by B. B. Hamel
I watch her get into the elevator. She blows me a kiss and laughs as the doors shut on her and she disappears.
For a second, I feel like this didn’t really happen. But it was real, all right, and she has my old phone. I hurry back inside and call my assistant. He’ll get the SIM set up somehow, and soon I’ll be able to talk to Sadie again.
So much for needing a private investigator. This isn’t a perfect solution, and things are going to be hard from here on out, but at least I know what the deal is. She’s still mine, and I’m still her Daddy.
14
Sadie
Thomas gives me a look when I come jogging up to the car.
“Where did you go?” he asks me.
I smile a little sheepishly. “Sorry,” I say. “I thought I saw someone I know.”
He stares at me for a second. “Did you find him?” he asks.
I shake my head. “I was just confused,” I say.
He nods and we get back into the car. Reginald glances back at me and then pulls back out into traffic, heading home.
I’ve been cooped up in the apartment for the last week, and I’m bored out of my mind. I didn’t think my father was being literal when he said I couldn’t go anywhere, but he wasn’t kidding. I only managed to get out for an afternoon of shopping by convincing Thomas to be my chaperone.
And I chose Thomas for a reason. He likes me, and he’s easy enough to trick if it comes to that. I feel bad honestly, using Thomas’s own kindness against him, but I had no other choice.
I chose a place near Gavin’s apartment and the first second I got, I ditched Thomas and ran up to Gavin’s place.
I’m glad that I did. The cellphone’s weight in my pocket is comforting as I sit there, looking out the window, ignoring Thomas’s annoyed grumbling. Nothing bad happened and my father never needs to know that I ran away, so he won’t get in any trouble. And now I have a phone to contact Gavin with, even though it’s the oldest thing I’ve ever seen.
It’s around five by the time we finally get back to the apartment. I quickly head upstairs and into my room, not bothering to stop and say hello to my parents. I’ve been ignoring them ever since they decided that I’m a captive in my own home. Peter isn’t even around to keep me entertained, since he’s away on some trip with his friends. And I’m not interested in talking to Michael.
I bite my lip as I shut my door and get into my little nook. I quickly text Gavin. “Hello? Is this thing on?”
He responds a minute later. “Safe and sound?”
“Yep!” I type back. “The smuggling operation was a success.”
“Good girl. I knew you could handle it.”
“I’m glad I finally have a way to talk to you. I missed it.”
“You missed what?”
I bite my lip, staring at the screen. “Talking to you,” I say.
“That’s not what you meant,” he responds, and I can see the insinuation in his message.
“Maybe,” I say, smiling to myself.
This is the happiest I’ve been in a while. I’ve been cooped up in the apartment, hidden away from the world, and now finally I can talk to the only person who I really feel like talking to.
My phone vibrates with a response from him, but I don’t get a chance to see it. There’s suddenly a knock at my door, and I panic a little bit. I turn off the phone and hide it in with the vibrator before getting up and answering the door.
It’s Michael, frowning in at me. “Father sent me to get you,” he says. “We’re having dinner.”
“I’m not hungry,” I say, and go to shut the door.
Michael puts his hand out and stops me. “This isn’t optional. Milo is here.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Milo’s here right now?”
“Yes,” he says. “So please, put on something nice and come down to dinner. You’re expected shortly.”
“And if I don’t come?” I ask him. “Are you going to tattle on me?”
He sighs, shaking his head. “That was for your own good, Sadie. You think I wanted to do that?”
“Yes,” I say to him, staring him in the eye.
“Fine, go ahead. Hate me. But I’m your older brother, and I can’t sit around and let you make a mistake like dating Gavin Waller.” Michael can’t even say Gavin’s name without looking absolutely disgusted.
“I’m an adult, Michael,” I say to him. “My mistakes are my own. You can’t control the world.”
“Maybe,” he says. “But you still have to come down to dinner. So please, just come.” He turns and leaves without another word.
I sigh and head back into my room. The last thing I want to do is have family dinner with Milo. I know my parents are going to try and set us up again, but I have no choice. I can’t just ignore it like some little girl.
I get changed and head downstairs. I know I’m in for something painful, but I have to do it anyway. I’m determined to get my family to finally recognize that I’m a person with my own wants and needs, not just a pawn in their political game.
The family is seated at the dining room table, everyone except for Peter. Milo sits in Peter’s usual spot. I take the seat across from him, and he smiles as I sit down.
“It’s nice to see you,” Milo says to me.
“Good to see you, too,” I say. I don’t bother looking at my father.
“We were just discussing Milo’s business venture,” my father says. “It’s quite interesting.”
I glance at Milo. “What is it?” I ask him.
“Oh, nothing fancy. Just a little consulting firm. I’m helping tech developers secure funding for their projects.”
“He’s doing quite well,” mother says, clearly more impressed by his income than by his skills.
“I didn’t know about that,” I say, already bored of this.
“I’ve been keeping it private,” Milo says. “But you’re like family now. So I might as well share.”
I look up at him quickly. That last comment was strange. What does he mean, we’re like family now? That doesn’t seem right. As far as I know, he’s still just the son of a family friend at best, even though my parents do want to marry me off to him. Did something happen?
Before I can ask, the first course is served. Father, Michael, and Milo all begin to discuss the latest market trends, and I quickly tune them out. I wish I had my phone so that I could message Gavin, but that would be akin to suicide. Instead, I have to settle for ignoring the man my family wants me to marry in favor of dreaming about the man I actually want.
It’s an awful situation, but there’s nothing I can do. I get through dinner with the minimum amount of pain, only responding when I absolutely have to. That’s fine with the men, of course, since they’re more interested in hearing themselves talk than they are in anything I might have to say.
The main course comes and goes and eventually we’re all sitting at the table, drinking decaf coffee. Mother stands and excuses herself after a few minutes, followed by father. Michael is the last one to make some excuse, leaving me there with Milo.
I realize too late that it’s a trap. I’m too polite to tell Milo to leave, and if everyone else has gone, I’m forced to sit down there with him. This is exactly what father and mother want, of course.
“So, Sadie,” he says, smiling at me. “I’m glad we’re doing this.”
“Yeah,” I say, being polite. “Same. It’s nice.”
“We don’t see each other nearly enough.” He smiles again.
“No,” I say, not wanting to elaborate.
He stirs his coffee with a spoon. I look down at mine, a little milky white spreading through the black, and then look back at Milo.
“I’m glad you finally changed your mind,” Milo says to me.
I cock my head. “About what?”
“About our marriage.” He shrugs and smiles, leaning back in his chair. “I know it’s a little, ah, old fashioned. But we’d make a very good pair. Our families would be stronger together.”
/>
I stare at him, a sinking dread spreading through my whole body. “Our marriage?” I ask him.
His smile falters just a touch. “Yes, of course. Your father spoke with mine, and they agreed that we’d get married in the spring of next year. He said you agreed to it.”
His comment about practically being family becomes suddenly frighteningly clear. I push back my chair and stand very quickly, trying to keep myself under control.
“Excuse me, Milo,” I say. “I’m not feeling well.”
He says something, but I don’t hear him. I turn and walk as fast as I can out of there, my heart hammering in my chest.
My father fucking married me off behind my back without my consent. Like I’m some kind of property, he agreed to a weird arranged marriage that I have no say in.
And to make matters worse, he didn’t tell me about it. He didn’t even bother to inform me about his little deal, although Milo clearly knows all about it.
I’m livid, absolutely livid with anger. I want to scream and yell and tear down this house. I can’t believe they’re trying to force me to marry Milo like this.
I don’t hesitate. I walk right into my bedroom, grab the phone, turn it on, and message Gavin.
“Pick me up tonight at midnight. I’m ready.” I hit send, not caring what that means.
He responds almost immediately. “See you soon.”
I hide the phone away again and curl up on my bed, trying not to yell and scream. I have to get out of this house and see someone who actually cares about me, and the only person that fits that description is Gavin.
He’s the only man that actually cares what I want and makes me feel happy. I’m done playing pretend. I’m finished with my family. I’m going to do what I want, for myself, finally.
I’m going to let Gavin give me what I’ve always dreamed about.
15
Gavin
She’s quiet on the ride over to my apartment. I try to draw her out in conversation, but she clearly doesn’t want to talk, and I don’t want to press.
Something happened. That’s pretty obvious. Something has been happening, but this is new. I don’t know what it is, but I do know that I have to wait until she’s ready to talk. I don’t want to push and risk upsetting her further.
We get back to my apartment and head right upstairs. Once inside, I pour her a glass of wine and I get myself a whisky with a single large piece of ice. I swirl it around as she goes and sits on my couch.
“You’re quiet tonight,” I say.
She shrugs a little bit. “I guess so.”
I walk into the living room and go to the fireplace. It has a little gas nozzle in the back with a starter and a fake log. I just have to hit a single button and the fire starts up.
“You don’t have to talk,” I say to her. “If you don’t want to.”
She gives me a little smile. “Oh yeah? What should we do instead?”
I shrug. “Do you like puzzles?”
She gives me a look. “Like what kids do?”
I grin and nod. “Sure. We could do a puzzle. Maybe we could play Yahtzee.”
“I can’t tell if you’re joking.”
I laugh and sit down on the couch next to her. “Do I really seem like the type of man to play Yahtzee?”
She smiles a little bit. “You never know.”
“Ouch. That’s almost insulting.”
Her smile grows. “You’re the one trying to make a puzzle.”
“I’m willing to try anything to get you to quit sulking.”
She crosses her arms. “I am not sulking.”
“You are. I don’t know why, and you don’t have to tell me, but you really are.”
She sighs and looks down at the couch. She sips her wine.
“Remember the guy you were bidding against?” she asks.
“Vaguely,” I say.
“His name is Milo Fitzwilliam.”
That sounds familiar. “Old family, right? They own that bank?”
She nods. “Our families are very close, or at least they used to be.”
I can feel a tingling in my toes as I start to understand. “And your family, they like this Milo guy, right?”
“Right,” she says. “It’s so awful, Gavin.”
“What did they do?” I ask her softly.
“I’m like a piece of furniture to them.” She stands up, looking angry, and paces across the living room. “They want me to marry Milo, not because I want to, but because it would be good for our family politically.”
I watch her silently, but inwardly I can feel my anger growing. Her fucking family is unreal. They’re like some ancient dynasty from Europe or something, trying to marry off their daughter to better their family’s position. It’s so fucking strange and inhuman.
She’s a goddamn person, with wants and needs and desires and dreams, but her father seems to think she’s just a chess piece to be used as he sees fit. It’s so infuriating.
“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do,” I say, standing.
“That’s the thing,” she says, whirling on me. “They don’t care what I want. They already went behind my back and told Milo and his family that I agreed to the marriage.”
That hits me like a blow to the chest. “They did what?”
“They tried to marry me off behind my back,” she says softly. I can see the tears spring to her eyes.
I go over to her quickly and take her in my arms, pulling her against me. “You don’t have to do it,” I say.
“Then what?” I ask him. “My family will disown me, and everything I am is tied up in them. I don’t even have an education because they wouldn’t let me.”
“We’ll figure it out,” I say, totally at a loss.
She shakes her head and I hold her tightly, trying not to let the anger that’s rolling through my body show too much.
They really don’t care about her at all. But she’s right, everything she has is totally tied up with her family. They were smart when they wouldn’t let her go off to school. She doesn’t have any independence because they’ve made her that way. Now that she’s finally seeing what they did to her, it’s almost too late.
But not totally. I can help her. I just need her to know that she has other options.
I tilt her head up toward me. “So that’s why you’re here,” I say softly. “Why you said you’re ready.”
She nods slowly. “I am ready.”
Desire slowly floods through me. “Are you sure?” I ask her. “I don’t want you to rush into anything you’re not prepared for.”
“I’m sure.” Her eyes are gorgeous and I can’t help myself.
I kiss her full and deep. I let myself get lost in the moment, and for a second, I forget all about her family. I forget about the fact that they want me to stay far away from her, and can probably hurt me pretty badly if they want to. I forget about Silas and about Chuck warning me to stay away from her. I forget about it all.
There’s only Sadie in this moment.
I kiss her deep, my tongue in her mouth, her taste in mine. I slowly pull her shirt over her head and toss it aside. She’s wearing a gray bra and I feel her breasts as she presses tighter against me.
I cup her ass and pull her tight, kissing her deeply. She doesn’t resist when I step back slightly and unbutton her jeans. I tug them down over her hips, getting her partially naked.
She stands there in just her bra and matching panties, and my cock is hard as fucking hell. I step back and look at her, which only makes her blush.
“Turn for me,” I say.
She obeys, turning around. “I’ve never let someone look at me like this before,” she says, a little shy.
“I know that,” I answer. I slap her ass and she seems surprised.
“Gavin!”
“No,” I say, taking her hair in my fist. I pull her back against me, her ass against my hard cock. “Right now, I’m your Daddy.”
She gasps as I reach around her hi
p with my other hand and slowly slip my fingers down underneath her panties. She’s dripping wet, just like I knew she would be. I slowly begin to rub her wet clit in circles, causing her whole body to tense. I grip her hair with my other hand, and I know that I’m going to dominate her.
I want to destroy her fucking pussy, fuck her hard and deep, make her scream. But I have to hold myself back, at least at first. She’s a virgin, and she’s not used to a man like me.
But I’ll teach her.
16
Sadie
Pleasure washes through my body as his fingers begin to roll around my clit in soft motions. I can’t believe that he has me half-naked already, my hair in his one fist, his other hand down my panties. I press my back against him and feel his hard body behind me as he slowly touches my body.
This is what I need. I want to forget about my problems, but more than that, I want to feel good and give myself to a man like Gavin. He’s perfect and I know that I’m making the right choice.
“Tonight, you’re going to find out what it means to have a Daddy,” he says softly in my ear.
I moan a little bit at his touch. “Yes, Daddy,” I say. “I want you to teach me.”
“Here’s your first lesson: get down on your knees.”
Excitement floods me as I drop slowly down to my knees. He’s still behind me, as he reaches down to unhook my bra. He feels my bare breasts, bending forward to kiss my neck. I reach up to run my hand through his hair. He steps back after teasing my hard nipples and takes my wrists.
He puts them down behind me. I hear him pull his belt from his pants. I gasp as I figure out what he’s doing.
“Gavin!” I groan.
I feel his breath hot in my cheek. “Daddy,” he gently corrects. “Make that mistake again and I’ll punish you.”
I bite my lip. “Daddy. What are you doing?”
“I’m tying your hands behind your back.”
“I’ve never done this before.”
“Good.” He kisses my cheek gently. “There’s a lot you’ve never done.”
