Page 266 of Double Daddies
“I am, but when anger bounces between two Dominant personalities, it builds. It grows teeth and gets nasty. I’m not prepared to track Avery down and corner her between two men who don’t have control over a volatile emotion.” Clay shot his cuff back to check his watch. “There may be a good reason why she’s so late. Maybe she got caught up in her work or held up by a guest. Until we know the why, there’s no point losing patience. She’ll only become defensive and aggressive, which turns the whole thing into a clusterfuck.”
Tristan mulled that over, eventually coming to the conclusion that it was a valid point. He forced himself to relax in the comfortable chair, to let the barrage of emotions sloshing around inside him drain away until he didn’t want to drown the happy Littles in the ocean of cheerfully colorful balls. “So, how long are we going to wait?”
“Are you sure you’re done with your internal tantrum?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Then we’re not waiting anymore.” Clay pushed himself out of the chair and stretched leisurely. “This is a tenuous situation, Tristan. We know she’s a good girl at heart, so going in all guns blazing won’t help anything. Being a Daddy means reading your Little and understanding what she needs—whether it’s cuddles, a spanking, a goddamn nap when she’s overtired and lashing out. Patience is your greatest tool in dealing with a Little, especially Avery.”
“Bit hard to be patient with her when she doesn’t believe what she is.”
They walked together through the play areas, waving goodbye to the giggling trio in the ball pit, then to Mistresses Ericka and Felicity who were on monitor duty.
“Oh, she knows what she is, she just doesn’t have a clue how to handle herself. Releasing her inner child is difficult because she struggles to rein her back in. If she let her out to play more often, she’d be able to find the balance, and in turn, the joy.” Clay pushed through the doors into the anteroom, then out into the late evening dregs of sunlight. “We have a unique chance to play a part in shaping her from the ground up, without smothering or overwhelming her. Tiny steps, small leaps of confidence, and she’ll discover happiness in her Little self rather than fearing her.”
Gravel crunched under their boots; Tristan didn’t know where Clay was going, but he wasn’t going to be left behind. Itstunned him that he wanted to learn how to be a Daddy, how to harness himself the way Clay did, as though nothing fazed him. More, knowing he wanted to be an instrumental part of Avery’s life, if he had to share her with Clay, he didn’t want to be the sub-par Daddy in the dynamic.
“What do I need to do?”
“First step is finding her and making sure she’s okay. A sub’s health and welfare comes above all else, no matter their kink. Littles, pets, ponies, they’re all a person beneath the vision. Once we know she’s not injured or upset, we get to the bottom of her tardiness.” Clay shot him a side-eyed warning. “If you feel yourself losing your temper, excuse yourself and step outside until you’ve calmed down. If I think you’re not in control, I’ll do whatever I need to do in order to protect her.”
“I’m not that stupid.”
“You think you’re not. Littles have a way of straining even the tightest rein of control and until you’ve gone up against one, you might react a lot differently than you think.”
They were heading for the main clubhouse, Tristan realized. Of course, the first place to check would be the kitchen—Avery was working on an important project, she may very well have lost track of time.
“Are you going to treat me like an idiot the whole time?”
“I don’t think you’re an idiot, per se. What you are is a novice Daddy with zero experience with Littles and their fluctuating moods. Add in a Little who swings faster than a roper’s lasso, putting the two of you together is like setting a match to a hidden fuse on a fucking mountain of gunpowder.”
“Oh.”
“Avery has a temper, I know that for a fact. So do you—I’ve seen it simmering behind your eyes. I don’t want to risk my one chance at being with her because the pair of you lose your shit with each other. If that happens,” Clay warned so darkly, Tristancouldn’t tell if he was joking or not, “I’m taking my belt to both your asses until you come to your senses.”
Said ass clenched tightly, not thrilled with the idea of being lashed with a strip of leather. Particularly not when those massive biceps were the driving force behind the swing. “Message received.”
“Excellent. I don’t like repeating myself.”
The night air was warm, almost humid, but still now. The cacophonous noise from the construction end of the club was quiet for the weekend, resuming on Monday morning if the schedule he’d seen was correct.
Glorious, silent Sunday was almost upon them.
“Do you have a plan if she’s just decided to ghost us?”
Clay shrugged. “Persuade her otherwise. If not, we respect her decision and walk away. Consent from both parties is an absolute must here; threatening, coercing, or forcing a sub into a scene is the fastest route to having the Masters kick your ass, and you’re guaranteed to have your membership revoked for life. Punishment falls slightly differently, especially for staff members. A taken sub can be reprimanded by a Dom who is not hers, only if her Dom gives permission, or it can be doled out by her Dom on behalf of the injured party. It depends on the terms of the contract between them.”
“And staff?”
“They can be punished by any Dom if there’s a valid reason. However, the terms state they can refuse, which shifts the matter into Evander or Elias’s purview. The choice then is whether they see the punishment through or the employment contract is terminated.”
Holy hell. Tristan’s mind was circling through the mess as they walked up the steps into the clubhouse. He followed Clay into the silent dining room, back into the kitchen where thenight crew were playing poker as they waited to be called into service.
“Dante,” Clay said in greeting. “Quiet night for you guys, huh?”
“Sure is.” A lanky man in his late thirties, sporting an arsenal of piercings in his ears, nose, and lip grinned. “Gives me plenty of time to take these suckers for all they’ve got.”
A woman snorted, popping her chewing gum. “Three hands down, Dante. I’ve never seen such shit cards in my life.”
