Dominic and the Daddy Domme - Chapter 1
Copyright 2022 by Heather Rose Brown

In this chapter, a struggling college student meets a friendly coworker who offers to help him out when both simple issue, as well as a terrifyingly overwhelming one.

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"Hey!" somebody called out from behind me. "No minors behind the bar."

The last of my freshly washed shot glasses sparkled in the purple mood lighting when I placed it on the stack I'd been creating. I squared my shoulders while setting aside my irritation, then straightened my back before I turned and said, "I'll be twenty-two in a few months."

A woman in a sleeveless black t-shirt grinned while leaning her well-toned forearms on the bar separating us, then asked, "So ... you're headed to the old folks home after work?"

Even though I was still a little annoyed at being called a minor, I couldn't help grinning back when I said, "Nah, I'm too old for that. I'm headed straight for the morgue."

The woman's grin faded when she said, "Don't joke around like that, kid."

I frowned and said, "Please don't call me that."

She ran her fingers through her short, spiky hair while saying, "Sorry, bad habit of mine." After leaning on the bar again, she asked, "Is there something else you'd like to be called?"

"Well," I said while fiddling with a corner of my apron, "most people call me Nic."

"Hey there, Nic," she said as she stretched out her arm over the bar. "You can call me Di."

My stomach flip-flopped when I realized she was offering to make actual, physical contact with me. I took a few steps towards her while drying my sweaty hands on the towel hanging from my apron. "Nice to meet you, Di," I said as I placed my right hand in hers.

Her grip was strong, yet gentle, when she shook hands with me. After letting go, she asked, "Is Nic short for Nicholas?"

I took in a slow, deep breath to calm my jangled nerves, then said, "Actually, it's Dominic."

Di chuckled, then said, "You're definitely more a Nic than a Dom."

I blinked while my scrambled brain tried to decipher the comment, then said, "Huh?"

She grinned again, then said, "Just think of it as a dumb dad joke."

I rolled my eyes and asked, "Should I call you Dad?"

The corners of her eyes crinkled when she said, "Hrmmm ... sounds tempting."

My fingers started to tingle when I took a step back and asked, "Are you flirting with me?"

There was a playful twinkle in her eyes when she asked, "Do you get flirted with a lot?"

I crossed my arms and said, "In case it's not already obvious, I *am* a guy."

"And?"

"And ... well ... this is a lesbian bar, so ... ummm."

Di raised an eyebrow, then asked, "You thought I was only into girls?"

I took another step back and said, "Sorry, I shouldn't have assumed you--"

She held up a hand and said, "Hey, it's okay. Easy mistake to make."

I let my arms drop as I said, "Thanks for being so understanding."

Di nodded and said, "Not a problem. But, for the record, you were right."

Confusion joined my embarrassment. "I ... uh ... gotta go."

She smiled and said, "I better head home too. Being a bouncer ain't as easy as I make it look."

"I meant, I gotta go to ... the bathroom."

"Ah, got it," Di said, then pointed to a pair of doors. "Both restrooms are still unlocked."

I peeked at the doors, then asked, "You sure nobody will mind me being in there?"

"Don't worry," she said while resting her hands on her hips. "We closed a few minutes ago, so nobody should be in there."

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Someone was definitely in the bathroom. At least, based on the impressively loud vomiting I was hearing, there was someone on the far side of the door marked 'Butch'. I half-opened the other door, and asked, "Anybody in here?"

When nobody answered, I pushed the door open a little more, then stepped inside. I squinted until my eyes adjusted to the stark white lighting, then made a bee-line towards the closest stall. While I sat and took care of business, muffled shouts came through the wall behind me.

I sighed with relief when I realized I'd managed to avoid whatever trouble was going on in the other bathroom. After finishing what I started, I exited the stall, and wandered over to the sinks. I stared at my reflection while washing up, and a scrawny guy with messy brown hair stared back.

After drying my hands, I unrolled my hairband from my shaggy ponytail onto my wrist. I was running my fingers through my hair to loosen the tangles, when someone knocked on the bathroom door.

"You in there, Nic?" Di yelled through the door.

"Yeah!" I yelled back while pulling a comb out of my pocket.

The bouncer opened the door a crack and poked her head in, then glanced from side to side before entering. She gave me a wide smile, then said, "I thought I'd find you in here."

I started combing the back of my hair while asking, "Whatcha mean by that?" then winced when my comb hit a snag.

"Want some help there?" she asked as she strode towards me.

I wiggled my comb out of the knot in my hair and said, "It's alright. I can take care of it later."

Di looked at me in the mirror, then held her hand under my comb and said, "I promise to be careful."

While the idea of someone I barely knew combing my hair seemed odd, struggling with the mess at the back of my head didn't sound fun. After considering the pros and cons of both sides, I placed my comb in her hand and said, "If you're sure, I'd appreciate the help."

She gave me a warm smile as she accepted the comb, then said, "No problem," before stepping behind me. I gasped when she gathered my hair in a firm grip at the nape of my neck. Di looked over my head at my reflection, making me realize she was at least a couple inches taller.

Even though tall people usually made me anxious, there was something in the way she looked at me that just ... put me at ease. While I was pondering that realization, she asked, "Am I holding too tight?"

I tried shaking my head, but I couldn't move it while she was holding onto my hair, so I said, "No, I just ... I'm not used to anybody doing anything to my hair."

"Don't worry," she said in a voice that was almost as soft as a whisper, "you're in good hands."

I did my best to relax while she ran the comb through the ends of my hair. While there were a few tugs, they weren't sharp enough to hurt. Her grip on my hair loosened, and the comb glided across the back of my scalp. I braced myself for the inevitable snag, but nothing happened.

"Wow," I said as she combed the left side of my hair over my ear, "you're really good."

"Thanks," she said while combing the other side of my head. "I used to know someone who's hair was a little longer than yours, and brushed it for her all the time."

There was a hint of sadness in her last few words. While I was trying to think of something comforting to say, she slipped the hairband off my wrist, pulled my hair back into a ponytail, then asked, "How's that?"

While it was higher than I usually liked it, I didn't want to sound ungrateful, so I said, "It looks nice. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Di said while stepping out from behind me. "You ready to head out?"

The tip of my ponytail swished against the back of my neck when I nodded and said, "Oh yeah. It's been a long night, and I'm *so* ready for bed."

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I zipped up my windbreaker as soon as we walked out of the bar, but the cool night breeze blowing across the deserted street still made me shiver.

After locking up, Di looked at me while shrugging into her leather jacket, then asked, "You getting cold?"

"I'm okay," I said while tucking my frozen fingers under my armpits.

The bouncer gave me a look that made me feel like a kid caught in a bald-faced lie. I was trying to think of a decent apology, when she pointed to a brightly lit storefront and said, "There's a nice coffee shop down there, if you want to get something to warm you up."

I thought about the suggestion, then said, "It's probably not good to be drinking coffee right before I head off to bed."

She nodded and said, "Good point. How about hot cocoa?"

I sighed wistfully, then said, "I haven't had that since I was little."

"Ah!" she said while tugging at my elbow. "You're in for a treat, then."

The idea of something warm and tasty before bed sounded too good to pass up, so I followed Di down the street to the coffee shop.

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I caught a whiff of freshly baked pastry, along with other delicious scents, when I walked through the door. A burly man with dark skin, darker hair, and a thick beard leaned against the counter to my right and said, "Welcome to Uncle Fern's Cafe."

"Hey Fernando," Di said as she walked around from behind me.

The man bounded out from behind the counter and said, "Didi!" then gave her what looked like a bone-crushing hug. After letting go, he waved a beefy hand towards me with a slight flourish while asking, "Who's your pretty friend?"

At first, I wanted tell him off for asking such a weird question, but he sounded too sincere for me to be seriously offended. While I was trying to decide how to react, Di placed her hand on the small of my back and said, "His name's Nic. He just started working at Xena and Gabi's today."

A broad smile spread across Fernando's face, then he said something that sounded vaguely Spanish. The bouncer smiled back and said, "We're just friends." While I was somewhat frustrated at missing out on half of the conversation, having Di call me a friend felt wonderful!

The man nodded and said, "Of course. Would you like your usual drink?"

My new friend lowered her hand from my back and said, "I'm skipping the Irish coffee tonight. Could we get a couple of hot cocoas, with all the toppings?"

"You got it!" Fernando said while giving Di a wink. "Go ahead and find a seat," he added before giving her shoulder a friendly slap. "I'll bring your order to you as soon as it's ready."

While the man made his way around the counter, Di gestured towards a table a half dozen feet from us and asked, "You okay sitting by the window?"

I nodded and said, "Sure," before heading to the table. Just as I was about to sit, I heard a wooden scrape. When I turned to the noise, I saw my friend holding onto the back of the chair I was about to sit on. I looked from the chair to her and and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Just waiting for you to sit," she said while nodding at the chair.

Even though it felt a little strange, it also felt nice, so I sat and said, "Thanks."

After helping me with my chair, Di sat across from me, then rested her arms on the tiny table between us, and said, "I hope Diego didn't run you ragged on your first night."

I thought about the cheerful guy who'd cooked in the cramped kitchen while I cleaned, then said, "It definitely was busier than I'd expected, but he had me laughing too hard to mind."

My friend nodded and said, "He's usually fun to be around, so long as he's sober."

"What's he like when--" I started asking, then paused when my phone buzzed in my back pocket. " 'Scuse me," I said while pulling out my phone. A chill ran down my spine when I checked my texts, and saw the most recent message.

I was still staring at the screen, when Di nudged my arm and asked, "Everything okay?"

"I ... I'm not sure," I said when I looked up at her.

She leaned closer and asked, "What's wrong?"

I looked back at my phone, and studied the words to make sure I hadn't misread anything, then said, "The hotel I'd booked into before work said my check was declined, and my baggage can be picked up at the front desk."

Di grimaced and said, "That's awful!"

I tried to laugh, but made a choking sound instead, then shrugged and said, "I knew my parents had found a way to withdraw funding for my college courses, but I wasn't expecting them to do anything with my checking account."

"What the h--" she started saying, then stopped when Fernanado approached our table.

He looked from me to my friend while setting steaming mugs of cocoa in front of us, then said, "Here you go," in a very subdued voice before wandering off.

Once Fernando left, Di leaned forward again, then asked, "Why would your parents do something like that to such a sweet k--person?"

I wrapped my hands around the earthenware mug in front of me, and watched the whipped cream melt into the dark brown liquid below it. Eventually, I shrugged and said, "It's a bit of a long story."

Di patted my arm, then said, "If you're willing to talk, I'm a pretty good listener."

I looked up from my drink to the woman sitting across the table from me, then said, "It all started when I'd dressed as a cheerleader for a Halloween party." I waited for a teasing remark, or a surprised reaction, but my friend just nodded with an attentive expression on her face.

"I was surprised when my dorm-mate suggested I try it," I said, "but when he said college was a place to try new things, I decided to give it a go. When nobody made an issue about how I was dressed at the party, I was able to relax, a had lot of fun!"

My friend smiled and nodded again while taking a sip of her drink.

I sipped my own drink, enjoying the hint of cinnamon in the cocoa, then set my mug down and said, "Unfortunately, the next morning, I got a call from my parents, who'd come across a picture someone posted of me while I was at the party."

"And ... they got upset about you going to a college party?"

I shrugged and said, "Well, they were kinda upset about the party, but they went completely ballistic over the way I'd been dressed." I swallowed the painful lump in my throat, then said, "They accused me of some really ... awful stuff, then withdrew my college funds."

A hot tear slid down my cheek as I said, "Those funds also covered the cost of my dorm room, which is why I went to the hotel." I closed my eyes when my vision blurred, then said, "But, now that I don't have that, I ... I dunno what I'm gonna do."

Something soft brushed against my cheek. I opened my eyes as Di blotted my other cheek with a paper napkin. She pressed the napkin against my nose and said, "Go ahead and blow." I tried to protest, but it was hard to do with my mouth half covered, so I did as I was asked instead.

After taking the napkin away from my face, she asked, "Would you be okay with me making a couple of suggestions?"

I didn't trust myself to speak without crying again, so I nodded instead.

Di nodded back, then said, "First, you should finish your cocoa."

I gave my friend a faint smile before taking another sip of my drink.

"Next, I'd like to suggest you stay with me until you get your feet under you again."

I started coughing when I tried to gasp while drinking. Once my throat was clear enough to speak, I said, "I can't impose on you like that."

"It's no imposition. I have a spare room, and you need a place to stay."

"Wow," I said while looking into here deep green eyes, "that's really nice of you to do. Especially for someone you've only just met. Thank you so much!"

She gave me a kind, gentle smile, and said, "It's my pleasure."