by Stella Moore
“Lame. But, same,” Shannon added with another tinkling laugh.
“You girls have fun. Livvy, I’ll see you at home.”
Olivia lifted her face for another smoldering kiss before Shannon grabbed her hand and dragged her away.
“Don’t worry, Daddy, I won’t let anything happen to your girl,” Shannon called behind them as she pulled Olivia out of the office. “See ya!”
James’s laughter followed them down the hall. Olivia was fairly certain her cheeks could light the way for Santa’s sleigh as they climbed into the backseat of the car Shannon had called for them.
“I found this adorable little Mexican restaurant the other night,” Shannon said as they settled in. “Mondays are jumbo margaritas for two dollars. Sound good?”
“That sounds amazing. James hates Mexican food so we hardly get to eat it.”
Pressing a hand to her heart, Shannon’s expression shifted into one of mock horror. “What kind of monster hates Mexican food?”
With a theatrical sigh, Olivia shook her head. “My monster.”
Laughing, Shannon gave the address to the driver and they were off. Once they were on their way, she turned back to Olivia. “I still can’t believe this whole thing with Angela. Did the cops come talk to you?”
“Yeah. It was weird.” Olivia wiggled her shoulders, trying to shake off the unsettled feeling that came with the memory of two homicide detectives sitting in her living room.
“Way weird. You going to the funeral and stuff on Wednesday?”
“I don’t know. James thinks we should.”
“Which means you’ll go. What?” Shannon asked when Olivia frowned at her. “Where goes James so goes your kingdom or whatever.”
“It’s not like that.” It was, of course, exactly like that. And Shannon understood, or at least she had once upon a time. Still, it grated to be reminded.
“Hon, it’s fine. I was thinking I should go anyway, so we can be there for each other.”
Olivia hummed a noncommittal response. She was an adult. And a successful businesswoman to boot. If she didn’t want to go to the funeral, why should she have to? She was capable of making her own decisions.
“Hey. Earth to Liv.”
Snapping out of her gloomy thoughts, she turned back to her grinning friend. “Huh?”
“You zoned out on me. Thinking of that sexy husband of yours?”
“Um. Something like that.” It wasn’t really a lie, since she technically had been thinking about James.
Something in her voice must have given her away. Shannon’s grin faded to a concerned expression. “This isn’t about what I said, is it? Look, I didn’t mean anything by it. You know this is a no-judgement zone.”
“I’m not upset.” Desperate to change the subject, Olivia looked out the window, trying to gauge their surroundings. “Where is this place, anyway? I’m starving.”
“Right here, Miss Impatient.”
The car stopped in front of a loud, packed restaurant. Olivia climbed out while Shannon paid their fare.
“Why are there so many people on a Monday?”
“I told you.” Grabbing her arm, Shannon carted her up the stairs. “Jumbo margaritas!”
“Wright, party of two.” Shannon raised her voice to be heard over the din. “I called this afternoon.”
The friendly hostess smiled brightly and grabbed two menus. “Your table just opened up. Come with me.”
They followed her through the crowded restaurant to a small booth tucked in a corner. Olivia slid onto the bench, grateful to be somewhat insulated from all the noise.
The second the hostess left, a waiter appeared with a basket of chips and salsa. “Can I get you ladies something to drink?”
Shannon shot Olivia a wink. “Two jumbo margaritas.”
James hadn’t said how big her ‘one drink’ could be, but she still felt a twinge of guilt. She should have run the whole jumbo margarita thing past him before she’d left. But he’d said one drink, and she was planning to just have the one.
That small voice, the one that urged her to be a good girl and listen to Daddy, whispered that he wasn’t going to be amused by her reasoning.
“How’s work going? Sell anything good lately?” Shannon dipped a chip in the salsa and popped it in her mouth, munching happily. The woman ate like a linebacker, but still somehow managed to stay rail thin. If Olivia didn’t love her so much, she might have hated her for it.
Scooping up her own share of salsa, Olivia shrugged. “Not since the last time we talked. But I’ve got this pain in the ass couple. Won’t agree to lowering the price, won’t do anything to improve the property. Fuck, I can’t even get them to do the dishes when we have someone coming for a walkthrough.”
“Ugh.” Shannon wrinkled her nose in obvious disdain. “Those are the worst. Have you told James?”
“Yeah. He offered to help but I hate having to drag him into this shit. Makes me feel like a failure.”
“Well, that’s stupid.”
Mouth open in surprise, Olivia stared at her friend. “Why is it stupid?”
Shannon rolled her eyes. “He’s your broker. It’s his job to make sure you have what you need to move houses. If you need him to kick some ass, then that’s what he’s there for.”
It was a fair point. If he wasn’t her husband, she probably would have asked him to step in already. Pride was keeping her from letting him do his job. “Well, when you put it that way, I guess I can’t argue.”
Their margaritas arrived, and Olivia’s stomach dropped to her knees. She had never seen margaritas in a bucket. At least it looked like a bucket, akin to what a child might use to build sandcastles at the beach.
“Ho-ly shit,” she whispered. “It’s huge!”
“That’s what she said,” Shannon said, laughing hysterically at her juvenile joke.
Olivia forced a laugh. This wasn’t one drink, no matter how she tried to slice it. It was enough to knock out a baby elephant.
James was going to kill her.
* * *
The sound of a car in the driveway pulled James from the quarterly reports he’d been working on all evening. What time was it? He blinked hard and squinted at the clock on his computer screen. Ten after ten. Shaking his head, he closed the lid on his laptop and went to meet his naughty little girl at the door.
Olivia always had a fifteen-minute grace window with him. He knew shit happened and he wasn’t going to take her to task because traffic was a little heavy.
It didn’t mean he couldn’t have some fun, though. Putting on his best ‘Daddy face,’ he stood just inside the entryway and crossed his arms.
The sound of maniacal giggling met his ears before they even made it through the front door. He was reaching for the knob when the door swung open and two very drunk girls stumbled inside, tripping over each other and landing at his feet.
“Daddy!” Olivia’s brown eyes lit up when she looked up at him. “I’m home.”
“I see that,” he managed through clenched teeth. “Hello, Shannon.”
“Hey, Mr. Sexy. I’m gonna go now.” The beautiful blonde pushed up and immediately lost her balance again. She collapsed against Olivia, sending the pair into a renewed fit of giggles.
James sighed. He was pissed that Olivia had so blatantly defied him, but it was pointless to even attempt a lecture at this point. “Stay here. Both of you.”
“Mmm, I love a man who takes charge.” Tilting her head back, Shannon grinned up at him. “Will you be my daddy, too?”
“No! He’s my daddy!” Olivia protested with a pout.
Stepping around the pile of female at his feet, James walked outside to the car. At least she’d obeyed some of his instructions and taken the rideshare home. He paid the driver, with an especially generous tip considering he knew exactly how Olivia and Shannon could be when alcohol was involved.
By the time he walked back into the house, Shannon had managed to struggle to her feet, and was attempting to
pull Olivia up with her. He rushed forward when they wobbled, just catching Olivia before she hit the floor. Shannon stumbled backward into the entryway table, sending one of Olivia’s favorite vases tumbling to the floor.
The shattering of glass seemed to sober the pair right up. “Oh, no! Our honeymoon vase!” Olivia wailed.
“Oh, shit!” The horror in Shannon’s eyes would have been comical if he hadn’t been so annoyed with the pair of them. “I’m sorry, Liv! I’ll clean it up.”
Visions of his wife’s best friend slicing her hands to ribbons in his front hall filled his head. “Stop!”
The snapped order stopped her before she’d had a chance to move an inch. James said a silent prayer that at least she still had some sense about her. “Just stay there before you cut yourself.”
Olivia’s elbow connected with his gut. Luckily for her, she was too drunk to put much effort into the swing. “James! You can’t yell at my friends!”
“I can when they bring my wife home three sheets to the wind and bust up my house. Sit.” He’d managed to get her to the stairs and he plopped her on the bottom step. “If you move a muscle I’ll bend you over and whip your bottom right here in front of your friend.”
Even as annoyed as he was, her pout was adorable. “You’re a mean daddy.”
“You haven’t even seen mean yet, little one. Mean is what happens tomorrow when you get home from work.”
“But I only had one drink, Daddy, I swear,” she whined.
The flash of temper burst out of him as a growl. “You really want to lie to me? I’m this close to putting you over my knee right now, young lady.”
“I’m not lying! Shannon will tell you!”
“What?” Shannon’s slurred voice asked from behind them.
James closed his eyes. “Nothing, Shannon.” Opening his eyes again, he jabbed a finger at his wife. “Stay.”
The little brat had the nerve to lift her hands like a puppy and pant. His palm positively itched to connect with her bottom. “You’re going to pay for that,” he promised her. “Tomorrow.”
He turned away to deal with his other problem for the night. Shannon was still leaning against the table, teetering ever so slightly. With a sigh, he walked over and grabbed her arm.
He helped her pick her way around the glass and led her to where Olivia was still obediently sitting. Between the three of them, they stumbled their way up the stairs, stopping at the guest room to deposit Shannon into bed. She fell face down and was snoring before he and Olivia made it back to the doorway.
Too exhausted to deal with helping an unconscious woman undress, James ushered his wife to their bedroom.
“Daddy, I’m sleepy,” she whined, leaning into him.
“I know, little one. Let’s get you into bed.”
He sat on the bed and pulled her to stand between his knees. It took some time, but he managed to get her jeans over her hips and down her legs. She bent to finish pulling them off her feet, and her bottom presented such a perfect target he couldn’t help but plant a firm smack on the round globes.
“Ow!” She shot up and rubbed at the handprint he’d left behind. “What was that for?”
“Because I’m the daddy and I can.” Sighing, he helped her pull her shirt off. “You are in so much trouble, Olivia Jane. That little love pat is just the beginning.”
“But Daddy, I really did just have one drink.”
It was unlike her to lie to his face, which just made the whole situation that much more infuriating. Swallowing his anger, he gently turned her toward their bathroom. “We can talk about it tomorrow. Go use the bathroom and then get your butt into bed.”
She stumbled to the bathroom and back out again a few minutes later. James helped her into bed and tucked the covers around her.
“I’m really not lying, Daddy.” Her voice was soft and sleepy. “It was just one drink.”
“Tomorrow, little one. Get some sleep and we’ll talk tomorrow.”
“‘Kay. Love you, Daddy.”
James climbed into bed with her and pulled her into him. “I love you too, Livvy. Goodnight.”
Chapter Ten
“Rise and shine, little one.”
Olivia groaned and yanked the covers over her pounding head. A second later, the covers were pulled from her body, leaving her exposed to the blinding light.
“Leave me alone.” Squinting against the glare, she groped for the blanket.
“Not a chance. You have a busy day. Time to get up.” James issued the order with a singsong quality that made her want to punch him.
Since hitting him wasn’t a risk her butt was willing to take, she settled for burrowing her head into her pillow. “I’m sick. I’ll reschedule my showings.”
“Like hell you will.” All traces of playfulness had left his voice. “Up. Now, Olivia Jane.”
She switched tactics and rolled over to give him her prettiest, most pitiful pout. “But Daddy, I don’t feel good. My tummy is sick.”
Strong hands wrapped around her upper arms, pulling her up to a sitting position on the bed. “And why is your tummy sick?”
Admitting she’d had way too much to drink was out of the question, so she just shrugged. “Dunno. Food poisoning?”
“Try again.”
“I don’t know. I just don’t feel good.” She put as much ‘little’ into her voice as she could, hoping to gain some sympathy.
But judging by the set of her husband’s jaw, her plan failed spectacularly. “Your tummy hurts because you disobeyed your daddy last night and you drank too much alcohol. Now, unless you want to start and end your day over my knee, I suggest you get your butt in the shower.”
Most of the night was something of a blur, but there was one thing she knew for certain. One shred of hope she could cling to. “It really was just one drink.”
“I’m not in the mood for your games, Olivia Jane. Get in the shower.”
Hurt mingled with the throbbing in her head and the churning of her stomach until she felt tears burning in her throat. “Fine. Don’t listen to me.” She stalked to the bathroom and slammed the door behind her, a move her head immediately regretted.
“Asshole,” she muttered, flipping the shower on. “It was one drink.” But the words sounded hollow, even to her. She’d known when they’d put the concoction in front of her that it wasn’t really ‘just one drink.’ Hell, she hadn’t even meant to drink the whole thing. Had she drank the whole thing? She couldn’t remember. However much she’d had, it was clearly too much. Feeling sorry for herself, she climbed into the shower and lifted her face to the warm spray.
By the time she stepped out of the shower, she was feeling marginally better. At least, her head wasn’t throbbing quite so much. Her stomach was still coated with sickness and her heart hurt with the weight of the guilt she was carrying.
The guilt wasn’t assuaged by the bottle of water and the two painkillers sitting on the counter. Even when he was pissed, her daddy took care of her.
Maybe he’d spank her before work if she asked nicely enough. She couldn’t go the whole day feeling like this. Somewhat bolstered by the thought, she shrugged into her robe and headed for the stairs.
She’d just reached the bottom step when a familiar female voice reached her.
“Please don’t be mad at Liv. I ordered us the drinks. I didn’t realize they’d be so big.”
Olivia crept closer to the kitchen, curious to see where this conversation would go without her.
Her husband’s voice was a low rumble she had to strain to hear properly. “I appreciate that, Shannon. But this is between me and Olivia.”
“I just hate seeing you guys fight. You’re so perfect for each other.”
Deciding she’d eavesdropped long enough, Olivia stepped into the kitchen. As soon as she did, James’s head snapped up, his eyes locking on hers. “Yes. We are.”
Turning away from the island, Shannon grinned at Olivia. “Guess we got a little carried away last night, huh, L
iv?”
Without taking her eyes off her husband, Olivia shrugged. “I guess so.”
Shannon cleared her throat and crept toward the entryway to the kitchen. “I’m going to run up and grab a shower while I wait on my ride. Thanks again for letting me crash.”
She hurried from the kitchen, leaving Olivia alone with her very pissed off husband. “Hi, Daddy.”
“Hi. How do you feel?”
Tears filled her eyes at the simple question. “Not so good.”
“Hmm. I bet. Come here.”
When he opened his arms she ran to him, throwing herself into the comfort he offered. “Are you super mad?” she asked, the question muffled against his shirt.
“I am definitely mad. But we can talk about it tonight.”
“Oh.” Nerves danced in her tummy. “Um, I was kind of hoping maybe we could talk about it before work.”
“No. We don’t have time to properly handle this before I have to leave.”
“Fine.” Hurt and angry at being denied, she pulled away and turned to walk away. “Guess I’m not as important as work.”
The sharp volley of swats caught her by surprise. Olivia squealed and looked around, making sure Shannon hadn’t walked back in. “James! We have company!”
“Yes, we do. Which is the only reason you’re not bent over this island getting a proper spanking.” With one hand wrapped around her arm to hold her in place, James used his other hand to grip her chin and forced her to look up at him. Fire flashed in his eyes. “You are the most important thing in my life. But I won’t have you trying to guilt me into dealing with this before I’m ready. I am still far too angry with you to punish you anytime soon. I’ll see you in the office.”
He kissed her, hard and quick, then dumped the remainder of his coffee in the sink before stalking out of the kitchen. The guilt she’d been trying to assuage dug its claws in deeper, tearing her to shreds from the inside.
Resigned to feeling like crap the rest of the day, she stomped toward the stairs. She stopped short at the sight of Shannon standing on the bottom step, her eyes wide in her unmade face.
“Everything okay?” Shannon asked.
“No. James is pissed.”
