The Daddy P.I. Casefiles: The First Collection, Frost, J [famous ebook reader TXT] 📗

effect and she blinks, then opens her eyes and snatches her thumb out of her mouth guiltily. I rearrange her in my lap to a more comfortable position, kiss her on the forehead and draw her head back down to my shoulder. “Cuddle for a minute,” I whisper to her, and am relieved when her arms slide around me.

“I am sorry,” Sante says. “I do not wish to disturb your date.”

“Thanks. Look, you don’t need to worry about me, okay? I have no interest in re-opening old wounds.”

He sinks back into the couch with a sigh. “Thank you. I know you owe me nothing. Things—” He spreads his hands in a gesture I’d call a Gallic shrug, if he wasn’t Italian. “Have not gone the way I would have wanted. Winning Rachel was the most important thing. I did not stop to think what it would mean here.” His eyes flick to Javier, who is engrossed in deep-throating his slave. “I do not wish to create any more bad feelings.”

Have there been bad feelings other than mine? A few of my brothers tried to talk with me about it after Rachel made her choice, but I shrugged them off. The holidays were coming and, unusually, Miranda was in the States, so I plunged into celebrating with her. Mir never particularly enjoyed the club; I don’t think I brought her at all last year. We had a weekend in Maine after Thanksgiving, eating lobster, and another on the Jersey shore before New Year’s, walking on the beach in the snow. But no days or nights at the club. I rub the bridge of my nose. Maybe I’ve just been too preoccupied with my own crap to notice what was going on here.

“It’s all in the past,” I say to reassure him, something I definitely would not have done even a month ago. “Let’s just forget it and move on.”

“That would be best,” Sante says quickly. “You should come here whenever you wish.”

Does he think I’ve been staying away? Does everyone? I’ve been busy, and my last few jobs have required extended travel. But I haven’t made much effort to come to the club when I’ve been home, either. I even set up a treadmill and weight bench in my basement so I could exercise without coming to the club’s gym, which I used to do four times a week. I told myself I was saving time by eliminating the commute, but the truth is that coming to the club didn’t hold much appeal when I knew I was likely to bump into Rachel, or Sante, or, worse, Rachel and Sante.

“I do come whenever I feel like it,” I say, to ease whatever guilt he’s feeling about driving me away from the club, where I’ve been a member a lot longer than he has. “I travel a lot.”

“Yes, yes, of course. Maybe now that you have a lady to come home to, you will travel less, eh?”

“Sure.” Let him think that. I’d prefer to take Emily with me, but that’s a bridge it’s too soon to cross.

He runs his hand through his hair again, then heaves himself to his feet. He’s a big guy, a little shorter than I am but with a body that belongs on a pro-wrestler. He hesitates, then sticks his hand out to me. “Enjoy your night.”

I reach around Emily to shake. “See you around.”

He nods tightly and strides out of the room.

Emily gives me a squeeze, before she whispers. “Is everything okay, sir?”

“Yes, baby doll, everything’s fine.” I rub noses with her and she grins. “Did you have a nice nap?”

“Yes, sir. I’m sorry I fell asleep on you.”

“I’m not. It was a perfect way to end the scene. I see lots of naps on Daddy in your future. But now—“ I show her the timer on my watch, which is at forty-two minutes, thirty-seven seconds. “I think we need to go to the bathroom, don’t you?”

“Oh.” Her cheeks flare. “Yes, sir, but I can do it. By myself, I mean.”

“What Daddy puts in, Daddy takes out. Also, I think you might be too little to take out a plug by yourself, don’t you?”

“I am?” Her eyes widen until they’re almost round. “I mean, yes, Daddy.”

“Good girl.”

She hugs me very tight.

* * *

We leave Javier throat-fucking his slave.

As we reach the library door, Emily looks up at me from where I have her tucked against my side. “Sir, do you like it that deep and rough?”

“Hmm? Oh. Like Javier’s doing to his bottom? He’s teaching her to hold her breath while he deep-throats her.” I open the door and lead her into the long gallery, which is quiet and empty. Looks like the “fox” got away and the “hounds” retired to the spa to nurse their bruises. “That’s advanced breath play, baby doll. I wouldn’t ask you to do anything like that without a lot of preparation.”

“I can already hold my breath for a minute, sir,” she says.

“You can?” Fuck, that’s a gift. God bless Matthew, wherever he is. “Do you swim or something?”

“Laps.” She gives me a grin. “Going to the pool gets me out of my jammies.”

“Well, exercise is very important.” And the side effects are a big fucking bonus. “Have you done breath play before?”

She shakes her head and goes up on her toes to whisper to me. “What he’s doing looks really exciting, Daddy.”

“It does, does it? If it would turn my naughty baby on, we can do throat training.” I’ll work it into the things I’m already planning for the cruise.

“Thank you, Daddy.” She snuggles into my side, wrapping her arm around my waist. “Is there other training we can do?”

“Besides your ass and throat? What did you have in mind?”

“You were in the military, right?” At my nod, she continues. “Would you teach me how to shine things? Like your cufflinks and your shoes?”

She wants domestic training? The idea shoots straight to my balls. It’s been too long