Chapter 6
Gabriel
“Some people would consider showing up for a date over an hour early the act of a desperate man.” Rocco’s smirk as sat down at the slot machine next to me made me want to toss my coffee at him.
“And what would you call following around the person with the highest rate of knockouts in the league?” I gave him a look designed to express I wasn’t in the mood for his crap.
The machine I’d chosen to sit at had a perfect view of both the entrance to the spa and the lounge where I was supposed to meet Alyssa. Luckily it wasn’t a popular slot, or someone might have complained I wasn’t dropping money into it. The layout of the casino made sure no matter what you were doing in the building the temptation of gambling was always present.
Luckily gambling had never been one of my vices so the noise and flashing lights were only a small distraction from my real goal: making sure I could see my girl as soon as possible. Claiming her as mine before we’d even gone on our first date might seem insane but from the moment I’d seen her something inside me knew we were meant to be together. Everything between this moment and when I convinced her to come home with me were only obstacles I needed to overcome.
Rocco laughed. “I was actually on my way to see if the feisty concierge was going to the Dragon’s Tail tonight but couldn’t resist stopping and giving you shit.”
Who was he talking about? It had been a long time since my friend had actively sought out someone. Ever since his last bad relationship he’d limited himself to casual hook-ups. “Should I know who you’re talking about?”
“The brat with the rainbow braids from last night. Apparently all the LJGs work at the casino.”
“Good to know your stalking tendencies aren’t limited to just me.”
Movement in the front window of the spa caught my attention. Alyssa was laughing and talking to a woman I recognized from the club last night. It was good she had close friends she not only worked with but that understood who she was. Watching the Littles play last night had fed a part of me that had been dormant for too long. Their carefree joy reminded me that not everything in life had to be so serious.
That was the beauty of being a Daddy Dom. Yes, I loved control and setting boundaries so a Little could thrive and be their best self but what they gave without even knowing it was worth more than gold. The playful spirit and innocent outlook of a Little was like sunlight in a dreary world. They were brave to allow themselves to be so vulnerable for even short periods of time.
With so many friends here, would Alyssa be willing to take a risk? I lived a few hours north, a distance which wasn’t insurmountable, but could make building a relationship complicated. Maybe I should look into getting a house near here. Our flagship gym was near my current house but maybe we could open a location near Atlantic City and I could oversee the setup. Or maybe I should take some time off after this fight and focus on her.
Rocco waved his hand in front of my face. “You haven’t heard a word I’ve been saying, have you?”
I shook my head. “Sorry. Thinking about buying a house at The Shore.”
“You’ve known this woman for less than two days. I think several-hundred-thousand-dollar purchases might be moving a little too quickly. Don’t let her take you for a ride.”
If I hadn’t known his concern came from his own bad experiences, I might have lashed out. “She’s not Susan. Alyssa didn’t ask me for anything. I don’t like the idea of pressuring her to move with me in a few weeks.”
“Fine.” Rocco took a deep breath. “As your friend, I’m happy for you. As your manager, I need to remind you that if you don’t want to get your ass handed to you at the fight you need to stay focused.”
He was right, though for the first time in my career I wasn’t willing to push everything else in my life aside. I would find a way to both train and explore the connection between Alyssa and me. Hopefully my best friend would accept us and not let his own past color how he treated her.
Alyssa rushed out of the front of the spa and the look on her face had me standing before I registered the thought. She looked like she was barely holding back tears and her shoulders were hunched as she walked quickly down the walkway without noticing anything around her. What had happened in the last five minutes to kill her laughter?
“I have to go.” I wove through the slot machines on a path I hoped would catch up with her.
“Yeah. Fine. We’ll talk later.” The frustration in Rocco’s voice told me he was annoyed but that was a problem for another time.
She was almost running at this point, but with her short legs she wouldn’t out distance me. Her head was ducked down and turned to the side as if she was trying to hide her face from those walking toward her. I was less than ten feet behind her when I saw a tear slipping down her cheek. Anger surged through me like a blaze of heat. I needed to find out who had hurt her and make sure they suffered for it.
“Princess!”
She didn’t even seem to hear me, so I sped up until I could reach out and touch her shoulder.
Her scream at the gentle contact was laced with terror. I raised my hands to try and calm her, but she stumbled and I had to rush to catch her before she fell. My back ached at the motion, but I ignored it, pulling her to my chest and wrapping my arms around her. Alyssa was shaking and I wasn’t sure she knew it was me holding her. Her eyes when she finally looked up were filled with shock and so much pain.
“Gabriel?”
“I didn’t mean to startle you, princess.” I ran my thumb across the apple of her cheek wiping away the moisture. She leaned into my touch for a moment then stepped back, crossing her arms over her chest.
“What are you doing here?”
“I know we weren’t supposed to meet for another hour, but I couldn’t wait to see you.”
She looked down and her hands played nervously at the hem of her shapeless black top. “About that. I didn’t have your number, so I couldn’t call you. I can’t see you again.”
Her last sentence was so quiet it was tempting to believe I hadn’t heard her correctly. My chest tightened. Had I been dreaming of the future while she was searching for a way to get out of seeing me? I tilted her chin up and her emerald eyes sparkled with unshed tears. “Is that what you really want?”
“No.” Her voice broke on the word. “But it doesn’t matter, I can”t go on a date with you.”
Her denial gave me hope. Whatever had gotten into her head we would find a way around it as long as she wanted to. I just needed to know what I was fighting against. There was a semi-private seating area farther down the concourse outside a coffee shop. I nodded to it.
“Let”s sit down and talk.”
She let me take her hand and lead her over to the small sofa. Not caring that we were in public, I pulled her down next to me and enjoyed the way she snuggled into my side. It was like she was meant to be there. The only thing that would have been more perfect was if she was on my lap.
I gave her a minute to settle before speaking again. “What happened that got you so upset?”
Alyssa ran her gentle fingers over my shirt in small circles for a minute before she took a deep breath. “A lot is going on. I don’t even know where to start.”
“Let”s start with whatever had you walking out of your work with tears in your eyes.”
“My boss is a jerk.”
“Does he often make you cry?” If he did, then I was going to use every contact I had to make sure the man lost his job. Abuse of power on my part? Maybe. Did I care? No.
I couldn’t remember his name, but he’d made a point to come out and greet me personally when I’d arrived at the spa. I’d been in too much pain to talk and the man had gotten visibly frustrated when I cut off his welcome speech. I knew too many men like that who made themselves feel important by sucking up to or cutting down the people around them.
“Sometimes.” She shrugged.
“What did he say to you today?” I needed to know if I had to go back and teach the asshole a lesson immediately or if it could wait. Her hand clenched then relaxed as if remembering the conversation made her angry.
“He said I’m not allowed to fraternize with a guest without management approval.”
She wouldn’t look up at me and I sensed there was more to the conversation. “Is that all he said?”
“Isn’t that enough?”
“Was it all he said, princess?”
“Yes.” The word was slow and drawn out making it obvious my Little girl couldn’t lie worth a damn, which was a good thing for me, not so much for her.
I tilted Alyssa’s chin up and showed her with my gaze. I wasn”t happy. “Do Little girls lie to their Daddies?”
“You’re not my Daddy. You can’t be.”
“Because of your job or because you don’t want me to be?” I tried not to show how much her answer meant to me. If she agreed to be mine, I would blow through any outside opposition especially if it came from a job she dreamed of leaving someday.
“I want you to be my Daddy, but I need my job, and we just met. It would be crazy to risk my job when you probably live across the country and are going to go home after your fight. I don’t want to adult, but I have to! I might not be what you want in a Little. We might not even have chemistry. We haven’t even kissed?—”
I cut off her rambling by pressing my thumb against her lips. Before she could protest, I leaned down and brushed my lips over hers. It was a sweet kiss and my heart stuttered as she moaned. I slid my hand behind her neck and pulled her closer.
I ran my tongue along the rose petal softness of her lips asking for entry. She yielded to me and it was as if lightning danced between us. Her hands clutched my shirt and she tried to pull me closer, but I kept control. The kiss was magical and as much as I wanted it to continue on and to find out how much more chemistry we had, the bells and electronic sounds of the slot machines reminded me this wasn’t the time or place to explore more.
The glazed look in her eyes as I pulled back soothed the part of my soul that had worried she wouldn’t feel the same connection I did. “I think we have chemistry.”
“Yeah.”
Her breathy sigh made me chuckle. I wanted to address all of her concerns before her mind started spinning again.
“Your job can’t tell you who to date. All that matters is this connection between us. I live in North Jersey, not across the country, but I don’t have any plans to leave unless you come with me or send me away. No one can see the future, but I don’t think this connection between us is temporary.”
“But we just met.”
“And if I had my way, you would move into the second bedroom in my suite so we can get to know each other every free moment I have.”
“Seriously?” Her giggle made me smile.
“If you hadn’t had secret ninja massage skills, I would’ve had my wish already.”
“You really want that?” Alyssa’s blush was adorable as she nervously played with the material of my shirt.
“I do. I’ll talk to your boss if you want, or the hotel owner to make sure you don’t get in trouble.”
“No. I shouldn’t let him bully me.” She sighed.
“Does that mean you”re going to give us a chance? Will you let me be your Daddy?”
Alyssa bit her lip. “What does that mean exactly?”
“It means when we are together you hand over your worries to me and let me guide you. I will make sure you are healthy and happy. We can use stoplight safe words. I expect you to say yellow if I’m trying to control something you aren’t comfortable with, but we won’t do much until we can sit down and talk about limits and desires.”
Her eyes widened but I didn’t think it was with fear. “So you want to be Daddy all the time?”
“Yes. You don’t have to call me Daddy until you are comfortable, but that will always be my role. Is that something you are okay with?” Nerves sent a shiver down my spine. This had always been a sticking point in my previous relationships. The women I dated weren’t comfortable with giving up that kind of control anywhere but the bedroom.
“I think I’d like that. But I’ve never met someone who was willing to be in charge all the time.”
“Well princess, I assure you I am not only willing, but wanting to Daddy you all day long.”
Mischief flared in her green eyes, and I loved seeing the sadness melt away. She sat up and put on a haughty expression. “Well, I suppose as the Princess I should see if you have passable Daddy skills before deciding if I should move into your palace or toss you out onto the street like an urchin.”
Her British accent was awful but adorable, so I played along with my own bad accent. “I assure you, your royal highness, that I am quite adept at playtime, bathtime, bedtime, and have a deft hand for spanking naughty girls who get uppity with their Daddies.”
She bit her lip in a way that let me know with more than words that spanking might not be a punishment for this Little girl. Unable to resist, I gave her a quick kiss on her forehead as her laughter warmed my heart.
“I think I’d like to see that.” Her shyness returned, but not the sadness.
“Then allow me to take you out for a night you won’t forget.” I offered her my hand and prayed she’d take it.
Alyssa bit the inside of her cheek. “I’m not dressed for anything fancy.”
“You are beautiful just the way you are. What I have in mind isn’t about being fancy.” I hesitated for a moment. “If you will allow me a small indulgence, I would love to buy you something to wear so that you can forget about work and just enjoy yourself tonight.”
“I think I’d like that.” She slid her hand into mine and I drew it up to my lips.
“Thank you, princess.”
“You’re welcome… Daddy.” The way she stumbled over the word made it clear she wasn’t quite sure about trusting the connection between us yet. But I was so glad she was willing to try.
“Oh Little girl, I am the luckiest Daddy in the world. Let’s go have some fun!”