The Shadow Circus

[saedo]

"Can you take your cock out? Can I see it?"

I smiled broadly. This Alice certainly didn't waste any time. "Given the beauty of the requestor, how could I say no?" I responded with a wink.

I stood up from the couch and positioned myself directly in front of Alice. I unbuckled my belt and then my pants. I made sure not to rush, despite my eagerness.

I slid the pants down my muscled thighs till gravity overcame friction and dropped them to my ankles. I gave Alice a moment to take in the view of my dark blue silk boxers with the prominent bulge along the right thigh. I kept my gaze fixed on her eyes as they glittered from inside her mask. It was hard to read her reaction, but I sensed that her desire closely matched my own.

I slipped my hands beneath the waistband of my boxers and began to slip it over my hips. I deliberately slowed my pace, letting the waistband gradually expose more of me. First the trimmed curls of dark hair followed the pinkish tree trunk that was the base of my shaft. Inch after inch of my vein-riddled girth gradually followed. At last the monstrous head popped free, bouncing slightly from the disturbance.

I let her stare - mouth agape - at my nakedness as it dangled before her. I hoped she liked what she saw.

After a few moments, I spoke. "I'm not fully aroused yet - that's why it's not erect. But if you would caress it a little, I'll be raring to go in no time. At that point, I'll gladly put it anywhere in you that you want."

 

[xFuckDollx]

Bryn reached out to touch the massive cock that hung before her, her father's cock, but when her fingertips brushed lightly against the shaft, she jerked her hand back as if stung. Her eyes peered up at his masked face, almost as if she expected her father to admonish her in some way, as if he would suddenly know her identity despite her own mask. He didn't. Gathering her courage, the teen reached out again, this time letting her fingers touch the tip of the long, thick cock. It felt heavy and solid and as she slowly let her hand glide up the top of it, the blonde allowed herself to release the breath she'd been holding since the moment her father had pulled his boxers down and allowed his manhood to spring forth.

"It's beautiful," Bryn murmured as she continued to run her hand along the surface of it. She'd never really thought of a penis as beautiful before, but for some reason that seemed the appropriate word for the one on display in front of her. Magnificent. Marvelous. Breathtaking. All seemed appropriate.

As the blonde slowly wrapped her fingers around the dangling cock, she suddenly felt as though temperature in the room had risen ten degrees. The corset she wore felt constricting for the first time since she'd first laced it up. Bryn began to stroke her father's member her hand moving slowly and deliberately, massaging him, coaxing him, exploring, caressing. With her free hand the teen reached up and fumbled with the front of her corset until she had managed to loosen the lace at the top, allowing her breasts to nearly spill completely out, but more importantly, allowing her to breath.

As she felt her father's manhood grow thicker and stiffer in her grasp, Bryn stared back up at his face, wondering what he was thinking...

 

[saedo]

I sighed softly as her slender fingers tentatively brushed the surface of my cock. As she gained confidence, her touch lingered. Finally, she slipped her hands

"It's beautiful."

That surprised me a bit. The thick slab of meat was a bright crimson in color and would begin darkening to the purple of a painful bruise as it reached maximum size. The turgid shaft was riddled with veins already tinged with violet. It seemed an organ of lust and power. I was used to expressions of awe, intimidation, even fear. Only a handful of women had ever looked on it as a think worthy of aesthetic admiration.

I let her hands stroke me to increasingly stiffness and girth for a few moments while I pondered how to proceed. As she loosened the bindings on her corset, causing even more of her lovely tits to billow forth, inspiration struck.

"Follow me," I suggested. "I have an idea." I placed my arm around her shoulders and guided her across the room. Alice kept one hand on my cock and followed. Fortunately the sight of a half-naked man with a massive erection being cradled by a nearly-naked woman was hardly unusual for the Circus.

I brought her before a pillar that had been firmly implanted in the floor. The pillar's surface was covered with thick mats that made it both smooth and somewhat pliable. Mounted nearly seven feet above the floor were a series of heavy, chrome-plated rings.

"We call this the Whipping Post," I explained to Alice as I guided her before it, "though my intent isn't to whip you. Please, raise your arms over your head."

Alice did as directed. With her corset now loosened, her arms pulled upward on her chest just enough for both of her nipples to be free and clear of the gold cloth.

"Perfect," I murmured. Given the Post's purpose, a collection of restraints was always stored nearby. I selected a rope specifically designed for bondage - thick and soft so it wouldn't chafe or cut into the skin. I brought it to Alice and took her right wrist in my hand.

"My intention is to tie you to the post with both hands over your head." I formed a loop around her wrist and tied it off. I gave it a firm tug. "See, that kind of knot won't slip or tighten up on your wrist. Also, you should have just enough room to slip it over your hand if you need to get free. I've done this before, so I assure you this is safe." I smiled to myself at the memory. My instructor had been a spiky, raven-haired thing with a dozen piercings and a tattooed dragon curled around her thigh, but she'd definitely taught me a few things.

I pushed Alice up against the Post, my throbbing cock momentarily sandwiched between us. I fed the other end of the rope through one of the heavy chrome rings and tied a similar knot around her left wrist. Stepping back, I admired my work. With her arms tied above her head and her lovely breasts spilling out of her barely-on corset, Alice made a perfect damsel in distress.

I moved close to her. "You are a vision, dear Alice. A vision." My hands fell to her hips. "I've been waiting to do this ever since I first saw you," I said lustily as I slipped my fingers beneath the waistband of her panties and tugged them steadily down her thighs.

 

[xFuckDollx]

"Follow me," he said.

I'll follow you anywhere, daddy, she thought as she stood, her hand still on his manhood.

"We call this the Whipping Post, though my intent isn't to whip you," he explained.

You can if you want, daddy she thought as she stood close to him.

"Raise your arms over your head," he instructed.

Anything for you, daddy, she thought as she lifted her arms up for him.

"Perfect," he murmured.

Yes, perfect, she agreed as she glanced down at his rigid cock.

"I assure you this is safe," he said.

I always feel safe with you, daddy, she thought not hesitating to follow his instructions even for a moment.

"I've been waiting to do this ever since I first saw you," he admitted.

I've been waiting for you to do this for as long as I can remember, daddy, she thought as she bit her lower lip and watched her father start to remove her panties.

 

[saedo]

Tugging on the waistband, I slowly slipped her panties down her hips. When a small tuft of pale blonde hair appeared, I grinned. I leaned in and planted a gentle kiss on it. I continued my light kisses as I exposed still more of her tender flesh till I had her panties down to her thighs, whereupon gravity carried them down to her ankles.

I glanced upward and smiled at her. From this steep angle, her heaving bosom obscured most of her face, but I could still see her brilliant eyes peeking out from her mask. "You are quite wet, Alice," I commented. Indeed, her tender folds liberally glistened with moisture. "Could it be that you find me attractive?"

I brought my face close to her naked sex that so that she could feel my warm breath as I spoke. "Would you like me to touch you, Alice?" I teased. "Would you like to feel my tongue on your pussy?" I extended my tongue and ever so gently let the tip brush her hard clit. "Would you like for me to make you cum, Alice?"

 

[xFuckDollx]

To her amazement, Bryn was able to completely ignore the dozens of strangers who circled around her, moving in and out of her field of vision, just as she ignored the handful of barely dressed patrons who chose to stand and watch as the blonde was divested of her golden panties. All that mattered to her was her father who knelt in front of her.

Her whole body shuddered when she felt him lean forward and press his lips to the small tuft of hair between her legs, and as his lips began to move lower, she bit her bottom lip, trying to suppress the gasps and moans that were just at the back of her throat, threatening to burst forth. By contrast, her father seemed so calm, so sure of himself, as if he'd done this a thousand times before. For a brief moment Bryn wondered if he would be so calm if he found out that it was his own teenage daughter who he was undressing.

"You are quite wet, Alice," her father commented.

The blonde was shocked to realize that she was wet, extremely wet and the thought that her own father was just inches from her sex, close enough that he could see her arousal only fueled that arousal. She could feel his warm breath on her labia, tickling her skin, making her tingle with anticipation. Then, a moment later she felt his tongue brush against her clit.

"Would you like for me to make you cum, Alice?"

Bryn's thighs quivered in response and she whispered, "Yes, please...make me cum..." she barely managed to avoid adding the word 'daddy' onto the end of her plea as she longed to feel her father's tongue fully between her legs...to feel his tongue inside of her, tasting her...

 

[saedo]

I spread her thighs apart as much as she could manage while standing. My fingers squeezed her firm thighs slightly as I planted a few kisses along the tender inner side. I traced a path towards her moist outer lips, staying carefully towards the edges.

"Mmmm, you have such a beautiful pussy," I murmured as I brought my face near her tender folds. "I bet it will tastes good, too."

I gently traced a finger along her labia. I made a gentle spiral in towards her clit, taking care to put pressure near it without actually touching it directly.

My finger then slipped down below, winding its way towards her vagina. I placed my finger at the entrance and let it rest there without penetrating. She squirmed a bit, clearly eager for more, so I gave it to her.

My finger slipped in just to the first knuckle. "Ooh, so tight and wet," I remarked. I massaged what little I could with just that bit for a short while, then slipped my finger a short distance further. I repeated this process once more, leaving my finger fully inside her.

As I massaged her inner walls, I brought my tongue to bear. Making sure to keep my tongue flat and pliable, I slowly licked her pussy with a broad stroke. I repeated the maneuver again, trying a slightly different angle.

I continued my experimentation with direction, force, and frequency. I then used her moans to calibrate my actions. It took the better part of a minute, but I finally dialed in on the style that seemed to generate the most passion in her voice. Pleased, I settled in for a slow and steady build-up, coaxing her to what I hoped would be an intense orgasm.

 

[xFuckDollx]

A week ago, fuck, just four days ago, Bryn was a happy, normal teenage girl, studying for classes, hanging out with friends, shopping for clothes, looking forward to the new life that waited for her. The biggest problem she had was her cell phone bill, or the scratch she'd put in her car door the week before or that fact that she felt like she wasn't spending enough time with her father.

That last problem certainly seems to have corrected itself, she thought with a laugh as she leaned against the whipping post, her hands bound above her and her aforementioned father kneeling in the floor, his head and hands between her legs. Of course, it probably doesn't count as father-daughter time if one of the parties doesn't realize that the other one is there, she mused as she felt her father teasing her with his fingers, touching her but never quite touching her where she wanted...at least not at first...

By the time the teen finally felt her father's finger slip inside of her, she was already a wet mess and her nipples were so hard they ached. She moaned loudly, no longer caring if anyone heard her or watched what was happening to her...or worrying that her father might recognize her voice. Bryn felt her father's mask press against her as he leaned forward and began to use his tongue, sending a whole new wave of delight through her mind and body.

It was all perfect and maddening and a deliciously slow build until suddenly her father's finger seemed to hit just the right spot inside of her. The blonde gasped in response and her whole body tensed for a moment. He must have recognized her response as approval because he continued to finger her at that exact angle, his tongue still flickering against her clit and labia. Bryn's moans grew louder and more insistent as she felt an orgasm beginning to build inside of her, each stroke of his finger drawing her closer.

"Ohhhhh, don't stop, oh yes...right there...uhhnnnn...fuck..." a moment later the teen felt waves of intense, blinding pleasure radiating through her entire body as she orgasmed against her father's face and hand.

 

[saedo]

I gripped Alice's hip to steady myself as she bucked her mound against me. I lapped at the flood of her juices as she climaxed.

When her spasms at last ended, I tipped back on my feet and stood. I licked my lips with great delight as I smiled at her. She gazed up at me with half-lidded, seductive eyes. Her chest heaved as she breathed deep in recovery from her exertion. The movement lifted up each wondrous breast a couple inches out of her bodice before settling back down.

"That was wonderful, Alice," I praised. "You are so beautiful when you cum." I thought I detected a slight blush at my words, but the exerted flush of her cheeks made it difficult to be sure.

"I adore your nipples," I continued. "So thick and firm." I bent my head to her right breast and sucked it into my mouth. I teased her hard nub with my tongue till Alice gave a soft sigh. "Tasty, too," I added as I released my lips.

I considered teasing her a while longer, but the ache in my balls was too much to bear. Enough with the foreplay; time to fuck.

I pressed the swollen head of my cock against her belly. Using my hands, I drew a line down her abdomen, leaving a pale streak of precum along the way.

I continued this journey south till I reached her tender vulva. The lips were flushed a brilliant pink and we're clearly sensitive to the touch. I guided my throbbing cock between her gentle folds, marveling at the disparity.

I eased in and felt the oven-like warmth of her pussy slip over my cockhead. "Good Lord, you're tight!" I blurted. Indeed, I couldn't remember feeling this much pressure on my dick before. I'd had plenty of women complain that I was too big for me them, but I immediately wondered if it truly might be the case here. Would I even fit?

"Let me know if this is too much," I advised as I tried to ease a few more inches inside her

 

[xFuckDollx]

When Bryn finally opened her eyes the room seemed to spin for a moment, her head light and her legs almost too weak to hold her. The orgasm had been one of the most powerful she'd ever had. As the glorious post-climax haze began to clear, the blonde saw that her father was once again standing in front of her, watching her intently. She let her eyes slowly drop down to his manhood, which appeared even larger and harder than it had before he had dropped down to his knees in front of her.

Bryn licked her lips, then immediately blushed at her father's comments. She started to respond, to thank him, as ridiculous as that sounded, or to compliment him on his oral expertise...the words were still forming in her mind when he suddenly leaned forward and sucked one of her nipples into his mouth. The teenager gasped in surprise and delight at the feel of her father's lips on her sensitive bud.

Instinctively, the blonde tried to reach down and grab hold of his hair, to run her fingers through his hair, but she couldn't, not with her wrists bound above her head. She settled for arching her back, pushing her full breast against his mouth for a moment before he pulled away. Bryn barely had time to long for the feel of her father's mouth on her tit before she saw him grip his cock in his hand and guide it to her abdomen.

Realizing what he was planning, the teenager immediately tensed. The tension left her chest tight, her eyes wide and her hands wringing against the bonds that kept her in place...all that changed the moment she felt her father's cock rub against her labia. Instantly, what had been anxiety became desire and the teen slowly released the breath that she'd been holding in her lungs.

Her chest heaved as she felt her father's swollen head pushing between her wet lips, pushing up into her. As aroused as she was it still wasn't enough to allow him to penetrate her easily, considering the sheer girth of his manhood.

"Let me know if this is too much," he said, putting voice to her own thoughts.

"No, don't stop," Bryn replied insistently as she spread her legs further apart. She wanted to say more, but the feeling of his thick, engorged cock pushing deeper left her unable to speak, reducing her to moans and whimpers.

 

[saedo]

As hot and slick as Alice's inner walls were, the going was still difficult. I kept my pace gradual, but every bit of forward progress was clearly testing her to her limits - perhaps even beyond. The whimpers exiting her lips were not for mild discomfort - my size was causing her significant pain.

But tempted as I was to stop, Alice would have none of it. Any pause on my part elicited a gasping entreaty from her to continue.

I confess: it really turned me on.

I'd never really thought of myself as deriving pleasure from the pain of others, but I was having to revise that impression tonight. Hearing Alice whimper and moan in obvious distress yet still tearfully beg for still more made me hard as steel. I could feel my cock surging to unprecedented dimensions, which only intensified Alice's oral symphony.

She was babbling almost incoherently when I buried myself as far as I could go. I withdrew out of her and slid back into her depths. I held back, but Alice begged again for more. Harder. Faster. More.

I couldn't resist her pleas. I gave her what she wanted: Harder. Faster. More.

 

[xFuckDollx]

Bryn had never experienced anything like the feeling of having her own father's enormously thick manhood penetrating her over and over again, thrusting up into her tight, wet sex. It was nothing like the soft, flickering of his tongue between her thighs moments before. It was nothing like sex with any man she'd ever been with. And it wasn't just because of the sheer size of his engorged cock as it slid between her puffy, swollen labia. That was certainly part of it, there was no denying that, but it was also because it was her dad who was taking her...the one man in the whole world that she trusted...loved...the one person who knew her better than any other and loved her unconditionally...the one man in the whole world that she shouldn't be doing this with...

There was something liberating about giving herself completely to him, her legs open, her body exposed, her hands bound above her head...in that moment she was giving everything to him, offering everything...her body, her pain, her pleasure, her soft gasps and high pitched moans...her sweat, her tears...everything except her identity which hid precariously beneath the ornate mask that covered the top half of her face.

Could he tell that it was her despite the mask? Did she remind him of his daughter at all? Was this a chance for him to live out some deeply buried fantasy? What would he say if she simply lifted that mask up and revealed who Alice really was? Would he continued to drive his cock up into her pussy, even as he stared into the eyes of his own baby girl?

"Fuck me, daddy," the blonde whispered into her father's ear, without even realizing what she was saying.

 

[saedo]

The session had been going well. Alice's tiny pussy hugged my throbbing cock like a second skin. She took every thrust with a shuddering moan that begged for more. I could feel my climax fast approaching

"Fuck me, daddy,"

Momentum carried me into her one last time, but her whispered comment killed my mental inertia. Daddy? I'd known this little tramp less than an hour and she was calling me that.

I didn't have any objection to the term per se. I'd even found it pleasing enough from other women. But only older women. A thirty-something calling me that usually had a bit of a dominance fetish; they liked to be controlled by a powerful male in bed. But after it was over, they went back to their real lives as adults.

I'd found that less likely to be the case in young women, though. Alice looked to be young - probably barely old enough to meet the 21 and up age requirement to get in. A woman in name, but probably as much a girl as my teenage daughter. At that age, the real world was scary, so such young women liked father figures. And while fulfilling that need made them easy to get into bed, it also made them clingy as hell. I didn't need some barely out of high school bimbo thinking that one stellar fuck at the Circus made me her boyfriend.

Irked to have my rhythm interrupted, I stepped away from her. My cock slipped out with an obscene squelch, followed by a torrent of her juices coursing down her thighs. Her binding to the top of the post was loose enough for me to spin her roughly around till she faced the post.

I fed my iron-hard shaft into her from behind. Her pussy had amazingly shrunk back, forcing me to plow into her depths once again.

When I'd buried enough of myself inside her, I leaned close to her ear. "Don't. Call. Me. Daddy." I punctuated each word with a vicious thrust that made her squeal.

I resumed my pounding into her. Her ass cheeks jiggled like jello as I slammed into them. Irked as I was, I gave her no quarter.

Fortunately her ill-timed comment hadn't derailed my libido for long. Soon I felt the surging warmth that presaged my release. I gave a few final, angry thrusts before I exploded, sending thick gouts of cum deep inside her.

 

[xFuckDollx]

The moment that the words left her lips, and Bryn realized that she'd actually spoken them aloud, she felt her chest tighten and the racing of her heart quicken tenfold. She couldn't believe that she'd just called him 'daddy'. Why not just take your mask off and let him see your face, she scolded herself. A moment later when her father pulled away from her, she was sure that she had ruined everything. Her eyes wide, like a deer in headlights, she waited to see what he would do or say.

It wasn't until he spun her around to face the column that she was bound to, and she felt his manhood plowing into her pussy from behind that she realized that her father still didn't realize who she was. The elation she felt at that realization, and the arousal she felt at having his cock pushing into her again were quickly lost when she realized that he was upset with her. There was a roughness to the way he handled her body, an intensity in his thrusts that weren't there before.

Obviously, daddy didn't like being called daddy for some reason. Bryn wondered what could possibly have caused the reaction, or at least she started to wonder about it, but the hard thrusts of his hips against her ass that sent his cock deep inside of her made it almost impossible to think about anything else. She'd never been fucked that hard by anyone and to her amazement, she liked it, even as her pussy ached and her chest heaved against the column. Then just as a smile began to form on her lips, the teenager felt her father erupt inside of her, spilling his massive load.

Her father had just fucked her and cum inside her...

Bryn's body immediately launched into an orgasm of its own, her legs quivering, her moans turning more high pitched until she finally cut them off by biting her bottom lip. As she finally came down off the euphoric ride, the blonde became aware of the shallow panting sound she was making, as well as the feel of her father's cum dripping down her thighs, mixing with her own flow.

 

[saedo]

Alice came shortly after I did. Her body twisted and ground against the pole in front of her. Her tight pussy pulsed against my cock and I could feel a fresh wave of her juices flood in.

I backed away, my cock slipping free from her confines to dangle between my legs. Without my massive member plugging her, our combined fluids gushed out of her, coating her thighs.

Alice slumped against the pillar, her legs apparently worn out from the exertion. I reached up and unfastened the ties that bound her wrists above her. She leaned heavily against me as I guided her over to a nearby couch.

She sank with a sigh of relief into the cushions. I smiled down at her. "That was amazing, Alice. You are quite the lover."

I noticed how one of her hands was gently cupping her sex. "I'm sorry if I got a little rough towards the end," I offered. "The word 'Daddy' just has certain connotations...." I trailed off; I didn't need to go down that road with someone I met here. The Circus was all about pleasure without consequence or concern.

"Anywise, I hope you're not too sore in the morning," I concluded. I gave that maybe a one in five chance of being true. Limber as she was, I'd been thrusting pretty hard into Alice - considerably harder than I usually did with one so young and tight. She'd definitely be feeling that for the next couple days.

 

[xFuckDollx]

The next several days passed slowly for Bryn. The pounding her body had taken from her father that night had lasted less than twenty minutes but the resulting soreness and stiffness stayed with her for two full days, keeping her in bed for much of it, and making her walk gingerly when she did manage to stray from her room.

The physical aches and pains weren't the only after effects from her visit to the Shadow Circus. There was the awkwardness, imagined or real, anytime she saw or spoke with her father. They spoke and sat together, but Bryn was quiet and made mumbled excuses cutting there time together short. There was no shortage of guilt and self loathing that filled the teenager's mind during the daylight hours, and no shortage of memory fueled desire that filled her nights.

Bryn was a mess, chastising herself as a slut and a deviant one moment, as she tried to convince herself that nothing like that could ever happen again, the next moment, reliving every touch of her father's hands on her body or every thrust of his manhood as she would lie awake in the middle of the night, eventually giving in to the desire, letting her hand slip between her already slick thighs.

The third night since the Circus ended, unable to sleep, and unable to find relief, the blonde slipped from her bed, wrapped her naked body in a thin, silk robe that clung to her curves and hung just low enough to cover her bottom. Sliding her feet into a pair of puffy, pink slippers, Bryn quietly made her way downstairs to the kitchen, hoping that she could drown her sorrows in ice cream or pie or alcohol. Preferably ice cream.

 

[saedo]

Unfortunately, my concerns proved correct. While Alice professed to have enjoyed the experience, she was not up to a second round.Damn. I knew I'd been too rough on her the first time.

We'd said our goodbyes and she'd disappeared back into the crowd. I'd mingled a bit, but ultimately went home. After a session with Alice, I didn't want to settle for what remained on last night.

I could always hope that Alice returned, but there was some doubt of that. I assumed as an unattached female, she was likely a paid escort hired for the occasion. The organization behind the Shadow Circus typically didn't bring the same escorts back each month in order to maintain variety.

I guessed I could track her down, but to what end? I wasn't going to pay someone to be my mistress. I had my reputation to consider. Besides, anonymity was the name of the game. The Circus would be ruined for many otherwise. I'd just have to accept this as ships passing in the night.

I settled back into my routine. Work, home, and back again.

I did find Bryn acting a little oddly. She took a day off from school, telling me she was having "female troubles" and locking herself in her room. I try to be a hands-on single father, but I know there are some areas to keep off limits. Fortunately, my sister has always been glad to step in for such discussions, so I told Bryn to call her aunt if needed.

When I did see her next, Bryn was moving gingerly. She told me she'd pulled a muscle during yoga and that'd she'd be fine. She then told me she didn't want to talk about it, which was unusual for Bryn. Usually she was quite chatty with me, so her lack of communication was strange.

Still, I didn't push her on it. Bryn had demonstrated herself to be quite mature, so I tried to treat her like an adult when I thought that safe. If she needs some space to think about what was bothering her, I'd leave her alone. Not entirely, of course. I was still her Dad. But I tried to be only mildly annoying in my concern for my daughter.

Days later, I was up late watching TV. I like to DVR multiple weeks of a show and watch two or three episodes at a stretch. Means I drive my office nuts telling them not to talk about big plot twists since I'm always a week or more behind.

Anywise, I was midway into my second episode of Sons of Anarchy when I heard noise from the kitchen. I hit pause and went to look.

I found Bryn rummaging in the freezer. As usual, she wore her white silk robe. It had formerly been her mother's. Back when she was a little girl, Bryn had adored the feel of the fabric when her mother hugged her. When she'd found it a couple years back amongst some old clothes, Bryn had cried over the memories it brought back.

Glancing at the hemline, I questioned again whether I should have refused to let Bryn have it. The robe was a little risqué for a teenager in my mind. It didn't help that Bryn was a bit taller than her mother, so the robe robe left even more thigh on display than it was designed for. Still, in Bryn's eyes, this bit of silk was a pleasant reminder of her mother's love; I couldn't say no to that.

"Hey sweetness. You're up late," I observed. "Everything okay?" I knew I'd most likely get the same evasive replies as before, but the Dad instinct made me ask regardless.