Chapter 9
CHAPTER 9
Poppy
Of all the stupid things Poppy had done in her life, this was by far the absolute stupidest.
Worse than when she was running late and accidentally loaded the dishwasher at her then-boyfriend’s with dish soap that was supposed to be used in the sink. Her boyfriend at the time called to yell at her when he walked into his postage-stamp-sized apartment to find it nearly filled to the brim with soapy suds. Poppy hadn’t used a dishwasher since, insisting on using the sink and a little good, old-fashioned elbow grease.
It was worse than when she tried to do laundry for her dad and brothers for the first time at the age of ten, mixing all the clothes and towels together instead of separating out the light and dark colors. The entire load ended up looking like it had been dyed with Pepto Bismol thanks to some new red towels, and Poppy had spent almost three months’ allowance paying back her family for the shirts, socks, and underwear that had been ruined in the form of extra chores and what little allowance she made.
But this time, as the wind whipped against her bare arms and legs, she couldn’t think of anything else as bad as what she had gotten herself into as she ran toward what she thought was the main resort building of the Ranch.
As she had sat around the table in the lobby with her Little friends just a short time earlier, she had a horrible realization that she had stashed a special Thanksgiving gift for CJ back in the safety of her dorm room at Rawhide Ranch University but had yet to retrieve it. Sure, she could have kept it in her suite in the guest wing of the Ranch she had been sharing with CJ, but she hadn’t been sure she was brave enough to want to share what she had created just yet and hadn’t wanted CJ to stumble upon it unexpectedly. Keeping it in her dorm room assured that until she was ready, she could keep the secret gift to herself.
And part of Poppy knew she should have told her Daddy instead of whispering quietly into the ear of Seth, swearing him not to tattle on her before she made a beeline for the nearest tunnel entrance and ran toward her dorm room at full speed. But she so desperately wanted to surprise CJ, and telling her that she needed to go to her dorm would have only ended with more questions Poppy didn’t want to answer just yet.
It was easy to get to her dorm through the warmth of the tunnel system, but the fear of being caught and taken back to her Daddy without what she was on her way to retrieve was too great. Twice, she ducked into a nearby offshoot, waiting for workers of the Ranch to pass her by, only moving again when she was sure the coast was clear like some kind of double-agent secret spy.
Once she completed her task, with the present that was just as much for CJ as it was for Poppy tucked safely into the pocket on her dress, she took the stairs to the main level from her third-floor dorm. Pushing out into the cold, she knew she should have gone back the way she came through the warm tunnels. But she could still almost make out the silhouette of the main Ranch building from where she stood outside the university and knew she could make it there faster if she simply ran between the two structures. Running toward the building, she gasped when the first bits of slushy snow slipped between her shoe and foot, the icy cold taking her breath away as it soaked through her thin, lace sock.
The wind picked up, howling around her in an ominous swirl of white, oversized, fat snowflakes. Looking up, Poppy realized she could no longer see the main resort building and her heart sank at the thought that she might not be able to get back to where her Daddy had left her—back to where soon, her Daddy would certainly realize she was missing.
Tears as fat as the snowflakes clung to her lashes like tiny icicles and snot ran from her nose in the most unladylike moment of her life. Poppy’s heart was racing and she ran as fast as her short legs would allow, praying to whatever deity resided in the sky that she would soon run into a building— any building—where she could seek shelter until the snow let up.
In that moment, everything Poppy and CJ worked so hard to accomplish over their short time together was forgotten. Poppy couldn’t have staved off the panic attack that smacked into her with full-force if her life depended on it. As she continued to move, she tried desperately to suck in the breath her body was demanding. Every inch of her frame shook with fear and shame and embarrassment and disappointment.
So much disappointment.
She let herself cry into the cold air around her, not bothering to hold back the sobs that came from deep within her chest to shake her entire frame almost as much as the cold air around her made her shiver.
And when she couldn’t hold it back any longer, she found the nearest bush that had been covered with fresh fallen snow and emptied the contents of her stomach behind it, vowing she would never again eat a breakfast of blueberry pancakes as long as she lived.
Using the newly fallen snow that continued to fall in droves, Poppy tried but failed to rinse out her mouth. And when she finally admitted defeat and sank to the ground, she didn’t even feel the cold snow as it packed firmly under her bare legs.
“Poppy!”
The voice was faint, but she knew it could only be one person.
Because after all, there had only been one person who had never given up on Poppy. Who would have realized she was missing and came to find her. Who believed in her and wanted to see her thrive unlike everyone else in her life who had been content to mistreat her and watch her fall by the wayside. And though it had been but a short time, Poppy needed that person in this moment more than she had ever needed anyone before.
“Daddy!” She mustered up the strength she could find in her weak, frigid body, yelling into the wind that whipped the storm around her. “Daddy, I’m over here!”
For a moment she didn’t hear a thing and her heart plummeted, sure that she had conjured the voice of her Daddy from somewhere in her overactive imagination. But then it was there again. “Poppy, kitten! Keep yelling for me until I get to you!”
That was exactly what Poppy did.
Over and over again, she found the strength, yelling to her Daddy who was somewhere out in the unexpected blizzard, searching for her.
And when CJ finally reached Poppy and fell to the ground at her feet after what felt like hours, Poppy didn’t hesitate before throwing herself into the arms of her Daddy, a chorus of I’m so sorry and I never meant to disobey you falling from her chattering, nearly blue lips.
“I’ve got you,” CJ told her, rocking her in the snow that seemed to let up around the pair as suddenly as it had begun. “You’re safe, kitten. Daddy’s got you. But let’s get you inside and warmed up, sweetheart. Come on, it’s not safe out here for Little girls to be wandering alone.”
Poppy was so cold.
A frigid ball of ice a moment away from shattering into a million frozen fractals.
Her bones were aching as CJ helped her to her feet, and when her Daddy draped a coat around Poppy’s shoulders, she breathed in not only relief, but the spicy, crisp scent of pine she knew wasn’t from the trees that surrounded the Ranch but from the woman next to her who’d stolen Poppy’s heart in an unexpected way.
Together, they took about thirty steps before the rear of the guest building came into view. Had Poppy not been frozen to the bone, she might have laughed at how silly it was. That she had panicked, thinking that she was surely lost to the Ranch’s frozen landscape when in actuality she was mere feet away.
CJ maneuvered Poppy away from the main lobby, instead escorting her to the suite the women had been sharing. “What… what are we doing back here?” Poppy asked, her straight, white teeth still chattering as her body slowly came back to a more reasonable temperature.
“You’re soaked to the bone from the snow, sweetheart. At the very least, we need to get you changed into some dry clothes. However, I think it might be best if we spent the rest of the day as just the two of us. You’ve had quite a bit of excitement already and we need to address what happened.”
Poppy knew CJ was right, but she wanted to be with her friends. She wanted to decorate cookies and eat turkey. Wanted to watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving in the theater and eat way too many sweets as everyone at the Ranch took turns divulging what they were most thankful for around the double-sided fireplace later in the evening.
But as with everything else in her short life, she had ruined that possibility when she defied one of the few rules her gentle, caring Daddy had put in place for no other reason than Poppy’s own safety.
She deserved whatever punishment CJ thought Poppy deserved.
Just like she had deserved everything else that had happened to her in her life.
Every bump in the road and hardship she had faced, Poppy had certainly brought upon herself by her not paying attention. By not being smart enough, brave enough, good enough.
Opening the door to their suite, CJ led Poppy directly to Poppy’s bedroom and instructed her to strip down. While Poppy complied, CJ pulled a thick pair of sweatpants and an oversized sweatshirt out of the closet. They were a pair Poppy brought with her from her dorm, wearing them often before she had started sinking more and more into Little space and started spending more time wearing appropriately themed and often colorful clothes. But after what Poppy had been through in the cold, CJ—while still in Daddy mode—was apparently more concerned with the warmth and safety of her Little than she was with what Poppy wore to play the part of her sweet, innocent Little girl.
CJ dressed Poppy in silence, sliding two pairs of fuzzy socks over her feet for added warmth. And while the Caregiver might have most recently lived in the tropical climate of Florida, she knew enough about frostbite to know what signs to look out for as she tended to her Little.
Still not using words, she took Poppy’s hand in hers and walked her to the couch in the living room before instructing her to sit down. Only once Poppy sat, did CJ turn on the electric fireplace. Then, she moved around their suite, pulling every blanket and pillow she could find off beds and piling them into a heap on the floor of the living room. Finally, when satisfied with the nest she created, she sat on the ground.
“Come here, kitten.”
Like the awkward, oversized child she often felt like, Poppy scurried off the couch and onto the ground. CJ pulled Poppy between her legs, layering soft blankets over their still chilly bodies.
“You really scared me today, Poppy.” CJ’s voice was far wobblier than Poppy expected. She expected to hear disappointment in her Daddy’s voice, but instead, she only heard fear as the other woman continued to speak. “I thought I had lost you. When I finally got it out of your friends where you had gone, I was angry with you for not telling me, but I would have been okay with having that conversation about our rules and boundaries with you and moving on.”
CJ’s arms tightened around Poppy as she sighed, holding her Little closer to her chest. “But then I remembered the day I checked into the Ranch. It had been snowing that day, too. And when I was standing at the check in desk, this beautiful, blonde woman came bounding through the lobby covered in freshly fallen snow. I couldn’t help but stare at the girl—she took my breath away with these gorgeous, big eyes and cheeks that were rosy from the chilly wind outside. And you want to know what I thought that day, Poppy?”
Poppy’s head nodded. “Yes.”
“Yes, what?”
“Sorry. Yes, Daddy. I would like to know what you thought that day.”
“Much better,” CJ said, lightly trailing her fingers through Poppy’s hair that had begun to dry in a tangled, blonde mess. “I thought that as beautiful as that young woman was, her jacket was too thin. That she needed gloves and a hat. That she needed someone to look after her, to care for her, to nurture her, to correct her, and to guide her with gentle punishment when necessary.”
Poppy swallowed hard, her throat suddenly dry. She had known that she had earned a punishment after the stunt she pulled, but she still didn’t know if she was ready for what she knew she had earned.
“I take it back,” Poppy said, pouting though she knew CJ couldn’t see her face. “I really didn’t need to know what it was that you were thinking that day.”
CJ chuckled and Poppy felt the smallest bit of tension leave her body as she sank back against her Daddy.
And despite her hesitation, if there was anyone she trusted to walk her through the next step of this unique type of dynamic, it was CJ. The woman with the gentle voice who helped to calm Poppy’s nerves when frazzled. The woman who saw Poppy not for who she was, but for who she could be. The Caregiver—the Daddy —Poppy had never known she needed.
Together they sat in silence for several minutes, the only sound the quiet crackling of the artificial fire burning a few feet away. Poppy knew a punishment was coming and she was resigned to the fact.
Still, she wasn’t exactly nervous for what was to come. Sure, Poppy knew she probably wasn’t going to be able to sit comfortably for a few days, but not only had she put herself in harm’s way, even worse, she had truly scared her Daddy. The shame in knowing she had let CJ down was worse than any punishment she could ever receive.
“You finally warming up?”
Poppy nodded against CJ. “Almost like it never happened.”
CJ chuckled. “You are truly a clever Little girl right down to your core, aren’t you?” Without waiting for Poppy to respond, CJ continued, “Nice try, kitten, but you’re not getting out of your punishment that easily. Stand up for me, Poppy.”
Poppy stood as asked and turned toward CJ, standing between her Daddy’s outstretched legs. CJ took Poppy’s hands in hers, fixing her with a heavy gaze. “This is what’s going to happen, sweetheart. I’ve never been the type of Daddy who ruled with an iron fist. Instead, I prefer to guide and gently correct, nurturing my partner as they grow in both our relationship and dynamic together. But, kitten, your mistake was an egregious error that could have had deadly consequences and as such it needs to be dealt with in a manner that will leave a lasting impact.”
Poppy swallowed hard, the guilt eating at her at the disappointment and fear she’d caused CJ to feel.
“First, you’re going to go and stand in that corner for five minutes, okay? While you’re standing there, think about why you are receiving this punishment. Then, you’re going to lay over my lap and take the spanking that you earned by disobeying my rules. Before bed, you’re going to journal about what happened today as well as write your affirmations. Tomorrow morning, we’ll discuss them together. How does that sound, Poppy?”
A few tears trickled from Poppy’s eyes before she could stop them. “I think that sounds fair,” she said in a shaky voice, the nerves that were previously non-existent now forefront in her mind. “I’m just very sorry I made you mad. I really didn’t mean it.”
“Listen to me, Poppy,” CJ always spoke with a firm tone that made people listen. It was one of the things Poppy loved most about her Daddy, one of the things that made her feel warm and fuzzy in a way usually reserved for those she was intimate with. “I might have been a lot of things this afternoon, but I was never mad at you. Upset with you for leaving without telling me and then coming back through the blizzard? Absolutely. I felt fear when I knew you were likely lost in the storm, despair when I first called for you and didn’t hear a thing, and frustrated that I couldn’t get to you fast enough once I heard your voice. But not once, sweetheart, was I mad at you. I may not have liked your actions, but I was never mad at you.”
Poppy’s lower lip trembled, but she gave a nod as she whispered, “Yes, Daddy.”
With a somber smile, CJ nodded to the corner. “Over you go.”
Poppy positioned herself in the corner, her nose nearly touching the wall. She felt ridiculous—twenty-seven with her nose in the corner like a naughty, little girl. Then again, she knew that was part of the punishment. She’d acted like a child when she’d run to the dorm without telling her Daddy, it was only fair she was treated like one while being punished, too.
CJ
While Poppy stood in the corner, CJ cleaned the blankets from the floor, placing them back on their respective beds and gently folding one over the back of the couch. Then she took her spot on the chaise section of the couch, sitting on the spot usually reserved for a person’s legs while they were reclining. CJ took several deep breaths, cleansing herself of the fear she’d felt earlier today when Poppy was found to be missing. The most important thing she knew to keep in mind, was never to take her own emotions out on her Little during a punishment.
She was pretty sure Poppy would also swear the time went slower for them than the other, but in just a few minutes, CJ was beckoning Poppy to the couch. Her Little still had red-rimmed eyes from crying, her cheeks were stained with tear tracks, and no matter how hard she tried, her lower lip trembled. Yet CJ thought this was the most beautiful Poppy had ever been with her sense of vulnerability on display for her Daddy in such a raw, naked way.
“Pants off, Poppy. Naughty Little girls get bare-bottomed spankings.”
For a split second, CJ expected Poppy to call red. To safeword out and bring their entire dynamic to a screeching halt.
But then, with arms as shaky as her trembling lower lip, Poppy pulled her sweatpants down, leaving the two pairs of thick socks on her still chilled feet. CJ had forgotten that she hadn’t given Poppy panties to put on when they returned to the suite and when the cool air hit her Little’s bare flesh, she gasped. CJ wondered if it was simply from cold, or perhaps it came from the odd combination of anxiety and exhilaration that she believed was coursing through Poppy’s body.
“Come here and lie across my lap.” CJ’s voice was thick and felt gritty as sandpaper.
Poppy positioned herself over CJ’s lap, her movements a bit awkward, and once again, CJ saw the adult woman as the naughty Little she’d been. As she laid her palm on Poppy’s bare bottom which was on display for her Daddy, she felt the Little tremble slightly and hoped that helped calm any lingering embarrassment.
And when CJ’s hand came down across her bare skin for the first time without warning, it was as if her Little’s entire body came alive.
“Ah!” Poppy gasped out. “That hurt!”
CJ smiled but kept the chuckle to herself. “I know, kitten, it’s supposed to hurt. It’s supposed to help serve as a reminder to be more cognizant of your safety. Next time, you’ll remember this punishment and hopefully, you’ll take a second to think about your actions before you make such rash decisions as running outside in a blizzard without telling me first.”
Again, CJ’s palm came down on Poppy’s bare skin and again, Poppy protested. “I promise I won’t do it ever again!”
“I know you won’t, Poppy. But you still have to take the rest of your punishment. Now hold still.”
Without waiting for a response, CJ spanked Poppy again. She alternated between Poppy’s cheeks, varying her strength just as she varied the placement. And when Poppy’s skin began to turn a flushed pink, she checked in with her Little, smiling when the woman looked up at her with a small smile on her lips, the word green barely understandable around the fit of squirmy giggles that left Poppy’s body.
“Don’t laugh too much, sweetheart. That was just your warmup.”
All traces of humor left Poppy’s body and she tensed on CJ’s lap.
And this time, when CJ’s hand came down against Poppy’s skin, CJ knew the impact ricocheted through Poppy’s entire body. Experience told her that every nerve in her Little’s body was vibrating as her backside grew hotter and hotter until it felt like it was on fire, like she was on fire.
“Remember, Poppy,” CJ said as she landed a particular brutal swat to the back of Poppy’s thigh. “This isn’t because I’m mad at you or disappointed in you. This punishment has nothing to do with my feelings and emotions and everything to do with your own actions. Do you understand that?”
“Yes,” Poppy said.
Another swat to the same exact spot had her howling into the suite. “Yes, Daddy,” she yelled into the room.
“That’s it, sweet girl.” CJ rubbed and kneaded the globes of Poppy’s ass, surprised when the woman on top of her moaned in response. It sent a pulse of electricity straight to CJ’s clit which she immediately pushed aside. This was about Poppy, not her own needs. She could get herself off in bed later after she finished with her sweet Little.
“Five more, Poppy. Count them for me.”
“One!” Poppy screamed as the first of her last five spanks fell against her skin. Tears began to fall, but with the tears something else happened.
“Two,” she sobbed with her face pressed into the couch, squirming and squealing and doing anything but giggling now. “Three!”
CJ knew the exact moment Poppy’s entire body went lax, the fear her Little felt earlier leaving her body along with the embarrassment of getting stuck in the storm, the loathing she felt toward herself all lessening as she fully gave her body over to her Daddy.
“Four,” the number was a cracked syllable, Poppy’s voice barely recognizable.
And just before CJ’s hand came down the last time, before Poppy could brace herself for the pain of CJ’s flesh connecting with her own, CJ said the words that she knew Poppy had always yearned to hear, that she needed to hear in that moment more than ever. “You’re worth it Poppy, so worth it.”
With that, CJ’s palm landed against Poppy’s ass one last time, the hardest blow of all landing in the same exact place the last had landed. Poppy’s backside was crimson and hot to the touch, well used as a palette for CJ’s unique blend of care. The Little screamed a broken sob, taking in several deep breaths before weakly croaking out, “Five.”
Ever so gently, CJ tended to Poppy’s backside. First, it was with a gentle touch before liberally spreading a thick cream over Poppy’s reddened skin that she had thankfully thought ahead to bring back to the couch with her before they started Poppy’s punishment. Her heart broke each time Poppy made a small whimper or moan, but CJ knew the aftercare was necessary. That her Little deserved to be pampered, especially after having her backside reddened for the first time in a proper punishment.
“You did such a good job, Poppy. You took your punishment like such a brave girl and you made me incredibly proud of you.”
Poppy turned on CJ’s lap, wincing when her raw bottom came in contact with her Daddy’s muscly thighs. It seemed to have surprised her every time CJ held her close or cuddled with Poppy that despite CJ being significantly smaller than Poppy in weight, she never felt like she was truly too big to be on her Daddy’s lap. CJ knew it was comforting in a way Poppy had never known she was missing.
Surprising CJ, Poppy settled deeper into CJ’s lap, looping her arms around her Daddy. Poppy nuzzled her face into CJ’s neck, her warm breath sending chills over CJ’s body. “I’m happy it was you.”
“Happy what was me?” CJ asked, confused as to what exactly Poppy had been babbling about in her post-punishment comedown.
Poppy pressed back enough to look at CJ in the eyes, an unfamiliar electric heat blazing somewhere in the depths. Their gazes clashed in a sea of greens and browns and all the colors of the rainbow in between while unspoken words hung heavy in the air between them.
I’m happy you were my first Daddy.
I’m happy you were the first person to give me my first spanking.
I’m happy you were the first person to ever truly see me for who I really am.
Neither CJ nor Poppy would ever be able to say who moved first.
Poppy
Before Poppy knew what was happening, her lips were on CJ’s lips, on her Daddy’s lips. She moaned into CJ’s mouth when the woman opened for her without pretense, as if CJ had been thinking of kissing Poppy all along. And for some reason, that thought made Poppy throb between her legs.
Between her naked legs. Naked legs that were wrapped around another woman, with no underwear between Poppy’s bare heat and the jeans of her Daddy.
It should have felt weird or foreign. Poppy shouldn’t have wanted more, shouldn’t have been desperate for her Daddy to take off the sweatshirt that still covered the upper half of her body, leaving her naked and exposed and vulnerable to CJ in far more ways than she had when the two shared in quiet, sometimes silly moments together during bath time.
But there was no awkwardness, no fear or embarrassment. Just a need to be closer to her Daddy, to envelop the woman underneath her in a way that made Poppy feel desperate.
Until CJ pulled back, searching Poppy’s eyes with a confused, lust-drunk gaze that left Poppy wanting more all over again. “What are we doing?”
Panic flooded Poppy and she tried to pull away. Of course, CJ’s strength kept her Little firmly in place. “Stop automatically going to the worst case scenario, Poppy. I just need to know where your head is at, sweetheart. As far as I know from any conversation we’ve had, I am not someone you would usually find yourself attracted to. And I’m not saying you were the one to move first or that I was, or that this was fueled by anything but the adrenaline of our extremely intense day together. But if you want what just happened to happen again, we need to have a serious conversation first, and I don’t think you’re currently in the headspace to have that talk right now.”
With the simple words from CJ, Poppy felt her fears calm. She wasn’t sure what had happened between her and her Daddy, but she wanted more. More of knowing that CJ cared for her in a way that extended beyond their dynamic, more of the punishment that while hurting in the moment, left her reeling with a sense of rested euphoria that she couldn’t remember ever feeling before.
And while she had never thought of a woman romantically before, she certainly wanted more of those kisses that CJ pressed against her lips in firm, guiding ways. In fact, if the wetness between her legs was any indication, Poppy wanted a lot more than just kisses from her Daddy.
The pads of CJ’s fingers traced Poppy’s jaw as she turned her Little’s face back toward her own. “I can already see the gears in that overactive brain of yours working overtime, sweetheart. Rest assured, neither of us did anything wrong. Crossing a platonic boundary is just something I wasn’t expecting when I entered into this dynamic. But believe me, Poppy, there is nothing I want more than to kiss you again.”
Poppy smiled, all soft and sleepy, the endorphins from her ordeal starting to wear off as her eyelids grew heavy. “I think I want to kiss you again, too.”
CJ smiled softly and of all the smiles Poppy had seen in their time together, this smile was her absolute favorite. “We’ll talk about it once you’re rested and make sure you still feel the same. Come on, kitten, time for a nap.”
Together they crossed into Poppy’s bedroom and when she was positioned in bed, CJ pulled up the soft comforter around her Little. Realizing she’d left Poppy’s wet dress on the floor when they entered and changed in haste while searching for warmth, she crossed the room and picked it up.
“Wait!” Poppy yelled from across the room. “Can you bring that here before you put it with my laundry?”
With a curious look aimed at her Little, CJ handed the dress to Poppy.
“Close your eyes.”
CJ raised an eyebrow in Poppy’s direction. “And just who is in charge here, little miss?”
“Puh-leaseeee close your eyes, Daddy.” Poppy hoped the little, whiny, pout could get the sternest of Daddies to loosen her reins.
With a dramatic flourish, CJ closed her eyes, acting like the simple task was a monumental ordeal. Poppy giggled, sneaking the present for her Daddy into her hand. “Okay, here you go.”
CJ took the still-damp dress back and added it to the pile of laundry in the bathroom then crossed back over to where Poppy laid cocooned in bed like the sweetest little crepe.
“Want to tell me what was hidden in your dress that you so desperately needed?”
Poppy’s cheeks went hot and she was sure she was red as a firetruck careening toward a five-alarm fire at full speed with lights and sirens aglow. “It’s what I went to my dorm to get earlier. But I’m kinda embarrassed about it now.”
Daddy sat on the side of Poppy’s bed, an earnest look etched onto her angular yet soft, kind face. “Sweetheart, as long as whatever you have isn’t going to harm you or someone else, you don’t need to tell me what it is. But, I would really like it if you did. You can trust me, Poppy. Let me be your person.”
With a shaky hand, Poppy lifted her arm out from under her blanket. She opened her palm to CJ to show her an adult-sized pacifier. It was purple, glittery and sparkly, and everything feminine and girly rolled up into one. In the middle of the pacifier was a small, fluffy kitten with a tiny bow in its hair.
Curious eyes met Poppy’s. “Where did that come from?”
Poppy suddenly felt shy. She also felt so different than the angry woman she’d been when she first began meeting with CJ at the start of their dynamic. She nibbled on her bottom lip, scrunching up her nose in embarrassment. “I saw a few Littles using them during our craft time and I got to thinking about wanting to decorate and try one, too. I wasn’t sure that I would be brave enough, so I hid it in my dorm room so you wouldn’t stumble upon it in our suite.”
“Well, sweetheart,” CJ’s voice was heavy with the gravity of the situation. “Thank you for being such a brave girl and sharing this desire with me. You certainly picked out and decorated the perfect paci for yourself. Would you like to try it out while you take a nap now?”
Poppy nodded with a small smile on her sleepy face. In response, CJ took the pacifier from her Little and coaxed it between Poppy’s parted lips. “Just remember, if you don’t like using it, you don’t have to. That’s a decision only you can make. But no matter what you decide, I’m here to support you.”
Continuing their tradition, CJ bent down and placed a kiss against Poppy’s temple. “Try to get some sleep, sweet girl.”
And when CJ was almost at the door, Poppy’s voice stopped her. “Do you think that maybe you could lie with me until I fall asleep?”
CJ
A smile spread across CJ’s face, her heart simultaneously soaring at this new side of her Little while dreading that this would all be over when Poppy awoke, clearheaded and unclouded by the need for post-punishment comfort. But right now, she could give Poppy what she needed as long as it didn’t cross any of their previously agreed-upon boundaries.
Honestly, it was exactly what CJ needed too.
“Yeah, sweetheart. I can lie with you until you fall asleep.”
CJ crawled into bed alongside Poppy, pulling her soft body against CJ’s own firm muscle, the big spoon to her adorable Little. And as Poppy’s breath evened out as she fell into a deep, restful sleep, CJ couldn’t help but think back to what Poppy had told her before Poppy’s punishment started.
Extracting herself from around Poppy was hard, her body and mind both desperate to stay. But she had plans to rearrange and changes to make.
She looked back at Poppy’s sleeping form from the doorway, taking one last look at her Little before closing the door behind her.
And with her back pressed against the closed door, CJ said the words aloud that Poppy was still slightly too afraid to say out loud, but more than willing to speak with her eyes, her body, her soul .
“I’m glad it was you, too, kitten. I’m glad it was you.”