Chapter 7
Foster
I'm not sure what I did to earn time with a man like Duval, but I'm thankful for it because he's utterly amazing.
Yesterday felt like a dream.
Everything aligned so perfectly that I didn't know whether to thank my lucky stars or consider this some elaborate dream.
Again, it wasn't, but it felt like one.
Breakfast is an easy thing because when I wake up, he's there smiling at me. He presses a kiss to my forehead before gently easing me up and into the bathroom. He leaves me there while I take care of business and wash up.
When he comes back, I see he went to pull clothes out for me to wear. He also tells me he ordered us some food for breakfast.
And what a relief that is.
I haven't had to make a single decision. Not really.
Sure, he let me lead him to the food and he had me choose what I wanted, but I didn't have to voice anything.
On a normal day, I've made a hundred decisions before the sun is even up. All of them so important that people's livelihoods depend on them. I spend hours at my desk or in a boardroom, only to go home and immediately lay down to ease my sore back.
This has been a relief to say the least.
At least it's a relief until my phone starts to ring.
DD looks over at me. “It's okay. You can answer it.”
I bite my lip, then hit the button to accept the group call. I don't realize it's a video call until their faces pop up on the screen. I jolt, which causes a DD to lean over to look.
When he sees my friends there, he chuckles and waves. Their eyes go wide.
Richie giggles and hides behind the stuffed giraffe in his hand. Lief being the most clueless, leans closer to the camera.
“Where did you find him? Can you ship me one? I would pay extra fees for a Daddy like that.”
I shake my head but can't suppress a smile.
“I don't think I can ship you one. Besides, I found him on the plane,” I say, my big side coming out enough to talk to my friends.
They would worry if I kept silent, and I'm not in the mood to be interrogated for hours on end.
Lief nods. “Yeah, that figures.”
Zion jumps in to ask, “Are you safe? Blink twice if you need help.”
Richie snorts, then stage whispers, “He's really handsome. Congratulations.”
I blush because I haven't said a word about him being my Daddy, and yet they figured it out. Then again, they all know me.
I just wish DD wasn't here to hear it.
“May I?” He points to the phone.
Without answering, I hand the device over. He waves, then starts up a conversation with my friends.
“It's nice to meet all y’all. I’m Duval. Like he said, I met Foster on the plane. Since then, he has allowed me to accompany him. It's nice to see y’all checking in on him.”
Zion replies, “Of course we're going to check on him. He never let us know he made it there safe! If it wasn't for the app showing he was in the hotel, we would have been on a flight there already.”
“Yeah, it's nothing for us to charter a private plane,” Lief boasts.
DD only smiles at their arrogance. “Good to know.I’m happy to report that things are fine here. Foster has been in a bit of a Little mindset freeze for a while. Apologies if he's not extremely talkative. Does he always go nonverbal?”
I pout at the way he asks them the questions. I don't want them to tell him how I am. I don't want them to scare him away.
But it's Richie who surprises me by answering.
“Foss is only nonverbal when he's nervous or really, really happy. He must like you.”
DD gives him a soft smile in return. “That's good to know since I like him too.”
The conversation drifts to discussing my favorite foods and colors. They basically give him a full rundown of information on me.
I eat my food in silence because waffles are amazing and deserve my attention.
But also, I don't want to hear what else they have to say. I don't want to ruin my mood with my silly friends and their meddling.
Besides, I think DD understands what we are enough to know that their words aren't everything.
By the time he finishes, he has a smug look on his face. I ignore it as I lick the syrup off my plate. He pulls it from me, and I whine.
“You've had enough sugar today, little one. I don't want you to have an upset stomach for everything we have planned. We have a party we need to get to soon too.”
A touch of fear and anxiety move through me as I think of the party. How many people are going to be there and how chaotic is it going to be? Will I get to be Little there, or will I have to put on a face and be big? Can I just opt out of everything?
Is that possible at this point?
DD grabs my hand, pulling me out of the swirl of panic. “I’ll be with you the entire time. There's no need to worry. If you don't enjoy it, we'll just leave.”
He says this like it's the easiest thing in the world.
No matter what, he'll have my back.
Even if I break down in a public place, it's a comfort to know that he's not upset with me. He's a really good Daddy that way.
Which makes me wonder why I don't just call him that. I love saying DD. I think it's fun and unique. It could totally be a subtle nod to his Daddy-ness when others are around. But when it's just us or we're in a space where being Little is okay, I think I really want to call him Daddy.
“What's wrong, little one?” he asks me.
“Daddy.” I try out the word for size.
He shivers and the move jolts my hand. His eyes close tight. I can see him take a deep breath in, like he’s struggling with something.
Oh no.
Did I mess up already?
When his eyes open back up, there's heat in his gaze. It's like he's come alive with that single word.
“Little one,” he growls softly.
It's not scary. In fact, it’s more arousing than anything.
“Saying that word means something. Are you sure that's what you want with me? If it's too soon, I understand.”
I push a finger to his lips with my free hand and shake my head. "Silly Daddy.”
He pulls back enough to nibble at my finger. I giggle since it kind of tickles.
“Well then, Daddy and his little one need to get ready for the beach. We have a party to attend and more places to explore. We should also consider canceling your room. I hate that you’re paying for a space we’re not using.”
“Yes, please. I wanna stay.”
I confess to him I didn't have an itinerary for this trip and it’s more just to get away from work. He declares that he'll be in charge.
After I put on some board shorts and a baggy t-shirt, I meet him at the front door. He's wearing shorter shorts than what I’m used to seeing on men. They highlight the muscles in his thighs, leaving me hypnotized.
I also notice that he’s packing something in those shorts that I'm eager to explore, Little me and big me alike.
He has on one of those tanks with no sleeves, so I'm able to see his arm definition as well. It's all a sexy picture, quite honestly. I think I might get addicted to watching him when he's like this.
Before, he had on a suit, and then he wore something slightly less formal but still not as casual as this. I’m realizing I like every version of him.
“Let's go before I decide we should just stay here,” he says.
There’s a car waiting for us when we get downstairs. Daddy gives them the address and soon we're off.
It's not a far drive to get there. A few minutes or so. However, there is a long driveway that gives me my first sense of worry.
Where the heck are we?
When we pull around, there are several cars parked in front of a gigantic home. I would dare say it's almost a mansion, really, with how big this place looks. I can't even see it all from where we are.
A giant fountain in the front splashes water everywhere. The stonework is beautiful and colorful. Everything is welcoming.
I don't get any ominous murder vibes from this place.
We're greeted by a man in a security uniform at the front door. He doesn't ask for our names, instead, he eyes us up and down, noting the way that Daddy is holding my hip, and I lean into him.
He watches us for a minute before he nods and lets us through. I see him touch his earpiece as well, and I wonder just who's watching the people at the door to know who is allowed here and who is not.
Was the guy reading a book yesterday some kind of secret superhero?
When we move past him, there's another person waiting inside, this time a woman in a one-piece swimsuit and heels.She hands us both bracelets in the color red that we slip on, then she motions for us to follow without saying a word.
Part of me appreciates how she can get her point across without saying anything. Another part of me hates it because I'm still not sure what the hell is going on.
It's not until we go onto the back deck of the home that I piece it all together.
It’s everything I could have ever wanted for a party for my Little side if I had endless space and tons of friends.
There's an inflatable water slide and water guns everywhere. I see a water balloon fight happening in the distance. There’s even a path down to what looks like a private beach where people are playing with sand.
More people are out in the water. A group of Littles is riding floats shaped like different animals in the pool.
There are men who are obviously Daddies of varying ages spread out, eating and talking.
Daddy turns to me, a smirk on his face. “Looks like we’ve found our people.”
I laugh despite the nerves I still feel.
Something about being with him calms me.
The anxiety that would normally be tearing through me right now is nowhere to be found, and I don't know if it's his touch or his proximity. I feel like I'm going to be okay no matter what.
The guy I remember from the day before pops up in front of us out of nowhere, a big grin on his face.
“You made it!” he shouts before pulling us into a hug.
I hug him back because I'm not really sure what else I'm supposed to do right now. When he steps away again, he points to me.