"Sometimes people are nice for the wrong reasons, Lottie." I sat beside her on the bed, keeping my voice gentle. "My security team found evidence that he's been photographing female employees without their knowledge. Including you."
She shook her head, disbelief clear on her face. "No. That can't be right."
"I wish it wasn't," I said. "But his online history is also very questionable."
"But I need that job," she insisted, her voice rising slightly. "I can't just quit. My insulin, my rent—I need the money, Walker."
I could see the panic building in her eyes, the way her hands clutched at the blanket. She was scared, and with good reason. Her entire precarious existence depended on that paycheck, meager as it was.
"There are other jobs," I said. "Safer ones, and your insulin isn’t going to be a problem anymore. My business partner and good friend Maddox that you've met, has a Little who runs a health foundation. She’s already got you as a client.”
Lottie stared at me. ‘When you say Little…”
“I mean he’s in the lifestyle and is Clare’s Daddy.” I let her process that. “We also run a club called Kingdom where Fiona works. The manager is looking for waitstaff. The pay is better, the hours are flexible, and you'd be surrounded by security professionals."
"I don't have experience as a waitress," she countered.
"He's willing to train you, but if you don't like that idea, Fiona's aunt owns a café and bakery in town and she's looking for help." Her eyes brightened a little at that, and I reached for her hand, relieved when she didn't pull away. I much preferred that idea but she deserved a choice. "Lottie, please. I can't let you go back to a place where you're not safe."
"You can't let me?" Her eyes narrowed slightly. "It's not your decision to make, Walker."
She was right, of course. I had no claim on her, no right to dictate her choices. But the thought of her walking back into that store, being watched by that predator, made something primitive and protective rise within me.
"You're right," I admitted. "It's your decision. But I'm asking you to consider the alternatives."
"What alternatives?" Her voice cracked. "Living off your charity until I find another minimum wage job that barely covers my expenses? Going back to my apartment where someone—maybe Marco, maybe not—could break in again? I don't have alternatives, Walker. I have survival.”
"I'm offering you an alternative," I said, the words leaving my mouth before I could overthink them. "Stay with me. Not just temporarily. Not just until we figure this out."
She stared at me, those big blue eyes widening. "What are you saying?"
I took a deep breath, knowing I might be about to make a huge mistake.
"I want to take care of you, Lottie. Not as your protector or your friend." I held her gaze steadily. "I want you as my Little girl. I want to be your Daddy."
Her lips parted in shock, a flush spreading across her cheeks. For a moment, neither of us breathed.
"You’re a Daddy?" she whispered, the word hanging between us like a revelation.
"Yes." I was now and there was no going back. "I want to make sure you're safe, that you're taking your medication properly, that you're eating well. I want to hold you when you're scared and comfort you when you're sad." My voice deepened with intensity. "I want to be the person who makes sure you never feel like a burden again."
Tears filled her eyes, but she didn't look away. "Why would you want that? With me?"
"Because from the moment I saw you at Salvation with Mr. Snuggles, something in me recognized something in you." I reached out, brushing a tear from her cheek with my thumb. "I've never wanted to be a Daddy before. But with you, it feels right."
She sat frozen, tears spilling silently down her face. I'd laid myself bare, put everything on the line. Now I could only wait for her response.
"I don't know what to say," she finally whispered.
"You don't have to say anything right now," I told her, though every fiber of my being wanted an immediate yes. "Think about it. But know that the job offers stands, regardless of what you decide about me."
She nodded slowly, her eyes never leaving mine. The moment stretched between us, heavy with possibility and the weight of what I'd just proposed.
Chapter eleven
Lottie
I stared at Walker in utter astonishment. He was a Daddy? But then, the way he’d cared for me, how protective he was, didn’t that just scream Daddy? In my heart it did, but in my head, I’d imagined meeting someone, dating them, seeing them at the club. I hadn’t imagined laying my life bare, all the ugly on show, within a week of meeting. The words were everything I'd dreamed of hearing since I first learned about Daddy Doms. Someone to take care of me, to make me feel safe, to help me manage all the overwhelming parts of life that constantly threatened to drown me. It was the fantasy I'd gone to Salvation seeking in the first place.
