《Her Dad鈥檚 Best Friend》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Cami My eyes are zing over as I sort through the never-ending ton of emails that areing for my boss. Anybody who knows his actual email address emails him directly, but I handle his publicly avable email address. About 90% of the emails are crazy, but I pass on maybe 10%. It works for him. It¡¯s a part-time job for me. Ie to work after ss each day, dressed in business professional and wading through a torrent of emails. I want to quit though, because I can¡¯t stop fantasizing about my boss, Lincoln. He has dark hair with a handful of silver streaks running through it, but his hair only enhances how gorgeous he is. He¡¯s my dad¡¯s best friend, so he¡¯s always been around. And I¡¯ve always had a crush on him. Today, the amazing gray suit that he¡¯s wearing fits him perfectly, like all of his suits. They¡¯re tailored specifically for him. He can¡¯t buy off the rack, with his linebacker shoulders and slender waist. He looks like a model and did a little modeling in college for spare money, before he founded his own software only a few feet away from him and my dad. It¡¯s crazy that someone afraid that she¡¯ll show her feelings actually is working for her crush, but that¡¯s how it happened. I needed a summer job. His secretary, Amanda, was on maternity leave. My dad thought it was a perfect fit. So now I¡¯m stuck in an unending hell, fantasizing about a man I can never have. * * * ¡°Come into my office.¡± Lincoln is so tall that I have to tilt back my head to look up at him. ¡°Coming, sir.¡± I straighten my skirt, smoothing it down my thighs. It rode up while I was sitting, almost exposing a little too much. When I step into his office, he tells me, ¡°Close the door.¡± I turn to close it. Then I feel his big body behind me, his heat searing my skin even through our clothes. His cock is pressing into my lower back. ¡°I¡¯m tired of you teasing me,¡± he whispers softly. ¡°So you¡¯re going to get what you¡¯ve been asking for.¡± We both hear the soft sound of my zipper going down, down, down, just a millimeter at a time. My heart is pounding like a drum. My body is crushed between the wood door and his hard body. I can feel his erection pulse once behind me. Stepping back, he pushes my skirt off of my hips. ¡°Step out of it,¡± hemands. I step out of it. I¡¯m still wearing my blouse, a bra, a ckce thong, and heels. He snaps the waistband of my thong. ¡°Take this off.¡± All of this is so inappropriate. ¡°I don¡¯t think¡­¡± All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Don¡¯t think. Do as you¡¯re told.¡± His hand spanks my right cheek. ¡°Now.¡± With shaking hands, I pull off my thong. Now my top half is covered, but my bottom half is bare. I can hear a thud as something hits the ground. His hands are pulling my ass cheeks apart. Then I feel a tongue between my legs. ¡°Oh my god,¡± I gasp. ¡°Be quiet,¡± he says. ¡°Don¡¯t make a sound.¡± I can feel his tongue enter me again. My lower body is melting. I don¡¯t know if I can be quiet. His hand is now touching my clit, rubbing it over and over as his tongue is still inside of my folds. My legs are shaking and no longer able to hold me up. ¡°Link,¡± I whisper. He ps my ass again, but he hits harder this time. ¡°I told you to be quiet. I guess I need to gag you.¡± I hear some soft sounds before he¡¯s shoving his tie into my mouth. ¡°Mmph!¡± I protest. He bites my ear. ¡°I can take it out. I can take it out right now. You can take your skirt and go right back to your desk. Or I can make youe. Make another sound, and I¡¯ll send you away, wet or not.¡± I¡¯m quiet. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought.¡± Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Lincoln ¡°Cami.¡± Her beautiful brown eyes go up to meet mine. Her face flushes a little. ¡°Yes, sir. What can I do for you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s time to go home.¡± I point at the clock. ¡°Everyone left a half hour ago. It¡¯s just you and me. You should get home, or I¡¯ll have to have a talk with your dad about appropriate work-life bnce.¡± ¡°Right away.¡± Her face is still flushed. I watch as she bends over to get her backpack. She¡¯s a good girl. I know that shees here straight from the summer sses she¡¯s taking at a local makes her work during the summer to pad her resume. It¡¯s been sheer hell. She always wears these tight skirts that emphasize the curve of her hips, especially when she¡¯s bent over like she is now. I¡¯ve spent this summer adjusting my erection because it¡¯s so inappropriate for me to feel this way about my temporary secretary. When my normal secretary, Amanda, told me that she was knocked up and taking advantage of the standard three months of maternity leave, I was panicking. But my buddy Jack said to give his little girl a job, and here we are. I¡¯m staring at her red skirt pulling tight against her ass while she throws things into her bag. There aren¡¯t any visible panty lines, which means that she¡¯s wearing a thong or going bare. The thought of Cami going bare makes me harder than ever. If I don¡¯t stop staring at her curvy ass, I¡¯m going to drip some pree. Then she¡¯s standing up and sliding her backpack on her shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m going home. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡± ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± I watch as she walks to the elevators. Her curly hair bounces with every step. There¡¯s something so cheerful about her. Her dad calls her Sunshine, and it¡¯s a nickname that I use asionally, too. She¡¯s sweet, happy, and light and always has been. I look down at my pants. I¡¯ve tucked my erection in my waistband, but it¡¯s throbbing angrily. It knows what it wants, even though it¡¯ll never get it. Her dad would blow my balls off with his shotgun, and that¡¯d only be the first step. ¡°Down, boy.¡± But my erection persists, and I have to resort to something that has happened with increasing frequency this summer. I go to the private bathroom connected to my office, unzip my pants, pull out my dick, and close my eyes. * * * Cami is kneeling in front of me, her big brown eyes wide. Her full lips are pouting, ready for my cock, but I¡¯m not ready to give it to her. Not until she begs. ¡°Please, sir.¡± I close my eyes, her sweet voice so seductive that it¡¯s hard not to give it to her. ¡°Convince me that you want it.¡± ¡°I need it,¡± she murmurs, her eyes heating up. ¡°I need to suck your cock.¡± I rub the tip against her cheek. She turns her head, trying to take it into her mouth, but I pull away before she can. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°How much do you need it?¡± ¡°More than anything in the world.¡± She licks her lips. ¡°I need it more than anything ever.¡± My hand caresses her jaw, and then I¡¯m forcing her mouth open as I shove the entire length inside. She gasps and gags a little as I enter her throat. Her hands are bound behind her back with handcuffs, so she has no control in this situation. There are tears in her eyes from the suddenness of my entry. My hands slide into her hair. She¡¯s obediently sucking me into her mouth. I watch each time as I thrust and retreat, thrust and retreat. My balls draw up and I feel the tingle in my spine that means that I¡¯m ready to shoot. One of my hands slides to the back of her neck, holding her right where I want her as I grunt and unload my seed into her wet, warm mouth. ¡°Swallow,¡± I tell her. ¡°Take it all.¡± I watch her throat work as she tries to swallow all of it, but it¡¯s too much for her. A little whitee ising out of the corner of her mouth. * * * I open my eyes, panting a little from the force of my orgasm. I clean up and flush everything down the toilet. She makes me hard several times a day. If I ignore it, my blue balls make it clear that I need to unload in her. I¡¯ve barely been able to control myself, and only the thought of castration and betraying my friend Jack stop me from acting on my fantasies. But I know that it would ruin everything. One more week, and I¡¯ll have my normal secretary Amanda back. One more week, and temptation will go back to school full-time. I¡¯m about to go insane. This week can¡¯t end soon enough. Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Lincoln The next afternoon, I¡¯ming in from a lunch meeting when I see her. She has big headphones on. They¡¯re connected to her phone while she sorts through all the email that has umted in thest day. ¡°Cami.¡± She flushes the same way as she pushes her headphones off so that they¡¯re around her neck. ¡°How can I help you, sir?¡± ¡°I need you to get me a double shot of espresso from the caf¨¦ next door as soon as possible.¡± I need the caffeine. I¡¯d like to be drinking some whiskey, but it¡¯s a little early in the day for that. Plus alcohol lowering my inhibitions is a terrible idea when all I want to do is bend my best friend¡¯s daughter over my desk and fuck her until she¡¯s screaming my name so that the whole office can hear her and know that she¡¯s mine. Bad idea. ¡°Sure, sir.¡± ¡°And you can grab something for yourself. Put it on thepany ount.¡± ¡°Right away.¡± She stands up, tugging her skirt down. Her breasts jiggle just a little bit. God, everything she does entrances me. She makes me think like a horny teenager. I¡¯m surprised that there isn¡¯t drool dripping off my chin. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. She has it all: beauty, brains, efficiency, and a sense of humor. If she were two decades older, we¡¯d be married already. She walks towards the elevator. I¡¯m admiring her smooth, sexy walk before I shake my head and turn around. I¡¯m about to head into my office when I see the email that¡¯s on her screen. The subject line says ¡°Today¡¯s Lincoln Fantasy¡±. I know that I¡¯m snooping into a private file, bute on. My name is there. Surely that gives me a free pass. I look around the office. Nobody is paying attention. The sales team that is normally on this floor is out at some corporate retreat, setting sales goals for the next quarter. The people who are here aren¡¯t looking at me. I sit down at her desk and read the rest of it. * * * Oh my god, Kelly, I can¡¯t stop thinking about him. I want his perfect mouth on mine. I want him to pin me against the wall and hold me in ce until I beg him to stop because I can¡¯t take any more. And then I want him to keep going anyway. I can¡¯t handle working here anymore, Kels. It¡¯s going to be hell this week. It¡¯s only Tuesday, so I have three more days to go. I¡¯m so wet that I think that I¡¯ve soaked through my panties and onto my skirt. Just smelling his scent makes me wet. He doesn¡¯t even have to be here. I can never tell him that I want him to shove me face-down on his desk, tie my hands with his tie, and fuck me until my mind explodes into a thousand pieces. He¡¯ll tell my dad that I was inappropriate at work, and then I¡¯ll get yelled at. I don¡¯t want to be cut off. * * * My eyebrows are raised. She was afraid of me telling her dad how she felt? Not a chance in hell, not if I wanted to keep my balls. He¡¯d show up at my office with a shotgun in a heartbeat. She felt the same way. My mind ran through the possibilities. She shouldn¡¯t worry about being cut off. I can provide for her as easily as her father can. Better, even, since I¡¯d never make her work just for the sake of working. Maybe I should n a surprise for when shees back with my coffee. *** Cami The coffee is almost too hot to handle. I know that the cup¡¯s material is supposed to inste it, but it¡¯s almost hot enough to scorch my hand. I was in such a hurry to get back that I forgot to get coffee cors. I don¡¯t want to go back and get some. I hope Lincoln doesn¡¯t yell at me for forgetting. No, that¡¯s dumb. He doesn¡¯t yell at me for stupid stuff. He¡¯s demanding and expects perfection, but he¡¯d never yell at me for forgetting a coffee cor for his cup. He¡¯s pretty fair. Hees down like the wrath of God when he¡¯s provoked, though. One of the financial analysts forgot to send him a sales report before a meeting once, and I listened when he ripped the analyst a new one. I¡¯d been so turned on that after I listened to the fury in his voice, I¡¯d gone to the bathroom and taken care of myself. He never let people forget who was in charge. I am quickly forgetting how hot the coffee I¡¯m holding is. I hit the elevator button for the top floor with my elbow. Three more days of working as his assistant, and then all of this will be over. It¡¯ll be a relief, but I¡¯m also afraid that I¡¯ll regret not making a move on him when I had the chance. He probably sees me as nothing more than a little girl, but I¡¯ve had a crush on him forever. My dad snores, but he doesn¡¯t. I know, since I¡¯ve slept so close to him in the mountains time and time again. My hands tighten a little on the coffee cups, but then the heat makes me loosen my grip. Three more days. When I get back to our corner of the office, I see that his door is open. I walk into his office and see him staring at hisputer screen. ¡°I brought your coffee, sir.¡± I never called him sir before I came to work for him, but it seems respectful. Polite. It creates a good employee-boss rtionship. ¡°Cami, stay in here for a moment, please.¡± It¡¯s not a question. I put both coffee cups down on his desk. ¡°The grande one is for you.¡± I only have a decaf talltte, because it¡¯s afternoon and I¡¯ll be up until midnight if I drink caffeinated anything right now. ¡°Could you close the door?¡± My heart jumps at a request so close to yesterday¡¯s fantasy, but I¡¯m being dumb. He¡¯s just asking me to close a door, not to get naked and sweaty with him. I curse my brain for giving me a full-color visual of what that would be like, my soft body beneath his hard one. We¡¯ve gone swimming inkes. I know that he has tight, hard muscles and washboard abs. He definitely doesn¡¯t look like your average pencil pusher. ¡°Sure thing.¡± I stand up and close the door. I hear the small thud. ¡°And lock it.¡± My heart starts beating so fast and hard that I can hear it in my ears. ¡°Lock it?¡± I turn to him with a little panic in my eyes. I have no idea what¡¯s going on. ¡°Lock it,¡± he repeats. I know that he¡¯s waiting for me to do it. With an audible gulp, I turn the lock. Chapter 4 Chapter 4 I¡¯m so wet that I think that I¡¯ve soaked through my panties and onto my skirt. Just smelling his scent makes me wet. He doesn¡¯t even have to be here. I can never tell him that I want him to shove me face-down on his desk, tie my hands with his tie, and fuck me until my mind explodes into a thousand pieces. He¡¯ll tell my dad that I was inappropriate at work, and then I¡¯ll get yelled at. I don¡¯t want to be cut off. My eyebrows are raised. She was afraid of me telling her dad how she felt? Not a chance in hell, not if I wanted to keep my balls. He¡¯d show up at my office with a shotgun in a heartbeat. She felt the same way. My mind ran through the possibilities. She shouldn¡¯t worry about being cut off. I can provide for her as easily as her father can. Better, even, since I¡¯d never make her work just for the sake of working. Maybe I should n a surprise for when shees back with my coffee. Coffee Cami The coffee is almost too hot to handle. I know that the cup¡¯s material is supposed to inste it, but it¡¯s almost hot enough to scorch my hand. I was in such a hurry to get back that I forgot to get coffee cors. I don¡¯t want to go back and get some. I hope Lincoln doesn¡¯t yell at me for forgetting. No, that¡¯s dumb. He doesn¡¯t yell at me for stupid stuff. He¡¯s demanding and expects perfection, but he¡¯d never yell at me for forgetting a coffee cor for his cup. He¡¯s pretty fair. Hees down like the wrath of God when he¡¯s provoked, though. One of the financial analysts forgot to send him a sales report before a meeting once, and I listened when he ripped the analyst a new one. I¡¯d been so turned on that after I listened to the fury in his voice, I¡¯d gone to the bathroom and taken care of myself. He never let people forget who was in charge. I am quickly forgetting how hot the coffee I¡¯m holding is. I hit the elevator button for the top floor with my elbow. Three more days of working as his assistant, and then all of this will be over. It¡¯ll be a relief, but I¡¯m also afraid that I¡¯ll regret not making a move on him when I had the chance. He probably sees me as nothing more than a little girl, but I¡¯ve had a crush on him forever. My dad snores, but he doesn¡¯t. I know, since I¡¯ve slept so close to him in the mountains time and time again. My hands tighten a little on the coffee cups, but then the heat makes me loosen my grip. Three more days. When I get back to our corner of the office, I see that his door is open. I walk into his office and see him staring at hisputer screen. ¡°I brought your coffee, sir.¡± I never called him sir before I came to work for him, but it seems respectful. Polite. It creates a good employee-boss rtionship. ¡°Cami, stay in here for a moment, please.¡± It¡¯s not a question. I put both coffee cups down on his desk. ¡°The grande one is for you.¡± I only have a decaf talltte, because it¡¯s afternoon and I¡¯ll be up until midnight if I drink caffeinated anything right now. ¡°Could you close the door?¡± Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. My heart jumps at a request so close to yesterday¡¯s fantasy, but I¡¯m being dumb. He¡¯s just asking me to close a door, not to get naked and sweaty with him. I curse my brain for giving me a full-color visual of what that would be like, my soft body beneath his hard one. We¡¯ve gone swimming inkes. I know that he has tight, hard muscles and washboard abs. He definitely doesn¡¯t look like your average pencil pusher. ¡°Sure thing.¡± I stand up and close the door. I hear the small thud. ¡°And lock it.¡± My heart starts beating so fast and hard that I can hear it in my ears. ¡°Lock it?¡± I turn to him with a little panic in my eyes. I have no idea what¡¯s going on. ¡°Lock it,¡± he repeats. I know that he¡¯s waiting for me to do it. With an audible gulp, I turn the lock. Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Lincoln When she spins around, her nipples are hard, poking out. ¡°Come over here.¡± The coffee cups are sitting on one corner of my desk. She sits down in the chair in front of my desk. ¡°What do you need, sir?¡± She looks like I¡¯m going to pull out an iron maiden or something. ¡°I want to talk to you about your emails.¡± ¡°What emails?¡± I can see her pulse pick up in her throat. ¡°The ones that you¡¯ve been sending to your best friend, Kelly.¡± Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Her face gets a little paler. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­you haven¡¯t¡­did you read them?¡± ¡°I did.¡± If possible, she grows even more pale. ¡°I can exin.¡± I motion for her to continue. Her hand goes to twirl a curl around her finger. ¡°I just¡­I can¡¯t¡­¡± I stand up and put a finger on her lips. ¡°I read all of them.¡± Instead of going pale, her face flushes. I smile slowly, even though I know she¡¯s deeply embarrassed. I sit back in my chair. ¡°Are you going to tell my dad?¡± she squeaks. ¡°Please, please don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Hush, sweetheart. That¡¯s not what I had in mind.¡± ¡°Then why am I here?¡± She turns to look at the locked door. ¡°And why is the door locked?¡± ¡°Do you know how stringent the sexual harassment policies are here?¡± ¡°No.¡± She turns back to look at me. ¡°They¡¯re very strict. I made them myself. My mother was sexually harassed by her boss for decades, and I swore that it would never happen in anypany that I was the head of. Not on my watch.¡± She nods. ¡°Protecting women. I get it.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s the reason why we can¡¯t act on your little fantasies. Like the one where I pin you against the wall and make youe even when you tell me to stop.¡± ¡°You read that?!¡± she squeaks. ¡°I haven¡¯t even sent that one yet.¡± ¡°I read them all, the ones you sent and the ones that are drafts. They¡¯re all on your corporate email, so you have no reasonable expectation of privacy. You¡¯re very imaginative, Cami.¡± My tongue caresses her name. ¡°What¡¯s going to happen now?¡± ¡°I thought you¡¯d never ask.¡± I stood up. ¡°I want you to take off your skirt.¡± ¡°But I¡­but you just said¡­sexual harassment policies¡­¡± ¡°Now, Cami.¡± Chapter 6 Chapter 6 She stands up and reaches behind her to unzip her skirt. The position is pushing her breasts out, and they didn¡¯t need it. Her young breasts are firm, full, and perky, the sort of thing that you find in a centerfold. Her buttons are straining to contain her breasts, and I can see some hints of smooth, golden brown skin. She¡¯s wearing a tiny ckce thong that barely covers anything. She¡¯s standing there, her face flushed, uncertain of what¡¯s going to happen next. Her skirt is on the ground. ¡°I can¡¯t touch you, Cami. I can¡¯t do it while you¡¯re on the payroll.¡± ¡°Then why is my skirt off?¡± She blinks at me, a hint of fear in her brown eyes. ¡°Because you¡¯re going to touch yourself, Cami.¡± She gasps a little, her eyes getting big. ¡°But I¡­I¡¯ve never¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ve never masturbated in front of anyone else before?¡± She nods. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°How old are you?¡± ¡°Neen,¡± she whispers. Neen. So young. I have no business doing this with a girl that young. But there¡¯s a devil inside me that says, ¡°Put your hand in the front of your panties.¡± I watch as her hand settles on the front of the sweet junction of her thighs. ¡°Now rub your clit until youe.¡± ¡°Standing?¡± I motion to the couch in my office. ¡°Laying down. Spread your legs.¡± She walks over to the couch, her hand still trapped in her thong, and sheys down. Her legs are far apart now, and I bless her regr yoga practice. ¡°Like this?¡± The thong is annoying me, obstructing my view of her pussy. ¡°Take your thong off.¡± She takes her hand out and pulls off her thong. ¡°And your shirt.¡± She unbuttons each button slowly. Her hands are shaking. Arousal, excitement, and a hint of fear, I think. Anybody coulde up to my door and find it locked. It wouldn¡¯t take a genius to realize that Cami was inside my office with me. Her generous breasts are filling up a ckce push-up bra. God, I want to take those luscious mounds into my mouth. I clench my fists. Three more days. Then I can have her every way that I want. ¡°Pleasure yourself,¡± I order. ¡°I want to see youe on my couch while I read one of your emails to you.¡± Her eyes meet mine as her hand goes between her legs again. Soon, she¡¯s rubbing herself back and forth, back and forth. I have to unzip myself before my pants strangle my erection. I¡¯m slowly stroking myself to the sight of her spread out on my couch. The smell of her arousal fills the air. I can feel myself release a little pree. I can¡¯t believe the suit he was wearing today. He¡¯s always hot, Kels, but today he was a god. Chapter 7 Chapter 7 I think that a woman must have hand-made that suit for him, because it loves him. Everything that he wears fits well, but this suit looks even better than the others. His red power tie is giving me ideas. I want him to call me into his office and then shove me down on his couch, forcing my legs apart and tying my hands above my head. I want him to dry hump me until we¡¯re both ready. Then he¡¯ll tear my skirt and thong off before going down on me. Once I¡¯vee, he¡¯ll ride me until neither of us can move. I can hear her moan a little. ¡°Keep going,¡± I encourage her. I don¡¯t think that she needs encouragement. Her eyes are closed. She¡¯s panting fast now. I can see her breasts move with each quick intake of breath. ¡°Mmm,¡± she moans quietly. Her legs are shaking. Her mouth is open. Her back is arching as she shakes all over from her orgasm in front of me. Then it¡¯s over. My cock is still hard, but I tuck it back into my pants. This time is for her, not for me. ¡°Beautiful,¡± I say, and she opens her eyes to stare right at me. She looks at her juice-covered hand like it belongs to a stranger and blushes hard. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­what just happened.¡± ¡°Do you want me to recap for you? In detail?¡± She¡¯s sitting up on my couch now. ¡°No!¡± She goes to get the skirt from where she dropped it earlier. I enjoy the sight of her bent over, her ass perfectly disyed for me. She pulls it up around her hips. She searches for her thong, but I say, ¡°Leave it.¡± ¡°Leave what?¡± ¡°Your thong. I want to smell it while I wait for you.¡± She¡¯s speechless, her mouth opening and closing without a wording out. ¡°We¡¯re done here,¡± I say, before she can recover. ¡°And you can go home now. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡± She never took off her shoes. I hear them click as she goes to the door, unlocks it, and heads back to her desk. I don¡¯t know if the other people out there will smell her arousal on her. I¡¯m torn whether I want them to or not. On one hand, I¡¯m skating close to the edge of a sexual harassmentwsuit. On the other, I want them to know that I¡¯ve been pleasuring her. I look at the two cups of coffee on my desk. I drink the grande one, even though it¡¯s gone a little cold. I drink a sip of hers, too, so that I¡¯ll know her drink order. It tastes foul. Decaf. I dump it out in my sink. Well, if that¡¯s what she wants, that¡¯s what she¡¯ll get. Whatever she wants. Last Day Cami THREE DAYS LATER Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. It¡¯s Friday, myst day of work. I¡¯m about to go back to school now. Lincoln has been nothing but professional after that time in his office. I almost think that I imagined it. I haven¡¯t even told Kelly about it, and she¡¯s already asked me why I stopped sending her my fantasies via email when we¡¯re both at work. I don¡¯t want to tell her about it. It seems like a secret, perfect dream. Even if the whole thing was a figment of my imagination, I¡¯m going to hold it in my heart until the end of time. The look in his eyes when he watched me. The warmth of his voice when he read my email to me. The sound of his hand going up and down his hard cock. All those things were incredible. My phone buzzes, telling me that the rm that I set for five o¡¯clock is on. Half the people in the office telmute on Fridays, and the other half are out early. It¡¯s the weekend now. Lincoln and I are the only ones still in the office. Lincoln is in his office, so I knock on the door. ¡°Link?¡± I open the door and walk into his office. I can see big stacks of paper on his desk. He¡¯s overseeing some acquisition of a techpany that has an app that we¡¯d like to have. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°I¡¯m out. Thanks for giving me a job. I¡¯ll see you when youe over for dinner.¡± ¡°Come here and close the door.¡± Chapter 8 Chapter 8 He looks like a lion who hasn¡¯t been fed in months. I kind of feel like running away, but my traitorous nipples are getting hard, remembering what it was like to stretch out on his couch. ¡°I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s a good idea.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t work for me anymore. I think that it¡¯s a great idea. But it¡¯s your choice.¡± I look at the open door and then at Lincoln. And then I close it. His smile is bright. ¡°That¡¯s what I hoped you¡¯d choose.¡± He¡¯s untying his tie now. ¡°I wore the red one today. I know you like it.¡± I can feel my breathing pick up a little. ¡°Are you going to¡­¡± ¡°y out one of your fantasies? You bet.¡± Hees towards me and crowds me against the wall. ¡°Hands up above your head.¡± Staring into his eyes, I can see the ckness expand as I put my hands above my head. Then he¡¯s briskly tying them together.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Then his hard body is pushing me against the wall. I can feel myself getting wet. His hard erection is digging into my stomach. ¡°Is this as good as you imagined?¡± I shiver. ¡°Better.¡± I¡¯m wearing pants today. His hands are on my pant¡¯s button, and then he¡¯s unzipping them and pulling my pants and thong down around my ankles. He pulls off one shoe carefully, and then he¡¯s pulling off the other. My pants and thong are on the ground. ¡°Kneel.¡± I kneel in front of him. I¡¯ve never sucked anybody off before, but I¡¯m d that it¡¯s him. My hands might be tied together, but I can still use them. I¡¯ve learned enough from Kelly to know that I need to put a fist around whatever I can¡¯t fit inside of my mouth. I lean it but he backs away. ¡°You have to want it.¡± I lean forward, grab his cock, tug it, and then put it into my mouth. I hum a little around it, which makes him gasp. I can feel him shoot a little pree into my mouth, which I swallow. Then I¡¯m stroking his cock, using the smooth silk of his tie, and fondling his balls as he thrusts back and forth inside of my mouth. ¡°Uh. Ah.¡± A salty stream of seed is spilling inside of my mouth. I swallow it up, maintaining eye contact with him as he unloads inside of my mouth. Then it¡¯s over. He pulls his cock out of my mouth. I know that it¡¯s softening, but my mouth feels so empty now. ¡°You¡¯re going to bend over my desk now.¡± Chapter 9 Chapter 9 I look at his desk, still covered in stacks of paper. ¡°But what about the acquisition?¡± He shoves everything off of his desk. The papers spill onto the floor, covering the carpet with papers that are rapidly getting mixed with each other. They¡¯re out of order. ¡°I don¡¯t give a fuck about the acquisition. You. Desk. Now. Or you¡¯re going to get a spanking that you won¡¯t forget.¡± I rush to his desk and bend over. ¡°Good girl,¡± he praises. I¡¯m still wearing a shirt and bra. His desk is cold against my cheek. I¡¯m Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. breathing, waiting for him to touch me. Then a hand is between my thighs. I jump when he finally touches me there, right there. ¡°Responsive little thing, aren¡¯t you?¡± A thick finger pushes its way inside of me. Then he stops. ¡°You¡¯re a virgin.¡± I¡¯m as wet as a fountain. ¡°Yes.¡± My whisper is very quiet in this office. His finger pulls out of me. ¡°Oh God, this is a mistake.¡± I cringe when I hear him call finger-fucking me a mistake. I can feel tears threaten, so I go to the corner where my clothes are. I put on my skirt, not bothering with my thong. Another few seconds and my shoes are on. ¡°Cami. Look at me.¡± I stare at the ground and try not to let the tears fall. Then his hand is on my chin and he¡¯s forcing me to look up at him. I can¡¯t stop the tears from falling anymore. ¡°Cami, baby.¡± He holds me close and rests his chin on the top of my head. ¡°Your first time belongs to someone you love, not your dirty boss. Not your dad¡¯s best friend, who, by the way, will ughter me if he ever hears that I touched his baby daughter.¡± I stiffen in his arms and pull away. ¡°I¡¯m not a little girl anymore.¡± He puts a finger in his mouth, keeping eye contact with me. He sucks it then pulls it out with a pop. ¡°I know.¡± He sighs. ¡°But I can¡¯t take your virginity.¡± Tears of rage and sexual frustration are running down my cheeks now. ¡°Well, it¡¯s moot,¡± I say, not bothering to wipe them away. ¡°Because it¡¯s myst day of work anyway.¡± Barbarian Lincoln I watch Cami walk out, thong in her hand, a sad slowness to her walk, and I feel like a total piece of shit. I never should have touched her, and I definitely shouldn¡¯t have gotten within a whisper of taking her virginity. For God¡¯s sake, I remember the day she was born. I remember her selling me Samoas when she was a Brownie. I remember how proud her father was when she graduated from high school. I¡¯d betrayed him. Smelling her scent on my hand, though, maybe made it worth it. I lick up the rest of it. I felt her melting on me like warm honey. I knew she wanted it. And I¡¯d still sent her away. I must be a fool. An honorable one. I wash my hands, then I¡¯m pulling out my phone. So many contacts. There¡¯s a blonde who doesn¡¯t expect anything besides a dinner and a good time. A brte who loves to argue with me and then hate fuck me because she says that I¡¯m a corporate pig who needs to be taught a lesson. She normally ¡°teaches¡± by ripping my clothes. A red-head who loves tossing sd. Chapter 10 Chapter 10 And all of them pale inparison to what I just had with Cami, and we haven¡¯t even fucked yet. I¡¯m a mess. I¡¯m still hard. My dick is about to poke a hole in my pants, so I shuffle into my bathroom and close the door. In my imagination, she hasn¡¯t left. There she is, bent over on my desk. My finger touches her hymen. I don¡¯t say anything, just silently thank God that she¡¯s giving me this precious gift. I kneel behind her, pulling her thighs apart until I can lick up all her honey. She shivers in front of me as I bury my face inside of her, but just not deep enough. The angle against the desk is pushing her clit against the hard edge, and she¡¯s moaning in front of me. Her legs are shaking because she¡¯s about to I thrust two fingers inside of her small opening and she¡¯s shouting as I press against that perfect spot on the front wall that makes her go wild. Here is on my hand, filling the air with the scent of sex. She¡¯s shaking on my desk when I stand up, my cock ready to go even after she sucked me off. I tease her entrance with the tip. She pushes her hips back, but I step back. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°I control the pace here,¡± I warn. ¡°Not you. Against the desk.¡± She settles down against the desk. To punish her, I don¡¯t prate her with my cock. Instead, a finger gathers some of the moisture that¡¯s spreading to her thighs and circles around her back door. ¡°Do you want me to take your anal virginity, too?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The whisper is almost too quiet to hear. God, she¡¯s so dirty. A dirty virgin. I love it. ¡°I¡¯ll have to prepare you first, make sure that I don¡¯t hurt you.¡± ¡°I trust you.¡± Her body is on my desk. Her hands are tied. She has no power in this position. I sink my cock into her slowly, one inch at a time. I can feel her muscles already fluttering around me. ¡°You like this?¡± Her cry means that she¡¯s beyond words, but the quick clenching of her muscles around my dick say that she¡¯lle soon. ¡°Come,¡± Imand. ¡°Now.¡± With a scream, she¡¯s clenching my cock tighter than a fist. I can¡¯t shoot when she¡¯s this tight. I can see that her leg muscles are clenched up. She arches up and I pull her hair so that her back curves like a C. She¡¯s panting hard beneath me. I put a hand on her throat, not to choke her, though. I¡¯m just feel her pulse and each breath as she finishes her orgasm. Then my hand slides to the base of her neck and I¡¯m controlling her motion as I m my cock into her small body. She¡¯s still gasping in front of me, but I¡¯m a barbarian. I¡¯m not polite, not gentle. I¡¯m invading her, iming her as my own. I¡¯m not weari ng a condom. The realization sparks my orgasm as I fill her with my seed. I imagine what her small body would look like with a baby bump, what she would look like with my baby inside of her. I am pouring jet after jet of seed into her body, too much for it to hold. It¡¯s already leaking out onto her thighs. I clean myself up again. Damn. Sending her away like a gentleman might have been the right thing to do, but I couldn¡¯t have a date with anyone but my hand. When I think about other women, my dick shrivels up. It is Cami or no one at all. Strawberry Bubble Bath Cami When I get home, my dad isn¡¯t there. My mom died when she had me, so it is just the two of us and a part-time housekeeper who thankfully isn¡¯t working today. I run to my room and go to my bathtub. I need to wash away his hands on my skin. Tags: Source: Chapter 11 Chapter 11 I fill up my tub and dump in some strawberry bubble bath. Then I step in. The smell is already making me happier. I start to wash myself off, rubbing his scent off of me, but touching my slick skin reminds me of him. My eyes close as I think up yet another fantasy. ¡°Show me your tits,¡± he growls. I quickly take off my shirt and bra, dumping them on the floor next to the couch. I¡¯m sprawled out, legs wide, just like he likes. My thong is in his hand. He¡¯s sniffing it. Then he¡¯s on his feet,ing over to straddle my body on his couch. It¡¯s a tight fit, but he¡¯s managing it. His cock is out of his pants, but he¡¯s still mostly clothed. He has pree dripping out of it, and his hand is spreading it all over himself before he puts his dick in the center of my chest. ¡°Push your tits together.¡± My hands are on the outside of my breasts, pushing them together, creating a soft tunnel. His eyes are closed as he starts to pump his dick through my breasts. His mouth is hanging open. His dickes very close to my mouth every time he thrusts forward. He¡¯s thrusting in a steady rhythm. I¡¯m watching his dicke close to my mouth every other second. So I stick out my tongue and lick him on an upstroke. He roars as he shoots hise on my face, on my tits, on my neck, everywhere. When he¡¯s done, he kisses me gently. ¡°You¡¯re so perfect for me, Cami. I love you.¡± I¡¯m crying now. The bath water is getting cold. I smell like strawberries and regret. I¡¯m sad that I want someone who won¡¯t take my virginity. I don¡¯t think I mean much to him. Kelly lost hers to a boyfriend when she was sixteen, but I¡¯ve held onto mine. It¡¯s always been a fantasy of mine that I¡¯d lose it to Lincoln. Stupid girl. He doesn¡¯t care about me. He wants me to find someone who loves me, which means that he definitely doesn¡¯t. The only time he¡¯ll ever tell me that he loves me is in my daydreams. My tears are dripping down my cheeks and into the bath water. I pull the plug out of the drain and watch the suds slide down the drain, just like all my hopes and dreams. Camping Cami ONE YEAR AGO ¡°I¡¯m going to scout that unmarked trail that the volunteers told us about. I¡¯ll be back in three hours. You two make dinner, okay?¡± My dad likes alone time, so it¡¯s not a surprise that he¡¯s disappearing for a little while. He likes to leave me by myself for a while on the weekends. But this time, I¡¯m not alone. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°Sure,¡± Lincoln tells him cheerfully. ¡°We¡¯ll make dinner before you get back.¡± ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s safe? I mean, they just cut it. Not a lot of people have used ittely.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± my dad says. ¡°Just grill some trout and I¡¯ll be back before you know it. We still have some sweet potatoes left. I¡¯ll be back before dark.¡± He walks into the forest. I can see his backpack get smaller and smaller as he goes deeper into the forest, and then he turns and the trees hide him. I can still hear him walking, but the sound is fading. And now I¡¯m alone with his best friend, also known as my lifelong crush. When I was five, I told everyone at my birthday party that my birthday wish was to marry Lincoln, which made everyone there hysterical. Except for his mean fianc¨¦e, Marcia. She gave me the stink eye and spent the rest of my birthday party drinking a lot of wine. She onlysted for a week after that, though. Link hadn¡¯t ever said much about it, other than that she was totally psycho. ¡°I¡¯ll grill the trout if you take care of the sweet potatoes.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± I bend over to hunt through our supplies. It takes me a minute to finally find the bag of sweet potatoes, which is a lot smaller than I thought it would be. There¡¯s a roll of aluminum foil next to it. When I turn around with the bag of sweet potatoes and foil in my hands, I can see Lincoln staring at me. Tags: Source: Chapter 12 Chapter 12 ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± He swallows. ¡°I need to get the salt and pepper from our supplies.¡± He kneels down to grab the seasoning for the fish. It¡¯s simple, but my dad told me that he prefers freshly caught mountain trout to any meal from a fancy restaurant. That¡¯s why we¡¯re out here. It¡¯s supposed to be my eighteenth birthday celebration, but really it¡¯s an excuse for my dad to run away from his life as a corporate big shot and go fishing in the woods. He¡¯s constantly surrounded by people at work, so he loves to hear the sounds of nature when nobody¡¯s near him. We work in silence for a moment, side by side next to the small campfire. I¡¯m wrapping the sweet potatoespletely in foil so I can put them at the edges of the campfire. Technically, the sweet All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. potatoes are supposed to cook in the ashes, but my dad has never been patient enough to wait to do them separately. ¡°I think that it¡¯s okay now.¡± Lincoln stands up. The fish are on a spit, roasting above the fire. The smell of cooking fish and burning wood fills the little clearing where we have our tents. ¡°Now we wait.¡± The campfire isn¡¯t that big or that hot, so it¡¯ll slowly cook everything. I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. ¡°What do you want to do while we wait? y cards?¡± Lincoln looks at me like I¡¯m the little girl he taught to y Go Fish. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a nap.¡± I smile at him and go into my tent. I open my jeans. I can¡¯t make a sound, but being so close to my crush is killing me. I don¡¯t really date. No high school boy could everpare to Lincoln. His scent mingled with the smell of our campfire turned me on. To be honest, his scent would turn me on without the fire. I put my hand on my most sensitive spot and closed my eyes. ¡°On your hands and knees.¡± I hesitate. ¡°I¡¯m not going to ask you twice.¡± His voice is soft, but the tone doesn¡¯t leave room for resistance. I bend over the log that we pulled next to the campfire. I can feel the hard wood under my soft stomach. My hands are in the dirt. I can feel his hands under me, unbuttoning my pants, unzipping them, and pulling them and my underwear down. The wind touches me between my thighs, a gentle caress that makes me a little cold. I shiver. His huge hand settles on one soft ass cheek. ¡°I¡¯ve been watching this ass swing while we¡¯ve been hiking all day.¡± Without warning, his handes down to strike me. I cry out, startled and in a little pain. The pain mingles with pleasure as he softly strokes me where he just hit me. ¡°You like that.¡± A finger is testing me, pushing inside of me. I¡¯m soaking wet. Then he¡¯s sliding my wetness up to travel to my back door. ¡°Oh! Please don¡¯t!¡± I yelp. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me there.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to hurt you,¡± he says, his voice like ck magic. ¡°Rx, baby.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± I take a deep breath and rx as his finger explores my back hole. Then he¡¯s pushing the tip of one finger inside of me. I don¡¯t know if I like it. I moan as he stimtes ces inside of me that I didn¡¯t even know existed. A climax hits me like a semi-truck going 20 over the speed limit. No warning, but my body is soaring from the impact. I open my eyes and hope I didn¡¯t make too much noise while I touched myself. I hunt for my makeup remover wipes to clean off my hand, which smells like me now. I ball up the wipe and shove it into my trash bag. I hope my dad never knows what I did. If he ever knew that I fantasized about his best friend putting a finger up my ass, he¡¯d probably check me into an insane asylum or something. Cold Water Lincoln Cami is in her tent taking a nap while her dad is out, which means that I have a rare moment to myself. I take a look at the food that¡¯s cooking. If it turns into a raging bonfire, Cami will notice. Or she¡¯ll be asleep and all of our gear will go up in smoke. Tags: Source: Chapter 13 Chapter 13 It¡¯s pretty small, though, and we sheltered it from the wind. I don¡¯t waver when I pour some water on it. The fish is done anyway, and the sweet potatoes will be fine in the ashes. I had gotten hard watching Cami bend over, and my erection hadn¡¯t gone away. I¡¯m lucky that her dad didn¡¯te back, because he probably would¡¯ve ughtered me and left my body for the bears if he understood how I felt about his daughter. A daughter who was growing more beautiful and womanly by the day. If I didn¡¯t want to spontaneouslybust, I¡¯d need to take care of some things. There is a mountain stream just two minutes from camp. If Cami needs me, I am within screaming distance. When I¡¯m right next to the stream, I strip. It isn¡¯t deep, but it is cold. Ice melt is never that nice. I try to pour ice water over my dick, but it refuses to go down. Looks like I have a date with my hand. It¡¯s past midnight, and my buddy is sleeping off all the Jack that we drank. I¡¯m wide awake, and the alcohol has wiped away my scruples. He¡¯s snoring away in our tent, so I unzip the opening and go out to Cami¡¯s tent. I unzip it as quietly as I can. I can see just a little slow, steady movement in the scanty moonlight that tells me that she¡¯s breathing deeply, sleeping like an angel. Iy down on top of her sleeping bag. I put a hand over her mouth and lean in. I whisper in her ear. ¡°Cami, wake up.¡± Her eyes are barely open. She¡¯s saying something muffled by my hand. ¡°Cami, you have to be quiet.¡± I thrust my erection at her. Even through the sleeping bag, she can feel it. She stills. ¡°Cami, I¡¯m going to let go. If you don¡¯t want this, tell me now. Otherwise, stay quiet.¡± I take my hand away. All I can hear is the hooting of an owl. Her breaths areing faster and faster. I have my answer. I pull apart her sleeping bag, yanking down her pajama pants and underwear. I pull her legs over my shoulders so I can pile drive her. If we had privacy, I¡¯d take my time. Her father, my best friend, is sleeping only feet away. Tent walls aren¡¯t much of a barrier. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. One hand goes between her legs. She¡¯s wet enough for me to take right now, but I rub her for a few minutes anyway. I can tell from her heavy breathing that she¡¯s trying very hard not to make any noise. Neither of us wants to get busted. I stop rubbing her and guide my dick inside of her tight pussy. She¡¯s incredibly warm on a cool night like this. I feel like I¡¯m sinking into a sauna. I hear her panting very quietly. I thrust all the way, and I hear a muffled gasp. Then I can¡¯t hold myself back any longer and begin to swing my hips as quietly as I can, getting as deep as I can. Her muscles are contracting around me, fluttering, as I hold back my own groan ofpletion. She¡¯s filled with my morning. I fumble in the corner for those wet wipes that she brought with her, the ones that we¡¯ve been using to wipe our hands before eating. I clean her between her thighs before wiping myself off. I throw the wipe into the garbage bag she keeps in her tent. ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone.¡± She¡¯s still half-naked under me and my dick wants her again, but we¡¯ve taken enough risks for tonight. I disengage her legs from my shoulders, then I lean down to kiss her, slow and soft. She kisses me back timidly at first, then she pushes her tongue inside of my mouth. And she¡¯s not an innocent little girl anymore. Yeah, she¡¯s eighteen, but she¡¯s a woman. When I open my eyes, I¡¯m standing in a cold mountain stream that¡¯s carried away mye. I shake myself off and put on my clothes, even though I¡¯m still a little wet. I walk back to camp. It¡¯s so damned inconvenient to want my best friend¡¯s little girl. Maybe it¡¯s just the prolonged exposure, having to be in close quarters all the time. I wonder if any of the women in my little ck book would mind being called Cami while we fuck. Dress Hunt Cami NOW I rinse off, then I find my ratty pajamas. They¡¯re really old but the mostfortable clothing that I own. They¡¯re pink, but sort of a grayish pink after all this time. I should¡¯ve thrown them away years ago, but they make me feel safe. I tuck myself into bed with my Kindle, arranging my pillows so I¡¯m in a cozy nest. Then I hear the garage door open. My dad is home. ¡°Where are you, Sunshine?¡± I get out of bed and go to the mezzanine. ¡°Here, Dad.¡± ¡°Have you eaten yet?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m not very hungry.¡± ¡°I thought that we¡¯d celebrate yourst day of working. It¡¯ll be good for us to spend time together before you have to go back to school. I made a reservation for seven at your favorite ce, that Italian restaurant. I invited Lincoln.¡± Tags: Source: Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Oh, shit. He sees my face. ¡°Something wrong, Sunshine?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± I shake my head. ¡°I¡¯ll just get changed and we can head out.¡± I go into my room and throw open my closet. What¡¯s appropriate for a celebratory dinner with my father and his best friend, the one who almost fucked me today but stopped because I am a virgin? I hate everything in my closet. The periwinkle blue dress makes me look like I¡¯m 12. I have a royal blue dress with pretty embroidery, but the neckline is too high. It¡¯s hard, because I need a neckline low enough to tantalize Lincoln but high enough to pass my dad¡¯s scrutiny. I have a ck dress with white stripes that I discard because they make me look wide. There¡¯s a dress covered in flowers that makes me look like a little girl. I don¡¯t have anything to wear. I growl at my closet and wonder how angry my dad would be if I insisted on going to the mall to buy a new dress for tonight when our reservation is so soon. I dig deeper into my closet. Then I see it. The perfect dress is sitting there. I bought it on a dare from Kelly. She said that my clothes were too boring. It sort of reminds me of a menco dancer¡¯s costume, but there is a daring slit up the side that reveals a little leg when I walked. Tantalizing without actually showing anything. I choose high-heeled ankle boots under the dress. I need three-inch heels because the skirt is so long. I put on a very small amount of makeup. My dad knows that I didn¡¯t wear much, so it would look weird if I showed up looking like a circus clown. I just put a little eyeliner on to emphasize my eyes, which everyone always tells me are beautiful. I look at my single tube of red lipstick but leave it alone. It¡¯d be gone in a half minute when we started eating even if I did put it on. I go downstairs in my ankle boots and pretty dress that looked demure until I walked. My dad is staring This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. at his phone. ¡°Ready, Sunshine?¡± ¡°Ready, Dad.¡± We walk into the garage. I slide into the passenger seat of his Lexus. Then we¡¯re roaring out into the city. Under the Table Lincoln I¡¯m sitting at our table already when they arrive. He¡¯s wearing the suit he probably wore to work today. She¡¯s wearing a stunning dress. Everything¡¯s covered, but when she walks, I can see a sh of leg. I find her legs very arousing. Fuck, I find every bit of her arousing. ¡°Hope you haven¡¯t been waiting long.¡± ¡°Nah,¡± I say, taking a sip of my wine. I need it to get through this dinner. It¡¯d be too weird for me to turn it down, especially since he knows that I¡¯m not seeing anyone right now. They sit down across the table from me. Cami is directly in front of me. A waiter bustles over. ¡°What can I get for you, sir? Miss?¡± ¡°A ss of your house red for me and some orange juice for her.¡± ¡°Right away, sir.¡± ¡°So how was your day? Busy? You¡¯re getting your secretary Amanda back, so that¡¯s good.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± I take another sip of wine. ¡°It¡¯s good.¡± I don¡¯t know why, but the restaurant¡¯s lighting is making Cami¡¯s face even more beautiful than usual. It is highlighting her smooth cheekbones and full lips. She looks like an ancient queen of a civilization long gone. She might be a teenager, but she looks like a woman. ¡°Are you d to be going back to school, Cami?¡± I ask politely. It would be weird if we didn¡¯t speak at this dinner for the three of us. Chapter 15 Chapter 15 ¡°I¡¯m very d.¡± She smiles with just her mouth. Her eyes are angry and cold, but I don¡¯t think that her dad has noticed. ¡°Can¡¯t wait to get back into the swing of college life.¡± ¡°Those were the days, huh?¡± My buddy nudges me. ¡°Wild girls, crazy parties, staying out past dawn. Can¡¯t keep up with all that anymore. You¡¯re not drinking of course, Sunshine, right?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t tell you if I did drink, Dad.¡± She rolls her eyes at him, but he justughs. ¡°You should keep some secrets from your old man. Just don¡¯t turn up unmarried and pregnant on my doorstep one day and I¡¯ll believe that I raised you right.¡± Her face is getting a little pink. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re a good kid, Sunshine. I¡¯m just teasing you.¡± He turns to me. ¡°I was blessed with an incredible kid. Too bad you don¡¯t have one of your own, you know. I thought that you¡¯d be married by now, but you¡¯ve enjoyed the bachelor life. You can sow your wild oats wherever you like.¡± At the mention of wild oats, I feel a gentle brush against my cock. I think that I¡¯m imagining it until I see Cami¡¯s eyes. They¡¯re fiery and angry. The touches again, firmer this time. The little minx is sliding her foot up and down my dick. She¡¯s trying to get me back for turning her down. My cock does not care. It¡¯s rock hard and ready to go. I can already feel a little pree oozing out of the tip. I try to warn her to stop with my eyes, but she¡¯s ignoring it. I grunt. ¡°You okay, Link?¡± ¡°That was my stomach,¡± I lie. ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡± ¡°Food will be here soon enough. What do you think about the weathertely?¡± Heunches into a monologue that I can¡¯t keep track of because I¡¯m breaking out in a sweat. I¡¯m about toe under this table from her little foot rubbing up against me. I can¡¯t move because it¡¯ll look weird. I can¡¯t run to the bathroom, because then everyone will see my erection proudly disyed. I grit my teeth and close my eyes as I feel myself release in my pants like a teenage boy. I open my eyes to see victory shining in her eyes. I know that she¡¯s mad, but I didn¡¯t expect her revenge to be a foot job during dinner with her father. She¡¯s diabolical. I need to clean up. My cock is softening now. ¡°Excuse me,¡± I mutter, and her father doesn¡¯t stop for a second. ¡°I¡¯m going to hit the bathroom.¡± Following Cami I just did something bad, and I¡¯m nning on following it up with something worse. My dad must have had a ss or three while I was changing, because he¡¯s cheerfully talking to two ¡°I¡¯m going to the bathroom.¡± My dad doesn¡¯t skip a beat, just goes right on talking about the weather and climate change. I don¡¯t know if he even needs an audience. I go to the back hallway where the restrooms are. I pass some guy who is still zipping up his pants. The door to the guys¡¯ restroom is closing very slowly. There¡¯s only one stall and nobody at the urinals. If Link is in there, he¡¯s in the stall. I hope no guys need to use the restroom for the next ten minutes, This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. because I go inside, shove the door shut despite some resistance, and lock it. ¡°Link,¡± I whisper. ¡°Cami.¡± The door of the stall swings open. He sticks his head out. ¡°Get out of the men¡¯s bathroom.¡± Instead of obeying, I push the stall door open. He has his erection in his hand. He was hiding it behind the door. ¡°Are you close?¡± I can see a little pearly liquid at the tip. I kneel on the tile floor, ignoring the fact that my dress is definitely getting dirty. ¡°Cami, you can¡¯t be in here.¡± When I pull his dick into my mouth, though, he shuts up. Chapter 16 Chapter 16 ¡°Mmm.¡± He tastes nice. I suck him like I haven¡¯t eaten all day. ¡°Cami, we¡¯re going to get caught.¡± I don¡¯t dignify that with a response. I¡¯m ying with his balls now, sucking him deep into my mouth. Then he¡¯s spurting seed straight into my mouth. I drain him dry, sucking even when I think everything is gone. ¡°Jesus Christ, Cami.¡± I stand up, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. ¡°Don¡¯t send me away again,¡± I warn him. ¡°You won¡¯t like the consequences.¡± Suddenly, my feet are no longer on the ground. He has me pinned up against the wall, my legs around his waist. ¡°Don¡¯t threaten me, Cami.¡± The small thread of menace in his voice turns me on. He has me pushed up against the wall, his hand going to the slit in my full skirt and going straight for my honeypot. His fingers go directly in. ¡°I knew it. I knew you were already wet for me.¡± All I can say is a small wordless moan as he circles my clit with some of my wetness. ¡°You¡¯re ready to go off like a little rocket, aren¡¯t you?¡± Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. He does something with his fingers that makes my eyes roll back in my head. When I can think again, he slowly lowers me until I¡¯m on my feet again. ¡°I¡¯m going to give you what you¡¯ve been asking for.¡± His hand settles on the top curve of my ass. ¡°And you¡¯re going to like it.¡± ¡°What about my dad?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll figure it out.¡± A muscle ticks in his jaw. ¡°He¡¯s going to hear about it sometime.¡± We both wash our hands in the sink. Someone is banging on the door. ¡°Hey! I have to use the toilet.¡± Link unlocks the door and shields me from the guy outside, who is trying to get a good look at me. Mistaken Cami Link and I make our way back to the table. It¡¯s totally normal for us to go to the bathroom at the same time. ¡°What, did you two guzzle a few gallons of water at work at the same time?¡± My dad¡¯s face shows that he¡¯s pretty drunk. Thedies at the table next to us are giggling. ¡°Something like that,¡± Link says smoothly. While we were gone, they came to serve the sd course. It¡¯s just a house sd, but I feel a little hungry after the climax that I had in the bathroom. I start to attack the tomatoes and avocados on top. I¡¯m not a fan of lettuce ¡ª it¡¯s just crunchy water ¡ª but the dressing is pretty good, and there are little bacon bits in the sd, which I am more than happy to eat. The saltiness reminds me of the taste of Link¡¯se, which makes me blush and look up at him. He¡¯s dipping a finger into the little cup that holds extra dressing. He sucks it off of a finger that was inside of me. Our eyes are locked together. ¡°What the fuck?¡± My dad is looking at the two of us. ¡°What the fuck was that?¡± He gets to his feet, but he¡¯s a little unsteady. ¡°Are you flirting with my daughter, you asshole?¡± ¡°Dad, quiet down. Don¡¯t make a scene.¡± I look around. The gigglydies aren¡¯t giggling anymore. ¡°I¡¯ll fucking make a scene if youe back from the bathroom at the same time and he¡¯s sucking stuff off of his finger. I wasn¡¯t born yesterday.¡± Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Just then, the guy who was pounding on the door of the restroomes by our table. ¡°There¡¯s the prostitute who was fucking you in the bathroom.¡± He hups. He¡¯s clearly a little drunk. ¡°I see that you have two clients tonight, but give me a phone number or name¡­I¡¯d like to hire you. You¡¯re All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. expensive but worth it, if the expression on that guy¡¯s face is anything to go by.¡± ¡°Get the fuck away from her.¡± Link¡¯s voice is cold. ¡°Just offering her a business opportunity.¡± The drunk guy is holding his hands open in front of him. ¡°No need to get so touchy about a woman that you rent by the hour. My dad points a finger at Link. ¡°Let¡¯s take this outside.¡± He sounds frighteningly sober right now. Link, a gentleman, takes the napkin off of hisp and ces it on the table. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± He¡¯s taking off his suit jacket. My dad does, too. ¡°Wait. No. Stop. Dad, I didn¡¯t have sex with Link in the bathroom.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, Cami.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t!¡± The ring of truth must snap him out of his anger. ¡°You didn¡¯t?¡± ¡°No.¡± But I¡¯m blushing. ¡°You were doing something in the bathroom.¡± His voice is so grim. ¡°You¡¯re so young. You don¡¯t know better. Link does. He knows that he shouldn¡¯t take advantage of a young girl. Stay here.¡± And I watch helplessly while the two of them quickly walk out of the restaurant. I look at their empty chairs and the discarded suit jackets on the backs of them. The waiteres by with our main courses. ¡°Where did they go, miss?¡± ¡°Just outside for a moment,¡± I say, even though everyone is staring at our table. Our waiter knows that he¡¯s missed something, but he just carefully clears space for the new tes. I give him our sd bowls. I cut my eggnt parmesan, but it tastes sawdust. It¡¯s my favorite dish here, but I can¡¯t seem to swallow. I put down my utensils. I can hear the sound of shouting outside. I hold back my tears, because I¡¯m wearing eyeliner and I know people are still looking at me and the empty seats at this table. This dinner is the opposite of a celebration. Fight Link ¡°I¡¯m going to fuck you up for touching my little girl. Damn you, Link. You¡¯ve betrayed me. I trusted you with her. I¡¯ve left you alone with her.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve never fucked.¡± With a cry, he¡¯s running at me. He¡¯s drunker than I am, though, so he¡¯s a little unsteady on his feet. As soon as hees by me, I smoothly pivot out of his way like a torero facing an infuriated bull. ¡°I told her to work for you. Is that when it happened? Is that when you started molesting my daughter?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that,¡± I protest, even though he¡¯s trying to go for my throat now. Then his fistes perilously close to my nose as I dodge. ¡°I didn¡¯t touch her while she was working for me. I swear.¡± ¡°But you admit that you touched my teenage daughter, don¡¯t you?¡± I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯s trying to kick me in the face, but he doesn¡¯t have the flexibility to do it, so the tip of his shoe catches my ribs instead. I use the opening to catch his ankle and pull his legs from under him. His bnce isn¡¯t that great right now, anyway. I roll him onto his front and sit on him, pinning him in a simple hold. ¡°Listen to me,¡± I say. ¡°I di Chapter 18 Chapter 18 dn¡¯t mean to do anything with your daughter. I¡¯ve resisted it. I¡¯ve known that you wouldn¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°Damn right,¡± he spits like he¡¯s tasted something foul. ¡°I¡¯ve been right there with you as you¡¯ve fucked dozens if not hundreds of women. Hell, I don¡¯t know if you have syphilis or something. You never got married.¡± ¡°I get regr check-ups for STDs.¡± He struggles beneath me, but I¡¯m pretty fucking heavy. ¡°You asshole,¡± he hisses. ¡°My daughter¡¯s a virgin and you¡¯re the furthest thing from it.¡± I knew he¡¯d be outraged. I expected it. But thatment hits home, because I believe the same thing: she should have sex for the first time with some boy who is madly in love with her, not some jaded adult who spends too much time in his office. I stand up and roll him to his front, yanking him to his feet. He puts a hand on my shoulder to steady himself. ¡°Leave. Now. And maybe then you¡¯ll still have a few teeth.¡± I look him in the face. I don¡¯t want to make this situation any worse than it already is. ¡°I¡¯ll leave for now.¡± He just shakes his head and goes back into the restaurant. I think about Cami. My phone is in my suit jacket pocket, so I can¡¯t text her before I go. My car keys are in my pants. I need to get out of here before Jack changes his mind and attacks me again. The only reason I didn¡¯t really fight back was because I knew it would hurt her. He might be my best friend, but even he doesn¡¯t get a free pass. I toss my keys in the air and catch them. I¡¯lle back for herter. To-Go Cami My dad walks back into the restaurant. His hair is a mess. Link isn¡¯t with him. ¡°What happened out there?¡± My dad looks at me with tired, frustrated eyes. ¡°This isn¡¯t about him. When did you start something with Link?¡± I hesitate. I don¡¯t know what to tell him. ¡°Did it have anything to do with you working for him this summer?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I know that it does. If I hadn¡¯t been faced with daily temptation, I might not have ever acted on my childhood crush. My dad swears and breaks a winess. The sound makes everybody look at us. A waiteres to clear it away. ¡°I¡¯ll pay for it. Just put it on my tab.¡± My dad slides his wallet out and puts a Centurion card in the waiter¡¯s free hand. The waiter puts it into his pocket as he clears away the rest of the broken ss. ¡°How long?¡± From N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Not very, Dad.¡± ¡°How long?¡± he repeats. ¡°We haven¡¯t¡­had sex.¡± I can feel my cheeks heating up, because I haven¡¯t even had the birds and bees talk with my dad, and here I am, talking about whether or not I¡¯ve had sex with his best friend. I squirm in my seat. This is literally the most ufortable I¡¯ve been in my entire life. I want to get up and run out to the parking lot, steal the car, and just go home. ¡°Nothing? You haven¡¯t done anything?¡± The ufortable silence sits heavily between us. I could lie, but he would know. So I don¡¯t say anything. ¡°You have. Sweet Jesus,¡± my dad groans. I stare at my nearly full te. The eggnt looks sad and wilted. Chapter 19 Chapter 19 ¡°I¡¯m going to ask them to box all of this up. There¡¯s no point in being here anymore.¡± He gs down a waiter. ¡°Boxes, please.¡± I don¡¯t want to cry, but I¡¯m pretty close to it. I¡¯m upset because this was supposed to be a nice dinner. And if I hadn¡¯t given Link a foot job under the table and chased him to the bathroom, we would probably be eating a nice meal. Now his jacket is here, but he is nowhere to be seen. I wish that I just kept my foot to myself. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. A waiter clears our dishes. Two minutester, all the food is in to-go containers. My dad is shrugging into his jacket. Both of us look at Link¡¯s jacket. ¡°I want to burn it,¡± my dad says. He sighs. ¡°But that would make our tailor mad.¡± He picks it up, putting it over his arm. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡± The car ride home is dead silent. We¡¯ve said what we need to say. He knows about my scandalous love affair that never was. I know that he¡¯s upset about it. I stare out my window. Then we¡¯re parking in our garage. ¡°Sweetie.¡± ¡°Dad.¡± He squeezes my hand. ¡°I¡¯m really disappointed in you.¡± I¡¯m crushed. This is way worse than my dad getting angry and fighting Link. ¡°But I love you.¡± He sighs as he releases my hand. ¡°Thanks, Dad.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re going away to school tomorrow, so you¡¯ll be far away from his corrupting influence.¡± I don¡¯t say anything. I don¡¯t go to school on the moon. ¡°Stay away from him, okay? And then I can forgive you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to promise that.¡± My dad¡¯s left hand, the one that is still on the steering wheel, tightens. ¡°You can¡¯t see him. He¡¯s my age, not yours.¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t even gotten started,¡± I protest. ¡°And if I have anything to say about it, you never will. Date boys your own age.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to!¡± I feel like a stupid teenager, but I¡¯m an adult now. ¡°I want Link.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t have him,¡± my dad roars. ¡°Or I¡¯ll cut you off.¡± Being cut off is one of my worst fears. I know how hard it is to keep a job and study. Most people who work and study do the minimum to be considered a full-time student. In contrast, I take twice the full- time load. I call his bluff. ¡°Then cut me off.¡± He pulls out his phone. He opens a banking app and freezes my credit card as lost. ¡°I¡¯ll do the rest on Monday.¡± We¡¯re at a standstill. He can¡¯t dictate where I go and who I see, but he can take away all of my money. My tuition, room, and board have already been paid for during this semester, but I¡¯m going to have to get a job. ¡°Thanks a lot, Dad.¡± I can¡¯t stop a hint of bitterness in my voice. I m the car door as I get out and head to my room. I¡¯m catching a ride with Kelly tomorrow, so I have to be packed before I go back to school. I¡¯m mostly packed, but I shove a bunch of stuff into my backpack. I look at my phone. I send Link a text, ¡°Hey.¡± Chapter 20 Chapter 20 And he doesn¡¯t respond. I guess silence is my answer. Now that my dad knows, Link doesn¡¯t want anything to do with me. Going Away Cami I text Kelly to pick me up earlier than usual. She hasn¡¯t even gone to sleep yet, since it¡¯s early in the day. I leave the house before my dad wakes up. I leave him a note. See you at Thanksgiving. No cute sign offs. I love my dad a lot, but we¡¯re going to have to figure this out. I¡¯m pretty upset, and so is he. It sounds like he¡¯s putting most of the me at Link¡¯s door, though. Kelly is at the end of my driveway. I somehow manage to bring my suitcases out without making a ton of noise. When I go back for myst suitcase, I see the curtain in my dad¡¯s room moving. My heart feels heavy as I roll thest suitcase out. My dad and I have always been a team. This whole thing with Link is the first time that we¡¯ve had a serious disagreement. ¡°You ready to go, babe?¡± ¡°Yeah, Kels.¡± She¡¯s chewing gum. I load her car, then I get into her passenger seat. We go roaring off to school. We¡¯re roommates in a suite. Even though her parents are only covering part of college courses, she makes up the extra with a part-time job as a barista. I cry a little as I leave my house. At least I¡¯ll be far away from all of this. Kelly knows that I¡¯m sad. She turns on Disney Radio to cheer me up, even though she sort of hates it. She calls it the Kids Bop channel, because I like to sing Disney tunes. It works just a little bit. It stops me from crying. And she doesn¡¯t even protest when I sing along. That¡¯s why she¡¯s my best friend. r /> An hourter, we¡¯re at school. She drives into our designated parking spot. We unload and sort of shuffle everything into the elevator, although I stay on the lower level with the extra bags while Kelly goes up to unlock our door and put in the first load of suitcases. Shees back down. I step into the elevator with the rest of the luggage. The end of my summer seems like a bad dream now, like it happened to someone else. When we open our front door, Kelly says, ¡°You shoulde out with me tonight.¡± She¡¯s much more of a party girl than I am. I don¡¯t usually party with her, but I find myself saying, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d like that.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll choose your outfit and do your hair and makeup. You need to cheer up. We¡¯ll start at six.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± I push past her and go into my room. I don¡¯t want to cry, but I curl up in a ball and stare out my window. Link hasn¡¯t responded to my text, even a dayter. I don¡¯t know what else to do. We never had a sex, and I know that my dad would have gone absolutely ballistic if Link had let me fuck him. I feel like there¡¯s an aching hole in the center of my chest, the hole where Link¡¯s love should be. I hope that the party tonight cheers me up. Maybe I¡¯ll meet someone hot. Thinking of hooking up with someone just makes me even sadder. I wish he would respond to my text. Party Cami Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. I wake up when Kelly knocks on my door. ¡°Time to get ready, babe.¡± She swings it open and sees me curled in the fetal position. ¡°Babe, it¡¯s going to be okay.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel like it.¡± Chapter 21 Chapter 21 ¡°Let me do your hair and makeup. You¡¯ll feel like a new woman.¡± She has a dress on a hanger. ¡°And you¡¯re wearing this tonight.¡± It¡¯s a scandalously short red dress with a deep neckline. ¡°That¡¯s not a dress. That¡¯s an embarrassed towel.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wearing it tonight.¡± I don¡¯t have the energy to argue with her. She does some kind ofplicated twist thing with my hair, spraying hairspray everywhere. ¡°Look up.¡± She does my eyeliner and the rest of my face, asionally giving memands when I need to raise or lower my chin. She worked in a department store selling makeup for a while. ¡°Look in the mirror.¡± I look the prettiest I¡¯ve ever been, but I¡¯m depressed because Link will never see this. ¡°You can have a fling tonight. One of the boys is going to want to take you home. And you won¡¯t be so sad.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I say, even though I still don¡¯t know if I¡¯m up for it. But Kelly takes 15 minutes to put together her look. She¡¯s wearing a very short skirt and halter top, both of them pretty shades of pink. She¡¯s wearing sky-high heels. I have on a pair of kitten heels, because if I¡¯m drinking, I don¡¯t want to fall over. We take the elevator down, then we¡¯re in a car heading for frat row. I wish that she would just let me buy some chocte gto and watch sad movies. But it¡¯s party time. It¡¯s not that far away. The party is already in full swing. I can hear the bass out here. There are some guys smoking out front. We go in the front door, and Kelly sees some guy who she knows well enough to hug. And then his tongue is in her mouth, which is my cue to leave. I waver, since we¡¯re right at the front door. I want to go home, but she has the keys. I decide to catch a taxi. She can have fun, but I¡¯m too sad to be goodpany for anybody. I slip out the front door. The guys smoking out there are heading in, so I wait until they file past me. Thest one in line says, ¡°Why are you sad?¡± Just that question is enough to make me feel a little teary. ¡°I just need to go home, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Come on outside. I¡¯m a psych major, so I¡¯m a pretty good listener.¡± I turn and look at Kelly, who is straddling that guy in a corner. They¡¯re humping each other, but they are far from the only couple who is getting down and dirty right now. ¡°Okay.¡± I¡¯m nning on calling an Uber, but I can wait until I talk it out for a while. My Uber driver will From N?velDrama.Org. probably give me a bad star rating if I start blubbering in his backseat. We sit down on the front steps. ¡°What¡¯s going on, hon?¡± ¡°I just¡­I got involved with someone I shouldn¡¯t have.¡± ¡°A professor?¡± My head whips around. ¡°No, nothing like that.¡± ¡°A TA?¡± ¡°Nah. It¡¯s someone else.¡± ¡°Your priest?¡± Chapter 22 Chapter 22 ¡°What? No!¡± ¡°Who is it?¡± The darkness outside makes me feel like I can tell this stranger what¡¯s going on. I can confess my sins in the dark. I won¡¯t see him again, anyway. ¡°It¡¯s my dad¡¯s best friend.¡± He whistles. ¡°That¡¯s pretty bad.¡± ¡°I know.¡± But I straighten up and lift my chin. ¡°I¡¯ll figure it out.¡± ¡°How does your dad feel about it?¡± ¡°He hates it. He cut me off, so now I have to find a job.¡± ¡°Is that the worst thing in the world?¡± ¡°No. But myst one was for¡­him¡­and now I have to list him as a reference.¡± ¡°That¡¯splicated.¡± ¡°I know.¡± I feel a lot better just after talking, though. ¡°You¡¯re a really good listener. I think you¡¯ll make a good therapist.¡± ¡°It¡¯s easy to listen to a pretty girl like you.¡± He smiles at me. ¡°Get the fuck away from her.¡± Both of us turn and look at Link, who is standing next to us. I was so absorbed in telling my sad story that I didn¡¯t notice that Link had tracked me here. ¡°Link? What are you doing here?¡± ¡°This is my cue to go back inside.¡± He leaves the two of us alone on the frontwn, but the house is full of people who can see us through the front window. ¡°You¡¯re mine,¡± Link says. ¡°But you didn¡¯t reply to my text.¡± ¡°My phone was in my suit jacket, the one that I left behind. It¡¯s still at your house. I already called the restaurant, but they told me that your father had taken it.¡± My heart soars. ¡°So you weren¡¯t ignoring me?¡± ¡°Hell no.¡± He walks forward and yanks me into his arms, bridal style, and whisks me off to his car. He plunks me down in the passenger seat, fastening my seat belt before getting into the driver¡¯s seat and driving away from the party. We leave behind the loud music, even though I can hear it a block away. ¡°Let me tell you how it¡¯s going to be. You¡¯re going to live with me andmute to school. You¡¯re not working. I can pay for whatever you need. We¡¯re getting married.¡± This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What? We¡¯ve never even¡­how do you know that we¡¯repatible.¡± ¡°I could show you right now in my car, but I¡¯m going to wait until we get back to your apartment. Your roommate is here, right?¡± ¡°Yeah. She¡¯s probably going to stay here ande back in the morning.¡± ¡°Good. Then I can take it slow with you.¡± First Time Link I park in one of the visitor spots at her apartment building. Then we¡¯re walking into her ce. She swipes a card that she tucked into her bra. And then we¡¯re in the elevator. I hold her close. Chapter 23 Chapter 23 ¡°I¡¯m going to tie you to your bed and fuck you until you can¡¯t remember your name.¡± I¡¯ve read all of her emails to her best friend. I know that she¡¯s into a little bondage, and so am I. The elevator chimes when we get to her floor. She pulls a key out of her bra. ¡°What else is there? A kitchen sink?¡± ¡°My phone.¡± She unlocks her front door. I follow her inside. Then I¡¯m peeling back part of her dress to reveal the bra cup where she stashed her phone. She has such full breasts that it barely has made a lump. I pull her bra off, and then I¡¯m tearing her dress apart. ¡°It¡¯s Kelly¡¯s dress!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make up for itter. I can finance a shopping spree. Butter.¡± Bending her over my arm, I kiss a trail from her neck down to her cleavage. Her hands are on my back. Then I pull her into my arms and go into her bedroom, the one with CAMILLA in big letters on the front. ¡°Take off your underwear.¡± I¡¯m getting out of my clothes as fast as I can. I think that I¡¯m setting a world record. She slides off her underwear. I can see that they¡¯re damp. ¡°You like it when I steal you away so I can make you mine?¡± She nods. ¡°You¡¯re so sweet.¡± I take her ruined dress and tie her hands to the headboard with it. I can see that her nipples are hard. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. When she¡¯s securely tied to the headboard, I tell her, ¡°I¡¯m going to take my time with you.¡± I start off by worshiping her soft breasts, taking the nipples into my mouth and sucking. ¡°Ahh,¡± she moans. My hand gets involved, rubbing at the apex of her thighs. She¡¯s already wet enough to drip onto the sheets. My thumb rubs her. Her hips are jerking upward. ¡°You like it like this, tied up and at my mercy.¡± It¡¯s not a question, just a statement. She nods anyway. I slide down the bed to peel her thighs apart. ¡°I¡¯m going to eat your pussy until you¡¯vee three times. And then maybe I¡¯ll let you have my dick. You want it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to wait.¡± Her hips are impatiently moving. ¡°I¡¯m in control here, sweetheart.¡± I pull her thighs apart and get to work. She¡¯s so sweet and wet. I drink down every drop I can find. I hold her hips in ce while I take her over the edge three times. She¡¯s trying to hump my face, but I don¡¯t let her, just keep her right there as my tongue tastes her. After I feel he r shudder for the third time, I say, ¡°I keep my promises.¡± I get off the bed. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Getting a condom.¡± Chapter 24 Chapter 24 ¡°Don¡¯t. Come inside me. I want you, not a piece of stic.¡± ¡°Sweetheart, you don¡¯t know what you¡¯re saying. You¡¯re neen. You have your whole life ahead of you.¡± ¡°I want to have your baby,¡± she confesses softly. I think about when I fantasized about her baby bump. I look at her soft stomach and imagine a baby growing there. I drop my pants on the floor. ¡°Whatever you want, baby.¡± I get back on the bed and pull her legs far apart, so that her outer thighs are touching the bed. All that yoga really pays off. ¡°It¡¯s going to hurt,¡± I warn. ¡°Just stay still and breathe through the pain.¡± Her fists are clenched. I ease the head of my cock inside of her small, extremely tight opening. There¡¯s barely enough room for me in here. I push in a little deeper. Her eyes are squeezed shut. ¡°Breathe,¡± I tell her. She starts to breathe again. Then I¡¯m up against the barrier that marks her as a virgin. I push in very slowly. She gasps, and I know it hurts. ¡°Just rx, baby.¡± I see her fists unclench as she takes in deep breaths. Then I¡¯m sliding in the rest of the way. I stop, fully sheathed inside of her, and her eyes open. ¡°That feels incredible.¡± Her hips jerk upwards. My hips move of their own ord. I sink inside her just a little deeper. Both of us moan. ¡°Don¡¯t do that,¡± I warn. ¡°Not if you want it tost.¡± ¡°What if I want you toe inside of me right now?¡± With a growl, I put her knees over my elbows and bend her legs up as I put my body on top of hers. The bed is rocking with the force of my thrusts inside of her. Short screams areing out of her throat right now. ¡°You want me to put a baby inside of you?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, please,¡± she moans. Her tits are moving with every thrust. I¡¯m mesmerized by the motion. Her mouth is open. She¡¯s sucking All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. in air hard. Then her whole body contracts around my cock. There isn¡¯t enough room for me inside of her. She¡¯s squeezing me like a vise. She pants a little before she opens her eyes. ¡°Holy cow.¡± ¡°Baby, you haven¡¯t seen anything yet.¡± I untie her hands from the headboard. Towels Cami He turns me over so that I¡¯m on my hands and knees. He pulls my pillows under my stomach. ¡°You¡¯ve had it sweet and easy. Now I¡¯m going to give it you hard.¡± He teases me by tracing his cock around my slit, sliding it forward and back without entering me. I rock my hips back, trying to catch his cock, but he doesn¡¯t give it to me. ¡°Beg me for it.¡± I¡¯m past any kind of shame. ¡°Please, please fuck me again.¡± Tags: Source: Chapter 25 Chapter 25 ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°I need it!¡± I scream. Then his cock is sliding into me. I¡¯m already wet, but this angle pushes him deeper, which I didn¡¯t think was possible. He¡¯s stretching me to the edge of pain, but I wouldn¡¯t stop him for the world. Everything is burning, fiery, blissful. My mind is full of white fire. Then he¡¯s moving, rocking forward and back, making stars appear. His hand is in my hair, and it hurts a little bit as he grips it hard. I feel a little spurt of fire that tells me that his pree has already shot out. ¡°Give it to me,¡± I demand. A spanknds on my right ass cheek. ¡°I can feel it.¡± He spanks me again. ¡°I¡¯ll give you as much or as little as I want.¡± I drop my head down as he loosens his grip on my hair. His hands are on my shoulders now. He¡¯s mming me backwards every time that he rocks forward. I¡¯m helpless here on this bed, totally at his mercy. He¡¯s thrusting into me almost hard enough to hurt. Then I feel fire unleashed inside of my body. The feeling of his hot seed inside of my body and the thought of him getting pregnant make me orgasm again, my muscles pulsing around his cock. He holds me right there as he empties himself inside of me. ¡°Stay there.¡± He withdraws from me. I feel him leaking out of me, dripping down my thigh. I can hear him going into my bathroom to get a towel to wipe me up. I¡¯m exhausted. Hees back and tucks the towel between my legs before pulling me into his arms and putting me in the shower. He turns on the warm spray. He soaps up his hand and cleans me between my thighs, his eyes on mine. At first, it¡¯s functional. But it turns dirty when he very thoroughly cleans my clit. He pays so much This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. attention to it that Ie again in the shower, trapped by his body against the tile. Then he washes the rest of me and himself. We get another two towels and wrap up. We go to my bed. His heavy arm circles around me. I feel very warm, safe, and happy. We¡¯re naked besides the towels, but I¡¯m so tired that I drift off in just a few moments. Rude Wake-Up Call Lincoln ¡°Get away from my little girl, you fucker.¡± I open my eyes. Jack is in Cami¡¯s bedroom. ¡°What the hell are you doing here?¡± I check that the sheet is covering both of us. ¡°I had a feeling that you¡¯d be here, you piece of shit.¡± ¡°Can you turn around? We¡¯re naked.¡± I can see pure fury ze in his eyes, but he turns around. I find my clothes. Her dress fromst night is ruined. I get dressed. I pull a dress from her closet and help her put it on. ¡°We¡¯re getting married.¡± I announce it like it¡¯s a done deal, because it is. She¡¯s mine, end of story. No need to ask. ¡°Over my dead body,¡± he snaps, his back still turned. ¡°Dad, I¡¯m an adult now. I don¡¯t need your approval to marry anybody. And you¡¯ve already cut me off, so there aren¡¯t a lot more cards to y.¡± ¡°What about school? What about the college experience? You¡¯re going to marry an old man without ever experiencing what you should.¡± Chapter 26 Chapter 26 ¡°Watch who you¡¯re calling old,¡± I growl, even though I agree with him. ¡°She knows all that.¡± ¡°Dad, I¡¯m okay. I¡¯m not a party girl like Kelly. I don¡¯t need to try on a lot of shoes before I find the right one. I found it with Link.¡± Her hand is in mine. Her dad turns around and sees us holding hands. He still looks like he¡¯s going to blow up, but he lets out a small groan. ¡°This isn¡¯t want I wanted for you, Sunshine.¡± ¡°I¡¯m happy, Dad,¡± she says, stepping towards him. ¡°And that¡¯s what matters.¡± He just shakes his head and leaves the room. I hear the front door of her apartment m shut. ¡°Just give him time.¡± I pull her close and kiss her mouth. ¡°He¡¯lle around.¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± She puts a hand on her stomach. ¡°Our baby¡¯s grandmother is already dead. It would be a shame to have our baby¡¯s grandfather out of the picture.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too soon to know if you¡¯re pregnant,¡± I tell her. ¡°But I¡¯m ready to try again.¡± After yanking my clothes off, I peel off her dress to reveal her naked body. There are small marks where I bit herst night. She¡¯s the most beautiful woman I¡¯ve ever seen. I soothe each of the marks with ap of my tongue. Her skin has the traces ofst night¡¯s passion, despite the shower. I roll her onto her front, arranging her so that she¡¯s facedown, ass up on the bed in front of me. ¡°Good morning, sweetheart.¡± I push inside of her. She¡¯s pleasantly tight, but I know that I¡¯m not hurting her. ¡°Ahh,¡± she moans in reply. I pull her cheeks a little further apart so that I can sink deeper inside of her small body. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of you.¡± It¡¯s a promise for this moment and also for the rest of our lives. I sink so deeply into her that I can feel her cervix against the tip of my cock. My breathing picks up as I think of releasing myself inside of her and making a baby. The idea makes me twitch inside of her before flooding her with my essence. ¡°Stay like this.¡± I let my cock stay in as it softens. She¡¯s still facedown. I stroke one cheek. ¡°Let it sink in.¡± She¡¯s quiet now. ¡°You meant that? You¡¯ll take care of me? Forever?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± There¡¯s a soft sound as I pull out of her well-loved body. ¡°Forever.¡± All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. I turn her over so that I can see the after-loving glow in her eyes. She¡¯s incredible. ¡°Don¡¯t believe him, sweetie. He says that to all the girls.¡± I hoped never to hear that voice again. I turn around to see my sordid past in the doorway. Marcia Cami ¡°Marcia?¡± I¡¯m looking past Link to see a woman that I haven¡¯t seen since my fifth birthday party. ¡°What are you even doing here?¡± ¡°Reiming something that was always mine.¡± Shees into the room. ¡°He¡¯s a fantastic lover, isn¡¯t he?¡± I look at Link¡¯s face. The skin around his eyes is tight. ¡°Why the fuck are you here?¡± he spits. ¡°Jack called me. He told me to get you away from his little girl.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a little girl.¡± Chapter 27 Chapter 27 ¡°You¡¯re not enough of a woman to handle a man like Link.¡± She has an expression on her face like she just smelled something totally nasty. ¡°You might have caught his interest with your virginity, but you can¡¯t keep it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her,¡± Link says. He¡¯s putting on his pants. ¡°I don¡¯t know what the fuck your game is, Marcia, but I¡¯m not falling for it.¡± ¡°What a shame,¡± she says. ¡°I always wanted my son to meet his father one day.¡± Son? I pull my sheets around me. ¡°Your son?¡± ¡°Our son.¡± Marcia¡¯s smile is smug. ¡°Your daddy has been paying me hush money for years. He thought that it was better to pay me off than to tell Link that he had a son he knew nothing about. He knew that Link would marry me, which he thought was one of the worst possible oues he could imagine.¡± Link¡¯s face is the color of salt. ¡°What the hell?¡± ¡°I was going to tell you when little Ryan turned 18. But when you chose to fuck Jack¡¯s daughter, you sped up the timeline.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡± My voice is very quiet. I¡¯m incredibly afraid right now. I¡¯ve only just started with Jack¡­ and now Marcia is ready to rip us apart.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t take my word for it, little girl.¡± Marcia¡¯s voice is vicious and satisfied. But she sounds sure. ¡°We can get a cheek swab from my son and Link. Easy to do a paternity test. And think of all the child support he hasn¡¯t paid.¡± She licks her lips. ¡°This has all turned out beautifully for me.¡± ¡°You conniving bitch,¡± I say. ¡°You¡¯ve been waiting all these years for your chance, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Link was going to be my son¡¯s meal ticket. I didn¡¯t know if your daddy was going to pay for Ryan¡¯s college or not, so I was going to wait until Ryan was 18. No custody battles, but in this state, Link would still have to pay for his college tuition.¡± She smooths her dress down her hips. ¡°Your daddy is a generous man, so I wasn¡¯t going to make a move this early.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not my baby,¡± Link said. ¡°I¡¯ll take a paternity test or whatever, but I used a condom every time with you.¡± ¡°Condoms aren¡¯t always perfect,¡± Marcia says, smirking. ¡°Don¡¯t you remember when it ripped?¡± Link¡¯s face is pure white. ¡°It was after her stupid pretty princess birthday party. I knew that you were going to break up with me, so I supplied the condom thest time that we fucked. I had already pierced it with a pin, so it fell apart more easily.¡± I¡¯m hyperventting. Marcia is something out of my worst nightmares. ¡°Ryan will be so happy to meet his daddy, finally. I¡¯ve always told him that he¡¯d meet you someday. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. He¡¯s outside in the car.¡± Marcia is evil and maniptive, but would she use her son in this scheme? It would vite every maternal instinct, right? I don¡¯t know much about mothers, since I never really had one, but Marcia clearly believes that her son is Link¡¯s. Driving Link ¡°Let¡¯s get this cleared up right now. Cami, sit tight. I¡¯ll be back in a few hours.¡± I¡¯m dressed now. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I know ab where I can get them to expedite the results.¡± Cami¡¯s eyes are full of despair. I wish that I could reassure her. Marcia¡¯s happy, but she¡¯s the only person in this room who is remotely joyful. I follow Marcia out of the room and into the elevator. ¡°Secret kid, huh?¡± ¡°Jack was really generous with us. He¡¯s been looking after us all this time just for your sake.¡± She shrugs. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that I was so terrifying.¡± I don¡¯t say anything. Jack knows the whole story of Marcia, how she tried to destroy me, hammer me into the shape of the man she wanted instead of the man I was and am. He apparently tried to protect me until now. I run my hand through my hair, making it stand up. Losing Jack¡¯s friendship is not great, and now I have a potential baby mama showing up on my doorstep. Well, Cami¡¯s doorstep. Bedroom. While we were naked. Shit. When we get downstairs, I can see that a car is idling. There¡¯s a kid in the backseat. He¡¯s on some kind of Nintendo hand-held device. There¡¯s music and beepsing out of it. ¡°Ryan, meet your daddy.¡± Chapter 28 Chapter 28 The kid barely nces up before he says, ¡°Whatever.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll warm up to you.¡± Marcia¡¯s voice is strained. ¡°He just hasn¡¯t heard much about you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to know about whatever deadbeat sends you a check every month, thanks. Thank you for your sperm donation and the cash. Fuck off.¡± ¡°Ryan!¡± Marcia¡¯s voice is sharp. ¡°That¡¯s not polite.¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± Ryan¡¯s thumbs are moving quickly on his gaming device. ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± Not really a good start if this kid really is mine. ¡°Just give it time.¡± Marcia¡¯s eyes are a little lost. I know why I was attracted to her. She¡¯s pretty enough, but she¡¯s broken inside. I wanted to be her white knight, but I should have broken it off after our first fight, when she¡¯d thrown knives at me. Live and learn. ¡°Give me your phone. I¡¯ll put in the address.¡± Marcia hands over her phone. I open the Maps app and tap in the location. ¡°I¡¯ll follow you there. Is your phone number the same?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Call me if you get lost.¡± I turn and go to my car. What a cluster fuck. First this whole thing with Cami destroys my friendship with Jack, and then Jack sends in Marcia to ruin the whole thing. I had no idea that he¡¯d been paying Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. her off all these years. I watch as Marcia starts driving to theb. I back out of my parking space and follow her. The head of theb knows me pretty well, since I¡¯m one of his angel investors for his side business. He wanted to revolutionize blood testing. After the crash and burn failure of another hugeb testing startup, nobody wanted to be duped again. I¡¯d taken a chance on him. It would be years before investors recovered any money, but the chance that he could do what they tried and failed to do was worth the money. He had the industry experience that was sorelycking in the otherpany, the one that had caused a severe scandal which had ended with the CEO being banned from running a simr I call him from my car. ¡°Hey, Dr. Mike.¡± ¡°Just Mike. What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Well, Just Mike, I¡¯ming in. I need a paternity test.¡± ¡°Get wild on the weekend?¡± he jokes. ¡°Something like that.¡± ¡°I was kidding.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°Holy shit. It¡¯s really for you.¡± ¡°Yup. How fast can you get it done? I¡¯d like to know today if possible.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll fast-track it with ourb techs.¡± There¡¯s a moment of silence. ¡°You have an illegitimate child?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a surprise to me,¡± I reply. ¡°And I need to know if it¡¯s real.¡± ¡°I can tell you in a few hours whether or not you¡¯re the father. Damn, this is like a bad reality show or daytime television.¡± ¡°I know. I¡¯m on my way so that we can clear this all up as soon as possible.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll do our best for you.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be there in fifteen minutes. Bye.¡± I hit the end call button. Either way, I¡¯d have an answer within a few hours. Chapter 29 Chapter 29 When I looked at Ryan, I didn¡¯t see my face. He looks like a male version of Marcia, which could mean anything. I¡¯m praying that Marcia is ying one of her dumb games, but if Jack put her up to this, I can see that we¡¯re not going to have his blessing when we get married. I¡¯vee inside of Cami unprotected. She could have my baby inside of her right now. I think about having a family with her, maybe two or three kids running around my house. Kids with her hair and her smile¡­ And none of that will happen if Marcia¡¯s telling the truth. I know that Cami would stand by me and try to take care of Ryan, but I can¡¯t ask her to be a stepmother when she¡¯s a little less than six years older than him. Touching her proved that I am a selfish bastard, but I know that she deserves the carefree life of a teenager, not the craziness that raising Ryan would bring. Now I¡¯m at theb. My heart is beating double time. With two cheek swabs, we can see which path my life will go down. Happiness with Cami, a ring on her finger, a bunch of kids. Or taking care of a son I never knew I had and losing Cami forever. I take a deep breath, then I get out of the car. Time to face the music. Lab Test Lincoln Dr. Mike is hanging around in the lobby. I know that his daily schedule is jam-packed, so it means a lot to me that he¡¯s here. ¡°You okay?¡± I nod. I gesture towards Marcia and Ryan. Ryan is still ying his game. ¡°They¡¯re with me.¡± I can see Dr. Mike¡¯s eyes trail over Marcia. She¡¯s a beautiful woman. Having a kid didn¡¯t diminish her physical attractiveness. But she¡¯s like non-alcoholic beer for me now ¡ª theoretically, it could be good. But it¡¯s not. I watch him turn towards Ryan. ¡°He¡¯s older than a lot of the kids we see in here.¡± This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. I shrug. ¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡± ¡°Come with me, please.¡± He brings us into a small room. There are two stic baggies with things that look like long Q-tips in small stic vials. ¡°Bal swabs are rtively painless. I¡¯m just going to swab the inside of your cheeks and then give the samples to theb. Link, you want to go first?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± I sit down on a chair and open my mouth. He swabs the inside of my cheek and drops the long Q-tip into the stic vial. ¡°One sample down, one sample to go.¡± ¡°Ryan, open your mouth.¡± Without raising his eyes from his game, Ryan opens his mouth. It takes a second or two for Dr. Mike to get the swab inside. He swabs the inside of Ryan¡¯s cheek. ¡°Ow!¡± ¡°My apologies,¡± Dr. Mike says smoothly, putting the second sample in a clearly marked bag. ¡°But it¡¯s over now.¡± ¡°It better be.¡± The anger in Ryan¡¯s voice surprises me. The cheek swab wasn¡¯t all that invasive, but Ryan is acting like he had to get a shot or something. The game music is driving me crazy. At his age, I yed some video games, but I also looked at doctors who were taking samples from me. Ryan is supremely uninterested in anything around him, which concerns me. I¡¯ll take care of it if he¡¯s my kid. ¡°Could youe back in two hours? I¡¯ll have the results then.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± I look at Marcia. ¡°Do you want to get some ice cream?¡± ¡°Frozen yogurt.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a ce across the street. It also serves coffee.¡± ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± Something feels unsettled in the pit of my stomach. Marcia is trying to behave normally, but she¡¯s touching the back of her neck. Is this kid really mine or did Jack pay her to show up? Her story is a little wild, but it is in line with what I know about her. We walk across the street to the frozen yogurt caf¨¦. There aren¡¯t too many people there at this time of day. Ryan finally pauses his game to get double chocte frozen yogurt. He dumps a ton of chocte chips and Hershey¡¯s chocte syrup on top. I get a little bit of strawberry frozen yogurt. Marcia gets coconut surprise, whatever that is, with little bits of shaved coconut on top. I pay for the three of us. As soon as we sit down, Ryan whips out his game. He¡¯s ying one-handed as he shovels the chocte monstrosity that he got into his mouth. Marcia and I are left to make awkward conversation. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me about Ryan?¡± Chapter 30 Chapter 30 ¡°Yeah, okay.¡± Her eyelids flutter as she blinks rapidly. ¡°So I knew that I was pregnant after we broke up.¡± She sticks her spoon in her coconut surprise. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you call me? You had my phone number.¡± ¡°I tried to call your office first.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°Your secretary knew that we had broken up, but I told her that it was urgent. So I talked her into sending the call to Jack instead so he could make the call.¡± ¡°And?¡± The strawberry frozen yogurt tastes too sour. ¡°Jack heard me out. We came to an agreement. He paid me every month, and in return, I didn¡¯t ruin your life. You¡¯d already said goodbye to me. I knew that you didn¡¯t want to be around me. As long as the checks kepting, everyone was happy.¡± ¡°How much was he sending you?¡± She names a number that makes me whistle. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of money.¡± ¡°Silence is expensive.¡± She waves her hands. I notice that she¡¯s wearing a lot of jewelry, various rings, bracelets, and a ne that looks like it could be in a window disy case. ¡°And we¡¯ve never gone without anything. Ryan¡¯s had everything I¡¯ve ever wanted for him.¡± Her tone is defensive, and I don¡¯t know why. ¡°You¡¯ve taken care of him, then.¡± I don¡¯t say anything about Ryan¡¯s disconnect from reality. If he is my son, there¡¯s time to fix it. If he¡¯s not, I don¡¯t have to care. ¡°In every way but one¡­he¡¯s never had a father.¡± I can see that, but I say, ¡°You might fix that today.¡± She stares at her hands. One of her rings is catching the sunlight and throwing rainbows on the wall. ¡°I have to tell you something.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°He might not be yours.¡± The soft chatter of the other customers checking out is the only sound besides the game music. ¡°Then why did you¡­¡± ¡°Because Jack was willing to pay me to keep my mouth shut.¡± ¡°Schrodinger¡¯s cat.¡± She nods. ¡°I didn¡¯t know, and I didn¡¯t want to find out. It could be your baby. But it wasn¡¯t hard to rece you.¡± ¡°You were with someone right after me?¡± She blushes slightly. ¡°More than one.¡± I sit and let that sink in. ¡°So there¡¯s not even a 50% chance that I¡¯m his dad.¡± ¡°It¡¯s lower than 50%. It¡¯s lower than 25%.¡± I could be pissed, but I¡¯m relieved. I¡¯m d now that this is alling out, because it means that I could still be free to marry Cami and leave the past alone. Marcia¡¯s crying a little bit, although she¡¯s pretending that she¡¯s just wiping her nose. I can see some women in the frozen yogurt caf¨¦ with sympathetic eyes. Then they turn to me. Their stares turn icy. From N?velDrama.Org. They think that I¡¯m making her cry, and I don¡¯t know how to tell them that she¡¯s crying because of what she did, not anything I¡¯m saying. ¡°If you¡¯re not the father¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to get those child support checks from Jack anymore. Can¡¯t you hunt down the real father?¡± Chapter 31 Chapter 31 ¡°I only know first names. Even if I wanted to find the other men, it¡¯d be like finding a needle in a haystack.¡± The other women are talking in low voices. It looks like they¡¯re about toe over to our table and confront me for making her cry. ¡°How about this? If I¡¯m not the father, I¡¯ll hire a private investigator to track those men down. You need child support from somebody.¡± She¡¯s no longer crying. ¡°You¡¯d do that?¡± The other women, who had already gotten to their feet, sit right back down now. ¡°I¡¯ll pay for the best private investigator money can buy. It¡¯s the least I can do.¡± Yeah, she¡¯s mooched off of Jack for twelve years, but Marcia still needs to take care of her kid. ¡°So dry those tears. You¡¯re going to be okay.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a good man, Link.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell anybody,¡± I say, winking. ¡°You¡¯d ruin my reputation.¡± The conversation is easy and light then. We talk about her yoga practice, Ryan¡¯s epilepsy, and her hunt for a new home until my phone rings. Results Lincoln I see the name on the front of my cell. It¡¯s Dr. Mike. I ept the call. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°We have the results. Could youe back in?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be right there.¡± I end the call. ¡°They have the results.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been two hours?¡± Marcia¡¯s blinking like someone who¡¯s seeing sunlight for the first time in days. ¡°That was fast.¡± I shrug. ¡°Goodpany.¡± I don¡¯t feel anything for Marcia but respect for raising her kid solo, but I can still be polite. ¡°Ryan,¡± she says, her voice suddenly cracking like a whip. ¡°Turn that thing off and walk across the street with us. And don¡¯t get run over.¡± He casually flips her the bird, but he does pause the game and put it in his pocket. ¡°I hope that this doesn¡¯t take long. I¡¯ve almost beat the boss. Just a few more minutes to finish this level.¡± We walk back across the street. Marcia¡¯s shoulders have slumped. I think she knows what we¡¯re going to find out. Ryan i s finally looking at something other than his game, but the tension in his shoulders says that he¡¯s not happy about putting it away. We go into the lobby. Dr. Mike is leaning against a wall. ¡°Let¡¯s duck into the same consultation room.¡± We go back into the same room where we were swabbed. ¡°What are the results?¡± He takes a deep breath and looks at the three of us. ¡°You¡¯re not the father.¡± I feel like a weight has been lifted. I had a monkey sitting between my shoulder des that just evaporates. ¡°You¡¯ll keep your promise?¡± Marcia asks. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Of course.¡± I¡¯ll hunt down the poor bastard who has to pay child support. ¡°That¡¯s everything we need to know, Dr. Mike.¡± ¡°Here are the results, in case you want to look back at themter on.¡± Chapter 32 Chapter 32 He stuffs some papers in my hands. I don¡¯t read them, but I can see that there¡¯s almost zero chance that I¡¯m the father. I¡¯ve been given the all-clear to pursue whatever I need to do with Cami. I turn the papers over and snatch a pen from Dr. Mike¡¯s table. ¡°Here¡¯s the phone number of the PI that I use the most. Tell him to bill me for whatever work he does for you. I¡¯ll text him right now to tell him that you¡¯reing with my blessing.¡± Marcia¡¯s voice is sad and timid. ¡°I can¡¯t thank you enough.¡± I cared about her once, conniving witch that she is. ¡°I hope it works out for you.¡± Suddenly, she looks ten years older than she did when we came in. She¡¯s going to lose her gravy train for a while. ¡°We¡¯re going home, Ryan.¡± ¡°This whole thing was a waste of time,¡± Ryan spits. ¡°I could be doing something worthwhile instead of being in a smelly clinic.¡± I hope Marcia gets a better handle on him, even though he¡¯s basically teenager. Maybe he¡¯ll grow out of his rudeness. But it¡¯s not my job to care about it. ¡°Thanks, Mike.¡± Mike shakes my hand and gives Marcia a handshake, too. Ryan is already walking out of the room. When we get to the parking lot, I turn to her. ¡°This will be thest time I¡¯ll see you in a long time.¡± She nods. ¡°Take care, Link.¡± ¡°You, too.¡± I watch her get into her car. I feel like I have a new lease on life. I know my next stop: the jewelry store. I need a rock that tells everyone Cami is taken until the end of time. Ring Cami I¡¯m toweling off after a bath. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on right now, but I know that I trust Link to do whatever¡¯s right. Kelly texted me to tell me that she was going to be back tomorrow. They were going hiking or something. If I could list people least likely to go hiking, especially without gear, Kelly would be in the top spot. But I also know that Kelly must not be actually nning on real hiking. Whatever floats her boat. My mind is in a tangle. First my dad and then Marcia barged in on us. What if Link actually does have a kid? What would that mean for us? This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. I know that I would fight for him, even if he had other responsibilities. I touch the soft curve of my stomach. His baby could be inside of me right now. I get wet thinking about the way that he took my virginity. He¡¯s an incredible lover. I¡¯m so d that I gave it to him, no matter what else happens. I hear a knock on the front door of the apartment. ¡°Coming,¡± I call. I slip on a dress, no bra, no underwear. When I look through the peephole on tiptoe, I see Link outside. I unlock the door, then he¡¯s rushing inside and falling to the ground. ¡°Link! What are you doing?¡± He¡¯s on one knee. He has a bouquet in one hand and a ring box in the other. ¡°I haven¡¯t asked you yet, but I¡¯m going to fix that. Right now.¡± He brandishes the bouquet. ¡°These flowers are for you.¡± They¡¯re pink roses. I smell them. ¡°They¡¯re lovely.¡± ¡°Not half as lovely as you.¡± He opens the ring box. ¡°Cami, will you make me the happiest man alive? Will you marry me?¡± Chapter 33 Chapter 33 I know what this means. I don¡¯t ask about his possible child, because I know that he wouldn¡¯t be on one knee if he couldn¡¯t offer himself to me. I was prepared to fight him if he tried to pull away, but it¡¯s unnecessary. There are happy tears in my eyes when I say, ¡°Yes.¡± Then he¡¯s shooting to his feet, the engagement ring in his hand. He slides it onto my finger. I admire the shininess, even though my vision is blurry. I¡¯m in his arms now, my legs wrapped around him as he kisses my mouth hard. Then he¡¯s carrying me into my room. Wend on my soft bed. He doesn¡¯t even bother to remove my dress, just lifts it to find that I¡¯m bare underneath. His fingers slide into me to get me ready. I stretch around two of his fingers before his head is going between my thighs. At the first touch of his tongue, my body arches off of the bed. He¡¯s spinning me now, a hand on the back of my head as I hear him undoing his pants. His erection slides into me easily. I¡¯m breathing hard, and my world moves as he rocks in and out of my body. Then he¡¯s releasing inside of me, filling me up with his love. When it¡¯s done, he pulls out of me and flips me over. ¡°I¡¯m so happy,¡± I tell him, ying with his hair and putting my mouth close to his. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I¡¯m happier,¡± he says, before he kisses me. Anniversary Lincoln A YEAR LATER ¡°Do you think Jacky will be okay? He¡¯s only three months old.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll be fine. His grandfather adores him.¡± I drive us back to my home, our home. Naming our kid after Jack went a long way towards healing the divide between us. He adored his namesake, which was why he was more than happy to babysit for our anniversary. I park the car in the garage, hit the button to close it, and then I¡¯m opening the door for my wife. ¡°Now that we¡¯re not getting up in the middle of the night to put our little monster back to sleep, I get you all to myself for one night.¡± I help her out, and then I push her over the hood of the car. ¡°The hood is really warm.¡± ¡°Shh, baby.¡± I position her hands so that she¡¯s leaning over the hood. It takes me two seconds to rip her underwear apart. We haven¡¯t had a chance to have much spontaneous sex ever since the baby came. I¡¯ve been thinking about anniversary sex for a few weeks now. I¡¯m easing my way into her wet, tight channel right now. Even after the baby, she still can barely take me. She likes being bent over a car hood. ¡°This time will be quick, baby, but I¡¯ll make it up to youter.¡± ¡°Fuck me,¡± she demands, and that¡¯s a request I¡¯m happy to fulfill. I¡¯ve flipped the bottom of her dress so that her bare ass is visible with the remains of her underwear. I admire the sight of my dick sinking into her. It bes too much after a while. Ie in her like a teenage boy who can¡¯t control himself, pulsing again and again as I fill her up. I pull her dress back down, then I swing her into my arms. ¡°Thee is going to ruin this dress, Link.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a risk I¡¯m willing to take. I¡¯ll rece it.¡± Then I¡¯m racing up the stairs so that I can put her in our Jacuzzi. It¡¯s a smart-home appliance, so I told it to have warm water ready when we got home. I put rose- scented bath salt into the Jacuzzi, and then I ease in next to her. ¡°Come here, baby.¡± Chapter 34 Chapter 34 She slides forward and straddles me. In the soapy, sweet-smelling water, she is a goddess. She smiles down at me before capturing my mouth for a kiss. I guide my dick into her opening for another round. I¡¯m hard again, even though I just came and ruined her dress. She sighs as she sinks downward on me just a little bit at a time. Then she¡¯s rocking on top of me, water sshing around us. Her breasts are bobbing in the water. I kiss her throat when she throws her head back as her speed picks up. ¡°Oh!¡± she squeals, like she¡¯s surprised by her orgasm. Feeling her muscles contract around me pulls my orgasm out of me. Ie inside of her. We¡¯ve never used protection, and I¡¯m not about to start now. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. When shees down from her climax, she opens her eyes and kisses me gently. ¡°That was a beautiful anniversary present.¡± She gets off of myp and then I put my arm around her as she rests her head on my shoulder. I kiss her forehead. ¡°I have a surprise for you, too.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°I¡¯m pregnant again.¡± I feel my heart soar. ¡°Are you serious? You just had a baby.¡± ¡°Yup, I¡¯m serious.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to hope we have a little girl. I love you, baby. I¡¯m so d I married you and I¡¯m d that we have Jacky, little monster that he is.¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± THE END Chapter 35 Chapter 35 Chapter One Gun Safety Iacopo My gun is pointed at the face of a man, until today, I loved more than my own flesh and blood. He was more than a brother to me. Soon he will be dead. And I will be his judge, jury, and executioner. ¡°Please,¡± George says, his hands raised. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to take so much.¡± I take the safety off of my gun. ¡°George, I wanted to believe that you were an honest man far longer than I should have. I didn¡¯t want to believe the evidence, but there was just so much of it.¡± ¡°Please, I¡¯ll do anything!¡± George is shaking. I can smell the scent of his fear. He¡¯s wet his pants like a toddler failing the first day of potty training. ¡°You have nothing to bargain with.¡± I look through the sight of my gun. ¡°I have a family.¡± From N?velDrama.Org. I put the safety back on so that I canugh without identally shooting him. Once it clicks into ce, I let out a good bellyugh. ¡°You have a daughter, Kelly, whom you barely see and barely tolerate. You make her work, and she¡¯s only a college student. Your wife left you for a handsomer man ten years ago. She¡¯s a golddigger who needed more than you could provide. You don¡¯t have a family.¡± George¡¯s forehead is covered in sweat. His hands are shaking like he has palsy. ¡°I will give you anything you want. Just please, put the gun away.¡± ¡°Like I said, there¡¯s nothing you can give me. I have shared everything with you since we were kids. Your parents neglected you. My mother took you in and treated you like one of her own children. And this is how we¡¯re repaid? Years of stealing from my bank ounts? If you needed money, all you had to do was ask. But stealing is another matter. You cannot steal from the Genovese family and live. It sets a bad example.¡± I take the safety off. ¡°Make your peace with God, George.¡± ¡°Please let me say goodbye to my daughter,¡± he begs. His hand sneaks towards his pocket. ¡°Move very slowly, George, or my trigger finger might slip.¡± His hand moves slowly towards his pocket. He pulls out his phone. He¡¯s touching the screen now. I can see that he¡¯s pulling up his call history. It takes a while before he finds Kelly¡¯s name. ¡°Put it on speaker.¡± He swallows hard, but he does as I request. Ring. Tags: Source: Chapter 36 Chapter 36 Ring. ¡°Hello? What¡¯s up, Dad? I haven¡¯t heard from you in a while.¡± ¡°Kelly, baby girl, I just wanted to check in with you. How¡¯s school going?¡± ¡°Dad, your voice sounds really weird. It must be a bad connection. School¡¯s fine. Is everything okay?¡± Nothing is okay. Her father is about to die by my hand. ¡°Everything¡¯s fine.¡± I muffle my snort. George is a terrible liar, which makes it crazy that he got away with cooking our books for so long. Sentimentality made me forgo annual audits. Emotions are liabilities. ¡°You sound like you¡¯re sick or something.¡± ¡°Yeah, maybe I should see a doctor.¡± He¡¯ll probably see a medical examiner very soon. More urately, a medical examiner would see him. ¡°I just wanted to tell you that I love you, Kelly.¡± ¡°I love you, too, Dad.¡± There¡¯s silence on the line. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay? I can drive home this weekend.¡± If she came home this weekend, she¡¯d be driving home for his funeral, but she doesn¡¯t know that. I feel bad for Kelly, his naive daughter who had nothing to do with any of this. Her father¡¯s death would ruin her life. I am taking back all of my money with 10% interest,pounded annually. I hope that he has some kind of life insurance. Otherwise, Kelly¡¯s going to be broke. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me,¡± George says. ¡°Just study hard. Be happy. I love you. I have to go now.¡± His fingers are shaking when he hits the red button to end the call. George¡¯s life will end in a few seconds. ¡°I¡¯m impressed. You didn¡¯t try to get her to call the police. You didn¡¯t tell her that I was here.¡± ¡°What would be the point? I¡¯m going to die anyway. I don¡¯t want her to have a vendetta against the Genovese family. She¡¯s not tangled up in this. My daughter is the one good thing in my life. I have stolen. I have lied. But my daughter has never and will never see any of that.¡± I put the safety back on my gun. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s the price.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°A few minutes ago, you were about to die. You had nothing to offer me. Now you do. Kelly is the one good thing in your life.¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± He¡¯s shaking his head. ¡°Not my daughter.¡± I smile. ¡°Yes. Your daughter.¡± Chapter Two Driving Home Kelly WEEKEND That phone call from my dad lingered in my mind for a few days, so I decide to drive home and surprise him. He said that everything was fine, but if I learned anything from The Italian Job, I know that I need to go home. While pulling onto the freeway, I turn on the radio. It sts Radio Disney. It¡¯s all Cami¡¯s fault. I turn it to something actually good as I speed down the freeway. Our school is only a little more than an hour away from home. Soon, I¡¯m pulling into the driveway. I did all my homeworkst night, so I can concentrate on my dad for the next two days. Well, I can do it if he¡¯s around. My dad, even if I love him, has been mostly absent for a lot of my life. He works a lot. His car is in the garage, but there¡¯s another car in my driveway. Then I realize it¡¯s Uncle Iacopo¡¯s ck Lexus. Cool. I haven¡¯t seen that handsome devil in a while. When I was younger, I thought that Uncle Iacopo was the prince to my princess. I thought that he was From N?velDrama.Org. the most handsome man in the world. I used to call him Prince Iacopo, back when I thought I would grow up to be a Disney princess. He would pick me up and spin me around whenever I wanted, which I considered to be the most important criterion for marriage. I was heartbroken when he got married to Ariana, who was never very nice to me. His precious daughter Lucia is one of the most beautiful babies in the whole world, though. I was happy when they got divorced, even though I shouldn¡¯t be d about something that probably hurt them both and will hurt Lucia when she understands that her family is split up. Tags: Source: Chapter 37 Chapter 37 I know that my da d will be surprised, but it¡¯ll be good to see Uncle Iacopo. Yeah, my thoughts after I hit puberty were a little less pure, but he stayed the same. A few more gray hairs, that¡¯s all. My dad gained weight when he got older, but Uncle Iacopo still probably has a six pack. I blush a little bit, since I shouldn¡¯t be thinking about him that way. I unlock our front door and call out, ¡°Dad! Uncle Iacopo! I¡¯m home.¡± I hear the sound of ss shattering. ¡°Dad?¡± I walk deeper inside of the house, towards the kitchen. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Uncle Iacopo is sitting at the table, drinking a demitasse of espresso. My dad had a ss of orange juice, but now it¡¯s shattered on the floor. ¡°Don¡¯t move. I¡¯m getting a broom.¡± I open our broom closet and get out a broom and a dustpan. I carefully collect ss and dump it in the trash. When I¡¯m done, I say, ¡°Wow, I knew that my visit was a surprise, but I didn¡¯t know that you¡¯d be so startled.¡± I lean in to hug my dad, but he¡¯s as pale as he gets. ¡°Aren¡¯t you d to see your daughter?¡± Dad might be distant, but I know he loves me. Just not in the way that makes him constantly check on me. He doesn¡¯t care about my day-to-day life very much. ¡°Kelly, would you like to have a seat? Maybe a shot of espresso?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just take some orange juice, but I can pour it for myself.¡± I go to the fridge, take out the carton, get two sses, and pour orange juice into them. I give my dad one. He¡¯s still frozen in ce. There¡¯s sweat on his forehead. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Dad?¡± ¡°Maybe I should start,¡± Uncle Iacopo says. ¡°Your dad and I have been talking about your future.¡± ¡°Um, okay.¡± I didn¡¯t know that he was interested in my future. I never had to endure well-meant career advice from Uncle Iacopo. Tons of people loved to tell me how to live my life, but not my favorite ¡°uncle.¡± ¡°Your father has run into a little financial difficulty, Kelly.¡± ¡°Dad?¡± I turn to him. ¡°What happened? Are you okay?¡± ¡°Just fine, pumpkin.¡± He forces a smile. ¡°But I won¡¯t be able to pay for college anymore.¡± My heart sinks. I have had to work hard enough to keep myself afloat. Without anything from my dad, I¡¯m not going to be able to go to school. I might have to take time off to save up. ¡°But I have a solution,¡± Uncle Iacopo says smoothly. ¡°I¡¯ve offered to help.¡± ¡°Oh, Uncle Iacopo, that¡¯s very kind, but there¡¯s no way that I could possibly ept.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to insist,¡± he says. His voice is hard this time. I hug myself, my arms crossed in front of me. I see his eyes settle on the cleavage created by the position. The expression on his face doesn¡¯t belong on the face of a man that I call uncle. ¡°I can¡¯t take money for nothing,¡± I argue. ¡°I¡¯ll just pick up another job.¡± And take a smaller course load. And take forever to finish. Simple enough. ¡°It¡¯s already done. I¡¯ve paid your tuition until you graduate. I established a trust with you as the beneficiary. The money will go directly to your school.¡± ¡°That¡¯s very kind, but I¡¯m still not epting it.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to ept. The bursar is more than happy to receive any kind of money. You don¡¯t get to give it back.¡± ¡°What do you want in exchange?¡± I tilt my head. ¡°You¡¯re moving in with me. And I¡¯ll decide when to let you go to school.¡± I hear my dad¡¯s swift intake of breath. His face is sorrow-twisted, as if Uncle Iacopo just said, ¡°You¡¯re going to die.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t move in with you.¡± Iugh, shaking my head. ¡°I live at school. And what are you talking about, you¡¯ll decide when I go to school? I¡¯m already enrolled for this semester.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll live with me,¡± Uncle Iacopo says. ¡°And you¡¯ll have a driver to take you to and from school each day when I decide to let you go. Your father has beenx about your security, but it¡¯s important to me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need a driver.¡± ¡°Then I shouldn¡¯t mention that he¡¯ll be your bodyguard.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need a bodyguard!¡± I snap at Uncle Iacopo. ¡°Listen, I don¡¯t know why my dad agreed to this, but I won¡¯t. You can stick your bodyguard where the sun doesn¡¯t shine.¡± Tags: Source: Chapter 38 Chapter 38 Instead of retaliating, Uncle Iacopo just smiles. ¡°George? Do you have anything to say?¡± He takes a sip of his coffee. I turn and look at my dad. ¡°Dad, why would you ever agree to this?¡± ¡°Pumpkin, there¡¯s something you don¡¯t know.¡± My dad¡¯s face is scaring me right now. He looked like this when my mom told him ten years ago that she wasn¡¯t going to be part of our family. She still pays child support and helps with college based on her new husband¡¯s ie, but I¡¯ve never even met him. She threw me away with the rest of her old life. She didn¡¯t ask for visitation. She didn¡¯t get any. Chapter Three Tense Iacopo I can see how tense her shoulders are. The skin around her eyes is strained. "What''s wrong?" He licks his lips, like he can''t get it out. "Pumpkin, I''m in trouble." Her eyes flick to me. I look nothing like the man who brought her sparkly pink princess tiaras every birthday when she was young. I''m not him anymore. "Uncle Iacopo, what''s going on?" "I''m not your uncle." The absoluteck of emotion in my voice startles her. Her eyes are wide. She''s hugging herself as if she''s in Antarctica. "Uncle Iacopo, you''re scaring me." George is as pale as he can get. His entire body is shaking. It feels good to see him like this. He knows that if he tries to leave and take her with him, he''ll only suffer more. I''m taking the most precious part of his life. And I will destroy him. I''m d now that I didn''t kill him when I discovered his perfidy. It''s much more satisfying to see him pay in blood, sweat, and tears. "Pumpkin, I..." "Your father doesn''t seem to be able to spit it out, so let me make this simple for you. You have a choice between two options." "Why?" "Because your father has done something...ill advised." His face is the color of ash. "Oh, God." He''s rocking forward in his chair. He can''t stop what''s about to happen. "What did he do?" My voice is soft as I say, "He stole from me." All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. Kelly knows who I am. She knows, in broad terms, what I do. She steps back as if I''ve pped her. "Dad? Is that true?" He just nods. Stunned realization is all over her face. She looks like I just told her that ck is white. "No," she denies. "There''s no way that you''d do that, Dad. You''re so ethical." "Pumpkin, I''m sorry. It''s true." The pain that I see sh across her face almost makes me relent. Almost. Tags: Source: Chapter 39 Chapter 39 "You understand what happens next, right?" I smile. "You''re going to kill him. You''re going to murder my dad. I''ll call the cops," she threatens, as if I''m afraid of what the cops will or can do to me. "You can''t kill him!" "I can. Very easily. And we can wipe away every trace of the crime. I could steal you this moment and never let you speak to another person if I wanted." George is crying. He knows whates next. "I''ll never let you do that," she says, a hint of menace in her voice. "Well, you have a choice. You can prevent it. Or I can pick up my gun and kill your father in front of you." "I''m going to prevent it. Obviously." "Great. You have one hour to pack whatever you need from this house." "What are you talking about?" "You''reing home with me. And Kelly, I''m not your uncle anymore." George is sobbing now, watching me rob his young and mostly innocent daughter. Oh, I know that she likes to party and have a good time. She¡¯s probably kissed a few boys. She¡¯s a pretty little thing. But she''s never been with a man like me. Chapter Four Robot Kelly All of my movements seem robotic. I don''t know what I just agreed to. Do I have much of a choice? In a court ofw, duress would negate my agreement. But I guess that''s the way that criminals do it. Some people say ta o plomo, silver or lead. He threatened me with lead. And because apparently my dad can''t pay back the money, he''s taking something in exchange. Me. I don''t understand how I got here. I''m a college student. I just came home for the weekend to talk to my dad and make sure that he''s okay. Now I''m moving in with a Mafia don. We''re going to have a long talk about me going to school, because there''s no way that my dad would ever condone me skipping a semester of school. Iugh at myself, but theughter has no humor in it. I can either drop out of school or be forced to watch my dad die at the hand of his former best friend. I imagine the blood spraying from my dad¡¯s head onto our dining room table. I can almost smell the gun smoke rising from Uncle Iacopo¡¯s weapon. I nearly vomit. When I was little, I thought my dad and Uncle Iacopo were superheroes, sort of vigntes who fought against the system¡¯s injustice. I''m old enough now to understand the spin that they put on everything, but there was a part of me who really believed that my dad was a superhero. That part of me is dead. Now. Today. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. I''ve just agreed to exchange myself for a man I don''t really know. But I guess the die is cast. We''re crossing the Rubicon right now. Most of my stuff is at school, so I only have enough for a few days at home. "Ready, Kelly?" Iacopo''s eyes are cold as he surveys my room. Yes, I had my dad paint the walls pink when I was five and was toozy to change it. I have stuffed animals in the corner because they''re collectible and I never wanted to get rid of them. I love my bear collection. My furniture was bought when I wanted to be every single Disney princess, so their faces are on everything. There are princess stickers on my bureau. "This is the room of a child." "A veryzy adult," I counter. "Plus I never cared enough to buy new stuff." Tags: Source: Chapter 40 Chapter 40 "Is that a My Little Ponymp?" He points to themp in the corner. I cringe inside. "Maybe." He walks over and picks it up. He carefully inspects it. It''s in perfect condition. I just rece the bulbs once in a while. It used to be an incandescent bulb. Now I have an eco-friendly one in there, one of those cute pigtail bulbs, but it''s still the same. "You won''t have My Little Ponymps in your new room." "About that." I shift my weight to my other foot. "Am I still going to college for this semester?¡± His body is still. He looks at me like he''s thinking about it. If my dad already agreed to give me up days ago, I can''t imagine that he never thought about me attending school. "We''ll see," he says. "I''ll think about it." It infuriates me that he holds my future in his hands. I hope that my dad takes the opportunity to escape so that Iacopo can''t find him. Then I''ll leave. Ironically, leaving and hiding from the Mafia might be worse for my school enrollment than staying with Uncle Iacopo. "I told you to pack." He waves a hand at the suitcase next to me. "But you''ve only packed a single suitcase." "Most of my stuff is at school." I pick up my suitcase. "I have enough for a few days. If you want me to move in for more than that and don''t want me to stay in school, then I need to go to my room. I don''t know how I''ll exin this to Cami." Chapter Five Driving Her Iacopo ¡°You won¡¯t have to exin anything to Cami. I can send movers to your apartment.¡± ¡°Can I still go to ss?¡± It¡¯s not really much of a punishment for her father for Kelly to go about her normal daily life like nothing¡¯s wrong. This is revenge. On the other hand, I don¡¯t have ns to ruin her long-term future, just control her near-term future. ¡°Not this semester.¡± And I know that she understands that I don¡¯t have anything more to say about it. She trails behind me, carrying her single suitcase. We get into my car. George is nowhere to be seen. My cares alive. And then I¡¯m driving home the woman who is the coteral for millions of dors. She looks like she¡¯s sleeping, but I know that she¡¯s not. I didn¡¯t know if she would say yes. George is a sneaky bastard. She acted like it was a surprise, but maybe he warned her somehow. I¡¯ve kept an eye on him for the past few days, waiting for Kelly to wander into my grasp. I look at Kelly, her eyes closed, her head resting against the seatbelt. She¡¯s always been a beautiful little girl. I guess that she¡¯s a young woman now. I can see that she¡¯s breathing more deeply now. Faking sleep has made her actually fall asleep. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m going to do with her. It¡¯s not easy to turn off the idea that she¡¯s a young girl I need to protect, despite her father¡¯s betrayal. I remember when she was born. I remember when I came to her fifth birthday party. I remember buying her toys every time that I went to George¡¯s house for dinner, especially after his wife was out of the picture. She literally thought I was a superhero, like something out of movies. Revenge isn¡¯t about her. It¡¯s about her father. I decide now that I¡¯m not going to hurt her. It¡¯ll be enough to cut off contact with her father. His imagination will do the work for me. I rub my eyebrow. She¡¯s in school. If I send her back there now, it¡¯ll be easy for her to get in touch with her father, even if I assign a bodyguard. School is out of the question. What am I expecting her to do at my house every day? I¡¯ll have to give her some job. I shake my head. Life would be a lot easier if I were as heartless as everyone thinks I am. My first step is going to be to put her in a bedroom and tell the movers toe with her. I''ll have her withdraw from school tomorrow. The key part is keeping her apart from her father. Even if I treat her well, he''ll think the worst. If he tries to have her break free of me, I can set up some failsafes. If she leaves my house, rms will go off. She''s a good girl, maybe a little wild, but I doubt that she''ll just run away on her own. I have to make sure that her father doesn''t try to convince her to do anything. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. Then I''m in front of my home. I get out and look at Kelly, who is still asleep in the car. I think about waking her up, but I unbuckle her seatbelt and pull her into my arms. She turns her head to rest against my shoulder and I feel something that I haven''t felt in years, a spreading warmth in my chest. Tags: Source: Chapter 41 Chapter 41 Her hair smells fresh and clean. Her body is soft. I can feel her curves pressed against me, and then I''m suddenly and violently hard. I''d Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. like to take her upstairs to my bed, but I already decided in the car that I''m not an utter bastard. Pity. I carry her inside. Someone else will take her suitcase in. I need to get the wheels turning to finish her move here, but all I want to do is hold her. I walk upstairs and put her in the room next to mine. I pull off her shoes and tuck her into bed. I get into bed beside her. I turn to her. I can see half of her face this way. Her hair spreads on the pillow and conceals part of her face. She looks so young and innocent in this bed. I feel something else I haven''t felt in years: guilt. She¡¯s just a young girl who was unlucky enough to have a crooked father. Can I punish her for the sins of her father? Chapter Six Mascara Kelly When I wake up, I can smell Iacopo. I don''t open my eyes. I listen. There''s definitely somebody breathing in this room. I can hear a chair creak as he shifts his weight. I might as well get this over with. I open my eyes. I''m not looking at Iacopo. There''s a guy sitting in a chair next to my bed. "Who are you?" I look down and realize that I''m fully clothed. Thank God. "My name isn''t important," he says in a whisper. "I''m here to deliver a message from your father." "What message?" He hands me a cell phone. "Hide this. Don''t let Iacopo see it." "Who are you? Why are you here?" I¡¯m sitting up and my voice is getting louder. But he''s already walking out of the room. My dad is a fast worker. Well, I guess he already knew what was going to happen for a few days. I look at the phone. There''s no way to tell where this came from. Is this a weird test from Iacopo? If it really is from my dad, I do need to hide it, though. I go to the nightstand and put it in the very back of the drawer. It''s not a sophisticated hiding ce, but I don''t have a lot of options right now. I stretch. In the mirror across from my bed, I have kes of ck mascara on my cheeks. My hair looks like a frizzy mess, like one of those troll dolls gone horribly wrong. I need to wash my face and hope that I have a change of clothes somewhere. I walk into the bathroom. There''s a huge variety of everything and anything a woman needs. I swallow hard. This room must be where Iacopo keeps his...girlfriends? Women? Prostitutes? I don''t know, but it makes me feel like I''m one woman in a long string of them. It''s hard to think of Iacopo as some kind of Casanova, a Casanova who decided to steal me from my dad. I can feel my heartbeat getting faster as I think about what he could do to me. I have no idea what the future holds. It''s a dramatic change in our rtionship to be his... Captive? Girlfriend? I don''t know what to call myself. I feel myself. No bruises. No marks. He hasn''t hurt me yet. And I''m hoping that he doesn''t hurt me. Two days ago, I would''ve told you that there was no way that Uncle Iacopo would ever do something like this. But that was before I learned about my dad''s theft. Now it seems like the regr rules just don''t apply. I just have to keep my chin up and think about the phone that''s hidden away. It''s my lifeline, my only connection to my dad. My head turns as I hear the door open. Chapter Seven Tags: Source: Chapter 42 Chapter 42 Filet Mignon Iacopo From N?velDrama.Org. Kelly jumps a foot in the air. Her eyes widen as she recognizes me. "Uncle Iacopo." I raise one eyebrow. She flushes. "I mean, Iacopo. Right." "There are people at your college apartment right now to take your things. We told Cami that you were unexpectedly given a spot to study abroad, but there''s no Inte there." She swallows. "Okay." I can almost taste how tense she is. If I were a nice man, I''d set her mind at ease. I''m not a nice man. "Come here." She hesitates for a moment. This moment is the beginning of our rtionship, whatever it is. And then she gets out of bed and stands in front of me. She gasps and tries to jerk back when I put my hand in her hair and curl it into a fist. I pull her forward and bend down to speak straight into her delicate little ear. "I expect to be obeyed immediately. I won''t be so nice the next time." She''s breathing in shallow, fast pants. I can see her chest rising and falling so quickly that she''s almost hyperventting. Her nipples are hard. They''re sticking out like little diamonds. I want to bend down and taste them, but it''s not the right time. When I have her in bed, it''ll be the right time. And she will beg for it. "Are you hungry?" "What?" "Do you want to eat?" She puts a hand on her stomach. "I guess." "I had my chef put a meal in the upstairs sitting room. I hope you''ll join me." We both know that it''s a She follows me into the upstairs sitting room. There are two ces set. I normally eat a few courses, but I didn''t want my household staff to interrupt us. We only have an entr¨¦e now. It''s just filet mignon and asparagus. She sits down in her chair in a movement so graceful that I can''t breathe. She puts her napkin in her I take my own seat. And then the only sound in the room is the sound of forks and knives ttering. She''s eating quick, small bites. The filet mignon falls apart almost as soon as it''s touched with a steak knife. Then both of our tes are empty. "May I go?" "I thought that we''d talk for a while." I take a sip of my wine. "Try the cider. It''s from one of my orchards." "I didn''t know you owned orchards." "There''s a lot you don''t know about me." She drinks the cider. "What''s in this? It tastes incredible. So warm and delicious." "Drink more." I can see her visibly rx when she drinks more. I file it away for future use. Tags: Source: Chapter 43 Chapter 43 The mug of cider is empty. She puts it down. Her eyes flick between my te and hers. ¡°So, I guess I should say goodnight?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to talk about your time here. With me.¡± She flinches, her eyes blinking. ¡°What are you going to do to me?¡± I can hear a slight quiver in her voice, a little breathiness that says that she¡¯s scared. And turned on. I drink a little more of my wine. ¡°What do you imagine your life here is going to be like?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand any of this, to be honest. I thought I was going to be¡­a prisoner or something, but you just served filet mignon.¡± ¡°What if I¡¯m just treating you like this, stroking you with a velvet glove, so that you¡¯re caught unaware?¡± She pushes back from the table and hugs herself. ¡°You could.¡± I can see from her posture that she¡¯s feeling vulnerable, which is the point. The question is how much of a bastard I want to be. ¡°You are here to repay your father¡¯s debt to me.¡± The wine is dry. I savor it. ¡°How do you think that will happen?¡± Her small fists are clenched on the table now. I have the feeling that she wants to spring across the table, and what? p me? The idea of a tiny thing like her trying to assault me is hrious. I smile, which just makes her eyebrows furrow. Then she¡¯s shooting to her feet. ¡°I don¡¯t have to stand for this.¡± I take another sip of wine. ¡°Feel free to leave. Your father will be dead by morning.¡± Chapter Eight Cat and String Kelly I feel like Iacopo is toying with me, batting me around like a cat with a piece of string. He¡¯s amused, this fucker. I¡¯m so mad that I¡¯m going to blow. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. I almost wish that he did just tell me that I was going to pay back the debt on my back. At least that would be straightforward. But he isn¡¯t saying that, only asking me what I think will happen. And the honest truth? I don¡¯t know. The uncertainty is killing me. It¡¯s making me mad. I walk over to Iacopo. ¡°Why don¡¯t we just agree that I¡¯ll repay the debt the way that I thought I would, hmm?¡± I jump into hisp and straddle him. My hands go to the back of his head. I pull him in for a kiss. My world is literally being turned upside down now. His mouth is hot and hungry, which I wasn¡¯t expecting. I was just teasing, but he¡¯s pulling my shirt off. ¡°Don¡¯t pull a tiger¡¯s tail, Kelly.¡± Then his mouth is on my breast. I still have my bra on, but I¡¯m moaning because I can¡¯t take the heat or the lightning that¡¯s spreading inside of me. I¡¯ve never felt anything like this before. He''s pushing things off the table. I can hear the tter of the tes smashing into the floor and the utensils tter. Then the table is bare. He''s never stopped kissing my breasts, and now I''m on my back on the table that we were just eating on. I don''t know if I''m afraid of him or more turned on than I''ve ever been in my life. Maybe both. My bra has a front sp. He undoes it in a second and pushes my shirt off. Then he''s sucking my nipple into his mouth. I cradle the back of his head. It''s wrong to feel this way. I don''t want to feel the heat of his mouth on me, but it feels so good. I''m a captive. It''s hard to remember that with his hands so gently cupping my breasts. I squeak when he starts to pinch and roll my nipples. Tags: Source: Chapter 44 Chapter 44 "You''re sensitive." His mouth trails up to my neck, where he bites me savagely. I was wrong before, thinking I''d never been turned on so much. Now I¡¯ve never been turned on more. I can literally feel myself getting wet enough to soak through my panties. I can feel his hips moving restlessly against me. He''s hard and huge. "Would you like me to fuck you here, against the table?" His breath is hot against my neck. I feel ashamed but aroused. "Silence. Are you saying yes?¡± I can''t say anything as he takes the rest of my clothes off. Then he''s fully clothed in front of me, still rubbing hispletely clothed body against my naked one. I¡¯m d that there¡¯s fabric over his zipper. I tilt my hips, needing friction in the right ce. ¡°More,¡± I pant. Then he moves away. He picks up my shirt and puts it back on me. I look at him, my eyes enormous. "When we fuck, you''re going to beg me for it. You''re never going to be able to tell someone that I forced you." My heart rate is still elevated from what we just did. I don''t understand how I feel. It''s just too much to handle. Iacopo is walking out of the room, like what just happened meant nothing to him. My body is a puddle of arousal. He''s strolling away like he has nothing to do, nowhere to be. He might as well be whistling. I hate him. I hunt for my bra, take off my shirt, and put it back on. I get my clothes and hold them in a bundle in one From N?velDrama.Org. hand. I smell like him. He''s all over me. I want to take a shower. I go back into my room and get into the shower. The water pressure feels great. The warmth spreads throughout my body as I scrub his touch off of my body. I don''t want to remember what just happened, but I look at the water pressure and the handheld shower attachment. I''m still aroused. Sitting on the tile shelf, I part my legs. I hope nobody walks in on me. I spread my thighs as far apart as I can get them. Then I''m pointing the heavy spray straight into my core. I''m already so keyed up that it''s making my muscles spasm right on impact. I imagine Iacopo finishing what we started. He yanks open his fly, pressing his erection into me. "Please," I ask. Then everything is inside of me, stretching me so quickly that it burns. It hurts, but it also feels amazing when he pushes me wide open with his cock. "You like this. You love it." I can''t talk because my entire body is exploding into fiery sparks. He pulls out of me, still hard. I can''t believe what I just thought about. I''m left there, breathing hard. I turn off the water. I can''t believe I had a dirty fantasy about my captor. I need to go to bed and forget about everything I just did. Chapter Nine First Job Kelly "It''s time to wake up." I can hear Iacopo''s voice. I open my eyes. "Hi," I say breathlessly. He''s sitting on my bed, wearing a ck suit that clings to him like a lover. Tags: Source: Chapter 45 Chapter 45 And then I remember where I am and why I''m there. I normally sleep naked, so I clutch the sheets around me. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. There''s the slightest lift of a corner of his mouth, then he''s all business. "I''m giving you a job." "Yeah? What do you want me to do?" "I have a lot of shit that my mom wanted me to keep for her. I want you to sort through the junk and keep what''s important." "Are you talking about baby photos and report cards?" Iacopo nods. "But how can I possibly know what''s important and what to throw away?" "You''ll know." Could he be more cryptic? "Sure," I say, because what else can I say? If he wants to give me a bullshit job that he can not give me directions for and then yell at me when I throw out something important, great. "I had someone bring the boxes into the sitting room. You''re permitted to move around this floor of the house. The windows are wired to the rm system. Don''t try to go downstairs." "Yes, sir." I feel like Belle right now. "I''lle back at the end of the day to check your progress." He leaves. I can still smell his scent in my room, though. He smells like dark musk. It makes my mouth water. I hate that he makes my mouth water. I wish that I could just hate him. I put on some clothes and head for the sitting room where we were sitting yesterday. My jaw drops to the floor. Every spare inch is filled with a box. When he said that he had a job for me, I thought that he was giving me a bullshit task. And maybe it is, but it''s a big one. I clear space on the table that I fantasized about him fucking me on and begin to sort out the first box. It''s a bunch of pictures of Iacopo and his mom, who was basically my dad''s mom. Biology didn''t mean a lot to my actual grandmother. Iacopo''s mother was an angel, the way that my dad tells it. I don''t understand how he could repay the kindness that he''d been shown for so many years with idiotic theft. I think about the phone waiting for me in the drawer of my nightstand. I wish that I had more time with my dad to figure out what exactly had happened. And maybe I''ll get that chance when he calls me. I should investigate what exactly is on that phone. It''s cute to see baby pictures of Iacopo. His hair was lighter then, a dark brown, not the near-ck color that it is now. On the back of a picture of Iacopo at the beach, his mother wrote, "My little boy, age 2". He has grains of sand all over him. There''s a smudge on his cheek that looks like it came from a popsicle. He''s having the time of his life, building a sand castle that was obviously built enthusiastically but without any regard for thews of physics or any concept of architecture. I don''t know why, but suddenly I''m thinking about what it would be like to hold Iacopo''s baby, one that had my eyes and Iacopo''s hair. I''m insane. That''s the only exnation for that idea popping up in my head. There''s something inside of me that wants a baby. I know that I''ll have a family some day, but I need to finish school first. If I even get to go back to school. Fuck. I keep sorting through everything. It''s like I''m learning about his whole life through his photographs and his report cards. "Doesn''t listen in ss." He was a troublemaker back then. It''s hard to reconcile this adorable little boy with slightly curly hair with the stern man who stole me from my father. I can believe that this cheerful little boy was Uncle Iacopo, but Warden Iacopo is a different man. A few hourster, I have two piles. I''m exhausted. I need to rest, so I go to one of the chairs and curl up in it. I just want to close my eyes for a second. I wake up when my body is being carried into my bedroom. He sits down on the bed with me in his arms. "You fell asleep." "I did?" I think that I slept a lot the night before, so it''s a bit weird that I''m so tired. And all I did was sort through photographs and think about Iacopo today. "Go to bed. You can get back to work in the morning." "Aye, aye, captain." Maybe it''s the tiredness. Maybe it''s the careful way that he''s holding me in his arms. But I know that he''s the man who has cared about me for my entire life at this moment. I rest my head against his shoulder. "I like it when you carry me." Immediately, I cringe inside. What a thing to think. What a thing to say! Tags: Source: Chapter 46 Chapter 46 "I like carrying you." His grip tightens for a second. Then the moment is gone. "Go to sleep." He slides me off of him. I watch as he leaves me alone in my room. I know I need to brush my teeth, but all I want to do is fall asleep. "You want my baby inside of you, don''t you?" I''m panting, my wrists tied together with a piece of silk. My back is arching as he attacks my breasts with his mouth. I''m writhing underneath him. "Please fuck me," I moan. He slides upwards and bites my ear. "When I''m ready." His hands are pulling my thighs apart, but he doesn''t enter me. Instead, he rubs his cock against my clit, which makes stars burst behind my eyes. I''m not going tost long like this. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. "Ah!" I start. And then I''m crying out even louder under his body. "Beg me for my child." "Please!" I don''t know what''s happening now. I can''t see. But I can still feel. His seed is shooting inside of me, warming me up from the inside out. "You''re pregnant," he says. The shock brings me out of the dream. What a strange one. I''m not ready for a kid. I''m still a teenager. And begging my captor for a baby seems out of the question. The room is dark. I''m still fully clothed. I touch the softness of my stomach and try to imagine carrying a person inside of me. Pregnant women always seem sort of tired and hungry. They run to the bathroom constantly. But all of it is worth it for the end result. I can''t recognize myself right now. A week ago, if someone had asked me if I''d have Iacopo''s kid, I would''veughed in his or her face. But for some reason, the idea fills me with warmth. I don¡¯t understand why I feel this way, but one thing is clear: I need to talk to Iacopo. Chapter Ten Startled Kelly I¡¯m still clothed, so I sneak out into the hallway. The house is absolutely silent and dark. It¡¯s kind of giving me the creeps. This house must be sort of old, because I can hear creaks. I walk as quietly as I can towards Iacopo¡¯s bedroom. I raise my fist to knock, but then I realize that the door is open. I push it open a little wider. Inside, there¡¯s a guy standing next to the bed, his silhouette showing up with the bright moon. ¡°Iacopo!¡± I say. ¡°I want to talk.¡± Everything that happens right then is a flurry of movement. I thought that there were just pillows on the bed, but instead there¡¯s someoneing up from the bed to tackle the guy standing by the window. I hear the fight rather than see it, because it¡¯s on the ground on the other side of the bed. I fumble for the light switch, but I have no idea where it is. I¡¯ve never been in Iacopo¡¯s room before. A sickening sound louder than anything I¡¯ve heard before fills the room. It sounds like a bone broke. Then the activity stops. ¡°Kelly, could youe here, please?¡± Iacopo¡¯s voice is even and calm, as if he didn¡¯t just wrestle some random guy lurking in his bedroom. ¡°What do you need me to do?¡± The guy is on the ground and still. So still. ¡°Keep a foot on his back while I check to see if he¡¯s alive.¡± Tags: Source: Chapter 47 Chapter 47 My stomach threatens to revolt, but I put a foot on his back. Iacopo reaches for the guy¡¯s throat. ¡°No pulse.¡± Iacopo leans in and puts his ear next to the guy¡¯s mouth. ¡°No breath. He¡¯s done.¡± I really think I¡¯m going to throw up right now. Sure, I knew that my dad and Uncle Iacopo didn¡¯t have lily-white hands, but nobody had ever been killed in front of me before. ¡°I¡¯m going to turn on the lights now.¡± Iacopo is walking over to the door. And then the room is full of eye-searing light. ¡°Ugh!¡± It¡¯s like dawn but worse. ¡°Sorry.¡± Even though Iacopo doesn¡¯t seem particrly repentant, I let it slide. There¡¯s a guy with light brown skin under me. His head is twisted at an unnatural angle. ¡°I snapped his neck,¡± Iacopo says when he sees me staring. ¡°It was the best I could do on short notice. If I¡¯d had a few seconds, I would have grabbed my gun. Thank you for warning me.¡± I don¡¯t know what to say. I¡¯ve apparently just saved Iacopo¡¯s life, even though all I wanted to do was talk. And I¡¯ve just watched a man killed in front of me. ¡°Hey,¡± Iacopo says very softly. His eyes are on my face. ¡°We¡¯re going to walk down to the kitchen. You¡¯re going to drink something.¡± He puts his arm around me, his hand resting on my waist. And then we¡¯re going downstairs to the kitchen. Once we¡¯re there, he pulls open the refrigerator door and brings out a big jug of orange juice. ¡°You need some sugar for the shock,¡± he says. He pours us two sses of juice. I drink mine even though it tastes too sour. The unpleasant tartness of the juice tells me that I really am awake. I pinch my wrist. ¡°You¡¯re awake,¡± Iacopo says. I stare at the small mark on my skin that¡¯s rapidly fading. I really just watched Iacopo murder someone. Yes, that someone was an assassin, but holy shit. Chapter Eleven Late Night Iacopo ¡°Who was that?¡± Kelly¡¯s hands are still shaking, even after I¡¯ve given her orange juice. I sigh. ¡°Did you know that I¡¯m going through a custody dispute?¡± She nods. ¡°My dad hated your ex-wife. He said that even though she was a mafia princess, she only married you for the alliance and didn¡¯t love you.¡± ¡°Sinct,¡± I say. ¡°I remember when your daughter was born,¡± Kelly says, her voice wistful. ¡°She was so small. How old is she now?¡± Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°A year. She¡¯s walking, not very steadily, and she babbles.¡± Talking about my daughter hurts. She¡¯s a reminder of the failure of my first marriage, but I wouldn¡¯t trade Lucia for anything. ¡°What does your baby have to do with an assassin in your bedroom?¡± ¡°I have a lot of enemies,¡± I say. ¡°And?¡± ¡°Ariana is still a part of my life.¡± ¡°You think that your ex-wife sent someone to kill you? That¡¯s crazy. No way.¡± Tags: Source: Chapter 48 Chapter 48 ¡°She doesn¡¯t want to share our daughter,¡± I sigh. ¡°Ariana isn¡¯t the most stable parent. Or person.¡± ¡°Killing her ex-husband seems extreme, though. You guys have been divorced since right after the baby was born. She¡¯s had almost a year to get over it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not.¡± Her face showsplete confusion. It¡¯s like she can¡¯t imagine why Ariana would kill me. ¡°It¡¯s a power y as well as a grab for our daughter. She wants to take over everything that we control, both families.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Kelly says. ¡°So it¡¯s not about your baby?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not really about my daughter. Ariana has a few addictions and doesn¡¯t really care about Lucia. Ariana isn¡¯t an attentive parent, but she cried in court and the judge gave her primary custody.¡± ¡°How much time do you get?¡± ¡°Every other weekend. Mywyer was an asshole.¡± I clear my throat. ¡°But enough about me. Do you think you¡¯re okay?¡± ¡°Someone just tried to kill you. You¡¯re asking if I¡¯m okay?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the first time. And I just killed someone in front of you.¡± Kelly looks down into her ss, one finger ying with a drop of condensation. ¡°I think I¡¯ll be okay,¡± she says finally. Chapter Twelve Unfulfilled Kelly My mind is still trying to process everything that just happened. I stopped an assassin. Then I watched N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Iacopo murder him. I hadn¡¯t known details about the baby. Lucia looks a lot like her dad. They have the same hair. The same eyes. Her mouth is her mom¡¯s though, and her little tiny nose will grow into something bigger. I keep ying with the condensation on my ss of orange juice. Uncle Iacopo was a benevolent Santa us. He didn¡¯t have problems. This version of Iacopo is way more open about everything that has gone wrong for himtely. I didn¡¯t pay attention to Ariana. She didn¡¯t spend much time with Iacopo. I don¡¯t know if she ever came over to our house. I only saw her once in a while. ¡°I should go back to bed,¡± I say. The pain on Iacopo¡¯s face is hurting me. I act on impulse and move forward to hug him. His body is stiff. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°You¡¯re sad,¡± I whisper against his ear. ¡°And it¡¯s not fair.¡± His body turns towards me. Then he¡¯s lifting me onto the countertop and pushing his body between my legs. I can¡¯t deny that feeling his hard body there feels good, but his head is resting right on my shoulder and boobs. ¡°Life isn¡¯t about fairness.¡± He doesn¡¯t say it in an angry way. He¡¯s not correcting me. He¡¯s just stating a fact. I can feel my chest get warm as he gently rubs his face against me. All I wanted to do is hug him, but I¡¯m getting really turned on. My core is heating up right now. I¡¯m so embarrassed. ¡°Life isn¡¯t always fair,¡± I say, agreeing. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t reach for what you deserve.¡± His heades up. He¡¯s staring me right in my eyes. His pupils are huge, dted, the ck eating up everything. His mouth touches mine. I¡¯d think that he¡¯d be hungry right now, but it¡¯s soft. He¡¯s worshiping my mouth. His hands are on my back, pulling me close, stroking the curve of my hip to my waist and then back again. ¡°You¡¯re sweet,¡± he sighs. And he kisses me again, like my lips are made of candy that he shouldn¡¯t be eating. I shouldn¡¯t be kissing him back, but I am. My own hands are on his shoulders, pulling him close as he kisses me and makes my mind go fuzzy. Tags: Source: Chapter 49 Chapter 49 I don¡¯t know how long we were there, kissing like teenagers who didn¡¯t know what to do in bed. I¡¯m getting a little thirsty, but I don¡¯t want to stop. Then he pulls away first. I¡¯m panting hard. My nipples are almost poking holes in my shirt. ¡°That went¡­further than I expected.¡± He runs a hand through his hair. ¡°I should go back to sleep.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll stay up and watch out for assassins.¡± He gives me a half grin. ¡°Go to bed. That¡¯s an order. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll talk to the security team about what exactly happened tonight.¡± He walks out of the kitchen. I feel like I¡¯m being torn into two pieces. Part of me, the sane part, just wants to keep it together for long enough to figure out a way to escape my situation. The crazy part wants to stay with Iacopo forever. Heal his wounds. Be his woman. Take care of Lucia, his baby daughter. I go back to my room. When my head hits the pillow, I imagine that we finished what we started. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. His mouth breaks away from mine and kisses a trail down my neck. Then he¡¯s yanking my shirt off. ¡°Your tits are perfect,¡± he says. He¡¯s biting the soft skin. Then my bra is being taken off of me. I¡¯m topless and on top of the kitchen counter. I reach forward, way more bold than I¡¯ve ever been, and undo his pants, pushing them down. His cock is hard and heavy between us. I smear his pree around before I begin to give him a hand job. I wouldn¡¯t have believed it, but I love giving him a hand job. The look on his face, the way that his mouth is opening, the backward tilt of his head. He¡¯s shaking, and it¡¯s all because of me. With a groan, he spurts into myp, which is still clothed. I don¡¯t mind that he¡¯s ruining my clothes, though. I suck some of hise off of my hand. ¡°My turn.¡± He¡¯s finally pulling my clothes off. Now I¡¯m naked in front of him. He parts me with his hands so that my thighs are spread wide, wider than they¡¯ve ever been. Then his tongue invades me while his nose hits my clit. I feel like the entire world is spinning around me. My mouth is open while I pant hard. Then he pinches my clit. All bets are off. I yelp as I fall over the edge, quivering as he continues to push his tongue inside of me. ¡°You taste so good,¡± he says as he gets to his feet. ¡°I want to eat you every day for the rest of my life.¡± I open my eyes in my dark bedroom. I¡¯m alone. Right now, I¡¯m wishing that I had followed Iacopo when he went upstairs. Chapter Thirteen Bang Kelly The next morning, I wake up when I hear a huge bang. I throw on a dress and head downstairs. Iacopo is talking to a lot of really tall guys wearing ck shirts. I think that they¡¯re his security team. When they¡¯re done talking, I walk up to Iacopo. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Ariana,¡± he says. ¡°What is she doing?¡± Tags: Source: Chapter 50 Chapter 50 ¡°After sending that assassinst night, she doesn¡¯t want to stop.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you call the police or something?¡± Then I realize how dumb of a question that is. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°Why does she want to murder you so badly? Most people would regroup after failing once.¡± ¡°Ariana isn¡¯t most people. She was raised to always go for what she wanted.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a bad thing.¡± ¡°Unless what she wants is to murder me.¡± ¡°How does she think that killing you will impact Lucia?¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t think that growing up without a father will hurt her, apparently.¡± I don¡¯t know what to say to that. Yeah, my dad may not be the best person in the world, but I still loved him. ¡°I know what it¡¯s like to grow up without one of your parents. Ariana is crazy.¡± Iacopo doesn¡¯t say anything. I regret talking about my mom. Besides the money, she¡¯s sort of out of the picture. I think about Lucia being raised by a psycho bitch mother and never having Iacopo¡¯s influence. I still remember what it was like to have Uncle Iacopo around when I was a little kid. He¡¯s amazing with children. Ariana¡¯s totally insane. ¡°When is the next time you get to have Lucia?¡± ¡°Next weekend.¡± His eyes are haunted. ¡°Is it even safe for her to live with her mother?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know the story.¡± Iacopo shook his head. ¡°We married because it was the best thing for our families. We didn¡¯t like each other. She¡¯s always thought that she was too good for me.¡± ¡°But you had a baby.¡± ¡°Because she insisted. Her father was putting a lot of pressure on her to have an heir.¡± ¡°But you have Lucia.¡± ¡°We weren¡¯t going to go through all that a second time. It was difficult enough to have one baby.¡± ¡°Why did you divorce when you had the kid?¡± ¡°Because Ariana hated living with me. She didn¡¯t like my ¡®rutting,¡¯ as she called it. She couldn¡¯t think about enduring more of it.¡± Iacopo stops. ¡°There¡¯s more to the story, isn¡¯t there?¡± ¡°She¡¯s addicted to cocaine.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t that hurt the baby?¡± Heughs. There¡¯s zero humor in it. ¡°I kept her away from cocaine while she was pregnant. She wasn¡¯t happy about it.¡± ¡°What happened after Lucia was born?¡± ¡°She refused to breastfeed. She wanted cocaine more than a healthy daughter.¡± I¡¯m trying to wrap my head around someone who loves white powder more than her actual baby. Lucia is really cute. I can¡¯t really understand how anyone could choose cocaine over Lucia. ¡°The struggle over keeping her clean was part of the reason why we split. She said that I didn¡¯t have any authority over her.¡± ¡°If her dad was so enthusiastic about you getting married, why would he let her divorce you?¡± Tags: Source: Chapter 51 Chapter 51 ¡°He died the week before Lucia was born.¡± The skin around Iacopo¡¯s eyes is tight. ¡°You think it was someone in your family, don¡¯t you? You think that they wanted to take over her side of things once her father was gone. They were going to use your heir. But Lucia is a girl.¡± ¡°Ariana knew what it was like to be married off against her will. She wanted to prevent that for Lucia.¡± ¡°But you¡¯d never do that to your own daughter¡­right?¡± Iacopo just looks at me. ¡°You have to do what¡¯s right for the family.¡± It¡¯s so foreign to me to think of arranged marriages. Power marriages, I guess. It¡¯s as if we¡¯re back in the Middle Ages and Princess Ariana was forced to marry Prince Iacopo for no other reason than to join their families. ¡°What was the noise I heard?¡± ¡°There¡¯s an SUV trying to ram the gate in.¡± ¡°Most SUVs could probably break gates.¡± ¡°Not my gate. It¡¯s reinforced steel. It¡¯s what they use for militarypounds. You¡¯re safer here than anywhere else.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not that great at strategy, is she? Because there are better ways to kill you than ramming your gate.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a diversion. She¡¯s probably sending someone around the back.¡± ¡°Ariana has to be working with someone.¡± Iacopo looks at me as if he¡¯s seeing me for the first time. ¡°My father¡¯s second-inmand, Mateo. He knows this ce like the back of his hand. He thinks that he should¡¯ve been the don when my dad died.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s crazy. It¡¯s the Genovese family.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a cousin or something. It¡¯s a lot of degrees removed.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the heir. Your father¡¯s heir.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any male children, just Lucia. He has three boys.¡± ¡°How would that even work? Ariana wants to take over everything. Mateo wants to take over the Genovese branch.¡± ¡°Enemy of my enemy is my friend. They¡¯d probably stab each other in the back at the end. Ariana doesn¡¯t think ahead.¡± Our conversation is interrupted by an explosion. ¡°Fuck,¡± Iacopo curses. ¡°Stay inside the house.¡± I watch as he begins to run to the back house, where the sound came from. I know that his security team is on it, but I don¡¯t know what to do with myself. I¡¯m confused about what¡¯s going on and there¡¯s nothing really for me to do. Sorting through all of his stuff is just busywork. But I guess that¡¯s what I get to focus on. If Ariana tries to burn down the house while I¡¯m in here, there¡¯s not much for me to do. I don¡¯t know how to steal a car. Even if I did, I¡¯d run into his security team. They¡¯re everywhere. Chapter Fourteen Fire Iacopo My men are in a formation that we¡¯ve practiced dozens of times. Problem is, Mateo knows how we operate. ¡°Keep your eyes open,¡± I bark. They are waiting for whatever ising. They have guns in their hands. The safeties are off. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°Iing,¡± one of my men shouts. There¡¯s a ball of me heading straight for the house. We watch as it crashes into a second-story window. Tags: Source: Chapter 52 Chapter 52 Then I hear a scream. Kelly¡¯s inside. That window is the second-floor sitting room where she¡¯s been working. I¡¯m running inside of a burning house. There¡¯s no way that we can keep this away from the fire service. I have to get Kelly out. I¡¯m running up the stairs. Kelly¡¯s stumbling around in a smoky hallway. ¡°Kelly!¡± I pull her away from the fire. She¡¯s coughing really hard. If I¡¯d thought about it, I would¡¯ve brought in some kind of mask. I take off my shirt, tear it into two pieces, and put one piece over her face. She gets the idea and holds it over her nose and mouth. I cover my nose and mouth, too. It¡¯s hard to see in here. There¡¯s a lot of smoke. I think that there¡¯s only fire in one room. I¡¯m yanking her down the stairs right now. When she stumbles, I throw her over my shoulder in a fireman¡¯s carry. She¡¯s coughing really hard, despite the makeshift mask. Then we¡¯reing outside into the fresh, clean air. I can hear the wail of sirens. I put her down on the grass outside. ¡°Kelly.¡± She¡¯s coughing uncontrobly, tears streaming down her face. I can¡¯t believe that I put in her in danger. She¡¯s far too young to die. Ariana doesn¡¯t care about the death toll as she takes over our operations. I realize in this moment that Kelly is Ariana¡¯s opposite. Kelly would never try to take over my organization. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I whisper so quietly that I don¡¯t think she can hear it. A little louder, I say, ¡°We¡¯ll get you to the hospital as soon as we can.¡± Then the sirens are louder than ever. A fire truck and ambnce are rolling up. The firemen are running like crazy. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Is there anybody in there?¡± ¡°Nobody.¡± The firemen are pulling the firehose out. I¡¯m sitting on the ground next to Kelly as I watch them put out the fire. Then I see the police car. I jump to my feet. ¡°What the fuck are the pigs doing here?¡± ¡°Theye out for every fire call. Could be arson.¡± Kelly¡¯s voice is very thin and weak. I think that the smoke damaged her voice. I don¡¯t recognize the mening out of the police cruiser. A chill runs down my spine. These men don¡¯t look like policemen. They¡¯re feds. ¡°Iacopo Genovese?¡± They have on FBI windbreakers. ¡°How can I help you?¡± I say as if my house isn¡¯t literally burning beside me. ¡°We¡¯re worried about the fire in your house. Might be arson. Mind if we take a look around?¡± ¡°You guys don¡¯t look like arson investigators.¡± ¡°We have a diverse skill set.¡± I realize what Ar iana did. She doesn¡¯t mind taking down the Genovese family by putting me in jail. Now that they can get into my house, she thinks that they can ess my records. I¡¯m not an idiot. They¡¯re not at home. Tags: Source: Chapter 53 Chapter 53 ¡°You¡¯re wee to look at whatever you¡¯d like.¡± Everything is in an underground warehouse a few miles away from here. I don¡¯t take my work home. They walk away. Kelly is still quietly coughing next to me. ¡°Are you going to jail?¡± ¡°Not today, sweetheart.¡± An EMT is walking over to us. ¡°She was the only one in the house when the fire started.¡± Kelly starts coughing again. ¡°Can you walk?¡± Kelly nods, even though her eyes are watering. The EMT guides her into the ambnce. She puts an oxygen mask over Kelly¡¯s nose and mouth. I follow. I don¡¯t want to get in her way, but I¡¯m going with them to the hospital. Chapter Fifteen Hospital Kelly The sirens are incredibly loud as they take me to the hospital. Iacopo has his hand in mine. I close my eyes. ¡°Just breathe.¡± I don¡¯t know if the EMT is talking to me or Iacopo. His grip is really tight, but I find it reassuring. Traveling at top speed in an ambnce gets us to the hospital in record time. Then we¡¯re rolling into the emergency ward. ¡°Smoke inhtion,¡± the EMT spits as I¡¯m taken out of the ambnce. Iacopo is behind the EMT and the nurses who are looking at me. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. There¡¯s a crazy flurry of activity. I didn¡¯t realize that smoke inhtion was life-threatening, because they¡¯re acting as if I¡¯m on the verge of death. It must be Iacopo. I can¡¯t even keep track of everything going on, but I can see him behind all the medical professionals. There¡¯s soot on him, but nobody has even tried to force him to clean up or get checked for smoke inhtion. I feel reassured with him there. Then the medical professionals seem to be done, because they leave me in the bed with an oxygen mask over my face. I can¡¯t talk like this. Iacopo takes my hand. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he says, squeezing my hand gently. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have been there. What¡¯s going on between Ariana and me¡­it has nothing to do with you.¡± His jaw clenches. ¡°And you should go home.¡± I try to pull my oxygen mask off so I can talk, but he keeps my mask on. So all I can do is look at him. I can see the fear on his face. It¡¯s naked. I think that he¡¯s thinking about what it would¡¯ve been like if I died. What about my dad¡¯s debt? He¡¯s acting like I wasn¡¯t there for a reason. Or maybe he thinks that inhaling some smoke is enough to pay it off. But I¡¯m exhausted. I wonder if they¡¯ve given me an anesthetic. I can feel myself drifting off. Iacopo¡¯s hand is still in mine as I fall asleep. Chapter Sixteen Nonna¡¯s Ring Iacopo Tags: Source: Chapter 54 Chapter 54 Seeing her soot-streaked face hurts. Ariana went too far. I will make sure that Ariana doesn¡¯t get the chance to do this again. I don¡¯t care about my own safety. Everyone dies. But she had no reason to attack Kelly. I know that the fire wasser-targeted to fuck with me. She can¡¯t imagine what I¡¯m going to do next. There¡¯s no way that she knows that she made me realize how important Kelly is to me. The idea of Kelly dying in a fire hurts me. I know that we¡¯ve been together for a matter of days, but I¡¯ve This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. known her for her entire life. She¡¯s so different from Ariana that I know what I want now, while I have a moment of rity. The bottom line is that Kelly is someone who means the world to me. I let go of her hand and go outside. One of my men is sitting on a chair, taking a good look at everyone around. ¡°I need to go to the bank.¡± ¡°Of course, sir.¡± I walk downstairs. By the time that I¡¯m there, there¡¯s a car waiting for me. It might seem strange that I¡¯ve kept my valuables in a bank, but they don¡¯t have any paperwork. They just have some heirlooms, nothing to do with the business. When I get there, the branch manageres out. We don¡¯t use the bank for anything illegal. My ounts here are rted to our legal businesses. ¡°Hello, Mr. Genovese. What a pleasure to see you.¡± He doesn¡¯t say anything about the soot on my clothes. ¡°Hello, Mark. I¡¯m here to take a look at my safety deposit box.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± he says smoothly. ¡°Give me a minute to get my key. You have yours?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Mark goes to his office and pulls out a key from a drawer. I know that normally, he wouldn¡¯t need to do this. But I¡¯m a big customer. He takes me into the room and unlocks my box with his key. I turn my key. ¡°Just put it back when you¡¯re ready. Take your time, sir.¡± He walks out. I swallow hard when I¡¯m alone in the room with my safety deposit box. I open it. There¡¯s a small ck box inside. I open it. Even in the dim light of this secure room, Nonna¡¯s ring sparkles. The diamond isn¡¯t big. I close my eyes and think about my young childhood. I can smell my nonna¡¯s lemony scent when I see this ring. It was always on her hand, even after my grandfather passed. In this ring, I hold hundreds of memories of sunny afternoons spent baking cookies and hearing her stories. Taking this ring out is a big step. I hope it¡¯s the right choice. Something inside of me says that Nonna would¡¯ve loved Kelly. And that decides everything. I put the ring box in my pocket, close the box, and slide it back into its ce. The ring feels heavy in my pocket. It¡¯s a small box, but it means so much. The decision to marry Kelly is a crossroad in my life. It¡¯s a momentous asion. I take a moment to gather my thoughts and slow down my heart rate, then I walk out. ¡°Thank you,¡± I tell the manager who is hovering outside of the room. ¡°My pleasure.¡± Her heels click as she walks me to the door. ¡°Have a pleasant day, now.¡± ¡°You, too.¡± I haven¡¯t decided how I¡¯m going to propose to her yet. Public or private? Hearts and flowers or naked? So many choices. I haven¡¯t had sex with her yet. In my heart, I know what I was waiting for. For our first time, I wanted my ring to be on her finger. Chapter Seventeen Proposal Tags: Source: Chapter 55 Chapter 55 Kelly I wake up when I hear someone cursing. ¡°Motherfucker!¡± I open my eyes. The mask is still on my face. I can see Iacopo standing next to me. When he sees me looking at him, he exins, ¡°Stubbed my toe.¡± Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. I point at my mask. This time, he lets me take it off. ¡°You¡¯re not coughing anymore.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t in there for that long.¡± My voice is still raspy. Iacopo kneels down next to my bed. ¡°I want to ask you something.¡± ¡°Go for it.¡± He¡¯s down on one knee as if he¡¯s going to propose to some luckydy. ¡°You almost died today.¡± ¡°I did not,¡± I protest. But he just shakes his head. ¡°It made me realize how I¡¯d feel if you died.¡± ¡°How would you feel?¡± ¡°Like all the sunlight was gone. Like my world would be eternal night.¡± We haven¡¯t really even been involved. ¡°That¡¯s fast. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m ready for this.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never been more ready. You know that I used to be married. I already have a kid, Lucia.¡± ¡°And I love her.¡± ¡°And I¡¯d like for you to be part of my family.¡± ¡°I¡¯m already sort of part of your family.¡± ¡°No, Kelly.¡± He¡¯s reaching into his jacket pocket. My entire world stops when I see the ring box in his hand. ¡°Nope. Nope. Stop.¡± I put the oxygen mask on, because I feel like all the air has been sucked out of the room. ¡°Listen to me. You¡¯ve always been part of the family. I knew that Ariana could¡¯ve ended what we have before it even started.¡± I yank my mask off. ¡°I just moved in with you a few days ago! And now you have a ring!¡± ¡°It¡¯s my grandmother¡¯s ring.¡± ¡°Even worse.¡± I shake my head. ¡°I can¡¯t ept it.¡± Tags: Source: Chapter 56 Chapter 56 ¡°I want everyone to know that you belong to me. I want Ariana to know that she can¡¯t hurt you again.¡± I can¡¯t talk. I can¡¯t deny that hearing him talk about belonging to him isn¡¯t turning me on a little. But how can I agree? A few days ago, he was threatening my dad¡¯s life. Now he wants to marry me. And then he¡¯s pulling the ring out of the box and putting it on my finger. I try to move and take it off. ¡°Listen to me. You will be safer with this ring on your finger than you¡¯d be without it.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t. Don¡¯t ask me to do this, Iacopo.¡± My childhood fairytale prince is here in the hospital with me, but he¡¯s in the Mafia and he threatened my dad to make me move in with him. I don¡¯t know how to make my mental images of him match up. ¡°Wear it. We don¡¯t have to set a date. Just consider it protection.¡± ¡°You think that she¡¯s going toe for you again? Won¡¯t she be even more motivated if she knows that I mean something to you?¡± ¡°I think that she already knew.¡± A female doctor walks into my room. ¡°Are you ready to be discharged?¡± ¡°Are you joking? She just got here.¡± Iacopo explodes, walking towards the doctor. ¡°She needs to stay overnight at least.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no reason for us to keep her.¡± Apparently the doctor can¡¯t be bullied by Iacopo. ¡°You can bring her back if she gets worse, but we don¡¯t have enough beds.¡± Iacopo is glowering at her. I know that his money and power normally intimidate people. The doctor in this room doesn¡¯t care at all that he¡¯s Iacopo Genovese. ¡°I¡¯m putting in a discharge order now.¡± There¡¯s a tablet in her hands. Iacopo¡¯s re should make it burst into mes. ¡°You¡¯ll be out within the next few hours.¡± She just walks out, not caring that Iacopo is about to lose his shit. I have to fill out a bunch of paperwork before I¡¯m discharged. The nurses are doing a bunch of stuff. They want my health insurance information. Iacopo is stewing in the corner. ¡°You¡¯re ready to go.¡± Iacopo looks like he¡¯s about to blow. ¡°Is there a wheelchair?¡± ¡°Iacopo, I can walk.¡± To prove it, I get out of bed. The change of position makes blood rush to my head. I wheeze a little bit as the room spins. ¡°You¡¯re getting a wheelchair.¡± We argue. I lose. In another minute, he¡¯s pushing me into an elevator in a hospital wheelchair. The nurse next to us is just shaking her head. She¡¯s gotten bulldozed by him, but I guess she sees this kind of thing often. The car downstairs is ready for us. Iacopo picks me up and puts me in the car like I¡¯m incapable of climbing up. Chapter Eighteen Running Away Kelly He gets into the car. His arm is around me, as if he can protect me from anything that would harm me. We don¡¯t talk at all as we go home. Well, his house. I¡¯ve been here such a short time that it¡¯s crazy how fast I¡¯vee to think of it as my home. He pulls me out of the car and keeps me in his arms. ¡°I can walk.¡± He¡¯s going up the stairs while still carrying me. ¡°No, you can¡¯t. You¡¯re sleeping for the rest of the day. I¡¯ll have the chef bring up some soup in a few hours.¡± Tags: Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Source: Chapter 57 Chapter 57 He sets me down on my bed. ¡°Rest.¡± Then he¡¯s gone. I look at the ring glittering on my finger. It¡¯s a mark of possession. He must have been really scared. Then I hear a phone ringing. It¡¯s not my cell phone¡¯s ringtone. I realize that it¡¯s the secret phone that my dad smuggled to me. "Kelly, thank God I got hold of you." "Dad? What''s going on? What''s with the secrecy? Why couldn''t you just call my normal phone?" "Your normal phone is bugged, sweetheart." He sighs. "Iacopo would never do that." "Iacopo would do it in a heartbeat. You''ve been with him for long enough to know that he''s ruthless when he wants to be." I know that. "He''s not like that with me." "Sure, sweetheart. I heard about the fire. Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m okay. Iacopo has taken good care of me.¡± ¡°Whatever you say. Listen, I found out where he was holding the evidence to ckmail me. And you. We can get you out.¡± "Where?" "It''s in his office in the warehouse.¡± "So go get it and disappear." "Not that easy. His office is locked so that only he or someone with the right key can enter. He personally supervises the cleaning staff when theye in." "So convince him to go into his office, distract him, and leave." "You''re going to do it." "No way." I start to hyperventte. I don''t know what''s going on between us. Maybe it''s a little Stockholm Syndrome, but I really do care about him. And even if he hasn''t said so, I know that he Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. cares about me. "Listen, Kelly. Don''t forget why you''re there. You''re there to save my life. You''re also a hostage for my good behavior. Well, you can save both of us. Just get the RFID card that opens up his office and we can disappear. He might be a Mafia don, but there are ces where he can''t reach." "Where?" "South America. I''ll take you to where the cartels will protect us." "Dad, that sounds like out of the frying pan and into the fire." "Sweetheart, you have to trust me here. I''ve built awork of contacts for this day. I thought he was going to shoot me on sight, but you bought me time. Now it''s time for us to vanish." "I can''t do that, Dad." I love Iacopo. Maybe. I look at the ring on my hand. Whatever we have isn¡¯t what Disney princesses have. "You''re going to." Now he sounds like my father, the man who told me that I had to eat Brussels sprouts. "Or I''ll call him myself and tell him that you are nning on stealing from him. Do you know how he''ll react?" "You wouldn''t," I whisper. "You and I both know him well enough to know how he''d react to even a hint that he''d be betrayed by you. So go along with the n, please. It''s what''s best for all of us." I close my eyes. ¡°I can¡¯t do this.¡± Tags: Source: Chapter 58 Chapter 58 ¡°Kelly, if you love me, you have to.¡± Tears threaten to fall. I don¡¯t want to betray my lover, my fianc¨¦. I wish that my father never called me. I wish that he never stole anything from Iacopo. But wishing to change the past is the instinct of a child. Adults know that they have to move forward. ¡°Okay.¡± I feel like the word is choking me, lodging in my throat like a fishbone. Unfortunately, a pair of tweezers won¡¯t be enough to fix my problem today. ¡°Good girl, Kelly. I promise, I¡¯ll make all of this right.¡± It¡¯s already gone so wrong. I haven¡¯t stolen anything yet. ¡°Bye, Dad.¡± Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°See you soon, Pumpkin.¡± I hit the red button. I slip the phone into my pocket. ¡°Kelly?¡± I spin around. Iacopo is leaning against the doorframe. It¡¯s unfair that my father is asking me to betray someone who has asked me to marry him. It¡¯s unfair that I¡¯m even in this position, a sacrifice to save my father. He walks towards me, his shoulders moving like a predator stalking helpless prey. His eyes are shining with a light that I¡¯ve be ustomed to during our time together. I¡¯ve only seen it for a few days. Chapter Neen Stealing Kelly His hands settle on my waist. I look up, way up at his face. I can see his desire burning brightly. And something inside of me leaps up. His hands grip my waist. I wrap my legs around his hips. "Flexible," he grunts before capturing my mouth in a hard kiss. I hope he can''t tell how conflicted I am right now. I want him. I want this. I want us. But I''ve already agreed to betray him. He pushes my body against a wall. The hard, cool surface is against my back. He''s not kissing me anymore. His eyes are looking straight into mine. "Do you want to be taken like this? Mostly clothed against a wall?" His hand goes under my skirt, pushing aside my panties. Both of us can feel how slick I am, how easily his fingers glide between my thighs. "Oh," I moan. He catches the moan with his mouth. His tongue is fucking my mouth now. His hand is tangled up in my hair, pulling it almost hard enough to hurt. "You want it like this," he grunts. He pins me to the wall. My legs are around his waist, and it''s not that easy to get his pants unbuckled and his fly down, but he manages it. Then he''s pushing his hardness inside of me. My mouth falls open as my mind spins with pure pleasure. I need more. I can feel my muscles clench around him, but I... And then he slides me down a fraction of an inch deeper. I feel like he''s hammering me into the wall. "Your pussy is tight," he whispers. "So good." My eyes are closed. His mouth goes to my neck, biting, licking, and sucking hard enough to leave marks. It''s primal. I want to remember what this was like when I lose him. My hands are on the back of his head, pulling him up to kiss me as I finally reach climax. I kiss him hard, with all the passion inside of me. I can feel him filling me up in that moment, both of us panting hard even as we kiss. I can feel his warm seed slipping down. He pulls out of me. I can see ourbined juices on my thighs. Tags: Source: Chapter 59 Chapter 59 "It''s better ev ery time," Iacopo says. He''s reaching over for some tissues. He bends down in front of me to wipe up his seed. The gentleness of his touch contrasts with how roughly he took me. I''m looking at the top of his head. How can I possibly betray him? He yawns. "I''d like another round, but I need to sleep. Come on." So without showering or really cleaning ourselves up, we go to the bedroom. We finish taking off our clothes, discarding them on the floor. In moments, his big body is wrapped around me in bed and we''re curled up under the covers. I wait until his breathing slows down and evens. I hate myself. I hate my dad. But I extricate myself from the bed without waking him up, because I know what I have to do. I look around until I see his wallet in the pocket of his pants. I can''t believe I''m doing this. As quietly as I can, I put my clothes back on. I still have some of his seed inside of me. I choke back a sob. I can cry My hand is shaking so hard that it''s difficult to put my hand inside of his wallet. I might have to take the whole thing. All I need is his RFID badge. Then I can wipe all the traces of my dad''s theft and we can disappear into the sunset. I hate doing this to Iacopo, but I don''t think I have a choice. The whole reason that I''m here is to protect my dad from him. Somewhere along the way, I lost sight of that. But today I take that back. I am in control of my own destiny, not Iacopo. I take the wallet and stuff it into my pocket. It makes a big, visible bulge. Time to go. "What are you doing?" I freeze in ce and slowly spin. "Iacopo." I thought that he was going to be sleeping for a while, giving me plenty of time to escape. "What''s in your pocket?" His eyes are cold. "Just...something." I scramble for the right words. He''s walking across the room now, his long legs eating up the distance in no time. I can''t move. I can''t speak. I think my heart has stopped. His hand is reaching into my pocket. Chapter Twenty Mother¡¯s Daughter Iacopo I can feel my wallet and pull it out. I look at it. ¡°You are your mother¡¯s daughter.¡± Both of us are silent. I threw those words like a knife. I hit my target. Kelly¡¯s eyes are full of tears. ¡°Let me exin.¡± I raise my hand. ¡°There are no exnations that will justify your actions. You need to pack your things Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. and leave.¡± ¡°I thought that I had to live with you.¡± ¡°Not any more. You are free and clear in every way. I don¡¯t want to see you again.¡± There are tears in her eyes, but I should ignore them. Something tugs at my heart. A better man than I am would put aside his anger andfort his lover when she¡¯s clearly hurt. But she was guilty of casting the first stone. I found her with my wallet. Actions speak louder than words. So I watch her, standing by the door, as she walks through the house gathering her belongings. She¡¯s crying as she gathers up every trace that she¡¯s left in my home. It takes a while because she¡¯s falling apart in front of me. Tags: Source: Chapter 60 Chapter 60 Then it¡¯s done. ¡°I¡¯ll call my car for you.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather take a taxi.¡± ¡°You¡¯re taking my car.¡± ¡°Fuck you, Iacopo,¡± Kelly spits. ¡°I don¡¯t want anything else from you.¡± She could have gotten so much more from me than what was in my wallet, even with my credit cards in there. I think about my nonna¡¯s ring, the one that I took out of my safety deposit box for her. I can¡¯t believe that I was tricked into believing that Kelly was the kind of woman I wanted, the one that I was searching for for so long. I thought that she¡¯d been hiding right under my nose. Turns out that I never found her. I feel like I¡¯m in a meat locker right now. I feel like I¡¯ll never be warm again. Her betrayal doesn¡¯t hurt because I can¡¯t feel anything. ¡°I¡¯ll send over paperwork about the debt forgiveness. And that¡¯ll be thest thing you¡¯ll get from me.¡± She walks out, suitcases in tow. I let out a sharp whistle to let my driver know to pick her up. ¡°Take her back to school,¡± I say. ¡°And she won¡¯t being back.¡± He looks at the tears on her face. He looks at mine. I don¡¯t know what he sees there, but he says, ¡°Right away, boss.¡± He loads her suitcases into the car. I watch as she slides into the back seat. I was a fool to think that there could be anything real between us. Now I¡¯m smarter. Mistakes are lessons, sometimes hard ones. And if I feel like there¡¯s an ache in the center of my chest while I watch my car take her home, then that¡¯s that. I won¡¯t tell anyone. It¡¯s humiliating for me to be brought low by someone whose mother did the exact same thing. This time, though, she didn¡¯t marry me. Thank God for small blessings. Chapter Twenty-One Stolen Kelly I can¡¯t talk right now. The driver knows where to take me. All my stuff is with me. I¡¯ll still live in the ce I was supposed to live in with Cami. I cry as quietly as possible in the back seat of the car. I try not to sniffle. Maybe if I don¡¯t make a sound I can pretend like I have some dignity left. Everything is my fault. Yeah, Iacopo traded my time for my dad¡¯s life, but I was the one who made that decision. I fell in love with him. And I epted his ring. Then I betrayed him. I thought that we were really something. I thought that the two of us wouldst forever. And now I know how wrong I was. I swipe at my eyes with my right forearm. It¡¯s a long, long drive. I cry myself to sleep. ¡°Miss? We¡¯re here.¡± I open my eyes. I¡¯m back on campus. I may have taken off the semester, but I still have my lease. ¡°Thank you,¡± I say. The driver is kind enough to help me bring my stuff in. I¡¯ll arrange the furnitureter. I feel like there are shards of broken ss inside of me, carving me up like a Thanksgiving turkey. Iacopo interrupted my life when he stole me. And now that he¡¯s put me back on track, I feel like there¡¯s nowhere I¡¯d rather be than his home. His bed. There¡¯s nobody to see me here. I close all the curtains. The light is off. My bed is made with the sheets I left behind. I crawl all the way under the covers and pretend that I¡¯m okay, even though I can¡¯t stop crying. I feel like I¡¯m bleeding out, like my heart has been torn out of my chest. I should be registering for next semester¡¯s sses now that I know that I¡¯m going to be here, but I can¡¯t make myself do anything. I think about never leaving my room again. I haven¡¯t talked to Cami in a while, not since my departure, but I should try to talk to her. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Maybe tomorrow. I burrow deeper under my covers and fall asleep. Tags: Source: Chapter 61 Chapter 61 Searing sunlight is burning my eyes. It¡¯s like someone stole a spotlight from a stage and is shining it in my face. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Rise and shine,¡± I hear a voice say. A stranger is in my bedroom. I try to get out of bed, but I¡¯m tangled up in the sheets. When I adjust to the light, my heart sinks. My room is filled with men. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°My name isn¡¯t important. We¡¯re going to take a little trip.¡± He reaches for me. I step back, my hands up in front of me. All the menugh. My heart is pounding against my ribcage. I¡¯m surrounded. I¡¯m still fully dressed, thank God, but I¡¯m not in a good position right now. ¡°It¡¯s time for you to take a little nap,¡± the guy in front says. And then a sweet-smelling cloth is over my face. My eyes close against my will as the world turns ck. Chapter Twenty-Two Hard Choice Iacopo I go to my room to look at the empty ck box that stayed for so long in my safety deposit box. Ariana never wanted that ring. It was for the woman who had my heart. Now it¡¯s o n Kelly¡¯s finger. She yed me like her mother yed her father. My phone rings. It¡¯s a number that I haven¡¯t seen for a long time. ¡°Mateo.¡± ¡°What, no hello for your old uncle?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not my uncle.¡± ¡°I used to be, kid. You¡¯re just a little bambino. Never forget that.¡± I don¡¯t want to argue with him. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°I know that you¡¯ve been reluctant to give up your position as the new don. So I¡¯ve decided to give you an incentive.¡± ¡°What kind of incentive?¡± ¡°The kind that¡¯s wearing your nonna¡¯s ring.¡± My stomach twists. I feel like he¡¯s sucker-punched me. ¡±You have her?" "You''re a fool, Iacopo Genovese." The soft menace of the man who was my father''s right hand is mind- blowing. ¡°How can you do this?¡° "Because you are weak. Because you are ruled by emotion. Because you love her,¡± Mateo sneers at me. "I will find you and break every bone in your body." He had stolen her. My mind is racing, trying to figure out how to get her back. "Where is she?" "Where you will never find her." His soft chuckle makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. "She''s a beautiful girl, no? Maybe I will taste what has ensnared you and encouraged you to forget your duty to the family. Ariana was far better. More beautiful. More powerful. You let her get away.¡± He stops. ¡°You have a clear choice now. I can murder your fianc¨¦e or you can step down and give all your power to me.¡± "Fuck you," I shout. "Don''ty a finger on Kelly.¡± She may have betrayed me, but I still need her. Tags: Source: Chapter 62 Chapter 62 Anotherugh. "I already have." My phone buzzes. He''s already hung up the phone. I dial a number. "Mario, I need you to round up as many men as we can find. We''re going to rescue Kelly." "Yes, sir." Mario doesn''t need exact orders. He knows that he''ll meet me downstairs. He knows that she''s been taken. I kicked her out because I hadn''t trusted her. And now she is in the hands of someone who only wanted to use her against me. If I got the chance soon, I would apologize for cing her in this situation. It seems like I can¡¯t help but put her in danger time and again. I have to choose between keeping my position as the head of the Genovese family and saving her. The men I take with me today will know what happened. They will whisper it to the rest. And they''ll think that I''m not strong enough to be their leader. It''s a good trap. Too bad I''ll turn everything around on him. He doesn¡¯t know what I have waiting for him. Chapter Twenty-Three Prison Cell Kelly "Drink some water," a sweet voice says. "Not thirsty," I mutter, even though my mouth feels like the Sahara. "Come, now, it''s not so bad. You have to eat or drink something." I''d woken up an hour ago with a headache and a growling stomach. There''d been a tray of food next to me, along with thedy whose N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. name I still do not know, but I didn''t want to touch it. The guys who''d drugged me and brought me here would stoop to poisoning my food. "Not thirsty." I curl into a ball. There''s a soft thunk as she puts down the water. "I''ll leave it here for you, then." She leaves. The soft thud of the lock as it slides home reminds me that she''s not my caregiver. She''s my captor, one of them, and I know better than to drink from her cup. I uncurl from my position and look around. There''s a small restroom next to my bedroom. No windows. No ss. There''s no mirror in here, but I can already imagine myself with my hair disheveled. My clothes feel sweaty and gross, but there''s nothing else for me to change into. I ssh water on my face and drink from my hands. She''s right. I do need to drink something. My stomach would prefer something other than water, but tap water is the best I''m going to be able to do right now. There are no eating utensils on the tray. It''s just a bowl of couscous and a small wooden cup of water. How on earth did I end up here? Iacopo threw me out, so I''m not valuable at all. Whatever game they''re ying, they''ve taken the wrong hostage. I find a sticb in a drawer, so I yank it through my hair, even though I knew it''ll just make everything worse. It hurst, but it gives me something to do. I go back into my room. There''s a small closet that''s totally bare. My bed has sheets but noforter. The door doesn''t have a handle on this side. There are no openings at all in this room. It''s clearly a prison cell, a fancy one. But the quality of my surroundings mean that they think I matter. I don''t know what I can do here. At least my hands are free. There''s nowhere for me to go. Thedy who came in with the water spoke to me like she wanted to be nice, but it''s just an act. I dump the water into the sink and rinse out the ss two times before I use it to drink even more water. I curl up into a ball on the bed and try to ignore my stomach. When I wake up, the lights are still on. Right. I''m not at home. And there''s still a tray of cold rice. Joy. I lean over and sniff it. It doesn''t seem poisonous or drugged, but if it were, would it matter? If they wanted to drug me while they kept me here, there''s nothing that I can do to stop them. I''m hungry. I know that they''re counting on me breaking and eating it. I eat a few grains of rice from the edge. My stomach roars to life, reminding me that I haven''t eaten in a while. I¡¯m so hungry that my stomach hurts. I feel hollow inside. Even if it¡¯s drugged, what harm will it do to eat it? It¡¯s not like I can get out anyway. I eat a few more grains of rice. My stomach approves of the food. I don¡¯t eat all of it, but I eat enough to make my stomach quieter. Tags: Source: Chapter 63 Chapter 63 I want Iacopo to save me. We still have to talk, but I need him more than ever. Chapter Twenty-Four Car Window Kelly I hear shouting. Then someone¡¯s bursting in my door. It¡¯s the woman from before, but she¡¯s not pretending to be gentle this time. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°Come with me.¡± She takes my wrist in her hand and drags me forward. ¡°Where are we going?¡± She doesn¡¯t answer me. I can hear gunshots. My heart starts to freak out. ¡°Where are you taking me?¡± She is running now. I¡¯m stumbling behind her. We¡¯re in a dark tunnel. Suddenly we¡¯re next to a car. ¡°Get in.¡± I don¡¯t.¡¯ ¡°Get in the car, or so help me, I will make you bleed.¡± I don¡¯t want to get in the car. It¡¯s the first rule of being kidnapped. Once you¡¯re in the car, it¡¯s game over. She pulls a gun out. She must have had it in a holster. I didn¡¯t see it. ¡°Get in the fucking car or I¡¯ll kill you right now.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t kill me,¡± I protest. ¡°I can maim you for life. How do you like having two kneecaps? Would you like only one of them to be intact? It wouldn¡¯t kill you.¡± I get in the car. I hope Iacopo can track us. She drives like a crazy woman. We¡¯re flying like a bat out of hell as we go far away from wherever they were holding me. I can see her sweating even though it¡¯s not that hot. ¡°You can leave me here,¡± I offer as we pass a park. ¡°I won¡¯t tell them anything.¡± ¡°Shut up,¡± she says. She¡¯s all alone in the car with me. ¡°And don¡¯t get any bright ideas,¡± she warns. ¡°I may not have taken the time to secure you, but I¡¯m not useless. Tie your wrists together. There are zip ties in the glovepartment. Do it.¡± I don¡¯t want to tie my wrists together. ¡°Now.¡± I open the glovepartment. There are zip ties in there. I put them around my wrists and pull them closed. ¡°Good.¡± She¡¯s driving more slowly now. I think that she has a destination in mind. I shut up and try to remember as much as I can about the surrounding area. Maybe I¡¯ll be able to describe itter. We¡¯re at the edge of a desert now. She drives forward. She¡¯s visibly rxed now, but I¡¯m getting scared. We¡¯re not in the city anymore. Tags: Source: Chapter 64 Chapter 64 Finally, we pull up outside of a motel. ¡°Keep your mouth shut while I get a room. I¡¯m locking the car. If you try to get out, it¡¯ll trigger the anti- This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. theft device. If you scream or shout, you will wish for death when I¡¯m done with you.¡± I watch helplessly as she locks me in the car. I can see people outside, but nobody is looking at me. I only have minutes to act. I write Iacopo¡¯s phone number on the window of the car with my fingers. I¡¯m hoping that the finger oil will still be there when the car is covered in dew in the morning and people will realize that something¡¯s wrong. It¡¯s the best I can do right now. If only someone were looking inside of the car¡­ Chapter Twenty-Five Failure Iacopo When my men have secured the house where we tracked Kelly, nobody besides the security team is inside. One of my men who used to be abat medic is making sure that the scumbags don¡¯t bleed out. We¡¯ll take them in for questioning. I can see a strand of Kelly¡¯s hair on the white sheets of a bed in a small room. There¡¯s no handle on the inside of the door. But she¡¯s not there. ¡°Smell this, sir.¡± One of my men brings me a tray. It has a bowl of rice on it. It smells strangely sweet. ¡°It¡¯s drugged,¡± I say. My muscles clench when I think about them drugging her. Another man interrupts my thoughts. ¡°We think that they took her out the tunnel.¡± ¡°Show me.¡± Then we¡¯re running down a tunnel which leads to a garage. There a ren¡¯t any cars here, although there are a few drops of oil on the ground. They haven¡¯t been gone that long. ¡°Find her,¡± I tell my men. ¡°Find my fianc¨¦.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll do it, sir.¡± I don¡¯t pay attention as my men strategize on how to track her and get her back. I think of her being drugged and helpless in Mateo¡¯s power. It makes me want to put my fist through a wall. But anger cannot save her now. ¡°Sir¡­I think we¡¯ve found which vehicle they took.¡± In a frame, one of my men is holding a shot of two people standing in front of the garage. There¡¯s a single car in it, a green SUV. Part of the license te is visible. ¡°Find out where the car went,¡± I bark. ¡°Already on it, sir.¡± I can see that they¡¯re rying the pertinent information through their phones. Wherever they¡¯ve taken her, I¡¯m going to find them. And I will make them pay for stealing someone on whom they never should¡¯veid a finger. Two hourster, I¡¯m pacing like a caged tiger. Not knowing where she is, knowing that she¡¯s drugged and in danger, is making me insane. ¡°Sir, we think we know where she went.¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a small town in the desert where there¡¯s a motel.¡± ¡°There are a lot of small towns. Lot of motels.¡± Tags: Source: Chapter 65 Chapter 65 ¡°Yes, but we took a picture of Kelly entering a room.¡± I look at the grainy surveince photo. ¡°Her hands are tied.¡± ¡°Yes, they are.¡± ¡°How did you find her?¡± ¡°Stroke of luck. The car was parked illegally, so a parking vition ticket was issued.¡± ¡°Could they really be that stupid? Or is it a trap?¡± ¡°Only one way to find out, sir.¡± We¡¯re getting into a car. I don¡¯t trust myself to drive right now. My men are driving me towards that small desert town as fast as we can go. Hold on. I¡¯ming for you. Chapter Twenty-Six Motel Room Kelly N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. The smell of the motel room is horrible. It smells like decaying trash. Rotting food has a sort of sweet smell. The motel room smells like it¡¯s rotting, but without the sweetness. ¡°Eat,¡± she barks at me. There¡¯s an open bag of potato chips in front of me. I don¡¯t touch it. I don¡¯t even know her name. She just yanked me into the motel room closest to the car and closed the curtains. After cutting off my zip tie, she cuffed one of my hands to the headboard. ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡± I can¡¯t eat in this ce. It¡¯s filthy. I feel like vomiting. I¡¯m totally miserable and my stomach feels like it¡¯s digesting itself. ¡°You have to eat.¡± I can hear the desperation in her voice. ¡°Why do you even care?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± But there¡¯s a little tremble in her voice. She¡¯s scared of something. I just don¡¯t know what. ¡°What¡¯s at stake here? If I starve myself to death, nothing will happen to you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not holding you for myself,¡± she snarls at me. She takes a step towards me that makes me think she¡¯s going to w at my face. ¡°Why am I here? Is it Ariana?¡± She just shakes her head. ¡°The less you know, the better.¡± ¡°Your boss isn¡¯t Ariana, is it? It has to be someone else.¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± She runs her hands through her hair so that it sticks up a little bit. She paces around the room. She keeps looking at the phone, as if she really wants to make a call but knows that she shouldn¡¯t. ¡°Why don¡¯t you call whoever it is you¡¯re worried about?¡± ¡°Not secured.¡± She sits down on the bed. She¡¯s staring out the window, drumming her fingers on the mattress. ¡°You left behind all your stuff when we ran, didn¡¯t you?¡± I smile for the first time in a long time. Good news. We¡¯re in the middle of nowhere and she has no backup. ¡°Stop smiling. I still have a gun, so don¡¯t even think about running.¡± Tags: Source: Chapter 66 Chapter 66 Good to know, but I¡¯m less afraid of guns than the average person. I¡¯m afraid of death, sure, but with a dad and former uncle who taught me to shoot when I was a kid, I know that deathes for everyone. Then I realize that just because she can¡¯t use the phone doesn¡¯t mean that I can¡¯t. If I call Iacopo, he¡¯ll be able to rescue me in a heartbeat. I look at the phone, my heart rising as I realize that I have hope. But she notices me. ¡°Don¡¯t fucking think about it,¡± she says before yanking the phone¡¯s cord out of the wall. She opens the motel door and throws it as far as she can. There goes that idea. I pull a pillow into my arms so I can hug it. I¡¯m in a better position than I was earlier today, but I¡¯m not out of the woods yet. I have to figure out how to get in contact with someone without getting shot in the process. Chapter Twenty-Seven Rescue Mission Iacopo ¡°There¡¯s the green SUV, sir.¡± I can see the green SUV with the te that we looked up. They were incredibly sloppy. I can see the Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. ticket under the windshield wiper. Gotcha. I¡¯m so close to getting Kelly that I can almost taste it. ¡°Careful. Let¡¯s assume that they¡¯re armed.¡± My men have their guns out. We¡¯re not going to hold our fire. They know that if they shoot Kelly, though, they¡¯ll have to deal with me. I¡¯m not worried. If they weren¡¯t expert marksmen, they wouldn¡¯t be working for me. My men don¡¯t make mistakes. We know which motel room was rented by a woman who paid in cash. I¡¯m going to assume that there¡¯s a team guarding Kelly in this shit-hole motel room, so we have to be careful. We¡¯re going to distract them and then move in. ¡°Set it on fire.¡± On mymand, one of my men sets a fire on the windshield and immediately ducks out of sight. It doesn¡¯t take long for a woman toe running out of the motel room, shouting. She doesn¡¯t even notice us running into the motel room, guns out. There¡¯s nobody in there but Kelly. Kelly¡¯s handcuffed to the bed. It drives me crazy that my team is seeing her like this, but she¡¯s fully clothed. ¡°Iacopo,¡± she says. ¡°Hold still, baby. I¡¯m going to unlock your cuffs.¡± I have a key that unlocks handcuffs in the kit that my team always carries. I take it out and unlock the cuffs. ¡°Are you hurt?¡± ¡°No,¡± she says. ¡°Please get me out of here.¡± ¡°Right now.¡± There¡¯s a fire truck pulling outside of the motel room. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to go out the window.¡± We have Kelly, but we aren¡¯t clear yet. We open up the bathroom window, which isrge enough for one of us to go through at a time. The men step on top of the toilet seat. Kelly is so small that my men have to help her through. I¡¯m thest man out, ready to cover our backs. Then we¡¯re running to the corner to meet our cars, still trying to stay out of sight. They¡¯re ready to go, doors open as we run into them. The running has to have attracted some attention, but we¡¯re already on our way. Then we¡¯re driving under the speed limit through the desert, far away from this town so small it barely has a name. I¡¯m in the back seat of the car with Kelly. Her stomach growls. Tags: Source: Chapter 67 Chapter 67 ¡°Did they feed you?¡± ¡°I was worried about drugs in my food,¡± she says. ¡°They definitely drugged your food,¡± I say. ¡°But you seem alert.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t eat much of it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s going to be our first priority then.¡± I turn to our driver. ¡°Pull into the first fast food ce you see.¡± ¡°Got it, boss.¡± It¡¯s not smart to dy getting as far away as possible, but if she¡¯s hungry, we¡¯re going to take the risk. I text the other car to keep going. No need to risk their safety when all I need is to pu t a burger in her hands. We pull into a McDonald¡¯s drive-through. ¡°Ten burgers, please. And five chocte milkshakes.¡± Probably enough food to keep us going until we get home. I text my chef to prepare a meal so that she has something more than fast food in her stomach soon. Within five minutes, we have a few bags of food. The man in the passenger seat digs into his burger and passes back two bags for us. He passes back most of the milkshakes, too. ¡°Smells really good,¡± Kelly says. ¡°Eat,¡± I order. She moans when she takes the first bite. ¡°I forgot how good McDonald¡¯s burgers are.¡± ¡°Hunger is the best spice.¡± I¡¯m trying to make sure she doesn¡¯t faint or something from theck of food. ¡°Drink some of your milkshake.¡± Then we¡¯re quiet as we all eat something that¡¯ll keep us going. Finally, we¡¯re pulling into my driveway. The danger has passed. Chapter Twenty-Eight Home Again Kelly I feel the knot in my stomach dissolve as we pull into the driveway of Iacopo¡¯s house. I look at the ring on my finger. His nonna¡¯s ring has stayed with me this whole time. ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡± He pulls me out of the car and into the dining room. There are two ces set right next to each other. There are small sses of ginger beer next to tes almost overflowing with food. I attack my gigantic steak, because the hamburger was enough an hour ago, but it definitely isn¡¯t enough now. ¡°What happened to the FBI investigators?¡± ¡°I fed them information that made them want to convict Ariana instead. I made it look like she had been in charge the whole time. She¡¯s going to have to disappear for a while.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going to happen to Ariana?¡± This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Iacopo¡¯s eyes ze with fire. ¡°I¡¯m sending her to rehab out of the country.¡± ¡°Can you do that? Are you allowed to involuntarilymit people to rehab?¡± Tags: Source: Chapter 68 Chapter 68 ¡°In other countries, you can. I¡¯ve also asked for 100% custody of Lucia. I said that Ariana was putting our daughter in danger.¡± ¡°How did you prove that?¡± ¡°She was sleeping with a drug dealer who liked to p Lucia around. She didn¡¯t care as long as he kept giving her cocaine.¡± ¡°How on earth could you find that out?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± he says. ¡°Lucia¡¯s daycare teacher didn¡¯t buy the exnation that she¡¯d fallen down a flight of stairs so many times. She took pictures of the bruises and documented a pattern of abuse. Child Protective Services investigated and they sent a letter informing me about the oue of their investigation. She¡¯s with a foster family for a few days until I can get primary custody. Then she¡¯ll live with us.¡± ¡°I love her,¡± I say. ¡°I¡¯m d.¡± ¡°I wish that Ariana¡­¡± he trails off. ¡°But there¡¯s no use. ¡°I¡¯m not d that Ariana is a drug addict who didn¡¯t protect your daughter. But I am d that you¡¯ll be able to get primary custody and save her. Just like you¡¯ve saved me.¡± He turns my chair so that I¡¯m facing him, not stuffing my face with food. ¡°Do you want to marry me?¡± I get the feeling that right now is the real proposal. It¡¯s a lot more real than when he just jammed a ring on my finger. ¡°Do you love me?¡± It¡¯s the most important question. His answer will be my answer. ¡°I thought I was going to go insane when you were stolen,¡± he says. ¡°Of course I love you. Of course.¡± I lean forward and put my mouth on his. He understands my answer, because he¡¯s lifting me so that I¡¯m on the dining room table, just a few feet away from our meal. ¡°I need you,¡± he says. He fumbles with my clothes quickly, yanking everything off. He doesn¡¯t undress. All he does is pull down his pants so that he can thrust inside of me. I can¡¯t speak. I can only feel. This moment, even more than actually getting into the driveway, feels like Maybe he¡¯s giving Lucia a little brother or sister. When we have our breath back, he touches my face very gently. Then he pulls my hand to his mouth and kisses the ring on my finger. ¡°I love you,¡± he says. ¡°I love you,¡± I say back to him. Lucia¡¯s Birthday Party Kelly TWO YEARS LATER ¡°How old are you today, Lucia?¡± She holds up two fingers. ¡°No, Lucia,¡± Iugh. ¡°You¡¯re a big girl now. You¡¯re three.¡± I show her three fingers. She mimics my action, but she seems confused. There¡¯s not a big difference in her daily life when she turns three, because it¡¯s just a difference of one day. But she¡¯s officially a toddler now. ¡°Do you want to wear a tiara?¡± She nods enthusiastically. She¡¯s wearing a puffy pink dress that¡¯s twice her size. The skirt is huge, but she chose this dress after rejecting every other one. I pick her up and let her stand on a chair so that she can put on her tiara while looking into the mirror. Tags: Source: Chapter 69 Chapter 69 ¡°There you go, sweetie.¡± She jams the tiara on her head. She has Iacopo¡¯s dark hair. ¡°What a beautiful littledy,¡± I say. ¡°Down,¡± she says. I pick her up and ce her on the floor. Then she¡¯s running away like the energetic little girl she is. She already has some guests downstairs. ¡°Are you ready, amore?¡± Iacopo ising out of the closet. He¡¯s dressed casually in a polo shirt and simple khaki pants. He looks like a typical suburban dad. ¡°Almost. I need to put on my ne.¡± ¡°Let me help you.¡± I hand him the ne and watch in the mirror as hees up behind me and puts it around my neck. ¡°You¡¯re so beautiful,¡± he whispers in my ear. His hands go to my waist. We¡¯ve been married for almost two years now, but I¡¯ve never stopped melting inside when he touches me. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this,¡± I protest. ¡°There are guests downstairs.¡± ¡°Later,¡± he promises. We walk downstairs together, hand in hand. I¡¯m wearing a very simple blue dress so I can chase after my daughter and her guests. The ornate ne that I¡¯m wearing was a gift from Iacopo for myst birthday. It bnces out the in design of my periwinkle dress. We hired a party nner, so someone else is making sure that we don¡¯t run out of food during the evening. The kids are running around in the back yard, having a st with the water guns that we¡¯ve decided would be party favors. Lucia is soaking wet, her princess dress deted already, but she didn¡¯t want to wear her bathing suit. Her tiara is askew, barely on her head. She looks so happy. ¡°I wish Ariana wanted to see this,¡± I say to Iacopo. After Ariana got out of rehab, she and Iacopo came to an agreement. He¡¯d keep paying the child support as long as she gave us primary custody. Iacopo pointed out to her how much work went into running the business. She¡¯s in a mega-yacht off the coast of the French Riviera. Lucia hasn¡¯t seen her in over a year. Ariana never calls or checks on Lucia. It¡¯s like Ariana is totally gone. ¡°Ariana is like your mother, amore.¡± He leans in and kisses my temple. ¡°But you are not.¡± The two of us stand around, watching the kids run around. Then it¡¯s time for cake. The caterer calls everyone into the dining room. We sing for her. Lucia blows out her three candles and everyone cheers. All the kids dig into very sugary cake with pink frosting. We help the kids clean up, but Lucia is beyond saving. Not only is her dress wet, but there¡¯s pink frosting smeared all over it. I guess her princess dress was a one-time deal. Then their parents are bustling in. The caterer has put the leftover cake into little boxes that are in the party favor bags. Their now-dry water guns are inside. When everyone is gone, I point upstairs. ¡°Bath time for you.¡± Lucia loves water, so it¡¯s not hard to get her cleaned up. The dress is beyond saving. I dress her in pajamas. She gives me a big smacking kiss on the cheek when I¡¯m done. ¡°Story, please.¡± ¡°Well, since you asked so nicely.¡± She points to Goldilocks and the Three Bears. I do different voices for each of the characters. Her eyes close as I read. I finish it, but I turn the lights off and close the door. She¡¯s exhausted from running around so much today. Tags: From N?velDrama.Org. Source: Chapter 70 Chapter 70 ¡°Is she asleep?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Iacopo picks me up and carries me to our bedroom. ¡°You¡¯re obsessed with sex,¡± I tease. ¡°I¡¯m obsessed with you,¡± he says. And then my clothing is being yanked off. ¡°There¡¯s still frosting on you.¡± He licks it off. ¡°Tastes good.¡± Then he kisses his way down and blows my mind. I jerk my hips upward and try not to scream and wake up our daughter. Then I¡¯m being turned on my stomach as he positions himself on top of me. When he pushes inside, I ¡°Damn,¡± he says. ¡°I wanted it tost longer.¡± He pulls out of me, turns me over, and tucks my head into the juncture of his neck and shoulder. He smells so good. ¡°I have something to tell you,¡± I say. His hand strokes the edge of my body, discovering every curve and valley. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m pregnant,¡± I whisper. His body tenses. ¡°Pregnant?¡± I don¡¯t know how he¡¯ll react. We h aven¡¯t ever used protection and we¡¯ve slept together very frequently, so I was worried that I was infertile or something. But I¡¯ve been feeling kind of sicktely, and Cami said that I should get a pregnancy test, just to check. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I saw the two lines earlier today.¡± Then his mouth is on mine. His tongue is pushing deep inside of my mouth. When he lets me up for air, I say, ¡°You¡¯re happy about it?¡± ¡°Happy isn¡¯t enough,¡± he says. ¡°I¡¯m over the moon.¡± He puts his hand on my stomach. ¡°We¡¯re having a baby.¡± ¡°Yes, we are.¡± I put my hand lightly on top of his. ¡°You¡¯re so perfect,¡± he says. ¡°I love you.¡± THE END Tags: Source: Chapter 71 Chapter 71 Part 1 First Day Elia Outside of the nursery, the phone rings. Danny, the baby that literally fell asleep thirty seconds ago, opens his blue eyes and begins to scream. I didn¡¯t know that he was such a fussy baby before I took this job. When he¡¯s well-rested, he¡¯s the best baby in the world. He¡¯s a hell-demon when he¡¯s tired and he never wants to go to sleep, even if his eyes keep drifting shut. I guess his screams didn¡¯t carry over to my house, which is next door. ¡°Danny, sweetheart, time to sleep.¡± The volume of his screams just gets louder. I can hear his dad on the phone, possibly with mine. They¡¯re business partners. Jeff has been working from home most of the timetely, because he¡¯s had a terrible time keeping nannies for his son. And Day 1 of being his temporary nanny, I can see why. I love Danny and have since the moment I saw his tiny little baby face and smelled his intoxicating baby scent, but he has colic and refuses to sleep, which means that his little lungs get a big workout very frequently. I can hear a door closing and wince. My dad will definitely be calling back and telling me to take better care of Danny. I was a model baby and didn¡¯t have colic, so I¡¯ll have to exin what¡¯s going on. Things would be much easier if Danny¡¯s mother hadn¡¯t died in childbirth. Alongside grieving for his wife, Jeff has had to adjust to caring for a baby. Danny doesn¡¯t cry as much when his dad is taking care of him. He only has one parent and seems to be firmly attached to Jeff. Jeff loves his kid, it''s true, but he also has a business to run. "Come here, sweetheart," I say as his face gets even redder. I hold him over my right shoulder. He nuzzles his face into my shoulder as his screams fade into hard hups that shake his whole body. "I know you want your daddy, but he''s busy right now." I walk in a slow circle around the nursery. After the two-dozenth time, I feel Danny''s tiny body rx. He isn''t making much noise now. I cautiously turn my head to see that his little eyes are closed. "Time to go down again, little one," I say. I start to remove him from my shoulder, but his eyes burst open and his mouth opens like he''s about to start screaming again. "Okay, okay," I say, and his eyes close. I''m starting to get tired, though. There''s no bed in here besides Danny''s crib, and it''s not going to work for me. I think about walking downstairs to the couch, but it makes me nervous to walk downstairs with a sleepy and fussy baby in my arms. I can think of an easy solution. Jeff won''te upstairs for a while, so I go and sneak into the master bedroom. It smells like him, like pine and musk. He has another crib in here so that he can take care of Danny at night. It''s literally adjacent to his bed. "I guess your daddy doesn''t get much action these days, huh? His whole life is centered around you, munchkin." I settle Danny into his crib, keeping a light hand on his soft tummy. He doesn''t seem to be upset, although his mouth opens in a gigantic yawn. "There you go, little guy." Maybe the fact that the whole room smells like his father is helping. I yawn. I think yawns are contagious. As I watch Danny''s eyes shut, I can feel mine slipping downwards. I can close my eyes for just a few minutes. Nobody will know. "Your father will murder me." I wake up to the sound of Jeff''s voice. Despite the words, his tone is light. "What?" I murmur, blinking in the bright sunlight. "Where am I?" "My bed," Jeff says,ughing a little. "Danny isn''t awake yet, so speak softly." I look at the screaming hell-demon, who looks like a perfect angel. "He wants his father," I say. Jeff touches one soft cheek. "I know." "You seem stressed out," I say. I think that losing his wife aged him five years. "I got some bad news today," he says. "When I created my living trust, my wife and I agreed that all of our property would go to each other in the event of our deaths and to our not-yet-born son if we were both dead." "What''s the bad news?" "The way that we set it up was slightly ambiguous. I didn''t actually use her name. We didn''t catch it From N?velDrama.Org. until after she died. Half of my assets belong to my wife." "You don''t have one...so your business shares just belong to you, right?" "You''d think so, but Danny''s grandparents, my inws, are iming that Danny owns half of my half of thepany and want to be custodians of it." "But that would mess everything up," I say. "Yup," Jeff says. "But I''ll work it out. You can go home now, Elia." I roll out of bed. I''m sure that I''m a crumpled mess. "See you tomorrow." "Bye," he says, pushing his son''s hair off of his tiny forehead. I can see the deep sadness etched there in an unguarded moment. I wish I could help, but what can I do? I walk home and can smell that my dad already has dinner ready. It¡¯s eggntsagna with a huge amount of cheese on top. My dad has it in the warmer and is cutting slices now. He gives us both generous portions. ¡°Wee home, honey.¡± ¡°Thanks, Dad.¡± I go to grab utensils out of the drawer and set the table. Soon as we¡¯re sitting down and saying grace before digging in. "You need to take better care of Danny," my dad says without any preamble. He has on hismander voice. "Whatever, Dad." I poke at mysagna. I¡¯m not sure if I even like eggnt. "I mean it , honey," he says, slicing another bite off of his helping ofsagna. "You need to take good care of that baby. Jeff is overwhelmed with the new potentialwsuit. His inws are offering to settle for a ridiculous amount of shares. It would jeopardize the business." "I know, Dad. He already told me." I stand up, my half-eatensagna in my hands. "I''m not hungry anymore." My dad lets me walk away this time. I go downstairs to my exercise bike and turn on my favorite album for biking, Britney Spears'' ckout. Tags: Source: Chapter 72 Chapter 72 I feel half awake, listening to the pounding beat as I do a program that takes me up several hills. What a strange feeling today to wake up in Jeff''s bed. It was Danny''s fault, of course. Who knew that he hated sleeping alone? The attachment between Danny and Jeff was strong, which was good and bad. I just hoped that Jeff found a nanny before the end of the summer who could handle the baby. To be honest, if I hadn''t found out that putting Danny to bed in his dad''s bedroom was the key, I have zero clue if I''d be willing to go back for a second round. Danny was a very cute baby, but only when he was happy or sleeping. I decide that I want to screen Danny''s permanent nanny. It would take a woman who had experience and patience to deal with Danny. They also wouldn''t know Jeff well enough for him to be amused to find a woman in his bed, even the nanny. Treadmill Jeff I wipe the sweat off of my forehead with the towel I have draped over the top of the treadmill. Maybe if I run fast enough, I can outrun the memory of what Elia looked like asleep in my bed. She looks younger and even more innocent when she''s asleep. She might be neen, but I was definitely not thinking about her like other teenagers. I shouldn''t be thinking about her at all. I should be dating women my own age, not my teenage next door neighbor whose father collects hunting rifles as a hobby. Eric would not hesitate to murder me, friendship and business partnership be damned. He is overprotective of his only child, the daughter that he has spoiled every second of every day of her life. Hell, I bet that she is untouched. Her father wouldn''t allow her to date until she was 35, so she hasn''t been out with any boys her age. Her v-card isn''t a gift that you''ll get, I tell myself. It belongs to some fumbling teenage boy who''ll hurt her in the back of a truck. The bar on the front of my treadmill snaps from the pressure I put on it. The screws on the ends of the bar are bent. The thought of some kid hurting Elia makes me see red. I turn off the treadmill. It''s clearly not helping. I go into my bedroom. Danny is still asleep when I get into the shower. Am I a bad parent for leaving someone else to take care of my son? I never expected to be raising a kid on my own. I make the shower quick, just 5 minutes, because I don''t want to wake the baby. When I get out, I wrap a towel around my waist and sit on my bed, watching the slow rise and fall of my child''s round stomach. He has hair like his mother''s. I''m dark blond, but she had light brown hair with a few light sunstreaks. There''s nobody to see me get dust out of my eye, thinking of what she''d say, seeing me struggling with the baby. The two of us were supposed to be a team. We''d done all the pregnancy and parenting sses together. And the ridiculous irony of it was that all of that preparation was for nothing, because I never expected to be doing this alone. I stop myself from my pity party. It won''t change anything. I need to go downstairs to prep tonight''s bottles. Danny doesn''t sleep through the night. Unless I want to go downstairs for his feedings, I need to bring bottles up to the small fridge that''s in my bedroom. A better father would buy a bottle warmer This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. and keep it in the bedroom, but it''s on my to-do list. I feel like the list is never-ending, since I''m running a business and have a small baby. Maybe I can ask Elia for help on the baby front. I unwrap the towel and throw it onto the chair in the corner. I should put it up. My dead wife would''ve yelled at me for just throwing it there. But I can''t care enough. I stretch out naked on the bed and think about sleeping. But it doesn''te for several more hours. Running to Work Elia When I wake up, my hair is a total mess. I need to get to Jeff''s house so that he can start an 8 o''clock meeting. I pretend that a thick hairband is all that I need to tame my hair (it''s not) and throw on a dress before getting next door five minutes until the web conference starts. He''s already hooked up in his office, with Danny in a baby carrier next to him. I crouch down to pick up Danny and sneak out of the room. I can see that his mike is live. As I pick up the carrier, Danny''s little eyes open. His face scrunches like he''s about to cry as I pull him away from his father. And in another second, a wail begins to rise. I close the door hastily, which makes it m. I wince as Danny''s volume doubles. "Shh," I say. "I''m sorry, little one." Danny is screaming like I''ve lit him on fire. Tears are streaming down his face, and he''s trying to rock himself out of the baby carrier, which is not particrly helpful. I lug him to the other side of the house and pull him out of the carrier. He''s trying to push me away, but he''s not that strong. His lungs certainly are, though. "Shh, Danny, it''s okay. You''re okay." The only response is screaming loud enough to permanently damage my eardrums. I stand up and walk in a slow circle around the living room, which helps. In a few minutes, Danny''s sobs are quiet. His face is nuzzling my shoulder in a way that I would find cuter if it hadn''t been preceded by extremely loud screaming. "You''re still sleepy, aren''t you?" I rub his tiny little back. I can feel how soft and loose he is right now. I continue walking in a slow circle. He''s just cranky when he wakes up. In another five minutes, his entire body is limp and he''s breathing slowly. I ease him off of my shoulder and very gently ce him in the carrier. "Oh, Danny," I sigh. I tickle his foot. A smile flits across his face before getting lost. Sometimes the most valuable things have to be fought for. If Danny weren''t a difficult baby, then I wouldn''t be called in to watch this precious little angel snoozing. With Danny safely asleep, I go to the kitchen and mix some form into a bottle that''ll be ready when he wakes up. I don''t know if Jeff fed him yet. It''s better to be safe than sorry. I measure the right amount of form into a bottle, add warm water, and shake it up. I test it on my wrist. It''s too hot, so I set it aside. I can hear the soft murmurs that mean that Jeff is still in the conference call. Danny''s asleep, a miracle, so all I have to do is n the day. Maybe we''ll start with some fun books. Before she died, Jeff''s wife stocked a huge bookshelf with baby books, the kind with thick pages that are harder for little ones to tear. I take two that I haven''t read to Danny before and bring them into the living room. I can feel something in my throat that is making it hard to swallow. I''m tearing up a little bit. If his mom hadn''t died, I wouldn''t be nning on reading to him right now. I curl up on the couch and listen to Danny''s steady breathing until I hear a hitch in his breath. When I open my eyes, he''s looking right at me. He''s frowning in a way that means that tears are 10 seconds away. "Hey, little one," I say, pulling him onto the couch with me. I twist so that I''m on the outside and he''s next to the back of the couch. "How are you feeling now?" He lets out half a wail, like he''s testing the waters. His heart doesn''t really seem to be into it. "None of that, now," I say sternly. I tickle his tummy, which brings a smile to his face. He seems torn between the impulse to giggle and the impulse to cry. Finally, he lets out a bellyugh, a chortle that makes meugh, too. "I love you," I say. Tags: Source: Chapter 73 Chapter 73 He beams at me and pats my face with more enthusiasm than uracy. He''s actually patting my earlobe and jawbone. "It''s the thought that counts," I tell Danny. He grins at me even more and then pushes his tiny fingers into my mouth. "Nom nom nom," I say, pretending to chomp on his fingers. He squeals in delight and touches my cheek with the saliva-covered fingers. It feels slimy. "Ugh," I say, wiping off my cheek and u sing his bib to wipe his hand. "Are you hungry? I made a bottle for you." I tell him, "Don''t move an inch!" I run into the kitchen, grab the bottle, and then head back. He hasn''t moved, just staring at me. I bring the nipple of the bottle to his mouth. He opens it but doesn''t suck. He gnaws on it, which makes me wince in sympathy. "Good thing I''m not attached to that, huh?" He gets bored with the bottle and flings it from him. A few drops spill from the nipple. I sigh. "I guess your daddy already fed you, Danny." I pick it up and set it on the table. "Do you want to read books?" "Ah," he says. "I''ll take that as a yes." I stand up and grab a thick cardboard book from the shelf. "Where are the eggs, Danny?" I read him a book about finding the eggs on a farm. He''s engrossed, but I think that the book might notst long. There are ps where you can see the animals, but the ps are made of flimsy paper on top of the cardboard pages. I very gently pull them from his hands. He''s still at the age where he puts everything in his mouth, and I don''t think that the paper would be particrly ptable. When we finish the egg book, he stares at the back cover intently. "Are you reading the barcode, darling?" He just takes the book in both hands and ms it down on the floor. "Okay then," I say. "More books?" Storytime Elia By the time that we''ve made our way very slowly through 5 books, my stomach is growling. I don''t know if I''ve eaten today. I may not have had breakfast. I put Danny on my hip and make my way to the kitchen. He immediately makes sounds warning me that he''s about to start bawling. "None of that, little man," I say, putting him in a high chair. "You''re getting a bottle and I''ll find cereal or something." He''s locked in as I go into the pantry and grab a box of cereal. I bring it back into the kitchen so I can pour it out into a bowl, which is hidden in a side cab, and add a little milk. I like my From N?velDrama.Org. cereal soggy, which is why I made my food first. Danny gets another bottle, half of one, and he seems impatient when I put it in front of him. He jams the nipple into his face, but instead of hitting his mouth, it hits his nose. He''s frustrated by hisck of motor skills. "Here you go, sweetheart," I say, moving it so that he can get it into his mouth and vigorously suck. He continues to drink while I finish off my bowl of cereal. I''m kind of weird and am totally obsessed with cereal that has raisins in it. As Danny finishes off his bottle, he lets the bottle plunk down onto the tray of his crib. Then he lets out a giant yawn. "Time to put you down," I say. I''ll throw the cereal bowl in the sinkter. I utch the tray and pull him into my arms. This time, he doesn''t make a lot of fuss as I walk up the stairs and into Jeff''s bedroom. His eyes are mostly closed by the time I get him into the crib. I make sure that he''s breathing deeply before I go down the stairs and clear my dishes. I notice that the dishwasher is full of sparkling clean dishes, so I start to unload them. I''ve been in Jeff''s house before, of course, but I don''t know where everything is. It took a little while to find the bowl in the side cab. Trying put things away in someone else''s kitchen is hard, but somehow I manage it. By the time I''m done, I am pooped. Danny''s asleep for a little while. I don''t dare sleep in Jeff''s bed again. He might take it as an invitation. Instead, I go into the downstairs coat closet, where there''s a giant nket. I put it on the ground in Danny''s bedroom and just fall asleep. I''ll be able to hear him when he wakes up. Tiny Fingers Elia I wake up to very small fingers going into my nose. "What the..." I start, but it''s muffled. "It''s kind ofte," Jeff says. "Maybe you should go home." I sit up. It''s dark outside. Danny is on the ground next to me, his big blue eyes just looking at me. Jeff seems amused. I check my hair. I probably look like a dinosaur, hair spiking up everywhere. "Oh man," I say. "You have to think I have narcolepsy or something. Danny is always sleeping and somehow it''s contagious." "Not a problem," Jeff says smoothly. "Don''t worry about it." Tags: Source: Chapter 74 Chapter 74 "I can''t help worrying," I say. "I know how many nannies you''ve fired or who have quit." "Somehow, I think you''ll be different," Jeff says. There''s a light with a little fondness in his eyes. "I promise to you give some notice if it happens." He extends his hand to me. I put my much smaller hand in his huge warm one. I can feel goosebumps prickle. It feels like electricity is buzzing through my body. Too soon, I''m on my feet. "I''ll go home now," I say, suddenly breathless. "See you tomorrow." I can feel the weight of his gaze on me as I walk home. As I go home, I decide that I don''t want to go home just yet. I yank my phone out of my pocket to tell my father that I won''t be home. He sends a short text back, "Ok." I walk to this tiny Irish pub at the end of our street. I can''t drink, but I always love the live Irish music that they have on some nights and I''m totally addicted to whatever seasoning they use for their chips. It''s somewhat empty, maybe half full if that. I order a basket of chips and it takes just a few minutes for them toe out. They aren''t too busy. I''m fully aware that I should be eating a real dinner, but instead I squirt a huge amount of ketchup onto the te and indulge in calorie-filled indulgence. My head is spinning. I''ve been on the job for two days and I have no idea if I''m going to make it. Jeff is really attractive. Danny seems to be warming up to me. I could be pretty happy here for the rest of the summer, except I kind of feel a spark between Jeff and me. And I don''t know what to do about it. It feels like I''m bing Tantalus, doomed to be tempted by water that I can never drink. If I were a good person, I''d throw in the towel and not interfere with Jeff and my dad''s long-term friendship that goes back to the old days when they were both deployed. I am not a good person, so I begin to dream about what it would be like if I just went up to him and told him how I felt. "I want you," I say. I put one hand on his cheek. "And I know you want me, too." No hesitation at all. He takes my dress off of me and discards my undergarments. His mouth descends on mine, hot and passionate. He''s wearing a shirt and pants. I unbuckled his belt as he wraps his hands around my waist and sticks his tongue in my mouth, slowly pulsing in a rhythm that makes me crazy. I unzip his pants and push his pants and boxers off. He strips off his shirt. I take a moment to appreciate the sight of Jeff shirtless. Damn. But the moment is gone because he''s settling himself between my thighs. "It''s your lucky day. Today, we''re giving out free berry cider." "I can''t drink," I say, blushing because I''m totally wet but also have to talk to this waitress. When I was 12, my dad had taken me to a pub where I''d ordered apple cider, which made everyoneugh. I hadn''t known that it was alcoholic. "Non-alcoholic," the waitress says to me, the smile never leaving her pretty face. "Would you like some?" "Sounds good to me." In another minute, she''sing back to me with a beautiful ss of purple cider. The first taste of it tastes like Welch''s Fruit Snacks. It is really good. "I didn''t know that berry cider even existed," I say. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. "It''s a special today. If you buy a gallon, it''s half price, so if you want to take some home, just say so when you''re paying your bill. Is there anything else I can get for you?" "No thanks," I tell her. She flounces off to bring berry cider to other people. I didn''t realize how good berry cider could be with thick, salty chips, but theyplement each other wonderfully well. There''s a kind of bite to the berry cider which I totally love. After polishing off the thick-cut fries, which I totally love way more than shoestring fries, I know that I have to head home. But there''s a kind of dread sitting in my stomach. My dad isn''t expecting me home. I decide to call my friend Cami. She has a little boy, Jacky, so she''s been kind of busytely. I text her before I call. Are you free? In another few seconds, my phone buzzes. There''s a little notification that says yes. I call her. "Hey." "Hi," she says. "Jacky, put that down right now! It doesn''t go in your mouth!" I stifle a giggle. It feels good to know that I''m not the only one taking care of a particrly unruly baby. "Sorry about that," she says. "He wanted to put a plug in his mouth. I swear, ever since he learned how to walk, he''s been into everything. We''ve tried to baby-proof the whole house, but I seriously don''t think that they sell Jacky-proofing materials." "You sound frazzled," I say. "When can Ie meet your little monster?" "How about tonight? Are you free? I was nning on ordering some barbecue pizza and if you''re Tags: Source: Chapter 75 Chapter 75 "Sounds great," I say. "I''ll be there as soon as I can." Cami lives just around the corner from the pub. She''s really not far away, but she''s still in school alongside taking care of their kid during the day. Lincoln wanted to hire two nannies to help her, but Cami has insisted on taking care of most of the childcare on her own. Visiting Cami Elia When I walk up to her door, it''s already open. There''s a very tiny face peeking out from behind the door. "Hi, Jacky," I say, kneeling down. He just looks at me with his gorgeous dark eyes and scampers away. "Cami," I call. N?velDrama.Org (C) content. "Coming!" she says. When she steps into the hallway, she is putting an earring in her left ear. "I swear, I live in yoga pants and never put on makeup." "You look gorgeous," I say. "And I don''t believe you." "You''re good for my ego, you big liar," Cami says, kissing my cheek. "Come on in and ignore the little tornado." Despite her words, she''s intently looking at Jacky, not me. He''s investigating a veryrge teddy bear that''s bigger than him. He kicks the bear''s stomach. "No hitting!" she calls out. Jacky shoves a thumb in his mouth and belly flops on the bear''s legs. Then he pulls his thumb out of his mouth and starts crawling around the room. I like watching the way that his tiny legs move as he crawls as fast as he can. "He''s not as confident as he''d like to be when walking. He''s really more interested in crawling, since it''s more reliable. He always looks very surprised when he falls on his butt." I can hear the exasperation in her voice, but I can also hear the pride and clear love that she has for her baby son. I choke back my own jealousy, because I should be happy for her. But I just wish that I had a fraction of what she did. "So what are you doing this summer?" Cami asks, pouring us both a champagne flute of sparkling apple cider. "The pizza should be here in about 30 minutes." "Cool," I say. "I''m working." "Yeah? Where?" "I''m a nanny for Jeff, the guy next door." "Your dad''s business partner? The really hot one?" I can feel my cheeks heat. "Maybe." "Spill," Cami says, draining her ss. "Oh Lord, what I wouldn''t give for a solid piece of gossip. Most of my day is spent making sure the baby doesn''t identally kill himself and the night is spent studying. Tell me about it." "Um," I say, twirling the end of a braid around my finger. "So it''splicated." "Cop out," she says. "Tell me more." "He''s had an incredibly hard time keeping a nanny for his kid. Danny has colic and cries a lot." "I have a recipe for that. I was terrified of colic and have a recipe that the midwife gave me, but Jacky has been as healthy as a horse. He¡¯s more likely tough than cry, so I haven¡¯t tried it out. Do you want it?" "Sure," I say. "I don''t know if it''ll help, but it won''t hurt to try." "Keep an eye on Jacky while I dig through my pregnancy materials," she says. "It might take a while." I wait until she''s gone and sink to the floor. I''m wearing a dress, which is not what you''d consider ideal for crawling around on the floor, but I made it work with Danny. "Hey, Jacky." I crawl over to him. "What do you have there?" It is some kind of clear cube with something springy inside. He''s shoving a corner of it into his mouth. "Is that tasty?" I ask, wondering if Cami disinfects all of Jacky''s toys or if the cleaning agents are worse than a little bit of dirt which will bolster their immune systems. Tags: Source: Chapter 76 Chapter 76 He drops it on the carpet and crawls quickly away from me, as if he''s been spooked. I just watch as he picks up a pink rubber toy that squeaks. He rolls it with his hand and then overbnces,nding on his side. He scrunches up his face and prepares to cry. I don''t think he''s hurt. He''s just surprised. "Hey, little one." I stroke his back. "You''re okay." I then shout, "Cami." "Coming," she says. When she walks into the room, she''s carrying a big clear box with folders in it. Cami has little tabs withbels all over them. "I''m still trying to find the right thing." I say, "Jacky just sort of overbnced and seemed like he was going to cry." "It happens all the time," Cami says. "He thinks his body is bigger and more stable than it is, so he''s perpetually surprised," she exins. "Don''t worry," she continues. With his mother back in the room, Jacky wanders over to a floppy stuffed dog as if the near-tears never happened. He purses his lips as he tries to get the dog to stand on its four legs, even though the dog doesn''t have enough stiffness to make that happen. Cami is kneeling on the ground, digging through the box. "Okay, recipes..." She pulls out a sheaf of recipes and begins to leaf through them. "Aha! Gotcha!" she exims. "Great job," I say, holding out a hand for the recipe. She walks over to me. "Fennel? Seriously?" "Don''t knock it until you''ve tried it." Cami smooths back a little hair that escaped from her headband. "There are mothers who would sell their souls to cure their babies'' colic. The midwife had dealt with a This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. lot of mothers, and she said that this was the best remedy. It won''t hurt the baby." "Cool," I say, tucking the recipe into my purse. Jacky is now in the process of trying to stand up. He''s doing downward dog, trying to push against the floor, but he doesn''t seem to know how to get upright. "How are you and Lincoln doing?" I ask Cami. I drink more of the sparkling apple cider. "I am so in love," Cami sighs. "Yesterday, he brought home a bouquet of roses." "Did I forget your birthday?" "Nope," she says. "Anniversary?" "No," she replies,ughing a little. "He bought me roses just because he was thinking of me." "Really sweet," I say. "You wouldn''t think so, because he''s so...masculine, but he''s really tender sometimes." "Girl, you''re verging on TMI territory." I cover my eyes. "Tell me about Jacky." "Boy is growing like a weed," Camiins. "I barely buy clothes that fit him today before he''s grown out of them. At this point, I''m going to have to buy clothes that are 3 sizes too big just to catch up." I raise my eyebrows. "Lincoln is pretty tall," I say. "Yup," Cami agrees, nodding a little. "And Jacky just might get there." Jacky has given up on standing and has settled back into crawling. He goes under the table legs and finds an abandoned Cheerio. "No!" Cami says. "Dirty!" Jacky immediately puts it in his mouth, crunches it, and swallows. Cami is appalled, but I''m hiding a smile behind my hand. "He''s a handful," I say. "Believe me, you''re seeing him on his best behavior," Cami says. But there''s a secret smile lurking around the corners of her mouth. She pours herself more cider and sips on it. "How are sses going?" I ask. Tags: Source: Chapter 77 Chapter 77 "Not bad," she says. "I''m not going to graduate in four years, but I''m totally fine with that. I¡¯m 22, so I have plenty of time. I just want to make sure that I get some kind of degree. We do have a part-time nanny sometimes during the school year, just in case Lincoln doesn''t make it home in time to grab the baby when I''m going to ss and to make sure that I have time to work on homework, but otherwise we''ve been taking care of Jacky all on our own." "Aren''t you exhausted? Babies don''t sleep through the night." "Lincoln takes care of night feedings," Cami confesses. "Damn, girl!" I whistle. "Must be nice." "It is. He is," she says. "You picked the right man," I say. "I don''t know how many men who would do that." "He''s special," Cami says. "But enough about me. Tell me about your job." "I''m taking care of Danny, like I said. And it''s been pretty good. I mean, themute is pretty fast." "He lives next door to you," Cami says. "So of course." "Right, so, I try to keep Danny quiet during conference calls and stuff, but he''s a big crier." "The recipe should help," she says. "And if it doesn''t, there might be more tricks in my bag. You poor thing, you didn''t even go through parenting ss." "I haven''t," I say, a little dazed. Of course she had more information than I do. I''ve been flying blind. I make a mental note to talk to Jeff about any parent ing materials he has tucked away. Cami''s phone rings. "Hello?" She waits for a minute. "Yeah." Another pause. "Sure, honey. I''ll make sure to set the table for a few more." She waits again. "Bye." She puts the phone down. "My husband is going to bring 2 people home for dinner." "That''s cool. I should go..." "No, you can stay. I would love to gossip. I''m just going to make broli quiche so that I don''t have to do much." "Cool," I say. And I go and lean against the kitchen counter as Cami buzzes around the kitchen. "Why don''t you guys have a housekeeper?" Cami tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, Lincoln used to have one." "And?" "And she didn''t approve of our rtionship." "I''m sure you could afford to get another one." "We could, but that''s not the point. We will eventually, but right now I''m home during the day and I love to cook." I raise my eyebrows at Cami. "I''ve been learning. Lincoln eats all of my experiments, sometimes more cheerfully than others." I smile. "That''s the Cami I know and love." She snorts while she whisks some eggs. "It''s been good. And Jacky is my whole world now." "Don''t you wish you were just hanging out in your dorm, though?" "Kelly is married, too," she says. "And it''s not like I am staring back at what used to be. It''s not what I need to build a future with Lincoln and Jacky." She sighs. "And also I''m pregnant again." N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. "WHAT?" Tags: Source: Chapter 78 Chapter 78 "Yeah." She giggles to herself as she opens the fridge to take out cheese. "I know that it''s kind of surprising, but I am pregnant again." "Is it a girl?" "We don''t know yet. We won''t learn until the five-month checkup." N?velDrama.Org (C) content. "Tell me." Cami turns around to raise a single eyebrow at me. "What, so you can knit a baby nket?" "So I can tell you what to name her, of course. I think Elia is a nice name." She just shakes her head at me before shredding ham to go into the quiche. "Keep dreaming." I smile, even though she can''t see me. "I will, thanks." Jacky interrupts the conversation by pulling a small table over. He starts crying, not because he''s hurt, but because he''s more startled by the tter of amp hitting the ground than we are. It''s a metalmp that has an enclosure for the bulb, which is fortunate. Cami throws the quiche into the oven before going back into the living room and scooping Jacky up. "What did you do, little troublemaker?" Jacky points and cries harder. "Nothing is broken," Cami coos at him soothingly. "You''re okay." He nestles into her shoulder. I pick up themp and table and put them back where they were. "I swear, I feel like we should bolt everything to the wall." "Maybe you should," I say. I look at the time on the microwave. "I should go home." "You can stay for dinner," Cami protests. "You''ve barely just gotten here." "Another time," I tell her. I kiss Jacky on his head and half-hug Cami before walking out and going home. When I get home, my dad is on the treadmill. He is listening to some kind of audiobook on Stoicism. I don''t disturb him and go straight upstairs. I shed my clothing like a snake shedding skin. I am naked on my bed now, alone. What a day. I have to get the ingredients for the anti-colic recipe tomorrow after I leave Jeff''s house. I take one of my pillows and hug it to my chest. I''m full of stupid little girl dreams about a blue-eyed prince who''ll just take me away. But I don''t live in a Disney movie. Overtime Elia I wake up to knocking on the door. "Elia," my dad says. "Open up." "Coming," I say, looking for my discarded dress. I slip it on and open the door. "Yeah?" "You ate dinner, right?" "Yup." "Jeff and I have some business to talk about. I know that you''re only scheduled to work during the day, but Danny needs someone. I promise, Jeff will be pay you extra." "Sure," I say. "I wasn''t doing anything." Besides sleeping. "Great," my dad says. "I''ll give you a minute. Just hop downstairs." My dad walks away and I close the door. I hunt for my bra, which has very mysteriously disappeared even though I was just wearing it. I look in my closet. I look on my chair. I even look on my door handle where, let''s be honest, it ends up half the time. No bra. I yank open my top drawer to get out a new one and then immediately see my bra sitting on my bed. I can''t even remember putting it there, but the sneaky little thing was sitting there all along. Tags: Source: Chapter 79 Chapter 79 "Gotcha!" I say. I pull my dress up so that it''s sitting on top of my shoulders. I pull on my bra and slid my From N?velDrama.Org. arms through the straps before yanking my dress down. I make a face at myself in the mirror. I''m all sleep-rumpled and not particrly appealing, but I don''t want to keep my dad waiting. When I go downstairs, I''m trying to get a hairband to stay in ce with some bobby pins. My dad has hisptop in a bag, which is slung across his chest. "Ready?" "Yup." We walk into the cool night air. I shiver a little. My sundress wasn''t meant for nighttime. But it''s just next door, so I start sprinting over. I''m not even wearing shoes, so my feet are freezing. When I get to the porch, I ring the doorbell at the same moment that Jeff opens the door. We''re very close to each other, just inches apart. I can smell his breath from here. He takes a step back. "Come on in, Elia." I blink because Danny is sitting in a ypen, shaking a teddy bear. "I''ll take care of him. You two do whatever you need to do." My dad and Jeff head to Jeff''s home office. Danny is yawning and battling his eyelids, but he doesn''t seem to want to go to bed. He is still vigorously shaking the teddy bear for an unknown purpose. When he finally drops it, he turns to me and holds out his arms. "Out?" I ask. I crouch down to get him. I pull him into my arms and sit with him on the couch. "Did you have a nice dinner, Danny?" I ask. He puts his tiny head on my shoulder and lets his eyes half-shut. I begin gently rocking him the way my mother used to, humming a little to help put the baby to sleep. His little rosebud mouth opens with a huge yawn. "Be careful, Danny! You could dislocate your jaw," I tease. I touch his tiny nose. His big eyes blink fully open before drifting downwards. He blinks a little more before he lets them stay closed. I carry him upstairs to pop him into his crib. Danny sleeps better in Jeff''s room, I know, but my dad would go ballistic if he found me in there. I put him in a crib in his own room, but I drag a chair over so that I can keep my hand around his. He grabs at my thumb, totally asleep, and I watch his eyes move while they''re still closed. I hope he''s having a good dream. I pull my phone out of my pocket and settle in with a good book. Year of the Griffin is one of my favorite books ever, and it seems perfect right now. I fall into a story about griffins, kings, wizards, and emperors. I''m so deep that when the door opens behind me, I jump a foot in the air. My phone goes flying and hits a metalmp. It makes a sound so loud that Danny wakes up. He immediately starts screaming. "Danny," I say, pulling him into my arms and rocking him. "You''re okay." "Let me have him," Jeff says. "Your dad is ready to go home." I whirl around, not eager to give him the baby. I notice the circles under Jeff''s eyes. "I''m okay. I can stay until he goes to bed. It''s not like Dad is giving me a ride, anyway. We live next door." "Okay," he says. He steps out of the room to yell down the stairs, "She says she''ll go home after the baby goes to sleep." "Roger that," my dad says. I hear the front door close. Then it''s just the three of us, Danny now quietly chewing on the end of my hair. "Don''t chew on that," I tell Danny. He took advantage of a momentary distraction. When Jeffes back into the room, Danny tries to wiggle out of my hold to get to his father. Jeff takes him and kisses Danny''s hair. "You can go home, you know." "Is everything good? It''s not normal for you and my dad to have ate- night meeting like this one." He rubs his eyes. "Your dad might need to go on a trip soon. Honestly, I need to go, too, but there''s no way that I can leave Danny for that long." He hums a little bit and pats Danny''s back. "And they won''t "Where is Dad going?" "China," he says. "We''re having some problems with the quality standards at one of the factories that we''ve contracted production to. We want to be on the ground and see things for ourselves." "What''s going on?" "There are some watchdog activists that are saying that there are major human rights vitions going and trying to drum up negative press." "But it''s not real, right?" "We don''t know for sure, not until we audit them personally." "You should be there," I say. Tags: Source: Chapter 80 Chapter 80 "Not without Danny, and there''s no way that I''m subjecting him to a flight all the way to Beijing and Lord knows whatever else." He shakes his head. "But enough about business. You should go home. We all have to be up tomorrow morning." I walk over and kiss Danny''s sweet little head. "Bye, little one." Kissing Danny''s head puts me in very close proximity to Jeff''s face. There''s a tense, breathless moment, then I''m walking out. "Bye, Jeff." "Bye," he says as I walk down the stairs. My heart is hammering like a team of particrly enthusiastic contractors on a roof. I need to go home. When I get in the door, my dad is up adder. "What are you doing, Dad?" "Looking for a suitcase," he says. "A carry-on isn''t going to cut it." He must have found what he was looking for, because he grunts with the effort and pulls a giant ck suitcase out. "How long are you nning on being g one? A year?" "No, a little less than that." My dad carefullyes down thedder. I extend a hand to take the suitcase, but he carries it down, using only one hand to steady himself. "But there''s no way that I''m leaving you alone in this house before you go to school." "Dad," I say. "I''m 19. One of my friends is married and has a baby." "Cami is 20," he says. "And Lincoln is capable of providing for her and the baby." I stick out my lower lip. "You''re living next door until I get back." My entire body shes hot and then freezing cold. "What?" "You heard me. I''m not leaving a teenager alone in my house for an indeterminate amount of time. I have no clue how long I''ll need to be over there. I know you''re going to school, so you might as well get ahead of the packing and do a trial move next door. You can go home for anything you need. By the end of the summer, you''ll have everything you actually need for school." "But I..." "Not negotiable," my dad says, his voice as hard as nails. I know when he''s putting his foot down, and right now he''s basically putting a hole in the floor with the force behind it. "Fine," I say. I turn and go up the stairs. Holy crap. I''m going to be living with Jeff. He has the space. I''m not worried about not getting my own room and bathroom, but what is it going to be like living with him? I guess I need to start doing some packing of my own. My dad sounds like he''s not expecting toe home before I go to school, so it''ll be another 3 months or so at least. What do I need? N?velDrama.Org (C) content. I start dumping all of my sundresses into a suitcase. Jeff keeps his house a little warmer than ours. I have a feeling that wearing Daisy Dukes around Jeff would result in a phone call with my dad. I pack some undergarments and some pairs of shoes. And I''m pretty much done. I go to my bathroom and pack all of my toiletries in a mesh beach bag. I only take the shampoo and conditioner that I use on a daily basis. After a few moments, I also take the only gel that makes my hair behave. Toothbrush and toothpaste, those are important, right? And cleanser. I stand in front of my makeup kit and debate bringing it over. On one hand, it''s pretty easy to move. It''s huge but really well organized. On the other hand, maybe I''d get tempted to be...inappropriate while living with Jeff. I agonize for a few more moments before I decide to take it. Maybe there''ll be an asion where I''ll want to wear makeup beyond SPF 15 sunscreen and I''ll need it. I ignore the voice in the back of my head saying that I cane home if that''s the case. And then I''m pretty much packed. I can bring all of this over tomorrow morning when I go over to watch Danny. Temporary Move Elia The next morning, I''m feeling like a pack mule as I lug all of my stuff over there. It''s not so far away that I need a car, and it''s just long enough to make the handles of my bags dig into my hands. By the time I get to the porch, I''m disgruntled enough that I don''t notice my big makeup kit knocking into one of the support beams of the porch. It makes an almighty sound. I hope none of the things inside with mirrors break. "Good morning," Jeff says, opening the door. My knees feel weak. He hasn''t shaved yet today and his hair is in disarray. "Danny woke up and starting barfing," he says. Way to pour cold water on me. "Is he okay?" "I think it''s just a tiny bug," he says. "I already called the pediatrician''s office. They said to monitor his temperature and bring him in if it seemed dangerous." Tags: Source: Chapter 81 Chapter 81 "Poor baby," I say. "Can I help you with anything?" he says, looking at my luggage. "My dad saidst night that he wanted me to live with you while he was gone." "He''s leaving today, then?" "Didn''t you guys talk about thisst night?" "Yeah, but it wasn''t set in stone." "Dad is already gone. He went out on the first flight this morning," I tell Jeff. "Damn," he says. "What''s wrong?" "With your dad in the air, today''s going to be more hectic than usual. I''ll probably go to the office." "It''s going to be fine. Danny and I will be okay." There''s a hint of worry in his eyes. I don''t know if Danny has genuinely gotten sick before today. Colic, yeah, but that''s not really a disease. "I''ll call you if we need you. Where''s the pediatrician''s number?" "I''ll write it on the big whiteboard." In his kitchen, there''s a giant whiteboard with a ton of mas. His dead wife must have put it there. It''s utterly practical. He walks to it and writes down a phone number he must know by heart. It strikes me then how scary it would be to have my first child alone, something having a ton of money can''t erase. "Get dressed and shave," I say firmly. "Danny will be fine." He runs a hand through his hair, messing it up even more. "I hope so." He walks away and up the stairs. I shove my stuff into the guest bedroom downstairs before going to see Danny. Danny''s room smells like vomit, even though Jeff already cleaned up the evidence. Danny is restlessly moving around even though he''s asleep. I''m prepared for him to throw up again. I go to the thermostat and turn it off. I open up the windows to let out the gross smell. I can hear the shower running as Jeff gets ready for work. I yank out my phone and start looking up what to do if a baby has a cold. Apparently fevers are okay as long as they are under 101 degrees. I tilt the mattress under the baby so that he''s a little elevated. His little face is screwed up like he''s about to start crying in his sleep. "Poor little guy," I say, pulling him into my arms. As expected, Danny begins to cry. The volume increases exponentially, but I''m used to it now. "I know you''re sick, little buddy," I say, patting his back. "I wonder if your daddy has fed you yet?" "No," Jeff says. When I turn around, I have to swallow really hard. Jeff is only wearing a towel around his waist. He obviously didn''t take time to dry off when he got out of the shower, because there''s water dripping everywhere. He looks like a female fantasye to life. "Danny is fine," I say. "You''re getting the floor wet." He looks down at the wet imprints his feet have left on the carpet and walks away, giving my heart a little space to slow down. Holy shit. He looks fine as hell. He has a six pack that doesn''t have an ounce of anything extra on it. "I''ll tell you a secret, Danny." He''s pulled a chunk of my hair into his mouth again to munch on it. I pull it away from him, but he immediately yanks it back. I give up. There are worse things than hair to put in his mouth. "I love you," I coo to him. "Even when you''re cranky and sick. And that''s between us." With Danny temporarily quieted by the tasty snack of my hair, I can feed him. I walk with him downstairs and into the kitchen. I get out some form and make a bottle with Danny in my arms. When I attempt to put him into the bouncer, he screams like it''s made of moltenva. "Okay, fine!" I tell him. I need to ask Jeff if he has a baby wrap or sling so that I can carry Danny and do From N?velDrama.Org. other stuff. Somehow, I manage to give Danny a bottle, which he guzzles down as if he hasn''t had anything to eat for a week. I guess his little stomach is empty after barfing. I kiss his forehead and keep a hand on the bottle. When he''s eaten all of it, I put a burp cloth over my shoulder and pat his little back to help him burp. He lets out a truly disgusting belch and I can feel the wetness seep through the burp cloth. "Starting the day out right." I kiss his tiny ear. "It''s okay." Babies barfed. It was part of the territory. "You''re sure that you''ll be okay? If you need me, I''ll stick around." I wave Jeff away with a hand as I spin to face him. "Danny and I are going to be fine." "Then I better get in the car." Tags: Source: Chapter 82 Chapter 82 He leaves without another word. I go to the living room and put Danny on a nket on his stomach. He pushes himself up in the cobra position. I mimic him and his little eyes go big. He lifts one hand and overbnces. Iically over-exaggerate falling over, too. Danny giggles uncontrobly, beginni ng to roll around on the nket. He''s so easy to please, so easy to love. I tickle his full tummy. I don''t think that he''s sick anymore. He seems happy enough. Thai Dinner Elia By the time that Jeffes home at 7 PM, I''m pooped. I normally work during the more regr 8 to 5 hours, so today is the longest that I''ve ever been over here. I honestly don''t understand how working mothers could possibly handle the double shift,ing home and cooking dinner and cleaning the house and checking homework after driving the kids around...I have a headache just thinking about it. The smell of food perks me up. "Is that dinner?" "Yeah. I picked something up on the way home. There''s a Thai ce that we...that I love." I feel like someone just clenched a hand around my heart. It''s so thoughtful of him to bring dinner home, but I understand that it''s a pattern of behavior that was established with her. "Well, it smells great." "I didn''t know what you liked, so I thought that Pad Thai was pretty safe." "I love Pad Thai," I say. "Danny can''t eat solids yet, right?" "Not yet. The doctor said to wait to introduce solids until we felt ready. He''s fine as he is now." I pop Danny into the Pack n y. He''s upied by brightly colored rings, which he stacks in the absolute wrong order. He''s perplexed about why he can''t fit other rings on top of the smallest one, which has settled at the top of the toy. Jeff takes tes out of the cab. "Fancy," Iment. "Food tastes better if you use real dishware and silverware." He yanks cloth napkins out of a drawer and there are utensils rolled inside. "This is like a restaurant," I exim. Jeffughs a little. "I guess." "Maybe this is an everyday thing for you, but I didn''t grow up with a mom. Thank you for setting the N?velDrama.Org (C) content. table." "No problem." He opens up the Pad Thai container and puts half on my te and half on his. "Do you like Golden Purses?" When I look at him, totally bemused, heughs. "It''s an appetizer thates with sweet chili sauce." He has a tiny sauce container, which he opens. He dips a spoon in it, just wetting the edge of it. "Taste." He guides the spoon to my mouth with a hand under it to catch anything that would drip. Something that could be really casual turns zing hot as we make eye contact while he puts the spoon to my lips. I lick the sauce off. "Spicy!" I yelp. "It''s Thai," he says. "What did you expect?" "I need milk," I say, fanning my mouth as if it will help, even though I know it won''t. Jeff opens the fridge and pulls out a small half gallon of 2%. He pauses for a minute before taking out a bottle of port. "I''ll pour you a ss." I watch as he pours the milk out into a small ss for me and grabs a generously sized winess for himself. He puts the milks away. He brings the bottle, winess, and my ss to the table. I gratefully ept the ss and pour it down to put out the fire. He pours a ton of red wine into the ss and drains the ss. "That kind of day, huh?" I ask. "Your dad is gone, and it was kind of abrupt." "But he had to," I say. "Yeah." Jeff fills his ss again. "It was chaos today. I really couldn''t have stayed home." He stops. "You didn''t call me today. How was Danny?" "He was an angel. No barf other than spit up when I burped him." Tags: Source: Chapter 83 Chapter 83 "That''s good," he says, finishing a third ss of wine. I didn''t know that Jeff had an alcohol problem. "You''re going pretty fast," I say. "Long day," he says as he pours the fourth ss of wine, but he doesn''t drink any of it. "Anything you want to talk about?" "Anything that your dad normally does was on my te, on top of what I normally do. Double- scheduled meetings were a nightmare," he says. "And my secretary tried her best to work with your dad''s, but I was in three meetings at once at one point today." And there goes the fourth ss. "Your face is kind of turning red," I say. "Worth it," he growls before pouring out more wine. I''m kind of worried that he''s going to pass out at this point. Wepse into silence as we eat more. I think that he should put something in his stomach if he''s going to drink a bottle of wine that quickly. As soon as I finish the Pad Thai, I get up to get more milk before I dig into the Golden Purses with that spicy sauce. "God, I love the way that your ass moves when you walk." I freeze in ce. I don''t know if I should turn around. I don''t know if he''s so drunk he doesn''t know what he''s saying. I decide to keep going to the fridge and get more milk. I bring the half gallon to my ce and pour enough to fill my ss. "Are you deaf?" he asks. I''m worried about how drunk he is at this point. "No," I say. "It''s just inappropriate." He snorts. "You living in my house is wildly inappropriate. That bridge has already been crossed. Our neighbors are already scandalized." "But my dad wouldn''t have put me here if he didn''t trust you...and me." Jeff shakes his head. "I think his trust was misced." My eyes are as wide as they can get. I don''t know what to do right now. I turn to the Pack n y, where Danny has decided to stretch out and fall asleep. I can''t use him an excuse to get away, and I''m still hungry. "Um, I don''t know what to say to that." Jeff just shakes his head. He pours more wine. "I should shut up. In vino veritas," he says. How hungry am I? I feel incredibly awkward. "I should put Danny to bed," I say. My stomach growls, but I pretend not to hear it. I bend down to pick him up out of the Pack n y, conscious of how he can see my ass right now. I walk upstairs with Danny. I feel bad about not picking up after myself, but I had no idea how to handle that situation. Jeff is my dad''s best friend. I might have a stupid crush on him, but if I sleep with him while he''s drunk, how would that change the situation? I''m living here for the next few months. One night of pleasure isn''t worth three or more months of constant difort. "And I could never leave you," I say to Danny. "Not earlier than the end of the summer, anyway." I settle him very carefully in his crib. I turn on the baby monitor to make sure that I can hear when he wakes up in the middle of the night. I don''t think that Jeff will be in any condition to handle Danny if he needs a midnight feeding. I turn the light off. From N?velDrama.Org. As I leave, I run into a wall. A very warm wall. I tilt my neck back to look up at inebriated Jeff. "You''re a natural at it," he says. "My dad doesn''t think so." "After your mother died, he had a hard time but never asked for any help. If he seems critical, it''s probably from some insecurity about how he raised you." Jeff hups a little bit. I wince. I have no idea how to handle my drunk neighbor. His tie is off. He''s already unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt. "Cool. I need to go bed." I try to push past him, but his hand rests on my shoulder. "You''re such a damn temptation," he says. I can desire zing in his eyes. I close my own eyes. I shouldn''t jump him tonight. He doesn''t know what he''s saying. I don''t want to do anything that he''d regret. I''mpletely sober. "You should go to bed." "Can you tuck me in, just like you do for Danny?" And he sways. I don''t know if he''s ying me, but I might as well help him into his bedroom. I drape one arm over my shoulders, which he uses lightly as we walk into his bedroom. "Here you go," I say, sliding away from him. He lurches forward and sits on the bed. He looks down at his feet. I can''t leave him like this. I kneel before him and uce his wingtips. "You look good like that, kneeling in front of me, your head near my knees." I feel my pussy clench at the visual of going down on him. But I know that I shouldn''t. He puts a hand under my chin and tilts my face. "Do you want me?" he asks, far more bluntly than he''d ask me without the huge quantity of wine he''s imbibed. "Not like this," I say with equal honesty. "You need to sleep it off." Tags: Source: Chapter 84 Chapter 84 "Tomorrow, I''ll think about all the reasons why I can''t have you. Like you''re too young. Your father is my best friend. You live next door..." "And I''m your nanny," I supply. "Yeah, that." He shakes his head. "I know all of those things, but they don''t seem important right now." He leans forward and pulls me up to my feet. His handsce around my neck and bring our mouths less than an inch apart. "But I''m sober enough to tell you that I want you, with or without the wine." What should I do? Butterfly Kisses Jeff Her mouthes down on mine, as light as a butterflynding on a flower. Sober me knows that I can''t kiss her. But I am drunk. Right now, I''m bnced between being a good man and a bad one. I never promised to be an angel. My hands settle on her hips and draw her into myp. Her thighs are on either side of my body. I can feel the sweet heat of her body touching my cock. We''re still wearing clothes, but I''ll fix that soon. I yank off her clothes, leaving her naked. Then I pull her into my arms so I can throw her on the nearest bed. I shed my clothing as quickly as I can before climbing in beside her. I pull the covers all the way off the bed so the only thing there is Elia. Me. A fitted sheet. Some pillows. I feel like a teenager having his first time. Elia sits up, grabs a pillow, and puts it over her chest, but I pull it away from her. "I want to see you," I tell her. Her pupils are dted. She''s breathing hard. I know that she wants this, too. I settle one hand on the juncture of her thigh and hip. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. "Do you want this?" "Yes," she breathes, even though she closes her eyes and there''s a tiny tint of red to her cheeks. "Good," I say. I push her onto her back then. I kiss my way down her body before giving her a deep kiss with my tongue, ying with her clit. Her hips buck off of the bed. She''s starting to roll from side to side, but I hold her hips in my hands as I lick her steadily. She''s screaming before long, and if I had the presence of mind to worry about my son, I would. But my entire world is right here, right now. Damn the consequences. I push a finger inside of her and hit her virginity. "I''m going to take this," I say. "Yes," she tells me, her voice very soft. She looks like she might pass out. "Baby, you''ll want to stay awake. We''re just getting started." With that, I pull her legs over my shoulders. I lean forward and press the tip of my cock against her softness, the softness that I was just worshipping moments ago as she writhed under my tongue. I slowly push the head in. "Holy cow, you''re so big," she moans. I can tell that she''s experiencing a little pain." "Breathe in," I tell her. "And out." She tries to control her breathing, but her muscles are going wild around me. I can feel my balls drawing up even though it''s way too early for me to being. I put a hand around my own cock, tightening my grip as I guide the rest of my dick inside of her untouched body. I know that I''ve broken her barrier from the small sound of pain that she makes. But the scrunched up expression on her face leaves in a few moments. Then her mouth is open as I take her body again and again. She''s pinned with her legs over my shoulders. I kiss her, shoving my tongue inside of her with the same rhythm as my cock. She half screams with another orgasm, but she can''t move and it''s muffled by my tongue. I grunt as I pour my seed into her. I roll so that we''re on our sides. I wrap her in my arms and kiss her neck. She feels just right here, warm and loving. I fall asleep with her sweet vani scent surrounding me. Tags: Source: Chapter 85 Chapter 85 Vani at Dawn Jeff Sunlight is searing my eyeballs. It''s like being in the middle of a spotlight on stage. My head is throbbing and feels like it''s made out of those fluffy cotton things my wife uses. I put my hand on her warm thigh. "Morning, gorgeous," I say, smelling her sweet scent. She doesn''t smell like roses. She smells like vani. My eyes pop open. In my bed is a naked teenager. "Holy shit!" I say, jumping out of bed. I realize that I''m naked, too. Elia isn''t up yet. My ass will be nailed to the wall if her dad ever finds out I slept with his baby daughter. I need to get out of here. My hangover is worse because of the regret. I remember now. She came over to my house because her dad didn''t want to leave her alone while he went on a business trip. She normally stays with his sister, her aunt, but her aunt was out of town for some kind of swimmingpetition. And here I am, waking up next to my nanny and next door neighbor. I''m the dumbest person on the face of the. I think about it and realize that Elia could not have been drunk. A teenager doesn''t get to sneak any alcohol, not in my house. Which means that she crawled into bed with me stone cold sober. I inhale, and I can still smell her vani scent. God, it''s never been likest night before. Everything that I thought sex was...I felt everything at double the intensity. The look on her face as she orgasmed beneath me...that moment is going into my spank bank for the rest of time. And I can never have it again. I feel how cold my body gets at the thought. It might be summer, but it feels like the longest night of winter. A truly good man would never have had sex with her, but I already crossed the bridge. The best I can do is prevent us frompounding our mistake. "Morning," she says sleepily. "How are you feeling?" Confused. Surprised. Hung over. "You need to wake up," I say. "You should go back to your own bedroom. Danny will wake up soon, so you should get him a bottle." She turns away from me. "We''re not in the army," she says. "And I''m going back to sleep. Maybe when I wake up, you won''t be in nightmare mode." I''m an asshole, but I walk around the bed and strip the sheet off of her naked body. Oh god, I''m going to hell, but the sight of her bare breasts makes me want to climb back into bed with her. "You can''t stay here," I say as sternly as I can. "Watch me," she says, sassy even when she''s half asleep. She yanks the covers back up. I can see the smooth curves of her shoulders and the intriguing bite mark that''s right in the valley of her breasts. I put that there. From N?velDrama.Org. I go into the shower before my willpower breaks down and I go for another round. When I get down to my cock, I can see that there''s a trace of red there. I hurt herst night. I turn off the water, reach out of the shower to grab a towel, and sling it around my waist. "Did I hurt youst night?" I''m not talking to her as a neighbor or her father''s best friend. I''m asking as a lover. "Not more than I expected for my first time." I freeze in ce. I took her virginity while I was drunk. There is a ce in hell with my name on it. I''m sweating. "Oh God, I''m so sorry," I say wretchedly. "It was beautiful. Don''t you dare take that away from me," she says. At least I didn''t have whiskey dick. "I won''t," I say. "But I shouldn''t repeat it..." "You''ve already crossed the Rubicon. Is it any worse to keep sleeping with me, really? You''ve already done the deed." She lets the sheet slip down, revealing her luscious breasts. "Why don''t youe back to bed?" If I climb back in there with her, I''m going to have to admit that I want her. But I already knew that. I already know that, so I push aside my better judgment and get back in bed. "You smell nice," she says. "It''s my shower gel," I tell her. I kiss the bite mark that I left in her cleavage. I begin to bite and suck on her breasts. She moves restlessly against me, arching her back as her breathing grows harsher and harsher. I don''t need to be at work until 10 AM. I have the time to kiss my way down the center of her body, sticking the tip of my tongue into her belly button. Her hips jerk hard enough to give me a concussion. Her head is moving from side to side and I''m not even between thighs yet. I pin her spread thighs against the bed before sucking on her clit. She screams as soon as I touch her there. The way that her muscles are moving, I know that she''s orgasming. "Quiet," I tell her. "Don''t wake the baby. Don''t make me gag you." She''s panting as quietly as she can now. When I look up, I can see that she''s biting a pillow to muffle her cries. I go back to worshiping her sweet core, licking her juices off of her soft lips. I push three fingers into her hole, which makes her hips move like never before. I stroke her G-spot deliberately. Even though she has the pillow there, I can still hear her going wild beneath me. I eat and finger her through another orgasm, one where every muscle in her body tenses and her legs shake. Tags: Source: Chapter 86 Chapter 86 I know that she has to be sore from losing her virginityst night, but I still bring my dick to her entrance. Her eyes are wide. "I know you''re sore," I say. "I already fucked you with my fingers. We''re going to try intercrural sex," I reassure her. I don''t know if she knows what that is, but I push her legs together. Her thighs touch, which makes this position perfect. I climb up her body and kiss her nose since her mouth is otherwise upied. I guide my dick, which is leaking pree, into the junction of her thighs without prating her. This position lets me stimte her clit while still getting the tightness I want. "Keep your knees closed like that," I tell her as I pick up the pace. Her eyes are closed now. I can see that she''s on the verge of another orgasm. And then she flies over the edge beneath me. I may not be inside of her, but the flutters of her pussy lips make me jerk and release all over her softness. I admire the pretty picture she makes,ying there on the bed with mye between her thighs. I''m going to hell, but I might as well enjoy the ride. "What a way to wake up," she sighs. "I think I need a shower." "We both do." I shake my head. I just took a shower, but I pick her up and bring into a shower stall that''s still steamed up from my first shower. I put her on the shower shelf, also known as the sex shelf. I kiss her forehead beforethering up my hands and touching her soft breasts. Her nipples are hard now. "Damn, do you ever go down?" My cock is hardening again. "Don''t worry about it," I say. "I don''t need anything right now." And I finish washing her front and back very, very thoroughly. Then I step out of the flow of water, letting the spray hit her. She screams. "It''s cold!" she yelps. I chuckle. "I already used the hot water," I tell her. She''s staring at my erection. "Cold showers don''t work on that?" "Not when you''re around, baby girl." I wash myself off much more quickly. I grip my cock. She watches the slide of my hand up and down. "Damn," she chokes out. "Open your mouth," Imand. I can feel my balls drawing up. I slip the tip of my cock inside of her mouth. "Swallow," I order her before I fill her mouth with my seed. And she swallows it down like a champ. When I''m done, I turn and let the water rinse away her saliva and the remnants of mye. "What''s the n for today?" she asks. "I''m cold." I turn off the water and venture into the cool air of the bathroom. I grab a towel and go back in to wrap her up. I kiss her nose and then her mouth. "I have a meeting at 10 AM, but I can see you tonight. What do you want for dinner?" "I kind of feel like fettucine alfredo." "Wish is mymand. Any particr restaurant?" "No. Surprise me." N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. "Can do." I grab a towel off of the rack and dry off. In another minute, after stealing another kiss from her, I''m in the walk-in closet, whistling and grabbing a suit. I have an Alfred, so someone else takes care of my dry-cleaning and managing housekeeping and all the details of running a house that I don''t think about. "I don''t really cook at home much, but if you want something from the grocery store..." "I can buy it." "I was just saying that actually you can give a grocery list to my Alfred, and it''ll be taken care of." "Alfred?" "It''s a startup that sort of gives you a part-time butler." "Damn," she says. "Dad has a housekeeping service, but he says that I have to learn to do things for myself." "I don''t have a lot of time to clean up." I shrug. "I would rather spend time with Danny than try to drive to and from the dry-cleaners." "I guess that makes sense," she says, hugging the towel tighter. Tags: Source: Chapter 87 Chapter 87 "I''ll see you tonight," I say. And I''m grabbing my briefcase and out the door. Spit Bubbles Elia I''m still naked in the bedroom when I hear the front door close. I can hear soundsing from the baby monitor. Danny is awake. I rush down the stairs, pull on clothes, and run back upstairs, panting. Danny is starting to scream as if nobody is with him. "Shh, baby," I say. I pull him out of his crib and hold him close. "Time for breakfast, huh?" There''s snot dripping out of his nose. He''s the picture of misery. I feel like a terrible human being, even though I haven''t even had a chance to brush my teeth today. "Let''s get you a bottle," I tell him, carefully walking downstairs with him. I pop him into a freestanding high chair and make sure that it''s far away from the table. The leading cause of emergency room visits for babies under one year of age is fractured skulls from the wrong kind of high chair. I have zero desire to take Danny to the emergency room. I mix the form and water together, letting the baby have a bottle that''s slightly warmer than room temperature. He wrinkles his nose as the rush job but puts up with it. While''s he''s upied, I run for my toothbrush and brush my teeth in the kitchen, keeping an eye on Danny. When two minutes are up, I go back to my bathroom and spit before using some mouthwash. The second that I''m not in the room, I hear a thunk which makes my heart miss a beat. I skid straight back into the kitchen only to find that he''s thrown his bottle on the floor, where it''s leaking. "Why''d you throw it?" I ask Danny. He blows some spit bubbles and looks mad. I guess today isn''t N?velDrama.Org owns all content. going to be as easy as yesterday. By six in the evening, I''m dragging ass. Nothing I did today pleased my little tyrant. He was unhappy every second of the day, and I just can''t understand why. I remember now that I haven''t given him the colic solution that Cami gave me the recipe for. So while waiting for Jeff toe home, I realize I have to go to the store. I have no idea when he''ll be home, so I need to take Danny with me. I hunt for a stroller in the garage. There''s a giant one that kind of resembles a tank. "Looks like we''re walking to the grocery store, buddy," I say to Danny. He kicks his legs and fights me as I try to strap him in, so it takes me a few minutes. His face is getting red from temper. I pray that Jeff will be home soon. I realize that Danny might be cranky because he hasn''t seen Jeff today yet. We walk over to the nearest Target. I spend a lot of time in the spice and herbal medicine sections. Finally, I have all theponents. It sort of reminds me of chemistry ss. I pay and I push Danny home with the grocery bag tied to the sturdy big handle in the back. I don''t think that a recipe from a midwife would actively harm the baby, so I put together the recipe and pray for the best while Danny is in the Pack n y. When it''s finally done, I have to let it cool. But Danny is starting to scream again, so I pop some ice cubes into the solution to help it cool down faster. I pull him out of the ypen and pop him into the high chair. "Let''s try this out and see if it works, okay?" I strain the solution ande up with sort of murky looking liquid. I pop it into a bottle and offer it to Danny, putting the nipple in his mouth. To my great relief, he doesn''t spit it out or bat it away. He''s sucking on it as if it''s just the same as form. I can watch him visibly rx. Sometimes, a baby will get sleepy when he or she is drinking milk. Whatever''s happening with Danny has about two times the impact. His sucking gets a little sluggish. His eyes droop a lot. I pull the bottle out of his little hands. He yawns hard. I can see the greenish tint to his tongue. I pray that whatever it was is okay. "Let''s put you in your crib, okay?" I smell his diaper and feel it. He''s peed, but I don''t smell poop. I carry him upstairs, change him, and put him in the crib. He''s normally a little crankier when he feels the cold air despite the towel that I put on him when I''m changing him. But he seems pretty Zen right now. I put him in the crib and he''s all the way out. Maybe I should make that recipe every day. I hear the front door open. After turning on the baby monitor, I quickly get out of Danny''s room and skip down the stairs. "What did you cook? It looks like a healthy shake or something." Jeff shudders in mock disgust. "There''s a midwife''s recipe to help with colic," I say. Jeff raises his eyebrows at me. "And did it work?" "It put Danny to sleep. It remains to be seen if it helps." "Did you buy the ingredients yourself?" "Yeah." He sorts through the Target bags and puts the receipt into his pants pocket. "I''ll reimburse you for the cost in your next paycheck." That''s right. I''m his employee. "Sounds good." I wish I could just wave it off, but he knows that I''m about to go to college. I have a trust fund that I get when I graduate, but until then, I''m just your average broke college student. My dad is paying for my tuition, fees, and room and board, but that''s it. I''m paying for my own books and anything else, which is why I have a summer job. I take a deep breath. "Fettucine alfredo?" "You know it." Tags: Source: Chapter 88 Chapter 88 He starts to unpack dinner, which smells good enough to make me salivate. I swallow hard. I realize that I skipped lunch because of how fussy Danny was today. It just slipped my mind. He does the same thing that he did yesterday, pulling out the actual stuff you need to set the table. "Do you wash your own dishes, or is that something your Alfred handles?" I haven''t seen a housekeeper or anything. "I schedule cleanings every few weeks when I know I''ll be home. Yes, I load and unload my own dishwasher. Danny goes through bottles too quickly for me to leave it that long. But I''ll admit my Alfred takes care of theundry. " He waves his hand at the cloth napkins. "Anyundry you have, you can just leave it downstairs in the sink." "Or I can walk to my house and do my ownundry when you''re home. Maybe I''ll do that today." He shrugs. "Whatever you want." And then both of us dig into our meals. The rich, creamy sauce is just what I want. There''s broli and chicken in the dish, too, which makes it slightly healthier. I can see that he''s eating grilled rosemary chicken with a vegetable medley on the side. In a few minutes, my stomach is bulging and I''ve finished the whole thing. "That was so good," I say. "What restaurant was it?" "I''ll have to ask Marjorie. Normally, I pick it up myself, but I stayed sote that she arranged to have a delivery guy from the restaurant swing by the office around 7." "Cool." I don''t understand the casual eptance of having other people bring him stuff, but I guess I''m an employee, too. My dad is self-sufficient to an absurd degree, no matter how much money we have. I guess that without a wife and with a young baby, Jeff has allowed himself to delegate more tasks. "I haven''t been by the officetely," I say. "How''s Marjorie?" "Still a firecracker," Jeff says. Iugh, because I still remember the time when she used to unplug his inte every day so that he''d have to go to her desk. Sometimes I felt like Marjorie ran the whole office, which was kind of true. She was in her seventies and had spent her entire career shepherding executives. She was the best of the best, which meant that she spoke her mind whenever she wanted. She was always sweet to me, constantly slipping me candy when I was a kid. She was the one who''d made sure that there were feminine products at my house when I was about to hit puberty. I watched the videos and stuff in health ss at school, but she''d gone the extra mile for me. I hadn''t had a nanny after ag e 10, but Marjorie was someone who thought of all the details. "Maybe I should bring Danny by for lunchtime one day." "How about tomorrow?" Jeff asks. "I''d love to see his face." A cloud drifts over his face. "I normally spend the whole day near him, but..." "I''m sure it''s hard. He''s had a little separation anxiety," I confess. "And I think it might help." "Sounds good." I clear my throat. I go to the sink to rinse off my te. "Um, so, I guess I''ll go to bed?" My voice is a little higher pitched than normal. I''m agonizing over whether I should ask him if we''re going to spend the night together or if he''s too tired. "Sure. If you want to bring your toothbrush in my bathroom, it might be easier on you." No discussion, but he''s making it clear that he''s expecting me to go upstairs. Thank goodness. I don''t even know how to have this kind of conversation. He''s the only person I''ve ever had sex with. I don''t know what kind of protocol or whatever applies in this situation, where I''m a teenage girl living with a grown-up while I take care of his kid. I pop into my room, wash my face, grab a set of pajamas and my toothbrush, and head upstairs. I brush my teeth standing next to his sink, which in some ways feels more intimate than what we did this morning. When I put my toothbrush in the holder in his room, it means that I''ll be sleeping here for the foreseeable future. I know it''s too early to go to bed. But tonight, I feel like skipping my normal ritual with my Kindle. I climb under the covers. My eyes drift shut and I''m asleep in Jeff''s bed before I can even hear himing up the stairs. Bristly Kisses Elia I wake up to someone kissing my neck. I can feel the light bristles abrading the soft skin. "Good," he says. "You''re up." Sometime during the night, I lost my pajamas. His big hand skates over the softness of my stomach before it settles between my legs. With expert pressure, he circles around my clit. I buck against his hand. I know that he''s totally sober. Everything is dark and quiet. He presses his erection against me. What time is it? Midnight? Two AM? I seriously can''t tell, and then I lose track of any train of thought at all because he''s pressing himself into me and the only thing I can think about is how hot he feels inside of me. I''m still partially asleep as he rides my body, spreading my thighs wide as he pushes even further inside of my body. He ys with my clit, which makes my back arch in a bow before I climax under him. He grunts as he unleashes his seed inside of my body. I milk more out of his cock before he copses on top of me. "You''re heavy," I tell him. "But it''s perfect." I can''t breathe too easily right now, but who needs to breathe when there''s a hot guy inside of you? I trail a hand down his back. He''s sweaty and breathing as hard as I am. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. "You''re perfect," he tells me, biting my earlobe. Then he withdraws, leaving a cold emptiness inside of me. I can see motion as he heads for the bathroom. Hees back with a wet towel, which he uses to clean me up. When he goes back in there, I can hear running water as he cleans himself up. Then he climbs back into bed and pulls me into the curve of his body. Tags: Source: Chapter 89 Chapter 89 "Go back to sleep, Elia," he murmurs. Encapsted in his heat, I fall back asleep. Chicken BLT Elia When I wake up again, he''s gone and the bed is empty. There''s a Post-It on the bedside table saying "Noon." I think my phone is downstairs. I hunt for my pajamas, which are on the nightstand, folded neatly. I pull them on before I go to Danny''s room. He''s still asleep, but I take him out anyway. I put the crib attachment on the top of the Pack n y and settle him there. He''s sleeping more deeply than he ever has before. I realize thatst night was the first time I didn''t have to do a midnight feeding, although maybe Jeff did. I go to my phone and text Jeff. Where should I meet you and did you feed Dannyst night? N?velDrama.Org owns all content. His reply is pretty swift. Office and yes He woke me upst night for sex but not to do my job? That was...I don''t know, sweet, I guess. I shake my head. I warm up a bottle so that Danny will have something to eat when he wakes up. Then I drift into my bedroom to get dressed. I remember now that my toothbrush is upstairs. I have a spare manual toothbrush in my bag, which I use rather than run up and down the stairs. I''m tying a scarf over my hair when I hear Danny''s breathy little cries. I go straight out to the living room, where Danny is fussing just a little bit. "Hey there," I say. I put him in the high chair and give him the warm bottle that I prepared. He seems a lot happier than he was before. It looks like I''ll be giving him the midwife''s magical potion every day. I kiss his little head as he eats his breakfast a little more slowly than he did yesterday. When he''s full, he sets down the bottle and grins at me. After grabbing a burping cloth, I pick him up to burp him and he nestles into my shoulder. When I think that he''s been burped enough, the two of us get onto the nket in the living room that has be our y ce. I dump a big basket of toys onto it and he spends the rest of the morning crawling around, stacking things on top of each other, and either watching them fall down or knocking them over himself. When I see that it''s about 11, I go, change him, and make sure that I''m ready for lunch. I put on two made an effort. I''m driving my dad''s car to the office. It has a parking permit, so I won''t have any trouble. I put a spare car seat into Dad''s back seat, buckle Danny in, and drive us towards the office. It''s not far, but it feels weird driving a baby around, like there''s a lot more weight even though he''s not that heavy. I have to be careful. I get there with about 5 minutes to spare. I pull Danny out of the car in a carrier and get into the elevator. "Hello, Marjorie," I say when I recognize thedy next to me. "Elia!" Marjorie pats my arm. "What a lovely surprise." My eyebrows furrow just a little bit. "Didn''t you know that I wasing?" "No," she says. "Why on earth are you here? Did your father ask you to pick something up? We could have it couriered over, you know." "I''m here for lunch," I say, gesturing to Danny. She looks at the baby. "Danny''s used to being around his dad a lot more often than he has been for thest few days, so we thought it would be a good idea for Danny to visit his father at work for a little while. Danny doesn''t cry as much when he''s around his dad." "I see," Marjorie said, sounding skeptical. The elevator chimes as we got to their floor. "Your lunch appointment is here," Marjorie calls. "And I''m going to take my break." She flips a switch on the phone to forward all the calls downstairs, where there is a frence pool of temps. They can take messages and all the calls are recorded. "Elia!" Jeff says, leaving his office. I notice that his suit jacket is on the back of his chair. "Danny!" Danny stretches out his arms. I set him on the ground so that Jeff can hold him. The instant that I unbuckle him, Danny is kicking his legs to try to wiggle out of the chair. Jeff scoops him up and holds him tightly. "I missed you," he says, kissing Danny''s temple. "You saw him a few hours ago," I say. "Still missed him," he says, grinning at me. Marjorie is watching all of this with the focus of a referee at a tennis match. She seems unhappy, the corners of her mouth pointing down. With a sniff, she picks up her purse and walks out the door. Tags: Source: Chapter 90 Chapter 90 "What did you want to eat for lunch?" I ask. "I don''t actuallye here for lunch that often..." "There''s a hotel restaurant that serves really good food. I think that it''s family friendly." Jeff readjusts Danny in his arms. "It''s close enough to walk to." The three of us take the elevator down and walk two blocks away. I''m holding an empty baby carrier and Danny is swiveling around, trying to take in all the sights. His wispy hair is getting a tiny bit windblown. Jeff''s grown-up version of that same hair is getting tousled. He looks like a model next to a wind machine. It''s unfair. If I hadn''t wrestled my hair into braids, my hair would be a wind-tossed frizzy cloud of sadness. I''m not the kind of girl who has to tease her hair for volume, I can tell you that much. When we get to the hotel, he slips $20 to the hostess and asks for a table that''s somewhat private. We don''t mention Danny''s colic. She brings us to a table near the back. I can hear the bustle of the kitchen. We slide into the seats. I put the baby carrier under the table and hope there''s nothing sticky under there. "Your server will be right with you," the hostess says. "Enjoy your meal." She walks back to the front. I''m covertly looking under the table for any signs of gum. "When do you need to be back at the office?" "Two hours. I have a meeting at 2." "Good," I say. Before I can say anything more, his mouth is brushing mine. And then he''s kissing me harder, pushing his tongue inside of my mouth. We''re both breathless by the time that he''s done. "I couldn''t do that in front of Marjorie," he murmurs. Danny is distracted, looking at all the other diners. I don''t think he''s even noticed what his father is doing, since he has his back to us. Jeff has a hand on Danny''s squishy tummy. "We''re in public," I try to say, but ites out as a moan. I''ve soaked my panties. It kind of feels like I held them under a waterfall. "I couldn''t wait," he said. "And I''m not trying to hide whatever it is we''re doing." I think about it. My dad is out of the country, and he''s really the only person who would fervently object. "I guess so," I say. "But I don''t know what we''re doing." "We''re dating," he says, tugging lightly on one braid. At least he doesn''t chew the ends like Danny does. He says it like we''ve discussed it, like it''s a done deal and of course we''re dating. I suppose he did take my virginity, which means something, right? "I don''t know." He raises his eyebrows. "Do you think we aren''t?" I lift one shoulder. "I guess we are." "I know we are." He sounds very sure. "I haven''t dated anybody seriously since she died," he continues. I nod. I know it''s true. I''ve seen women stumbling out of his house in the morning, but never more than once. "And when it''s right, it''s right. You''re the one." I''m kind of freaking out. "What do you mean?" "I mean you''re not a one-night stand," he says. "I hope not," I say. "Considering what we''ve done..." "Yeah," he says. "And you''re living in my house." He sounds really smug, a little too smug. I twist my hands in myp and decide to change the subject. "What do you want to get?" "I always get a chicken BLT when I''m here. They melt Gruyere, Parmesan, and Romano cheese From N?velDrama.Org. together on top and it''s divine." "Sounds good. I''ll get that too. I''ll take your word for it." I frown at the menu. "But I''ll ask for a side of mashed potatoes instead of fries. Boiled potatoes have a lower glycemic index than fried potatoes." "It''s lunch," Jeff says. "And I don''t think you have diabetes." Tags: Source: Chapter 91 Chapter 91 "You can''t be too careful," I say. "It runs in my dad''s side of the family." Jeff shrugs. I feel really weird, like we aren''t gelling. Our lunch date isn''t really bonding time. Danny wiggles enough for Jeff to turn him around and help him stand on his thigh, looking over his shoulder. He turns so that Danny can still look at the rest of the restaurant. Abruptly, I feel very cold. I look up. There''s an air vent right over where we''re sitting, which is awful. Right now I feel like the only reason I''m having lunch with him is the cover story I gave Marjorie. Watching him take care of his young baby is nice, but I feel like I don''t really belong here in a hotel getting a power lunch with my boss. I don''t feel like repeating this experience. We''re getting looks from other diners. They can see that I''m not Danny''s biological mother. He looks just like Jeff, with the same blond hair and startlingly blue eyes. Danny doesn''t resemble me at all. I want to go home. There¡¯s a really bad feeling in my stomach. I touch the back of my neck and rub it a little bit. ¡°Could we get the food to go?¡± I ask. ¡°Sure,¡± he says, a light in his eyes that says that he thinks I¡¯m asking for something else. I look at Danny, who reaches for me. I pick him up and pull him into myp. He pulls himself up with his little N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. fists gripping my shirt. ¡°You¡¯re getting stronger every day, aren¡¯t you?¡± I say, kissing his tiny nose. He yawns so hugely that it¡¯s almostical. ¡°You want to go back in your carrier, don¡¯t you?¡± Instead of answer me, he pulls himself close to me and buries his face in my shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s okay, Danny,¡± I say. ¡°Let¡¯s put you down.¡± Jeff holds the carrier still while I put Danny in and drape a nket over it. Somehow, it¡¯s easy for him to go to bed in public. That new recipe is a miracle. Our waitresses. I see the way that her eyes linger on Jeff¡¯s shoulders. He has really broad shoulders. I irrationally want to jump between them and cover him up, even though he¡¯s fully clothed. ¡°We¡¯d like two chicken BLTs to go.¡± He points to Danny. ¡°Our kid is asleep.¡± I can see her visibly dete. With the nket over Danny, she can¡¯t see that Danny isn¡¯t my baby. ¡°Yeah, no problem,¡± she says. ¡°I¡¯ll put in the order right now.¡± The chicken BLT must be ultra-popr, because the waitress is bringing out a box with the sandwiches in less than 5 minutes. ¡°That¡¯s the fastest I¡¯ve ever gotten this.¡± He puts a twenty in the waitress¡¯s hand. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll pay the bill up front.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± she says, a smile on her face. ¡°Have a nice day.¡± We take the boxes and go outside. I¡¯m holding the baby carrier while Jeff pays the bill. And we¡¯re out on the street. ¡°Where do you want to eat?¡± My mouth feels dry right now. ¡°The park, I guess.¡± I¡¯m feeling oddly fragile. We walk to a small park where there are tons of kids all over the yground. I try to ignore the ants that are on the ground and the small anthill that they are streaming out of. The first bite of food hits me almost as hard as an orgasm. ¡°Oh my goodness,¡± I yelp when I¡¯ve swallowed my first bite. ¡°What¡¯s in this?¡± ¡°A mix of cheeses created by the hand of God,¡± Jeff says,ughing. ¡°I told you it was good.¡± ¡°What an understatement,¡± I say. ¡°I¡¯ll get so chubby if Ie down here every day.¡± He squeezes my hand. ¡°You¡¯re perfect just as you are, Elia.¡± I think about my high school crush who told me that I was cute but too fat for him to date. Tags: Source: Chapter 92 Chapter 92 ¡°Sure,¡± I say. ¡°I mean it,¡± Jeff says. ¡°It takes more than one sentence to fix a lifetime of insecurity,¡± I say. ¡°It¡¯s not like I had a mom who could exin all the changes that puberty brought. I had a school nurse and Marjorie, but that was pretty much it.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Jeff says. ¡°Thank God Danny isn¡¯t a girl, or I¡¯d be in the same situation.¡± I shrug. ¡°Well, he¡¯s not.¡± I choke back tears. I¡¯m not usually this emotional, but the idea of a tiny little Danielle who had to grow up without proper support. I¡¯d obviously take a hand and Marjorie might have interfered, but she has to be retirement age now. I wonder for a moment if she stuck around so long because she was keeping an eye on me. I finish the rest of my sandwich and close the box which has a few shreds of lettuce in it. I¡¯m feeling better with a little food in me. Jeff must have finished a few minutes ago, because he already threw away his sandwich box. ¡°You looked lost in thought,¡± Jeff says. ¡°Just thinking about what it would be like if you had a little who grew up without a mother, like I did.¡± ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll get married again. Your father certainly could have, if you hadn¡¯t despised every candidate on sight.¡± I smile. ¡°I stopped screaming eventually. It¡¯s not like it was an eternal scream.¡± ¡°Your father respected your wishes.¡± ¡°Do you think that a kid can decide that kind of thing?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t have a mother, but you also didn¡¯t have to deal with an evil stepmother.¡± ¡°True.¡± He looks at his watch. ¡°We should walk back now.¡± He picks up the baby carrier and we go back to the office building. We get into the elevator. It¡¯s just us, a sleeping baby and a man with a look in his eyes as if he wants to ravish me right here. Before we get to his floor, he leans in and kisses me, baby carrier and all. ¡°Ahem!¡± Marjorie says as the doors open. I blush furiously, my cheeks flooding with heat. She looks between us, a disapproving frown on her lips. ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± ¡°I better get going,¡± Jeff says sheepishly. He gives me the baby carrier and presses the button for the ground floor. ¡°I¡¯ll see you at home tonight.¡± Marjorie looks at my kiss-swollen lips for a minute, shakes her head, and walks away. I cringe inside From N?velDrama.Org. but take Danny back downstairs to get my dad¡¯s car so we can drive home. I want to take a shower and wash away Marjorie¡¯s disapproval. Part 2 Guardianship Jeff When I get back to my desk, I can see that there''s an urgent email sitting there. It''s from mywyer. Not our in-house counsel, but the one that I use for personal matters. I open it. It only contains two words: Call me. My mouth goes dry. What''s going on? The sweet haze of seeing my girl and baby son for lunch immediately di ssipates. I dial his number, which he keeps in his signature. "Hello?" "Richman and Harrison, how may I help you?" Tags: Source: Chapter 93 Chapter 93 "This is Jeff - Harry emailed me to call him immediately." "Certainly. Please hold." I hold for less than 5 seconds before Harry picks up the phone. Harry''s first name is actually Thaddeus, which is a family name. He goes by Harry. "Jeff, we have a problem," he says, diving in. "Your inws want custody of Danny." "No," I say. My heart rate is picking up. I''m squeezing my office phone so hard that I''m surprised that the stic isn''t bending out of shape. "You know the part of your living will that I wasn''t happy about?" "That Danny''s guardian would have control of his shares of thepany? We told you why we did it. We wanted to make sure that if we were inas or something, he''d always be taken care of." "I knew you had good intentions, but your inws apparently know about thenguage in your living trust." "But I''m alive...and I''m still the trustee of this self-settled trust." "It''splicated," he says, and I can see him rubbing his forehead even though I can only hear his voice. "Your wife set things up in a way that opens us up to this sort of legal challenge. They''ve dered their intent to ask for primary custody of Danny in court." "They can''t do that. I''m his father." "You can sue anybody for anything," Harry says softly. "The real question is whether you can win." "I will never lose my son," I tell him. "And I don''t care what it takes to keep him." "You''re going to have a hell of a fight." My dead wife''s parents are wealthy enough to battle me in court for years. But right now, I have Danny. If I need to take him out of the country, I will. "What are we going to do?" "I''m going to have a long talk with theirwyer about his intentions." Harry pauses again. "I have to tell you, it really doesn''t look good. They''re making a case that they''ll be able to provide a more stable household with the two of them rather than just you." Silence. I am barely breathing. "And your wife is entitled to half of your share of thepany. You have voting stock, as you know. So this isn''t just a family affair." I''m going to throw up. Right now, everything that I''ve built is in jeopardy. They''re wealthy people, but they''re insatiable. They''d take Danny''s inheritance so that they could profit off of it. I tried to keep away from my inws as much as possible. My dead wife loved them better from a distance. And now they wanted Danny. From N?velDrama.Org. Proposal Elia Jeffes home that night, he has a bag of takeout. "What is that?" "Mee goreng," he says. "I thought you might like some My food." "Smells good," I say, smiling up at him. But there''s a very heavy sadness in his eyes. "Do you think I''m a good dad?" he asks abruptly. "Um, sure?" I look at Danny, who is sleeping in the living room, his little feet moving restlessly. "Someone is suing me for custody of my son...two someones." He shakes his head and drops a kiss on Danny''s forehead. Danny''s eyelids flutter a little before he settles back down. "I don''t want to lose him." "What basis do they have for stealing your child?" Tags: Source: Chapter 94 Chapter 94 "They''re Danny''s grandparents," he says. "And they''re trying to get partial control of thepany." My jaw drops. "Yourpany? The one you have with my dad?" "Yeah," he says. "Oh hell no," I say. "I''m not going to let that happen." "I appreciate the thought, but you may not have any control over this," he responds. "Look at me," he says, stretching out his arms. "I''m just a single dad. There are two of them. They weren''t exactly loving parents, but they want the money and power that custody of Danny could get them. They''re trying to tell the court that I''m an unfit parent because I don''t have a wife." "Well, we could fix that," I say. He looks at me. He puts the bag of food down. "Elia." That''s all he says. "Think about it," I tell him. "You don''t have to answer me now. But think about it." Eating Mee Goreng Jeff I get out tes and utensils. My mind is spinning. Marrying Elia might be the answer to my problems, but I think it¡¯s unfair to her. She¡¯s just a teenager. I don¡¯t know how Eric will react. I wince. She hasn¡¯t dated boys, so it¡¯s a big leap for her to marry me. I¡¯m going to have to call him after N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. dinner is over, no matter what time it is. For some reason, I can¡¯t think of an alternative. They¡¯reing for Danny and I will do anything when it He turns over in his sleep. Elia is still eating as I pull him into my arms and walk upstairs with his light weight pressed against me. I kiss his forehead when I put him down in the crib in my room. Nothing is out of the question when ites to protecting him. And my decision is made. I¡¯ll call Eric as soon as I¡¯ve finished eating. When I walk downstairs, Elia¡¯s almost done. It seems like she inhaled dinner. When she hears me walking down the steps, she inhales thest bites of her ice cream and stands up to put her dish in the sink, choking a little bit. ¡°Are you okay?¡± I ask. ¡°Fine,¡± she manages to squeak. ¡°I¡¯m calling your father after dinner,¡± I say. ¡°I¡¯ll be in my room,¡± she says before walking off. I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going to happen now. There¡¯s a chance that Eric will explode when I ask him if I can marry his daughter. We¡¯ll just have to see. As soon as I¡¯ve washed the dishes, I go to myputer. Calls to China cost $0.02 per minute through VoIP. I take a deep breath before calling his cell phone. Both of us have one, since we travel to China, although my own trips have been less frequent with Danny around. ¡°Hello?¡± Eric asks. ¡°This better be an emergency. It¡¯s dark o¡¯clock, you asshole.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, whatever,¡± I say. He¡¯s not the cheeriest morning person. I check the clock. It¡¯s actually not dark o¡¯clock. ¡°Listen, I¡¯m getting hit with awsuit.¡± ¡°You¡¯re getting hit with awsuit or we¡¯re getting hit with awsuit?¡± Eric sounds a lot more awake now. ¡°My inws are trying to take half of my voting stock.¡± ¡°What the fuck?¡± Eric screeches. ¡°How?¡± ¡°My living trust, the one that I created with my wife. We had some ambiguousnguage that they¡¯re trying to use to get half of my voting shares.¡± ¡°Fuck,¡± Eric repeats. Tags: Source: Chapter 95 Chapter 95 ¡°Yeah,¡± I say. ¡°And that¡¯s not the worst part. They¡¯re trying to do it by getting guardianship of Danny. They¡¯re trying to say that I¡¯m an unfit parent because I¡¯m alone and working. There are two of them. It¡¯ll be a more stable household.¡± ¡°So get engaged to some floozy,¡± he tells me. ¡°Not that simple. I¡¯m sure they¡¯d see through that.¡± Eric sighs. ¡°So what are you going to do?¡± ¡°What would you be willing to do to protect thepany? How far would you go?¡± Silence. ¡°Pretty far.¡± Eric doesn¡¯t sound very happy, because he knows where I¡¯m going. ¡°I¡¯d like to marry your daughter.¡± ¡°No fucking way. Snowball¡¯s chance in hell. Fuck no.¡± ¡°Hear me out,¡± I say. ¡°Listen, she¡¯s already living in my house and taking care of Danny. She¡¯s kind of like a mother. And I¡¯ll take care of her, pay for her college, set her up with a trust fund, whatever. I promise I¡¯d treat her right.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°You¡¯re lucky that it¡¯s you, asshole,¡± Eric grumbles. ¡°You might be the only man I¡¯d trust enough for this.¡± He sighs. ¡°And the divorce?¡± ¡°Elia and I will work it out.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like this,¡± he says. ¡°But I¡¯m going to give you a green light anyway. Don¡¯t fuck things up,¡± he wa rns. ¡°Got you,¡± I say. ¡°Later, loser,¡± he says, yawning. ¡°I¡¯m going to go back to sleep.¡± And with that, the phone buzzes. He¡¯s in bed and I¡¯m about to ask Elia to be my wife. I go to my safe. My mother was disappointed when I proposed to my dead wife with a custom-made ring that she designed. I have my grandmother¡¯s ring, a tiny chip diamond set in a small gold band. It¡¯s not worth a lot of money, but it¡¯s worth the world to me. Elia might only wear it for a little while, but I know that I¡¯ll like seeing it on her hand. Ring Elia I have headphones on and am trying to watch a really old episode of Sabrina when I hear a knock on my door. ¡°Can Ie in?¡± I take the headphones off. ¡°Yeah,e on in.¡± My feet are tucked under me. I¡¯m facing myptop. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± I ask. He sits on my bed and smooths a small wrinkle in my bedspread. ¡°We need to talk.¡± He looks up at me. ¡°And it¡¯s serious. Sit over here.¡± He pats the bedspread next to him. ¡°Yeah?¡± I sit next to him. My feet don¡¯t touch the ground. He swallows and snorts a little. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m doing this.¡± ¡°What?¡± Tags: Source: Chapter 96 Chapter 96 ¡°You know how you proposed to me downstairs? You¡¯d be Danny¡¯s stepmother and my wife?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± My heart starts beating a little faster. ¡°But you didn¡¯t seem like you were into it.¡± He rubs his eyes. ¡°Things change. I just called your dad.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°He¡¯s letting us do it.¡± My little heart feels like a hummingbird¡¯s right now. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°No shit?¡± I ask. ¡°Yeah,¡± he says. ¡°I¡¯m going to ask you to marry me.¡± My heart soars. I feel like I¡¯m jumping over a rainbow right now. Right there, in my little bedroom and with his son asleep upstairs, Jeff sinks to one knee. ¡°Elia, I promise to take care of you for as long as we¡¯re married. I¡¯ll make sure that you¡¯re in a good position when you leave. I¡¯ll pay for your years of college, as many as you want. Will you marry me?¡± He fishes a ring box out of his pocket and opens it. It¡¯s a small diamond in a fabulous setting. I always thought that I would get married when I was madly in love. Maybe I¡¯m young, but I always believed in the forever kind of love, the sort when the prince goes hunting for you and heals you with true love¡¯s kiss. What he¡¯s offering is temporary. It¡¯s only to save his son. Oh, I know that sleeping with him has something to do with it, even if my dad doesn¡¯t. This proposal isn¡¯t because he¡¯s overwhelmed by love for me. He¡¯s just doing it for the sake of expediency. I don¡¯t care. I will take what he¡¯s offering before it¡¯s gone. ¡°Yes.¡± He takes the ring out of the box and slides it on my finger. The band fits me perfectly. ¡°How did you even get this? Did you just run to the jewelry store?¡± I look at the clock. There¡¯s no way he could¡¯ve called my dad and driven to the nearest jewelry store. They¡¯re probably closed right now anyway. ¡°It¡¯s my grandmother¡¯s ring.¡± I swallow hard. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen it before.¡± He sighs and rises. He sits on the bed. ¡°With my first wife, she dragged me to a diamond dealer and had a custom design so that it suited her personality. My mother was kind of devastated, actually.¡± I swallow even harder. ¡°So you¡¯re giving me something that you¡¯ve never given anyone else?¡± My stupid little heart is flying like an eagle, soaring where the air is thin, even though I know that this engagement is not real. The marriage will end. I can¡¯t get my hopes up. ¡°Yup.¡± He looks down at the ring on my hand. ¡°I remember the smell of lemon,¡± he tells me. ¡°She loved lemon bars and would bake them all the time. She¡¯d serve them with tea, but I always got 90% milk and 10% tea. She¡¯d like you. She¡¯d be happy to have you as Danny¡¯s stepmother.¡± I¡¯m trying not to cry. It shouldn¡¯t feel this real, but it does. He¡¯s just given me his grandmother¡¯s ring. ¡°I promise to take care of it for as long as I wear it.¡± ¡°I know you will,¡± he says. ¡°I know.¡± When he leans in for a kiss, it¡¯s so gentle and tender that my entire body melts as quickly as a popsicle on a hot July day. Warmth is spreading through my whole body. He kisses my neck and bites me hard enough to make my back arch. Not long ago, I was messing around on myputer. Now my clothes areing off and he¡¯s yanking open his pants, the buckle clinking as it slides to the floor. ¡°I have to make you mine.¡± His big hand is sitting between my thighs and pets my clit. ¡°You¡¯re wet,¡± he observes. Tags: Source: Chapter 97 Chapter 97 ¡°Yes,¡± I whisper. He gets back on the ground, kneeling between my thighs. The touch of his tongue feels like a paintbrush that¡¯s on fire. My hips jerk forward as he continues to consume me, two fingers circling my clit around and around. I can¡¯t scream, so I just breathe heavily and as quietly as I can. When my body goes hurtling into the stratosphere, Jeff pushes his cock into my entrance. The slide forward is slick from my orgasm. Our eyes meet as he slides all the way in. His hands go to my hips, forcing me to move with his rhythm. He¡¯s breathing hard, chest rising and falling rapidly. He leans forward and bites the top of my right breast, which makes mee. I¡¯m trying very hard not to scream as my body clenches again and again around him. He yanks my feet up and puts my ankles at his shoulders. He¡¯s even deeper now, touching me so far inside that I think he¡¯s going to pop out of my throat. My head is whipping from side to side as he grunts and lets go. I can feel his warmth spreading through my body. Too soon, he withdraws slowly enough that I feel a shiver of pleasure. ¡°You¡¯re perfect,¡± he tells me, looking at thee spilling out of my body. ¡°Perfect.¡± He dives to the side and brings my hand to his mouth for a kiss before I can even blink. He¡¯s kissed the ring he put on my finger. ¡°We¡¯ll get married as soon as we can," he tells me. Marriage Elia TWO DAYS LATER I¡¯m wearing an ivory dress, even though I¡¯m not a virgin. Butterflies are camped out in my stomach. Is this really the future that I want? I look at Danny, who is sitting in the corner of the dressing room. He¡¯s ying with a pink bear. He¡¯s not old enough for someone to take it away from him. The sight helps settle my stomach. It will be one of the greatest honors of my life to be Danny¡¯s stepmother. ¡°Let me fix your tiara,¡± Kelly says. She and Cami are my bridesmaids. I couldn¡¯t choose a maid of honor, but they¡¯ve been taking care of everything that needed to happen. I thought that we¡¯d just go to a courthouse and get a justice of the peace to pronounce us man and wife, but Jeff insisted on a real wedding. I thought anything legal would count as a real wedding, but we¡¯ve invited a bunch of his business associates and my friends to attend. Cost isn¡¯t an issue, so it¡¯s pretty much a huge party with an open bar. The ceremony will take a very short time. It¡¯s all about the party that we¡¯re having tonight. I can hear the band starting up. It means that he¡¯s getting ready to walk. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°How do I look?¡± I ask them. ¡°You look fabulous,¡± Kelly says, wiping a tiny smudge of lipstick from the corner of my mouth. ¡°You¡¯ll knock them dead.¡± ¡°Remember to breathe,¡± Cami says. I¡¯m dressed in the sort of white dress that little girls dream about. It¡¯s fluffy and the bodice is covered in tiny seed pearls. One shoulder is bare. My veil barely covers my face and attaches to my very small tiara. ¡°Here we go,¡± they tell me. My dad still isn¡¯t back from China yet, so my uncle is giving me away. He¡¯s waiting outside the door. He¡¯s taken all of this in stride, not asking a bunch of questions about the hasty circumstances. I think that he thinks that I¡¯m pregnant, but I¡¯m really not sure. I don¡¯t know if it matters. ¡°Ready, kid?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± I tell him. ¡°All set.¡± He walks slowly in consideration for the heels I¡¯m wearing. They are dream shoes, even if I know my feet are going to screaming at the end of the day. There are gasps when I appear in the doorway, Cami and Kelly helping carrying my train. I¡¯m happy, looking at all the beaming faces. Nobody seems unhappy or upset about everything. They¡¯d only had a day¡¯s worth of notice, but people hade for their lunch break. I walk up the aisle, going straight for Jeff. He looks extraordinarily handsome in a tuxedo. When we get to the end, my uncle pats my hand and goes to sit down with my aunt. Jeff lifts my veil and flips it over my head. ¡°Dearly beloved, we are gathered here¡­¡± the officiant starts, and I look at Jeff. Most ministers don¡¯t do hasty weddings like this, so I suspect that Jeff bribed somebody to make it happen. I don¡¯t know if I should be exasperated or happy. Tags: Source: Chapter 98 Chapter 98 I can¡¯t even hear while I¡¯m up there. I¡¯m trying not to cry happy tears and ruin my makeup, but this is as N?velDrama.Org (C) content. close to a fairytale as I¡¯m going to get. Other girls wait and agonize for a year to taste different cake samples and think about the exact shade of the tablecloths. Jeff just asked around for wedding nners with cancelled weddings and slid right into a slot with a runaway bride who jilted her groom with one day to go. With him around, everything was easier. The priest asks me to say ¡°I do¡±. Then he asks Jeff. Now we¡¯re man and wife. Jeff kisses me softly on the lips and I can hear happy sighs in the crowd. Then we turn to the audience. I am bl inded by shes, but I keep a smile on my face. No matter what the future brings, I will never forget the happiness of this moment. Danny¡¯s asleep in a carrier in the front row next to my aunt. Five hourster, my feet are screaming and my stomach is full. I¡¯ve been kissed by Jeff so many times my mouth has swollen to twice the normal size. And still people are clinking their forks against their sses. ¡°You want to get out of here?¡± Jeff asks as he watches me surreptitiously rub my feet. ¡°Yes,¡± I say gratefully. I look out at the room. ¡°But the party¡¯s in full swing.¡± ¡°They won¡¯t even notice.¡± Jeff takes my hand and kisses my new wedding band. ¡°Let¡¯s sneak out. I¡¯ll tell the DJ to make an announcement that the free bar is open until 5 AM.¡± He goes to the DJ and tells him what to say. As soon as the DJ announces it, there¡¯s a stampede for the bar that only free booze can create. Jeff and I sneak out through a side door. ¡°That was crazy,¡± I say, the cold air hitting my face. ¡°Let¡¯s go home,¡± Jeff says. Danny is staying with my aunt and uncle tonight. I shiver at the tone of Jeff¡¯s voice. Wedding Night Jeff Elia looks unbelievable. I had to hold myself back from kissing her shoulder all day. The smooth brown skin looks so soft and inviting. It doesn¡¯t help that I already knew what it felt like. I drive us both home, feeling myself getting harder, thinking of what she¡¯ll look like when I¡¯ve stripped her. And then we¡¯re home. ¡°Wait for me,¡± I tell her. I get out of the car and run around the front. She opens her door before I can, but then I¡¯m pulling her out of the car and nudging the door shut with my shoulder. My arms are full of her. ¡°What are you doing?¡± she squeals. Her arms wrap around my neck. ¡°Carrying you over the threshold, babe.¡± I kiss her ear and then her soft shoulder before walking to the front door. Thank God I had the foresight to keep it unlocked because I knew that I¡¯d be carrying her in. My foyer has motion detecting lights which ze on as soon as we get in. I take a moment to adjust to the brightness of the light before taking her upstairs to the master bedroom. I set her down gently on the bed then say, ¡°Turn.¡± She leans forward, exposing her back to me. There are little pearl buttons going down the back. I undo them one at a time, watching the smooth flesh revealed just a little bit of the time. I think I might die of anticipation on my wedding night, but what a way to go. I kiss my way down her back until I¡¯m kneeling next to the bed. ¡°Let¡¯s get you out of those. Stand.¡± I get back to my feet and pull the entire dress over her head. There¡¯s way too much fabric flying around everywhere. It feels like a snowstorm, but then I¡¯m throwing it to the side and advancing on her. ¡°Get naked,¡± she tells me. I yank off my tuxedo. If I were a patient man, I¡¯d hang it up so that it didn¡¯t wrinkle. But I¡¯m too impatient to do anything that will slow down what I¡¯ve been wanting to do all day. She¡¯s still wearing her diamond earrings that were something new. She has a blue bracelet on her wrist that was her something borrowed, as well. My grandmother¡¯s ring was something old. ¡°You¡¯re incredible,¡± I say to her, parting her thighs with a gentle hand on the inside of each knee. ¡°And I¡¯m going to eat you.¡± Before she can say anything, my head is lower so that my tongue touches her inner folds. She immediately writhes under me. I push her knees a little further apart so that I can get ess. After letting go of her knees, my fingers are rubbing her clit as my tongue flits in and out of her warmth. Damn, she tastes so good and sweet. I took her virginity, but our wedding night also feels sacred. I feel like tonight is the foundation of the rest of our lives together. Tags: Source: Chapter 99 Chapter 99 I eat her through one orgasm, then another. And still, I feel insatiable. I want to feel hering on my tongue until neither she nor I can move anymore. Bubble Bath Elia I¡¯m gasping for air as Jeff picks up the pace between my legs. He¡¯s not exactly a slouch in the bedroom department on a normal day, but on our wedding night, he¡¯s making me fly apart in this bed. I¡¯m not exactly sure that I can speak in full sentences at this point. He¡¯s making me orgasm over and over and over. I can feel the wetness on my thighs but he doesn¡¯t stop. ¡°Fuck me,¡± I beg. I want more than his tongue inside of me. ¡°You¡¯re so sweet,¡± he tells me, putting his hard naked body on top of mine. He¡¯s heavy, but it¡¯s a good feeling. It¡¯s kind of like being under a sexy b of rock. Tonight is not the first time we¡¯ve had sex. But when he enters me and maintains eye contact, it feels like the first time. We are making love right now, tender and sweet. His hands are on either side of my shoulders as he rides my body to our mutualpletion. I¡¯m worn out by the quantity of orgasms I¡¯ve experienced, but somehow I fall over the cliff earlier than he does. With a grunt, he fills me with his seed. I love watching him lose control on top of me, swinging his hips just a little bit harder as he finishes his orgasm. When he¡¯s stopped spurting inside of me, he rolls off of me and puts an arm around me. ¡°I love you,¡± he tells me. ¡°I love you.¡± I can smell the scent of sex in the room as I fall asleep after a very long day and too many orgasms to count. I wake up to the smell of bacon and coffee. ¡°Morning, wife.¡± I open one eye. ¡°Morning, husband.¡± My voice is sleepy. I reach for a mug at the side of the bed and sip the coffee. It¡¯s my French roast. After finishing a mug, I feel more human. I put the empty mug back on the nightstand. ¡°When do we have to pick up Danny?¡± Jeff asks. ¡°Noon. They figured that we¡¯d be getting up kind ofte,¡± I tell him. ¡°So we have a few hours.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s shower,¡± he says. ¡°What about the bacon?¡± ¡°It¡¯s pretty hot. It can wait.¡± He picks me up, throws me over his shoulder, and walks into the bathroom. I can feel the stickiness fromst night dripping down my leg. He puts me into the giant tub in his room and pours in bubble bath beforeing in with me. From N?velDrama.Org. I look at the width of his shoulders. They¡¯re twice the size of mine and I think I have man shoulders. I lean forward and kiss the indent of his corbone. ¡°You¡¯re insanely gorgeous,¡± I tell him. ¡°Everything¡¯s under the bubbles,¡± he protests. ¡°Not everything.¡± I catch his mouth with mine and move to hisp so that I¡¯m straddling him. With my tongue in his mouth, he feels like we might go another round. His handsnd on my backside. Shower Jeff Tags: Source: Chapter 100 Chapter 100 I guide her to my erection, but it¡¯s hard to see anything right now. I put one hand under the water so I can put my dick next to her entrance. As soon as she feels it, she slides down in a move so perfect I feel pree shooting out as my eyes close and head falls back. ¡°Fuck,¡± I say. Her hips move on top of me as she rides me. She was a virgin not long ago, but she knows how to make me moan. Her tits are bobbing at the surface of the water, covered in bubbles. I y with one of her nipples as she picks up the pace and uses my shoulders to stabilize herself as she starts going at me with a wild rhythm. My heart feels like I¡¯m running at full speed right now. Her vani scent and the light strawberry essence in the bubble bath are mixing in my nose. ¡°Turn around, sweetheart,¡± I tell her. Without disconnecting her from my cock, I urge her to spin. Now her back is to my chest and I have unrestricted ess to her clit. She moans loudly as I flick the slick nub. When I bite her shoulder, she lets go, screaming and clenching like crazy around my cock. She is breathing so hard right now. I can feel every breat h she takes. ¡°Now me,¡± I tell her. I force her body to rise and fall on top of mine. She¡¯s limp from her orgasm. My head falls back as I scream wordlessly froming inside of her. When I can think again, Elia says, ¡°We need another bath after our bath.¡± She giggles a little bit. My cock is still inside of her. ¡°We need to rinse off,¡± I tell her. I ease her off of me, climb out of the tub, and then give her a hand out. We¡¯re tracking soapy water on the ground, but I don¡¯t care. We move into the shower stall in the corner. It has a detachable shower head. I spray her with water, paying extra attention to the area between her legs. Without asking, she steals the shower head from me and hoses me down, too. Between the bubble bath and the water, we should be somewhat clean. I turn the water off and grab a towel to wrap around her. Then I get my own and we go back into the bedroom. ¡°I¡¯m starving,¡± she says the second that she sees the bacon and pancakes waiting for her. I called the diner closest to my house the second that I woke up this morning. She¡¯s eating buttermilk pancakes like her life depends on it. The bacon must have been inhaled, because it¡¯s gone already. I go to my side of the bed and get the box of hot coffee so I can refill her mug. When the pancakes are gone and she¡¯s had two more cups of coffee, she pushes the te away and falls back on the pillows at the head of the bed. ¡°I wish every day was like this.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be perfect?¡± I ask. I kiss the top of one perfect, full dark-skinned breast. ¡°But we both have responsibilities.¡± Morning After Elia My heart sinks a little. Reality is intruding a little too fast for me. ¡°I should get dressed,¡± I say, sliding out of bed. All my stuff is still downstairs. I can feel him watching me as I go down. I put on a bra and a dress that hides the bite marks on my breasts from the times that he woke me upst night. I tie a scarf around my hair and I¡¯m ready to go. When I walk back upstairs, he¡¯s wearing a t-shirt and shorts. He¡¯s checking emails on his phone. ¡°You look good enough to eat,¡± I say, pouncing on him. I gently grab the phone and put it on the nightstand before straddling his body and kissing his neck. ¡°I thought you were getting ready for the day,¡± he says. It¡¯s not really a protest, though, because his hands squeeze my ass. ¡°Being away from Danny this long is making me anxious,¡± I say. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen when I¡¯m in college. Maybe I¡¯ll have to try to work something out like Cami. ¡°Me, too,¡± he says. ¡°I¡¯m d that we had our wedding night.¡± ¡°And I¡¯ll be d when we have our son at home.¡± I bite his ear and slide off. ¡°Now let¡¯s go to my aunt and uncle¡¯s and get our son.¡± I text my aunt that we¡¯re on our way over. By the time we park in the driveway, we can hear Danny¡¯s screams. I knock on the door. A very frazzled version of my aunt appears with Danny on her hip, his little face as red as a fire truck. The second he sees Jeff, he¡¯s trying to twist out of her arms. He¡¯s babbling at Jeff. ¡°Hey, buddy,¡± Jeff says. Danny finally quiets as Jeff kisses his forehead. N?velDrama.Org (C) content. ¡°He cried all night,¡± my aunt says. I notice the dark circles under her eyes. ¡°At least he¡¯s securely attached.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s ever spent a night away from Jeff before,¡± I say. ¡°And I didn¡¯t give you the magic recipe for colic.¡± Tags: Source: Chapter 101 Chapter 101 ¡°No recipe could possibly fix the fact that he was missing his father. He didn¡¯t sleepst night.¡± Danny¡¯s little body is going limp now. I realize that he¡¯s passed out in Jeff¡¯s arms. ¡°Let me get his stuff and you can take a nap,¡± I say, kissing her cheek. ¡°We really appreciate it.¡± ¡°Anytime,¡± she says, covering a yawn with her hand. ¡°He¡¯s cuter when he¡¯s not screaming, though.¡± I gather Danny¡¯s supplies, which seriously look like enough to sustain a whole family and not one tiny person who is nowhere near 50 pounds, and we go back to the car. Jeff has settled Danny in a car seat. I wave goodbye to my uncle before the three of us, our little family, are on the road back home. I feel warm contentment throughout my whole body. Yes, part of it is from the wonderful night I had. But a big part is the satisfaction of sitting in a car with my own family. Dismissal Jeff As soon as I park the car, Elia is hopping out to get Danny out of the car seat. My home office phone rings. I unlock the door and sprint inside, running into my office and picking it up before it stops. "Hello?" "Good news, Jeff." I can hear the smile in mywyer''s voice. "They filed a motion to dismiss their im. I guess they heard about your wedding." "Thank you," I say. I sink into my ergonomic office chair. "What a relief." "Sure," mywyer says. "Congrattions. I won''t oppose the motion and we''ll get this done. You have a nice day, now." The phone buzzes. A weight I didn''t even know was pressing on my shoulders is lifted. I run outside so that I can tell Elia the good news. "No!" she screams. I ditch the phone right there and then and run out to the front to see something out of my worst nightmares. Elia has just lost the battle for Danny. Danny is screaming his lungs out, trying to squirm back to Elia, but there is a squad of men extracting the baby from my frontwn. I run towards them at full speed, but they''re running to a van at the end of our driveway at an easy lope that''s somehow at least fifty percent faster than my own sprint. As soon as thest one is in, the car is moving even though the door isn''t shut. Those guys are professionals. "Jeff!" Elia screams. When she begins to run, I catch her hand. "We have to go after them! We have to save Danny!" She''s crying, snot dripping from her little nose. I kiss her cheek. "We''ll save Danny. Don''t worry. I know who it is." "But what if they''re going to hold him for ransom?" she sobs, burying her face in my chest. "I can''t bear the idea of something bad happening to our little boy." I kiss her temple. "They''re not trying to hurt him. It''s not going to be a conventional ransom demand." "What do you mean?" she asks, leaning away from my chest. Her eyes are still full of tears. "It''s his grandparents," I tell her. "Danny is going to be fine." "Possession is nine tenths of thew." She steps back from me. "It isn''t, actually, but they just dismissed the case that they had to get custody legally." "So they decided to kidnap him?" "This whole thing is about money," I tell Elia. "Danny won''t be physically harmed, but they''re going to try to get financial custodianship of his inheritance anyway." "It''ll be under duress. You''re being coerced." "I know," I say. "They must be desperate. I need to look into their current financial situation." *** Two hourster, I have a short answer and it''s not pretty. I sit back and sigh. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. "What did your investigator find?" Tags: Source: Chapter 102 Chapter 102 "My former inws are up to their necks in debt. I had no idea, but my dead wife had been regrly slipping them money that we could easily spare to keep them afloat. She didn''t talk to me about it at all. And when she died, they lost their gravy train." "That''s terrible." Elia touches my hand, trying tofort me even though both of us are still devastated by the sudden kidnapping of our baby. I swear and use an expletive that I can''t use around my infant son. "If she''d told me about it, I probably would''ve kept up the payments. It wasn''t as if I wanted to see my son''s grandparents on the street. They had always had a mountain of debt behind them. They''d raised my dead wife as a princess without having the money to do so. They''d borrowed themselves into a hole that was hard to get out of." "Then she married you..." "I wasn''t a billionaire when we got married. It''s mostly paper wealth, as you know. But I''ve always trusted...well, I always used to trust her. I knew that she liked to spend a lot but had no idea she was a lifeline for her parents." "My primary concern is Danny," Elia says. "I want him back." "So do I. I''m not sure if we should call the police or not." "They abducted our son. I think that merits a call to the police." "He''s not being hurt. They haven''t presented a demand yet." "Still," she says. "I don''t want to wait around for them to get in contact with us. Let''s be proactive." I look at her and then call the police on my cell phone. "Not an emergency, but my son has been kidnapped," I tell the dispatcher. "Please hold," she tells me. In a few minutes, there''s a sympathetic officer listening to what I have to say. "And when did this happen?" "Two hours ago." "And they haven''t returned your son, Danny?" "Correct." My voice breaks on that one word. They stole the sun out of the sky. "Do you have their home address?" the officer asks. "Yes." "So here''s what I''m going to do. I''m going to ask you to give an official statement at the police station. Then I''m going to their home to see what I can see. You said that they dismissed the case against you?" "Yes." "Okay. Here''s the address of the station. The sooner you get here, the sooner we can get started." "See you soon." I hang up the phone, go to my car, key in the address, and motion for Elia to hop in. "We''re going to make a statement and she''s going to get our baby back." Elia scrambles into my car and barely buckles her seatbelt before we go tearing out of the driveway. The car seat in my car feels incredibly empty. I feel like I''ve failed my son by letting him be abducted. It wasn''t as if we''d let him out of our sight. Elia was holding him when that team of men literally pulled him out of her arms. I didn''t know what kind of men would tear a baby from his mother''s arms, but they obviously had. I have a military background. Women and children are off limits. Always. But those guys apparently didn''t have a moralpass or could shut it off for enough money. The funny part was that my inws didn''t have the money to pay them, so I didn''t know what exactly they were working for. Hot Tub N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Elia ONE HOUR LATER Tags: Source: Chapter 103 Chapter 103 We¡¯ve been at the station for about an hour now. I¡¯m tired and stressed out. Jeff¡¯s visibly frustrated by how casual the police officers are about his inws kidnapping Danny. Because he¡¯s not in physical danger, they aren¡¯t taking this whole episode seriously. I can see that Jeff¡¯s about to blow. They took all of our statements separately. I¡¯m done, though, so I walk over to Jeff and put a hand on his arm. ¡°You¡¯ve told them our story, right?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± he says, ring a little at the police officer¡¯s notepad. ¡°They know everything.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll get your kid back, safe and sound. Don¡¯t worry.¡± The police officer¡¯s voice is unruffled. Totally calm. ¡°Thank you, officer. Is that all you need from us?¡± ¡°For now. Stick around. We¡¯ll call you if we get any leads.¡± ¡°That¡¯s so kind, thank you.¡± I pull Jeff gently away. ¡°We should let them do their jobs.¡± Jeff¡¯s face is a little flushed. There are things that money can¡¯t buy. But as soon as we get back into the car, I tell him, ¡°You need to hire a private investigator.¡± He wipes his eyes. ¡°I was nning on it. The police won¡¯t do anything. They have other priorities.¡± Ice my fingers together with his. "I''ll be with you every step of the way." "I know you will." He sounded so tired. "I need to call the PI that I normally use. He''s former FBI. He costs an arm and a leg, but he''ll get the job done." I hear the defeat and distress in his voice while he talks to the PI about the details of the case and asks him to investigate his inws. I wish that I could help. He gets off the phone. "What did he say?" I ask. "He''ll get back to me when he has something. The good news is that they aren''t particrly good at subterfuge." "We should go home," I say as quietly as I can. He needs to bend before he breaks. "A ss of wine and a hot tub will help." "I can''t rx when my baby boy is out there, kidnapped by people who should know better. I''d give them the damn shares if they''d just asked." "Jeff, you can''t think about what if scenarios. You need to focus on what you have now. And that means that you can only do a small number of things." "What good is money if I can''t protect the people I love?" I don''t have an answer for that. I wish I did. We drive home in stony silence. I immediately go to the wine cer and pick up the first bottle I see. I also start up the hot tub. I uncork the bottle and let it breathe for a few minutes, putting a wine ss next to the tub. Jeff is going into his office and staring at nothing. I let him brood for a few minutes, until I''m sure that the hot tub is sufficiently full. "Into the tub," I tell him. I sit in hisp. For an instant, he tenses up. I''m worried that he''s going to push me off. And then his armse around me. "You''ll feel better," I promise. I slide off of hisp and lead him towards the tub. "We''re skinny dipping." He takes a breath like he wants to say something, but we just don''t get into it. He starts taking off his clothes, just like I am. And we''re both naked as we sink into the water. "Wine," I say, I pour it out. He takes a sip and his head falls back. "We''re installing a better security system," he says. There''s a hitch in his breath. "I can''t believe they tore him out of your arms." "I can," I said. "I was there." Jeff opens his eyes. "That''s right. You were." He moves over to my part of the pool. "How are you feeling?" "Worried about Danny. Tired. Worried about you. Danny doesn''t like be separated from you. Remember N?velDrama.Org (C) content. how he was at my aunt and uncle''s house?" Jeff lets out a halfugh. "That''s right. They have a handful." He kisses me so gently that I almost don''t feel it. "Thank you, babe." "It''s what I''m here for," I say, kissing him back. Mission aplished. We both float around there until my fingers are pruny. I get out of the tub. Tags: Source: Chapter 104 Chapter 104 "That''s a pretty sight," Jeff says, reaching one long arm out so that he can cup my breast in one hand. I can''t fight mercenaries and bring Danny back, but I can erase his cares for a few minutes. I step back into the tub and straddle his body. There¡¯s a hole inside of my body that aches because a little boy I¡¯m starting to think of as my own isn¡¯t snoozing just down the hallway. When I capture Jeff¡¯s mouth with mine, I¡¯m trying to distract both of us. We¡¯ve never loved like this, slow and somewhat desperate, as if the sce in each other¡¯s arms is the only one that exists in the whole world. Yes, I¡¯m rocking back and forth on him, but the pace is slow. The water washes against us, trying to wash away the cares of the day. And if there¡¯s moisture on his face, we can both pretend it¡¯s from the bathtub. When both of use, it¡¯s a quiet affair. There are no fireworks tonight because we¡¯re rained out. I climb out of the bathtub and offer Jeff a towel. We climb into bed like that, wearing towels. We have to wait for other people to get back to us. Danny¡¯s Back Elia I wake up in an empty bed. Jeff must have gotten up. There¡¯s some loud knocking on the door. I can hear it open. But it¡¯s what I hear afterwards which sends me scrambling for clothing, hunting for my clothes and putting them on as fast as humanly possible. I can hear Danny screaming and sobbing, huping. My baby boy is home. I don¡¯t even bother with a bra or whatever, because nothing can stop from running downstairs. Danny is sobbing quietly into Jeff¡¯s shoulder. The PI is smiling at the reunion. He looks a little startled by my appearance, but I don¡¯t care. I kiss Danny¡¯s precious little head. ¡°His grandparents didn¡¯t even want him. They hired two nannies to take care of the baby, but he wouldn¡¯t stop screaming.¡± ¡°He has colic,¡± I tell the PI. ¡°I can see that.¡± He smiles a little. ¡°I started talking to some of their creditors, just applying a little pressure, and they cracked like nuts. I think the sleep deprivation got to them.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care why, I just care that the baby is here,¡± Jeff says. He¡¯s crying a little, reunited with his infant son. They weren¡¯t apart for that long, but I know that every moment was agony for him. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I owe you, but send me the bill. I¡¯ll pay it today. Bonus for the rush service.¡± ¡°It was my pleasure,¡± the PI says before nodding and leaving. ¡°Who was he?¡± ¡°Someone who is very good at his job,¡± Jeff says. Danny isn¡¯t crying any longer. ¡°Are you hungry, baby boy?¡± I ask. ¡°Let¡¯s see.¡± Jeff walks into the kitchen and I start heating up a bottle for our son. When he begins to drink, his eyes slide halfway down. The poor little man has exhausted himself by crying so much. His grandparents may have had a sleepless night, but Danny was so unhappy that I doubt he got as much rest as babies need. ¡°Let¡¯s put him in his room.¡± ¡°How about putting him in our room?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s.¡± I haven¡¯t forgotten about the way that Danny calmed down when he could smell Jeff. Jeff walks upstairs with a sleepy Danny cradled in his strong arms. I¡¯m grateful that I never had to endure a kidnapping, no matter how much money my dad had. Danny¡¯s grandparents were insane to think that their kidnapping would turn out well. The police might not have been particrly N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. interested, but I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Jeff pursued them in court. "You should go to bed, too," I tell Jeff. "I''ll leave you and Danny alone." "Stay with me," he whispers, hushed because his son is snoring a little bit. "I want to go to bed where I know both of you are safe." How could I possibly resist him? I lean over and kiss his cheek. "Give me a few minutes to get ready for bed." I slide out of his room and run downstairs to brush my teeth and wash my face. Once I have my nightgown on, I go up the stairs as quietly as I can. He''s waiting for me, d in a pair of boxers. When I get into his bed, he rests his hand on my hip, spooning me from behind. "I love you," he says. Tags: Source: Chapter 105 Chapter 105 "I know." He spanks me lightly. "Brat." "I love you, too," I tell him. I feel his bristly chin settle on my shoulder. I wish I could stay like this forever. *** When I wake up, Jeff is leaning against the headboard, talking on the phone to Marjorie. "Yeah, I know that I cancelled my meetings but..." He''s cut off by a lot of yelling on the other end. I pick Danny up and take him to his own crib. He doesn''t need the stress of hearing someone shouting at his dad. Poor little boy. He didn''t wake us up once during the night, which means he was really tired. I settled him as gently as I can into his own crib. I kiss his little cheek before closing his door and going back to Jeff''s room. His face is red. He''s pinching the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, I know I''m irresponsible..." Marjorie must be cutting him off again. With Danny in the other room, I get a wicked idea. I crawl on the bed on all fours. I pull the sheet off of him. I unbutton his boxers and take his semi-hard dick out. Then I start to lick him like a lollipop. Instantly, beads of sweat pop out on his forehead. He motions for me to stop while he''s on the phone, but I like the feeling of power with him under my tongue. I can feel his muscles flexing as he forces himself not to thrust into my mouth. His breathing is starting to speed up, so I caress his balls. He''s wincing as if he''s in pain, but I know it''s the effort of holding back. Marjorie is yelling at him about not speaking, but I don''t know if he''s capable of speaking at the moment. His eyes are tightly shut. There''s a quivering in his thighs which means that he''s about to explode. And then he does explode in my mouth, crying "Elia!" Marjorie stops berating him. I finish swallowing hise. "What was that?" Marjorie asks sharply. "Nothing," he pants. "I think I heard Elia in the other room, that''s all." "You''re strangely out of breath," I can hear her say. "I was just trying to tell her to stop Danny from putting his finger in a light socket," Jeff lies. "Hmm," Marjorie says. I roll out of bed to use Jeff''s bathroom. When Ie back, he''s no longer on the phone. Jeff is tying his tie. ¡°I have to go to work,¡± he says, pulling me close to kiss me on the mouth. When he finally lets me go, N?velDrama.Org owns all content. I¡¯m breathless. ¡°I¡¯ll see you tonight.¡± Secretary¡¯s Confrontation Jeff ONE HOUR LATER "You should stay away from her." I look at the assistant that I''ve had for a decade. "What, Marjorie?" I¡¯m trying to review materials for one of today¡¯s meetings. Two seconds ago, my primary concern was the CAGR of one of our business units. Now, it seems that my marriage concerns Marjorie. "I don''t approve of your rtionship with that youngdy," she says, her lips pursed. "She''s far too young for you, far too vulnerable. You need a woman by your side, not a little girl." "She''s not a little girl anymore." "You must be joking. I can remember giving her peppermint candy when she was five. She is half your age." I don''t have much to say to that. She really is half my age. She just makes me feel alive in a way that I thought was lost forever when my wife died. "It''s a rebound thing," Marjorie says. "And it''s cruel of you to let her have any hopes that it''ll turn into something more. You need to break things off with her for her own good. You¡¯re not done grieving for your first wife.¡° "No," I say. I''m not done with her. Tags: Source: Chapter 106 Chapter 106 "Yes," she says. "Think of how her father would feel if you led her on for years. It¡¯s bad enough that you married her. You need to end things before they go too far. What if you were together for five years? How could you steal her youth from her? And you know that Eric would murder you for sleeping with her. I know what I heard on the phone.¡± I feel like a terrible human being anyway, having sex with my young teenage neighbor who is also the daughter of my best friend. And when he finds out, he''s going to blow. I need to make sure that we have a professional and amicable rtionship. I know what I have to do. Dumping Elia The door opens to reveal him. I lean in for a kiss, standing on tiptoe. His big hands to my hips. Jeff''s lips touch mine, but I can tell his heart isn''t in it. "Something''s wrong." I open my eyes and look up at him. There''s something sad in his eyes. "Spit it out." "I can''t do this anymore." My stomach feels like it just dropped through the floor. "What?" I tug at my earlobe, sure that I couldn''t have heard what I just did. "I don''t want to pretend that we''re getting married anymore, Elia. You''re just too young for me." I don''t want to cry in front of him. His words hit me as if he''d just jammed a knife in my chest. "I see," I say. But I don''t see at all. "It''s for the best," Jeff says. He clears his throat. "With a little time, you''ll see." "Cool," I say, my voice t. "Then I hope you''ll understand if I quit." His face gets a little sadder. He nods. "Yeah, I understand. I''ll send you yourst paycheck and that''ll be the end of it." "Awesome," I say, biting my lip and hoping that the tears don''t spill over. Don''t cry! "I''ll go now. Bye." I turn away from him and finally let my tears spill down my face. I''m angry. I want to shout at him, to ask him how he could dump me like this when I thought we had something real. Something good. But all I''m doing is grabbing my stuff and heading next door. My dad isn''t home, so I can run upstairs to my room and hide under my covers. I wish I never met Jeff. I wish that I had never done anything with him ever. I feel like there''s a bleeding knife wound in the Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. center of my chest. I don''t know how long it will take to heal, if it ever does. Night falls. I don''t turn on my lights. I can hear my dad''s car get into the driveway. I text my dad that I''m in bed, so he knows that I''m home but not to disturb me. He texts me back. I''m so tired. I can''t do anything anymore but fall asleep in this soft bed. Waking Up Elia When I wake up, I look at the clock. It''s half an hour before I need to be next door to take care of Danny. Then I remember what happened yesterday. I''m not taking care of Danny. I don''t want to get out of bed, to be honest. Maybe if I just stay here, I can pretend that today is a good day. My father is not the kind of person who would allow his daughter to hide under the covers. He has something to say about sloth. So I roll out of bed and brush my teeth. I''m going to escape. "Morning," I say,ing down the stairs. My dad has a te with one egg left and half a slice of toast. He''s eaten the same breakfast every day for the past few decades. Eggs and bread are pretty simple toe by. "Want something?" "I don''t really eat much for breakfast," I say, because it''s true. Also the thought of eating anything at all makes me feel like I want to throw up. "Something wrong?" he asks. "You don''t sound so good." "I want to throw up," I say. Then I turn and spew into our sink. Good thing it''s clear. My dad doesn''t like to have a lot of dirty dishes hanging around. Tags: Source: Chapter 107 Chapter 107 "Do you have a bug? You shouldn''t go over there today. You don''t want Danny to get sick." I sink down into a chair at the table. "I was fired. Danny won''t get sick." I don''t like the sick taste of acid in my throat. I need to run the water so the vomit will go down the drain but I can''t make myself. "Go back to bed, buttercup," my dad says. "I''ll clean up." If my dad weren''t here, I''d be crawling upstairs. But he is here, which means that I slowly and unsteadily make my way to the stairs and climb up them. They feel like they are a million miles long. I know that there are fewer than 2 dozen steps, but it doesn''t feel like it at the moment. When I get upstairs, I go into my room and close the door. Then I throw myself facedown on the bed. I wake up when someone turns the light in my room. "You awake?" "Yeah," I say, my voice a little bleary. "I brought you some peppermint tea," my dad says. "That''s what your grandmother used to give me." My grandmother died in a car ident before I was ever born. I know that she was a terrifyingdy but one with a heart of gold. "Thanks, Dad," I say, sipping a little of the tea after taking the mug from him. It feels good. I realize that I didn''t even rinse out my mouth after barfing. "Do you want to see a doctor?" "It''s probably something dumb that''ll disappear in a day or so," I tell my dad. Famousst words. Hyperemesis Gravidarum Elia After a week of nonstop barfing when I wake up in the morning, I realize that I have to face the truth and leave the house. I''m not ready for a doctor to confirm my hunch, so I wait until Dad has gone to N?velDrama.Org (C) content. work before going out to the nearest pharmacy. I buy an EPT and creep into the de serted bathroom in the back. I pee on a stick and count the time in my head. After I''ve counted enough seconds, I look at the stick. Positive. Part of me wants to go out there and buy more tests. But the rational part of me knows that there''s a chance that I need to talk to a doctor. "You''re pregnant." I stare at the OBGYN that I looked up on the Inte. Not long ago, I was going to a pediatrician. "I''m sorry, what?" "You''re pregnant," she says. "I can''t be pregnant," I say. "Well, you better get ready for it. The baby ising, whether you like it or not. Would you like an ultrasound?" "I guess," I say. "I have to warn you, it''s going to be intravaginal. You aren''t far enough along for us to do it externally," she warns me. "Okay," I say. Tags: Source: Chapter 108 Chapter 108 So I let her do things to me that I was not expecting. But I''m rewarded with the picture of a tiny little blob inside of my womb. I feel a surge of terror, it''s true. But I also am thrilled that I''m having a baby. Will it throw a wrench in everything? Yes. Do I have to face Jeff again? Yeah. But I can''t wait to have this baby. "I can tell that you''re excited. Do you know who the father is?" I nod. "Will you tell him?" "I''m not sure," I tell her. I really don''t know. For one thing, he lives next door to us. He''d probably notice if I had a kid. But if I had some kind of rebound rtionship, maybe he''d never know. I stop that train of thought right in its tracks. I can''t do that to Jeff. I know that he''s stressed out, trying to take care of Danny and the business, but he does love his kid and thinks that Danny is the center of the universe. "Let''s get you started on a course of prenatal vitamins," the doctor says, scribbling something on a pad. "And then you''ll be set. Let''s schedule another appointment for you a month from now." I go to the front and pay my co-pay. I schedule an appointment for a month away. And the whole time, I''m wondering how Jeff is going to react. I know that he''ll be happy about the baby. He probably won''t be happy that I''m the mother. "I''ll take care of you," I whisper to the baby, putting my hand on my soft stomach. "I''ll always love you." Afternoon Nap Elia Before I can talk myself out of it, I knock on Jeff''s door as soon as Ie down our street. I can hear Danny crying. I check my watch. It''s time for his afternoon nap. Jeff opens the door with Danny sitting on his hip. His hair is disheveled and Danny''s face is red, as if he''s been screaming for a while. When Danny sees me, he imperiously stretches out his arms. As soon as I take him, he shuts up. I kiss his squishy little tear-stained cheek. "Thank God you''re here," Jeff says. "I know we have to talk, but give me a half hour, okay?" He runs into his office and shuts the door. "You''re a little smelly," I tell Danny. "I think you pooped. And I think you could use a bath." Bathing him always makes him sleepy. I carry Danny into the bathroom and fill the baby tub. I wipe his butt before he gets in. He sshes a little bit and gets me wet, but I don''t mind. I use baby soap on his body and very carefullyther and rinse his little head, shielding his eyes with my hand. Then I wrap him in a fuzzy towel and put him on the changing table to p a diaper on him. His eyes are more closed than open at this point. I sit down on the couch in Danny''s room and I feel his whole body rx. I carefully move him into the crib, watching his chest rise and fall. He''s okay. I just don''t know if I am. When I think of Danny getting a little brother, I swell with pride. But I still haven''t talked to Jeff about my news. I sit outside of his office door, listening to him conclude a meeting. When it''s over, he opens the office door and almost walks right by me to get to the stairs. "Hey." He whips around and sees me. "Danny?" "Asleep. He was just tired and fussy. He needed a bath." N?velDrama.Org owns all content. "Good," Jeff says, running a hand through his hair. "I don''t know how to manage without you." I blink. I can dance around this, but I need to just say it. My heart is beating in a crazy rhythm. "I have to talk to you about something." "It''s for the best," Jeff says, his voice soft. But I can see longing in his face. It was harder to tell yesterday. "No, it''s something else." "Okay, shoot." "I''m pregnant." Jeff''s jaw drops. "What?" he chokes. "I just went to the doctor. I''ve been throwing up every morning this week. The doctor confirmed that I''m pregnant." I watch Jeff''s face. The surprise is fading into confusion. "How?" "The first time," I tell him. "We tried to use condom, but once is all it takes. We weren''t careful enough." He sinks on the couch across from me. "I''m not going to ask for a paternity test." I can tell that he''s thinking about the bloodstains created by my virginity in his bed. "I''ve only slept with you," I say. He''s staring at the floor. I''m terrified that he''ll look at me and just order me out, never to darken his doorstep again. What would happen to Danny? Tags: Source: Chapter 109 Chapter 109 "Marry me." My jaw drops so far that it should hit the floor. Marry him? "Marry me, Elia. We''ll take care of this. Your baby will have my name. Our baby." I am still gaping at him like a goldfish. "I can get a marriage license soon and we''ll be married within a week." He stands up. "I''ll pay for your wedding dress, of course. Just go to a bridal shop and buy something off the rack." I clench my fists and can feel anger rising inside of me. "It''s that easy, huh?" "We can cut to the chase, Elia. I know that this may not be what you envisioned, but you''re pregnant." I get to my feet, trying not to yell and wake the baby. "First of all, I can have my baby on my own. And he or she can have my name." "Snowball''s chance in hell," Jeff snorts. "Second, I don''t want to marry you. You broke up with me. I obviously don''t mean much to you. And while we can negotiate a fair custody arrangement, I will not be living with you. If I can afford it, I''m moving away." I can see fire in his eyes. "No." "I''m leaving," I say. "I''lle back tomorrow evening." He makes a move forward as if he wants to grab me and stop me, but I warn him with my eyes that it''s not a good idea. I walk home, almost ready to cry. When I get back to my room, I plop facedown on my bed. I don''t even know if I''m crying. I just feel totally drained. Toast Elia When I wake up, it''s the next day. For once, the fetus inside of me isn''t making me nauseated. I head downstairs, where my dad is eating his breakfast. I make a few slices of toast and grab butter from the fridge. "You need some meat or protein," my dad says. "Not hungry for it," I say. I wait for the toast to pop up. The bottom is burnt while the top part is untoasted, but I don''t care very much. I spread butter on my two slices of bread and watch my dad read the morning paper. I think my first move today is to explore my legal options. I should hire awyer, I know I should, but I''m going to explore custody agreements in California. Custody Elia By the time that I need to go to Jeff''s house, my eyes can''t read anymore. Reading legal statutes is slightly less fun than having your toenails removed. I''m so d that I never decided to be a "Danny''s asleep." I walk inside and go straight to the kitchen. There''s dinner sitting on the table. "Have you eaten?" "No." I sit down at the side that doesn''t already have a ss of wine at it. He''s poured me orange juice. "We need to talk." My stomach turns even though he''s made a beautiful mushroom risotto, which is one of my favorite foods in the entire world. I eat bite after bite of it anyway, trying to keep my mouth full. " I owe you an apology." I''m surprised enough to stop eating and look him full in the face. He rubs his chin. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Tags: Source: Chapter 110 Chapter 110 "I shouldn''t have sprung it on you like that. I meant to propose to you in a much more romantic fashion, but you surprised me." I swallow the risotto in my mouth. "You broke up with me." "I know." He sighs before starting again. "I knew that what we had was worth fighting for, but I didn''t know what I''d do with a wife so much younger than me." My eyes fill with tears. Even talking about his proposal, he''s still rejecting me. "I didn''t mean it like that, Elia," Jeff says. "Then what did you mean?" "I was too worried about what other people would think, seeing me wed my young, barely legal next door neighbor." "I''m 19," I say. "I know," he says. "Look, I was at a point where I either needed to marry you or break up with you. It wouldn''t be fair to you to lead you on and pretend that I was going to offer you something I couldn''t give." "You obviously chose one path over the other." "Yeah, I did. And it was a mistake. One you can let me rectify." I shrug. "If you''re asking for a 50/50 custody agreement, I''m okay with that. But the answer to your proposal is still no." Jeff has an ufortable look on his face, as if he''s sitting on a pinecone. I almost giggle with that visual. "Elia..." he starts. "No," I tell him. "Look, I know that you''re a good father. And I''m happy to let this child grow up knowing that you''re his or her father. But you dumped me not very long ago, remember? And if I hadn''t had N?velDrama.Org (C) content. morning sickness and gone to the doctor, you wouldn''t even be speaking to me right now, let alone proposing." Jeff looks a little green, which is how I know that what I''m saying is true. "I''m not trying to coerce you into marrying me or being my husband. Someday, I''ll get married to someone who loves me. And that day is not today." "You''re insane if you think that I''d let another man raise my child," he says, his voice a little louder than usual. "We can cross that bridge when we get to it," I tell him. "You''re certainly wee to 50% custody, as I said before. The rest we can work out." He jumps to his feet. "Elia, I will fight you in court for primary custody." My heart sinks. "What?" "I mean it," he says. "And you won''t be able to stop me. You''re a teenager. If you go to college, the baby would be better of with me anyway." "You have to hire nannies!" I sputter. "That''s how I ended up at your house anyway!" "Fuck it," Jeff says. "My house is probably a better ce for a newborn baby than yours would be. Have you told your father yet?" I shake my head. "He''s going to ask about the details. I''m not really ready to..." "We''ll tell him together," Jeff says, cutting me off. "I should take responsibility for this." "He''s going to beat you," I tell him. "He can try." Jeff rubs his forehead. "I did defile his daughter." "Defile," I snort. "With my consent. I''d had a crush on you for years. Maybe he was pushing us together by forcing me to live with you while he was out of the country." "You think so?" Jeff says. "Marjorie wanted me to leave you alone." I shrug. "It''s kind of moot now, if we''re getting married." Tags: Source: Chapter 111 Chapter 111 I can see the tension disappear from his body. "So you''re saying yes?" "I''m saying that I''ll go along with your n for now." His mouth falls on mine. He''s ravenous, plundering my mouth. My knees are weak as his arms wrap around me, hard as steel bands. I can''t breathe but it''s glorious and I don''t need to. When the kiss ends, we''re both gasping for breath. His arms are still around me. He puts his forehead to mine. "I swear you won''t regret this." Telling My Dad Elia Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. ONE DAY LATER "You what?" My father has jumped to his feet. "She''s pregnant," Jeff says, drinking a little more wine. "You asshole," my dad hisses. I''m worried that a fist fight is about to start, but Jeff doesn''t look like he''s expecting it. Dad yanks him out of his chair and shoves his face into his best friend''s face. "How dare you?" "You''re the one who wanted her to live with me," he says. "I thought she''d be safe with you," my dad says. "She was. She is. Forever. I promise to protect her." "Fucker," my dad spits, although he lets go of Jeff''s shirt. "When ites to taking care of me, Dad, you know that Jeff will." He rubs his eyes. "I guess I''ll have to take that risk," he says. "I''m not happy about this." "We''re married," I say. "And that''s what counts. No shotgun weddings for us." My dad barks a shortugh. "I guess that''s a plus. What a charlie foxtrot." I rx. My dad is epting this. Not easily, not happily, but he is. And that''s what matters tonight. "How is this going to work? She''s supposed to start a new semester soon." "A semester is only four months. She''ll still be pregnant at the end of it." "You mean that she''s still going to her first semester of school? Pregnant?" "It''s what she wants," Jeff says. "I''m going tomute," I exin. "It''s a little too far for me to drive every day, but I''m spending Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at home. I''ll schedule sses so that they''re only four days a week. It''s only for a semester. We can handle it." "I sure hope so," my dad says. "But that''s up to you two now." My dad capitted suspiciously quickly. I won''t look a gift horse in the mouth, though. The three of us finish our dinner. I leave and go take care of Danny, making sure that he''s warm and happy as he sleeps the pure sleep of the innocent. Boxing Tags: Source: Chapter 112 Chapter 112 Jeff "So, you knocked up my little girl, huh?" I wince a little. "Yeah, I did. I''m not proud of it, but I''m proud that we''re getting married." "You''re moving awfully fast," he says. "But when you know, you know. That''s how it was when I met my own wife." He pats his breast pocket for a packet of cigarettes that aren''t there. "Damn anti-smoking campaigns," he grumbles, like he always does. When we were in the military, everyone smoked. Most of us kicked the habit as soon as we got home, given the environment for smokers. "I know," I tell him. "And I promise that I''ll take care of her." "You better," he grunts. "I can still kick your ass." "I''d like to see you try." I work out just as much if not more than he does. We haven''t sparred in a long time. The two of us spend so much time together that maybe duking it out would help. "Wanna go to the boxing gym?" he asks, his eyes lighting up. We used to be regrs at a gym that''s only a mile away from our homes. "Yeah," I say. We''ve always been equally matched. He doesn''t know about the mini-gym I have in my basement. I am still working out almost as much as I used to when it was part of our job. "How about tomorrow night?" "Yeah," I tell him. "I''ll be there." "I''m done," I say, tapping the mat. We got rid of the boxing gloves an hour ago and began wrestling. He''s heavier than I am, and he''s winning. He gets off of me and rolls on his back. Both of us are breathing hard. "That was good," he says. "We should do it more often." "I''m too old for this shit," I say. "I need an ice pack." "Fuck, when did you turn into a pussy?" He nudges my shoulder. I sit up. "Bring it, old man." "We''re the same age," he says, sitting up. He winces as he pushes himself to his feet and rises slowly. "I need water." He climbs over the ropes of the boxing ring and heads for the water fountain. There''s nobody else in here, notte at night like this. It''s a 24-hour gym. We workedte, told Elia that we''d be at the gym, and have been duking it out since we changed. I feel really good, sort of light and free. Any ass-beating my best friend wanted to do has been done. Chicks would talk this out. We''re okay with each other now. "Water?" he offers. I look into the cup. It''s just a sip of water, but I drink it anyway. I get out of the ring and head for the showers. We wash off with the gym''s all-in-one shampoo and soap before getting dressed in our work clothes and heading home. When we park in our driveways, we wave before going inside. I wonder how it feels for him, being 40 anding home to an empty house. He fell in love, got married, and had a kid. I''ve done all of those things, but I somehow get toe home to two people who love me and there''s nobody there for him. I''m not giving Elia back. Not now, not ever. And soon, we''ll have a new addition to the family. But I wonder if I should try to set him up with ady. When Elia was a little kid, he dated a little, but Elia would scream her lungs out whenever she was introduced to ady friend. By the time Elia was 8, he''d given up. Elia wanted to be the center of attention at home, which meant that nody could ever be her stepmother. At least Danny wasn''t old enough to think about whether or not he wanted a stepmother. His desires were uplicated. He just wanted to eat, sleep, and poop so much that I was considering investing in some kind of diaperpany. Danny was definitely bringing them a lot of profit. I snorted. How would I talk to my investment counselor? "Hey, my baby poops so much that diaper from various consumer productpanies and instead think about the baby. We¡¯ll set up a trust fund for him or her. I¡¯ll listen to mywyer this time. I learn from my mistakes. Epilogue: Mot her¡¯s Day Jeff THREE YEARS LATER ¡°Quiet,¡± I tell my two kids. ¡°Mommy¡¯s still sleeping.¡± Danny can barely contain himself. He¡¯s stifling his with orange juice and fresh waffles on it. When we got married, we received no less than 5 waffle makers. There must¡¯ve been a sale. When we get into my bedroom, I settle the tray next to the bed. The kids climb into bed. They aren¡¯t allowed in it, but these are special circumstances. When I¡¯ve helped My up, since she¡¯s much smaller than Danny, I go to the window and open the curtains. zing sunlight fills the room. Elia shrieks a little bit before turning over and burying her face in a pillow. Tags: Source: Chapter 113 Chapter 113 ¡°Turn it off!¡± she mumbles. ¡°I can¡¯t turn off the sun, sweetheart. And your kids want to wish you a happy Mother¡¯s Day.¡± She turns over and notices our two kids for the first time. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s very sweet,¡± she says, kissing one and the other. She turns to the nightstand. ¡°Waffles and orange juice? You spoil me.¡± ¡°I made the waffles!¡± Danny ims. I smile. He helped mix the batter. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Wow!¡± Elia says. She ruffles his hair lightly. ¡°Amazing.¡± My has her thumb in her mouth, but she takes it out to ask, ¡°Like it?¡± ¡°Yes, I like it, My.¡± I wish I could put a picture frame around this moment and immortalize it forever. In this bed, the most important people in the world are gathered in one spot. And I move in to kiss Elia on the forehead, I know that nothing could everpare to this. Tags: Source: The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!