Gene (Daddies in the Orchards #1)

3. Chapter One

CHAPTER ONE

SAMMI

“I s Sammi your nickname?” Nolan asked.

Sammi sighed. Everyone thought it was just a nickname.

“No, it’s not. That is my name.”

“Why’d your parents name you that?”

“Good question. Why don’t you dig them up, bring them back to life, and ask them yourself,” she sassed.

“Sorry, Teeny.”

Sammi sighed once again. “No, I’m sorry. Just been a long day. I had no reason to snap at you.”

After looking up at the apple tree, she stepped on the ladder and started to pick the red fruit. The past several days had been long and hard since it was harvest time.

“Why don’t you go take a little break? Get some water and eat something,” Nolan suggested.

“Why?”

“You don’t look too good.”

“I’m okay.” She shrugged. “We’re almost done with this row anyway and then we get to go home.”

She had been more exhausted than normal, had been getting headaches, felt shaky, and always needed to pee, even though she wasn’t drinking a lot. Sammi had thought about getting it checked out a couple of times, but she didn’t have insurance. The coverage was starting in two weeks.

Maybe she should schedule an appointment in two weeks. Something was off, but she couldn’t do anything about it. She didn’t need another thing to pay for, not when she was already helping to repay someone elses’s debt.

But Sammi couldn’t deny that there was something going on, something was wrong. On top of the other symptoms, she was also losing weight, though she was eating twice as much as normal.

It was weird, very abnormal, she needed to get it checked out. But it was going to have to wait until her insurance kicked in. Maybe she could talk to Gene about it starting earlier, but then he might think she only got the job for the insurance.

When Sammi had first applied for the job at The Little Farm, she didn't think the insurance or benefits would be that great, but they were, surprisingly. She was skeptical when he told her all the details, but he reassured her that they took care of their employees. That was all she needed to sign the contract and begin working. That and the money.

With her working the hours she was, she would be able to make a dent in the money her brother owed. Then, both of them could get out from under it and live their lives.

“I don't like how pale you're looking,” Nolan said.

Sammi huffed and looked at him. “You're just exaggerating. I'm fine. We're almost done with this row, so why don't we just finish it up real quick, and then we can all go home and not worry about each other.”

Nolan looked concerned and opened his mouth to say something, but she stopped him.

“I’m really fine,” she lied. Sammi was anything but fine, though she wasn't going to let him know that. “I'm really okay, promise.”

All the men who worked for Gene looked out for her, made sure that she had everything she needed. It was weird, but she brushed it off every single time. It was probably Gene making sure she was actually doing her job and disguising it as the men caring for her. Sammi didn't want to give him any reason to fire her, not when she needed the money and the insurance.

Her bladder protested, and she groaned. Of course when she promised she was okay, her bladder proved otherwise.

Nolan looked over at her, looking panicked. “Are you sure you’re okay? It didn't sound like you were. Do you need anything? Food, water, your feet up, get out of the sun, what do you need?”

“I'll be right back,” she gently said. “I’ll only be a couple of minutes.”

“Where are you going? Are you okay?” Nolan fired off.

Sammi started to climb down the ladder. “I’m okay. I just need to go to the bathroom.”

“Are you sure you’re okay? You went to the bathroom like ten minutes ago.”

Sammi’s face flushed. She didn't think people were keeping track of when she went to the bathroom. How was she going to explain that?

“I didn’t mean it like that. I’m not really keeping tabs on you, but I just noticed you were going a lot. We’re all worried about you. We just want you okay,” Nolan rushed out. “If you need to talk to Gene about something, just let him know. He's a really understanding boss and will understand whatever is going on.”

Sammi leaned her face against the ladder. “Nothing is wrong. I mean it. I just drank a lot this morning and throughout the day. I just really need to go to the bathroom. My body isn't used to drinking all of this liquid.”

Which would be true if she was actually drinking. That was the problem, but she couldn't let them know that. They were her coworkers and men. She didn't want them to know anything and let Gene know something was going on. She needed this job for two reasons, and she wasn't about to let anybody take it away from her.

“While you’re there, make sure to grab a drink and something to eat,” Nolan said.

“All right,” Sammi started to walk toward the main building.

Was she do what Nolan said? Probably not. She didn’t need it, and they were almost done with work. She would get home and eat anything and everything she wanted.

As Sammi got closer to the main building, Gene appeared. She kept her head down as she walked the last little bit toward the bathroom. The last thing she needed was Gene seeing her not doing her work. The last time she went to the bathroom, he had seen her, and she felt bad then, but she would feel even worse now if he saw her.

She was getting her work done, but she didn't want to give him any reason to fire her. Could going to the bathroom too many times a day get her fired? Sammi didn't know, and she didn’t really want to find out. There was no reason to try.

Sammi had tried to cut down on how much she went to the bathroom since the guys didn’t go as much, but it was hard. It was like her bladder had a mind of its own and decided to need to go every couple of minutes.

“You’ve got this,” Sammi whispered to herself. “Everything is going to be okay.”

Or so she hoped. Sammi had stopped drinking as much, hoping she wouldn't need to pee a lot, but it hadn't worked. This morning, she had woken up and didn’t drink anything. Not drinking was starting to take a toll on her body, but she needed to keep it up, no matter how thirsty she was. Which was a lot. She didn’t want Gene to think she was slacking because she wasn't.

Her bladder protested as she rushed into the stall. Her fingers couldn't move fast enough to unbutton her jeans. She groaned in frustration as the button kept slipping through her fingers. Tears filled her eyes as the seconds went by, but Sammi finally managed to get her button undone, her pants down, and started going to the bathroom. She sighed in relief as she relaxed on the toilet.

How could she have needed to go to the bathroom this badly when she hadn’t drunk anything in forever? That was the question she kept asking herself. It was one she couldn't answer. Did she have a UTI that made her need to go to the bathroom a lot?

Sammi didn't know a lot about health stuff like that. She had never been ill before, and yet she suspected she had an infection. It was the only logical explanation for what was going on.

When she had finished her business, she pulled her pants back up and walked out. After quickly washing her hands, she made her way out of the bathroom and toward Nolan but quickly stopped when Gene was standing there. Her heart started to race as they stared at each other.

Sammi couldn't deny that Gene was good-looking. He was gorgeous. She had seen him going into Behind the Scenes and going into grocery stores to drop off produce. Every single time she saw him, she had to stop and admire him.

Before she got this job, her hopes of ever getting with him were slim, but now it was closer to none. He didn't tell her that she couldn't date one of his employees or him, but she felt like it was an unspoken rule.

Her chances with him were gone. Unless she decided to quit, she figured he still wouldn’t want her. Gene was the only person she had ever been interested in. He just had something that spoke to her.

Now, any hopes she thought had were only be a fantasy. Something she longed for but could never have.

“Boss,” she quietly said as she took a step forward.

Sammi had seen a lot of the other men just call him boss and move on. Maybe it could work for her in this instance. Maybe he wouldn’t ask any questions, and they’d be able to move on.

But luck wasn’t on her side

“Are you okay?” he asked.

Sammi gave him a puzzled look. Was she okay? Why was he asking that? Her mouth dropped into an O as she remembered her moaning in the bathroom.

Her cheeks went red, and she nodded. “Ohh, yeah, I am okay. My button just wouldn’t come undone when I needed to go to the bathroom. That was it. I’m perfectly fine besides that. Just drunk a lot today, so I’m... Please stop me from talking,” she groaned.

Gene looked at her with an amused face. “Didn’t know you made any noises that I needed to be concerned about. Do we need to get you some press-on buttons for your pants instead of the ones you have to buckle in? Or perhaps some pants where you can just slide them on and not have to worry about anything else?”

Her mouth hung open as she stared at him. She was not expecting him to be concerned about her not being able to get her pants undone. But even then, she wouldn’t be able to wear them because she seemed to be losing weight every single day. She had to make extra holes in her belt so it would fit around her. Soon enough, she was going to have to buy another pair so she could still wear her them. Belts were cheaper than jeans so it would be a temporary fix.

“Sammi?” Gene asked. “Do we need to get you other pants that you can slip on and off?”

She shook her head. “No, Sir. I just need to practice unbuckling them so I don’t have another situation like this.”

And now she was talking to her boss about going to the bathroom and not being able to get her pants off. How much more embarrassing could this get?

“Well, if that changes you let me know. But how about we don’t put ourselves in a situation like this again? Don’t let it get so desperate that you’re in a rush and might pee your pants.”

“Yes, Sir, sorry Sir.” She looked down at her feet.

“Now, are you really okay?” He asked again.

Sammi gave him another confused look. “Yes, boss, I am okay.”

“Nolan radioed me to say that you looked pale and like a strong wind could blow you over.”

“That snitch,” she growled before she could stop herself. “He needs to mind his own damn business. I told him I was fine, perfectly fine, and he goes andradios you?”

Sammi should have known that something like this was going to happen. Maybe she needs to find a couple of jobs on the farm to complete by herself so no one can snitch on her.

“He wasn’t snitching. We all look out for each other. He was just looking out for you.”

“I don’t need him to look out for me. I’m fine.” She sighed.

“You do look a bit pale. If you need to take a couple more breaks, you can. You just started the job, and you aren’t used to the demand. That’s perfectly fine. Everyone starts off like this, needing breaks. You’ll slowly build up a tolerance and not need as much time to recover, once your body gets used to it. It’s not a problem,” he gently said.

“I’m perfectly fine. I don’t need extra breaks. I have been okay,” she replied.

It was a total lie. She was anything but fine, but he didn’t need to know that. She just needed to make it to her insurance kicking in.

“I beg to differ. You have dark circles under your eyes, you look pale even though you’ve been out in the sun all day. You look utterly exhausted, like you've spent forty hours working today alone.” Gene chuckled.

Sammi clenched her jaw, keeping her thoughts to herself. She knew how exhausted she looked. She had looked at herself in the mirror while washing her hands. It wasn’t a pretty sight, but it wasn't going to stop her from working.

“How much water have you had today?” Gene asked.

She shrugged. “Some.”

She wasn't about to tell him it had only been a couple of ounces. He didn't need to know that.

“How much?”

“How is that any of your business?” she asked before she could stop herself.

“I’m your boss, and if you aren't okay, I need you to answer, so I can help. So how much water have you had today?” he asked again.

“Do you do this with every new employee?”

“No, but that doesn't change anything. I want to know, need to know how much you drank today. This job is taxing, and I need to know that you are taking care of yourself appropriately.”

He wasn’t going to like her answer if she told him truthfully.

“So I don’t think you actually need to know. If you’ve never done this to another employee, then why me? Is it because I’m a girl? I don’t need your pity.”

This was what Sammi was afraid of, being treated differently because she was a woman.

“No, it’s not because you are a girl, Little One,” Gene replied.

A shiver worked its way through her body as he called her Little One. She had read about being called that nickname several times, but it never happened in person until now. And this was the person she fantasized about.

Did he know? He couldn’t. She made sure everything she wore and how she acted didn’t reflect that. Sammi knew he went to BTS, a Littles club, but that didn’t mean anything. She knew there were a lot of Littles in Springfield, though it didn’t mean everyone was.

“If any of the other guys had acted like this, looked like this, then I would have asked them. But they didn’t. Most of them have worked in a place like this before, but the few that hadn’t got advice from other people and made it work,” he calmly said. “Now, how much have you drunk today?”

“A gallon,” she whispered, lying through her teeth.

She wasn’t even close to a gallon, but he didn’t need to know that. When she got home, that was when she was going to drink as much as she wanted. She wouldn’t have prying eyes or people keeping track of how many times she went to the bathroom and how long she’d had in between each break.

Sammi was still shocked Nolan was keeping track. That wasn’t normal. But Springfield wasn’t normal. There was an abnormally high number of Daddy Doms along with Littles. That couldn’t be normal, right?

“I don’t like being lied to,” he said. “It’s not good to lie. Little Ones who lie find themselves over Daddy’s lap or standing in the corner.”

Her eyes went wide, and she took a step back. “I’m not lying.”

But he knew now that she was since she took had moved away. However, someone could argue that it was because he threatened to punish her.

“And I definitely don’t need to be spanked or have corner time!”

“Sammi, you not looking me in the eye when you tell me how much you’ve had to drink, you taking a step back, and arguing that you didn’t lie all point to you not telling the truth. To top it off, your body language also gives it away.”

“Still doesn’t mean I’ve lied,” she mumbled.

“You did,” Gene gently said. “You know it, and I know it. Now, why don’t you tell me how much you’ve drunk today.”

“Nolan needs me. I told him I would be a couple of minutes. It’s been way longer than that. So, I’ll see you later, boss, but I need to go finish work so both of us can go home,” Sammi rushed out.

Before Gene could say anything, Sammi turned around and walked away, her whole body stiff as a board.