Page 53 of Impressing Brett

“And look what that got me,” she yells. At least she’s talking to me.

“It brought you to me,” I point out softly. “And I’m so damn glad. You’re my world.”

She stares at me in disbelief as if I’ve grown two heads. “You need to move on.”

My heart stops. “I’m not moving on, Lacy. Never.” Please don’t push me away.

She shakes her head. “You have to. You’re a Daddy Dom. I’m never going to be what you need or want in a partner.”

“What are you talking about, baby? You’re exactly what I need and want in a partner.”

She shakes her head more violently. “Not anymore. I can’t do it anymore. It was a bad idea in the first place. I shouldn’t have let myself believe I could be Little. It’s not practical. It’s a fantasy. It’s time for me to return to reality. The real world doesn’t support that fetish. It’s foolish to pretend I can be one thing by day and another by night.”

I can’t even lick my lips because my mouth is so dry. “Lacy, millions of people have a kink they practice in private. You’re not the only one. They do their best to be discreet, but sometimes, someone finds out about them. I hate that someone is trying to take away your power, but you can’t let them.”

“I don’t have a choice,” she shouts.

“You do, Little lamb.”

She flinches. “Don’t call me that.”

I draw in a breath. Fuck, this is a mess. “Lacy, we’re going to put a band-aid on this.”

“A band-aid? We need a tourniquet. The blood is flowing out of my life so fast we’ll never be able to stop it.”

“We will. I promise. I don’t know why, but Blade seems to think your bosses won’t even flinch.”

She stares at me for several seconds. “Eve said that, too.”

“Maybe they know something we don’t,” I point out, hopeful.

“Why wouldn’t they just tell us?”

I shrug. “Because it’s not their place to share someone else’s kink.”

She sets her forehead against her knees again. “Doesn’t even matter. Even if the best-case scenario were to pan out and they never got the pictures, and they tell me they totally understand, it still doesn’t matter. It will happen again some other way, some other day. I can’t do it. I won’t.”

God, I hurt for her. So deep it cuts to my heart. I want to hold her. I want to tell her it’s going to be okay. I want to make promises I don’t know if I can keep.

“It’s over, Brett. I can’t be that person anymore.” She shoves from the corner and heads for the bathroom, grabbing her bag to take it with her on the way.

I push up to my feet and pace over to the window. The world outside looks so peaceful. People are walking along the streets below us, going on about their lives, while Lacy feels like hers is crumbling.

When she comes out of the bathroom, I turn around. She’s wearing leggings and a T-shirt. She has washed her makeup off, and she climbs into one side of the bed and curls up, facing away from me.

I grab my bag from the bed and enter the bathroom next. As soon as I pull the door closed, I nearly crumple to the floor. I’m exhausted. I don’t think I’ve cried since I was three years old, but I feel like I could right now.

Lacy is my everything. She’s my world. I’ve known that from the moment she stepped into Colt and Eve’s house last week. Losing her would destroy me. Fuck, I don’t even care if she never wants to practice age play again, but I know she will crave it. It’s in her DNA. It will surface no matter how hard she fights it.

I stare at myself in the mirror and take deep breaths, trying desperately to hold back my emotions. My eyes are swollen, but the tears don’t fall. I brush my teeth, use the toilet, wash my hands and face, and pat my cheeks dry.

After changing into sweatpants and a T-shirt, I reenter the room.

Lacy is as still as a statue. She hasn’t moved. I know she’s not sleeping. She probably won’t sleep.

Instead of circling to the other side of the bed, I perch on the edge of the mattress next to her. “Are you hungry? We didn’t eat dinner. I could order something from room service.”

She shakes her head, not looking at me. I’m not sure I could chew or swallow either, but I hate her missing a meal.

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