Once Upon a Daddy: A Romance Anthology

by Kelli Callahan

  I guess I can keep mulling that over on my way to Alexio’s house—if I can stop thinking about the surprise I have planned for him.

  “Are you Faith Matthews?” A voice interrupted my thoughts as soon as I stepped into the hallway and locked my door.

  “I—am?” I turned around to see a scrawny man in a loose-fitting suit.

  “You’ve been served.” He leaned forward and stuck a folded up piece of paper in my purse.

  “Wait. What?” I blinked in surprise, but he was already walking in the opposite direction.

  I quickly pulled the paper out of my purse and opened it up. It was a lawsuit—so that the owner of the building could officially remove us from the apartment. I couldn’t help but laugh. When I found the first eviction notice, I thought my world was about to come crashing down. It no longer seemed that important. Jennifer was already gone. I wasn’t going to be there much longer if I accepted the job in New York. Fighting the eviction just seemed like a waste of time. Either way, Alexio was kind enough to provide a lawyer to deal with it so I would leave the problem to the professionals. All I really needed him to do was delay the eviction for a month at most—then I would likely be on the way to New York. It was kind of a blessing in disguise with the job offer out there. I wouldn’t have to worry about breaking my lease or shouldering Jennifer with the responsibility once I was gone.

  I would find a way to pay my half of everything if I had to, but this will make things a lot easier.

  I put the notice of the lawsuit back in my purse and walked to the elevator. I was looking forward to seeing Alexio—even if there was uncertainty regarding our future. I had a surprise planned, and just thinking about being in his arms made my stomach flutter with excitement. I knew the reality of that—I was falling in love with him. We met under bizarre circumstances, but he had shown me that he was much more than a Daddy Dom that craved a woman’s submission.

  The man underneath the dominant exterior was generous and kind—romantic and passionate. I never imagined him being like that when I did my case study on Hawkins Capital in college. Leaving him was going to be hard, but I would fight to keep our relationship, no matter where I laid my head at night. I drove to his house, keeping myself distracted with thoughts about my future, and as soon as I parked my car, he opened the door with a warm smile on his face—like I was the only person in the world that he wanted to see.

  “Hello gorgeous.” Alexio started walking down the steps.

  I didn’t get a chance to respond. Alexio pulled me into his arms and immediately leaned forward to kiss me. I was going to miss getting those every single day. His lips could set my soul on fire and make my skin sizzle—and that was just the beginning of the passion we were going to share before the night was over. Alexio kissed me until my head spun, and I melted into his embrace. I was practically seeing stars when he broke the seal that seared our lips together. I didn’t want him to ask me about the job—he always did—and I still didn’t have a final decision. I just wanted to be the woman in his arms for the night, even if it wasn’t fair to keep him in suspense while I dealt with the turmoil of everything the decision meant.

  “Did you get everything worked out with the hackers?” I looked up at him.

  “Yeah.” He nodded. “More security enhancements that they’ll figure out how to get around before the end of the week I’m sure, but we got them under control.”

  “What about that company you were looking at?” I tilted my head. “Viking Electronics?”

  “We’re probably going to buy it.” He nodded again.

  If I can keep coming up with things to ask about—maybe I can avoid the elephant in the room.

  “Good.” I smiled. “It sounds like a great investment opportunity—one day we might get to go to Mars for a vacation.”

  “I think we’re a long way from that.” He chuckled, but then the smile faded. “Unless you’ve started vibrating because you’re happy to see me, I think you’re getting a phone call.”

  “Yeah.” I sighed and pushed my hand into my purse to grab my phone—a familiar number was flashing on the screen. “It’s my mom…”

  “Well answer it.” He took a step back. “It might be important.”

  Alexio walked towards the house, and I followed him as I lifted the phone to my ear. My mother’s voice was distressed, so I immediately stopped in my tracks. She had a reason to be upset—the factory that my father worked at told the employees that they were shutting down at the end of the month. My stomach twisted into a knot immediately. She tried to keep a little optimism in her voice when she talked about other places he could work, but I understood that gravity of the situation. He had worked at that factory most of his life, and he was getting older—it wasn’t going to be easy to find another job. I asked to talk to him, but he wasn’t there—he was at the bar commiserating with the rest of the people that were going to out of work soon. I thought about calling him, but I figured it was hard enough for him to hold it together without hearing my voice. It would be better to give him some space until he was ready to talk about it.

  “That didn’t sound like a good call.” Alexio’s face filled with concern when I walked into the house.

  “No.” I shook my head back and forth. “My dad’s factory got shut down. He’s going to be out of a job by the end of the month.”

  “Shit…” Alexio wrapped his arms around me. “I’m sorry.”

  “I knew it was going to happen eventually.” I leaned into his embrace. “Hopefully they’ll be able to make it until he can find something else—but it won’t be easy.”

  “You’ll help them.” He sighed. “You’re going to be in a position to do that once you start working at Rutherford Trust.”

  There it is—we were going to get to that topic eventually. My mother’s phone call pretty much made the decision for me. I don’t have a choice now…

  “We’re going to make this work, right? Just like you said?” I tensed up and trembled.

  “Yes.” He leaned back. “I’ll buy my own jet if I have to—I’m going to be spending as much time in New York as possible once you’re there.”

  “Thank you.” I squeezed my eyes to keep the tears from coming.

  “There’s something I need to tell you though—something you really need to know right now.” He sighed.

  “What is it?” I opened my eyes and felt my stomach twist up even more.

  “When this started—after the interview.” He took a step back but kept both of my hands in his. “I did a little investigating, mainly because I needed to know what kind of person I was dealing with if everything blew up in my face…”

  “Yeah.” I nodded. “I figured you did.”

  “Your parents are in really bad shape.” He looked down at the floor. “Financially, I mean. You’ll be able to help, but you’re not going to be able to totally support them with your new job.”

  “How bad is it?” I was scared of his answer, but I needed to know.

  “Credit card debt—a really high mortgage—they’re barely getting by as it is.” He exhaled sharply. “They’ve already been late on a few payments, and they could lose the house if they miss another one.”

  “Oh my god…” I pulled one of my hands free and lifted it to my mouth. “They probably did all of that for me—so I could go to college.”

  “Yeah.” He nodded. “I know your proud, strong, and so fucking stubborn when it comes to asking people for help—but Faith…”

  “I know what you’re going to say.” I sighed.

  “Just like I know you’re going to say that you don’t want to take anything from me.” He squeezed my hand. “This is one of those times when you need to just let me help…”

  “You did mention a loan once.” I swallowed hard. “With consequences if I was late on my payments…”

  “I don’t want to give you a loan.” He shook his head back and forth. “It doesn’t even have to be much—if nothing else, I can have one of my companies buy
the mortgage on their house. If they miss a few payments, I’ll make sure they don’t lose it.”

  “That’s your definition of not much?” My mouth fell open in shock. “That’s a lot of money.”

  “Faith, look around you. I have paintings that cost more than their mortgage…” Alexio sighed. “I worked hard for the money I have and yes—I’ve been very lucky along the way, but what is it really? It’s just numbers in a bank account.”

  “That’s easy for someone like you to say.” I looked down at the floor. “The rest of us struggle to find enough of those numbers not to lose everything…”

  “I’m in a position to help, so just fucking let me.” He squeezed my hand a little harder. “I want to do this—not only for you—but for the two people who raised such an amazing woman.”

  “Okay…” I nodded and couldn’t hold back the tears anymore—they started to stream down my face. “Thank you.”

  Alexio—the dominant man with a heart bigger than all of the numbers that defined his wealth. He pulled me into a warm embrace and held me while I cried. His generosity was overwhelming, but it still made me hurt to be in a position to need it. It wasn’t just about me though—my parents were going to be so stressed out with the factory closing. Being able to take some of that away was worth more than my foolish pride. My parents had sacrificed everything to give me a good life and make sure I got where I was. I would have never been able to go to college without their help—and if I hadn’t made it to USC, I would have never met Alexio. I had to believe, deep down, that there was a reason for the way things worked out. Fate—destiny—or just two people who were meant for each other finding their way to love.

  I belong in his arms—and I really don’t want to leave them.

  Fourteen

  Alexio

  Faith and I spent the early part of the evening making plans to help her parents. She was still hesitant but finally understood that it was the right decision to make. Being a Daddy Dom had always been about more than just the sexual submission that gave me control in the bedroom. I liked being able to help and take care of the women I was with. It was part of the reason Ms. Reynolds sent them to me in the first place—she understood that part of my nature and made sure they were truly deserving of my help before the ever sat down for an interview. Whether Faith realized it or not, being able to look past her pride and finally accept my help was an important step on her journey. It didn’t matter if she ever reached the point where she was comfortable being truly submissive to me in the bedroom, but she couldn’t just push me away every time there was a problem I could help her solve—financial or otherwise.

  “Oh, I almost forgot.” Faith leaned over to her purse. “It looks like the owner of the building decided to file the eviction lawsuit after all.”

  “I kind of suspected that after talking to my lawyer.” I sighed and took the paper from her.

  “It doesn’t really matter now.” She shrugged. “I’m not going to stay in the apartment much longer anyway.”

  “I know.” I nodded and put the paper down on the coffee table. “I’ll still make sure the lawyer handles it appropriately. If the owner is desperate enough to get you out of the apartment, he might be willing to provide some sort of compensation once he sees that the lawsuit isn’t going to work out the way that he hopes.”

  “He probably just wants all the rent he’s missing out on because of the deal he struck with Jennifer’s mother.” Faith picked up her glass of wine and took a sip. “I’m sure he wasn’t happy when we asked to extend the lease another year.”

  “A deal is a deal.” I reached for my wine. “He doesn’t get to back out of the agreement just because it isn’t beneficial to him anymore.”

  “As long as I can delay things until I move to New York—that’s all I care about.” Faith looked down at the couch.

  She’s finally admitting that she is going to take the job—at least that will give me time to come to terms with it.

  “You shouldn’t be this conflicted about your opportunity.” I put my hand under her chin and lifted it. “It’s okay to be happy.”

  “I want to be—I’m just scared.” She sighed.

  “There’s absolutely nothing to be scared of.” I leaned forward until my lips were close to her ear. “It just means we have to make the most of the time we have—and we’ll appreciate being able to see each other so much more when I come to visit you in New York.”

  “Then you better take me upstairs,” she exhaled sharply. “I want to make the most of the time we have—right now.”

  “Who says we have to go upstairs?” I started kissing her neck and pushed her back against the couch.

  My fingers moved against Faith’s skin, and my lips teased her neck. I heard a gasp, followed by a moan. There was no reason for us to leave the couch—I would make love to her anywhere in the house. I slid one hand under her t-shirt and cupped her breasts through her bra while the other hand started to unfasten her jeans. My cock got hard in my pants immediately. I wanted her so damn bad—but I wanted a taste first—the best way to take away the stress she was under was to make her come so many times she forgot every one of her problems. It was a temporary respite but a beautiful one.

  “I want you.” She fumbled with my belt and started to unfasten it.

  “Not yet.” I pressed my lips to her ear. “I need to make sure you’re nice and wet for me first.”

  “I already am…” she exhaled sharply.

  “I think I know a way to make you even wetter.” I started kissing my way down her neck and paused to strip her t-shirt off.

  I loved the taste of Faith’s pussy on my tongue—and it tasted even better after I made her come. My lips moved down to the waistline of her jeans, and I started to tug on them. She resisted for some reason. Instead of letting me pull them down, she dug her nails into my shirt and brought my lips back to hers. I had no problem with another kiss if that was what she craved. I pinned her to the couch, and our lips formed a perfect seal before our tongues began to intertwine. She wasn’t making it easy for me to ignore the throbbing erection I had—especially when she started to play with it through my pants. She finally pulled away from our kiss and pressed her lips to my ear.

  “I had something special in mind for tonight—before everything happened.” She purred into my ear.

  “It’s okay.” I moaned when the combination of her lips against my ear, and her hand on my cock sent surges of pleasure through my body. “It’s going to be special regardless—it always is.”

  “I know….” she sighed. “But—I’m wearing a different pair of panties than what you’re used to finding underneath my jeans.”

  “Oh?” I leaned back and narrowed my eyes.

  “Will you trust me?” She bit down on her bottom lip and seemed to be contemplating what she was going to say. “Don’t question it or ask if I’m ready—just go with it.”

  “Okay…” I nodded. “I’ll try.”

  Faith pushed me away and slid to the edge of the couch so she could stand up. I was a little nervous but also excited to see what she had planned. She didn’t need fancy lingerie to make me desire those gorgeous curves—and I was pretty sure she already knew that. She turned to face me and immediately reached for her bra. It was coming off regardless—I just hadn’t made it that far yet. Her bra hit the floor, and then she reached for her jeans, which were still loose on her hips. She pushed them down, and I saw that she was wearing a pair of pink panties—they were more vibrant than the pale ones she normally wore and definitely sexy. She took a step towards me, and I saw her lip tremble—then she leaned forward. Before I fully realized what she was doing, she stretched out across my knee, and I saw that the panties had words on the back of them—Daddy, I’ve been a bad girl.

  “Wow…” I blinked in surprise, and my cock throbbed harder.

  “I’m ready—please trust me when I say it.” She exhaled sharply and looked over her shoulder at me. “I want you to treat me like a bad g
irl tonight—even if it hurts.”

  She may not be as ready as she thinks, but she’s making it impossible to resist bringing my Daddy Dom tendencies to the surface…

  “Why?” I kept my composure and let my finger drag along the inside of her thigh until I reached the edge of her panties.

  “I want to be yours in every way…” She bit down on her bottom lip.

  “You already are.” I traced the word bad on her panties. “I don’t need this.”

  “But you want it—right?” She leaned forward and swallowed hard.

  “I just want to be with you.” I pulled her up into my arms. “Even if you are ready, tonight has been too emotional—let’s just do something we’re sure that we will both enjoy.”

  “Can we try it the next time we’re together?” She leaned against my shoulder. “Please…”

  “I’ll make a deal with you.” I pressed my lips to her neck and brought them up to her ear. “The next time you wear these panties, you will get spanked.”

  “Thank you…” She reached down and started to rub my cock through my pants. “Then I just want you tonight.”

  It was very hard to resist peeling those panties down and leaving handprints on Faith’s gorgeous ass, but it was the wrong time. Her introduction to submission with a taste of beautiful pain needed to be free from all of the emotional turmoil that transpired after she put those panties on. A true submissive knew how to embrace the pain and use it as a release, but Faith wasn’t there yet. It was a turning point—she was open to it, and the look in her eyes told me she was finally ready. She didn’t want to miss out on the moment she planned, which was understandable, but it needed to be perfect. Otherwise, the experience would be ruined, and she would never find out of it could become a new dynamic in our relationship.