He would know all those things soon, but for now he just watched. Her body bounced with nervous energy as she spoke to Erika, but she was even more beautiful than the pictures had shown. Her honey colored locks hung down her back in cascading waves, and her tight jeans hugged a booty he couldn’t wait to get his hands on. He couldn’t see her face well enough, but that was okay. He had her smile memorized.
Erika was biting her lip and looking around the lobby anxiously as she tried to comfort Daisy, who seemed to be growing more distraught by the moment. That wouldn’t do. He didn’t want her trip to start off on a downward spiral. It was time for this Daddy to swoop in and rescue his baby girl.
“What won’t I like?” Rett asked stepping around the corner and into sight.
“Oh! Good. You’re here!” Erika looked relieved as she thrust an extra room key at him. “You can give Daisy the tour and get her all settled. Don’t forget to swing by wardrobe later. There’s a dress code,” she whispered conspiratorially to Daisy who dropped her head, looking anguish.
“There is,” he agreed, frowning at Erika as he took the key from her. “But it doesn’t apply to guests that are just checking in.”
“Just to meals and programs.”
“Yes.”
He stepped closer to Daisy and heard her soft gasp, smiling as she clutched her bear tight to her chest, but refused to look at him.
Erika shot him a sympathetic glance and hurried back to her spot behind the registration desk, busying herself at the keyboard.
“Daisy,” he said gently, taking a step closer.
She still didn’t look up or acknowledge him.
“Little flower,” he cajoled, using the special pet name he had given her. “It’s okay. Daddy is here.”
Her head jerked up and her gaze roamed his face for only a second before going back to staring intently at her shoes.
“Little flower,” he took a step closer and gently hooked her chin in the crook of his finger, lifting her face until her eyes met his.
With a smile, he searched her face, for a minute taking in the blue of her eyes and the deep dimples on each side of her cheek. “Daisy,” he whispered. “I’m so happy you’re here, but I’m concerned, little one. Why are you so upset?”
Her chest heaved as she blew out a shaky breath before answering. Her voice wavered like she was on the verge of tears, but none fell. “I just wanted everything to be perfect and you to be proud of me, but I already messed everything up! I’m so dumb!”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Erika's head jerk up, and her face twist into a grimace. His palm itched and his mouth twitched with a need to correct her, but he ignored the urge in favor of getting to the bottom of her outburst. First things first. He would let her know how daddies felt about little girls putting themselves down later.
“What did you mess up?”
“I thought Erika was Sadie! I wanted to impress her by knowing who she was when I introduced myself and making a good impression, but instead I put my foot in my mouth and screwed everything up.”
Rett cocked a brow, observing that she was already in her sensitive Little space and tried not to grin at the knowledge. “How did you screw everything up? By not knowing that Sadie was sick and wouldn’t be at the registration desk where I told you she would be?”
“Yeah.” Daisy’s lip trembled as she scuffed the toe of her shoe against the floor.
“Well that’s not your fault, little one. If anything, it’s mine. I knew Erika was working in Sadie’s place today and I forgot to tell you. Naughty Daddy. I should be sent to bed without any dessert!”
Her lips pursed together tightly for a minute as she tried not to smile, but a giggle escaped, and as she looked up at him, a smile spread across her cheeks until she was giggling with glee and grinning from ear to ear.
“There it is!” Rett exclaimed.
Daisy’s head swung from side to side as she looked around the room, confused. “There what is?”
“That smile. I’ve been waiting for it. I see that smile in my dreams, little flower, but it’s even more beautiful when it’s up close and personal.”
Blush colored her cheeks and the smile dined from mirth-filled to shy. “I just wanted to make a good impression. I wanted Sadie to like me.”
“And she will. When she meets you.”
“But I messed up!”
“She doesn’t even have to know. Erika won’t tell her, will you, Erika?” His gaze shot to the nervous, dark haired sub, who shook her head emphatically from side to side.
“No! I won’t tell her!” Her voice softened as she turned to Daisy. “It’s really not a big deal. An honest mistake really, and you know, like he said, Rett’s fault anyway. Naughty Dom!”
Daisy giggled again and Rett hung his head in mock shame, before catching Erika’s attention and mouthing a silent thank you.
She nodded quickly, and he turned his attention back to Daisy.
“What do you say we go on upstairs and get you settled in?” He took her suitcase from her hand and started to turn toward the stairs.
“Wait!” Daisy cried, stopping him in his tracks. “There’s something I have to do first!”
Before he could ask what it was, she stepped into his arms, leaned against his chest, and took his breath away.
“This,” she murmured happily against his chest as he wrapped his arms tightly around her. “Just this.”
Closing his eyes, Rett took a moment to learn the feel of her. Her hair smelled like fresh wildflowers, just the way he’d imagined it would, and her body fit perfectly against his. It was all so… right.
At least it was perfect until Daisy’s body began to shake and she made sniffling noises against his chest. “Hey, why are you crying?” he asked, pulling her in tighter.
“I’m n-not,” she sobbed.
“Don’t lie to me,” he scolded gently. “You won’t like the consequences and you know it.”
They had discussed at length what kinds of behaviors warranted what types of punishments. She had asked so many hypothetical questions that he would be surprised if she didn’t know what happened, but he asked anyway. “You know what happens to little girls who use their mouths to be naughty, don’t you?”
Her shaking body went still, and she nodded against him.
“Good, then. That was your one and only warning, okay?”
Another nod.
“Now, why is my little flower crying?”
“I d-don’t know,” she confessed, with another tearful wail.
“Did I upset you in some way?” he asked, perplexed and concerned. This meeting was not going at all like he had imagined.
That question was met with a slow shake of her head, back and forth. Breathing a sigh of relief, he resolved to stand there, holding her and letting her work through her feelings for as long as it took. He didn’t want to rush her and there was the added bonus that he really enjoyed holding her tight in his arms, and the way she kept scooting into him told him she liked it too.
“No,” she answered with a sniffle. “No, you didn’t upset me. I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
She pulled away, wiping at her eyes and nose, still sniffling from her crying bout.
Rett frowned. “You do not ever have to apologize for your feelings. I want you to trust me enough that you don’t have to worry about anything like that. Okay? Anytime you need to cry, my shoulder is always available to catch your tears.”
“Okay.” She smiled and beamed softly, drawing a wavering breath and steeling her shoulders as she turned toward the stairs. Rett could see the nervousness still etched on her face, but she was faking it ‘til she made it, and that was just fine with him.
“Come on,” he whispered close to her ear. “Let’s go up to our room.”
Chapter Three
From the minute he had smiled at her, it was like every worry had been flushed right from her system, and she was filled with an overwhelming sense of peace. Too o
verwhelming. To her horror and utter mortification, she hadn’t been able to process the wave of anxiety that had swept through her and had broken down in tears. She was embarrassed about the breakdown, but Rett seemed pretty content to let her work through it. Daisy knew he was going to want to talk about it later and she was going to need to have answers for him, but that could wait a short while. Hopefully longer than that. She was happy to be here with him, but she wasn’t ready to talk to him. Not really. Not like that. Not yet.
Daisy did her best to pay attention, as Rett rattled off facts and pointed out where things were as he led the way up to their room, but all she could think about was being back in Rett’s arms. He gave the best hugs ever. He smelled just like the bear he had given her, and when he looked at her, she felt as if he was staring straight into her soul. It was scary how familiar he had felt and unnerving how badly she yearned to be held in his arms once more. When they stopped suddenly, they weren’t in front of a numbered door, but instead, a large open space filled with racks and bins of clothing and sectioned off areas for changing. The sign on the wall said “Wardrobe.” Okay, then. They were doing this.
She had been hoping for a few minutes to acclimate and some time to step into the role she knew she was expected to fill before they just jumped in, but she told herself that Rett knew what he was doing. He was her Daddy, and she needed to trust him. Easier said than done.
Ignoring the butterflies swarming up in her belly, and the bile threatening to rise up into her throat, she looked to him for reassurance.
Rett just opened his arms, and she couldn’t help but walk straight back into his waiting embrace.
“Did you miss me?” he asked with a chuckle.
“Yeah.” She sighed as she answered, feeling a little silly, but not silly enough to leave her spot, tucked in his arms. She settled for hiding her face in his chest instead.
“Are you ready to fully embrace Ranch life for the next few days?” he asked, bending down to whisper in her ear.
“I think so.” She was so overwhelmed by everything happening around her that the idea of handing over her control to Rett, even if just for a short while, sounded better than she’d thought possible. It didn’t matter that this was the first time they were meeting. Daisy knew this man and he knew her. No matter how crazy it seemed, she trusted him and that was all that mattered.
Pulling away, he hooked her chin and brought her gaze to meet his, just as he had done downstairs. She squirmed under his stern gaze, but only slightly. She loved the feel of his gentle dominance. He was already doing things she’d always dreamed a Daddy would do and she craved it. She wanted more.
“You think so?” he questioned sternly; his steady gaze locked on hers. “I’m going to need a more definitive answer than that, little flower.”
“I’m ready.”
Raising a brow, he corrected her, “I’m ready, Daddy.”
Daisy bit her lip and lowered her eyes back to his chest as a swarm of butterflies took flight in her stomach. With one arm holding her against him and one hand holding her chin captive, there was no escaping. Not that she wanted to, but saying his title out loud, face to face, seemed like an impossible feat.
Neither of them moved or spoke for a long time. Well, it felt like a long time, at least.
Rett cleared his throat, and she looked up into his eyes once more.
“I’ll tell you what, I’m not going to force you to call me Daddy if you don’t want to, even if I know that’s not true. We’ve discussed all of this at length, but it’s a lot different now that you’re here, isn’t it?”
She nodded, thankful he could put words to her thoughts, and she didn’t have to.
“So, how about we take it slow? I will give you all of the control you want until I hear that one word pass these beautiful lips, then all bets are off. Deal?” He gently swiped his thumb over her lips as he spoke.
Inwardly, she was disappointed. As hard as she was finding it to call him Daddy, she really did not want any control. She wanted him to take over right away. They only had a few days here together and she wanted to get the most out of the experience. If she kept hold of that control, he would let her, and then she would miss out. She sighed and nodded, promising herself that by the end of the day she would give in, but also giving herself permission to get used to the idea at a reasonable pace.
“Okay, now that that’s settled, let’s get you dressed, shall we?” He stepped back and took her hand, guiding her into the room.
“Welcome to the Ranch,” a stern-looking woman said from behind a large counter that looked to hold accessories for all of the different needs of the Ranch guests. Daisy grasped their intertwined hands with her other hand and scooted into his side, shyly.
The woman softened a bit as she came out from behind the counter and approached them. “I’m Miss Amelia. How can I help you two today?” She looked them both up and down, making Daisy feel even more self conscious. Rett was already dressed in a red button-down western shirt with pearlized buttons and tight button-fly Levi’s. His outfit was completed by a pair of dark brown cowboy boots, and a brown suede cowboy hat perched on his head. It was unlike anything she had ever seen off the screen of a movie, but she also knew from pictures it was Rett’s everyday dress. Despite his profession a teacher, Rett was a real live cowboy, or as close as she had ever been to one anyway. Apparently Doms and Daddies were not subject to the same wardrobe expectations as subs and Littles. Figures. It wasn’t enough that she was completely out of her element, now she couldn't even wear her own clothes. Narrowing her eyes, she opened her mouth to protest, but when she caught a glimpse of Rett’s face, she stopped cold. He was positively beaming as he looked excitedly from her to the wardrobe attendant.
“Hello, Miss Amelia, I’m Rett and this is my little girl, Daisy. She’s here for her first costume of our stay.”
The woman nodded once. “Will you be choosing your Little’s’ wardrobe, Sir?”
“Not this time. She gets to pick. My only request is that it’s age appropriate and we get rid of the red.”
“Red?” Daisy asked.
“Yes, on your lips and your nails. I prefer my Little to have a natural look. I’ll allow clear polish if you would like, but even that is unnecessary.”
Daisy had spent a good amount of money on her manicure and pedicure so that she could look and feel her best when she met him. Her lipstick matched the polish perfectly as well. Rett must have noticed her disappointment.
“You don’t need the paint to be beautiful,” he promised.
Easy for him to say, she thought with a pout. He was gorgeous and fit and perfect. Daisy was not. She was, to put it lightly, fluffy, and she needed all the help she could get.
“But I like it,” she protested quietly. “It’s Christmas-y!”
Rett stared at her silently, his face a blank unreadable mask. She bit her lip, wanting to give in and submit, but also not wanting to let go of her bits of armor.
“We can talk about it later, then,” he conceded. Why that made her sad, she didn’t know, but it did. She hadn’t really wanted him to give in, dammit.
Miss Amelia nodded again and held her hand out to Daisy. “Alright then, young lady. Let’s get you changed.”
The woman that went behind the curtain with Miss Amelia was not the one that emerged almost twenty minutes later. Rett had stopped himself from going back there multiple times before they were done. He couldn’t wait to see what she chose, but mostly he couldn’t wait to just be with her.
When Daisy finally emerged, his heart stopped in his chest. She was dressed in a short red and green plaid skirt with mismatched red and green suspenders that contrasted with the plain white button up underneath. She wore green knee-high stockings and black shoes that buckled over the top. Her hair still flowed freely, but was now adorned with a headband that held a giant red bow off to one side. The bow matched her lips and her nails and she looked like a sweet schoolgirl mixed with a sexy elf vixen. The c
ombination was heady and it took everything inside him to keep his composure and not bend her over and fuck her right then and there.
Whoa, there, cowboy. Hold your horses.
The red took the innocent schoolgirl look and ratcheted it up to a walking sex goddess. Not that he minded, but it definitely was not what he had imagined, and it was going to make it difficult for him to behave himself.
Daisy shifted from foot to foot, her hands grasped in front of her. “Do you hate it?” Her voice shook with the question.
He could have kicked himself for being so selfish and staring at her so long without talking.
“No, little flower.” He was quick to reassure her. “Quite the opposite, actually. You look good enough to eat. Come over here so I can get a closer look.”
He held out his hand to her, and she shyly walked towards him.
“You’re beautiful, you know that?”
Daisy’s gaze dropped to the floor and she shrugged one shoulder. Despite the mistake downstairs, he knew that she knew better than to say anything negative about herself, but that action alone was enough for him to correct.
“Thank you?” he suggested.
She didn’t acknowledge that at all, and his palm itched to correct her in a more pointed manner, but unfortunately, they hadn’t gotten to that point yet. She hadn’t called him Daddy yet, the sign that would signal her relinquishing the control she was currently clinging to.
“Thank you, Miss Amelia,” he said, addressing the wardrobe mistress. “I’m sure we will be seeing you again in the next few days.”
Miss Amelia gave a curt nod in response and went back to her place behind the counter.
Rett led Daisy by the hand into the hall.
“I don’t think she likes me very much.” She finally spoke when they were a few steps away from the wardrobe room, safely out of earshot.
“Who?”
“Miss Amelia,” she answered with a frown.
“Why do you say that?”
“She just kept giving me a look and she wasn’t very friendly.”
Daring Little Daisy Page 2