Page 188 of Daddy, Take Me Away
Chapter Three
Luna
I was still overwhelmed by the recent events that had me sitting in a fine-dining restaurant with the sexiest man I’d ever seen. However, being warm and eating amazing food helped to settle the out-of-control feeling that had been plaguing me since entering the airport back home.
The company was also calming, and I liked the quiet confidence that emanated from Artair. I wished I had even a little of what he seemed to have in spades. He was the type of man always in control, not in a nasty way, but more in a possessive way that sparked a host of fantasies for me every time my thoughts wandered, which was frequently. Still, my question as to why he was spending time with me played in a loop in my head. I knew he wanted to spank me, and I knew why, sorta, but what was it about me that drew his attention in the first place?
“Will you be having dessert tonight, sir?” Of course, the server directed every question to Artair and not me. This patriarchal attitude reminded me of the in-flight movie, Barbie.
I wasn’t entirely sure as the voices were hard to hear with the crappy headphones they handed out, but from the actions, I’d say Ken got a dressing-down and Barbie a character refresh that screamed of feminism. Despite liking and agreeing with aspects of the movie, what they failed to ruminate on was the roles all humans find themselves playing. Ken was blind to what he’d been taught to be. That was the real patriarchy, the system, or in the movie's example, Mattel, which admittedly, I found amusing.
Honestly, I didn’t care much for bringing down the patriarchy or being a feminist, because despite my issues, and I had plenty, I liked myself and who I was. People were who I was voting for with no wish to judge anyone’s journey. I was not a fan of labels or choosing one sex over the other. What I did resonate with was the right to be who you are and be accepted.
In my case, I was still coming to terms with what I wanted, and sought acceptance from the people I wanted to be around. Being with Artair made me feel good; he didn’t seem to have an issue with our age gap, financial differences, or even experience. I wondered if Scottish people in general were all so accepting or if I’d lucked out when I met Artair.
“I, for one, always love dessert.” Artair spoke to our server but was looking at me. “How about you, Luna, feel like some plum pudding or cherry cream pie?”
His lips tipped up in a side grin and I felt heat radiate across my cheeks, and my thighs instinctively snapped shut.
“Did I mention I’m a sucker for suckers?” I replied teasingly.
Both men looked alarmed, and I realized this could be a language thing. “You know, lollipops,” I quickly added.
Artair laughed and our server cleared his throat. “Bring us one of everything to go,” Artair instructed.
His eyes held mine with a promise that I remembered from the airport. Our server left to fulfill the request and the air suddenly thickened between us.
“Does this mean I will be receiving my punishment when we go back to my hotel?”
Artair tilted his head slightly to the right. I realized he did this when he debated his answer.
“When I asked you if I could show you my home, you placed a condition on us moving forward. So in that regard, you hold the power, Luna. Have your conditions been met?”
The question I’d been wrestling with all evening, finally blurted out. “Why me? What did I do to get your attention?”
He sat back in his chair and continued to peer at me as if he could see my very soul. I shifted in my seat, suddenly uncomfortable. His intensity both attracted and repelled me. I knew it was a me thing, not a him thing, but it was still there all the same and I couldn’t hide that from him.
“You have ADHD, and a little social anxiety. It is difficult for you to hide what you're thinking and feeling and you also find it hard to fit in.”
Holy crab snacks! I gulped. “Yes, that is true.”
He nodded slowly. “Because of that, you are exactly who and what you are, and I find that refreshing. But I also noted your behavior when you became overwhelmed, and I knew you were in dire need of a Daddy, like me.”
My stomach turned inside out and plummeted, leaving me gasping for breath. Artair looked concerned. He’d just said my fantasy out loud, something I’d never admitted to anyone, and hearing it spoken so commonly in the same nonchalant tone one would use to discuss the weather, was too much for me to deal with. I pushed back my chair, escaping to the bathroom. Thank goodness no one else was there because I couldn’t hold still.
I fully expected a trench to appear in the floor from my pacing back and forth, with only stops to stare at myself in the mirror as if somehow, I had answers. I became hyper-aware and didn’t know how to handle it, but as there were no answers in the bathroom, I returned to the table.
Artair looked concerned.
“Sorry. I didn’t know what to do with what you just said to me. I still don’t. It’s like you opened something up and I can’t deal with everything flooding my system. But… my answer to what we discussed earlier is ‘yes’. You passed my initiation,” I said trying to backpedal from sounding like a crazy person and hoping he’d understand my sudden disappearance as well as my ramblings about my mental condition at present.
“I should not have done that to you, Luna, I’m very sorry. But I will make this right, don’t you worry, little one.”
Little one? I liked it, but I also liked when he called me lass. Maybe he could call me Little Lass. My heart expanded and suddenly all the angst just tapered off. I took a few deep breaths getting my heart rate under control.
Our server arrived with a large bag and the bill which Artair quickly settled before escorting me out of the restaurant. His car was right out front and our driver opened the door and took the bag, allowing us to scoot inside. Artair placed me on his lap and rubbed my back.
“Oh, that’s nice,” I commented sleepily.
