Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

Rick didn’t like to combine punishment and pleasure. It sent mixed messages and with a Middle like Maya, it tended to encourage bad behavior. But he was beginning to think he’d been a bit harsh with her. All things considered… her mistake hadn’t been that egregious.

She had a giving and open heart, and everything had happened because of that. Truthfully, he felt more embarrassed than annoyed, and she hadn’t been the real culprit in that. But Lisa wasn’t his to punish, so he’d come down harder on Maya as a result. But now, he was having second thoughts.

He worked his hand down, massaging and scratching his nails over the enflamed skin, until finally he let it slip between her thighs, cupping her pussy. It took her by surprise, and she tensed as he pushed one finger between her lower lips and stroked up to find her clit.

Maya let out a low moan. “I thought… I thought you weren’t…” She trailed off, probably unwilling to remind him in case he’d forgotten.

“Hmm, I might reconsider that. You took your punishment like a good girl, mostly. And… it is Valentine’s Day and a special anniversary.” He sounded thoughtful, as if he was still deciding, but his fingers continued to touch and tease.

The punishment hadn’t quite killed her excitement. Instead it had banked it, like coals in a fire, and now Rick’s hand was bringing a different kind of heat to her body. He felt the slippery wetness of her arousal, as her body began to move, following the rhythm he set.

Moans trickled from her. Little gasps and whines followed, blending together like a symphony designed to pull him right to the edge. His excitement had vanished from the shock of being spied on, and having to deal with their errant guest, but it had made a comeback while he was punishing Maya.

Her beautiful ass and the way she writhed under the leather always did that to him. He’d been more than half erect when he threw the strap aside, but now, from just a couple minutes of touching and stroking her, his cock was jerking and rubbing against the crotch of his trousers, demanding access to her body.

He stopped long enough to strip, for the second time that night. He hated the delay, brief as it was, because it meant he had to take his hands off her. Once his clothes were out of the way, he gripped her by the hips and pulled her back, positioning her perfectly to receive his cock. He slid the tip up and down between her slick folds a few times, and then the tight heat of her entrance took him eagerly.

Drawing things out… wasn’t a possibility.

Maya might have had the edges smoothed by her earlier orgasms, but he hadn’t had anything to ease his hunger for her. He’d been cut off abruptly, and now all that suppressed arousal was back like it had never been gone. His balls ached as they drew up tight against his body.

His cock was painfully hard, and he could feel the need in every limb, not just the one he was currently working into her body. He tried to hold back, to make sure she was far enough along to come with him, but it was too much. Her loud cries, the way she pushed back to take him deeper—it was all driving him nuts.

He dug his fingers into the soft flesh of her hips and held her in place as he thrust home in one hard stroke. With a growl he pulled all the way back and then slammed home again—and again. He fucked her without mercy, though judging by the noise she was making, mercy was the last thing she wanted from him anyway.

Her movements were just as raw and frantic as his own and it seemed like almost no time at all before he felt things pulling tight and coiling down low. Between one stroke and the next the pleasure peaked, crashing over him with so much force that he saw brilliant spots in front of his eyes.

His heartbeat thundered in his ears, as he struggled to continue just a little longer, just a few more thrusts while he still could. He managed to snap his hips a few more times, but then he was done.

His cock, still hard but twitching from over-stimulation, slipped from her and a shudder ran down his back, making him jerk painfully. After the long day of work, the date night, the sex, then the punishment, followed by more sex… Rick was absolutely done. He wanted nothing more than to collapse in bed.

Maya was ahead of him, already boneless and limp. She’d sprawled forward, half-across the bed, and he could hear low ‘mmm’ sounds coming from her covered face. It was unlikely she’d be coherent for a while, and it was tempting to just roll her into place and let her sleep.

Probably not the best idea though. “Maya, sugarbear, let’s get you cleaned up so we can sleep.”

“…noooo…” It was soft, muted and more sound than word.

“You’ll regret it if you don’t. C’mon, Little girl.” He didn’t bother with warnings or threats. She was too far gone for that.

Instead, he physically dragged her back to the edge of the bench and pulled her to her feet. He supported her weight as she leaned against him heavily, all the way to the bathroom. She was too out of it to even complain. The first sign that she was aware of her surroundings didn’t occur until her punished backside hit the cold, hard toilet seat and startled a yelp out of her.

“Mean,” she blurted. Her eyes had gone wide. The shock of it had pulled her back to the present, for the moment anyway.

Rick laughed. “I’m not being mean, Maya. I’m taking care of you. If you don’t pee and get washed up, you’ll end up regretting it later.” He started the hot water in the sink, and cleaned himself while she took care of her business.

And then he took his own turn to pee. It was a fairly efficient process between them, and far from the first time they’d shared the bathroom for the necessities. Within ten minutes he’d corralled her into bed, so he could finally, finally, collapse next to her.

What a fucking day.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had one that felt so long, endless really. Not all bad, of course, but still, the exhaustion was bone deep. Maya was practically asleep before her head hit the pillow. The brief surge of energy in the bathroom had only lasted long enough to get her through the basics before she was gone again.

Punishment tended to empty her out, mentally and emotionally. He, on the other hand, usually had a lot to think about afterward. It was a time for self-reflection, maybe some internal judgement on how he’d handled whatever the problem had been. Tonight he had more to think about than usual, but not the capacity to do so. No sooner had he pulled her up against him and relaxed, than he was out.

For most peopleSaturday mornings meant staying in bed late, sleeping in. Rick would have loved that, but the set rhythms of his body never really allowed it. His eyes opened at the usual time, and he only had the patience to lie there for a few minutes before he felt the need to get up.

He carefully disentangled himself from Maya’s arms. It wasn’t easy. As soon as she felt him pulling away, she clung to him, trying to hold on with a sleepy whine, but he managed to extract himself with patience. As soon as he tucked her in under the blankets, she slipped back into a deeper sleep.

Morning runs were his favorite thing to do on the weekend, especially when it was still dark and almost no one was out and about. Something about the steady beat of his feet hitting the pavement relaxed him in a way nothing else did. He did a five-mile loop and after the first few minutes he barely even noticed the bitter cold.

The sun was just clearing the distant mountains during the home stretch and the warmth on his face was welcome as he slowed to a quick walk to wind down. His mind was focused on the present. Like how his body felt after the run, and the smell of impending snow in the air.

It wasn’t until he came through the backdoor that his mind lost that single-purpose clarity, and his thoughts scattered to the current problems on the table. Normally, this was his time to plan out to-do lists, and work on solutions for the mundane issues, and he did that while making breakfast.

Waffles had been the plan this week. They were his wife’s favorite. Maya loved decorating them with far too many toppings, and he indulged her, to a certain extent, while making sure that most of the available choices were on the healthy side. He sat down to give his legs a rest while he began chopping fruit.

He’d worked his way through a pile of strawberries, and had started pitting the fresh cherries when he heard a sound from the doorway. He looked up, a smile already spreading across his face in anticipation of Maya’s tousled hair and sleepy expression. “You’re up earlier than I—oh.”

Lisa looked down quickly, but not before he noticed two bright spots of red coloring her cheeks. “Sorry… I heard… I thought Maya was up. I-I’ll um, go back to my room,” she said, stammering slightly as she turned to go.

“Don’t be silly. Come in and have a seat.”

She hesitated, looking ready to bolt, but finally moved a little closer until she stood behind one of the tall kitchen stools.

His mouth twitched up at one corner. “I don’t bite.”

After a few long seconds, she pulled the seat out and settled on it. She was quiet, but he expected she was still feeling embarrassed from the night before. He didn’t know Lisa that well.

She was Maya’s best friend, so he’d interacted with her a few times here at the house, or out at various places. She’d also been part of Maya’s whole Halloween rebellion and had almost gleefully ratted his wife out—which he’d appreciated. He hadn’t really been curious beyond that. Well, until now.

“Maya sleeps in on Saturday and I make breakfast.” He pointed the tip of his knife toward the counter, where the waffle iron sat. “Waffles today. You can help if you like.”

Lisa drew in a breath and nodded. An awkward, half-smile tilted her lips. “I’ve never made waffles, so you’ll have to walk me through it, but I’m happy to help. Least I can do, all things considered.”

Rick tilted his head. “And… what things are we considering?” He shouldn’t tease her about what she’d done, but it was hard to resist.

“Huh?” Her lips parted as she gave him a confused look, and then her cheeks pinkened again. “Oh, I just meant… you’re letting me stay here. Least I can do is be helpful.”

He regarded her silently for a long moment, letting her squirm under his gaze. He’d perfected that stare in the courtroom and knew exactly how it affected people. She broke eye contact first, dipping her head down.

“Do you like to be helpful, Lisa?” It was a simple question. There were any number of ways she could have answered it, but he was curious.

“Yes. Yes, I do.” She didn’t look up when she answered, and there was a weight to the simple reply that gave it more meaning.

Interesting.

He watched her for a few more seconds and then stood up. “Okay, then, let’s put you to work.” He slid the cutting board and all the containers of fruit over to her side of the island. “You can chop up the fruit and set up the toppings. I’ll go ahead and make the batter.”

Years of waffle making made him an expert, and normally he wouldn’t even have bothered to refer to the ingredient chart, except that he was used to cooking for two. Doubling everything ended up being the best way to go. In his experience extra waffles were never a bad thing anyway.

Lisa worked on the cherries he’d started, looking over in his direction from time to time. She was quiet, except for the occasional question. “Is it the same batter as pancakes?”

“Similar, a little sweeter. A little fluffier since you want them to rise more. But the taste is pretty close.”

“I love waffles, but they always seemed complicated to make,” she said. The cherries were finished, and she’d moved on to slice up a banana.

He shook his head. “Nope. Not complicated at all. Easier than pancakes, actually. You just need more equipment. We have two waffle irons.”

“Two? Oh, so you can make them faster?”

He laughed, whisking the batter vigorously. “No, that is a nice side-effect, but we have two because Maya likes special ones when she’s feeling a little… younger.” He set the bowl down and reached up to pull a second iron down from the cabinet.

Instead of the professional black and silver waffle maker he was already heating, this one was a bright colorful plastic on the outside. He slid it across the counter to her, so she could look. “I can make you cartoon waffles too if you want.”

She looked at the character on top and laughed. “Right, her Little side.”

He added more milk to thin the batter and went back to whisking as he talked. “Mhm. She mostly identifies as a Middle, more um, teenager, but sometimes her headspace is a bit younger, and she likes the cute kid stuff. So, we have this for when she’s in the mood.”

Lisa knew about Maya being a Little, and Rick being her Daddy, of course. His wife was very open about sharing things with her best friend, and Rick encouraged it. Having someone to talk to, outside of your dynamic, was important. But he was curious how Lisa felt about all of it.

“It must be nice.”

“Character waffles? Eh, they’re okay. Honestly, I don’t think the waffles it makes are as good, but she puts so many toppings on them I doubt she can tell anyway.”

Lisa snorted. “No, I mean it must be nice to… be able to live your fantasies like this. You know, being Little and having you there to take care of her. She’s really lucky.”

Rick caught a vulnerable note in her voice. “It works for us. Finding someone whose kinks and needs are compatible is important, I think. But she’s not the only lucky one. I’m lucky she lets me be her Daddy.”

Lisa started to say something and then stopped. After a second, she said, “I guess.”

He didn’t think that was what she’d originally planned to say. “It’s important that needs are met on both sides, for things like this to work. Maya needs a parental figure sometimes. She needs someone to take care of her, but she also needs someone to rebel against.”

“And what do you get out of it? Aside from extra spice in the bedroom?” The red on her cheeks was back. Referencing the night before was clearly embarrassing, so it had to be an important question in her mind, for her to have brought it up.

It deserved a few seconds of thought, and he used the time to finish off the batter and pour a cupful onto the hot iron. After he closed the lid, he turned back to answer her question. “Being a Daddy isn’t really about the sex. You can have kinky sex without all the work of maintaining a dynamic where you’re in charge all the time. And it is work, trust me.”

“But you… like it?”

“I love it. More importantly I need it just as much as Maya needs what she gets. Being in charge comes naturally to me. Being Dominant is my normal state of being, and it’s who I am. But Maya gives me someone to care for. She trusts me completely, which is a special gift.” His eyes flicked to the clock, keeping track of the cooking time.

“That’s it? That’s all you get?”

It startled a laugh out of him. “All? You act like that’s a small thing. Finding someone who will put their whole life in your hands is rare, Lisa. The amount of trust she has in me is humbling. But no, that’s not all I get. I’m just not sure how to explain the rest. She fills emotional needs I didn’t even know I had before her.”

The red light came on and he turned to rescue the waffle before it burned. By the time he got the next one started, he had a slightly better answer for her. “All I can say is that D/s is a partnership. She needs what I have, and I need what she has. The sex is amazing, don’t get me wrong. The kinky aspects of our relationship are hot. I can’t imagine any other woman could excite me the way she does, but I’m sure that would still be true even if I wasn’t her Daddy— or was only her Daddy in the bedroom.”

Lisa frowned, her brow furrowing. The knife sat forgotten as she considered what he’d said. “I guess I thought sex was the main part of everything.”

“You haven’t done your research. Sex is a big part of our relationship, true. Our sexual appetites align, which is important for a marriage, but there are plenty of relationships where sex doesn’t even come into it. Your Dom doesn’t even need to be your romantic partner.”

She snorted. “Oh, I did my research. I read all the articles. I read about how you shouldn’t reduce a BDSM relationship to a sexual one, because they aren’t the same. About how you can have a kink relationship without involving sex at all. And then I decided to give it a try…” She trailed off with another snort.

One eyebrow climbed as he watched her. She was fiddling with the knife, poking the fruit and frowning at it. “I guess you didn’t have a good experience?”

“Yeah, you could say that. Just guys barely saying hello before they wanted me on my knees so they could stick—” She chopped off the words and cleared her throat. “Sorry. I guess I’m still upset about it.”

“You should be. That’s not how it’s supposed to go with a real Dom. There should have been discussions about expectations and a lot of other important details long before it ever got to that point. But there are… well, a lot of abusers out there. Submissives can come off as vulnerable prey and that draws them in.”

She was still playing with the knife, and her hands had gotten twitchier about it. It was starting to drive him nuts, worrying she might cut herself. “Uh, here, let me just take that before we have an accident,” he said, as he reached across the island and plucked it out of her fingers.

Her eyes widened. “But—”

“I think we’ve got enough fruit. Maybe you can find the butter and syrup in the fridge for me?” While she was doing that, he popped the second waffle out and poured a third.

The house was filling with the scent of fresh waffles. If he knew Maya, it wouldn’t be long before she appeared to claim a stack. The conversation lapsed as he moved around, pulling down plates, retrieving a partial bag of chocolate chips he’d hidden up high, and grabbing the topping bowls so they could set it all up neatly.

“Can I do anything else?” Lisa asked as she watched him rushing around. She seemed anxious. Her hands twisted around and around each other, as she sat there.

Keeping her busy seemed like a good idea, and luckily there were lots of little things to do. “Can you check and see if we have whipped cream? If not, there should be some Cold Whip in the freezer.”

“Do you guys really put all of this on your waffles?” She seemed incredulous and he could understand that since there were a lot of options piling up on the island.

“I usually stick with the basics. Maya likes to get creative sometimes.”

“Wow! My husband and my best friend talking about me behind my back? That’s not allowed.” Maya’s voice was filled with outrage. She was standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips, and a ridiculously over-the-top look of upset on her face.

He turned, one eyebrow going up. “Are you telling me what’s allowed, young lady?”

“Yes!”

“You want a spanking before breakfast? I would have thought your butt would still be sore from last night, but I can put this spatula to use, if I need to.”

“No, no, that’s okay, Daddy. I was only kidding,” she said quickly. Her hands dropped to swing loose, a sign of surrender.

“Then stop upsetting your friend.” He jerked his chin in Lisa’s direction.

Lisa’s eyes were wide and there was a shocked expression on her face. She’d gotten up and now her arms crossed over her chest as she watched them both and trembled. “Maya, we weren’t really talking about you. We-we were just—"

Maya’s belligerent expression vanished. “Lisa! Oh honey, I’m sorry. I was just teasing. We play like this sometimes. I was only pretending to be upset.” She hurried over to her friend and wrapped her in a hug.

After a second Lisa relaxed into the embrace, and the tension went out of her. “After last night, I’m surprised you’re even speaking to me. I’m so sorry about that,” Lisa said.

Maya put her head close to Lisa’s and started speaking to her in a low fast whisper. Rick couldn’t make it out, and he didn’t try to overhear what was being said. Instead, he gave them their privacy and busied himself with pulling the finished waffles from the warming oven. There were enough to get them started, though he would probably be making a second round soon enough.

By the time everything was set out, Lisa seemed less upset, and the whispering had stopped. “I love waffle day,” Maya announced, as she grabbed a plate and took one off the top of the stack.

She proceeded to load it up with one topping after another, until the waffle disappeared underneath it all. Lisa just stared, wide eyed, and with her mouth hanging open slightly. “Maya, can you even taste the waffle under all that?”

Maya giggled and took a big bite, instead of answering. She managed to get whip cream on her nose, and Rick leaned over to wipe it off with a napkin. It was a normal response for him. When Maya acted younger it called to his caretaker side. He couldn’t help but notice Lisa’s reaction to it though.

Lisa watched the caring moment with something akin to hunger in her eyes. And then she busied herself with claiming a waffle of her own. She was much more circumspect in her toppings. Some cherries, butter and a little syrup were enough for her.

For a few minutes they were all busy with breakfast, and no one really said much. The first waffles vanished quickly and when they were down to the last one, Rick poured another onto the iron. “So, ladies, how many more waffles should I make?”

“All of them,” Maya said quickly.

Lisa considered the half-eaten one on her plate. “I think I can manage one more, but I’m not used to big breakfasts.”

“Those are rookie numbers,” his Little girl pointed out.

Lisa rolled her eyes and sighed. “Well, maybe two more.”

Rick did some calculations in his head. “Sounds like I might as well just finish off the batter then.”

He finished his plate while standing at the counter, so he could keep the iron full. But he liked the distance. It allowed him to watch how Maya and Lisa interacted.

The tension from earlier had vanished, and if Maya was upset that her friend had spied on them, she wasn’t showing any signs of it. They teased each other and laughed, almost like sisters, but they were very different in their behaviors.

Lisa had a quieter, more mature demeanor. She lacked the bubbly Middle energy that Maya always showed, but his wife’s teasing and playing didn’t seem to bother her at all. He hadn’t realized that anyone but him saw much of that side of Maya, but he was glad Lisa didn’t seem bothered by it.

He scraped the last of the batter out of the bowl, for one last waffle, before he brought up the topic that had been percolating in the back of his head all morning. “So, Lisa, I’d like to hear about your eviction and everything that led up to it. Maya explained some of what led to the emergency yesterday, but I’d like to know more.”

Suddenly the tension was back, and he was sorry to have killed the relaxed moment, but he needed information.

Lisa set her fork down and her smile slipped away. “Well, I haven’t worked since last year, so I missed paying my rent and—”

Rick shook his head. “No, let’s go all the way back. Maya mentioned something about how you lost your job. So, start with that.”

Lisa sighed. “I mean, it doesn’t really matter, does it? It was months ago.”

“It matters. Please, indulge me.” He gave her an encouraging smile. The one he used in court to help a witness relax.

“Okay, well, it started with my boss constantly hitting on me and trying to get me to go out with him. He just wouldn’t take no for an answer. When cuts came, well, I was the first to go. It really felt like it was because I told him I wouldn’t date at work, because he asked me out again immediately after.”

Rick frowned. “Dick move. Okay, then what?”

She fiddled with her fork, pushing the last uneaten bite of waffle around her plate. “Unemployment is backed up by months and I didn’t have a lot of savings. I was able to get a short-term job for the holidays, but when January came around, I didn’t have the money for rent.”

“So you only missed one month of rent?”

“Well, two because I didn’t have February’s either. Anyway I came home on the thirteenth to find all my stuff in bags on the curb and the locks changed.”

“Interesting. Was the sheriff there?”

“No, no one. There was just a notice on the door.”

“Were you served eviction papers? A ten-day demand?”

“Nope. Nothing like that. The landlord had been texting a lot, asking about the money, but I honestly thought he’d give me a little more time. I’ve been a good tenant until now.”

Rick popped the last waffle out, and unplugged the iron so it could cool, as he worked through the questions he needed to ask. “It sounds like an illegal eviction, judging by what you’ve said. The notice on your door, was it a court order?”

Lisa frowned and then shrugged. “I’m not sure. I guess I should have taken it with me, but I was panicking about all my things on the sidewalk. My furniture was already gone, and I was afraid I was going to lose the rest.”

Maya had already heard the story, of course, and didn’t sound surprised by any of it. She couldn’t help chiming in with, “What an asshole,” anyway.

“Maya…” It was a fair assessment, and he had no problem with his adult wife swearing, but her headspace was obviously still leaning younger, so he corrected her.

“Sorry, Daddy.”

He slid the last waffle onto her plate, to keep her busy. “Lisa, normally you would receive a ten-day demand for breaking the terms of the lease. After that, you have ten days to pay up the rent or leave before it goes to court. And you should have received a subpoena giving you the right to fight the eviction in court. Are you sure you didn’t receive anything like that? Not even maybe in your mailbox?”

“No, definitely not. I check my mail every day. Other than texts I didn’t have any communication.”

Things like that made him angry. He’d gotten into law in the first place to help people, and any abuse of the system pissed him off. He pulled open a drawer and snagged a notebook and a pen, dropping them in front of Lisa.

“I need you to write down your address, and the landlord’s information. Everything you have on him.” He paused, brows furrowed. “Actually while you’re at it, put down the info from the job you lost and your unemployment case number, if you know it.”

Lisa picked up the pen. Her eyes flicked to him and then back to the paper. “Um, are you sure you want to go to all the trouble? I mean, the bridge is kind of burned at this point anyway.”

“I’m sure, and I doubt it will be much trouble.”

“But…”

“You’d be surprised how quickly people move for a judge, young lady. Give me all the information you have, and I’ll get started.” He used a firm tone with her, because he could already see her starting to worry about causing him trouble.

“Do it, Lisa. Daddy is really good at this kind of thing. Besides, he’s stubborn. If you don’t give him the info it will just be more work, because he’ll go track it down on his own.” There was pride in Maya’s tone and he shot her a grin.

Lisa looked at them both. “Okay, but I doubt it’s going to do much good.”