As soon as he had his back to her, she planted her gaze on his fantastic ass. His glutes and thighs flexed as he worked, making her salivate. Even though she wasn’t exactly a stick figure, he would easily be able to handle her. The thought of him holding her over his lap crept in unwanted again.
It had been a few weeks since she’d last visited Blaze. She was jonesing for a night at the club, a night where she could indulge her Little side without judgment. Withdrawal was warping her perception of her interactions with this total stranger.
As she swept the floor, trying not to look at Garrett any more than necessary, she promised herself she would take the time this weekend to go to the club. It would do her good and help her relax. Lord knew she’d been crazy hyper the last several weeks leading up to her grand opening.
“Ready?” he asked as she tucked the broom back in the closet.
She spun around. “Sure. Just let me get my shoes.” She grabbed her hot pink backpack from a hook along the wall and dropped onto a chair to put her tennis shoes on and store her slippers in the bag. “Wait…” she said as she rose to her feet. “You’re so worried about a stranger attacking me. How do I know you are who you say you are? What if you’re an imposter and now I’m going to lead you straight to my apartment? You’ll know where I live. You could come back and kill me later in the night.”
He didn’t laugh. “You’re absolutely right.” He pointed at his card still sitting on the counter and then pulled out his wallet. He slid his license out and held it up for her to see.
She leaned in, pretending to scrutinize it as if she didn’t trust him, which was a lie. She did. She probably shouldn’t, but she was a rather trusting person in general.
“And as for knowing where you live, you also shouldn’t let a man you’ve just met walk you home. It’s entirely unsafe. However, you’re out of options right now, and I could easily look at your lease at any time and find your address if I wanted.”
True. Defeated on this issue, she led him to the front of the store, let them out, then locked the door.
He checked it to make sure it was secure. “By the way, don’t ever leave it unlocked like you did tonight. Not while you’re here alone at night.”
“Yes, Daddy,” she drawled before she could stop herself yet again.
He chuckled and lifted her chin, meeting her wide eyes with his gaze. “Watch it, Little one. I think I like the sound of that.”
She inhaled sharply and took a step back. “I should get home.”
“That’s the plan.” He followed her as soon as she started walking, keeping a hand on the small of her back the entire time. He also ensured that she walked on the inside of the sidewalk closest to the buildings, and he grabbed her waist when they came to a street before letting her step off the sidewalk.
She almost giggled when he looked both ways, seeming to silently admonish her. There wasn’t a single car out, not coming from any direction.
She was relieved when they reached her condo because the sexual tension and energy running between them was almost her undoing.
The overprotective, dominant, alpha Daddy man even took her keys out of her hand, opened her door, and stepped into her apartment to look around before handing her back her keyring. “Thanks for indulging me. I’ll sleep better knowing you made it home safely.”
“You’re welcome.” She slid past him, entering as he stepped out.
“Lock the door behind me, Ellie. I mean it.”
“Yes, Sir,” she murmured. Somehow, the honorific no longer sounded misplaced. Maybe this man was a Daddy, or at least a Dom.
Chapter Two
It took Garrett a few hours of tossing and turning during the night before he was positive where he’d seen Ellie before. Blaze. Definitely. And it wasn’t a coincidence that she’d copped such an attitude with him, dressed like a young girl, or sung a childish song she’d made up at the top of her lungs.
Ellie was a Little. He was sure of it. And he intended to prove it.
The next two days were torture while he waited for Friday night, hoping she would go to Blaze and he could catch her there. He hadn’t been to the club for several months. He’d been busy. He’d also been a bit disenchanted after ending things with his previous girlfriend.
Meredith had been a model submissive, and the two of them had dated for six months. But she wasn’t a Little, and in the end, he knew he was kidding himself if he thought he could give up his inclination toward being a Daddy permanently.
The two of them had gone their separate ways amicably, but Garrett hadn’t had the desire to return to the club scene and start looking for a new submissive yet.
Until now. Until Ellie. The woman was a whirlwind of fire, energy, and spunk. If he wasn’t mistaken, she had a pretty strong Little side, a bit of a bratty edge, and a sassy mouth that would frequently land her over a Daddy’s lap with a palm to her bottom.
Garrett was hoping he might get the chance to be that Daddy. He’d even gone so far as to flat-out ask her if she’d had a husband or a boyfriend, and he’d seen no evidence of either when he’d dropped her off. At least he seemed to have jumped that hurdle.
Ellie hadn’t been overly receptive to the idea of starting something with him, and that made him nervous. But perhaps she’d simply been caught off guard. He hoped if he “bumped into her” in a safe location like Blaze, she might be inclined to give him a chance.
Work had kept him later than he’d wanted, so by the time he arrived at the club, he was frazzled. He needed to unwind. He needed to set his gaze on Ellie.
He had no guarantee whatsoever that she was even a member. Even if she had been at some point and he was right—that he had indeed seen her at the club—that didn’t mean she would be there tonight.
The moment he stepped out of the main room and entered the hallway, he saw her. She was sitting in the daycare with two other Littles he recognized—Daisy, who owned the florist boutique on the same strip as Ellie’s cupcake shop, and Riley, who bartended at Blaze two nights a week. They were coloring. Ellie took his breath away and caused him to freeze in his spot.
Damn. She was more than what he’d seen the other night at her shop. So much more. She had on short pink overalls over a tight white tank top, matching pink knee socks, and white tennis shoes. Her hair was in pigtails high on her head. He knew her hair was about shoulder length, so the pigtails were little balls of hair that looked more like puppy ears.
He jerked his gaze to the side when he noticed one of the dungeon masters approaching.
“Hey, Garrett. How’s it going? I haven’t seen you in a while.”
Garrett held out a hand. “I’ve been good.” He’d known Tarson Kirkwood for a long time. The man was a gem and an amazing Daddy when he wasn’t working at Blaze. He went by Bear in the club. He liked to think he was a giant grizzly bear, gruff and no nonsense, but Garrett knew the Littles giggled and called him Teddy behind his back.
Bear nodded toward the daycare. “Got your eye on anyone in particular?”
“Yep.” Garrett turned his attention back to the adorable Little who was intently coloring.
Bear chuckled. “Ellie?”