“Someplace I think you’ll enjoy.” He handed me a small gift bag. “Just something sweet for a sweetheart.”
I opened it up and inside was a bakery box.
“Cookies! You really do like me.” I kissed his cheek and put them on the counter for later.
He drove us to a restaurant I hadn’t been to before. It looked like it might be a family restaurant at first glance, but when we went inside, it was definitely a date spot. There were small booths and tables. Nothing really matched but all the spaces were situated to provide a bit of privacy.
Patrick gave his name, and the host brought us to a circular booth in the back corner where it felt like we were alone, which was good because there were things that I wanted to talk to him about, especially now that we’d gone from a one-time bathroom hookup to possibly more.
At first, it was like any other date. We ordered our food, waited for our bread to come, and then our salads and our dinners. But once everything was settled and the waiter asked us if everythingwas fine, the conversation got a little more serious, in a good way.
Patrick spoke quietly so no one around us could hear. “I know we talked about the fact that you’re Little, but when you’re looking for someone to be in your life who is a Daddy, what are you looking for?”
It was such a loaded question, and I wanted to shout,You! I’m looking for you!But when having these discussions, platitudes and raw emotions weren’t what were needed. Honesty and openness were.
“Ideally, I like being Little when I’m stressed and sometimes just for fun, but I’ve never been interested in a relationship where as soon as I walk in the door, Daddy takes over and I’m Little. How about you?” I hadn’t considered that might be exactly what he was looking for.
“I’m the same. I’m willing to be and love being in full-on Daddy mode when my partner needs me, but at the end of the day, we’re partners. And sometimes, I just wanna watch a movie or go out to dinner like this or vent about our days at work.”
I was glad we agreed on that.
“Do you like being called Daddy?” Oops. I hadn’t meant to just blurt it out.
He let out a soft chuckle. “If you had texted me that question, I would have said, ‘Yeah, it’s fine.’ But hearing you say that in reference to me, it isn’t that I’d be okay with it.I love it.It’s just one word, and it shouldn’t feel so powerful right now, but…you can call me that whenever you like.”
For a split second, I’d mistaken his chuckle as him finding my question amusing or cute or funny, but he’d been embarrassed and maybe a little shocked, and that was so endearing.
“And one last thing…about the milk.” Part of me didn’t wanna ask. It was embarrassing to admit what I was thinking about in public, but so be it. While we were being honest with each other, I wasn’t gonna stop now. “I’ve always had milk from a bottle or a glass or a little cup, like a sippy. But is it something you would consider, if things went well and we were comfortable with each other, could I maybe…”
He placed his hand on mine. “If you want to drink directly from me, it would be my honor.”
It was all I could do not to beg him to ask for the check so we could go back to his house and I could take him up on that offer. But this wasn’t a little date. We were having a lovely dinner, and once I bothered to take a bite of the food, it was delicious.
As soon as we stepped outside the restaurant, he asked me if it was time to go home or if I wanted to do something else. I didn’t pretend to be thinking about it. Instead, I looked him straight in the eye. “I want you to come to my place.”
Because if you can’t ask Daddy for what you want, who can you ask?
7
ALLEN
Patrick's hands were on my hips as he guided me backward through my front door. We'd barely made it inside before his lips were on mine again, soft and seeking, as I tried not to climb inside of him.
Tonight had been perfect, and it was shaping up to end on a high note.
His mouth moved to my neck as he placed gentle kisses along my jaw. "Is this okay?"
I nodded and threaded my fingers through his hair. "More than okay."
He pulled back to look at me with eyes that were clearly searching mine. "I wanna do it right this time and take my time with you."
My heart squeezed at that, and I swallowed back the emotion he was so good at bringing out in me. This was nothing like our first time. There was no urgency or mystery.
This was something else entirely.
"Bedroom?"
As soon as he nodded, I took his hand and led him through the house. We passed the open living room with its comfy couch and the kitchen where I labeled so many jars of honey.
