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Catherine walked her last morning client to the door and gave her a hug before sending her off to the cafeteria. Leaning against the door jamb, she smiled as she watched the Littles and Middles all bustle about making their way to their next destination.
A text came through her cell phone and she checked it to see Sam letting her know his session was going to run late and asking her to grab his sandwich from the cafe. She shot a quick text back to him and then shut her door behind her. Her stomach rumbled as she considered what she wanted to order. Everything at the Ranch was top notch and that included the food. Thankfully, her active lifestyle and abnormally fast metabolism helped burn those calories away before they could adhere themselves to her ass.
“Hi, Miss Cat!” Sadie greeted her as she came out of Master Derek’s office.
“Hi, sweet girl.” Cat opened her arms inviting the bouncy little brunette in for a hug. “How's your day?”
“Good. I haven’t gotten in trouble once and I’ve been awake for like seven hours.” Sadie smiled proudly.
Catherine laughed. “What a feat! Good girl.”
“Thank you. Where are you going? Where’s Mr. Sam?”
“He’s with a client so I’m flying solo for lunch.”
“Want me to keep you company?” she offered.
“I would love that, but won’t your friends miss you?”
“Well, we all have to eat in Daddy’s office because he has absolutely no sense of humor and we aren’t allowed to be in the cafeteria until he decides he can trust us again, but Daddy won’t mind because I’m with you and you’re a responsible adult and also we aren’t going to the cafeteria,” Sadie assured her before she even had the chance to ask.
“If you say so. It’s your butt if you’re lying to me.”
“I’m not, I promise.” Sadie put up her pinky finger and Catherine linked hers with it.
They made their way to the cafe and ordered their lunch before grabbing a seat near one of the large windows. Sadie chattered on about setting up a photo shoot for her stuffies as Catherine enjoyed her turkey club and fresh baked potato chips. Sadie was pleasant company and Cat only had to half listen to most of what she was saying as opposed to having to be fully tuned in like she was during a therapy session.
A bell chimed in the distance letting all of the Littles know it was time to head back to class. So with another quick hug and a promise to show her the photos from the shoot, Sadie ran off, leaving Cat alone.
She didn’t have a session directly after lunch so she finished her meal at a leisurely pace before going to the counter to order Sam’s sandwich, but she didn’t quite make it because she spotted her little redhead on the other side of the lobby heading for the Ranch store. Dumping her tray in the trash, she abandoned everything she and Sam had discussed and went to find answers for herself.
CHAPTER SIX
Piper had not been prepared for much of what she had already encountered during her short stay at the Ranch and the gift shop was not any different. It looked like the mix of an adult toy store and kid toy store and the dichotomy of it all made her giggle. She could get a stuffed cat or a cat-o-nine-tails. Neither really tickled her fancy at that moment, but she did want to at least see what was available. Perusing the clothing, she saw a rack with fun bright-colored shirts on it. They all had different sayings, but the one that made her shudder was BRAT. Ever since she’d been labeled a brat in such a malicious way, the word had haunted her. She couldn’t imagine wearing it proudly across her chest. Being a brat was bad and she wanted nothing to do with it.
She took that shirt and moved it to the back where it belonged. The next one said Princess and had a cute little crown on it. That was much more acceptable, but still didn’t really match her personality. Although she loved the bright colors, nothing really stood out to her. Then she spotted the socks. Piper LOVED socks. She had two drawers full of different socks. Her favorite thing to do was wear a mismatched pair. It made it easier because then she didn’t have to match them when they came out of the wash. She picked out a pair of tie dyed ones with the Ranch logo on it, and some brightly colored striped ones that would go all the way up to her knees. Happy with her choices, she kept perusing the shop.
“Hi, there.” A female voice behind her made her jump. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Turning around, she came face to face with a kind-looking woman. It was the same woman who’d been with the man she’d practically knocked down this morning. She was tall and thin but had the perfect hourglass figure. Her short wavy brown hair framed her face and her dark-brown eyes were mesmerizing.
“It’s uh, um. It’s okay, I startle easily.” Piper shrugged. “Been that way since I was a little kid because my brothers used to jump out at me all the time.”
The woman smiled but didn’t say anything for what seemed like eternity. She just stood there staring at Piper with an almost wistful look in her eyes and a slight smile on her lips.
Unable to take it any longer, Piper shifted nervously from foot to foot. “I-I’m um sorry again about bumping into your…” Her what? Piper had no clue if the couple were married or just friends or play partners or…. Deciding that was way too much to even attempt to muddle through, she changed tactics. “I mean, was I in your way? Do you wanna look at the uh…” She looked behind her to see what was there and couldn’t help the blush from heating her cheeks. “The uhh… nipple clamps?” she asked.
“What? No, not at all. Sorry. I’m not here to shop.”
The woman looked flustered which seemed odd because everything about her from her shoes to her hair was immaculate and she had a poise about her that screamed Dominant.
“Truth is I saw you coming in a bit ago and I was hoping to meet you. I’m Catherine Denten, one of the resident Ranch therapists.” She put her hand out and Piper accepted.
“Hi, I’m Piper Webb. I… umm… Does it look like I need a therapist?” She knew she was being awkward, but she couldn’t help it. The entire interaction was weird and unsettling and made her want to run back to her room and hide. For the hundredth time, she thought she should have never come on this trip in the first place.
“No, you don’t look like you need a therapist.” Catherine laughed.
It was a beautiful, warm, genuine laugh and Piper found herself smiling from the sound.
