Page 19 of Petting Penelope
“I thought we were going for lunch?”
“We will, but I’m going to give you aftercare first. We might not be done yet, but I’m not just going to throw you straight back into the normal world. Here, have some water.”
She pulled a bottle from her bag, and held it to Penny’s lips, not letting up until Penelope had drunk at least half of it. And then she pulled out a little Tupperware container of the strawberry-flavored grass, and made Penelope eat a good palmful of it—straight from her hand—before she let Penny get up again.
“Andnowwe can have lunch,” Rachel said, dropping a gentle kiss onto her lips.
CHAPTER 16
Rachel
Rachel could have taken pity on Penelope, and let her eat lunch in their suite, but part of the fun of coming to a place like Rawhide Ranch, was the opportunity to be able to show off her beautiful hucow.
Penny looked a little nervous, but Rachel found herself holding her hand and intertwining their fingers. “It’s all good,” she said. “I’ve got you.”
But when they entered the restaurant, one woman stood up and waved them over. “Penny? Over here!”
Penelope’s face lit up, and Rachel couldn’t help the slight stab of jealousy that washed over her. “Bex?! Oh my goodness!”
Bex introduced herself as soon as they walked over. “Hi, you must be Rachel; Riley and Elisabeth have said you’re doing a great job of looking after our Penelope here. Riley’s my best friend and when I moved out here, she recommended Rawhide as a safe space to be queer and kinky.” She shook Rachel’s hand enthusiastically, and her open smile set Rachel’s mind at ease.
There were three couples sitting at the table together: Bex and Faith, a quiet American with dark brown hair; Mandi and Amelia, who worked as librarians within the Ranch’s Littles’Library; and Tay and Guilia, who seemed to have a teasing dynamic between them.
“Come sit with us,” they all urged, and so they did, Penelope sitting next to Bex and catching up. Rachel actually found herself feeling pretty shy. She’d joined the club in London after Bex had left for the US, so she didn’t actually know anyone at the table.
“You okay?” asked Faith.
Rachel thought about braving it out for a moment, but then shrugged and pulled a face. “I don’t think I’d realized how weird it would be to not really know anyone here.”
“Well, you know us now,” interjected Amelia.
“Exactly,” said Bex. “And the Rawhide family draws you in every time. How long are you both here for?”
“A week,” said Penelope, her face flushed and happy. “It’s been fun so far; a very different vibe to London, but I’m enjoying it.”
“I can see,” said Bex with a pointed look at the cow ears that Penny had clearly forgotten she was wearing.
She reached up with a tentative hand and then froze when she felt the ears. Before she could start to spiral, Rachel slipped an arm about her waist and pulled her in for a cuddle.
The cuddle must have imbued her with some confidence because she pulled herself up to her full height and nodded. “Yes, I’ve been exploring some pet play.”
“Good for you, Pen,” said Bex. “It’s nice to see you owning your desires. Rachel’s clearly good for you.”
“I like to think so,” said Rachel with a wry smile, and turned her attention to the menu.
It turned out that Tay and Guilia were on their day off, but usually worked in the restaurant, and had all kinds of recommendations for lunch. Rachel eventually opted for a lasagna and Penny picked spaghetti Bolognese. The pasta wasabsolutely delicious, and as Rachel ate, the others chatted around her.
Bex and Faith didn’t live at the Ranch permanently, but were regular visitors with passes to the Dungeon, whereas both Mandi and Tay were Littles who’d moved in with their partners recently and lived on the Ranch grounds.
“What’s it like living here?” asked Penelope eagerly. “I can’t imagine how freeing it must be to be able to be your authentic selves and live your dynamics every day!”
Tay and Mandi exchanged a look, and then started laughing so heartily, that Guilia rolled her eyes and Amelia leaned over and nudged Mandi with her shoulder. “It is amazing,” said Tay. “Though the two of us spend a fair amount of time in Big space when we’re working. And occasionally there’s the odd prank.”
“Ice-cream heist,” coughed Bex under her breath.
Tay looked proud at that. “Look, quite aside from the fact that it is probably the most intricately planned prank the Ranch has ever seen, it brought me and my Daddy together, so I’m hardly likely to complain.”
“Si,” said Guilia. “Considering it meant the decimation of my entire ice cream stock,tesore, it is wise that you shall not complain.”
