Chapter 25 #2
The world still isn’t safe for my otherness. It won’t ever be. That sense of safety, of Daddy creating a world that’s as safe for me as possible, fills me up again. When he leads me out to Manny’s limo, I look up at him with all the love and gratitude in my heart.
He buckles my seatbelt and cups my face in his hands. “What’s that look for, naughty Alice?”
“You’re the best daddy for me in the whole universe and I’m very grateful for you.”
Logan clears his throat and snaps his own seatbelt as Bren, Cappa, and Fleur climb in and take their seats.
True’s the second-to-last in, carrying Olivia in her car seat, followed by Master Mac.
There are a lot of hands to help True strap the car seat in; I stay hands-off to let True earn her babysitting stripes.
Once everyone’s got their seatbelts on, Daddy signals to Manny that we’re ready.
The limo pulls smoothly into the early evening traffic.
Daddy leans in, his breath warm against my ear. “You’re making me emotional, little girl. What’s this all about?”
I wiggle in my seat until I’m cuddled close to his side.
“When I was getting dressed, I looked at myself in the mirror and saw how different I look from when I lived in Syracuse. I always had dark circles under my eyes because I didn’t have a consistent sleep schedule.
My skin was pale and dry because I didn’t get enough sunlight or drink as much water as I should.
I had happy moments. I had good friends and I’ve always loved to write.
But I wasn’t crazy happy. I wasn’t so happy I thought I’d explode. Not the way I am now.”
“You’re always beautiful to me, sweetheart,” Daddy says. “But you do look very healthy. And hearing that you’re crazy happy makes me crazy happy, too.”
“Even with everything going on?” I ask.
“Especially with everything going on. You’re my whole world, Emmy. If you’re crazy happy even with all the messiness of my life spilling into yours, then everything I’ve had to do to control that mess is worthwhile.”
I tip my head onto his shoulder and smile dreamily out the window at the denim-blue twilight.
The outside of Blunts looks the same as always: staid and nondescript. But once we’re through the security doors, everything changes.
The main hallway is full of people. There are house submissives posed in every display nook along the paneled walls, bare skin gleaming in the club’s warm lights.
Red banners hang from the hallway’s high ceiling, proclaiming “Blunts’ Nursery Grand Opening.
” Beneath the banners, wait staff from the Trattoria circulate with silver trays loaded with juice boxes and finger foods.
I didn’t have any hand in this—my decoration for the Grand Opening was confined to the Nursery itself—so the food on the trays isn’t all healthy but it’s a little’s delight.
Chicken nuggies in animal shapes. Veggie flowers.
Skewers of watermelon, pineapple, and mango.
Popcorn balls. Fancifully decorated mini-cupcakes.
It makes me teary to see the thought someone’s put into this.
Lots of our friends from playgroup and the Elephant’s Playground are already present, mingling, admiring the displayed submissives, talking in excited tones.
The theme for the Opening is nursery rhymes and people have really gotten into it.
Sammi is wearing nothing but a blue coat with gold buttons, bunny ears, and a huge, cotton-ball butt plug.
He’s trailing so much gold and white glitter he looks like he’s in the middle of a dust storm.
There are several Dumbos, a three-person caterpillar trailing a butterfly whose huge wings light up, and a Humpty Dumpty in nothing but white latex.
Mistress Dana, in bright blue leathers and wielding a terrifyingly spiked shepherd’s crook, herds Austin, Mally, and Zuki, all wearing white, glittered wigs and matching G-strings.
I see Maude leading Georgie in his full fursuit by a golden collar and leash.
Master Chess is deep in conversation with Claudia, the chairwoman of the Playground, who is in her foxsuit.
Tessa kneels at Chess’s feet in her puppy leathers, yipping for attention until he ruffles her hair.
Moon and Allyn prance by in their pony tack and boots.
I clap my hands, spinning around in delight. When I cuddle against my grinning Daddy, I find Bren and Fleur looking at me with huge smiles.
I gesture to the banners. “Did you do this?”
Bren and Fleur crowd in for hugs. Fleur kisses my cheek. “Welcome to the Blunts family,” she whispers to me. “We’re a noisy family with a lot of strong personalities who won’t ever agree about everything but no one loves harder than the people in this club.”
I squeeze her. “Thank you.”
While I’m in mid-huggle, Chess walks over to Daddy. He hands Daddy an oversized pair of silver scissors. “Do the honors, Master Logan,” Chess says.
Daddy claps Chess on the shoulder and takes the scissors. He catches my wrist and draws me after him as he walks down the hallway to the huge stairs leading to the upper floors of the club. There’s another red banner stretched across the stairs.
Daddy stops next to the banner. He opens the scissors and offers one handle to me. Grinning, I take the handle. Daddy positions the scissor blades between the words “Nursery” and “Grand.”
He looks over his shoulder at the crowd. “Welcome, everyone. It’s my very great pleasure to open the Blunts Nursery.”
To cheers from the crowd, Daddy nods at me. I push my handle toward his and the big blades slice through the banner. The two halves flutter down to the stairs like falling leaves.
Daddy draws me to one side as people begin trooping up the stairs.
Cynnie, in her black and yellow striped onesie with a fully glittered crown between her antennae, stops for a hug before Max leads her upstairs.
Matty and Yummy run up, trailing glitter from their dragon costumes, followed by their daddies and Master Javier.
Queen Twitch winks at me as they stalk past on white platform heels that must put them close to seven feet, holding up the skirts of a fully-feathered white swan costume.
Master Harold walks in Queen Twitch’s wake, holding the hand of someone in a blow-up, orange T-Rex costume.
I give Daddy the owl eye. He chuckles. “Pence must have earned himself another punishment.”
“How can you punish someone in a blow-up dinosaur costume, Daddy?”
“Oh, Harry managed last time. Hands and feet aren’t covered by the costume; Harry made full use of them.”
I wince sympathetically.
Daddy leers at me. “I haven’t punished those tender little toes in some time.”
“Because my feet haven’t done anything wrong,” I point out.
“Incorrect. Those little ice cubes find my warm, unsuspecting calves unerringly in the night.”
I screw my face up at him. “I can’t be punished for things I do in my sleep.”
“That’s where we disagree, little girl.” Daddy laughs. “Jiro and Laurel should be here within the hour and I think, in honor of their visit, we could have a Tickle Tondo Two.”
I squint at him. The first Tickle Tondo was ridiculously fun but I did almost pee myself from laughing so hard. “I thought we were dancing tonight after the hunt? I can’t dance on tickled toes.”
“Is that a challenge, little girl? I bet I can get you to dance.” He tugs the brim of his top hat down rakishly. “No one can resist the Hatter.”
It’s true I can’t resist Daddy, particularly when he’s playful.
When most of the crowd has made its way upstairs, Daddy holds his hand out to me. “Ready, little girl?”
“Ready, Daddy.”
We join the stragglers making their way upstairs.
Ahead of us, Master Theo is helping a woman dressed up as a fairytale princess, with full hoop skirts that she’s struggling to manage on the stairs.
Once he helps her get the hoop under control, he continues holding her hand as they walk up together.
Under the princess’ gauzy pink veil and conical hat, I recognize the brown curls of Amy from playgroup.
I squeeze Daddy’s hand and tip my chin at the pair when he glances at me. He follows my gesture; a sly smile lights his face.
“Is the Little Matchmaking Bureau about to spring into action, baby?” he asks.
“Could be, Daddy. I think there’s some potential there.”
“Me, too. I remember the first time Theo met you. Do you remember?”
I nod. I was recovering from the wooden-pony punishment. Master Theo read to me. He held Peter Aloha Bunny. He shared his dessert with me. I actually liked him until I found out how horrible he’d been to Daddy later that night.
“He was entranced by you,” Daddy says quietly, so the couple a few steps ahead of us doesn’t hear. “I was the tiniest bit jealous.”
“You weren’t, were you?” I ask, tugging on his hand. I don’t want Daddy to be jealous. I want him always to be as secure in my love as he’s made me in his.
He holds up his free hand with his thumb and first finger almost touching. “Tiniest bit. But I realized he was responding to your littleness. It is entrancing. I can’t blame anyone for falling for it.”
“But Amy’s not a masochist,” I point out. That’s probably a bigger issue than her littleness.
“He’s an experienced Dom. If there’s chemistry and he wants to be a caregiver, he might find that satisfies his needs.
As much as I get off when you suffer for me, baby doll, caring for you fills an even deeper set of needs.
I’m glad you’re a masochist; I wouldn’t change a thing about the way we play.
But if you weren’t, I’d still have pursued a relationship with you.
I need your joy in my life more than I need your pain. ”
I lean into him and he slides his arm around my shoulders. “I didn’t know that, Daddy.”
“Do you really think I wouldn’t shape myself to be whatever you need?”
I nod, rubbing my cheek against his shoulder blissfully. “Yes, because you’re the Dom I deserve. You’re my Batman Daddy.”
He lets out a bark of laughter. “You called me that before and I didn’t realize what you were saying. Is that what the Batman stickers are in your journal? Are those me?”
“Uh-huh. You’ve always been my Dark Knight, right from the beginning.”
“Doesn’t Batman get defeated? He’s not like Superman.”
“He does. He gets knocked down a lot. He’s flawed and compromised and he makes mistakes.
And he’s a bazillion times better than Superman.
Superman’s perfect; he can do anything. Batman can’t.
Batman works hard for every victory, small or large.
Batman gets back up, no matter how hard he’s knocked down. That’s my Daddy.”
Daddy pulls me to the side of the staircase again and drags me up into his arms so we’re nose-to-nose, my feet dangling.
“You’re making me emotional again, my little wonder.”
“Sorry, Daddy.”
He rubs noses with me. “Never, ever apologize for telling me your feelings. I love you so much, little girl, and I will strive every day to be your Batman Daddy.”
I wrap one arm around his neck and cup his cheek with the other, blinking mistily as I look into his deep, dark eyes. “You already are.”
My Batman Daddy carries me the rest of the way up the stairs.