Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

Jessica was buzzing from the night before. She had a glow about her that didn’t go unnoticed by anyone, least of all the few friends she’d made at the Ranch. That morning, she found herself sitting with Alice and Sadie in Alice’s room. It was quiet for once, as most of the Littles from the dorm were in the crafts room.

Alice, ever the curious one, eyed Jessica with a grin. “So... how was it? I saw you leave with three Daddies yesterday morning, and don’t think for a second I won’t get the details.”

Jessica flushed, ducking her head as the girls turned toward her. Sadie’s eyes, which usually held a bit of mischief, were locked on to her with interest. Jessica sighed, a small smile playing on her lips. “It was... nice. They’re really kind, and they’re helping me explore things I haven’t before.”

Alice gave a delighted clap. “I knew it! You’ve had this spark about you all morning. I’m so happy for you!”

“That’s amazing, Jessie! Daddy told me about them, and they sound like the perfect Daddies for you,” Sadie told her with a smile.

Jessica shrugged. “It’s only for a little while. They’re just here for a few weeks, and then they’ll be moving on.”

Sadie’s smile fell and her eyes darkened. She didn’t join Alice in her encouragement that it would be amazing either way. Instead, she crossed her arms, leaning back into the pillows behind her. “Temporary? You’re saying they’re not staying for you?” she asked, her voice flat.

Jessica nodded, not expecting the weight of Sadie’s reaction. “Yeah, just for a few weeks.”

Sadie pursed her lips, a storm brewing in her eyes. Jessica could almost see the gears turning in her friend’s mind, and she didn’t like it. Sadie wasn’t one to hide her feelings when she was upset, and if there was one thing Jessica knew, it was that her friend had a mischievous streak a mile wide.

“You don’t look happy about that,” Alice teased, noticing Sadie’s sudden change in mood.

Sadie shrugged, but the tension in her shoulders was hard to miss. “I just think it’s a shame, that’s all. Why would they leave? Seems to me they’ve got a perfect setup right here.”

Jessica narrowed her eyes, sensing where this was headed. She loved Sadie dearly, but when her friend was like this, she tended to stir up trouble. And right now, Jessica didn’t want trouble—not with her Daddies, and not with Sadie’s wild ideas.

So, before Sadie could escalate her frustrations into something dramatic, Jessica did something she rarely ever did. She leaned forward with a mischievous glint in her eyes and said, “You know what? It’s been way too long since we’ve pulled a decent prank on the Bigs.”

Her friends perked up at this, Sadie’s expression softened just a little with intrigue. Alice was the first to jump in, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Ooh, what did you have in mind?”

Jessica bit back a grin, letting the idea bloom fully in her mind before sharing it. “Well, there’s that karaoke night coming up, right? I say we make a small adjustment to the song list... maybe throw in a few surprise tracks that the Bigs won’t see coming.”

Alice erupted in laughter, clearly loving the idea. Even Sadie couldn’t hide her grin now, though her arms remained crossed. “That could be fun,” she admitted, the storm clouds in her eyes dissipating for the moment.

Alice leaned in closer. “What kind of songs are we talking about here?”

“Oh you know, the ones that’ll make them blush.” Jessica winked. “Or better yet, ones they can’t sing without laughing. We’ll have to make sure all the mics are set up so they can’t escape either.”

Sadie finally relaxed, her eyes twinkling with approval. “I like it. If we’re going to be sneaky, we might as well go all in.”

Jessica felt a surge of relief. Crisis averted, and now they had a fun plan to focus on. The conversation shifted to the prank logistics, and soon all of them were tossing out song ideas and giggling over which Bigs would have the funniest reactions. It was a harmless prank. For once they weren’t messing with Chef Connor and their lunch. It had the added benefit of distracting Sadie from her earlier upset, which was exactly what Jessica needed right now.

As they sat together, plotting their next move, Jessica realized something. This was another part of growth. Instead of letting things spiral or retreating when things got complicated, she was learning to take control of the situation—even in the smallest ways. And maybe, just maybe, that meant she was ready for whatever came next with her Daddies, whether it was temporary or not.

For now, though, it was all about the prank. And Jessica was more than ready to see the Bigs squirm. Including hers.

The night of the karaoke event arrived quicker than Jessica anticipated, and now, standing in the dimly lit room, she was beginning to feel the weight of her decision. The Littles had spent the last couple of hours preparing for the prank, sneaking into Room 101 on the second floor of the lodge to swap out song lists and tinkering with the microphones. It was all meant to be in good fun—a harmless joke to catch the Bigs off guard, make them laugh, and ease the tension.

But as Jessica stood between her Daddies, the nerves she’d managed to push down began to bubble up again. It wasn’t just the prank anymore—it was the question she’d been avoiding. What if they punish me?

She hadn’t asked them about it. Not directly. They’d all talked about safety and limits but they hadn’t discussed that kind of dynamic. Would they see her prank as crossing a line? And if they did, what kind of punishment would they use? The thought sent a shiver down her spine, and not in the way she’d hoped for when she’d started this whole exploration.

Sebastian, Rowan and Forrest had been so gentle with her on their night together—careful, attentive, and patient. But punishment? That was a different beast entirely. And as much as Jessica wanted to trust them, she knew how easily things could go awry. One wrong move could bring back all the fear and pain she’d been working so hard to leave behind. She bit her lip, anxiety gnawing at her.

“What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?”

Rowan’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. His arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to his side. His warmth was reassuring, but it didn’t quell the dread bubbling in her stomach.

“Nothing,” Jessica lied, glancing up at him. She tried to smile, but it felt weak, and she knew Rowan could see right through it.

“Hmm.” Rowan wasn’t buying it, but thankfully, he didn’t push further. He simply kissed her forehead and whispered. “You look adorable tonight, princess. Just relax and enjoy yourself.”

Jessica nodded, trying to focus on the event. The room was packed with Bigs and Littles, the energy high as everyone mingled. The karaoke equipment had been set up on the stage, complete with flashing lights and a rotating disco ball. The Littles giggled amongst themselves, quite a few of them unaware of what was coming. But the few of them who were in on the prank shared secretive glances. Jessica’s stomach tightened, however.

“Alright, everyone!” Master Derek’s voice boomed through the room as he stepped onto the stage, commanding the attention of the crowd. “We’ve got a fun night ahead. Let’s get this karaoke started!”

The first few rounds of singing went off without a hitch. The Bigs, surprisingly, were good sports about getting up to perform, and the room filled with laughter and applause. Jessica watched as Master Derek began to belt out a country tune, completely unaware of the prank about to unfold. Alice and Sadie were beside themselves, stifling giggles as the prank’s reveal drew closer. Jessica snuck a look to her Daddies to see them smiling widely at her. Before she could smile back, it happened.

The Littles had rigged the song list. When Master Derek sang the first word of the chorus which just happened to be “baby,” Jessica felt her hand being grabbed and she was pulled to her feet as several other Littles jumped up to join in shouting out the second word, “shark”. Instead of the expected soft crooning of love lyrics continuing, the room was treated to the high-pitched squeals of bouncing Littles singing the very annoying lines of “Baby Shark” at the top of their lungs.

When the song switched again, the Littles instantly dropped back to their seats, no longer singing, all eyes on the stage in expectation. Jessica learned that Littles weren’t the only ones capable of rolling their eyes as Master Derek’s made quite the impressive roll before locking his gaze on Sadie who had her hand clamped over her mouth in an unsuccessful attempt to keep her giggles at bay. The Ranch owner once again proved he had the patience of Job as he picked up the love song again, though Jessie thought she could see the relief in his gaze when he held out the microphone to the next Big. The Littles clapped and their cheers of encouragement grew louder as a new song began and went off without a single hitch.

The evening continued, some Bigs getting lucky and being able to perform without being interrupted while several others found their chosen song switching to ones such as “The Wheels on the Bus” which had Littles adding synchronized hand motions and had Littles jumping in circles and belting out lyrics to “Little Bunny Foo-Foo”. If lyric switching wasn’t enough to send the room into pandemonium, the Littles had also rigged the microphone so that at unexpected times, the auto-tune function kicked in, warping voices into high-pitched squeaks or deep, robotic growls.

When it was Chief Lawson’s turn, he gingerly accepted the microphone from Master Travis who wished him good luck. The rich melodic tones of the chief’s voice had the room quieting as he sang about a Scottish lass waiting for her love to return safely home. Even the Littles seemed quite shocked when suddenly his British accent shifted into a helium-fueled chipmunk sound to echo through the room.

There was a beat of silence until Derek’s exasperated call of, “Alvin!” caused laughter to erupt.

But it wasn’t the kind of laughter Jessica had expected. Instead of getting mad, the Bigs seemed mildly amused, and some of them even laughed with enjoyment. There were no shocked gasps, no blushing faces or embarrassed reactions—just a bunch of amused chuckles and good-natured eye rolls. Even Master Derek merely raised an eyebrow, staring directly at his wife, shook his head and smiled.

The friends exchanged glances, their excitement dimming slightly. Alice shrugged, giving Jessica a wry smile. “Well, that didn’t go exactly as planned, huh?”

Sadie pouted. “They didn’t even get mad!”

Jessica felt her stomach sink. Her Daddies were right there, and now they knew she was involved. This was a huge mistake. She wasn’t prepared for what might come next. She wasn’t ready for the potential consequences, and worse, she hadn’t even thought to discuss this with her Daddies before jumping into it.

Sebastian’s hand squeezed her shoulder gently, his eyes on the stage. “Seems like you had some fun with the setup, huh?”

Jessica’s heart skipped a beat. “You’re not mad?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Sebastian glanced down at her, and his expression softened. “Mad? No, sweetheart. You Littles are always going to cause mischief.” He leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head. “We’re not going to get upset if no one got hurt and you didn’t put yourself in danger.”

Jessica exhaled a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, but the relief was short lived. Rowan on her other side, turned her gently to face him, his expression a bit more serious. “But we will talk about it later. Understood?”

Her heart thudded again, but she nodded, her voice caught in her throat. “Yes, Daddy.”

Forrest, the most level-headed, stepped in to soothe the tension. “We’ll talk about it,” he said, his tone calm and reassuring, “but there’s no reason to worry, babygirl. We’re just going to ensure everyone’s on the same page.”

The rest of the karaoke night played out without much fanfare. The Littles slowly lost interest in their prank as the Bigs took turns singing, seemingly unbothered by the auto-tuned mics. By the end of the night, Jessica found herself sitting between Rowan and Forrest, her nerves fluttering.

Sebastian returned from the stage after a surprisingly decent performance of an old jazz song and sat down beside her.

“You ready to get a room, sweetheart?”

Jessica swallowed hard and nodded. Ready as I’ll ever be.

As they made their way back to the room they’d shared previously, Jessica couldn’t shake the feeling that she was about to face a conversation she wasn’t prepared for. But maybe it wouldn’t be as bad as she feared. After all, they had shown her nothing but patience and care so far.

She just hoped that would extend to the conversation about the prank.