When his friends ribbed him about asking for a separate table for two, Lottie stared at his friends as if she knew them but couldn’t figure out from where.
When the hostess returned from showing Sam and Paul to their table, he pointed at an empty booth across the room from both his friends and her sister. “Can we have that one over there?”
“Certainly, sir,” the hostess said as she picked up two more menus.
“Thank you.”
Returning to Lottie, he placed his hand in the middle of her back and guided her to their table. “Come on, sugar, our table is waiting. And think of five questions you want to ask me. Questions that you will also have to answer.”
“Only five?”
Travis chuckled when she sounded almost disappointed. “Five to begin with. I’m sure we can find more to talk about based on those first five.”
Chapter Four
Lottie was happy that Travis gave her until the waitress took their orders and left before he smiled at her and said, “What’s your first question, sugar?”
It took her a moment of sorting through the dozen or more questions before she could choose the one uppermost in her mind. “Why don’t you have a wife, girlfriend, or significant other in your life already?”
She could tell by his shift in expression that he had not been expecting that one. He probably thought she would stick with light, fluffy scratch-the-surface questions like his favorite color, book, or food. But that wasn’t Lottie.
Her five questions were deeper and would require thought and explanation, not allowing Travis to give one-word answers that told her nothing.
Travis took a deep breath and held it for several seconds before releasing it again. “I was married for a short time while I was in the Navy. She couldn’t handle my long deployments and left me for a civilian. After that I’ve had relationships, long and short. When I realized I was a Daddy, I also came to the conclusion that I needed to wait until I left the Navy before getting serious about looking for my Little girl. I retireda few months ago and moved here because I don’t have ties to anyplace else and my best friends moved here after they retired. “What about you? Why are you single?”
Though she knew she would have to answer the question, Lottie hesitated. Instead of answering his question directly, she figured she should give him more of her history, which would hopefully also answer his question.
“I’m the oldest triplet,” she began. “When our parents died, I stepped up to take care of my sisters. I know Carri and Tilly are adults and can take care of themselves, but I’ve always looked out for them, taken care of them, helped them fight their battles, and chase after their dreams.”
Travis nodded, looking thoughtful. “And in mothering them, you ignore your own needs and being Little.”
It wasn’t a question, but Lottie nodded anyway. “I guess I have. Between my job and fighting for the farm and taking care of my sisters, my Little has died from neglect, I think.”
“No, I don’t think she’s died. She’s still there, just hiding, waiting for you to have time to pay her some attention. I think if you gave her half a chance, she might surprise you.”
Lottie wanted to agree, but with the convention and then finding an apartment and moving and making sure Carri and Tilly were all right, Lottie wasn’t sure how she could find time to let her Little out. But Travis didn’t need or want to hear her woes, so she changed the subject with her next question.
“Are you a strict Daddy or one who gives lots of cuddles?”
She could tell he saw through her deflection, but chuckled and allowed the conversation to move on. “Both. I’d love to cuddle the hell out of you, but I’m also strict when it comes to rules. I don’t have a lot of rules, but breaking the ones we discuss and agree upon will get you a hot ass, or some other punishment that will help you remember to be a good Little girl.”
“Uh-huh,” was all Lottie could come up with to respond to his forthright answer.
She shifted in her seat as her panties grew damp at the thought of laying across Travis’s lap as he spanked her bare butt. Her face grew hot when her stomach rumbled loud enough for people across the room to hear, if they were listening.
“Enough talk for now, sugar. Eat your dinner. The rest of your questions can wait until after you settle that grumbly tummy.”
Lottie nodded and dug into her dinner, savoring the delicious meal. She was only slightly embarrassed when she cleaned her plate. She probably should have left some behind, but it had been so good, and she’d been hungry.
When the waitress returned the next time, Travis surprised her by placing an order for a piece of apple pie with vanilla ice cream on the side and two forks. He then added a request for two hot chocolates.
He waited until their dessert was delivered before he asked, “What is your biggest dream that you want a Daddy’s help with and do you think I could be that Daddy?”
It was probably way to early to ask the question, but Travis felt he needed to secure his position as Lottie’s Daddy tonight. Their conversation over dinner wandered through all the get-to-know-you questions, but always came back to his business, and her needing help being Little.
His heart and cock were screaming that this was the Little girl he’d been looking for since coming to the realization he was a Daddy Dom. And while he would love nothing more than tothrow Lottie over his shoulder and carry her out of here and not let her go again, tonight he would force himself to settle for some kind of verbal commitment. Even if it was just to agree to see him again to explore whether a long-term relationship would work.
Lottie’s gaze dropped from his as she stirred her hot chocolate. Finally she lifted her gaze again, but focused on his chin and not his eyes.
