Once Upon a Daddy: A Romance Anthology

by Kelli Callahan

  “Would you mind getting a couple of plates and wine glasses?” He looked over at me. “If that’s not too much to ask.”

  “I guess I’ll eat something…” I leaned forward and stood up from the couch.

  One rule was already going out the window—and when I reached for a wine glass, I instinctively grabbed two. A glass of wine wasn’t going to hurt, and it would be a shame to waste such an expensive bottle without trying it. It wasn’t like I would have many chances to drink wine that was fit for someone like Alexio Hawkins. The bottle probably cost more than all of the others that had ever been in my apartment combined. I grabbed a bottle opener and handed it to him when I returned—then I put a plate and wine glass in front of him—breaking my rule about keeping a distance of two feet at all times in the process.

  “Thank you.” He reached from the bottle of wine, and his hand brushed against my arm.

  Damn it—I haven’t even officially broken the rule about eating, and I’ve already let him touch me.

  The balance of power that was firmly on my side of the couch when the date began was starting to shift. I needed to get it back. I was wearing myself down without giving him a chance to do it, and if I kept breaking my own damn rules, I was going to be in trouble before the end of the night. I kept reminding myself that the incredibly hot man beside me was the same one who tried to get me to sign a contract for thirty days of sexual slavery—the same one who crushed my dreams of working for his company in a matter of minutes—the same man who told me that he would never fall in love or have a relationship with someone.

  “This is some very good wine.” He took a sip. “Are you going to try it?”

  “How many women have you paid to sign one of your contracts?” I ignored his question and took the conversation in a completely different direction.

  “Why do you want to know?” He turned towards me.

  “I’m just curious.” I shrugged. “Are you afraid to answer the question?”

  Give me a number that will make my stomach turn—that will help me stay focused on the rest of my rules.

  “Fine.” He nodded. “But if I answer one question honestly, then you have to do the same. Deal?”

  He’s always negotiating—he has no idea how to turn that part of his brain off.

  “Deal.” I reached for my wine. “One question, one answer—you go first.”

  “Thirty-two,” He exhaled sharply.

  “Thirty…two!?” I nearly spit out my wine before I even had a chance to swallow it.

  “You wanted an honest answer. You got it.” He shrugged.

  “You’ve had sex with thirty-two women?” My eyes felt like they turned into saucers.

  “No, I’ve signed thirty-two women to contracts—and that’s two questions I’ve answered, so now it’s my turn.” He sipped his wine.

  “Okay…” I nodded. “That’s fair.”

  Thirty-two? Oh my god. He’s thirty-five years old—he started when he graduated from college—that’s like twelve years. Why am I even doing the math? Thirty-two is absurd!

  “Why are you still a virgin?” He tilted his head slightly.

  “What kind of question is that?” I blinked a couple of times and took a quick sip of wine—it really was amazing, even if I wasn’t getting a chance to enjoy it.

  “You don’t get to answer my question with one of your own. I gave you an honest answer. I expect the same…” He put down his wine and picked up his plate.

  “I’ve been busy…” I sighed. “I haven’t had time for a relationship.”

  “You don’t have to be in a relationship to have sex.” He took a bite of his food like he was having a casual conversation.

  “Normal people do…” I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.

  “So, you just masturbate a lot?” He narrowed his eyes.

  “What the hell?” My head snapped back.

  “You’re answering my question with a question again—you asked two, so you’re going to answer two of mine.” He took another bite of his food.

  “I do what is necessary…” My face blushed before I could try to get my composure.

  “So do I.” He nodded. “Sex with those women meant the same thing to me as what you do when you’re alone in your bed—it was a release and nothing more.”

  “Sex should be—more than that.” I sipped my wine. “It should be special—it’s a connection that you share with someone. It’s not the same as—touching yourself.”

  I’m having a conversation with Alexio Hawkins about sex and masturbation—I shouldn’t have agreed to this date.

  “It depends on your perspective. We have different views, but it doesn’t mean either perspective is wrong.” He shrugged. “I do agree with one thing you said—sex should be about the connection you share with someone—but sometimes it isn’t.”

  “It doesn’t sound like it ever is with you…” I leaned forward and picked up my plate—I hoped a few bites of food would start to unravel the knot that was trying to form in my stomach.

  “It could be—with the right person.” He took a drink of his wine and smiled.

  Hopefully you meet them someday, because it isn’t me if that’s what you’re trying to insinuate.

  “I have another question.” I put down my plate and picked up my wine.

  I shouldn’t ask it, but I’m curious, and this conversation is already off the rails, so why stop the crazy train now?

  “I’ll answer it if you answer another one for me.” He nodded.

  “When you interviewed me, you said that I would call you Daddy. What’s that about?” I took a sip of my wine.

  “I’m a Daddy Dom.” His reply answered the question, but it didn’t really tell me what I wanted to know.

  “Okay, what’s a Daddy Dom? You have to elaborate on that…” I tilted my head slightly.

  “You want me to answer two questions?” He lifted an eyebrow.

  “I want you to fully answer the one I asked.” My reply was a lot snappier than I intended.

  “I like women that are submissive to me in the bedroom. I like to be in control.” He leaned forward. “When someone signs one of my thirty day contracts, they give up everything while they’re mine. I take care of them, provide everything they need—and sometimes I have to punish them if they don’t respect my rules.”

  “Punish them?” I felt a lump rising up in my throat, so I tried to make it go away with a large gulp of wine.

  “Another question?” He reached for the wine and refilled my glass.

  “Still—an elaboration…” I watched the wine fill my glass and immediately took a drink.

  “It depends on what rule they break. It might be some form of sexual punishment—or a spanking.” He leaned back and refilled his glass.

  “I see…” I took another quick drink—I needed to slow down, but my throat was incredibly dry.

  I didn’t really know much about my sexual desires. I never had a reason to explore them outside of the fantasies in my head when I was alone in my bed. The things he said—connected to something inside me. The thought of being submissive to a man like Alexio Hawkins made my stomach swarm with butterflies. The wine wasn’t helping, and neither was the food. I asked the question—I got the answer—an answer that made me feel like someone had struck a match inside me. I wished I had kept that question bottled up. Curiosity was better than transparency—and he wasn’t holding back. He was peeling away every layer that was left after I walked away from our negotiations at the dining room table.

  “You asked three questions. It’s my turn now.” He leaned back against the couch and smiled.

  “I asked one—the rest were elaborations.” I swallowed hard.

  “Fine.” He nodded. “Did part of my answer turn you on—or all of it?”

  “That’s not a question—you’re insinuating.” I looked down at the couch.

  “It’s a fact. You’re shifting uncomfortably in your seat—you’re nervously sipping your wine, even though y
ou’ve had enough to give you a buzz—and you can’t even look at me.” He reached over and put his finger underneath my chin—lifting it until we made eye contact. “Now answer Daddy’s question like the good girl you want to be…”

  Oh my god—I think my panties just melted off my hips.

  “No.” I regained my composure and immediately stood up. “This date is over—we’re done here.”

  “Answer the question, Faith.” He narrowed his eyes. “Then I’ll decide if I want you to elaborate. I’ve answered every question you asked with absolute honesty—you agreed to do the same.”

  “Okay, fine…” I sighed. “Yes, it turned me on a little bit…”

  He already knows that—but it doesn’t mean it’s going to lead to anything other than a very sexual conversation.

  “Sit down.” He motioned to the couch. “I’d like for you to elaborate.”

  I walked into that one head first…

  “What do you really expect?” I cautiously sat down. “I’ve never been with anyone before—I’ve definitely never had a conversation about this kind of stuff…”

  “You started the conversation. You were obviously curious.” He tilted his head. “I have nothing to hide.”

  “That isn’t true.” I shook my head back and forth. “You just know that I’m going to sign a non-disclosure agreement, so anything you say to me can’t be repeated…”

  “It does provide a certain element of freedom.” He nodded. “Now, elaborate on why it turns you on.”

  “I don’t know…” I looked down. “That’s the truth—I don’t have a real answer.”

  “I think you’re afraid of the answer.” He narrowed his eyes and smiled. “I think you’re scared of how it made you feel—because deep down, you know what you really want.”

  “It doesn’t really matter.” I sighed. “I could never be with someone like you—someone that treats women like they’re property you get to purchase…”

  “Fine, let’s talk about that.” He took a sip to his wine and put the glass down. “Let’s talk about Candice, the single mother who was living in a shelter while her child was in a foster home—thirty days with me turned all of that around for her. She was able to use the money to get back on her feet, find a job that paid well enough to keep a roof over her head, and she got her son back.”

  “That’s just—one example.” I took another nervous sip of my wine.

  “Then let’s talk about Anabelle, the woman who grew up with nothing—she always wanted to go to college, but she couldn’t afford it. She didn’t even know where her next meal was going to come from—until she signed one of my contracts. That was five years ago. Do you know where she works now?” He tilted his head slightly.

  “No…” I shook my head back and forth.

  “Paramount Pictures. She’s is a video editor in Hollywood. It’s what she always wanted to do but getting there seemed impossible—until she had the financial freedom to go to college and get the degree that would open those doors.” He nodded.

  “Two examples…” I felt my resolve dying a slow death inside me.

  “You want more? Hannah—she came from an abusive home. She was living on the streets until Ms. Reynolds sent her to me. Dana—her parents were killed in a car accident, and the foster system spit her out at eighteen with nothing except the clothes on her back. Tracy—she found out her fiancé was cheating on her the day they were supposed to get married, and he wasn’t the kind of man that would let a woman walk away from him…”

  “Okay.” I put my hands on my forehead. “I get it…”

  “Are you sure?” He leaned forward. “I don’t take advantage of people. The arrangements are mutually beneficial. It’s not—sexual slavery, as you put it. Women that go to Ms. Reynolds for help are already in dire situations—they’ve made the decision to sell their bodies in order to turn their lives around. I give them an opportunity to do it in thirty days.”

  “I’m not one of those women.” I shrugged. “I don’t need anything from you.”

  “Maybe I’m the one who needs something this time.” He moved closer—and I didn’t pull away. “I’ve let you through every single one of my defenses—are you going to let me through yours?”

  “I don’t know…” I stared into his eyes and felt a rush of confusion surge through my veins.

  “Then stop me.” He moved closer. “Tell me you don’t want this.”

  I didn’t reply. I didn’t have the courage to push him away or tell him that I didn’t want him to kiss me—because I did. He kept moving forward until his lips crashed into mine. I had been kissed before, but never like that. Electricity danced along my skin until every hair was standing on edge. He had pulled me into a trap that I couldn’t escape. My body cried out for his touch—and when his hand moved to the back of my neck, I melted into his embrace. The things he said should have sent me running in the opposite direction as fast as possible, but I didn’t know how to stand—much less run. My lips parted, and his tongue ravaged my mouth until my head spun. He finally pulled away, and I immediately started gasping for air—it felt like I was asphyxiating on the heat from our breath.

  “I should probably go.” He let go of my neck and leaned back.

  “What?” I blinked a couple of times. “Why?”

  “I don’t want to rush things—I actually like you.” He sighed. “Trust me, I don’t really want to leave, but I think we should both sleep on this—in separate beds.”

  “You’re probably right.” I looked down and nodded.

  I would probably regret it tomorrow—despite how turned on I am…

  Alexio gave me one more long kiss at the door before he finally left my apartment. The fact that he walked away when he clearly wanted more left me feeling confused. I would have never expected him to let me slip through his grasp when he had me on the edge of giving him something I had never given to a man before. I wasn’t sure I could ever have a future with a man like him—he was too complicated, and his past had torn his heart to pieces. The things he had done might have helped the women who shared his bed for thirty days, but I didn’t really want to be another name on a list. I didn’t want to be an example that he shared with others when he tried to argue the merits of his true desires. There would be no equality with him—the passion would eventually give way to the dominance he craved, and while the thought of it was enough to make my heart race, I wasn’t sure I could submit to him the way that he truly wanted.

  I’m definitely going to be thinking about it when I go to bed—and I won’t be wearing any panties when I do.

  Eight

  Alexio

  Faith wasn’t ready to submit to me. Those pale-blue eyes were no longer haunting, but they were full of hesitation. Her body was ready, but I wanted her soul to beg for it too. I had never tried to have an actual relationship that intertwined with my desires. They were formed from the tragic destruction that made my heart bleed out. I didn’t go to her apartment expecting to leave with my heart beating harder than it had in years, but that’s exactly what happened. She was sassy, fierce, and everything about that turned me on. Her surrender was going to be beautiful, but it wasn’t going to happen immediately. I could have pushed for what I wanted—I might have even been able to take her virginity—but I wanted more than that. I wanted everything. I just had to be patient enough to wait so that I didn’t ruin her in the process.

  She will be mine. I won’t stop until she is—but patience is a virtue I didn’t have when I was younger.

  I had a million missed calls. A thousand text messages. That was an exaggeration, but it sure seemed like it. Deana had been trying to reach me all afternoon. Ben was anxious to find out what happened when I met with Faith. Everything was fine at Hawkins Capital, but nobody there was used to me literally falling off the face of the earth for hours. It was a strange sense of liberation. The company was in good shape. I had hired great people who could keep it going without my constant micromanagement. I needed to rely on
them more. It was time to stop clipping their wings. If I was going to have a life that wasn’t one hundred percent devoted to my company, then I had to loosen the reigns a little bit.

  I’ll figure that out tomorrow—tonight, I’m just going to dream about what I really want from Faith…

  The next day

  “You can’t do that again.” Deana followed me into my office. “I got a call from Younger-Davis. They want to present something—I couldn’t set it up because you didn’t return my call. They might go to another company!”

  “From now on, any company that we are interested in acquiring will go through Dave first. He’ll handle the meetings, and I’ll sit down with him to discuss the ones that look interesting.” I sat down behind my desk with a thud.

  “Sir?” Deana blinked in surprise. “You always handle those meetings.”

  “Yes, and I’ll talk things through with Dave before I make a final decision—I’m switching it up a little bit.” I looked up at her and smiled.

  “Are you having a midlife crisis or something? Did the meeting with Faith not go well? Oh god, are we about to have a problem with her?” A look of panic spread across Deana’s face.

  “I’d like to know the answer to that as well.” Ben barged into my office. “Do I need to send over a non-disclosure agreement? How much is this one going to set you back?”

  “Faith doesn’t want money.” I shook my head back and forth.

  “Fuck…” Deana’s face went white.

  “This is bad—really bad.” Ben’s expression immediately matched hers. “She’s going to ruin you!”

  “No, it’s fine.” I held up my hand. “She’s not going to tell anyone about the interview.”

  “How can we be sure of that?” Ben blinked in confusion.

  “I trust her.” I nodded. “She gave me her word, and that’s good enough.”

  “Since when!?” Deana’s jaw fell open.