Chapter One
“Mmm, I’ve been a naughty baby girl, Daddy.” Her big brown doe eyes looked up at him from her submissive position on the bed. Knees tucked underneath her, ass thrust in the air, cheeks flushed with arousal and embarrassment. And beautifully, gloriously naked. He ran a hand across her backside, brushing up against her exposed labia and devouring her with his eyes. He’d already formulated his plan to bring her to heel.
“You most certainly have been naughty. And you’re about to learn a hard lesson, baby girl.” She fidgeted under his hand, but maintained her position. “It’s time for your spanking. And remember, no fussing for your daddy. You’re going to take your punishment like a good girl, aren’t you?”
“Yes, Daddy,” she whimpered, sucking her thumb into her mouth and bracing herself for what was to come. He assumed his position at her side, hand poised in the air, ready to give her exactly what she needed.
What they both needed.
Feeling his palm connecting with her tight bottom and hearing the wail he wrenched from her pouty lips, for the first time in years, he felt the raw, all-consuming power of being in control, of being a firm disciplinarian.
Of being her daddy.
Mngh. He grunted into the shower wall, hand wrapped firmly around his thick, straining cock as he shot his load down the drain. It was that thumb in her mouth that set him off. Every single time. James had fantasized about her so many times—and masturbated countless more—he could envision every last feature on her anxious face, the glistening of her sex, and even the smell of her arousal. But it was that thumb in the mouth that triggered his climax. Even throughout all the spanking scenarios he’d conjured up, he was never able to imagine anything more erotic than that thumb.
Temporarily sated as he got out of the shower, he continued with his morning ritual, calling to mind the object of his fantasies. The woman who used to be his student. The woman who was as smart as they came, but who wasn’t working to her full potential. The woman who occasionally sucked her thumb during unguarded moments in class. The woman who needed his guidance.
The woman he’d love to claim as his baby girl.
Cassandra Brown.
But the second he called to mind her name, an unseen force knocked the wind out of him. A jagged shard of guilt punched its way into his heart and he fell to his bed. He looked to the framed, slightly faded picture on the bookshelf. The last one he had of her. His Laura. Her big blue eyes reached out to him as the first beams of early morning light nudged their way into his bedroom. With his arms wrapped around her and his chin resting on her shoulder, they had snapped this photo at the lake during their last year of graduate school, right after they’d both accepted their first official teaching positions, and just before he was about to propose to her.
The world had been at their feet—young, smart, good-looking—and, on the surface, they were the perfect couple. They were even better behind closed doors. Laura was widely regarded as larger than life and someone who could knock you on your butt with her big personality. Everyone who’d ever met her wanted to be friends with her, wanted to do what she was doing. Although bawdy and brash with the outside world, soon after they started dating, Laura confessed—after a couple of glasses of wine—that she was a closet submissive and that she liked to be spanked. James willingly agreed to try to give her what she needed, more than a little curious about this hidden side of his fetching, beautiful girlfriend.
The first time he took her over his knee, he knew he’d never be the same. The raw power and sensuality he felt while paddling her, dominating her—both for pleasure and for discipline—were the headiest emotions he’d ever experienced. James and Laura knew they’d found what they needed in each other. They’d found their match. Within a couple of months of dating, whenever they were able to find a bit of privacy, they started to refer to one another as ‘Daddy’ and ‘baby girl.’ The dynamic fit them perfectly and they both enjoyed the feelings and power exchange implicit in their chosen names. After a couple of years of living together, they’d grown into their dominance and submission and the relationship further blossomed. James knew that she was the one for him, the only one he would ever want.
But life had a terrible way of throwing curveballs, and along came one that hit them like a ton of bricks. Not two weeks after they took the picture that now decorated James’s bookshelf, Laura noticed a small lump in her breast. At thirty-two years old, she was diagnosed with inflammatory breast carcinoma and, despite an aggressive course of chemo and radiation, she was dead six months later. With his engagement ring still on her finger.
His baby girl was gone. He wasn’t a daddy anymore.
Since then—nearly fifteen years now—he hadn’t dared to let himself feel anything for anyone, keeping his emotions in check and his privacy sacrosanct. In all honesty, there weren’t many people who piqued his interest in the small college town of Cranberry, Michigan anyway. For years, he assumed that he’d had his shot and tried to give thanks that at least he’d had someone special for a short while.
But then, six months ago, he met Cassandra—Cassie—and, for the first time since he’d lost Laura, he felt the painfully sweet pull of desire and dominance in his gut. The same sensation he’d gotten the first time he’d spanked Laura. While nobody could ever or would ever take her place in his heart, James finally admitted to himself that he might be ready to try again. To try to be a daddy to another baby girl.
He knew he craved the dynamic. And moreover, he craved it with Cassie. At five feet six inches tall, she was a good six inches shorter than him, and had some of the lushest, most beautiful curves he’d ever seen. And an ass that was begging to be spanked by him. Her spunky spirit, intelligence, and beguiling sense of humor made her the life of the party and a catalyst for class discussions. He couldn’t help but be bowled over by her huge personality or her brash, often contrarian assertions. Laura would’ve loved her. But these same traits that made Cassie one of the most popular and recognized students on campus also tended to get her into trouble.
He’d seen it firsthand last semester in his Charles Dickens seminar. By all accounts, Cassie should’ve aced his course. She understood the material better than anyone and was a razor-sharp devil’s advocate during any debate. He fondly recalled the moment early on in his seminar when she vociferously—and to the chagrin of most of her classmates—defended Victorian era patriarchal norms. “Put yourselves in the shoes of a man in one of Dickens’s novels. You’re the head of household, husband, father, and chief earner in a world entirely dominated by men. Now imagine you were to lose control of your family. Your wife strays, your daughters ‘tarnish their virtue’”—she’d even added the air quotes for effect—“It’d be a direct reflection upon you. Your social status and would take an immediate hit, am I right? So are you trying to tell me that a few judicious spankings and a fatherly dose of discipline wouldn’t be warranted to keep your world in check?” He nearly had a melee on his hands after that one, but she stuck to her guns and defended herself admirably. And it was then, as the melodic notes of her voice rang in his ears—judicious spankings, fatherly dose of discipline—that James’s dominant, protective instincts came to the surface, and he began to consider her as more than just a student. She had shown herself to be a gem amongst mere pebbles.
But sometimes even the most beautiful diamonds needed shaping and polishing. She frequently missed classes. And when she’d turn in her well-crafted essays, they were usually a week late. Because of her natural smarts, Cassie thought she didn’t have to work hard at school and could coast right through, partying and blowing off classes to her heart’s content. She’d been lucky to get out of his class with a C, but she was capable of so much more.
She needed discipline and he knew he was just the man to give it to her. James wanted to be the one to take her in hand and help her realize her full potential, wanted to show her the world of possibilities at her fingertips if only she’d put forth the effort, wanted to give her the structure she needed in order to thrive and move beyond college life.
In short, he wanted to be Cassie’s daddy.
Unfortunately, he also knew the decision wasn’t entirely contingent upon him.
Chapter Two
“No, I’m not kidding, Robbie. I’m getting evicted. Kicked to the curb. Asked to leave. Say it however you want, it doesn’t change a damn thing. I’m going to be homeless after this weekend and I need a place to stay. Please.” Cassie couldn’t believe she was having this conversation. After another semester of hard partying and multiple complaints lodged against her by her stuck-up, studious neighbors, she’d received notice to vacate her apartment. She had three days to move out. And Roberta was her last hope. “So can I come live with you or what?”
“Um, well, Cass. Look. You know if it were up to me, I’d love to have you at my place, but…”
“But? You’re one of my best friends, Robbie!”
“I know, hon, I know, but I can’t hang with you twenty-four/seven. You’re a total wild card and I’d never get anything done. I mean, c’mon, you’ve been at this school for over five years now and you’re smarter than all of us put together. Why’re you still here? I mean, I guess it just boils down to the fact that I can’t have you living with me and hope to graduate in May. I’m sorry, Cass. Really sorry.” Robbie shrugged her shoulders, gave her friend a quick hug, and beat a hasty retreat.
Cassie was dumbstruck. She knew Robbie was telling the truth, but it didn’t make the rejection sting any less. Sure, she’d been at Greenlake College for over five years. Sure, she was a legend at the small campus, a gigantic fish in a small pond. Sure, she had a tendency to party a little hard and study a little soft. But how was she supposed to find a place to live this late in the game? The spring semester had already started and, in their small Michigan town, housing options at this point were few and far between. She’d called everyone she could think of. They’d each given her their own version of the Robbie response. “Wish I could help, but…”
And she definitely couldn’t call her parents. After all, there wasn’t much they would do for her anyway. They’d made their position abundantly clear over the holidays. “Cassandra dear, our responsibility to you starts and ends at paying your tuition, room, and board. Your father and I have given up worrying about your lack of progress. Figure out what you want and keep us posted when you finally get a handle on your life.” I guess that’s what happens when deep pockets and a complete lack of interest in childrearing come together, she mused sarcastically, remembering the hurtful conversation.
She was up the proverbial creek, and as she kicked her foot into the snowdrift in front of the Humanities building, she let out a frustrated hmpf, not realizing that she had an audience.
An audience that was about to make her life significantly more interesting.
“I’m assuming that snowdrift had it coming?” James quipped as he walked up to her. She was so incredibly beautiful—her golden hair tumbling down the back of her navy pea coat, her sharp brown eyes assessing him as he approached, her cheeks flushed with frustration.
“Heh, yeah. It sure did,” she mumbled into her scarf. Even with this brief exchange, he could see how upset she was. “How’s it going, Dr. Forsythe?”
“You’re not my student anymore, Cassandra. How about you call me James?”
“Fair enough, James. How about you call me Cassie then?” Damn, she was direct. He loved her feisty spirit. Even after the conversation he just overheard, she could still put on a brave face.
“Sounds good, Cassie.” He needed to say it now or he’d never be able to broach it. She was desperate for housing; he had an extra room. She needed structure if she was going to graduate; he had discipline to spare. The situation seemed ready-made. For both of them. Now he just needed to convince her that it was in her best interest as well. As the idea developed in his mind, he could feel himself getting hard and was grateful for his thick wool coat and the coverage it provided. No time like the present.
“Look, I’m sorry. I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. Actually, the truth is I’m a chronic eavesdropper, so I was definitely listening in,” he shrugged in a mock apology that had the desired effect of making her laugh. “It sounds like you’re dealing with a housing crisis of sorts, yes?”
“Yeah. You could say that.” She clipped her toe against the snow again, dislodging a small iceberg onto the frozen sidewalk.
“Well, it just so happens that I’ve got an extra room at my house and it’s yours if you want it.”
“Wait. What? Are you serious?” The change in her demeanor was instantaneous and the smile plastered on her face threatened to melt every last bit of snow across campus.
“I’m serious, Cassie. What do you think?”
Without further preamble, she threw her arms around his neck, nearly knocking him against one of the stone pillars of the building’s façade. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
He knew she was a naturally effusive young woman—a hugger at heart—so he didn’t fool himself by inferring too much from her embrace. Yes, she was thankful. But she was also in a desperate situation. It was time for him to temper her enthusiasm and to begin to find out if her views on father figures and discipline were as strong as he believed them to be.
“You’re welcome, Cassie. But, before you get too excited, I want you to know that there’ll be rules.” In his mind’s eye, he could already see the list he would draft up for her this afternoon. “You can live with me, rent-free, but there are some conditions that you’d need to agree to, understood?”
“Rent-free? Anything! I’ll agree to anything!” It was almost too easy.
“Well, you say that now, but how about we have dinner at my house tonight, you can see the place, and we can discuss some of those rules?”
“Oh, James, yes! Thank you. Thank you so much!”
Once she gave him the address of her current apartment and her cell number, he let her know he’d pick her up at five o’clock that evening. She gave him another thank you and a big hug before turning around and skipping—literally skipping—away across the quad.
James slipped through the main door of the building and made his way up to his third floor office. Closing the door, he fired up his computer and started writing out the house rules for Cassie.
His new roommate.
And maybe more.