Save Me, Daddy: Rainbow Room Book 1

by L. Michael

  “Do you? I mean, do your cases affect you?”

  “Of course, yes.” I thought about it for a moment. How much should I share? No, I need to tell him how these cases hurt me too.

  “I just finished a case that affected me deeply. A young woman was raped and brutalized by a guy she rejected. She's only twenty-one and now she'll never have kids because of what he did to her. I felt for her, and I hurt for her.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I caught the bastard who did it to her.”

  “And that's it?”

  “It has to be, Sam. I can't do my job if I let my feelings lead me. We got the guy, and the case is closed. We need to concentrate on the next one, the next victim who needs our help.” I watched the slight frown he had as he thought about what I said. “What can I do to help you?”

  “I… You don´t have to…”

  “But I want to, Sam.”

  “Can you… Can you hold me?”

  “Of course. Come here, Baby.” I opened my arms, and Sam threw himself at me. The force of Sam’s momentum threw me to the floor and onto my ass. It didn’t matter cause I would sit on the coldest and nastiest floor just to hold my Sam. We sat there, and I held my boy and just let him relax. I rubbed my fingers up and down his back to help comfort him. I have no idea how long we sat there. It felt like no time at all that Sam was relaxing, and his breathing evened out.

  “Better?”

  “Yes. I'm sorry.”

  “No need to be sorry. I´m glad that I could help you feel better.”

  “I do feel better.” Sam sighed and cuddled closer into my chest. “It's just… It got so dark, so fast. I started looking into the file, and then I went to some sites on the darknet. I didn´t find his picture there, but so many others. There are so many of them and I… I just… I couldn´t stop looking. They looked so sad.”

  “It’s a lot to take in.”

  “I should be used to it by now.”

  “Honestly? When it comes to kids, you´ll never get used to it.” I said quietly. It was a harsh lesson that all cops had to learn at some point. I looked down at Sam.

  “Hey, would being in your Little space help you?”

  “What?”

  “You could relax and let everything go for a while.” Sam blushed and hid his face in my shoulder. “What is it, Sam?”

  “Iwouldhavedonethattonight.” He babbled into my shoulder, so his words blurred together.

  “What was that?” He took a deep breath and tried again.

  “I would have done that tonight.”

  “Ah. That makes sense.” I laughed softly. “Would you like to come over to my place? We could have dinner, and you could relax a little bit.”

  “With you?”

  “Yes, with me, if you'd like that. Unless you want me to make supper and leave my apartment?”

  “Oh. No, you don’t have to leave.”

  “It was a joke, Sweet Boy. Sam, you don´t have to come over if you don’t want,” I said after Sam had been quiet for a while. “I just don´t like the thought of you being alone after all this.”

  “I… I´d really like that.” Sam looked up, a soft smile on his lips. “I mean with you.”

  “Good. Then we have a playdate.”

  Chapter 4

  Samuel

  A playdate. A real playdate. I was going to have an actual playdate with Hot Detective Daddy. I was so nervous. I could hardly climb up the stairs to Jakob’s apartment. Maybe I was just hungry. Jakob and I both skipped lunch because Jakob got a new case, and I was still hip-deep in my case. It surprised me when Jakob texted me at about five o-clock and told me he was expecting me at his place at seven. It was five to seven now, and I was standing in front of his door, waiting to knock. I didn’t want to appear too eager, so I was waiting impatiently for the clock to strike seven o-clock.

  I was so excited to spend some more time in my Little space with Hot Detective Daddy because I liked him. Oh my gosh, I liked Hot Detective Daddy. I mean, liked him, liked him. It seemed like a dream cause we seemed to fit together so well. Jakob Lannister was not only hot, but he was also kind and gentle. In other words, he was a perfect Daddy. I could feel how much he cared about me and how much he wanted to take care of me.

  “Is my door telling you something interesting?”

  “What?” Blinking, I looked up at Jakob, who had opened the door while I was standing there daydreaming.

  “You’ve been standing here for five minutes now. I was just wondering what´s so interesting out here.”

  “Oh.” I blushed and shrugged. “I just… I was early.”

  “Okay, and you didn’t knock, why?”

  “Because I was early?” It was more a question than an answer, and Jakob laughed. He had changed out of his suit and was wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt, but he still looked so handsome. “I wasn't sure if you needed some time to get ready. I’m early, and I didn’t want to interrupt.”

  “I already took a shower and changed, so don´t worry. Now come in already.”

  “Thank you.” Jakob took a step aside to let me in. I glanced around the hallway. To my right was an open living room, and to my left was the kitchen. That was as far as I could see, then I remembered that it wasn´t my apartment. I stopped and took my shoes off while Jakob closed the door. “I wasn´t sure if you could make it with your new case.”

  “I promised you an evening where you could relax and forget about everything. Nothing in the world could have stopped me, Sam.”

  “But your case…”

  “Domestic Violence. It’s pretty cut and dry. Matt offered to finish up the reports, and the husband will see the judge tomorrow morning. Nothing for you to worry about now. The only thing you need to worry about is what clothes you want to wear and if you want juice or milk with your dinner.”

  “Can I have apple juice, please?”

  “Of course, you can. Would you like to change into your comfy clothes?”

  “Oh, yes, please.”

  “My bedroom is down the hall, the last door on the right. Go ahead and change, then join me in the living room.”

  “Ok.”

  I went down the hall and found Jakob’s room. I didn’t pay too much attention to the furnishings or the colors on the walls. I just wanted to change quickly and get back to Jakob. I made my way back to the living room. Jakob was sitting there waiting for me with my juice.

  “Here you go.”

  “Thank you.” I took the sippy cup from him and smiled. It was cute, bright yellow with little ducks on it. I instantly loved it.

  “You´re welcome, Baby. So we should have a little talk about what is going to happen.”

  “Yes. Okay.” They were going to talk about what was going to happen. Something was going to happen. I did a little happy dance in my mind, and my smile got so big. Jakob shifted and turned so that he could face me.

  “So, now to the things we need to talk about before we start. I assume you have a Safe word, or do you prefer to go with the traffic lights?”

  “The traffic lights.”

  “Can I trust you to use them if needed?”

  “Yes.” I couldn´t imagine a reason why I would want to stop our playdate.

  “Good. Now let´s talk about rules. There are not many of them, but I expect you to follow them all as best as you can.”

  “Okay, Daddy.” Jakob smiled at me, and I grinned before I started to drink from my sippy cup again. I wasn’t a brat when I was Little. I wanted to be a good boy for my Daddy Jakob.

  “Rule number one. Always listen to Daddy because Daddy knows best. And I promise you I will never harm you or put you in harm’s way. And I will always take care of your needs.”

  “Okay.”

  “Good. Number two. Be honest and tell me everything. If you feel bad about your job, or happy because something nice happened or if you need or want something, I want you to tell me. You need to tell me. I am not a mind reader.”

  I nodded and watched
Jakob as he explained his rules. I liked them so far, and the way they made me feel. I felt cared for and looked after. Exactly like I always imagined it would be with a Daddy.

  “Number three is pretty simple. Keep yourself safe. No running in the house. No texting while driving. Things like that. Number four follows closely. Always let me know where you are and where you're going. I want to know where I can find you if you get hurt.”

  “That makes sense.”

  “Good. Now comes the part you probably won´t like. You will get plenty of rest. Bedtime is at ten o'clock during the workweek and eleven o’clock on the weekends. And you will take naps when I think you need them.”

  “Are you serious?” The way he looked at me told me that he was deadly serious. I gulped and stared back. “But… what if I need to work longer at the precinct? Or. Or what about Wednesdays if we go to the Rainbow Room?”

  “I didn't say that there won't be exceptions. But I want you to stay healthy, Sam and getting enough rest is part of that. Along with eating.”

  “Eating?”

  “Yes. That´s the next rule. We are going to make sure that you eat right. Three meals a day with lots of fruits and veggies.”

  “Oh, eating fruit is easy. I love my fruit snacks.”

  “Sam, those do not count as fruit.”

  “They don't?” Shocked, I stared at Jakob. “But I love fruit snacks. What about smoothies?”

  “Smoothies that use real fruit will work but no added sugar. Real fruit, Sam. Apples, bananas, oranges, whatever you like.”

  “Those fruits are all in my snacks.”

  “Yes. Along with too much sugar and who knows what else.” Jakob shot me a stern look. “Oh, speaking of sugar. That´s going to be limited as well, along with coffee.”

  “That’s so mean!”

  “No, Sam. I'm taking care of you, and too much sugar or coffee is not good for you.”

  I opened my mouth to say something but closed it again. Jakob was right. I had to admit that if I had too much sugar or coffee, I got antsy and nervous. Not to mention the trouble I had sleeping. It was scary how he already knew that about me.

  “And think about how much you will love your treats if they are special. Fruit snacks will be special treats from now on.”

  “So, will I still get my ice cream with sprinkles at the Rainbow Room?”

  “Do you want to hear a secret.” Jakob leaned forward and stage whispered, “I bought chocolate ice cream and sprinkles on my way home. If you eat your dinner, you can have some for dessert.”

  “Yay!” I exclaimed happily. My Daddy was making me dinner then I would get chocolate ice cream with sprinkles for dessert. Best playdate ever. Jakob laughed and ruffled my hair.

  “Now, how about this. I´ll go and make us dinner, and you can color while you watch some cartoons.”

  “I´d like that.”

  “Good.” Jakob got up and pulled some coloring books and crayons from a shelf. Would you color a picture for the fridge?”

  “Really?”

  “Of course. I guess at one point, I'm going to run out of space on the fridge, but until then, I'll put your pictures there.” Jakob handed me the coloring books, then took the remote and looked for a channel that played Cartoons.

  “Scooby-Doo!” I yelled when I spotted the cute dog on the TV, and Jakob turned around laughing.

  “Ok, Scooby-Doo for you.” Laughing, Jakob put the remote down and walked back to me. “Okay, Baby. All set?”

  “Yep.”

  “Sam?”

  “Huh?” I asked, still trying to peek around Jakob to see the TV. Scooby-Doo was freaking out because he'd seen a green ghost. He was so cute when he'd got scared.

  “Samuel!”

  “What?” I shouted. Jakob stared down at me; his eyebrows raised. Oops. “Sorry, Daddy.”

  “Daddy is more important than Scooby-Doo, right?”

  Was he? Scooby-Doo was chasing after a ghost, and I desperately wanted to know what they were investigating. Jakob stood in front of me, blocking the TV.

  “Look at me, Samuel. Do you remember the rules?”

  The rules? Oh yes, there had been a lot of them. “Yes, Daddy. The first one is to, um, always, um, listen to Daddy.” Darn it. We had barely started, and I had already messed up. I put my head down. “I'm sorry, Daddy. I didn´t mean to.”

  “I know, Baby. And that's why I will let it go this time. I know how much you need to be Little, but you still need to listen to Daddy.”

  “I know. I'm sorry, Daddy.”

  “It's okay, Baby. But now you'll listen, won't you?” I nodded, looking straight at Jakob, ignoring the sounds coming from the TV. “Good Boy. You stay put, watch your cartoon, and color a picture for Daddy, all right?”

  “I´ll color the best picture ever!”

  “I´m sure you will.” Jakob smiled at me, bent down, and kissed my head. He kissed me even after I messed up. Best feeling ever! “Now back to Scooby-Doo, and don´t forget to drink your juice.”

  “Yes, Daddy.”

  I grabbed my drink and giggled at Scooby-Doo. Scooby was running with Shaggy and having fun and getting into trouble. I took a moment to look through the coloring books that Jakob had given me. I was going to make the best picture. I flipped through a couple of books then discovered my favorite. Animals. Oh, I had to find the cutest animal for my Daddy’s fridge. I flipped through the pages and landed on the perfect scene. The picture was a giant cartoon turtle swimming with all his friends. Perfect.

  I grabbed for my crayons and looked up. Scooby-Doo is playing on the screen, but it felt wrong. It’s like I was back in my apartment. Being separated from my Daddy was not right. I took a breath in to call for Daddy but stopped. I started to get up and go to him in the kitchen, and I sat back down. “Always listen to Daddy.” He told me to stay here and color while he made dinner. I chewed on my lip. I felt terrible.

  Tears gathered in my eyes. I wanted to go to him, but that meant breaking one of Daddy’s rule. I shook my head, and a few tears fell on my cheek. I stuck my thumb in my mouth, tried to get some comfort. I lost track of time, staring at the picture I am supposed to be coloring. When I looked up at the T.V. screen, Scooby-Doo is over, and another cartoon is playing.

  I couldn’t do it. If Jakob made me go home, then I guess I would go. But I had to have my Daddy. I got off the couch and made my way to the kitchen with my thumb in my mouth. I hoped he wouldn't make me go home.

  Chapter 5

  Jakob

  As soon as I turned around, Sam started to giggle at the TV. Good, he was relaxing. I hoped that it would help him to forget about work for a while. Smiling, I went to the kitchen and checked on the sauce that was already simmering. I could hear Sam laugh, and it made me happy that he seemed to be having a good time being Little with me. Because in my heart, I was already his Daddy.

  I noticed that his laughter had stopped. I shrugged. I bet he was concentrating on coloring his picture. I turned and was startled to see Sam standing in the doorway, sucking his thumb.

  “What's wrong, Baby?”

  “I don't know what to do.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You told me to stay, but… it feels wrong.”

  “It feels wrong?” My heart stopped for a second. Oh no. “Samuel, do you need to use your Safe word?”

  “No. No, um, it's not that.”

  I held back a relieved sigh. Good. For a moment, I was worried that Sam meant being a Little with me felt wrong. Still, something was bothering him. I checked the stove, but the water for the noodles wasn't boiling yet. I went over to the table and sat down.

  “Come here, Baby and tell me what's bothering you.”

  Sam sighed. He was relieved, too. Ok, we could salvage this. I watched him walk over and climb in my lap. Sam leaned his head against my shoulder and cuddled into me.

  “Can you tell me what feels wrong?”

  “This. I mean, um, not us, but… I was in the living room and was going
to color a picture for you. But I realized that…” With a deep sigh, Sam reached out and tugged at my hand until he pulled my arm and draped around him. I gave him a little squeeze. “I realized that you were gone, and I felt… lonely. It didn’t feel like a special playdate, you know?”

  “Ah, and that's what felt wrong?” Sam nodded against my shoulder. Thank God, he missed me. Such an easy fix. “Sam, why didn't you call for me? Or just come in here?”

  “Because you said to stay put, and I want to be a good boy for you.”

  “That's why you said you don't know what to do.” Now his words made sense.

  “Yes. Because your rules say to tell you everything, but you also said that I was supposed to stay put. So, I was going to fuck up…”

  “Language, Samuel.”

  “Sorry, Daddy. I just didn't know what to do because I was going to break your rules again. At least one of them and I couldn´t decide which one. I just… I just want to be a good boy for you.”

  His logic stunned me for a second. But then I realized what he'd just said. I hugged him even closer to me and kissed his head. “Oh, Baby. You are a good boy for me.”

  “B-But I broke your rules. Twice.”

  “Twice?”

  “I didn't listen to you because I was distracted cause Scooby-Doo was more important.”

  “Right.” I covered my laugh with a cough, but Sam huffed anyway. “I know you don't think that Scooby-Doo is more important than your Daddy. You were just so excited to see him.”

  “He got scared by the green ghost.” Sam giggled. “That was funny.”

  Perfect, Sam had slipped back into Little mode, so I started to rock him gently. “Listen to me, Peanut.”

  “Peanut?”

  “Sure. Every Little Boy deserves a nickname from his Daddy, right?” Sam giggled again but nodded and started to suck on his thumb again. “And you have an interesting collection of Snoopy shirts, so I think it suits you.”

  “You're silly, Daddy. But I love Snoopy.”

  “Won't Scooby-Doo get jealous?”