Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Though she tried to lose herself in drawing the pigs, goats, and other animals that were lounging around the pen just outside the barn housing the zoo, Mallory could not stop checking her phone, wondering how soon Fletcher would be returning for her.
Master Derek had requested two hours, but it seemed like time was moving backward instead of forward as she filled the pages of her sketchbook with cartoons and caricatures of the animals.
As she drew Sherlock, the llama, wearing a deerstalker hat like his famous human namesake, she began to dream about doing something more with her drawings.
“That’s so cool!” A voice declared as someone stepped up beside her.
Mallory jumped with a squeak. Before she thought about what she was doing, she flipped the book out of her lap so it landed face down on the hay-strewn ground.
She wasn’t sure she wanted anyone to see the crazy drawings she’d been working on the past few weeks.
Reese might take offense that she’d made her oddball animals even funnier looking than they already were.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” the man said, taking a step back.
Mallory knew she’d seen him before, but it took her a moment to place him.
Instead of the uniform she normally saw him in, he was wearing a pair of jeans with sparkles all over them and a t-shirt that declared him to be Daddies’ Boy.
The fact that the Daddy was plural also helped jog her memory.
His name as Payne and he had not one but two Daddies.
Besides being submissive to Master Thorin and Master Wylde, Payne was also a service submissive who’d been hired only a month earlier.
“Payne, hi. Oh, and no, I’m sorry. You didn’t scare me, just startled me.
I probably should have asked Reese’s permission before I started drawing the animals,” Mallory said, fighting down a groan as she stood up.
She’d been sitting for too long without a break and it took a moment of stretching before she could bend and pick up her supplies.
“Please don’t go and don’t stop. And you don’t need permission to draw the animals. I’ve been doing it ever since I arrived.”
“You have?” she asked, a bit stunned to discover they had more than their job title in common.
“You bet,” Payne grinned and pulled a notebook and a pencil from his pocket. Flipping through the book, he looked up and he added an eyebrow wag to his grin. “If you’ll show me yours, I’ll show you mine.”
Mallory couldn’t help but smile at the phrase normally exchanged by inquisitive teens. Still, she hesitated as she hadn’t expected to share her work.
“Come on, don’t pull a Matilda on me.”
Her head was still spinning as she looked at him. “A Matilda?”
Payne laughed. “Matilda is the name of one of the Ranch chickens. Though, she’s not really chicken.
I mean, she is a hen, but a bossy one, not one to be chicken…
” He rolled his eyes. “Never mind. I just want to say that from the brief glimpse I got, you are talented and I’d really like to see more.
Unless I’m mistaken, you’ve drawn Sherlock, the llama detective, which I might add, is brilliant as that hat fits his personality perfectly. ”
Without waiting for her to offer him another look, he held out his notebook where she instantly recognized another favorite animal of hers. “It’s Alfie! Oh, he’s just so adorable!”
Payne grinned and nodded. “Yeah, I admit he’s one of my favorites. As is Clancy the fainting goat.”
Before she knew it, she was again seated on a haybale with Payne beside her as he showed her his work. She was so engrossed in his style that she barely registered the fact that another person had joined them.
“Aren’t those good?” Reese asked as she peered over Mallory’s shoulder.
“They are incredible,” Mallory agreed.
“Thanks but wait until you see Mallory’s. She’s drawn Detective Sherlock.”
“Oh, let me see!” Reese demanded, holding out her hand and wiggling her fingers in the universal gimme gesture.
Mallory smiled even as she shook her head. “I don’t think you’d like them. I’m not nearly as talented as Payne is.”
“You won’t know unless you let me see them,” Reese said, grabbing her sketchbook and running away.
Stunned, Mallory watched the younger woman disappear around the corner of the barn.
Tossing the pen she’d been working with into the bag, she followed, though not as quickly as she would like as Payne easily passed her before she’d even reached the barn’s door.
She really did need to get into better shape.
“Reese, come back with my sketchbook,” Mallory called as she rounded the front of the barn.
She stopped when she saw Fletcher standing with Payne on one side of Reese with Arlo, her Daddy who also assisted her in caring for all her misfit animals, on the other.
Reese was flipping through the pages, giggling and commenting on each picture she came to.
The men who flanked her were chuckling as well.
She was surprised that Bossy P, the agoraphobic African grey parrot, wasn’t on either of their shoulders.
Mallory blinked several times as tears filled her eyes. She wasn’t sure if they were from fear or embarrassment. Working to breathe and stay on her feet instead of dropping to the ground and curling up in a ball, Mallory waited until they’d flipped through a few more pages before moving closer.
Fletcher looked at her and immediately frowned, as if he knew something was wrong. He strode toward her, stopping just inches away.
“Bunny? You okay?”
Instead of answering, Mallory wrapped her arms around her middle, hunched her shoulders, and dropped her chin to stare at her feet as she waited for their verdict on the pictures she’d drawn.
A finger under her chin tilted her head back until she was looking up into his face. “Bunny? Talk to me. What’s wrong?”
“I’m afraid,” she whispered as tears filled her eyes.
He closed the gap between them and wrapped his arms around her.
Burying her face into his shirt, she breathed in the spicy woodsy scent that she would always associate with him.
It didn’t stop her tears from welling up and rolling down her face, but it worked with his arms hugging her tight to calm her somewhat.
“Mallory? I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I just wanted to see the pictures,” Reese patted her shoulder. It sounded as if she were on the verge of tears as well.
Knowing she’d upset the Little girl jolted Mallory out of her own misery. Lifting her head from Fletcher’s chest, she wiped away her tears before inching out of his embrace.
“I’m okay now,” she said, looking into Fletcher’s eyes.
Once he released her, she turned and hugged Reese. “I’m sorry I got upset. I’m just not used to people looking at my work and even though Payne was kind enough not to criticize them–”
“Hey, girl! None of that now. There is nothing to criticize. I meant every word I said,” Payne cut in to say, his hand on his hip as he shook a pencil at her. “Sorry to break it to you, but you can’t go putting yourself down. Not while I’m standing here. You’re definitely a very talented artist.”
“Really?” Mallory whispered.
“Absolutely true,” Reese was quick to insert her own opinion. “In fact, I’d love to maybe get some framed and hang them around the barn.”
“I was afraid you’d hate the pictures.”
“Hate them? Why would I hate them? I think they’re amazing. You haven’t spent any time with my crew, but I think you caught their personalities perfectly,” Reese said as her tears dried up. “I’d like to buy them, if you’ll sell them to me?”
Mallory blinked, not sure how to answer that question. “Umm, well, I… umm…”
“We can talk about this later. Right now Mallory and I have a date with some ropes,” Fletcher stepped in, smoothing the bumps away.
“Of course. And we have a few more stalls to clean out,” Arlo said, handing Mallory back her sketchbook.
“Reese is right,” Payne said with a wide smile. “I turn my drawings into storyboards for comic strips so they don’t really fit the niche, but I think yours would be perfect as coloring pages for the Littles, but—"
“No!” Reese shouted, startling Payne who had started nodding his head as if was positive he knew his suggestion was the best one ever stated.
“What? What do you mean, no,” Payne demanded.
Reese giggled at the rather dramatic throwing up of his arms and stomp of his foot.
“Don’t get your feathers in a ruffle,” Reese said.
“I didn’t mean no it wasn’t a good idea.
It’s a fabulously awesome idea, but I’m thinking bigger.
” Her arms flew as wide as Payne’s had as she continued, “Not just pages. The drawings are too adorable for that. Picture this… a book. A coloring book—”
“Not just a coloring book, a Misfits Zoo coloring book,” Payne said, obviously catching on and beginning to grow as excited about the possibilities for Mallory’s pictures as Reese was.
Mallory was getting overwhelmed by their excitement. “I-I don’t know… um, maybe we’ll l talk in a few days,” she said as she slipped the sketchbook into her bag and grabbed Fletcher’s hand. “Bye.”
“Don’t think you can hide for long. You can consider me Watson and I promise we will hunt you down!” Payne called out which had Mallory think of Sherlock the llama and had her smiling.
“Bye!” Reese giggled and waved wildly as Arlo lifted her onto his hip and carried her into the barn.
Fletcher detoured into the Ranch store instead of heading straight to the Dungeon. Mallory was still so flustered that she didn’t question their change in destination.
When Becky stepped out from behind the counter, he smiled and said, “Do you have sports bras and boy shorts, preferably in red, black or emerald-green? Or maybe a soft pink or skin color would work better.”
Becky looked thoughtful for a moment before shaking her head. “I’m afraid not. But we could order something online and have it delivered to your room.”
Fletcher nodded. “Let’s do that. My bunny needs proper attire if she’s going to assist me in some upcoming demonstrations. But we can come back later for that. For now, there must be something here we can use in the meantime.”
“Sir?” Mallory blinked and stared at him like he’d begun to speak Greek.
Lifting their linked hands, he brushed a kiss on the back of hers as he met her questioning gaze. It only took a few seconds for her to drop her eyes away.
He leaned down so his mouth was next to her ear and said, “You need a proper outfit if you’re going to be my rope bunny because I don’t want anyone else to see all your beautiful bits and pieces. Those are just for me.”
“But we’ve only been together for twelve hours. You can’t know I’ll be any good as your rope bunny,” she whispered back.
Fletcher smiled at her before he said, “I know, but we’ll go to the Dungeon next so I can prove it to you. But first we need to find you something better to wear.”
Still holding her hand, he led the way deeper into the store to the clothing section for Littles. It took a few minutes of searching, but he finally found what he was looking for. A deep red, snap crotch, sleeveless bodysuit that would show off his ropes beautifully.
Holding it up to her body, he nodded to himself. “This will do perfectly.”
Mallory stared at the stretchy garment and looked like she was going to argue. He cut her off before she could speak. “This will do perfectly, subbie, and will keep you from going naked in the Dungeon while I bind you.”
He watched her think about that alternative before she swallowed hard and nodded. “Yes, Sir.”
“Good bunny. Now, let’s go back to the room so you can change and I can get my ropes. Then we’ll go to the Dungeon for your next lesson in shibari.”