Connie knew damn well that every one of the boys could and would brat tame. Yes, she was about to cause a ruckus but she had a hypothesis that she just had to test.

They were all communing in the kitchen while Jasmin and Anna watched cartoons. She looked over longingly but promised herself to ask Steven for some extra heavy TLC to make her mind more available to watch and snuggle too.

Steven, Jacob, Hazel and Adam were mid conversation about some boy thing, and Connie took a second to admire how human these men had made her Steven. She could tell how content and used to such interactions he was, and today he was holding Jacob's hand. It was out of the ordinary, but Jacob was leaned against him too.

That was a super cute image!

Adam noticed her staring first and swiveled his head to meet her eyes after holding up a finger. "What's up, baby?"

Connie blushed, she couldn't help it. Steven chuckled as it traveled over her nose and cheekbones and she shuffled in place. "I... don't remember."

Stevens smiled dropped a bit. "Are you sure? Come here and give me a kiss."

Jacob must have caught her looking naughty because he muttered, "And she's off."

Oh! Right. "Why don't you come over here, lazy ass?"

Hazels jaw dropped. "Why, Connie? You were just so cute a minute ago, I was gonna say we should snuggle you!"

"Oh well." Connie crossed her arms and gave everyone a kiss but Steven, giggling as his jaw set and he tipped his head.

His hair was down today and stars it was getting so long. Those coils were so pretty and she longed to take one between her fingers. Instead she turned to walk away.

"Connie, stop."

She felt a tingle sweep through her and her body froze on command. He'd bonded his words on purpose, a seldom occasion. "Ugh, what do you want?"

He smiled a bit, intrigued with what she was doing. "Watch your mouth, Little Girl."

This was the moment, the vast difference between good brats and bad ones. She turned around and looked at them all square in the eye before landing on Steven. "Teach me."

Steven opened his mouth to respond but she could see the sentence screeching to a halt as her answer took him off guard. It was almost a little similar to turning White off color, his cheeks turned a bit pink and he glanced to the others for help.

Unfortunately, they were all baffled too. Even Adam had quirked a brow and was speechless. Turning to stare at her actually confirmed that regardless of what happened going forward, she had won for the first time.

Steven cleared his throat and her eyes flickered to stay on his. "Go watch cartoons, Connie. We'll deal with you later."

"You're letting her off the hook?" Jacob teased lowly. "That one's going to remember that."

"No, she'll get her comeuppance." He watched her walk away to sit in front of the TV and snuggle with the girls quietly. He'd bonded that phrase too, sometimes she just wasn't capable of regressing without help so she could enjoy the simpler things in life. Steven looked to Adam. "You look annoyed."

"You get a gold star," He grumbled. "I don't think I've ever heard that before." Hazel giggled and pinched his cheek. "I think we should recalibrate her. Or..." Adam tipped his head and raised his brows, concocting a scheme that would for sure give Connie the attention she was so clearly craving. "Or we could deny her."

Steven dropped his head and sighed. "Why am I being punished, too?"

"When's the last time you grabbed her for a kiss or snuggle out of nowhere?" Hazel countered. "She's secretly clingy, she just wants you to do it."

He sighed again much heavier. "Fair. Been busy—," His eyes broke from theirs and he frowned. "Thinking."

Jacob brought his hand against his mouth so he could kiss it between his words. "I've already made up my mind. You don't need to think about it anymore."

Steven nodded solemnly. "Right. One week, no sexual contact."

To say Connie was surprised by Steven turning her down was an understatement. "Wait, I'm sorry?" She even put a finger to her ear like she was worried she might be going deaf. "Just one more time."

Steven pushed his nose against hers. "No. That little stunt you pulled was clever, but inappropriate. You're on hiatus."

She tumbled off the bed in horror and went to open her toy drawer. "It's locked?!"

He nodded. "Yep. And the other girls have steep consequences if they enable this."

Connie met his eyes. "How bad?"

The little minx thought she could trade favors, but Steven shrugged and glanced out the window. "Why don't you ask them?"

She pulled out her phone to two new, identical messages.

"Our Daddies say you fucked up, so don't get us in trouble! Adam and Jacob say we'll be tortured for 24 hours, the sexual overstimulation is not worth just being good."

Anna sent another, "And by the way, you got me put on a watch! I'm so not helping you."

Connie crawled over Steven with a pained smile. "I hate you."

"Congratulations, punishment over," He mumbled, caressing her thighs. "You passed the test."

She frowned. "Really?"

Steven made a beastly sound of malcontent and flipped them so she'd be looking into his eyes. "No. You just added another week."

The next morning she was gone, and a moment of panic had him running into the commons kitchen after checking their house. "Where's Connie?"

They were all watching something and didn't respond, so he peeked over them and poked out his lip. "Aw..."

She was sitting on her bottom with her hair up in pigtails sniffling in her sleep. She must have gotten up in the night to collapse there and be pitiful.

Steven picked her up and kissed her cheek. "Why are you pouting at your punishment that you asked for?"

"I'm crying cause I don't know how to apologize," She murmured, pulling back to look at Adam. "You guys never taught me how."

Hazel opened his mouth then shut it. "Oh my god, we never taught her how to apologize."

Jacob set his jaw and glanced at Jasmin's sympathetic face. "She's an adult. She knows how." He walked up to her and squished her cheeks in time with his words. "'I'm sorry for being a conceited, spoiled, disrespectful Brat and you may use me as you like'."

He looked to them all. "Consider her taught. Jasmin," She snapped to attention at his tone while he leaned against the counter. "Apologize."

She dropped to her knees. "What for?"

"Let's pretend like I caught you in the toy drawer after I told you not to." He snapped his fingers. "Apologize."

Her cheeks turned red. "I didn't know you knew about that."

"And now you have to apologize for thinking I'm stupid." He chuckled and pointed in front of him.

Jasmin sank to her knees and bowed her head, gripping his jeans. "I'm sorry for treating you like you're stupid. I'm sorry for disrespecting your rules that you set because I earned having my independence taken away. Please use me as you like."

Jacob giggled and patted her head proudly. "Amateur," He teased Steven. "You can make her apologize while you make toast, in the middle of a shower, through a spanking. It's awesome, and," He crouched down to Jasmin's level and lifted her for a kiss. "Good girl! You make me so proud!"

Jasmin beamed and stood to lean against him. "That was embarrassing but now you know how to do it."

Connie wasn't so sure. "Steven, do I have to?"

He nodded and she slipped out of his arms to lie on the floor. "Can I do it like this?"

Hazel nudged Steven. "If I may?" He nodded so he picked Connie up, sat her on her knees and patted her head. "There you go!"

She gave him a nasty look before turning up to Steven and apologizing perfectly.

The only issue was, she was fussy and grumpy for the next hour. Steven didn't mind the issue at all when she was just wanting to be carried and go everywhere he went.

He kissed her cheek and chuckled. "Now you know how I feel almost all the time, baby."