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PAPI’S SAVIOR

LAYLAH ROBERTS
Laylah Roberts.

Papi’s Savior
© 2023, Laylah Roberts

Laylah.roberts@gmail.com
https://laylahroberts.com

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any
unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express
written permission from the author / publisher.

Editing: Celeste Jones; Woncas Creative

Cover Design by: Allycat’s Creations

Photographer: James Critchley

Model: Daniel Chiorean
Created with Vellum
 CONTENTS
Let’s keep in touch!
Books by Laylah Roberts
Author Note
Trigger Warnings

Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Epilogue

Diaz Family Tree

Character List
 LET’S KEEP IN TOUCH!

Don’t miss a new release, sign up to my newsletter for sneak peeks, deleted scenes and giveaways:
https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/p7l6g0

You can also join my Facebook readers group here:

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BOOKS BY LAYLAH ROBERTS
Doms of Decadence
Just for You, Sir
Forever Yours, Sir
For the Love of Sir
Sinfully Yours, Sir
Make me, Sir
A Taste of Sir
To Save Sir
Sir’s Redemption
Reveal Me, Sir

Crime Boss Daddies

Daddy’s Obsession
Papi’s Protection
Papi’s Savior

Montana Daddies
Daddy Bear
Daddy’s Little Darling
Daddy’s Naughty Darling Novella
Daddy’s Sweet Girl
Daddy’s Lost Love
A Montana Daddies Christmas
Daring Daddy
Warrior Daddy
Daddy’s Angel
Heal Me, Daddy
Daddy in Cowboy Boots
A Little Christmas Cheer (crossover with MC Daddies)
Sheriff Daddy
Her Daddies’ Saving Grace
Rogue Daddy
A Little Winter Wonderland
Daddy’s Sassy Sweetheart
Daddy Dominic

MC Daddies
Motorcycle Daddy
 Hero Daddy
Protector Daddy
Untamed Daddy
Her Daddy’s Jewel
Fierce Daddy
Savage Daddy
Boss Daddy
Daddy Fox
A Snowy Little Christmas
Saving Daddy

Harem of Daddies
Ruled by her Daddies
Claimed by her Daddies
Stolen by her Daddies
Captured by her Daddies

Haven, Texas Series

Lila’s Loves
Laken’s Surrender
Saving Savannah
Molly’s Man
Saxon’s Soul
Mastered by Malone
How West was Won
Cole’s Mistake
Jardin’s Gamble
Romanced by the Malones
Twice the Malone
Mending a Malone
Malone’s Heart

Men of Orion
Worlds Apart

Cavan Gang
Rectify
Redemption

Redemption Valley
Audra’s Awakening
 Old-Fashioned Series
An Old-Fashioned Man
Two Old-Fashioned Men
Her Old-Fashioned Husband
Her Old-Fashioned Boss
His Old-Fashioned Love
An Old-Fashioned Christmas

Bad Boys of Wildeside

Wilde
Sinclair
Luke

Rawhide Ranch Holiday

A Cozy Little Christmas
A Little Easter Escapade

Standalones
Their Christmas Baby
Haley Chronicles
Ally and Jake
 AUTHOR NOTE

If you haven’t read Papi’s Protection yet, then please go read that book first. This is book two in Cat
and Alejandro’s story.
In order to understand and follow the timeline, please take into account that the prologue of this
book begins approximately two years after Cat and Alejandro first meet in Papi’s Protection.
The events of Fierce Daddy and Daddy’s Obsession happen over the course of this story and are
covered throughout the book. Events in those books intersect with events with this book.
At the back, you’ll find a family tree as well as a character list.
Hope that helps everything make sense.
Laylah
 TRIGGER WARNINGS

Triggers include but are not limited to pet play, spankings, DD/lg, kidnapping, disappearance of a
loved one and sexual attack (in the past and no real details on page).
 PROLOGUE

“M adre de Dios!” Cat yelled from the bathroom. “Esto es un desastre! Una catástrofe!”
With Alejandro’s help, she’d become quite fluent in Spanish. It kind of felt like some of it had
been trapped in her brain, just waiting to be released. Now, when she was really agitated, she tended
to slip into Spanish.
“Cat? What is it? What’s wrong?” Alejandro raced in from the bedroom, looking panicked.
“Mierda! Did you hurt yourself? Are you in pain?” He picked her up in his arms. “Let’s get you to
Aaron.”
“Wait!” Okay, as usual, she hadn’t thought this through. “I’m all right. I’m not injured.”
He stilled, staring at her as though he didn’t believe her. “Are you sure?”
“I’d know if I was injured, Papi.”
“But would you tell me?”
“Of course I would.”
He narrowed his gaze. “You didn’t tell me when you tripped on the stairs the other week and
bruised your knees.”
“Well, yes, because now you’ve banned me from walking up and down the stairs on my own! I
don’t mean this as a criticism, Papi, but you have a slight tendency to overreact about some things.”
And the reason she’d tripped might have been because of the roller skates she’d been wearing at
the time. She’d set up this small ramp, and she’d been going to launch herself off the stairs . . . and
yeah, even she could hear how dangerous that sounded.
Yes, she knew she wasn’t supposed to lie or keep things from him. But a small white lie now and
then didn’t truly count, right?
And it wasn’t a lie, exactly. More like she’d omitted a few things to help keep his blood pressure
under control.
She was thoughtful like that.
“I overreact? Me?”
“Yes, Papi. I don’t know why you look so shocked. I thought you would know this about yourself
by now.”
Poor Papi. He wasn’t the most self-aware person. She thought this was what happened when you
were the leader of a vast crime syndicate where people jumped to do your bidding when you spoke.
This is why he needed Cat.
She kept him grounded in reality.
 “You’re lucky to have me, Papi,” she told him as he sank down on the bed with her in his lap.
“I know that. But I’m curious about why you think so.”
“Because I keep your feet on the ground, obviously. I keep things real by not catering to your
every whim.”
“Catering to my every whim?”
Hmm. His face was doing that thing again . . . poor Papi. She should talk to Aaron about his blood
pressure. She was getting worried. With how old he was, it was something they should keep an eye
on.
Also . . . didn’t men his age need things like colonoscopies and prostate exams?
“Has Aaron examined your balls lately?” she asked him seriously.
He just stared at her, not moving.
Oh hell.
Was he having some sort of seizure? Or a stroke?
She snapped her fingers in front of his face. Well, she tried to. Snapping her fingers and whistling
were two things she hadn’t really mastered.
He grabbed her hand. “What are you doing?”
“Making sure you’re all right. Are you? You seem a bit spaced out.”
“I was trying to figure out why you would ask me if Aaron has touched my balls.”
“As a man of a certain age, I think there are tests you need . . . like colonoscopies and stuff.”
He ran his hand over his face. “Pequeña, I’m thirty-six. I’m nowhere close to my grave. And
under no circumstances will Aaron ever be touching my balls.”
She sighed. “He’s a doctor. There’s no need for you to be embarrassed about him touching your
balls. Honestly, men are so sensitive about the silliest things.”
She guessed she would have to learn how to take care of his balls for him.
It was a tough job, but someone had to do it.
“Pequeña,” he said firmly. “Stop talking about my balls. Now, you’re sure you’re not hurt?”
“I’m not. Promise. Cross my heart and hope to die.”
He grabbed her hand as she moved her finger over her chest. “Never say that.”
“Never say what?”
“Never say that you hope to die. Ever. It’s not happening. Understand me?”
She sucked in a breath as she stared up into his face. She hadn’t meant to sound flippant. Someone
else might tease him for overreacting, but not Cat.
He didn’t want to lose her. Didn’t want to think of a life without her. And she understood that
sentiment. Because she felt the same way.
“Yes. I’m sorry, Papi,” she whispered. “It’s just a silly saying.”
He closed. “I know. I just . . . I cannot lose you, Cat.”
“You won’t. I promise. You won’t.”
Leaning in, he kissed her. It was a kiss filled with possession. A claiming.
Something hard and hot.
Filled with hunger.
When he drew back, he stared down at her, taking her in. “Now, why don’t you tell me what this
disaster is?”
He worded it like a question, but it wasn’t.
She tensed in his arms. How had she forgotten about the catastrophe?
Because she’d gotten distracted by his balls. That’s how.
 “I’m pretty sure it’s obvious.”
“It is?”
“Take a look at my face. Just look at it.”
He slowly ran his gaze over her face. “Gorgeous as usual.”
“Don’t lie, Papi, or I’ll have to put you over my knee.” She waggled a finger in his face.
“I certainly wasn’t lying,” he told her sternly. “You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.
Sometimes, I wish you were less stunning.”
“What? Papi!” What the hell?
“Because you attract too much attention, Preciosa. You are mine. I don’t like anyone looking at
you and they certainly aren’t allowed to touch.”
Dear Lord.
His possessiveness was out of control.
And you like it.
No, she loved it. She adored how much he loved her, desired her.
It was nothing like how the Deity had wanted her. To him, she’d been a status symbol. Not a
person. He’d never cared about her well-being.
Alejandro was always taking care of her, showing her how much he valued her.
But he was definitely nuts.
And that’s why they fit so well together. Because Cat was nuts too. Because she didn’t want
anyone looking at him either.
However, none of that was the point right now. Obviously, he was going blind if he couldn’t see
the huge flaw on her face.
“How can you not see it, Papi?”
“I’m searching, mi Pequeña. But I can’t see what you’re talking about.”
“Papi! Look at it.” She pointed to the side of her nose.
“Are you talking about that tiny pimple?”
“Yes, I’m talking about the pimple! Three days. We have three days to go and I have a pimple!
This is a catastrophe.”
She didn’t understand how he could be so calm.
Probably because no pimple would ever dare turn up on his face.
And definitely not three days before his wedding.
This was terrible.
“Pequeña, it’s just a pimple.” He was using his ‘Cat’s losing her mind’ voice.
She heard it a lot.
Wait a minute . . . just a pimple? Just. A. Pimple!
Was he kidding her?
“No one will even notice it. Besides, the wedding is still three days away. That’s plenty of time to
get rid of it.”
“Obviously, you have no idea how pimples work. They’re sneaky little assholes. Where there is
one, others are just waiting to strike. They hunt in packs. This is about to become an outbreak.
They’re coming for me . . . they’re going to take me down. All because I’ve been slightly stressed in
the lead-up to this wedding.”
“Slightly stressed?” he murmured. “I think I have a repetitive strain injury from spanking your ass
so much. The more stressed you become, the less inclined you seem to be to follow the rules.”
“Rules suck.”
 “Rules are there to keep you safe and happy. Do you know how many times I’ve nearly called this
wedding off?”
“Five.”
“Six now,” he said darkly. “And this time, it might stick.”
“You cannot call a wedding off with just days to go!”
“Why not?”
“There are deposits we’ll lose!”
“Pequeña, do you think I would ever put money before your health?”
Alejandro was very invested in her health and well-being, so she knew he wouldn’t. Just like she
knew she’d sit a lot more comfortably if he was a little less invested.
And you wouldn’t feel the best you have in years.
Well . . . except for the added stress of organizing this wedding.
Who knew that weddings were so much work?
Not her.
And this was a small wedding!
Less than thirty people. She couldn’t even imagine what it would be like if she had a huge
wedding.
“Mi Pequeña, the wedding is small,” Alejandro said, seemingly reading her mind. “And you’ve
barely spent any money even though I gave you a budget.”
“Budget? Your budget was ridiculous! No one spends that much on a wedding. And a budget is
something you’re supposed to stick to, not strive to spend. I can’t spend that much of your money.”
His face darkened, and immediately, she realized her mistake.
Crap.
“Whose money?”
Cheese and crackers. That was his ‘you’re-about-to-get-your-butt-spanked’ voice.
Unfortunately, she it was another voice she knew well.
“Our money? I meant our money, Papi. Yours and mine. Even though you do everything to earn it,
while all I do is sit around on my behind all day—hey! No, Papi! No!” she cried out as he spun her
over in his lap so she was lying across his thighs.
“Sometimes, I think you say these things just to get a spanking.” He pulled the shirt she was
wearing up over bottom.
As usual, it was one of his shirts. Cat liked wearing them to bed, unless she was in Little
headspace.
Although . . . she had bought something special for their wedding night.
Their second wedding night since, technically, they were already married. Alejandro had refused
to wait to plan a proper wedding. Nope. He’d wanted to claim her straight away. So, not long after
his proposal they’d made it official, with just Reuben, Cairn, The Scot, and Doomy as witnesses.
But afterwards, she’d realized that part of her wanted the big day. To wear the princess dress. To
walk down the aisle to where Alejandro would be crying in amazement and happiness.
Okay, perhaps scratch that last part. Cat couldn’t imagine Alejandro ever crying like that.
But he’d be staring at her like she was his world.
Because that’s how he always stared at her.
When she told Alejandro what she really wanted . . . he’d told her to make it happen.
And given her that ridiculous budget.
So that’s how she found herself here . . . three days out from her dream wedding.
 With a pimple on her face.
Disaster.
“Papi, you cannot spank me,” she said imperiously.
“Oh no? And why is that?”
“Because I’m gonna get married soon. I’ll be your wife. You can’t spank your wife!”
She knew the argument was flawed. But desperate times and all that.
“You’re already my wife.”
Smack! Smack! Smack!
“Never forget who you belong to.”
Slap! Slap! Slap!
“Papi!” she cried. “Stop!”
“My wife. Our money. ¿Comprendes?”
Smack! Smack! Smack!
How many was he going to give her? She knew he hated when she referred to it as his money. But
it was.
Cat just couldn’t get her head around how much money he had, nor how he expected her to just
spend it as she liked.
Besides, she thought she spent plenty. She’d just bought a strap-on dildo the other day. She’d
hidden it for a special occasion.
“Si, Papi!” she cried as he landed four more spanks to her ass.
Ouch.
So. Mean.
He slowly rubbed her ass. A sob escaped, tears dripping down her cheeks. “I’m s-sorry, Papi.”
“Come here, Preciosa,” he replied tenderly. He moved her so she straddled his lap, facing him.
She buried her face in his chest as he rubbed her back.
“I will pull the plug on this wedding if I think it’s too much for you. No matter the cost or how
close it is. Only reason I haven’t is because I know how much it means to you.”
“It means a lot. I just want it to be perfect.”
“It will be perfect no matter what. Because I’ll be marrying the woman who owns my heart. The
woman who comes before everything else in my life because she is precious beyond measure.”
“Darn it, now I’m crying for a whole different reason.”
He drew her back so he could wipe her cheeks.
“I know you didn’t really want to do this. It’s a waste of time, and it’s an inconvenience—”
“None of that,” he growled. “Do I need to spank you again? A waste of time and inconvenience?
Do I ever do something that is a waste of time?”
“Well . . . seems like spanking me often is.”
He snorted. “Spanking your ass is necessary for my sanity, mi Pequeña.”
“Rude.”
“And anything that makes you smile could never be a waste or an inconvenience. Understand
me?” He gently grabbed her chin, tilting her face back. “Besides, I don’t consider anything where I
get to show people who you belong to a waste.”
Dear Lord.
“Papi!” She smacked his chest lightly.
“We’ve talked about hitting me. You’ll only hurt yourself and that’s not allowed.”
“This wedding is not about you showing people who I belong to.”
 “Isn’t it? You get to show everyone who I belong to as well.”
Hmm. Okay, when he put it like that . . .
“Now, back to your catastrophe. I’m certain it will disappear before the big day, and if it doesn’t,
you’ll still be the most beautiful bride.”
She sighed. It was nice of him to say so . . . but this was her wedding. There would be photos.
And she really did think that pimples traveled in packs.
Maybe she needed some sort of face mask or treatment. Immy might know.
“I need to go call Immy and Maeve,” she muttered, trying to climb off his lap.
“After you get dressed and eat breakfast.” He stood and moved to the walk-in closet to finish
dressing.
“Breakfast? I’m dealing with a disaster here.”
“Breakfast, mi Pequeña. Then you can call your friends. And you’ll be having a nice, long nap
this afternoon. I don’t like how stressed you look.”
“Papi, there is no time for a nap! I’ve got too much to do.”
Was he for real right now? How could she nap when her to-do list was a mile long?
Walking back, he cupped her face between his hands. “You’ll have a nap. You haven’t had much
free time lately, and I’ve let you get away with too much. That’s stopping now.”
Him? Let her get away with stuff?
The man was delusional.

“And then he told me that the pimple would disappear, and even if it didn’t, I’d still look beautiful.
Well, of course I will! But that doesn’t mean I want a pimple on my wedding day. And look! Look! I
can feel a second one coming up! This is a disaster!”
“We can fix this! I swear,” Immy told her frantically. “Shoot. I wish we were with you already. I’d
have more of an idea of what to do.”
“Alejandro is right though,” Maeve told her right before she blew her nose and started coughing.
“Oh, Maeve. You sound terrible,” Immy said sympathetically.
“Thanks. I know,” Maeve replied. “I’m going to be fine, though.” Another cough hit her and Cat
winced.
“I’m a terrible fucking friend,” she said.
“What? No, you’re not!” Immy replied loyally.
“I am. Maeve, here I am going on about a couple of pimples while you’re coughing up half a
lung.”
“I think it went past half a lung to a whole lung sometime in the night,” Maeve replied. “And this
is your wedding. You’re entitled to act a bit, um . . .”
“Crazy? Whack-a-doo? Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah?” Cat supplied.
“You’re none of those things,” Immy told her. “You just want your big day to be perfect. There’s
nothing wrong with that. But Maeve, Cat’s right. You don’t sound well. You need to see a doctor.”
“I’ll be fine,” Maeve said.
 Yeah, it was clear she wouldn’t be.
“Maeve, go see a doctor,” Cat said firmly. “Or I’m going to tell Alejandro how ill you are. And
then you’ll be in trouble.”
Maeve’s eyes widened. They’d all grown accustomed to Alejandro’s bossy, possessive ways.
Well, maybe accustomed was the wrong word. Perhaps, it was more like wary.
Alejandro just wanted her to be happy. And he knew that her friends meant a lot to her. So, he had
shifted some of his possessive care to her friends.
Some of them took it better than others.
“Fine, fine, I’ll go.”
“And you’ll do what he says,” Immy said sternly, which was funny because she didn’t pull off
sounding stern that well.
“But I’m due to fly out tomorrow afternoon,” Maeve protested.
“Just see what he says,” Cat told her. “I want you here, Maeve, but not at the risk of your health.”
“I know,” Maeve said. “But I was really looking forward to getting away and seeing you guys. I’m
the only one that hasn’t visited.”
Maeve hadn’t been able to visit due to the demands of college and her family. Well, the demands
of her stepfather, anyway. Cat still didn’t think that Maeve had told them everything about what was
going on with her stepfather, Anson.
“Has Alejandro spoken to Dante?” Immy whispered, as though worried Alejandro might hear her.
“No. And that’s all my fault. I pushed him into inviting Dante to the wedding and then Dante went
and said no. I told Alejandro that he had to have a good reason, but Alejandro’s refused to take any of
his calls since. I feel like I’ve made everything worse between them, and I honestly didn’t think that
was possible. What should I do? We haven’t heard from Ortega, either. Alejandro left him several
messages, but he said that sometimes he disappears for weeks, maybe even months, and doesn’t check
his messages.”
“What the heck does he do?” Immy asked.
“I just don’t know . . . Alejandro won’t really tell me. I know that he works for Dante. I think I
need his help to mend fences between Dante and Alejandro.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Cat,” Maeve said cautiously.
“If I don’t do it, then who will? I just feel like maybe this wedding is slightly doomed, you
know?”
“I’m surprised that Alejandro didn’t insist on doing this earlier,” Maeve told her. “He doesn’t
strike me as the patient type when it comes to you.”
Guilt filled her, and she tried to keep it from showing on her face.
“Oh my God, Cat!” Maeve said. “What did you do?”
“Nothing,” she admitted.
“Cat,” Immy said warningly. “Tell us.”
“Jeez, you guys are harder to lie to than Alejandro.”
“You lie to Alejandro?” Maeve asked in shock.
“Do you have a leather butt?” Immy asked with a giggle.
“Immy!” they both said together.
“What? I know he spanks her butt when she breaks the rules. I’d think her bottom would be hard
and leathery by now.”
“If only,” Cat replied, shifting around on her sore bottom.
“Oh, Cat,” Maeve said. “What did you do this time?”
 “Urgh, I might have said something about how it’s Alejandro’s money that’s paying for the
wedding.”
They both shot her chiding looks.
“Cat, you know that’s not the way it works!” Immy said.
“I can’t believe you said that to him.” Maeve shook her head before she started coughing again.
“I know! I know! It’s our money. Sheesh. I don’t need you guys to verbally spank me.”
“We know. Not when we have Alejandro to do the real thing.” Maeve grinned at her.
Immy sighed. “It’s just all so romantic. The way you met. How much he loves and adores you. I’d
give anything to have that.”
Immy was crazy. But also, right.
“Now, spill,” Immy demanded. “What were you trying to hide?” She might be the sweetest and
most naive among them. But she could also hold her own living with four men.
So she had a strong core.
“All right, all right, we, uh, might have already gotten married,” she admitted. She hadn’t told
them because she hadn’t wanted to risk hurting their feelings.
They were both silent for a moment.
“Damn it!” Immy snapped.
“I know . . . I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you but I didn’t want to upset you. I’m sorry.”
“That means Jenner won the bet,” Immy pouted. “I owe him fifty bucks. He’s going to crow about
this.”
“You had a bet?” Cat gave her an outraged look.
“Um, yep, maybe. Sorry?”
Cat just shook her head. “Maeve?”
“Don’t look at me. I wasn’t in on this.” Maeve started coughing again. “I’m really sorry. Talking
makes it worse.”
Worry filled her. Maeve was close to graduating college. She’d taken a bit longer to get her
degree because she’d been held back in school due to her dyscalculia. Cat just wanted her to move
somewhere safer and away from that asshole stepfather of hers.
“Maeve, go rest and get a doctor’s appointment,” Cat ordered. “Let us know how it goes. I love
you guys.”
“Love you too, Cat,” Immy told her.
Maeve blew her a kiss in between coughs. Cat had a bad feeling she would be down one friend at
her wedding.

She was going to vomit.

The big day was here and Cat was a total mess.
They’d decided to have the ceremony and dinner after in the gardens at Alejandro’s Southampton
mansion.
Their mansion.
 She would never get used to that. She was standing in one of the spare bedrooms, where she’d
decided to get ready. This bedroom was on the ground floor, so she wouldn’t have to navigate any
stairs in her enormous dress.
Yep, she had a total princess dress, which was the exact opposite of the dress she’d intended to
buy. She didn’t know how it happened. She’d gone in looking for something sleek and sophisticated
and had come out with a dress with a corset top and a huge poufy skirt.
“You look like a princess,” Immy said. Her friend had done her make-up and hair.
Alejandro didn’t like letting strangers onto the property and, most definitely, nowhere near her.
So Immy was acting as her hairdresser, make-up artist, and maid of honor. Not that she minded.
Bernie and Mrs. Heckler, who looked after the Southampton mansion, were handling all the catering
along with Mrs. Heckler’s nieces, who would also act as wait staff.
Her friends were all here for the night. She wished they could stay longer, but Jenner had an
upcoming tour. She was so proud of everything he and the others had achieved.
“Are you upset that Maeve isn’t here?” Immy asked. “She’s so bummed that she couldn’t come.”
“What? Oh no. I mean, I’m sad, obviously. But the doctor told her that she couldn’t travel. And I
don’t want her risking her health. Isaiah promised to send her the video. Immy, do you mind giving me
a few moments?”
“Course not. I’ll go find Sampson and tell him you’re nearly ready. He’ll be getting anxious that
you’re going to be late.”
Cat snorted. He so would be.
Breathing out deep, she stared in the mirror again. One pimple had turned into three, but she’d
found an amazing woman who’d given her this facial that had kicked those pimples’ asses.
“No pimple is going to ruin my day,” she muttered.
“I’ve been called many things, but a pimple isn’t one.”
She gasped in shock as a man walked in from the patio. “That . . . those doors were locked.”
“They were? Strange? They opened just fine for me.” He grinned at her, his hands in his pockets
as he rocked back and forth on his heels. Almost as though he was trying to make himself appear
harmless.
It wasn’t working.
Dark brown eyes moved over her. He was utterly gorgeous. Black hair that was swept back off
his head. A slight scruff on his cheeks.
His lips were curled up in a smile.
“There are over a dozen armed and dangerous men in this house who won’t hesitate to kill you for
being in here,” she warned. “I’d leave if I were you.”
His smile widened. “Well, you’re not fooled at all, are you?”
Did he have an accent? Before, he’d sounded like he was a born New Yorker, but now he sounded
different.
She took a closer look at him. Shit, where was her handbag? She needed her Taser or Mace.
“Who are you?”
Mierda. Her bag was upstairs.
You could scream.
She could. But somehow, she thought this man was quick enough to kill her before anyone got
there.
If that’s what he was here to do.
“There might be one man who is hesitant to kill me,” he said. “Your husband-to-be. Or actually,
it’s just husband since you already got married, didn’t you?”
How did he know that? Was this guy some sort of stalker?
“I think he’d be upset if one of his men shot the best man. Not that I’d let them. I’m very quick on
my feet.”
He stilled, staring over at her.
“You’re Ortega, aren’t you?” Now that she said it, she could see the resemblance around the
mouth and nose. Ortega was shorter than Alejandro but slightly broader.
“I was a bit worried about my brother marrying someone too sweet and innocent to handle this
life. But you’re a survivor, aren’t you, Cat?”
“Yeah, I am. You’re not here to hurt me, are you?” Or worse.
“Nah. I’m not here to hurt you. I just wanted to chat before the wedding. Since you’re going to be
my new sister. And that makes you family. I take care of my family.”
“You sound like Alejandro. He’d do anything for family.” She was relaxing. Slightly. Because
while he might not be here to hurt her, that didn’t necessarily mean she could trust him.
“He would.”
“Wait. Shot the best man? You’re going to be his best man?”
“Sure am. That a problem? I am his brother, after all.”
“No problem.” She’d let Alejandro work that all out.
“I’ll escort you out to that guard dog of yours. He was already frothing at the mouth when I snuck
past him.”
Oh, Sampson was going to be so pissed when he learned about that.
She definitely wasn’t going to be the one to tell him.
“Um, maybe we should tell Alejandro you’re here.”
“Nah. I like surprises, don’t you?”
“I don’t. Not really.”
“Hmm. I suppose growing up the way you did, I can understand that. I think it makes life more fun.
Gives it an edge, you know?”
“And you like that? Having an edge?”
“Of course. Living on the edge reminds me that I’m alive today . . . tomorrow is another story.”
Good Lord.
“You know what, I think I’m going to call you Sprinkles. I always wanted a cat called Sprinkles,
but was never allowed one.”
“Um, okay.”
He held out his arm, his elbow crooked.
“If I have to stand in front of you to save you from being shot and my dress gets dirty, I’ll be really
pissed.”
“Never fear, Sprinkles. I’ll do my best not to get shot at.”
“Does it happen often?” she asked.
“Me being shot at?”
“Yeah.”
“It does. I like living on the edge, remember?”
“Sounds dangerous.” And a bit like how Alejandro lived. Even though he’d promised her many
times that he was taking every precaution he could to keep himself safe.
However, she couldn’t help but worry.
“Come on. Let’s get you to big brother before he pisses his pants, worrying that you might not to
turn up, and comes storming in here.”
Just as she placed her hand on his arm, a knock on the door had her looking up at him in shock.
“No, I’m not psychic. And that’s not Alejandro.”
“Because he wouldn’t knock.” She nodded.
He glanced down at her and she thought she saw a bit of surprise on his face. “You know him
well.”
“I love him. I’ll look after him. I won’t let anything happen to him.”
His gaze was intent, and she expected him to make fun of her. To point out that Alejandro was the
most lethal man in the state, so why did she think that she could protect him?
But Ortega just nodded and stepped toward the door.
When he opened it, Sampson stood on the other side. His eyes widened and his face grew red.
“Let her fucking go!” he roared.
Oh fuck.
She leaped forward and put her hand over his mouth. “Sampson! It’s all right! This is Ortega,
Alejandro’s brother.”
Before she could get anything else out, though, she heard footsteps pounding toward them. She
turned her head and there stood Cairn and Tobias in the hallway, their guns drawn.
She jumped in front of Ortega, putting her arms out. “Don’t hurt him! He’s Alejandro’s brother!”
“Cat!” Sampson yelled.
“Get away from her!” Tobias demanded.
“Fuck!” Cairn said. “Ortega?”
“Cairn,” Ortega replied cheerfully. “Looking as ugly as usual.”
“Fuck,” Cairn repeated. He put his gun away and signaled to Tobias to do the same.
“He says that a lot around me,” Ortega told her quietly. “Sprinkles, we need to talk about you not
jumping between the people with guns and their target. Alejandro would be upset if you got shot.”
“Shot!” Sampson roared. He grabbed her, tugging her toward him and pushing her behind his back
as he turned on Ortega. “I don’t know who the fuck you are, but normal people announce their
presence to security before they turn up at someone’s wedding!”
“Normal? I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to be normal.” Ortega smiled, looking relaxed.
“Sampson, this is Alejandro’s brother,” she repeated.
She tried to move out from behind Sampson, but he shoved her back.
Suddenly, Ortega grabbed Sampson, pushing him against the wall and placing a knife against his
throat.
“Ortega!” Cairn yelled. “Do not!”
“I’m going to have to warn you not to shove my new sister again.”
Okay, she shouldn’t be getting warm fuzzies from that. Not when this guy was holding a knife to
one of her best friends.
“If she doesn’t want to go somewhere, then she doesn’t go somewhere. Not unless my brother
tells her to. Since he owns her.”
And now those warm fuzzies were gone.
She glared at Ortega. “Hey! He does not own me.”
“Course he does, Sprinkles.” Ortega smiled down at her.
“Stop threatening my best friend,” she demanded. “Put that knife away before you accidentally cut
him.”
“If I cut him, it won’t be accidental. I can promise you that.”
 “Put the knife away, you fuckwit,” Sampson said. “And get away from my sister.”
She stared at Sampson in shock. That was the first time he’d ever called her that. But she could
tell he meant it.
“Fuckwit?” Ortega whispered.
Oh crap.
Just as she thought she would have to run interference again, a deep, angry voice rang out through
the hallways.
“What the fuck is going on here?”
She sagged in relief. Alejandro was here. Ortega stepped away, pocketing his knife. Sampson
lunged forward as though he was planning on going after him, but she grabbed him, tugging him back.
Wait! Shit! Alejandro was here!
“Stop!” she cried out. “Close your eyes.”
She ducked behind Sampson’s broad body. She couldn’t let Alejandro see her.
“What the hell?” Alejandro snapped. “Ortega? What are you doing here? And why did you have a
knife to Sampson?”
“Stop!” she demanded.
“Because he’s a dick,” Ortega said as they all ignored her. “And he touched your wife.”
“What?” Alejandro asked.
“All of you stop!” she demanded.
The only one who looked over at her was Cairn, who gave her a sympathetic grimace. It didn’t
help that she didn’t want to move out from behind Sampson.
“Because I was protecting her,” Sampson gritted out.
“Protecting her from what?” Alejandro asked in a low voice. “What is going on? Ortega, why
didn’t you tell me you were here? And why are you with Cat? Is she all right? Kitten?”
“No, I’m not all right,” she called out as she peered around Sampson’s body.
Sampson tried to turn to her, but she held onto him. “Don’t you dare move! All of you need to shut
up and leave! Except Sampson.”
“Cat, come out here so I can check you over,” Alejandro ordered.
“No! I’m not letting you see me before we’re married.”
“You are married,” Ortega said.
“Not the point. This is my real wedding and you guys are ruining it!” She let out a small sob.
Silence fell and they all turned to stare at her except for Sampson, who stayed rigid, shielding her.
“Sprinkles is right. Let’s get out of here,” Ortega said, moving toward Alejandro. “I don’t like my
sister being upset. You don’t need to worry, brother. I have a speech all prepared. Complete with a
slideshow of you from when you were a baby. There’s a particularly cute one of you in the bath.
That’s my favorite.”
He tried to steer Alejandro away, but the other man wasn’t having it.
“Cat?” he asked.
She took a deep breath, trying to settle her nerves. “I’m all right. Please. Just go. I want to do this
properly. You’re not supposed to see me until I walk down the aisle.”
“I want to see you’re all right for myself.”
“Please,” she begged. “I really am fine. Right, Sampson?”
Sampson grunted but nodded. “She wasn’t hurt. Maybe scared, though.”
“Why would she be scared of her new brother?” Ortega asked.
“Maybe because you snuck into her room!” Sampson said.
 Alejandro sent Ortega an exasperated look. “You didn’t think about letting me know you were
coming?”
“What? Was I supposed to RSVP? My bad. I’ve never been to a wedding. So far, it’s been pretty
entertaining. See you soon, Sprinkles.”
Alejandro sent her a searing look.
“Go. Please.” She shooed him with her hand.
He raised an eyebrow, promising her some retaliation. She’d worry about that later.
“All right. See you soon, wife.” Alejandro gave Sampson a firm look and the other man nodded
back. Tobias stepped away, but Cairn remained.
She slid out from behind Sampson’s back, feeling a rush of adrenaline leave her.
“That’s Alejandro’s brother?” Sampson asked incredulously.
“I guess so.”
“Fucking hell. What an asshole.”
“Are you all right?” she asked.
“Yeah. I didn’t want to create too much of a scene.”
She shot him a look.
“And he was fucking fast with that knife,” he allowed. “He’s dangerous, Cat. I don’t know if I like
him around you.”
“Oh? Because everyone else I’m surrounded with are pussycats by comparison?”
“Point made. Still, be careful. Stay away from him as much as possible.”
“Alejandro says that Ortega would never harm his family.”
Sampson shook his head, then held out his arm. “Let’s get on with it.”
“Get on with it?” she said, amused. “Sampson, you’re such a romantic.”
“Maybe I just want to get you married off so you’re no longer my responsibility.”
Anyone else might have thought he was being serious. His face and tone never changed. But Cat
knew him well.
“Aww, big guy. Don’t go getting all sad. I’m always going to be your responsibility.”
He groaned, but she saw a flicker of a grin. He stopped them by the big french doors leading out
to the backyard.
Immy was already waiting, looking anxious. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
Sampson turned her to face him. “Just so you know, you’re always one of us, Cat. No matter who
else you belong to. You belonged to us first.”
Tears filled her eyes and she hugged the big guy. He could often be a pain in the ass, but when you
least expected it. Bam! He came out with the sweet stuff.
Immy sniffled as they pulled apart.
“What’s wrong?” Sampson demanded.
“Nothing’s wrong,” Cat told him. “That was just so sweet.”
Sampson rolled his eyes, making her giggle. Then the music started playing and the doors opened.
Everyone turned to her. Cat could feel them staring, but she only had eyes for the man standing
under the archway of flowers at the end. He studied her, his face intense.
Immy had already headed off down the aisle. Cat started moving as Sampson prompted her,
thankful that he was there to guide her.
She moved as though there was an invisible string between them, pulling her toward him. When
they were within a foot of him, Alejandro took her from Sampson, reaching down to tilt up her face so
he could kiss her.
She moaned into his mouth as he kissed her deeply, possessively. She swayed as he drew back,
wanting more.
“I think you’re supposed to wait until I give her to you,” Sampson said dryly.
Oh hell. She’d forgotten that they had an audience.
Whoops.
Heat filled her cheeks.
“She was too beautiful to resist,” Alejandro said in a quiet murmur, nodding at Sampson. “You
can go now.”
She huffed a breath at Alejandro.
The celebrant cleared his throat and started speaking. Sampson waited around for the man to ask
who was giving her away. He stared at Alejandro for a long moment.
“I am, so long as he promises to take good care of her.”
She sucked in a breath, hoping that Alejandro didn’t take that the wrong way.
Alejandro’s face filled with respect and understanding as he nodded. “I promise.”
Sampson kissed her cheek briefly. Alejandro tugged her away, glaring at him, although his gaze
didn’t hold much heat.
Men.
She leaned into him as the celebrant started talking.
“Where’s your brother?” she whispered.
“Too much of a crowd. But don’t worry, I’m sure he will be around later, Sprinkles.”
Yeah, she wasn’t sure about that nickname.
She wrapped her hand around Alejandro’s and started listening to the celebrant, pushing Ortega
from her mind.
Today, she married the man she loved.
And she didn’t want to miss a second of it.
 1

T en months later . . .
You are the bowling ball.
Be the bowling ball.
Cat stared down at the oversized bowling pins in the middle of the entrance. They came up to her
boobs when she was standing. Luckily, they were light, so they shouldn’t hurt her when she crashed
into them.
Well. She hoped not, anyway.
Cat positioned her skateboard at the end of the long hallway. The floors were shiny marble, which
would help with her momentum.
She put her helmet on. Safety first.
She patted herself on the back for remembering that.
Alejandro couldn’t grumble at her if she had a helmet on. Hmm. Perhaps she should have bought
knee and arm pads.
No. That would be overreacting.
She settled her goggles over her eyes. She’d forgotten to buy safety goggles so she was using her
swimming ones instead.
They were blue with little fish along the strap—freaking adorable.
Cat was currently at their house in Southampton. The entrance was even larger than the one in
their home in Manhattan.
Alejandro might have forbidden her from owning a skateboard. But Cat wasn’t someone who’d
let her husband stop her from doing something.
Even if that husband was also her Daddy Dom.
If he punished her, then so be it . . . her bet was he wouldn’t even notice.
“After all, he’s forgotten all about me, Roger. I’ve been abandoned.” She picked up her toy pirate
and put him in the front pack before pulling it on. He was facing forward so he could see.
Roger was a badass risk-taker.
Just like Cat.
“We are the baddest badasses of them all, Roger. And we got this. We don’t care if we’ve been
abandoned like yesterday’s garbage, right? We don’t smell.”
She gave Roger a sniff. “Actually, you still smell a bit after yesterday’s adventure. That wasn’t so
successful.”
She’d been attempting to make a stink bomb. And she’d been really successful. Too successful.
Mrs. Heckler was still trying to air out the kitchen.
She sighed sadly. If Doomy Gloomy was here, he’d have told her that she was a troublesome brat
and to stay out of his kitchen. And then he’d probably have chased her away with a broom or a
kitchen towel. She’d have told him he was too old and slow to hit a barn at three paces away, and
he’d have told her she was the bane of his existence.
Ahh. Good times.
Darn it. Since when did she miss Doomy Gloomy? Everyone who worked here was just so darn
polite. Bernie had stayed in the Manhattan house to take care of Alejandro . . . so basically, he’d
abandoned her too.
“I don’t care if I’ve been left here to rot. My feelings aren’t hurt. I’ve got my own life to live!
Starting with becoming a giant bowling ball. What do you think? Do you reckon we can knock all the
pins down?”
Roger gave her a skeptical look.
“That’s what I thought. We can totally do this!” She climbed onto the skateboard, kneeling on it.
Then she put her hands down on the floor. She moved the skateboard back and forth a few times to
build up momentum.
And then she started pushing herself toward the pins with a whoop!
This was it! She was flying! She was totally the ball!
Oh, pumpernickel! Those pins were coming up awfully quickly.
“Roger!” she yelled. “Protect yourself!” She curled over Roger right as they hit the pins.
It was more of a smash than she’d been expecting and she flew off the skateboard, landing on the
floor.
Pins went flying. One hit a side table, which in turn caused the vase on it to wobble precariously.
Oh shit. She watched it with dawning horror. She could barely catch her breath and her whole
body ached. There was no way she was going to make it in time to grab it.
Fuck! Who knew how much that ugly thing cost?
Probably a fucking fortune.
Dumbass.
Thankfully, two hands caught it before it could smash onto the floor. Cat let out a sigh of relief.
A smile broke out on her face when she saw who had caught it. “Papi! You’re here!”
Now, if only she could get off the floor, she’d give him a hug. Although, after spotting the
thunderous look on his face . . . she might be better to run than hug.
“Pequeña . . . you . . . I . . . what the fuck are you doing?” Alejandro moved over to her, looking
like he couldn’t decide whether to shake her or spank her.
“Looks like she was playing a game of ten-pin bowling,” an amused voice said. She glanced up
into the smiling face of The Scot, one of Alejandro’s personal bodyguards. Cairn was standing behind
him. Was he smiling too?
“With her as the ball?” Alejandro snapped.
“Here, give that to me, Boss,” The Scot said before plucking the vase out of Alejandro’s hands.
As soon as his hands were free, Alejandro kneeled beside her. He ran his hands over her,
checking her for injuries.
“Yep! Human ten-pin bowling. It’s all the rage.” She grinned up at him.
Alejandro made a strange growling noise. Hmm, he was going a bit purple.
 “Hi, Scot, Cairn,” she said cheerfully. “How’s it hanging?”
“Hanging better for me than for you, I’d say, Little Queen. That looked like fun. You should
probably get rid of the expensive decorative shit before you play bowling ball next time, though.”
“There is not going to be a next time,” Alejandro grumbled. “Where are you hurt? Cairn, call
Aaron and have him come out here.”
“What? No! I’m not hurt,” she complained, trying to push his hands away from her. “I don’t need
Aaron.” His bedside manner sucked. Well, it was more that he was too scared of Alejandro to talk to
her.
“I’m just a bit winded.” She tried to sit up, but Alejandro just glared at her. Then he picked her up
in his arms and stood.
“Whoa, you been doing some squats at the gym?” she asked. “That was impressive.”
“You barely weigh a thing. You need to eat more.” His face was still furious as he walked toward
the stairs.
“Don’t worry, we’ll clean this mess up,” The Scot called out.
“Thanks,” she said, waving a hand. “Just put it all in the storage room except for my skateboard.
I’m going to want that.”
“Scot,” Alejandro called out as he reached the stairs that led up to the second level.
“Yeah?”
“Get rid of all of it.”
She gasped dramatically. “Papi! Do you know how much that cost?”
“I don’t care. It’s all going.”
“But I really like that skateboard. Can I just keep—”
“No!”
“But it’s such a waste to get rid of it. Look! I have a helmet on. Safety first.”
“If you were putting your safety first, then you wouldn’t have been on a damn skateboard in the
first place,” he told her in a low voice as they entered her playroom.
She’d chosen one of the bedrooms a while ago to be her playroom, then she’d decorated it. A
raised platform with three steps leading up to it was built around a large mattress. Normally, she
didn’t like to rest in big beds, but this one was covered in all sorts of cushions and soft blankets.
The color scheme was different shades of deep blue and cream. There was a cream-colored desk
and plenty of storage along one wall. An oversized egg chair hung from the ceiling in the other corner.
The middle of the room was her play area. She’d bought a big blue and white polka dot rug.
Alejandro paused and looked around. “You haven’t been playing in here, Pequeña mocosa?”
She shrugged. “I tried, but it didn’t feel right to be in here without you, Papi.”
“My poor girl. Did you miss your Papi?”
“You abandoned me, Papi! Left me here to rot, banished to the ends of the earth.”
She tried to fight her way free from his arms. But like everything in his life, if Alejandro didn’t
want to do something, then no one could make him.
He was immovable.
Like a really stubborn goat.
With a huff, she stopped trying to break free of his hold and glared up at him. Only to see him
gaping down at her.
Shaking his head, he moved to the armchair beside the bed. It was oversized, big enough for two.
Sitting, he cradled her on his lap, then reached down to grasp her chin.
“I didn’t banish you to the ends of the earth.”
 She sniffled. “Didn’t you? I’ve been stuck out here with nothing to do, no one to talk to.
Abandoned! I was starting to wonder if you were coming back for me. I thought maybe you’d found
someone else to shack up with.”
“Shack up with?”
“Yeah, it’s a term I learned from watching that reality TV show from New Zealand.”
“You mean the soap opera where everyone keeps dying then miraculously coming back to life?”
“It’s so good. I don’t usually like television, but it’s addictive. Do you think there’s like some sort
of subliminal message in it? Saying ‘watch me, watch me, watch me.’”
“We’re in trouble if aliens ever invade,” he said dryly.
“Do you think they’re going to? I always thought that I’d make a great alien queen.”
He growled. “You are my Queen and no one else’s.”
She sighed. “Well, okay. But I hope you realize what a tremendous sacrifice I’m making in not
accepting my true role as Queen of the Aliens and Ruler Supreme of the World.”
“Duly noted.”
“Especially after you abandoned me.”
“Just how long do you think you’ve been alone here for?” he asked.
“Months. Months and months. So long I can’t even keep track.”
“My Little drama queen, you’ve been here five days.”
“Nuh-uh.” It had to be longer than that, right?
“Five days,” he told her. “And I came as quickly as I could. Did you really think I had abandoned
you?”
He drew Roger and the front pack off her.
“It felt like longer,” she confessed. “I just missed you.”
“Oh, mi Pequeña, it felt like forever to me as well.” He cupped the side of her face, then ran his
thumb over her lips. “I didn’t want to send you here. It wasn’t a banishment. It definitely wasn’t so I
could ‘shack up’ with anyone else.” He shot her a warning look that made her gulp. Right. She hadn’t
really thought that. “You know I had to return to the city because of the rioting.”
“You should have let me come too.”
“You wanted me to take you to a place filled with people gone crazy due to the heat waves and
rioting? You know that wasn’t an option for me. You were much safer here.”
“Was I? I just turned myself into a human bowling ball.”
He unclipped her helmet and drew it off, followed by her goggles. “Do not remind me. What were
you thinking? Where the hell was Gage?”
He’d left Gage and several of his men to guard her.
“I don’t know. Probably thumping around like a giant thundercloud. He prefers to spend his time
walking the grounds than with me.”
“He probably wasn’t the best choice. He’ll guard your body, but he isn’t a Daddy Dom, so he
doesn’t understand that you need closer watching.”
“I don’t need closer watching,” she muttered.
“I disagree.”
“Why couldn’t I have The Scot? The Scot is more fun.”
“That’s exactly why I didn’t leave him. He would let you do whatever you like.”
“I know. That’s why I like him so much.”
He grasped her chin, tilting her head back. “Careful, Kitten. You don’t want to push me.”
She shivered at the words. Recently, they’d been spending some time as Sir and Kitten. And she
loved it.
“Sorry,” she said.
“Are you?” he murmured. “I can see that you’ve forgotten a few things while you’ve had too much
time on your own. Papi will need to punish you for risking your safety by skateboarding into a pile of
giant pins.”
“I’m not sure they call it a pile of pins, Papi. There’s probably a proper name for it.”
“Not the point.”
“Oh, there’s a point?”
“This is exactly what I’m talking about. This sassy mouth needs something else to do.”
Heat filled her.
Um, yes, please.
“Oh, I wouldn’t look so happy with yourself if I were you,” he warned. “I didn’t say you were
going to enjoy it.”
“That’s so mean. I get punished and I don’t get to come?”
He snorted. “That’s normally the way it works.”
“Still mean.”
“I can’t have you hurting yourself when I’m not around to watch over you, Pequeña,” he told her
gently. “I know it was hard on you to be left here while I returned to the city, but I wouldn’t have left
if it wasn’t urgent. I don’t like being away from you either. You’re my sunshine.”
“Great. That’s just great,” she grumbled.
“What is wrong?”
“I want to be all grouchy at you for leaving me and then punishing me, and now I can’t be because
you’re being all sweet. Way to dampen the fire of my righteous anger, Papi.”
“I dampened the fire of your righteous anger?”
“Yep. And I’m mad at you for that.”
“You know what I think? I think that you’re procrastinating from getting your punishment.”
She pouted. “But we’ve been apart a really long time. Wouldn’t your time be better spent doing
other things with me?”
“What? Like fucking your mouth? Don’t worry, I’m planning on doing that as well.”
 2

O h, goody.
Wait. He’d said she didn’t get to come.
Not good. Not good at all.
“Such a sad, frowning face,” he murmured. “Poor Pequeña.”
“I’m really rethinking my life choices right now.”
“Good,” he told her firmly, standing with her in his arms. “You should be. I don’t want to come
home to find you putting yourself at risk like that again.”
“But Papi, I had a helmet on. How much of a risk was it really when I was being sooo safety
conscious?”
“You think that made you safe? You hurled yourself on a skateboard against some giant pins.
That’s not safe. With or without a helmet.” He laid her down on the oversized changing table.
“I thought I might get some praise for being safe,” she muttered.
“I’m glad you were wearing a helmet. However, I would prefer it if you didn’t put yourself at risk
in the first place.”
That sounded so boring, though.
“What are you doing, Papi?” she asked suspiciously, as he started pulling off her clothes.
“I need to check for bruises, make sure you didn’t really hurt yourself. And then, if you’re not hurt,
I’m going to blister your butt and put you down for a nap.”
“Papi, noooo!” she cried.
“Are you protesting the spanking or the nap?”
Umm. Hmm. “The spanking.” She kind of wanted the nap. Although if she had a nap, that meant
she wouldn’t be spending time with him. And she wanted to stay with Papi. “And the nap. I donts
need it.”
“The dark marks under your eyes say otherwise.”
“Pumpernickel.”
“You haven’t been going to bed at your bedtime, have you?” By now, he had her T-shirt off and
had rolled her over to undo her bra. He undid it and put her on her back again to slide her bra off.
She shivered even though she wasn’t cold. The way he stared at her . . . it made her want his
touch. To feel him suck on her nipples, and kiss her senseless.
He placed his hand around the base of her neck. “Preciosa. So beautiful. Have I even kissed you
yet?”
 “I don’t think so. It’s very remiss of you. It might even hurt my feelings.”
“I was just too concerned for your health. But you’re right. It was very remiss of me.” Leaning
over her, he placed his lips on hers. Then his tongue pressed between her lips to toy with her until she
was squirming on the changing table, her clit throbbing.
When he drew back, she was panting heavily. “Please, Papi.”
Regret filled his face. “I’m afraid not, Pequeña. You were naughty and you know that means you
don’t get pleasure.”
“So unfair.” She brought her legs up and bent them at the knees so she could smack her feet down
on the pad of the changing table. “I haven’t had any pleasure in nearly a week. I’m dying here.”
He grabbed her ankles in one hand and drew her legs up into the air.
“Papi! No!”
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
Ouch. Shit. That hurt! Why didn’t she think things through before she did them?
He lowered her legs and gave her a firm look.
“Ow, Papi, that hurt.” She gave him a sad look.
“Are you allowed to stomp your feet? To throw tantrums?”
She sighed. “No. But it’s not nice to get me all turned on and then tell me that I can’t come when I
haven’t come in forever.”
“Really?” He raised his eyebrows. “So, are you saying that you’ve been a good girl? That while I
was gone, you didn’t touch yourself? Didn’t give yourself pleasure?”
Uh-oh.
She wasn’t supposed to come without his permission.
“Pequeña?” he asked warningly. “Tell me the truth. You know the rules. And you’re already in
trouble, so I wouldn’t recommend pushing me. You’re going to need to spend some time in the corner,
I think.”
“But, Papi, I already contemplated my life choices. I don’t need corner time.”
“Who is in charge?”
“You are.”
“That’s right. I think that someone has forgotten that. Now, have you been going to bed every night
at nine?”
Oh, drat.
“No, Papi.”
“What time did you get to sleep last night?”
“I think it was more like morning.”
He sighed, closing his eyes. Regret filled her. She was a terrible Little girl. She hated when he
was truly upset at her.
“I’m sorry, Papi.”
“No,” he said quietly. “It’s not all on you. I know these last few days have been tough on you.
Because they’ve been hard on me too. And you don’t sleep well without me.”
That was true.
“I’m surprised you didn’t sleep in here instead.”
“Um, well. I sort of made myself a bed in the walk-in closet.” She found it hard to sleep in big
spaces without him.
“Oh, mi Preciosa. Why didn’t you tell me you were finding it so hard?”
“Because it wasn’t a big deal. And I knew you were busy.”
 “I’m a busy man,” he agreed. “But you always come first.”
Those words settled something inside her.
“I think I’ve been spoiled by you, Papi. That’s the problem. I’m used to you being around.”
“That’s not being spoiled. You deserve nothing less. Now that I’m here, I will be paying much
closer attention to you.”
Uh-oh.
She wasn’t quite sure she needed that. “I don’t think you need to do that, Papi. I don’t want to be
greedy.”
Amusement filled his face. “Is that so? Or is it that you’re worried that with more attention comes
more spankings?”
That. Definitely that.
“Did you come without my permission while I wasn’t here?”
“Um, well, Papi, you see . . . there might have been a small accident.”
“Accident? Really? You fell and your fingers touched your clit and you came?”
“Does that sound believable?”
“That sounds like a lie that will get you some time with the hairbrush.” He drew off her shorts and
panties, inspecting her legs for bruises.
“I’m guessing you’re not talking about doing my hair,” she said.
“You would guess right.”
“But if I tell you I came without permission, then I’m probably going to get a spanking anyway,
right?”
“Probably. But it won’t be with your hairbrush. It will be with my hand.”
“I made myself come,” she said quickly. “But it was purely medicinal.”
“Medicinal?” he asked.
“Are you sure you’re feeling all right?” she asked, studying his face. “You’re definitely looking a
bit grape-colored. I think Aaron needs to do some tests. What if you’ve got high cholesterol?”
“I think it’s more that I have high-stress levels.”
“You do lead a stressful life. You should take a break. Maybe have a holiday,” she suggested.
He surprised her by leaning forward and kissing her forehead. “I’m sorry I haven’t been able to
take you on a proper honeymoon. It’s been nearly ten months since our ceremony.”
“It’s all right, Papi.” Now, she felt terrible. She’d love to go away for a week with just the two of
them. No work. But she knew it was pretty much impossible.
Alejandro didn’t have a typical job. It was his life. Part of who he was.
“It’s not all right. I want to take you away, mi Pequeña. Anywhere you like. Just not right now.”
“I understand.”
“We will make a date and stick to it. You choose where you want to go. Anywhere you like.”
Anywhere she liked, huh? Oh, she had a definite idea of where she wanted to go. This could
double as an opportunity to mend some fences with his family. Things were still strained with Dante.
Men. So sensitive.
“I’ve changed my mind, Pequeña.”
“About the honeymoon? Wow, that was quick.”
“No, not about the honeymoon. About you getting to come.”
“Yeah? What’s the catch?” Because she knew him too well for that. There had to be a catch.
“The only way you’ll be allowed to come is by showing me exactly what I missed out on when
you made yourself come without permission.”
Fuck.
 3

A lejandro had to stop himself from smiling.

It was difficult.
She looked both horrified and intrigued at his proposition. He wasn’t sure which emotion would
win in the end.
This was something he had never asked of her before—to make herself come in front of him. But
the more he thought about it, the more he wanted that. Wanted to see her lose herself to the pleasure.
A pretty pink was filling her cheeks. The fact that she could still blush even though they’d been
together two years, filled him with heat and love.
He loved this woman so much. He didn’t know what he’d done to deserve her. He wasn’t perfect.
Not by any stretch of the imagination. He’d made plenty of mistakes, many of them with her. Keeping
Cat safe was often a delicate balance.
She was a wild card. Impulsive. Unpredictable.
And that was part of the reason he loved her.
“I . . . you . . . are you serious?” she whispered.
“Si, if you want to come tonight, the only way you’re gaining my permission is by re-enacting your
orgasm from the other night. You didn’t ask my permission. Worst yet, you didn’t give me the
opportunity to watch, to help you.”
“You weren’t here!” she protested.
“Do you think I need to be here to give you pleasure, Kitten?” he asked in a low voice. “I can
assure you that I don’t.”
“Are you . . . are you talking about phone sex?” she asked, sounding scandalized.
He laughed, and she sat up, covering herself. He stopped laughing immediately, not liking that she
looked so unsure.
“I apologize. I wasn’t laughing at you. I just find it so sweet that you’re still so innocent after
everything we have done together.” He winked at her.
A small smile crossed her lips, and he could see the tension in her body ease. “Oh, yeah. I guess
that’s true. I’ve just never had phone sex.”
“I know. We’ll have to do that another time.” He drew her to the edge of the changing table, her
legs around his hips. Bending down, he pressed a kiss to the top of her shoulder.
“Well, Pequeña? What do you say? Would you like to show me how you made yourself come? Or
are you going to go without pleasure tonight?”
 She bit her lower lip, and he reached up to release it from her teeth. “No hurting yourself.”
“You really want to see me do that?”
“I do.”
“It won’t . . . I won’t look stupid?”
“Never,” he said fiercely. “You’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever met. You could never look stupid,
and certainly not while you’re pleasuring yourself.”
“I can’t believe I’m going to say this. But yes, all right. I’ll repeat what I did the other night.”

Cat immediately tried to wriggle her way off the changing table, but Alejandro held her hips.
“You don’t want me to do it right here?” she asked, aghast.
“No, Kitten,” he soothed. “I want you to do exactly what you did the other night. But there’re a
few things we have to do first. I haven’t finished inspecting you. After I do, you’ll need to spend some
time in the corner, thinking about how naughty you were disobeying Papi’s rules and putting yourself
in a dangerous situation. Then after your spanking, you can spend the afternoon as Kitten while I get a
few jobs done. And if you’ve been very, very good for Sir, you’ll get to make yourself come.”
“I feel like I’ve been duped.”
“I can make you touch yourself without allowing you release,” he warned.
“No. Nope. Let’s go with option one. Uh-huh.” She nodded.
He stared down at her with affection and hunger. “I am sorry I had to leave you, Pequeña. You do
know that I would never abandon you, don’t you?”
“I know.” Leaning forward, she pressed her forehead to his. “I just love you so much, Papi. And I
missed you.”
“I love you too, Pequeña.”
Stepping back, he lifted her down, then turned her toward the timeout corner. “Off you go. I expect
you to think long and hard about everything you did while I was gone.”
Pumpernickel.
She really hated corner time. It was sooo boring. With a sigh, she walked off to the corner. She
was careful not to stomp, because the only thing worse than corner time . . .
Was corner time with a red ass.
She pressed her forehead into the corner.
“You know better than that. Legs farther apart, bottom pushed out. That’s better. You don’t want to
spend corner time with your hands pulling your bottom cheeks apart and your naughty hole on display,
do you?”
Dear Lord.
When he talked to her like this, she didn’t know whether she wanted to die in embarrassment or
go up in flames of arousal.
It was kind of a mixture of both.
Because no, she didn’t want to reach back and pull her bottom cheeks apart . . . yet, part of her felt
turned on by the idea. Because she knew how much he enjoyed playing with her bottom.
“Very good,” he murmured. “You should be thinking right now.”
Oh, she was thinking all right.
Thinking about how she could buy some liquid laxative without it appearing on the credit card
bill. There had to be a place that would supply it and who would put a discreet name on the bill,
right?
“I’m starting to think that I need to okay every one of your purchases.”
 Shoot! Had she said that stuff about laxatives out loud?
She knew he wouldn’t make her get his permission to buy things. He liked to spoil her.
“But I won’t. I want you to have whatever you like. But no more skateboard or giant bowling
pins.”
Oh, that’s what he was talking about. What about blue dye? She could put it in his shower gel,
which would dye his skin blue like a smurf.
She had to bite back a giggle at that thought.
“Have you done some thinking, Pequeña mocosa?” he asked in that dark, delicious voice that she
loved.
“Si, Papi,” she said demurely.
“Come here, then.”
Turning, she looked over at him. He’d undone the top two buttons of his black shirt and rolled up
the sleeves to display his forearms. Damn, she loved his forearms. Muscular and heavily tattooed,
they sent a shiver of lust up her spine.
“Like what you see?” he murmured.
“Always,” she replied. “You’re the sexiest man I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Pleasure lit his face. “You’re good for my ego.”
She snorted. “Your ego doesn’t need a boost, Papi. It’s already as big as Fiji.”
“Really? I thought last time it was as big as Russia.”
She shrugged. “It fluctuates in size.”
“Hmm, I’ve got something else that fluctuates in size,” he murmured.
“Papi, that was terrible.” But she was grinning at his foolishness. “And yeah, it goes from huge to
humongous.”
“But it’s never more than you can handle, is it?”
Pfft. Well. The first time he’d fucked her ass, she’d felt certain he was going to tear her in two.
The bastard had laughed when she’d suggested that.
“Come here.” He crooked his finger at her.
Arrogant Pumpernickel.
Do not move toward him, feet. Be strong. You have this. You do not belong to him.
But her feet just laughed at her as usual.
Because she most certainly did belong to Alejandro. And her body knew that. Which is how she
found herself standing between his spread legs as he sat back in the oversized chair.
How could he make a blue velvet chair with a white fluffy throw over the back of it look like a
throne in the Devil’s lair?
“Did you think about your naughtiness, Pequeña?” he asked.
“Yes, Papi.”
“And what will you do differently in the future to avoid punishment?”
“Not get caught.”
His gaze narrowed. “Cat.”
“Joke, Papi. Total joke. Promise.” She might have crossed her fingers behind her back, though.
Just to be on the safe side.
“You’d be best not to joke about things like that,” he warned. “Not if you want to sit comfortably
for the next week.”
Eek.
“Noted, Papi.” She made sure her voice was subdued. Meek.
 His sigh told her that he wasn’t buying her act.
“Over my lap you go,” he said. “Then you can have a nap.”
Crap.
“Hey, what is it?”
“I just . . . I missed you, Papi.”
His tension eased. “Missed you too.” He kissed her lightly before sitting back and patting his lap.
Darn it.
She arranged herself over his thighs. At least he was only using his hand and not the hairbrush or
his belt.
Or that nasty paddle he’d bought with her name on it. That was just mean. He’d given it to her last
Christmas.
Who gave someone a paddle for Christmas?
Sure, there had been plenty of other presents and Santa had been especially generous.
But . . . a paddle?
Just mean.
Thankfully, it was in a cupboard in her playroom back in their Manhattan house.
Far, far away from her poor bottom.
“It’s a count of twenty, Pequeña.”
“Twenty! Papi, don’t you think that seems like a lot?”
“Actually, I thought I was being generous. Ten for acting like a bowling ball. Ten for giving
yourself pleasure without permission. But I can add another ten for breaking your bedtime rule.”
“No, Papi!”
“Or I could give you twenty with your paddle instead.”
“You can’t, Papi!”
“Why not?” he asked as he rubbed her bottom.
“Because it’s not here. It’s at the other house.”
Thank goodness.
“Oh, mi Pequeña, you should know better by now,” he scolded. “I brought it with me.”
That rotten bastard!
Of course he had.
“You know what, Papi? After careful consideration, I think twenty with your hand is adequate.”
“I’m glad you’ve come to that conclusion,” he told her solemnly as he placed his left hand on the
small of her back. “I only want you to be safe.”
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
“I don’t like being apart from you. I worry too much.”
Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!
Ouch. Crap. That was really starting to hurt.
“And I know it’s hard for you to remember to obey Papi when I’m not here keeping an eye on
you.”
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
“Which makes me think you might need someone to watch you much more closely when I’m not
with you.”
Um. What the fuck!
Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!
She’d lost count of the number of smacks, and she was too busy reeling from what he’d just said
to pay much attention as his hand landed, making her ass throb and sting.
“Papi! No!”
“Are you allowed to tell me no?” he asked in a dark voice that would normally have her insides
sitting up and taking notice.
But not right now.
“I do not need a babysitter! Or a nanny! Or whatever you’re thinking. You are enough!” More than
enough. “Besides, Doomy Gloomy acts as your spy.”
He snorted. “Whenever he sees me coming now, he walks in the other direction because he feels
guilty about not informing me of your latest escapade. He is helpless to stop you. Much like most of
my men.”
“That’s not true.”
It totally was. Every word.
“Here are the last four.”
What? There was more? Her poor bottom was already hot and throbbing.
Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!
By the time the last one landed, she was kicking her feet, and tears were welling in her eyes as
she let out a small sob.
“That’s it. Good girl. I hope this teaches you to start thinking about the consequences before you
do something.”
Yeah . . . he could hope it would, but he shouldn’t bet on it.
Turning her over, he settled her on his lap, facing him.
“You’re wearing too many clothes, Papi.” She undid a few more buttons so she could press her
cheek to his chest.
“Am I?”
“Uh-huh.” She put her thumb in her mouth to soothe herself as he ran his hand up and down her
back. He shifted under her and she grabbed hold of him, not wanting him to move away.
“I’m just going to go find your pacifier,” he soothed.
“I don’t want you to leave me.”
“I’m not. I promise. You can come with me.” He stood with her wrapped around him like a
monkey. He moved to the drawers by her platform bed and searched through them, pulling out a
pacifier with a dragon on the front.
That one was her favorite.
She reached for it, but he drew it back.
“Uh-uh, you know better. Open for Papi.” He placed the pacifier into her mouth and she hummed
happily. “That’s my good girl. Now, do you need to go potty before your nap?”
She shook her head in reflex without actually taking note of how her bladder felt.
“I don’t think I believe you. I’m not even sure why I asked, actually. I should know better by
now.”
Yeah, he really should. He carried her into the bathroom and set her down on the toilet.
After she peed and cleaned up, he carried her back into the bedroom. She’d long since given up
on getting him to let her pee alone.
Alejandro didn’t want any boundaries or limits between them. And she knew deep down that she
wanted the same.
The closeness they shared kept her grounded. Most of her life, she’d felt like she was in freefall.
Especially after Mama disappeared. Although with Mama, Cat had felt more like her anchor. As if
Mama would have just drifted away if Cat hadn’t been around.
Then she’d left, and Cat had been on her own. Sure, she’d had her friends and Jack and Elsie . . .
but it wasn’t quite the same.
Until Alejandro rescued her.
He’d become the thing that held her steady. That gave her someone to turn to when she was scared
or lonely. He was her rock. Unmovable.
Like a stubborn goat.
And she’d be lost without him. Being that attached to one person sometimes terrified her. What if
she lost him?
You won’t. You won’t ever lose him.
She hoped not. Because she was pretty certain she wouldn’t survive.
She slid her pacifier out of her mouth as he laid her down on the bed. “Papi, you won’t leave,
will you?”
“I was just going to get you some pajamas for your nap,” he reassured her.
“No, I mean. You won’t leave me, will you?”
His eyes darkened, his face growing serious as he leaned over her, caging her in. “Never. I will
never leave you. What’s brought this on? Is it because you felt abandoned? Preciosa, I’m so sorry—”
“No,” she interrupted, placing a finger over his mouth. “I know you didn’t abandon me. I was just
. . . exaggerating.” And perhaps she’d been a tad over dramatic.
It happened sometimes.
Not often, of course.
“It’s just . . . I don’t ever want to lose you.”
“That won’t happen. I’m never leaving you.”
But what if he didn’t have a choice?
Yet there was no way she would tempt fate by saying it out loud. Even though she tried to pretend
he was invincible, she knew he wasn’t.
“Are you all right, mi Pequeña?” he asked tenderly, brushing a strand of her thick hair off her
face.
“As long as I’m with you, I’m always good,” she told him.
Leaning in, he kissed her again. Then he drew back and smiled at her. “Let me just get you some
pajamas.”
“I want this.” She tugged at his shirt.
“What’s the magic word, Pequeña?”
“Now.”
“Hmm, I’m starting to think I didn’t spank you hard enough.”
 4

L ord, she was beautiful.

Even when she looked like she’d like to murder him. Slowly.
“Papi! That’s not true.”
“Isn’t it?” He gave her a stern look. It was hard when he wanted to tease that pout right off her
lips. “What is the real magic word?”
“Please,” she mumbled.
“Say it like you mean it,” he warned.
“Papi, can I please sleep in your shirt?”
“Good girl. That’s better. That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
She sighed. “You have no idea how hard it was, Papi. Sometimes being Cat is a lot of work.”
“I know. It must be challenging.” He removed his shirt and pulled it over her head. There was
never any possibility that he wouldn’t give her the shirt. As long as it wasn’t a threat to her health and
safety, there wasn’t much he would deny her.
And the brat knew that too.
He moved the covers and settled her under them, bringing a pillow down behind her back, then
another one on the other side, so she’d feel more secure. He looked around for Roger, spotting him on
the floor by the chair. Moving over, he picked him up.
“Where is Snuggly?” he asked.
“He’s in the closet in the other bedroom.” She sat up, looking like she was about to climb out of
bed. She winced as she rested her weight on her bottom.
Poor baby.
“I’ll go get him for you. Stay in bed.” He gave her a warning look.
“Okay, Papi.” She lay back down with a sigh.
His poor girl. So tired. He grabbed Snuggly from the closet and spotted the blankets she’d
dragged in here. Fuck, he hated that she’d been sleeping in here.
That’s on you.
He knew she didn’t do well on her own, but he also hadn’t wanted to take her back into a city at
war with itself when it was far safer for her here.
He debated putting on another shirt.
But she had a thing for falling asleep on his chest. Luckily, she was a deep sleeper, so he could
usually sneak away without waking her.
 When he returned, she had her thumb in her mouth and was hugging Roger tightly.
“You should be using your pacifier,” he told her.
“What if I want another sort of pacifier?” she asked, wiggling her eyebrows up and down.
“Are you all right? Your eyebrows look like they’re being electrocuted.”
“Papi!” she complained.
He grinned and moved a pillow away to climb in next to her. He wasn’t wearing shoes, as he’d
taken them off before entering the house.
It was something Mama had always insisted on. And now it was a habit. He lay on top of the
covers so he wasn’t too tempted by her. She wasn’t the only one who’d felt the ache of being apart
these last few days.
“What sort of pacifier were you talking about, Pequeña?”
Her cheeks went pink. “You know what sort.”
Oh, he did. But he wanted to hear her ask for what she needed.
“Tell me,” he ordered. “If you can’t ask, then maybe you don’t need it that much.”
“I do, Papi!”
“Well?”
“Your cock, Papi. Please, can I have it to help me go to sleep?”
“Is that the only reason you want it? To help you sleep?”
“I just want to feel close to you. I don’t want you to leave me just yet. I know you have work to
do, though. So I understand if you have to go do that.”
Fuck his work.
He wasn’t going anywhere now. It wasn’t often that Cat let people see her more vulnerable side.
And he’d sworn that he would protect that part of her a long time ago. He wouldn’t allow anyone to
hurt her.
Not even himself.
“You can have my cock whenever you need, Preciosa,” he told her huskily.
He rolled off the bed so he could strip, then climbed in under the covers with her.
She started by moving her mouth to his nipple to suck. He drew in a sharp breath. Sometimes, he
didn’t know if she was trying to comfort herself or just drive him insane.
Probably a bit of both.
Her hand reached down to wrap around his dick. He was already half-hard, and before long he
was gritting his teeth, wanting to roll her onto her back and fuck her until they were both breathless
and unable to speak.
“You keep that up and I’m going to come all over your hand,” he warned.
“Can’t have that, Papi. Not when I want you to come in my mouth.”
She slid down the bed, and the next thing he knew, his dick was surrounded by liquid heat.
He moaned, rocking his hips slightly. He tried to keep himself under control. She didn’t need him
taking charge right now. She wanted comfort from him, not for him to wrap her hair around his fist
and fuck her mouth.
Time and place, asshole.
A small hand cupped his balls. Then her mouth slid free of his cock. Christ. She was definitely
trying to kill him.
“You need to come, Papi,” she murmured.
He’d been trying hard not to come the second her mouth was around his cock. But it was fucking
difficult.
 “I’m all right, Kitten. Take what you need from me. Keep sucking as long as you need to, even if I
come.”
“Okay.” She paused, but didn’t put her mouth around his dick again.
“Pequeña?”
“I’m all right. I just . . . really missed you.”
He reached down and brushed his fingers through her hair. “Me too.”
Then her mouth went around his firm shaft again. Fuck. It would be embarrassing to come already.
Try to think of other things.
Unsexy thoughts.
The Scot in a tutu.
Cairn in lingerie.
Bernard in a baby-doll dress.
Okay. That was helping.
Then she hummed. Fuck him. Humming.
His fucking kryptonite.
“Preciosa, I’m so close. Get ready.” That was all the warning he gave her. He came with a low
groan as she gently played with his balls.
Joder.
He was shaken by the force of his orgasm, the pleasure rushing through him. By the time he
finished, he was breathing heavily. She didn’t move. As he grew soft, she continued to suck on his
dick lightly.
He yawned.
Hmm. He hadn’t been tired before. He tucked one of her pillows under his head and closed his
eyes. He’d just close his eyes for a moment.

Cat loved watching Alejandro sleep. He looked so much younger. Softer. Suddenly, he opened his
eyes and stared around. He wasn’t like her. It could take her a while to wake up.
“Fuck. I fell asleep?”
“Uh-huh.”
He eyed her. “And you lay there and watched me sleep?”
“Uh-huh.”
“You were supposed to be having a nap, not me,” he grumbled.
She bit her lip to hold back her smile. “Sorry, Papi.”
“You don’t seem very sorry. You look like you’re trying hard not to laugh at me. Did you sleep?”
“Yeah, I think I dozed for a while.”
He grunted and ran a finger under her eye. “Early bedtime for you.”
“What? Papi, that’s not fair. Maybe you should go to bed earlier since you’re the one that’s so
tired.”
“I’m not so tired that I can’t spank your ass again, Pequeña.”
 “Papi, you cannot threaten to spank my bottom every time I say something you don’t like.”
“I can’t? Why not?”
“Papi,” she complained.
He grinned, and before she could really appreciate it, he rolled them both over so she was lying
on his chest. His hands went down to her ass, squeezing her cheeks.
“Would Kitten like to come to work with Sir?”
Now, that sounded like fun.
“I think she’d like that. If Sir is going to be nicer than Papi.”
“Sir is never nicer than Papi.”
“Drat, you’re right. Papi is definitely the pushover in this relationship.”
Slap!
“Hey! Ouchie!”
He rolled them again, but this time, she was on her back, staring up at him as he held himself
above her. His legs were bent on either side of her hips and his hands rested on the mattress by her
head. “Do you want to rephrase that?”
“Uh-huh, yep, totally misspoke. Papi is such a badass. The biggest badass of them all. A badass
motherfucker, everyone is saying it.”
“That’s better,” he murmured. “I need to go do a few things. Let’s get you something to wear to the
office.”
“Whatever you say, Boss Man.”
“That’s Sir Boss Man to you.”
 5

T hat’s how she ended up sitting on Alejandro’s lap twenty minutes later with a plug in her ass,
wearing a soft leather corset and a pair of leather shorts with the ass cut out of them.
Though she didn’t think they were real leather, they definitely looked like it.
The corset barely covered her nipples. She was one deep breath away from exposing herself.
She also wore an adorable cat ears headband. The ears were covered in black sequins. She loved
them so much that he’d bought her some for the playroom when she was in Little headspace.
The first few times he’d dressed her like this, she’d been extremely nervous, certain that someone
would walk into the office and see her.
But she should have known better. Alejandro would never risk allowing anyone to see her this
way. He was far too possessive and jealous for that.
This was just for him—for them.
Alejandro finished up his call and sat back with a sigh.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
“Hmm, yeah.”
“Are you sure? You can tell me.” He didn’t tell her much about his business, but she wanted him
to know that she’d always be there if he needed her.
He opened his mouth but said nothing, and she knew he wasn’t going to tell her anything once
again. Her shoulders slumped, and he frowned slightly. “We’ve been having trouble getting our
product over the border. On our last transport, there was an ambush. Our men were killed and the
product disappeared.”
“That’s terrible,” she said. Those poor men.
“Nope. Our buyers tend to get twitchy when their product doesn’t arrive. One of our biggest
distributors is a gang called the Radical Raiders in North Dakota and they’ve been making noise
about buying from another cartel, run by a guy called Felipe Ruiz.”
“You don’t like him?”
“The guy is evil and underhanded. Wouldn’t surprise me if he was the one behind all of our
problems, but there’s no proof.”
“I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do?”
“Nico is negotiating with Leo, the leader of the Radical Raiders at the moment, but he’s not
having much luck. I’m thinking of sending Reuben out there to talk to them. It’s not too far from where
his sister lives in Montana.”
 “The one that’s with two men, right?”
Reuben’s sister, Juliet, lived in Wishingbone, Montana, with her two men. One of whom was the
bodyguard Reuben had sent to look after her when he’d been going through something bad with his
old job.
Now, Reuben worked for Alejandro full time, which she knew her husband was pleased about.
“Don’t you get any ideas about adding another man to our relationship. I’d kill anyone you set
your eyes on.” Although his tone was teasing, she saw the intent in his eyes. She was under no
illusions that he meant every word.
“Another man? Are you kidding? It’s hard enough to keep up with you. I’d be waddling around if
we added another man to the mix, unless you were planning on helping out with some husbandly
duties.”
He snorted. “The only one taking a cock up their ass is you.”
“Alejandro!” She blushed, clenching around the plug in her ass. It had been a while since he’d
fucked her ass, which is why she’d had to complain a lot as he was plugging her.
“Let’s see . . . what could you do? Perhaps I need a distraction.”
“Hmm, a distraction, huh? Well, we could play a game of Gin Rummy?” she suggested.
“Gin Rummy?”
“Monopoly?”
“I was thinking something more hands-on.”
“Oh, Operation.”
He grinned. “I had something else in mind. I have a few things for my Kitten.”
He set her down on the floor on her bottom, which felt a bit odd.
“Would you like to come see what I have for you, my pretty Kitty?” he crooned.
Did he . . . did he expect her to crawl after him like an actual cat? That would be taking this sort
of play further than they ever had before.
But she figured she could go for it. She knew he would never force her if she didn’t like it.
So she crawled along behind him. When he stopped in front of a set of cupboards, she took a
chance and rubbed her face against his thigh, like she was scent-marking him.
Oh, she liked that. Especially when Alejandro smiled down at her.
“Good Kitten.”
Opening the cupboard, he drew out a plush sheepskin rug, which he set down on the floor in the
middle of the room. Next came a cat tower that was about two feet tall with items hanging off it from
strings, including toy mice and soft balls.
Ooh. Cat liked the idea of that, so she wove herself between his parted legs, purring.
“Seems my Kitty likes her toys,” he murmured.
She moved to the sheepskin and lay down on her back, rubbing against it. He gently patted her
tummy.
Yep, she absolutely liked this. She moved into his lap and nuzzled at his neck before sliding off
and heading over to the toy. She batted at a mouse. That was fun. Lying on her back under it, she hit it
back and forth.
He brought out another toy. A toy mouse that was attached to a long stick by a short piece of
string. She tried to pounce on it as he moved it around the carpet.
Frustration built as she couldn’t grab it, and she finally stopped with a small hiss at the stupid toy
and turned back to her sheepskin.
“Not a fan of that toy, huh?” he asked in amusement as he started running his hand down her
Another random document with
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 Fig. 5 Fig. 6

On the other hand, let both the reference points “a” and “b”
(fig. 6) be situated short of the objective O, “a” being nearer the
objective and “b” nearer to the balloon. An error aa′ in spotting “a”
leads to an error OO′ in the objective greater than aa′. Notice that
this error diminishes as “A” approaches O, thus “a” being as a₁, the
error a₁a′₁ equal to aa′ leads to an error OO′₁, in the objective, less
than OO′. We would thus obtain an analogous result if we would
move the point “b” farther away.
 Therefore, when you are obliged to take the two reference
points between you and the objective, choose one as near the
objective as possible and the other as near as possible to the
balloon.
3. Investigation of range.
Identify details of the terrain situated over and short of the
objective on the alignment. Narrow this bracket down step by step;
situate the objective on the map according to its relative distance
from the two nearest identifiable reference points, taking into account
the deformations due to the laws of perspective and the relief of the
ground.
If you have a vertical photograph of the region, trace the
alignment on this photograph and make the investigation in range by
the same means.
The dangers against which I warned you before in connection
with the investigation of range apply in this case also, so it is
unnecessary to repeat them.
When the two last identifiable reference points are some
distance from each other, the situation of the objective has a
possible error, of which you know the size according to the distance
between the two reference points; it might be interesting to
remember this in case different information is obtained on this
objective from that obtained in the balloon.
This error can be considerably diminished if you use a vertical
photograph; the investigation can then be carried on by the same
method as on the map, with greater precision. In the case of a
battery, particularly, it is for the observer to find the position of each
piece.
In case, on account of dead ground or of a mask before the
battery, the observer sees the flashes or the smoke without seeing
the battery itself, he should mark the exact alignment in which the
flashes or smoke are seen, and determine the bracket in range—that
is, the reference points nearest the objective which are clearly over
and short. This document compared with other information can
facilitate the identification of the battery.
 Chapter III.
OBSERVATION OF FIRE.

The observation of fire is essentially the following operation,

repeated for each shot or salvo: Locating on the ground the position
of one point, which is the point of burst, and announcing its situation
in reference to another point, which is the target.
But it has been demonstrated that it is impossible, without using
the map, to determine the error in range of one point relatively to
another point not on the same alignment.
The operation must consist in:
1. Spotting on the map the point of burst.
2. Reading its position in reference to the target.
The observation of the burst—that is, the spotting of the point of
impact—is the same whether the observation is direct or lateral.

1. PREPARATION OF THE FIRE.

Draw on the map, and copy if possible on a vertical

photograph, the line balloon target (alignment of the center of
the objective) and draw through this point a perpendicular to
the alignment. In case the observation is lateral, draw also the
line battery target and its perpendicular.
To draw the line balloon target, it is not necessary to know the
horizontal projection of the balloon. It is enough to find on the ground
a point situated directly on the alignment of the center of the
objective.
 2. OBSERVATION OF A SHOT.

When the shell bursts, take quickly an alignment and

reference points in range of the point of burst; spot this point
on the map or on the photograph; give its error in reference to
the line battery-target, measuring it by the scale on the map or
on the photograph. (It is well to put the graphic scale on the
photos.)
The delicate part of the operation consists in seeing the shot at
the moment of burst. One must try to spot the apex of the inverted
cone formed by the burst, without paying any attention to the more or
less considerable cloud of smoke which follows and which will cause
mistakes if the burst was not seen immediately. The method of
situating the point is the same as that described above.
For the direction, one reference point is enough, because one
can consider the alignment of the point as practically parallel to the
balloon-target. For the range, a rapid study of the terrain before the
fire is sufficient to allow the observer to know the reference points by
which he can guide himself. His eyes must never leave the point of
burst until he has fixed well in his mind its situation in reference to
appropriate reference points. Not to do this would lead to errors and
to loss of time while he has to find the point again with his glasses to
study it some more.
When the observation is direct, the direction of the burst is, of
course, known as soon as it is seen. When the observation is lateral,
it is well to remember that the line battery-target can not be
materialized on the ground because it is in reality an oblique
alignment, leading to the same errors which we have discussed. It
follows all irregularities of the ground and, on account of this, can not
be followed exactly in oblique vision.
Particularly around batteries, the ground is often very irregular.
There may even be little spaces of dead ground, caused by hollows
which the map does not always show. The above method, applied
with the help of photographs, allows you to avoid errors resulting
from the existence of these hidden parts.
 PRACTICAL ADVICE.
1. Work sitting down, with the map on your knees and leaning
against the edge of the basket.
This position is preferable to all others, because it allows the
observer—
(a) To correct with his head and shoulders the movements of the
basket.
(b) To have the map always before him. He can consult it at any
moment, mark the necessary alignments without loss of time, use it
as a desk for drawing or taking notes, or as a wind shield when
looking at photographs.
The observer who works standing up must either pick up his
map from the bottom of the basket every time he needs it, which is
out of the question, or fasten it outside the basket; the latter solution
is inadvisable, it necessitates working in the wind when the map is
referred to, and every time the observer turns to look at his map he
disturbs the equilibrium of the basket.
It is advisable to work standing up only on days when there is
practically no wind, and the balloon is continually turning and never
becomes oriented.
2. Have always within reach a flat rule, a pencil, and a
duodecimeter rule.
To be able to trace an alignment on the map with precision, the
rule must rest on a firm surface. This happens when the map is
mounted on a drawing board; when it is mounted on a frame with
rollers, the frame should have, between the two thicknesses of the
map, a board level with the edges of the frame on which the rule can
slide with its whole length on the map.
With a hard pencil, well sharpened, precise and neat alignments
can be drawn.
The duodecimeter rule is for measuring distances on
photographs and on the map; chiefly in observations of fire.
 3. Hold the field glasses with both hands.
This advice, sometimes ignored by observers without
expedience, has a great influence on the accuracy of information.
When an observer holds the glasses in one hand, it is much more
difficult for him to correct the movements caused by the balloon and
to concentrate on a point. It is very important, therefore, to hold the
glasses firmly with both hands, especially when you are making a
delicate observation or when you wish to study an “objective” in
detail.
 PART III.

APPENDIX.
Note 1.—All observations of rounds refer to the line battery
target (b-t) and a line perpendicular to same passing through the
target. Observations are given in meters right and left and whether
the round is over or short. Indications as to deflection are given
before those of range. Indications as to the amount of error precede
those as to the sense of the error. Example, 50 meters “Right,”
“over.” Owing to the dispersion of fire when adjusting fire for field
artillery or howitzer, it is unnecessary and of little value to the battery
to give the amount of the error in range except when asked for by
the battery commander or when the error in range is abnormal (over
200 meters).
When the target is clearly visible and the effect of a round hitting
a target is evident, the observation “Target” is reported. Unless the
observer is certain of having seen the bursts “Unobserved” will be
sent. If, however, after a few seconds smoke can be seen rising from
trees, houses, etc., in proximity to the target, the observation
“Unobserved, but smoke seen rising left and over,” may be given.
Note 2.—Observers must beware of being over-confident in
their own powers of observation. True confidence only comes with
experience, and this is best attained by making ascents with a
trained observer when ranging a battery and checking one’s own
observations with those given by him. An observation must never be
given unless the observer is quite certain as to its correctness. It is
essential to good results that the artillery may be able to rely
absolutely on the observations sent down. The observer must watch
the target but must avoid straining his eyes by putting up his glasses
as soon as a round is fired. He should arrange for the chart room to
inform him when a shell is about to fall. The latter must know the
time of flight. Observers must learn to distinguish readily the bursts
of different kinds of shells.
Note 3.—If the balloon-target line makes an angle with the
battery-target line of more than 30° with field artillery and 20° with
heavy, the balloon position will be given to the battery, and all
observations will be given with reference to the balloon-target line
and the battery will replot accordingly.
 *** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BALLOON
OBSERVATION, AND INSTRUCTIONS ON THE SUBJECT OF
WORK IN THE BASKET ***

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