by Polly Carter
Walking down the mall with her the following day, Marcus could not have felt prouder. He’d dressed her in the grey skirt and black tights he’d bought for her and a black T-shirt with a Minnie Mouse on the front, which she’d already, had in her wardrobe. With sparkly pink runners and grey cardigan completing her outfit, she looked utterly beguiling. And she’d been so compliant when he’d dressed her, standing quietly and holding up arms and legs when he’d asked as he took off her onesie, helped her with her underwear and then put on her tights, skirt and T-shirt.
“Oooh, there they are! Tony! Tony!” she exclaimed, letting go of his hand and running to meet the man who had stood up and was holding his arms open.
“Hey, sis,” he greeted her.
“Mmm,” she said hugging him tight and rocking them both. “Hi, Pierre,” she added when she’d finished hugging Tony and hugged him too. “This is Marcus.”
Marcus shook Tony’s hand, immediately liking his big, open blue eyes, the smattering of freckles across his nose and the shaggy, red, brown, gold hair hanging over his ears.
“Hi, Tony,” he said. “It’s a pleasure to meet Pearl’s partner in crime.”
Tony grinned at Pearl and they both dissolved into giggles.
“Nice to meet you, Pierre,” Marcus said, shaking Tony’s partner’s hand. Pierre was taller than Tony, with black hair, a brown complexion and friendly brown eyes. His handshake had a man-to-man feel about it that Tony’s hadn’t.
The greetings and introductions over, they made their way to a cafe and found a table. Marcus put his arm around Pearl’s shoulder and helped her with her order, while Pierre and Tony discussed what they would have.
“So, what do you mean you’re going OS?” Pearl demanded of Tony after their choices had been made and they were waiting for their food.
“You’re not going to believe this,” Tony began and both he and Pierre laughed. “Not that it’s funny. It’s just that you think it’s something that only happens in stories. Pierre, apparently, had a distant relative whom he’d never met and had no idea even existed until she died and left him some money.”
“What? No? You’re not serious!”
Tony and Pierre nodded. “Honest. Cross our hearts, and bless hers. She was in her nineties, so she had a good long life but no children or close family. She split her savings between all the relatives she knew of, which included Pierre’s mum and dad and Pierre himself. It wasn’t exactly a fortune, but it is enough for us to go backpacking in a few places, so that’s what we’re doing. We’re starting in Paris – Pierre has some family there he wants to catch up with – then through Europe, the train from Berlin to Beijing via Russia, then across to South America and a few places there, then home. We’re planning to be away about two months, but it’s not set in stone, so we can stay longer if we want. Or come back earlier, which doesn’t seem likely.”
“Oh my,” Pearl said. “That’s amazing.”
“It sounds fantastic,” Marcus agreed, joining in the conversation as he filled everyone’s glasses with water from a bottle the waiter had left on the table. “Have you been overseas before?”
“I haven’t, but Pierre has. What about you?”
They were still sharing travel adventures, Pearl leaning against Marcus who kept his arm around her, when their meals arrived.
In the lull in conversation while their plates were placed in front of them, Marcus took a napkin and tucked it into Pearl’s T-shirt, picked up a chip and fed it to her, and topped up her glass with water. His movements were slow and casual, so he didn’t appear at all to be fussing, simply attending to her. His eye caught Pierre’s and he saw an imperceptible nod, which seemed to register approval. A tiny crinkle of his eyes showed he’d seen and he kissed Pearl’s hair.
“I told Pearl I would ask you about what naughty things she got up to as a teenager,” Marcus said to Tony who grinned.
“I was a good girl,” Pearl protested.
“We weren’t exactly the wild kids of the town, were we, sis?” Tony said. “But there was the time we wagged school on sports carnival day. Remember? We always hated sports carnivals,” he explained to Marcus. “Sitting outside in pens pretending you cared whether the blues, reds, golds or greens won. I guess we weren’t very competitive. And neither of us could run fast.”
“Sports carnivals are horrid and silly,” Pearl said adamantly.
“So you wagged?” Marcus gently prompted Tony.
“Yeah. We went swimming at the river and then to my place. No one was home, but the nosy neighbour saw us sneaking in and called the cops and then my dad. The cops arrived with their lights flashing and Dad was not far behind. He thought some major crime had been committed, and I think it was only the relief of finding out it was nothing more serious than Pearl and me skipping the sports carnival that made him forget to be mad at me.”
Pearl and Tony both laughed at the memory.
“They called us Bonny and Clyde for a while after, hey, Tony?”
Tony nodded. “They did. Of course, the school was notified and Pearl and I had to appear before the headmaster the next day for a telling off, but even that was better than the sports carnival.” He made a face, and Pearl laughed again.
“The worst thing that ever happened, I think,” Tony continued, “was the time Pearl walked into a patch of double gees with bare feet. I was behind her and she suddenly stopped and screamed. Her feet were full of them and she couldn’t move. I found some bark I could make a bridge out of. It was only a couple of feet, and I managed to walk across it to get to her, and help her balance while she got them out of one foot, then the other and then to safety.”
Pearl shuddered. “Oh, that was awful. I hate those horrid things. They look kind of cute, like tiny foxes, but they hurt so much! I was lucky you were there! You were like my big brother, eh Tony, always looking out for me?”
“Uh-huh. Especially after John joined the army. Now we’re all grown up, eh? And I’ve got someone to look after me.” He snuggled against Pierre who tucked a few wayward strands of shaggy auburn hair behind Tony’s ear. “And I reckon you have too.”
“Wha…?” Pearl’s nose wrinkled as she turned to Marcus.
“Yup. I guess it’s my job to pull you out of prickle patches now, eh?” he said with a smile. “Although I wouldn’t say that brotherly is exactly how I feel about you. Damn, there’s my phone, and I can tell from the ringtone it’s my mother. I’d better take it. Excuse me, please.” He stood up as he answered the phone and politely moved out of earshot.
“He’s gorgeous!” Tony whispered conspiratorially. Pearl blushed, but Marcus was off the phone before she had time to answer. He sat down, picked up a napkin and wiped a crumb from Pearl’s mouth before kissing her.
“I’m sorry, baby, but I have to go,” he said softly, then turned to the others. “Please excuse me. I’m afraid duty calls. My mother is flying overseas later, and she seems to be having some sort of crisis. Would you guys be able to see Pearl safely home for me, or should I take her now?”
“I don’t want to go yet,” Pearl said with a disappointed pout. “We’ve barely had a chance to catch up. I can go home by myself.”
“If she’d like to stay longer, Tony and I will make sure she gets home safely and that she lets you know once she’s there,” Pierre answered with a nod to Marcus, ignoring Pearl.
Marcus met his gaze directly and knew he could trust the other man with his precious girl.
“Thanks, mate. I appreciate it. Pearl, you behave yourself and do whatever Pierre says. I’m taking Mother to the airport at midnight, so I won’t come and wake you as you have work in the morning, but I’ll see you tomorrow.” He kissed the top of her head.
“I wish you could stay.”
“Me too, baby. Me too.”
He kissed her gently on the lips and left after shaking hands with Tony and Pierre, wishing them safe travels, and saying he hoped to catch up with them after their trip.
Chapter 15
Pearl’s eyes followed Marcus until he disappeared out of the cafe door and she couldn’t see him any longer.
“He’s a keeper,” Tony said seriously, nodding his head.
Pearl giggled and dropped her eyes. “He is amazing, isn’t he? I can’t believe he’s interested in me. He could have any woman he wanted.”
“I’d say he’s got exactly the woman he wants,” Pierre observed. “You two seem perfect together. Like me and Tony, eh, ginger boy?”
Tony nestled his head under Pierre’s chin and grinned at Pearl. “Yep. I reckon my little sis has found herself a Daddy.”
“What? I don’t know what you’re talking about! That’s silly,” Pearl exclaimed, blushing and squirming. Maybe to herself she’d secretly felt like Marcus was a kind of Daddy and she was maybe a little girl, but how did Tony know that?
“Do you call him Daddy?” Tony went on, ignoring her discomfort.
“No,” Pearl said, drawing the ‘o’ out to give it emphasis, but feeling a jolt of recognition at the suggestion.
“What do you call him, then?” Tony demanded. “I didn’t hear you call him anything, not even Marcus.”
With no room under the table for Pearl’s foot to poke the ground, her finger drew circles on the table instead. She shrugged. “Everything sounds strange. I mean ‘darling’ or something like that. I call him Marcus when I call him anything, but… Why are we talking about this? Tell me everything about your trip. I’m so jealous.”
“Okay,” Pierre said kindly, letting her off the hook. “Tony, stop pestering the poor girl, or else.”
“All right,” Tony said reluctantly. “But if that guy’s not your Daddy, I need glasses because I can’t see straight. Check out the way you dress. I bet he picks your clothes, hey? And he was feeding you and wiping your mouth. Do you get bedtime stories too? And spankings?”
Pearl’s eyes darted around as her cheeks burned brighter. “I… I…” she stammered.
“Don’t be embarrassed,” Tony said comfortingly. “It’s not a bad thing. It’s a lovely thing if you’ve found each other. Like us.”
“Yes, and you might find out more about spankings than you want, naughty boy,” Pierre scolded him, “if you don’t leave the poor child alone.”
“Yes, sir,” Tony said quickly and meekly with a secret wink at Pearl, and the conversation reverted to talk of travel and jobs, but it had left Pearl with much to think about.
On her own for the evening after Tony and Pierre had seen her safely home, she’d searched Daddy on the internet and discovered lots of grown up girls who liked being Little girls whenever they could and who had a man they called Daddy to take care of them. She instantly recognised herself and wondered if Tony was right in thinking Marcus regarded himself as her Daddy. If he did, did he want her to call him Daddy? To herself, that was exactly what she had started calling him, but she had no idea how she would ever be brave enough to say it out loud.
The more she thought about Marcus and the more she read about D/lg relationships, the more convinced she was that that was what Marcus wanted with her, and the more convinced she was that that was what she wanted with him. Her heart fluttered as she remembered the girly clothes he had bought for her, how he tucked her in and read her stories, how he fed her and wiped crumbs from her mouth, how he helped her shower and dress, and all the other ways he looked after her. She loved all of it, even when he spanked her, and especially when he licked her pussy and made her orgasm. She definitely wanted as much of that as she could get, and she wanted all the rest as well.
Ping! Her phone alerted her to a message at seven o’clock the next morning. Good morning, little girl. Are you getting ready for work? Pearl felt a thrill shiver through her as she saw the ‘little girl’. She had always liked that he called her that, but it had suddenly taken on an additional meaning. And it wrapped itself around her like the big, strong arms of a Daddy on whose lap she was snuggling. She couldn’t imagine being brave enough to call him Daddy without him first telling her to, but she could at least try and let him know it was what she wanted.
I’m still in bed, she replied. Teddy doesn’t want to get up today. She added a blushing smiley emoji.
Lol. Aw, I don’t blame him if he’s snuggled up with you. But you’d better tell him you can’t be late for work. It’s time to hop up and take your pj’s off and put your big girl clothes on.
Yes, she paused, but it was no good; she couldn’t bring herself to add Daddy. I will.
Good girl. Have a wonderful day. I’ll come over after work. I want to see you in your pyjamas and ready for bed.
I want to see you too xxx. And she signed off with a bunny emoji, hugging herself with excitement as she imagined finding the courage tonight to call him Daddy.
She was deeply disappointed then when he dropped into Mon Addi that morning to tell her he had to go away on another business trip.
“Again!” she blurted out before she could stop herself, but she was busy with clients and, in her new role as trainee manager, she had to maintain her professional persona so they couldn’t speak openly and he couldn’t kiss her goodbye.
“I’m so sorry, baby,” he’d whispered so no one else could hear as she’d seen him to the door after he’d imparted his unwelcome news. “This is not going to keep happening. I promise. But Mother is away and I can’t get out of it. I’ll call you tonight. I still want to see you in your teddy pj’s,” he said with a wink. “Behave yourself while I’m gone. I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too,” Pearl said truthfully, feeling tears pricking her eyes.
“I’ll bring you a present. Text me if you think of anything you want,” he said as he squeezed her hand and left.
All day, she kept thinking of him and calling him Daddy until it didn’t seem strange at all, and she was confident she’d have no trouble saying it to him in person. That night, dressed in her pink, teddy bear pyjamas she waited eagerly for his call. When it came, however, and she heard him, her heart began beating so loudly and she felt so confused about wanting to call him Daddy and discovering she didn’t have the nerve, it was hard to get any words out.
“What’s up, baby girl?” he asked.
“Nothing,” she lied.
“I don’t believe you. Next time I see you, I shall insist you tell me or I might get a bit cross,” he warned her, but he said it like he was teasing and she blushed and giggled and squeezed her thighs together. Then it was easier to talk so long as she didn’t think about wanting to call him Daddy.
He rang the next night but didn’t ask her about it, instead he’d found a book he wanted to read to her, so he started that while she curled up in bed and listened to his lovely, deep voice. He’d read to her both Wednesday and Thursday nights as well and at last it was Friday and he would be here in person. Pearl was longing to see him and call him Daddy, but hadn’t plucked up the courage to do it or even talk to him about it. Wandering around the shops at lunchtime, she saw a T-shirt with ‘Daddy’s Little Girl’ written on the front and bought it quickly before she chickened out.
When she was changing out of her work clothes at home, though, she took it out of its bag, scrunched it into a ball and hid it in a drawer. She settled instead on the pink skirt with the white heart, the white blouse with the red hearts and the pink, sparkly runners. She pulled her hair up in bunches on either side of her head and fastened them with ties each of which had a plastic red heart attached.
She poured a glass of milk, got her teddy bear and sat on the couch to watch the “Shaun the Sheep” movie for the millionth time while she waited for Marcus, but couldn’t stop wriggling and checking the time and wishing he would hurry. At last she heard his knock, leapt up and flew to the door, flinging it open.
Without even waiting to close the door behind him, he scooped her up and spun her around. She squealed and laughed until he set her down so he could shut the door. Then he led her to the couch, sat down and pulled her onto his knee.
“Did you miss me, precious girl?” he murmured, nuzzling her neck. “I missed you.”
“I missed you heaps and heaps and heaps and heaps,” she replied, giggling and squirming as he tickled her neck with his lips.
He raised his face and kissed her and she melted into him, her body moulding against his, her mouth soft and pliant as his lips and tongue revelled in her sweetness. She wanted him to keep on kissing her forever, but he stopped.
“I think we have something we need to talk about, don’t we, little girl?”
“What?” popped out of her mouth before she realised she was going to say it.
“Well, that’s the question,” he went on seriously. “I got the distinct impression during the week that you were keeping something from me, and we need to sort that out. I don’t want you keeping secrets from me, Pearl.” His voice had deepened and Pearl closed her eyes, her mind scrambling for something to say.
“So, baby. Tell me what’s been bothering you, and don’t lie or you might find yourself in your spanking bunny pj’s.”
Pearl buried her face against his chest and resisted as hard as she could as he tried to get her to sit up. Silently she was begging and begging him to guess what she wanted without her having to say it.
“All right, precious. If you can’t talk at the moment, we’ll wait till later, shall we? See how you feel then?”
Her face peeked up at him, and she nodded. He smiled gently, and she relaxed, relieved he wasn’t cross with her.
“I think we should have dinner, though, before it gets too late,” he said, changing the subject. Pearl scrambled off his knee and jumped up and down.
“Can we have burgers? Can we? Please? Please, Da…” She stopped abruptly, realising ‘Please, Daddy’ had almost slipped out in her excitement. She saw from Marcus’s expression that he had noticed that she’d stopped herself.
“Please what?” he asked quietly. “Or, please, who?”
