Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 134598 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134598 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
“So you go to a club and take care of Littles and that helps? But you can’t do that here, so you’d like to take care of me?”
“I want to take care of you because I like you, Cate.”
She stiffened.
“As a friend. I still want us to be friends,” he added quickly.
“Oh. I’m not . . . it wouldn’t be a problem to look after me?”
“I would never consider you a problem, Cate,” he said fiercely.
“Then I guess it would work.”
“And you would have a safeword, of course,” he said hastily.
She gave him a shocked look. “But I wouldn’t want you to . . . to undress me or . . . or . . . to touch me . . . ”
“I wouldn’t,” he said quickly. “I would be as hands off as possible. I would only touch you if necessary for your health and safety. I would take care of you like Rhodes does. Make sure you have what you need and don’t do anything dangerous.”
“That sounds acceptable. If Rhodes isn’t here. In an emergency.”
He breathed out a sigh of relief, because if she’d said she wanted him to walk away he didn’t think he would be able to.
“I’m not sure I’d remember to use a safeword, but I suppose having one makes sense.”
“What would you like it to be?” he asked.
“I think I will go with Red. It will be easier for me to remember and say.”
“Perfect.”
“What happens now?” she asked. “I don’t know the proper protocol for getting upset, then pulling a man into your closet so he can hold you.”
“Hmm. You know, I’m not sure of the proper protocol for that myself. But I feel like it might involve a cocktail by the pool.”
“I don’t drink,” she said.
“And while I’m working, I don’t either. Plus, it’s only one in the afternoon. Would you accept orange juice in a glass with an umbrella?”
“Could I also have a maraschino cherry?” she asked.
“Play your cards right, and I’ll give you two.”
“We’re going to play cards?”
“We can if you want.” He had to smile. “But I meant that if you’re a good girl, you get two.”
“Oh. How do I be a good girl?”
“Just by being yourself.”
She snorted. “Oh dear. Sorry. I didn’t mean to make that noise. It’s just whenever I was ‘myself’ my aunt would tell me I was an awful, rude child.”
“Fuck that bitch.”
Cate leaned back and looked up at him. “Ethan!”
“Yes?”
She was quiet for a moment. “You know what? You’re right. Fuck that bitch.”
Hearing her swear like that had him full-on smiling.
“Am I being cute again?”
So cute that he wanted to kiss her. Something else he shouldn’t do. So he settled for tapping the tip of her nose. “So damn cute.”
18
Cate was exhausted as she sat by the pool with her eReader
Ethan approached with two glasses of orange juice. And there were three maraschino cherries on a stick in her glass. Along with a cute yellow umbrella.
Yes.
She held out her hand for the drink and he handed it to her. He set his drink down, along with two bottles of water that he’d had under his arm.
“I’d like you to drink the water, too, please.”
Hmm. There went that please again that made it seem like it should be a request. But it certainly felt more like a demand.
Cate was actually surprised that she was here. Normally, after an episode like she’d just had, she’d have to spend a few hours alone in her closet, trying to calm down.
Ethan really did have magic arms.
“What are you thinking?” he asked, sitting sideways on his sun lounger so he could look at her.
Cate glanced down at herself. She was still dressed in slacks and she wore three layers on her top half. She’d taken off her shoes before she’d sat down, but her feet were encased in socks.
And she was still a bit chilly.
“About your magical body parts.”
His mouth dropped open. “My magical body parts?”
“Uh-huh.” Was that strange? Maybe it was.
“Which part do you think is magical?” he asked with a strange look on his face.
“Your arms.”
“Oh, my arms. That’s slightly disappointing.”
Huh? She didn’t understand.
“You need a blanket.” He jumped back up and walked inside before she could say anything, returning with the blanket from yesterday. He placed it over her legs and lap. That did feel a lot better.
“Have you always felt the cold this badly?” he asked her as he sat again.
“Ever since I can remember. If I get too cold, my circulation gets really bad.”
Ethan nodded. “Then we need to make certain that you’re never cold.”
Did he really care? Or was it something he was just saying?
If he didn’t care, would he have looked after you just before? And last night?
“You told me about being a Daddy Dom so I would know something about you,” she said.