Page 3 of Princess Josie (Littleworld)

Chapter Three

Chase

I rush back into the playroom to find Josie is nowhere in sight. I spin around in a slow circle. She’s short, but I’m six foot. She’s not in this room. Fuck . Maybe she went to the bathroom or… I hurry out of the playroom, intent on finding her.

I don’t know what those few minutes meant to her, if anything, but my eyes are wide open now. That Little girl isn’t just shy or introverted. I don’t know how I didn’t notice before but she has some sensory sensitivities. It’s plain as day to me now.

She’s not in the hallway. I rush to the locker room and arrive just as a woman is coming out. “Did you see a woman in a Cinderella costume in there?”

She shakes her head. “No one is in there right now.”

She could be wrong. Josie could have been silently hiding in a stall. But I don’t want to waste time investigating if Josie has gone out the front door, so I take long strides to get there next.

Misha is at the entrance. “Hey, did you see Josie?” I ask. “Did she leave?”

Misha shakes her head. “No. I’ve been here for over an hour.” She frowns. “Could she be in the bathroom?”

I run a hand over my hair. “I don’t think so, but…”

Misha steps away from the desk. “Let me take a look.” She understands my urgency. Bless her. Anyone who’s known Josie for even a short while knows she’s very Little. Everyone at the club looks out for the Littles.

I pace for a minute while Misha goes into the locker room. She returns, shaking her head. “She’s not in there. I checked every stall.”

“Thank you, Misha.” I spin back toward the playroom. I must have overlooked her.

As soon as I step into the room, I stop and look around again. I don’t know what possesses me to squat down, but as soon as I do, I see her feet under the punch table. I blow out a relieved breath and smile. Why didn’t I think of that?

Josie was clearly pretty upset when I left her. Unnerved. I should have known she might find a hiding place.

I make my way through the crowd to the corner before I drop down onto my hands and knees and crawl partly under the table. I’m too tall to sit under here. This is going to be awkward.

Josie is in a tight ball in the corner, her small arms wrapped around her knees.

Her eyes go wide. The lighting is dim, but I can see her well enough.

“There you are,” I declare, deciding to lower onto my side and prop my head on my palm.

I’m hoping my position isn’t threatening to her.

“It’s really loud and crowded out there, isn’t it? ”

She nods slowly and then she cringes as if nodding caused her pain. She jerks one hand up to the back of her head and scratches her neck.

Now I know I’m right about her. “I bet that costume is itchy, huh?”

She nods again, assessing me. It’s adorable, and my heart melts. How have I never noticed Josie isn’t just introverted?

“Is there a tag at the back that’s tickling you, Little one?”

Her eyes go wider. Finally, she speaks. “How did you know?”

“My sister has sensory processing disorder. I recognize the signs.”

“She does?” Josie’s mouth falls open.

“Yep. All her life. I’m really good at recognizing and eliminating stressful triggers. Years of practice.” I’m reaching her. I’m so fucking happy. My smile is about to split my face.

“I should have tried the costume on at home,” she whispers.

I shrug. “It might have been fine if it were only the costume, but there are too many people here and the music is loud, and there’s a strobe light tonight in the main room.” I hope if I point out all the things I’m aware of, she’ll feel understood.

Another slow nod. “And my shoes are sticky,” she adds.

I smile again. I forgot that one. “That’s right.”

“I’m good at handling two or three things, but it got to be too many,” she says in a Little voice.

“Sometimes you can’t predict these things, Little one. Totally understandable. And you’re so smart to have crawled under the table. Are you feeling better?” She’s making eye contact, and I don’t see signs of her having an anxiety attack, so I’m betting the corner is helping.

“I don’t know.” She squirms, tugging on the Cinderella dress.

“Do you have something on underneath the pretty princess costume, Josie?”

She gasps. “You know my name?”

I smile. “You’ve been coming here for six months, Little one. I know who you are.” I ache to reach out and stroke her cheek or her arm, but I refrain. I don’t want to add to her triggers.

“Oh.” She tugs on the neckline again, wincing. “I have a shirt and shorts on under this. I thought they would keep it from feeling icky.”

“Do you think you could take the costume off, princess?”

When she gives me a slight smile, my chest tightens. “I’m not a princess,” she informs me.

I gasp dramatically. “Of course, you are. You don’t need a costume to prove it.”

“People will look at me funny if I take it off,” she murmurs.

“Nope. We’ll tell them you spilled punch on it,” I declare, rather proud of myself.

“I didn’t even drink the punch. I don’t like… it.”

I wonder what she was going to say, but I’ll have to find out later. “I didn’t like it either.” I make a gross face. “It was too sweet.”

She giggles. “You’re silly.”

And now my heart stops.

“You’re lying under the table,” she points out as if I don’t know this.

“So are you,” I tell her.

“Do you really think I can take this stupid dress off?”

“I know you can. And you’ll still be a princess to me. Just without the annoying pea under all the mattresses.”

She gasps, and her eyes bug out. “You know the story the Princess and the Pea ?”

“Of course, I do. Doesn’t everyone?” I tease.

She shakes her head. “No. No one does.”

“Well, I do. I bet you identify with the princess because you know you would notice a pea even under ten mattresses, wouldn’t you, Little one?”

She nods, her eyes still adorably wide.

“I’d like to be your prince if you’d give me a chance. Can you do that, Little one? Can you take a chance on me and let me help you?”

She bites into her bottom lip, thinking. Finally, she nods. “Okay.”

I lift a hand, not wanting to startle her. “Can I unfasten the back for you?”

“Okay,” she whispers, leaning her head forward.

The back of the dress is Velcro, so it’s easy for me to pull the two pieces apart.

She holds her breath while I do so, and I feel confident it’s not my touching her that’s the problem. It’s the sound of the Velcro because she releases her breath as soon as it parts.

Without touching her skin, I ease the two sleeves down and pull the crinkly dress off her.

It’s cheap. The kind of thing someone can buy from a Halloween costume store.

I bet Josie would love to have a beautiful princess dress custom made from a material that wouldn’t irritate her without Velcro or tags or zippers or any triggers.

And God I suddenly hope I get to be the man—the Daddy—to make that happen for her.

“Is Cinderella your favorite princess, Josie?”

She nods.

I tuck that away in my mind as I carefully fold the dress up in front of me. It’s awkward in my reclined position, but I manage.

Josie is wearing white cotton shorts and a white tank top. I don’t think she has on a bra. She’s petite and doesn’t need one for support, but I suspect she can’t stand wearing them either.

When she glances down at herself, her breath hitches slightly before she pulls her knees up and holds them over her chest again.

I know what she saw because I saw it too. The white tank top isn’t skin tight, but it’s a thin cotton, and it isn’t hiding her nipples.

And now my cock is hard.

“I can’t crawl out of here,” she says in a soft voice.

I tentatively reach out and touch her fingers.

She watches, a smile forming on her lips that melts me further. She doesn’t flinch or pull away, and I think it shocks her.

“Can you trust me to get you out of here, princess?”

She swallows. “I don’t know.”

Fair response.

“I doubt anyone knows we’re under here. I bet I can slide out, take off my Prince Charming jacket, and wrap it around you when you crawl out. Anyone who sees will just think you’re cold or something spilled on you. If your legs feel wobbly, I’ll carry you out. What do you say?”

“Why?”

I frown. “Why what, princess?”

“Why are you helping me?”

I’m taken aback, partly because I’d like to think I would do this for anyone, especially a Little, but also my heart hurts thinking she hasn’t met many people in life who would help her.

How much do I want to reveal? I decide this precious Little needs honesty from me right off the bat.

So, I lick my lips and go for it. “I’ve been watching you for a while, princess.

I feel drawn to you. I like you. I’d like to get to know you better if you’ll let me.

I’d like to earn your trust. Have you ever had a Daddy, Little one? ”

She shakes her head slowly, eyes wide again.

“It’s kind of lonely being Little without a Daddy, isn’t it?”

She gives a nod this time.

“Do you think you could try letting me be your Daddy?” I know deep in my soul this is what I want. There are no doubts. I don’t want her to panic, but I won’t hedge. I want her to be mine. I feel a connection that is drawing me to her so hard.

“I…” Her mouth hangs open. “I’m… I don’t know.”

I stroke her fingers lightly. “It’s okay. You don’t have to make any decisions right now, Little one. All you need to do right now is trust me to get you out of here. Can you do that?”

When she nods uncertainly, I silently fist pump. Now, I need to do my job and get her out of this club without attracting attention to her or causing any more anxiety than she’s already feeling.

“Ready?”

She nods again.

I slide out from under the table, shrug out of my jacket, tuck her dress under my arm, and glance around.

Only one person is paying attention to me.

Galven. He gives me a nod, telling me everything I need to know.

He was aware I was under the table, he’s taken over my position at the punch bowl, and he has my back.

“Okay, princess, crawl out.” I hold out the jacket.

She scrambles forward, and I’m completely aware this is the most important and defining moment in our relationship. Her putting this amount of trust in me is huge. Her putting this amount of trust in anyone is huge.

As Josie rises on wobbly, uncertain feet, I wrap the jacket around her and sweep her off her feet to cradle her in my arms as gently as possible.

To my relief and surprise, she leans into me, buries her face, and squeezes her eyes closed. Adorable. Precious. Heart stopping. Mine.

I move to leave the room, pausing only a moment to make eye contact with Galven again. I nod toward the door. I know he understands.