Page 5 of Her Gentle Daddy

“How do you plan on even convincing her? If she is as anxious and scared as you make her out to be, she isn’t going to just waltz on over to my house with me, and I’m sure as hell not taking her anywhere without her consent.”

Zane grinned, “I knew I could talk you into it. She’s here working today. We’ll have her come into my office, and we’ll talk to her together and convince her that it is the best and safest option for her.”

Sean rolled his eyes and threw his hands in the air in defeat. Nodding his head, Zane left his office to find the woman. Despite all the questions in his mind, Sean also felt a bit of elation at the thought of having a Little at home with him. Even though she wouldn’t be his Little, just the idea of having one in his house, playing in the nursery he had built, made him feel like he had something to look forward to. He wanted to help her if he could, and having someone to look after was what he thrived on.

He sat in silence for several minutes, wondering if this would be a total disaster or if he was making the right decision when Zane walked in with one of the tiniest women Sean had ever seen trailing slowly behind him. She was severely underweight and probably not even five feet tall. Her dark hair was long and stringy as though it hadn’t been washed in a while, and her clothes were cheap, worn, and hanging off her small frame.

As soon as she saw Sean sitting in the chair, her big brown doe eyes grew even bigger, and she looked as though she was ready to bolt. He could see her trembling, making him want to reach out and pull her into his lap so he could reassure her.

“Have a seat, Gabby. This is my friend, Sean. Sean, this is Gabby.”

Her eyes didn’t meet his, and she didn’t say anything other than nod her head.

“Nice to meet you, Gabby,” he said softly.

Gabby walked around the long way to get to the empty chair across from Zane’s desk, and Sean noticed that she seemed to move as far away as possible in the chair so that she wasn’t any closer to him than she had to be.

Yeah, it was going to be a disaster.

“Gabby, you’ve been doing a wonderful job here. I don’t think the club has ever been cleaner. I really appreciate all the hard work you’re putting in.”

Sean watched her face and noticed that she relaxed slightly at the small amount of praise. What had happened in this girl’s life that made her so frightened?

“When I was out in the parking lot yesterday taking some garbage out, I noticed that it looks like you’ve been sleeping in your car. Are you living in your car, Gabby?”

Sean winced at the bluntness of Zane’s question, and he saw Gabby turn even paler than she already was.

“Only until I can find a room to rent,” she said in the tiniest voice that Sean had ever heard.

How old was this woman? She couldn’t have been more than twenty-five at the most and that was a considerable gap from his age of thirty-eight.

“I wish you would have told me, and I’m sorry that I didn’t notice sooner. I would have ensured you had a safe place to stay instead of living in your car. It’s important to me that all of my employees have a safe environment to live in.”

She raised her eyes to Zane’s, and Sean could see the fear and worry in them, making his chest ache for her.

“Sean is here because he would like to invite you to stay at his house. I’ve noticed you especially like the Littles’ area, and he has a room similar to that in his house that you could stay in if that makes you feel safer, or he has a regular guest room as well.”

Her gaze moved from Zane to Sean, and he tried to give her a reassuring smile, though the frightened expression on her face told him that it didn’t work.

“No, thank you. I’m okay. It’s only temporary,” she said to Zane.

Sean cleared his throat, which made her startle.

“Staying at my house can be as temporary as you need until you find a place of your own. I have plenty of space for you to have your privacy,” he offered.

Gabby looked over and studied him in silence. He had no idea what she was thinking or seeing, but he hoped it was good.

“I can’t afford it right now. I’m doing fine in my car.”

He looked over at Zane, who looked lost for words, and Sean knew he needed to figure out a way to talk her into coming to his house. He couldn’t stand the thought of her being out in the world by herself, living in her car with no protection or care.

She was uncomfortable around them, that much was obvious, but neither of them would ever harm her in any way. Not that she would know that. She’d obviously come from a past that made her unable to trust people.

“Zane said you like the Littles’ area. Are you a Little?” Sean asked quietly.

She looked over at him, studied his hands, and then moved her gaze up to his face.

He knew he was taking a big risk asking her, but he knew Littles thrived off of feeling safe and cared for, and that could be how he hooked her. She didn’t answer him verbally but the look in her eyes told him everything that he needed to know.