begged to pass me off to Derek. I sighed. I could listen to her voice all day, but I didn’t want to stress her out. She had always been a timid little thing. “Okay, little squirrel, go ahead and transfer me.”
Her audible sigh of relief made me laugh out loud. “Thank you, please hold.” A small click sounded, and the line went silent for a moment before Derek’s drawl carried through the earpiece.
“This is Derek.”
“It’s Jared. What can I do for you, old friend? Need a lawyer for something? One of those nice mix-and-match couples suing you for everything you own?” I joked, knowing that wasn’t the case. Derek was very good at what he did.
“Very funny, old man. You know my clients are all happier than most traditional couples.”
“I know, I know. You are the best. What can I do for you, then?”
“Have any Christmas plans?”
I gave the calendar on my desk a blank stare. “Is it December already?”
“Uh oh. Are you losing your marbles, old man? Do we need to get you into a home?”
“Very funny, junior. This year passed by a little quicker than I realized. I have no plans as of yet. I have a feeling that is about to change?” I couldn’t help the hope in my voice. Time off and a vacation at the only BDSM ranch in the country sounded like exactly what I needed.
“You got that right. I need a Santa Claus, and you just got nominated.”
I bolted upright in my chair and frowned at the phone. “Santa Claus? Are you kidding me? That’s a little outside of my personality.” It was a lot more suited to Derek’s than mine. “What’s wrong? All your other prospects turn you down?”
“Ha!” Derek scoffed. “No one turns me down. Haven’t you figured that out by now? No, you are my first and only call. Sadie asked for you specifically.”
I growled. “Low blow. You know I can’t say no to that little wife of yours.”
“Indeed I do.” I could tell he was grinning even through the phone. “So, when can you fly out? I will send my plane.”
“Let me finish up the week, and I’ll let you know,” I sighed. There was no use arguing. I needed a change of scenery, and Derek really did not take no for an answer from anyone.
“Sounds good. Better start practicing your Ho ho ho.” Derek’s laugh boomed before the line went silent.
Shaking my head, I hung up the phone and gathered my papers. I could finish the case at home.