Koa’s Caring Daddy (Club Delight Littles #1)

Chapter 1

Koa smoothed the front of his onesie down, clearing out the barely visible wrinkles in the fabric. He wanted to look his best today.

He had to.

Because there was a new employee coming to work at the club.

Koa believed first impressions were important.

As much time as he spent around other people, he found that initial meeting to be the one where you could get a good idea of who a person was, what they believed in, and how they’d slot into your life.

It was even more important since Koa was part owner of the club.

His bestie Briar had suggested they go in together on renting a space after another failed munch. Koa hadn’t tried for the meetings to go wrong. He just always seemed to attract attention from the worst people.

Club Delight was born from the two of them wanting to build a place that felt safe and fun for Littles. Granted, Briar was a Daddy, so it wasn’t for her necessarily, however, Koa knew Briar’s instincts were to care.

They were also all about order and structure.

Briar was a stern Daddy through and through. If the fact that Koa had been gay wasn’t enough to ensure they’d never work as a couple, then it was Briar’s style of Daddying that would have done it.

Koa’s dream Daddy was more… gentle. They were all about snuggles and playtime. Baking cookies and being spoiled were big dealbreakers for him too. Dealbreakers as in he needed someone to support those things wholeheartedly.

“Are you about ready?” Briar’s voice echoed from the main office area.

“I’ll be right there.” Koa gave himself one final looksie, then he left their private bathroom.

Briar clapped when she saw him. “You look amazing. I knew that color would look great on you. It made the perfect birthday gift.”

Koa rolled his eyes. Even if she wasn’t his Daddy, Briar couldn’t help guiding him through life – whether that be picking his clothes, making sure he ate, or handling the more tedious parts of the business.

“I already told you I love it. It’s so comfy and I can wear it with anything.” Koa trailed his fingers over the collar of the onesie. It was styled like a polo, which gave him the opportunity to be Little while out in the Big world.

They left the office to head to the front. The club wasn’t busy given the time of day. Shortly after five on a Monday was pretty slow. A few regulars mingled or shared scenes, but it was nothing like how the late evenings and weekends got.

At the entryway, they turned left and went down the short hall to the sectioned off munch zone. This space was kept separate since you didn’t technically have to be a member to come to one. In fact, a lot of members came to munches before they signed up.

The sign with ‘Monday Mixers’ was propped against the open doorway. Koa took another deep breath to control his nerves. Briar put her hand on his back in a show of support.

She was the best. Which was why she was his bestie.

Koa giggled at the silly thought. He could already feel his Little side slipping through.

He took a big step forward, entering the space that was already bustling with people. Many of the faces were people he recognized. Friends who were members of the club or long-time munchers that didn’t want to commit but enjoyed the community Mondays brought.

A head nod here. A wave there. It was all familiar fun.

At the back of the room was truly where Koa wanted to be. The bulk of the toys were housed there. It was his favorite part of these meetings. He could meet other kinky people anytime he wanted. But getting to play with new Littles and Daddies was reserved solely for Mondays.

Ignoring the world around him, Koa dropped to his knees on the playmat. He was the first to start playing, though he definitely wouldn’t be the last. Or maybe he would. Sometimes Briar did have to remind him mixer time was over.

That was the worst.

Koa would play forever and ever if he had the chance. Being Big sucked.

He crawled over to the table pushed against the wall. He’d color for a while to settle his nerves. Then maybe he could go meet the new guy.

Roman McKeen.

According to Briar, Roman recently moved to the city. He’d been a dungeon master at his previous club, though he was very interested in how Club Delight catered to Littles instead of the other more mainstream kinks. Apparently he was also a Daddy.

It was that specific detail that made Koa nervous. While he loved meeting new people, he also felt he had to behave a certain way around the Daddies. His people pleasing nature demanded it.

Years of therapy had helped him learn that ‘no’ was a full sentence. But he still slipped into the old habit every now and again.

Koa selected a picture of a teddy bear and blanket laying on a couch. It looked like the perfect place to cozy up after a long day. Oh, how he wished he could.

Soon, he promised himself. Soon he’d get to go home, to his sanctuary, and do just that. Mr. Teddy would be happy to see him.

“Hi Koa!”

He turned at the familiar voice. His friend Ethan had come to sit with him. Koa grinned wide and threw his arms open.

“Ethan!”

The pair hugged, rocking side to side as if they hadn’t seen each other in years rather than a few days. A few of the people near them laughed at the sight. They weren’t being mean. Everyone always said Ethan and Koa’s other Little friends were cute together.

While Koa was an average sized man with long blonde hair, lightly tanned skin, and big glasses, Ethan was a tall, lean Black man who always sported a bit of scruff on his jaw. Neither of them were stereotypical Littles. Their differences were a big part of what made them gravitate to one another.

Well, that and a love for cuddles.

Had the laughing around them been to poke fun, Briar would have removed the guilty people right away. She didn’t tolerate negativity in the club.

When Koa pulled away from Ethan, his eyes caught on a figure standing near the doorway. A man he didn’t recognize watched him with a soft expression. Not quite a smile, but pretty close.

“Who is that?” he whispered to Ethan.

His friend turned, peeking over his shoulder. “Who is who?”

“The stranger by the door.”

“Ohhhh. That’s Manny. He’s new.”

Koa nodded. Yeah, he understood the new part of it. He’d never seen Manny, and given Koa was here every week, the ‘new’ label held true.

What he didn’t understand was how a Daddy so good looking was alone at a munch. Had he been the man’s Little he’d be tucked to his side all the time. Like allllll the time.

There was something about him that screamed caregiver. Maybe it was the kind look in his eyes. Or it could be the way he looked ready to help at a moment’s notice.

Koa tried to stop staring. He really did.

It wasn’t going very well.

As his gaze swept over Manny, he catalogued the details to his memory.

Black jeans that hugged thick, muscular thighs.

A long-sleeve ribbed shirt with the top two buttons undone covered equally muscular arms. His face was handsome, with full lips, a slightly turned up nose, and eyes that bore into Koa’s soul.

Add in the golden skin and tousled black hair, and you had the makings of a sex god come to life.

“He’s gonna think you’re a creeper, Koa,” Ethan whispered. “Come color. I’m not ready to people yet.”

Koa peeled his gaze away from Manny to support his friend. Ethan was somewhat reserved, but he sounded more upset than usual.

“What’s wrong? Do you need another hug?”

Ethan shook his head. “I’m ok. Just work stuff.”

“Oh, no! Are they being meanies again?” Koa asked as concern welled inside him. Ethan worked full-time at a corporate office job he hated. When he wasn’t buried under paperwork, his time was spent here at the club playing and running Sunday Snuggles once a week.

Koa had tried to convince his friend that he should quit his Big job to come work for him and Briar. They were doing well enough financially to bring him on. It would solve a lot of his issues.

Except Ethan held steady that he was needed in the office. As the assistant to the CEO, he always said he was quite literally the backup support to the decision maker.

Whatever the reason, Koa hated seeing his friend stressed. They had a cuddle session yesterday. Ethan should be happy as a clam.

Briar appeared out of thin air, pulling Koa from thoughts about his friend. “Come on, co-boss man. Time to meet the new guy. You can play more after.”

“I guess,” he groaned, throwing a wink at Ethan. The other Little laughed at the motion before turning back to his coloring page.

Koa considered it a win. He’d have to find other ways to make his friend happy through the night.

He managed to turn around to face the front right as Briar came to a stop. She began making introductions, but he couldn’t hear a word of it. Because standing in front of him was the handsome stranger Ethan called “Manny.”

“Koa,” Briar called in a way that told him she’d said it more than once.

“Huh.” He rubbed his throat. “I’m here. What’s happening?”

His bestie sighed gently. “I’m trying to introduce you to Roman, our new Monday Mixers host. He’s going to coordinate and schedule activities for the munches moving forward.”

Roman held his hand out. “Nice to meet you, Koa. I’m excited to be here.”

“Ethan said you were Manny. Did you lie to him?”

The words came out his mouth before he could stop them. He would have to apologize later if he was wrong. It just seemed too weird for this man to have more than one identity.

Unless there was a twin here.

Koa spun in a circle, wondering if he’d missed the fact that more than one handsome man had arrived. When he found nothing, he turned back to look at Roman.

Briar had a scowl on her face. Koa ignored her in favor of getting an answer to his question. He didn’t think he was being unreasonable. If Roman, Manny, or whoever this was turned out to be a liar, they needed to know upfront.

“My full name is Roman McKeen, as I outlined on my application. When I meet Littles, I use Manny because I find it is less intimidating. It’s not a lie. Merely a preference.”

Koa’s shoulders dropped. He had been all wrong. There was no twin. They hadn’t been tricked.

“I’m sorry,” Koa murmured.

Briar hummed, then put her hand on his neck. “I think you might need some corner time for your rudeness.”

He shook his head quickly. No! Koa hated corner time. It was so lonely and cold.

Manny held his hand up. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to intervene here.”

“Be my guest.” Briar stepped back. Koa could see she was still close. No way would she leave him alone with a new Daddy they barely knew.

“Hi, Koa,” Manny said in a gentle tone. “It’s nice to meet you. I’d like for you to call me Manny, if that’s ok with you.”

“Ok, Mr. Manny. Sorry for being a meanie.”

He gave a throaty chuckle. “It’s ok, sweetheart. There’s nothing to apologize for. It’s good you called me out. I imagine it was scary to do so.”

Koa quickly bobbed his head.

“Then it sounds to me like you’ve already experienced some not so fun times. Why don’t you go back to color with your friend Ethan. Briar and I can finish going over the business stuff.”

“Really?!” Koa asked the question, then turned to face his friend.

She smirked. “I guess we can this once. But next time you need to stop and think before you speak. Ok, bud?”

Koa smiled widely. “Yes, ma’am! I go play now. Bye!”

He rushed back to the table. His body collapsed into a heap, which startled Ethan into a yelp since he’d been lost to his Little side. A few people turned their way at the sound.

“Is ok,” Ethan declared. Once everyone went back to their mingling, Ethan tapped Koa on the shoulder. “You have fun talk to Manny?”

Koa groaned. “No. I was rude. Now he’s never gonna like me.”

His friend poked him again. Koa turned to face the other Little instead of burying his face in his arms like he had been.

“What?”

“Manny still like you. He don’t look away.” Ethan tilted his head in the direction of the others.

Koa fought not to look. He couldn’t check to see if Ethan was right. Besides, he didn’t need to attract any more attention his way. He’d done enough damage for one night.