Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Six days later…
Dagger
“Naomi, where are you? We’re going to be late,” I call from the living room. I told Spence and Ben we would be at their house at two o’clock. That’s in fifteen minutes, and my babygirl hasn’t come out of her room yet.
I’m not as frustrated as I’m trying to sound. It’s impossible to be aggravated with Naomi. She has me wrapped around her pinky, and I’ve been there from the moment she jumped into my arms last week.
I adore every inch of her, inside and out. She’s sunshine and lightness. She’s high energy and excitement. I’m going to have to work out every morning for the rest of my life to stay in good enough shape to keep up with her.
I worry about our age gap. I worry about being eighty-two when she is sixty. But I’ve come to grips with it. I don’t have the willpower to let her go, and she has insisted she does not care that I’m so much older.
When I brought it up yesterday, she put her hands on her hips and told me never to mention it again. She says all that matters is that we love each other. That walking away over something so trivial as our ages would only cause us both to spend our lives unhappy. She says she’d rather have forty years of love with me than sixty years without me.
We’ve only spoken about love in abstract terms. Neither of us has looked the other in the eye and said the words directly. We will, though. Tonight, I intend to take her to my bed. I will shower her with love and tell her ten thousand times. She will never sleep in another room for as long as we live.
My babygirl bursts out of her bedroom and skips toward me. “I couldn’t decide what to wear. Is this okay?” She spins around.
I pull her into my arms and kiss her forehead. I have yet to kiss her on the lips. That will also happen tonight. “This is perfect. I promise Ben and Spence’s Little girl, Cassandra, will be wearing something very similar. Spence’s sister, Amber, and her Daddy, Isaac, will be there also. Amber is fairly new to the lifestyle, but she will also be wearing a dress. I’m certain of it.”
“Okay.” She glances down. “And sneakers are okay?”
“You’re fine, Naomi. Let’s get going.” I grab her coat from the hook next to the door and hold it open for her. I take her hand and guide her out of the apartment.
When we get into the elevator, she looks up at me. “I’m nervous.”
“I know you are, but you’ll be fine.” I lift her hand to my lips and kiss her knuckles.
“If I’m naughty, are you going to spank me in front of everyone?” She bats her eyes.
I chuckle. “Nope.” We’ve talked about spanking several times. I know she wants to experience it. I’ve refused because, like I told her, I will only spank her bare bottom, and I have stuck to my no-nudity rule this entire week.
It has damn near killed me. I’ve lain in bed thinking about her across the hall from me every night. It’s been a struggle staying out of her room and bathroom. I want to be more hands-on with her, but I told her one week, and I’ve stuck to it.
My usually exuberant girl is quiet and shy when we step into Spence and Ben’s home. She holds on to my shirt and stands behind me, burying her face against me.
I turn to the side and take her coat off. After pulling her in front of me, I pin her back against my front. “Naomi, let me introduce you to my friends.” I point to each person as I go. “This is Spence, Ben, Cassandra, Amber, and Isaac.” She knows their names because I’ve spoken of them several times this week.
Eventually, I will take her to Surrender, and she will meet dozens of other Littles who live in the Seattle area. For today, a small introduction to two Little girls and their Daddies is perfect.
“Nice to meet you,” Cassandra says. “Do you want to come see my playroom?”
Naomi hasn’t spoken yet, but she finally nods.
Amber takes her hand and encourages her to join them.
Naomi looks back over her shoulder at me, but she doesn’t look panicked. She’s just new to meeting other Littles and exploring age play outside of our home.
“She’ll be fine,” Spence says as soon as the girls have fled up the stairs. “Let’s go to the library.”
The four of us settle in Spence’s amazing library, and I try to appear calm. I’m anything but. I hope I haven’t pressured Naomi into something she’s not ready for. That wasn’t my intention.
“How’s the first week been?” Ben asks.
I draw in a cleansing breath. “Good. Really good. Better than I expected.” I glance at the door.
“You’re doing the right thing,” Isaac comments. “You knew she was Little before she arrived. I know it’s scary meeting new people, but Amber and Cassandra know to be gentle and help her feel accepted.”
Intellectually, I know this, but I can’t stop the nerves from eating at me. What if she hates letting her Little out in public and resents me for suggesting it? She didn’t say anything of the sort, but I know mentally preparing for today made her nervous.
“So…?” Spence asks, eyebrows raised. “Is she the one?”
I let my smile spread across my face. “Definitely.”
All three men congratulate me. Coming here makes it all more real. I officially have a Little girl. The most perfect Little girl ever.
The drive home is nothing like the drive to the playdate. Naomi said almost nothing on the way there, fidgeting and biting her lip. A different Little girl is in my SUV on the way back. She’s been chattering nonstop since we got in the car.
“…So then we played with Cassandra’s dolls. Do you know how many dolls she has? It was so much fun. I can’t complain about my childhood. I was very lucky that my grandparents took me and my father in and helped raise me, but they were older, and they didn’t exactly shower me with toys.”
I can’t stop smiling as I glance at her. “Sounds like we need to get you more toys, then.”
She shakes her head. “No. I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful. I was just saying Cassandra has a lot. We played some games. We had a pretend tea party. We laughed and talked. It was so fun! Can we do it again sometime?”
“Of course, babygirl. Soon, I’ll take you to Surrender. You can meet Lucy. She and her husband, Roman, own the club. Lucy is a gem when it comes to helping new Littles make new friends.”
Naomi beams. “I think I might like that, especially if Cassandra and Amber are there.” She leans toward me, eyes wide. “Do you have any idea how naughty those two can be?”
I chuckle. “Yes, babygirl. I’m well aware. I hope you didn’t take notes and make plans to start misbehaving.”
Naomi giggles, and I have my answer. She’s plotting.
I can’t keep a straight face. “You might want to consider the ramifications before you become devious.”
“Both Amber and Cassandra enjoy getting spanked. I’m still not sure why anyone would, but you said you would spank me when we get home, so I can see what it’s like. Will you still?” She’s bouncing in her seat as though she’s asking me if we can still have ice cream.
“Yes, babygirl. I will spank you. Then you’ll know.” A whole new world is going to open up for us this evening. There are no guarantees, but I suspect she will enjoy having her bottom swatted until it’s hot pink. I’m equally certain she will like having her pussy filled afterward.
“I want to do all the things so I can write about them firsthand,” she declares. “Will you show me all the things and demonstrate them?”
I laugh. “By all the things, do you mean paddles and floggers? Those kinds of things?”
“Yes, and a belt. I should know what it feels like for you to use a belt on me. Not just the act itself, but the entire scene where I do something naughty, and then I watch while you slowly pull your belt off and bend it in half before slapping your opposite palm, making me squirm.” She’s so exuberant. It’s adorable.
“We’ll see, babygirl. Not every Little likes to have their bottom peppered with other instruments. Even if you like being spanked, you might not care for the feel of a paddle or a belt. Those can hurt.”
“But you’ll show me, right? At least once?”
I glance at her. She hasn’t worked since she arrived last week, but I know that before her father died, she was working on a novel. She has been for a long time. “Is your book about a Daddy and a Little girl?”
She shakes her head. “No. It’s just a regular contemporary romance, but it lacks spice. I think I’ll set it aside and write what I know. What I feel. I want to write about Littles instead. I want the books to sound authentic. You’ll help me, right?”
I grab her hand and give it a squeeze. “I can’t help you write. I don’t have that kind of talent. But I can show you what it feels like to have your bottom lit up with welts if you so desire. I can also put you in timeouts or make you sit and write lines. For research purposes, of course.” I wink at her.
“Silly Daddy.”
All the oxygen leaves the car as soon as those words leave her mouth. Thank goodness I’m stopped at a stoplight or I might have run into the car in front of me.
I twist to look at her. “Say it again.”
Her cheeks pinken as she gives me a sweet smile. “Daddy.”
Fuck, I like that. I like it a lot. “Are you going to call me Daddy now instead of Sir?”
She shrugs. “Maybe both. Daddy, Sir.” She giggles. “I mean, you are like a drill sergeant sometimes. Sir fits you.”
My body shakes with my repressed laughter. I don’t say anything. I’m so fucking happy I could burst. I can’t believe I spent years avoiding Naomi because my feelings for her seemed so inappropriate. It’s possible I would never have put myself in the same room as her ever again if circumstances hadn’t made it necessary.
I hate that Ricardo is gone. I will always miss him. I hope he’s not furious with me from wherever he’s looking down on us. I want the best for Naomi. I always have, and I’ve come to realize I’m the best for Naomi. She’s certainly the best for me.
My girl will never want for anything. I will protect her and love her until I reach my deathbed. I will encourage her to hone her skills and write the next best-selling novel so that she has a career she can call her own. Though I want to give her the freedom to be Little as often as she wants, especially in our home, I also want her to feel self-sufficient and proud of herself.
Naomi is mine. She’s been mine for several years, but I’m going to fully claim her in every way tonight and never let her go.