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“I think you’re a very brave girl, Kaylee, for telling me all that.” He caressed her back for a long moment before withdrawing slightly from the embrace to peer into her tear-filled eyes. “Tell me why you’re crying, baby. Do you feel scared or unsafe right now?”
“I’m not scared. I feel very safe around you.” She sniffled, and he withdrew a tissue from his pocket and wiped at her eyes and dabbed her nose.
“Then what is it, sweet girl? It’s okay, you can tell me. Whatever’s wrong, I’ll help you figure it out.”
“It’s just that being around you has made me realize what an ass Chad was to me. I used to think he was a good Dom but now I’m starting to think he was a total fake. You’re so kind and caring and… if I would’ve spilled water on myself at a restaurant, he would’ve glared at me for being clumsy and embarrassing him and he certainly wouldn’t have helped me get cleaned up. And if I’d gotten water on his crotch, he would’ve been very angry. You didn’t mind. You didn’t even yell at me.”
“Oh, baby.” His heart contracted with sorrow for her, and he pulled her onto his lap and cradled her in his arms, rocking her slightly, desperate to comfort her. “You can cry some more if you need to, darling. It’s okay. Daddy has you.”
Her shoulders heaved and she sniffled into his chest, though she didn’t sob very loud. He continued rubbing her back, and he resolved to have a chat with Derek and make sure the fuckface known as Chad was no longer welcome at Rawhide.
“Oh no. I’ve ruined your shirt.” Kaylee peered at his dress shirt with a frown. “I’m sorry.” She rubbed at her swollen eyes. “I probably look like a tomato right now. My whole face gets red and splotchy whenever I cry. I guess we can’t go to the restaurant now. I’m sorry I ruined our date.”
“I don’t care about my shirt, and our date isn’t ruined. Furthermore, I think you’re the most beautiful Little girl in the whole world even when your face is all red from crying.” He meant every word, and he relished the feel of Kaylee sitting on his lap. She fit in his arms perfectly.
“But how can we go to the restaurant when I look like this?” She emitted a defeated sigh.
He removed a fresh tissue from his pocket—a Daddy always comes prepared—and proceeded to clean the rest of the tears from her face. He also held the tissue to her nose and ordered her to blow. She shot him a wary look but finally complied.
“How about we order in tonight? We can go to my apartment or your room here. Your choice. Wherever you feel safest. Or, if you want to wait until tomorrow night, we can do that. But I would love to keep our date going, Kaylee.”
The worry faded from her eyes, and she slowly nodded her agreement. “That sounds really nice. Um, how about your place?”
“My place it is.” He tucked the tissues back into his pocket and cupped her face. “I’d like you to promise me something, sweetheart.”
“What’s that?”
“If anything happens tonight that you don’t like, I want you to tell me immediately.”
“Okay, I promise.”
He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Good girl.” He gently lifted her off his lap and helped her to her feet, then clasped her hands in his. “One more thing before we go. If you’d like to call me ‘Daddy,’ please feel free to do so. But if you don’t feel comfortable with that yet, it’s okay. You can call me ‘Stephen’ or ‘Daddy,’ your choice.”
Her expression brightened and her breath hitched. “I’d like to call you, ‘Daddy’.”
“Okay, little girl. We’ll take the elevator down to the lowest level and we’ll take the tunnels to my apartment complex. Have you ever been in the tunnels before?”
She shook her head. “No, but I’ve heard about them. Are there really golf carts down there that you can drive from building to building? Because that sounds kinda fun, Daddy.”
He smiled and led her to the elevator. “Yes, there are carts down there. Would you like Daddy to take you for a ride?”
Her pigtails bounced as she gave an enthusiastic nod. His heart lightened to see the sadness gone from her eyes. He also beamed inside because she’d just called him Daddy.
Chapter 9
They ordered several dishes from the Mexican restaurant and placed everything in the middle of the table to share. Stephen helped her into a chair and then surprised her with a makeshift bib using a napkin. She flushed as he tucked it under the ruffled collar of her dress. “You have a history of spilling things,” he said with a playful wink, “and I wouldn’t want your pretty new dress to get dirty.”
“Thank you, Daddy.” Her face grew warmer. She liked calling himDaddy. She also liked when he called heryoung ladyorsweetheartorlittle girl. Orbaby.
He scooped food onto her plate, though she was relieved when he didn’t try to feed her. The enchiladas were amazing and so was the Aztec soup. There was a platter of chips with salsa, guacamole, and sour cream too. No margaritas, though, and she frowned a bit at that. Stephen said he wanted them to be completely sober if they were going to embark upon their first Daddy/Little activities together. Some liquid courage would be nice, but she supposed he might be right. She appreciated that he was being so sweet and careful with her, but another part of her longed to see his stern side. She was curious about how strict he might be if she ever disobeyed him.
“So, how did you spend your day, sweetheart?” His gaze roved over her like a warm caress.
“I went back to my room for a while, checked emails and made a few work-related phone calls. Had a video meeting with a client too. After work was finished, I went to the gym and also… to the pool.” Her insides heated as she recalled how she’d basically spied on him, watching him walk around in a Speedo then climb up the ladder and dive into the pool.
“Oh? What time were you at the pool? I went for a swim around four.”
“Uh, I’m not sure what time it was. I zone out when I’m doing laps.” She toyed with her makeshift bib and couldn’t quite meet his gaze.
