Chapter 2 #2
The pizza suddenly felt like it weighed twenty pounds. Melissa’s arm pounded under the layers of bandages they’d wrapped around her. As the box sagged downward, Rocky reached forward to reclaim it.
By the time their gazes met again, his expression had turned serious. “I won’t hurt you, Melissa.”
“Oh. I didn’t think about that,” she rushed to assure him. “Come in. I’m afraid my apartment isn’t too fancy.”
He followed her into the kitchen and set the box on the counter. “I don’t care where we are. I’m happy to spend time with you. Learning everything about you suddenly seems very important.”
“Hi!” she said, feeling like they’d skipped over a lot.
“Hi, Melissa. I’ve been walking on air since the app notified me we’re a match. I’ve looked for my Little girl for a long time.”
Her stomach growled loudly, and Melissa clapped a hand over her abdomen. Unfortunately, it was her right hand, jarring her injury. A groan burst from her lips.
“Food and meds,” Rocky announced. “Do you have plates?”
“No.” Melissa never stored anything in the cabinets. Who knew what would walk on them?
“Let’s just take the box into the other room. This bag has napkins, a couple bottles of soda, and all those cheese and hot pepper packets. The other is your meds.” Setting the pharmacy bag to the side, he lifted the pizza, balancing the other sacks on top.
“I’ll pay you back,” Melissa rushed to tell him even as she tried to prevent herself from looking dismayed.
“Not happening. The pharmacist recommended some bandages and other things as well. He cautioned for you to be alert to infection even with the antibiotics the urgent care called in.” Rocky looked over the chairs and settled on the floor.
Melissa sank to the cheap laminate fake wood as well. Her mind whirled slowly. Her arm distracted her, making it hard to think. “Antibiotics? I’m sorry. You spent so much on me. What a first date,” she lamented, shaking her head in disbelief.
“The worst part was you wouldn’t have gotten the meds. That could have been dangerous,” Rocky said.
“I just heard them say pain medicine and stopped listening. That’s why Archer overruled me when I told them not to call in the prescription.”
“Who’s Archer?” Rocky asked as he opened the other bag. He pulled out a couple bottles and silently offered her a choice of an orange soda or a cola.
Melissa pointed to the orange one. She’d loved that when she was a kid. Twisting the top off, she took a big taste. It was fuzzy and sweet. So good. Having completely lost track of their conversation, Melissa asked, “I’m sorry. I must be loopy. Can you repeat that?”
“Who’s Archer?” he asked, opening the pizza box.
Freshly baked crust and tangy cheese aromas wafted her way. She looked at the fully loaded pizza and grinned. “Did you have them put everything on top?”
“I did. Archer?” he reminded her, plucking a gigantic piece from the box and handing it to her.
“Archer is my friend's and employer’s Daddy. Tami owns the Canine Poo Service I work for,” she said quickly before taking a bite and rolling her eyes with happiness at the incredible flavor bursting in her mouth.
She watched him lift a piece for himself out of the box and raise it to her in a silent toast before eating a monster bite. Melissa couldn’t keep from eying him. He was huge. Broad shoulders, trim waist, thick thighs. He looked like he had a big lap for her to curl up in.
“I like that thought, whatever it was,” Rocky said.
Melissa felt her cheeks burn and knew she was blushing. He’d caught her.
“It’s okay, Melissa. I’m glad you’re attracted to me. I’m completely enchanted by you as well.”
“I look rough. Sorry.”
“You are perfect just as you are. I’m just sorry you’ve had such a bad day. What happened?”
“A dog snapped when he was hurt by a kid. I was just in the line of fire.”
“You tried to keep the dog safe, didn’t you?” Rocky asked.
“Guilty as charged. Of course, I had to. Tami will go over there tomorrow to talk to the owners. She’ll explain that even though the dog was provoked, it’s too risky for us to continue cleaning the yard. I feel bad. There’s never been a problem with him in the past.”
“Sounds like the kid needs training,” Rocky suggested.
“I think you’re right,” Melissa agreed. “Tell me about filling out the PLAYTIME app? How did you know it existed?”
“I went to get a tattoo worked on and the artist’s phone went off. The word Daddy showed on the screen. Just the look on his face told me it wasn’t his father.”
“I never had a clue that there was a large age play community in town. I keep hearing of more Littles,” Melissa shared.
“I didn’t ask Hunter anything personal, of course. I did check to see if he was aware of a kink community offhand. He shared a couple of websites and added the PLAYTIME app as an afterthought. It was exactly what I was looking for. The designer is a genius.”
“Archer recommended I fill out the PLAYTIME information. He and Tami have done so much for me.”
“I hope I get to meet them both. They sound like amazing friends.”
“They are.”
A brief pause in their conversation allowed Melissa to take a few bites of pizza as she wondered what she should say next.
“How about if I tell you about myself?” Rocky suggested.
“You’re a boxer?”
“Not professionally now. I stopped competing a few years ago. Now, I train for fitness only. And fun. I still enjoy going a few rounds in the ring.”
“I couldn’t be a boxer. Doesn’t it hurt to get beaten up like that?” Melissa asked.
“The short answer is yes. Adrenaline, training, and equipment make a difference, but impact is impact. Now I own a chain of gyms, teaching boxing and fitness. We have a special program for at-risk youth. I feel like I’m making a difference for kids.”
“That’s so neat. I just pick up dog poop from people’s yards.”
“I never want to hear you devalue yourself like that again. You provide a valuable service that allows your clients to focus on other things. I would guess there are some people physically unable to complete the job who you help. Not to mention the benefits for the dog in having a clean play space,” Rocky said in a very stern tone that made her listen closely.
“I never thought about it like that. I just talked to a lady at the supermarket tonight. She couldn’t walk in her grass anymore without losing her balance and wanted Tami’s contact information.”
“See? You’re doing a valuable service others couldn’t or wouldn’t do,” Rocky stressed. “Do you like your job?”
“Yes. It’s so much better than flipping burgers or waiting tables,” Melissa told him.
“Do you have any dreams of things you’d like to do in the future?”
“Go back to school. I had to drop out of high school for some family problems. I’d love to get my diploma. First, I need to get out of this apartment complex. I’ve got a new place all picked out. I just need to save up the money.”
“How’s that going?” he asked.
“Great. I’ll get there in a few months if I’m careful. That reminds me, what do I owe you for pizza and medicine?”
“Not a thing. You do need to take your medicine.” Rocky rose to his feet in a smooth display of toned coordination. He returned to sit back down with the bag from the pharmacy.
Opening it up, he pulled out a bag with her prescriptions. “Here’s the antibiotic. You’re supposed to take this four times a day. The pharmacist suggested two tonight. One now and another before bed. It doesn’t matter if they’re closer together than normal.”
“You really did talk to the pharmacist,” Melissa said in wonder.
“Of course. This other one is the pain medicine. Maybe take this before you go to bed? He cautioned against taking this and driving,” Rocky warned.
“I won’t take those. I get too loopy.”
“It’s not a bad idea to have in case you need it. I also got some over-the-counter pain killers. Take those now with your antibiotic. I brought you a treat for taking your medicine.”
Her eyes widened in surprise when he pulled out a bag of chocolate kisses in holiday colors. Instantly, her mouth watered. She hadn’t bought candy in a very long time.
“Pizza first. Then dessert,” Rocky told her.
She watched him open the pill containers and drop the right dose into her hand. Grateful she didn’t need to worry about anything, Melissa popped them into her mouth. Her arm was hurting more and more as the deadening meds wore off.
“How many stitches do you have, Little girl? Or did he use glue?”
“The teeth marks were jagged, so he had to stitch them. I didn’t watch. They said I had seven in different places.”
“Ouch. I’m afraid that’s going to hurt. Let’s set your phone to remind you to take your medicine,” Rocky suggested, holding out his hand for her device.
“That’s a good idea.” She would have never thought of programming her phone to signal it was time to take her pills. Poking in the sack he’d gotten at the pharmacy, Melissa noticed he’d gotten several kinds of bandages and even some tape. She could use that for the trash bag showers.
“I can’t thank you enough for all of this. You’re going to think I’m a bunch of trouble and run the other way,” Melissa predicted.
“Not going to happen, Little girl. We haven’t known each other long, but I agree with PLAYTIME. We’re a good match.”
“Thank you for helping me,” she whispered.
“It’s my absolute pleasure, Little girl. I’ve been looking for someone special to complete my life. I think I need to write PLAYTIME a thank you note.”