Chapter Twelve
Star
I didn’t know the details as to how Caleb managed to do it, getting us access to Chained while it was closed, but it was the perfect solution for so many of our current struggles.
With the place being closed, even if we were discovered, it would be easy to get people to think we were there for some sort of conversation with the staff, maybe meeting with the owner or getting a presentation of some sort for a project.
We couldn’t be there to play, after all.
It was closed. Also, no club member would accidentally see and recognize me.
But, beyond all of that, this showed just how vested Caelum was in making things work with us. He saw what I needed and made it happen.
Yes, there was money involved, and that part showed that he was putting in more than just a passing effort, but it was so much more than that.
He had to get in touch with the owner or manager or whoever helped him get approval for this, get them to see why he needed the space without saying too much, and then organize the timing.
Even if we’d left that changing room and done nothing but walk around, it was the most considerate date I’d ever been on. Ever.
I wasn’t dressed super little. Not in a onesie or diaper or paci holder.
Caelum had brought some choices for me to change into, and I went with Christmas pajamas.
Was it silly? Maybe, but wasn’t that kind of the point?
The place was decked out to the halls and all that good stuff.
Ms. Lily hadn’t been exaggerating. What fit better for that mood than jammies.
If I’d wanted to be far more little looking, I could’ve.
The clothing was there for that. And for a split second, I worried that choosing the way I did might hurt Caelum’s feelings.
That vanished the second I picked up the clothing and he smiled bright.
“I thought you might want to be an adorable Christmas little after you saw all the decorations around here.”
I looked forward to a time when I could be at Chained, or anywhere with him, and he could dress me from head to toe.
He’d take his time undressing me like a favorite Christmas gift and then slowly redress me in my onesies or knee highs or short shorts.
It would be intimate and sweet and help me slip into my little space.
But that was not for today. Today, I put my jammies on.
I felt a little guilty at first, like I was maybe taking some of his job away from him.
But this was so new to us, and this place was so new to me, and this was a big step as it was.
Going that tiny bit further was too much too soon for me.
It was sort of silly, given that he’d seen me naked plenty of times, but for whatever reason, at least for today, I couldn’t go there.
“I’m ready. What do you think?” I twirled around slowly.
“You look adorable.” He fished in his bag and pulled out a stuffed cat wearing a Christmas hat. No real cat would have allowed themselves to be decked out like that, which made it even more fun.
“Does he have a name, Daddy?” It wasn’t the first time that name had come out of my lips, but it felt different this time. Me being like this, where we were—it felt more real.
“You can name him whatever you want. He’s yours.”
“For keepsies, Daddy?” I hugged the cat close.
“For keepsies, Star. You should think of a good name for him.”
I slowly turned him around. He was soft and squishy but also a little bit realistic in his coloring. There was only one name he could have. “Santa Paws.”
“Perfect. Santa Paws, it is. Would you and Santa Paws like to go play?”
“Yes, Daddy!” I took his hand, and the two of us left the room. I followed Daddy’s lead to what I soon discovered was the little room.
I wasn’t sure what I expected. I had heard Miss Marion talk about what theirs was like and had seen some pictures of it, but that was a different club in a different city, and I’d been trying not to look too interested in it at the time, which meant I’d barely given them a glance.
There was something about coming into such a well-designed little space and seeing all the vibrant colors, the toys, and the different areas where you could read books or play with blocks or drive your race cars or do your crafts…
it was like I’d been teleported to the North Pole, where all the toys were being tested out.
And I got to be the tester. The Christmas tree, the hanging wreaths, and the sparkling holiday Christmas lights only added to that sense of wonder.
“What would you like to do first?” Daddy asked.
“Could we do…ooh, blocks?” I pretended like it was Santa Paws asking.
“Absolutely.”
I wanted to play blocks with others. I could build them all day long by myself, but there was something about knocking them over, building them up again, and knocking them over again when I had someone to play with that just made them a thousand times more fun.
I got lost in it, piling them one on top of another until they scattered across the floor, sometimes “accidentally,” sometimes pushing them over, other times pulling out the bottom block.
I found new, creative ways to let them tumble.
So did Santa Paws. With each one, I laughed and laughed as Daddy and I collected them and started over again.
Ms. Lily came in to let us know we didn’t have a ton of time left.
I hated it but understood why. Daddy hadn’t rented the place for the entire day.
I couldn’t pretend to fathom how much that would’ve cost. The members paid to have the space available to them, and it would have to be a ton of money to make it worth closing down for the night.
“Do you want to keep playing with blocks?” he asked. “We can. Nothing says we have to do anything else here.”
I looked around the room. “There’s so much here.”
“And it will still be here next time.” He gave my knee a squeeze.
“Next time? You would want to play with me again?”
He swept me into a hug, pulling me onto his lap. “I want to play with you every time.”
I sank into his embrace. We might not have a ton of time left in the little room and there was still a ton to explore. Still, I was quite content having the rest of our time here, being just like this.
The next thing I knew, his lips were on my forehead. “It’s time to wake up, Star. Wake up.”
I blinked. I wasted our precious minutes, asleep. Asleep in Daddy’s arms, but still asleep.
“Oh, my sweet boy doesn’t know that he fell asleep.”
I shook my head. “Is it time to go already?” I wasn’t ready to leave.
“It is. Let’s get you back and changed.” He slid me off of his lap, stood up, and held a hand out for me.
“I don’t wanna go.”
“I know, Star. I know. But it’s better to leave before you’re ready than to be stuck somewhere wishing you could go home already.”
“Why do you have to be right, Daddy?” I didn’t like it, but he had a point.
“Trust me, I’m not always.”
He helped me up, and we put the rest of the blocks away and went back to the changing room to get dressed.
After saying goodbye to Ms. Lily, we snuck out the employee door and into Daddy’s car.
On the way back, he got me a kid’s meal from an Italian place in town that had plain spaghetti, and then we went back to the hotel.
I wanted to go to his place, but the hotel was where we needed to be. I was there “sick,” after all.
Caelum rode up in the elevator first, to the floor above mine, walked down a flight, and then used my second key to get in.
I was so sick of these games, but if the games meant he was going to be there, play them I would.
I came up afterward, managing to get in without anyone recognizing me.
I mean, I was sure the staff did, but they had been nothing but wonderful so far.
I ate my spaghetti and played with the little Christmas ornament that came with it. It was nice. As nice as a tepid meal in a hotel room could be.
When my belly was full, Daddy insisted I take a nap. Once again, I fell asleep in his arms, only this time with a blankie wrapped around us. I wanted to fall asleep like this every time. If only that were possible.