“That is a good point. No one has the right to tell you how to act.”
“Yeah! And Daddy likes it. He wants to protect me and take care of me when I act the way I do. It works out for both of us. And as to those people who say it’s inappropriate, well, they’re just wrong, Mr. Travis. I am a consenting adult and Daddy is an adult. I make the choice to accept how I am. I am well within my right to do that!”
“Yes-“
She continued, really getting worked up over it. “Daddy takes good care of me. He loves me and I love him and that’s all there is to it!”
“Well, thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk to you, Amber. I do think you’ve clarified here some of the issues people have been having.” The journalist paused. “I normally keep my opinion away from situations such as this, but I will tell you that I don’t agree with your lifestyle. However, I think that you have a good head on your shoulders. You’re doing what’s right for you. No one else has any right to decide that.”
Amber was surprised at the good reception. She decided she was glad she had taken the call. She was going to have to tell Daddy all about this. Surely he’d be so proud of her for standing up for the both of them.
Travis wasn’t quite done yet, though. “I just want one final statement from you, if you don’t mind. If you could say something to the whole world, what would you want to say? What’s the message you want everyone to hear?”
She didn’t have to think about it. She said, firmly, “Love is never wrong.”
Chapter 24
I'll take care of you
Amber flew home from college. At least, it felt that way. She was rushing so fast her feet hardly seemed to make contact with the ground. Perhaps that was for the best, because the whole world was crumbling around her and she no longer had solid ground upon which to stand. She had better fly, and fly far, or else she would plummet right into the inky blackness of the void beneath her.
She threw herself at the door to Daddy’s condo and grabbed the knob. A sheen of tears covered her vision and her brain felt misty. She realized sluggishly she needed to get her key out of her purse to unlock the door, but then the knob was twisting easily in her hand and the door popped open. She almost fell inside, crying out. Her yelp was part sob, the bad feelings inside her taking any opportunity to get out.
“Amber?”
Amber clambered to her feet. Daddy sat in his favorite chair in the living room, a glass of whiskey on the side table nearby. He wore only a pair of sweatshorts, which did little to conceal what was underneath. Flirting with him was, for once, the farthest thing from her mind. She ran to him and hopped into his lap and curled her body against his. The tears came in earnest, running down her face. She turned and sobbed into his chest, clutching at his shoulders.
Daddy folded her up in his arms and held her close to him. “Teacup,” he murmured. “There, there, my little teacup. What’s the matter?”
Amber trembled all over, growing even more upset. “I failed my Sociology class!” she cried.
“What?” he asked, sounding astonished. He stroked her back with one hand, soothed the long strands of her hair with the other. “Why? The final presentation you gave was wonderful! How could you have failed?”
“My classmates complained! They said it was harmful to the interests of women!” She wailed, “They said it perpetuated male-dominant stereotypes and encouraged old-fashioned behavior! I bet Cherry was the one who started it! I bet she got everyone else in on it!”
Daddy kept stroking her. “Well, I’m sorry, Amber. They’re all wrong. We know the truth about that.”
She sniffled and tucked her head up under his chin.
“You can take the course again, can’t you? Or take something else, perhaps.”
She had been on the verge of calming down, but now his question made her remember the rest of her horrible day. She started sobbing again. “I can’t! The Dean of the university said I can’t go to college there anymore! He made me come to his office today and h-he told me he read my paper himself. He said it was well-written but he couldn’t support it. A-and he mentioned me and you being in the news. He said it would be best for everyone if I didn’t go anymore.”
Daddy caressed her cheek, wiping her tears away. He picked up a napkin from the side table and dabbed beneath her nose. “I’m sorry, kitten. Maybe it’s for the best. College isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be. Besides, I’ll take care of you forever.”
She relaxed a little and cuddled up with him. Her breathing still came shaky. “P-promise?”
“Of course I promise. You’re the most important person in the whole world to me.” He smiled and kissed the top of her head.
Amber smiled back at him and tucked herself even closer to his bare chest. That made her realize something. “Daddy, why are you sitting at home in your shorts? You went to work today.”
He had driven her to college before heading off himself. She hadn’t really expected him to be home. That was the reason she hadn’t asked him to come get her and instead took the bus back to his building, not wanting to bother him.
Daddy sighed and his shoulders slackened. “Well, the truth is, my company had a board meeting earlier this morning, shortly after I arrived at work.”
She tensed up, sensing that this wasn’t going to be good news.
“The company board is worried over the amount of negative press surrounding us, surrounding me. It’s affecting stock prices and it’s only been a few days. They said it was making the company look bad.”
“Oh, no,” Amber breathed. It was exactly the same as what she had gone through.
“I decided that I would step down from the company. I no longer work there.”
Amber jolted upright and grabbed onto him, crying out in distress. “But Daddy, how will you make money? How are you going to take care of me if you don’t have a job?”
He touched her lips firmly with his finger. “Hush, teacup. My job is only one way I make money. I make more than enough to never have to work again. Besides, the board agreed that I could keep my stocks and my share of the holdings.” He smiled, his eyes soft as they met hers. “I’m a free man. Don’t be sad for me, my little girl. This means we can spend so much more time together than before.”
Amber looked into his handsome face and saw the pain in his gaze, which he was trying so desperately to mask. She reached to him and hugged her arms tight around his neck. “Don’t worry, Daddy. We don’t need anyone else except for each other. No one else will ever understand what we have.”
“That much, I know to be true.” He hugged her and kissed her on the lips. “I love you, Amber.”
“I love you, Daddy,” she murmured into his mouth and kissed him back, her tongue seeking his.
He was trying to be brave, but she could tell it really hurt him for things to go wrong. He hadn’t needed to work, but he liked it and now he couldn’t. It was a major blow he had been dealt.
“I’ll take care of you,” she said suddenly. “I’ll make you happy forever. I promise.”
Chapter 25
Put it inside
A few weeks later, Amber stood at the edge of a balcony on the second floor of a small house. Small, but graceful, nestled on the edge of a villa and overlooking the French Riviera in southeastern France. The house stood on top of a steep, clifflike hill, accessible only from one direction by a long and winding cobblestone road.
She and Daddy had moved to the villa shortly after he departed from his company. She hadn’t known it, but he actually already owned the house and visited it upon occasion whenever he needed a vacation. That was what they were doing now, taking a vacation, putting some distance between themselves and the drama. Here, no one knew who they were. No one cared. The French, especially the rich French, as Amber discovered, were very self-centered. And that was fine with her.
Amber rested her hands on top of the balcony railing, the warm sea breeze playing a sweet game with her dress. The train, reaching
all the way to her feet, blew back behind her, fluttering. Her hair did the same, though with less vigor, too heavy in its braided form to be moved about much. She had plucked some flowers from the garden and woven them into the braid.
As she watched the long road down below, a particularly strong gust of wind swirled through her hair. She felt something loosen. One of the flowers fluttered to her feet. She bent to pick it up. The wind returned, coming from the opposite direction, snatching the flower and sending it tumbling through open air. She let out a little cry of disappointment, watching the flower get further and further from her, heading for the road. It landed on the bricking, a speckle of bright orange.
Movement further down the road caught Amber’s eye. She turned and saw Daddy returning, riding the bicycle which had been in the house’s garage. He was dressed more casually than she had ever seen him be in public, almost a caricature of a tourist with suspenders and a beret perched on top of his head. A basket attached to the bike’s handlebars held a paper shopping bag. Amber saw the long narrow shape of a baguette, some round things that might be fruit and cheese.
Daddy pedaled slower, drawing to a halt next to the fallen flower. He dismounted, kicked the stand into place so the bike wouldn’t fall over. He knelt and scooped the flower into his palm, cupping his other hand over top so it wouldn’t go flying on the wind. He glanced around, then up.
Even from across the distance, Amber felt the touch of his eyes. She lifted her hand and waved.
Daddy waved back. He returned to his bike and set off once more. Amber watched his progress, admiring his strong legs and the way the muscles in his back rippled, until he had gone beyond her sight. Her heart fluttering with anticipation, she sat down on a balcony chair to await his arrival.
It didn’t take long before the glass balcony door slid open and Daddy stepped through. He had taken off the beret, his hair mussed and a bit staticky. She leaped up from her chair and ran to him and threw her arms around his neck. “Daddy!” she cried, delighter to have him back.
He laughed and wrapped his arms around her. “Did you miss me so much? I wasn’t gone for that long.”
She rubbed her face in his chest and kept hugging him. “Any time you’re away from me is too long.”
He caressed her back, running his hand down her body very low until he reached her butt. He patted her and rubbed her. “We’ll have to teach you how to ride a bike so you can come with me next time.”
She perked up. “Really?”
“Yes!” He kissed her, smiling against her lips. “I don’t like being away from you, either, kitten. Enough of that. I brought us plenty of things to eat for lunch.”
Amber’s stomach growled, reminding her that it had been a bit since breakfast. She started to head inside.
Daddy caught her arm. “Let’s eat out here. A picnic, of sorts.”
She wasn’t going to argue with that! The view was fantastic, and there was something about the freshness of the air that made food taste better. For the first time, she was eating all her vegetables without having to be told to.
Daddy brought out some plates and knives from the kitchen. He sliced some of the baguette and the cheese, and began to peel and cut up an apple for Amber. She nibbled on a piece of the cheese and watched the deft movements of his fingers.
“What’s the market like?” she asked, curiously. The Europeans were big on markets. She had seen them whenever she and Daddy went out to restaurants and drove to do sightseeing, but she’d never gone to one. They were big and busy places, the markets, always set up in wide, scenic spaces, usually with benches and fountains and statues nearby. She was reminded of craft fairs or flea markets, which she often went to with her mother when she was younger, to buy toys and clothes and dishes for cheap. Most of what was sold at the markets were foods along the lines of what Daddy had bought, plus desserts and cookies and meats, though there were also artisan crafts.
Daddy smiled at her and set the pieces of her apple down on her plate. “Busy as ever. I saw a tourist in a baguette-eating contest with a very old man, the owner of the stall he bought the bread from. The tourist lost. He must have bet money, as he went on a rant and said the old man must have cheated.”
Amber listened, fascinated. She’d never had a father figure in her life who’d had the time to teach her how to ride a bike before and she was excited for when Daddy would show her, so she could see these things for herself. She popped a bite of apple into her mouth and chewed, loving the sweetness and softness of the fruit without the icky peel to stick in her teeth. “What happened next?”
Daddy laughed. “The old man sent the tourist on his way. Then, he reached into his pants and pulled out chunks of bread he’d been shoving down the leg the entire time.”
Amber burst out laughing.
“That old man looked right at me and winked. He said, ‘Happens at least once a week. I keep my pants tucked into my shoe so the bread doesn’t come out the bottom. I take it to feed the ducks at the pond. They love me.’”
Amber asked, “A pond? Can we feed the ducks?”
“Of course, we can. We’ll bring them bread. Fresh bread that hasn’t been down an old man’s pantleg.”
Amber giggled more, almost knocking her plate off her lap.
Daddy reached over to her and plucked up a slice of apple and a bit of cheese and ate them both at the same time.
Amber scrunched her nose. “Cheese and apple together?”
“It’s very good. You might want to try.”
“I’ll enjoy them separately,” she declared. “They’ll both end up in my tummy no matter what.”
Daddy smiled at her and stroked her hair. He fingered one of her flowers thoughtfully. An idea seemed to come over him. He turned away and fiddled around with something, head tucked low.
Amber watched curiously, wondering what he could be up to. While she waited, she finished the last of what was on her plate. The delicious flavors lingered in her mouth long after she swallowed.
Daddy turned back to her and spread his arms. “How do I look?”
He had stuck her flower, the orange runaway blossom, into his hair.
Amber stared at him, loving the curve of his lips and the twinkle in his dark eyes. A sudden urge swept through her body, a wild need more intense than anything she had ever felt before. Her kitty tingled she feared moving, lest the friction start something she couldn’t stop.
But why not? she demanded of herself. Daddy owned her body in every way, including sexually. The reason she hadn’t wanted to be sexual with him was because of her own conflicting feelings, but she had long since gotten over that. Nothing had remained between them except that she was scared of it hurting.
But looking at him, being alone with him, free of any doubts and fears society had inspired in them, she realized she was ready. Daddy would never hurt her. She would trust in him, trust in the process.
Daddy’s eyes narrowed as he watched her. His breathing grew deep and fast. He seemed to sense what she had in mind.
She didn’t need to speak.
She spoke anyway, wanting to relish the words she should have said so long ago. “Fuck me, Daddy!”
Chapter 26
Together forever
Amber lay back on the bed with Daddy over top of her, both of them already naked. They had shed their clothes during their hurried rush to the bedroom. Now there was nothing between them. She felt his legs against hers, rough, muscular, the hairs tight and curly and thick. His thighs pressed down on hers, pinning her lower half. His hardness rubbed on her lower stomach, thin smears of wetness tracking on her skin.
He held her face in his hands and kissed her, thrusting his tongue deep into her mouth. She gasped as his tongue plunged all the way to the back of her throat, grabbing at his shoulders. She closed her eyes and let him claim her, his tongue pumping in and out between her lips. He made low, savage sounds in the back of his throat, growls like a wild animal. Pleasure pulsed through her as his body rubbed a
nd pushed on hers. Her kitty was getting wet, her inner muscles fluttering, tensing, relaxing, preparing for him.
My body will know what to do. I was made for him.
Daddy drew back, gasping, his lips red and wet from kissing her so hard. He pressed his forehead to hers, staring deep into her eyes. She saw a reflection of herself in them, her braid coming undone, her cheeks flushed with rising heat. She saw herself as he did, and she was so beautiful.
“Just relax, teacup,” Daddy told her. “Do what feels good to you. I’ll get you there.”
She knew where there was. He was talking about cummies. Excitement flew through her. She wouldn’t have to do all of it herself! No longer did she have to imagine him inside of her! He was here!
“Daddy, fuck me!” she cried, so excited she could hardly stand it.
He smiled and repositioned himself over her. Her head was propped up on pillows, allowing her to see as he guided his manhood between her legs. He shifted his hips forward, pressing the tip of him into her, between her soaking-wet lips and to her entrance. He waited there, shifting slightly from side to side, letting her get used to him.
Amber trembled from how good even that felt, having him at her slit.
Daddy moved forward again, pressing deeper into her slit, parting her, going into her.
Amber gasped out loud as he filled her for the very first time. The sensation was much like when she put her fingers inside herself, except different. Better. The shape of him better matched the shape of her. He rubbed on her in ways she would never been able to do for herself. There had been a brief, sharp pain when he first went in, as he stretched her, but it was gone so fast she could hardly recall it.
Amber Stigmatized Page 20
