Chapter Three
Summit
I’d cabbed this morning to avoid having to find parking, but Chained had plenty for their membership, so I drove over, nibbling a pain au chocolat I’d set aside at the teleconference.
Despite my friend’s insistence I have something not sugary, by the time I gave my presentation, this was the only thing left.
But it was okay. The pastries had lifted everyone’s spirits, at the end of a long day, yawns and slumped shoulders replaced by smiles and mmms. I’d have to make sure to do things like that more often. Good for morale, for sure.
But even the treat couldn’t lower my anxiety.
The files were important and held live signatures.
The computer…well, it had security, of course, but someone with enough computer knowledge might be able to hack it.
So much private information in there. On active cases.
There could be irreparable harm if it fell into the wrong hands.
I thought I understood what had happened now.
The bakery had been crowded, and I’d set my case down to take the bags of pastries.
Boxes packed in thick brown paper bags marked with the shop logo.
I’d slid my fingers through the twine handles before reaching down blindly to grab my computer bag.
Then handed them off to my assistant without ever really seeing what I’d picked up.
The thing that did give me comfort was what I’d found in the bag I’d ended up with.
The backpack even now on the seat next to me.
It held adorable clothes in an adult size.
Suitable for an evening in the little room.
The backpack itself was plain, not like the ones I’d often seen littles carrying, but the contents were a match. Even down to a cute stuffie.
If what I suspected was true, whoever’s bag this was had been another customer in the bakery and would likely be quite relieved to get their things back again.
After parking, I came around to the front and inside the club.
The foyer area held a small desk where members could check their phones and, on rare occasions, other devices like my computer.
For the privacy of the members, none were allowed past this area.
What I’d found made me fairly sure the person whose bag I had was a little.
Okay, completely sure. But what about my things told him I was a daddy?
Ties and folders? Even if he’d been able to access the computer files, which seemed extremely unlikely, it wasn’t my personal laptop, and there was nothing on it that said “daddy” in any way.
So why would they bring my bag to Chained?
Members of Chained ranged from average people to celebrities and politicians, and one thing most had in common was a desire to not have indiscreet pictures of them put out on the net.
Not everyone understood what to us was quite normal and necessary and it would be misinterpreted.
With the backpack full of little gear slung over my shoulder, I approached the desk and asked if someone had left my property there.
If it wasn’t, I wasn’t sure where it could be.
“Yes, sir,” the attendant said. I tried to remember her name, but I wasn’t sure I’d ever known it.
As a daddy, I spent my time in the little room or the conversation area, maybe the bar on occasion.
The main floor, where this sub would likely be found when not volunteering at the desk, I only passed through on my way to the back hallway. “Can you tell me what’s in it?”
I described the files, the computers, a couple of ties. “And business cards. I didn’t make a big deal about being an attorney to the people at the club, but neither was I hiding it. The cards were the easiest way to identify my belongings.
She nodded. “Yes, it was left here by—”
“By me.” The voice came from behind me, and I turned around to find a young man standing behind me, flanked by two other littles. “I brought it in with me and checked it so it would be safe. I’m Rowan, by the way.”
Slim, not dressed little—likely because I’d walked off with his clothes—but I had no doubt he was every bit as much a little as his two friends in their short shorts and tight tees.
Yet, he was more adorable in jeans and a polo shirt with a duck embroidered on the left side of his chest than they were in full gear.
“I’m Summit. Then, Rowan,”—I held up the backpack full of little things—“this must be yours?”
He reached out both hands, letting out a sigh as he closed them on it. “Yes, thank you so much. I don’t know what happened. I set it down and went into the back to deliver some maple sugar, and when I came back, it was gone and only the other one—yours—was still there.”
“It’s on me. I made the mistake.” I released the pack into his grip. “I apologize.”
“No, it was probably me.”
“It doesn’t matter who it was, really,” I told him, accepting my bag from the attendant. “I’m just glad you brought it here. A lot of other places would not have been as safe.”
“How did you know where to come?” he asked. “I mean, it’s not necessarily the first place you’d look for a misplaced computer bag.”
I held up my phone. “I have an app that tells me where my computer is at any time.”
“And you’re a member?” He looked confused. “I’ve never seen you here.”
“One who hasn’t been here much in a while because of my work schedule.
But, yes.” Although it was late enough that few people were still trying to come in, there were a lot leaving, and we were a roadblock.
But I didn’t want to walk away so quickly.
There were still things to say. “Can we sit down for a minute?” Chairs lined one wall of the room, and there were a few empty.
He hesitated then gave a nod. “All right.”
“Over here?” I led the way and sat down, seeing the other two littles peel away and go into the club.
He must be feeling safe if he let his backups go.
That made me feel pretty good. “Now,” I said when he was seated to my right, “I just wanted to make sure you weren’t feeling bad about ending up with the wrong bag. ”
“Or not calling the number on the cards right away.”
“Well, it was after normal business hours. But you did great bringing it here. It worked out perfectly.”
“Thank you for saying so.”
“What I was wondering about, though, is why it’s such a businessy pack, not very little at all.”
“Oh, that.” His cheeks colored, a beautiful dusty rose. “I’ve had a few more suitable ones but they all fell apart. The cuter they were, the shorter time they lasted. But I still do feel bad, so how can I make it up to you?”
“I haven’t eaten yet. Want to grab a bite?”