Page 5 of Ashley
"Ash…" Natasha put a hand on her shoulder and rubbed it gently. "You can talk to me. You know that, right?"
"Of course," Ashley whispered, and her eyes welled up with tears at the soft tone in Natasha's voice. "I know."
"Then, talk to me."
She bit her lip and then nodded, a movement so slight, she wasn't sure she'd made it until she was saying the words, "He, ah, well, spanked me."
"He, what?" Natasha asked, her hand stilling on Ashley's shoulder.
"Spanked me, but I liked it," she added in a rush before Natasha could jump to conclusions. "It was all consensual. He was good about that. Checking in and stuff." She looked down at her hands that she was wringing in her lap. "We did roleplay."
"What kind of roleplay?"
"I don't know what you'd call it, honestly, but it was just for fun, you know?"
Natasha's hand rubbed at her shoulder again. "I can imagine. What was the roleplay, Ash?" she asked in that still gentle voice that seemed to cut right through the dull headache she'd woken up with that morning.
"I called him Daddy."
Natasha swore, and Ashley looked up at her worriedly. "It wasn't gross or forced, and I wan—"
"Shh, shh," Natasha soothed, her arms coming up to hug her close and pet her hair. "I know it wasn't gross. I know you wanted it, too. That's okay, Ash." She rocked her close, and Ashley leaned into the smaller woman with a relieved sigh she hadn't realized she'd been holding in. "It's okay," Natasha said again, her hands smoothing back her hair and rubbing her shoulders. "Let's lie down, yeah?"
"Yeah," Ashley mumbled, curling into herself. Natasha settled her beneath the blankets and then was at her back, arms wrapping around her with a gentle kiss pressed to her temple. "It's okay, sweet girl. Rest now."
Ashley lifted her head with a drowsy look. "I should go home soon."
"Shh, there's nothing for you to do today. Lie down like a good girl."
Ashley hummed at that and lay back down, feeling content. The empty feeling inside of her was slowly being filled and things didn't feel so bleak. Maybe Natasha was right and all she needed was more rest.
"Okay." Ashley closed her eyes and was lulled to sleep by Natasha's soft humming of a lullaby she'd long forgotten.
* * *
Ashley fiddled with the hem of her cardigan. She was sitting beside Natasha at a diner in Queens. A duffle bag of her things they had hastily gathered from her place before slipping into the diner was on the floor between her feet.
"I'm fine, you know," Ashley said, toying with the laminated menu in front of her. Natasha let out a snort but said nothing and, instead, nudged the full coffee cup their waitress had just delivered in front of her.
"Drink your coffee," Natasha murmured, picking up her menu and busying herself with perusing the small diner's selection.
Ashley pulled a face but did as she was told. There was something comforting about it. "Bossy," she muttered, raising the cup to her lips.
Natasha hummed but said nothing else and kept her eyes on the menu; a smile tugged at her lips. Settling in beside her, Ashley went over the morning that had taken an unexpected turn. After her nap, she'd been able to think more clearly, the fog of the previous night not so thick and debilitating. She'd told Natasha of the stranger she'd taken to bed, or rather the one who had taken her. Albeit, she had omitted the finer points and highlights of the evening, but she had been honest. And that had brought Ashley to a startling discovery.
She was a little, or more specifically, a middle. She chewed on her lip and looked down into her coffee cup. Before last night, she'd never given much thought to urges she'd had. Her love of technicolor, stuffies, glitter gel pens, and scratch and sniff stickers had been seen as childish but just kitschy, not an indicator of her predilection for kink. She blushed at that, because what a kink it was for a girl who had never engaged in anything racier than girl on top. Her lovers had all been passive men who seemed lukewarm at best when it came to sharing her bed. Nothing like the man who had tasted and touched every last inch of her. He had devoured her, consumed her lust with a need and vigor that left her feeling thoroughly used and well fucked.
But it had also left her feeling empty and alone. Like she was crashing from an all-night bender and sugar high all at once. Her heart squeezed. Why had he left without a word to her? He'd known what she was, or at least that was Natasha's assertion, and she was livid about it. Ashley was simply confused and filled with a longing ache in her chest she had never known before. Everything felt too raw, too bright and saturated for her to process. Natasha called it sub drop and had gone on a tirade of what she'd like to do to the man—Daddy Dom—who had let her friend fall without catching her. She snuck a sidelong look at her friend and smiled, seeing the studious way Natasha stared at the menu. When the waitress approached, Natasha gave her order, "Sliced fruit, two orders of eggs and bacon, please, and a slice of apple pie." She collected the menus and handed them to the waitress with a perfunctory nod.
"I think that should do it. Don't you?" Natasha asked, giving her knee a squeeze.
Ashley nodded. "Yes, thank you." Her friend gave her another sunny smile, and Ashley's heart was full of gratitude at her friend's steady presence beside her. At seeing her state, Natasha has declared that she was moving into the guest bedroom until she had recovered. Ashley had balked at first but, suddenly, Silas had been there, agreeing with Natasha.
"I can't impose," Ashley had tried, but he'd just shaken his head and given her a genuine smile.
"Natasha told me what happened."
She looked at Natasha in shock and opened her mouth to deny it all, but Silas had held up a hand and said, "There's no need for embarrassment with us. This is a safe place for littles."
