Single Dad’s Plaything: A Single Dad First Time Billionaire Romance

by Natasha Spencer

  “Why, honey? What happened?” he said and Nora dropped her heavy lids to the floor, Theo was looking at her with a burning gaze.

  “Nothing, I just feel a little sick and I want to sleep it off. Nothing to worry about,” she said.

  “Are you sure, honey? Do you want me to walk you home? Should I come with you?” her father asked, sounding concerned.

  “Leave her alone, Andy. Let her go home if she wants to,” Theo interrupted him and Nora looked up at him, unable to hide the quivering of her pressed lips.

  “Yeah, she’s probably bored here with us oldies anyway!” her father joked again.

  “I’ll see myself out,” Nora said, jutting her chin up in the air.

  “No, I’ll walk you out. Andy, you should go in and make sure Juliet hasn’t fallen asleep on the chair,” Theo said and her father passed her an encouraging smile before walking out of the living room.

  Alone in the room with Theo again, Nora felt an incredible urge to fall into his arms. But he had his hands inside his pockets and was standing at a distance from her. His body language portrayed that he wanted the distance to remain between them.

  “We should stay away from each other,” he said in a deep authoritative voice and Nora sensed her nostrils flaring. She could feel the temper rising in her, even though she was burning up with desire for him.

  “Don’t worry, I won’t be in town for very long. Just a few more days and I’ll be out of your hair,” she said and Theo clenched his jaw.

  “Andy is my best friend,” he said and Nora licked her hot lips.

  “And he’s my father. So what? I am an adult,” she said, noticing how screechy her voice had gotten.

  “I am a married man,” he said and Nora felt her voice choke in her throat, hot tears prick the back of her eyelids. She had nothing to say to that because it was the truth.

  “Goodnight, Nora. Take care of yourself,” he said and whipping around, he walked out of the living room. Once again, she was left alone with heaving breasts, watching him leave.

  Nora ran out of the living room and out of the front door, nearly crying out as she felt the cool breeze lap against her hot flushed cheeks. She was angry at herself, because she had expected anything other than rejection from him. Why had she been so silly to expect that he might look at her the same way she looked at him?

  But that orgasm! Nothing could ever come close to how he had made her feel, with just his mouth. What was he capable of doing with his cock?

  Chapter 11

  Nora had just bought a cappuccino from the small local cafe, when her cell phone rang in the pocket of her jeans. Balancing the Styrofoam cup in one hand, she pulled it out of her pocket and answered the call, not realizing that it was Jack.

  “Nora!” she heard his voice and stopped in her tracks. She had forgotten all about him since she came back home. Since she had laid eyes on Theo again.

  “Jack, hey, how are you?” she said, pushing open the glass door of the cafe with her back. Outside, she stood under the shade of the cafe’s awning near the door.

  “Just thought I’d check in to see if you’re free tonight. I could come over,” Jack said and Nora knotted her eyebrows in confusion. Then a second later she realized that he had forgotten she wasn’t in New York.

  “You can’t. I’m visiting my dad at home, remember?” Nora said, shaking her head slightly.

  “Oh! Right! I forgot about that. When are you back?” he said and Nora tried to manage her rising temper. How could he have forgotten such an important detail? She’d called him from the airport before she took the flight. Did she really mean that little to him?

  “Why, Jack? Are you horny?” she said, spitting out the words. Instead of sensing that she was actually mad at him, Jack laughed.

  “Kinda,” he said and Nora shook her head. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing, and was now glad that she hadn’t invited him to come on this trip with her.

  “I’m sure you’ll find someone else to take care of it,” she said, rage dripping from her voice. Jack had finally caught on to the sarcasm in her voice and he fell silent for a few moments.

  “I’m sensing that you’re mad at me for some reason,” she heard him say and she rolled her eyes.

  “You didn’t even realize that I’m not in New York!” she snapped.

  “Yeah, so? I’ve been busy. I didn’t have a chance to think about it. It’s not like you’re not coming back!” Jack’s voice had risen as well. Nora gripped the cup in her hand tightly, dropping her voice to a whisper when she saw an old neighbor walk past her. She forced a fake smile on her face and waved, before speaking to Jack again.

  “What are we doing, Jack? What is this thing that we have going on?” she said and heard him let out a deep exhausted sigh.

  “Do you really want to have this conversation over the phone, Nora? I don’t know what you want me to say. We go on dates. We fuck. We share a few common running jokes,” Jack said and Nora pressed her eyes close.

  “And you sleep with other people when you want to,” she completed his thought and Jack sighed again.

  “Not that again, Nora! Seriously. It was the one time, and we had just started seeing each other. It wasn’t like it counts as actually cheating!” Jack’s voice was raised now and Nora opened her eyes.

  “We’d been seeing each other for three months at that point, Jack,” she said in a quieter voice and he had started laughing.

  “Do you want me to apologize again, Nora? Fine, I’m very sorry. There! Are you happy?” she could sense how lightly he was taking this and she couldn’t even remember anymore how this conversation had started.

  “Whatever. I’ll talk to you later, I guess,” she said.

  “Nora! Wait, when are you coming back then?” he asked and she sighed.

  “I don’t know. I haven’t decided yet. Couple of days, maybe a week. I don’t know,” she was anxious to get off the phone with him. She couldn’t bear to hear his voice in her ear anymore. She needed her distance from him.

  “Okay, let me know,” he said.

  “Why? You didn’t even notice I was gone,” Nora snapped at him.

  “Yeah, whatever. Suit yourself then,” Jack said and before she could, he had hung up on her. The back of her neck was burning up with rage, as Nora looked at her phone screen, clenching her jaw to hold back the scream that would have escaped her lips otherwise.

  She couldn’t believe she had wasted all this time on a guy like him. Did he even know her last name? He called her when he wanted to and he fixed dates based on his sexual urges. How had she allowed herself to stoop so low for men who didn’t even see her for who she was or what she had to offer?

  “Boyfriend?” she heard Theo’s voice behind her and whipped around to find him standing at the cafe door. He was holding his own Styrofoam cup of coffee in one hand and dangling a leather briefcase from the other. He was dressed in a smart pin striped suit, his shoes were polished and black and his bottle green tie looked luxurious. Nora gulped, her cheeks flushed because he had clearly overheard the conversation she just had.

  “Not really. Just a guy I’ve been seeing casually,” she said and pushed her cell phone back into her jeans. Theo nodded his head, narrowing his green eyes on her and she felt naked under his gaze again.

  “Doesn’t sound like he deserves you,” he said and Nora opened her mouth to speak. At that moment, she didn’t feel like she deserved anybody or anything. Least of all, Theo. She was feeling small and humiliated and very close to just breaking into tears. “Sorry, I have to run. I have a meeting to get to,” he added quickly and walking past her, Nora watched as he unlocked the doors of his Audi and got into the driver’s seat. Without another look at her, he had driven off.

  Chapter 12

  Nora was in the kitchen that evening, cooking her dad’s favorite meat loaf with mash dinner. She heard the doorbell ring and then her father’s voice booming from the living room.

  “Stay for dinner. Let me go check wi
th Nora,” she heard him say and even though she hadn’t heard Theo’s voice, she could feel her heart racing. Her dad came into the kitchen.

  “Honey, Theo’s here. He came to drop off a book he’d borrowed and I’ve asked him to stay for dinner. Do we have enough?” he said. Nora turned to him and then saw Theo at the kitchen door behind her father. He was staring at her, expressionless again.

  “Of course. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes,” she said and turned back to making the sticky sauce she usually lathered on the meatloaf.

  “Great! Let me go pour us some drinks,” her dad led Theo out of the kitchen, while Nora set up the table. She was a little ashamed knowing that he had heard her conversation with Jack that morning. Also, she had expected him to keep his distance from her. Having him in their house, in such a personal setting again was a jolt to her system.

  When the table was set, she wiped her hands on the apron at her waist and walked to the living room. Her father and Theo were sitting on the couch, thumbing through the pages of the business book they were discussing. Her father was drinking alone and neither of them noticed when she had walked to the door.

  She watched Theo for a few moments, drinking him in. The width of his shoulders, his large hands as he gripped the book. Those same fingers had been inside her, that mouth which was stretched in a smile now was lapping at her pussy just twenty-four hours ago. Nora felt Goosebumps erupt on her arms and she cleared her throat.

  “Dinner’s ready,” she said and turned and walked back into the kitchen.

  Her father and Theo entered together, still talking. They sat around the table, with her dad sitting at the head and Nora across from Theo. He had very seldom met her eyes, and when he did, he was quick to look away. It was very evident to her, that he was guilty about what had happened; but he had never seemed like the kind of man who apologized easily.

  They made small talk as they ate. It was mostly Nora talking to her father directly and Theo doing the same. She kept her eyes glued to the plate, not hungry anymore and pushed the food around with her fork.

  Theo had his tie loosened at his neck now and his made-to-measure shirt had its sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He looked handsome, with the stubble, the green intelligent eyes, the square jaw…he was Nora’s ideal man and now she had lost her chance with him.

  Dinner was done with, and they remained seated around the table. Her father had been drinking heavily the whole night and Nora noticed that he had begun to slur his words happily and his eyes had begun to droop.

  “Dad, do you think we should call it a night?” Nora asked, and stood up from her chair to clear the dishes away.

  “I should head home anyway,” Theo said, but Andy stopped him.

  “Stay for a bit, Theo. Let’s have a game of poker,” he said.

  “Don’t think you can play right now, Andy. You need to go to bed,” Theo said, standing up. Nora glanced at him and saw him smiling at his friend.

  “Of course I can play!” her father tried standing up, unsteadily to his feet and Nora and Theo both rushed to him and caught him by his elbows.

  “Steady, Andy,” Theo said, scolding him humorously.

  “I’ll take you to bed, dad,” Nora said.

  “I’ll take him,” Theo said and their eyes met again. Nora released her grip on her father’s arms and Theo hugged him to himself, and then throwing Andy’s arm around his shoulder, he started dragging him swiftly out of the kitchen.

  Nora watched them leave and wondered how often Theo did this for her father. How much she had missed while she stayed away from home. As she cleared the plates and loaded the dishwasher, she heard Theo and her father upstairs in his room. She could hear Theo’s deep calm voice and her father’s slurring as he was being helped into bed and a soft smile grazed her lips. She couldn’t think of one friend who was as close to her as her father and Theo were. And had been for all these years. As much as she tried not to think about it, they shared a special kind of friendship that she had never experienced herself. No wonder he was so guilty about what had happened between them.

  Then she heard the bedroom door shut, and Theo’s heavy footsteps on the stairs. With her back straightened and turned to the door, she washed her hands and packed the leftovers away for the fridge.

  “He’s asleep,” she heard his voice and turned her head sideways to acknowledge that she had heard. She was expecting him to leave right away, but instead she could still sense his presence in the room. Then he was walking towards her.

  “Do you need help with that?” he asked and Nora crinkled the aluminum foil on the dish and walked over with it to the fridge.

  “It’s all done, thank you,” she said and when she turned, she saw that he was watching her closely. Nora stared back at him, her throat drying because she could feel a surge of emotions rising in her again. Ever since she was a teenager, she had wanted this man and she had finally come so close to having him and now it was ruined.

  “Do you want a beer?” she squeaked, surprised by what she had just said. Theo’s shoulders rose softly with every breath he was taking. He looked at her in silence for a few more moments.

  “Sure,” he replied and Nora smiled.

  Chapter 13

  “I remember your mom very well,” Theo said. They were sitting at the dining table again, across from each other. The lights were dimmed in the room and Nora stared at Theo’s strong jaws as he spoke. She wanted to tell him how happy she would feel if he took her into his arms just then.

  “She was a good beautiful woman. She was around my age, a few years younger than Andy and she died too young,” he continued and took a sip of his beer. Nora licked her lips and looked away from him. Her father rarely ever spoke about her, and all she had of her mother were the old photographs.

  “And your dad was a young father, clueless and grieving over the loss of the love of his life. I tried to help out to the best of my abilities in those years when you were little and Andy didn’t know what he was doing,” Theo said and they looked at each other again. They would have heard a pin drop in the room, there was complete silence.

  “I couldn’t have asked for a better father,” Nora said and looked down at the bottle in her hands. She didn’t want to talk about her parents with Theo. She wanted to keep those topics separate from this man she was still lusting after. He had known her when she was little, when she didn’t even remember his presence in her life.

  “Yeah, he was great with you,” Theo said, searching her eyes.

  “Did you want children?” Nora asked, already knowing the answer because her father had told her. But she was desperate to change the topic. Theo clenched his jaw and gulped.

  “For a while, yes. Around the time I met Violet. Before that, the thought never crossed my mind,” he said and Nora took in a deep breath, the scent of his cologne surrounded her and she felt giddy with desire for him.

  “You would have made a great father, too,” she said, slightly shy of what she was saying but Theo encouraged her with a smile.

  “I don’t know about that but what I do know is that Violet would have made a terrible mother,” he said with a small laugh escaping his lips as he took another sip of his beer.

  “It doesn’t sound like a happy marriage to me,” Nora said, unable to keep her thoughts to herself any longer. Theo threw her an angry look and she immediately regretted saying it.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that,” she added quickly and he shook his head.

  “No, it’s all right. You haven’t offended me. It’s just that I don’t like talking about her and me. I know how bad the marriage is. I’ve seen Andy and your mom together. I know what a good marriage looks like,” Theo said and Nora gulped, placing the bottle of beer in front of her on the table. She didn’t want to actually say the words. She didn’t want to actually tell him to leave his wife, because it wasn’t her place to dish out relationship advice. And neither did it mean that if he left his wife he would definitely be with her. />
  “It doesn’t matter. I’ve made my peace with my choices. What you should do is dump that boyfriend of yours,” Theo said and Nora’s cheeks colored. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help overhearing,” he added.

  “Yeah, he’s not exactly my boyfriend. In his own words, we go on casual dates and fuck,” she said, the words lumping up in her throat because she was aware of how pathetic she must have sounded to him.

  “Well, as long as you are aware of what you’re doing…and don’t let yourself get hurt,” he said and their eyes met again.

  “I have no feelings for Jack,” she said and Theo’s green eyes grew darker as he stared at her.

  “Then you are in the same position as me,” he said and Nora nodded. “The only difference is that you’re not married to him, which means that it would be easier for you to leave,” he added and she looked away from him. How was she supposed to explain to him that she needed to be with someone constantly, just to numb the desire she felt towards Theo. That if she broke up with Jack, she would be heartbroken over thoughts about Theo.

  “Because if that guy ever hurts you, Nora…” she watched as Theo fisted his hands and his jaws clenched. She had never seen this side of him before and it surprised her. She had never guessed that he felt this protectively about her.

  “I can take care of myself,” Nora said to him and Theo’s eyes burned into her face.

  “I know you can, but if he does…” he was speaking through gritted teeth and Nora reached for his fisted hands. She placed her own small hands on his and felt the sting of his warm skin. They were looking at each other, and she gulped, focusing on his lips and how harshly he was breathing.

  “I knew you as a kid, Nora,” he said and pulled his hands away from her. She settled back in her chair, trying to suppress the wave of rejection that was rising up in her.

  “And I am an adult now,” she said and Theo shook his head.

  “I don’t want to apologize for what happened last night, because I did what I wanted. I’ll be lying if I said that I didn’t know what I was doing,” he said, in a voice that was deep and harsh. He suddenly sounded very angry and Nora gulped again.