2. Gabby

The carrot was dangling in front of her, but she was terrified to reach for it. The offer that Zane and Sean had made to her seemed like heaven. Zane had been kind to her over the several weeks she'd been working for him, but she had no idea about Sean. He could be one of the monsters that she often had nightmares about. He looked nice enough, but monsters never truly looked like monsters.

Zane leaned forward in his chair, catching her attention.

"Gabby, I know you've only known me for a few weeks, but Sean is one of the best people I've ever known. He would never hurt or mistreat you. Many people here at the club would also vouch for him if you'd like to talk to them."

It sounded so wonderful. The thought of having a nursery all to herself and sleeping in a warm comfortable bed were things most people would take for granted, but to her, it was everything. It was something she hadn't had in… well, forever.

If he didn't expect a payment, would he expect her to pay him in other ways? Sex? She couldn't do that. She could offer to clean his house, though.

"I could clean your house in place of rent," she said quietly.

"Gabby, look at me, please," Sean said softly.

He was sitting in the chair next to her and hadn't moved any closer. He waited for her to move her gaze over to him, and when she did, he smiled with approval. A gorgeous smile that made her feel tingly and warm in a way that she had never felt before.

"I don't need you to clean. I expect absolutely nothing from you in exchange for staying at my house. I just want to see you in a safe place."

People being nice to her for no reason wasn't something she was used to. The only times that someone had been nice to her for no reason were when Raff took her in to get her off the streets and when Zane gave her a job. But what Sean was offering was above and beyond what she'd ever experienced, and that scared her. It sounded too good to be true, which meant it probably was. Just like it had been whenever she'd go to a new family, and it would be great for a week or two, and then it would turn into hell as soon as she let her guard down.

Sean had promised she could leave at any time if she were uncomfortable, though. If it was terrible, and she left his house, she could leave Seattle and go back to Reno if Zane fired her over it. Raff had told her she could come back at any time, and that she would always have a job with him.

She nodded her head, "Okay, if you're sure you don't mind."

Sean grinned triumphantly as though he'd won the lottery.

"Good," he said.

"I want you to take the rest of the day off and go get settled at Sean's house. I'll pay you for the whole day."

Sean stood, and she couldn't help the gasp that came out of her mouth. While the man was leaner than Zane, he was several inches taller, and she hadn't realized that when he was sitting down. But now, he was standing in front of her, at least a foot and a half taller than she was, and she felt like a small bug in comparison. He could do anything he wanted to her, and she wouldn't have the size or strength to fight the man off.

Calm down. Zane assured you that he is a good guy, and Zane has been nothing but genuine.

Sean looked down at her with alarm when he heard her startle.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you."

"It's okay," she whispered without looking him in the eye.

"No, it's not okay, but I hope with time that you'll come to trust me," he said gently.

Zane led them out of his office toward the front door of the club. When they stepped out into the parking lot, Sean looked over at her car.

"Can she leave her car here? I'll drive her to and from work."

Zane nodded, "Good idea. It will be fine here."

Oh no. She wasn't leaving her car. It would be her only way to escape if she needed to.

"I want to bring my car."

Both men turned and looked at her.

"It doesn't look safe to drive, Gabby. I think you should ride with Sean and leave it here. We can transfer whatever you want to take with you into Sean's car."

Gabby shook her head, "I'm not going without my car."

She didn't make it a habit of being defiant. She'd learned in her lifetime that disagreeing usually didn't end well for her, but she was an adult now, and she didn't have to follow along blindly.

"If you bring your car to my house, will you at least agree to leave it parked and let me drive you to and from work and anywhere else you need to go?" Sean asked.

It seemed like he understood why she wanted to take her car without her having to tell him, which eased her fear a tiny bit. Zane was kind, but he was a bit hard-edged, while Sean seemed to handle her with more care. It was a feeling that she wasn't used to.

Never let your guard down, Gabby.

She nodded, "Deal."

Sean gave her his address and had her put it into the GPS on her phone. He told her he would follow her in case she broke down. She nodded, and secretly she was thankful because she really had no idea how much longer her car would be running.

As she followed her GPS in the direction of his house, Gabby gripped the wheel and tried to control her breathing. She had no idea why she'd agreed to stay with Sean, and now she was second-guessing her decision. She didn't even know the guy, and she'd admitted to him that she was a Little. She had never admitted that to anyone before. Not even Raff, though he had never asked. Sean was the first person ever to ask her directly.

Did his question and the fact that he had a nursery in his house mean that he was a Daddy? He seemed like he was one. Dominant but kind. Or at least that's what it seemed.

Gabby"s jaw dropped when she pulled up to the house that the GPS directed her to. What did the man do for a living to afford a house like that? She had never even stepped foot in a home that nice in her entire life. She hoped he wouldn't be embarrassed to have her crappy car parked in his driveway. What if it leaked oil? Maybe she should park on the street.

Her question was answered when Sean pulled around her into the driveway and got out of his car to wave her into a parking spot next to his car.

"What can I carry in for you?" Sean asked when she got out of the car.

Gabby hesitated, not wanting him to see the small number of belongings she owned or the big stuffed dog that she slept with every night.

"Gabby, honey, I'm not here to judge anything about you. I only want to help, so whatever you're worried about, you don't need to be."

Easier said than done, but she nodded and opened her trunk to get her bag of clothes and her stuffed dog, Patches. Sean took the bag from her but let her carry Patches as she followed him into the house. The inside was as impressive as the outside, and she wondered if he had done the decorating or if he'd had someone else do it.

"I want you to make yourself at home here. The entire house is open to you. I'll show you around and then let you get settled."

He walked her from room to room, showing her where the bathrooms were and where the laundry was. When they went upstairs, he walked ahead of her and opened a door.

"This is the guest room. Right next door is the nursery. You can use one or both of the rooms. Whatever makes you happy and comfortable. If you want to sleep in here and hang out and play in the nursery, that's fine, or you can sleep in the nursery if you'd prefer."

Gabby looked inside the furnished guest room, taking in the neutral colors and plush bedding. It was warm, inviting, and bigger than any bedroom she'd ever seen before. The bed looked like a fluffy cloud that she wanted to leap into and sleep for days, and the carpet was the softest floor she'd ever walked on. It made her want to take her shoes off and walk around the room barefoot.

"Let's go see the nursery."

She followed him out to the hall, and when he opened the next door, he motioned for her to go in. Gabby couldn't believe the beautiful room before her. It was more than any nursery she could ever have dreamed of. The Littles' area at the club was impressive and lovely, but it was nothing compared to the personal touches of this room.

The walls were a creamy color on three sides, and on the biggest wall, there was a life-size castle that looked like it had been hand-painted with intricate details and outdoor scenery around it. There was a twin-sized bed with a pull-up railing in one corner of the room. It was a white framed princess-style bed with white tulle hanging from the ceiling above the headboard, making it look like something right out of a fairytale. The bedding was a light pink color and looked so soft that she wanted to run her hands over it.

In another corner of the room, there was a large bin overfilled with toys, and across from that corner was a waist-high bookshelf filled with books. There was a substantial-looking cushion that was a cross between a beanbag and a giant pillow next to it, big enough that she would be able to lie on it and read.

Gabby was speechless. She had never seen anything so beautiful and inviting.

"This room has been waiting for a Little to play in it."

She looked up at Sean, only to find him watching her.

"I've never seen anything so beautiful."

He smiled and looked as though he wanted to say something, but instead, he leaned against the doorframe.

"It's all yours, Gabby."

For now. Until I leave, and he finds another Little to move in.

And why did that thought bother her? She wondered how long it had been since the last Little had used his nursery. Gabby forced herself to shake off the thought because she didn't want to think about it too deeply.

"Thank you."

Sean smiled and nodded, then he straightened himself and stepped back from the doorframe.

"I'll let you get settled. If you need anything at all, I'll be downstairs. Did you eat lunch already?"

She nodded. Gabby wasn't about to tell him that her lunch had consisted of a handful of crackers. Sean smiled and disappeared from the doorway, leaving her alone in the room that was designed for a princess.

Slowly, she walked around touching as many surfaces and toys as possible, trying to ingrain everything into her mind so she could remember it forever. The bedding was fluffy and soft, and the carpet was just as plush in here as it was in the other bedroom. She loved soft things, and the room had plenty of those. There were several stuffed toys lined up at the head of the bed, and she picked up each one individually and decided on names for each.

She named the monkey, Bananas, Honey for the bear, Spike for the hedgehog, and Melvin for the moose. Smiling to herself as she positioned each one around the pillows, Gabby went into the guest room, grabbed her dog Patches, and added him to the group of stuffed animals. After being in the nursery, she knew there was no other room she wanted to stay in.

Feeling satisfied with the way her new friends were set up, Gabby went to the bookcase and sat down on her knees to look through each title. When she was cleaning at the club, she went into the Littles' area a lot, and she would wipe down some of the toys and pick up a doll to hold for a minute or two before putting it back. Now, she had a whole nursery to herself to explore and, as Sean said, make herself at home.

Gabby would make sure not to get too comfortable or mess anything up in the nursery. She had learned over the years that breaking things or messing things up would almost always get her in trouble, so she would make sure to keep everything neat.

She had no idea how long she had been exploring the room when Sean knocked on the doorframe and startled her. She hadn't heard him coming down the hall, which meant she had been entirely unaware of her surroundings.

Not good, Gabby.

"Sorry, sweetheart, I didn't mean to frighten you. I just brought up some snacks. I hope you like apples with peanut butter and cheese and crackers?"

Her tummy rumbled at the mention of the delicious snacks, and she hoped he hadn't heard it. She nodded and smiled, which earned her a warm smile from Sean as he walked in and set the pink princess plate down on the small art table.

"I'm going to make dinner in a bit. I'll come up and get you when it's ready. Are you doing okay up here?"

Gabby felt terrible that she found it so hard to talk to him. It wasn't just him. It was all men, really, and even some women. Her anxiety overtook her sometimes when she had to speak and would result in a full-blown panic attack. Luckily, at the moment she wasn't having that kind of anxiety around Sean, making it a bit easier to speak.

"I'm good. Thank you."

He nodded and disappeared again. She let out a deep breath and walked over to the plate of snacks. She smiled when she saw the cheese slices were cut into little stars and the apple slices had the skin removed. It was the cutest plate of snacks she'd ever seen. Almost too cute to eat. Almost.