Page 3 of Mariah

Pierce got in his car and pulled away, and Graham stepped through the airport doors, now questioning whether his brother was right. Was he making a huge mistake?

It was a good job, with generous pay and incredible benefits and an opportunity to see a city he’d never seen before. That should be reason enough to go, but had he been fooling himself? Was he ready to be around so many Littles? And would he really be able to resist their cuteness and their charms and wiles? Or would he end up in the exact same place he’d ended up with Kaylie? Hurt, confused and taken advantage of on a constant basis until he no longer knew which way was up.

He shook his head as he checked in at the self-check kiosk, dropped off his bag at bag drop, and headed toward the security checkpoint. Just because he didn’t want a Little of his own, didn’t mean he couldn’t be around them every day or take a job working with them. He may not consider himself a Daddy anymore, but he still believed in the lifestyle. Daddies and Littles were still taboo and mostly misunderstood, even in BDSM circles. They needed a safe place to be themselves, like the Utopia that Baze Patrick was building, and that was why he’d taken the job. He just hoped he hadn’t made a mistake.

Graham

“This is the kitchen. We just finished renovating and upgrading it last week. If we’ve forgotten anything or there’s any equipment you’d like to have, just make a list and I’ll see to it.”

Billionaire hotel mogul and his new boss, Baze Patrick himself, had met him at the airport, chauffeured there in a limo of course, had helped him move his things into a newly-renovated hotel room and was now giving him the grand tour. Baze had offered to let him settle in and give him the tour tomorrow, but Graham was full of anxious energy and eager to acquaint himself with his new surroundings.

He watched as Baze pointed out the state-of-the-art newly renovated kitchen with all its top-of-the-line, drool-worthy equipment, and nodded, impressed. “So, on the phone you said I’d be starting out cooking for a small group of people and to just offer one or two menu options with large portions prepared ahead of time?”

“That’s correct. We are just doing minor upgrades and remodels right now, but our crew should be arriving in the next month. For now, it’s myself, my seven Littles, my foreman, and our five-person decorating team.”

“I’m sorry, did you say you had seven Littles?” Graham hadn’t heard anything after that. His brain had gone into shut-down mode. He hadn’t even been able to handle one, and this man had seven on top of running a multi-billion-dollar hotel empire? It was the money that did it. It had to be. He could afford to hire nannies to take care of them and cooks to feed them, obviously.

“How in the world did you end up with seven Littles? And how on earth do you manage to care for them all on top of”—he gestured widely with his hands—“all this?” Graham voiced his thoughts out loud before he could stop himself. He was bad at that. He didn’t really have a filter and it had a tendency to get him in trouble.

“It’s a long story,” his new boss answered with a chuckle. “Only one, my wife Luna, is truly mine. The others… I’m more of a House Daddy for them. I care for them and discipline them when needed, but they are only mine until they go off and find Daddies of their own. One of them recently got together with my foreman, Knox. You’ll meet him tomorrow if not before.”

Graham was stunned into silence as he processed it all. He couldn’t come up with a damn thing to say in response to Baze’s reply and such a reaction was unusual for him.

Luckily, Baze didn’t seem to require a response, and kept right on talking.

“Aside from that, they were all very independent and self-sufficient before they met me and have, for the most part, continued on that way. Only now they have security and rules and consequences. But they are very good Little girls.”

“Uh-huh.” He was starting to second guess his choice, and the reality of it was setting in. Maybe his brother had been right.

“Actually, that was going to be one of the things I was planning to ask you about.” Baze led him out to the cafeteria-style dining room and sat down at a four-top table, gesturing for Graham to sit across from him. He did and Baze continued, “I wanted to ask you about your staffing needs. I don’t figure you’ll need a full staff this early on, with less than twenty people to cook for, but I figured you’d need a sous chef and a general kitchen assistant at the very least. Maybe two of them.”

“That sounds good,” Graham agreed, too shell-shocked to do anything else. “I don’t know anyone in the area. How do you generally do your hiring?”

Baze shrugged. “The standard way I suppose, but it’s a bit different with this project. I want to make sure the people I hire are tolerant and knowledgeable of the DDLG, age-play and ABDL lifestyle, so I can’t go through the regular hiring channels and it does take a bit longer.”

“So it could be a while before I have any staff at all?” Graham questioned.

“Well, technically yes. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. One of my Littles loves to cook, often handles kitchen duty and meal prep for us, and really wants a job. I promised her I’d talk to you.”

“One of your Littles?” Graham repeated dumbly. His gut felt like it filled with lead and his throat went dry. He didn’t want to start off their boss and employee relationship this way, but working with a Little, even one who was a proclaimed “good girl” and “self-sufficient and independent,” sounded like the worst kind of hell. How did he say that without putting his new job in jeopardy?

“I… uh… sure, I guess,” he stammered. Where was his no filter setting when he needed it?

“Great!” Baze slammed his hand palm down onto the table, wearing a wide grin. “Mariah will be thrilled. When can she start? Do you need to interview her first?”

“Uh… Monday I guess? No interview needed, but she’ll have to prove she can hack it. I’ll take her on a probationary period of sorts, if that’s okay with you.” He started on Monday and he’d be a fool not to accept help when it was offered. But that didn’t mean he had to keep her on. It just gave him time to look for someone else.

“Wonderful. I’ll let her know.” Baze’s pocket beeped and he pulled out his phone and peered at it. “Well, looks like I’m needed upstairs. I think we are done here for now. If you have any questions, feel free to give me a call. And”—Baze extended his hand and Graham shook it—“welcome to Utopia.”

As he walked away, Graham couldn’t help but wonder what he’d gotten himself into.

Chapter 3

Graham

Monday morning, bright and early at seven a.m. sharp, Graham was in the kitchen waiting for his new assistant to arrive. He’d had the weekend to himself, with ample time to acquaint himself with his surroundings. He’d spent some time playing tourist, and walking the strip, but he’d also spent a lot of time wandering around the resort. Most things were closed up and had been for years, but he still enjoyed checking out the casino and the brand-new chapel. He’d checked out the mural scribbled on the chapel walls and the details had made him laugh. There was even a little plaque explaining that it was Baze’s wife who’d drawn the mural while squatting at the hotel with her friends and that it was how Baze and his wife Luna had met. The plaque detailed how Baze bought the building that same night and vowed to make Luna’s dream Utopia a reality. The story made him smile. He couldn’t help it. He was a sucker for a happy ending and had a soft side. He’d always been told that was what made him a good Daddy. Unfortunately, it was also what made him fair game for predatory Littles like Kaylie.

Baze knew some of his history and had assured him that the Littles he’d take care of now were good and sweet and wouldn’t get in his way or cause him any trouble. He’d doubted it at the time, but since he hadn’t seen hide nor hair of anyone remotely Little since he set foot in the place three days ago, he was being lulled into a false sense of security.