“Does she always wear her red cape to bed?” whispered Drake as I stood up.
“Yes. She rarely takes it off. It makes her feel safe.”
As we watched my precious little girl breathe softly, her chest rhythmically rising and falling beneath the comforter, Drake squeezed my hand.
“You’re so lucky to have her.”
“I know.”
“My mother always wished she could have had another little girl like Ty.”
My eyes widened. “But don’t you have a sister?”
“I did. Her name was Mia.”
Did?
“She died when she was five. A freak accident. A tree branch fell on her.”
“Oh my God. I’m so sorry.”
“I was only three-months-old at the time. Though my parents never talk about it, I think it was really hard on them.”
I could only imagine. My stomach painfully twisted at the thought of losing Ty. Nothing could possibly be worse than losing a child you loved. Absolutely nothing.
“Do you want to have more children?” asked Drake, breaking into my chilling thoughts.
The question from the beautiful man who had lost his sister caught me by surprise. Unsure of why he was asking me this, I spoke the truth.
“Only if the right man comes along. Ty would love a little brother or sister, but it’s hard enough being a single mom and raising one child. Every child deserves a father…a loving father.”
“They do.” Drake’s voice was soft but reflective. In an effort to change the subject, I led him out of the room and walked him to the front door. Before I could open it, he spun me around and pinned me against it. His warm breath heated my cheeks as he traced my lips with a finger. Desire swirled through me. I had the burning, desperate urge to have his lips on mine again…his lips on me everywhere.
“You know, we’re not going to see each other for a week.”
His words free-fell in my head. It took me a few moments to process them and then I remembered. He was leaving early tomorrow morning for another weeklong business trip—this time to New York. The Licensing Expo. I had spent a good part of the week finalizing meetings, making dinner reservations, and pulling together materials he needed, including the Mighty Girl presentation. I nodded silently in acknowledgement.
“I’m going to miss you,” he said softly, stepping into his shoes.
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep everything together at the office.” I made myself sound as professional as possible, which was kind of ridiculous with him standing a kiss away from me.
He quirked a small sexy smile that rendered me breathless. “I mean really miss you.” Tilting up my chin, he looked at me intensely. “I had an amazing time tonight.”
“Me too,” I managed, not letting him know that I’d had the best night of my life.
“I don’t want you to see anyone else while I’m gone.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean…I’m falling for you, Dee Walker. I want you to be exclusive to me. I want you to be mine. Mine alone.”
My heart pounding, my stomach knotting, I played with the edges of his undone bowtie. “Oh, Drake, this is so complicated.”
“It’s even more complicated for me, D-baby. You have no clue. There’s a lot to figure out.”
Was he referring to his non-committal womanizing ways or was he referring to Kyle? Or both? Or something else? I decided not to question him and ruin the evening. His unwavering gaze held me captive.
“I want you to be careful when I’m gone. Keep the doors and windows securely locked. The alarm on at all times. And if you see that bastard anywhere near here, you call Brock. He’s got your back.”
“Okay.”
“And one more thing…”
Without warning, he hauled me into him and captured my mouth with his. The kiss, so hot and passionate, blazed through me, turning my insides liquid. With stars in my eyes, I melted into him as our mouths and tongues melded. He finally pulled away but kept my head in his hands.
“Send me a photo of Mighty when she wakes up in the morning.”
And with that he was gone.
CHAPTER 35
Drake
Why did the sex with her have to be so sublime?
Why did the whole night have to be so sublime?
My M-O was to fuck and forget. Roll on, roll off. My cardinal rule was to never get emotionally involved with a woman and never let anyone spend the night in my bed. Maybe she didn’t physically sleep over, but the memory of her kept me up in more ways than one. My cock erect and restless, I relieved myself, reliving our night together. Her coming over and over. All over my face. My hand. My cock. She was the perfect fit. The perfect fuck. The perfect woman. I felt totally connected to her.
And it was so much more than just the incredible sex and the fact that she was insatiable. I felt connected to her in another powerful way that had nothing to do with my cock. It had everything to do with my heart. All the emotions she made me feel. Who would have thought that I could get off on writing a note from the Tooth Fairy over milk and cookies? Every minute with her made me drunk with lust…and love. And there was her magical little girl who somehow connected our hearts, made us inseparable. Together, they brought out a fierce need for me to possess and protect them. A need to take care of them every way I could.
I was already up when my alarm sounded. My morning wood throbbed.
Fuck this shit.
Change of plans.
I wasn’t going to New York.
At least alone.
Grabbing my cell phone from my nightstand, I made three calls.
The first to my mother.
The second to Brock.
The third to Dee.
Cha-ching! Cha-ching! Cha-ching!
CHAPTER 36
Dee
I couldn’t believe it! I was on a plane about to land in New York.
Drake had convinced me to go with him. Ordered me was more like it as he needed my help at the licensing show. He had arranged for Ty to stay at his parents’ house; his mother was thrilled to have her, delighted to take her back and forth to school as well as excited to start her ice skating lessons. My precious cupcake was equally excited, especially when the big limo came to pick us up…to drop Ty at the Hansons’ house and then take Drake and me to LAX. There was only one stipulation—I needed to be home by Friday for Ty’s kindergarten graduation. It was something I couldn’t miss. Drake agreed; he promised Ty he’d be there too.
Right after we touched down at JFK airport in the early evening, Drake took me shopping. Somehow, thanks to his fashionable mother’s influence, he’d managed to convince Barney’s on Fifth Avenue to stay open late just for us. While casual attire suited Los Angeles just fine, I needed a sophisticated New York wardrobe for the Licensing Expo. So our Town Car made a stop at the chic department store, where with the help of a personal shopper, Drake bought me a dozen designer dresses and matching red-soled stilettos, enjoying every minute of my fashion show as I paraded in and out of the dressing room. I should also mention that on the way out, he couldn’t resist buying me an insane amount of sexy lingerie that matched every outfit. Armed with garment bags and shopping bags, we headed to the Walden Hotel where we ordered room service and made endless love. If Drake had his way, we would have never left the room.
The Licensing Expo began on Monday and we quickly got into a routine. A quick, early morning fuck in bed or in the shower followed by breakfast and then a Town Car picked us up to take us to the Javits Center where the show was being held.
Wow! I’d never seen anything like it. It was a circus! Pure bedlam. The dizzyingly expansive space that seemed to go on for miles was filled with aisles and aisles of vendors from around the world marketing their wares to countless buyers who likewise expanded the globe. There were costumed characters galore and I even saw a dog that could perform a hundred tricks, his owner promising he’d be bigger than Lassie. Everyone was out to make a buck.
&
nbsp; The huge Hanson Entertainment booth was located in a prime location…just as you walked into the exhibition hall. Dozens of buyers were milling around it, many clamoring to take photos with the costumed Danger Rangers. Orchestrating these photo ops was my main responsibility along with maintaining Drake’s hectic schedule while he and his head of licensing met non-stop with new and existing licensees. Drake’s main focus was to get a major toy deal for Mighty Girl. If Tyson didn’t need to practice all week for her kindergarten graduation ceremony, Drake would have brought her along. He was convinced my loveable, spunky little girl with her red cape could have charmed the pants off anyone and cinched a deal. He was right.
I saw Drake in an entirely new light. He was more devastating than ever, as if that was possible, dressed in custom-tailored suits that showcased his tall athletic physique, and coordinating silk ties that complemented his sparking blue eyes. He was alive and animated, the consummate showman who could woo buyers and make them want to partner with Hanson. With endless meeting after meeting, we hardly had a minute to spend with each other. But at least a few times a day, Drake managed to get me into one of the small meeting rooms for a delicious kiss that melted me as much as energized me.
Evenings were consumed by cocktails with prospective licensees, business dinners at posh restaurants, and then more drinks back at the hotel. Worn out by the end of the long day, we couldn’t wait to retreat to our luxurious suite and just be with one another. To fuck our brains out until we fell asleep. I’d never slept as well as I did in Drake Hanson’s loving arms.
The week went by quickly. With our crazy schedule that began at the crack of dawn and usually ended around midnight, sometimes later, I really never got to see the sites of New York. But truthfully, the only site I longed to see was my gorgeous man. And he was all mine.
There were only two downers. So far, Drake hadn’t been able to secure a toy deal for Mighty Girl. Most of the big toy companies like Mattel and Hasbro already had a popular girls’ toyline. Drake tried to convince them that Mighty Girl was different…that it was inspirational and educational, not just aspirational, and stood apart from all the Bratz, Disney Princesses, Wonder Women, and Strawberry Shortcakes out there. Sadly, no one got the concept.
And sadly, for me, I missed my little Mighty Girl terribly. I managed to FaceTime with her at least twice a day. She was having the time of her life. She gave me a grand tour of the Hansons’ mansion that rivaled Jackie Kennedy’s tour of the White House and included a detailed account of her pink fairy-tale-like room with its princess canopy bed. She also kept me abreast of her skating progress. To my amazement, thanks to Drake’s mother, she had become quite the little skater, able to glide on her blades expertly both forward and backward and even do a small arsenal of tricks. She couldn’t stop talking about how nice Drake’s parents were, including his father, who taught her how to play checkers and make cookies in her new Easy Bake oven. Drake’s super rich parents were spoiling her, and I was worried if she could adjust back to our simple lifestyle. How could I compete with my meager earnings? The only thing that gave me hope was that she couldn’t wait for me to come home.
I’d be home soon. I sighed as I gazed out the window of our hotel suite. In a few hours, Drake and I would be on a plane heading back to LA. Thirty stories above the street, I drank in the early evening beauty of this magnificent, towering city, hoping one day to return, this time with Ty and take in all the sites. As I fantasized riding in a horse-drawn carriage through Central Park with Ty snuggled next to me and the man I loved on the other side holding us both close to him, a warm breath grazed the back of my neck, and in the glass, I could see Drake’s reflection. My skin heated. He was bared to me, every ripple of his incredible body glistening against the glimmering New York skyline.
“Let’s leave this city with something to remember,” he whispered in my ear as one hand curled around a breast, massaging it, and the other slid under the waistband of my sweat pants until I was melting with need.
His nimble fingers caressed my slick folds. “Jesus, D-baby, you’re always so fucking wet and ready.”
I moaned at both his touch and words. His voice was low and gravelly. So full of raw lust. Removing his hand from my breast after tweaking my nipple, he yanked down my sweats.
“Spread for me,” he ordered before sucking my neck and arousing me further. Not wearing panties, I was so wet there was a river between my legs.
Breathlessly, I did as he asked. Then, my eyes flitted to the throngs of people scuttling along Park Avenue and at the endless stream of cars and cabs cruising along the wide two-way street. Despite how miniscule they appeared from my vantage point, a shudder shimmied through me.
“Drake, don’t you think people will see us?”
He chortled. “It’s New York, baby; nobody gives a shit.”
And as he started to rub my throbbing clit, the truth was the whole world could be watching and I wouldn’t give a shit. Groaning with ecstasy, I arched my head back and gripped his powerful thighs as he rubbed his already sheathed concrete-hard shaft against my backside.
“I’m going to fuck you against the window, and when I’m done, I’m going to wipe my cock on the pane and leave Manhattan with a souvenir. Spell out with my cum: Drake & Dee were here.” He swallowed a smug laugh. “Make that…Drake & Dee came here.”
So turned on and needy for him, I was in no condition to make a witty comeback. “Oh, Drake, I want you so badly inside me. Fuck me now. Please.”
“Christ. I love it when you beg.”
On my next heated breath, he began to push his huge cock inside me, and as he filled me, I leaned forward, squeezing my eyes shut and pressing my warm hands against the cool glass. I groaned again once his magnificence was deep within me, and after he pulled out halfway, he began to bang me without mercy. My hands pressed so hard against the window I thought I might knock it out and we’d go tumbling thirty stories to the ground.
“Baby, don’t worry,” Drake grunted out, punctuating each thrust, as if reading my mind. “If you go, I go. But you’ll be coming so hard you won’t know what hit you.”
“Oh, God,” I cried out as he pummeled me harder and faster, his hands gripping my hips as they rocked into him.
“Don’t hold back. When you come, I want you to scream so loudly the hotel staff hears you.” He thrust again, even deeper. “No, make that all of New York. They’ll be singing my name on Broadway.”
Between pants, whimpers, and a loud chorus of “Oh, Gods,” I felt myself building rapidly toward an out of this world climax, the sensation of a massive orgasm rising inside me like a wildfire. And then almost on the verge, I heard my cell phone ring.
“Fuck.” We panted out the word in unison.
While Drake didn’t stop pummeling me, my eyes blinked open, startled by how much my hot breath had fogged up the window. Lifting my palms off the glass, I straightened up as the phone kept ringing.
“Drake, I’ve got to take this. It’s probably Ty. Or it could be the airline or driver.”
Drake blew out a hot, frustrated gust of air and then slowly pulled out of me. “We’re not done here,” he breathed against my neck as I slid up my sweats. I sure didn’t want Ty to catch me with them down, and to my relief, Drake put on a robe as he followed me to my phone. Retrieving it from my bag, I sat down on the scrumptious king bed, Drake huddling close to me.
Sure enough, it was my daughter on FaceTime. Even though she’d called at the untimeliest moment, my heart lit up at the sight and sound of her. Just out of school, she was eager to tell me how well her final kindergarten graduation rehearsal went. The big event was taking place tomorrow at noon LA-time.
“Drake, are you still coming to my graduation?”
“Mighty, I can’t,” he answered.
What!?
A frown tugged on my little girl’s face. While my eyes widened, hers watered. “But, Drake, you promised!”
“I’m sorry, Mighty. A couple of important meeti
ngs I had today got canceled, and now I have to do them tomorrow.”
I shot him an angry look. Why hadn’t he told me? I was going to have to fly home by myself tonight to a broken-hearted little girl.
“Listen, Mighty, I’ll see you on Saturday, and I’ll bring you a special graduation present.”
The tears were now falling. “I don’t want a present. I just want you to be there to hear me sing.”
Her disappointment escalated into soft sobs. “Come home soon, Mommy!”
“I will, my baby. I will.”
My heart was now breaking; a toxic mix of disappointment, distrust, and disdain coursed through my veins. I needed to end this. Get away from him. I didn’t need a man in my life who could hurt my precious daughter.
“Mommy, I have to go,” she sniffled. “Drake’s mommy is giving me a skating lesson.”
“I’ll call you from the airport to say goodnight.”
“Okay, Mommy. I love you from here to the moon and back.”
“The same, baby, the same.”
The screen went dark. I threw my phone into my purse, and on my next breath, I felt Drake nuzzling my neck.
“How about we finish what we started before you leave?”
“Stop it,” I barked, leaping to my feet. I began to toss garments into my suitcase.
“Jesus. What’s the matter?”
Everything. Rage rose in my chest. “How could you disappoint my daughter like that? How could you not tell me you weren’t coming back with me tonight?”
“It happened last minute. I was going to tell you just before Tyson called you.”
Just after you fucked me? Fuming, I gave him the silent treatment. I didn’t want to waste words on him. I continued to haphazardly pack my bag.
“Aren’t you going to take your new dresses back with you?”
“I have no room for them in my suitcase, and to be honest, I don’t have any need for them in LA.” And I don’t have any need for you. On Monday, I was going to look for a new temp job that would hold me over until I started my teaching position in September.
Baby Daddy: A Sexy STANDALONE Romantic Comedy Page 20
