Chapter 2
Jameson
My. God.
I can’t believe this is happening. For once, Camden got it right. Well, twice. He definitely got Julia right, too.
I know it in my bones. I knew it the moment I set eyes on Natasha. She’s perfection. She’s exactly my type physically, as Camden suggested, plus he also nailed the fact that she’s probably got a Little inside her. I doubt she knows a thing about age play, but it’s in her.
I probably should have told her to call me Jameson straight away, but I didn’t, and every time she calls me sir, I mentally turn it into Sir, with the inflection of a submissive. I like the sound of it coming from her lips, and now it’s almost too late to correct her. Or maybe, I don’t want to.
I’ve overstepped several times. I’ve touched her for too long twice. I’ve stared at her for too long ten times. I’ve stood too close to her twice. At least I managed to force myself to step back and start walking.
She’s following on my heels, though I would prefer it if she walked ahead of me. That would be strange, however, because she has no idea where we’re going.
I lead her to the back staircase that leads to the second and third floors. It starts just off the kitchen. “I’m sure you saw the grand staircase in the front foyer. Feel free to use either. I find myself heading for these rear stairs more often simply because they’re closer to my office and the library.”
When I glance at her, she nods.
“My office was next to the library. If you need me, I’m often in there. Don’t ever worry about interrupting me. Just come in any time. I’m not as pompous as this crazy big mansion might lead you to believe.”
I give her a wink. I want her to feel at home. Hell, I want to jump past this awkward stage to a time when she feels free to skip into my office, pigtails flying, and sit on my lap. Is that a pipe dream?
“I’m sure I won’t need to interrupt you, sir.”
I pause and turn to her. I need to touch her, and I need to look her in the eyes. I tuck a finger under her chin, lifting it so she tips her head back to meet my gaze. “I’m just a man, Natasha. This home belonged to my parents and grandparents. I inherited it and all the staff who came with it. I inherited the tech company I own, too. Luck of birth. I don’t want you to think I’m unapproachable.”
I love the way she swallows. “Yes, sir.”
And now my cock is hard. Time to move on. I release her chin and move my hand to the small of her back, which is marginally more appropriate, to guide her up the stairs.
When we reach the landing, I speak again. “Most of these rooms are unoccupied. I don’t entertain as many guests as my parents and grandparents did. I’m not as social as they were.”
She doesn’t respond, but what did I expect?
I gesture toward the double doors at the end of the hallway. “That’s the master bedroom.” Next, I push open the door to the room I’ve chosen for her. Yes, I intentionally put her in the room closest to mine.
She sucks in a breath.
“This will be your room. Like I said, if there’s anything you don’t like, we can change it.” I look around, taking it in through her eyes. Did I go overboard?
Nothing in this room was here until noon today. I changed everything, but I won’t tell Natasha that. She seems humble and uncomfortable with the idea that I added anything.
I added everything . All the furniture is white—four-posted, queen-sized bed, dresser, nightstand, vanity, armoire, and desk. The bedding is a soft pink that matches her sweater. So are the valances over the windows. The windows have shutters, too. The floor is hardwood like the rest of the house, but I added a few pink area rugs.
“If pink is truly your color, I can have it painted a soft pink for you. I figured I’d wait on that until you got here.”
She slowly wanders into the huge space, saying nothing, which makes me nervous. I want to please her. If I haven’t, I’ll fix it.
Rambling, I point to the door across the room. “Your bathroom is attached. Edith put towels and washcloths in there as well as shampoo and soaps and things, but you should speak to her about what brands and scents you like. She’ll add them to the shopping list.”
Suddenly, Natasha chuckles before turning to look at me. “Mr. Hoffman, you went way over the top on this. You didn’t have to. I would have been fine with any room. I’ve been sleeping on an old mattress on the floor for…well, most of my life to be honest. I’ve never had matching anything. It isn’t necessary.”
My chest is tight. I hope she doesn’t think I’m trying to impress her. Maybe she’s one of those granola kids who don’t believe in anything frivolous. I frown.
She bites her lip in a way that makes my cock jump. Dammit. I hope she doesn’t notice. “Thank you,” she murmurs. “I don’t mean to sound ungrateful. I’m just surprised. I wouldn’t be able to tell Edith what brand or scent to get me of anything if I wanted to, sir. I’ve only ever used the cheapest, unscented bargain brand. This is very kind. Thank you.”
I should have thought about that. Camden told me she was raised in foster care. It didn’t occur to me she might not have ever had anything nice at all. “Please accept my hospitality, Little one. I realize it seems like a lot to you, but it’s nothing to me. Just things.”
She turns toward the bed and sets her purse on it before spotting the desk and wandering that way.
I hold my breath, hoping she doesn’t freak out over the items sitting on top. “Camden told me your computer and phone were old,” I say gently. “You need an up-to-date computer to do well in school, and a reliable phone is a matter of safety.”
She has her back to me as she fingers the edge of the two items. I think her breath hitches. I’m pretty sure she’s silently crying. Dammit.
I don’t move from where I’m standing, letting her pull herself together without me looming.
“This is far more than I expected, sir,” she whispers. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She’s probably going to freak out when I tell her the next part. I’m a bit uncomfortable right about now myself. I went overboard. Way overboard. I didn’t see it that way until now, but I hadn’t thought about how it would look through her eyes. “I also figured you could use some clothes, so I have a personal shopper coming tomorrow morning to get your measurements and assess what you might need.”
She gasps and spins around. “Sir, that’s totally unnecessary.”
I shrug like it’s no big deal. “It’s just clothes, Little one. Do you have a warm winter coat?”
She bites her lip.
“That’s what I figured. Dresses?”
She slowly shakes her head.
“Sometimes, I have people over for dinner. You’ll want to be able to dress a bit fancier than you’re probably used to.” I never have people for dinner, but I might start now.
She wipes her eyes. “Thank you.”
“I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I’m sorry if I’ve overstepped.”
She shakes her head. “It’s okay. I just wasn’t expecting…all of this. You didn’t have to do it.”
“I wanted to. Please let me spoil you a bit. I haven’t had anyone to spoil for a long time, and it would seem you could use some spoiling.” I smile, hoping to lighten the mood.
“Okay, sir.”
“How about if I let you get settled in. Can I have Albert bring your things up from your car?”
“Um, I guess. I don’t want to put him out.”
I chuckle. “He’s excited at the prospect of having someone to actually do something for. If you don’t let him and Edith dote on you a bit, you’ll hurt their feelings. It’s what they live for.”
Her cheeks are pink, but she manages to giggle, and the sound is delightful. With another swipe at her eyes, she wipes her tears away. “Good thing I’m not wearing mascara.”
“You don’t need mascara, Little one. You’re perfect just the way you are.”
Her cheeks darken further. I need to back off. I don’t want her to feel uncomfortable around me. If I’m right, and she’s Little, then I’ll be a lucky man. Of course her being Little doesn’t mean she’ll want me as her Daddy. But again, if I somehow manage to convince her to give that a try, I’ll be the luckiest man alive. But she needs time. I can’t pressure her. She needs to come to those conclusions on her own.
I’m confident I’ve made her squirm, but for now, I’m supposed to be someone who is offering her a place to sleep. It absolutely doesn’t come with strings attached. I might not be able to stop myself from gently Daddying her and guiding her toward discovering something new about herself, but I will not make her think she has any obligations toward me.
I take a step back. “I’ll leave you to relax. I already set up the computer so you should be good to go. I set up the phone, too, and put my number in it just in case you need anything.”
“Thank you, sir.” She rubs her hands together in front of her.
“Dinner is at seven in the dining room, but you don’t need to stay in your room, Natasha. Feel free to roam the house. Nothing is off-limits to you. Explore if you want. I’ll be in the library if you need me. Edith is usually in the kitchen. And you never know where Albert might be, but he has a sixth sense. He’ll materialize when you need him.”
Her smile lights up the room. “Thank you.”
I tap the door frame and step away. It might be one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. What I want to do is take her hand and give her a tour of the entire mansion. I want to show her where I used to hide from my nanny when I was three and where I fell and broke my arm when I was seven because I was running in the house.
I want to pull her into my arms and inhale the scent of her. I want to lift her onto my lap in the library and read to her from one of those old classics. I bet she would enjoy Jane Austen or Charlotte Bronte.
I’m grinning as I return to the library. Part of me hopes Natasha will join me there. The saner part of me knows I need to back off and give her space. I can nudge her and guide her in the direction she seems suitable for, but that’s it.
It’s been so long since I’ve had a Little girl. Ten years. Sometimes, I scene at Surrender with Littles—spanking or disciplining them during a prearranged scene—but I haven’t had one in my home.
And you don’t know for sure you do now either, Jameson .
Camden has known Natasha for a few years. He wouldn’t have sent her here if he didn’t strongly believe she has Little tendencies. He can be a pushy bastard at times, trying to entice me out of my shell, but he’s no better. He doesn’t have a permanent Little either.
I’m tempted to point that out to Camden one of these days and ask him point blank what’s up with the student he sometimes mentions as though she’s no big deal to him. I’ve suspected otherwise for a while. I also wonder if Natasha knows her.
I was itching to set some rules while I was in Natasha’s room. I barely held my tongue. I’m sure I won’t be able to avoid testing the waters during dinner, though. I’ll start with some that are less obvious so she doesn’t find out what a controlling bastard I can be.
I drop into my favorite armchair and rub my chin. I really am controlling. Deeply controlling. I like my Littles to obey me in every way and squirm while they do it.
I didn’t miss her reaction when I told her not to climb the ladder in the library. She was affected and not in a bad way. I’ll mask the next few rules under the veil of safety also. After all, safety is my primary concern. It was before Julia’s accident, and it’s undoubtedly worse now.
“Sir?”
I lift my gaze as Albert steps into the room. “How many times have I told you to call me Jameson, Albert?” I growl at him.
“About ten thousand, sir.” He smirks.
“And why don’t you?” We have this chat about once a week.
“It’s not in my nature, sir. I called your father sir, and I won’t be able to break the habit.”
I shake my head.
“I brought Natasha’s things up to her room. She doesn’t have much.”
“As I suspected. I arranged for Delilah to come tomorrow.”
“Good. I wanted to make sure you were aware. She’s very humble. I don’t get the impression she will ask for anything.”
I nod. “I get that feeling, too. We’ll just have to stay one step ahead of her and make sure she has everything she needs.”
“Also, sir, there’s the matter of her car. It’s… I’m not sure how she even got it here.”
I sigh. She’ll shit if I buy her a car. “How about if you pretend to take it to a repair shop tomorrow and then drive her to classes starting Monday. We can put it off for a bit until it feels like she will be more amenable to a new, safer vehicle.”
Albert grins. “That was going to be my suggestion. I’ll take it to Morton’s Autobody and tell them to take a look but sit on it for a while.”
“Good.” That’s a relief. I don’t like the idea of Natasha driving at all, but I won’t have her driving a hunk of junk that might break down and leave her stranded.
I can’t believe how far under my skin she is after only an hour in her company. Camden is going to laugh for months over this. Gloating is his specialty.
I return my attention to Albert. “I assume Edith has gone all out for dinner.”
“Yep. Beef Wellington.”
I chuckle. “At least we’re going to eat the best meals while Natasha is with us.”
Albert draws in a breath. “Forgive me for speaking out of turn, sir, but I already hope she never leaves.”
Thank goodness it’s not just me. I don’t say anything, though, for fear I might jinx the situation. All I do is nod.