Chapter 8 #2
My knees were shaky as I retrieved my robe and followed Jack to the patio. He stepped in first and held out a hand to steady me.
Seared in my mind, the fantasy of him tying me up, leaving me salaciously exposed to his every whim, and then doing whatever he wanted to me.
Oooh, yeah.
There’s a difference between a fantasy you have while running down the batteries in your vibrator and what you actually share with your partner when it comes to practicalities.
Never before in my life had the two dovetailed so perfectly. Because I absolutely trusted Jack to not only be safe, but to be trustworthy. If I safeworded I knew he’d immediately stop.
How sad was it that he was the first guy I’d ever been with who I felt that certain about?
Hell, he was the first guy I’d dated who actually asked about my fantasies and didn’t expect me to focus only on him and his pleasure.
The water felt perfect as I sank into it and Jack tucked me against him. I closed my eyes and breathed in the piney air. I loved our house, but it wasn’t out in the middle of nowhere like this place.
“Do they let people bring their own horses?” I asked, thinking how fun it’d be to go riding here.
I wasn’t the world’s best rider, but the appaloosa gelding I’d dubbed as mine was gentle and hadn’t spooked or thrown me yet.
Lilah hadn’t been riding much longer than me, but she was pretty much an expert now because she spent a lot more time riding than I did and frequently used the horses for work, trailering them to remote locations when she needed to check campsites or investigate wildlife crimes or help with searches for lost campers or hunters.
In fact, she was planning on buying two more, younger horses a Yellowstone park ranger friend of hers was selling in a few months when his youngest son left for college.
“I don’t know, babygirl. We’ll have to ask them. Would you want to bring yours?”
“Yeah. I’m comfortable on Gorgo. I don’t know if I’d want to ride a strange horse.”
We stayed in there for a while and when we climbed out, I shivered a little despite how warm I’d thought the air was.
That drew a smile from him. “Let’s grab a shower and order food.” But that plan was derailed when we returned to the room and he spotted a blinking light on the phone indicating a message.
He walked over, checked it, his expression changing into a mask I couldn’t read.
Fear filled me. “What’s wrong?”
He shook his head, seemed to process I was upset, and walked over, kissing me. “Nothing bad, baby. Just Derek checking on you. Why don’t you get your shower while I go talk to him real fast.”
“He won’t throw us out, will he?”
He cupped my face in his hands and kissed me. “Just the opposite, babygirl. He wanted to make sure you’re okay and was offering any resources you might need.” He turned me around and patted my ass to get me moving. “Shower. I’ll be right back.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Jack
I quickly pulled on clothes and headed out to find Derek, but I didn’t have to look far because I spotted him standing at the front desk and talking to a clerk on duty. When he saw me, he tipped his head toward his office and I followed.
Once the door was closed behind us he didn’t even bother sitting down. “Is she okay?”
“Yeah. And thank you for checking up on her, by the way. And for getting me there so fast.”
“I’m not going to pry,” he said, “but anything you need, just call the desk, day or night. They’ll get me if you need me, or they’ll get the appropriate person who can help.”
“I appreciate that. It was…” I thought about it. “It was a healthy breakthrough. I think she can finally start healing now.”
“Good. Not happy she got upset, but I know sometimes healing has to be ugly before it can actually help. Please tell her she didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I already did, thanks. Oh, we’re going to miss the couples class, sorry. I want to keep her in the room. We’ll watch one later.”
“You can watch that class live if you want. We have the secure video app. You can stay muted and either post questions or use the hand-up button to get the instructor’s attention.”
I’d missed that. “Really?”
“It’s something new. We’ve got members all over the country now, and some of the basic classes we offer virtually. The info should be in your folder in your room.”
I hadn’t even looked at that yet. “Okay, cool.”
I was headed back to the room when I paused by the store and decided to make my first official Daddy decision.
When I returned to the room, she was still in the shower and I knocked before I opened the bathroom door. “I’m back. He said we can watch the class live from our room.”
“Oh! Okay.”
“And I got you something to wear. I want you to put it on when you’re finished. You’ll make Daddy very happy if you wear it.”
I laid the items on the counter and resisted the urge to giggle maniacally. I knew her sizes because I pitched in with chores and helped do laundry and paid attention.
I just hoped I hadn’t overstepped.
Emmy
What the hell? Please don’t be lingerie.
I quickly finished and toweled off, my curiosity piqued. When I stepped out of the shower I tentatively opened the bag…
What?
When I held up the underwear I burst into tears.
Happy ones.
And when I realized what the other item was…
Steam billowed out of the bathroom after me as I burst out of the room. He turned, grinning.
“Do you like them?”
I spun around in front of the mirror since the one in the bathroom was all steamed up, checking out my new Hello Kitty PJ onesie, which was a different color than the one I already had. It fit perfectly, baggy enough to be comfortable but not swallowing me whole.
And the new pink Hello Kitty underwear he bought fit perfectly, too.
I threw my arms around him and kissed him even as he laughed. “I take it that’s a yes, babygirl?”
I grinned. “Yes, Daddy. I love them!”
He pulled me close. “I’m going to order dinner for us, all right?”
I started to say something but then caught the look in his eyes. “You’re going to order?”
He nodded. “I’m going to order.”
The precipice yawned ahead of me, deep and dark and full of jagged cliffs.
All I had to do was step back into his arms and let him pull me safely away from the edge.
I bounced up onto my toes, kissed him, and said the only thing my soul recognized as the correct answer. “Thank you, Sir.”
I’d kill for his smile.
“That’s my very good girl.”