Chapter 10

"Can you stay through the dinner rush tonight, Maya?" Mateo asked, looking frazzled.

"Did Shelly call in sick again?" Maya asked, looking at her brother in concern.

"She did. She told me she had a migraine. I'm afraid this is the last straw."

"You can't fire her because she has a horrible headache," Maya pointed out.

"She just posted this," Mateo said, turning his phone around to show her a video of Shelly dancing with a bottle of wine in her hand. The loud music and crush of people around her revealed she was currently at a concert.

"I can stay tonight. You don't need me to waitress, do you?"

"I do, but you can take Beto's spot doing dishes, and he can serve tonight if you'd rather," Mateo told her.

"Definitely," she answered. "I'll clean up here and head that way."

"You're sure you want to run the dishwasher?" Mateo double-checked.

"Over serving? Yes!"

"Okay. Remember, it was your choice."

Maya hadn't ever run the dishwasher for an evening meal. She knew how the machine worked and frequently ran a few trays through to clean up her own mess. It seemed totally easy. Rack everything. Squirt it with the spray nozzle. Push it into the machine. Load another. Repeat the process.

* * *

"Maya! I'm running out of cups. Can you run a few through?" Mateo called as he walked into her work area a few hours later.

"Cups? Sure, I can do that," Maya assured him and turned in a tired circle as she processed how to do that task.

Three overflowing carts of dishes were lined up for her to clean. The space on the far side of the dishwasher held racks two deep as she pushed another filled rack into the machine. There was no place for it to emerge from the dishwasher. She needed more room.

Racing over to the drying racks, she slid on the wet floor and crashed into the table for what felt like the seventieth time. Maya didn't want to see the bruises on her stomach.

"Whoa, Maya. Be careful. You should mop up the extra water so you don't slip."

"When, Mateo? When am I going to do that?" she demanded. "The machine got clogged and it took me thirty minutes to get it cleared out. Now, I'm so far behind everything is stacking up."

She knew she looked like she'd run herself through the dishwasher. Soaked through to the skin, the scarce amount of makeup she wore had melted off her face an hour ago. Her shoes were so wet they made squishing noises with each step. How in the world did the dishwashers do this job?

"Maya? You look like I did my first night," Beto told her as he came around the corner, pushing another cart of dirty dishes. "We're out of carts on the floor. Let me help you."

"It was all going well until the machine got clogged," she told them. "It's working now."

"How can I help?" Mateo asked.

"If you could each take some of the clean dishes away, I can run more through," she suggested, waving a hand at those racks she'd stacked up. "Mateo, there are some cups. I'll put a couple more racks through right now."

"Do you want to switch places?" Beto asked.

"I can't go out there like this, and I'm not a quitter," Maya said quietly. She wanted to stamp her foot but knew that water would fly out in a spray.

"Beto, I'll bring out a new cart. You take a rack to the cooks. Tell them to come back to grab another," Mateo decreed.

"I'm sorry. I'll do better," Maya said, blinking back tears.

"We work together in this restaurant. I'm sorry I didn't notice the machine broke down. Usually, I'm the only one who can fix it. I'm impressed you were able to help me with that. Now, all of us will pitch in to get back on track."

To her delight as she sprayed off the next rack, one of the cooks came back to empty two racks and scoop up the dishes. As soon as he disappeared, a server appeared to grab a rack of coffee mugs. The backup slowly disappeared as she worked until she'd finished all the piled-up carts.

"Hey, Maya. This is the last round of dishes. All the tables are cleared now," Mateo told her.

"The restaurant is closed?" Maya asked, whirling to look at the clock. She hadn't turned from her position to check the time.

"It is. We had two busloads come through tonight. It was crazy out there. You don't want to see the mess on the floors. The servers are going to be here for a while cleaning up," Mateo said.

Beto jogged in with a few cups. "I missed these. They were at the servers' station. Can I have my job back tomorrow?"

"Definitely," Maya agreed as she took in Beto's exhausted expression. "You look beat."

"I've never run so much in my life," he confessed. "You should have seen Mateo out there. He was helping us bus tables and deliver food. It took everyone."

Suddenly, Maya felt better. She hadn't been the weakest link. Everyone had needed each other's assistance. Waiting until Beto disappeared through the door to keep working on the cleanup efforts, she asked Mateo, "Was this our biggest night yet?"

"Probably. I won't know until I run the numbers, but it was crazy. Nora even had to eat in my office. I didn't even have a table for my own Little girl when she stopped in," he said, brushing his hand through his hair. "We're going to have to hire several servers. Go ahead and do the last of the cleanup in here. Don't try to dump that trash can. I'll get the cooks to help me. Then, go home."

Maya finished and then walked through the restaurant to thank everyone who had helped her. Dragging herself out the door, she wondered if she even had enough energy to drive home. As she rounded the corner of the building, she almost ran into Deke who stood leaning against the wall.

"Hey, Precious Girl. Let's get you home."

Bursting into tears, she bolted forward to throw herself against him. "I've never been so happy to see anyone in my life."

"I'm glad to see you, too. I was worried about you."

"I had to stay late. I sent you a text. Did you get it?" Maya asked.

"I did, but I have a feeling you didn't get my response."

"Oh! I haven't had time to look," she confessed, opening her purse to find her phone.

"It will wait. Let's concentrate on getting you home."

He put an arm around her and guided Maya to his car. "I'll bring you to work tomorrow. Your car will be fine here."

"Mateo will worry if he sees my car."

"I'll text him that you're with me," Deke reassured her as opened the door. "Do you have a bag packed in your car for staying over at Daddy's house?"

"Oh, yes. I almost forgot." She turned toward her own car, but Deke stopped her.

"Wait right here. I'll grab it. Can you hand me your keys?"

She dug them out of her purse and set them in his palm before leaning against his car and watching as he jogged over to her vehicle, retrieved her bag, and locked the doors.

A warmth spread through her. He was so thoughtful. If he hadn't remembered she'd brought a bag, she would have ended up at his house with no clothes for tomorrow.

A few minutes later, Maya relaxed against the seat as her Daddy fastened her seatbelt. He pressed a soft kiss to her lips before straightening and closing the door. When he got in on the driver's side, she watched him send a message before starting the car.

"How was your day?" Maya struggled to find the energy to make small talk.

Her eyes closed as he related all the news from his evening at work. His deep voice soothed her, and she just let the words float over her head as he steered the car. Maya raised a hand to brush her hair off her face and grimaced at the feel of her skin.

"I'm so dirty, Daddy."

"Daddy will get you cleaned up and in bed, Precious Girl. You just leave it all to me."

Maya was barely awake when her Daddy pulled into the garage and turned off the engine.

"Wait right there, Precious Girl. Daddy will come help you."

She watched as he grabbed her bag, rounded to her side, and helped her out of the car. He was such a good Daddy. The best.

"Did you have time to eat dinner, Maya?" he asked as they stepped into the kitchen.

Sighing, she shook her head. "I think it was the busiest day ever for La Havana, and on top of that one of the waitresses didn't show up, so I took over as dishwasher, and Beto waited tables."

Deke frowned. "You ran that giant dishwasher all night? No wonder you're soaked."

She blew hair off her forehead. "Yes. Some of this isn't even water. It was humid back there, and I was sweating. I'm gross."

Daddy took her hand and guided her straight through to the master bathroom. He turned on the water to fill the tub before bending down to remove her shoes and socks. "You really are soaked, Precious Girl." He chuckled. "You must really hate waitressing to have chosen to run the dishwasher. Your arms are going to be sore tomorrow. I know those trays are heavy. You must have lifted them dozens of times."

She held out her arms. "They're already shaking."

"Can you even lift them up for me, Maya?"

"I think so." She giggled as she lifted them so he could pull her shirt over her head. Last night she'd been kind of embarrassed when he'd given her a bath. Tonight she was far less concerned about him seeing her naked. It was obvious he didn't care a single bit about any perceived imperfections she might think she had.

Seconds later, she was naked, and Daddy lifted her into the tub. He handed her some fat bathtime crayons. "You can draw on the tile while I wash you."

The water made her feel slightly more alive, and she found herself enjoying the freedom to draw on the wall next to the tub. "Are you sure this will wash off, Daddy?"

"Positive. Don't you worry."

While he washed her from head to toe, she drew a big red heart, put an arrow through it in blue, and added both their initials inside. DM in green, MR in yellow.

"That's very nice, Maya. Part your legs for me."

She spread her legs, but the moment he brushed over her sensitive parts with the washcloth, her breath hitched. Picture forgotten, she dropped the crayon and grabbed the sides of the tub.

Her Daddy didn't linger like she would have liked, though. Instead, he set the cloth aside, pulled the stopper at the bottom of the tub, and whisked her out to stand her on her feet.

Maya whimpered on her wobbly legs while he patted her dry before squeezing as much water as he could out of her hair with the towel.

Her teeth started chattering.

"Are you cold, Precious Girl?"

She shrugged. "I think I'm a lot of things. Cold, exhausted, overworked, hungry, thirsty, and now horny. I'm trembling."

He chuckled as he lifted her off the floor to cradle her in his arms. He hurried through to the nursery, and the next thing she knew she was lying on the changing table.

Daddy draped her hair off the end before pulling a strap across her middle. He secured it tight and then wrapped a soft cuff around her wrist and attached it to the side of the table.

She watched in shock as he did the same to the other wrist. "Daddy?"

"Daddy will always secure you when you're on the changing table so you don't fall off."

When she tugged on her arms to find them indeed fastened securely, her arousal shot through the roof and became the dominant sensation, overshadowing chilly, hungry, and tired.

Daddy set his palms on her knees and guided them apart. As he smoothed his hands up and down her inner thighs, she started panting. He'd given her mind-blowing pleasure yesterday, but nothing compared to how she felt now that he'd restrained her.

His dominance was palpable in the room, and when he lowered his mouth to her folds, she moaned so loud it echoed in her head. She was totally at his mercy, and she loved every second of it.

He drove her crazy, licking and sucking her labia and her clit before thrusting his tongue into her channel.

She writhed against the restraints, but there was no escaping his delicious torture. It seemed like only seconds before she was rushing up the mountain, unable to slow the climb, and then she fell off the other side with no warning, crying out as the powerful orgasm washed through her body.

She was panting and sated as he kissed her pussy several more times, reverently. She could barely focus as he lifted her bottom a few inches, and though it registered that he was putting a diaper on her, she didn't care.

She welcomed the deep submission she felt as her Daddy fastened the absorbent material around her hips before releasing her hands and waist. Without a word, he pulled a soft cotton shirt over her head, helped her sit upright, adjusted the material around her, and lifted her into his arms.

Maya wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in the crook. She was still trembling but now it was from the lingering effects of her orgasm combined with how emotional she felt.

Daddy rubbed her back as he carried her toward the crib. He lowered her gently, tucked Tawny and Princess in her arms, and kissed her. "I'm going to fix you a bottle, Precious Girl. I'll be right back." He lifted the side of the crib, leaving her feeling Littler than she'd ever felt.

It was so strange lying there in the crib, hugging her new stuffed tiger and her lion. He'd said he was fixing her a bottle, and that probably should have freaked her out, but it hadn't. It was perfect for tonight. She was too tired to sit at the table and eat dinner. The thought of her Daddy holding her in his arms while he fed her made her feel so cherished.

He was back quickly, lowering the side of the crib before lifting her into his arms again. When he settled in the rocking chair, cradling her and smiling down at her, she felt every bit as Little as he was encouraging her to be.

"I think you'll like Daddy's special smoothie, Maya." He brought the nipple to her lips.

She opened her mouth and greedily accepted the rubber tip. It took a moment to wrap her tongue around the nipple and get used to the feeling of sucking, but she quickly found a rhythm, and the smoothie was delicious.

"Such a good girl." He rocked her gently while stroking her cheek, holding her gaze. "I know you're exhausted, but I want you to drink all of it. You didn't have dinner."

She tried to stay awake, but it was hard, and he had to jiggle the nipple several times to encourage her to finish the bottle.

When it was gone, he set the empty bottle aside and continued to rock her for several minutes while her eyes grew heavier. Finally, she was marginally aware of him rising, carrying her to his bed, and gently settling her in the middle of the mattress.

A few moments later, Princess and Tawny joined her. He pulled the covers up around her and kissed her forehead. "Sleep, Precious Girl."