Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Mace
While Autumn eats everything on her plate, I divide her hair into two sections and plait it into braids behind her ears. She reaches up to stroke them when I finish.
Twisting around, she smiles at me. “I can’t believe you know how to braid hair.”
“I wouldn’t be a very good Daddy if I couldn’t at least manage a few important hairstyles.”
“So you’re not going to be able to give me a fancy updo for a charity event or anything?”
“Not a chance, but I bet I could do pigtails if you wanted them someday.” I pull her off the stool into my arms, letting her slide down to her feet. With my hands at the small of her back, I meet her gaze. It’s time to introduce her to the playroom.
“I need to touch base with my team in Indianapolis. Would you like to color while I do so?”
“Can I color next to you and eavesdrop?”
“No, you may not, naughty girl. You’ll let me gather information and deliver it to you in a way that won’t cause you to panic.”
“But you won’t keep things from me, right?” She narrows her eyes.
“Autumn, I can’t guarantee I will tell you every single detail. You don’t need to know things that might give you nightmares for no good reason. There may be some facts that I choose to keep to myself. I might reserve other details for another time. Please trust me to know what’s best.”
She sighs. “Okay.”
I take her hand and lead her to my office.
She looks around as we enter. “You have so many computers.”
“Most of those are just monitors, Baby. There are a lot of things I keep an eye on.”
She wanders closer. Only one monitor is open right now, and I wonder whether she’s going to realize where the cameras for the individual locations are set up.
She stares for a long time, her eyes moving around the large screen. “This is the inside of your apartment.”
“Yes.” I lean a hip against the desk a few inches from her.
She points toward the one that’s on my nightstand. “You were watching me sleep…”
“I was.”
Autumn folds her arms as she examines the others. “Mace, you have a camera in damn near every room.”
I want to reach out and touch her, but she’s a bit prickly.
I’m not surprised. Luckily, she hasn’t turned and slapped me yet.
We’re standing here for a reason, though.
The monitor that shows every angle in my home was open on purpose.
I wanted her to see that she will rarely be out of my view.
It wouldn’t be fair to keep that detail from her any longer.
Eventually, she’s sharp enough to home in on the one room she has not seen yet. She leans in and stares directly at that panel. “What room is this?”
I push off the edge of the desk. “Come. I’ll show you.” Taking her hand, I guide her to the room that’s attached to my office. Both have separate entrances from the hallway, but I had a connecting door built in.
Ready or not…
With a hand on the small of her back, I open the door and usher her inside.
Two steps in, Autumn freezes. She doesn’t make a single sound as she looks around.
I stay behind her in the doorway, waiting.
After what seems like an eon, she starts moving. Not glancing at me a single time, she shuffles from one thing to another while I try not to panic.
Eventually, she returns to me. Her arms are crossed in a protective way as she tips her head back. “I’m trying to make sense of all of this, Mace.”
I shrug as if it’s not a big deal. “It’s like the sippy cup and the entire cupboard full of dishes I have for a Little girl. I’ve been prepared for a while.”
“But this room is lavender, Mace. You painted the walls lavender. I know you didn’t do that while I was sleeping. It would smell of paint in here.”
Gripping the frame on both sides, I nod. “I believe my subconscious was influenced by a certain someone I dreamed of claiming one day. I knew she liked purple, so I painted the room lavender.”
“If my father hadn’t died two nights ago, I might have never come here, Mace.”
“I like to think you would have. But you’re right.
I never entertained thoughts of pursuing you.
I didn’t dare consider asking my mentor’s daughter on a date.
It seemed disrespectful. I feared he would not appreciate my feelings toward you.
I didn’t have a single clue if you were Little or even interested in me.
My entire infatuation was based on fantasy.
And it was under that illusion that I painted this room lavender and purchased a lot of things in shades of purple. ”
She spins around, putting her back to me, her head moving slowly, indicating she’s taking in every aspect again. I’ve unsettled her. I knew it was a possibility. It’s pretty strange that I had this room designed with her in mind long before I knew she was even attainable.
I look around, trying to see it through her eyes.
The furniture is white: a desk and chair, a loveseat covered with pillows, all in shades of purple, a small table and chairs for art, puzzles, or games.
There’s a lavender rug in the middle of the room that matches the paint, and shelves filled with books, toys, and dolls.
It’s not entirely full. After all, I had no idea what my fictitious Little girl might want in a playroom.
Autumn can finish it with anything she likes. If she doesn’t turn tail and run.
She’s rooted in her spot, not shouting at me, so I finally approach from behind and wrap my arms around her.
“It’s kind of eerie, Mace.”
“But do you like it?”
She sighs, her shoulders dropping. “I love it.”
Thank heavens. “You can change it anyway you want. After all, like you pointed out, I could have eventually met a woman who wasn’t you, and she might have preferred pink. I would have simply painted over the lavender.”
“Pft. Blasphemy. A woman who isn’t me…”
I’m sort of shocked by her making a joke right now, but relieved nonetheless. “Can you imagine?” I tease.
“No. Thank God I got here before she did.”
I hold her tighter. “I suspect you were always going to get here before her.”
“You can’t know that, Mace.”
“Can’t I? Sweetheart, I doubt anyone I met would have ever felt like the right person because in my subconscious mind, I had already met the right person for me. The fact she didn’t know it isn’t relevant.”
“I suppose.”
“You’re twenty-two years old, and you haven’t dated anyone significant in your life. Do you not think that has something to do with harboring feelings for me?”
“I know it does,” she admits.
“Then you can understand why I haven’t been on a single serious date with anyone in the past four years, either. I might not have consciously considered pursuing you out of respect for your father, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t pining after you. This room is a manifestation of my wishful thinking.”
“I hate that a part of me feels like my father had to die for my own life to begin.”
I shake my head against her neck. “I don’t think that’s true.
Your father knew we had feelings for each other.
He was astute. I suspect eventually he would have pointed it out to one or both of us.
He was most likely waiting for you to get a bit older so he could be sure you knew your own mind.
And he was right. It was for the best that you didn’t spend your college years in a relationship with an old guy like me. ”
She finally cracks her serious facade and chuckles. “You’re not that old.”
“Aren’t I, though?”
“It’s only thirteen years. It won’t seem like a big deal when you’re sixty.”
“I’m glad you feel that way.” I rock her back and forth, enjoying having her in my arms. I never dreamed I would have the opportunity to touch her like this anytime in the near future. Perhaps I hoped I would eventually woo her, but it wasn’t on my radar for this week.
“I want to go sit on that loveseat, curl up, and read a good book.”
“There are several books on the shelf, but I suspect you have dozens on your e-reader.”
“But also, I want to draw. I see colored pencils on the shelf and crayons. It’s the giant box.”
I smile. This is going well. “You can do whatever you want. And make a list of whatever’s missing so we can order it.”
“This doesn’t seem real. I’m here, in your home, and you’re interested in me.”
“Very. Very interested, Baby girl.”
She sighs heavily. “You’re like my father’s unattainable friend. Someone I close my eyes and think about when I touch myself. Not someone I get to actually touch.”
I chuckle. “You may touch any part of me you want whenever you’re ready.”
Pressing against my arms to release her, she wiggles free of me. “Speaking of touching… I can’t think when you’re holding me. You scramble my brain.”
“Ah, that’s all part of my master plan.” I hate it when my hands aren’t on her.
She turns to face me, backing away, moving deeper into the room. “What’s your preferred age range for a Little?”
“I don’t have one, Baby girl. To me, what matters is having the ability to nurture you, no matter what that looks like.”
Still moving backward, she keeps talking. “I’ve never had the opportunity to explore this kinky side of myself outside of my imagination.”
I step into the doorframe and lean against it, giving her space. “When you read a good age-play book, you go into your head and act out things while touching yourself, right?”
Her pretty cheeks turn pink. “Yes.”
“It’s possible whatever age you see yourself as while you’re masturbating is what will best suit you, but it’s also possible you like to switch things up and play at different ages.
Or maybe some age ranges are sexy to you, and others are not.
Don’t let it bother you if an age you visualize in order to orgasm is not an age you would like to role-play in.
There are no rules, Baby. One size does not fit all. You’re your own person.”
“It’s all overwhelming and unexpected.”
“I know, sweetheart, and I want you to know you can talk to me about any concerns you have at any time. Always.”
“Thank you.”
“Now, as much as I hate to, I need to make some phone calls and meet with my boss, Blade.”
“About my dad?”
“Yes.” I won’t sugarcoat things. Most things. “Can I make a suggestion?”
“Yes.”
“And feel free to tell me no.”
She chuckles. “Why do I get the feeling that’s not going to fly with you a lot of the time?”
I smile. “You’re right. Chances are, whatever age range you play in, I will expect you to obey me. I may even give you orders that are silly simply because I suspect you enjoy my bossy side. No will not be an option.”
She lifts a brow. “We’re only talking about my Little here, right? You won’t boss around my adult.”
“Autumn, when it comes to safety and your health, you can expect me to boss every single part of you around. If you asked me if you could leave this apartment today, the answer would be fuck, no. That goes for your adult and your Little. It’s not safe.
I want you to let me figure out who killed your father and eliminate them before I ease up on those reins, do you understand? ”
She drops her hands to her sides, and I swear she’s breathing heavier. I shouldn’t be surprised. She thrives under my bossy side. In the long run, it’s unlikely that her adult will be in charge very often.
Eventually, she licks her lips and inhales. “Yes, Sir.”
“Good girl. Now, my suggestion. I’m going to ask Blade to come meet with me here, so we don’t have to go to the office. Would you like him to bring his Little girl with him?”
Her eyes bug out. “He has a girlfriend who’s into age play?”
“Yes. So does another member of my team—Cannon. Blade owns the company and lives in the penthouse. Cannon lives across the hall. Both of them are in age-play relationships. Their girlfriends are very sweet and kind. Either or both of them would gladly befriend you in a heartbeat. All I need to do is invite them over. It might be nice for you to have some other Little girls to talk to.”
“How old are they?”
“Blade’s Little girl is thirty. Cannon’s Little girl is your age, twenty-two.”
She chews on her bottom lip while she ponders my suggestion. “I guess it would be okay. If I’m going to stay with you for any length of time, it would be nice to have friends, especially if they live in the same building.”
“The length of time you’re going to stay with me is ninety years, sweetheart,” I point out in my bossy tone.
She cocks her head to one side. “Whatever.”
“Sassy girl. You should trust your Daddy.”
Her breath hitches on that word.
“That’s right. In your heart, you already know I’m your Daddy. Try it out in your head. When you’re ready, you’ll call me that.”
“Okay, you can invite someone over.”
I nod. “I’ll let Blade know. Why don’t you find something soothing to do while I make some calls? If you need me, I’ll be in my office through the connecting door.”
“Thank you.”
It’s hard to walk away, but I finally turn and stride toward my desk. My girl needs space to explore her physical surroundings and her emotional changes.