Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Lyra was slightly nervous as she stepped into the elevator with her Daddy later that afternoon. She felt like a million bucks after her nap—even though she was loath to tell Phoenix he'd been right. He'd woken her up after an hour, dressed her in clothing he'd apparently purchased for her, and left her to practice in their apartment for three hours.

When he'd returned fifteen minutes ago, he'd informed her she needed some downtime to get to know the women who lived with the other Daddies.

She'd met them all but hadn't spent much time with them yet. Apparently, they'd planned a craft hour with her before dinner.

She looked up at her Daddy as the elevator descended. "Are you sure about this?" She glanced down at her dress. She'd loved it from the moment he'd put it on her. It was nothing like anything she'd owned in the last twenty years. Not since she'd been a child.

The dress was pink with a row of tiny roses sewn into the hem, the neckline, and the short sleeves. It was feminine and so pretty, but she looked and felt like she was five. That had been fine and even fun while she'd been alone practicing, but what would the other women think when they saw her?

"Positive, Little one. Trust me."

Lyra chewed on her bottom lip, uncertain. What did Phoenix know about women's clothing? Surely, he was mistaken, and she was about to feel incredibly foolish.

When the elevator opened and they stepped out into the basement level, a loud chorus of "Surprise!" made her jump. All four of the other women were waiting for her, bouncing on their feet excitedly. They were also dressed similarly in pretty dresses and cute shoes. They had their hair up in pigtails and braids.

The vision was surreal, but Lyra felt relieved and kind of excited. "What's the surprise?" she asked as Phoenix encouraged her to step closer, his hands on her shoulders.

Sadie giggled. "We just wanted to officially welcome you to the family. We asked the Daddies to let us have a little welcome party. We even have treats." She pointed toward a table that had been set up in the corner of the room. It was so pretty. In the center was a three-tiered arrangement covered with tiny cakes and cookies. There was pink punch in a pitcher. Each place setting had pretty paper plates and cups covered with flowers.

Overwhelmed and a little excited, she inched closer. "You did all this for me?"

Celeste nodded. "We like to come up with excuses for impromptu parties as often as we can. They're fun."

Zara tucked an arm around Lyra's and guided her away from Phoenix. "We Littles need time to unwind and have fun."

Juniper nodded. "Plus, you need to make a tarantula for your door. It's so bare," she joked.

It was like a birthday party. The kind a child would have. Five grown adults having a fancy tea party with crafts and snacks and giggling. Would there be giggling? She knew there would be.

Glancing over her shoulder, she found Phoenix smiling at her. "Go on, Little one. Have fun. I need to check on some maintenance issues at one of the entrances to the resort. I'll be back before dinner."

Her heart felt full. She knew he loved her. He'd told her so already. She felt the same powerful emotions toward him but hadn't said it out loud yet. She hoped she at least conveyed her feelings through her eyes because, right about now, she had the urge to turn around, run to him, jump into his arms, and hug him so tightly he could never get away from her.

He winked and smiled broader. "Have fun."

Magnus rose from the computer center and turned toward them as they all claimed spots at the table. "No shenanigans, girls. I mean it. If you need to plan something naughty, it has to happen here in the basement, and it absolutely can't involve any more scary movies. Plus, any mess you make, you will clean up yourselves. Understood?" His voice was gruff, but his eyes danced at the same time.

"Yes, Daddy," Juniper said as she rolled her eyes. She waved a hand toward his desk. "Go do work things. Ignore us."

The grunt he made suggested that would be impossible, but he adjusted his ballcap and resumed sitting at the row of monitors.

Celeste tried to stifle her giggles with a hand over her mouth, but she failed.

"What does he mean about shenanigans?" Lyra asked as she took a seat.

Zara sat next to her. "When we get together, we have a tendency to plot something naughty."

"Why?" Lyra asked in confusion. Phoenix had suggested the same thing, but she hadn't understood what he'd meant.

Sadie shrugged. "Because it's fun." She leaned in and whispered, "And because we like to get spanked on occasion."

Lyra sucked in a breath, glancing around at all of them. "You do naughty things to intentionally get spanked?" Why did the idea make her squirm?

Their heads all bobbed.

Juniper leaned closer. "Has Phoenix spanked you yet?"

Lyra's cheeks heated as she nodded. "Yes. This morning, after I conned Sadie into letting me play outside without checking with him."

Sadie squirmed in her seat. "Yeah, I got spanked for that, too."

Lyra gasped. "Oh no. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to get you into trouble."

Sadie shrugged, a grin on her face. "It was worth it. I knew perfectly well I shouldn't have plotted that concert outside without calling Rocco. I kind of needed a good hard spanking." Her face changed, sobering. "I feel really bad about the fact that a stalker almost got to you. I didn't think what we did would put you in any real danger."

Lyra reached across the table and set her hand on Sadie's. "It's okay. I don't blame you. It was my idea. I didn't think I was in danger anymore, either. Plus, I was feeling defiant. My last boyfriend was bossy to the point of being abusive. I know Phoenix is nothing like that, but my mind got carried away, and I wanted to make my own decisions. It wasn't my brightest moment."

Lyra shifted her weight back and forth. Her bottom had been sore ever since. It had burned while she'd played all afternoon and was still tender now. The elastic of her panties was irritating her reddened skin.

"Let's eat junk food," Celeste declared in a cheerful voice, bringing them out of their temporary funk.

They each reached for a variety of treats, filled their pretty plates, and poured the sweet punch into their cups. For several minutes, they were quiet while they filled their tummies with sugar.

The desserts were delicious. Lyra hadn't had many treats in a long time. She hadn't felt like it. Most of the time, her stomach had been in knots, and she hadn't felt like eating at all, especially not anything as tasty as cakes and cookies.

When they were finished, they piled up their plates, and Sadie passed out papers and scattered crayons and colored pencils in the middle of the table. "Do you like to draw and color?" she asked Lyra.

"I don't even know," Lyra answered honestly. "It's been a long time since I've done anything like this."

Celeste nodded. "I felt the same way when I first came here. Now, I make sure I take time to embrace my inner Little and indulge her at least part of every day."

"I know Sadie works at the front desk. Do any of the rest of you have jobs?"

They all nodded.

Juniper spoke first. "I'm kind of a computer geek. I work with Daddy, helping monitor and protect all of us and the resort."

Celeste giggled. "She's being a bit modest. Juniper is a computer goddess who can hack into anything anywhere—only for good causes, mind you."

Lyra smiled. "That's cool." She faced Celeste. "You're a scientist, right?" She remembered Celeste mentioning something about that before.

"Yes." She pointed across the room. "I have a lab through that door. I'm working on cutting-edge cancer research."

Zara nodded. "Celeste is also being too modest. She's a world-famous scientist, and I'm very lucky I get to work with her. I help her in the lab."

"Wow. I didn't realize you all were so…important."

They shrugged.

Sadie narrowed her gaze. "You're pretty darn important yourself, Lyra. Don't downplay your abilities. You've played your cello all over the world."

Lyra shrugged. "I guess, but that's nothing compared to curing cancer, being a computer genius, or even managing a resort. I know you aren't just a front-desk worker," she informed Sadie.

Zara gasped. "Your talent is amazing. I wish I could do what you do, and the world needs entertainment, too."

Lyra looked down at her blank paper and sighed. "I don't know if I should put a picture on my door," she admitted.

"Why not?" Celeste asked.

She shrugged. "Because I can't stay here forever. I can take a long break, but eventually, I'll need to rejoin my quartet and go back on tour. It's what I do."

They were all quiet for a few seconds before Sadie spoke softly. "Don't you worry. Our Daddies have an amazing ability to work things out so that we can all be together as a family."

Lyra sighed. That didn't seem possible in her case, but she didn't want to be a Debbie Downer, so she reached for a black crayon. "Does anyone know how to draw a tarantula?"