by Pepper North
“We’re in SANCTUM,” he answered, watching her closely.
“What’s SANCTUM?” she asked before taking another big bite from the sandwich.
“It’s a community that is growing for Daddies and Littles to live without judgment or worry about the public. Here a Little girl like you can behave just as she wants to, and a Daddy can make sure that she’s always safe and protected by others who know just how precious a Little is,” he explained as her eyes widened.
“Only Daddies and Little girls live here?” Rita asked in amazement.
“Currently, only Daddies and Little girls are here full time, but Little boys are welcome here as well. Hunter and his Daddy come to visit often but their jobs keep them in town. I’m sure that Mommies would be invited to move in if someone vouched for them. The original investors in this big bundle of land were all men, but all are welcome here. As long as they understand our way of life,” he explained to the beautiful woman who meant so much to him so quickly.
Silence descended over the kitchen as they both ate their sandwiches. When Rita finished her first half, Bart placed another on the tray. “Eat up, Ritagirl.”
She tried to eat daintily, but she was so hungry. That first half disappeared like magic. Rita didn’t want Bart to think she was a pig that overate. So, she tried to force herself to eat slowly. Chewing each bite fifty times and setting the sandwich down between each bite, Rita tried to use all those tricks that were supposed to help you cut down on the amount you wanted to eat.
When she next set the last bit of her meal down, Bart’s hand covered hers. When Rita’s eyes rose to meet his, she saw sincere concern written over his face. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Are you feeling okay, honey? You’re moving so jerkily. Is your head hurting?” he worried.
“Yeah, my head hurts, but not any more than ten minutes ago,” she reassured him quickly. Then realizing that he had been watching her attempts not to overeat, her face blushed bright red, and her eyes dropped back to the tray. “I’m sorry. I’m so hungry. I don’t want you to think I’m hogging the sandwiches,” she admitted in a low whisper, too embarrassed to look at him.
“Ritagirl, look at me,” Bart demanded as he squeezed the hand under his. When she didn’t raise her eyes, his tone became more dominant, “Little girl, you may not have decided if I get to be your Daddy, but I have already made up my mind. You are mine. Look at me now!”
The sheer power of his tone drew her eyes to his. He hadn’t raised his voice or hurt her hand. There was nothing that Rita could do but follow his directions. “I’m sorry,” she repeated.
“I don’t know what ass said something to you about eating too much. While I’m taking care of you, you will eat until you’re no longer hungry. We will eat healthy most of the time because I want both of us to feel good. But we’ll also have a treat now and then.” He reached over and picked up another half to put on her tray. Then thinking better of it, he picked up two full sandwiches and put those on her tray. “Eat, Ritagirl.”
“I can’t eat that much!” she protested with a laugh.
“Eat what you like. I hope you’ll learn that I am not that type of idiot who’d criticize or judge you for your eating habits.” When she nodded her head no to deny that she thought badly of him, Bart said, “You are perfect. If you weighed twenty pounds less or fifty pounds more, I wouldn’t think anything other than you are a perfect Little.”
She searched his face looking for any sign that he wasn’t completely honest. There wasn’t any. He really doesn’t care, she thought. The corners of her mouth tilted up as she looked at the handsome man next to her.
“Now, eat and drink your milk. I want you strong and healthy, so I can show you just how much I appreciate all your curves,” Bart ordered as he picked up his milk glass and held it out to her.
Immediately, she plucked her drink from the tray and clinked her cup with his as if it was fine wine. Taking a big drink, Rita’s face screwed up into a funny expression. It had been a long time since she drank milk.
“You’ll get used to it, Ritagirl,” Bart assured her as he gulped the cold liquid in his glass.
Chapter 10
Rita hadn’t eaten two more sandwiches, but she had eaten another half. Her stomach pooched slightly out as she watched Bart lean over to turn on the faucet in the large soaking tub. She’d wanted one of those for years. The idea of reading in the tub and not having her feet, knees, or chest sticking out of the warm water sounded heavenly. Now, the tub made her face turn red with nervousness.
You have to take your clothes off to take a bath. The words echoed in her mind, making her head hurt a bit worse. She swayed dizzily, and Bart’s hands wrapped around her waist to hold her steady.
“I’ve allowed you to do too much, Ritagirl. Your Daddy needs to learn that you’ll need lots of rest until you’ve recovered. I know you’re worried about being naked in front of me. I will try to be very clinical, but my body’s already betraying me,” he said, shifting one hand to the fly of his jeans as he adjusted himself.
He was hard. No, more than just hard, his shaft pressed urgently against the heavy denim. The tip seemed barely contained by his waistband. Shocked, her eyes jumped to his, and she swayed a bit more as she paid the price for her darting gaze.
“Let me help you, Little girl,” he murmured as he supported her with one arm while pulling her t-shirt over her head with the other.
Exhausted, Rita knew that she couldn’t do this by herself. His body had proven to her that her extra pounds didn’t repel him. She leaned a shoulder against him for support, allowing him to unfasten her jeans and push them over her hips. In just a few minutes, Rita rested her head against the high porcelain tub as she soaked in the warm water.
She could hear Bart walking around the room before settling next to the tub. Keeping her eyes closed, Rita hoped the medicine that Bart had given her after eating would start working soon. She’d swallowed the two pain relievers to calm her headache. Bart had kissed her forehead when she’d thanked him for caring for her.
Now, she could feel him wipe a washcloth over her face washing the last lingering traces of the makeup that she’d put on so long ago. An image of looking in the mirror at herself while she applied makeup flashed into her brain, but she didn’t get any details that would help her solve the mystery of who she was. She could just remember thinking that she needed to buy a new mascara. Sighing, she quieted her mind from thinking so hard. It just hurt.
“You won’t be able to force your memory to come back, Ritagirl,” Bart remarked in a hushed tone as he started to wash her shoulders before instructing. “Sit up for a minute and let me wash your back.”
“I know. Sometimes, something is just hovering there,” she complained as she leaned forward. The feel of the washcloth in his hand stroking over her skin brought a slight smile to her lips. No one had pampered her like this since her childhood. “Do all Daddies give their Little girls a bath?” she asked curiously as he rinsed her skin.
“Lie back, honey,” came the next instruction as he helped her stretch out again against the slanted tub wall behind her. “I can’t imagine why a Daddy wouldn’t help his Little get clean,” Bart remarked in a low, gruff voice that revealed his desire as he began to wash her torso.
Rita sucked in a deep breath as the washcloth glided over the side of one full breast. Both nipples had contracted when this man had undressed her. Now, they clenched into tighter buds. Her eyes peeked open to watch as Bart washed her skin. His thumb brushed over one sensitive peak, drawing a gasp from her lips.
“Such a pretty baby,” Bart crooned as his hand cupped her breast for just a few seconds.
“Bart?” she whispered.
“I know, Ritagirl. My touch feels right to you, doesn’t it?” His blue eyes captured her now fully open eyes as his touch moved to caress her other breast. When she nodded, he continued, “It’s not time to play tonight, but soon.”
She blushed furiously as t
hat soft cloth in his talented fingers washed her entire body. Bart was very thorough washing from her head to her toes, making sure that every nook and cranny was clean. He didn’t hesitate again, even when her breath caught in her chest as he spread her buttocks and labia to wash her most intimate areas.
Could this headache just go away? Rita fervently wished as her body instantly reacted to his touch. She knew, however, that Bart wouldn’t reverse his decision. He would wait until she felt better to explore her body passionately.
After he helped her from the tub, Bart dressed her in an oversized t-shirt before tucking Rita into his bed. “I want to keep an eye on you throughout the night, Ritagirl. You’ll sleep with me, okay?” he asked, pulling the soft bedding up to tuck under her chin.
Cuddled in warmth and softness, Rita’s blinking eyes drifted shut without an answer. Almost instantly, she crashed into sleep, unaware of Bart’s movements around the large master suite. When he slid under the covers to join her, her body unconsciously shifted against his freshly showered body.
“Goodnight, Ritagirl. I’m so glad I found you. I don’t plan to let you go,” he whispered to her before kissing the top of her head nestled in the curve of his shoulder.
“Okay, Daddy,” she answered without waking up completely. “No squeezing,” she admonished in the same whispering voice when Bart’s arm tightened around her. His soft chuckles rocked her back into a deep sleep.
Chapter 11
Buzz, Buzz! Grumpy as the insistent sound interrupted her sleep, Rita hugged the heat source that she had wrapped herself around. When the hard surface under her cheek bounced slightly, she raised her head and sleepily looked into laughing blue eyes. “It’s early,” she informed him and lowered her head back to his shoulder.
“I have to get that, Ritagirl,” he laughed as he reached for the buzzing phone on the nightstand. His arm steadied her when she clung to his body as he rolled slightly to grab the phone.
“Hello? Hi, Tyler!” Bart listened as the other man spoke.
Rita could hear the murmur of a low voice on the other end of the connection. She tried to wake up to listen to the conversation but decided it wasn’t worth it, and her eyes drifted closed again. Listening to the rumble of Bart’s voice and his steady heartbeat, Rita was almost back to sleep when Bart began easing her over to the side to free himself.
“Nooo,” she protested, clinging to his body.
“There’s a cow having trouble calving, Ritagirl. I need to go help. Go back to sleep. I’ll be back as quick as possible,” Bart explained as he firmly disengaged himself from her.
“Calving. That’s having a baby, isn’t it?” she asked between yawns.
“Yes. Sometimes nature needs some help. Close your eyes, Little girl. Dream pleasant dreams,” he said as he stood and walked to the dresser. He turned on a small lamp sitting on the wooden top to be able to see.
In the pool of light, Rita’s eyes widened at the sight of his broad shoulders and firm, nude butt. She had been lying against his skin but had been too tired to realize that he was completely naked. Her eyes closed to slits trying to pretend that she was asleep and not ogling his body as he turned to the side to begin opening drawers.
Her eyes blinked back open at the sight of his profile. Bart didn’t have the bulging muscles of someone who lifted weights in a gym. She knew that he was strong. He’d carried her without strain several times. It flashed into her mind that his work with animals must have honed his body into this perfect shape.
Allowing her gaze to lower from his chest over his trim stomach, Rita must have made a small sound. Bart turned with briefs in his hand. In the dim light of the bedroom, he provided her with a perfect view of his penis. Thick and long, his manhood at rest made her push up from the bed onto one elbow.
A slow smile spread across Bart’s mouth as he traced the path of her vision. “Little girl, your eyes are going to pop out,” he teased as he stepped into the tight boxer briefs covering his nudity. He strode forward to the edge of the bed and leaned over, bringing their heads together. “If you’re a good Little girl, Daddy will let you…”
The buzzing of the phone interrupted his next words. Dragging himself away, Bart grabbed the phone and answered it. “That’s not good,” he commented as he jogged to the closet and pulled out a faded pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Holding the phone between his shoulder and ear, he quickly dressed.
On his way out of the room, Bart paused in the doorway and covered the phone with his hand. “Go back to sleep. I’ll be back as soon as possible. There’s an emergency with a laboring cow. Wait here for me if you wake up, and I’m still gone. Understand? No disappearing!” he stressed before racing down the hall.
With the clunk of the door behind him and the sound of the truck’s engine, Rita knew that something urgent was happening. Moving to lie in the spot that Bart had been sleeping, she rested her head on his pillow and inhaled slowly. It smelled just like him. Sure that she wasn’t sleepy, she closed her eyes so she could truthfully tell him she had tried to go to sleep.
Chapter 12
The smell of coffee woke her. Blinking into the sunshine filling the bedroom, Rita pushed herself up to sit on the comfortable mattress. “Bart?” she called.
“Yes, Little girl. It’s me. I’m making breakfast for you. Just stay in bed, I’ll bring it to you on a tray.” Bart’s low, masculine voice reassured her and made her smile.
“Breakfast in bed,” she said out loud in the empty room. Pushing herself out from under the covers, Rita padded into the bathroom and used the toilet. She washed her face and hands before returning to the bedroom at the same time a barefoot Bart carried a laden, wooden tray into the room.
“You were supposed to stay in bed, Ritagirl,” he reproached as he set down the tray on the padded bench at the end of the bed.
“I had to go to the bathroom,” she explained as she climbed back into bed. “You changed clothes, and your hair is wet,” she remarked, tilting her head to the side in confusion.
“Being a vet can be messy, honey. I have a shower stall and several changes of clothing in the laundry just off the entryway,” he said with a smile as he covered her legs with the soft bedding before picking up the tray and returning to sit against the pillows and headboard. “Let’s eat. I’m starving. I bet you are, too.”
“Is the cow okay?” she asked, searching his face.
“No, Ritagirl. The cow was just too small for her big calf. It happens sometimes. Nature isn’t always perfect. Between Tyler and I, we were able to save the calf. He’s a whopper. We rounded up another cow with a new calf. She’s accepted Goliath. He’s nursing happily now,” Bart reassured her.
“Can I see him?” she eagerly asked, ignoring the delicious smelling food on the tray.
“After breakfast, if your head is up to it, maybe,” the tired vet hedged his answer. Bart scooped up some fluffy, scrambled eggs on the fork.
“My head feels better. Look, I can do this,” Rita said, turning her head quickly to look in all the corners. “Whoa!” she muttered as her hand closed over Bart’s thigh for stability as she became dizzy.
“You need to let your brain rest, Little girl. Sloshing it from one side to the other won’t help you heal,” Bart warned with a stern look. “Open up. Let’s give your body some nutrition to fuel your recovery.” When she followed his directions, Bart placed the food into her mouth.
“Mmmm! That’s really good.” Looking over the immense assortment of items on the tray, she leaned forward to sniff appreciatively. “Can I have some bacon? I love bacon!”
“Of course,” After handing her a perfectly crisp piece of bacon, Bart fed himself a bite of eggs.
Companionably, they ate their breakfast together. Each time that Rita tried to eat something by herself, Bart stopped her and fed her. Soon, Rita stopped trying to help and just enjoyed being spoiled. When the pile of food was half-eaten, Rita couldn’t take another bite.
“I’m so full. No more for me,”
she held her hand up to ward off the next bite that Bart lifted to her lips. She watched Bart inhale the remaining food on the tray and wondered how he could eat so much and stay in such fantastic shape. Mentally shaking her head at the injustice of how bodies, especially males versus females, processed calories.
“Would you like to go to the barn to see the calf?” Bart asked as he pushed the almost empty tray away.
“Don’t you need to go back to sleep?” she asked in amazement.
“I’ll take a nap with you later,” he answered with a devastating grin.
“I don’t usually take naps,” she quickly answered.
“You do now. Give me five minutes to clean the kitchen and fill the dishwasher.” Bart rolled out of bed with the ease of someone in great shape. He held a hand out to help Rita scramble out of bed. His eyes twinkled in amusement when she quickly tugged her borrowed t-shirt as far as possible down her thighs.
“Ritagirl, you’ll get used to me seeing your body. I enjoy looking at my sweet Little girl,” he reassured her.
“I’m kind of out of shape,” she began trying to explain her extra weight.
“You are perfect, just as you are. I want you to start challenging that negative voice in your head that must be repeating that you’re too heavy. It’s important to feel good and be healthy. The size of the jeans you wear isn’t.” Bart gently lifted her chin up, so their eyes met. “I will never lie to you, Ritagirl. When I say that I love your body, I am telling you the truth. Okay?”
“O… okay,” she whispered in a voice that quivered with uncertainty.
“Thank you. Now, let me get this tray. You lead the way. Do you remember how to get to the nursery?” Bart asked, ushering Rita into the hall before him.