“Look,” I said, trying to look at each of the board in turn without letting my eyes seek out Jax’s the way they desperately wanted to. “I don’t know the words for it, but even though I love Jax, I would want to make amends and obey the law even if I had to do it without my daddy.”
Esme turned to one side and then the other, her eyes searching the faces of her colleagues. I couldn’t read their hard expressions at all, and for a moment I thought I had ruined everything. Then Esme spoke again, her voice much warmer.
“Louisa, you’ve shown remarkable adaptability and an impressive willingness to embrace your true nature.” To my surprise and elation, she smiled. “The question now is what path forward will best serve both your rehabilitation and society’s needs.”
The other assessors nodded in agreement, their expressions remaining neutral, but somehow less severe than before.
“Although it’s highly unusual,” Esme said, setting her tablet down and folding her hands atop it, “Selecta has approved a proposal that Mr. Walton would like to present. You may speak now, Mr. Walton.”
Jax stood, his imposing presence commanding the room’s attention. “Thank you, Esme.” He turned to face me, his gray eyes intense with an emotion I couldn’t quite name, exceptthat it absolutely came from a place of love. “Little Lulu, I’ve been offered a position with Selecta’s rehabilitation division in another city. I would serve in an administrative capacity, overseeing programs similar to the one you’ve been part of.”
My heart began to race. Was he saying what I thought he was saying?
“I’ve requested that you be released into my custody,” Jax continued, his voice deep and steady. “You would work alongside me, helping other bad girls understand and embrace their submissive needs, just as you’ve learned to embrace yours.”
“You mean…” I could barely form the words, hope blooming in my chest. “You’ll still be my daddy?”
Jax’s face softened into a smile that made my heart skip. “Yes, Little Lulu. I’ll still be your daddy. Always.”
“Yes,” I said immediately, not caring how eager I sounded. “Yes, please.”
EPILOGUE
Louisa
I paced the living room of Jax’s and my little house, trying to focus on the view of the ocean outside rather than the sinking feeling in my tummy. My daddy would be home soon, but right now I wasn’t sure I wanted to face him.
I’d gotten a text from Jax during the afternoon, as I was leading a group counseling session at the local bad girls facility.
Little Lulu, I just looked at the credit card bill. You’re in trouble. We agreed on a number for your clothes budget: you went way over it.
Six months had gone by since my parole. Six months of building a new life with Jax in this sunny coastal town, hundreds of miles from where we’d first met. Six months of helping other bad girls understand their needs while continuing to explore my own under my daddy’s firm guidance.
But had I myself actually learned anything?
Well, yes, because I had purposely gone over budget with the shopping—not reallywayover, I thought, anyway.
I had been craving a kind of attention from my daddy that he had been a little too busy to give me lately. The facility had been getting a lot of new girls, and Jax had been working overtime to make sure the staff was properly trained to handle them.
Now I wasn’t so sure it had been a good idea to overspend. I kept pacing, my bare feet silent on the polished hardwood floor. I wore the simple sundress—white with tiny pink flowers—that showed off the tan I’d developed from our weekend beach trips; the sundress, in fact, that had cost fifty dollars more than my budget. In the mirror on the wall, the polished pink leather of my collar, now a permanent fixture around my neck, gleamed in the late afternoon sunlight streaming through the windows.
I heard the car pull into the driveway, the familiar sound of the engine cutting off. My heart skipped a beat when I heard multiple car doors slam. I peered through the window and my stomach dropped. I was suddenly absolutely positive that overspending hadn’t been a good idea when I saw that Jax wasn’t alone: Rudy and Mateo, who now worked in the same office Jax did, had come too.
I smoothed my dress and took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. The front door opened, and I stood in the center of the living room, hands clasped in front of me, eyes downcast in the posture my daddy preferred when he came home.
The men came in. Jax first, his tall frame filling the doorway, followed by Rudy and Mateo. All three wore similar expressionsof stern disapproval that filled my tummy with anticipation and dread.
“Little Lulu,” Jax said, his deep voice sending shivers down my spine. “Do you have something you want to tell me?”
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to meet his eyes. “I’m sorry I went over budget, Daddy.”
“Are you?” he asked, setting his briefcase down and loosening his tie. “Because I think you did it on purpose.”
My face burned as he saw through my deception so easily. “I… maybe.”
Jax’s expression hardened. “Strip,” he ordered, his voice leaving no room for argument.
My fingers trembled as I reached for the thin straps of my sundress. I slipped them off my shoulders, letting the dress fall to pool around my ankles. Beneath, I wore only the special panties with the pearl button. I chewed my bottom lip as I looked into Jax’s stern eyes, my hands clenched into little fists as I made a wordless plea.
