Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Maya was surprised Lisa hadn’t called to say she was coming over. Normally she was always happy to see her friend, but with time being so tight, today was the rare exception. She just hoped whatever Lisa needed wouldn’t take long… or she wouldn’t even be getting a shower before her date.

She pulled in behind the car and got out, and then stopped, frowning. Lisa’s vehicle was packed to the brim with stuff. It was piled so high that the back window was almost completely covered. She could almost hear Rick’s voice in her head grumbling about how unsafe it was to drive like that. Lisa was lucky she didn’t have a Daddy, or she’d have been in trouble.

She walked around to the driver’s side and saw Lisa, hunched over, face in her hands. She could hear the ragged sobs through the glass. She put aside her concerns about running late and worry took over. “Lisa? Are you okay? What’s wrong?” she asked as she knocked on the window.

Lisa flinched and quickly wiped her face on the blanket she was wrapped in, before she looked up to meet Maya’s eyes. “Sorry, I was just waiting for you to get home.”

Which didn’t explain the tears, of course, but Maya nodded as though it did. “Come inside. It’s freezing out here.”

She led the way into the house and dropped her bags on the table by the door. “Want some coffee?”

Lisa shivered and shook her head. “I’d love something hot, but if I have another cup of coffee, I’m probably going to start bouncing off the walls.”

Maya laughed. “Um, how about some herbal tea?”

“That would be wonderful.” Lisa sniffed and wiped her eyes again as she followed Maya into the kitchen.

“Sit.” She bustled around the kitchen putting the copper kettle on the stove and digging out a box of assorted herbal teabags, which she dumped in front of her friend. “Long day?”

Lisa settled on one of the tall stools at the counter island and sighed. “A long month really. Sorry to barge in. I just… didn’t have any place else to go.”

‘You know you’re always welcome here. You should have let yourself in instead of freezing outside though.” Maya made a tsking sound as she dug out milk and sugar for the tea. “Not like you don’t know where the key is.”

“I hate doing that.”

Maya snorted and rolled her eyes. “You’re my best friend. You think I want to find a Lisa-cicle in my driveway instead?”

It was Lisa’s turn to roll her eyes. “I had blankets. Besides I would have turned the car on if it got really bad. You’re usually home earlier though, so I didn’t think I’d have that long a wait.”

Maya pushed her dark hair back behind her ears and sighed. “I had kind of a long day myself. One problem after another, and of course, it would be the one time I finally talked Rick into taking me out for Valentine’s.” She blew out an exasperated breath.

“Valentine… oh no.” Lisa’s hands flew up dramatically. “I’m so sorry. I totally forgot it was Valentine’s Day. And you have plans, of course… I’m so dumb. I’ll get out of your hair.” The words tumbled out with barely a breath between them, and she was getting up to leave before she’d even finished.

“Hey! Stop that. You sit right back down, missy.” Maya wasn’t used to being the one who scolded people, but she’d heard the tones enough to replicate them.

One eyebrow went up, as Lisa stared at her. “Missy? Aren’t you the one who’s supposed to get bossed around?”

Maya scoffed. “Not when you’re being silly. Date or not, there’s no way I’m letting you leave in the state you’re in.” She pointed at the stool. “Now, plant that butt in the seat and tell me what happened.”

Lisa shook her head, but she did sit back down, so Maya considered it a win. Maybe she had a bossy person in her after all. She stared hard at her friend and waited.

Eventually Lisa started to open up. “So, um, basically I got evicted. It was kind of unexpected, and I came home to find the locks changed and all my stuff on the curb.”

Maya’s mouth dropped and worked soundlessly for several seconds, before she could get any words out. “What the hell? That’s not legal. You can’t just throw people out with no warning.”

Lisa sighed. “Well, it wasn’t entirely without warning. I hadn’t paid my rent since December. I kept hoping the landlord would give me more time, but I guess he got tired of waiting. There was an eviction notice on the door.” She rolled her bottom lip under her teeth and looked down.

“I—but why couldn’t you pay your rent?”

Lisa’s pale face got paler, but two bright red spots appeared at the center of each cheek. “I got fired back in November. I thought I’d be able to get another job, but so far…” She trailed off.

“But—” Just then the kettle began to whistle, startling them both. “Fuck. Hold on.” Maya quickly moved over to pull it off the burner, and poured each of them a large mug of hot water. “Here,” she said, as she placed one in front of her friend.

“Thanks, Maya.” Lisa focused harder than necessary on fixing her tea. She spent nearly a minute debating on the teabag, finally choosing cranberry-orange, and then took her time in pouring just the right amount of milk into the cup, before adding the sugar.

The fussing was clearly a stalling tactic, but Maya didn’t want to push too hard. Lisa was normally very strong and stable, but today she looked like the smallest thing could make her crumble.

She kept hold of her patience until Lisa had taken a few sips and then she cleared her throat. “Why don’t you start from the beginning, okay?”

So Lisa told her everything. Starting with her skeezy boss, and the sexual harassment—because that’s what it was, and Maya told her that in no uncertain terms— and ending with being kicked out on the street. It was a lot to take in, especially because Maya had known about none of it.

She was quiet for a few moments, stirring her tea as she watched the swirls of steam. “I just don’t understand why you never told me any of this, Lisa. I could have helped you. You know I would have—”

“I know, Maya. I know you would have helped. You would have insisted on helping, but I…” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m used to handling things myself.”

“Sure, I get that. You’re good at solving your own problems. I’ve always admired how you have everything on the ball.” She sat back and clapped a hand to her chest. “I swear without Rick keeping me on the path, I’d be all over the place with my ADHD and just generally being scatterbrained. I once forgot to pay the bills for a whole month.”

She laughed at herself. It was funny now, though it hadn’t been at the time, especially not when Rick found out. “But you’re supposed to go to friends when you need help, Lisa. That’s the whole point. Everyone needs help sometimes.”

Lisa stared down into her tea, face flushed. “I’m used to being the one people go to for help, not the other way around. I don’t know. I just—eldest child syndrome, I guess.”

Maya snorted. “Sounds like an ego issue. Either that or insecurities.”

Lisa’s head snapped up. “It is not.”

“Sure it is. You either think you’re too good to let anyone help you, or you don’t think anyone will come through when you need them. And I’m insulted, cause I totally would have been there if I’d known.” She let the disappointment ring in her tone.

She wasn’t actually disappointed. It was more like sadness that Lisa hadn’t felt like she could come to her. Taking it personally would be pointless when she knew it wasn’t about her, but it was hard not to.

“I—I…” Lisa trailed off, scowling. She seemed to be struggling with a response and a couple of minutes passed before her shoulders slumped. “Okay, maybe a little bit of both.”

“I’m sorry you didn’t think you could trust me, Lisa, but I know I’ve never done anything to make you think that, so I’m pretty sure this is a you problem. Right?”

Her friend nodded. “I’ve never really been able to ask for help.”

“Okay.” Maya took a long sip of her tea. It had cooled enough now that it didn’t burn her lips. “So, let’s move past that and consider it a lesson learned for the future.”

A small smile curved Lisa’s mouth up at one corner. “Sort of like the lesson you learned about haunted houses?” There was just a hint of teasing in her voice.

Maya was glad to hear it, because if Lisa was teasing, then she was feeling better. “Yeah, just like that. You should be happy that your lesson didn’t include getting your butt spanked like mine did. If you had a Dom he’d probably be pretty mad right now. Maybe it’s time you started looking for someone to help you work on your trust issues,” she suggested.

“You talking about a therapist or a Dom?” Lisa asked.

“I meant a Dom, but most people could use a little therapy.”

It was obvious that Lisa needed a Dom, but she never made any attempt to find one. Maya didn’t really get it because she knew her friend wanted one. Sometimes she could hear the envy in Lisa’s tone when she asked questions about her dynamic with Rick.

Assuming that she needed some encouragement to start looking, Maya never missed an opportunity to point out that she really should.

“Yeah, well, Doms aren’t really in the cards for me, Maya.”

“Why?” Maya squinted at her. “There are plenty of them around if you know where to look. I can give you some websites and—”

“Maya… I’m literally homeless right now, so I really don’t think this is the time for a discussion about BDSM.” Lisa’s voice had gotten tense, and her knuckles were turning white from how tightly her hands were wrapped around the mug she held.

Oh. Right. “Sorry, yeah.” She pushed her hair back and sucked her teeth as she thought about the more pressing issues. “Okay, so… obviously you’re staying here. The guest room is already made up. Rick’s sister visited a couple weeks ago, and I changed the sheets after she left, so it should be fine for you.”

Lisa’s eyes widened. “Um, don’t you need to check with your Daddy first? I don’t want you to get in trouble.”

Maya shook her head. “Don’t be silly. He’d never say no to something like this. It’s an emergency.”

Lisa chewed on her bottom lip and then finally nodded. “Okay, but if he’s upset about it, I’ll go.” There was a firm note in her voice.

“Yeah, yeah.” She rolled her eyes. Lisa was always the responsible one. Unlike Maya, who could be… a little bit impulsive at times. But in this case, it would be fine.

“Listen… I really hate to do this to you when you’ve been through so much, but would you mind if I left you here alone? There’s plenty of food in the fridge, drinks, whatever you need. It’s just that Rick is meeting me at the restaurant, and it took so much work to talk him into it.” Maya felt horrible about it, but if she rushed, she could still have a lightning fast shower, be dressed, and out the door almost on time.

Well, she probably wouldn’t be more than ten minutes late meeting him, which was close enough to being on time.

“Oh hell, yes, of course. I’m so sorry, Maya this is terrible timing.” Lisa looked like she might burst into tears all over again.

Maya came around the counter and threw her arms around her friend. “Don’t be silly. Emergencies always choose bad times, otherwise they wouldn’t be emergencies, right? I feel awful about leaving you it’s just…”

“No, no it’s okay. Honestly. I’ll camp out in your guest room. It’s warm and comfortable and that’s all I need. I spent the night in my car last night and—”

“You what?” Maya’s eyes widened as her voice rose. “Are you out of your mind? It’s winter! It was below freezing last night!”

Lisa winced. “Just barely, and I had plenty of blankets. It really wasn’t that bad, except I couldn’t recline the seat because of all the stuff packed in back.”

Maya just stared and shook her head. “I can’t believe you didn’t come over yesterday. Honestly, Lisa, you do need a Dom to whoop your butt until you learn to ask for help.”

Lisa rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. It’s never going to happen, Maya. But I’m glad I came over today. I feel bad about crowding you, especially on date night, but I feel better.”

“Good. Now let me get you set up and then I’ll get ready and go.” She put her mug in the sink and led Lisa down the hall. “I don’t think you really need a tour, right? You’ve been here enough. I’m sorry there’s no television in here, but feel free to use the one in the living room,” she said as she opened the door to the spare room and ushered Lisa inside.

“There are spare blankets in the closet. And if you prefer firmer pillows there are some in there too. Sorry about the clutter.” She gestured towards the dresser, and shelves covered in small decorative objects. “His sister keeps sending all this kitschy stuff and I never know what to do with it, so I shove it in here. Feel free to move anything that’s in your way.”

Lisa moved over to look and then laughed. “She certainly has um, interesting taste,” was all she said.

“Interesting. Yeah…. Anyway, the drawers are mostly empty and there are hangers in the closet, so you can unpack some of your clothes. Oh, and the wi-fi password is “Daddy$Girl”,” she said it, then spelled it out.

Lisa snickered. “Of course it is.”

Maya ignored the comment. “The guest room doesn’t have its own bathroom. You’ll have to use the one in the hall, but it’s got a nice deep tub if you want to soak and get the warmth back in your bones.” She stopped short as a thought occurred to her. “You’ve got all your bathroom stuff? I have extra toothbrushes if you need one.”

“Yeah, everything I own is out in my car. I should be fine, as long as I can find the right bag.”

“Oh, that reminds me. Move your car into the garage after I go. It’s a nice neighborhood but no sense tempting anyone to break in and take your stuff. There’s a button to open the door on the wall in the kitchen.”

Lisa’s eyes widened as if that hadn’t occurred to her. “Thanks. I’m not sure anyone would bother. With all the trash bags it looks like I’m on my way to the dump.”

“I’m surprised you could fit everything in there. Your apartment is small, but not that small.” Maya sighed. “And—I still can’t believe they just put your things out on the street like that without even warning you.”

“Well, it didn’t all fit, but I crammed as much as I could in. I don’t know where my furniture went. It wasn’t on the curb when I got home. He might have kept it for the past due rent.”

“Ugh. What an asshole.” Shaking her head, Maya scowled. “Wait, so where is the rest of your stuff if it didn’t fit?”

Her friend shrugged. “I had to leave it. I think I got all the important stuff though, and it’s nice to declutter now and then, right?” The joke sounded flat, and Maya didn’t laugh.

“That can’t be legal. I’m going to ask Rick about this,” Maya said, as a feeling of injustice grew. Her friend did not deserve to be treated like that. Lisa was the sweetest woman, and all of that aside, no one deserved to be thrown out in the middle of winter for late rent.

She was definitely going to talk to her Daddy, in case there was something they could do legally. But… maybe not tonight. None of this was going to make for a romantic evening.

“I need to run and get ready. He hates it when I’m late, but do you need anything else before I go?”

Lisa offered her a small smile. “I’m good. Honestly, I think I’m probably going to be asleep within an hour. I’m so worn out,” she said. The dark circles under her eyes had already made that plain.

Maya gave her a hug. “It’s going to be okay. I promise. We’ll figure everything out. For now, just relax and get some rest. And eat something.”

“You’re getting bossier by the minute. Pretty soon you’ll need a pair of Domme boots,” Lisa said, joking as she took a seat on the bottom of the bed.

“As if Daddy would allow that.” She snorted. “Don’t worry, there’s not the slightest bit of switch in me, lucky for you…” She fixed Lisa with a faux stern look. “But I do like to take care of people, so if necessary, I’ll find a pair of boots and fake it—just for you.”

“If you don’t get going for your date, your Daddy is going to paddle your butt,” Lisa pointed out.

Maya squeaked and her eyes flicked to the old bedside clock. “Oh, fuck, he is! Okay, I’m going! Text if you need anything. I won’t be looking at my phone much, but I’ll try to check now and then.”

“Go, or I’m going to be the one who finds Domme boots!” Lisa pointed firmly toward the door.

Maya took the hint and ran. There was no longer time for a shower. The best she could do was a quick wash at the sink. She brushed her teeth, her hair, and threw on some makeup before she slithered into her new dress.

She wasn’t entirely sure how she managed, but she was out the door in under ten minutes yelling, “Text if you need anything!” as the door slammed behind her.

On the way to the restaurant she decided not to mention their guest to her Daddy. If she did, she’d have to explain the whole situation and it would definitely ruin the romantic vibe she was going for. If Lisa was going to be asleep when they got home, it wouldn’t matter anyway. Morning would be soon enough to fill him in.

Because she was late, he was already seated inside. She didn’t need to be escorted to the table, she looked across the crowded dining room and their eyes locked like two pairs of magnets. She knew the exact moment he noticed her outfit. His expression shifted as he straightened in his seat to get a better look.

She began moving across the room, and his eyes never left her, even when she had to go around the waitstaff and other guests in the overly packed room. By the time she got to the table, all thoughts of Lisa had vanished. He was the only thing on her mind.

He greeted her with narrowed eyes, gaze moving slowly down to examine every inch of her, before coming back up filled with heat. “You’re late,” he growled. Then added, “But that outfit made the wait worth it,” as he stood.

Rick really didn’t care who was watching as his mouth came down on hers. His tongue slid between her lips as his hand landed at the small of her back and pulled her up against his body. Most people thought of him as reserved, austere, and he could be, especially in public. But when she was in his arms all of that dropped away and the hunger in his kiss demanded a response.

Her arms slid up to loop around his neck as she leaned into him. Her tongue glided across his as he tried to devour her mouth. The power of the kiss took her breath away and made her feel utterly limp when he finally pulled back.

He chuckled as he glanced around at the nearest tables. “We might be causing a scene,” he said.

“I don’t mind.”

“I’m not surprised, since you started it by wearing that.” His eyes swept over her again.

“This old thing?” She tossed her hair back. “I’ve had it for ages.”

“Little girls who lie get spanked, young lady. Do you really want me to remind you of that while everyone is looking at us?”

Maya’s lips pouted and she let her head fall back. “I was only teasing. That doesn’t count as lying. Of course I had to buy something new for our date.”

“Mhm.” It was more growl than word. He let his arms drop away, releasing her, only to catch her when she wobbled a little. “Careful.”

“That kiss made me dizzy,” she explained with a breathless laugh.

“If one kiss did that, then what I do to you when we get home is really going to destroy you.” He pulled her chair out and guided her into her seat.

Not that she needed his help to sit, but Rick was prone to old-fashioned manners at times. It was something she loved about him. It made her feel so cared for.

There was a bouquet of white roses, which she preferred over red, and a cute penguin stuffy holding a big satin Valentine’s Day heart crowding the small table. “Are these for me, Daddy?” Her voice dropped slightly on the last word, very aware of how closely packed the tables were.

She’d been so tempted to grab for the penguin first, but that would have been Little behavior. She was a mature Middle girl, and she could wait before snatching it up for a cuddle. Plus, the roses were really lovely.

One eyebrow went up and he snorted. “And who else would they be for?”

She lifted the bouquet, inhaling the heavy perfume of fresh roses. It was intoxicating. “Hmm, maybe for your side chick?”

Rick scoffed. “Side chick? Really? And when would I have time for another woman, when I devote every moment of my free time to you, sugarbear?”

That drew a giggle from her. “Okay, good point.”

“Besides, I haven’t even looked at another woman since we met, and you know it.”

She did know it. Rick was definitely a one-woman kind of man. When he fell for someone, he fell hard. He’d warned her about that on their first date. Telling her in no uncertain terms, “Maya, you’re not going to hear ‘I love you’ from me, until it’s true. And I don’t want you to say it either, unless and until you mean it. Because once we cross that threshold… there’s no going back.”

It cleared away a lot of the awkwardness about not knowing how each other felt, and whether the words were real. Rick was as straight forward about his feelings, as he was about everything else. When he did finally tell her he loved her, she knew, without a doubt, it was real, and she appreciated that.

There was very little about her Daddy that she didn’t appreciate, come to think of it.

“Have I mentioned how much I love you?” she asked as she set the flowers aside and picked up the stuffed animal.

“Hmm, I can’t recall…” He grinned as he sat back in his seat.

She shot him a look. “What did you say happens to people who lie?”

That got a laugh out of him. “I’d like to see you try it, Little girl.”

Before she could say anything, a harried looking waiter appeared to take their drink orders. He thrust menus into their hands and then hauled off at high speed with barely a word. “I have a feeling dinner’s going to be slow tonight,” Maya commented, as she watched him race across the room.

He agreed and then jerked his chin at the penguin. “So, what do you think of him? I didn’t think you had a penguin yet.”

She pursed her lips and looked the penguin over with narrowed eyes. “I think… he looks like a troublemaker. He’s hiding mischief behind those big blue eyes.”

Rick grinned. “Is he?” He always acted amused when she spun out her long stories about the secret lives of her stuffies.

Each one had a backstory, dreams and aspirations. Some of them even had relationships with each other and had to be placed side-by-side at all times. She also named them in alphabetical order. “Yep. I can tell. And we’re on letter…” She squinted, trying to remember. “L now, I think, so his name is going to be… Loki.”

“Loki? The Norse god?”

“Yeah, him! And penguins live in Norway so that explains a lot. He probably got cursed to be a stuffy because he was bad or something.” She felt a sudden pang of sadness for Loki. Being in trouble sucked, so she gave him a quick hug in solidarity.

And then she remembered that they were out in public, and her younger side had just slipped all the way out. She flushed and quickly set the penguin on the empty chair next to her. Stuffies always tended to draw that side out, and even Middles liked cuddly animals.

Rick’s eyes seemed to twinkle with amusement. He didn’t mind the lapse one bit. “I guess he’s a hit then,” was all he said about his sexy wife suddenly regressing a bit.

“Yes, I love him. Thank you, Daddy,” she said in a solemn tone. She straightened in her chair, pushing the younger headspace back, as she tried to recapture the flirtatious date night vibe.

It helped that the waiter returned with their cocktails. Fancy drinks always made her feel grown up, and she accepted hers with a graceful head bob. “Thank you.” One ladylike sip was enough to be sure they’d gotten it right, and then she set it aside so she could focus on the list of specials he was reciting from memory.

They were regulars at the restaurant, so she normally didn’t even need to look at the menu, but one of the featured Valentine’s selections caught her attention. “Oooh, what do you think about sharing the ‘Lovers’ Delight’?”

She didn’t really need to ask. It was shrimp, scallops and mussels, which Rick loved, served on a bed of linguini. It came with a special molten lava dessert, which was the part she was most interested in. Of course, he said yes.

While the waiter went off to put the order in, they had time to talk. “So, how was your day, sugarbear? You sounded a little frazzled on the phone earlier,” her Daddy asked.

Maya wrinkled her nose. The last thing she wanted was to talk about her day. “Annoying, but nothing I couldn’t sort out.”

It was only polite to ask about his day in return, but legal stuff was boring, any work was boring really, so instead she changed the conversation around. “Have you been thinking about where we’re going on vacation?”

“I have… and I know you really wanted to do a cruise this time but, I think we should put that off.”

“Daddy!” It came out louder than she’d planned, but the feeling of disappointment had overwhelmed her. “I thought we agreed that this time we’d do something that didn’t involve the wilderness.”

One eyebrow went up as he looked at her. “No tantrums, young lady. If you give me a minute, I think you’ll find my plans are an acceptable compromise.”

She narrowed her eyes, mouth turned down at the corners. “Fine, but I reserve the right to tantrum if I don’t.”

“Later. At home. Unless you want me to embarrass you in public,” he warned her. “I’d prefer to keep your discipline out of the public eye, but if you force me…” He shrugged and his poker face made it impossible to tell if it was an empty threat.

It was probably a bluff; he was a judge after all. That position in the community pretty much demanded proper behavior in public at all times. She didn’t think he’d risk his reputation by doing anything too risqué in public, but times had changed and BDSM wasn’t the huge secret it used to be.

Finding out a judge engaged in a consensual discipline arrangement with his wife, might actually win him some fans. There were plenty of conservatives around who liked the idea of an old-fashioned home. So every time he warned her, she debated whether he’d really follow through, but so far, she’d never been brave enough to test him.

Someday that might change, but it wasn’t going to be tonight. She squirmed in her chair and avoided his eyes. “So, what were your plans then?”

She could feel the heavy weight of his gaze on her, but she didn’t meet his eyes. Finally, he replied, “I found an Alaskan cruise that I thought you would enjoy. You did say that you wanted to see the glaciers someday.”

Her mouth dropped open and she stared for several seconds. “I… but you said…”

“I said that we should put it off, because the cruise is popular and the good rooms with the ocean views are booked already for the time we were considering. So we could take an interior cabin without a view, or we can wait until next year, book early, and get a good room.” He paused and then added, “It’s a lot cheaper that way too.”

Since she’d seen the prices on some of those Alaskan cruises, cheaper was probably better. Not that they had any money issues, but Rick was frugal and usually checked the deals. “I’d say waiting is worth it then, but what are we going to do this summer?”

“Well…”

“Let me guess… camping?” She rolled her eyes. “Fine, Daddy. We can go camping again, as long as I get my cruise later.” It was fair and she didn’t actually mind the camping part.

She actually pretended to dislike it a lot more than she did. It was fun to be off in the woods, alone with her Daddy. They’d played out some amazing kinky scenarios on past trips, and she’d enjoyed them enough that her nipples tightened just thinking about it.

But camping, the way Rick liked to do it, was a lot of work. It usually involved miles and miles of hiking too. Maya could have done without that part. When they got home from vacation, she was usually worn out and wanted another vacation to recover.

“I seem to recall someone saying ‘I wish we never had to go home’ on our last trip. Or am I remembering wrong?” He took a sip of wine, dark eyes fixed on her.

Had she said that? Probably. There had been some really good moments. “That was before the twelve-mile hike, carrying tents, pans, and sleeping bags, back to the car,” she retorted.

His mouth tilted up at one side. “Okay, you might have a point. I did push us pretty hard, but Yellowstone is always busy and unless you want to be stuck with neighbors, you have to go pretty far out. I have something easier in mind this time.”

She let one eyebrow rise. “Easier? That sounds… promising. Going to fill me in on the details?”

Rick shook his head, polished off his glass of wine and sat back with a smug grin. “No. It’s going to be a surprise. I’m actually still working out the details anyway. We have months before you need to know anything.”

Maya narrowed her eyes and frowned. She was not the most patient person in the world, and not knowing was going to drive her crazy. Rick, of course, knew that.

Luckily the meal arrived before she could say something sassy that would get her in trouble.