The Art of Discipline: Dani’s Discovery (The Mockingbird Chronicles) Read online

  “You want something for it?”

  Dani wanted to scream yes, but shook her head. “I’m probably just hungry.”

  Emma nodded. “Me too. You think the camera thing will take too long? I need to get back to the store.”

  “Shouldn’t. I talked to the salesman already. Told him what we are looking for, and he should have the options already laid out. We just need to pick, and then we set up installation.”

  Emma’s response was interrupted by the waitress who returned with their lunch. Knowing they were in a hurry, they ate in silence, and although Dani had claimed that she was hungry, she managed to choke down only half her sandwich.

  Emma frowned, watching Dani pick at her food. It wasn’t her usual cheeseburger and fries, but she had hoped after Dani said that she was hungry that she’d make a better attempt at it. She’d been surprised at Dani’s choice, but then again, maybe Dani was just trying too hard today. She wanted the best for Dani, but maybe she was asking too much, too fast.

  Dani shifted again on her bench. She was uncomfortable, the headache was getting worse, and her stomach was in knots and was aching rather unpleasantly. She needed more caffeine but had to wait until she got away from Emma’s ever-watching scrutiny. Living up to Emma’s expectations wasn’t easy, but as Uncle Sean loved to say, ‘If it’s worth having, it’s worth working for.’

  After lunch, Emma and Dani headed to the local home improvement store to meet with the salesman. Dani found herself suddenly glad that Emma was driving, because her head was pounding. Her stomach had also worsened and began cramping, making her practically bolt for the restroom the moment they arrived at the store. By the time she found Emma again, she had already engaged the salesman and narrowed the choices down to two packages.

  Dani approved the more expensive of the two, adding an extra monitor so they could watch the cameras from both Emma’s office and Dani’s living room, before bolting for the restroom once again. When Dani didn’t return promptly, Emma became concerned. Excusing herself from the salesman, she left to check on her.

  “You don’t look so good,” Emma commented as she found Dani at the sink, splashing cool water on her face.

  “I’m fine. Stomach is just a little uncooperative at the moment,” Dani answered, trying to shrug her off but suddenly shivering as an involuntary chill crossed over her. “Probably something I ate.”

  “Except the fact that you barely ate anything,” Emma gently chastised as she placed the back of her hand on Dani’s cheek. “Honey, you’re burning up.”

  Dani echoed Emma’s test, feeling her own forehead with her hand. “I guess that could explain the headache.”

  “You still have the headache? It get worse?”

  Dani nodded, not wanting to admit that she could barely see straight.

  “That’s it. I’m taking you straight home and putting you to bed.”

  “I have a conference call at four… I can’t,” Dani protested.

  Emma raised an eyebrow, a look that Dani had learned well in the last few weeks. “You can reschedule or have one of your employees do it.”

  “But…” Dani started, but the eyebrow didn’t budge. Groaning, she agreed with a nod. Bed did sound like a good idea.

  “Good.” Emma grabbed Dani’s arm for support as she suddenly wavered. “Let’s get you home.”

  Dani let Emma escort her halfway out of the store, when she suddenly stopped. “You set up the installation yet?”

  “No, we can finish this another day. I want to get you home.”

  Dani stopped short. “No, we’re this far. We should just set it up.”

  “They haven’t even rung me up yet…”

  “Emma…”

  “Danielle…”

  Dani crossed her arms across her chest. “I’m not leaving unless we finish this.”

  Emma bristled. “Danielle, this is not negotiable,” she hissed.

  This time it was Dani’s turn to raise one of her eyebrows as she repeated, “I’m not leaving unless we finish this.”

  Frustrated, Emma ran a hand through her hair. “There is a bench by the checkout. I want you to wait for me there until I finish. And this isn’t over,” she threatened. “We are going to talk later.”

  Dani managed a half smile. “I know, but your safety is worth it.”

  Emma rolled her eyes. “Talking sweet isn’t gonna help you now,” she half threatened.

  “Be nice, or I’ll give you a big, wet, sloppy kiss. Then we can spend the next few days in bed together.” Dani then immediately blushed when she realized how what she said sounded.

  “Yeah, but it won’t be much fun, sleeping on your tummy and all,” Emma teased back, patting Dani’s cheek with her hand. “Now, do you need help finding that bench?”

  “Think I’ll be okay, go ahead and finish with the cameras so we can get home.”

  * * *

  Dani blinked back the tears as she rolled over from one side to the other. Emma had just tucked her in—after delivering a dozen swift swats to her pajama-clad bottom. It wasn’t so much that it hurt, although she couldn’t deny the sting on her already tender backside, but at the moment she felt so loved her heart could almost burst. Dani was a little sad that Emma couldn’t hold her this time, but Emma had to get back to the store. It was just Emma and Stevie this afternoon, and Dani knew she wouldn’t see her again until after closing. With a sigh of regret mixed with contentment, she rubbed her backside for a moment before allowing herself to drift off.

  It seemed like only minutes later when Dani was awakened by the phone. Blinking the sleep away, she looked at the clock, which read 4:05 p.m. She’d been asleep for almost two hours. Picking up the landline, she muttered a “Hello.”

  “Danielle, thank goodness. You’re not answering your phone. The Johnsons are here, wanting to start the conference.”

  “Morgan?” Dani sputtered and then did a face palm. She’s been so focused on Emma and her backside, she’d completely forgotten about the conference call.

  “Yes, it’s me. You haven’t been drinking or something, have you?”

  “You know me better than that,” Dani scolded. “I wasn’t feeling well and must have drifted off. Give me ten minutes, and I’ll call in.”

  “Right. I’ll tell them you’ll be with them shortly,” Morgan replied a little curtly before hanging up.

  Dani looked at the receiver, muttering a few choice curses at it before she slammed it back onto its base. Practically flying out of bed, she had to suddenly grab the side table to keep herself from falling. Giving herself a moment for the room to stop spinning, she swallowed the bile back down her throat before forcing herself to head to the study to boot up the laptop.

  When she returned to the bedroom, she realized that she’d only be visible from the chest up, so she didn’t bother changing out of her pajama bottoms and just put on a pressed shirt and suit jacket. She quickly brushed out her hair, pulling it back into a simple but neat ponytail before touching up her makeup.

  Heading back to the study, she suddenly paused and turned back toward the bed. With a small smirk, she grabbed a pillow; after all, it wouldn’t do for her client to see her wincing every time she moved. Using the door frame and wall as a crutch, she make it back to the study and over to her desk. She then carefully placed the pillow on her chair before taking a seat. Taking just another moment to let the room once again stop spinning, she dialed into her conference.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Johnson,” Dani greeted. “I apologize for the wait. I’ve been told you’ve settled on a date for Ashley’s sweet sixteen. I’ve been researching venues, and I think I found the perfect place for Ashley and her 300 closest friends…

  “… Yes, yes, we’ve worked with her before, and I agree she’s a wonderful singer, all the kids love her,” Dani continued. She managed to get a list of possible performers—most of them way out of the price range, even for the Johnson’s—and she’d found someone who might work. “We will contact her agent and get b
ack to you as soon as we know if she’s available.”

  Dani listened to Mr. Johnson babble on for a few moments before she saw her opportunity to end the call, “Yes, Mr. Johnson. We will make sure this is the best sweet sixteen Chicago’s ever seen. You have my word on that… Great, yes… Yes, please see Morgan on your way out. She has some papers for you to sign and can certainly take care of the down payment as well… Yes, it was a pleasure. We will be in contact soon. Goodbye.”

  Sighing as the screen went blank, Dani took of her headset. She massaged her temples for a moment. The headache was back with a vengeance, and all she wanted to do was go back to bed. Pushing away from the desk, she slowly stood and turned toward the door, only to almost fall back down as she saw Emma, arms crossed, leaning against the door frame.

  “Um, what are you doing here?” Dani tried unsuccessfully to hide the surprise in her voice.

  “I could ask you the same question. Coulda swore you were supposed to be in bed,” Emma returned, her eyes flashing.

  Dani grimaced at the tone before grabbing onto her chair to keep herself from falling over. “Can you yell at me later, please?”

  “Dani,” Emma’s tone instantly softened as she quickly crossed over to her side. “You’re burning up.”

  “Head is killing me too. Wish I had a soda.”

  “Don’t you think you already had enough today? Come on, let’s get you back to bed,” Emma insisted, letting Dani use her to steady the dizziness as she walked.

  “Emma, I haven’t had any soda today.”

  “Great, now you’re delirious. I know you had at least three giant cups this morning, plus the one at the gas station,” Emma chastised, as she helped Dani back into the bedroom and encouraged her sit on the edge of the bed. Leaving her for a moment to grab some aspirin from the bathroom cabinet, she handed it and a small glass of water to Dani before helping her out of her jacket. Upon meeting her eyes, though, Emma couldn’t help but notice the tears that had suddenly appeared. “Hey now, why the tears?”

  “You don’t believe me,” Dani suddenly blubbered.

  Emma sighed, helping Dani with her shirt and her bra before slipping her pajama top back over her head. “Tell me then, Dani, what don’t I believe? I saw you drinking those with my own eyes.”

  “It wasn’t soda. It was iced tea.”

  “Dani, you don’t even like tea,” Emma gently scolded as she pulled down the covers and encouraged Dani to scoot under them.

  Settling down into the pillow, Dani shook her head. “I don’t like hot tea. Not a huge fan of iced tea, but I’ll drink it. I mean it’s not soda…”

  “Dani. Why were you drinking iced tea instead of soda?” Emma cut to the chase as she sat on the edge of the bed.

  Dani frowned. “Promise not spank me?”

  “For what?” Emma suddenly snapped. “Pushing yourself too far when you are sick, or maybe for directly disobeying me when I told you to reschedule that conference call? Or maybe the defiance in the store, not to mention the pillow I saw on your chair? And now you’re telling me that you purposely misled me into believing that you were drinking soda, when you actually weren’t? So what is it, Dani? What shouldn’t I spank you for, ‘cause I have a whole list of things that I could.”

  Dani quickly looked down at her comforter, chewing on her lip nervously. “I’m sorry,” she sniffled.

  Emma reached out and captured Dani’s chin, forcing blue to meet green again. “I’m not going to spank you, honey, at least not tonight. You’re not feeling well, and that wouldn’t be fair to either of us, or our relationship.” Watching Dani visually relax, Emma rubbed her hand against her cheek. “I do want to know, though, why you suddenly have taken up an interest in iced tea.”

  “Last night,” Dani started in almost a whisper, “you told me you weren’t going to punish me for drinking too much soda, so I decided that I’d ground myself and not drink any soda today.”

  Emma tightened her jaw but allowed Dani to finish her explanation before she reacted.

  “I tried to go without it, but then the headache started, and I knew I had to have some caffeine. I thought the tea would help, but the headache wouldn’t go away. I guess the caffeine wasn’t the only reason for the headache though.”

  “No, and I suspect wandering around in the chilly air and no jacket last night didn’t help either, but it’s not all your fault. I should have been more aware of how your body was reacting. I should have seen this coming on.”

  “Emma, how are you supposed to know when I’m sick? You’ve never seen me sick before.”

  Emma couldn’t help a small smile. “True. Okay, I’ll give on that point, this time.” Emma’s voice dropped a bit. “But I have to ask, didn’t I explain why I didn’t ground you last night? I didn’t want you to suffer with headaches, and that’s exactly what happened. I shouldn’t have to keep saying this, Dani, but you’re not in charge. I dictate when, where, how, and if you are going to be punished. You have to learn to trust me, and it hurts that you can’t seem to do that.”

  “But… I’m sorry Emma, I didn’t mean…”

  Emma sighed. “I know. We still have a lot to learn… especially about each other. Now, I want you to rest for a little while. I’ll come get you when it’s time to eat.”

  Dani frowned, the hopes of Emma staying with her dashed. Turning on her side, she realized that the clock only read 4:56 p.m. “Going back to the store?”

  “No, I closed down for the night. It’s been slow anyway. I’ll probably stay closed tomorrow as well.”

  “No you can’t do that. Saturday is our busiest day. I’m sure I’ll be feeling better tomorrow,” Dani tried.

  “We’ll see,” Emma returned. “Now, get some rest, I’ll check on you in a bit,” she continuing, leaning down and kissing Dani’s forehead.

  Seeing Emma stand, Dani couldn’t help but ask, “Emma? Will you stay with me, please?”

  “Not right now, honey. Get some rest, I’ll be back soon.”

  Dani turned away from the door, not wanting to watch Emma leave. She suddenly felt alone and empty inside. Reaching up, she wiped a tear off her cheek. “I’m sorry, Emma,” she whispered into the darkened room.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Emma added a fresh primrose that she had handpicked from the small green area in the back of the store to a mini vase on the tray and then stood back to admire it. Mentally checking the tray once more, she was satisfied with its contents: two bowls of chicken noodle soup, spoons, napkins, and a large glass of water for each of them. Picking up the tray, she walked toward the bedroom, where she hoped that Dani was actually resting.

  Dani had thrown her for a loop earlier with her confession about the iced tea. In a way, she was proud of Dani for trying to correct her own behavior, but as a top, it went against how things were done. At a loss, she’d called Stevie for advice but didn’t exactly agree with what her employee-turned-friend had suggested. Emma agreed that Dani should have some sort of consequence, but to crack down as hard as Stevie suggested would only cause Dani to rebel. Dani wasn’t as submissive as Anna, and Emma knew if she didn’t give her some freedom, she might lose her.

  Pushing the conversation from her mind, Emma continued into the bedroom, where she noticed Dani still had her back to the door. Placing the tray on the dresser, she sat on the edge of bed. Reaching over to brush the hair off Dani’s face, she frowned when seeing her tear stained cheeks.

  Bending slightly, she kissed Dani’s forehead, noticing that she was still quite warm. “Sweetie, wake up. I brought you some soup.”

  “Not hungry,” Dani groaned, trying to pull the covers over her head. “Just leave me alone. I’m sure you have better things to do anyways.”

  “Don’t be silly, Dani. Why would I want to leave? I brought dinner in here to eat with you,” Emma said before gently rolling Dani onto her back. “Come on, time to sit up and eat.”

  “I told you, I’m not hungry!” Dani snapped before trying to turn back over
away from Emma.

  “Danielle, I know you are not feeling well, but that doesn’t give you the right to be disrespectful. Now sit up,” Emma commanded.

  Glaring, but deciding not to push her luck, Dani reluctantly sat up. She propped her back up against the headboard and watched as Emma retrieved a TV tray, placing it between them. Noticing the flower, she almost smiled but caught herself just in time, forcing her expression to sour. Letting a pout form on her lips, Dani crossed her arms. “I told you I wasn’t hungry.”

  Emma frowned and disappeared into the bathroom for a moment before returning with a thermometer. Before Dani could protest, she found the device firmly pressed against her ear, and Emma’s flashing green eyes demanding that she hold still.

  “One hundred and two,” Emma quietly commented. “The aspirin isn’t helping. After dinner, we’ll draw a nice warm bath for you.”

  “Like hell,” Dani responded. “I don’t feel like moving, and there’s no way I’m getting into a tub.”

  “We’ll see,” Emma responded, handing Dani the spoon for her soup. “You need to eat.”

  “Don’t do that!” Dani exploded, grabbing the spoon and throwing it across the room. “Don’t patronize me, Emma! I am not a child, and I can take care of myself. I’ve been doing it my whole life. Now, just take your tray and go.”

  Raising her eyebrow, Emma said nothing, but slowly removed the tray and placed it a safe distance from her irate patient. Turning back to Dani, she put her finger and thumb on Dani’s chin, forcing their eyes to meet. “That’s twice, Danielle. Sick or not, if there is a third time, you will regret it.”

  Dani rolled her eyes and tried to jerk her head from Emma’s hand. “Yeah, right. Suddenly you care—when it’s convenient for you.”

  “What does that mean, Danielle?” Emma asked, releasing Dani’s chin but holding her gaze with her eyes.

  “Nothing. You wouldn’t understand anyway. Just spank me and get it over with,” Dani suddenly turned over, lying on her stomach. “There. That should be easy for you,” she muttered into the pillow.