Chapter 9
Rivi
Briar’s voice didn't match his bad boy looks. He was soft spoken. Patient. And very polite to answer my newbie questions about the kink party.
While his jaw was sharp and the muscles around his eyes hard, his voice was all furry and nice. It went straight through me like a flame. Only when he smiled, did Briar's face become less hard-edged with a mesmerizing dimple in his left cheek.
I wouldn't have thought just looking at him that he would be, well, nice.
His shoulders were so broad, his forearms bulging out of his black three-quarter length sweater sleeves.
And he was so tall. I literally had to bend back my neck to look at him in the face when he stood up.
He glanced around the dining room as if looking for someone. Then he spoke.
“When do you have to be at your tree with Ozzy?”
“Not until noon.”
“I've been dying to walk around the grounds, and the booths open in less than an hour. Want to come with me?”
My eyes went wide even though I tried to hide my surprise. “Who, me?”
“Why not you?”
“Uh, yeah.” It was like he was asking me out. But it was just a walk, and we were staying in the same house. Was this like a date? Maybe I was overthinking things. “I gotta grab my jacket.” I started for the door.
“Don't forget a scarf and cap. It's freezing out there.”
“Okay.” I couldn't keep the excitement from my voice. Did he like me? Was he sizing me up? Was I supposed to do something to let him know that I kind of/sort of was thrilled about this?
Plus, he just said such a daddy role thing. Don't forget a scarf and cap. My first day here and I already had someone looking out for me like a real daddy.
“I'll meet you by the back door in five minutes,” he called after me.
“Yeah. Yeah.”
I took the stairs two at a time and slammed opened my door. I grabbed my jacket and scarf off the hook by the door, then ran through the room looking for my cap. It was blue with light snowflakes on it. It matched my blue jacket. But it was nowhere to be found.
“Damn.” I rarely said bad words, but this was an emergency. I didn't want to be late. Briar might not wait for me.
I decided I would go without it and just make sure the collar of my jacket was up to protect my neck from the cold. I would be fine.
I ran down the stairs toward the back of the house.
This place was so big there were lots of back doors, but I knew the one he meant.
It was a set of wide French doors that opened onto an enclosed patio with the little pathway that led straight into the line of white tents along the small driveway that curved out to the dozen or more of rows of pine trees.
I had one sleeve on and my scarf dangling from my other hand as I ran up to the door. Briar met me with a smile, that same one that burned like a flame underneath my heart at breakfast. He wore a dark blue parka and a long black scarf with the black cap.
When I came up alongside him, he immediately held out a hand. “Let me help you?”
He was asking me, not assuming.
I turned so he could grab the loose sleeve of my jacket.
He took the scarf as I put my arm through the sleeve, then quickly straightened the jacket onto my shoulders and folded the scarf around my neck.
Just that gesture put me into a bit of a daze.
No man had ever offered to do anything like that for me before.
Except for maybe Uncle Trent. But he was a relative, so he didn't count.
I turned back to face Briar and held out my arms for approval.
“Perfect,” he said. “But where's your cap?”
“I couldn't find it. I'll be fine.” I pushed up my collar. “See?”
“If you don't mind, Can I check something?”
“What?” The way he talked, the way he asked me careful questions made me realize he'd done this before. Probably many times.
“Your pockets. May I?”
I still had my arms out, I wasn't sure what he was asking, so I just nodded vigorously.
Suddenly, Briar’s hands went on either side of my waist and into my jacket pockets. He pressed gently and then took his hands away. In one of them was my balled-up cap.
“How'd you know?”
“Don't hold it against me, but I know the habits of littles,” he said softly. Then he set the cap on my head and pulled it down over my ears.
Automatically, my hand went up to adjust my glasses on my nose. “That makes sense.”
“There. All set. You look ready to meet any storm that may come our way.”
Together, we walked outside and into the paths of people running around still getting things ready for the big gate to open. Somebody shouted that the cars were already lining up along the road from the highway. We were going to have quite a crowd.
“This is gonna be a fun day.”
Briar patted me on my shoulder. “I agree.”
We moved slowly past the booths looking into each one.
Most of them were cooking food items like hot dogs and street tacos and funnel cake.
There were two coffee carts, and the scent of coffee mixed with cocoa was intoxicating.
I'd been informed by Ozzy last night that everything in these booths would be free.
No one had to pay. That was the way Trent did things.
One booth we passed was filled floor to ceiling with Christmas themed candy canes, lollipops, cookies and more. I reached out and touched a lollipop that was nearly as big as my head. It had a Santa face on it painted in sugar.
“Do you think I could take one of these?” I asked Briar.
“I don't see why not.”
“Of course, darling.” A woman came up to the front of the booth. “Everything here is for the guests. I have a candy store and bakery in town, and I come here every year. Take what you like.”
“Just this, please.” I held it to my chest. “Thank you.”
“Would you like something, sir?” the woman asked Briar.
“I'm a little full right now but I'm thinking of coming back later for one of those cookies.”
“Better not be too long,” she said. “The cookies are the first to go.”
“I'm not surprised.”
As we ambled away kicking at little snow drifts, she called out, “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas,” we called back in unison.
We left the booths behind and wandered in among the trees.
The whole world seemed muffled in snow under the bright light of the late autumn sun.
I felt so young, so little walking next to this big man.
I had so many questions, but I was afraid to ask all of them because of how it might make me look.
Too naive. Or maybe too young to be playing these games.
I pointed out a few of the trees I liked because of their color and shape. Briar agreed with my choices and said they were beautiful. Slowly, I began to insert my questions.
“When did you find out you liked daddy dom stuff?”
“When I was very young it was hard enough realizing and accepting myself for being gay. But then I found my community and within that, smaller communities of people that interested me. It was actually a female dominatrix who taught me a lot about kink play of all kinds. I tried out pretty much everything from both sides. I enjoyed being in charge, setting things up and having my partner at my mercy but also enjoying himself. The aftercare part is huge for me. Also, it was a turn on. A lot of it is about control. At least, for me.”
“That makes sense that you would like being a daddy because that's also being in control.”
“Very much. And I have a protective instinct for those I care about. I get to play that out when I'm a daddy. It’s very satisfying.”
“Is it okay that I ask you these questions?”
“I love talking about this subject.”
“Good. Sometimes I think people might not want to feel like they have to teach someone like me.”
“Someone like you?”
“My first time. You know what I mean?”
Briar nodded. “I do. In the ways I play I feel like I am constantly learning and teaching. That's what makes a good partnership.”
“I only know about myself that I like the idea of a daddy.
I've always liked stuff that reminds me of my inner child.
I want to feel that again. Like being safe and cared for and loved but with the tools of childhood, too.
I don't want to give that stuff up even though I'm an adult. I like that stuff.”
“Is it tied in with your fantasies?” Briar asked.
“You mean, um, like my dirty fantasies?”
“Any fantasies.”
“Definitely.”
“You are firmly on the road to exploring your little-hood.”
I looked up at him over the tops of my glasses. He was all blurry and it felt safe in a weird way to see him that way. “I want to be.”
“That's the first step.”
We talked about his job at the club. I was so curious about what all he had to do, what all he'd seen.
He told me he had broken up fights, tossed people to the curb, but mostly it was a safe place.
The biggest thing was trying to handle problems within only the circle of security and bouncers without having to call the police.
He explained that it wasn't about breaking the law so much as the police didn't understand the kink community at all and didn't really want to get involved.
They actually preferred it if the club handled things themselves.
There were a lot of prejudices in the world and a lot of unfair treatments because of those biases.
Club 99 tried to stave off as much of that darkness as it could.
That meant people became closer, like a family, and protected one another when necessary.
Just then, his phone dinged. He took it out and looked at it, then smiled.
“Looks like Maddy and Colin are just arriving. Would you like to meet them?”
“That sounds good to me. They're a daddy duo, right?”
“They sure are. And very happy. You'll like them.” He flicked his thumbs over the keyboard of his phone. “I just texted them that as soon as they get settled they can meet us behind the house out by the booths. Sound okay?”
“Yep.”
Briar looked back down at his phone. “They say the gates are opening so it's gonna be crowded.”
I clapped my hands. “This is going to be such a fun day.”