damn horny and I was feeling it tonight. I kept a little something in my bedside drawer for this kind of situation and that was all I was really thinking about as I crept across the lounge room in the dark. And then the light came on and he was just sitting there in an armchair like some kind of super villain. All he needed was one of those hairless cats and he’d be all set. “Fuck. What the fuck Max? You scared the fuck out of me.” He didn’t say anything for a moment. Just stared at me. He did that a lot. Just watched, like he was waiting for me to screw up. It made me uncomfortable. “First of all you need to watch that attitude and that mouth young lady. I’m not kidding. You might have got away with a lot in the past but things are changing and you’re going to have to shape up.” Young lady? Seriously? “And secondly, it’s now well past your curfew. You understand that there are going to be consequences right?” Consequences? It was taking a lot of willpower to stop my eyes from rolling right on out of my head. “And finally I don’t think you should call me Max. It’s a little too familiar and disrespectful.” “Yeah, whatever you say Max . Thanks for waiting up in the dark for me you uptight douchebag. I’m going to bed.” He was out of the chair and across the room in a flash, moving so fast he took me totally by surprise as he grabbed my wrist and held it tight. I felt a little squeeze in my chest as he grabbed me. I felt fear, tinged with a little excitement. Max meant business. “I’m serious Kari. I know it’s not all your fault and I know your mother let you run wild. But there comes a time when you need to grow up and if you’re intentionally going to push boundaries we’ll end up having to do things the hard way.” I could have told him to fuck off or threatened to scream if he didn’t let go of me. But I couldn’t bring myself to do it. The talk of consequences and boundaries had my heart racing. I couldn’t really put my finger on why, but maybe when you grow up without rules, rules become a little more exciting. And there was no doubt that Max was an imposing masculine figure. Something that had been missing in my life. He had a certain effortless charm about him. When he wasn’t being an ass he was great company and those were the times when I understood what she saw in him. But now? I wanted to say that these were the times I couldn’t see the appeal, but I honestly wasn’t so sure. I couldn’t bring myself to apologize so instead I asked, “and if I don’t call you Max what am I supposed to call you? It’s not like I can call you Mr Standish.” He thought about this for a moment, but didn’t release my wrist. “Maxwell will do. If we’re in a formal situation. One day I hope you’ll call me Daddy.” Da... “Daddy? You have got to be kidding me.” He gave my arm a tug and pulled me nearer to him. I could feel real strength there. He didn’t flaunt it but Max... Maxwell was pretty buff. I knew he worked out and looked after himself, but it was easy to forget just how strong he was. When I was right next to him he bent low and spoke softly right into my ear. “We’ll see about that Kari.” For some reason his proximity sent a shiver down my spine and when he was close I got a whiff of a strong earthy scent that started my pulse racing. He let go of my wrist and I rubbed where he had been holding it. I had to admit I was a little confused by the effect he was having on me and although part of me really wanted to storm off, another part of me was excited by the mood Max seemed to be in and really want to stick around. “How about a bet?” He said, visibly relaxing a little. I even thought I detected a hint of a smile. I’m listening. I cocked my head and waited for him to continue. “If you’re a good girl and accept your punishment gracefully... I bet by the end of it you call me Daddy.” I laughed. "And what will I win if I