The Art of Discipline: Dani’s Discovery (The Mockingbird Chronicles) (20 page)

Locking the door behind her, Emma took another deep breath and slowly made her way up the stairs.

* * *

Entering the apartment, Emma shook her head in disbelief. Dani had caught her off guard, and the idea that she’d felt so unsafe that she felt the need to arm herself was difficult to understand. Her whole life, her father had caused her to hide, to run, and to be scared. It was too much to comprehend that the same feeling had now translated to Dani. She was tired of him interfering, and this time it had gone too far.

Not finding Dani in the main room or the kitchen, Emma headed to the bedroom. Confused at not finding her there either, she realized that the door to the study was closed. Opening the door gently, Emma found her prey curled up on the leather wingback, an empty can of soda on the table next to her.

“Dani?” Emma called softly.

“Gonna yell at me some more?” Dani huffed, turning to stare out the window.

“I’m sorry,” Emma replied. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you. Finding that… thing in your purse. It just caught me off guard.”

Dani didn’t reply but managed to pull herself into a tighter ball, as she continued to stare out the window.

Emma frowned, taking another step into the room. “Dani, has it always been in there?”

Dani shook her head. “I got it yesterday.”

“Why?”

Dani shrugged. “Cuz that is when my permit finally cleared.”

“You got it because of him, didn’t you?”

“No, I got it because of you. I want—I need to protect you.”

“I want you to get rid of it, Dani,” Emma said quietly.

“I won’t, and I think we should get one for the store too. Stevie agrees with me.”

“Stevie? You talked to her before me?”

“I asked her brother to help me with the permit,” Dani explained. “We got to talking about it.”

“Uncle Sean was very clear about having weapons in the store. I won’t allow it, and I don’t think you need it either. I want you to take it back.”

“What do you mean, you won’t allow it?” Dani asked, turning to face Emma. Her blue eyes narrowed. “Last I checked, I’m an adult and perfectly capable of making my own decisions.”

“Just like you can control your soda intake? I do believe that’s number four,” Emma shot back, indicating the empty can on the table.

“Five, actually. You’ll find another in the kitchen,” Dani shot back.

“Are you trying to get in trouble?”

Dani merely shrugged.

“Fine, if that is the way you want it, bedroom now!” Emma commanded.

Dani stood and glaring at Emma, she coldly brushed past her. Once at the door though, instead of turning left into the bedroom, she went right. Emma’s eyes went wide, and she moved to follow but was suddenly stopped by the slamming of a door—the front door. Emma’s jaw dropped as she traveled the rest of the way to the living room, confirming what she feared, that Dani was indeed gone.

Chapter Eleven

Dani was in a full-fledged panic by the time she hit the ground floor. Her world was suddenly spiraling out of control, and not knowing how else to deal with it, she ran. Running as hard and as fast as she could, she didn’t think about anything other than getting away. She ran past the Chinese takeout place and the pizza parlor. She ran past the diner that she and Emma often visited, past the movie theater, and even past the park which she’d used as a hideout when she’d played hooky from work. She ran until she couldn’t run any more.

Sputtering to a stop, she was forced to bend over, hands on knees, as she struggled to regain her breath. Looking for a familiar landmark, she noticed she’d reached the intersection of 10th and Olympic. It was one of the main intersections of town, and was almost five miles away from the bookstore.

Reaching for her cell to check the time, she suddenly realized it wasn’t there. With a little of a shock, she realized that she’d left it along with her keys, purse, and wallet back at the apartment. Penniless and annoyed at herself for being so carless, she sat down on a step to contemplate her options. She didn’t want to go home. She knew that Emma would be ticked at her, and no doubt her backside would suffer for her carelessness. She didn’t want to worry Emma but also couldn’t bring herself to call her. She just couldn’t bear to hear Emma’s voice right now.

Standing back up, Dani started to walk down the street. She couldn’t help but shiver as a cool breeze blew through. She was still dressed in slacks and silk tank, as she’d taken off the over-shirt when she’d returned to the apartment earlier. It wasn’t exactly the ideal outfit for roaming the streets at night. Turning the corner, she discovered the old mini-golf place that she and Uncle Sean would sometimes visit. With a turning in her stomach, she moved to continue past it but noticed a payphone.

Putting a hand on her stomach as it suddenly rumbled, she frowned and got an idea. She didn’t like it, but at the moment, it was better than calling Emma. Picking up the receiver, she hit the operator button and requested to make a collect call to either Stevie Taylor or Anna Benson.

* * *

“Thanks,” Dani replied, sipping on the diet soda before taking another bite of peperoni pizza. “I really appreciate this, and don’t worry, I’ll pay you back.”

“Don’t worry about it, Dani,” Anna replied. “We’re always happy to help out a friend.”

“Or family,” Stevie agreed, reaching across the table and patting Dani’s hand.

“So what happened? You and Emma have a fight?” Anna asked.

Dani looked down at her drink. “Something like that.”

“Emma was pretty upset with her,” Anna explained to Stevie. The two seemed to exchange a look which made Dani suddenly uncomfortable. Turning back to Dani, Anna added, “She didn’t hurt you, did she?”

Dani shifted uneasily. “No, of course not. We just got into a disagreement. She found out about my… purchase,” she directed to Stevie.

“I told you she wouldn’t like it,” Stevie scolded.

“Yeah, didn’t like the idea of getting one for the store either,” Dani added sarcastically.

“A handgun,” Stevie clarified for Anna, who was looking at her in confusion.

“Oh, wow. I’m surprised you can sit on that bench at all,” Anna almost giggled, causing Dani to narrow her eyes. “Oh, come on, Dani, it’s not like it’s a secret. We both saw you standing that day after you played hooky. And a couple of weeks ago, when you came home from Chicago, you didn’t seem too eager to sit down then either. We know what kind of relationship you and Emma have.”

“What are you talking about?” Dani snapped.

Anna leaned closer to Dani, unconsciously causing Dani to do the same. “That she spanks you,” she said in almost a whisper.

Dani reeled back. “What? What did she tell you?”

“Nothing, honest,” Anna replied, “but we know Emma. We know what kind of women she likes.”

“What is that supposed to mean—kind of women she likes?”

“Anna, do you think she doesn’t know?” Stevie suddenly asked.

Anna looked up at her partner. “I thought Emma would have explained things to her by now.”

“I’m sitting right here,” Dani reminded them both.

Both women looked at her. “Emma is a top, a domme, a spanko—we have many names,” Stevie explained. “We thought you were too.”

“We?” Dani asked.

“Yeah,” Anna agreed. “Stevie is my top. I’m her bottom. When I’m naughty, she spanks me. When I’m good, she spanks me, and sometimes she just spanks me for the heck of spanking me.”

“And that’s okay with you?” Dani asked, shocked by Anna’s admission.

“More than okay with it. I need her like I need air. And I need to know that she’s there to catch me when I fall as much as reward me when I’m good.”

Dani bit her lip for a moment, Anna’s words rolling in her head, before she turned to Stevie. “What’s in it for you?”

“I love Anna with all my heart,” Stevie said without hesitation. “It’s my goal to help her become the best person that she can be, and in helping her do that, she helps me too.”

“How, does she spank you too?”

Stevie chuckled. “Not usually. We’ve experimented with that a bit, but I think I’m a lot happier being the top. It’s complicated, but it’s also a lot more than just spanking. It’s about discipline and order and respect, and those things go both ways. Basically, in order for me to meet Anna’s expectations, I am in turn held to the highest standards.”

“I’m not sure I understand. How does Emma fit into this?”

Stevie and Anna again looked at each other before Stevie started to explain, “I think you and Emma need to talk about it. We’ve probably already said too much.”

Dani scowled. She wasn’t sure what Stevie meant by her comment, but the last thing she wanted to do was talk to Emma right now.

“Come on,” Anna encouraged. “I think it’s time for you to go home and face the music.”

“But I don’t want to,” Dani returned, almost in a pout.

“Trust me, honey, I’ve been there, but you’ll feel better after you talk with Emma,” Anna reassured her.

Dani grumbled but stood, following the two women to their car. After everything they’d told her, her mind was reeling, and she couldn’t help wondering if what they said about each other was similar to what she and Emma had. Dani knew that she was falling in love with Emma. She knew that making Emma happy was the most important thing to her. And yes, she knew that, like air, she needed Emma in her life.

* * *

“Come on, guys, you really don’t have to walk me up. I’ll be fine,” Dani whined as Stevie and Anna followed her up the stairs to the apartment.

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll be fine, at least until Emma gets done with you,” Anna teased, causing Dani to turn around and glare at her.

“Anna,” Stevie warned.

“Oh, come on, I was just teasing.”

“Well, it’s not your backside on the line,” Dani mumbled.

“Yet,” Stevie added, giving Anna a pointed look.

Reaching the apartment door, Dani waited as Stevie knocked. It only took a moment for Emma to open the door and allow them all to enter. Stepping inside, Dani tried her best to avoid looking Emma in the eye. Her stomach dropped though, when she noticed that Emma had lined up her phone, keys, and wallet on the coffee table.

Receiving a gentle shove from Stevie, Dani walked toward Emma, and Emma gave Dani a hug before releasing her with a soft smile. “I’m glad you’re home, Dani. Now, I want you to go shower and put on your pajamas. They’re on the bed for you already. When you’re finished, I’ll be waiting for you out here.”

Nodding, Dani sent one final look towards Anna, who gave her a thumbs-up of encouragement, before slowly dragging herself off down the hallway.

“Thanks for bringing her home, guys,” Emma commented.

“No problem,” Stevie said as she sat down in the large chair while Anna folded herself onto Stevie’s lap.

“We may have opened a can of worms for you though, Emma,” Anna began.

“What do you mean?” Emma responded, her eyebrows wrinkling with concern.

“Well, we were talking about things, and we kind of mentioned the spanking stuff. Tops, bottoms, our relationship,” Stevie paused and shrugged. “We figured the two of you had talked about it already.”

“Why would you think that?”

“Because of the days she’s been standing after some of her stunts,” Anna added with a smug grin. “Like the day she played hooky, and when you came back from Chicago.”

Stevie looked hard at Emma. “How could you not have discussed this with her? I mean, you’ve spanked her, right?”

Emma raised an eyebrow in challenge. “Draw your own conclusions, Stevie. I promised Dani I wouldn’t discuss that with anyone.”

Stevie nodded and scooted Anna off her lap before standing. “Talk to her, Emma. It’s past time.”

Emma stood and walked her friends to the door. “Thanks, guys, for everything,” she bade as she locked the door before returning to her seat on the couch.

While she waited, she reflected on what Stevie and Anna had said. Dani had taken to the spanking so easily, she just assumed that Dani was okay with it. Dani had never Mockingbirded her or seemed to have honest trouble submitting. Sure, she’d given the usual brat responses, but Emma had to wonder what Dani was really thinking.

When Sean left her the store and asked her to watch over Dani, she’d taken that responsibility seriously. Sean knew about Dani’s sexual preferences, and she knew by the note that Sean was expecting Emma to take a heavy hand with Dani. She’d only tried to fulfill his wishes, but then, she’d seen something else in Dani. Dani was far removed from the spoiled brat-niece that Sean had portrayed her to be. Dani was more. Dani was amazing.

Thinking about Dani and if she’d somehow pushed her too hard physically made Emma’s chest hurt. These kinds of relationships were complex, and the last thing she wanted to do was drive Dani away. Stevie was right; they needed to talk. She needed to know more about what Dani was thinking and feeling. She could no longer just assume, and she silently vowed that from this point forward, she’d be more open with Dani. That is, assuming that Dani would even want her around after they talked about this.

That was another can of worms that she didn’t even want to think about. Frowning, Emma chewed her lip in thought. Tonight would be different. They would talk, and then she’d see what happened next. It was scary but necessary.

As Emma was contemplating in the living room, Dani was emerging from the shower. She was regretting her decisions but couldn’t help herself as her body obeyed on its own and headed to the bedroom. Looking on the bed, she noticed her new pair of pajamas with the cartoon cat laid out for her. Frowning, she pulled the top over her head before lifting up the bottoms, looking for her panties. Finding none, she sighed heavily before pulling the cotton bottoms on. She wasn’t taking any chances this time.

Towel drying her hair, she quickly braided it before making her way out to the living area and Emma. Entering the room, she saw Emma reading on the couch. “Uh, Emma?”