1. Sean

Sean stared at the legal document in front of him for so long that the words blurred, and finally, he threw the stack of papers on his desk. He felt antsy and unsettled. His life was a fog of contracts, negotiations, meetings with clients, and everything else that was boring. Being a business lawyer had been exciting and challenging at one point in his life, but as he got older and more established, it wasn't giving him the fulfillment he needed.

As grateful as he was for his job and the opportunities it gave him, something was missing in his life, and he was beginning to think he'd never find it. Leaning back in his chair, Sean pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. Maybe a trip to The Playground would help improve his mood. It had been weeks since he'd been and even longer since the last time he'd played Daddy to a Little.

He was a gentle and attentive Daddy, and the Littles loved playing with him at the club, but he had never found a little girl who wanted to be his and his alone. He provided the sweet side of a Daddy that they craved, but at the same time, they wanted the sweetness balanced with a bit of aggression and sadism, and that just wasn't the kind of Daddy he was. There were plenty of Daddies at the club who could provide that balance. Sean was friends with many of them and respected them entirely as they did him.

Deciding to wrap up the day and visit The Playground later that night, Sean packed up his work and headed to his big empty house just outside of the city. He loved Seattle and everything it offered, but he also loved coming home to the peace of living where it was a bit quieter and had a slower pace. He had lived in the house for nearly five years after having it custom built for him and hopefully for any future Little that might become his. Unfortunately, the parts he had designed for that future Little were still unused and beginning to collect dust.

One day. You will find your Little one day. Be patient. She's out there somewhere.

After doing a workout in the gym that he'd had built off the side of the house, he wolfed down some leftover chicken enchiladas that he'd made the night before and then showered. He dressed in a pair of black jeans, with a black tee and a pair of black boots. While he wore suits for work when he went into the office, he preferred to be comfortable in jeans and t-shirts outside of work, and luckily the club dress code wasn't overly strict.

It was already busy by the time he got there, especially for a Thursday evening. He recognized several people right away and greeted them as he walked through the club towards the Littles' area. He considered himself friends with many of the Doms that enjoyed the dungeon, but that wasn't an area that had ever interested him, so he never lingered.

As soon as he stepped into the Littles' area, he was greeted by his friend Ian, who was leaning against the wall. His gaze was fixed on his baby girl who was playing with another Little. After an incident at the club when Sean had sat down and read to Ian's Little, Maddie, without knowing she belonged to him already, Sean had felt as though their friendship might have been over. Ian had stormed into the club, pissed and ready to fight until Sean had reassured him that nothing had happened and he was only being friendly.

To his relief, Ian had called Sean a few weeks later and apologized for being a jerk that night and then invited him to their wedding. Sean was glad because he had always considered Ian a good friend and someone whom he could trust.

"Hey," he said to Ian.

Ian nodded, "Hey, man, how's it going?"

Sean shrugged, "As good as can be expected, I guess. You?"

He really didn't need to ask Ian to know the answer. The man was practically beaming with pride as he watched his little girl play.

Before Ian could answer, one of the club owners, Zane, walked in and nodded toward the two men. They were all friends, and Zane was also a Daddy. He often checked up on the Littles' area to ensure every Little in there was having a good time. Sean had no idea why the man was still single, but he also didn't know why he was still single himself, so his guess was as good as any.

"Hey, guys. How's it going in here?" Zane asked.

Ian nodded, "Good. Maddie is over there having the time of her life making a mess with glitter and paint."

Sean and Zane looked over at the petite girl and grinned. She was a total mess, as was the other Little she was crafting with.

"Hey, Sean, can you stop by tomorrow around noon? I have some business I need to… discuss with you," Zane asked.

He studied Zane for a moment before nodding his head. It wasn't unusual that Zane would ask to meet with him since Sean was his business attorney, but the way he said it and the look on his face seemed strange.

"Sure."

Zane shook his hand and left the Littles' area. Sean looked over at the messy glittery girls and winced.

"Yeah, good luck with that, buddy. Your car is going to be glitterfied for months after driving her home tonight."

Ian groaned, but Sean could see the smile on his face as he walked over to Maddie and tried to dust the glitter off of her hands and clothes. Even though he wasn't playing with any Littles, it still felt good to be around them. Their innocent energy made him smile, and he loved watching them play and giggle freely knowing they were in a safe space.

A few minutes after Ian ushered out his glittery wife, Sean left the club as well. None of the Littles he was familiar with were there, and he wasn't in the mood for trying to meet someone new right then.

The following day, Sean worked from home. That was one of the luxuries of his job. He had an office in downtown Seattle, but he worked from his home office most of the time unless he needed to meet with clients. He spent most of the morning on calls with people who needed his advice on which route to go with their business.

Around eleven-thirty, Sean grabbed his laptop and jacket and left his house to head to The Playground, wondering if Zane wanted to talk to him about opening another club. He had talked about expanding in the past, but because of the nature of the club, there were laws and limitations to where he could have that kind of establishment.

Almost as soon as he pushed the button outside the door to alert Zane of his arrival, the door opened, and Zane ushered him into the building.

"Thanks for coming. I hope you didn't have to reschedule anything on my behalf."

Sean followed him to his office and sat down in the chair across from where Zane sat at his desk.

"No problem. I didn't have anything scheduled today. So, what's up?"

The expression on Zane's face made Sean feel a bit uneasy. The man was up to something, and he was about to find out what it was. But he was nowhere close to ready for the bomb that Zane dropped in front of him.

"I have a Little that I want you to move into your house."

He thanked his lucky stars that he didn't have a tie on because his air was already constricted enough as he processed what Zane said.

"What… what are you talking about?"

This guy has lost it.

"It's a long story," Zane said.

Sean gave him a look and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting. He had all day. Zane leaned back in his chair and flipped a pen around in his fingers nervously.

"I hired a new girl as a favor to a friend of mine who owns the same type of club in Reno. He called me and asked me to take her on, but she had to have a job where she worked alone and wasn't around other people. She comes here during the day when the club is closed to clean."

Okay, that explained nothing, so he motioned for Zane to continue. Letting out a deep sigh, Zane nodded and continued.

"Raff, my friend in Reno, told me a bit about her which is a big reason as to why I agreed to hire her. She worked for him for four years after he took her in when he found her living on the streets. She has severe anxiety and doesn't talk a lot. He told me not to ask her a bunch of questions when she came, so I didn't, but I found out yesterday that she's been living in her car."

Sean sucked in a breath and felt his chest tighten at the thought of a Little living on the streets. He hated that anyone lived on the streets in general, but an innocent Little was even worse.

"Why is she living in her car?" he asked.

Zane gave him a skeptical look.

"I just told you that Raff said not to ask her a bunch of questions, so I didn't. I just found out yesterday anyway, so I haven't exactly had a chance to question her."

"How long has she been working here?"

"Almost a month."

Jesus. Fuck.

"A month? She's been living on the streets for a month?" Sean burst out.

He wasn't a violent man, but the thought of it pissed him off. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Sean willed himself to calm down and talk rationally to his friend. He couldn't just take in a stranger, right?

"Why don't you set her up in a room here and help her out until she can get a place of her own?" he asked.

"I thought about it, but she has severe anxiety. She will hardly look me in the eye and barely speaks to me. Her entire body trembles almost every time I say anything to her. Living in a club that has dozens of people in it every night would not be a good fit, even if she locked herself in a room."

Sean thought about it for a minute.

"How do you know she's a Little if she barely speaks to you?"

"Raff said he had a feeling she was a Little. He told me she did a great job cleaning the club and that she would go into the Littles' area of his club frequently just to touch the dolls or pick up a toy for a moment before putting it down and going back to work. She does the same thing here. Other signs tell me she's a Little as well."

He raised his eyebrow, "Such as?"

Zane shrugged. "Just a feeling."

"Jesus, Zane. Even if she needs a place to go and is a Little, with the amount of anxiety you say she has, what makes you think she'll just move in with a stranger? And why don't you move her in with you? You're a Daddy."

His friend was smiling at him, and Sean kind of wanted to deck him. The man had obviously lost his freaking mind. Even if Sean said yes, the woman wouldn't just be willing to live with some random stranger. Although, he had to admit that he was intrigued.

"Honestly, I thought of you because I think she needs a Daddy like you. I think she needs some gentleness, and you know that's not me. I can be too overbearing and demanding. I think she would do better under your care. You already have a full nursery set up, which I think would help her feel safer. Besides, you know I'm a package deal with Jace and I think she will be intimidated enough with one Daddy."

Letting out a deep breath, Sean started feeling himself give in. Zane was right. Zane was more of a stern Daddy and he and Jace, the other club owner, were best friends and always shared their women.

"How do you plan on even convincing her? If she is as anxious and scared as you make her out to be, she isn't going to just waltz on over to my house with me, and I'm sure as hell not taking her anywhere without her consent."

Zane grinned, "I knew I could talk you into it. She's here working today. We'll have her come into my office, and we'll talk to her together and convince her that it is the best and safest option for her."

Sean rolled his eyes and threw his hands in the air in defeat. Nodding his head, Zane left his office to find the woman. Despite all the questions in his mind, Sean also felt a bit of elation at the thought of having a Little at home with him. Even though she wouldn't be his Little, just the idea of having one in his house, playing in the nursery he had built, made him feel like he had something to look forward to. He wanted to help her if he could, and having someone to look after was what he thrived on.

He sat in silence for several minutes, wondering if this would be a total disaster or if he was making the right decision when Zane walked in with one of the tiniest women Sean had ever seen trailing slowly behind him. She was severely underweight and probably not even five feet tall. Her dark hair was long and stringy as though it hadn't been washed in a while, and her clothes were cheap, worn, and hanging off her small frame.

As soon as she saw Sean sitting in the chair, her big brown doe eyes grew even bigger, and she looked as though she was ready to bolt. He could see her trembling, making him want to reach out and pull her into his lap so he could reassure her.

"Have a seat, Gabby. This is my friend, Sean. Sean, this is Gabby."

Her eyes didn't meet his, and she didn't say anything other than nod her head.

"Nice to meet you, Gabby," he said softly.

Gabby walked around the long way to get to the empty chair across from Zane's desk, and Sean noticed that she seemed to move as far away as possible in the chair so that she wasn't any closer to him than she had to be.

Yeah, it was going to be a disaster.

"Gabby, you've been doing a wonderful job here. I don't think the club has ever been cleaner. I really appreciate all the hard work you're putting in."

Sean watched her face and noticed that she relaxed slightly at the small amount of praise. What had happened in this girl's life that made her so frightened?

"When I was out in the parking lot yesterday taking some garbage out, I noticed that it looks like you've been sleeping in your car. Are you living in your car, Gabby?"

Sean winced at the bluntness of Zane's question, and he saw Gabby turn even paler than she already was.

"Only until I can find a room to rent," she said in the tiniest voice that Sean had ever heard.

How old was this woman? She couldn't have been more than twenty-five at the most and that was a considerable gap from his age of thirty-eight.

"I wish you would have told me, and I'm sorry that I didn't notice sooner. I would have ensured you had a safe place to stay instead of living in your car. It's important to me that all of my employees have a safe environment to live in."

She raised her eyes to Zane's, and Sean could see the fear and worry in them, making his chest ache for her.

"Sean is here because he would like to invite you to stay at his house. I've noticed you especially like the Littles' area, and he has a room similar to that in his house that you could stay in if that makes you feel safer, or he has a regular guest room as well."

Her gaze moved from Zane to Sean, and he tried to give her a reassuring smile, though the frightened expression on her face told him that it didn't work.

"No, thank you. I'm okay. It's only temporary," she said to Zane.

Sean cleared his throat, which made her startle.

"Staying at my house can be as temporary as you need until you find a place of your own. I have plenty of space for you to have your privacy," he offered.

Gabby looked over and studied him in silence. He had no idea what she was thinking or seeing, but he hoped it was good.

"I can't afford it right now. I'm doing fine in my car."

He looked over at Zane, who looked lost for words, and Sean knew he needed to figure out a way to talk her into coming to his house. He couldn't stand the thought of her being out in the world by herself, living in her car with no protection or care.

She was uncomfortable around them, that much was obvious, but neither of them would ever harm her in any way. Not that she would know that. She'd obviously come from a past that made her unable to trust people.

"Zane said you like the Littles' area. Are you a Little?" Sean asked quietly.

She looked over at him, studied his hands, and then moved her gaze up to his face.

He knew he was taking a big risk asking her, but he knew Littles thrived off of feeling safe and cared for, and that could be how he hooked her. She didn't answer him verbally but the look in her eyes told him everything that he needed to know.

"I have a nursery in my house. It's full of toys and books and beautiful furniture, all waiting for a little girl to use it. I'm sure you're doing just fine on your own, but wouldn't it be nice to go to bed somewhere warm and comfortable where you know you're completely safe? You would be safe at my house, and I don't want you to pay anything." Sean paused. "Would you at least come and try it for a week? If you don't feel comfortable or want to leave at any time, we can figure out another arrangement for you."