Page 2 of Daddy's Thirsty Little Doll
Humming in uncertainty, I stared into the mirror, appraising my outfit for the day. I’d chosen a black long-sleeve shirt with black-and-white stripes on the sleeves, which matched perfectly with my high-waisted plaid skater skirt. But something was missing, so I went over to my closet and grabbed my fishnet stockings and a pair of chunky black platform boots.
Perfect. I didn’t have much longer before I needed to leave for the shop, and with the lights flickering, I decided to keep my makeup simple and quickly threw on some winged eyeliner and mascara. Using my fingers, I combed through my curly hair and made it look presentable before I arranged the top half into cute little space buns.
As a barber, I rented a suite downtown. Being my own boss meant I could technically wear whatever I wanted, but the industry standard was black, and it kept me from getting any stains on my cute pink clothes, so black it was. Running a mental checklist of everything I needed for the day, I scurried around my apartment and got ready.
Thankfully, traffic was light, so it only took me twenty minutes to get to my shop from my apartment. Opening the door to my suite, I flipped the lights on and started getting set up.
My first client scheduled for that day was my friend Tessa. I always booked her appointments for longer than necessary so we could chat over a cup of coffee beforehand. It was always my favorite part of her visits. Turning on my speaker, I danced to the music as I got the coffee pot started so it’d be ready when she got here.
“Well, aren't you just the cutest?”
A laugh bubbled out of me as I blushed. I might’ve been gay, but I was a praise slut. Any type of praise made me blush and squirm, no matter the gender of the person giving it. Tessa and I had been friends for almost five years. She found out about my love for praise almost instantly, and making me blush had practically become her second job.
“Stop, you're just trying to make me blush.”
“Is it considered trying if it worked?”
I shook my head and groaned. “I’m not awake enough for this. I haven't even had coffee yet.”
“Oh, shh, you love me.”
Grabbing two Styrofoam cups, I started pouring our coffee. She was right, I did love her, and her antics were one of the reasons why. I didn’t know why, but praise always made me squirm a little.
I doctored up our steaming cups the way I knew we both liked them. “You know I do, dork. Here’s your magic bean juice.”
“Thanks, bestie. How’s business?”
My shop was appointment-based, so I had a small area of the room with a loveseat and a coffee bar in case my clients arrived early and wanted to sit while they waited. The worn leather of the loveseat squeaked as I plopped down next to Tessa.
“I love this job, but running my own booth is definitely harder than I thought.”
Cutting hair was my passion, but everything else, the nonstop conversations, the constant juggling of supplies, the pressure to stay on top of orders, was starting to wear me down. And then there were the endless loads of laundry waiting for me. Thankfully, my building had a washer and dryer, but it was a shared space, and even that could be complicated.
After working all day, I barely wanted to move, let alone go home and cook a healthy meal or socialize with friends. I’d been at another shop for years but finally decided to branch off independently. I thought being my own boss would be a dream come true, but it’s left me so drained that I’ve started to wonder if I’m even built for this at all.
She shook her head. “It is a lot. I could never keep up with all of this, but you are, and you are doing amazing!”
“I don’t feel amazing, I feel exhausted and burnt out all the time. I’ve given up any hope of having a boyfriend anytime soon.”
Her eyes softened as she placed her hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry it's so overwhelming. Maybe you don't need a normal boyfriend. You need someone to take care of you and help take away your stress when you're not at work.”
I rolled my eyes and scoffed. “Yeah, right, as if someone like that actually exists.”
“There are all types of different people and relationships. You never know, maybe you'll find a man who wants to spoil and take care of you.”
Her words sounded too good to be true. I didn’t know much about different relationship dynamics outside of what was considered normal, but the idea of having someone whose desire was to take care of me sounded like an unreachable paradise.
I sighed. “I don't want a sugar daddy, I don't need to be spoiled financially, but being spoiled in other ways sounds nice.”
“That's good! You deserve to be spoiled in every way, Emery.”
“How am I even supposed to find someone like that while working so much? It's not like he’s just going to show up on my schedule one day.”
She finished off her cup of coffee and shrugged. “Never say never.”
3
MICHAEL
