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Chapter three
Wylan
“ O h no, oh no, oh no. What have I gotten myself into?” I mumble through my nerves as I pace backstage. Pulling back the curtain, I peer out at the gathering crowd. Dark Satin is buzzing with excitement, even more so than their typical Masquerade Night. How many members does Dark Satin have? Jeeze. Are all those men Daddies, or are they just here to help support the fundraiser? I shove the curtain back in place.
Is it too late to back out of this auction?
As soon as the thought comes to mind, I bat it away. I want to be here. If there’s even a small chance Seth is here, I want to see if this auction is the little push we need. There’s no way that whatever is building up between us is all in my head. And even though Grandpa said I should just ask him, I doubt I have the guts to directly ask my boss out on a date.
But does it count if we were friends long before he hired me? Because in all honesty, this little crush blossomed way before I started working at Silk.
“Stop peeking at all the people out there. You’re going to make me nervous too.” Riley rubs his tummy with a pout, and I instantly feel bad. All my worries vanish the moment I take in my best friend’s appearance. I can tell he’s hovering somewhere between adult and little.
My eyes drop down to his hand that’s currently trying to soothe his stomach. “Are you sure you’re okay?” Riley tends to get really nervous around big crowds. I wouldn’t be surprised if he decides to skip tonight’s auction.
Riley nods. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just ignore me. Maybe it was my lunch,” he lies. “Let’s just head back and see if our elf costumes are here yet.”
Reaching for Riley’s hand, I squeeze it once before I guide him to the locker rooms. Sure enough, there are several boys already back here changing into their colorful outfits.
Ash rushes forward when he sees us, his wavy black hair flopping in his face. He’s holding up a bright outfit that’s mostly red with green trim. “How freaking cute are these?” He squeals. I chuckle at his enthusiasm, feeling my own excitement flutter through my stomach.
I run over to the racks of clothes and flip through them until I find a green crop top that looks familiar. The matching shorts are pinned with a cute gift tag on the front. My full name is scrolled on top of the tag with pretty cursive on it. I pluck it off the hanger and hold the outfit up to my body.
The shorts are a little revealing, but still playful with all the sparkles. It’s perfect. I love dressing up. When I told Jules that I have little tendencies, dressing up is part of it. While I don’t regress completely, certain outfits evoke different feelings—more confidence, a touch of silliness, and a sense of fun.
“Well, don’t stop on my account. Put it on,” Riley says with a shaky smile. “Maybe seeing you dress up will soothe my nerves.”
I tug Riley into my arms and give him a comforting hug. “Don’t feel any pressure to join me on stage. If you don’t want to go up there, we can have a playdate when I’m done.”
Riley gives me a thankful look. “I’ll think about it. Thank you, bestie. Now, get dressed, you have a certain man to impress.”
Oh my god, this is really happening. Despite my nerves, I shimmy out of the rest of my clothes with a smile, eager to get into the elf outfit. The smooth glide of the thin red stockings sends an extra thrill of sensation against my skin as I roll them up my legs. I hop into my shimmery green short-shorts and throw on the top.
“Don’t forget your mask,” Jules says, suddenly by my side.
“Thanks.” I grin, looking at the pretty black lace. “Can you tie it for me?”
“Sure thing. Turn around.” Jules places the mask over my eyes as he hums along to a Christmas song. “Your prince charming is here, by the way,” Jules whispers into my ear so no one else can hear.
My heart skips a beat. “Does that mean he’s actually a Daddy?”
“I’m still not entirely sure. How did the flirting go?”
A blush creeps onto my face. “Oh my gosh,” I groan. “Good, I guess.” An image of Seth checking me out from behind comes to mind. Shit. I can’t believe I did that. I bent over hoping to be seductive, but once I realized I was supposed to pretend to be doing busy work, it was too late, and I kind of just…froze.
Jules tickles my side. “Oh my god, the look on your face. You did something crazy. Didn’t you?”
“Hey!” I swat his hands away.
“And what kind of answer is that? Good, you guess? What does that even mean?”
“It means I probably made a fool of myself.”
Jules narrows his eyes. “Did he tell you to stop? Or did he seem upset that you were flirting with him?”
I shake my head. “No. But he seemed confused, at first.” When Seth finally caught on to what I was doing, it resulted in a smile so beautiful it had me weak in the knees. “I think he was flirting back?” I pose it as a question, because there’s no way he was really flirting back. Right?
“Well, there you go! That sounds good.” Jules pats me on the back. “I’m pretty sure he’s here for you, Wylan.”
My eyes widen. “Why would you say that?”
He winks. “Let’s just say I have a pretty good feeling. The way that man watches you? Wow, if I didn’t have Cal, I’d be jealous.” Jules fans himself with his hand and I roll my eyes.
As soon as the mask is in place I take in my appearance in the large body-sized mirror. I almost don’t recognize myself. I run a hand through my strawberry blond hair. I completely forgot I dyed it the other day.
Riley taps Jules on the shoulder and pouts. “Do you think Cal will mind if I skip the auction and play in the Little’s Room? I think I need to get out of my head for a bit.”
My brows pinch together, worried that Riley might be by himself.
“Sure,” Jules replies. Tony is back there monitoring the room. There are a few Daddies and littles in there, so you can play with them or play on your own.”
Riley and I both visibly relax. I pull him into my arms again and smile. “I’m proud of you, Ry. I’ll join you after.”
“But what about your date? Don’t you need to go out with the Daddy who wins?”
I shake my head. “Whoever wins a date with me should understand. Any good Daddy would. If he doesn’t, then maybe I don’t want a date with him.”
Shortly after Riley heads out of the locker rooms, looking lighter than he has all night, I take a moment to really appreciate myself in the mirror. My elf outfit is mostly a green sparkly crop top, matching booty shorts, and red tights. As I twirl in a circle, I giggle at the way I shimmer in the light.
That fun floaty feeling I get when I’m in my happy headspace takes over me, pushing most of my nerves away. I’m not a little or a middle. I’m not a pup, or anything like that. I’m just… me. And I pray that whichever Daddy—whether it’s Seth or not—who bids on me tonight is willing to hear me out and try to understand.
I want to be accepted, and not pushed into a box that says I need to act a certain way.
All my previous exes tried to tell me how to act, how to play, what was right and how I did things wrong. But no matter what I tried I never could get into that headspace unless I did it my way.
Again, I just hope that this Daddy is willing to try with me. Whoever he is.
Once we are all dressed and backstage, the bidding war begins. Hunter announces each little, boy, and pup, one at a time to walk the stage. The rest of us cheer and sing along to the remixed Christmas music the DJ plays over the speakers until it’s our turn.
For some people, I know this auction thing is just for fun, a way for some of the littles and boys to dress up for charity, but as I watch my friend Ash giggle and skip on the stage, it feels like more. Like this is a way for certain submissives to express themselves publicly.
I spot Ash’s boyfriend and Daddy, Drake, out in the crowd as he grins up at his boy proudly and uses a sparkly Christmas themed paddle to bid. The sight makes me so freaking happy.
When it’s nearly my turn, I walk towards the stage with a mix of excitement and a strange premonition that my life is about to change. Maybe it’s all the happy people singing around me or maybe it’s even a little Christmas magic, either way, there’s a huge smile I can’t seem to wipe off my face.