Chapter 5
CHAPTER 5
EMILEE
A rrow placed a plate of chicken tenders, French fries and fruit salad in front of her. Her stomach growled at the sight. No doubt it’d come from her favorite fast food chicken restaurant.
“Want some special sauce?” He asked. She looked at the golden nugget sauce and nodded her head. Yep, definitely came from her favorite restaurant.
“Thank you,” she said softly. They ate in silence. Well, mostly. Emilee couldn’t help but moan in pleasure a few times. She loved Raising Zachary’s Chicken but couldn’t afford it. One three strip combo with fries and a drink was fifteen dollars! Prices for food had definitely risen in recent times and she’d felt it. Occasionally, she stopped by Grand Ridge’s food bank, but she tried to stick to cheap food from the dollar store.
Arrow removed the empty plate from in front of her and replaced it with two large chocolate chip cookies. As he looked at her, his eyes softened and she wondered what he was thinking. He was a Daddy. After last night and this morning, she had no doubt about it. But, she wasn’t his type, and she knew he couldn’t have meant what he’d said. Not with her. She was not worthy of being anyone’s Little. She enjoyed going to The Citadel for playdates but that was as far as it went.
“Look, Kitten, I spoke with Sam and?—”
“Sam? Samantha? My boss?” She stood up so fast her chair crashed to the ground behind her. “Oh, no! What did you say? Did you tell her I was sleeping in my car? That I was trespassing at The Rusty Crab? Did you get me fired? She can’t fire me, Arrow. I really need this job!” Panic swelled in her chest. Of course she couldn’t trust him. Couldn’t trust anyone. She finally had something good going for herself and…
Arrow was out of his chair quickly. He took her by the hand and all but dragged her through the house to his living room. He sat hard on his leather couch and pulled her into his lap. She resisted but his hold on her tightened.
“I had a taste of your sass and your interrupting last night. I will not tolerate it today. You are going to sit here, calmly and have an adult conversation with me.” The ‘or else’ was hanging between them.
Who did he think he was? Manhandling her like this! She should smack him! But, deep down, she was aroused by what he’d just done. She’d always craved a Daddy Dom. An alpha male who knew what he wanted and could take charge of the situation. She’d been spiraling out of control since the night… the night she wouldn’t think about. Wanting someone to step in and lay down the law, give her boundaries and love. Could this be him? The man she’d been craving? Surely, not. They’d just met! And, he had to be a good fifteen years older than her, at least.
“Good. I’m glad you’ve quieted down. Do you always catastrophize everything?” he asked her.
“What do you mean?”
“Jump to the worst-case scenario?”
“Yeah. I guess I do. In my defense, most things end up being the worst-case scenario.”
He sighed. “I’m sorry to hear that. I spoke with Sam but no, you haven’t lost your job. There’s an apartment above Renewed Hope that will be renovated in a week. Sam said you can stay there as long as you want.”
“Really?” Emilee asked, hardly believing it. Staying at Renewed Hope would be an amazing opportunity to save up money for her own place. Plus, she was hoping to work there full time and it would mean no commute. Her tires were worn down on her car, and she’d been having to fill them frequently, it was only a matter of time before she would have to replace them.
“Yes, really. But, until it is ready for you, you can stay at my place.” His voice held the kind of quiet strength that came from a life of discipline and authority, but there was a warmth there too — although, she didn’t think he was asking her to stay, more like telling her.
“Here? With you? For a week?” Emilee asked, disbelief tinting each syllable. She chewed on her bottom lip and thought about what he’d just said. Staying with him meant safety and warmth, but the offer was wrapped in layers of implications she wasn't sure she wanted to unravel. Did he expect her to sleep with him? What was he wanting in return? She stiffened in his arms.
“Promise I don't bite. Much,” he added with a teasing lilt.
“What’s in it for you? What do you want in return?” She felt his arms tighten around her, knowing she’d struck a nerve when she saw the tic in his jaw. Her heart thumped against her ribcage. Her mind raced, thoughts tumbling over each other like clothes in a dryer.
“Do you remember what I said this morning?”
“You said a lot this morning, Arrow.”
“Are you implying that I didn’t mean what I said? Kitten, I never say anything I don’t mean and I never make promises I won’t keep.”
“You could not have meant?—”
“What part? When I told you I didn’t know why fate brought us together but that I would be there for you? The part when I told you I was going to help you? Take care of you and protect you? Be your safe place to land? You thought I didn’t mean those words?”
“Of course!” She went to stand, pushing off his thighs. He pulled her back down aggressively.
“Sit while you still can comfortably,” he warned.
She ignored the implication in his words. “Of course, I thought you were just saying empty words. I don’t know you and you sure as hell don’t know me. Why would you offer to help me? Men only offer to help if they want something in return. I’m not a whore. I won’t ever exchange my body for sex again.” She expected her words to shock him. To have his arms release her and let her go. Instead, he said nothing, just physically moved her until she was straddling his thick thighs. Once he had her where he wanted, he reached up and cupped the back of her neck firmly, she had no choice but to meet his heated gaze.
“I know you are a Little in need of a Daddy. I know you have been through hell in your life and come back from it. I know you’ve worked your ass off for two years to better yourself and beat your addiction, only for other’s continuing to see you as you were before and not offering you the fresh start you so badly deserve. I know in my heart you are mine. Because you are mine, I will fight for you, if you make me, but this would be a lot easier if you just allowed yourself to trust me. Let me take care of you, Kitten. Give me the week and at the end of the week, when the apartment is ready, you can decide if you want to stay here or move in there.”
She stared back at him, speechless. His offer felt like a lifeline thrown into the churning sea of the hurricane that was her life. Could she stay with him for a week? What did that entail?
“Stay like last night or?”
“Stay as my little girl. With all the rules, expectations and care that comes with that role.”
His little girl. She wanted to experience that more than anything, belonging to a real Daddy. This might be the only chance she would have. After a week, he’d be so through with her and begging her to move out. At least, she’d get these moments to explore this side of her. She knew he was safe. Sam had told her as much that morning. Safe, loyal and honorable, Sam had said.
“Fine,” she relented with a shrug that tried to seem nonchalant, though the tremor in her voice betrayed her. “But just for the week.”
“You’ve made the right decision, Kitten.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek softly.
“What does being your little girl mean?” Her voice shook as she asked the question.
“Let’s ease into all of that, okay? For now, let’s talk about a couple of rules I’ll have for you in my house. Of course Daddies have rules, right?” He smiled gently at her. She nodded. She supposed so. Although she didn’t really like rules, she realized she thrived under consistency. “Rule number one: safety. Your safety and health are the most important. No drinking or drugs, no staying up all night, no texting and driving. Those types of things. If it’s unsafe you don’t do it.”
“Sounds reasonable,” she agreed. A bit controlling but wasn’t that what Daddies did?
“Second, we will always show respect to each other. No interrupting, name calling, yelling and absolutely no lies.” His voice was low, serious. A shiver went down her spine at his tone. “Understand?” When she didn’t respond right away, his eyebrows arched, and his eyes narrowed in on her.
How to respond to this one? She was terrible at interrupting. It’d become a defense mechanism of sorts. There was no way she could agree to this rule without agreeing to whatever punishments he would have for breaking them. She’d be breaking this rule, she knew it. Not intentionally, more habitually. She’d found if she cut people off when they were saying something awful to her, she didn’t have to hear the entire thing.
“I might struggle with the interrupting,” she finally confessed.
“You might.” He nodded in agreement. “And I will help you remember and eventually break that habit. Do you understand the rule, Kitten?”
“Yeah.”
“Yes, Sir or Yes, Daddy.”
“Yes, Daddy.” It came much easier than she’d expected and felt very right. Almost too right.
“And third, you will be responsible. Responsibility, like safety, incorporates a lot. You will tell me where you are going and who you are going to be with at all times. You will go to work on time, spend money wisely, those types of things. I can help you become more responsible if you need, and we can work on this slowly.”
“I’m responsible! Ask Sam!” Maybe, a few years ago, she hadn’t been. But, in the last year, she’d made strides towards becoming a responsible, law-abiding, contributing member of society.
“Good, then there shouldn’t be any issues with you following rule number three, should there?”
“Three rules, huh?” Emilee's lips twisted into a smirk. “More like a hundred! Sounds more like I'm signing up for boot camp than crashing at your pad. What's next, Daddy Arrow? Reveille at dawn?”
“Only if you want breakfast,” he shot back, the corner of his mouth twitching. He straightened up and met her gaze, his eyes earnest. “The rules are about making sure you are safe, Kitten. Not about control.”
“Sure, because nothing screams 'safety' like a list of do's and don'ts.” Emilee couldn’t help but roll her eyes, even as a part of her acknowledged the comfort hidden in the structure he offered.
“Did you just roll your eyes at me, Kitten?” Arrow folded his arms across his chest, a subtle challenge in his posture.
“Maybe.”
“Do you think rolling your eyes at your Daddy is respectful?” he challenged.
“I suppose not.” God. He took on his role quickly.
“Kitten, I don’t want to tame your wild spirit. I want to give it a home where it’s safe to be free. I will not correct everything you do. It’s okay to relax, be playful and enjoy yourself around me, as long as you are respectful in doing so.”
“Me? Wild spirit?” She feigned shock, clutching her chest. “I'm the picture of a well-behaved lady.”
“Right, and I'm the Easter bunny,” Arrow deadpanned, but the spark in his eye belied his words. “Just... try it out. If the rules are too much, we'll talk. Deal?”
“Deal,” Emilee agreed. Maybe, just maybe, this man could be the reprieve she didn't know she needed.