Chapter Fourteen
ASHER
Asher’s gaze was fixed on Daisy the whole time they walked around the club, trying to make sure she was okay. To say he was nervous throughout the tour was an understatement. He knew, since he saw her walk into the bar, that she was special. It only solidified when he started to talk to her.
She was his.
There was no doubt about that.
His protective instincts were roaring any time he thought about her or was near her. Asher had never felt this way about anyone. Sure, he was protective of any Little or close family and friends, but this was different.
“Are you doing okay?” Asher asked as they walked into the main bar area.
Her eyes scanned around the room once again, pausing on the coloring section before finding him.
“Daisy?” he called. “Are you okay? Do you need anything?”
She shook her head. “I’m okay.”
He hummed and kept his gaze on hers. “The other Littles should be here soon. Do you want to stay and meet them, or do you want to go home?”
Daisy looked at Chilli for several seconds.
“They don’t mind that you have a service dog,” he gently said. “Some of the Littles have medical conditions that they think make them stand out, but they don’t.”
“I don’t know,” she mumbled.
“They might ask about Chilli at the beginning, but once they know, they won’t see you as different. I promise,” he said.
It took everything in Asher not to pull her into his embrace and hold her close as he cooed praise in her ears.
“Are you sure?” she asked as she looked up at him.
He nodded. “I’m positive.”
“Then can we stay for a couple of minutes?” she murmured.
Asher smiled. “We can stay for however long you want.”
“Thanks.”
He held his arms open. “Do you want a hug?”
She hesitated but wrapped her arms around him. Once he held her firmly, her whole body relaxed against his.
“Everything is going to be okay,” he whispered.
If it was possible, Daisy relaxed even further into his embrace. Pride swelled inside of him as he held onto her, rubbing his hand up and down her back.
“Such a good girl.” He dropped his voice lower so only she could hear. “Everything is going to be just fine. I’m here for you. If you need anything else, just come to me, and I’ll help you. I’ll be watching over you until you want to leave to make sure you are safe.”
“Otay,” she mumbled into his chest.
Asher didn’t know how long they stood there in each other’s embrace, but he wasn’t complaining. If he could have her in his arms all the time, he would.
“Asher! Who are you hugging?” Rainey yelled.
Daisy’s body went rigid against his, and he cursed internally. He should have made sure they were somewhere private, so no one would interrupt them.
“You’re okay,” he murmured as she pulled away. “You don’t have to let go if you don’t want to.”
Rainey came up to them, looking between Asher and Daisy.
“Who is she?” Rainey asked. “Hedda! Come over here. There is a woman here!”
He sighed as Hedda ran over to them.
“No running in the club, Hedda!” Oliver yelled after her.
“Daddy, I’m not going to get hurt!” she shouted back.
If only Asher could believe that. Last week, she had come running in and didn’t see a ball on the ground. She ended up stepping on it and landing hard on her back. The cries she let off still rang in his ear.
Pure desperation and hurt.
“You obviously don’t remember last week, then.” Leo walked down the stairs and into the room.
Daisy’s eyes were wide, her skin paler than it was before.
“Are you okay, baby?” he asked as he squatted in front of her. “Do you need to sit down?”
She shook her head.
“Papa, I remember it, but it wasn’t that bad,” Hedda said loudly. “And did you hear that, Rainey? Asher called her baby.”
He shot a glare at Hedda. “You’re not helping.”
“Sorry,” Hedda mumbled.
Asher turned his attention to Daisy before briefly looking at Chilli, who was calm. So it wasn’t her blood pressure, or else Chilli would be signaling to her.
“Can you tell me what’s wrong?” he asked as he moved his body so she couldn’t see anyone else.
Her eyes connected with his.
“You’re okay,” he whispered. “Everything is going to be okay.”
“I don’t know if I can do this,” she choked out.
“Did it get a little too overwhelming?” he asked, and she nodded. “Do you want to go into another room to calm down? You can meet them slowly if you want.”
To his surprise, Daisy shook her head.
“Do you want to wait here with me for a couple more minutes to calm down?” He tilted his head to the side, searching her face.
“Please.” He could hear the hint of begging in her voice.
Before they could think about it, Asher grabbed her hand and gently ran his thumb across the back of it.
“I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere. Everything is going to be okay. You are doing amazing,” he praised her. “I want you to follow my breathing. Deep breath in. Hold. And slowly out. Good girl. Again. In. Hold. Out.”
Her shoulders dropped, and a smile blossomed across his face.
“Such a good girl. Are you ready to meet these two?” he gently asked.
“I don’t know,” she whispered.
“I promise they won’t bite,” he replied. “Once you get to know them, they are loyal and will love you. If someone tries to bother you, they’ll have your back, no matter what.”
“O-otay,” she exhaled.
Daisy gripped his hand tighter, and he gave it a squeeze back, letting her know he was still there with her.
“Rainey. Hedda.” He gained their attention. “This is Daisy. She’s new in town. You may have heard Elsha talking about her. She has a service dog for medical reasons.”
“That’s so cool,” Hedda whispered. “So your service dog is like your own personal bodyguard who makes sure that you are okay. Now I want one.”
“Sweets, you don’t have a medical condition to warrant a service dog. You have a Papa and Daddy as your personal bodyguards who make sure that you are okay,” Leo replied.
“But, Papa,” she whined.
Asher kept his eyes locked on Daisy, her shoulders dropping, the nervousness on her face slowly disappearing.
“I’m Rainey, and that’s Hedda,” Rainey introduced herself. “I’ve got a son. My Daddy is Marco, who isn’t here yet.”
“How did you get here?” Asher asked.
Rainey fidgeted in her spot, not meeting Asher’s gaze.
“Rainey.” His voice deepened. “How did you get here?”
“I took an Uber. Daddy was taking care of Levi while Dane was getting a checkup at the vets,” she mumbled.
“And did he say you could take public transportation?”
Rainey shook her head.
“Have you told Marco what you did?” Asher asked.
“I told him I was at the club,” she whispered.
“When he gets here, you are going to tell him the truth, do you understand?” He gave her a pointed look.
“Yes, Asher.” Rainey looked at her feet.
Asher turned toward Daisy, who was already looking at him.
“Marco doesn’t like her taking public transportation, and she knows that. He would have picked her up after the vet appointment. Or one of the other owners would have gladly picked her up when they were driving here with their own Little,” Asher explained. “She broke one of her rules.”
“Wh-what’s…” Daisy took a deep breath. “What’s going to happen?”
“I’ll probably get spanked. Here, especially.
Someone will be able to look after Levi, and Dane will be occupied with the other Littles, or he’ll be put in a room,” Rainey said.
“Dane has been around other dogs and behaves well. But he’s never been around a service dog before, so Daddy will probably put him in a room.
Though he acts like a service dog to me, but more protective than anything. ”
“If Dane is well-behaved, Chilli shouldn’t have a problem. She knows not to engage with other dogs when she has the vest on,” Daisy replied.
“How about we meet the other Littles?” Asher suggested when Daisy was quiet for a couple of minutes.
Her hand squeezed his. Did she know what she was doing?