Page 5 of Tying Little Tay (Littles of Rawhide Ranch #13)

Tay

Tay stared around Master Derek’s office, looking everywhere other than at the person sitting behind the desk. When they accidentally caught his eye, he raised an eyebrow.

“You look suitably chastened,” he said, and Tay winced.

“Chef Guilia says that I have to pick my own punishment.”

Master Derek looked amused. “That’s not a bad idea, that. I might have to purloin it for my own use. You’ll be pleased to know that Holly and Sadie managed to clean up sufficiently.”

Tay felt awful that they’d dragged their friends into punishments like that, and it must have shown on their face, because his look softened slightly.

“We’re here, Signore Derek,” said Chef Guilia, “because Tay and I would like to consider entering a dynamic. Caregiver/Little. But, of course, they work with me, and I couldn’t do without them in the kitchen—they make some of the finest pasta I’ve ever seen.”

That made Tay glow with pride, just a little bit.

“Ah, I see,” said Derek.

“And I’m Big when I’m at work,” said Tay. “I don’t think that I could really do the whole dynamic-y thing when I’m in the kitchen. I need to be able to answer back and disagree and be my usual argumentative self.”

Guilia and Derek just looked at them. “Well, maybe I don’t need to be, but being free to express my opinions is part of how I work. I don’t mind having a work argument, as long as it doesn’t drag into my personal life, and vice versa.”

Derek looked thoughtful. “It might be tricky,” he warned. “We have couples and throuples here at the Ranch who do work with each other, but most of them are in their dynamic most of the time. The two of you would have to set out some very clear boundaries between work and… well, and play.”

Guilia’s pixie cut was short enough that Tay could see that the tips of her ears were going pink.

“We could do that,” Guilia said. “The other consideration is about what Tay will call me. If we are to be in a relationship, then I would hope that terms of endearment, even in the kitchen might be permitted.”

Tay’s heart leapt the moment Chef Guilia mentioned the words “we and relationship” in the same sentence. This had to be what people experienced when they said they felt a bit giddy. “Should I call you Chef Daddy?” asked Tay, teasing.

Derek leveled a look at them. “Little one, this is not to be taken lightly.”

“No, sir, sorry, sir,” said Tay. They liked the fact that Master Derek had his own way of addressing them.

He called most of the Littles ‘little lady’ or ‘darlin’’, but he’d made the concerted effort to tweak that for Tay.

Little one felt far more in line with their nonbinary identity than darlin’ would have been.

“I just… I’m a jokey kind of person. I’m not going to be serious all the time, and I think if I changed to be so, the rest of the kitchen staff would find it weird and unnecessarily formal.

And honestly, if Guilia is to be my Daddy”—here Tay snuck a look at the brunette—“then I’m probably going to slip up and call her Daddy sometimes. ”

“I think if it’s the exception, rather than the rule, then that would probably work,” he said.

“And that’s a good point about your coworkers.

Guilia, maybe you have a word with them so that it doesn’t come as a surprise?

And let them know that I’m overseeing it.

” Then he turned back to Tay and looked very serious.

“And you have to promise me, Tay, that if something goes wrong, or you’re not happy, you come to me straight away. ”

Tay shook their head. “Chef Guilia would never?—”

“Tay.” He cut across their objection. “I’m very serious. You never know how things can turn out, and there is a power differential here, so I’m going to transfer your line management to myself. Chef Guilia will oversee the day to day, but I’ll do your annual reviews.”

Chef Guilia looked so relieved that Tay was surprised. “Don’t you want to line manage me anymore?”

She walked over and took Tay’s hands in her own, her words earnest. “It is really important to me that your career is not affected by this, and if you are to be my Little one, my tesore, then I feel more comfortable making sure that we are doing things by the book.”

“And I promise not to bring up this latest prank in your review,” said Derek with a grin. “We all know how well you balance your Little side with work, and I wouldn’t want anything to disrupt that.”

“Okay then,” said Tay. All the changes were a little bit overwhelming, but they knew that they were for the best. And if it meant that Guilia got to be her Daddy… well, Tay would do pretty much anything for that to be the case. “I guess we’re all organized then?”

“Not even close,” said Guilia, “but for now we have to prep for service, so we will have to table everything until after work.”

They knew that seemed fair, but it didn’t particularly feel fair, especially with the promise of a self-imposed punishment hovering over Tay, but pasta wouldn’t make itself.

Although they kind of just wanted to throw themself on their bed and hide away for a while.

“It’s okay,” said Guilia, correctly reading Tay’s mood. “It’s okay if you’re too tired. We have some dried pasta in the?—”

“ Absolutely not! ” said Tay. “Dried pasta in my kitchen ?! Unacceptable.”