X-Treme Measure

by S. N. Garza

  “Yes, she has a My Little Pony thing going on.”

  “Oh, I’m not judging. I actually like MLP. Pinkie Pie is a girl after my own heart. In the Equestria Girl’s movies anyway, when they turn into teenagers. Yeah.” He was looking down at me with this amused smile lighting up his face and I just rolled my eyes. “Don’t hate, buster.”

  “Zero hating here, honey. Come on. Reighlyn should be in the living room. She likes to read and she can be up until ten pm. After that, she needs to be in her bed. I let her play a movie and she usually falls asleep on her own.”

  He turned me and we walked back to the living room where Reighlyn was sitting in a little woman’s recliner. Nice. Someone was spoiled. Let’s hope there wasn’t a brat attached to that word either.

  “Alright, Reighlyn. I need to finish so I can head out. Oh, do you have a phone, Moriah?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “Alright, let me give you my number just in case you need anything or if there is any problems. There is a house phone with numbers you might need, but my cell phone is best for now.”

  He gave me his number, and I called him so he had mine as well. He pulled out his and plugged in my number into his contacts.

  “Reighlyn.”

  “I know, dad. It’ll be fine.”

  “She’s nine going on twenty.”

  “We all were at that age.”

  Both Reighlyn and I giggled, because it was true. It probably wouldn’t be long until she became a young woman. I bet Daniel was going to have a field day with that one. Poor man.

  “Women,” was his only response and it only made us laugh harder. He set my backpack on the coffee table and shook his head as he turned towards his bedroom to finish getting ready. I hadn’t noticed before now but there was a large tattoo on his back. A black cross with pointed ends covered the top of his back and it went down his spine, stopping at the middle of his back. I hadn’t really pegged him for a religious guy, but like I told him not to judge, I wasn’t going to pry and judge him right back.

  “Hi, Reighlyn.”

  “Hey. You’re Moriah.”

  “Yes, you can call me Riri if you like.”

  “Okay. That’s cool.”

  Yeah. That was our conversation. Brief. To the point.

  I sat on the edge of the couch, farthest away from her so she wouldn’t feel closed in. I waited until Daniel came back in and I stood. In a way, I was nervous to be left alone with this little girl. I had no idea how to take care of a child. Although it was practically my major, but that didn’t mean I know how to take care of one in real life; one on one. She was old enough to do most things by herself so that was a plus.

  Daniel went over to Reighlyn, bent to kiss her on the head, whispered something into her ear, which made her giggle and said, “Yes, dad.”

  She saluted him and he gently tugged the ends of her hair. It was such a sweet thing to do. It only made me wish my relationship with my father was this nice.

  Yeah. Right. That was wishful thinking.

  “Alright, dad. We’ll be fine. I’ll protect her.”

  Protect me? Against what? I tilted my head to the side, watching the weird exchange.

  Daniel nodded before walking the short distance to me. He towered over me and took the ends of my hair just like he did Reighlyn and gave it a gentle tug.

  “She’s a good girl. She’ll behave and she knows when she has to be in bed. What will you do?”

  “I have my psych homework.”

  “Nerdy.”

  I shrugged because it wasn’t the first time someone said that to me and I wasn’t ashamed by it. I was glad I was smart and worked hard.

  “Yeah, I suppose. What did she mean by ‘protect me’?”

  “Oh, she’s a red belt in karate. But nothing is going to happen. She just likes the initial shock value. It gives her sick pleasure.”

  “Okay.” I looked over to Reighlyn and said, “I can protect myself though, thanks.”

  “Sure.” She said that way too innocently and it made me think she didn’t believe me. I looked back up at Daniel to see a soft smile on his face.

  “Call or text me if there is anything you need or have problems. Although you shouldn’t. She’s a good girl.” Then he leaned in close and I felt his warm breathe cascade over my earlobe sending shivers down my back. And to my own shock, my nipples hardened and I felt butterflies low in my belly. His voice did things to me. I had no idea how to react to them. “You be a good girl, too. Don’t leave unless you really have to. Don’t open the door for anyone. No one has a key except me and Reighlyn. Do you have everything you need?”

  My whispered yes was barely audible so I nodded and his fingers curled around my hair.

  I could hear him take a deep breath. Breathing me in? His finger uncurled and he stepped back before nodding, his dark chocolate eyes almost black as they looked me over one final time.

  “Alright. I’ll text you in a little bit to make sure everything’s okay. Or text me when you go to sleep.”

  “Okay. Be safe.”

  “Always.”

  He nodded, walked around me and the view of his ass was just as nice as his front. He walked to the foyer hallway before turning back and saying, “Love you, babydoll.”

  I looked to Reighlyn, and she smiled happily saying, “Love you, too, Daddy.”

  Then he looked at me, winked and left.

  I sat back down and looked over to Reighlyn who had her nose stuck in a book and her knees covering the front it.

  “Whatcha reading?”

  She laid her legs down and showed me the cover, “It’s a My Little Pony book. I have all them. I collect them.”

  “That’s really nice. I don’t have the books, but I have the movies. My favorite of the Mane 6 is Pinkie Pie.”

  She looked surprised that I would like something that was for kids. Well, she didn’t have to worry about that. I loved MLP.

  “Mines Rainbow Dash.”

  “Rainbow Dash is awesome.”

  “Why Pinkie Pie?”

  “Have you seen the shows and the Equestria Girl’s Canterlot High movies? Pinkie Pie is like the bomb. She’s like cotton candy and bubblegum but at the same time, she’s a little sassy. No one’s as cool as Pinkie Pie.”

  “Yeah, I can see that. I love the comic novels too. The Friendship is Magic books. They are short books, but I like them. What are you going to do?”

  “Like I told your dad, I have my psychology homework to finish. Although finals are over, I am working on an extra credit paper.”

  “What do you want to be when you get done?”

  “I am going for a degree in children’s psychology. I’d like to be a therapist for children.”

  “Wow. That’s pretty cool. So you could like be my therapist?”

  “Oh, I won’t have my degree for a while. And why would you need a therapist, Reighlyn?”

  “Because my mom is a crackhead and she abandoned me.”

  “Oh. Well. Have you talked to your dad about how you feel?”

  “Of course not. He’d freak. He can’t handle all the girly feels.”

  “And your dad didn’t abandon you.”

  “No. He’s really great! He made me self-sufficient.”

  “Wow. That’s a lot of pressure to put on a little girl.”

  “That’s not how I see it. I can do a lot of things myself. I cook, clean. I am disciplined. Karate is a lot of fun.”

  For a girl who was only nine, Daniel was right; she did talk like she was much older. When I was nine, I was still playing with my Barbie’s (the few I had) and playing house with the cabbage patch doll I won from the church when I went to their Bizarre. I wasn’t catholic—or anything really. I believed in God, but I didn’t go to church so I didn’t know what I was religiously.

  “Have you ever had your nails painted?”

  She shook her head no.

  “Dad likes clean nails.”

  “That’s because he’s a boy. Boys
don’t wear nail polish.”

  She leaned over her book and looked at my own nails. “Yours aren’t painted.”

  “I removed the polish a few days ago. I usually go out and look for a new color. The amount of nail polish I have should be criminal. It’s a sickness. Some women like to get shoes or purses. I like nail polish and books.”

  “Oh.” Then she looked down as if she was upset.

  “Reighlyn?”

  “Daddy and I don’t really do things like that. I guess if my mother was, you know, around but...”

  I saw her eyes bubbling up and it was like DANGER! DANGER! Flashing in front of my eyes. Oh, crap. Not even an hour in and I was making her cry.

  “Reighlyn, I’m sorry. It’s okay, though. My mother never did that kind of stuff with me either and she was there all the time.”

  “Yeah, and did your mother abandon you?” Even I could hear the bitterness in her voice and it only made me more determined to make sure she knew she didn’t need a mother to make her feel like a girl.

  “No. Mine just didn’t care. I had to work hard for everything I’ve ever gotten. My parents are lazy cheats. I never felt loved. Their indifference didn’t stop me from doing my very best to get out of that life, though. They were going nowhere fast and I wanted more for myself. Your dad clearly loves you to death. And hey, if he lets me watch you again, I’ll bring over some girlie stuff and we can totally have a girl’s day. Oh! Have you ever done a cosplay before?”

  “What’s cosplay?”

  “It’s where you dress up like your favorite character—anime, cartoon, hero or heroine and do the wigs, make-up, all that stuff.”

  She shook her head, the excitement lighting her eyes. “Like, I could dress up and look like Rainbow Dash?”

  “YEAH! Totally! I have Pinkie Pie stuff. I did this charity thing a year ago for Texas Children’s Hospital. I dressed up as Pinkie Pie and went to the hospital. My singing voice isn’t too bad and I sung a few MLP songs. It was pretty cool seeing the kids, even boys having a good time. It was a lot of fun.”

  “Wow. Could I do something like that?”

  “Sure. Let me get the stuff and we can totally get our MLP on!”

  Reighlyn’s eyes lit up with joy and her blue eyes danced with merriment as she thought about becoming Rainbow Dash. She smiled brightly at me before going back to her book.

  Hopefully Daniel wouldn’t have a problem with what we just talked about because Reighlyn seemed in need of just a little bit of girlie time.

  I couldn’t keep the smile from my face as I took out my iPad, my book and notebook and got started on my extra credit.

  It was after two in the morning, Reighlyn was already passed out in her bed. I shut off the TV, and a nightlight popped on by her bed from being too dark.

  I went back to the living room and was typing up my extra credit work when my phone buzzed with an incoming text.

  Everything ok? -D

  Daniel. Okay. That's right. I was supposed to text him when I was going to sleep. Since I wasn't asleep yet, it hadn't occurred to me. I was entrenched in my studies. So when I opened up his message I was only a little surprised.

  Yes. Reighlyn’s sound asleep. I'm finishing up my paper. -M

  U need to be asleep. It's late.-D

  He really was a bossy kind of guy. I wasn't too sure how I liked that. I've never known bossy guys. Most of them were more passive than aggressive or they just didn't notice me.

  I'm good. I have a little more to do then I'm going to get comfy.

  It's not good, being up so late. You should get at least 8 hrs of sleep.

  Thank God I'm an adult right? :)

  It's the weekend. U have lots of time for school. It's extra credit anyway.

  Okay, dad. Should I salute you 2, sir?

  You have a smart mouth.

  : P

  Get some rest, Moriah

  I didn't even bother with a response. I set my phone aside and worked on my paper. Of course I could put it down and get some rest, but the quicker I get it done, the quicker I could relax. I didn't need the extra credit, but I wanted it. I wanted to excel. Make my future worth it since my past wasn’t too much to go on. I wanted to be the best I could be.

  Good grief. I was such a nerd. I had no life whatsoever. I mean look at me. Friday night, and I’m babysitting? Happily doing school work?

  I was. I liked challenging myself. I liked volunteering. Was it life fulfilling though?

  Ugh. Forget this. I set my iPad and Bluetooth keyboard down and started reading.

  When she didn’t respond back, I figured she went ahead and heeded my demand. She was crazy staying up all night working on school work. Especially since it was the beginning of the weekend and it was extra credit. Something she said she didn’t need.

  I just finished my last set and it was four in the morning. Perfect time for a work out. I could work out at home, but I didn't want to wake them and usually the guys from XM went right after work so we met at the gym and worked out.

  “Damn, Duke. What's up with you, bro?”

  I wiped the sweat that was dripping off my face before I answered. “What do you mean?”

  “You like, took that set to a whole new level. Tommy said you banked more tonight than we have in a while.”

  In a way he was right. I made more tonight than I have in a long time. Fifteen hundred was double what I normally made.

  I could only shrug my shoulders. I wasn't about to tell them the reason why I worked extra hard. I shouldn't even be thinking about that reason except for the business purpose of her taking care of my child. But with each performance, I imagined it was her I was performing for.

  “Yeah, Duke. Now you’re working out like a mad man. Got some pent-up frustrations there, son?”

  “Maybe sexual frustrations? You got kitty problems?”

  “No.” I hadn’t meant growl that out but it happened and the guys chuckled. I ignored them. I finished the rest of my set then got up; ready to get the hell out of here before these dipshits wanted to add any more of their two cents. Kitty problems? Hell no I didn't have chick problems.

  I grabbed my shit from my locker and didn't even bother with a freaking shower. I'd take one at home.

  When I did get home, I opened the door slowly, not wanting to disturb either Reighlyn or Moriah. Reighlyn slept until eight thirty; she slept like the dead. It was like clockwork. If she didn't have school, she was up by eight thirty on the dot almost. I set my bag down and placed my keys in the bowl my mother bought to make the foyer homier, that's what this hallway was. A foyer. I had rolled my eyes at her when she clarified that.

  I walked towards the living room, hoping to find Moriah lying with a blanket, when instead she had her legs Indian style, a book in her lap with one hand laying on it and the other resting underneath her cheek. Her glasses skewed to the side. She looked too fucking adorable. And young. Almost childlike. And seriously uncomfortable.

  Damn, she was going to have a sore neck. How long had she slept like this? I shook my head, knowing even if she laid down right on that couch she’d still feel that crick in her neck. The sweat that was on my body was dry enough that I walked over to her, gently slid the book out of her lap, laid it down on the table before sliding my arms under her legs and back. I gently lifted her into my arms and she stirred.

  “Huh? What?”

  “Go back to sleep, Moriah.”

  “Mmmm…hmm.” A soft snore was the only thing I heard as I took her into my room, where my nice, big posture-pedic bed would help those kinks when she wakes up later. She felt weightless in my arms. Her long blonde hair falling over my arm and she cuddled into my embrace even more.

  I placed her slowly onto my bed, her hair fanning out around my pillow. I slipped the glasses off of her face and set them on the nightstand. I pulled the comforter and sheet over her and she snuggled right into my bed like she’s slept there her entire life. Like she belonged there.

  Fuck. She looked grea
t in my bed. Grumbling, I made my way into the bathroom and hurried to get into a cold shower. Why I was lusting over a girl barely out of high school was beyond me. She was twenty-two and legal but wasn't eight years a big age difference? Most people I knew dated people their own age. And I wanted this girl? She was barely a little slip of a woman. Barely a woman. Although the workout clothes she wore earlier definitely suggested otherwise. She had a great body. Curvy just where a woman should be curvy. Her waist wasn't cinched in, and if I had to guess she was probably a size eight. Maybe ten. Her pale skin wasn't white but a soft, vanilla color.

  Earlier today when I leaned into her and inhaled her scent? It was like smelling raspberries and blueberries.

  Oh, damn. My dick sparked to life, hardened and thickened, begging for relief. I was not about to jerk off in the shower. I just met this girl. I shouldn't even be thinking about her like I was. Babysitter. She was just the babysitter.

  That wasn't working.

  It's been a long fucking time since I had to take matters into my own hands. But here I was, being a complete tool and palming my erection. It's been hard on and off all damn day; my balls felt sore and my dick was straining for release.

  Just this once.

  I grabbed the length and pumped up and down and I thought about Moriah’s long, blonde hair, silky and soft and what it would feel like tickling over my skin. Those pretty innocent eyes touched by fire as she lay beneath me, her arms holding onto my body like a lifeline, her legs bent and gripping my hips. She’d feel so fucking soft and wet. I’d make sure she came at least twice before sinking between her luscious thighs. Like finger fucking her until I got her moaning and writhing. Then massage her clit until she was wet and slippery before eating her out. I could imagine her tasting just as good as she smelled. She’d have short and labored breathing, her voice whimpering and moaning for me to stop and begging me for more. She’d feel fucking hot around my dick as I drove myself inside of her.