Chapter 7
‘Did we really do that last night?’ Stella mumbled, still half-asleep as she woke up alone in her bed. ‘Me and Logan? Again?’
Stella sat up in her bed and looked around.
It may have been the weekend, but her body clock was still determined to wake Stella up at pretty much the crack of dawn. Being up early was just part of Stella’s life, the concept of a lazy lie-in seeming like an unattainable abstract concept.
Stella watched as her automated window blinds slowly and silently opened upward and let in the early morning sun. It was super-bright, somehow feeling even brighter than normal, and Stella shut her eyes and let the light hit her face.
Last night had been fun with a capital F.
There was no denying that whatsoever.
The sensation of being so intimate with Logan felt as good as ever. The way that they understood one another on a such a deep level was something that Stella yearned for in a relationship.
Even the fact that Logan had double-checked that Stella’s safeword was still the same felt so good. Logan may have been a wild guy, but when it came to sex and kink he had always been super-careful and considerate with Stella.
Stella appreciated Logan’s care and attention to making sure that she always felt safe and secure. On the flipside, Stella also very much enjoyed how Logan hadn’t held back one iota when it came to the spanking itself.
‘Hmmm, I think my butt might still be red,’ Stella giggled, lifting the thin bed cover and peering down to see that her butt cheeks did indeed still have a tinge of post-spanking redness to them.
But as hot as the night before had been, Stella couldn’t help but feel a little bit self-conscious. After all, Logan staying over was only meant to be a favor to an old friend. The suggestion of getting back involved together hadn’t been on Stella’s mind.
If Logan was the same as he always had been in the past, the last thing he would want to do would be discuss relationship issues over breakfast. Stella remembered how in college Logan would brush off any suggestion of these kinds of conversations, preferring instead to focus on whatever the next adventure was going to be that day.
Stella would get frustrated with Logan and rather than embrace Logan’s adventure seeking nature, Stella would sometimes sulk and pout over things if she felt Logan wasn’t taking their relationship seriously.
This caused problems between Stella and Logan, and even at times seemed to put their college friendship in jeopardy.
Nope. Not going down that route again.
This time I’m playing it cool.
And I’ll do that by… avoiding him.
With this in mind, Stella sprung up out of bed. It was time to brush her teeth, shower, and creep out of the apartment without having to deal with Logan at all…
After a brisk cycle in her comfortable cotton white t-shirt and pale blue shorts, Stella hopped off her bicycle and walked up toward Lilah and Nicki who had already arrived at the café.
It may have been early on a Saturday morning, but the young people of Blue Rock were already up and about, so it was fortunate that Lilah and Nicki had managed to grab a great seat outside with perfect views down onto the beach below.
Both Lilah and Nicki had been up extra-early that Saturday morning to attend a sunrise yoga class. It sounded like fun, but both Lilah and Nicki were far keener to hear about what Stella had gotten up to the previous evening…
‘Come on, spill!’ Lilah said, her slicked back chestnut brown hair glistening in the sun. ‘You know that I’d tell you guys everything if I’d just hooked up with a super-hot Daddy.’
‘Potential Daddy,’ Stella said, a note of caution in her voice.
‘Whatever! We need all the tea,’ Nicki laughed, her olive skin looking as immaculate as ever as she sipped on her fresh OJ.
Stella paused for a moment and felt her cheeks flush red with embarrassment. This didn’t go unnoticed. Far from it, in fact…
‘Ha! Those blushing cheeks tell way more than a thousand words ever could,’ Lilah laughed, sipping on her drink and casually signaling to the waiter for a new round of juice.
‘Okay, okay, so yes it did go down last night,’ Stella said, the cheers and whoops of her two friends drawing the attention of the other people sitting outside the café. ‘But…’
‘Yeah?’ Nicki said, leaning in ready for some extra-juicy details.
‘The most magical thing was seeing how happy Logan was at The Dog Den,’ Stella said, drawing groans from her two buddies.
‘Come on, guys, it’s true. We can talk about the sexy stuff too, but what made me so happy was seeing how into the dog center Logan was.
He had no ego, he got right down to the stinky jobs too. Logan was like…’
‘A responsible adult?’ Lilah said, a wry grin on her face.
‘He sounds like he’s ready to be a real Daddy,’ Nicki added.
‘Yup. Just like the kind of Daddy who I could actually see a real future with,’ Stella said, a wistful tone in her voice.
‘But this is Logan,’ Nicki said, arching her eyebrow. ‘Could he ever actually change. Even if he wanted to?’
The three friends looked at one another and burst out in laughter. Logan was a big character, the kind of one in a million personality who was hard to pin down. Everything that Stella loved about Logan and made him special was also part of the problems they had had.
Stella could see the funny side of her predicament.
‘I wish my love life could be simple for once!’ Stella exclaimed, pretending to bang her forehead against the oak tabletop. ‘I’m a Little who needs a Daddy, is that too much to ask for?’
‘Hey, at least you have a love life,’ Lilah said, rolling her eyes in mock exasperation. ‘The closest I’ve been to an orgasm recently was sitting on a bumpy seat in an Uber!’
The three Little friends all laughed again.
It was always great fun hanging out with Lilah and Nicki, and Stella felt incredibly grateful to count them as her best friends.
They had all been there for one another through the good times and the bad, and even as they got older and had more work commitments, the same bond was always there between them.
As the second round of fresh juices arrived, Stella looked down onto the beach. There were small smatterings of people down on the golden sands. There were some folks in the water too, from early morning surfers to groups of swimmers too.
But it wasn’t outdoor activity of the sporting kind that was on Stella’s mind…
Me and Logan together…
Naked. On the beach…
What would people say?
Stella suddenly realized just how excited she was getting by the prospect of being nude on the beach with a Daddy like Logan and swiftly adjusted her t-shirt to cover up any tell-tale signs of arousal.
If it was ever in any doubt, Stella realized that keeping her mind off Logan was a hopeless task to even attempt.
Stella decided that the only way of dealing with her feelings of self-consciousness around Logan and their relationship was to tackle things head on.
It was time to message Logan and arrange a meeting.
But whether Logan would be even close to being awake for another few hours was a whole other matter…
When Logan finally replied to Stella’s message, Stella was somewhat surprised to find that Logan had been up for a few hours.
Even better than that, Logan had actually paid an impromptu visit to The Dog Den and helped out with their morning laundry session.
After making her way to the location that Logan sent in her message, Stella took a moment to look around.
It was a cool block close to the beach, populated by a lot of hipsters and grungy types.
It was one of the few areas of Blue Rock that hadn’t quite been totally consumed by healthy lifestyle spots.
Even though Stella loved her clean and healthy life, she couldn’t deny that hanging out in a dive bar from time to time was fun too. And, more than anything else, it was one hundred percent pure Logan Rain…
‘Sweetie says hi by the way,’ Logan said, flashing a smile over toward Stella as the pair of them embraced. ‘This beer’s on me. It’s the least I can do to say thank you for your hospitality. And for bringing that big beast Sweetie into my life too.’
Stella smiled and felt her heart skip a beat.
This was the kind, impulsive yet compassionate Logan that Stella had developed such strong feelings for.
This was the Logan who had kept a hold on a small but significant piece of Stella’s heart for so long.
But more than anything else, this was the version of Logan that Stella wished could be on show for the whole time. There was no talk about a fear of commitment, no cancelling plans, and no flaking out on responsibility.
This version of Logan was the true Daddy edition that Stella desired.
Hell, this version of Logan had actively sought out the responsibility of going down to The Dog Den and helping out with the comparatively pretty dull task of sorting out stacks and stacks of doggy blankets and beds.
As they took a seat outside of a rough and ready bar, a rarity in Blue Rock, Stella raised her bottle of beer and saluted her old friend Logan.
Logan flashed a smile in return and took a big glug of the beer.
‘Feels good after a good deed at The Dog Den,’ Logan said. ‘Not that I was there just so I could justify a beer, of course. Those damned mutts are just too cute. Shit, in another life I might have been a vet.’
‘You totally could have been a vet,’ Stella said. ‘But you’d have needed to graduate though…’
‘Touché,’ Logan replied, a grin on his face. ‘I’ll let that sass slide, girl. But, anyway, you know me. I like to cut and run too much, right?’
The pair of them shared a moment of contemplation.
Stella was glad to see that Logan was at least self-aware of his own tendency to run when the going got tough.
‘I want to set things straight,’ Logan said, a contemplative look in his soulful eyes. ‘College was college. You were young, I didn’t want to tie you down. Well, not like that anyhow.’
‘But you could have explained that to me,’ Stella said, determined to not let Logan off the hook that easily. ‘It really freakin’ hurt me. It’s been an influence on my relationships ever since, and not in a good way either.’
‘And for that, I’m truly sorry,’ Logan replied, the sincerity in his voice clear. ‘That’s the last thing I’d want. Even when I left, it didn’t change the fact that I felt so many strong feelings toward you. I always have done. I just have never been in the right place, you know?’
‘I think I hear you,’ Stella said. ‘But… what about now? What about last night?’
‘Last night was fun as hell,’ Logan said. ‘I’d like more, much more. But I can’t make any promises, I want to be clear on that. My life is a mess. As much as I’d love to do a big romantic gesture, I can’t. It wouldn’t be fair. I know how much having a Daddy means to you.’
Stella took a moment to consider what Logan was saying.
Yes, it wasn’t exactly the promise to total commitment that Stella would have dreamed of. But it was one thing. It was honest. Stella could see that Logan meant every word that he said.
‘So…’ Logan said, running his finger over the top of his beer.
‘So,’ Stella replied, licking her lips.
‘Shall we…’
‘Head back to mine?’ Stella said, her heart racing and the moistness in her panties intensifying.
‘No,’ Logan replied. ‘I’ve got a better idea. And it’s an idea that I know you’re going to just love.’
Logan flashed one of his enigmatic, totally enticing smiles. Stella felt like putty in Logan’s hands.
Whatever Logan had in store, Stella wanted to find out what it was.
Fortunately for Stella, the wait to find out what Logan had in mind was even shorter than she imagined…