Maximus Read online

  The dining area to the left contained a large wooden table and chairs. The table looked like the perfect space to lay out fabric and cut it up before she set up her sewing machine to create…something. Looking further to her left, she found the kitchen, where Max was standing at the stove, stirring something.

  Annie wasn’t sure what to do, so she remained frozen until Max turned his head and smiled at her. “Good morning, ladybug. How did you sleep?”

  She stepped closer, but stayed well out of his reach. Jenna had always fussed at her about getting in the way while she was cooking. While Annie loved to cook, she wasn’t very good at it. Her mind often drifted away, which meant things sometimes burned or even caught fire while she daydreamed.

  “Very well, thank you,” she said, moving around to stand at the bar area that separated the kitchen from the rest of the open room. She was out of the kitchen, but still able to talk to Max.

  “Good. I’m glad. Sit down and we’ll have breakfast before we talk.”

  Though Annie wasn’t sure she wanted to hear what he had to say, she was hungry, and everything smelled so good. Two places were set at the bar, but she hesitated. “Can I do anything to help?” she offered.

  “Yes, you can climb up on that stool and relax. I’ve got this,” Max said as he opened the oven door and pulled out a large casserole pan and then a cookie sheet of biscuits.

  “Wow, that’s a lot of food,” Annie said as he transferred the biscuits to a napkin-lined wicker basket. He then dumped the contents of the frypan he had been stirring on the stove into a bowl.

  “Maybe, but everything I made tastes just as good as leftovers. Well, except the gravy. That doesn’t do too well being reheated,” Max said.

  He cut the casserole then lifted a square onto each of the plates on the counter. He carried the plates to the bar before going back for the biscuits and gravy. One last trip across the kitchen brought a mug of coffee, which he set at his place, and a glass of milk, which he set before hers.

  She looked at her milk and then at his coffee. “Could I have coffee, too, please?” she asked.

  He studied her for a moment before his mouth twisted to the side and he looked away. “After you finish your milk, and your breakfast, we’ll see,” he finally said as he slid onto the stool beside her.

  “Yes, Daddy,” she said, the sassy snark clear in her tone.

  He gave her a look she couldn’t read, though his dark chocolate brown eyes glowed with a heat that sent a shiver of want through Annie. For the first time in a long time, her pussy dampened, and she found herself wondering what kissing Max, and more, would feel like.

  Breakfast was consumed in silence, and though she normally liked milk, drinking it now became a struggle. But she finished the egg, cheese, and sausage dish he’d made, as well as a biscuit smothered with some of the best sausage gravy she’d ever tasted. By the time she finished, she was full and wasn’t sure she could drink a cup of coffee even if he offered it.

  After carefully placing her fork on her plate, she folded her hands in her lap. “You wanted to talk.” It was hard to start the conversation, especially since she had no idea what subject the handsome biker wanted to discuss.

  Max ate several more bites before setting his fork on his plate and wiping his mouth. When he turned and wiped her mouth, as well, she froze, not sure what to make of the action.

  “Yes, I did. I want to help you. I also want you to know that I find you very, very attractive,” Max said before taking another sip of his coffee.

  Annie didn’t know how to respond to his blunt words. She did not think jumping up and down and screaming “yippee” would go over very well. Nor would throwing herself into his arms and begging him to fuck her until neither of them could walk. Instead, she took a slow, deep breath while forcing herself to keep her mouth shut.

  “I know you’re at a place in life where you might not want a man to take over, and that we just met yesterday. But I want you to understand I’m here for anything you need. I’m interested in starting a relationship with you. Whatever kind of relationship you’d like, friends, or more than friends. But, like I said yesterday, I am a kinky, controlling SOB, in the bedroom as well as out.”

  Annie’s pussy clenched as Max said all the right things. He was making it more and more difficult for her to keep quiet. But still she hesitated, afraid to share her secrets, afraid he might use them against her.

  She jumped when he reached over and laid a hand on her shoulder. “Annie? I’m a man, and I suck at reading minds. Please, talk to me. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

  His gentleness stripped away the protective barriers she had put around her heart over the years with an ease that frightened her. But she could not hold herself back any longer. “I’m forty years old and have only slept with three men. Two during college, and one about five years ago. I’ve never been married, never really wanted to, because I never met a man who could give me what I needed. Through reading books and doing research I’ve realized I’m looking for a special type of man. A unicorn, really.”

  “A unicorn? Exactly what kind of man are you looking for?”

  Annie bit her bottom lip as she tried to come up with the words to describe her perfect man. She hoped by doing so she wouldn’t scare Max off, or disgust him to the point that he threw her out of his house, at least not before allowing her to take a shower first.

  She really wanted a shower.

  Finally, taking a deep breath, she said, “The world sees me as a strong, independent woman, but I’m living a lie. I’m looking for a man who looks beyond the strength and independence to see the Little girl who hides deep inside me. The Little girl waiting for a man who is an indulgent, but strict, Daddy. I want to live with the man in an age play relationship, one where he is in control.”

  She paused for a moment, and then, before Max could respond, she took a deep breath and continued. “I’m not looking for some creepy guy who preys on children. I want a man who can understand I am an adult who, outside of my business, prefers to give over life decision-making to him. A man who loves to cuddle and be in charge, not one looking for a mommy-type to take care of him.”

  Once she finished, Annie forced herself to shut her mouth, and wait for Max to respond. While she waited, she tried to decide if she had enough money to rent a room somewhere, or if she should just rent a car large enough to live in until the stupid insurance company sent her a check.

  Chapter Five

  Max shifted as his cock stiffened. She might be a few years older than his thirty-six years, but he had already decided that Annie Griffin was perfect for him. Standing, he turned away long enough to adjust his erection to a more comfortable position. When he turned back, he found Annie looking like she was about to bolt.

  Crossing to where she sat, he picked her up and carried her into the living room. Settling in his favorite oversized recliner, Max held her sitting across his lap. When she tried to jump up, he wrapped his arms around her and held her securely.

  “We should have moved in here before we started this conversation,” he said, running a hand up and down her arm to settle her down.

  “I’m sorry,” Annie said softly, burying her face in the side of his neck. “I don’t want to put you on the spot, but you did ask what my unicorn was.”

  “Annie, I’m not upset with you. I’m actually very pleased with your answer. Because I’ve been looking for a unicorn of my own. A woman who doesn’t just want to playact being a Little girl, but one who wants to live the life. With me. A woman with hips and tits and curves who needs me to spoil her, cherish her, make life easier for her, just like every Little girl deserves. When I saw you hugging the animals yesterday, it felt like lightning struck. I had a feeling you were the woman I’d been looking for.”

  “You don’t think I’m crazy for talking to stuffies? Or liking to color at night while watching old cartoon movies? Or dancing around the house when I’ve had a really good day?” She stared up at him with a combination of fear and hope.

  It was an expression Max wanted to replace with hope and joy. “Only if you think I’m crazy for wanting to take care of you, make sure you’re safe and taken care of in every way, and dance with you,” he said, his cock fully inflated and pressed hard against the zipper of his jeans.

  He was surprised she did not feel it against her hip. Or maybe she did, he thought as she slid a hand down between them to brush up and down his length.

  “But we just met,” she whispered. “How can this be happening so fast?”

  “In my family, it happens like this. My grandfather looked through a window at a party, saw my grandmother standing with her back to him, and told the friend he was with that he was going to marry her. His friend laughed, but by the end of the night my grandfather had not only stolen her from the man she had come to the party with, he proposed. They were married six months later because her parents demanded they wait until she graduated from high school.”

  Annie looked at him and blinked. “Sounds like he really swept her off her feet,” she said softly.

  “Oh, he did. Much like you swept me off mine,” Max said, sliding a hand around the back her head to hold it steady while he leaned in and kissed her.

  Her lips were soft and warm under his, and there was an innocence to her as she hesitantly responded. When he slid his free hand over a breast, she gasped. He took advantage, tilting his head and licking at her lips, her teeth, and then deepening the kiss even further.

  Max smiled as she kissed him back, her responses growing more heated by the minute. They were both breathing hard when she turned her head and broke off the kiss.

  “Oh my,” she breathed as she rested her forehead against his cheek.

  “Oh my, indeed,” he repeated with a grin. “I guess that answers the question of whether or not there’s any chemistry between us.”

  His cock pulsed hard, but he refused to move things along. They had known one another for twelve hours, and he was certain she was still in a state of shock over her sister’s actions the night before. But he wanted to show her that he could be the Daddy of her dreams, if only she would give him the chance.

  “Okay, enough fooling around for now. How about I show you something and we’ll get you bathed and ready for the day? Then you can unpack your things while I clean up the kitchen. After that you can come to the shop with me.”

  Annie took a deep breath before nodding. “Sounds like a plan to me. I lost my phone last night, so can I use your phone to call the insurance company to see what the holdup is on my claims and do some other work.”

  “Relax, sweetheart. Your phone is on my dresser.”

  Max gave her a squeeze before allowing her to climb from his lap. Once on his feet, he took her hand and led her down the hall. Instead of returning to the room she had slept in the night before, he opened the door at the end of the hall and led her into the master suite.

  Flipping on the overhead light, he winced as he realized the state of his room. His bed was made, but the clothes he’d worn the day before were strewn across the floor where they had landed as he’d stripped on his way to the shower. He was grateful Annie did not comment as he led her to the dresser and returned her phone. Next, he guided her to a door on the other side of the room. The navy blue, gray, and white décor suited him, but also focused attention on the raisin purple door.

  “I’ve been putting this room together over the past couple years. If there’s anything you don’t like, or want to change, let me know,” he said as he took a key from a nail beside the door and unlocked the purple door. Pushing it open, he reached in and flipped on the light. Then he waited for her to enter before him.

  “I like the purple door,” Annie said as she stepped through the doorway.

  She took two steps into the room and stopped. She was the first person, other than him, to see the finished room. Not even his family had been in here. Except for the plumbing and electrical, he had done all the work himself, painting, putting down the bamboo flooring, then finding plans on the internet for the furniture, which he built in the secrecy of his garage.

  Max watched as Annie stepped inside and turned in a circle. He’d gone with a simple Texas theme, using pale yellow on the walls with white trim on the baseboards, doors, and windows. The brown floor contrasted nicely, and the brightly patterned area rugs added pops of color. Instead of going with an oversized crib, he’d laid the mattress on the floor, then hung sheer white floor-to-ceiling curtains around it, creating a princess tent for his dream Little.

  The corner to the left held an oversized wooden rocking chair while in the opposite corner sat his favorite part of the room—a white, antique claw-foot tub sitting on a tall platform. He had found, refurbished and installed the tub just the year before.

  This room was as far from his biker life as one could get, but then the Kinky Saints weren’t your typical motorcycle club. While some tried to insult them by calling them weekend warriors, or not “real” bikers, the family jokingly called themselves “a kinder, kinkier MC.” They might not run drugs, sell women, or kill their enemies, but they didn’t have to. Nonno and the other men who founded Kinky Saints back in the 1940s had set the moral bar high enough that no other club in the state—hell, the country—dared to cross them. The six cousins who comprised the bulk of the club these days were businessmen, including a lawyer, a veterinarian, a bar owner, a psychologist, a Navy SEAL, and him. He sold and repaired motorcycles, along with everything needed to ride in style.

  Max watched as the woman he wanted in his life slowly circled the room, until she reached the tub. She did not speak, and he couldn’t see her face, but he saw her shoulders begin to shake. Crossing to stand behind her, he laid his hands on her shoulders and said, “Annie?”

  He was not prepared for her to spin and throw herself into him, her arms snaking around his middle like a boa constrictor. He returned the hug as he asked, “Does this mean you like the room?”

  She leaned back and looked up at him, tears rolling down her cheeks and the biggest grin on her face. “I love it, Da…Max…what should I call you?”

  “Max, for now. There will come a time when Daddy feels natural. When we are with others, call me Max.”

  Annie nodded then looked around the room again. “It’s the most beautiful room I’ve ever seen. I can really sleep in here?”

  “Yes, ladybug, you can really sleep here. At least until you feel comfortable enough to sleep in Daddy’s bed. Would you like to bring Spike in and see how she feels about the room? We’ll put your big girl clothes in the closet in my room, and leave the closet in here for your Little clothes, how’s that sound?”

  Annie nodded again, but continued staring at the tub. “Can I take a bath in the tub now, please?”

  “Of course, but first let’s get your things from the guest room. That way you’ll have clean clothes to dress in when you finish your bath. I don’t have any Little girl clothes here for you. We’ll have to do some shopping this afternoon.”

  Annie looked so serious as she met his gaze. “Can we wait to buy clothes until I get the money from the insurance company? You shouldn’t have to buy everything for me.”

  She squealed when he smacked her bottom three times. He had hard hands and knew she would feel it for a little while. “Daddies pay for their Little girl’s clothing, food, and anything else she needs. We’ll go shopping later and I don’t want to hear another word about it. You need the insurance money to reopen your store.”

  “Yes, Daddy,” she said softly as her head bobbed and down.

  Max knew this wouldn’t be the last time they knocked heads over money, but his heart clenched, and his cock twitched, when she called him Daddy. There was something about hearing that word in her soft voice that made him want to do whatever he needed to in order to hear her say it over and over in the days, months, and years to come.

  For now, though, he would be patient, and give her as much time as she needed to trust him and accept him in her life as her Daddy. “Okay, sweetheart, let’s go get a bath and then you and Spike can settle into your new room.”

  Chapter Six

  After pulling out clean clothes, she carried them, and Spike, into the nursery. The clothes went on the bench beside the tub before she hugged Spike and carefully set her in the rocking chair. She circled the room, admiring once again the twinkle lights that threaded through tent-like curtains surrounding the bed. She ran her fingers along the front of the low dresser, and slowly, slowly made her way back to the corner that held the tub.

  For the first time since meeting Max, she found herself feeling wary. She knew he wouldn’t hurt her, but she wasn’t sure she could take her clothes off in front of him. She’d never stripped on a first date before, even if they had moved far beyond first date status.

  “Annie,” Max said softly from where he leaned against the wall beside the tub, which was slowly filling with water.

  She turned and looked at him. “Yes?”

  “I know this situation is overwhelming with us just meeting last night, and now you’re here and having your dream handed to you. If you ever need to take a break and talk about something, anything, adult to adult, all you have to do is say the word red. That will be your safe word, okay?”

  “Really? I get a safe word?”

  Max straightened and dropped his arms to his sides before slowly approaching. “Of course we have a safe word, though I hope you never have to use it.”

  “You’ll use it, too, won’t you? When you need to talk Max to Annie?”

  “Yes, ladybug, I’ll use it if I need to,” Max said with an indulgent smile.

  Annie nodded. “All right then. Red is the safe word in this house, but we hope we never have to use it.”

  Max nodded then moved closer and reached for the hem of her shirt. “Now to get my Little girl out of these clothes and into her bath.”

  -->