Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Rhodes
“I’m starting to think we should’ve picked that deep-dish place close to downtown.” Daddy tried to look subtle as he glanced around the restaurant, but I was pretty sure he wanted to glare and grumble. “I heard good things about this online but I’m not sure what’s going on today.”
That was a very good question.
“I was in here just after it opened and it was fun.” It was still kind of fun with music and different games in the back corner, but it would’ve been nicer if someone would come take our order. “Maybe they’re low on staff?”
They weren’t crazy busy but maybe they had problems in the kitchen? And in the dining room? And at the door?
They were low on manners at the very least.
“We’ll give them a few more minutes. I’m sure there’s just an issue behind the scenes.” Daddy nodded toward the games. “I think I see Pac-Man back there. I bet I could beat my little cheater at that.”
Giggling would’ve made me look guilty, so I kept my serious face in place and raised one eyebrow. “Cheater? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Daddy just needed to pay more attention when we were playing.
Oops.
They all fall down.
Oh dear.
Sitting up straighter, I glared at him. “No toy talk.”
His smile was very polite but he was thinking about being naughty. “I like talking to you about toys and books and cartoons.”
Ugh.
“We… we can also talk about movies we’ve seen lately and… and if you’ve read any good biographies lately.” Daddy seemed like the nonfiction type to me. “And… and about your favorite restaurants.”
Since I was pretty sure we weren’t coming back to this one.
I felt kind of bad because I’d suggested it but Daddy had heard good things about it too. He’d even had a friend who’d come because they were supposed to be friendly to everyone.
They even had rainbow stickers on the door.
So far all we’d gotten was water and frowns, so I was starting to wonder if they didn’t understand that rainbows meant happy.
And gay.
That meant happy too, though, which was why it was kind of a funny word that made Little me want to giggle.
Oh dear.
Big thoughts.
Big thoughts.
Big thoughts.
“What do you think of the market?” Sitting straighter, I ignored the way Daddy’s eyes twinkled. “I can talk about the stock market or the supermarket. Did you see that chicken was on sale?”
His smiling eyes were dangerous even if he kept the rest of his face neutral. “Would you like to hear my recipe for chicken nuggets? I know how to make colored ones. What do you think about blue nuggets?”
Blue?
Really?
Big thoughts.
Big thoughts.
Big thoughts.
Frowning again, I carefully reached for my water and took a sip while he tried not to laugh. “I think I need to see how chicken futures are doing. I saw an article about cattle lately but nothing about chicken.”
Daddy’s shoulders jerked but he nodded and looked serious. “I’m curious to hear what you find out. I’ll see if I can find us any… articles about chicken.”
Bedtime stories.
Daddy was going to find Little me a chicken book.
Big thoughts.
Big thoughts.
Big thoughts.
“The futures market is always interesting.” Yes. That was what we were talking about. Finance. Futures. Boring things. “Sports are interesting too.”
What did I know about real sports?
Daddy nearly laughed out loud but he managed to nod like it was a serious discussion. “The game was good last weekend. What did you think of it?”
Shoot.
What game was on last week?
What sport time was this?
No… they were seasons like fall and spring but for chasing balls around.
“Um, I wasn’t following the game much but I caught a couple of the fights on the highlight reel?” That worked with my brothers but it made Daddy laugh. “What did you think of the end?”
“I think you don’t even know what sports people are watching right now, much less a specific game.” Daddy didn’t seem surprised by that, so I shrugged and didn’t worry about it. “I don’t know them either, though, so you were faking it better than I could.”
Really?
“All you have to do is ask vague open-ended questions and sports people will fill in the rest.” Nodding and making thinking sounds helped too.
“My brothers haven’t been complaining about anything lately, so maybe they’re between important stuff?
Some sports have more man value than others.
You get basic man points for things like basketball and baseball, but you get bonus points for football and hockey is the top because they beat each other up on a regular basis. ”
Daddy managed not to laugh but holding it back was so hard he was shaking. After a drink of water and a deep breath, he shook his head. “Your family is insane. You know that, right?”
I was starting to.
“I thought they were normal when I was growing up.” But over the past year I’d started to realize I might’ve been the most normal one in the bunch… and that was actually kind of scary. “Which is part of the reason why I was very grateful for your help yesterday. You made them have to behave.”
His smile slid into something more thoughtful as he took another sip of the water he hadn’t wanted.
He’d wanted a soda of some sort but the waiter hadn’t listened and hadn’t come back.
Daddy was polite, though, and drank it. “Because I was behaving better and more ‘manly’ than they were so they had to keep up with me?”
“You’re really smart.” It was really nice. “Oh, and Axel texted me while you were getting ready. He said you were weirdly protective of my house and I might want to see if you’d bugged it.”
Daddy rolled his eyes. “He’s got a few screws loose, and I’m not going to apologize for pointing that out.”
I was pretty sure we’d all been dropped as babies one too many times, so I couldn’t fuss at him about it.
“He offered to come help me search for them.” I was pretty sure one of his kids had come up with that idea because the apple hadn’t fallen far from the tree with them. “I thanked him and managed to turn down his offer.”
“I’m very proud of you.” Daddy stretched his leg out and rubbed it against mine. “I’m also going to be very nosy anytime you have people come over now.”
“I would appreciate that.” Because I was pretty sure my days of being left alone by my family were long gone. “And maybe we put in a gate in the fence between our backyards so I can hide with you if I need to?”
Daddy’s head cocked. “What if we put a ladder over the fence behind that big bush tree thing. I don’t know the name of it, but it’ll hide the ladder and we can take it down the next time they invite themselves over for another barbecue.”
Ugh.
“Don’t say that. My mother already texted me and asked if I could add a few hot dogs next time.” I needed to learn how to tell people no more often. “None of them eat hot dogs. Not even any of Indy’s kids.”
I’d been afraid to ask what she was doing.
Daddy hummed softly before leaning back in his bench and frowning. “Whatever I’m thinking is going to be wrong, so I’m trying to think outside the box.”
“Let’s try outside the planet.” A box just wasn’t going to cut it. “I was thinking she found some kind of recipe online or one of those weird cooking videos where they do strange things with food?”
“I’m almost afraid to guess.” Daddy flashed me a quick grin as I nodded. “Do you like hot dogs?”
“I like almost everything that isn’t yucky.” Some stuff was just gross. “Little me likes things like hot dogs but big me never thinks about ordering them or buying them.”
I didn’t know why.
“Maybe I get distracted by other things in the store? Nuggets and things like that are much more fun.” Daddy nuggets were going to be even better, though. “I thought about nuggets. Oops.”
His laugh made me want to wiggle but I was very good and behaved myself. “How about I make them for you next weekend?”
More dates?
“Yes, please.” That was going to be fun. “I need new clothes. I don’t have nugget ones.”
Daddy blinked. “They have nugget clothes?”
“There are all kinds of clothes, Daddy.” Oops. “Um, Knightly.”
Ha.
Better.
His smirk said he wasn’t worried about the Daddy thing. “I thought I was your knight, not Knightly.”
Ugh.
“You’re doing it again.” I was going to end up Little because he was naughty. “I’m trying to be grown-up so we can talk.”
Because even I knew I needed to be big long enough for us to have limits conversations or I’d never get a spanking. My taps earlier had been fun but not full-spanking-level fun. He also seemed to know how to do other BDSM stuff, so I had to figure that out too.
But Daddy was definitely the thoroughly communicate type, so I had to stay big and helpful or it would take forever to do anything naughtier than kissing.
“Then we’ll talk.” Daddy reached out and took my hand. “I like being around both sides, so I will do my best to stop trying to bring out your Little side.”
Yep, he’d been naughty.
“Do you like that part best?” Oh, that look. “It’s okay to have favorites. I like nuggets better than strips but they’re both very good.”
Was rolling his eyes a good sign or a bad one?
“I think you’re cute when you’re Little and I like how excited you get.” He was spelling it out so clearly I had a feeling he wanted to poke my chest.
Or maybe spank me?
He could spank me to make sure I learned my lesson.
Yes. That could work.
“Stop looking at me like that.” His glare got sexier and I lost the battle with my wiggles. “If I have to stop teasing your Little side, you can’t look at me like you’re ready to throw me down naked on the bed.”
“I’m not going to promise that.” Lying to Daddy would be wrong. “But how about I promise to imagine being thrown down face-first so you can spank me?”
That seemed fair.
Oh.
That was also the very moment one of the waiters walked by.
Oops.
Of course it couldn’t be our waiter, so we weren’t going to get food or even refills, but he did look down his nose at Daddy holding my hand. “You’re actually on a date?”
Huh?
The man was so weird. I looked at Daddy after a quick once-over of the waiter. “I think he’s maybe a relative?”
As the man glanced between us, Daddy nodded. “I can see the family resemblance. He reminds me a bit of Axel.”
The attitude-laden waiter rolled his eyes. “I’ll get Shelly.”
Who was Shelly?
Before I could ask Daddy who he thought our server had been, the asshole called out. “Hey, Shelly. They’re not lost.”
Good grief.
Daddy just glared. “I think we should go get deep-dish.”
“We’re going to go get Little Ceasars and watch a movie.” Dinners out were very overrated. “I want breadsticks too.”
“Deal.” Daddy stood, helping me out of the other side of the booth. “And we’re going someplace with less personality on our next date.”
“I have enough personality to make up for it.” I’d needed to hide it for so long it just kept jumping out now that I was an adult. “But no being naughty. I need to have that limits conversation before you distract me.”
Shrugging, Daddy ignored the way the waiter started sputtering. “I’m in charge, so I make the rules.”
As long as I got to help make him come and we ironed out when I was going to get my spanking, I wasn’t going to argue with him.
“Let me hear about those rules of yours.”
The more sex we talked about the more likely I was to actually get it.
Fingers crossed.