by Eva Luxe
Big mistake. I shouldn't have touched her.
That silky cool skin made my blood rush.
"Oh?" she said, looking at the money in her hands. "Thank you!" she piped up.
Such innocence. What the fuck was she doing here?
She ran off into the back and I watched her perfectly sculpted ass cheeks bounce off with her as she disappeared behind a curtain.
If it weren't for the guard that stood there, I'd have followed her.
I didn't know what led me to stay here. But I found myself in the corner, tearing my eyes away from the current dancers to the curtained door over by one of the bouncers to see if the lady in red lingerie would come back out again.
Minutes fell into hours, and then those hours bumped into the early morning hours.
Two a.m. in the morning, and I was still there. I hardly even drank my whiskey. The guards shooed off the rest of the men and I got up to leave.
I was a fool. She could've easily left hours ago through the back or something.
Just as I headed to the exit, I saw her come back out in her regular clothes. Two men behind her saw her and followed her close behind. I ran over and followed them into an alley.
"Hey, baby, let us take you back to our place for a good time!" slurred one man.
"Yeah, we got plenty of action left in us."
She shook her head. "Sorry, gotta get home."
When one of the men went to grab her arm, I butted in and elbowed him in the face.
The woman yelped, "behind you!"
His friend tried to attack me and I stuffed my foot in his face. Scooping up my little petite blond in my arms I ran off with her out onto the main street where there was plenty of lighting.
I sat her down and checked to make sure she was okay.
She was gorgeous up close with those big baby blue eyes and dark thick lashes.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"You... I remember you. Thank you. I'm fine."
She looked around and glanced at the bus stop across the street.
"Do you drive?" I asked her.
"No, I take the bus."
"Let me drive you home, my car is right over here. This isn't the time for a young lady like yourself to be out here." She looked to me and then the bus stop.
She was weighing her options. Then she stepped over to me and smiled. "Okay, I don't think you're like the others."
"No, of course not."
I walked her to my car and opened the passenger side door, she slipped in like a delicate piece of silk.
I hopped in on the other side and turned on the light inside the car.
I caught another good look at her. The scent of her floral perfume lingered by my nose.
*No, don't do it, Darien. You remember that clause. No dating or sexual relationships… don't endanger your Dahlia!8
I revved the engine up and pulled out of the parking spot.
She told me her address, and I drove her there. It was disheartening to hear that she didn't have a safer way to get to her job.
Before she left, I tapped her shoulder. "You should get a car."
She shook her head and bit her lip. "I can't. I have to take care of my brother. He needs my help. But thank you so much for the concern and the ride."
"What's your name, if you don't mind me asking?"
"My name is Willow. That's my real name. Haven't thought of a proper dancer name yet."
Willow leaned in and gave me a peck on the cheek.
"Goodbye, maybe I'll see you again soon!"
She smiled and got out of the car. I watched her walk up to her home and didn't leave until she was safely inside.
Such an innocent kiss lit a fire in me. But that was just the celibacy talking…
No matter how hard I tried, Willow kept coming in and out of my mind.
I tried to sleep it off, but that wasn't working either.
So I drowned myself in work and looked at the clock. It was almost time to pick up my daughter Dahlia. She'd be waiting for me at her mother's place. And as usual, her mother would be no where around.
I finished signing some papers so my company could get these new contracts underway.
"Um, boss, there's a sheriff that wants to speak to you!" one of my secretaries buzzed over into my phone.
"Send them in," I said, leaning back in my chair.
I hoped it wasn't one of the people I was working with. When money went funny with bigger clients, they didn't take it well.
A portly sheriff walked through my doors and had a vanilla envelope in his hands.
"Sheriff, how may I help you?" I asked, looking at his frown and the envelope in his hands.
"I'm here to serve you this," he said, holding out the envelope.
I got out of my chair and took it from him.
"Am I being subpoenaed or is this for a hearing?" I asked.
He shook his head and turned on his heels to walk out.
I tore open the envelope and saw Morgan's name on the top of the document.
Before I read anymore, I rubbed my forehead and sighed. What the fuck was she up to now?
I took the stack of papers all the way out and scanned the first page.
"Full custody!" I shouted, gripping the papers so hard my knuckles turned white.
What the hell? Dahlia was just some tool for her to keep me attached to her so she could get alimony or sympathy.
She didn't love Dahlia at all.
I took out my phone, I wanted to call her and scream.
But I kept my cool and stuffed the papers back into the envelope.
She had to go through a court hearing first, and there was no way a judge would rule against me.
I was celibate, I hadn't dated, and I had been a good father to my baby girl.
I took the papers up only to look in the back to see when the court date was.
Morgan was trying hard for full custody. Indeed there was an ulterior motive to this.
Was it to hurt me?
Give me bad press?
Whatever the fuck it was, it wasn't going to work.
The court day was set three weeks from now.
Until then, I needed to keep doing what I did best, run my company and take care of my child.
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.
I packed my briefcase and straightened up my desk before heading out to the door.
That girl in the club, Willow, she would have to remain a figment in my imagination, lost in a fantasy that would never come true.
Dahlia was my world, and I was close to getting that divorce to legally separate any and all dealings with her.
No one in the media world knew what was going on in my private life, and I had planned for it to stay that way.
Dahlia was sitting in her usual spot on the steps of her mother's home. I looked around and didn't see Morgan anywhere.
"Come to daddy, princess!" I said, holding out my arms.
"Daddy," she cried running to me with her hair flopping in the wind and her famous bright smile.
It was painful sending her back to her mother's every end of the week. But at least I got to look forward to these moments.
"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 Dahlia in nice and snug.
She wiggled around and smiled some more. Some days I really debated on just leaving town with her and going to another country so Morgan wouldn't get her.
But then I remembered that I needed to maintain an income and my image. I had planned to ask for full custody at the end of our divorce, so this little early surprise was well welcomed.
I got in and drove off, glad that I didn't see Morgan hovering around.
She made it apparent she never loved me.
&nbs
p; And any feelings I had for her crumbled like dust.
To be honest, I didn't lover her either. I was too busy for love. But I treated her well, and she stabbed me in the fucking back and front.
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… Willow. Soft, kind and gentle, yet smart...
The phone built into my car rang and I pushed a button to answer it.
"Hello, boss," Ms. Claire, my secretary said, "I just wanted to remind you of that meeting in two hours."
"Two hours? What meeting?" I asked, trying to remember what she was talking about.
"Delaney and Hoff, they're coming to discuss some new contracts with you today at five o'clock."
"I scheduled that for today?"
I didn't usually schedule meetings when I had my daughter around. I dedicated our weeks to family time, but things got so busy and hectic, I must've lost myself.
I didn't have to worry about hiring a nanny, nor did I want to.
But the Delaney and Hoff contracts were a special part to my company, and I couldn't let that slide.
Those contracts were going to be the reason that Dahlia would never have to worry about student loan debt, or worry about anything financially period.
That was when her face flashed through my mind.
Willow.
I remembered where she lived, and her demeanor was suitably fitted to be a nanny.
Looking back in the rear view mirror, I saw Dahlia kicking her legs and glancing out of the window.
I didn't know her for more than just barely an hour. She fell into my lap, then I took her home. Yet, I was settled on the fact that I knew enough to go to her home.
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 looked for in a nanny.
It was a done deal.
"Dahlia, darling. Daddy's going to be making a quick detour. Sit tight, we'll be home soon!"
"Okay, daddy!" she chimed.
Chapter Three
Willow
“So you think it’s fair to leave me out of these conversations?!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. It happened again, only this time I caught them talking about Ronald and his health care without me present.
Even though they knew I wasn’t stripping, I was still as much a part of this than they thought.
“Willow, we just don’t want to stress you. We’re the head of the—”
I cut my mother off, storming into the hallway from the living room. “I don’t care!” my voice echoed off the walls.
My father just sat in his recliner with his head hung down.
“You two are despicable!” I hissed, marching towards the door.
What did they want? For Ronald to just up and die, would that be easier for them?
I swung the front door open and charged outside. I wasn’t looking at where I was going and ran straight into someone.
Stumbling back, I looked up and saw that familiar face.
I forgot his name, but it was the man who drove me back the other night ago.
“You…” I said, trying to find my words.
He looked surprised and concerned. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, I um. Why are you here? I don’t do private dances and well, my parents don’t need to know…”
The man 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 rush of the argument with my mother still had adrenaline pumping through my veins. He took me by the back like a gentleman and walked me towards his car. There was a little girl sitting on the inside.
“I need you to look after my daughter. I have and extremely important meeting that cannot be missed or rescheduled.”
“Watch her here?” I asked, pointing back at my family’s townhouse.
My parents would nosey their way into my business. Honestly? They didn’t need to know I was making any money at all.
“No, my place. It has everything you’d ever need. And I’d pay you well.”
“How long do you need it for? 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 keep 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, I like your vibe. You’re gentle, and obviously new to the dancer world. You shouldn’t have to stay there either.”
“I know but…”
He didn’t understand… One good look at his 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.
“But what?”
“That job pays really good money. And I need that money…”
He sighed.
“How much,” he asked in a straight voice.
“Do I get paid? I don’t know it’s not a set thing, but my first day brought in like four hundred dollars.”
“I’ll pay you eight hundred if you watch after my Dahlia today, please?”
That look in his eyes, he had that touch of father on him, and his plea was genuine.
I moved my mouth to say yes when my mother opened the door and waddled out to see who the handsome man was standing in front of their home with their daughter.
“Willow? Is this a friend of yours?” she asked.
I could see her nose growing all the way over here.
“Yes, mom.”
“I’m her boss,” he added. Wow, I felt bad for forgetting his name… What was it again?
He shook her hand. “My name is Darien, I’ve hired your daughter to baby sit my daughter today.”
He looked back at me with a grin. I nodded my head. One day off and getting paid eight hundred was a nice boost of money. Slowly but surely I felt the security of being able to provide for Ronald’s health care.
“I’d love to stay longer to chat, but I have a very important meeting to go to.”
I followed him over to his car and got inside. I looked in the backseat and saw Dahlia give me a curious look.
“Willow, meet Dahlia, my daughter.”
She spoke in a cheery voice, “Hello, it’s nice to meet you!”
“Hey, Dahlia, you’ve got a princess’ name!”
We went through many winding roads, the scenery that passed us in flurry of green and yellow hues was calming and reassuring. My heart fluttered when I took a chance glance at Darien.
He was handsome and obviously didn’t have a care in the world about money.
But since he had a kid, that meant he had a wife or girlfriend, right?
I didn’t want to seem too nosey, so I kept my mouth shut. God knew I didn’t want to have that attribute of my mother rub off on me.
After a 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.
“Oh my god, like how many rooms are there in your house?!”
My mouth hung open.
“Seven of them. That doesn’t include my office and conference room.”
I cocked an eyebrow and turned to him. “Since when did houses need conference rooms?”
“Since I run a very important business.”
“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 nosey.”
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 c
omputer engineering for high end companies.”
“I’ve heard of Thrilling Enterprises!” I chirped. Holy shit, he was the owner?! That meant that this man sitting in arms length of me was a multi-billionaire.
Impossible.
How did someone like me end up next to him?
“You look shocked.”
I tried to speak, but the words went out my ears, not cooperating with my brain.
We got out the car and Dahlia raced past me, grabbing my hand to drag me along.
“Dahlia, no running!” Darien warned, reaching into his pocket for his keys.
I was standing at the doors of a wealthy man’s house. His personal life that barely anyone got to see.
Wow, this was what it looked like to see the life of someone super wealthy, not a care or worry in the world…
I fell into a daze until Darien shoved a roll of bills into my hand along with the keys.
“Huh?”
“I have to go. I’ll leave it to Dahlia 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.”
The warmth of his voice and the scent of his authority lingered around me, making my knees feel faint.
*Stop it, Willow. He’s only your boss. Nothing else. He’s obviously got a woman stashed around somewhere.*
“Okay. Thank you Mr. Darien.”
He held up his hand. “Just call me Darien.”
He bent down to Dahlia, hugging her and planting a kiss on her forehead.
“Where are you going daddy?” she asked, sadness in her voice.
“Daddy has a super special meeting with some powerful clients. Be a good girl and don’t try to stray too far from Willow. She’s a nice lady.”
Darien flashed me one more grin before he turned around and headed for his car.
Wow.
“You won’t be mean to me, will you?” Dahlia asked, pouting.
“No, of course not, we’re going to have a lot of fun! Come on, show me around, maybe instead of regular lunch we’ll order a huge cheesy pizza!”
Dahlia jumped up and down with a bright blinding smile on my face. “Yay! Pizza,” She exclaimed.
This house was amazing.
Dahlia and I ran down the halls, peeking into all the rooms and the best part? The back yard. The pool was covered, but there were fruit trees and a garden back here with all my favorite flowers.
