Chapter 6
Arden
Hearing Teddy call her Daddy sent shivers down Arden’s spine. Fuck if her baby girl wasn’t the most adorable thing she’d ever seen.
Her eyes were wide, her pupils blown as if she were drinking in every inch of Arden.
“Is that okay? Can I stay with you, Daddy?”
Fuck yes, she could stay with her.
“Of course you can, baby girl.”
Arden scooted her butt back a few inches, and Teddy’s face fell. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. I just need to talk to Big Teddy, just for a moment or two. Because Big Teddy gets to make the decisions before her Little jumps in.”
Teddy blinked for a few seconds, and shook her head, the desire fading from her face. “That’s sensible. Briar said we should… negotiate.”
“Absolutely, baby girl. You done negotiations before?”
She shook her head slowly, and Arden once more internally cursed Teddy’s ex.
She must have guessed what Arden was thinking though, because she shook her head.
“That wasn’t entirely her fault. I don’t think either of us really knew what we were doing at college.
We just kind of fell into a dynamic, without understanding all the things you should have in place to keep you safe. ”
“I see,” said Arden, and fought to draw Teddy into her arms for a hug. “It happens. But Briar said we should negotiate?”
“Yes.” Teddy snuck a look at her. “You’re not mad that I told her?”
“Absolutely not!” This time Arden did pull Teddy in for a hug. “I’m really proud of you for reaching out. It’s always a good plan to speak to people with more experience, and Briar definitely has the experience.”
“She does. I’m supposed to negotiate play, safe words and aftercare.”
“You want me to take the lead?”
Teddy nodded. “Yes please.”
“Okay, let’s start with the most important—safewords.”
“I like traffic lights: green for go; yellow for a breather; and red for stop and check in. Would that work for you?”
“Works perfectly, baby girl, and thank you for defining what those mean to you. I’ll use the same so it’s super clear for both of us. What about play? What kind of play would you like to do?”
Teddy opened and closed her mouth several times, and bless her, she looked as if her brain was overloading with options.
Arden took pity on her. “Let’s start with sexual, non-sexual or both?”
Teddy flushed pink again. “Um… both? But my Little isn’t sexual. So some Little play, and then some Big stuff?”
“We can do that. What would you like to be on the table? Kissing?”
Teddy bit her lip. She didn’t even realize she was doing it, but Arden saw. Arden saw and Arden wanted to nip at those lips herself. “Yes please.”
“What else?”
“Wait there.” Grabbing a pen from her bag, Teddy pulled a clean paper napkin over to her and started scribbling down a list. She looked up, “This isn’t me not being able to articulate what I want, I just figure that no one else in the diner has consented to join in this talk, so I’d rather write some of that stuff down. ”
“That’s very considerate, baby girl. Go on.”
After a minute or two, Teddy slid the napkin over to Arden.
Green
Kissing
Sensual stroking
Touching nipples
Touching clit
Fingering
Cunnilingus
Orgasms
When Arden finished reading, Teddy was watching her anxiously. “I wasn’t too blunt, was I? I know that people think it’s weird and unromantic stating things like that.”
“I don’t,” said Arden. “I think it’s really clear, and I really appreciate it. Are these all for me to do to you? Or for you to do to me?”
As Teddy’s hand reached for her milkshake, it trembled slightly, the tremor running through the glass. “Oh shit, I forgot, I—”
“Stop that, baby girl. No need to panic. We’re both asking questions at this point; you haven’t messed up.”
Arden waited to see if her reassurance would alleviate Teddy’s fears. She took a moment or two, taking a big gulp of her milkshake, before nodding. “Okay. No panicking.” She pulled a face. “Or, at least, I’ll try not to. Getting things wrong makes me super nervous.”
“I can understand that.” And she did, especially remembering what Teddy had said about her autism and the need for rules. “But this is negotiation. Unless you’re going to ignore my boundaries or lie to me, then you can’t get anything wrong. This is us putting the rules in place.”
Teddy visibly relaxed. “You’re right, of course. I hadn’t considered it like that. Then, to answer your question, I like to give and take. How about you?”
“That works for me, though I like to be in charge. To be a bit bossy. Would you like that?”