She listened to Fletcher finish drinking the rest of the bottle before asking her next question. “Can I get dressed now, Master?”
“I suppose so,” he said on a sigh. “Though I think you’re wearing too many clothes now.”
She giggled as she realized she only wore the sports bra he’d bought her for demonstrations. Nudging his belly with her elbow, she pointed out, “I can’t go around naked all the time.”
“Oh, all right. Let’s get you dressed if we must. Then we’ll go have lunch,” Fletcher helped her stand up, holding her hips until she was steady on her feet.
It only took a few minutes for him to help her pull on the boy shorts, jeans, and t-shirt. She slipped her feet into her shoes then stood holding the blanket to her chest. She had a feeling there was something she was supposed to do with the soft fluffiness, but she liked holding it and feeling it brush against her arms.
“Can I take that, Mallory?” Caren asked, trying to pull the blanket from her arms.
Mallory took a deep breath, letting the air in her lungs go at the same time she released the blanket. “Thanks, Caren.”
The service submissive nodded and stepped away quickly, carrying the blanket to the nearby laundry bin. Mallory hummed to herself as she swayed back and forth. There were a few dark thoughts hovering around the edges of her brain, but she shooed them away like bothersome flies.
She jolted when an arm dropped over her shoulder and someone stepped up beside her.
“Ready to go, bunny?” Master Fletcher asked softly as he brushed another kiss on her temple.
“Yes, Sir,” she answered honestly.
It wasn’t until they’d passed through the cafeteria food line and sat in a corner that she looked at him and said, “Thank you.”
For the first time in years she felt whole in body, heart and soul, and it was thanks to the man sitting across from her.
“You’re welcome. Now eat your lunch,” he said with a smile before picking up his double cheeseburger and taking a big bite.
She chose a potato wedge and ate it slowly before following with a dino nugget. Though she was not a Little, there was nothing that said she couldn’t eat like one once in a while.
It wasn’t until he chewed and swallowed that Fletcher asked, “What are you thanking me for?”
Though he had an inkling, he wanted Mallory to explain. She needed to give voice to her thinking, force herself away from accepting the foolish asshole’s hurtful words and thinking.
Mallory blinked as she chewed on two fries before she said, “Thank you helping me get rid of the yuckies, and for allowing me to face the foolish asshole without standing between us. I needed to face him, tell him what I thought, and prove to myself how strong I’ve become. I also want to thank you for helping me mend my heart and soul from the pain and guilt I carried from the deaths of both Benjamin and my mother. For the first time in years, I feel like all my parts and pieces are together and not floating around me like jigsaw puzzle pieces in a box.”
Fletcher smiled and nodded. “You are very, very welcome. I’m glad I was able to help. I hope that now that you’re all together again, you won’t run away from me when I say again that I’d really like you to come with me when I leave. I want you, no, Ineedyou in my life, and not just as my rope bunny.”
Mallory’s gaze dropped to his chest as she used her fork to mix the dressing into the salad in the bowl on her tray.
Waiting challenged his Dominant genes, so he kept eating to allow her time to think.
She finally set her fork down and dropped her hands into her lap. “I’d like some time to think about it, please, Sir?”
Fletcher took a deep breath and forced his body to relax before he nodded. “I’ll give you as much time as you need, bunny. But just know that if you don’t decide before I have to leave I may kidnap you and take you with me anyway.”
“That’s not allowed,” said a Little girl he did not recognize as she stepped up beside their table. The Little blonde looked nervous as she hugged her teddy bear tight. She glanced at Mallory then frowned at him before continuing, “You can’t just steal someone from Rawhide Ranch. That’s not nice, not allowed, and Master Derek won’t let you.”
She then shifted her attention to Mallory. “If he tries to steal you, tell one of the staff. They’ll get Master Derek and make him stop.”
With her message delivered, the Little girl walked away, hurrying to where Nanny J was waiting for her.
Mallory looked at him, her lips rolled over her teeth as she shook and tears filled her eyes.
“I guess she told you,” she managed to say before dissolving into giggles that had tears rolling down her face.
“I guess so.”
Fletcher wasn’t sure if he should be insulted or not. The fact that the Little girl felt brave enough to step in was one thing, but her eavesdropping was quite another. But he chuckled at thefact that she thought Master Derek was some kind of god, able to stop anyone from doing anything.
