Page 9 of Promising Little Poppy

She burst into laughter.

All that fear and anxiety simply because she’d immediately thought of the worst-case scenario.

Poppy had convinced herself that CJ hadn’t wanted to be her Caregiver for a few weeks, that the woman had decided Poppy was simply too much of an inconvenience, too much of a bother. And the entire time it was simply that the key hadn’t worked for CJ either, and the woman had taken it upon herself to take care of the issue before Poppy had to take care of it on her own.

Her hands came up to her mouth, gasping as she tried to get words out between the giggles. “I’m so sorry,” she said through the laughs. “I… I had been crying when you found me outside because my key wasn’t working either. I got so nervous that it meant you didn’t want to do this, that you didn’t want me to be your Little for a few weeks because I had never tried to be Little before and didn’t know how much I was going to like it, or if I would even like it at all.”

Gently taking a seat next to Poppy on the couch, CJ looked at Poppy with something she couldn’t quite identify. Poppy thought it was a strange mixture of curiosity and understanding but there was something else layered in with the other two that she didn’t understand. It could have been seen as desire, but Poppy had never seen the emotion directed toward her by another woman, and she wasn’t the type of person to assume someone’s sexuality based on the fact they appeared to be more androgynous than feminine.

Still, she was grateful she didn’t see the disdain she often felt when people were made to spend time with her. That there was no trace of disappointment on CJ’s angular face.

For the first time since their mortifying yet memorable meet-cute, she truly took the time to study CJ. She was opposite of Poppy in appearance. The woman had a long, lean body reminiscent of distance runners or the graceful dancers she had seen once upon a time when she went to fancy Broadway shows with her then boyfriend while the pair resided in New York City. Back before he turned cold and controlling. When he had still allowed her nights on the town as long as they benefited him in the long run.

Where Poppy’s face was round and soft as the rest of her body, CJ’s was angular with a strong jaw and brow that made her appear powerful. And when she looked the other woman in the eyes, dark brown irises with flecks of golden honey stared back at her in a way that was infinitely more beautiful than the old, murky green she saw when she looked at herself in the mirror every day.

CJ’s thin lips parted, but nothing came out as she searched Poppy’s eyes. She brushed a short lock of her own hair that had fallen from out of her eyes. Just barely long enough to tuck behind her ears, CJ’s hair was a look Poppy wished she could pull off but knew she would never have the confidence to try.

“This is so bizarre...” Poppy said.

At the same exact time, CJ spoke. “I know we have a lot to talk about.”

They both laughed a bit stiffly, but CJ recovered first and thankfully, Poppy thought, the other woman took the lead.

“I know we have a lot to talk about,” CJ started again. “Likes and dislikes, hard and soft limits. And I know those conversations aren’t always comfortable. But I want to make sure you feel comfortable with me, Poppy.Safewith me. So what do you say? Can we spend the rest of tonight having those hard conversations so we can start tomorrow off on the right foot?”

Poppy smiled at CJ. It was small and a bit shy, but it was a smile. And as Poppy nodded her head in agreement, CJ said, “Seeing you smile so sweetly tells me that while day one could have been disastrous with your key card not working, I do believe we can claim our beginning as a huge victory.”

CHAPTER 5

CJ

While Poppy told CJ she had the basic working experience of knowing the parts that went into a dynamic between a Dominant and their submissive but had never imagined just how much effort and communication it would take, CJ assured her they would work together to make sure it went smoothly. That included setting expectations of what would happen over the three-week period the two women agreed to spend with one another.

Some of the rules they had settled upon Poppy had seen coming from a mile away—hello, drink more water every day, eat your vegetables, and get eight hours of sleep each night. But others had taken her by surprise. She especially wasn’t sure how she felt about beginning to keep a journal where she would list three positive things about herself each day. CJ told Poppy she was also expected to spend a few minutes each night writing down the tasks she wanted to complete the following day in the same journal. CJ had recommended that by having a clear outline of what Poppy wanted to accomplish each day, she wouldalready have a starting point when she woke and wouldn’t need to spend time prioritizing the tasks since she had done the hard part the night before.

Surprising Poppy further, the two women even took a trip to the Ranch’s gift shop where CJ helped Poppy to pick out a brand-new journal and set of pens to start her affirmation journey with.

And when CJ caught Poppy staring longingly at a stuffed kitten tucked in the back of a shelf as if long forgotten as newer, cooler toys got chosen first, CJ tossed it into the growing pile of items she had acquired for Poppy in the pair’s shopping basket.

CJ had steered the majority of the conversation the two women shared their first night together in their spacious suite. And though it went late into the evening hours, when Poppy finally climbed into the king-sized poster bed in her room, CJ was pretty sure the young woman’s mind was still busy anxiously worrying about the future—starting with the next three weeks.

CJ had the exact same problem, though her reasons for racing thoughts differed from Poppy’s. Through sharing and talking, the two had decided on a strictly kink-based dynamic. And though CJ had assumed that the stunning blonde was straight as an arrow, there was the tiniest bit of her subconscious that still plummeted to the floor like an amusement park free-fall when Poppy had confirmed she had only ever been intimate with the opposite sex.

And sure, CJ could have pressed Poppy and asked if she was interested in experiencing something sexual with someone of the same gender, but that felt unnatural and predatory. She could have booked time in the Dungeon and even potentially found a play partner for a bit of fun. But if she was going to be in a dynamic with Poppy—no matter how short-lived and platonic it was bound to be—CJ wanted to give all her energy to it, to being everything Poppy needed her to be.

Still, she couldn’t help but picture the smooth skin of Poppy under her hands.

As CJ crawled into bed, she placed a small, waterproof, zip-top bag on the empty mattress next to her. The space she ached to see the other woman fill with her thighs that were bound to be thick under her soft clothes. With breasts that would undoubtedly spill over CJ’s hands if the way they poured over the edge of Poppy’s modest top was any indication.

Her eyes closed as her head hit the pillow but she didn’t even try to fall asleep.

Instead, she opened the bag and pulled out a small bottle of lube and her favorite silicone grinder. The toy was a deep purple color, shaped like a rectangle, and about the size of a large palm. Two nylon straps hung from each side. With a practiced ease, CJ buckled the toy to one of the pillows from her guest room.

CJ shimmied her sleep pants and panties down her legs. Her hands slid down her body, one stopping to play with her breasts as the other continued to trail down over her stomach, disappearing between her thighs.

God, just thinking of Poppy made her wet.

The sweet woman was so frazzled. So overwhelmed. So damnbeautiful.

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