Page 7 of Poppy's Place

Instead of handing her the can, I ignored her comment and leveled my sternest Daddy stare on her. “Promise you won’t sit on that windowsill again. It’s not safe for sweet little girls to be dangling in the air like that.”

She grinned, and I could see her neck flush. “You think I’m sweet?”

The fact that she was focusing on that word was even more confirmation that she identified as Little. “I do. And beautiful. And the kind of girl I’d like to get to know better.” I handed her the can and then slipped my hands into my pockets. “Maybe I can take you to dinner tomorrow night?”

Poppy’s eyes were so big and expressive as she nodded. “Okay. That sounds nice.”

“But first things first.” I nodded into her apartment and took a step forward so she was forced to let me in. “We need to cover those windows so no one else can get a peek of you dancing around in your little nightie.”

Her arm immediately flew over her chest to cover it up as if she were still on display. “Ohmigawd! Could you see through it from all the way outside?”

I raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Vividly. And if anyone else was watching and having similar thoughts, I’d have to go kick their asses right now. So, as a community service, let’s keep those perfect curves hidden from anyone who shouldn’t be seeing them.”

She swallowed hard and then straightened her spine, obviously deciding to be bold despite her shock at my presence. “Yes, Daddy.”

She was testing me, and I liked it. I stepped right up to her, leaving just inches between her face and mine. “I like the words, but cool the attitude, Little girl, or I’ll have to put you over my knee until you realize how to be safe when you’re home alone.”

Her emerald eyes became more black than green as lust filled her, and she nodded. “Yes, sir. I’m sorry for being sassy.”

My hand went to the side of her face, cupping her cheek in my first real touch. “Don’t be sorry, beautiful girl. I’m the kind of Daddy who likes a little sass. Especially when it ends with a pink bottom.”

She swallowed hard and kept her eyes on me. “Noted.”

As much as I wanted to pull her into my arms, me being there was probably a lot for her to take in, so I stepped back to give her some space while I took a look around the room.

Boxes were spread out and piles of stuff were on every available surface. “Do you have curtains or do we need to improvise?”

“Um…I ordered blinds, but they won’t be in until next week. I was just gonna leave them open for a few more days.”

I scoffed. “Not if you plan to walk around nearly naked.” I reached for an empty box and held it up. “Do you have a couple more of these that I can cut up?”

Poppy nodded and hurried to her bedroom to grab some more. She returned with a stack of flattened moving boxes. “I’m done with these.”

“How about some masking tape?”

She tapped her finger to her lip as she thought about it. “Will that blue painting tape work?”

“Perfectly.” I pulled a small pocket knife that was attached to my key out of my pocket and began cutting up the cardboard. Eyeballing the height of the window and her petite frame of five feet nothing, I estimated we only needed to cover the lower two feet of the window to keep her shielded from prying eyes while still allowing in plenty of light and fresh air.

Within a few minutes, I had the lower portion of every window covered and a stack of cardboard remnants that I would take with me to recycle. “All right, beautiful. You should be good for tonight. Is there anything else you need before I go?”

She bit her lip as if holding back something and shook her head. “No, thank you. But what about tomorrow?”

I cocked my head, happy she was still thinking about our date. “Let me put my number in your phone so you can call me if you need anything else, and I’ll plan to be here at six. Is that good?”

She smiled widely and sucked in a breath and then immediately yawned. “Yes, okay.” She held her phone in front of her face to unlock it and then handed it to me.

With her camera facing her, I snapped a picture of her looking at me and sent it to myself. She was sleepy and messy and absolutely gorgeous. I wanted to give her a kiss, but it was not my place yet. Instead, before I stepped out, I held up my arms. “Can I get a hug good night?”

Poppy exhaled heavily as she practically fell into my arms and held me tight. “Good night, Carter.”

I kissed the top of her head and then leaned back, trailing my finger across her cheekbone. “So now we’re all the way back to you calling me Carter? We’re definitely going in the wrong direction.” I hoped I hadn’t scared her away from anything intimate.

She looked up at me with so much innocence and desire that my cock almost burst through the front of my jeans. “If you want to be more than Carter to me, you’ll have to come out and ask.”

Unable to resist, I brushed the softest of kisses across her lips before I stood back. “Noted. Have a good night, beautiful girl.”

I stepped out of her door and then tested the knob behind me to make sure it was locked before I headed downstairs. Even though I had no right to do it, I couldn’t help peeking through the viewing room into the main playroom. My heart filled with hope and joy when I saw the playroom set up. Toys and books and stuffed animals were strewn about, evidence that the party Poppy and Kylie had been talking about was truly a playdate for Littles.

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