One Sweet Treat Read online

  One Sweet Treat - A SANCTUM Novel

  Pepper North

  Text copyright ©2019 Pepper North

  All Rights Reserved

  Author’s Note:

  The following story is completely fictional. The characters are all over the age of 18 and as adults choose to live their lives in an age play environment. This is a series of books that can be read in any order. You may, however, choose to read them sequentially to enjoy the characters best. Subsequent books will feature characters that appear in previous novels as well as new faces. Prepare to enter the new world of Dr. Richards’ Littles. Enjoy!

  Contents

  Other titles by Pepper North

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Afterword

  Excerpt From Protecting Priscilla: A SANCTUM Novel

  Excerpt From The Magic of Twelve: Violet

  Other titles by Pepper North

  Zoey: Dr. Richards’ Littles 1

  Amy: Dr. Richards’ Littles 2

  Carrie: Dr. Richards’ Littles 3

  Jake: Dr. Richards’ Littles 4

  Angelina: Dr. Richards’ Littles 5

  Brad: Dr. Richards’ Littles 6

  The Digestive Health Center: Susan’s Story

  Charlotte: Dr. Richards’ Littles 7

  Sofia and Isabella: Dr. Richards’ Littles 8

  Cecily: Dr. Richards’ Littles 9

  Tony: Dr. Richards’ Littles 10

  The Keepers: Payi

  Abigail: Dr. Richards’ Littles 11

  Madi: Dr. Richards’ Littles 12

  Penelope: Dr. Richards’ Littles 13

  Christmas with the Littles & Wendy: Dr. Richards’ Littles 14

  Olivia: Dr. Richards’ Littles 15

  Matty & Emma: Dr. Richards’ Littles 16

  The Magic of Twelve: Violet

  Fiona: Dr. Richards’ Littles 17

  The Keepers: Pien

  Oliver: Dr. Richards’ Littles 18

  The Magic of Twelve: Marigold

  Luna: Dr. Richards’ Littles 19

  Lydia & Neil: Dr. Richards’ Littles 20

  A Little Vacation South of the Border

  The Magic of Twelve: Hazel

  Roxy: Dr. Richards’ Littles 21

  Dr. Richards’ Littles: First Anniversary Collection

  Jillian: Dr. Richards’ Littles 22

  The Magic of Twelve: Sienna

  Hunter: Dr. Richards’ Littles 23

  Sharing Shelby: A SANCTUM Novel

  The Magic of Twelve: Pearl

  Dr. Richards’ Littles: MM Collection

  Electrostatic Bonds

  Grace: Dr. Richards’ Littles 24

  Looking After Lindy: A SANCTUM Novel

  The Keepers: Naja

  Tales from Zoey’s Corner - ABC

  Steven: Dr. Richards’ Littles 25

  The Magic of Twelve: Violet, Marigold, Hazel

  The Magic of Twelve: Primrose

  The Keepers Collection

  Protecting Priscilla: A SANCTUM Novel

  Prologue

  With a smear of chocolate icing around her mouth, a blindfolded Priscilla tried to hit a colorful star pinata with a large stick. With a large thud, she hit one side, tearing it apart. When she heard Lindy and Shelby’s squeals of delight and Hunter’s “Holy cow!”, she pushed off the blindfold and joined the Littles as they scrambled on the grass for the tumbling pieces of candy.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Mitch saw his Little’s friend from the candy store take two steps forward toward the fun before hesitating. He grinned. Samantha is a Little. He had always suspected that the plump woman who had become fast friends with Priscilla was a Little in disguise. He started forward to reassure her that she could join Priscilla and the others but stopped as the sheriff’s large hand came to rest on the small of her back.

  Samantha looked back at him wildly as he privately whispered into her ear. She hesitated and looked around with wide eyes as if assessing the group. Her desire to join the Littles was palpable. Her gaze jumped back to the large uniformed man. At Ben’s gentle nod, she smiled and walked forward to join the group in the middle of the circle.

  Priscilla met her halfway with a hug before towing her into the fun. “Come on, they’ll get all the good stuff. Look! Here’s your favorite-a chewy caramel!” she tucked it into Samantha’s hand before picking up something she liked to tuck in her already bulging pockets.

  Chapter 1

  Samantha placed the last heart-shaped box of chocolates on the center display table. Although it was just mid-January, she’d found it best to start reminding people that Valentine’s Day was coming. Stepping back to admire the vivid red boxes with stiff bows, flowers, or sweet words, the candy shop owner decided that the arrangement looked perfectly appealing!

  Turning to go stock the other displays that had been wiped out in the Saturday night pre-movie rush, she knew that she should be more excited about February fourteenth. It was one of her busiest times in the shop. Easter, Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day, all kept her business open and flourishing. Her customers loved to pick out special treats that the big box stores just didn’t carry.

  Samantha caught a glimpse of herself reflected in the plate-glass window at the front of the store. Rounded and plump, Samantha judged that she really didn’t look like she was fifty-four, but there were times that she felt all those years. Just on cue, her usually rosy cheeks flushed bright red. Growling, she pulled out the fan that she carried in her apron and began to flutter it rapidly to send cooling air over her face and cleavage. Damn hot flashes!

  A patrol car with lights on top drove by slowly. Samantha tried to see who was inside, but it was too far away to see clearly. She shivered a little as she remembered the big, muscled sheriff who’d talked to her at Priscilla’s party. He was just what she expected to see when she looked up silver fox online. Broad shoulders and a flat tummy with that amazing silver and black hair, she swooned as she pictured him in her mind.

  Shaking her head to dispel the lascivious thoughts, she moved to next row to replenish her stock from the handy bins built under the displays. He’d never be interested in her. She was older… and plumper.

  A flash of hope zipped through her thoughts. Somehow, he’d known that she was Little and spoken to her kindly. While having fun with the other Littles scrambling for the fallen candy, Samantha had felt his eyes on her. After all the candy had been claimed, she’d felt silly and had made an excuse to run away.

  Littles were supposed to be young and small. Their Daddies needed to take care of them and protect them. She’d had her chance to be Little many years ago. Her husband had been a wonderful Daddy. Unfortunately, he’d also loved to fly his small plane. A terrible accident during a sudden spring storm had stolen her Daddy away from her. She had never found anyone to replace him. Now, it was too late.

  She was older now and able to provide for herself. A man would have to be very strong to carry me to bed, she thought, laughing self-consciously. The sound hollowly rang through the empty store startling her.

  Enough sad thoughts for one day, Samantha decided. Patting her apron pocket, she smiled. She had brought some of her treasures with her today. She unwrapped a chocolate caramel and popped it into h
er mouth. Sweets would always be there for her. She smiled as she unlocked the front door and flipped over the sign to signal that the store was open.

  Her eyes fell on the clearance shelf. She’d forgotten to mark down the Christmas candy. After running through the swinging door to the back room for her pricing gun, she heard the bell at the front door jingle as someone walked into the store. She tried to yell that she’d be right there, but the gooey caramel stuck her teeth together. In a flash, Samantha began to choke. Unable to breathe, she started to panic.

  Chapter 2

  Sheriff Ben Underwood had been waiting for that OPEN sign to be flipped over on the door of the charming candy store. He had driven down that main street downtown more times than he could count and each time the bright, cheerful colors on the sign out front and the window displays had caught his eye. He meant to stop in before now to buy a treat for Priscilla and her Little friends at SANCTUM, but an urgent call always seemed to come in as he drove past.

  Now, having met Samantha, a visit to the candy store was at the top of his list. He pushed the door opened and smiled as the old-fashioned bell announced his arrival. Very smart for a woman who was often alone in the shop, he thought before frowning. He didn’t like the thought of her being vulnerable.

  No one was in the main shop area, but the swinging door to what must be the storeroom was still swinging, Ben started to call a greeting when he heard that distinctive sound. Without hesitation, he bolted to the rear of the shop. Bursting through the door, he found Samantha holding her throat as her face turned red with panic. Her hand reached out to him in a silent plea.

  Quickly, Ben moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her voluptuous body. Without a moment’s pause, he allowed his training to take over, and he pulled his clasped hands sharply inward between her ribcage and her navel. At the third try, he saw a small mass fly from her lips and air rushed into her lungs.

  Ben dropped his forehead to her shoulder as he continued to hold her tight. When her hands wrapped around his forearms and she whispered a shaky, “Thank you,” he turned her body in his arms and pulled her tightly against his chest. Her arms immediately wrapped around his waist to return the embrace. She felt good against him.

  After several minutes, she stepped back, pressing herself out of his embrace. Ben’s eyes accessed her face as he checked for a sign that she might still be in distress. Other than the wet trails of panicked tears that had cascaded down her cheeks. She looked good, very good.

  “Thank you. I’m so sorry. I’d just put a piece of candy in my mouth, and I heard the door. When I started to call out to you, I began choking.” She spotted the lump of caramel on the floor and leaned over picking it up as her face blushed with embarrassment.

  Spying a nearby trashcan, Ben grabbed it and held it out to her to dispose of the half-eaten candy. He pulled an old-fashion handkerchief from his pocket and stepped forward to wipe the tears from her face with a hand that shook more than he wanted to admit.

  “You scared me, Little girl. I’m glad I was here to help.” Just then, a call came through on his radio for help needed. Silently cursing as the noise interrupted their focus on each other, he pressed the button on the device at his shoulder and confirmed that he was on his way.

  Stumbling, she answered trying to be blasé, “I couldn’t ask for more than a trained professional to save me.”

  He looked at her raising one eyebrow at her glib words. “I didn’t come here as a ‘trained professional,’ Little one. I came here because I want to get to know you better and I think if you’re honest, you’d like to get to know me better as well.”

  As if surprised by his straight-forward, honest words, the attractive shop keeper nodded before her face flushed once again.

  “Good. We’re on the same page. I’m going to come back to take you to lunch so that we can get to know each other better. Does one o’clock work for you today?” When she nodded slowly, the handsome man leaned forward to kiss her forehead. “Good. Small bites from now on, okay?” He asked with a slow smile.

  “O...okay!” she agreed with a small nod.

  “One o’clock,” Ben reminded as he stepped back and turned to leave. He could feel her eyes on his back as he walked back through the swinging door. Most days, he loved his job, but some days, he wished he’d become a baker.

  Chapter 3

  Her arms wrapped around her waist as Samantha watched the most exciting man she had met in a very long time walk purposely out of her shop. His backside was almost as delicious as the view of him walking toward her. Tall with his military-short hair, his body had felt as hard against her as she had imagined it might be when she’d fantasized in her lonely bed after the party last night.

  She shook her head in disbelief. He’d come to see her as soon as she’d opened the door. Could the handsome man really be interested in me? She knew that women had to throw themselves at the charming sheriff all the time A smile spread across her face. The funny thing was she believed he was. She trusted that he would be back to take her to lunch.

  Automatically, she pulled a piece of candy from her pocket to celebrate. Staring at it with concern, she tucked that piece of caramel away for when she was feeling braver and pulled out a hard candy. Peppermint would soothe her sore throat.

  Unwrapping it and carefully sucking on the sweet mint, Samantha forced herself to remember why she’d come back here in the first place. Spotting the pricing gun, she shook her finger at it before returning to the front to mark clearance prices on the leftover Christmas treats.

  Almost immediately, her shop had filled with customers wanting to see the newest concoctions she had displayed for Valentine’s Day. This time, Samantha didn’t envy the women quite so much who arrived looking for something special for the men in their lives. She felt hopeful.

  Chapter 4

  At five minutes to one, her front door opened, and Sheriff Ben Underwood’s large frame seemed to fill her shop. Immediately, a smile spread across her full lips. She didn’t understand it. They hardly knew each other at all, but she knew he was as glad to see her as she had eagerly been waiting for his arrival.

  “Hi!” she greeted him warmly before nodding at the little boy in front of her who was painstakingly counting out his allowance on the counter.

  The number of coins in the pile he was counting from was getting very close to the last one. “Derek, I forgot to add in your discount.” When the small boy looked up at her in confusion, she added. “You’re a frequent customer now. This is the third gift for your mother that you’ve bought from my shop. You get a fifty-cent discount from your purchase today. That means you only need five more cents.”

  A huge grin covered his face as he picked out the shiniest nickel in his small pile to hand to her. “Thanks, Mrs. Townsend. I love your shop. I wouldn’t buy her a gift from anywhere else. Could you wrap it for me?”

  “I would be happy to wrap it for you. Run back to the counter and see which ribbon you want for this present,” she directed. She grinned as he stopped in front of the towering officer to greet him by Sheriff Ben and show him the small box of chocolates that he had picked out for his mother. The young boy didn’t chat long before running to the gift-wrapping center to agonize over the choices.

  “Sorry. I’ll just be a minute,” she apologized to Ben as she scooped the change from the counter to drop into the correct spaces in the cash register. Her eyes looked over his approaching mass as eagerly as Derek’s scanned the beautiful ribbon.

  “Take your time. I’m glad to see that you’ve met Derek. He’s done a few odd jobs around the station to help.” Speaking confidentially, his deep voice lowered as he placed his hands on the counter to lean toward her. “I’ll be glad to make up the difference between the cost of the chocolates and his payment. I know his parents are low on money since his mother was hurt at work.”

  Without thinking, she patted his warm hand. Immediately, he meshed his fingers with hers. Samantha’s eyes rose from the sight of
her hand in his, speechless for several breaths as his deep brown eyes held hers captive. A small voice announcing his decision broke the tension between them, and she was able to pull her eyes from his.

  “Thank you for the offer. I’m glad Derek has good friends around town. His grandmother is a good friend of mine. She asked that I allow him to pay all that he can, so he doesn’t think that you don’t have to work for your money in life. She makes up any difference in the price for him. He’s a good boy. I’ll be right back. Would you turn the sign to closed for me?” she asked with a delighted grin.

  With an expert touch, Samantha wrapped Derek’s gift with a flourish of brightly colored ribbon. Carrying it around the counter, she handed the young boy the gift. “Whoa!” She braced herself against the counter with one hand as Derek bolted toward her to wrap his arms around her waist in a big hug.

  Smiling broadly, she patted his back saying, “I guess you like it?”

  Derek stepped away, and his pretty blue eyes met hers. “It’s even more beautiful than the last one. Thank you, Mrs. Townsend!” Skipping with happiness, Derek headed back to his father’s small accounting office several doors down. He paused to wave at them with enthusiasm through the sparkling plate-glass window before disappearing from their sight.

  “Well done, sweetheart. You have a customer for life in that young man,” Ben warmly complimented.