Dad's Best Friend: An Older Man Younger Woman Romance (A Man Who Knows What He Wants Book 83)

by Flora Ferrari

  “I bumped into your daughter and wanted to ask what you thought about her working for me,” I say.

  “Well...she is looking for a job.”

  “Yeah, I heard she hasn’t found a job yet and I know she’d be a perfect candidate for a position I have open. As a matter of fact I want to take her with me to Japan for six weeks of in-field training.”

  “Six weeks! And in Japan?”

  “Yes, six weeks is a long time, but you know she’s in good hands.”

  “Well...she does need experience but I worry about her being gone so long and so far away too. Can you give me some time to think about it?”

  “Right. I understand. The flight leaves in a few hours though so we don’t really have time.”

  “So she’d have to leave now. I’m not even sure where she is. She texted me that she was out late last night and might not be back until this morning but I still haven’t seen her yet.”

  “She’s here with me.”

  I don’t know what opens faster, Delilah’s eyes or her mouth as she slaps her face.

  “With you?” he says.

  “Yes, we’re having a breakfast interview.”

  She tosses her half eaten bagel at me and I try not to laugh knowing it will raise suspicion.

  “Can you put her on?”

  “Of course you can talk to her.”

  I hold the phone out for Delilah and she spins around in a circle before bending her knees and pulling her forearms in tight and pushing them together.

  I put the phone on mute and walk over to her.

  “Everything’s going to be okay. Just tell him you want go.”

  I pause. She’s still freaking out.

  “You do want to go…right?”

  Still nothing.

  I gently take her chin in my first two fingers and raise her head up until her eyes meet mine.

  I kiss her and watch all that nervous anxiety melt away.

  I hold out the phone and she takes it, moving swiftly into the bathroom where she shuts the door.

  All I can hear is some mumbling through the door. I don’t want to say the idea of our trip getting shut down would be devastating, but it certainly wouldn’t be good. We would be back to a plan of sneaking around until I could introduce the idea to her father, waiting for the right moment to drop the news on him.

  Darren and I are alike in many ways, but opposite in others. Plus I’m not a parent so I have to be sensitive to what that must be like, not to mention he’s a single dad.

  The bathroom door slowly opens and Delilah stands there expressionless, the phone down by her side.

  I try not to smile, but there’s no holding back. How could I at the idea that the two of us might be leaving together soon?

  I want to tell her she’s not good at keeping secrets in the hopes that her body language or a facial expression might give me a clue.

  But the truth is she seems to be great at it because I can’t read her one bit.

  “He said yes!” she screams suddenly before shaking her head like crazy, her hair flying every which way as she takes three steps towards the bed and then dives into my arms, her robe coming open mid-flight.

  And after a quick hug, my tongue pushes open her lips and my cock slides into her open channel and we’re right back where we were all night long.

  And as much as I’d like to just lie here all day long exploring even more of her until the end of time I can’t.

  We’ve got a plane to catch.

  CHAPTER 17

  Delilah

  The next six weeks are a blur of business and pleasure

  From sushi in the city, to weekend getaways to Shanghai.

  From seeing ancient Japanese temples to him worshiping my body like one.

  From Mount Fuji to him mounting me multiple times per day.

  It’s all a dream, and one I never want to wake up from.

  And one of my favorite parts was learning about Japanese culture and the degree of respect people show each other, and how they tailor it to social vs business situations.

  But one thing has remained constant…the respect Damian shows me.

  From the minute we boarded our lay-flat business class seats to the first bows exchanged with his business associates he’s always referred to me as his partner.

  I can’t help but notice he usually leaves off the word business before the word partner and I realize the lines have been completely blurred. We’re partners in every aspect of the word.

  And when we experience a strange ritual or custom one night while out before a big business deal he suddenly excused us and we left in the middle of the meeting.

  When I asked him to explain he simply said it wasn’t a good fit…not the kind of people he wanted to do business with.

  But when I pressed him he finally relented and said one of the men insisted on dancing with me and he explained to him with all due respect, a big theme here, that I was his.

  The man asked a second time and Damian wasn’t going to tolerate any more disrespect to either of us.

  He explained to me that if someone here asks for something, especially twice, it is a very formal thing and you’re almost expected to accommodate them, especially if they are an elder as that man was.

  But even on their turf Damian doesn’t play that game. I’m his and his alone.

  And ironically enough I found myself grabbing him by the arm, claiming him, in public more often than not.

  At first I thought it was just a fascination with a man so much bigger and taller than any other local man I saw, but then I noticed those weren’t just looks of fascination, but of lust.

  Regardless, we still had a good time but I did feel streaks of jealousy shoot through me more than once.

  We even geeked out over our shared love of tech and electronics in the Akihabara area. And one night, thanks to a few too many sake bombs and Japan’s twenty-year-old drinking age, we bought costumes and did some role-playing in the bedroom at the hotel.

  It was a combination between hot and hilarious, but just like everything it was fresh, fun, and perfect…because I did it with him.

  And the day before we were to leave I woke up noticing that our schedule was completely open the entire day.

  We had sushi that literally melted in your mouth, drank the finest green teas from the most beautiful pots, and then topped it all off with a walk along Meguro River where an amazing display of numerous cherry blossom trees covered in light pink petals hung perfectly over the river and the thought of leaving this paradise hung heavy over my heart.

  “Do you like the pink color of these cherry blossom petals?”

  “It’s my favorite shade of pink,” I say.

  “That’s what I was thinking.”

  “Why were you thinking of that?” I ask with a slightly curious expression.

  “Because that means that this will match and you’ll always want to wear it,” he says.

  I turn thinking maybe he got me a pair of yoga tights or something but as my body rotates I see he’s already down on one knee holding a little black box open.

  And oh my.

  Inside is a pink pear shaped flawless diamond with a ring of what must be well over one hundred round brilliant white diamonds in platinum surrounding it.

  It’s absolutely huge and perfect, just like everything he does.

  “Beautiful, I don’t have much to say because seeing that look on your face just did what it always does…take my breath away.”

  I feel myself shaking as my hands come up to my face as I’m completely stunned by the moment.

  “You were meant for me and I was meant for you. We know it and now it’s time for the whole world to know it…forever. Make me the happiest man from San Francisco to Tokyo and every city we’re going to visit in the future together and every city in-between…be my bride. Will you marry me?”

  It’s the easiest decision of my life. We’re perfect for each other in every way.

  We have the same
passions, same quirky sense of humor, I find him absolutely irresistible…and he’s the only man I’ve ever wanted.

  “Yes!” I say.

  He slides the ring on my finger and it’s a perfect fit.

  I kneel down and our two lips meet under the cherry blossom tree.

  “Look,” he says after a full minute of kissing.

  He reaches behind my ear and pulls out a cherry blossom petal.

  “It just landed there,” he says. “And now it’s landing in this box. I’m going to keep it to remember this moment forever.”

  He puts it in the engagement ring box showing me what I already knew. He may be big and strong and a manly man but he’s got a sentimental side when it comes to us.

  We kiss again and when we stand we notice that out of nowhere we’re surrounded by people taking our picture.

  They all start flashing us the peace sign as their camera flashes go off as well.

  We both flash the peace sign back and then laugh, falling into each other’s arms.

  “Wait!” I say. I flash the peace sign again and then quickly rearrange my fingers into a “modified peace sign” with my pinkie and ring finger…because I want the whole world to know I’m taken by the only man in this world that’s my true soulmate.

  They just continue taking more pictures making me feel like I’m the luckiest and most interesting girl in the world.

  Interesting? Maybe not.

  Luckiest? Without a doubt.

  Because I’ve got him and he’s got me.

  “I love you,” he says pulling me in close.

  “I love you,” I say and we kiss again and everything around us just fades away as our love takes center stage.

  CHAPTER 18

  Delilah

  I watch Damian’s Ferrari pull away from the curb and I immediately sit on his couch and flip through the TV channels.

  I need to take my mind off what’s about to happen.

  Before our flight back home he scheduled a meeting with my dad at the Japanese Tea Garden here in San Francisco. That is if you can schedule a meeting with your best friend.

  It just seems so businessy in my mind. He’s going over there to speak for the both of us and explain to my dad everything that happened.

  I insisted that I should go too and that it would help my dad see me as an adult, but Damian won out in the end.

  Another of the nice things about having an older, more mature, experienced man. He may not be experienced in this kind of thing, as I doubt hardly anyone would be nor would I want him to be in this case, but he is very experienced in taking charge and doing the things that “men are supposed to do” and that “everything was going to be okay,” as he said just before he kissed me and walked out that door to meet my father.

  He could tell I was nervous about the whole thing, as anyone would be. At first he tried to reason with logic saying that the Japanese Tea Garden has a calming landscape designed to slow people down.

  Although he’s right, and I did feel calm a lot of the time even though we were always on the go in Japan and Shanghai, we’re talking about a father and his daughter here.

  And then he tried humor, suggesting it was a good thing he didn’t get my dad a gift that could double as a weapon…something like chopsticks or even a ninja sword.

  I have to admit that did make me laugh but then of course my mind formed a mental image of it and it wasn’t a pretty sight.

  Nor is anything on this TV, not that I’m watching.

  All I can do is wait and hope.

  And the not knowing is the worst part.

  But there’s been something else that I’ve been trying to figure out for a couple weeks now and I’m going to use this time to take my mind off of my dad and my man and focus on that.

  Damian gave me a set of keys the minute we got home and told me I’m free to come and go as I please, so I figure I’m going to take him up on that offer right now.

  I step out but my mind is still firmly inside…inside my dad’s head guessing how he’s going to react to the news.

  And that scares me to death.

  CHAPTER 19

  Delilah

  A few hours later I feel my phone buzz and see a WhatsApp message from Damian.

  Can you come by your dad’s place?

  Yes. On my way right now.

  A million thoughts flash through my mind.

  He referred to it as only my dad’s place.

  Why didn’t one of them come and get me?

  Why are they at “my dad’s place” and not at the Tea Garden?

  Did they both drive back from the Tea Garden to my dad’s place together? Or were they separate?

  But if they’re at his place at the same time then things probably went okay, right?

  What news are they going to have in store for me and how are they going to react?

  And how will they react at the news I have for the two of them?

  My Uber arrives almost instantly, which makes sense considering the company was started in the Bay Area.

  I promise to tip him big if he can get me there as fast as he can and when he does I follow through on my promise.

  But as much of a rush as I was in to get over here now I find myself standing on the front sidewalk not even sure how to approach the house.

  The decision is made for me when the door slowly creaks open, a sound I’ve heard thousands of times throughout my childhood and adolescence, and Damian steps into the doorway.

  And of course he has a blank expression on his face.

  I enter the house and see my dad sitting in his favorite chair…the one he used to hold me in when I was a baby and it takes everything I’ve got to fight back the tears.

  Damian takes my hand and guides me to the couch next to him.

  “Did you have fun on your trip?” my dad says in one breath, trying to get it out before his lower lips starts quivering and his hand starts shaking.

  I can’t hold it back anymore. “I missed you, dad,” I say as I jump up off the couch and throw myself onto him in his chair.

  We hug for what must be a long time, but I don’t notice at all.

  Finally I pull my face from his chest and Damian’s right there with a box of tissues for both me and my dad.

  “I’m sorry for making your shirt all wet with my tears.” I say.

  “That’s nothing compared to when you were an ornery little devil and you used to pee and puke on me.”

  “Gross, dad!” I say, but I definitely do start laughing.

  I’m glad that he lightened the mood, but we’re not out of the woods yet.

  I stand up and walk back over to the couch and sit down.

  “Well, we got through that,” he says.

  “First step complete,” I say and we both laugh a bit nervously.

  “Honey, you’ll always be my little girl. Nothing’s ever going to change that.”

  “But I had a good long talk with Damian and he told me how you touched places inside him that he didn’t even know existed. And although I would disagree because I’ve had a front row seat all these years as his best friend, I would say that he always had those places inside him…he just needed the right person to bring them out.

  I just never thought it would be you. But I could tell in the tone of your messages and the words you used when you were calling and texting from Japan. I saw something in you that reminded me of the most special moment of my life.”

  My dad takes a deep breath and blows it out.

  “Wow, this is tough.”

  The room goes completely quiet.

  “I saw in you the same thing I saw in your mother when I knew she had finally fallen in love with me, and I say finally because I fell in love with her the moment I met her.”

  I grab the box of tissues from Damian’s lap and get to work on my eyes immediately before I look like I jumped in the Pacific.

  “Baby girl, it’s been tough for all of us since your mother passed. It’s especially difficult fo
r me because I see more and more of her in you each and every day. And as crazy as it sounds it took Damian here to make me realize that.