Page 24 of Taco Daddy

The official introduction to each other’s friends, that was a pretty big deal.Rita smoothed her hands over the apron she was wearing to help Andres cook.Dating a chef was giving her an appreciation for good food, she hadn’t had before—though she was still perfectly happy picking up Taco Bell when she had a quick craving that needed satisfying—and she was excited to show her friends her efforts.

“Stop looking so scared, Chiquita,” he whispered in her ear.“They’re going to love you.”

“Okay, Daddy,” she replied, pasting an overly large, cheesy smile on her face that wouldn’t fool anyone but made him laugh.She loved making him laugh.And she wasn’t disappointed as his laughter filled the kitchen when he caught sight of her expression.

“I mean it,” he said mock-warningly, reaching out to smack her bottom.Rita squealed and danced away, her butt cheek stinging a little where he’d managed to connect.The jean shorts she was wearing provided a little protection, but not much.“Do I need to spank the nerves out of you?”

“No, Daddy.”Rita covered her butt with both hands, backing away from him.“I’m not nervous at all now.I promise.”

She wasn’t lying… much.The teasing and laughing had made her feel better.Andres always knew how to make everything better.Just like one of the Daddy Doms out of the books she loved so much.Bree and Eden thought he was the best thing since sliced bread, and she couldn’t disagree with them since she did as well.

Tonight, she was meeting his friends, officially.Sure, she’d seen them at the Outlands on that awful night, and she’d met Owen for a brief minute when she’d visited Andres’ food truck, but that wasn’t the same.She’d never spent any time with him, and she still hadn’t been formally introduced to Marcus, though she’d heard plenty about both of them.

At least her friends would be there to buffer.Talk her up.Hopefully, make her look good.She desperately wanted to leave a better impression than she had that night at the Outlands.

“Okay, that’s it for now.”Andres closed the oven door on the enchiladas and dusted off his hands.“Do you want to go color while we wait?”

“Yes.”Rita clapped her hands.She didn’t think she was a Little in the way some people were Littles—she didn’t have an age she felt like, and the things she enjoyed were all over the place age-wise—but she’d found herself doing a lot more childlike things when Andres was in Daddy mode.

They had agreed upon a few rules, especially about small things she wasn’t so great at, like getting her full serving of fruits and vegetables every day before she got dessert after dinner, but disciplinarian Daddy rarely needed to make an appearance.And Rita liked it that way.She much preferred fun, caretaker Daddy, whose spankings hurt in a good way.

If she ever actually disappointed Andres, she was pretty sure no spanking in the world could ever make her feel better.No, she wasn’t like the Littles she loved to read about—she still handled her own life, didn’t need many behavior rules, and only got into play-trouble on a regular basis because she had plenty of impulse control.She and Andres worked together.He definitely didn’t seem to feel as if he was missing anything.He was happy being her Daddy Dom, even if she didn’t need him to run her life.

Coloring was definitely her favorite way to destress, and she was getting pretty good at it.He’d bought her a massive set of colored pencils, with what seemed like every shade of every color, which allowed her to do some really detailed coloring.

She was halfway through an underwater scene when the doorbell rang.All the anxiety she’d managed to forget while she was coloring came rushing back to the fore.Jumping to her feet, Rita looked down at the coloring book, her hands hovering… she wanted to clean up the mess and hide it all away, but Daddy was already answering the door, and she didn’t want to be rude by rushing to clean up when she should be greeting their guests.

“Chiquita, it’s your friends.”Andres stood back to let them in, and Rita caught his gaze over their heads.She was pretty sure he knew exactly what she’d been thinking.Oops.

At least with her friends, she didn’t have to stand on ceremony.

“Hi,” she said, waving and dropping to her knees to start putting away the colored pencils.

“Hey… wow, that’s amazing.”Bree stared down at the picture Rita had been working on.“I didn’t know you’re an artist.”

“I’m not really.I didn’t draw this.I’m just coloring it.”

“Yeah, but I couldn’t color like that.”Bree reached down to pick up the coloring book before Rita could stop her, flipping through the pages, then leaning slightly to the side to show Eden.Blushing hotly, Rita started shoving the colored pencils into place.

She had no idea why being complimented on her coloring skills made her blush.

“Wow, these are fantastic,” Eden said, agreeing with Bree and making Rita blush even hotter.“I’m with Bree.This is art.It doesn’t matter that you weren’t the one who drew it.You’re the one filling it in.These have amazing depth.”

“Thanks.So, um, Samuel couldn’t make it?”Bree’s boyfriend had initially accepted the invitation, but Rita wasn’t surprised he wasn’t making an appearance.If she was honest, she was a little relieved.While Andres had assured her that his friends wouldn’t say anything revealing in front of mixed—aka non-kinky—company, now she wouldn’t have to worry about anyone accidentally letting something slip.

Even though Samuel knew Bree had gone to a kink club, Rita didn’t feel comfortable with him knowing much about her own kinks.Especially with the way he’d been pulling away from Bree.

The way Bree’s expression dropped, she did feel bad for being relieved he wasn’t there because Bree obviously wasn’t happy about it.

“No, he’s not feeling well.Sorry.”There was a tightness to her expression that had Rita and Eden exchanging glances.

“That’s okay.It’s definitely better to stay home if he’s sick.”

“Uh-huh.”Bree’s lips pressed tightly together, and Rita had to wonder what ‘not well’ actually meant.

This wasn’t the right time to ask her about it, though.A knock sounded on the door as Rita finished tucking away her colored pencils.She jumped back to her feet, standing straight and tall, ignoring her Daddy’s amused glance.

He’d already met and impressed her friends.

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