Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Vasiah
Sera’s sobs had softened to hiccups, her body curled against me, trembling less with every passing minute. I didn’t move, didn’t rush her. Instead, I shifted, tugged a blanket over her, and gently coaxed her head into my lap.
“There,” I murmured, stroking her thick dark brown hair, letting my fingers trace soothing circles across her scalp. Her hair was silky soft, I could play in it all day. “Rest, little one. I’ve got you.”
She fought it at first, stubborn even in exhaustion, but soon her lashes fluttered shut.
Calmness settled over her and exhaustion won its hand.
Within minutes, her breaths deepened, her cheek warm against my thigh.
I kept up the rhythm—slow strokes, steady presence—until I was sure she’d drifted fully to sleep.
I moved a little to remove my suit jacket, and toed off my shoes, but then I settled again.
The quiet pressed in, but my mind didn’t rest. I reached for my phone. Emerson. I hadn’t checked in properly, not in a way that mattered. Not in a way that showed him I was actually here.
Me:
Hey, kiddo. You awake?
The three dots blinked, disappeared. Blinked again.
Emerson:
Yeah. What do you want?
I sighed. Rigid. Guarded. I’d earned that wall. Time to chip at it the right way.
Me:
Just to talk. No lectures. Promise.
Emerson:
Uh-huh.
Me:
You remember when I first started working in the dental office?
Emerson:
Vaguely. You were gone a lot.
Me:
Yeah. And I messed up. Bad. Our office manager quit, and I had to step in. I scheduled twenty people for the same day. All overlapping.
Emerson:
That’s… dumb.
Me:
It was. Completely. Some were willing to reschedule, but most weren’t. I thought I’d ruined everything.
Emerson:
You didn’t, obviously.
Me:
No. I ended up stepping up. I’d never treated patients before, but I took x-rays all day. The dentist walked me through it. I survived. Learned more in one day than I had in months.
Emerson:
Still sounds like a disaster.
Me:
It was. But also… it wasn’t failure. It was practice. Another chance to prove I could handle it.
Emerson:
So you’re saying failing doesn’t mean it’s over.
Me:
Exactly. It just means you need another chance to show what you’ve learned.
Emerson:
That’s easy for you to say.
Me:
Nope. It’s hard for me to say. I hate failing. But I’ve done it. And I’ll probably do it again. Doesn’t make me less smart. Doesn’t make you less smart, either.
The dots lingered longer this time.
Emerson:
Maybe. I still feel like I let you down.
Me:
Emerson. Listen to me. You’ve never let me down. I’ve let you down by not being here. But I’m here now. Okay?
Emerson:
…Okay.
A slow smile pulled at my mouth. Not a breakthrough. But a crack in the wall.
Me:
Goodnight, kiddo. Proud of you for answering.
Emerson:
Night.
I set the phone down, heart lighter than it had been in weeks. For once, I hadn’t tried to control him. I’d just shown up.
The room was quiet except for Sera’s soft breaths. I flipped on the TV low, letting Lincoln Lawyer play in the background. My favorite. A comfort. By the time I was halfway through the third episode, a groggy voice stirred me.
“You’re still here.”
I looked down. Sera blinked up at me, cheek creased from sleep. She shifted, realizing where her head rested, and flushed pink.
“How’d you sleep?” I asked.
Her lips parted, surprise clear. “Better than I have in years.”
“Good.” I brushed my hand over her hair one more time before easing her upright. “That’s what happens when you stop carrying everything by yourself.”
She looked down, twisting her fingers. Vulnerable again. “It’s hard.”
“I know,” I said simply. “Which is why we start small. You don’t have to shout it from the rooftops tomorrow. But maybe you can tell one person you trust. About being a Little. About being lesbian. About being you.”
Her throat bobbed. “Like… Josephine.”
“Yes.” I smiled softly. “Whoever she is. Why not let her in?”
“My twin sister.” Sera hugged her stuffy tight, but this time, she didn’t shrink away from the idea. “Maybe I could. Maybe.”
“I had no idea you had a twin,” I said gently, tugging the blanket back over her shoulders. “I think she’s the perfect start. If anybody should be able to understand you, it should be her.”
Sera smiled before standing up to stretch.
I watched the length of her body as she did.
She was about 5’6”, curves that begged me to touch and caress.
To prime and fuck. She had hips that summoned my fingers, an ass that challenged me to spank it, thighs that were anchors to holding her in place while I tasted her again.
Sipping from the finest glass, a wine that made me so dizzy with lust that I’d orgasmed twice while experiencing her unique taste.
Now she was looking at me with eyes so sure that I lost my breath for a moment.
“What can I do for you?” she asked.
“What do you mean?” I rubbed my hands on my pants, clearing the dampness from them.
Is it me or was it hot in here?
“You’ve done so much for me already, I feel like I owe you my life.” She smiled warmly at me, awaiting a response.
“You have already.” I let my eyes crawl over her body. “A second chance. That’s more than I hoped for.”
“Mistress V,” she began.
I swallowed a grunt. Nothing compared to hearing her say Daddy. One day. One day…
“Yes?”
“Would you like some ice cream?” She beamed, while twisting side to side.
I chuckled, amused at her cute ass. “Absolutely.”
“With or without chocolate chip cookies?” She seemed to be holding her breath, eager to hear my response.
“I’ll have cookies with you too, babygirl.”
Sera squeaked and happily ran into the kitchen to fix our treat.
I couldn’t help the full belly laugh I let out.
Amused almost as much as she was, I knew for sure that my initial statement was how I felt.
She had already given me so much. Did I want more?
I did. But I wasn’t complaining about what I already had.
A sweet and bratty girl, all her curves wrapped around me while I righted her world, and now she was making me a treat.
Yeah, this is where I needed to be just as much as she did.