Page 6 of Cherishing Little Charlee

“Mr. Bossy Pants knows exactly how to deal with the Little Miss Sassy Pants you’re wearing.”

“I told you! I’m notLittleanything. It’s a fucking hard limit! Don’t say it again.”

“Whoa. Hey.” I stopped and placed my hands on each of her shoulders. She dropped her chin to her chest. “Look at me, Charlene.”

“I apologize, Pierce. I had no right to yell at you.”

“Come on. Look at me. I’m not that ugly.”

She shrugged and the corners of her mouth turned up. “I want to be home in my warm cozy bed. I’m sorry for acting out of character. I didn’t mean to snap at you and I won’t do it again.”

“Look at me,” I repeated for the third time.

Charlee raised her head and though I couldn’t see every feature in the darkness of the parking lot, she was at least paying attention.

“First of all, we’ve never spoken about any sort of limits.” It was important to remind her because I wouldn’t ever ignore herlimits. Push? Sometimes. But only after there was consent on both sides.

“You’re right, Pierce. We haven’t talked about them. Not a lot. I’ve never mentioned mine.”

“Thank you for acknowledging that. Secondly, I take limits very seriously. If you don’t like being called Little? I’ll refrain from doing so. Even in a joking manner.”

“I know you will, and that you wouldn’t cross a line.”

“Good. Out of curiosity, how do you feel about pet names?”

“They’re all fine as long as it’s not little something,” she explained. “I have a feeling this conversation will delve deeper into topics I don’t have the energy to discuss yet.”

“Thank you for being open and honest. Back to our exchange that you so clammed up on leaving me hanging. Tell me what you were going to say without any sass.”

Watching her glance up at the starlit sky, I waited for her to start speaking. When she didn’t, I kneaded her shoulders. I hoped the action would prompt her to continue.

Charlee sighed. “It’s stupid and it’s lost its meaning by now. However, our back and forth tells me that you’re not going to let things slide. Were you insinuating that you want to fill me withyourgoodies?”

Shaking my head, I couldn’t hide the laugh. She was adorable. “Mmmm. You naughty thing. You’d have to behave yourself in order to get that sort of reward.”

“So, now your dick is a reward for good behavior? Huh?” Charlee tapped her chin with one finger. “I don’t remember discussingthatin any sort of detail.”

“Is the promise of sex enough to calm your sass or do you need something else?”

“As if you’d ever–”

“Careful,” I warned. “If you put yourself down in front of me, you’ll be writing affirmations.”

Implied consent was a topic we’d discussed in detail. I took the bait. If she wanted to poke me, she’d find herself in hot water. Charlee clearly needed someone holding her accountable for her lack of self-care. Especially now that she was injured. Intrigued, I watched as she firmly planted herself behind me.Sneaky brat.

Charlee leaned into my back. “As if you’d ever have sex with someone like me. Not quite a put down and technically not in front of you.”

Pivoting in my construction boots, I looped an arm around her waist positioning her firmly in front of my feet. “You’re so lucky that I’m more concerned with getting you home and medicated than anything else. But ‘in front of me’ is a figure of speech.”

“Tomayto. Tomahto.” She exaggerated the second word. “Busted my writing hand. Guess you can’t punish me, Pierce.”

“You have a cell phone. You can dictate each sentence. Don’t test me, Charlene.” I was one of the few people she allowed to call her by her full name. I used it when I really wanted her to pay attention.

“I won’t test you. At least not tonight. Anyhow, I didn’t think you were attracted to me at all. Certainly not enough that you’ve thought about having sex,” she mumbled looking down at her feet.

I took her chin in between my fingers and tilted it upward. “We haven’t talked about it, but it doesn’t mean I haven’t thought about it.” I didn’t want her to think that all I was seeking was a hook-up. “Not just sex. But something more,” I added for her benefit.

“I hear you, but I’m not talking anymore regarding what you just said,” she acknowledged.

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