Chapter 13

By the endof her Tuesday morning BDSM for Beginners class, Dolly felt exhausted mentally and physically. The previous afternoon's vanilla sexy time with Quincy had continued through the evening and until breakfast this morning. It also had not remained completely vanilla as Quincy was a Dominant male and not prone to give up control for long, in bed or out.

But Dolly had loved every minute of it.

Until he tossed three ice cubes on top of her to get her out of the bed this morning. He then escorted her to breakfast in the cafeteria and then to the classroom well before today's class began. He was going off with Derek somewhere today but had promised to meet up with her in time for dinner.

All she wanted now was a sandwich and glass of juice before a nice, long nap. When she woke up, she would sit down and spend some time making notes about everything she had learned so far. Including the connection that she felt toward Quincy that seemed to be growing stronger by the hour.

As she approached the cafeteria, Sadie was coming from the opposite direction.

"Dolly, hi!" Sadie said as she rushed forward. "How are you?"

Dolly did not get a chance to speak before Sadie started an excited inquisition.

"Are you having a good time? Can you join me for lunch? Or are you meeting Quincy?"

Finally, Sadie stopped chattering and just bounced in place as she waited for answers.

Dolly took a breath and released it with a whoosh as she recalled the list of questions. "I'm fine. I am having a wonderful time. I can join you for lunch because Quincy is off somewhere with Master Derek. Thank you for inviting me."

Sadie squealed as she jumped up and down clapping. "Yay!"

Dolly could not help giggling as Sadie grabbed her hand and pulled her into the cafeteria. "Come on or we'll miss out on the cheesy soldiers and tomato soup."

"Cheesy soldiers?"

Sadie stared at her wide-eyed. "You don't know what cheesy soldiers are? Oh my gosh, we've got to fix this right now."

Dolly headed to the end of the line, only for Sadie to pull her to the front of the line, ignoring the protests of the Littles they passed.

"Sorry, folks, we have a cheesy soldier virgin here," Sadie said loud enough to draw the attention of the large man who had just appeared in the kitchen doorway.

"Sadie, you know better than to cut the line," the man said. "Back of the line, little girl, before I call your Daddy and demand you spend the rest of the day washing pots."

"Yes, Chef Connor," Sadie said as she turned and headed back to the end of the line of waiting diners. "But can you please save Dolly some cheese soldiers?"

When the chef grunted and disappeared back into the kitchen, Dolly had a feeling they were on their own when it came to getting the special meal Sadie had her heart set on.

They both chose chocolate pudding for dessert and a fresh vegetable platter to go with their soup and sandwich. They then reached the entrees where the server behind the counter gave Sadie a sad, pitying look. "Sorry, Sadie, the soldiers are all gone. Do you want nuggets instead?"

"Hang on, Sadie. Don't move," a deep voice called from the kitchen.

Dolly giggled when Sadie froze. She could not tell if the woman was even breathing as she waited for whatever the voice in the kitchen wanted.

A moment later, Chef Connor appeared. He carried two plates, which he handed to the server who grinned as she passed them over to Sadie and Dolly.

"Yay! Thank you, Chef Connor," Sadie said as she did a little happy dance.

"You're welcome, little one," he said gruffly before returning to the kitchen.

After adding a bowl of tomato soup to their trays, they found a table and then fetched drinks to go with their meals. Once they were settled, Dolly looked at her plate.

"So, these are cheesy soldiers?" Dolly asked as she studied her selections. Instead of being cut in quarters or triangles, it had been cut in half and then each half cut in half again the long way.

"Yeppers. I know it's only a grilled cheese sandwich cut differently, but dip it in the soup and try it. It's delicious." Sadie demonstrated.

Dolly followed her example and found that she was right. It was fabulous. And the perfect comfort food. She would have to remember this for when she was back home and in need of a smile. Just the memory of lunch with Sadie would help her feel better.

"So how are you and Quincy getting along?"

Sadie showed great restraint in waiting until they were nearly finished with lunch before asking the questions Dolly knew were eating her up inside.

"We're getting along fine," Dolly answered without going into detail.

Maybe she had a little bit of a sadist in her for wanting to torture Sadie by not oversharing. Especially since she was not exactly sure what was developing between her and the man. Though they had only known each other for two days, she could see herself spending time with him after leaving Rawhide Ranch.

If only she knew how he felt.

"So, what's the sales pitch?" Quincy asked as they arrived back at the resort's front door after an extensive tour of Rawhide Ranch and Rawhide Ridge, the housing development Derek was building next door for the Ranch's employees.

"Sales pitch?"

Derek's tone sounded casual but as a fellow Dominant, Quincy knew better. The man was up to something. He just had to push a little harder to uncover what that something was.

"Yeah. Are you planning to sell the Ranch and retire? Or are you looking for an investor. Because I have to admit, though I have my retirement and a tidy sum in savings, there's no way I can afford this place… even if I was in the market for a BDSM ranch of my very own."

Derek chuckled as they climbed from the pickup they had used for the tour. "I'll never sell this place. My great-great-great grandfather started it and I'm just continuing the work generations of my family did in the past. And I'm not looking for investors, either, though if you'd like to, I'm always willing to accept donations for scholarships or future needs. No, this was just a chance to get out of the office and spend the morning with a friend who I'm hoping to convince to accept a position here."

Derek headed to a path that led around the main building instead of going straight inside. Quincy walked beside him, keeping silent and waiting patiently.

"I know your future is wide open and you're trying to find a new path. I'd like to offer you another option to the ones you talked about the other day."

"Uh-huh."

"I'd like to offer you a place here at Rawhide. With the growing number of Littles, Middles, and students we have, I believe it's time to expand the medical staff. Working here would be a lot less stressful than military medicine. Instead of dealing with the effects of bullets and bombs, you would be mostly treating cuts, scrapes, and an occasional sprain. You would be on-call for emergencies, and I'd ask for at least a part-time office commitment. An apartment here on the Ranch, or a house on the Ridge come with the job along with a generous salary, and all the other benefits of being a Ranch employee."

Derek guided him toward the area where he knew the employee apartments were located. Entering the building, the man pulled out a key and led him to a door not far from the front door.

"This would be your apartment if you chose that option," he said, unlocking the door. He then stepped back and allowed Quincy to proceed him inside.

Quincy looked around, impressed with the layout, and the room. "This is nicer than any quarters I had while I served," he said as he returned to the living room from checking out the two bedrooms and bathroom.

The apartments are all soundproofed so you won't have to worry about your neighbors hearing anything that might go on," Derek said casually.

"Or for me to hear them?"

"Exactly."

The two men shared a smile before Quincy led the way back out of the apartment.

He waited until they were strolling through the playground at the back of the main resort building before he said, "While it's a wonderful offer, and I'm probably a fool for not jumping on it immediately, I can't say yes right now."

"Dolly?"

Quincy nodded. "I'm not sure what this week will hold for the two of us, but if things continue as they have, I'll need to have her input."

Derek nodded his understanding. "Very well, I'll stop pushing. Just know that this opportunity is available to you."

"Thank you. I'll keep it in mind," Quincy said as they entered through the back door that led into the Littles' Wing hallway.

The two men remained quiet as they walked down the hall. Quincy peeked in doors, looking at the Littles in their classes, wondering if he should encourage Dolly to spend a day as a Little, just to see if it appealed to her, though he was not really the Daddying type.

"Thanks, Derek," he said at the door to the man's office. "I appreciate the tour, and the job offer. I will definitely keep it in mind."