3. Chapter Three
CHAPTER THREE
MAYLEE
H er eyes were wide as she sat in the chair. He had just called himself Daddy. She had been right about him being a Daddy Dom. But how? Maylee knew they were real, but she didn’t think there were any in Deadwood, South Dakota.
Okay. Maybe that was a lie. Many, and she meant all, of the men in the town were very Dominant. She could see a Daddy in each of them—all dominant and controlling, making sure everyone was okay and safe.
Maybe that was why the town was so safe. It certainly was a reason Maylee often considered.
She opened her mouth, getting ready to tell him, but stopped. She was still shocked he called himself Daddy.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that,” he said. “I just want you to sit so we can talk about it. It’s an important conversation, and I don’t want you leaving so we never talk about it.”
She sighed. He was calling her out, and it was her MO to leave and never talk about things. Sometimes, it felt easier not to talk and work through things than to work through them.
Ezra did not like that and always wanted to talk about things. Which meant she always ended up talking through whatever subject they were discussing. It sucked, and he knew, but it probably benefited her somehow.
“Now, can you tell me how you knew I was a Daddy Dom?” he asked. “I haven’t told you, so I know it wasn’t from me.”
Maylee closed her eyes for a few seconds then opened them. She was really going to tell him. She had to. He asked so nicely in that voice, but it wasn’t a question.
“I read books about it,” she whispered.
“Can I ask why?”
There was no way she was going to get out of not telling him. She had called him out for being a Daddy Dom, and he hadn’t denied it.
“I just feel like a part of me is drawn to it while reading?” It came out as more of a question. “It’s silly. I really need to stop reading them.”
“No,” Ezra said. “You will not do that.”
She shook her head. “It’s silly. It’s not really true. Sure, you are a Daddy Dom, but I bet it’s sooo much different than the books I’ve read.”
“It might be a little different. I don’t know the books you’ve read, but that doesn’t mean all of it is fake. I don’t want you to stop reading those books. If you enjoy them and feel drawn to them, then don’t stop reading.”
He always said the right things at the right moments. How? She didn’t know .
“Can I know what draws you into them?” he asked.
“I don’t know if I’m ready to tell someone that,” she whispered.
It was one thing to admit that she felt drawn to them, but it was completely different to tell him why. It was her little secret, and she wasn’t ready to share that—even if Ezra was her best friend and she told him everything.
“That’s okay. You don’t have to tell me right now,” Ezra gently said. “I wanted to talk to you about it because I go to a club every weekend. It’s a BDSM club, so it has a wide range of different things and not just age play.”
Maylee had heard about that club before. Black Vault had opened just outside of Deadwood before Ezra was deployed. It had been the talk of the town back then and still was. Several townspeople visited it.
She had considered going, but the prices were expensive. Maylee could afford it, but she didn’t want to go alone, and she didn’t know anyone with whom she was comfortable who would want to go.
Well, that was apparently a lie. She was comfortable around Ezra, and he had admitted that he went there every weekend.
When? They hung out most weekends.
“I go for the Littles and nothing else. Nothing against the other stuff going on, but I’m a Daddy Dom and wanted to just go for the Littles,” Ezra rambled.
“Why are you telling me this?” she asked.
It didn’t really make sense for him to share any of this. Was it merely to get it off his chest? Or did he have an actual reason?
“I want you to come with me this weekend,” he said.
Maylee shook her head and scooched back her chair.
“I’m not a Little. I only read about Littles and their Daddies. Two completely different things,” she rushed out.
There was no way she was going to go. Not when she wasn’t a Little.
“Calm down,” Daddy said.
Maylee shook her head. She should not be calling him Daddy. She wasn’t a Little, and Ezra definitely wasn’t her Daddy.
“You’re okay. We’re just having a discussion here,” Ezra said. “I see a Little inside of you. Peeking out every once in a while for me to catch a glimpse.”
Maylee shook her head.
“I want you to think about it. Really think about it. I would love for you to come with me this weekend. I’ll be with you the whole time, never leaving your side. And we don’t have to do anything. We can just walk around and look.”
It sounded so tempting, but she shouldn’t do it. This was crossing a line she didn’t know if she would be able to recover from.
“I’ve got to go back to work,” she whispered.
Maylee had maybe gotten a few bites in of her pizza, but it wasn’t enough to satisfy her for the rest of the day. Maybe she would be able to sneak in a snack if she went to the bathroom several times. That could work.
Ezra rose and approached her. Leaning down, he kissed her forehead. “Think about it and let me know your answer.”
She opened her mouth to tell him no, but his finger was placed before she could.
“I don’t want an answer now. I want you to think about it. Process all the emotions going through you. I know it’s a lot, and I know part of you is intrigued by going,” he said, gently. “I’m not going to push you. If you tell me no, then that’s okay.”
Maylee nodded and stood up. He kissed her forehead once more, making her close her eyes. She absolutely loved it when he kissed her forehead or the top of her head. It made her feel all gooey inside.
Which she probably shouldn’t feel since she was trying to push all her love aside. He wasn’t hers, and he could never be. He had moved on; that was what Maylee kept telling herself.
“You walk to work safely. Text me when you get there,” he said.
“I will, like I always do.”
“I just have to say it. I need to say it, so you remember.”
He always wanted to make sure she was safe, and it wasn’t just because he worked in a security company. Ezra had always been protective of her, since they were kids. It had started young and just become worse as the years went on.
“I know.” She sighed. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“Be safe!” he called out as she left his office.
No doubt she was going to get a text later when he realized she didn’t eat much. But all she could say was it was his fault. He shouldn’t have brought up that subject if he wanted her to eat.
“Leaving so soon?” Hassan asked, appearing seemingly out of nowhere .
She screamed and turned around, glaring at him. “You’ve got to stop doing that.”
“You should be more aware of your surroundings. I’ll be talking to Ezra about that.”
“Don’t you dare!”
“I’m going to, and you can’t stop me.”
“Please, don’t. I don’t need him badgering me about that.”
“Badgering? Never thought Ezra’s talks about safety and health were badgering. Yet again, I’m not his.”
She shook her head. “You’ve got it wrong. I’m not his.” She wished she was. So badly.
“Keep telling yourself that,” he replied. “Do you need me to walk with you?”
“I do not. I’m a grown adult who can walk perfectly fine by herself.”
He raised his hands. “Never said you couldn’t. Just that you shouldn’t be walking by yourself. If you can’t even be aware of your surroundings, then you need someone to walk with you.”
“I’ll be aware.”
He opened his mouth, probably ready to tell her it was a lie.
“Hassan! Stop bothering her!” Ezra yelled. “Get your fat ass back to work.”
“See you later, young lady.”
“Bye, Hassy.”
He scowled at her, but deep down she knew he liked the nickname. Maylee turned around and walked out of the building.
She let out a sigh and stood outside the place for a few seconds. She was overwhelmed. So overwhelmed. Ezra had pointed out so many things and asked her to think about something she didn’t think she could do.
Did he know how crazy he sounded? She was not a Little. Just because she liked to read books about them didn’t mean she was one.
But Maylee couldn’t lie to herself. The thought of exploring age play did intrigue her. It always had since Liv suggested the first book. Maybe Liv had seen something in her as well or maybe she just liked reading about them, and Liv knew she liked reading.
She shook her head and started heading back to work. It wasn’t possible. She shouldn’t even be considering going with him to the club on the weekend. What if she completely panicked? Would that ruin their friendship?
Okay, that was an exaggeration, but still. What if she did something, and Ezra didn’t talk to her for a while? Maylee couldn’t do that. She didn’t want to risk it.
Her phone started to ring, and she pulled it out of her pocket. Speak of the devil. Liv was calling.
“Hey, Liv,” she said as she answered it. “Do you need something? I’m on my way back to work.”
“I need to talk to you about something. Or well not me talking, but I know you need to rant and figure something out and you can’t do it with Ezra,” she said.
Maylee groaned. Of course Ezra would call the only other person she was friends with. Liv and she were friends, but she wouldn’t say they were close. They had attended high school together and had remained in touch. That was easy, since the town was so small .
Liv always made sure to stop by the museum once a week for a chat. Also, she liked looking at the new art they got in. Maylee was nice and would talk back, but she didn’t consider Liv a best friend. Maybe she should try a little harder and be a better friend to her.
“Don’t tell me he called you,” she replied.
“Okay, I won’t tell you that Ezra called me to make sure you were okay,” Liv said. “He totally didn’t do that. I just have superpowers where I can tell when you need to talk to someone about things but can’t talk to Ezra.”
“Why?” she whispered.
“Do you really want to know?”
Maylee knew why. Like she said, Ezra wanted to make sure she was okay.
“He cares about you. So much. He just wants to make sure that you are emotionally okay,” Liv gently said.
“I know that,” Maylee replied.
“Do you?”
She scoffed. “Of course I do. I’ve known Ezra for over twenty-five years. We are best friends. He kissed my forehead twice before I left and told me to be safe. To text him when I got to work so he knew I got there safely.”
“Ooh, he kissed your forehead twice? Why didn’t you tell me that?”
“Not important. He always done it. Even after we broke up. Well, he did it before we started dating. I don’t know. It’s just our thing, and can you please shut me up?”
“I think I want to hear you continue to ramble about Ezra. Then I can get the details. If you don’t ramble, then I don’t get any details. It’s like trying to pull a tooth from a toddler. Not easy and not fun.”
“Okay. Fine. Stop. I’m not going to ramble anymore.”
Maybe Maylee had lied. They were better friends than she made them out to be. Liv simply didn’t get her like Ezra did. Never had and she didn’t think Liv ever would. Nothing against her—Ezra and Maylee were on a different level.
“Now, do you want to talk to me about this weekend?” Liv asked.
“Not really.” She sighed. Maylee was almost at her work, but Liv wouldn’t let this up until she’d talked about it.
If people didn’t know both really well, they would assume Ezra and Liv were siblings considering how stubborn and persistent they were.
“Fine,” Maylee said. “I’ll talk about it.”
“Wasn’t going to take no for an answer.”
“He asked me to go to the club with him this weekend. You know Black Vault.”
Maylee waited for her to gasp or say anything. “Hello?” Maylee asked.
“Sorry, thought you were going to continue talking. And? What about it?”
“He asked me to go to the kink club with him. He thinks he has seen a Little inside of me. You know, the books you have recommended to me. That type of Little. Age play. Daddy Dom.”
Maylee was merely talking to talk at that point and was getting worked up about it again. Did Ezra really think it was a good idea for her to do that? She didn’t think it was .
“I think you should go with him,” Liv said. “I see Ezra at the club all the time.”
Jealousy coursed through Maylee at the mention of him being at the club. But why? He had told her he went to the club every weekend. Wait.
“What did you just say?” she asked.
“That I see him at the club all the time? Or I think you should go with him?”
“You go to Black Vault?” she whispered.
“Yeah, I have for a couple of years now.”
“You never told me.”
Part of her was hurt. Did everyone in the town go to the club except for her?
“I didn’t want to freak you out. That’s why I suggested the book to you, or well the books to you. I needed to see how you would react to those before I told you. I swear I was going to tell you. Ezra just beat me to it,” Liv said. “I also didn’t just suggest the books to you so I could tell you. I saw what Ezra sees in you.”
Maylee let out a sigh. That was two people now who said they saw a Little inside of her.
“I don’t know,” she whispered.
“You don’t know what?”
“I don’t think I have a Little inside of me. I love the stories and I feel drawn to them, but it doesn’t mean I have a Little inside of me. It doesn’t mean I am a Little.”
“Well, you can go with Ezra this weekend to see. You don’t even have to mingle with people. You can just watch and feel. ”
“I bet other people would want to play with Ezra. Him being their Daddy for the night or however it worked.”
Jealousy was coursing through her and bled into her words. She couldn’t help it, though. She was still madly in love with Ezra.
Liv laughed through the phone. “Just to settle down your nerves and jealousy, Ezra doesn’t play with anyone. He sits in a corner and watches all the Littles play and interact with each other. I’ve only seen him play with two Littles before, and it was when he first started coming to Black Vault. Or that’s what I heard. Since I’ve been coming, he hasn’t played with anyone.”
The jealousy inside of her died down. He hadn’t played with anyone in a long time? Why? He was a single guy who should.
“He had his eyes on someone, but she doesn’t know it yet,” Liv said. “She doesn’t know what she truly is.”
Maylee pushed the last bit to the back of her mind. He had his eyes set on someone? Who? There weren’t many girls in the town who would work well with Ezra. He was dominant and a control freak. He always wanted to make sure the person was okay and safe.
“Who?” she asked.
“I can’t tell you that. Not that I know. He doesn’t tell me things, remember? He just wants me to check in on you,” Liv replied. “But in all seriousness, you should consider it. Are you going to go to the club and explore without him?”
“Probably not,” she whispered.
“Would you go with me?”
“Probably not. Sorry. ”
“No worries. I know how it feels. The first time you want someone you trust with your whole life to go with you. Ezra is that person.”
“I’ll think about it.”
Maylee would. Liv had made great points. The idea of going intrigued Maylee, and now was the time to do it if she wanted to.
“No, come this weekend with him. Don’t stop yourself because you’re afraid,” Liv said. “Explore with someone you feel safe with.”
“Okay,” Maylee whispered. “I’ll go.”