Page 13 of Promising Little Poppy

Still, Poppy hadn’t expected that date to happen so soon. But then again, the idea didn’t disgust her or confuse her. In fact, when she thought about it—about having someone care for her with touch in a way often reserved for the most intimate of relationships, she found the idea strangely appealing. Knowing it would be CJ, the person who had shown Poppy so much grace and understanding in such a short time, as the person bathing her only made her like the idea even more.

Poppy nodded, but she knew that when it came to her dynamic with CJ, she needed to use her words. “I think I would like that.”

On shaky legs, Poppy stood, waiting for CJ to give her the next command.

“Come on, sweet girl.” CJ motioned for Poppy to follow her to the bathroom off CJ’s room. It was identical to the en suite bath off her own room and that small semblance of normalcy helped to ease some of Poppy’s nerves.

Still, she fidgeted with her fingers as CJ busied herself in the bathroom, grabbing oversized towels, bubbles, bath toys, and a soft, oversized washcloth with the Ranch’s logo embroidered on one corner.

When the water was running and plenty of thick bubble bath had been poured into the water, CJ turned to Poppy who could feel her cheeks heating as she flushed.

CJ smiled reassuringly. “I know you don’t believe it yet, Poppy, but you truly are magnificent.” With sure hands, she tugged Poppy’s tank top up and over her head. “You are not only gorgeous, you are very much wanted.”

Despite her Caregiver’s words, Poppy’s hands flew toward her breasts, desperate to preserve what little modesty she had left. But CJ was quicker to react, stopping the action before it could happen. She held Poppy’s arms away from her body but didn’t drop her eyes, keeping her gaze firmly locked with Poppy’s gorgeous green irises.

“Trust me, Poppy.” CJ’s voice was low and smooth as she released Poppy’s arms and continued, “Trust me to be there for you. To be a safe person for you. Trust me to guide you, to care for you. Because you’re so worthy of being cared for exactly as you are.”

A single tear slipped from Poppy’s eye as she nodded. “Yes, Daddy.”

CJ’s eyes went wide at the same time Poppy’s hands covered her mouth. For once, she wasn’t thinking of her modesty or insecurities—of the stretch marks on her skin that made her shy in front of people. She couldn’t think about college, or being Little, or how lonely the upcoming holidays would be without her unexpected new friend at her side, or what a mess she made out of things as terror filled her veins over her inadvertent slip up.

Poppy tried to flee from the bathroom, ready to slam the door behind her as she ran to her own bedroom with a finality on this most certainly failed dynamic. The spa-like atmosphere of water filling the tub and soft, lavender scents that floated on theair forgotten as pure mortification settled over her like a heavy blanket made of pure cement.

But of course, CJ wouldn’t make it that easy on her. Instead, CJ had been helping Poppy to focus on sitting with her emotions before acting on them. And as she stood half naked, a bathtub big enough for two filling that would soon be full of toys she never would have thought to play with as an adult, her Caregiver was doing just that.

“What’s your color, Poppy?”

The question took her by surprise, but she should have known that CJ would never push her further than she was ready, even when it came to hard conversations. Still, as she did a quick scan of her body, she realized that yes, she was mortified about the slip up, but that for as embarrassed as she was, she also wanted a chance to explain exactly what had happened. Not that she fully understood it yet herself.

“I’m okay,” she said quietly. Then, as she brought eyes that shone with nerves up to meet CJ’s she said with a bit more conviction. “I’m green.”

CJ beamed at her with a radiant smile that spoke of affection. With that smile alone, Poppy relaxed a bit more, knowing she’d made the right decision.

“Atta girl. Let’s finish undressing you and get you into the tub before it overflows with bubbles. Then we can talk while I wash you.”

Where Poppy had expected the entire experience to be stiff and uncomfortable, she found she actually sinking into feeling like a Little as the warm water lapped gently at her skin. She continued to embrace that feeling when the bubbles CJ blew off her hand drifted softly in the air before landing on Poppy’s nose. And she sank further as she spelled her name with foam letters that clung to the side of the oversized soaking tub.

And when CJ reached across the tub to spell her own word on the tiled wall, the side of her hand accidentally brushing against one of Poppy’s nipples, CJ’s expression showed she’d expected the spell to be broken but smiled with delight instead when Poppy laughed, reaching over to trail her fingers over the letters CJ had used to spell the wordkitten.

The pair were silent for a few minutes, Poppy playing with various floating shapes and toys, drawing on the wall with markers designed just for the tub while CJ continued to smile, just watching as she took in the scene.

As she drew a flower on the wall, Poppy thought about how this was all new to her, but not to her Caregiver. CJ had told her she’d been in the lifestyle for over a decade and for nearly all of that time was in a steady dynamic with one of her three long-term partners all of whom identified as Littles. Poppy also remembered how the beautiful woman had told her how gratifying it was to have Poppy trust her to care for her Little self. How being a Caregiver was one of the greatest gifts she had ever received.

And she hadn’t freaked out when Poppy called her Daddy, which she was still embarrassed over. As if her thoughts had been spoken, Poppy saw CJ’s mouth open, but cut her off with her own question. “Why did you spell outkittenon the tile? Do you have a cat at home that you miss?”

CJ chuckled a little, her eyes sparkling with amusement that Poppy hadn’t seen before. “No, sweetheart. You’re my kitten.”

Poppy was confused and felt her nose wrinkling up in perplexity. “What do you mean?”

“It’s rare that I talk about my past, especially with people I don’t know really well, but you’re being so open and willing to experience new firsts with me, the least I can do is return the gesture in kind,” CJ said as she dipped the washcloth into the warm water.

Poppy felt a bit confused as well as honored at her Caregiver’s words, remaining still and quiet as CJ drizzled a healthy amount of body wash onto it before working the suds into a rich lather. She started with the back of Poppy’s neck before moving down her spine as if to give Poppy time to get accustomed to her Caregiver’s hands on her nude body for the first time.

“When I was growing up, my grandparents owned a flower farm. It was one of the most beautiful, colorful places I’ve ever seen. And when I was six years old, I was sent to live with them on that farm.”

As if working on autopilot, she washed down the length of one of Poppy’s arms before repeating the process with the other. She continued her story as she glided the cloth over the front of Poppy’s bare chest. “When you’re the result of an accidental pregnancy and born to two of the biggest rock stars on the planet, there really isn’t a lot of parenting happening. And when things like world tours and press junkets begin to take precedence over parent-teacher meetings, school, and even crucial doctor’s appointments, the authorities sometimes step in. And in my case, my parents had to decide if they were willing to give up the drug-and-alcohol-fueled lifestyle that fame brought them or risk losing parental rights to their only child. Of course, as you already know, I ended up with my grandparents, my mom and dad choosing fame over family.”

Poppy didn’t react, simply turned her head to watch as CJ continued to rub circles over her skin.

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