Rosa finally nodded, understanding how awful that would be. Hell, she'd likely be on the floor rolled up into a ball crying for her own Mommy and Daddy to come get her. "Okay, I'll go back to my room. I'll just sit here a bit longer. Thank you, Bess."
Bess rose and went around the table to hug her friend. "Sweetie, I know it doesn't feel like it, but I promise, it will be all right. I'll come back and check on you in a bit. I'll even bring lunch to your room later if you want. Right now, just enjoy your coffee—you haven't even taken a sip yet. I love you, Rosa. I promise it will be okay."
Rosa nodded and accepted Bess's kiss. Bess left to clock in, the break room slowly emptying as Castle employees started their day. Rosa lifted the cup to her mouth, her hands shaking so badly that she set it down again, fresh tears rolling untended down her cheeks.
Chapter Twenty
Marshall stood at the window, looking down into the yard as people began to leave the Castle and move towards the waiting bus. He watched as people embraced, waves exchanged as the participants of the very successful auction began to disperse. Don would have been thrilled, Marshall thought. Not only did a good cause receive a fat donation, a great deal of people had had a marvelous time. Perhaps the auction should become a yearly event. Once word spread about how successful it had been, he was sure even more submissives would wish to participate, and more clients could have such a unique, New Year's Eve experience.
Realizing he was looking for Rosa, he smiled. Her absence meant she was choosing to extend her commitment with the people who had purchased her. He was pleased that he couldn't see Grant or Valerie, easily able to picture the three in bed, snuggling close on a chilly winter morning. Marshall made a mental note to seek Rosa out in the next couple of days. He wanted to thank her again for her hard work, and praise her for having the strength to stick to her resolutions. There was no need for her to give notice before leaving her position, but he wanted to congratulate her and wish her well. Seeing her with her parents, he had known right away that that was where she belonged—not hiding her true self in the Nursery.
He was still smiling when a knock sounded on his door. He opened it to a sight he was totally unprepared to see. "Hello, Grant, Valerie… won't you come in?"
"Only for a minute. The bus will be leaving soon." Grant guided Valerie inside the office. Marshall made no comment about the huge stuffed teddy bear he was holding. "We came to thank you, and to ask a favor," Grant said.
"No thanks are necessary, but I will do whatever I can to help you." Marshall motioned to the two chairs in front of his desk. He watched as Valerie slipped into one and Grant placed the bear on her lap before seating himself. Marshall saw Valerie bury her face in the bear's fur and saw the ribbon he'd last seen around Rosa's neck swinging from the bear's wrist. Sighing, he shook his head. He had been so certain.
"Please excuse me, but I must say I am surprised," Marshall said, as he moved to sit behind his desk. "I had expected you both to spend the weekend with us—with Rosie." He watched as Grant looked at his wife and then met his eyes.
"It was our wish as well but, well, I guess it didn't work out the way we'd hoped."
At Grant's statement, Marshall decided this was not the time to beat around the bush. "Can you tell me where Rosie is? I expected to see her with the two of you. You all appeared very happy together ever since she walked off that stage."
Grant sighed and shook his head. "I wish I could, but we don't know where she is. When we woke up this morning, she was gone. All she left was her col—ribbon. We thought maybe she'd gone to the cafeteria or something, but all she had on was my t-shirt. She didn't take any of the clothes she's been wearing. We wanted to ask… We—God, how could we have been so wrong?"
Marshall waited to see if he would continue but when he didn't, he asked his next question. "Why do you say that? Wrong about what?"
Grant closed his eyes for a moment and seemed to rediscover the strength he normally had. He was aware of Valerie's gentle sobs that she attempted to muffle in the bear's neck. "Marshall, we fell for Rosie—no, we didn't fall, we plummeted over a cliff for that woman. We love her, and we were going to ask her to come home with us. I-I know it might be quick, but I have never felt this way about another woman, and Valerie feels the same. I… we had thought Rosie felt the same. It was as if we were a family the moment we first spoke to her. It was like she was our perfect Little girl who had been waiting for us to come get her. God, I still don't understand. Though we know she must have someone in her life, as she is just too precious not to, we were hoping that maybe—well, maybe we could persuade her to give us a chance. Even if she doesn't choose to become our girl forever, how could she just leave without even saying goodbye? We have no idea how to contact her, where she lives—hell, we don't even know her real name!"
Marshall sat back in his chair. He had no doubt of the sincerity of Grant's words, or the emotional connection the couple had with Rosa. Every time he had seen Rosa over the past few days, she had seemed almost like a different person. Sure, he knew her to be sweet and helpful; her employment record full of high praise for her care of the clients in the Nursery program. However, she had looked far more content, as if she had finally found her proper place. As if the chance she had taken to explore her dream had more than met any expectations she could have hoped for. He forced himself to concentrate on the reality before him. If Rosa had indeed chosen not to leave the Castle, he would support her. However, something was niggling at the back of his mind.
Sitting forward again, he asked, "Did you tell Rosie that was how you felt? Did you let her know you had fallen in love, and wanted her to become part of your family outside of the Castle?"
Valerie finally lifted her face, her cheeks streaked with tears as she turned to glance at her husband. Grant returned her gaze and then looked across the desk to Marshall. "I-I… no, not in so many words. We did tell her we loved her, and we did speak of family, but… no, never did we ask. Shit, we were going to ask her this morning, and now it's too fucking late!"
Valerie spoke, her voice desperate. "Master Marshall… do you, can you find her? Has she left already? We looked everywhere, but maybe you… Can—is there a chance she might… I mean, even if she doesn't want us, could you tell her that we love her? Tell her that this has been the most incredible time of our lives. Let her know that… that we'll never forget her."
Grant leaned toward his wife, his hand cupping her cheek. Her broken sentences, her tears, were tearing him apart inside, and yet he tried to remain strong. "Valerie, sweetheart—"
"No, Grant! She needs to know how special she is. We need to let her know that we hope she finds what she's looking for. She deserves nothing but the best. Rosie deserves to know how loveable, how wonderful she is." Her voice broke again, but she held her head high and turned to Marshall. "Please find her. I won't rest until I know she understands she was loved by us, and that we will never stop loving her."
"Yes, please find her," Grant said. "We want her to have Mr. Bear. If she doesn't want him, that's okay… just give her the opportunity to have him. We'll gladly pay for any shipping involved. We've written a letter as well." He pulled an envelope from his pocket and laid it on the desk. "If you could see that she gets this? Don't worry, we remembered your policy, and didn't give our full names or any identifying details." Glancing at his watch, he stood up and took the bear, placing it in the seat he had vacated. "Sweetheart, the bus will be leaving soon."
Valerie nodded and stood. Grant turned to Marshall, seeming surprised when the man had not risen when they did.
"Please sit down," Marshall said, his tone somehow making it more of a command than a request.
"Excuse me?" Grant said, the Dominant in him not likely to obey any such request given in that tone.
"I'm not attempting to order you about, Grant," Marshall said. "I simply refuse to let you both get on the bus without clearing this up. Hell, if need be, I'll have someone drive you back to Granger. I'm asking you to trust me." He wa
ited until Grant had moved the bear to the floor between the chairs and, after Valerie sat, took his own seat again.
"Thank you." Marshall picked up the phone and dialed. When it was answered, he spoke. "Mr. Collins, have you seen Bess yet this morning?" He paused as the man answered. "She did? Good—which one?"
Grant and Valerie looked at each other, wondering what Nanny Bess had to do with anything.
Marshall continued to listen and then nodded. "No, there's no need, she's not in any trouble. I'll go to her. Thank you." Hanging up the phone, he stood. "Please follow me."
Grant and Valerie stood again, Valerie reaching down for the bear. Marshall grinned. "Valerie, I can assure you that unless that is one of our furries and able to walk about on his own, he'll be perfectly safe in my office."
Valerie gave her first smile of the morning and nodded.
The three left, and Marshall guided them through the corridors and up a staircase they'd never used before. When he paused and asked them for a moment, the couple stood with their arms around each other as Marshall stepped into what appeared to be some sort of break room. When he reappeared, it was to beckon them forward. They stepped into the room and saw the Nanny sitting at a table, her hands around a tall cup.
Grant looked at Marshall, a question in his eyes. Marshall nodded back towards the table. Grant looked, and saw the Nanny lift her hand and swipe at her cheeks. Recognition flooded through him. "Rosie?"
The young woman lifted her head, tears shining on her cheeks. Grant felt his heart constrict and heard Valerie gasp. "Oh, Rosie."
Rosa shook her head, her hands rubbing at her eyes. God, she was hallucinating. Opening them to look again, her mouth dropped open and her heart stopped. "Daddy?"
When he nodded and opened his arms wide, she jumped up, her chair falling over backwards as she launched herself at him. "Daddy, Mommy! Oh, God, what, why… oh God!"
Grant's laugh filled the room as he cradled her to his chest. Valerie hugged her as well, tears streaming down her cheeks. Marshall smiled, his instincts proven correct as he watched the three become the family they all so desperately wanted to be—the family they were meant to become.
"We love you, Rosie. God, we love you so much. We can't let you go. Please come home with us. Be our little girl forever."
"Yes! Yes, oh God, yes!" Rosie laughed and cried at the same time.
When she lifted her head from Grant's neck and said that she hadn't even drunk the coffee, all three burst into laughter, and Marshall just shook his head. This was what made families—special memories, phrases that only had meaning for them, moments and shared experiences. He had no doubt that Rosa had found her home.
"When you're ready, come to my office," Marshall said with a smile. "There's someone else waiting for you." Grant nodded, and Valerie turned and gave him a hug.
Rosa giggled seeing her mommy hugging Master Marshall, who accepted the embrace and then left them to themselves. Even surrounded by the employees that had wandered in for another cup of coffee, the three were alone in their own world.
They all sat at the table as Rosie explained that she was an employee of the Castle. She explained how she had come to volunteer in the auction, how she had wanted to do something to honor Don, how much he had meant to those who knew him. She told them about her deal with Bess and how it had been her friend's and Marshall's reassurances that had given her the strength not to chicken out of her plan. She blushed and told them about her resolutions.
"And did you keep them?" Grant asked, bending to kiss the top of her head.
"Yes, Daddy," she said happily. "I kept them all!"
"I'm proud of you, Rosie, but I must say, I don't remember choosing this uniform for you today," Valerie said with a grin. "I'm sure Daddy would like to see his girl in the t-shirt he put on you last night."
With a giggle, Rosa led them to her bedroom and pulled the shirt from under the pillow. She felt as though she was shedding her old life as Valerie helped her out of the Nanny uniform, and as though her life was beginning when Grant slid his shirt back over her body. Picking her up, he kissed her softly.
Outside Marshall's door, he kissed her again.
With their knock, they entered to see Mr. Bear sitting in the middle of Marshall's desk. All three smiled as Grant put Rosie down, and heard her laugh as she ran and threw her arms around the bear, giving him a kiss on his nose.
"I gather you love this furry?" Marshall asked, and she giggled again.
"Yes, but I love this more," Rosie said, slipping the collar off the bear's wrist. She turned and held it out. "Mommy, Daddy will you?"
The couple took the collar, and together put it back around her neck, each bending to kiss her softly.
"Is it too late to stay?" Grant asked, pleased when Marshall told him that the bus had already left and that their luggage had been returned to their room. The couple each shook his hand, thanking him for everything.
Rosie slid the bear off the desk and turned to Grant. "Daddy, can you hold Mr. Bear for a minute?"
"I'd much rather hold you, sweetie."
Rosie smiled and handed the huge stuffed animal to Valerie when she held out her arms. The three were surprised when Rosie moved to bend over the end of the desk. Lifting her head, she giggled. "No submissive leaves Master Marshall's office without getting a smack. It's the rules!"
Marshall shook his head but lifted the paddle off his desk, giving her a single swat. "Go, Rosie. Go and remember how much you are loved. Don would be so proud of you."
Rosie straightened and turned, giving Marshall a hug. "Thank you, Sir. I will never forget you or everyone here. It has been so wonderful."
"It has, but it is time for you to move on. You will now be a princess in your own castle." Marshall grinned as he watched Rosie smile and hold out her arms, cuddling into her Daddy when he picked her up.
As they left the office, Rosie giggled. "I didn't even show him my bottom, Daddy."
Grant's laugh bounced off the stone walls. "I'm proud of you Rosie, but believe me, you've earned a spanking. Don't you ever run away from us again."
"I won't, I swear."
"Good, then it is time to go back to bed. You also forgot the rules about the special morning ritual the Roosevelts always share." With her questioning look, Grant explained.
"There's a good reason why Mommy and I love bears so much. Valerie's family comes from a famous family line—the ones who make those incredible bears. She married a Roosevelt—and my line descends from Theodore; the man for whom the teddy bear is named and the reason why they became so popular. It's a family tradition to love teddy bears, and now we have our own baby bear to love forever."
Rosa giggled and thought she'd rather be one of the three bears than Goldilocks any day. She still smiled when her Mommy kissed her cheek and reminded her that breaking the ritual and running away had consequences.
"First, my little bear is getting her little hiney spanked and then she is going to get lots and lots of cuddling."
She was true to her word. Within minutes of closing their door, all three were naked and Rosie was stretched across both of their laps on the bed. She had tears rolling down her face—not from the spanking they were both giving her; those were more like love taps followed by stroking. Instead, her tears came as she read the letter they had written—every loving word going straight into her heart and finding a home.
The End
A Note To My Readers:
Thank you for buying my book and I hope you purchased the entire boxed set. It has been an honor writing with these talented authors as we explored the wonderful Castle that Maren Smith created in her fantastic series. It was a lot of fun to work with Tabitha Black, as we decided to make our female characters friends and have them explore their dreams in the Castle at the same time—Rosie, a woman desiring to explore her Little side, and Silver wanting to rediscover her joy in BDSM play and treat herself to some kinky fun after her divorce. Darling Adams's book might have you thinking
that revenge might be a dish best served cold, but knowing without a doubt that payback is even better when served with a side of very hot spanking. Abbie Adams's story will have you desiring to do what we all wish we could: find our own Castle where dreams can come true. And in Maren Smith's book, you'll see that Tavvy only knows one word when it comes to her submission—and it isn't 'no.'
It is with the support of our readers that these books become real to us as authors, and I hope that the journey has you all finding the New Year to be the very best ever.
Happy Reading -
Maggie Ryan
Maggie Ryan
Author for Blushing Books. I write both contemporary erotica and historical spanking romances. I enjoy writing about characters that enjoy the provocative D/S lifestyle of today’s times as well as taking a step back into the past to write stories that take place in the Victorian era with age-play as a theme.
I live in the great Lone Star state with my wonderful husband. I have always loved reading. Growing up in a family with four children, it was difficult finding a place to be alone. I was probably one of the squeakiest clean girls on the planet as I would spend hours in the tub so I could read without being bothered. It wasn’t long before I began to make up my own endings to the books I was reading. From there, it just seemed natural to begin writing my own stories.
I never try to restrict myself to any one genre because there are just too many delicious possibilities out there and inside my head. I admit to being somewhat of a romantic though as my stories always must have a great deal of love, passion, corporal discipline and, of course, great, mind-blowing sex. I want my readers to be able to see, hear, feel and know the characters that I’m creating as well as I do when I bring them to life and transfer their stories to paper. I want my women to be strong of character but also strong enough to know that submission given in love and trust to your partner does not make you weaker, it makes you far stronger. I want my men to be sexy, strong, demanding alpha males who know how to take what they want while acknowledging it is a gift they have been blessed with by the women that have chosen to submit to them. I want there to be no doubt that they truly would die for the other no matter how others might view their relationship.
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