Tate novel – When the third man returned a moment later, he looked slightly relieved. “Tate is coming. He just ran out to his car for his bag.” Within seconds, another man walked into the room and Aria could swear she stopped breathing. The man walking toward her was gorgeous with a capital G. All she could think in her head was what a silver fox he was. Holy wow. He smiled at her and walked closer until he was only a few feet away and then knelt in front of her. “I’m Tate. I’m a doctor at Seattle Memorial. It looks like you got a pretty bad owwie.” Tate’s gentle words and kind smile caused her to promptly burst into tears.
By the timeshe got to the club, the parking lot was almost full. That was one thing about Thursday nights, it was always busy. This was good because it meant she had lots of friends to play with inside. Even though she knew lots of the Littles inside, she didn’t talk to them outside the club. She wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t that she was against it or anything, she’d just never gotten around to exchanging numbers or planning playdates. It wasn’t like she could invite someone over to have a playdate at her apartment. It was much too small to play in and she was pretty sure if anyone pulled into her apartment complex, they would turn right around. It wasn’t really the type of neighborhood that made someone feel safe. But it was what she could afford. Barely. Grabbing the small fuzzy backpack she was using as a purse for the night, she opened it and pulled out her pacifier tether that had her favorite pacifier clipped to the end of it and clipped the other end to her dress near the neckline. Her pacifier was soothing for her and she used it a lot in the club and at home.
As soon as she stepped inside, the receptionist at the desk smiled kindly at her. “Hi, Aria. I have you checked in. Have fun.” Smiling back at the woman, she nodded and went through the second set of doors that opened to the club. As soon as she stepped through, she was greeted by all the noises you’d expect to hear at a place like that. Cries of pleasure, screams of ecstasy, leather meeting flesh, and just about anything else your mind could think of. She never lingered in the front part of the club. There was a dungeon area up there and the bar, but the Littles’ area was toward the back. Her throat was feeling dry and scratchy for some reason, so instead of heading straight toward her intended destination, she went to the bar to order a cup of water to take with her. There were always pitchers of water in the Littles’ area, but she wanted ice in her drink to soothe the scratchiness. She was sure it was just allergies. There had been so much pollen in the air lately and she’d been out of her allergy medication for weeks. The bartender greeted her warmly.
All the employees at The Playground were always so kind yet protective of their members. There had never been a time she’d felt unsafe there. After she got her ice-cold cup of water, Aria turned to make her way toward the Littles’ area when she bumped into a man, causing him to drop his drink. Shards of glass exploded the moment it hit the ground. She gasped and jumped back, spilling her own drink. “I’m so sorry!” she cried out. The man looked more alarmed than angry, but she couldn’t figure out why. She wouldn’t blame him if he were mad at her. She hadn’t looked where she was going. Tears immediately started falling from her eyes. She couldn’t afford to replace his drink or the glass, and she was surely going to get kicked out of the club and never be able to return. Why hadn’t she just looked where she’d been going?
“You’re bleeding. Don’t move,” he said quickly. Before she realized what was happening, she was being carried through the club with blood dripping down her shin, staining her white socks. The searing pain of the cut started registering, making her cry more, though she was trying her hardest to keep silent so she didn’t cause a big scene and embarrass herself even more. The man carrying her walked into a large office where two men, who she was pretty sure were the owners, stood from their desks. “Chase, what the… Oh, she’s bleeding,” one of the men said, shooting up from his desk. The man carrying her set her down on one of the large leather couches. “We bumped into each other and I dropped my glass. It broke and I think a shard went flying into her leg. She needs to go to the ER. It looks deep.” Her eyes widened.
She couldn’t afford the ER. No way. Not happening. She’d put a bandage over it and call it good. Maybe. She might need about a dozen bandages. Letting out a ragged breath, she wished more than anything she had her stuffed bear to hug. “I don’t wanna go to the ER,” she whimpered. Not that it mattered because suddenly she had three large men standing in front of her arguing about whether to take her to the ER or urgent care. She wasn’t going to either, so it didn’t matter. Then one of the men snapped his fingers. “Tate is here tonight. He’s in the Littles’ area. I’ll go get him and have him take a look.” She shook her head. “I can just go home and clean this up.” When she tried to stand, she faltered when three sets of eyes stared at her sternly. Then one of the men disappeared from the room. “No ER. I’ll be fine. It’s just a little cut,” she said through trembling lips. It was a big cut. A big, bloody cut that hurt, and all she wanted to do was burst into big, ugly tears. The man, Chase, who had carried her in shook his head. “That isn’t just a little cut. You need at least ten stitches plus there might still be glass in there. It’s my fault. I’ll pay for your ER visit. You’re going.”
She looked up at the broody-looking man. He was quite handsome and obviously kind, but he was also sort of terrifying. He definitely didn’t seem to have the sweet side of a Daddy she liked. The man was way too stern. Sniffling, she wiped her eyes. She was so embarrassed that she’d been crying in front of all these good-looking men. Get it together, Aria. You can’t be a baby right now. You have to be a big girl and deal with this. When the third man returned a moment later, he looked slightly relieved. “Tate is coming. He just ran out to his car for his bag.” Within seconds, another man walked into the room and Aria could swear she stopped breathing. The man walking toward her was gorgeous with a capital G. All she could think in her head was what a silver fox he was. Holy wow. He smiled at her and walked closer until he was only a few feet away and then knelt in front of her. “I’m Tate. I’m a doctor at Seattle Memorial. It looks like you got a pretty bad owwie.” Tate’s gentle words and kind smile caused her to promptly burst into tears. TATE By the time he walked into the club, it was already busy. He’d forgotten about Thursday being Ladies and Littles night.
Maybe that would work out in his favor, though. Hopefully there’d be a bunch of unaccompanied Littles who were looking for a caregiver for the evening. Skipping the dungeon and bar area, Tate went straight to the Littles’ area. He didn’t even need to go through the door before he could hear the squeals and giggles of Little boys and girls having a good time. One of the room monitors smiled and nodded at him when he walked in. Staying off to the side where a bunch of comfortable chairs were lined up for caregivers who wanted to keep an eye on their Little while they played, Tate went to sit down but some familiar faces caught his eye. “Hey, guys.” His friends, Knox, Wolf, Beau, and Ash looked up and nodded, greeting him back. Knox reached out to shake his hand. “Tate. How’s it going, man? Haven’t seen you here in forever.”
Shrugging his shoulders, he turned his attention toward where the men were looking. All four of their Littles were sitting in a circle with several others playing some sort of game. “I just needed to be around some Littles.” Wolf grunted. The guy’s name was a perfect fit for him. He was hairy, and growly, and he looked like he belonged in the wild. He was a good man, though. Tate liked him a lot. He sat with the other men for over an hour just watching the room. There were several Littles who were obviously unattached but none of them really caught his eye. One was being a total brat and one of the room monitors had to send her to the corner. Tate didn’t care for brats. Not that there weren’t times to be naughty or playfully bratty, but the ones who were constantly being bad for attention just wasn’t his thing. He could spank as well as the next Daddy, but he wasn’t the type that wanted to constantly have to spank someone. Everyone was different in their likes and dislikes and he was old enough and wise enough now to know what he liked. Suddenly, the door opened and Zane, one of the owners, walked in looking around the room frantically. When his eyes landed on Tate, he beelined for him.
“Tate, I’m so glad you’re here. One of the Littles got cut on her leg and I was hoping you could come look at it?” Doctor mode kicked in and he was immediately on his feet following the younger man out of the room. “I need to grab my bag. Where is she?” “In our office,” Zane replied. Tate hustled out to his SUV and grabbed the bag he kept supplied with just about anything he could need for a minor emergency and jogged back into the club. As soon as he walked into Zane and Jace’s office, his breath was suddenly stuck in his lungs as he stared down at the saddest looking Little girl he’d ever seen. Her chestnut brown hair was pulled up into pigtails and her pouty lips were trembling, but he could tell she was trying to put on a brave face in front of the three other men in the room. She was tiny. Too tiny. Definitely underweight. Lowering his eyes, he saw the gash on her shin and winced. It was definitely a cut that needed to be looked at. She needed stitches for sure.
Taking a step forward, he smiled down at her and when he was close enough, he knelt down so he was at her level. Her baby blue eyes were wide and frightened and it pulled at his heartstrings. She was young. Very young. He knew the club was for people twenty-one and older, but he guessed she wasn’t much older than that and he felt like a shaft for being so attracted to her. She was probably younger than his daughter. He also realized the third man in the room was probably her Daddy. Although, Tate wasn’t really impressed that the guy was standing back with a stern expression on his face instead of sitting next to the Little girl and comforting her the way a Daddy should. He found himself narrowing his eyes at the man but quickly caught himself and turned back to the Little one in front of him. Putting on his neutral doctor expression, he gave her a reassuring smile. “I’m Tate. I’m a doctor at Seattle Memorial. It looks like you got a pretty bad owwie.” That plump bottom lip of hers quivered and then she burst into tears before him. Resisting the urge to pull her into his arms, he looked at her Daddy and then back at her. “Do you want your Daddy to hold you while I look at your leg?”
Big wet tears rolled down her cheeks and she seemed to cry harder. “I don’t have a Daddy.” Wait, what? Had he heard her right? And why was his blood pumping faster? Whatever the reason, this sweet baby girl needed comfort and he wasn’t just going to ignore her obvious need. Moving over to the couch, he sat next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, stroking her hair. The cut on her leg wasn’t bleeding nearly as bad as it looked based on her blood-soaked sock, so she wasn’t losing a bunch of blood. The clean-up and stitches could wait until she was calmed down. “I got you, Little one. Shh. I’m sorry you have an owwie, but I’m going to fix it for you and then you can go back to playing with your friends,” he softly crooned. Zane brought out a box of tissues and handed it to Tate who pulled out several of them and instinctively started cleaning up her face. Looking up at the men standing there looking completely helpless, Tate spoke, “I need two big bowls of warm water and an empty bowl. I also need some clean towels. And a sippy cup of water.”
All three of the men quickly nodded and left the office in search of the supplies he needed, leaving the two of them alone. Her sobs had quieted but she was clinging to him, and it did things to his insides he couldn’t even explain. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had clung to him like he was their lifeline. Maybe not since his daughter had been a kid? The thought of his daughter made him wince. This woman was close to the same age. Whatever feelings he was having about her, he needed to chill. She took a deep breath in and slowly let it out, sniffling softly. He grabbed several more tissues and held them out for her. “There we go. Good girl. Are you okay?” As she pulled away from his embrace, he felt an immediate sense of loss. One he didn’t like. And she still looked so sad it made his heart ache. “I’m sorry I cried on your shirt,” she mumbled. Smiling down at her, he shook his head. “Don’t be. It’s just a shirt. How’s your pain level?” “My leg hurts.” He nodded and got up from the couch, moving over to the front of her again and kneeling so he could look at her cut. “I’m sure it does. You got quite the cut. What happened?” Sniffling, her bottom lip trembled. “I accidentally bumped into that man and knocked his drink out of his hand. It shattered on the ground and a piece of glass hit my shin.”
Listening to what she was saying, he opened his bag and put on a pair of magnifying glasses so he could check to see if there were any shards of glass still in the wound. Zane and Jace reappeared carrying bowls and towels, setting them down near Tate. Grabbing the empty bowl, he set it under her leg, propping the heel of her foot on his thigh. He noticed how worn the soles of her shoes were but didn’t say anything as he grabbed one of the clean white towels. “I’m going to run water over your leg to wash the blood away so I can see inside the cut better. It shouldn’t hurt too much. Can you be brave for me while I do it?” He looked up at her where she was staring down at him with her wide blue eyes and noticed a pacifier hanging from the collar of her dress.
Was she a baby girl? His blood pumped faster at the thought, but he quickly pushed it away. It didn’t matter if she was or not. She was too young. “Maybe suck on your pacifier for comfort? Do you have a stuffie you can hold?” he asked. She shook her head but Zane stepped forward with a small stuffed toy. “Here, you can hold our Little girl’s stuffie. She would be happy to share it with you.” Once she had thanked Zane and had the toy clutched in her arms, she looked down at him again and nodded. “I’ll be brave.” Winking at her, he smiled. “Good girl.”