Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Each day, her ankle hurt less. Tatiana got better at maneuvering on the wheeled knee walker her Daddy had gotten for her to use. It made getting around the office and his house so much easier. She’d had crutches when she was a teenager. Those were exhausting.
Tatiana loved spending time with the captain. “Daddy,” she corrected herself. Or Jack, if they were in the office.
Her car still sat in front of her apartment. At least she’d broken her left foot so she could have driven the automatic sedan. Riding into work each day with a full stomach after a good night’s sleep on a comfy mattress, Tatiana felt like a princess.
On Friday night as he drove her home, Tatiana felt like she had to ask, “You could just take me home for the weekend. You know. If I’m a bother.”
“You are never a bother. Are you unhappy staying with me?” he asked, taking his eyes off the road for a split second to look at her.
“I love staying with you. I just don’t want to outstay my welcome.”
“That’s not going to happen. A Little girl should be with her Daddy. I thought you might like a bath tonight?”
“With bubbles?” popped out of her mouth before she could stop it.
“Of course.”
“Can I get my cast wet?”
“Not a good idea. You could—it’s a fiberglass cast. But it would take a long time to dry out. Let’s wrap your foot in a plastic bag and we’ll clean your toes later.”
“A bath sounds amazing.”
A picture flashed into her brain of her Daddy taking a bath with her. She’d seen him without his shirt on in the morning when he came in to take her to the bathroom. Hugo thought he was very buff and handsome. Her stuffie hadn’t liked anyone she’d dated. Much less that last jerk.
Reorienting her thoughts back to imagining her Daddy in the tub, she squirmed slightly in her seat. Tatiana had no doubt he would be a caring yet demanding lover. She definitely wanted to take a mental picture of him in the buff—while she was drooling, of course.
“Drooling?” Jack asked.
“I’m so hungry tonight. I’m practically drooling,” she said, hoping she’d only said that one word out loud.
“What would you like for dinner?”
“Something easy. I hate for you to have to cook for me all the time.”
“I like cooking. And making something for two is much more exciting than throwing something together for myself. How do you feel about breakfast for dinner?”
“My mom used to do that when I was little. I loved it.”
“What’s your favorite breakfast food?” he probed.
“French toast. And bacon.”
“Done. Every Friday is going to be Tatiana's choice,” her Daddy declared.
“No broccoli?” she asked, trying hard not to wrinkle her nose.
“Veggies are good for you. If you try everything throughout the rest of the week, you can have a veggie-free meal on Friday if you wish.”
“Yay!”
“You haven’t protested eating vegetables…” He let his voice fade away.
“I’m a guest. You’re taking great care of me. I’ll eat a bit of anything you put in front of me,” she said honestly.
Jack pulled into the driveway and triggered the garage door to rise. He turned to her and put his hand on her thigh. “I’m counting on you to tell me what you think and how you feel. You are not going to hurt my feelings.”
“My grandmother would roll over in her grave if I didn’t use my good manners. I haven’t forced myself to eat anything I detest. Everything you’ve made has been yummy.”
“Except for the broccoli?” he asked pointedly.
“Mmm. Not my favorite,” she admitted.
“Thank you for letting me know. Now, let’s head inside and put on our comfy clothes, eat some French toast, and maybe watch a movie?”
“And bacon?” she asked, hopeful.
“And bacon,” he promised, and drove into the garage.
A half hour later, she sat on one of the high-backed stools watching him flip golden-brown pieces of yumminess as the bacon cooked in the oven. She’d never seen anyone cook it like that. Tatiana was concerned it wouldn’t taste as good, but she’d decided to trust him.
“What do you put on your French toast? Syrup or powdered sugar?” he asked, looking into the pantry.
“Powdered sugar, of course.” Who wanted soggy French toast?
“Syrup for me,” he shared and turned with both in his hands. When his gaze met hers, he stopped in his tracks and asked playfully, “What? You can’t like me because I prefer syrup?”
“That’s pretty bad. Have you tried it with powdered sugar?” she asked.
“No. Have you tried it with syrup?”
“No,” she admitted. “I’ll try your way if you’ll try mine.”
“Deal.”
In a few minutes, a stack of crispy bacon sat on a plate on the table, accompanied by two plates of French toast. Her Daddy carried her over to her seat before pulling his chair close. Tatiana took a long drink of her chocolate milk as he cut several bites for them.
“What’s first?” Jack asked.
“Bacon.”
“I’m starting to see an unhealthy relationship between you and bacon, little girl,” he told her as he handed her a perfectly crisp piece.
“It’s one of my favorites.”
“What else do you like?”
“Hawaiian pizza—thin crust, of course.”
“Pineapple on pizza? You’re not one of those people, are you?”
“Absolutely. Focus on the French toast. Let’s see if we can stay under the same roof together. Powdered sugar first.”
He stabbed a fork into a piece covered in powdered sugar, just as she loved it, and lifted the bite to her lips. Eagerly, she accepted and hummed her approval before mumbling, “You’re such a good cook.”
“Don’t talk with your mouth full. I don’t want you to choke. And thank you.” He smiled at her. “I’m glad you like it. My turn?”
She nodded, urging him on, and watched as he selected a bite barely touched by white sprinkles. “More Daddy. It’s not fair if you don’t have a real bite. Try that one.” Tatiana leaned forward to point to one not plastered by sugar, but with a decent amount.
Sighing gravely, her Daddy swapped selections and tried it. She watched his face closely. His expression didn’t change at all. She didn’t know what he thought.
“Hmm,” he said finally.
“What does that mean?” Tatiana waved her hand around in exasperation.
“I’ll have to admit. I was completely wrong. That is delicious.”
“Yesss!” She clapped with excitement. “Let’s try the syrup!”
“Maybe you’ll like mine.” He dipped a piece into a puddle of syrup and put it in her mouth before helping himself as she chewed.
Tatiana tried to keep her poker face in place, but knew she failed miserably when he asked, “Not bad, huh?”
“Oh, my God! That’s almost as good as the powdered sugar.”
A thought zinged into her mind. “Let’s try it with both.”
Gamely, he fed each of them a bite. Immediately, Tatiana shook her head as she chewed. It was too sweet and totally overwhelmed the French toast.
“I agree. Too much. Let’s just stick to the classics,” he suggested.
“Good idea.”
Their dinner lasted almost an hour as they ate and chatted about the day. Even working in the same office, they didn’t spend much time together. He had so many meetings.
It was nice being together. Tatiana struggled not to hope this could last forever. She crossed her fingers in her lap, hoping to freeze time.
“Are you okay, little girl?”
She nodded and looked down at the empty plates in front of them.
“Are you still hungry? I can make more.”
“I really want to sit in your lap,” she whispered, forcing herself to be brave.
“Let’s go over to the couch and we can cuddle.”
Her Daddy picked her up easily and carried her to the large couch. He sat down carefully and propped her foot up on a cushion before leaning back. Drawing her to rest against his chest, Jack brushed his fingers through her hair. He was so warm. His hard body pressed closely against her gave Tatiana all sorts of ideas. She sighed and relaxed against him.
“That’s an enormous sigh. Are you happy, Tati?”
“I think the happiest I’ve ever been. Even with this thing on my foot,” she said, waving at the cast.
“That won’t take long to heal. Does it still hurt?”
“Not bunches. Just when I bump it into something.”
“Then let’s avoid that, little girl. Can I talk to you about something serious?” he asked.
She swallowed hard and nodded. Was he sick of her already? Tatiana thought about shifting away but couldn’t make herself move. She was going to stay as close to him for as long as he’d let her.
“I love having you here. I know it hasn’t been long since we met, but I don’t want you to go back to your apartment. Would you consider moving here with me?”
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You want me to stay here?”
“Yes, little girl.”
“Could I sleep with you?” Tatiana blurted. She’d woken up last night and had to fight herself not to wheel into Jack’s room.
“And sleep with Daddy,” he agreed with a smile. “That would make me very happy.”
A thought burst the happy bubble inflating inside her. “Will we get in trouble at work? Can we be romantically involved?”
“No. And, yes. Your position is safe. We’ll be the perfect team.”
She shifted on his lap to sit up and whacked her cast on his shin. His wince made her feel awful. “Oh! I’m sorry.”
“Any injury resulting from your cast is exempt from blame,” he stated firmly. “If, however, you are truly naughty, your bottom will suffer the consequences.”
Tatiana stared at him. Did he mean what she thought he meant? “You’re going to spank me?”
“If you are naughty, yes. Is that a trigger for you?” he asked, watching her face closely.
“No. Not a bad one,” she admitted.
“Someone has spanked you before?”
“No.” When he looked confused, she added, “The Littles in the books I’ve read get spanked.”
“Does that turn you on?”
She hesitated, not sure how much to admit. “Maybe?” That answer seemed safe.
“So, it does, and you don’t want to admit it,” he deduced. “Spankings can have two purposes; to titillate and to punish. For some Littles, the result can overlap. Both can be a release.”
“Oh!” She didn’t know what to say.
“When your foot has healed a bit more, I’ll demonstrate. For now, would you like to snuggle and watch a movie?” he suggested.
“It doesn’t hurt,” she rushed to reassure him.
“I’m glad. We need to let it heal before you start kicking to get away.”
She stared at him as she digested that statement. A visual image filled her mind of her stretched over her Daddy’s lap as he swatted her bottom. She glanced away from him to look at his hand wrapped around her thigh. Tatiana bet his hand was as hard as the rest of him. Her gaze flew back up to his face and he nodded, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking.
“Give me a kiss, Tati. I’ll go get Hugo to keep you company for a few minutes while I clean the kitchen, and then we’ll choose a movie.”
She lifted her chin eagerly. Her Daddy cupped the side of her face. He captured her lips and slid in between them to taste her. Swirling his tongue inside, he sinuously explored her mouth. He was the best kisser. Tatiana tightened her arms around his neck and responded eagerly.
A wordless protest escaped her lips when he lifted his head. “I know, sweetheart. I’ll come back for more kisses. Would you like to hold Hugo while I clean up the kitchen?”
“Yes, please.”
He set her gently on the cushion next to him and gave her another steamy kiss before tucking a blanket around her. Her Daddy returned in a flash with her hermit crab. She couldn’t wait to watch a movie held in his arms.