by Stella Moore
“Jesus, another woman?” Fox turned, ready to kick whoever it was out of his gym, but he pulled up short when he recognized the intruder. “Jenna? What are you doing here? Is Mindy all right?”
Jenna snapped her head around, and her blurry eyes focused on Fox. “You! Fox-man! I need to talk to you.”
He ignored Tim’s snicker as Jenna stumbled over to them. “About what? Jenna, where the hell is Mindy?”
Jenna waved a hand in front of his face. “She went home. Not the point.”
Fox tightened his grip on the patience he was quickly losing. “What is the point?”
“Mindy. Mindy is the point. Jesus, aren’t you paying attention?”
“I’m trying,” Fox said through clenched teeth.
“Well, try harder. She’s in love with you.”
“What?” If she’d hauled off and slapped him in the face, he wouldn’t have been more shocked. “She’s what?”
Jenna rolled her eyes. “She’s in love with you, moron. So, if this is some,” she gestured wildly, “game to you, stop it. If you break her heart, I’ll fucking kill you. Got it?”
From behind him, Fox heard a low chuckle. He wasn’t sure who he wanted to murder first. “Jenna, it’s not a game. I’m in love with her, too.”
Her eyes popped open, then went soft and dewy. “Aww. That’s so great. She deserves it. She’s the best. I love her, too.” She sniffled, and Fox was horrified to see that she was on the verge of tears. “Like, I really love her. She’s my family. My whole family. So even if you beat her ass, I guess it’s okay as long as you love her.”
He was going to have a heart attack if she kept this up. “She told you that?”
Jenna nodded and swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. “Said you do it cuz you care. And you don’t put up with all that shit she says about herself. Which is good, because I don’t think she knows how perfect she is. I’m really fucking drunk,” she added with a watery laugh.
“Yeah. Let’s get you home.”
“I can take her.”
Jenna’s head snapped back like someone had slapped her. “Who the fuck are you?”
“Tim Hawkins. I’m a friend of Fox’s. You have her address?” He asked Fox.
“I know where I live. And I can call another cab, thanks.”
“Nonsense. Wait here while I grab my stuff and I’ll drive you home.”
Fox bit back the chuckle when Jenna’s jaw dropped. “Who the hell does he think he is?” she asked, glaring at the locker rooms.
“A guy used to people obeying orders.”
Jenna crossed her arms. “Well, I’m not obeying anything. That may be Mindy’s thing, but it sure as hell ain’t mine.”
Tim came striding back into the main gym, his bag slung over his shoulder. “Ready to go, kitten?”
“Look, dude, I’m not letting you drive me home. And I’m not your kitten.”
Tim looked her up and down and grinned. “You’re right. You’re a little hellcat. But either way, I’m driving you home. Why waste the money on someone you don’t even know, when I’ll do it for free?”
“But I don’t know you, either!”
“Jenna, just take the damn ride so I can go see my woman,” Fox said, torn between irritation and amusement.
He saw the moment her devotion to Mindy won out, and he softened a little. She might be a drunk little hellcat as Tim had put it, but she loved his woman and his woman loved her.
“Fine. But only because you need to go tell Mindy you love her. Deal?”
Fox nodded. “Deal.”
“Now that we’ve settled that, let’s get you home, hellcat.”
“Don’t call me that, asshole.”
Tim shot Fox a grin over his shoulder that clearly said he was enjoying himself. Shaking his head as they walked out the door, still bantering, Fox made his rounds and locked up.
Chapter 20
Mindy stared at the box sitting on her kitchen table. Was she really going to do this? Was she actually going to take diet pills? More to the point, was she going to take them and hide it from Fox? The box had been waiting for her when she got home from her night out with Jenna, and now it sat on her table, taunting her.
Even though it had been a week, Sidney’s words still echoed in her mind, so she reached for the box cutter to slice the box open. The bottle looked innocent enough. It was bright pink with a cutesy logo and a photo of a thin, smiling woman boasting that she’d lost fifty pounds in four weeks.
“What are you doing?” Mindy mumbled to herself. “You don’t need these. And Fox will have your ass if he finds out.”
With that thought in mind, she grabbed the bottle and marched over to shove it in a cabinet, then buried the box in the trash can. There. Now she didn’t even have to think about it.
Except she couldn’t stop thinking about it. Her eyes kept drifting back to the cabinet as she moved about the kitchen, tidying up things that didn’t really need to be tidied up. She didn’t really want to take them. It was like cheating, and she’d never so much as cheated on her hairstylist in her entire life. So, she wouldn’t take them. Simple.
The chiming of the doorbell jerked her out of her thoughts. Checking the clock, she frowned when she saw it was after ten. Who the hell could be at the door this late?
She was even more confused when she checked the peephole and saw Fox on the other side. Unlocking the door, she swung it open, but before she could say anything, he’d pulled her to him and captured her lips in a hard, bruising kiss.
When the kiss ended, he lifted his hands to her face, running his thumbs over her cheekbones. His eyes were dark with emotion, and everything inside her trembled.
“Mindy.”
“Fox,” she replied, breathless.
“I love you.”
“Oh.” Her heart skipped a beat. Literally just stopped for a heartbeat and then started up again like nothing life-changing had just happened. “Oh.”
He raised an eyebrow, and her core quivered in response. “Oh?” he repeated.
Her lips curved up. “Yes. Oh. As in, ‘Oh, he finally said it, so now I can say it’.”
His caramel eyes flashed a split second before he fisted a hand in her hair and yanked her closer. “Say it.” His voice was rough with emotion and need.
“I love you, Fox. I love you.”
Before she could blink, her spun her around, pinning her to the door behind them as he plundered her mouth. She’d changed into shorts the second she’d gotten home, and he pushed them aside to drive his fingers into her.
The first orgasm tore through her without warning, leaving her gasping and trembling in its wake. He ripped the shorts down her legs, then lifted her so she could wrap her legs around him. Off balance, she was forced to cling to him as he freed himself from his jeans and pushed into her.
“You’re mine. Say it, princess. Who do you belong to?”
“You, Daddy. I belong to you.”
Never had anything in her life been so simple and so perfect all at once. She clung to that as tightly as she clung to him as he drove them both over the edge of oblivion together.
They stayed there, twined together with their ragged breathing the only sound in the room for a long while. When they finally settled, Fox trailed his lips down her neck. “Let’s go take a bath.”
Mindy laughed. “A bath? You want to take a bath?”
“Yes. With you. I want to have you again. And again after that.”
And that, at the core, was what mattered. He wanted her, exactly as she was, with no caveats. How had she ever imagined she could live without that simple truth in her life?
“Okay. A bath sounds lovely.”
With her still wrapped around him, he stepped out of his jeans and headed to the bathroom. For the first time in her life, she didn’t protest about being too heavy. She simply let him carry her.
In the bathroom, he set her down so she could fill the tub. When she dumped in a capful of bubbles, she heard him chuck
le behind her.
“What? I like bubbles.”
“Of course you do, princess. It’s cute.”
She stuck her tongue out at him over her shoulder, and was rewarded with a hard, stinging smack to her bare bottom. Pouting, she reached back to rub the offended spot.
“Are you supposed to stick your tongue out at daddy?”
She could tell he wasn’t mad, but it was very definitely his ‘Daddy’ voice. Everything inside of her went soft at the tone. “No, Daddy. Sorry.”
“Good girl.” His voice was husky again, and her core clenched in response. She’d never wanted anyone the way she wanted him. And it was glorious. Knowing that he loved her, on top of the want and the need, was more than she’d ever dared to hope for.
When the tub was filled, they stripped and slipped into the warm, frothy water with him seated behind her.
“By the way, you may want to check on Jenna in the morning.”
She froze. “Jenna? Why? Is she okay?”
“She’s fine, princess. I would have led with that if anything had happened.”
The truth of that relaxed her, and she leaned back against him. “So why do I need to check on Jenna?”
“She came by the gym to tell me that if I broke your heart she’d kill me. I think she’d had a little to drink.”
Mindy giggled. “Yeah. I lost count of how many Long Islands she had. I called her a cab to take her home, but I guess she redirected it.”
“She’s, uh, something else.”
“Yes, she is. I love her, though. Did you get her another ride?”
His deep laugh vibrated against her back. “Yeah. Tim, my late appointment, offered to take her home.”
“Tim. Do I know Tim?”
“No.” He kissed the top of her head. “But I do. Known him for years. Met him at a get-together with other like-minded people.”
“Like-minded? About what?”
“Let’s just say you calling me Daddy isn’t going to shock him.”
It didn’t quite click at first. “I don’t… oh. Oh my God. You sent Jenna home with a dom?”
“Yup. I think Tim is hooked.”
She snorted out a laugh. “Never going to happen. That is so not Jenna’s thing.”
“You might be surprised. But enough about them.” His hand brushed against her knee, then traveled up her inner thigh. “We have better things to talk about.”
“Fox, that’s not talking.”
It may not have been talking, but she did plenty of screaming as he pleasured her. In the tub, on the couch, and finally again in bed before they both collapsed from sheer exhaustion.
She woke to an empty bed Saturday morning. The bright sunshine streaming through her window was the first sign she’d slept later than usual. Rolling over, she squinted at the clock on her nightstand.
“Eleven? Holy shit.”
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept so late. Her schedule was strictly regulated, even on the weekends. But it was rather nice to realize she’d slept late because her man had so thoroughly exhausted her the night before.
Rolling out of bed, she shuffled to the bathroom and hopped on the scale. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw the number. What the hell was wrong with her body? She’d fought tooth and nail to lose a few pounds, only to gain it back after one night out?
Her thoughts drifted to the bottle of pills she’d stashed in the cabinet the night before. Maybe if she just took one, it would be enough to help her get back to where she was before last night. And Fox would be gone all day, so if she had some kind of weird reaction, he’d never know.
With her mind made up, she marched into the kitchen and grabbed the bottle out of the cabinet. She poured herself a glass of water and downed one pill before she could talk herself out of it.
“There,” she said to the empty kitchen, “no big deal. One pill isn’t going to hurt anything.”
Returning to the bedroom, she grabbed her phone and dialed Jenna’s number.
“‘Lo?”
Mindy grinned at the grumbled greeting. “Good morning, sleepyhead! How are you feeling?”
“Why are you so fucking chipper at this ungodly hour?”
“It’s nearly noon, sweetie. Rise and shine.”
“Noon?” Mindy heard the sound of rustling and assumed Jenna was checking her phone. “Goddammit. How much did I drink last night?”
“A lot. Do you remember anything after we left the restaurant?”
“Ah… I got into a car. Someone was driving me home, I think. And… Fox? Did I go to Fox’s house?”
“Close! You went to the gym. He says you told him you’d kill him if he broke my heart.”
“Sounds right. How do you know?”
“Because he came over afterwards to tell me he loves me.” She couldn’t stop grinning. She hoped she never stopped.
“Well, good. He should. You’re… What the fuck?”
“What? What’s wrong?”
“Mindy. There’s someone in my apartment,” Jenna whispered. “Hang up and call the cops.”
“Jenna, it’s okay.”
“No, seriously. Who the fuck are you?”
Mindy held the phone away from her ear and rolled her eyes at the loud crashing sound. She waited a few minutes until Jenna came back to the phone.
“Hey, kid?”
“Yes, Jenna?”
“Do we know a Tim?”
Mindy choked back a laugh. “Fox does. I believe he drove you home last night.”
“Oh. That was thoughtful.”
Something in Jenna’s voice piqued her curiosity. “Jenna. What did you do?”
“Nothing. Nothing. Unrelated, do you know how to get blood stains out of carpet?”
“Jesus Christ, Jenna! Did you kill him? Do I need to come help you hide a body?”
“No, he’s not dead.” The sound of loud swearing began filtering through the phone. “I have to go. I’ll call you later.”
Less than five minutes later, Mindy’s phone rang again. Seeing Fox’s name on the screen, she allowed herself a small giggle before answering. “Hi, Daddy.”
“Hey, princess. Have you talked to Jenna this morning?”
“Just got off the phone with her, actually.”
“Did she mention anything about Tim?”
She had to stifle another laugh. “His name came up. Why?”
“He just texted me that he was on his way to the hospital and that I owe him a steak dinner. Any idea what that’s about?”
She finally lost the battle. The laugh burst out of her and she collapsed on the bed, giggling hysterically. “Jen thought he was an intruder,” she explained when she finally got herself under control. “That’s all I know.”
“Fucking hell. I’m going to call him and make sure he’s okay. See you tonight?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll call you when I’m leaving. Be good. I love you.”
“I love you, too. And I’m always good.” Well, other than the pill she’d taken that morning. But that was a one time deal. No reason to feel guilty.
“Uh huh. See you, princess.”
“Bye, Daddy.”
Chapter 21
One of the side effects of the pill, she discovered, was a significant energy boost. On top of her usual Saturday cleaning, her baseboards got cleaned, her blinds and curtains got vacuumed, and she was in the middle of scrubbing out her kitchen cabinets when she felt the crash coming. It was like the two o’clock drop she always had at work, but worse. Seemingly out of nowhere her energy disappeared and all she wanted to do was curl up on the floor and sleep.
Looking around, her stomach dropped at the pots and pans currently scattered around the kitchen. She really wanted to get it all cleaned up and put away before Fox came over, and if she took a nap, she’d be pushing it.
Sitting cross legged in the middle of the floor, she looked up at the cabinet. Other than some extra energy, she hadn’t had any weird side effects.
And according to the package, she could take up to three pills a day. It couldn’t hurt to take one more pill before she got rid of them. Pushing to her feet, she poured herself a glass of water and washed down another pill. She took the opportunity to rest for a few minutes while she waited for it to kick in. As she was scrolling through her social media, a text from Fox came through.
Behaving yourself, princess?
Jeez, did he have some kind of radar? Swallowing the guilt, she shot him a text back.
Yes Daddy. Cleaning the kitchen. Having a good day?
She tried to tell herself she wasn’t really misbehaving. He’d never told her she couldn’t take the pills or anything like that.
Not too bad. My last appointment canceled so I’m cutting out early. When you’re done with the kitchen, go take a shower. I want you clean and naked when I get there.
Her entire body hummed with desire at the order.
Okay Daddy.
Setting the phone aside, she practically leapt from the chair to finish cleaning. If her heart seemed to be beating a little faster, she assured herself it was just the excitement about what her daddy had planned for her that night.
When she finished cleaning, she raced to the bathroom to shower. Her imagination had taken off with thoughts of what Fox might do to her. Almost without thinking, her hand traveled up her thigh to her wet curls. Inspiration struck and she grinned. Daddy wasn’t the only one who could plan surprises.
She unlocked the front door when he texted to say he was on his way. It took her the entire twenty minutes and a dozen position changes before she finally relaxed against the pillows. The sound of the front door opening had her throbbing with anticipation.
And when he walked in the bedroom door, all bulging muscles and tan skin, his eyes raking possessively over her body, she nearly came on the spot.
“Don’t move. Daddy’s going to take a shower.”
She wanted to pout, but she wanted whatever surprises he had planned more, so she nodded silently. He took his time in the shower, and by the time he returned with a towel slung around his waist and his skin glistening, she was certain she would go mad with need if he didn’t touch her soon.
