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Jesse reached for his mug and swallowed the rest of it. He looked more tired than usual, and it made me wonder something I hadn’t thought about before. Jesse had two submissives to love and cherish, but who took care of him? I immediately answered my own question. I always put Tanner’s needs above my own, the same way Tanner cared for me. Still, I hated seeing huge bags under Jesse’s eyes.
“Never mind, Jesse. I’m sure you had a long day. You don’t need to listen to me whine.”
“If I didn’t want to listen, Dane, I wouldn’t be sitting here.” He leaned back slightly. “You don’t have to emulate Tanner or me in how you relate to Tiana. No one can tell you how to be her Daddy because it’s about what the two of you need in order to succeed with your relationship.”
“You’re so much smarter than you look.”
Jesse shoved my arm playfully. “Watch it. I’ve gotten pretty creative with punishments over the past few months, and I can easily share those ideas with Tanner.”
“He doesn’t need anyone to encourage him to dole out more punishments,” I teased. “But I appreciate the sentiment.”
“Mm-hm. Throwing around big words like I don't know what they mean,” Jesse said, his tone lighter than it had been a few minutes ago. “Talk to Tanner. Keeping stuff inside will just lead you down the wrong path.”
“And if I don’t?” My tone came out snippy again. Ugh. I didn’t actually want a reaction from Jesse, but he read into things quicker than I’d given him credit for. I had been disrespectful and on the verge of my own spiral. I didn’t have a Little side the same as Tiana, but my brat felt like throwing hands. He cocked an eyebrow. “Don’t give me that look, man.”
“I’m waiting for you to come to your own conclusion.”
“You’re right.”
“I usually am.”
“I’ll talk to him,” I groaned. “Will you please explain the bits and pieces that I’m missing regarding Tiana? The more I know, the easier it will be for me to actually help instead of sitting around on my ass doing nothing.”
Jesse rubbed the palm of his hand with the other. My attitude seemed to be itching at his Dom side. If our friendship circle had a leader, it would be him. He naturally took charge of situations without being arrogant, but I did not love the awkward silence circling us.
“Change of plans. I’ll go see if I can help Tiana get out of her own way, and I’ll send Tanner down here.” Jesse stood up.
“I’ll shut up now. Tiana needs him more than I do.” I focused on drinking water. “I’ve had a lot on my mind and instead of talking about it, I’ve propelled myself headfirst into work.”
“Tiana needs you to not be caught up in your head.”
“With you and Tanner handling her, how can she possibly need me?”
“I’m not her Daddy. Sure, I can spank her, punish her, but you’re in a completely different role. Shewantsyou to be her Daddy. I love our little ball of sass, but she wants to experience everything with you.”
He was ridiculously calm, even in the most unfortunate circumstances. It was one reason out of many that made him an excellent cop. “I want Tiana to have everything she needs, but I can’t compare to you.”
“You shouldn’t compare yourself to me.” Jesse tapped the side of my head with his finger. “I’m not you and if there’s something I’m doing with Tiana that is upsetting you, then you need to tell me.”
Sulking, I slid off the stool and grabbed myself another cup of coffee. Returning to the counter, I kept as much space as possible between us. Jesse tilted his head to the side, likely waiting for me to elaborate. “What good will that do?”
Jesse grabbed Tanner’s notebook and a pen. Curiosity got the best of me and I moved to see what he was doing, but I remained standing.
“What’s one trait that you admire about me, Dane?”
Oh. I caught onto what he was doing, and I hated the idea. However, it would get to the heart of the matter. “You are always so level-headed.”
Jesse jotted it down. “Name a trait you don’t like about me.”
I side-eyed him. “I’d rather not throw gasoline on an already smoldering fire. Dating a firefighter has taught me a few things.”
“One.” Jesse made a tick mark on the opposite page. “If I get to three, dynamic or not, you can stand in that corner and wait until your Daddy comes back downstairs. Then you can explain to him why you’re there.”
“Jesse.” I rolled my eyes. “I’m not playing.”
“Two.” He added another line to the tick mark counter.
Fuck. I needed to sort my brat out really quick before I wound up standing in the stupid corner. Tanner used it on me more than once, and I didn’t want to be there.
