5. Dale

Chapter 5

Dale

Dale's temporary apartment above the diner was hardly going to win any interior design awards, but he didn't care. In fact, Dale couldn't have been happier with his new lodgings.

Back in the city, Dale's place cost an absolute fortune and even then it probably wasn't as nice as the studio above the diner. Of course, Benson lived in a swanky apartment near the city's financial district, and it came with all the gadgets and luxuries that he demanded. Dale admittedly enjoyed spending time there, but somehow it never felt like home to him. He wanted something cute, cozy, and charming.

Benson would always get super-irritated whenever Dale dared to not show anything but total admiration for his expensive apartment and in fact it was one of the first signs that he really wasn't a great guy.

Still, that was in the past.

All Dale wanted to think about now was his wonderfully simple new place.

‘Rebel, I think we're going to have a fun time here!' Dale exclaimed as he twirled around with his darling otter stuffie held aloft above his head.

Dale stopped for a moment to take another look around. The apartment was a studio space so the kitchen, living area, and bedroom were all part of one open plan arrangement. There was a compact bathroom off to the side, and also a tiny little balcony that overlooked the Eagle Ridge strip.

The wallpaper might have been faded, and the carpet was a slightly off-putting shade of brown, but Dale wasn't going to allow little things like this put him off or dampen his mood. Far from it. Dale could see that this bijou space was going to give him everything he needed.

And best of all… it was free!

It really was generous of Max to give him the studio free of charge. Sure, it meant that Dale had to help with closing up every day, but that truly wasn't much of a price to pay when he considered what he got in return.

Dale had never been very good with saving money. And even taking this into account, the cost of living in the city had been so high that once his apartment and basic bills had been paid, he often barely had any money left over for himself. The idea of building up some savings might have been fine for some people, but for Dale it had always seemed like a pipe dream.

One day, Dale imagined having a nice little nest egg of money to tide him over on a rainy day. And even better, having a shared nest egg with a Daddy would be the dream. But until that fanciful day came, Dale knew that he had to be grateful for what he had.

‘So… Rebel, how about we have a little snack?' Dale asked, walking over to the small table by the window and dipping his hand in a bag of jellybeans that Marshall had given him by way of an apartment-warming gift. ‘I call the red jellybeans! Yummers !'

As Dale munched on a handful of red jellybeans, he couldn't help but think back to Kipp. Initially, Dale had been totally fine with the idea of Max being his boss and landlord, but the idea of Kipp taking that role for the next couple of weeks was something else altogether.

Kipp had an edge to him.

He wasn't a diner owner, or a local businessman.

Even though Marshall reassured him that Kipp was a friend of Max's and therefore one of the good guys, Dale could just feel that he had another side to him. Maybe it was the fact that he was still feeling the emotional toll from being with Benson, but Dale couldn't settle himself on the idea of being in regular contact with the handsome but intimidating Kipp.

‘I think I need some playtime,' Dale said, knowing that whenever he was feeling anxious the best thing to do was to get into his favorite romper and have some fun with his Little toys.

Dale hopped over toward the bed and swiftly stripped down to his briefs. After whipping those off too, Dale pranced across the room naked and rummaged in his backpack until he pulled his tomato patterned romper out.

‘That's better,' Dale said, buttoning up the romper and immediately feeling comfortable as its warm, soft material caressed his skin. ‘That's waaaay better.'

Dale then went about taking what toys he had brought with him and put them down on the red rug in the corner of the room, near the balcony door. However just when he was about to really get down and have some fun, he heard a knock at the door.

‘Oh no, please don't tell me that's Kipp…' Dale whispered, his quiet voice full of panic. ‘The last thing I need is for him to see me dressed like this. I don't know what he might do!'

But Dale needn't have worried…

‘Hey, dufus, answer the door! It's me!' came Marshall's voice. ‘And I'm in my romper so hurry the heck up!'

Dale ran over toward the door and swung it open to the magical sight of Marshall in a ocean-blue romper that had the cutest dolphin stencils across it.

‘I got off my shift early,' Marshall said, a big smile on his face. ‘And I figured you could do with a playdate and some company on your first night. And I guess I wasn't wrong about the playdate part…'

With that, the two Little friends set about having fun with Dale's horse dolls and Marshall's collection of miniature woodland creature figurines. With a soundtrack of the most upbeat nursery rhymes playing over Marshall's portable speaker, it almost felt like they were in their very own Little Club.

‘I think I might just like it here,' Dale said, smiling as he felt himself beginning to relax.

‘ Refooge Rivvy is our homey-home,' Marshall said, his eyes wide and his journey into Little Space well under way. ‘And maybe we might have some big Daddies to look after us soon too.'

‘Hehe, maybe,' Dale giggled, letting himself forget about his concerns over Kipp for a moment. ‘They might spank our butts if we're too silly.'

The two Littles rolled on the floor giggling, and Dale felt himself regressing and imagining precisely how it would feel to be held, comforted, and cuddled by a big, strong man like Kipp.

But there would be plenty of time to think about Kipp later, at bedtime.

Right now, Dale and Marshall have more than enough to occupy themselves with as they set about creating the most magical space for their horses and woodland creatures to play and have all the fun in the world.

Tomorrow would be Dale's first day working at the diner.

But the rest of the evening was going to be dedicated to one thing and one thing only, living his best Little life with his best Little friend!

‘ Phew , this is hard work!' Dale exclaimed as he dashed from one customer to the next.

Dale had just about made it down from his apartment to the diner in time for his shift. And it was a good job too, because moments after he made it, Max had stopped by to say goodbye and wish everyone luck in his absence.

Had Max arrived and Dale not been there, he shuddered to think what he might have said. Still, that hadn't happened. And with Max not around, Dale figured that he could probably learn the ropes a little more at his own pace. There would probably be mistakes along the way, but Dale assumed that this was par for the course.

‘Okay, okay, two super-syrup pancake stacks and two coffees,' Dale said, slapping his order pad down and handing the kitchen staff the paper. ‘I mean, I'll make the coffees obviously. You make the pancakes. Oh, and I didn't write it down, but they want vegan bacon on one of the pancakes. At least, I think they said vegan bacon…'

Dale giggled and turned back to the counter to take another order.

The regular clientele all seemed like the most down to earth, friendly people imaginable. And it was clear from their patience with Dale that they were going to cut him plenty of slack too. Even the customer who was served a piping hot coffee instead of an iced latte was happy enough to take it on the chin and drink what he was given.

In a brief break from the morning rush, Dale leaned up against the menu and took a moment to catch a breath.

And this is why I never last in service jobs.

It's just… so fast.

I can't keep up.

Dale wiped a line of sweat from his forehead and got through some more orders before seeing that his break was due. After notifying the other server, Dale stepped outside and immediately slouched down onto the sidewalk and took a long sip of his carton of tropical pineapple juice.

‘ Urgh . I needed this soooo much,' Dale said, looking up and feeling the morning sun's rays beating down on him.

Dale turned his head and saw that things were quietening down now in the diner. That was good news. And knowing that the other server had already taken his morning break, Dale felt like he could relax and take his full ten minutes with no worries about getting back inside.

As he took his cell phone out of his pocket, Dale decided that he would send Marshall a message to say thank you for such a fun playdate the previous evening. And not only that, but they should definitely do it again soon…

DALE: Hello Marshall! I had THE BEST time last night. It was so cool to play with you again like that. I have to admit, I'd forgotten how amazing your imagination was. And I think we definitely need to take our toys back into that universe again. After all, they've got plenty more missions and quests to earn the magical rainbow crystals, right? Hehe. Anyway, I'm just enjoying the sun on my break. Things going well. I've made a few mistakes (whoops!) but nothing major. Don't worry, I haven't set fire to the place… yet! Speak soon XoXoXo

MARSHALL: Naaaw, shucks. I had a great time too. Marshall and Dale playdates need to be a regular thing from here on out. We have to make it happen. And with you living above the diner, I don't see a single reason why not either. But speaking of the diner, make sure you don't take too long a break. Kipp will be coming to check up on you at some point. And trust me, he's a REAL Daddy. You don't want to get on his angry side! (Or maybe you do? LOL) XoXoXo

Dale couldn't help but giggle. And while Marshall might have had a point about Kipp being all Daddy, Dale didn't imagine he would be turning up before the end of his break.

So with that thought in mind, Dale leaned back against the diner's warm wall and shut his eyes. It was time to catch some rays, recharge his batteries, and then set about finishing off his very first shift at The Hot Plate. There was no need to rush, everything would work out just fine.

But little did Dale imagine that he was being watched.

And what the consequences of his extended break might be…

‘Inside the office, right this second,' Kipp said, his voice calm but clearly not happy.

Dale nodded and stepped inside what was usually Max's office at the back of the diner. It was like any other small backroom office, and the fact that Kipp was so big made it seem even smaller.

But the size of the office was probably the last thing on Dale's mind in that moment.

Having fallen asleep outside the diner, Dale had been woken by the imposing shadow that Kipp cast over him as he stood there and waited for the young man to wake up. When Dale did come round, he was met with one of the most unimpressed frowns he had ever seen.

And when Kipp said that they needed a private conversation right that instant, Dale immediately began to fear the worst.

Is he going to fire me right here and now?

Jeez. I hope not.

I mean, it wasn't like I was asleep for that long… was I?

‘I, um , it's not like it seemed,' Dale spluttered, not knowing how he was going to wriggle out of the jam he found himself in. ‘I was resting my eyes. That's all.'

‘You were asleep,' Kipp said, his voice full of controlled anger. ‘Do not lie to me. I won't accept it.'

‘Y-y-yes, I mean, of course, I won't lie,' Dale said. ‘I promise.'

Dale could feel his legs turn to jelly as he stood before Kipp. Even sitting down at the desk, Kipp looked enormous in comparison to him. And as terrifying as it was to have Kipp staring back at him, Dale couldn't help but notice how hard his cock was inside his briefs. It was throbbing, desperate to get out and have some fun. But fun was far from Dale's mind at that point.

Dale suddenly felt paranoid that Kipp could see how aroused he was becoming but was determined to put him off the scent.

‘You know that I actually worked my butt off,' Dale said, defiance in his voice. ‘It's my first freakin' shift too. So what if I screwed up a few orders?'

Dale was pushing his luck.

Judging by the look on Kipp's face, he wasn't in the mood for the kind of sass he was serving up. And as he stood to his feet and made the full size of his imposing frame clear, Dale couldn't help but swallow and swallow hard.

What have I done?

But more to the point…

What is Kipp about to do to me?