Page 5 of Jade

He tried to ignore it and walk past, figuring it was none of his business, but he got only a few steps before the chorus started again and his conscience nagged at him. The voice was certainly female and to his knowledge there was currently no female staff at Utopia. That meant that every female on the premises was a Little and answered either to Baze or to a Daddy of their own. He was no expert on the subject but from what he did understand about the lifestyle, he seriously doubted that a Little girl, even the oldest, Jade, whose Little age was eleven, should be listening to that kind of inappropriate, vulgar, soul-damaging music.

Unable to stop himself, he turned on his heel, booked it toward the room the music was coming from and pushed the door open.

His jaw dropped open at what he saw. The usually sweet, soft-spoken Jade, the only one to visit the chapel on a regular basis, was in the middle of the room, dancing with her back to him, her long braids flying behind her as she sang along to the crude lyrics, curse words and all. His stomach twisted and his heart dropped. He knew without a doubt that this was not okay.

“Jade!” he scolded, unable to stop himself even as his conscience warned him to stay out of it.

The music stopped, and she whirled to face him, her expression tinged with shame and guilt, making his next question unnecessary. He asked it anyway. “Are Little girls like you supposed to be listening to and singing along with such vulgar music?”

“Please don’t tell Mister Daddy,” she pleaded, using the title he’d heard all the girls besides Luna use for Baze.

His brows raised. “You’re asking a pastor not to tell when he’s caught you acting very naughty and behaving inappropriately, singing along with words you certainly shouldn’t say?” He frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. “That wouldn’t be very on brand for a pastor, now would it?”

Her face fell and it was clear she knew her goose was cooked.

He was ready to march her straight up to Baze’s office, but he found himself not wanting to do that, wishing he could deal with it himself, at least enough to let her know how important music was, and how disappointed he was in her choices, but that was certainly not his place, so he pushed the scolding words from the tip of his tongue and held out his hand. “You know I have to say something, especially now that you’ve confirmed what I first suspected: you are breaking rules. At least one but probably more. Isn’t that right?”

Jade heaved a sigh, her gaze cast at the floor. “Yes, Pastor Ryan.”

“All right then, come along.” He strode to the door and held it open while he waited for her to follow his lead.

“Where are we going?” Jade asked, her voice small.

“We are going to Baze’s office to tell him what you were doing.”

Her eyes bulged. “I hafta go with you?” she asked. “I thought you were just gonna tell on me.”

For a moment, he hesitated, wondering how these things were usually done. He remembered something Chef Graham had said about there being no single right way to live in the lifestyle as long as both parties were in agreement. Technically, he wasn’t in the lifestyle, but that one little nugget of wisdom was all he needed to go with his gut and handle this the way that felt right to him. “We’re going together.”

She didn’t move.

His eyes narrowed. “Unless you’d like me to give Baze a call and drag him away from his work so that you can tell him here.” He shrugged. “I’m sure that would work out well for you, especially once I tell him that you refused to come with me when you were asked to.”

That worked. Jade hustled across the room and exited ahead of him, leaving him marveling at how natural it had felt and how invested he was in seeing this through to the end. He wondered if that was a normal reaction or if it meant something. He’d always felt drawn to Jade when she visited the chapel, and he’d become more curious when her changing her little age from three to eleven had been explained to him. But none of that compared to the way he was currently feeling. Protective and stern. Disappointed and resolved. He almost wished he was a Daddy—her Daddy—so that he would be free to deal with this the way he saw fit. Oddly enough, he even had the urge to spank her, something that he knew was the punishment of choice for wayward Littles here at Utopia. That was an urge he’d never felt before, and one he’d never imagined having.

They walked down the conference corridor, through the lobby and casino and to the elevator bank that would take them to Baze’s office on the second floor.

Jade didn’t say a word as they made their trek, and he didn’t either.

Finally they reached the set of double doors that led to Baze’s private office. Pulling one door, he held it open. “After you,” he said to Jade, gesturing for her to enter ahead of him.

“Jade!” Baze’s tone was jovial and full of delight when he greeted her. “To what do I owe this visit? Is everything okay?”

Before she could answer, and in case she was tempted to put her own spin on things, he came in behind her, keeping his expression grim.

“Pastor Ryan!” Baze called out in surprise. After a moment, Baze stopped and looked between the two of them. His eyes narrowed. “What happened?” he asked, sounding far less jovial than he had when they’d first come in.

Pastor Ryan looked at Jade and raised his eyebrows. “Do you want to explain to Baze what I caught you doing?”

Jade shook her head emphatically from side to side, her long braids whipping her in the face. “I don’t wanna.” She pouted. “Do I hafta?”

“One of us is going to,” he replied, trying to leave the decision up to her.

“Somebody please tell me.” Baze’s tone and expression were flat. He stood and crossed his arms over his chest.

Pastor Ryan looked at Jade. She clamped her lips shut and pleaded at him with her eyes.

Fine, if that was the way she wanted to play it, that was A-okay with him.