Tilly’s Tutus (Crafty Littles #2)
Chapter 1
Chapter One
“Get in there, you stupid piece of poop.” Tilly Smith wiggled the piece of pipe, but it refused to slip into the base like it was supposed to. Her plan was to put the clothes rack together, load the seven hanging bags on it and then roll everything into the convention center.
But she had to get the stupid thing put together first.
Banging the end of the pole on the ground, she growled at it, hoping a little abuse would be enough to get the metal to cooperate.
“Need some help, missy?” a gravelly and smoke-roughened voice asked a moment before the noxious odor of cigarette smoke, alcohol sweat and body odor choked her.
Looking up, she froze at the man who stood just a few feet in front of her. He looked the way he smelled. Rough. And kind of scary.
“I’ll fix it for you for twenty dollars,” he said as he began rubbing his hands together.
His expression sent a shiver of fear through her. She did not think he would use the money for a good meal.
For a moment, Tilly wished her sisters would return, but she knew better. She had assured them that she could put the rack together and get the clothes into the convention center by herself.
“Um, no thank you. I’m afraid I don’t have any money,” she said softly.
“Bob? Are you bothering this lady?” Another male voice sounded. This one sent shiver of a different type through Tilly.
Turning her head, she relaxed a little when she saw a man in uniform standing behind her.
“Captain McGee, Is that you?” The man—Bob, apparently—no longer sounded threatening, but more like a child trying to convince his mother that he was not being naughty. “You’re wearing the wrong uniform.”
She watched as the officer took a step closer as he stared down the scary man. “Doesn’t matter what uniform I’m wearing, Bob. You know better than to bother people by asking for money. Now you need to head out. Go on now.”
Tilly watched as he looked from the officer to her and then turned away with a sigh. He muttered something to himself as he walked away, pushing an overly full grocery cart that she had not noticed before.
Once she was certain Bob would not be returning, Tilly turned her attention to the man standing behind her.
“Hello,” she said, scanning his body from shiny black boots, up long legs in black cargo pants to a gray Henley shirt with short sleeves and a badge embroidered over one impressive pectoral muscle.
It didn’t look like a normal police uniform, but her gaze continued further north before she asked about it.
He had a strong, powerful face that had her breath faltering for a moment. She wondered if his body was as chiseled as his jaw, then shook her head at her fanciful thoughts.
“You’ll have to excuse Bob. He refuses to allow the proper agencies to help him, and thinks he can get along by helping people for tips.”
“Are you really a policeman?” she asked when he didn’t say anything.
“Yes, I really am a police officer. For the next few days, I’ll be representing the department for the convention. Are you having trouble assembling your… whatever?” He waved a hand over the metal pipe and parts that would turn into a clothes rack once she got the pieces to cooperate.
“It’s supposed to be a rolling clothes rack, but I can’t get the pieces to go together right.”
“Mind if I take a look?” he asked as he knelt down beside her.
She pushed to her feet. “Not at all. Have at it.”
Tilly stepped back and watched as the officer studied the pole she’d just been swearing at.
He tried the end she’d been fussing over.
When it didn’t go in. he flipped the pole and slipped the other end into the opening in the base without a problem.
The other three poles slid in just as easily.
He then rose and took the top part out of the back of her open SUV and fit it into place, so it held the four posts vertical while stabilizing everything.
“There you go,” he said with a smile that had Tilly’s stomach doing somersaults as parts further south grew damp. She felt a little ridiculous, getting so excited about a small kindness from a gorgeous man.
“Thank you so much,” she said as she reached into the SUV and pulled out the first clothing bag. With the officer’s help, she quickly had all the bags hanging on the rack.
“Do you need any help getting into the building?” he asked as she pulled the back of the SUV closed.
“Thanks, but I think I’ve got it,” she said with a smile.
“Then I’ll leave you to it. I’m sure I’ll see you at some point over the next few days.”
“Have a good day, Captain McGee,” Tilly called after him as he walked away, wondering what his first name was.
She took a moment and just watched the man, admiring his long legs, tight ass and the controlled way he moved across the parking lot.
When he reached the doors, Carter McGee looked back to check on the pretty redhead making slow progress toward the convention center.
He was tempted to go back and help her, but a glance at his watch showed he really needed to check in and figure out where the security service wanted him.
The department had assisted with events here before, but normally Carter oversaw and coordinated from his office downtown.
This was his first time actually working at an event since his days as a rookie when he worked all the overtime and extra shifts he could.
These days he was high enough up the department food chain that he rarely pulled extra duty.
But, as a Daddy Dom looking for his Little, when this opportunity crossed his desk, he’d refused to let anyone else work it.
Walking around an event full of Bigs and Littles, he could meet the attendees and make sure everyone was safe.
This kind of event was just what his lack of social life needed.
The first item on his agenda was to find out the pretty redhead’s name and figure out if she was single and interested in spending time with a police officer who was also a strict but loving Daddy.
As he walked down the hall that ran the length of the building, Carter checked out each room as he made his way to the front of the building where the security office was located.
“Captain McGee, are you working the event this weekend?”
Joe Cotler, the head of the convention center’s security team did not look like he wanted to be here, which did not surprise Carter. Joe was as straight as a road through the desert, and as tolerant as a menopausal woman during a heatwave in July.
Before Carter could answer, Joe turned back to the group of uniformed men and women. “I’ve got an event I’ve got to get to and I’m leaving Donnell in charge,” Joe said, waving to a young man in the middle of the group.
Carter frowned at the man’s choice of team leader.
Donnell did not look old enough to drink, much less be in charge of a half dozen security officers for the next three-and-a-half days.
But he was only here as a liaison in case anything truly illegal happened.
The security men had no power to arrest or detain any wrongdoers.
They would stop the offender and call him in to deal with the legalities.
Donnell looked surprised at the news of his apparent promotion, but stepped forward and turned to face the team as Joe walked away.
“Um, all right. Um, we’ll be using the walkie talkies and headsets to keep in contact. We’ll also be rotating stations every two hours. If there’s any problems or illegal activities, call for Captain McGee and me.”
Donnell looked at him and Carter had a feeling it was time for him to step in and say as few words as he could get away with. The doors would be opening to convention-goers soon and the guards needed to be in place before then.
“This group of people should not be too difficult to handle. The key is to be kind. If you have questions, come talk to me. I’ll be roaming the building. If there’s nothing else, let’s go to work.”
The group dispersed quickly and Carter made his way back to the ballroom full of vendors. The energy was high as they waited for the doors to open and hoped for a weekend of amazing sales. Carter made his way around the perimeter, looking for the clothes rack and the pretty redhead.
When he found her, she was just as adorable as he’d remembered from their first meeting.
She was dancing around her booth, which she had turned into a mini boutique, with skirts and tutus hanging from racks as well as from what looked like clotheslines strung along the wall behind her space.
There was a table with t-shirts and a stack of colorful bags in different sizes.
There was also a stack of catalogues and another of business cards.
“Hello,” he said as she bounced across the space to set a basket full of socks on the table.
“Good morning, again. Are you now on duty and here to arrest me for excessive cuteness, Captain McGee?” she asked as she danced around her booth.
He glanced around the small space before smiling back at the pretty woman. “No, I came to find out your name.”
“Tilly Smith, owner, designer, head seamstress, and saleswoman of Tilly’s Tutus.”
“Carter McGee, police captain and Daddy Dom. You wouldn’t happen to be Little in need of a Daddy, would you?”