The Daddy P.I. Casefiles: The First Collection by Frost, J (great novels .txt) 📕

My ex was, too. They act the same. Me-me-me, all the time. Maybe he’s a good Dom, I don’t know, but it just seems like he wouldn’t care very much about his subbie. He’s just about getting his.”

I trace my fingertips down her soft cheek. “Have you known other Doms like that?”

She nods.

“Mmm, he mentioned Lucy won’t agree to sex with him. Do you know why?”

She shakes her head. “She hasn’t said anything to me. I know she’s happy to play with him. I don’t know why she’d say ‘no’ to sex. Maybe it’s because he’s not a Blunts Dom?”

“Maybe.” Something in her expression catches me. “Baby doll, you don’t think the house subs have to have sex with the members, do you? They don’t.”

“But all of them do,” she says, voice small and a ton of doubt in her big eyes.

“By choice. We’ve had house subs who were just topped. No sex. They worked out fine.”

“Why did they leave?”

“They found Doms of their own. Some of them in the club. Some outside of it. Ryan’s wife was a house sub. Although, I think she was a house sub for about five minutes before Ry snapped her up.”

“I didn’t know that. Are all the house subs looking for Doms of their own? Lucy doesn’t seem to be.”

“I don’t know about Lucy; I didn’t train her. She’s one of Ryan’s trainees.” I don’t think I’ve ever looked at her goal sheet. “All the subs I trained wanted a Dom, or two, of their own, except Austin. He’s a bit of a special case.”

She nods. “I know about Austin.”

“You do?” I haven’t seen Emily and Austin in the same room for more than ten minutes, and I was with them every time. But Blunts has a busier rumor-mill than even the Navy, so maybe someone told her. “Have you been gossiping?”

“No, Daddy. Austin told me about Rex.”

When was this? Austin was a frequent visitor when we first got back from San Diego, but I honestly don’t remember him spending any time alone with Emily. Then again, I was still pretty out of it when we got back, so maybe they had long heart-to-hearts while I was asleep. “Someone else who spilled their life story to you? Little girl, you’re amazing.”

She offers me an uncertain smile. “Austin’s story’s really sad, Daddy.”

“His Dom rented him out, I know. But he’s safe at Blunts now. No one will abuse him again.”

“How can you be sure, though? What if he meets someone like Rex away from Blunts and they hurt him again? Austin’s really, really sweet, but he told me himself that he can’t set limits. Rex was good to him at first. They were together for months before Rex gave him to other people.”

“Believe me, baby girl, we know. We’re working on it with him. We wouldn’t let someone take Austin away without making sure he was safe and cared for. Remember I told you about my bottom, Luisa? I interviewed her new Dom several times and I checked up on her for over a year after she went to him to make sure he was treating her well. We’d never abandon a bottom. The Blunts house subs aren’t fuck-toys, they’re our friends and lovers.”

That gets me a real smile.

“You ready for some lunch before we go to the park, little girl?”

“Yes, Daddy. I have a treat for you.”

“You do?” I love her treats. Emily’s a great cook, even if the veggie smoothies are foul. “What does Daddy get?”

“Bacon sandwiches. And a salad because you still need your greens.”

I kiss her forehead. “I’ll happily eat a salad if I get bacon butties. Thank you, sweetie. Give me twenty minutes to make some calls and do a quote and I’ll be back in to have lunch with you. You doing okay, little girl?” I tip her face up and look straight into her eyes as I ask, because she seems subdued and, sometimes, with Emily that’s the sign of a problem. Not always. Emily spends a lot of time in her own head. She’s a writer and there are times when she gets immersed in what she’s writing. When she does, she can seem withdrawn. I’m learning to tell the difference, but it’s not always obvious. Her eyes are the best indicator.

Right now, they’re clouded. Could be she’s still thinking about Austin. Could be she’s worried about something bigger.

“I’m okay, Daddy. Just thinking.”

It doesn’t ping as a lie, and Emily’s wholly honest with me. But I don’t like even the faint cloud in her eyes.

“I’ll let that go for now, baby doll, but we’re going to have Knee Time tonight and I want to know what’s on your mind.”

“Yes, Daddy.”

I free her with another kiss on the forehead and head toward my office to call Max, former Navy comms officer and my go-to IT guy.

* * *

Max’s phone rings to voice mail so I send him an email with a quick summary of the job, asking for costs. He emails me back and I’m just putting his fees into my estimate for Glory when my phone goes off.

“Porn star, eh?” Max’s voice always sounds like a badly tuned engine and I could recognize it anywhere. Have recognized it anywhere, since he never says hello, and launches into conversations like they’ve been going on for ten minutes.

“Uh-huh. Any problem with that?”

“No. He the one who does the parties?”

I’ve invited Max to several of Rick’s parties, because I have a long-standing belief that Max is a Dom, even if he tells me women are fragile flowers who need tending, not pruning with canes and whips. I’ve tried to explain that dominance doesn’t have to involve impact, and that he would see that if he’d come to a party or two. He looks at me like I’ve grown two heads every time I mention it. But I still keep trying.

“Yup. He’s got one coming up next week. Wanna come?”

“Fuck no. I see a man hitting a woman