Ooh! It's getting good now! D

"Can I bring Bob, Daddy?" Sophie looked up at him, holding the stuffed penguin under her arm and watching him expectantly. She had sunglasses perched on top of her head, and a tiny bag in her other hand, to carry all of the "necessities" that she thought she might need at the zoo. Of course, these necessities consisted of finger paint, a small notebook, and a banana. As if she were afraid she would starve to death on the fifteen minute drive there.

"Yes, you can bring Bob." He smiled down at her and she yipped happily, her tiny feet carrying her back to her room to shove more into the tiny backpack. He called out to her, warning her that he was leaving in ten minutes, and she answered him excitedly, reminding him that he couldn't leave without her. He smiled at her words, and tried to push the thought of his unemployment out of his head. He hadn't gotten any closer to getting a job since he'd been fired, but he couldn't think about that today. Today was about Sophie; she'd been looking so forward to their zoo trip for weeks, and he had made her a million promises that he felt compelled to keep; spending the day with his mind a million different places just wouldn't be right to her.

He studied the handwritten directions again, trying to memorize them before they started out in the car. He had never been to the zoo in his life, and he didn't want to spend the day driving in circles while Sophie sat beside him sulking. He read them to himself, and then tucked the paper into his pocket, just in case he got lost on the way there. He had never been good with directions, which was probably why he hadn't gone on vacation for close to ten years now. He could hear Sophie humming loudly in her room, and felt the smile press across his lips as he opened his mouth to call out for her to begin getting ready to leave, when the doorbell rang. He looked up from where he stood, and let his legs carry him to the front door, pulling it open and looking expectantly at the woman on the other side.

"Amber," he said her name bitterly, "what are you doing here?"

She paused for a moment, looking sheepishly up at him, her cheeks pink with humility.

"Hi, Corny. May I come in?" Her voice was low, and she seemed quieter than the last time he'd seen her. He crossed his arms over his chest and stayed put, watching her.

"Amber, I-"

"Amber!" He heard the squeal behind him as Sophie rushed towards them, almost knocking Corny down to wrap her skinny arms around Amber's thin waist. "You came back! I knew you would come back!" She grinned up at her, and Amber stood still, finally smiling down at her weakly.

Corny cleared his throat, causing Sophie to look up at him.

"Sophie, room. Now." He gave her a serious look, and she stomped her foot.

"But Daddy I wanna see Amber!" She glanced toward the woman for help, but Amber averted her eyes from the situation, and Corny raised his eyebrows at his daughter.

"Sophie, I said room."

She grumbled as she turned and sulked into the house.

"Are we still at least going to the zoo?" She yelled the words back at him.

"Yes, we're going to the zoo. But I want to give Amber a chance to beg before we do." He turned to smirk at the young blonde. "Proceed."

She pursed her lips at him in an attempt to control herself from calling him a vulgar name, and blinked up at him.

"May I at least come in, please?" He hadn't heard her use such polite terms since…ever. He couldn't help but wonder exactly what she was doing here. He finally stepped aside, allowing her to enter, and followed her as she made her way past the hallway and into the empty space of the living room. He stood silently watching her as she shifted on her feet. She glared up at him angrily. "You're not making this any easier for me, you know."

He smiled at her.

"Oh believe me, I know. I'm not trying to make it easier for you. It's not my job anymore to try and make things easier for you, remember?" He pulled his arms tight across his chest, and she glared past him, trying to summon the courage to say what she had come here to say.

"Look," she spit the word, "I don't know what to tell you. I was irrational, and irresponsible." She chewed on her lip, and lowered her gaze, and her voice. "The ratings have been lower this entire week than they've been since the show began."

He felt a smile pressing against his lips, but didn't speak. He let himself watch her, and realized that she looked just like a child when she was placed in an uncomfortable, awkward situation. He found something about that refreshing.

"I need you to come back," she said the words softly, not even bothering to look at him as she dug the toe of her shoe into the carpet. He felt himself chuckle.

"You know what I find funny, Amber? The fact that you can't even bother to apologize to someone unless you realize it's going to benefit you in some way. That's pretty cold-hearted of you, isn't it?"

She wanted to protest; to tell him that it wasn't her fault she had been raised to care only about herself, that it wasn't her fault she had always been instructed never to feel sympathy or concern for anyone but herself. But she knew he wouldn't believe that. She was old enough now to make decisions for herself, she hadn't had her mother hanging over her shoulder for years now.

"I deserve that," he might as well have smacked her in the face, just as she had done to him. She felt her face burning as she kept her eyes on the floor, hoping that he wouldn't get too much pleasure from this for too much longer. It was more humiliating than she had expected it to be.

"No, you spoiled little princess, what you deserve is a good, firm spanking."

Amber looked up at him suddenly, her cheeks flushed pink and her eyes dark. She gaped at him, and he smirked back at her. They heard a squeal from behind him, and both turned to see Sophie standing close the wall that separated the living room from the hallway.

"Daddy, no! No spanking! Amber's a big girl; you can't spank a big girl!"

"You'd be surprised," he murmured the words under his breath, and then tilted his head at Sophie. "And what did I tell you?"

She harrumphed, and stuck her hands onto her hips.

"I'm just telling you that you can't spank her!" She was defensive suddenly, and he smiled at her. "Can we go to the zoo yet?"

"Not yet, we'll leave in a few minutes. Go back to your room, please."

"But, why? I'm not the one in trouble!" She looked accusingly at Amber. "She is."

"Go back to your room, please." He said the words again, smiling kindly at her, and she groaned and disappeared again. Corny turned back to Amber, glaring at her.

"As I was saying, you deserve to be spanked like the pampered little brat that you are."

"You can't speak to me like that! I-"

"You," he began slowly, "are a guest in my house. You are no longer my boss. I can speak to you however I want to speak to you."

"I'm still a lady," she held her head up high at her words, and he exhaled loudly.

"You're a spoiled little brat," he let himself smile openly at her; "you've always gotten everything you've ever wanted and you don't know how to deal with the fact that not everyone is always willing to bow down at your feet."

She bit the inside of her cheek, trying to ignore the fact that he was right; trying to ignore the fact that he literally was asking her to beg for him.

They were silent for a moment, and he let his fingers reached out to pull gently on some of the blonde curls falling around her shoulders. She held her breath as his fingers worked through her curls.

"You know, you don't have to be so bitter. If you want to ask me on a date, just ask me." He grinned foolishly at her. She rolled her eyes, smacking his hand away from her.

"Jesus, Corny! Not everything is always about everyone being in love with you." She glowered at him. "I just came here to tell you that you can have your job back; if you want it, take it. If not, I-"

"Will continue to have the lowest ratings since the show began?" He surmised, and then hesitated, letting himself stand closer to her. The back of his hand brushed her soft cheek, and he suddenly wanted to kiss her again, more than anything. He listened as she inhaled quickly, catching her breath, and he felt the familiar tingle of arousal at the bottom of his belly. "I'll make you a deal."

She wanted to protest, or demand that he insist on his job back, but knew she couldn't. She knew he had the control in this situation, and she let herself nod, agreeing to whatever it was that he was preparing to say.

"Okay," his tone was soft, and his breath tickled her skin. Goose bumps ran up and down her arms, but she brushed them away quickly, desperate for him not to see what he was doing to her. She felt her knees beginning to tremble, and steadied herself. "I'll take the job back," he flicked a blonde ringlet over her shoulder, "if you tell me why you've always made it your personal goal to make my life a living hell."

She tried to breath, but found it hard when he was standing so close to her. She tried to think resist him, tried to pull away, but his strong fingers were so dangerously closer to her lips, threatening to stroke them softly, and she couldn't. She felt herself shudder, and finally managed to look into his eyes.

"I was in love with you, and you broke my heart," she told him honestly, her face blushing a deep crimson color. It was the most honest thing she'd ever said, to anyone, and she hated herself for it. She immediately regretted the words, but he didn't seem to notice. He laughed a deep, throaty chuckle, and smirked at her.

"Nice try, Amber, but I think we all know that Von Tussles don't have hearts to begin with," his words stung her, and she recoiled suddenly, hating him again. She sneered at him, her lip curling as he played with her hair again, letting it fall over her shoulders as he brought his face closer to hers. Their lips were close, so incredibly close, that he could feel the spark between them. He wanted to kiss her, and this time, she wasn't resisting. She let his hand play upon the back of her neck, and let her eyes close as his lips just barely caressed hers.

She felt herself sigh, and just as he had placed his lips over hers, there was a loud banging at the front door. She tried not to, but she groaned, and he heard it. He smiled teasingly at her before slipping away from her quickly.

"We'll finish this later," he promised her, and let his feet carry him to the door. He pulled the door open quickly, still grinning like an idiot. In an instant, his smile was gone, and his mouth was as dry as cotton balls. He tried to swallow, but couldn't, and tried to breathe, but his lungs didn't seem to be working. He heard a sound escape from the back of his throat as he stared at the woman on the front porch who stood staring back at him smartly, her mouth chomping on a piece of gum that he couldn't see.

"Oh my God," he suddenly felt sick at his stomach, and felt the heat rush through his body, "What are you doing here, Brenda?"