Chapter 10
Chapter ten
Walker
“Let’s approach this in steps. First, let's get your things and make sure you're safe."
Lottie hesitated, then nodded, the tension in her shoulders easing slightly. "Okay."
"Good girl," I said without thinking.
Her eyes widened slightly, a flush spreading across her cheeks. Instead of bristling at the praise, she seemed to melt into it, her posture softening.
"Do you need a nap before we go?" I asked, noticing the slight shadows under her eyes. "There's no rush, and your body is still resetting."
"Maybe," she admitted, stifling a yawn.
I stood, holding out my hand to her. "Come on. You can nap for a bit, and then we'll head out."
She slipped her small hand into mine without hesitation, letting me guide her back upstairs to the bedroom. “Do you need the bathroom?” She shook her head, and I pulled back the covers for her, and she climbed in with a soft sigh.
"Do you want me to stay until you fall asleep?" I asked, remembering how my touch had calmed her that first night.
She nodded, clutching the blanket to her chest. "Would that be okay?"
"Of course." I settled into the chair beside the bed, watching as her eyelids grew heavy. "Just rest. I'll be right here."
"You promise?" Her voice was small, already slurring with approaching sleep.
"I promise, sweetheart." The endearment fell naturally from my lips. "Daddy's not going anywhere."
I froze, every muscle locking up, hardly daring to breathe. Daddy? But Lottie just smiled drowsily, her eyes drifting closed as she snuggled deeper into the pillows.
"'Kay," she murmured, and within minutes her breathing had deepened into sleep.
I studied her sleeping face, the way her blonde curls spread across the pillow, the slight part of her lips as she breathed deeply.
Even bruised and exhausted, she was beautiful in a way that made my chest ache.
Not just with lust—though she certainly pushed all my buttons—but with an overwhelming desire to care for her, to make her world safe and orderly and filled with the things that brought her joy.
Her abandoned teddy bear lay at the edge of the bed, and I carefully moved it closer to her. In her sleep, she reached for it automatically, tucking it under her chin with a small, contented sigh.
"What am I going to do with you, little one?" I whispered, more to myself than to her. And what was I going to do with myself?
I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to bundle her up in soft clothes and feed her healthy meals and make sure she took her medication on time.
I wanted to teach her that accepting help didn't make her weak, that needing care didn't make her a burden.
I wanted to show her what it felt like to be cherished instead of tolerated.
But those weren't things you could force on someone. They had to be freely given, freely accepted. Especially in a dynamic as intimate as the one I was suddenly craving.
And me? Suddenly Daddy was a title I was starting to crave.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, pulling me from my thoughts. A text from Maddox:
Found something on Marco. Call when you can.
I glanced at Lottie, making sure she was still sleeping soundly, then slipped out of the room, leaving the door cracked so I could hear if she called out.
In the hallway, I dialed Maddox's number, keeping my voice low.
"What did you find?" I asked without preamble when he answered.
"Mark Hutchins a.k.a. Marco, age 43, manager of Sunny's Mart for the past six years," Maddox said, his voice clipped and professional. "No criminal record, but I did a deep dive into his online history." Maddox paused.
“What?” I bit out.
“He subscribes to two porn sites that barely scrape under the radar. They’ve even been shut down, but they keep popping back up. Currently they’re called RogueHeat and EveryVice. They’re both extreme, hardcore, but the supposedly fake rape scene I just watched made me want to throw up.”
Anger rushed through me like a tsunami. My body went rigid with fury. "What else?" I forced out, my voice barely above a whisper as I moved farther down the hallway away from the bedroom door.
"There's more," Maddox continued, his normally unflappable voice carrying an edge.
"He's been photographing female employees.
Found a hidden folder with hundreds of images—Sunny's has terrible network security, by the way.
Most are candids taken from security footage, zoomed in on specific women, and I found a picture of his ex-girlfriend.
It shows a shot of her kitchen and all the cans are turned in the same way you saw Lottie's stuff, precise. "
Shit. "Lottie?" The word came out as a growl.
"She's in there. A lot." Maddox paused. "Nothing explicit—they're all fully clothed, just working—but the focus is...unsettling. Close-ups of necks, wrists, the back of knees. And he's been making her schedule align with his, but he wasn't working the night someone messed with her stuff."
I pressed my forehead against the wall, trying to contain the rage building inside me. "Is he our break-in suspect?"
"Can't confirm yet. The timing works. But the security footage isn't clear enough for a positive ID, even if he's the right height."
"Keep digging," I said. "And get me everything you can on this guy. I want to know if he's ever been investigated, if there have been complaints, everything."
"Already on it. Gideon's got someone watching him now."
After I hung up, I stood in the hallway, trying to process what I'd learned. Marco—the man Lottie had described as "always kind" to her—had been secretly photographing her, tracking her movements, possibly breaking into her apartment. The thought made me sick.
I checked on Lottie again, finding her still peacefully asleep, Mr. Snuggles clutched to her chest. The sight of her—so vulnerable, so trusting—cemented my resolve. There was no way in hell she was going back to Sunny's Mart. Not while Marco was there.
But I couldn't just tell her that. I'd already overstepped once, and she'd pushed back hard. I needed to be smarter this time, to give her the information and support her in making the right decision herself.
I headed downstairs to make some calls. By the time Lottie woke up, I wanted to have options ready for her—other jobs, safer places to live if she didn't want to stay with me, though the thought made me want to rage, and financial assistance for her medical needs. This time, I'd do it right.
I was on the phone with Xavier discussing potential openings at Kingdom, although the alternative Fiona had suggested sounded better, when I heard a toilet flush upstairs. Ending the call quickly, I headed back up to check on Lottie.
She was sitting on the edge of the bed, her hair tousled from sleep, looking adorably rumpled in my oversized clothes. The basics I'd ordered had been delivered but I loved her in mine. Something in my chest tightened at the sight.
"Hey," I said softly from the doorway. "Feel better?"
"Much better," she said, running her fingers through her messy curls. "Thank you for letting me rest."
"Of course." I moved into the room, checking the time. "Are you ready to go get your things from your apartment?"
She nodded, then hesitated. "Walker, about work tomorrow...I really need to go in. I can't afford to miss shifts."
I tensed, thinking about what Maddox had just told me about Marco. "About that. I've been looking into some things while you were sleeping."
"What things?" Her tone grew wary.
"I don't think you should go back to Sunny's," I said carefully. "I have reason to believe your boss may be the one who broke into your apartment."
Her eyes widened. "Marco? That's ridiculous. He's always been nice to me."
"Sometimes people are nice for the wrong reasons, Lottie." I sat beside her on the bed, keeping my voice gentle. "My security team found evidence that he's been photographing female employees without their knowledge. Including you."
She shook her head, disbelief clear on her face. "No. That can't be right."
"I wish it wasn't," I said. "But his online history is also very questionable."
"But I need that job," she insisted, her voice rising slightly. "I can't just quit. My insulin, my rent—I need the money, Walker."
I could see the panic building in her eyes, the way her hands clutched at the blanket. She was scared, and with good reason. Her entire precarious existence depended on that paycheck, meager as it was.
"There are other jobs," I said. "Safer ones, and your insulin isn’t going to be a problem anymore. My business partner and good friend Maddox that you've met, has a Little who runs a health foundation. She’s already got you as a client.”
Lottie stared at me. ‘When you say Little…”
“I mean he’s in the lifestyle and is Clare’s Daddy.” I let her process that. “We also run a club called Kingdom where Fiona works. The manager is looking for waitstaff. The pay is better, the hours are flexible, and you'd be surrounded by security professionals."
"I don't have experience as a waitress," she countered.
"He's willing to train you, but if you don't like that idea, Fiona's aunt owns a café and bakery in town and she's looking for help.
" Her eyes brightened a little at that, and I reached for her hand, relieved when she didn't pull away.
I much preferred that idea but she deserved a choice.
"Lottie, please. I can't let you go back to a place where you're not safe. "
"You can't let me?" Her eyes narrowed slightly. "It's not your decision to make, Walker."
She was right, of course. I had no claim on her, no right to dictate her choices. But the thought of her walking back into that store, being watched by that predator, made something primitive and protective rise within me.
"You're right," I admitted. "It's your decision. But I'm asking you to consider the alternatives."
"What alternatives?" Her voice cracked. "Living off your charity until I find another minimum wage job that barely covers my expenses? Going back to my apartment where someone—maybe Marco, maybe not—could break in again? I don't have alternatives, Walker. I have survival.”
"I'm offering you an alternative," I said, the words leaving my mouth before I could overthink them. "Stay with me. Not just temporarily. Not just until we figure this out."
She stared at me, those big blue eyes widening. "What are you saying?"
I took a deep breath, knowing I might be about to make a huge mistake.
"I want to take care of you, Lottie. Not as your protector or your friend." I held her gaze steadily. "I want you as my Little girl. I want to be your Daddy."
Her lips parted in shock, a flush spreading across her cheeks. For a moment, neither of us breathed.
"You’re a Daddy?" she whispered, the word hanging between us like a revelation.
"Yes." I was now and there was no going back.
"I want to make sure you're safe, that you're taking your medication properly, that you're eating well.
I want to hold you when you're scared and comfort you when you're sad.
" My voice deepened with intensity. "I want to be the person who makes sure you never feel like a burden again. "
Tears filled her eyes, but she didn't look away. "Why would you want that? With me?"
"Because from the moment I saw you at Salvation with Mr. Snuggles, something in me recognized something in you." I reached out, brushing a tear from her cheek with my thumb. "I've never wanted to be a Daddy before. But with you, it feels right."
She sat frozen, tears spilling silently down her face. I'd laid myself bare, put everything on the line. Now I could only wait for her response.
"I don't know what to say," she finally whispered.
"You don't have to say anything right now," I told her, though every fiber of my being wanted an immediate yes. "Think about it. But know that the job offers stands, regardless of what you decide about me."
She nodded slowly, her eyes never leaving mine. The moment stretched between us, heavy with possibility and the weight of what I'd just proposed.