Chapter 4
Chapter Four
“But I can’t go home,” Carri explained to the security guard for what felt like the forty-seventh time. “You don’t understand.”
“Ma’am, there will be security here all night.
We’ll keep your booth safe. I promise you that no one will steal any of your toys.
Everyone else has already left for the evening and I have to lock up,” the guard, whose nameplate read Joe, repeated yet again, sounding like he felt as frustrated as she did.
“But my sisters and I planned to each spend a night. Tonight’s my night,” Carri said. “They’ve already left. They expect me to stay here and guard our booths.”
Tears of frustration were pushing at her eyelids. What would she do if the guard insisted she leave the building? Would Lottie and Tilly come back and get her? Movement behind the guard caught her eye. Rooker had arrived for their date.
“Miss, I’m sorry, but I’m not allowed to let anyone stay in the building overnight.” The guard jumped when Rooker appeared beside him. “Sir, I’m sorry, but you’ll have to leave as well. Convention-goers and vendors are not allowed to spend the night in the building.”
Carri turned to Rooker and looked up at him through a sheen of tears. “What do I do? My sisters are gone until tomorrow.”
She was stunned speechless when Rooker wrapped his arms around her and gave her a hug. He dropped his head, so his lips were right next to her ear and whispered. “You’ll come home with me. I live just out of town, and we can come back early in the morning before your sisters return.”
“But …” Carri wanted to argue, but with the guard watching them, she could not come up with a different argument to offer.
Rooker straightened and gave her another hug as he addressed the guard. “Can you give us a few minutes?”
Checking his watch, the guard nodded. “I’ve got to lock this place down, but I can start at the other end of the building. I’ll be back here in ten minutes. You have until then.”
“Thank you, we’ll be ready,” Rooker assured the guard, who walked away.
Carri waited until the guard was well out of hearing distance before she stepped out of Rooker’s embrace. “I can’t go home with you,” she whispered.
“Why not? We were going to be alone here, now we’ll just be alone at my house instead.
This also means that instead of sleeping on the hard floor, we can sleep in beds.
I’ll even let you have first choice of bedrooms,” Rooker said.
“I promise not to push for more than you’re comfortable with, but I flat-out will not have sex with you tonight. ”
Carri blushed even as she giggled at his frank approach to what almost sounded like the negotiations she had read about in her DDlg and BDSM romance stories. “Are you sure? I mean, I could call an Uber to take me to a motel or something.”
Her body was telling her to take him up on his offer, and maybe even push for sexy time.
Her brain reminded her that she had met him only a few hours before and knew nothing about him, other than he was a Daddy and apparently had a booth at the Lil’palooza convention.
She did not even know what kind of booth.
Having taken a few minutes during a bathroom break, she had done an internet search on Rooker St. Clair and found that he was a medical doctor.
He also held patents on several revolutionary medical doodads and geegaws with a net worth somewhere shy of the national budget of several good-sized countries.
“All right, little girl. How about we go to my house for our picnic? Afterward, if you want to go to a hotel, I’ll take you to a safe one, though I would prefer you to stay the night with me.
The guest room has a working lock and its own bathroom.
Tomorrow morning, we can come back early and have a picnic breakfast with your friends,” Rooker said, waving at the animals still sitting on display.
Carrie bit her bottom lip, then licked them both before nodding. “Let me call the house and leave a message for my sisters about the change of plans."
Rooker nodded with an approving smile. “Very wise precaution, little one. After you do that, gather what you need to take with you for tonight. I’m going to run to my booth and grab the food I brought for breakfast. I’ll be back in a couple of minutes.”
“Yes, Sir,” Carri said. A shiver ran through her at the heat and approval she saw in Rooker’s deep brown eyes.
Carri froze when he stepped closer and slid a hand around the back of her neck. He held her head still as he leaned down and brushed a kiss on her forehead.
“I’ll be right back.”
Carri licked her lips and savored his taste as he walked away.
Once he was out of sight, she grabbed the bag that had everything she needed for the night.
She set it and her sleeping bag with her pillow tied to it next to the picnic basket Rooker had left behind.
Walking through the three booths one last time, she confirmed everything was put away.
She tucked her money bag and the pad that recorded her transactions for the day into her oversized purse. She then dug slid her hand down the side, past the three skeins of yarn she’d brought to keep busy. Yes, Hector was still sitting at the bottom of the bag where she had put him that morning.
“Okay little one, are you ready to go?”
“Yes, Da … um, Rook … uh, Sir. Um, what should I call you?” Carri asked as her cheeks burned. She was already messing up and they had not even had their first date.
Rooker’s heart squeezed, and his cock began to swell at her innocent question. He stepped close enough to give the yarn artist another hug.
Brushing a kiss on her temple, he said, “You can call me Rooker, or Sir, for now. I hope that very soon you’ll find it in your heart to call me Daddy.”
His hold tightened when she looped her arms around his middle and hugged him back.
“I’d like that. I think. I just wasn’t sure if it was too soon or not. I mean, we’ve really only known each other a few minutes.”
Rooker smiled. “Maybe so, but a Daddy knows when he’s met the Little girl for him. And I knew in my heart as soon as I bought that hedgehog that you were the one for me.”
“Wow, that’s amazing.” That was about the same time she’d wished she could have a Daddy like him.
“Let’s get out of here. If you’d like, we can go to the park next door and have a picnic and talk. After that, we can go to my house, and you can take a bath before bed.”
Carrie smiled, looking relieved that they weren’t going straight to his home. “Sounds good to me.”
Rooker reluctantly released Carri and bent to pick up his bags. Carri grabbed hers and they headed out the front door. His SUV was one of the few vehicles still in the lot.
He led the way to it so they could load up everything except the picnic basket and small cooler. Handing her the cooler, he carried the heavier basket while they strolled hand in hand through the park beside the convention center.
He noticed Carri staring at the swing set as they passed on their way to the three picnic tables in the center of the park.
“Would you like to swing for a few minutes before we eat?”
Carri swung her head around so fast that he wondered if she hurt her neck. She stared up with wide eyes as she asked, “Can I? You wouldn’t mind?”
“Of course not.” Rooker set their picnic basket on the table. “Would you like me to push you?”
If possible, Carri’s eyes grew even bigger. “Really? No one ever wants to push me. Not that I get to play in the park too often, but still…”
“Well, come on, let’s go. Which one do you want to swing on?”
Carri ran ahead and climbed onto the one in the center. “Push me, please?”
Rooker stepped behind the swing and pulled it back to get her started. His heart flew as high as the sweet woman who created little animals. Her giggles were infectious, and he found himself laughing with her.
He stopped her when he heard her stomach rumbling. He quit pushing and waited until the swing’s arc dropped by more than half.
“All right, little one, time for dinner,” he said as he grabbed the chains and slowed the swing’s motion even further.
“But I was almost high enough!” Carri complained as her feet dragged in the sawdust covering the ground until she stopped.
“High enough for what?” Rooker asked as he pulled her off the swing.
“High enough to touch the sky.”
“Your stomach is rumbling loud enough to disturb the neighbors. I would be a very bad Daddy if I ignored a grumbly tummy. Time to eat some dinner.”
“But I want to swing some more.” Carri pulled on his arm, trying to pull him back to the swing set. “Pleeeease?”
Her shifting into a Little mindset so easily surprised Rooker. “Come eat dinner. Or would you rather get a few spanks first and then eat your dinner?”
“That’s not very nice,” Carri huffed in a tone that hinted at the beginnings of a tantrum.
Rooker turned to face her. He fought to keep a stern expression on his face as he looked into her eyes. “A Daddy’s job is to keep his Little girl healthy, happy, and safe. By ignoring your tummy, I would not be a good Daddy, now would I?”
Carri huffed a sigh and dropped her head to look at her sneakers. “But I want to swing.”
“And after we eat dinner, you can swing for a few minutes more before we head home.”
“All right. I guess I am a little hungry,” Carri admitted as her stomach gave another long, loud, gurgling rumble.
“Good girl,” Rooker said as he turned and patted her butt. “Let’s go eat some dinner.”
Carrie’s squealed, “No spanks!” had Rooker throwing his head back and laughing in delight.