Chapter 11
FRANKIE
Frankie stood in front of the door once again with her shoes on. Was she really going to do this? This was the third time she had stood in front of the door, ready to go out, but not able to make herself. Was she ever going to have the courage to go outside by herself, where anyone could see her?
Taking a step forward, she reached her hand out to grab the handle, but stopped herself.
“Frankie?” Daddy’s voice was gentle.
Frankie turned around quickly, putting her hands behind her back. “I wasn’t doing anything!” she shouted.
Her heart beating faster as the seconds went by, Frankie continued to look at Daddy. He was supposed to be in a meeting right now. What was he doing out there?
“I wasn’t doing anything,” she repeated. “I was just putting my shoes on since my feet were a little cold.”
Frankie immediately felt bad for lying, tears pooling in her eyes. Going outside had been on her mind a lot more, and she didn’t know how to bring it up to Daddy. Or if she would ever bring it up to him. What if she said something to him and then never walked out by herself?
She didn’t want to disappoint Daddy.
No.
She couldn’t do that.
Daddy raised his right eyebrow and folded his arms over his chest. “Were you?”
The tears ran down her face, and she shook her head. “No, I wasn’t. I put them on for a reason. I’m sorry I lied. I just didn’t want to get your hopes up.”
“Hopes up for what?”
Frankie looked at the ground. She was going to have to tell him now. There was no way out of it.
“Frankie?”
“I don’t like it when you call me Frankie,” she mumbled, trying to change the subject.
“I don’t call you Frankie often. I know you don’t like it, but I want you to know that I am serious right now. What were you worried about getting my hopes up for?” Daddy asked.
So much for trying to change the subject.
Daddy knelt in front of her, and she looked at him with wide eyes. She hadn’t even heard him walk up to her. How would have it was she?
“You can tell Daddy anything,” he gently said as he cupped her face with his hands.
“I thought about going out,” she whispered. “I thought about opening up that door and walking outside. I put my shoes on in case I actually wanted to do it, but I could only stare at it.”
Disappointment.
That was what Frankie was. An utter disappointment. She was messed up and didn’t know how to fix it.
Frankie didn’t know whether she wanted to fix it or not.
She loved being inside where it was safe, and she didn’t have to worry about anyone looking at her weirdly. She liked being safe and having stability, but with the possibility of going outside, that would get taken away. Even with Daddy with her, she still wouldn’t be as okay out there.
“This isn’t the first time you’ve done this, has it?” Daddy softly spoke.
Her eyes went wide. “H-how?”
“I saw you the first time, or at least I think it was the first time. I figured you didn’t want me to see, so I didn’t say anything.
I wanted you to tell me at your own pace, but someone encouraged me to talk to you the next time I saw you,” Daddy explained.
“I never want you to feel like you are a disappointment or are going to let me down.”
“But it’s so hard,” she whispered, even more tears filling her eyes. “I want to be perfect for you. I want you to be proud of me.”
“Oh, Little One,” he cooed at her. “I am proud of you. You can ask the other owners and Dominic. I talk about how proud I am of you every single day. I’m sorry you don’t feel like you have been. I’ll do better about reminding you.”
Daddy wiped away the tears from her cheeks.
“I also want you to know that I don’t want you to be perfect. I want you to be who you are, flaws and all,” Daddy gently said. “None of us is perfect. I don’t want you to think that you have to be perfect for me.”
She nodded.
“Now, anytime you have this urge, come and get me. We can do it together. You don’t have to do everything alone.
And if you aren’t ready to go out the next time, that is fine,” Daddy reminded her.
“We are going at your pace. Sure, sometimes I may push you a little, like I have before. But if you ultimately don’t want to leave the house, we won’t. ”
“Push me?” She looked at him weirdly.
When had he pushed her to do something?
“Going to the club those two times,” Daddy said. “The first time was really a rush since we had to get the stuff sorted out, but the last time wasn’t. I didn’t have to go, but it made everything so much easier if I did.”
Frankie didn’t know what to say.
“I’m sorry if you’re mad at me.” Daddy wiped away the last tear that fell. “I didn’t mean to bend the truth.”
“I’m not mad,” she mumbled.
Frankie was anything but mad. She was a little confused as to why he felt that he had to keep it from her, but that day had proved a lot.
She had gone out of his office without him and then had three other people in the office who weren’t her Daddy.
She got to throw plates on the ground and let all her emotions out.
“You aren’t?”
Frankie shook her head. “I’m not mad at you. It was a really good day, even with everything that happened.”
She had also gotten to eat two cookies. That was a highlight of her day. Trent’s famous cookies.
“I’m glad. Next time, I’ll let you know upfront so I’m not keeping it from you.” Daddy kissed her forehead and then her lips.
“And next time I have the urge to go outside, I’ll come and get you,” she promised.
“Good.” He smiled.
They stood there for several seconds, just looking at each other.
It wasn’t as scary, telling him as she thought it was going to be.
She should have known that Daddy would understand and not be sad or disappointed, but Frankie couldn’t help but let those emotions overtake her.
Her emotions seemed to be out of whack recently.
“I wanted to talk to you about something,” Daddy sprang on her.
“Yes?” she hesitantly replied.
She didn’t like it when Daddy said he needed to talk to her. It made it seem like she was in trouble.
“There is nothing wrong. I want you to take a deep breath and slowly let it out. Good girl,” he purred.
“What is it?” she asked. “I don’t really like it when you say you need to talk to me and then don’t say anything. It makes me panic a little.”
Just feeling her sweaty hands was enough to show how worried she got.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know that. Next time I’ll make sure you know it’s nothing bad.” Daddy kissed her forehead. “I wanted to talk to you about meeting up with two other Littles that go to the club.”
Frankie sucked in a breath as she let his words sink in.
“You don’t have to, but I think it might be good for you.
They are Littles who also have things they were worried about.
I think I’ve talked about them before. Rainey and Echo.
Rainey likes things in even numbers. If she doesn’t, she gets clammy and itchy.
Echo doesn’t like to be touched. When someone touches her, she has to go wash that part with really hot water or go to her Daddy and he makes it all better,” Daddy explained.
“They have both had to overcome telling people and getting weird looks or people who understand.”
Something she should have done before she went out that one day to the store. She had been getting there, but she had needed more time and didn’t get it.
“Just think about it. Both of them are free this afternoon to come over,” Daddy informed her. “But there’s no pressure. I don’t want you to do something that scares you.”
Did she really want to meet them? Daddy and Dominic had both told her they wanted to, along with the other Littles, meet her desperately.
How could they want to meet her so badly? They didn’t know her.
“I guess,” Frankie mumbled.
“You guess what?” Daddy asked.
“I guess I can meet them,” she looked him in the eyes.
Frankie wasn’t too sure about this. But when was she sure about anything?
Never.
Her life had been turned upside down. For the last three years, she had been in her protective bubble, the house where no one came in, and she didn’t leave. And now she was venturing outside and was about to have two people come over to meet her for the first time.
“Take a deep breath,” Daddy gently said.
Frankie inhaled deeply before slowly letting it out.
“If you really don’t want to meet them today, you don’t have to,” Daddy told her. “They will understand.”
If she didn’t do it now, would she ever do it?
“I’ll meet them today,” she replied. “Maybe only for a little while?”
Daddy smiled. “I’ll call their Daddies and let them know that they may have to leave at any point if you get too overwhelmed. They will understand since they’ve done the same thing.”
“How do you know that?” She looked at him suspiciously.
“Because I have heard their Daddies talk about it. We talk about you guys a lot of the time. They mentioned that you might want to meet Rainey and Echo first since they have gone through something similar,” Daddy explained.
Right.
“I’m going to go tell their Daddies that they can come over. Why don’t you grab Lita and sit on the couch?” Daddy suggested as he rose to his full height.
Frankie walked into their room and quickly got Lita before making her way back into the living room and sitting down. She was really going to meet two of the Littles today. What was she thinking?
She clearly wasn’t. Who did she think she was?
“Frankie?” Daddy knelt in front of her once again.
“Your knees are going to go bad,” she mumbled.
“Are you calling me old?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Never. You just keep kneeling in front of me. You are going or wear your knees out if you keep doing it.”
Daddy chuckled and opened his mouth, but the doorbell interrupted him. Frankie held Lita closer to her as she looked at the door.
“I don’t know,” she whispered, fear coursing through her.
She was really going to do this, wasn’t she?
“You’re going to be okay. I’ll be outside with the other Daddies to give you guys privacy, but if you need me, just call my name out,” Daddy told her.
Frankie’s eyes went wide as she stared at him. “You aren’t going to be with me?” Her voice was high-pitched.
“No, I think it would be best to meet them without me. I know it’s scary, but you are going to do amazing,” Daddy gently said as the doorbell rang again. “Let’s go to the front door together.”
But Frankie didn’t get up. She didn’t know if her legs were going to be able to hold her up.
“Or how about you sit here. I’ll let the girls in and then leave the room,” Daddy offered.
Frankie opened her mouth, getting ready to tell Daddy she wanted the first part, but she didn’t want him to leave when the doorbell rang a third time.
Daddy chuckled and shook his head. “I’ll go get the door and let them in. If you need anything, call for me or tell one of the girls to come get me, and I’ll be right there.”
Before she could respond, Daddy got up and walked to the front door, leaving her alone in the living room with her nerves and Lita. Her eyes were trained on the front door as Daddy opened it.
“Hello,” Daddy greeted the girls. “She’s in the living room. Head in and to your left.”
Daddy didn’t even turn around as he walked out the door, leaving two women in front of her. Where had they come from?
“Hi, I’m Echo, and this is Rainey.” They both smiled at her.