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They walked up to him.
“Unfreeze,” Eliot said dryly.
Marcus relaxed, letting out a sigh. “Whew. I couldn’t hold that much longer.”
Eliot took hold of his chin, tilting his face back. “Right, rule two is that when we’re moving around the Ranch, you stay right by my side. Isla, for you, that means holding my hand. Marcus, if you can’t stay next to us, you’ll either have to hold my hand or you’ll get a leash, understand?”
“A leash?”
“Yes.”
“Huh. Okay. But life is much more fun when you skip.”
“You can skip. Just skip within arm’s reach of me. If we go play outside, then you can run and skip around as long as you’re within eyesight. Inside, I want you close. Understand?”
“Yes, I understand.” He skipped alongside them as they walked to the café. When they were seated, one of the wait staff came over to take their order.
“I want all the pancakes,” Marcus told the young woman.
“All of them?” she asked with amusement.
“Yep. Just keep’em coming until I have to roll out of here. With maple syrup, whipped cream, and chocolate chips.”
“He’ll take one stack of pancakes with a small amount of syrup, cream, and chocolate chips, as well as a bowl of chopped fruit.”
“Fruit?” Marcus exclaimed, as though it was a foreign word.
“Fruit.”
“And to drink?” she asked.
“Chocolate milk!” Marcus said.
“And some water for the table, please,” Eliot added. “Isla? What would you like?”
“Um, well… I don’t usually eat breakfast.”
Eliot just stared at her. Right. So, she was pretty sure that meant he wasn’t going to let her skip breakfast.
“I’ll take a bowl of chopped fruit too,” she said. “And coffee with cream.”
“I’ll have the muesli, fruit, and yogurt,” Eliot said. “And coffee black.”
“Pfft, you people do not know how to eat,” Marcus told them as the waitress left.
“You’re going to get a tummy ache,” she warned.
“Not me. Cast iron stomach.” He patted his firm stomach.
“What about yesterday?” she asked.
“My stomach wasn’t lined properly. I needed carbs to break things up. That’s what the pancakes are for.”
She glanced around. She thought she could pick out who the Littles were. Some of them were even sitting in special, higher chairs. She felt slightly jealous.
“Would you like one of those chairs, little one? We could even ask for a bib for you?” Eliot asked.
“I don’t… I, um…” Nerves filled her. As well as longing.
“You know, back in my suite, one of the bedrooms is set up as a nursery and playroom. Perhaps you’d like to take your nap there. And we could have room service for dinner. I’m sure they’d deliver a highchair so you could try it out without an audience.”
She gave him a grateful look, nodding. “Yes, please.”
“Good girl. I think we should talk about a few more rules.”
Marcus sighed. “Rules are so boring.”
“Rules keep us all safe. First of all, I want to make sure we have clear expectations of what we all want and need. For the two of you, I’ll provide a safe environment for you to explore your Little sides. You’ll have rules, which I’ll enforce as necessary. But I’ll always stick to your limits.”
Marcus wrinkled his nose. “You sound so formal.”
“Sometimes I have to be. To make sure no one is disappointed or gets hurt.”
“What do you get out of it?” she asked.
His face softened. “I’ve missed this. Having a Little to take care of. Or two. And I like knowing I’m helping you both. And that you’ll have fun here.”
“And we’ll make sure you have fun too,” Marcus told him.
“Did you think of any limits to add?”
“Nope,” Marcus said.
“No. I just… need to ease into, uh, spankings.” She whispered the last word so quietly she was worried he might not have heard, but he just nodded.
“Right, I have a few things. I expect us all to show respect. That includes no lying or rude behavior toward each other and ourselves. So, if you put yourself down, you can expect to get your bottom heated.”
“Yes, Sir,” they said together.
“You know that you’re not to move around the Ranch without me. I’ll take you anywhere you need to go. And no skipping meals.”
“Why would we want to skip meals?” Marcus said.
“Yes, Sir,” Isla said, squirming slightly. It was more difficult for her. She wasn’t a bottomless pit like Marcus was.
“If anything is worrying you, if anyone hurts or threatens you, if something happens, then you are to immediately call me. I’ll make sure you have my number. You can call me at any time. Even if it’s because you can’t get to sleep or have a nightmare.”
They both agreed just as the waitress brought over their food.
It all seemed pretty fair to her. But at the same time, kind of daunting.
But she wasn’t going to let fear of the unknown hold her back.
Not anymore.
Chapter 19
“La-la, you need this! And this! What about this?” Marcus grabbed things, putting them in Isla’s arms while she stood there, staring at him, dumbfounded.
