Chapter Two

My scrambled eggs were almost finished when I heard my phone chirp. A text.. from Seth by the tone. He could wait. To get perfect scrambled eggs, you couldn't stop folding them at this point. After only a minute or two more I slid the eggs from the pan to a plate and dropped the pan in the sink. I picked up my phone as I headed to the living room of my apartment, fork and plate in hand.

SETH (15 minutes ago): I haven't heard from you in a while, I'm assuming you have Lauren in diapers by now. Jess is driving me crazy tonight, call me. She needs a playdate. BADLY.

SETH (10 minutes ago): Vanessa, you always have your phone glued to your hand, what's the deal?

SETH (2 minutes ago): I'm going to video call you in a few. If you don't want me to, say so now.

Dammit. I started tapping one-handed at the screen. I had been distracted on my walk home, I hadn't even heard the previous messages.

No. I'm not in the mood for _

Then my TV lit up, with Seth on his couch staring at me from the screen, I had forgotten it was still set to auto answer his calls. He was in his work clothes, a black button-up shirt with a mandarin collar and black slacks. Even his socks were black, at least he had ditched his shoes or I would have thought this was a business meeting. I rolled my eyes a bit. He was the consummate professional with his gelled brown hair, the one curl hanging down over his forehead just above his cold blue eyes, his goatee trimmed just so, sitting straight with an ankle crossed over his knee.

"Vanessa," he smiled an irritated smile at my empty couch, I hadn't stepped into view of the camera yet, "Where in the world are you?"

"I'm here," I said as I took a bite of my eggs, tossing my phone onto an empty cushion. I sat down, crossing my legs and resting my heels on the glass coffee table. I had planned on savoring my interactions with Dani as I ate, not talking to Seth. He was right though, I had been neglecting him and he was my best friend. "Sorry I haven't been around, things ended up not working out with Lauren. I moved too fast, she bolted."

"What?" came a shrill cry from somewhere behind Seth and Jess ran into view. Her blonde curls bounced, her face was scrunched up, upset. She flopped down on the couch, her legs spread wide, her obviously wet pink diaper on full display, completely unhidden by the white and pink-ruffled t-shirt that declared her Daddy's Princess. "No no no! You promised me a playdate, Nessa! You promised!"

"Seth," I said simply with a frown, I wasn't in the mood to have my failure rubbed in my face by his Little. I was not pleased that Lauren was gone, I really thought she was the keeper. We... meshed. It was nice. I had been just starting to feel like I could really be myself with her, but I scared her away. It was still more satisfying than Kailee had been.

Seth was almost as good at reading people as I was, he grabbed hold of the ring on Jess' pink leather collar and she was over his lap in a flash. She cried out and kicked her legs as he slapped her on the backs of her thighs, she wouldn't be able to feel a thing through the thick padding he kept her in if he swatted her bottom. Knowing Seth, she had at least one booster in that thick disposable, maybe two. She was sobbing after four smacks, and he laid her down on the couch, her face in his lap. He stroked her hair gently, the punishment over.

"Shhh, cupcake. The adults are talking, Littles will be silent. What you did was very rude to Vanessa. When I allow you to speak again, I expect you to apologize to her." Her sobs were short lived, her diapered bottom poking up in the air. She knew how to play him just as well as he played her, she knew if she started crying too quickly he'd spank her more.. but crying was the fastest way to get the spanking to end, too. "I'm very sorry to hear about Lauren, you really liked her."

"I really did," I sighed, Seth was one of the few people I knew I could be completely honest with, "I really, really did, Seth. She was something special."

"What are the odds of her coming back to you?" Seth continued to stroke his Little's hair, her sobs had stopped but she stayed face down in his lap, she wasn't taking any chances. His handprint was still visible on her exposed thigh. An ember of jealousy burned in my heart. Lauren should have been in my lap just like that, my fingers in her hair... I wanted it so badly.

"Nil," I frowned, finishing the last bite of my dinner, "She bolted. She's not coming back. We're not all as lucky as you." Jess peeked an eye out at that, she loved hearing things like that... honestly, I said it for her. She was too bratty for my tastes, but that's how they liked it. I had no interest in constantly punishing someone. Seth, on the other hand...

"I'm sorry, Vanessa. If I had known, I wouldn't have bothered you tonight. You know you can talk to me any time, right? We've been friends for a long time."

"I know, Seth," I sighed, "I know. I will say this: my hopes are up."

"Really," Seth intoned as he leaned forward. Jess slipped to the floor at his feet to avoid getting squished. I couldn't see her under their coffee table now, but I knew she'd have her forehead pressed to his toes, just as he taught her. "Tell me about her."

"Middle management, stressed out... "

"No no," he interrupted, "Tell me about her."

"Fit. A hair shorter than me," I started again.

"Vanessa," he said my name with a touch of venom, his irritation.

"Sweet," I smiled, he wasn't going to stop until he dragged it out of me, "Hair the color of a moonless night, begging to be up in pigtails. Full, pink lips, a narrow nose. Upturned, cute. Bold but hiding the little girl underneath. A round-shaped face... big, beautiful green eyes. I don't know if she's the one, but I'm certainly drawn to her."

"How many dates?"

"First is Friday, I expect it'll take three before she's comfortable."

"Happy hunting, Vanessa. Dream of your Little-to-be tonight," Seth's smile and his well-wishes were sincere. He was a good friend. "Wish Vanessa luck, cupcake," he purred as he pulled Jess up by her collar. Her already dry face peeked over the edge of the table.

"I'm sorry I was rude, Nessa. I hope you get the most perfectest babygirl ever," she grinned widely at me, and then whispered, "Because I want a friend."

The screen went black and I laid back on the couch, my feelings in a bit of a whirl between thoughts of Lauren and daydreams of Dani.

* * *

The time until Friday night was painful. I was distracted, I had found a shot of Dani running laps at her gym and I could not stop imagining having her in my lap the way Jess had been sprawled across Seth's. Was my read of her correct? She was a woman-in-charge.. did she have the soft center that I wanted? The need to be cared for, guided, controlled... but the will to resist just a bit? I didn't want a brat like Jess who craved punishment, but I didn't want a sycophant like Kailee who had no opinions of her own. I was in love with an idea, and that made finding real love quite difficult.

The date was nice. I had to rein in my dominant desires when I picked her up. I wanted so badly to buckle her in myself, to give her a stuffed animal to hold and pop a pacifier in her mouth... but she certainly wasn't ready for that. Dani had decided that a floral dress was the way to go for the date. It was white and faded to a dark blue, covered in dancing petals as it drew closer to the hem that fell below her knees. I couldn't help but wonder what sort of panties she had on under there.. would it be another tell? She clutched her stuffed squirrel-purse to her.

"I really like that purse," I said, feeling confident in my own port-colored blouse and ankle-length black skirt. I had 4" heels tonight, nothing too extreme but enough to give me a distinct height advantage. I had to be subtle, but I wanted to set the tone right from the start. I was the dominant in this relationship, it was not going to be egalitarian. "It's very cute, it suits you."

"Really?" she blushed, "My best friend Jenni teases me about.. " she hesitated a split second, a word on the tip of her tongue. Most people wouldn't have picked up on it, "my purse." I couldn't help but smirk. She had named her purse but was afraid to tell me.

"Something tells me that you like cute things, what's wrong with that?" We cruised along, the local top forty station on the radio. The impulsive part of me said to tune to "Radio Disney" to see how she'd react, but I didn't think we were there yet. "I like it."

"I can't normally afford to be cute.. thanks," she looked away to hide her blush, staring out the window of the car as we cruised down Central Expressway.

"Well I want to get to know you, the real you, Dani. Please don't feel like you need to hide anything from me," the irony of the words burned as I said them. It was completely true, but at the same time I was hiding my true desires from her the same way she was used to hiding hers from everyone. It was a cruel world we lived in where no one could afford to truly be themselves.

* * *

Dinner was nice and relaxed. It held no surprises for me cuisine-wise, I had done my research. I did get to learn some details that raw data didn't hold. Dani liked sweet things and steered away from the bitter. My green tea order elicited a shudder from her and she got a chai... to which she added an absurd amount of sugar. We spent the meal talking about the stresses of work and our hobbies. I could sense she was holding something back. She told me her favorite fitness routines and I talked about my love of puzzles. Our common interest turned out to be in video games, despite Dani's love of the cute, she still enjoyed a mental challenge and played games when she could.

She was generally happy with her job and happy in her adulthood, but there was definitely a longing for the cute and carefree buried underneath. After dinner I took her to an ice cream parlor nearby and we each got a bowl - mint chocolate chip for me and cookie dough for her. I made sure she didn't have a chance to pay for anything, not dinner and certainly not the ice cream. I couldn't resist wiping a dab of ice cream from her chin during the dessert, which earned me an intense blush, accompanied with an adorable smile.

As far as first dates went, I had rarely had one that went better. I was a little sad when I had to drop her off at her place, though I did walk her to her front door.

"Thanks for everything, Vanessa. I had a really good time," she smiled shyly, glancing down as we stood at the entrance to her apartment. "It's my treat next time." She was already thinking about a second date, perfect.

"We'll see," I smiled a wry smile, a smile that said 'Not a chance in hell' in the friendliest way possible, "I like treating you. And you like treats. It's win-win." She started to object and I slipped in for a kiss. My heels gave me the extra few inches I needed to get her chin to really tilt up to meet my lips. She was surprised by it, but didn't pull away. This was a risky move, but there was rarely reward without risk. She didn't give herself fully to the kiss, but she didn't withdraw. I kept it short, sweet.. welcoming. When we broke, I took a small step back. "Thank you for a wonderful evening, Dani."

"You're.. welcome.. " she was a little stunned. I took her hand gently and smiled.

"I hope to see you again soon. This was very nice." And with that, I excused myself and headed for the car, hoping I hadn't overplayed my hand. I was missing a piece of this puzzle, her reaction didn't fit entirely with my read. I cursed myself for a fool momentarily before driving off into the darkness. Dani had potential.. we could have something real, as long as I didn't drive her away.