Fulfilling Her Fantasy (6 page)

By Maggie Ryan

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Chapter 1

Rosa paced in front of her
bed, one hand holding her cell phone to her ear, the other waving the papers
she had been contemplating—again. Silver, as her dear friend was to be
addressed while at the Castle, was actually here. She had flown all the way
from Australia to Ohio, and Rosa had just promised to be there to greet her
when she stepped off the bus that would bring her to the Castle.

"Thanks, Rosie. You've
really helped reassure me." Silver's voice did sound far calmer than it
had at the beginning of the conversation. Of course, maybe the fact that she'd
admitted she had been hitting the mini-bar in her hotel room was giving her
some much-needed liquid courage as well. Lucky girl—alcohol was basically
prohibited at the Castle so Rosa didn't have that choice.

"What are friends for?
I can't wait to see you, Silver. I'll see you after you go through
orientation," Rosa reassured her once more before saying goodbye.

Pushing the button to end
the call, she tossed the phone onto the bed before flopping down beside it,
avoiding the eyes she knew were watching her every move, and the ears that,
unfortunately, had overheard most of the conversation. She could practically
hear the gears turning in Bess's head, wondering how on earth Rosa could be so
upbeat and reassuring to her Australian friend when only moments before the
phone had rung she had thrown out the possibility that she was thinking about
withdrawing from the auction—and at the very last moment.

"Lying
is a very punishable offense, you know," Bess said. "As a Nanny at
the Castle, you know very well that if a Little is caught lying, at the very
least their backside is going to be burning."

Groaning,
Rosa rolled onto her back, the papers in her hand fluttering to fall around
her. "I know, God, I know, but I feel like a ping-pong ball. What the hell
am I going to do?"

Bess
shook her head and rose from her chair. "Here's exactly what you are going
to do. You are going to pull up your big girl panties and take those papers
down to Master Marshall's office. As it is, you're really pushing the time
limit." Ignoring Rosa's moan, she reached down and pulled her to a sitting
position. "Come on, you know you want to do this. You've been dreaming
about it since the moment the auction was even announced as being a possibility.
For God's sake, you even wrote out a list of your resolutions for the new year,
and correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't 'don't chicken out' at the top of the
list?"

"That
was before I realized that I'm terrified. I mean, what was I thinking? What if
Silver is right, and some troll or horrible person bids on me? Oh, God, what if
no-one bids on me? Bess, if you were really my friend, you would have talked me
out of this ridiculous scheme."

"You
know good and well that Marshall would never let that happen—not to you,
not to Silver, and not to a single submissive going up for auction." Bess
stood straighter, her hands going to her hips as she put on her strict 'Nanny'
face. "Rosalind Raye Reynolds, you made me swear not to let you back out,
and if you don't straighten up, young lady, I'm going to spank you
myself!"

Rosa
had to smile and then giggled, knowing how very effective that 'look' was when
directed at one of the many clients who came to the Castle to live out their
fantasies of being a Little, instead of living with the responsibilities of
their normal Big world.

She
had met Bess when she'd got a job at the most talked about place in this part
of Ohio. When Rosa had first seen the Castle, her mouth had fallen open, and
her insides began quivering.

It
was as if she had stepped back in time. Fields of wheat had been waving in the
distance, large groves of trees and other landscaping making it appear as if
some ancient castle had been caught up in a tornado and plopped down into the
middle of nowhere.
We're not in Kansas
anymore,
had popped into her head. Though she didn't own a pair of ruby
slippers, she'd clicked her heels together three times and declared herself
home.

Rosa
discovered two things within her first few days of work. The first was that the
fifteenth century castle had actually been brought over from Scotland and
reassembled, stone by stone. The second was that she absolutely loved her job
in the Nursery section of the Castle. It hadn't taken her a day before she
realized that there was something about attending to these adult men and women
during their stay that filled her heart. It was amazing watching the
transformation overcome them as grown-up clothing was removed and childish
attire took its place. It was as if with every piece of clothing discarded,
stress was released and the happiness of childhood was donned. She had laughed
with Bess and the other women that worked as governesses at the antics of their
charges, had participated in preparing the naughty ones for punishment, had cuddled
quite a few, and had ultimately discovered that she wanted to be one of them.
Managing to keep her desire secret for a long time, she had finally admitted to
it the day a charity auction was announced and submissives were being sought.

Master
Don had been a wonderful man. He was one of the original founders of the
Castle, and had spent a great deal of time and effort to create a place where
people could live out their fantasies, bringing them to life. His death from
cancer had been a huge loss, touching everyone who worked with him. Knowing
that all of the proceeds of the auction would go to a charity in his name, had
given Rosa that final push to approach Master Marshall and ask if she could
volunteer to be one of the submissives to be auctioned for the New Year's
event. When he instantly gave his approval, and his thanks for volunteering,
she had felt like she was not only going to have a chance to play out her own
fantasies, she was also doing it for the very best cause.

Rosa
was pulled from her thoughts when she heard her door opening. Looking up, she
saw Bess standing in the doorway. "Where are you going? You don't have to
go back to your room—"

"I'm
not," Bess interrupted. "I'm going to Marshall's office," she
went on, her expression neutral, "and you are going with me."

"Um,
do I want to know why?"

Bess
sighed and shook her head. "Rosa, you adored Don and were so thrilled to
be able to do something in his honor. The fact that you also can do something
you've dreamed of for as long as you can remember is just a bonus." When
Rosa remained frozen, her eyes wide, Bess left the doorway and went to sit
beside her.

"Honey,
you know you want to try this, and this is the safest place on the planet to do
so. I know you are scared, but you've got to trust your heart." She picked
up Rosa's cell phone from where she had tossed it onto the bed. As she thumbed
the bar to activate it, Rosa looked at her, eyes wider than before.

"Who
are you calling?"

"I'm
not calling anyone," Bess said, her finger pressing a button to bring up
recent calls before holding out the phone. "You just need to press the
call button." When Rosa didn't make a move to take the phone, she
continued. "You are at least partly responsible for Silver leaving
Australia and flying to Ohio for this auction. She trusted you, and from what I
heard of the conversation, she needs your support. How do you think she is
going to feel if she shows up and you aren't on the auction block with her
after you promised she has nothing to worry about? So, if you are going to back
out, then you need to admit you're a chicken before she arrives here tomorrow.
Rosa, you've got a choice to make. Call and confess, and let your dream die
without a chance to discover how happy you can be, or remember your resolutions,
sign the papers and have the experience of a lifetime."

Softening
her tone, she continued. "I'm your friend, Rosa, and you know I want you
to be happy. I'm trying really hard to help you, but this has to be your
decision." Reaching out, she gave Rosa a hug before standing. "Now,
you are going to either pick up those papers, sign them and come with me to
hand them over, or you are going to have to call Silver and then go look
Marshall in the eye and tell him you are a baby—and not in the way you
want to be. What's it going to be?"

Rosa
took a deep breath and let her heart guide her. "You have a pen?"

Smiling,
Bess found one in the rumpled covers of the bed and passed it to her. Once Rosa
had signed the bottom of the document, she took the pen and the papers from
her. "You are making the right decision. By this time tomorrow night,
you'll be living your dream, and, Rosie, you are going to make some mommy or
daddy very happy."

"Oh,
God, I never even really considered a mommy—give me those papers back!"

"Nope,
you've had weeks to go through them. We've discussed this ad nauseam and,
little girl, you are just getting cold feet. The choices have been made, the
limits written down, and all that's left is for you to give yourself the
freedom to discover if your dream is what can give you the happiness you
deserve. Now, let's go turn these in and I'll treat you to a cup of
coffee." Bess grabbed her friend's hand and was very pleased when Rosa
finally smiled.

"I'm
ordering a Venti," Rosa warned. "Thank God we have coffee available
24/7—I'm going to need gallons to get through this week."

Bess
laughed, but inside she was shaking her head. Rosa might have worked in the
nursery for the past year, but she obviously needed to start thinking about the
other side of the equation. As they neared Master Marshall's office, she
wondered what Rosa, oh, make that Rosie, was going to do when she remembered
that Littles weren't allowed to drink coffee. Well, she certainly wasn't going
to bring up that tidbit—at least not until the signed papers were safely
in Marshall's hands. Stopping before his door, Bess released Rosa's hand.
Instead of knocking, she lifted the back of Rosa's skirt, making her let out a
sharp squeal.

"What
the hell?"

"Oh,
another thing to remember. Cussing will likely get your bottom blistered just
as quickly as lying." Bess laughed at the look on her friend's face.
"Relax, I was just making sure you were ready before you go inside."
Handing her the papers, she gave her a quick hug. "You're
ready—papers in hand and yes, you've got your big girl panties on. Now,
go on. I'll be waiting right here."

Shaking
her head but unable to stop a giggle at the ridiculous phrase, Rosa ran one
hand across her bottom, as if to make sure her skirt was in position, then took
another deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Come
in," a deep voice said. The tone caused a shiver to run up Rosa's
spine—this man had some sort of incredible magnetism that made every
employee want to please him. Of course, the fact that there were ways for the
Master of the Masters to encourage that desire helped a great deal.

Marshall
looked up from his desk, where he had been going over the last of the forms
needed before they were placed into files. Seeing Rosa, he smiled. "I was
just wondering where your papers were. I expected them before now."

"Um,
yes… I mean, yes, Sir," Rosa stammered, her face beginning to heat,
letting her know that the blush that always colored her face when she felt
embarrassed or guilty was well on its way to letting her boss know something
was up. Deciding that attempting to laugh off her concerns was not only
not
in her best interest, but would
definitely not please a man who insisted on honesty, she forced herself to step
up to the desk and meet his eyes. "I'm sorry. I know I'm late in turning
them in. I really don't have an excuse, and I apologize for making you worry. I
just… well, I just had…"

"Second
thoughts?" he suggested, his tone soft. "Rosa, I hope you know that I
think you are an excellent employee. Honey, I've had years of experience
working with a wonderfully diverse group of individuals, and feel I can read a
person accurately. I'm concerned that I'm not seeing the normally cheerful and
excited Rosa. Let's see if we can work out why you seem to be so uneasy."
He pointed to the chair in front of his desk. "Sit down, Rosa. Would you
care for some water?"

She
sank into the chair, shaking her head. "Um, no… no, thank you. I just want
coffee. I mean, I need to give these to you, and then Bess is going to… we're
going to get coffee."

Marshall
nodded, sat back in his chair and steepled his fingers under his chin.
"That's fine, Rosa, but I'd really like you to relax and just talk to
me."

Rosa
discovered that Marshall's magic extended to just listening. She began slowly,
but as she admitted her fears, her words started to flow more easily. "I'm
scared. I know that's silly, and I have comforted many a Little, but I can't
help it. What if I'm terrible at being a Little? What if someone pays money for
me and then is so disappointed, he'll never want to come back to the Castle?
What if I sell… oh God, just thinking of being sold blows my mind." Her
voice began to rise in pitch with her anxiety. "I don't want Don to be
disappointed. I liked him so much, but if I don't bring in enough, or no-one
bids on me at all, I'll feel like I've let him down. I don't want to ruin
everyone's fun or… or your business."

"Honey,
you need to stop fretting so much," Marshall said, leaning forward.
"You have my word that there is no need to worry about any of that—I
promise you will make Don proud. How about we go over your form one last time
to make sure you have everything just the way you want? You deserve to have the
best experience you can."