“Not enough to get up.” I shook my head back and forth. “Go back to sleep.”
“Okay.” She smiled and moved closer to me.
We both need to be well rested for our next date—and the evening that we’re going to have when we finally make it back home.
I was so sure that Chloe would enjoy being able to spend the day at the museum, but she seemed very distracted. I thought it was going to be another date that ended with us discovering that we had less shared interests than I thought—but then she suggested a trip to the fair. It wasn’t something I would have considered on my own, but we had lots of fun, and it felt like we were closer than ever once it was over. I took the hint—our dates needed to be fun—and I hoped that the next one I had planned would be as successful as the trip to the fair.
* * *
Later that day
“I made coffee.” I reached for the pot and poured Chloe a cup as soon as she walked into the kitchen.
“Good, I still don’t feel like I had enough sleep…” She blinked away some of the fog and picked up the cream.
“The shower will wake us both up.” I pressed my lips to her neck as soon as she turned to put cream in her coffee. “Then the car will be here, and we’ll spend the day doing something fun.”
“Wait…” She pulled away and turned around. “I told you that I was going to meet Daniella for lunch today.”
“I’m sure you can reschedule.” I shrugged. “We have plans.”
“No, we discussed this...” She stared at me in confusion.
“I haven’t even told you what we’re going to do.” I lifted my coffee cup and took a sip. “I promise it’s more fun than having lunch with Daniella.”
“That isn’t the point,” she sighed. “You can’t just spring something on me like this and expect me to just change the plans I’ve already made.”
“Send a message to Daniella and see if she can meet you tomorrow.” I motioned to her phone. “You’re making a big deal out of nothing.”
“No.” She shook her head back and forth. “I made plans with her, and I’m not going to cancel them. I’m going to shower…”
“Wait—I’ll join you.” I put down my coffee cup and walked after her.
“Not this time.” She waved me off.
“Chloe, hold on.” I caught up to her and blocked the stairs. “Let’s talk about this.”
“We’ll talk about it when I get back.” She ducked under my arm and started stomping up the stairs—but she paused when she got to the top and looked back down at me. “In fact, I think we need to talk about quite a few things when I get back…”
Chloe had an angry expression on her face, and her tone was harsher than normal. I was confused by her reaction, but I decided not to follow her up the stairs. I thought she would be happy to spend the day with me. Lunch with her best friend didn’t seem like something that was set in stone and impossible to change—especially when it was the last day that the circus would be in town. She didn’t even give me a chance to tell her that. I walked back to the kitchen, grabbed my coffee, and decided to watch television until she was finished with her shower. When I heard her footsteps on the stairs after she was done, I muted the television so that we could talk when she came into the living room—but she didn’t. The front door slammed before I even realized that she was going to leave without saying goodbye.
“What the fuck?” I threw the remote on the table and ran to the front door—but by the time I got it open, her car was backing out of the driveway.
Seriously? Why is she so upset?
I tried to text Chloe a few times, but she didn’t respond immediately. When she finally did, she told me that she just wanted to enjoy her day with Daniella, and that we would talk when she got back. Apparently, what was supposed to be lunch with her best friend had turned into more than just food and conversation. My stomach twisted into a knot, and I tried to ease it with a glass of whiskey and a Cuban cigar, but neither really did the trick. I felt like I had been punched in the gut so hard I collapsed and for some reason, I was being stomped with a pair of steel toed high heel shoes. I didn’t do anything to deserve it, not that I could tell at least, and yet the blows were raining down on me, and I didn’t even know how to defend myself.
She wasn’t happy at the museum, but everything was fine once we decided to go to the fair. What the fuck happened between then and now…
I ran through everything in my head, but there were no obvious answers—none that I could see. Chloe wanted to have lunch with her friend, and maybe I should have cleared the change of plans with her, but I was so excited after our trip to the fair—I felt like I cracked the code that was keeping us from finding common interests. I wanted a fun day with the girl that had wrapped her fingers around my heart—instead she squeezed it until I could barely breathe. I was glad there were no workers at the house, because I would have taken my frustration out on any target if the opportunity presented itself. In the absence of that, I decided to take my frustration out on the work I needed to do around the house.
I’m tired of digging through memories of the man who didn’t give a fuck about me. I’ll let the people from the donation center just pillage what they want and the rest of it can go to the fucking dump.
It was the easy way out, but whatever I thought I would find didn’t exist within the walls of my father’s home. He was an asshole that cheated on my mom—broke some more hearts on the way to his next divorce—and died alone as a miserable old man. I tried to reach out to him, and he chose not to return my call. The fact that he was in a graveyard didn’t change anything. If he was any sort of father or the semblance of a halfway decent man, my half-siblings wouldn’t have been so quick to move on. I was carrying his memory around and torturing myself for no reason. It was time for that to stop. If something had ruined my relationship with Chloe, then my time in Los Angeles was over. I was just going to go home.
I tried to be her Daddy. Apparently, I failed at that too…
I exhausted some of my rage moving things around the house and getting things set for the people from the donation center to come rummage through my father’s shit. I wanted to send a message to Chloe and try to open up the lines of communication, but it didn’t seem like that was going to accomplish anything. I was stuck waiting until she wanted to return home and talk. I didn’t think it was going to be a good conversation, regardless of what she had to say. I had things to say too. The way she stormed out—that was unacceptable. I deserved more respect than that whether I was her Daddy or a random person she was sleeping with. If I did something to upset her, then the lines of communication should have stayed open. I was willing to admit that I should have cleared the date with her, especially when it interfered with her plans, but I got the feeling the problem went deeper than I realized initially.
This feels eerily similar to one of my previous relationships—when she decided that my alpha tendencies and dominant nature were too much for her to handle. I thought Chloe was different—maybe I misjudged things from the start.
The anger turned into a numb feeling when as the day wore on and it started to get dark outside. Chloe wasn’t back, and I felt like that the longer she was away, the worse the conversation was going to be. I didn’t want to lose her. I cared about her more than I should have considering how short our time together had been, but I couldn’t control my heart. I was honest when I told her that my Daddy Dom nature couldn’t be flipped on and off like a light switch. I wished I could do that—because I didn’t want to let that side of me take control when she walked through the door. My phone finally lit up, and I looked down to see that I had a notification from the Chloe’s Debt app. I clicked on it and waited for it load—then stared at the screen.
Listen: -500
Decline: -500
She was forcing me to clear her debt, no matter what I chose. That made the knot in my stomach get even tighter. It wasn’t a good sign at all. I gave her the power to lay out the challen
ges, but I never thought she would use it to end things. All I could do was select the first option and cling to whatever shred of hope I had left inside me. I took a seat in the living room and waited—with my thoughts spinning out of control. The door finally opened, and I heard her footsteps—I hoped it wouldn’t be the last time I heard them walking my way.
I’ll do my best to listen to what she has to say—then see if there’s any way for us to put this back together again.
Chapter Nineteen
Chloe
I spent the day with Daniella and finally confessed that I was involved with someone. I just needed a sounding board. After she got over her shock and made some assumptions about my new relationship being the reason I turned Jeff down, she finally listened to what I had to say. I didn’t tell her everything, but I was able to express some of my frustrations to someone that would listen. In a rare moment of maturity, she asked if I had discussed my concerns with the guy I was seeing, and I was forced to admit that I hadn’t. We spent the rest of the day hanging out like we used to, and I think she realized I was just trying to avoid the inevitable, but she didn’t bring it up. I finally got the courage to say goodbye, made what felt like the longest trek of my life back to my car, and prepared for the conversation I needed to have with Corbin.
I knew that Corbin wasn’t trying to be malicious towards me—his possessive nature just rubbed my need for independence the wrong way. He was able to convince me to quit my job by waving his wealth in front of my face like a carrot I could have never been able to chase on my own. That let him sink his claws in, and I felt like the grip was getting stronger with every day that passed. Tearing myself away was going to leave a wound—wounds that would turn into scars—but I just didn’t know how to be the girl that could be oil to his vinegar while compromising every part of who I was. There was no bend with him. I put myself in that position willingly, but I felt like I made a mistake.
Now I have to undo it—and undo everything else in the process.
It didn’t matter what option Corbin selected on the app. My debt to him was cleared once he chose—he could listen, or he could make it easier on the both of us. I left him without saying a word after my shower because that was easier than stumbling headfirst into a conversation I wasn’t ready for. After having a day to contemplate it while talking things through with Daniella, I felt like I was as prepared as I ever could be. Nothing about the conversation was going to be easy, but it had to happen in order for me to live with myself. I didn’t know if what we had could be saved. It felt like we were spiraling towards the end of our time together. I wouldn’t regret it; I just couldn’t live with what we had become.
“I’m ready to listen.” Corbin looked up at me as I walked into the living room.
“Good.” I nodded and sat down across from him.
I had so many thoughts going through my head, and it just came out like verbal vomit. Every sentence left a bitter taste in my mouth and a sick feeling in my stomach. I told him the entirety of the truth about my emotional turmoil—the moment that put me across his knee the first time—I was honest about how it made me feel. I didn’t hate the first spanking—and the second one turned me on—but that wasn’t enough to make me connect with submission on the level that he expected. I liked calling him Daddy, I loved the way he made me feel when we were together—and if that was enough, then I wouldn’t have had a single complaint. It was the rest of it that bothered me. I didn’t want him to control me. I couldn’t live that kind of life—one where he forced me to bend to his will at every turn because it was his nature.
“Is that all…” Corbin was visibly upset, but he was listening.
“I need this to be a real relationship where both people are willing to compromise. If I have plans and you want me to change them—talk to me about it. Don’t just assume that I’ll do it because you tell me to,” I sighed.
“My nature…” He shook his head back and forth.
“I get it—I really do.” I nodded. “But you can’t expect me to change everything about myself to fit your narrative of our relationship. That isn’t who I am, and it never will be…”
“I want to take care of you.” His jaw tightened up. “That’s the kind of man I am. I know I can be overbearing—I know I can be intense—I’m not perfect.”
“Nobody is perfect.” I closed my eyes and squeezed them shut when I felt a tear forming in the corners of my eyes. “I’m certainly not. It just has to go both ways, and if that isn’t something you can live with, then I understand…”
It was Corbin’s turn to talk, and I listened. It was only fair after he was willing to hear what I had to say. His need to take care of the person he was with tied into his feeling of abandonment, and there was no way that he could shut that part of himself off. Maybe I would have felt the same way if I had the means to do that, but I fought for survival instead of escaping my lot in life. There were plenty of mistakes along the way on my side of things and coming to terms with some of them was what ultimately propelled me into his arms—but that revealed how complicated the relationship was going to be. We both realized that as we talked, but he didn’t seem to be pushing me away. The connection we shared was strained and pulled tight—but it wasn’t broken.
“I won’t do that to you again.” He leaned forward and sighed. “We’ll talk about it first.”
“I like surprises, I really do.” A half-smile formed on the edge of my lips. “But I don’t need you to rent out an entire museum in order for us to enjoy it.”
“No, you’d rather go to the fair.” He shook his head, but I heard a light chuckle.
“The fair was fun…” I nodded and couldn’t help but smile as I remembered how much we both enjoyed it.
“I had a good time too.” He looked up at me. “That’s what I was trying to recreate today…”
“You were going to take me to fair again?” I raised an eyebrow in surprise.
I didn’t even consider that…
“No.” He shook his head back and forth. “The circus is in town—well, was in town. They’re probably packing up by now.”
“That’s why you wanted me to change my plans?” I tilted my head to the side.
“I went about it all wrong—obviously.” He nodded. “But yes, that was why. I wanted to have fun with you again today…”
“Why didn’t you just tell me that?” I looked down at the floor.
“You were too upset before I realized what was happening.” He leaned back and sighed. “I had good intentions; I swear…”
We kept talking, and I decided to lay everything on the table that still wasn’t said. I didn’t believe in ultimatums, but in order for our relationship to grow, both of us had to make some compromises. Corbin didn’t shut me down, and seemed willing to bend, as long as we kept the lines of communication open. His need to protect and take care of the woman he was with was as fierce as my need for independence. That was going to be tough to overcome, especially if he wasn’t able to keep some of his possessive tendencies under control, but I was willing to try and make things work. I had no problem being submissive to him in the bedroom—or when we were alone—but it couldn’t control our lives. He was agreeable to it, which gave me hope that our relationship was going to survive the first real hurdle we faced.
“Should I plan to sleep on the couch tonight?” Corbin moved from his chair and sat down beside me.
“No way.” I slid closer to him. “You’re going to keep apologizing to me once we get upstairs—with your tongue.”
“That sounds like an apology that I will enjoy.” He leaned forward and started kissing my neck.
“Then you better get started…” I sighed and sank into his arms.
The conversation eased my concerns, and once I felt Corbin’s lips on my skin, there was no way that I was going to be able to go anywhere except his bed. I certainly wasn’t going to make him sleep on the couch. We made our way upstairs—stopping to kiss as the passion consumed us—and
we were both naked by the time we got to the bedroom. Corbin pushed me back against the mattress, forced my legs apart, and started kissing his way up my thighs. I had no problem accepting that apology from him—because I knew I would enjoy it. My pussy was already wet when Corbin’s tongue found my clit, and it turned into a hard knot when he started to make quick rotations around the tight bundle of nerves.
“Yes, Daddy…” I exhaled sharply and moaned. “That feels really good.”
Corbin wasted no time once he got started with his apology. He pushed a finger inside my pussy and started to slowly thrust while he circled my clit with his tongue. Once the pleasure started to surge through my veins, the rest of my concerns faded away in the moment. Our relationship wasn’t perfect, and time would tell if we could reach common ground and compromise the things that needed to change in order for us to move forward, but I believed it was possible. I truly didn’t know how Corbin would react when I told him how I felt, but he wasn’t willing to let go of me that easily—even if my debt was finally cleared. I hoped that I would get a chance to work my way through the other one. I was anxious to find out if the emotional cleansing could give way to euphoria the way it did the second time I was over his knee. I might even make a new list when that one was done.
“Keep going.” My moans got louder. “Don’t stop—keep apologizing, Daddy.”
Corbin’s tongue got faster, and I felt the pressure inside me starting to build. My nails dug into his scalp as I prepared for the release. I squirmed on the bed, but he kept me in place so that I couldn’t move away from his glorious tongue. My muscles got tight, and the pleasure got more intense. I moaned and begged for him to keep his tongue moving, and that’s exactly what he did—until the orgasm tore through my body. My back arched on the bed, and I started to shake. Corbin started moving his finger in rhythm with his tongue which caused the orgasm to peak faster than normal—then I stayed stuck in the peak until my head was spinning. I peaked so long that I started to writhe underneath him, and then bliss finally began to fade.
Indebted To A Daddy: Once Upon A Daddy Page 15
