Page 2 of Mariah

“Good luck,” they called out as the door closed behind her.

Mariah

Squaring her shoulders, Mariah burst into Baze’s office and walked right up to his desk, waiting for him to notice her.

He glanced up but kept working. “What can I do for you, Mariah?”

She started to lose her nerve immediately. “I… um… I want a job, Sir.”

Baze immediately stopped typing and folded his hands on the desk in front of him. “First of all, Mariah, it’s Mister Daddy to you,” he said, reminding her of his preferred title.

Baze was Baze Patrick, a billionaire hotel mogul who had found Mariah and her friends squatting in an abandoned Las Vegas hotel and casino, and promptly purchased it, vowing to turn it into a paradise for Littles. He’d fallen immediately for Mariah’s friend Luna, and became her Daddy-Dom, taking on a caretaker/pseudo Daddy-Dom role to the rest of them.

Mariah cleared her throat and started her pitch. “Mister Daddy… I’d like a job… please.”

Baze looked across the desk at her and frowned. “Mariah, we’ve been over this. There’s no need for you to go out and get a job. I can easily provide for all of you. If you need anything, all you have to do is ask.”

Mariah sat down in the chair in front of his desk. “I appreciate your generosity, Mister Daddy, but I’d still like a job. And I’m not asking permission to go out and get one. I’m asking you to give me one here.”

Baze frowned again, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “Utopia isn’t open and won’t be for months. I mean I suppose when it is, you could maybe work part time in one of the shops or something, but that’s a ways away.”

Mariah shook her head, plowing forward. She didn’t want to wait months, and she would be bored out of her mind working in one of the shops.. She was nervous, but Margo’s Daddy, Knox, had encouraged her to stand up for herself and ask for what she wanted. “I don’t… I don’t want to work in one of the shops, Mister Daddy. Knox said… Knox said you were hiring a cook for us and the crew. I was hoping… I was hoping I could get a job working in the kitchen. Like chopping vegetables, doing prep… I’d even wash the dishes.” She tried to keep the distaste out of her voice. Mariah really hated washing dishes, but if it was the only job she could get she’d take it.

Baze was leaning back in his office chair, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “I did hire a cook, but I’m not sure Chef Graham wants me to hire help for him. Most chefs like to hire their own sous chefs.”

“Knox said he was coming here from California. Is he bringing a sous chef with him?”

“I guess not. If he is, he hasn’t mentioned it.” Baze nodded. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll talk to him and if he agrees, you can interview for the position. But part time only, okay, Mariah? Little girls don’t need to work all the time. They need free time and naps and a good night’s sleep. If you can work without it interfering with those things, then I’ll let you, but if I see you breaking rules because you’re working too hard, or getting too stressed out, that will be the end of that. Do you understand me, little girl?”

“Yes, Mister Daddy!” Mariah cried, jumping up and bouncing on her toes. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“Don’t thank me yet,” Baze told her, turning his attention back to his work. “It’s not a done deal.”

It may not be, Mariah thought as she left, closing the door behind her, but the hard part was done. Asking Baze for a job was something she’d agonized over. Compared to that, having to interview for a job with some random chef she didn’t know would be a piece of cake.

Chapter 2

Graham

“Are you sure about this, bro?” Graham’s brother cocked his head and furrowed his brow. “I get that it’s a good opportunity, but, at a Littles resort? I thought you swore off all that after Kaylie.”

Graham’s eyes narrowed at the mention of her name. Someday just hearing it or thinking of her wouldn’t make his gut hurt and his heart rate accelerate, but he wasn’t there yet.

Not that it mattered though. Just because he’d sworn off Littles after his last experience, didn’t mean he couldn’t take a good job when it was offered. “Taking a Little isn’t a job requirement.”

“No, but being around them is. And I know you. You won’t be able to resist. There’s something about them that gets you every time.”

“There used to be, but I’ve changed,” he countered, trying to put a lid on his annoyance. He knew his brother just had his best interests at heart. And Pierce wasn’t wrong. Kaylie had done a number on him. But that was exactly why he knew he could take this job and still stick to his plan. He had no desire to be a Daddy anymore.

“If you’re sure, bro. I just don’t want to see you get hurt again.”

“I won’t be. I’m one-hundred percent focused on work.”

“You could be one-hundred percent focused on work in a job that didn’t have you surrounded by the exact thing you are trying to avoid,” Pierce argued gruffly. “It’s like an alcoholic taking a job in a bar. It makes no damn sense.”

Graham rolled his eyes. “It’s not the same thing at all, and I love you, but you’ve said your piece. I’ve heard your concerns. Now butt out and be happy for me.” He checked his watch and slung his bag over his shoulder, grabbing his suitcase from the trunk. “Thanks for the ride. Now, scram before you make me miss my flight.”

“That might not be such a bad thing,” Pierce grumbled even as he pulled him in for a hug. “Have a good trip. Text me when you land.”