Page 16 of Lilly's Little Labor Day

She then had a thought.

I can text Edward and ask him to come up here. He can just wait in the parking lot. Blake won’t even have to know he’s here.

Having Edward nearby would make her feel better.

Edward always made her feel better.

But she didn’t want to bother him. He’d already been inconvenienced enough just having to come down for a few days. He was probably back at the house, undressed for the evening, watching TV.

Actually, it was more likely he was working. He did that a lot.

Whatever he was doing, it was no doubt more important than sitting in the parking lot while she finished a date. Besides, Blake was probably harmless. Maybe even a nice guy. Everyone makes mistakes. Right?

As the night wore on, however, Blake continued to shift the conversation to topics that should not be discussed so openly and around people who had not consented. At one point, Lilly even caught a lady glancing over from a nearby table, her eyebrow arched in disapproval.

Lilly was in a hurry to leave once the bill had been paid. Blake did pick up the tab, which was nice, but from the leering glances he gave her—and several comments—it became apparent he expected something in return. She wasn’t interested, so she walked briskly toward her car.

Ending a date is always so awkward. Especially when I didn’t enjoy it. Do I go for the hug? It would be a side-hug. Definitely side. Do I shake his hand? That seems ridiculous. Or do I just say goodbye and maybe I’ll give you a call?

“Whoa. Slow down,” Blake called.

She didn’t.

“I told you to slow down, little girl.”

Lilly felt as if steam were about to billow from her ears. This guy was not her Daddy. They’d not negotiated. They’d not even broached the subject. Did he think every submissive Little was just automatically under his authority?

She wanted to ask him, and then explain how things really were, but she was scared. This was her first time with a Daddy. Were they all like this? Oh gosh. What if all the romance novels she’d read and fantasies she’d had were nothing like reality?

Panic began to set in. Sweat beaded her forehead. How would she get out of this mess?

She turned to face Blake. Standing in the parking lot, the lights from the restaurant mixed with the setting sun to form enough light that she saw clearly into Blake’s eyes.

And she didn’t like what she found there.

“So,” he said, stepping uncomfortably close, “your place or mine?”

“Neither.”

The word wasn’t shouted, but it had such a sharp edge to it that Blake stepped back as if he could be cut by it.

Edward appeared from between two cars and walked into the fray. Lilly appraised him, noting how in charge he looked, as if he owned the restaurant and everything around it. For all she knew, he did.

“Who the hell are you?” Blake said.

“Her brother.”

Blake opened his mouth as if he wanted to respond, but something stopped him cold. Maybe it was that look in Edward’s eyes. Maybe it was the way his presence dominated everything and everyone, looming large and making everything else seem so small.

Lilly realized it was probably for the best that Blake keep his mouth shut.

Edward wasn’t finished, though.

“Keep your eyes on me while I’m talking to you. I want to make sure you get this. You’ll never contact my little sister again. You won’t even think about her. If you’re smart, you’ll get off that dating site. Because if I find out you hurt any Little, I’ll hunt you down. You need to learn about safe play. They should’ve never let you participate in the community if you don’t understand the basics.”

Lilly was shocked. So he’d found out what website she’d met Blake on. Oh crap! There wasn’t time to worry about the ramifications about that now, though. It looked like there might be a fight.

Blake, apparently unable to let the dressing down go unchallenged, bowed up and took a few shuffled steps toward Edward. The bravado seemed forced. Still, to his credit, his voice only trembled a little when he said, “Who do you think you are, bro?”

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