Page 20 of Protecting Little Phoebe

Erika had met him at the front desk to check him in while Moses had whisked away his suitcase so he could come straight back here to find her.

“Barren, you’re back.” Derek walked up to him, holding on to the hand of his Little, Sadie. The pout on her face disappeared as she saw Barren.

“Barren! I didn’t know you were coming back here!”

“Yes, it was a last-minute decision.” His eyebrows rose as he ran his gaze over her. She was covered in glitter. From her hair to her face and chest, down to her shoes.

“That’s a lot of glitter to get off,” he commented.

“Hmm. I might need to hang her upside down and shake her,” Derek said.

“Daddy!” she cried.

Derek discreetly winked at him. “Seems like you arrived just in time. Everyone is rounding up the Littles. You might want to grab your Little before she tries to disappear to get out of punishment.”

“What? Who is your Little, Barren? Why don’t I know about this?” Sadie asked.

“You don’t need to know everything, angel,” Derek told her.

“I really don’t think that’s true,” Sadie said with another pout.

Barren gazed behind them to see that all the Littles were being wrangled by their Tops, Miss Price, and Nanny J.

“Excuse me, Barren. Time to take my naughty Little home.”

Barren nodded, wondering if Sadie was going to be able to sit tomorrow. He searched through all the Littles being corralled and led off.

There she was.

He spotted her and his heart nearly broke. She looked so alone. So scared and worried. The Phoebe he’d met was full ofsmiles and chatter. She didn’t stand off to the side on her own with her arms wrapped around her.

Without hesitation, he strode toward her. Nobody ignored his girl or made her feel bad. And yes, he was just aware that he’d called her “his”.

Was she going to get punished? Worry flooded her. She shouldn’t have taken part in the prank. She was supposed to be on her best behavior so that people didn’t get annoyed with her and not want her around. Had she learned nothing from her brothers all these years? From them telling her that she was too much and that she had to tone it down?

Idiot.

Now what was going to happen? Would she be spanked? She wasn’t afraid of being spanked… or at least she didn’t think she was. But she’d never been spanked before and she wasn’t sure that she wanted someone like Master Derek or Nanny J to dish out her first spanking.

No? So who would you rather do it?

“Phoebe.”

She stared at him for a long moment. Then she closed her eyes and opened them again. Nope. Her brain wasn’t imagining him. He was still standing right there. Had she conjured him up by thinking about him so much?

“Hey, are you all right?” he asked in concern.

But she couldn’t seem to answer him. She’d been putting it out into the universe that she wanted a Daddy and somehow she kept thinking of him at the same time… so maybe the universe had brought him to her.

Or maybe he’s just here on vacation. So don’t make a dick out of yourself.

“Phoebe? Are you feeling all right?”

“Barren!” she cried before she threw herself into his arms. “You’re here!”

Yep.

That was a good start on not making a dick of herself. Realizing that she was hugging him like a long-lost friend, she took a step back… only to stare at him in horror. Because she’d forgotten the glitter. And now his white shirt and very nicely pressed tan slacks were covered in pink glitter.

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