by Pepper North
A reply arrived immediately. The car will be there at 5:30. I will be waiting to give you a hug, sunshine. Be strong for Daddy.”
Chapter 6
The luxurious black sedan that Jackson had sent for her glided to a stop at the front of a large home secluded behind an iron gate. Emerson had seen the glow of taillights disappearing around the curving drive when the driver had pulled up to the gate controls to press in a code. She shivered in reaction to all the emotions tumbling inside her. Emerson was equally thrilled and petrified at the same time.
The car stopped in front of a large glass entryway. The driver came around to open her door. Emerson hesitated as she exited the car not sure whether she should take her small overnight case in with her.
The driver assured her in a low voice, “I will take care of the luggage, Mr. Duncan is waiting. He nodded to the doorway where a large man stood silhouetted. The driver turned to take the small case from the slender man who had approached. “I’ll take that for you, sir.” He relieved Matt of his case and stood back.
Emerson looked at Matt and smiled shyly. “He looks kind,” she decided, glad to see him smile back at her. She turned to face the figure in the doorway ahead of them and started to walk forward. She quickly turned her head to look at Matt again as she felt him slide his hand into hers to hold it firmly. She squeezed his hand reassuringly. She knew now that he was a nervous as she was. Together they walked forward to meet the man that PLAYTIME had decided should be their Daddy.
As they reached the door, Matt could see the large man clearly. His jet-black hair shone in the light with the accent of silvery gray. Matt couldn’t read his expression until they were just a couple of steps away when Jackson’s arms spread wide reaching out to pull them toward him. He and Emerson rushed in to wrap their arms around him.
Jackson wrapped his arms around his two precious Littles. He hugged them tight against his body and closed his eyes trying to capture this memory. He hadn’t missed Matt’s gesture of taking Emerson’s hand. His Little boy would need lots of reassurance. And Little Emerson, she almost shook in his embrace from nerves. He kissed the top of each their sweet-smelling heads. “Come with me, I don’t want you to catch colds.” He ushered them inside and lead them to a large, comfortable family room.
“I want to know all about you, and I bet you’d like to know a little about me, too?” Jackson indicated that they should sit on the oversized, leather sofa as he took a seat on the matching ottoman that faced them. He took one of their hands in each of his and squeezed it gently. “Shall I go first?” he asked looking at their faces.
When they nodded, he began, “You know my name is Jackson Duncan. I manage a large factory that has been in my family for many years. We manufactory cribs and other pieces of wooden furniture for Littles.” He paused to let his Littles absorb that information. “We have been in business for four generations. I have just taken over the company from my father. He was not a good candidate to run the factory. Before him, all the Duncan men had been Daddies to their own special Littles. My father is a Little who loves his Mommy dearly and wanted to be with her rather than in a dusty factory all day.”
“Everyone in your family lives as an age-play couple?” Matt asked amazed.
“Each male in my family line has found their Little, or in my father’s case, Mommy. I’ve thought I had found my Little twice. Unfortunately, it didn’t take too long before we both decided that we were not meant to be together forever,” Jackson lowered his eyes to the floor before raising them to look at Matt first and then Emerson. “Playtime has been searching for a match for me for a year. That is when my last relationship ended. I had begun to lose hope.” He squeezed their hands, “Now that I’ve met you, I am glad I waited and hoped for so long. It makes you even more special to me.”
A noise from the doorway attracted their attention, “Mr. Duncan, would you like me to serve dinner now?”
Matt’s stomach growled loudly at the mention of food. He had been too nervous to eat lunch. He pulled his hand out of Jackson’s wrapping both around his stomach to muffle the sound.
Laughing, Jackson replied, “I think it’s a perfect time to eat. Emerson, Matthew, I’d like you to meet the woman that does too many things around my home for me to even list. This is Dorothy.”
“Hi, Dorothy,” Emerson said with a smile.
“I’m glad to meet you, Dorothy,” Matt said with a practiced smile.
Jackson noted immediately that his manners had been created by years of social activities. He was even more intrigued. He stood and led them to a small eating area off the family room. He pulled out a chair and instructed, “Emerson, please sit here.” He pulled out her chair holding up a hand to stop Matt from moving to the other side of the table. He leaned down and kissed Emerson lightly on the lips, “Thank you, sweetheart.” He stepped forward to take Matt’s hand. “In my house, you are a Little boy. It will take time to adjust, but I will always ask you to allow me to take care of you.” With that, he tugged Matt’s hand as he preceded him to the chair opposite Emerson’s. Pulling out the chair, Jackson smiled at the disconcerted Little boy. “Matthew, this will be your chair.” Again, he waited for his new Little to sit down before he leaned in to press his lips lightly against Matt’s. As he took his seat at the head of the rectangular table, he smiled to see that Emerson and Matthew both had raised trembling fingertips to their lips.
“Littles aren’t usually allowed to have wine, but I think this is a special occasion.” Jackson picked up a bottle of red wine and looked first at Matthew who nodded his head and then at Emerson who shyly whispered, “yes!” He poured everyone a modest amount of the deep red wine. Picking up his glass, Jackson proposed his toast, “To the wonderful possibilities that are ahead and the celebrations of our togetherness ahead!” Everyone took a drink as they looked at each other.
Dorothy entered and began to bustle around the room filling the table with an assortment of delicious smelling food. Only when there was no space left empty on the table did she disappear with a cheery, “Bon appétit!
Jackson began to dish food onto Matthew and Emerson’s plate. They both attempted to take the dishes to serve themselves but quickly stopped when they received a serious look from Jackson. When everyone had been served, Jackson picked up his fork and urged them to eat. “You are not required to finish your plate. Eat as much as you like but try everything. Yes, Emerson. That means you must take a bite of the green beans,” he said with a steely look. “If you don’t like them after one bite, you don’t have to eat them, but you must try a bite.” Both Littles nodded seriously and began to eat.
Keeping the subject matter light, Jackson asked Emerson and Matthew some questions about their lives. As they shared superficial things about their lives, both began to relax. He began to notice their personalities begin to emerge. Emerson was quiet, but it was important to listen to everything that she said. She was very supportive and did not allow Matthew to say anything negative about his job or life away from work. Matthew used laughter and jokes to cover his real feelings. From Emerson’s first soft, “I don’t believe that Matthew,” when he made light of his importance to his company, Matthew looked at her with a smile. She was becoming important to him.
Emerson had been very tense as they began eating. She relaxed as the meal continued and soon was smiling at both of them. When Matthew celebrated her worked as an artist for children’s books, she looked at them both very seriously and said, “Many people do not view my efforts as work but rather as a hobby. I should have known that PLAYTIME wouldn’t match me with anyone that would dismiss my art.” Everyone lifted their glass to celebrate that sweeping statement.
Chapter 7
Emerson and Matt leaned back in their chairs with a groan. The serving dishes were still filled with enough food for seconds and even, thirds. No one could eat another bite. Jackson had eaten lightly. He had been more interested in the conversation than in the delicious food on the table.
; “That was so good,” praised Emerson. “Dorothy is a great cook.”
“Yes, I am very lucky to have Dorothy,” Jackson inclined his head to acknowledge Emerson’s statement. “She is especially skilled in preparing green beans, Emerson,” he said meaningfully looking at the small pile of green that remained untouched on Emerson’s plate.
“I don’t like green beans,” Emerson said easily.
“You don’t know if you don’t try them,” Jackson replied with a stern look.
“Sorry, I just can’t eat them,” Emerson began to shift in her seat. She was uncomfortable with all the attention on her.
Jackson pushed his chair back from the table. Leveling his complete attention on Emerson, “Come here, Emerson,” Jackson directed. This would be another step in their journey together. The green beans were not important. Whether Emerson would allow him to make decisions for her was crucial. He watched Emerson’s face as she struggled internally. After a few seconds, Emerson stood slowly and walked to stand in front of Jackson.
“Emerson, you have been very brave. You decided to apply at PLAYTIME. You decided to respond to my message. You decided to come to meet Matthew and me. Now, you have the most important decision to make. As a Little girl, your Daddy will ask you to do things that your adult self doesn’t wish to do. You must decide. Who will you decide to be? An adult? If so, I will call my car back around, and it will take you back to your adult life. Or, will you decide to follow your heart and be the Little girl that I know is inside of you? I really want to meet her. Will you let her take over while you are with Matthew and me?” Jackson said holding her gaze captive with his deep brown eyes.
Emerson felt pinned in place like a preserved insect on display. She tried to pull her green eyes away from Jackson, but she couldn’t. She felt herself relax into the Little that had been trying to get out. Emerson had locked her inside to protect her fragile Little.
Jackson watched the transformation. She had been friendly and personable through their introduction and dinner conversation, but she had been operating as an adult. Slowly under his stern gaze, her eyes filled with tears and she began to pull restlessly at the hem of her tunic. Her shoulders and back lost their rigidity, and she even appeared to shrink several inches.
“Hello, Emma, my precious Little girl. Can you give your Daddy a hug?” Jackson asked softly as he opened his arms. Emma rushed into the sheltering warmth of his arms and huddled against him. Jackson held her tightly. He looked at Matthew who sat frozen in his chair. Emma’s transformation into her Little had torn away from his adult persona as well. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he sat alone, isolated from his Daddy and Emma. “Come here, Matty. I need to hug you as well,” Jackson invited and opened one arm to beckon him forward. Like a rocket, Matty launched himself into Jackson’s embrace wrapping his arms around Emma and Jackson. The trio held on to each other for a long time before Emma squirmed her way out of the embrace.
She walked slowly to the chair she had abandoned and picked up her fork. Shuttering, Emma stabbed one green bean selecting the smallest on her plate. She turned back to look at her Daddy and Matty. Jackson nodded his head solemnly. She held her nose and placed it in her mouth chewing quickly before grabbing her water glass and draining it. She looked back at Jackson.
Matty rushed to her side and grabbed the remaining green beans from her plate with his fingers. Raising his hand to his mouth, he shoved them in and chewed them up. He looked at Emma and began to smile as her face lit up from within.
Emma wrapped her arms around Matty and danced their bodies around in a circle. “Thank you, Matty,” she whispered.
“Next time you save me, okay?” he whispered back with a smile.
The two Littles felt arms wrap around them for a quick hug. “Come with me, Emma and Matty. Let’s go. I think enough green beans have been eaten today,” Jackson shepherded the two Littles back to the family room.
Chapter 8
The trio sat back down on the leather couch and ottoman in their original spots. This time, however, the atmosphere was almost electric as their connections began to snap into place. They all held hands in the circle. Jackson lifted his and Matty’s entwined fingers and kissed his Little boy’s hand before turning to kiss Emma’s. They all looked at each other with hope.
“I hadn’t dreamed of having both a sweet Little girl and an adorable Little boy. Now that I’ve met you both, I can’t imagine not having you in my life. I asked both of you to plan to stay this evening. I would like you to have a chance to live here with me and with each other before you make a decision whether this will be the right arrangement for you.” Jackson held his hand up to quell their automatic protests. “No, I don’t want you to make a decision now. Letting your Little take over your life is difficult. As your Daddy, I will ask you to cede control over your life to me. I promise that I will protect your happiness and your wellbeing with all my power. It will also be difficult to adjust to sharing your life with another Little. I think the rewards of the three of us sharing our lives will be amazing and I’m ready to navigate any obstacles together.”
Jackson looked at Matty, “I’m going to start with you, Matty. I want you to be very honest. Would you like to stay and see how we all fit together?”
Matty was quiet for a few minutes as he looked down at his hands clasping both of theirs. Finally, he said, “I have been looking for a Daddy for a long time. I’ve been all alone in my thoughts and desires. I thought for a long time that I was twisted in some weird way for even considering this lifestyle.” Matty looked up and met Jackson’s eyes. “I want to be here with you.” He looked at Emma. “I wasn’t expecting you, but I’m very glad you’re here. I can’t look at you as a sister. To be honest, I’m attracted to you.” He hesitated and was reassured by her big smile. “I can, however, look at you as a Little girl that shares my life and my Daddy’s.”
Emma threw her hands around Matty’s neck. “Thank you for saying it first. I didn’t want to reject you as a brother if you viewed me as a platonic sister. I’m attracted to you and to Daddy. I’m probably going to be jealous of the attention you get when I want Daddy cuddles, but maybe you could give me cuddles, too?”
“I think I can do that,” Matty said with a big smile.
“Would you like to see the nursery?” Jackson asked gently. When they both nodded their heads enthusiastically, he stood up and said gently, “Follow me.” Jackson could hear their footsteps on the carpet behind him as he climbed the stairs to the second floor. He walked down the hallway to the right and opened the door into a large master suite. “This is Daddy’s room. I designed this house so the nursery would be close to me. He opened another door and turned on the lights. Matty and Emma walked in and froze.
The nursery was large. It was painted in light purple with a carpet that was printed with a checkerboard, hopscotch, Chinese checkers, and other activities. There were two gorgeous walnut cribs on opposite sides of the room. They were larger than any crib Emma had ever seen. She clapped her hands and jumped in delight to see her name written in scrolling letters over one crib. Emma dashed to her crib and climbed up on the mattress that was covered by a light pink sheet and blanket. She pulled the light brown teddy bear to her chest and rocked as she tried to take in the amazing nursery.
“No shoes in bed, sweet pea!” Jackson said as he walked over and pulled the shoes off her feet. He laughed as she immediately curled her feet underneath her.
Emma whispered, “I don’t like peas either, Daddy.”
“Yuck! Peas are mushy. I don’t like them either,” Matty said running to his crib. He started to jump up on the mattress when he looked back at Jackson and carefully toed off his shoes. “I’m really far from Emma,” he observed sadly.
“Little boys and girls wouldn’t get any sleep if their cribs were close to each other. Daddy knows that Littles need a lot of sleep,” Jackson said with a smile. He walked over to Matty and kissed him lightly before taking his hand. “What do you think abou
t your nursery?”
“It’s beautiful,” Emma proclaimed.
“I love it, too. I don’t know what everything is though,” Matt said guardedly.
“Just let Daddy worry about everything, Matty. It’s all things to keep you and Emma healthy and happy.” Jackson squeezed his hand gently. “I believe all Littles need to have a schedule that they follow. Each night after dinner, we will come to the nursery, and it will be bath time. Then, Daddy will put you on the changing table and get you ready for bed. If it’s early, we’ll all go watch TV or a movie together in Daddy’s room. Most nights you’ll sleep in your crib but sometimes, you’ll get to sleep with Daddy.”
“Alone?” Emma asked curiously.
“Alone or with Matty,” Jackson said evenly.
“What’s in there?” Emma asked pointing at the big cabinet that extended from the ceiling to the floor. It had an interesting lock on the front.
“That’s medicine and supplies to take care of you,” Jackson replied simply. They would soon learn about the contents of the cabinet. He walked over to the large tub and turned on the water. He carefully adjusted the temperature of the water before walking over to Matty’s crib. “Okay, boys go first tonight.” He began to unbutton the cotton shirt that Matty had worn. When the Little boy tried to help, he pressed Matty’s hands to his sides. “Let Daddy take care of you, Matty. Keep your hands to your sides.” With the shirt unbuttoned, he ran his hand down Matty’s undershirt to his waistband feeling his Little boy shiver in reaction to his touch. Jackson unbuckled his belt, unfastened the button on his slacks and drew the zipper down lightly brushing his Little boy’s growing erection. Quickly, he removed Matty’s shirt and undershirt revealing his toned long and lean torso.