Page 22 of Lily
"Fine, but only because it's yummy." She picked up her fork and twirled some pasta around it. "Where did you learn to cook like this?"
"A man's got to eat, and take out doesn't exactly cut it, so I learned a few things because I love to eat."
"Food is pretty great," she said and winced when she couldn't think of anything else to say. What was she saying? Food is pretty great? She stuffed another bite into her mouth and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. She'd nearly fallen flat on her face and become tongue tied all in the span of seconds because of how flustered Sam made her.
"It is, which is why it's important that you eat before your tummy starts rumbling."
"I was busy."
"You're never too busy to take care of yourself."
She put her fork down and narrowed her eyes at him. "You're kind of bossy."
Sam smiled and picked up his glass of water, taking a sip from it. "Thank you."
"That's not something to be happy about," she said and debated not taking another bite of her pasta even though she was still starving.
"Ah, ah, ah." Sam held up a finger. "I see what you're thinking about, and the answer is don't do it, missy. You need to eat, and Ashley asked me to look out for you."
"So you're doing what? Babysitting me?" Lily asked, not even bothering to keep the pouty tone out of her voice.
"Would you want me to do that?" Sam asked, and Lily froze. She turned in her stool and gave him a wide-eyed look.
"Would you want to do that?" she asked, surprising herself.
"Babysit you?" He leaned against the counter and nodded at her. "I would. I meant what I said about you being a rare girl. I worried when you vanished from the club roster, because when I saw you on stage, there was something in me that saw what you were. I wanted to talk to you but," he sighed and shook his head, "then it was too late until Ashley showed me a photo of you. That's how I knocked her phone into the pool. It surprised me and, well, it fell right in."
She grinned at him; the image of him dropping Ashley's phone out of shock over her photo was an endearing one. "You wanted to talk to me?"
"Mmm, I did. Jumped at the chance to do it now, and I would be honored to be your babysitter."
"Really?"
Sam nodded at her and pointed at her plate. "I'd be honored, but that means first things first. You need to finish your dinner."
Lily bit her lip and thought hard. The appeal of having a Dom babysit her was tempting, and the fact that she had a crush on him was piling even more on to how much she wanted it, but there was one thing she had to know.
"Are you a Daddy?" she asked, the words much harder to say than they had any right to be. Sam had admitted to being a Daddy, understood what a Little was, could spot one from across the room and was asking her if she wanted him to babysit her, an arrangement she wanted to desperately give into, but she had to know exactly how far she could push.
"I thought it was obvious, but I suppose I wasn't as explicit as I could have been," he said, and Lily held her breath waiting for his next words. "Yes, I'm a Daddy. I haven't had the pleasure of having a Little for quite some time, but I would love to babysit you if you'll allow it."
If she would allow it? Her heart leaped into her chest from excitement. This man was like a Christmas wish list being hand delivered to her on a silver platter.
"Of course, I'll allow it," she said.
"Then we have an agreement? I'll see to your wellbeing and care until we sort out things with Ashley?"
She nodded. "Yes, I want that."
"Then the first order of business is feeding you and getting you comfortable, and that means it's time to finish your dinner."
Lily moved to pick up her fork but stopped and gave him a raised eyebrow. "What happens if I don't listen?"
Sam hummed and steepled his hands in front of him. "Then we'd open that up to negotiation, but it would begin with you spending some time in the corner."
Her eyes widened and she shook her head. "I hate corners."
"Then eat your dinner, little girl."
