Candy King

by Christine d'Abo

  “Not if it means you don’t have enough money for rent, it doesn’t. Besides, you’re my dad, and I like treating you too.”

  He rented a room in an apartment with three other men. It had taken him a long time to find a spot that not only was in a good neighborhood but also didn’t break the bank. His disability payments gave him a monthly check, but it wasn’t always enough. At least she could earn a decent wage, even if that meant she couldn’t afford to go on cruises and vacations the way Kayla did.

  Things could always be worse.

  The waitress came and took their orders—eggs benedict for her, pancakes with sausage for him—and left them each with a mug of coffee. Simone’s phone buzzed in her purse, no doubt another message from Dylan. She really didn’t want to be thinking about him right now.

  Her dad swallowed down his piping-hot coffee without a second glance. “What are you working on these days at the paper? Any more food stories? That editor of yours is completely wasting your talent on those ridiculous community stories.”

  She knew he was genuinely curious about what she was working on and was proud of her, but there was always something off when he asked her about her projects. She’d always assumed that there was a certain degree of jealousy, but maybe she was reading too much into it. He was her dad after all.

  “Actually, I have something going on that might help give me the break I’ve been hoping for.” Cupping the hot mug of coffee between her hands, she raced through all the things she wanted to tell him, deciding on the easiest. Best not to mention anything about the sugar daddy story and keep things boring. “I’m working with Williams Development on a story about a new housing development they’re doing. It’s a housing complex for people with mental illness, but also a Buddhist retreat. It’s going to be pretty cool.”

  “Religions are rarely kind to those of us who’re different upstairs.” He tapped the side of his head with a smile. “Sounds interesting.”

  She hadn’t considered her father’s needs as a person who’d been struggling with mental health issues or how he’d react to the prospect of a place like this. “You know, it would be really great to get your perspective on this. You’re the type of demographic the development company is targeting. It would be a great angle for the story.”

  The waitress dropped off their breakfast with a smile and pulled a bottle of French’s ketchup from her pocket. “Need anything else?”

  “The bill.” Her father spoke the words sharply.

  The waitress frowned down at Simone before pulling the paper bill from her pad and placed it facedown on the table. “You can pay at the front when you’re ready.”

  “Dad, what’s wrong?” Sometimes it didn’t take much for him to do a one-eighty on her emotionally.

  “Demographic? An angle? Is that all I am to you these days?” He stabbed his egg with his fork and shoved it into his mouth.

  “Of course not.” Shit, she’d really fucked things up. “But you have a unique perspective that the developer wouldn’t have. It might really help other people, the ones who might be living there, to have input from someone who can see things from another perspective.”

  Every thought that flitted across his face was painfully easy for her to read. He’d been hurt by her words, and yet she could tell that he wanted to be a part of what she was working on. It was the first time she’d even considered involving him in one of her stories, and she did so mostly because Carl had drilled into her that the stories were about the people, places, and events, not the reporter.

  But this time, maybe she needed to put a bit more into herself into the piece. In a way, it was no different than what she was doing with the sugar daddy story. Except, less sex.

  She leaned across the table and tentatively took her dad’s hand. “It might be fun. We’d get to work together on a piece. You can even help me write it if you want.”

  His chewing slowed until he swallowed slowly. “It’s been a long time since I’ve written anything.”

  “It’s like riding a bike. You never forget.”

  “You’re kind but lying. Still. It would be nice to spend a bit more time with you.”

  “This will be great!” Excitement exploded in her chest as she squirmed in her seat. “I’ll have to check with the development company, but I’m sure Dylan won’t mind. Like I said, you’d be doing them a favor in the end. Maybe even help them avoid some pitfalls that they wouldn’t necessarily consider.”

  “They might say no.”

  “They might, but that doesn’t mean I still can’t use you. I can do an interview with you as someone who might use their services. They can’t stop you from giving an opinion.”

  Her dad chuckled finally, returning her hand squeeze. “Many have tried, but no one’s been able to yet.”

  “It’s settled then. I’ll talk to Dylan about you helping, but regardless, you’ll work on the story with me. This is going to be great.”

  Despite his smile, her dad didn’t quite have the sparkle in his eyes that he’d had when he’d first arrived. “I have no doubt.”

  The rest of breakfast was far less eventful, and Simone did her best to steer their conversations away from anything work-related. That left books, movies, and television shows to discuss. Which meant she had to do a bit of fibbing when it came to things her dad liked. She’d told him once that she loved reading a particular author. He then went out and bought everything that they’d ever written, hoping to discuss them all with her. Of course, there was no way she could keep up with him, and to this day, she would say she was currently reading a book when she wasn’t.

  God, she was a shitty daughter.

  Her phone buzzed in her purse a few times, diverting her attention every time. She didn’t take her phone out, but she couldn’t help but look over, wondering if it was Dylan texting her again. For all she knew, he was planning on taking her somewhere fancy to eat again. That’d be awesome.

  “Do you need to get that?”

  She snapped her gaze back to her dad. “What? No. It’s fine. Sorry.”

  “You clearly want to check. Go ahead.”

  She hated doing that to people, but especially him. “It can wait.”

  He smiled and stood. “It’s for a story. I can always tell when you’ve become fixated on something. You’re a lot like me that way.”

  “Dad, I’m—”

  “It’s fine. I need to head out anyway.” He picked up the bill from the table. “And it’s my turn. You can get it next month.”

  “You said that last time.” She stood and gave him a hug. “Thanks, Daddy.”

  “Anything for my little girl. Go check your phone, and let me know about the story.”

  “I will. Stay good, and let me know if you need anything.”

  It was hard watching her dad walk away from her and pay the bill for breakfast. She’d grown up worried about him, made painfully aware of his mental health challenges from too young an age. While she hadn’t exactly taken it upon herself to make sure he was okay, she certainly had always tried to make him happy.

  It was one of the reasons she was trying as hard as she was to make a name for herself. Yes, she was doing it based on her own desires, but also to make her dad proud.

  Her purse buzzed again, and this time Simone reached down to retrieve it. There was, in fact, only one additional message from Dylan, though her work e-mails were currently blowing up. Who knew that leftover donuts in the kitchenette at work could cause such a stir?

  But when she opened the message on the sugar daddy app, she suddenly forgot how to breathe.

  There was a picture attached. A half-naked picture of Dylan. At least she assumed it was him because he’d intentionally taken it from the neck down. His clothing was gone, and his lower half was covered with a towel, giving her a glimpse of his toned chest and stomach, and the hair that led to his groin. The mes
sage beneath it was more than enough to fire up her arousal.

  Had to shower. Jerked off thinking about you and our night and made a mess. Let me know when to pick you up.

  Jesus fuck, he was trying to kill her. And she’d die happy if he kept sending her pictures like that. She pressed a hand to her cheek to feel her flushed skin before taking a breath and typing out a response.

  I was having breakfast with my dad, and you send me something like that? You’re a bad, bad man.

  The waitress was hovering around, glancing Simone’s way. She must want to clear the table and seat the next guest. That meant Simone needed to get the hell out of here and probably go to work. That was the reasonable, adult thing to do. On any other day, she wouldn’t even consider doing something different than her normal routine, but today was turning out to be above average.

  Today might even be her first day to conduct some unique research.

  The phone buzzed in her hand as his response came through.

  You haven’t even learned the half of it. Let me take you shopping, and I’ll show you.

  A bubble of laughter burst from her, which immediately sent her to her feet and out the door. Embarrassment was a powerful motivator to move sometimes. Only once she was outside did she type a response.

  Shopping for what?

  Sexy things.

  Lingerie?

  We can start with that. Maybe some sex toys. If you’re into that sort of thing.

  Was she? Sure, Simone had a vibrator and knew how to use it, but that was the extent of her sex toy knowledge. She couldn’t imagine what else he’d want to use or to do with those toys, but she was willing to find out. It was all in the name of research, after all. Simone started walking toward the subway station, typing as she went.

  Where should I meet you?

  Switching programs, she fired off a quick message to work, letting them know that she wouldn’t be in the office today, that she was out in the field conducting research. Of course, she got three orders from co-workers asking her to bring back food from whatever food truck she was researching today. Typical.

  Dylan’s last message stopped her dead in her tracks and brought a smile to her face.

  I’m in my car on the way to get you at the restaurant. Look for the Tesla.

  Dylan was on his way to come get her. And then they were going to go buy sex toys. Simone’s head spun as much as her arousal surged. Turning around, she went back to wait, hoping beyond hope that this little adventure wasn’t going to blow up in her face.

  Because the idea of using sex toys with Dylan was a temptation she couldn’t resist.

  Chapter 17

  Dylan wasn’t exactly sure what had possessed him to suggest they go out and purchase sex toys together, but now that they were in the middle of the store and he was watching Simone wave a giant silicone dick around the aisle, he was forever grateful. This was the most hilarious thing he’d ever personally witnessed.

  “Oh my God, this thing would break a woman.” She grinned before beginning to pretend to fence with the neon pink dick. “Totally useful as a personal defense weapon.”

  “You’re a terrifying woman.” Plucking it from her grasp, he gave it a good look. “This might be fun to play with.”

  “There’s no way in hell I’d ever be able to put that inside me.” She rolled her eyes, took the dick from him, and put it back on the shelf. “Not to say that I’m not interested in something. It just needs to be the right something.”

  Dylan had never been in a sex store with a woman before now. Not that he had any issues with it, but none of the women he’d dated had been interested in meeting up at a store like this. Typically, they’d enjoyed it when he’d bought clothing or toys for them and brought them to their dates. It was very much transactional, and this wasn’t.

  It was dangerously close to something he’d do with a girlfriend.

  Which meant he needed to mix things up, change them around so whatever they ended up doing together was as far away from a relationship thing as he could possibly make it. With that in mind, he began to walk up and down the aisles, looking for the ultimate thing I want to do with a sugar baby item. It wasn’t until the third pass that he noticed a box on the bottom shelf.

  “What’s that?” Simone stepped beside him after he retrieved it.

  “A strap-on.” And a pretty decent one at that. It came with multiple attachments of varying sizes. That was something he’d always wanted to try, but he hadn’t brought up the idea with any of his partners before now. “Looks to be a good-quality one.”

  He was well aware that Simone was staring at him, mouth open. He didn’t know the types of men she’d been with in the past, but he’d always been more than a little adventurous in the bedroom. At the very least, he was willing to experiment to see if a possibility was something he might enjoy. No sense in discounting something until you knew if it pushed one of your buttons.

  Simone looked around the store, then leaned in a bit closer to him. “You mean you want me to use this on you? Right, like we don’t need that for me, so you would be the only one it would make sense to put it…into. Oh my God, you want me to fuck you?” Instead of her voice getting louder as it usually did when she was surprised, Simone’s voice dropped to a barely there whisper.

  Dylan couldn’t help but laugh. “You sound surprised.”

  “Well, yes. I mean, guys aren’t normally into that sort of thing. Right? I mean unless they’re gay, and then all power to them. But any straight guys I’ve been with are all freaked out by the thought of someone going near there, let alone putting anything in…I mean…yeah.”

  “There’s a little thing called the prostate that more men need to be aware of. It doesn’t make me attracted to men just because I like to have powerful orgasms.” He turned to face her, keeping his face as impassive as he could manage. “Do you have a problem with me wanting to do something like this?”

  He was taking a chance even discussing his sexual kinks with her, given that she was writing a story on him and the site. But if she wanted to have the full sugar daddy experience, that meant she needed to see everything—all of him, for good or bad. But more than that, it was the first time in a long while that he’d spent time with a woman he didn’t mind sharing a private part of himself with. There was something so utterly open and authentic about her that he knew, beyond a doubt, that she wouldn’t betray him.

  Maybe he was a fool for thinking that, but there he was.

  Simone gently took the box from him and looked it over. “No, I don’t have a problem. I’ve just never been asked to do anything like this before. Shit, I’ve never had a guy ask me to do anything other than give him a blowjob, and that wasn’t exactly all that earth-shattering. Honestly, I’d be scared that I’d hurt you.”

  “Nothing that a lot of lube and careful preparation wouldn’t take care of.” It was sweet of her to be so worried about him. Not exactly the sort of thing he normally experienced with a sugar baby, let alone one of his lovers. “If we ever did something like that, we’d go slow and make sure we were both comfortable.” He put the box back on the shelf, only slightly disappointed that she didn’t seem ready to play. “Let’s keep looking.”

  They’d grabbed a basket on their way in, and it didn’t take long for him to fill it with a variety of different lubes, a couple of sex games, and other novelty items. The store had lingerie as well, but the quality seemed cheap, not the sort of thing he wanted to get for her. No, only the best for Simone on their shopping trips. He had his back to her, looking at some movie DVDs when the weight distribution dramatically changed in the basket. He looked down and was surprised to see the strap-on box sitting front and center. He looked at her, lifting his eyebrow in a question.

  “You went and mentioned it, and now I can’t get it out of my head. I can’t imagine I’ll find too many guys who’d be interested in
doing this, so I might as well take advantage.” She shrugged. “It sounds like fun.”

  Her blush covered most of her face, giving her an innocent look, but he damn well knew she wasn’t innocent. Excitement bubbled inside him, and his cock grew uncomfortably tight in his pants. “This is going to make my afternoon meeting interesting. I’m not going to be able to concentrate.”

  She winked at him. “Good thing I’ll be there as well. I’ll keep you on track.”

  Shit, he’d forgotten that she was attending the development meeting today. While he might have the ability to keep his cool in social situations, having Simone there and knowing what they were planning on doing afterward was almost too much for him.

  He might have to go jerk off in the bathroom again.

  What was his life coming to?

  Simone looked down at her phone. “I’d actually forgotten about the meeting. I’ve been finding it hard to focus on stuff since we started our little arrangement. I don’t know what that says about me.”

  “It means that you’re a dedicated reporter who’s giving her story her all.”

  “Yes, but probably not the right story. I need to make sure that your development project is front and center, or else Carl is going to give me hell.” She bit down on her lower lip and looked away. “We better go pay for this stuff and then head out.”

  It didn’t take a genius to realize that there was something else going on with Simone. She’d been a bit off when he’d picked her up at the diner, but he hadn’t wanted to ask about her breakfast with her dad. Family was a subject she’d sidestepped every time he brought it up, and the last thing he wanted to do was upset her.

  “Sure, let’s head out. We can grab a coffee before the meeting. We’ll probably need it.”

  It wasn’t until he’d paid for their purchases—ignoring the smirk the woman behind the counter gave him at the sight of the strap-on—and they were outside that he reached down and took her hand in his. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah.” She gave his hand a squeeze. “Breakfast was a bit exhausting.”