Chapter One
Millie
Looking around the pretty little apartment above the doctor’s office where I’ve spent the last year of my life, a heaviness settles in my chest. All of my clothes, my books, my toys, everything has been packed away, ready to be shipped back home.
I’ve already said my goodbyes to the other Littles. Natalie in particular cried big, real tears when I told her I was leaving. The others seemed sad but not heartbroken, which I suppose I can’t blame them for.
It’s not like I was ever really their friend. Just a hopefully friendly face when they came for their checkups with Doctor D.
The thought ofhimhas my stomach clenching with a mix of emotions too complex for me to fully identify. Ever since I gave him my notice, he’s been… different. Still as demanding as ever, of course, but sometimes I catch him watching me and I could almost swear I’ve seen himsmilinga few times.
But that’s ridiculous. Doctor Donovan Graves doesn’t smile, unless he’s about to get his sadist on. He loves his job here on theisland, perhaps a littletoomuch, but as far as I’ve been able to tell, that’s pretty much the only thing he loves.
And yet, I can’t shake the feeling that something is going on with him, and that it has to do with me putting in my notice. Perhaps he’s just glad to be rid of me and my fumbling attempts to be the best nurse he’s ever had for good.
Forcing myself to turn back to the suitcase I’m supposed to be packing for our trip to New York tonight, I reach for the box of diapers I set out for myself and hesitate. Do I really want to keep wearing them after I leave the island?
Tears prick my eyes at the thought of never being wrapped in that soft, cottony hug again. But I was never really comfortable wearing them before I got to the island, and I can’t see that changing now just because I spent the last year living out some of my deepest, darkest fantasies. Back on the mainland, people are still going to be judgmental assholes, and the worry over being discovered will still be there.
So even though it feels like my heart is breaking, I set the diapers aside. I’ll leave them behind for whoever Doctor D hires to replace me, whether it’s another Little or a Mommy or Daddy with a Little one to care for.
My next hesitation comes when I reach for my favorite stuffed animal, a blue dragon with glittery wings I’ve had since college. One of my best friends, Katie, won him at a carnival but she said she was too old for stuffies and gave him to me since it was never any secret how much I loved “kid stuff”. Even though Katie and I have drifted apart, I still have Cobie and he’s almost as good at giving advice as Katie was.
I should pack him in the suitcase, but if I have to spend several hours on a plane with Doctor D, I’m going to need backup.
Holding Cobie under my arm, I zip up my suitcase and lower it to the ground.
Three days. That’s all I have to do, is survive three days at this stupid conference. Just three more days and I’m free of Donovan Graves for good.
Donovan
She’s late.
Not very late, just a few minutes, but late enough to give me a reason to discipline her. Just the thought of having sweet Camilla over my knees again has my cock stirring to life as I sip the glass of whiskey Kerry poured for me when I first arrived on the plane.
A commotion outside catches my attention, and I look over at the doorway just as Camilla hurries inside, a blue stuffed animal of some kind tucked under her arm. Cheeks flushed, her hair escaping from the ponytail she’s almost always wearing, she looks the very picture of a naughty Little girl.
“Sorry, sorry!” she says breathlessly. “I ran into Natalie and Mr. Hawthorne on my way over and we were saying goodbye again.”
It’s then that I notice the red around her eyes and I have to hide a smile. Poor Little thing is so convinced she’ll never see her friend again. I’m almost tempted to pull her into my lap and tell her it will all be okay. But doing so would tip my hand, well before I’m ready. So for now I’ll have to let her believe she’ll never return to the island, never see Natalie or any of the other Littles again.
Instead of comforting her, I pin her with a stern look, raising one eyebrow as she blushes an even brighter pink and shifts from foot to foot. “You’re late.”
A muscle in her jaw jumps. Ever since she put in her notice, her temper has been rather easy to spark, something I get a rather perverse joy out of doing.
“Yes, Sir. I explained why.”
“That doesn’t excuse the fact that you’re nearly ten minutes late, Ms. Hamilton.”
Eyes narrowing, she returns my glare with a brash confidence she’s only gained over the past few weeks. “Do you really need to bust my balls over ten minutes?”
Bust my balls. The phrase is so crass I almost can’t believe it came out of my sweet, sunshiny Camilla’s mouth. “Excuse me, little girl?”
The color in her cheeks darkens, but she doesn’t back down. “I’m not a Little girl. For the next three days at least, I am your nurse and your assistant. Nothing more.”
Ah. So she thinks because we won’t be on the island she can play at being a Big girl?
That will never do.
