Page 20 of Daddy's Little Cupcake

“You don’t need to apologize. I’m not firing you,” James said. “Finn just kept answering for you, and I wanted to make sure he wasn’t a friend who was abusive toward you.”

Charlotte shook her head rapidly. “He’s not like that! Finn is so nice and cares about me!”

James raised his hands in the air. “I didn’t mean anything by it. I don’t know him, but I wanted to make sure that you’re safe.”

She let out a sigh and nodded her head. Charlotte completely understood what he was talking about. James didn’t know Finn at all, but Charlotte didn’t know him really either.

They had just met the previous night, but she felt like she could trust him. It didn’t seem like he had a bad bone in his body.

Well, unless dishing out punishments was considered a bad bone in someone’s body. Charlotte could get behind that. She knew she needed the punishment for what she did, but he didn’t have to give it. He shouldn’t have because he wasn’t her Daddy.

“Do I need to ask any more questions about him? How long have you known him for?” James asked.

Charlotte went to answer, but she quickly shut her mouth. She didn’t want James to kick him out of the bakery, even if Charlotte didn’t want to see Finn right now.

Finn had come here to talk to her, so that meant he might still be interested in her. That was what Charlotte thought, but he could also be here to tell her he never wanted to speak to her again.

“Charlotte. How long have you known him for?” James asked again. “Does Diana know him?”

“Yep!” Charlotte happily replied.

James knew Diana and knew that she took care of Charlotte sometimes, so he trusted her. Charlotte didn’t know if that was the first time Diana had met Finn, but she could say that Diana knew him.

Charlotte didn’t think that Diana would have let Finn spank her if she wasn’t comfortable or trusted him. So that meant something.

James relaxed and nodded at his head. “That’s good, that’s good.”

It seemed like he was talking more to himself than to Charlotte, so she didn’t reply. Sometimes James did that around her and Amelia. It wasn’t all the time, but both of them knew that they didn’t have to respond.

“Now, is what you need to talk to him about urgent, or can it wait thirty minutes until your shift is over?” James asked.

“It can wait,” Charlotte responded quickly.

If Charlotte could get out of speaking to Finn, she would be fine with that. She didn't know what he was going to say, and she was nervous. Her stomach was all in knots at the thought of him telling her he wasn’t interested anymore.

She knew that she ignored him. Well, she got too busy, and then it had been hours since he sent the text, but it was the same thing.

Charlotte was just nervous that her not being able to respond because she was working would upset him or make him not want her anymore. She had men like that before, where they wanted a response immediately, and if they didn't get a response right away, then they felt entitled to punish her.

They were never her Daddies, but they were people she was trying to get to know before they took that leap. They all ended when Charlotte tried to explain that she couldn't always respond right away. That working at the bakery was constant work, and she didn't have time to get on her phone all the time.

They didn't like that answer, and so Charlotte or the guy would end things. It was for the best because they obviously weren't the person for Charlotte, but it did suck. It sucked that they didn't like that she worked and wouldn't respond on time.

“How about you take off of work early. It's only thirty minutes, and I'll pay you for it, so don't worry,” James suggested.

Charlotte knew that it wasn't a suggestion that she could deny; James was telling her that she was taking off of work early. Her heart sank at that because she loved working, and yesterday and today he let her off early.

“It's nothing to do with you, but nothing else needs to be baked right now, which means you can go home early. Have that conversation with him,” James said, and at the end, he gave Charlotte a look.

The look of ‘I know something's going on, and you need to have that conversation’ kind of look.

Charlotte let out a sigh and nodded her head. She guessed she was going to take off, but that didn’t mean she was going to have the conversation. She was going to try and get out of it.

James got up off the ground and walked out of the kitchen, Amelia falling right behind him. Charlotte took a deep breath in before she gathered her bag and coat.

She walked to the kitchen door and peeked around the corner, trying to find Finn. He was on his phone, not looking anywhere.

Perfect opportunity to leave the bakery.

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