by Eva Luxe
Until then, I needed to keep doing what I did best, which was running my company and taking care of my child. This time when I picked up my phone, it was to call my lawyers. They might already know about this latest shenanigan Morgan was pulling, but every little thing was going into the file, and the file was getting pretty damn big.
Fuck this. I didn’t want to have to share my daughter with someone who didn’t care about her. Maybe it was time to duke this out in court. God knew that mediation and negotiating and all that other bullshit I had been trying instead of litigation weren’t working. I was used to fighting for what I wanted, and I was starting to think that was the best way to go.
I straightened up my desk before heading out the door.
That girl in the club, Willow, would have to remain in my imagination, a fantasy that would never come true. Ariel was my world, and I was too close to getting that divorce to legally cut off any and all dealings with her mother.
As far as I knew, no one in the media world knew what was going on in my private life, and I planned for it to stay that way. I’d petitioned to have the records sealed, and somehow my lawyers had made it happen— they’d argued something about endangering Ariel by exposing her to public scrutiny.
When I got to Morgan’s house, Ariel was sitting in her usual spot on the steps. I looked around and didn’t see Morgan anywhere. As usual, I took a picture with my phone and sent it to my lawyer before I got out of the car. I was careful to quickly put the phone back into my pocket. Having evidence that Morgan was unfit for custody despite being the one to claim that I was, was something I had to balance without letting Ariel know how much her mother and I were at odds. She was just a child, and didn’t need to be subjected to discord.
“Come to Daddy, princess!” I said, holding out my arms.
“Daddy!” She ran to me with her hair flopping in the wind and her famous bright smile on her face.
It was painful sending her back to her mother’s every weekend. But at least I got to look forward to these moments when I could tell that Ariel was happy to see me.
“How has my angel been?” I asked, looking at her arms and face to make sure there wasn’t a hair harmed on my little girl.
“I’m fine, Daddy.”
I took her small back pack and put it in the car and then buckled Ariel into her booster seat nice and snug. She wiggled around and smiled some more. Some days I really debated whether to just take Ariel and leave the country so Morgan wouldn’t get her.
I got in and drove off, glad that I didn’t see Morgan hovering around. Not only had she made it apparent that she had never loved me, but by now, she was obviously showing open hatred.
To be honest, I hadn’t loved her either. I knew that now. But I had treated her well, and she had stabbed me in the fucking back.
I sighed and kept my attention on the road. Sometimes I wondered what it would be like if I did find someone worth it.
Someone like…well, Willow. Soft, kind and gentle, yet spunky and smart…
The phone built into my car rang and I pushed a button to answer it.
“Hello, boss,” Claire, my secretary said. “I just wanted to remind you of that meeting in two hours.”
“In two hours? What meeting?”
“Delaney and Hoff, they’re coming to discuss some new contracts with you today at five o’clock.”
“I scheduled that for today? On a Sunday?”
I didn’t usually schedule meetings when I had my daughter around. She went to a private school during the day, and I dedicated our evenings to family time.
Things had gotten so hectic, I must have lost track. But the Delaney and Hoff contracts were vital to my company, and I couldn’t let that slide.
Those contracts were going to be the reason that Ariel would never have to worry about student loan debt, or worry about anything financially, period. They were going to push us to a level where I could work even less, and spend even more time with my daughter.
That was when her face flashed through my mind.
Willow.
I remembered where she lived, and she just looked right for the part of babysitter. Something about her was…wholesome… despite the crazy way in which I had met her.
Looking in the rear view mirror, I saw Ariel kicking her legs and glancing out of the window.
I hadn’t known Willow for more than an hour. She fell into my lap, literally, then I took her home. And she was a stripper— hardly the most wholesome profession.
But if she was a stripper that meant she needed money. I could give her that, and she could give me the sense of safety I needed in a nanny.
I made up my mind.
“Ariel, Daddy’s going to make a quick detour. Sit tight, we’ll be home soon!”
“Okay, Daddy!”
With her childlike spirit, she was down for the ride, and whatever the result would be. And so was I.
Chapter 5 – Willow
You would think I would be feeling excited, or embarrassed, or… something… about the fact that I had just become a stripper. And I have to admit, last night, I was.
After Darien dropped me off, I couldn’t stop thinking about the entire night. But to be honest, it wasn’t so much about the fact that I’d made a fool of myself up there on the pole as it was about the fact that I had met someone so handsome and kind.
I had told him I had been banned to the back room, which was true. But in all honestly, I could have gone out and danced again. After an hour of practicing, Stacy and the other girls had told me I had my moves down pat and that they would talk to Mr. B about letting me go work the floor at least, if not dance on stage.
But I just hadn’t felt right about it. When I was in Darien’s lap I had just wanted to stay there. I had no judgment for what the dancers who were fast becoming my friends did for a living but it just didn’t feel right for me. I wanted to find a guy who would catch me, protect me, be with me for good. I didn’t want to have to be taking my clothes off for money.
The fact remained, though, that I did have to do it. I needed the money. Darien was obviously rich, and I wasn’t, and our two paths were not meant to collide in this life.
So, I tried to not think about Darien and just go to sleep. I couldn’t get him off my mind, though. I’d reached my hand down under my comforter and felt the wet folds of my pussy, and I knew it was still dripping from sitting on his cock earlier. It had felt so big and strong underneath me.
I had rubbed my clit while spreading my legs, wishing I was opening them for him.
“Oh, Darien,” I had breathed, turning my face so I could scream into my pillow. “I want your cock inside me.”
I had never had anyone’s cock inside me. Despite having been a stripper for all of one dance, I had no experience with sex. But I could guess how good it would feel for Darien to spread my legs wide open and put his cock deep inside my willing and waiting pussy.
I bet it would feel so good, sliding in and out of me. I bet he would grab my tits while I bounced around on his cock. I bet the rhythm of our two bodies together would be better than any vibrator.
I had come all over my fingers while thinking about Darien taking my virginity. And then I had fallen into a deep sleep.
Today, however, I had no time to think about the fact that I had just taken on a new profession, nor even much time to think about Darien. Today was just another day for me to be fighting with my parents about my brother.
“So, you think it’s fair to leave me out of these conversations?” I snapped at them now.
I was so tired of this same conversation, and I guess they were too, because this time I’d caught them talking about decisions pertaining to Sam and his health care without me present.
“Willow, we just didn’t want to stress you. We’re the head of the—”
I cut my mother off, storming into the hallway from the living room.
“We agreed! We agreed that we would make all his medical decisions together! You can’t
just leave me out of these things!”
My father just sat in his recliner with his head hung down.
They kept complaining about how hard it was for them with Sam in the hospital, but what did they want? For Sam to just up and die? Would that be easier for them?
I swung the front door open and charged outside─ and ran straight into someone.
Stumbling back, I looked up and saw that familiar face. His hands came up to my shoulders to steady me.
It was Darian. The man who had rescued me. The man who had made me come last night in my fantasies.
“You…” I said, trying to find my words.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, I─ why are you here?” I gazed up at him and then lowered my voice. “I don’t do private dances and, well, my parents don’t know─”
He shook his head and waved his hand. “No, I’m not here for that. I needed to ask you for a favor.”
“What do you need?”
The argument with my mother still had adrenaline pumping through my veins. He turned me and placed his hand on my back like a gentleman and walked me toward his car. There was a little girl sitting on the inside.
“This is my daughter, Ariel.” His whole face softened as he waved at the little girl through the back window. “I need you to look after her for a little while. I have an important meeting that I can’t reschedule.”
“Watch her here?” I asked, pointing back at my family’s townhouse.
My parents would nose their way into my business. Honestly, they didn’t need to know I was making any money at all. Even if babysitting would be a more honorable way to make it than stripping.
“No, my place. It has everything you need. And I’d pay you well.”
“How long do you need me to watch her? And why ask me?” I lowered my voice. “Who asks a stripper to watch their daughter?”
For the most part, that was sarcasm, but I was curious. He didn’t carry himself like the rest of the screwballs that came to the bar.
He was more mature, business like, and the scent of that cologne, that mix of sandalwood and coffee… damn.
“Well.” He hesitated. “Let’s just say I like your vibe. You’re gentle, and obviously new to the whole exotic dancer thing.”
My face burned. He didn’t have to remind me what an idiot I’d made of myself the night before. My single attempt at being a stripper had been a total train wreck; I couldn’t even make myself get back up there again the rest of the evening.
He wouldn’t understand, of course. One good look at his fancy, fast car and I knew that he didn’t know what scraping for money was like. Add on to that that you had a brother in a coma you had to support because insurance wanted to be so fucking cheap, and I was in a bind that he’d never relate to.
“Yeah, I know I was a disaster,” I said, crossing my arms in front of me. “But─”
“But what?”
“That job pays really good money. And I need that money.”
He sighed. “Right, because of your brother. How much?”
“You mean, how much do I get paid?” He nodded impatiently, and I shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, it’s not a set thing, but my first day brought in like four hundred dollars.”
I didn’t mention that half of that had been the hundreds that he had shoved at me after I’d landed on top of him.
“I’ll pay you eight hundred if you watch after my Ariel today.”
That look in his eyes made it hard to turn him down. Not to mention that high amount of money. I was a little suspicious— but also excited— about why he would want me to do this. But he just looked like a concerned father, and I felt that his plea was genuine.
I moved my mouth to say yes when my mother opened the door and padded out to see who the handsome man was, who was standing in front of her house, with her daughter.
“Willow? Is this a friend of yours?” she asked.
“Yes, Mom.”
“I’m her boss,” he added. He shook her hand. “My name is Darien, I’ve hired your daughter to babysit my daughter today.”
He looked back at me with a grin. I nodded. One day off having to strip at the bar would be nice, as just the thought of it filled me with dread, especially if Darien wasn’t going to be there. Plus, getting paid eight hundred dollars was a nice boost of money. Maybe I would be able to make a dent in Sam’s healthcare after all.
“I’d love to stay longer to chat, but I have a very important meeting to go to,” Darien told my mom, and gestured for me to get into the car.
“Bye, Mom,” I said, as I ducked inside to grab my purse, and then headed back outside.
She looked rather dumbstruck as I left, and I couldn’t blame her. I had never been the type to want to babysit some kid. In fact, I thought kids were annoying. But, how was she to know what my alternatives were? This sure beat stripping.
I followed Darien over to his car and got inside. I looked in the backseat and saw Ariel give me a curious look.
“Willow, meet Ariel, my daughter.”
She spoke in a cheery voice, “Hello, it’s nice to meet you!”
“Hey, Ariel! You’ve got a princess name!”
“I do!” She giggled, high pitched and sweet.
I had to admit, it was pretty damn cute.
We went through many winding roads, and the scenery that passed us in a flurry of green and yellow hues was calming and reassuring. I was well aware I didn’t know Darien that well, but how many psycho killers went around dropping hundred dollar bills and picking up people with their child in the car?
I slid a glance at him as he navigated the expensive car through a neighborhood where the yards were not only fenced, but gated. He was handsome, with a strong jaw and thick eyelashes, and his hand on the wheel was large and strong. I wondered if he’d come from a background more like mine, with manual labor and blue collar work being more normal than suits and ties.
If so, he’d sure risen above it. He obviously didn’t have a care in the world about money now.
But since he had a kid, that meant he also had a wife or girlfriend, right?
I didn’t want to seem too nosy, so I kept my mouth shut. God knew I didn’t want to have that attribute of my mother rub off on me. But I couldn’t help but wonder all about this mysterious man who had helped me so much, for reasons I couldn’t even discern.
Chapter 6 – Willow
After another fifteen minute drive, we pulled up to a large house that looked like a mansion.
Okay, maybe not that large, but his house could easily take up a whole row of town houses like the one I lived in with my parents.
“Oh my God, how many bedrooms are there in your house?”
“Seven of them.” He shrugged. “That doesn’t include my office and conference room.”
I cocked an eyebrow and turned to him. “Since when do houses need conference rooms?”
“Since I began using it most days for my business,” he answered, without missing a beat. “It lets me work more from home quite often, so I can be available for Ariel.”
“Oh.”
Darien met my eyes for a few more seconds, and I felt the heat trickle up my cheeks.
“You’re not going to ask what business?”
“No. I don’t want to seem nosy.”
He chuckled. And I looked out the window to hide my face.
“I’m the owner of Thrilling Enterprises. We do a lot of contracts for tech companies and provide computer engineering for high end companies.”
“I’ve heard of Thrilling Enterprises!”
As soon as I said it, I felt dumb for being so excited. But I couldn’t believe it.
Holy shit, he was the owner of Thrilling? That meant that this man sitting arms’ length from me was probably a billionaire.
How did someone like me end up sitting in a car next to him?
I guess sometimes even billionaires slum it at strip clubs, I immediately answered myself, in my thoughts.
>
“You look shocked,” he said.
I just shook my head.
We got out of the car and Ariel raced past me, grabbing my hand to drag me along.
A few seconds later, I was standing at the doors of a very wealthy man’s house. I was going to get a glimpse into the personal life that barely anyone got to see, the life of the super rich, who had not a care or worry in the world…
I got distracted by looking way up to the top of the carved stone archway, until Darien pressed a roll of bills into my hand, along with a set of house keys.
“Huh?”
It was all I could think to utter. Other than for the few minutes last night that I was around Darien, I wasn’t used to having money shoved at me.
“I have to go. I’ll leave it to Ariel to show you around. She’s a smart kid. Lunch will be in about thirty minutes. I have chefs put out the food in the dining room.”
I was caught off guard by the fact that he had chefs. But everything about this man caught me off guard. The warmth of his voice lingered around me, making my knees feel weak.
Stop it, Willow. He’s your boss. Nothing else. He’s obviously got a woman stashed around somewhere. Or a whole bunch of them.
“Okay. Thank you, Mr. Thrilling.”
He held up his hand. “It’s just Darien.”
“Where are you going, Daddy?” Ariel demanded.
He got down on one knee so they were eye to eye. “Daddy has a super special meeting with some clients. Remember what we talked about, with Daddy’s work?”
Ariel rolled her eyes as only a seven year old could. “I’m the most important thing,” she recited in a sing-song voice, “and most of your nights are just for me, but every now and then you have to leave to do some stupid work thing.”
Darien laughed. “You weren’t supposed to quote me on that ‘stupid work thing’ part, but yeah, that’s it.”
He pulled her close and kissed her forehead.
“Be a good girl and don’t stray too far from Miss Willow. She’s a nice lady.”
Darien flashed me one more grin before he turned around and headed for his car. Ariel and I waved from the front porch.
After he had driven out of sight, Ariel turned to me with a pout on her little mouth. “You won’t be mean to me, will you?”
