Page 2 of Daddy Protector (Night Ops Daddies #1)

Richie

Another night without a party or event to attend? No problem. I’m more than happy to chill out at home and make my own fun.

I might be twenty-three and pretty much have the keys to the city when it comes to a wild and exciting social life, but that doesn’t mean that when it’s just me at home in my apartment, I can’t entertain myself in all the best ways.

Stuffy gang? Check .

Super-special stuffy? Of course .

Big bag of super-sour candies that I definitely shouldn’t finish, but almost certainly will? Let’s go!

It’s already close to midnight but I think I’ve got at least another hour or more left in my energy reserves to keep on playing. And Fizz, my panda stuffy with the snuggliest tummy in the whole world is also down to keep playing, so that’s good enough reason for me.

“Hey, Fizz, how about we show the rest of the stuffy gang your new trick?” I giggle, stretching my legs out in front of me as I sit on the floor and hold Fizz in front of my body. “You’ve got this! You’ve been practicing for ages. I know you can do it!”

I turn Fizz so that he’s facing the line of elephant, tiger, beaver, sloth, and pretty much every animal in the animal kingdom stuffies. This is Fizz’s big moment.

“One… two… three… flip!” I squeal, helping Fizz shoot into the air, do a double head over paws flip, and land perfectly in my lap. “And the crowd goes wild!”

I bring Fizz close in to my chest and give him a big cuddle.

Life is good. Being a Little is fun. And even though my father is a little on the intense side, I love my work life too.

Both of my older siblings have totally flown the nest. They work in Europe, which is super-cool for vacations and all, but I don’t think I could ever bring myself to be that far away from my Pop.

After Mom died when I was a teenager, I kind of realized that you only get one set of parents in life.

And despite the fact that my Pop is too strict, way too uptight, and definitely needs to get out more and let loose, I also know that I never want to lose him – well, not until he’s at least one hundred years old.

On the other hand, I’m not silly. I might be a Little, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t understand the reality of what my father does for a living.

I know a little bit about his past too, and while some of the stories are pretty cool, I get the distinct impression that he’s holding out on some of the really scary stuff that he’s seen… and probably done.

After graduating with a major in computer science, I knew that I didn’t want to work in some boring tech company.

No way. Too many rules and not enough of a chance to express myself and do my own thing.

Honestly, I hadn’t expected that my Pop would offer me a role with him, but when he explained it to me, I was so excited that I nearly exploded.

There are things that I still don’t know about when it comes to Pop’s business.

But I can kind of guess. He works in elite security, but more on the business side than he used to.

I know he meets up with important people.

And I know that these important people aren’t always the nicest people in the world either.

All that is okay though. I know that as long as I keep working on making the company’s online security systems function to a good standard, then I’m doing my part.

And not only that, I know that with my Pop being the boss, I can probably get away with things that I couldn’t even attempt if I was working for some boring old tech company!

Anyway.

I don’t want to think too much about work right now.

Tonight is all about fun .

“Wait here guys, I need a refill on my juice,” I say, a smile on my face as I carefully place Fizz down with the other stuffies and walk through from the living area into the kitchen.

My apartment isn’t the biggest in the world, but I’m totally cool with that. It’s in a nice part of the city and it’s close to some of the best parks and has some incredible bakeries and bookshops nearby too.

And my kitchen has everything I need in such a small space. I’ve got my treat cupboard – which actually is two cupboards that I knocked into one. I couldn’t resist it, I just love sugary snacks too much! And there’s a big refrigerator for all my food and juice boxes. Speaking of which…

“Mango-berry mix, or strawberry and apple?” I ponder, flicking my chestnut bangs from side to side as I take my time and make sure that I pick the right flavor. “ Hmmm . I’m gonna say… mango-berry.”

I reach inside the refrigerator and feel the cool air on my arms. Before I know it, I’m piercing the top of the juice box with a straw and taking my first gulp. It’s tasty. In fact, I think I might be coming back to the refrigerator for another one way sooner than I should.

That’s the thing with me, I do struggle with impulse control. It might not be a big deal when it comes to having a couple of extra juice boxes, but I do know that there are times where I just can’t resist doing something, or taking a situation too far. It’s got me in trouble more than once.

Actually, it’s got me in trouble a lot .

And this is where me and my Pop fall out the most. He says I need to learn from my mistakes.

And I do want to. But even when my Pop gets super-mad at me and I promise to never do it again, there’s a part of me that just knows I’m going to crumble the next time that something similarly tempting crops up again.

Sigh .

My Little friends tell me that all this would change if I had a Daddy in my life.

I can see their point. After all, it’s not like I haven’t heard enough about the spankings and corner time that they get from their Daddies.

Oh, and not being allowed to watch TV for a week, or whatever other punishments they get.

But…

I just don’t think there’s a Daddy out there that can handle me.

Or to put it another way, I don’t think that there’s a Daddy in this city who I want to submit to.

I’ve been on dates with Daddies and they’ve been nice guys, gruff guys, and everything in between.

But I’ve never once felt like they were the kind of man who I would ever seriously give myself to.

Maybe it’s because of who my Pop is and what he’s like, but I’m yet to meet a man who comes even close to that level of intensity or naturally dominant aura.

And maybe that’s okay. Maybe I’ll just be a single Little, free to do what I want, when I want – which actually doesn’t sound that bad at all!

“Okay guys, I’m back!” I holler, about to walk back into the living area to get down to some fun with my crew of stuffies.

But before I can settle back down to my fun, I hear a knock at my apartment door.

Huh . This is strange.

Only residents have access. And it feels way too late for old Mrs. Jacobs to be calling round with some of her delicious home baked cookies.

It could be my father, I guess. After all, he does have a spare key – but won’t ever come in without knocking, just in case he interrupts anything a little on the naughty side.

“Hello?” I call out, tentatively stepping toward the door. “Pop? Is that you? If it is, you can just come in.”

Silence.

Another knock.

“Hey, I’m not fooling around,” I say, now a little on edge. “I’m not opening until you speak.”

I press my eye up against the door’s spyhole… OMG.

Who the hell is that ?

Over six feet tall, square jawed, handsome as anything but with a gruff, stern look on his face. And that body… he’s filling out his fitted white t-shirt like some kind of action movie star.

“Richie, let me in,” the man says, standing with his hands clasped behind his back, his thigh muscles flexing underneath his green combat trousers. “Your father sent me. It’s important.”

“H-h-h-how do I know Pop sent you?” I ask.

I don’t care how hot this man is, if he thinks I’m opening the door to him without proper clearance then he can go to hell.

“Look at your phone,” the man replies, an impatient tone in his voice as he glares toward the spy hole. “Hunter will have messaged you the details. The name’s Cole. I’ll explain more about why I’m here, but you need to let me in. And that’s not a request.”

“ That’s not a request?” I ask. “Jeez. I’m checking my phone and I’m not seeing any message from…. Oh .”

I scroll on my encrypted messaging app and see that my Pop has in fact messaged me. An hour ago…

POP: Richie, prepare yourself for a visitor.

His name’s Cole. You can trust him. Something has come to my attention.

Business related. It involves you – indirectly, but all the same I can’t take any chances.

Cole will explain more. Don’t worry, he’s the best at what he does.

You’re to listen to him and follow his instructions to the letter. All my love, Pop.

Urgh . Pop! What could possibly be so urgent that my late night fun has to be interrupted by this bossy guy? Whatever. It looks like I have to at least let him inside and see what he has to say for himself.

“One second,” I say. I take a moment to smooth out my hair and straighten my t-shirt and pajama bottoms up a little and then unlock each of the triple-twist locks on the heavy, reinforced metal door.

“Richie, if I may,” Cole says, striding inside like he owns the place. “We need to sit and talk. Follow me.”

“ Wow . Okay, sure, just make yourself at home,” I say, a little bit incredulous as I follow Cole through the hallway of my own home and into the living area.

I suddenly flush with embarrassment as I see Cole towering over the assortment of stuffies.

It’s not like I’m ashamed of being a Little.

Far from it. But that said, it’s not something I’d actively go out of my way to share with someone who I met only seconds ago – especially when that person happened to be a friend of my father.

“They’re just for… I was just… I was…” I say, desperately trying to think of what to say.

“You were having a tea party for your stuffies,” Cole says, barely paying them any attention as he takes a seat on the armchair and fixes a stare at me. “Sit down. Like I said, we need to talk. I don’t know how much your father has briefed you, but we need to move quickly.”

I sit down on the couch opposite Cole and feel myself dizzy with confusion.

This is all happening so quickly. I need to try and get my brain working in professional mode – not exactly an easy task given that only five minutes ago I was eating candy, sipping on juice, and playing gymnastics with Fizz.

And it’s sure not making matters any easier given how undeniably hunky Cole is.

“Focus,” Cole says, snapping me out of my daze. “I know it’s late at night, Richie. And you were obviously… unwinding. But I need you to listen to me.”

“Sure,” I reply. “So… you work for my father?”

“No, not exactly,” Cole answers, folding his strong, thick forearms across his chest. “We used to work together . You know, in his previous job.”

Cole’s a Night Ops Guard.

Now it’s all making sense. The stern demeanor, the connection to my Pop, the bossiness. But Cole’s at least a couple of years younger than my Pop. And he’s definitely had less practice when it comes to making a good first impression too. Any more orders barked at me and I might just kick him out.

“Okay, so…” I say, arching my eyebrow. “My Pop says something is going down. He says I need to listen to you. How about you expand on that for me, Cole.”

“To the point, I like it,” Cole answers, a sly smile on his face – and damn, it really is a handsome face. “Long story short is that you’re coming with me. Tonight. I’m taking you to a hideout. We’ll be staying there until I get the all clear from Hunter. Got it?”

Wait, what ?

He has to be kidding…

“I… no, come on, this can’t be… why can’t I just…” I say, floundering and flapping.

“Get up, collect some clothes and essentials, and maybe change into some proper clothes,” Cole barks, making it very clear that this isn’t a drill. “We roll out in ten minutes. You’re not ready in ten, I carry you out. It’s all the same to me.”

I can’t believe what I’m hearing.

But as much as the situation has me in shock, what’s surprising me even more is the fact that instead of answering back and holding my ground, I’m walking into my bedroom with Fizz under my arm and getting ready to leave with this grumpy asshole.

One thing is certain though. If Cole thinks that he can keep on bossing me around like this, then he’s got another thing coming. He might be big, strong, and have my father’s permission – but I’m going to make Cole wish this was one assignment he’d never signed up for…