Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Connor lay in a post-coital haze with Tessica’s naked form pressed up against him. The word ‘intimate’ kept popping up in his brain. He hadn’t meant for their first time to be vanilla or intimate. He’d like to blame it on the fact that she’d orgasmed quicker than most women he’d been with, but he knew he’d simply gotten caught up in the moment. He was used to fucking women without letting it get beyond a surface level of enjoyment. He wasn’t used to making love on a first date. But he’d known Tessica for over thirty years, so it was never going to be like sleeping with a stranger. He’d heard about Tessica’s life through his mother and his sister over the years, so it felt a lot more like sleeping with a close friend.
He frowned at that thought. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever felt like he was sleeping with a close friend before.
Back when he was with his first wife, he’d been a horny teen. He’d felt that swell of lust that he’d mistaken for love when he was with her, but he’d never felt like they were close friends.
Later, when he was with his fellow Air Force pilot, it had started out as a casual convenience for them both. It had led to something akin to intimacy, but because he’d never shared his kink with her, it felt like a surface-level relationship to him.
And later still, when he was with his Little, there had definitely been intimacy, and there had been love. But he never would have classified her as a friend, because of their power dynamic.
But with Tessica he had all of that. He felt lust for her, she knew and accepted his kink, she could be his equal or his Little, and she was his friend. His stomach churned. It was frightening to feel so much for her so quickly. Falling in love was not on his agenda at this point in their relationship.
“I should go.” The words came out of his mouth before he thought them through.
She lifted her head off his chest. “What?”
“Uh…” The excuse came to his lips almost immediately. “You need sleep.” He got out of bed, quickly pulled off the condom, tied it off, and tossed it in the garbage next to the nightstand. Then he put his underwear and pants on. “You haven’t slept more than six hours a night all week. I want you to go brush your teeth, get ready for bed, and then I’ll tuck you in before I leave.”
Frowning, she said, “I thought maybe you’d spend the night.”
He shook his head and pulled his shirt on. “You’ll sleep better alone. I’ll stay over next time.”
She pulled some of the covers over to hide her naked body. “I was going to do some more work tonight after our date.”
Connor could tell he was making her nervous and uncertain, which was not the way he wanted to leave her. He took a deep breath to calm his own nerves, and went into patient Daddy mode in an attempt to fix things. He leaned forward to rest his hands on the bed, and looked her in the eyes. “How many hours have you worked already today?”
“Uh… Well…” She broke eye contact and muttered, “About eleven.”
“About?”
She winced. “Maybe closer to twelve.”
“Is there anything urgent that can’t wait until tomorrow morning?”
It took a couple of seconds of her biting her lip, but eventually she shook her head. “No.”
“Okay. So you’re going to brush your teeth, get ready for bed, and go to sleep, right now.”
“It’s barely eight o’clock,” she protested.
His first instinct was to swat for non-compliance, but knew that probably wasn’t the right answer after their previous discussion. “Tessica, you need to sleep. It’s time to let someone else take care of you for a while. I’m not budging on this. Go get ready for bed without arguing, and I’ll read to you until you fall asleep.”
Her eyebrows furrowed as she searched his eyes. He maintained a steady gaze. She scooted away from him to the other side of the bed, toward the attached bathroom, but then paused. “If I fall asleep, you’ll need a key to lock the front door.”
“Do you have an extra key?”
She nodded.
“Okay then.” He stood up straight. “I’ll be happy to lock the door once you fall asleep, and then I can give you back your key tomorrow morning when we meet at the shelter to feed the animals.” When she didn’t get up, he raised one eyebrow and waved a hand toward the bathroom. “Go on.”
Keeping the blanket up with one hand, she pulled her panties off the floor with the other. Once they were on, she stood up, went to the dresser to get a nighty, and then went into the bathroom.
“Good girl,” he said before she closed the door.
Once he heard the water running in the other room, Connor took a deep breath and ran his hand down his face. That had been a close one. He’s almost wrecked things between them before they’d even started. Thank goodness she really did need the sleep, even if he was using it as an excuse to put some distance between them. The next time they slept together, he’d have to be more careful not to let his feelings interfere.
He put on his shoes and socks, and tidied up the bed covers while she was in the bathroom.
When she came out, she gestured to the hallway. “I’ll go get the extra key.”
“Okay.”
She came back and handed it to him. He pocketed the key, turned the covers down on the bed, and patted the mattress. “In you go.”
After a slight pause she got in, and laid down.
He pulled the covers up and tucked them around her snugly. Then he sat on the edge of the bed beside her. “What time should I meet you at the shelter tomorrow morning?”
“Six-thirty.”
“I’ll be there. Don’t start without me.”
“I won’t.” She pointed to the book on her nightstand. “That’s the mystery I’m reading, but I haven’t had time to read for almost a month, so you might have to go back a few pages so I can remember what was happening.”
He smiled and shook his head. “Oh no, I’ve been a Daddy for far too long to go along with that. I want you to go to sleep, not stay up all night.” He pulled his phone out of the pocket of his slacks. “I’ve got a world history book on my phone that does wonders for putting Littles to sleep.”
She frowned. “I’m not Little and maybe I really like history.”
He chuckled. “I doubt it, with that pout you’ve got. But even if you did, I doubt you’d like this one. I think the person who wrote this was trying to put students to sleep.”
He leaned down, kissed her forehead, and patted her hip. “Close your eyes. I’m going to turn off the light, and read standing up so I don’t disturb you once you’re asleep.”
She dutifully closed her eyes, and soon he was reading about the Roman empire. It took less than ten minutes for Tessica’s breathing to level out, and he kept reading for ten more minutes, just to make sure she was out. As quietly as possible, he turned off her kitchen light, grabbed his jacket, and locked her door behind him when he left.
The following afternoon at eleven-thirty, Connor arrived at the shelter for the second time that day. He saw Tessica’s car, and parked behind her. When they’d met that morning to feed the animals, they’d had a short discussion about their plans for the afternoon of play with Gwen. She’d asked him to pick up deli sandwiches, chips, and water for lunch, and he’d happily agreed. He’d also stopped at the craft store and purchased three different things for Gwen to choose from for the afternoon’s activities.
He picked up the bags of food and the crafts from the passenger seat, and went to find Tessica. He found her playing with the only dog they currently had, a toy poodle named Toby. He set his bags on the counter as she walked over. Her tan sweater and dark brown skirt weren’t nearly as evocative as some of the other things he’d seen her wear, but they seemed appropriate for the accounting meetings she’d been in.
She leaned across the counter and gave him a quick kiss. “Hi.”
“Hi,” he answered. “How was your morning?”
“Good. Both of my meetings went well. How was your morning?”
“Uneventful, but not bad.” He tapped the food bag. “I’m going to go put the sandwiches in the fridge, and set out the crafts.”
“Okay. I’ll put Toby back in a few minutes once he’s run off a bit more energy, and then I’ll meet you up there.”
As Connor walked past the cages, Butch meowed plaintively at him. “I’ll get you out and pet you before I leave. I promise.”
“It’s been almost a month since Butch arrived,” Tessica said from behind him. “And he hates everyone but you. I’ve tried showing him to three different guys now, and Butch hates them all.”
“Of course he does,” Connor muttered as he went into the hall and up the stairs. The universe was conspiring against him to disrupt his peaceful life of solitude. Before he knew it he was going to have a cat, and that would lead to a wife, a move to Oregon, and family barbeques with his grandkids and extended family. Last week he was a bachelor who went to kink clubs, not some married grandpa with a cat.
He put the food away, and set out the crafts. For the first time since the wake, he was glad that his sister was dragging her feet about getting rid of their mother’s furniture. He put a set of watercolor paints and paper on one end of the kitchen table, then added a Disney puzzle in the middle, and some sculpting clay on the other end.
Tessica came up the stairs a few minutes later. “Before Gwen gets here we should go over a couple of things.”
“Okay.”
“She’s six when she’s in her Little headspace, and she likes to test the waters with new Dominants. No matter what it’s about, she’ll push you until you put your foot down. But beyond that, she’s pushy and bossy by nature. She likes things to be a certain way, and if you don’t do it the way she wants, she’ll have no problem letting you know about it.”
“What does putting my foot down look like for her?” he asked.
“Staying calm while she escalates. Not giving in to tears. A timeout if she gets to the point of yelling or throwing things. And a few swats or a spanking if she refuses a timeout.”
“And her safeword?”
“Red, but I’ve never heard her use it. She’s good at communicating her needs before anything triggers her.”
“Okay. Anything else?”
“Sometimes her version of pushing looks like enthusiasm rather than a refusal.”
“Can you give me an example?” he asked.
She glanced at the table. “If she picks the watercolors, she might want to paint twenty pictures instead of one, and rush through them to get to whatever number she has in her head. And then become upset if you want her to slow down or stop before she gets to that number.”
“Interesting. I’ll keep an eye out for that.”
Connor heard the sound of a door closing downstairs before Gwen’s voice called out, “Hello?”
Tessica went toward the stairs. “We’re up here. Please lock the door behind you.”
After doing as she’d been told, Gwen came upstairs wearing a pink t-shirt that had the word ‘Princess’ in glitter across her chest, and black leggings.
Connor had to smile at the word ‘princess’ after the talk he and Tessica had had about the younger generation. Gwen was a bit heavyset, which in turn gave her fantastic large breasts, so the glittery word bounced with each step she took.
Tessica frowned. “Did you wear a coat?”
“Yeah, it’s downstairs,” Gwen said absently.
“I told Daddy Connor that your safeword is ‘Red’. Is there anything else he should know before we start?”
“Nope,” Gwen answered but her eyes were focused on the kitchen table. She rushed over to it. “Are these for me?” she asked, grinning at Connor.
“They are. Which one do you want to do after lunch?” he asked.
She snatched up the Disney puzzle which had Beauty and the Beast dancing in the ballroom and held it to her chest. “All of them.” She stacked the clay on the puzzle and picked up the watercolors as well.
Connor realized his mistake immediately. Instead of telling her she could only do one, he asked, “Which one do you want to do first?”
Gwen looked down at the three things and frowned.
Before Gwen could answer, Tessica spoke up. “Lunch first. Then crafts.”
“I’m not hungry,” Gwen said.
“I didn’t ask if you were hungry, I told you we’re having lunch first,” Tessica said firmly.
Gwen scowled at her. “I don’t want lunch, Mommy Tessica.”
Tessica put her hands on her hips. “That’s too bad, because we’re having lunch before we do crafts.”
A surprising twinge of lust went through Connor at seeing Tessica in strict Mommy mode. But he didn’t have the time to dwell on that thought, because Gwen turned to him.
“Can we at least do the puzzle before lunch?”
“Absolutely not,” Connor said. “And if you keep arguing, they can all go on top of the refrigerator until well after lunch.”
“No fair! You said they were for me!” Gwen held the things tighter.
“I also said they were for after lunch. You have about five seconds to put them down before you have a timeout.”
Gwen glared at him. He crossed his arms and waited.
“One,” Tessica said.
Connor locked eyes with Tessica and gave her a little nod before focusing back on Gwen. “Two.”
Tessica said, “Thr?—”
Gwen threw the items on the kitchen table a bit harder than necessary.
Connor glanced at Tessica, unsure if that had been Gwen reluctantly complying, or if it had been Gwen pushing for more.
“Is that the way we set things down?” Tessica asked pointedly.
“Sorry,” Gwen mumbled. She gently righted the puzzle box, and set the clay and watercolors beside the box.
“You are on thin ice,” Tessica warned. She pointed to one of the four kitchen chairs and added, “That’s your spot. Sit down please.”
Gwen sat down with a pout.
Tessica looked at Connor. “Everything good, or did we need to check in?”
“Check in?” Gwen asked.
“Since this is the first time Daddy Connor and I have played together, we may need to go into another room to check in with each other a couple of times today.”
“Oh.” Gwen seemed a bit confused, but not upset by the concept.
“I’m good if you are,” Connor said.
Tessica nodded. “Great. Will you set the table while I grab the food?”
“Sure,” Connor agreed. He got out plates for all of them, pleased with the way things were going so far. Gwen seemed like the perfect Little for them to try this out with because she clearly wasn’t shy about telling them what she wanted.