Page 218 of Giddy Up, Daddy

“I don’t know.”

I took a long, slow, deep breath to try to figure out the best course of action from the limited information I was being given.

She’s yours, act like it,the Dom in me all but screamed.

“Baby, if you can’t tell me what you want or need, I’m going to assume you just need me to swoop in and take care of things. So, if that's not what you want, then speak now or forever hold your peace.”

She looked up at me with glassy eyes and some of the tension left her shoulders. “Yes, please.”

I smiled and pulled her in close to kiss her forehead. “Good girl. Okay, then. I’m going to get you into the tub to startsoaking, and then I’ll call up our lunch.” I informed her of the first couple of steps so as not to overwhelm her in any way.

She nodded. “Okay.”

I led her to her bathroom and started the tub to fill. This was what I’d wanted from the beginning; to just take care of her. As she stood there like an obedient little doll, I took my time undressing her. With each piece of clothing I removed, it felt like we became more connected, like she was giving herself over to me completely. It was as if I was removing her layers, the ones she showed the outside world, and getting to the core of her. The part that would belong to me and only me. It felt as if I was unwrapping the gift of submission.

I finished stripping her and stood to cup her face in the palms of my hands. “Thank you for letting me take care of you, baby.” I tilted her chin up and kissed her forehead. “Let me help you into the water, and then I’ll go and order some food. Are you hungry?”

“Very.”

“Did you eat breakfast?”

She’d said she was going to, but I really had no idea what she’d done all morning.

“Yes.”

The one- and two-word answers were getting a little bit old, but she was obviously going through something at the moment, and as much as I wanted to demand answers, I didn’t feel like it was the best course of action in this situation. It wasn’t like the night before when she was combative and bratty and pushing every button to get a reaction. She seemed to need a gentler touch, and that’s what I was going to give her.

As soon as she was seated safely, she sighed. Her head rested against the back of the tub and she closed her eyes. Leaning down, I kissed her forehead again.

“Good girl. You relax. I’ll be right back.”

I left her alone while I went to find the room service menu. I chose Mexican food because I knew Ripley loved steak fajitas, and really, you could never go wrong with Mexican, in my opinion. I ordered way more food than we could ever eat, and asked that it be delivered in thirty minutes to give me time to get my girl bathed.

I returned to the bathroom to find Ripley in the exact position I’d left her in, only the water was turning colors around her lower arms as the paint left her body. I still had so many questions. Eyeing the folded piece of pink paper sitting on the sink, I thought for a moment. I still hadn’t looked at it but she hadn’t seemed opposed to me taking it from her.

“Rip, I’m going to look at this now.” I held it up between my finger and thumb so she could see what I was referring to.

She shook her head and repeated her earlier argument. “I’m embarrassed.”

“I understand, but you’re not in charge right now, are you?”

She slunk down into the water almost up to her nose and shook her head slowly.

“You know what you can say to get me to stop, but if I don’t hear a safe word, then I’ll continue as I see fit, understand?”

After we laid out our relationship and expectations, I would stop reminding her so much of her safe word, but since we were really just getting to know each other in a relationship capacity I thought it was important.

She didn’t move or even shake her head anymore, so I unfolded the paper and read it. I knew Ripley was watching for my expression, so I forced my face to stay nonchalant as I was all but slapped in the face in surprise. Ripley was in the Littles’ Wing? And she got into a paint fight with other Littles? I swallowed hard. All this time I’d been trying to shove down my Daddy reactions to her, and that had been what she needed from me most of all? Had she been Little with Randy? How could theyhave hidden that from me? Why had they hidden it from me? I mean, sure, it really wasn’t my business, but we were closer than most families. We didn’t keep anything from each other. Or that's what I’d thought, anyway.

“Are you mad?” Ripley asked.

“Mad? No,” I answered instantly, because I wasn’t mad. I was trying not to feel hurt, but I wasn't mad.

“It’s okay if you don’t want me anymore.” Her voice shook in a way that told me it was the opposite of okay.

She needed this. She needed me.

“Baby, you are so off the mark with that. There is no universe where I don’t want you, or won’t accept you for exactly who you are.” I knelt next to the tub with the paper in my hand. “Can I ask you some questions, though?”

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