by Lucy Wild
“I have a friend in the police force.”
“That’s it, that’s all I get. You have a friend?”
I nodded. “Yep.”
She lapsed into silence before muttering something.
“What was that?”
“I said, thank you, Daddy.”
A smile flickered across my lips. “You’re welcome.”
We drove back to the town, her eyes closed as she sank back in her seat. I thought she was asleep but the instant I stopped the car, her eyes opened. “Where are we?”
“Your house.”
“Please,” she said, her eyes widening as she looked at me, “Will you stay? I don’t feel safe.”
“Of course,” I replied, leaning across to her. “You’ll always be safe with Daddy to protect you.”
I climbed out of the car, taking her hand and leading her inside. Once we were in, she checked the door was locked three times before rattling all the windows. I left her to it, knowing she wouldn’t settle until it was done. Richards had done everything I needed him to. He’d become a very close friend after Cassie died, talking me through the case, doing his best to keep me informed, not that he’d had to. He’d done it because he was a good guy, same reason he’d helped tonight when we hadn’t spoken in five years. I wasn’t great at keeping up with friendships. I would do after tonight though, I owed him.
“Ready for bed?” I asked as Donna checked the front door yet again.
“Are you sure he won’t come back?”
“Trust me,” I said, taking her hand and leading her upstairs.
I held her as she slept, listening to her soft breathing, trying not to think what might have happened if I hadn’t seen her in time, how close I’d come to losing her. It was a long time before I fell asleep.
TWENTY-SEVEN
GEORGE
She was still asleep the next morning when my phone buzzed. I sat up, blinking several times, trying to bring the screen into focus. It was a message from Bill. Give him my number and he was bound to use it.
I know you said not to text unless it’s urgent. It is. He’s got a last offer: Sell the estate or let him have her. I presume that means something to you? Otherwise, the theatre’s gone by next month.
I didn’t reply straight away, I was too angry. He’d found out about me and Donna then, of course he had. And now the son of a bitch planned to use the information to blackmail me. The worst thing was, he had me over a barrel. What choice did I have? There was no way he was having anything to do with Donna. I’d be dead before I let that happen. And I couldn’t let him demolish the theatre, it was the only connection I had left to Cassie. That only left my place. I’d have to sell him my place.
I texted Bill back, setting up a meeting for later that day. I’d have to talk the details through with him. As I hit send, Donna stirred next to me, rolling over and smiling as she opened her eyes. “Hi,” she said, yawning loudly.
“Hi yourself,” I replied. “Sleep well?”
She nodded. “All the better for having you here.”
“I might be spending a lot more time here.”
“Oh, and why’s that?”
Because I might not have a house soon, I thought, though I didn’t say that out loud. “Daddy looks after his little princess.”
She threw an arm round me and I sank back on the pillow. There was no need to worry her with my problems. She had enough of her own. When she went to kiss me, I pressed my tongue against hers, exploring her mouth, feeling her heat against me. It was enough to make my cock stir, the feel of her hand sliding down my chest a welcome distraction from my thoughts. I found myself melting into her, my mouth working its way down her neck.
Within minutes she was naked. I remained dressed, the only way I could restrain myself from fucking her too soon. I wanted to enjoy her. Soon I would have little else but her. It was all for her. Not that she knew it. I was giving it all away so I could keep her.
My hands ran over her chest, making her gasp as I tugged at her nipples in the way she liked most. She winced and then grinned as my mouth sank to her left breast, my hand sliding down her body, stroking her thighs. She wrapped her legs round me, seeking my flies, undoing them and reaching inside, searching for my cock.
I pushed her hand away. “Daddy’s in charge,” I said, getting to my feet and beginning to slowly undress. “Not you.”
She pouted and folded her arms. “But I want your cock, Daddy.”
“That’s a dirty word for my little princess to use.”
“Then you better spank me,” she said, rolling onto her front, bending her hips to push her ass towards me. I couldn’t resist slapping her buttocks, watching them turn red as she rolled and squealed underneath me. I left her in that position as I finished undressing, landing a final swat on her ass before pouncing on her, thrusting myself straight between her legs.
She was already soaking wet and I was in her in less than a second, burying me cock in her pussy, my entire weight pushing into her hips, shoving her down onto the mattress. As I began to thrust, she rocked up against me, grinding in place, her pussy gripping me so tightly, I almost came at once. “Come in me,” she muttered as I began to thrust faster. “Please, come in me, Daddy.”
“I will, my little princess,” I replied, moving ever faster.
She came first but only by a second. The motion of my cock inside her combined with the weight of me, her clit rubbing on the sheet beneath her. When she came, her pussy began to contract round my cock and that alongside the sound of her moans tipped me over the edge. I spurted cum into her, slumping against her, unable to do anything but let it happen, my body wracked with pleasure as she shook in place, her breath ragged. “Thank you, Daddy,” she said after a minute of silence. I kissed the back of her neck in response before sliding free from her and rolling onto my side.
“You’re welcome,” I said, finding her lips and kissing her again.
We spent the entire day together until I needed to get to my meeting. I dropped her off at the theatre, refusing her offer of coming inside to meet the rest of her drama group. “I’ve got a meeting,” I said, ignoring her pout. “Ring me when you want picking up.”
“Yes, Daddy,” she said, reaching up to kiss my cheek before heading inside.
I was at Bill’s by nine. The rest of the office was dead and he was nursing a coffee when I found him. “I don’t usually stay this late,” he said as I walked in. “I hope you realise that.”
“I appreciate it, Bill,” I said, taking a seat across from his desk. “I’m going to have to sell to Green.”
“What? Why?”
“Because if I don’t, he’ll knock down the theatre.”
“But there must be another way.”
“There isn’t. Can you draw up the paperwork?”
“I’m not a lawyer, George.”
“Then get me one. I’m sure you can sort it out. Just make it happen.”
“Right, all right.” He reached into his drawer and brought out a file with my name on it. “We better go through this.”
I spent an hour with him, running through all the deeds, all the maps, everything he needed to know, I told him. Within a month, it would be gone. I’d have nothing left of my home, the place I’d lived all these years, the one place where I felt at peace.
TWENTY-EIGHT
DONNA
Joshua was looking at me strangely as we rehearsed. It had been a fortnight since Darren had tried to drag me back and George had been right. I’d not heard a thing from him. I had heard instead from a detective in Leicester who wanted me to fill in a statement for him but that was it. I was still waiting for the form to come through the post. He’d been charged with everything George said he would. Daddy was right about that as he had been about so many things.
We’d been making our way through the play night after night, getting the stage directions sorted ready for our grand opening performance. Tickets were already sold out. News that About Last Night was going t
o be performed for the first time in twenty years had spread across the country. I was more than a little bit nervous as the days passed.
“What?” I asked, looking across at Joshua who stood on the side of his stage, smiling at me. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“No reason,” he replied, turning away and flicking through his script.
After the run through was finished, we sat on the stage in a circle, Erica congratulating us all.
“That was a silver star day,” she said. “Well done.”
“Yay,” Nigel said sarcastically. “A silver star day.”
“And I’ve got some good news,” Erica continued, ignoring him. “You might have heard the rumours that the theatre was up for demolition and you might or might not know that I’ve been fighting very hard to make sure it doesn’t happen. It’s with Joshua’s help that we’re able to confirm that the threat is over. The theatre is safe.”
I looked around the group, frowning as my eyes reached Joshua. “How did you help?” I asked.
“Well,” he grinned back at me. “Since you ask, it was my uncle who was going to redevelop the town centre.”
“Your uncle?”
He nodded. “And he isn’t going to anymore. His new development will be out on Westcott Lane instead. You’re welcome.”
“Hang on. Westcott Lane? That’s where George lives.”
“Not for much longer.”
“What? Why?”
“Because he’s agreed to sell to my uncle.”
“But he can’t sell. He wouldn’t sell.”
“You should be grateful. If it wasn’t for him selling, the theatre would be history.”
I was up and off my chair before he could say anything else. I ran all the way to George’s house, not stopping until I got there. Out of breath, I hammered on the door.
“Donna,” he said, looking surprised. “What’s wrong? What’s happened?”
“Don’t sell,” I wheezed. “You can’t sell your house to him.”
“What? Who told you?”
I slumped into the hallway, taking several minutes to recover before I was able to talk normally. I looked at him as he stood over me, his face a mixture of concern and anger. “There has to be another way,” I said.
“There isn’t,” he replied. “If I don’t sell up, he’ll demolish the theatre.”
“So let him. Why does the theatre matter so much?”
He shook his head. “It just does.”
“Remember our contract?” I asked. “No lies. Tell me.”
“It was my daughter who died on stage,” he said, his eyes fixed on the wall above my head. There was no emotion in his voice, he sounded cold and empty.
“You had a daughter?”
He nodded slowly. “No one knew she was the mother of my child. She’d made me swear to keep it to myself. It was a one night stand. It just happened during rehearsals.” His voice lowered to a whisper. “She died because of me.”
“It was an accident,” I said, getting to my feet. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“I wrote the scene. I could have done it differently but I didn’t. I…he can’t knock the theatre down. It’s all I have left.”
He looked away from me and I thought he was going to say something else but then his shoulders began to hitch and I realised he was crying. My heart reached out for him. He looked so broken in that instant. I took his hand, leading him to the sofa. He sank onto it and I put my arm round him, watching as the tears flowed silently down. “I’ve never told anyone that,” he said.
“That’s a long time to keep that pain to yourself,” I replied. “Too long.”
We sat there for a long time. So that was why he had so many of her pictures in his house. That was why he hadn’t given consent for so long. It must have been impossible for him, having to cope with the pain of losing her and having to keep silent about it, not telling anyone who she really was, the fact that she was pregnant. I couldn’t imagine what it must have felt like to deal with such a thing. And there I was, waltzing into his life to get permission like he was only a grumpy old eccentric, not someone who’d endured two decades of agony completely on his own. Suddenly, something occurred to me and it was impossible to stop a smile spreading across my lips.
“I have an idea,” I said, kissing his cheek. “A way to save your house and the theatre.”
“How?” he asked, turning to look at me, his eyes bloodshot.
“Trust me,” I replied, kissing his hand before getting to my feet. “I’ll be back.”
“Where are you going?”
“To sort all this out. Don’t go anywhere.”
I left before he could say anything else. Joshua had been gloating when he’d told me George was selling his land but his gloating was my good fortune. It had led me to the truth, the truth about the past and if I got this right, it would lead to the brightest possible future for everyone. I marched back into town, hoping the drama group were still at the theatre. I needed an address and Joshua was going to give it to me. Whether he wanted to or not.
TWENTY-NINE
DONNA
“Joshua,” I said, pointing at him as he crossed the stage. “Where does your uncle live?”
“What? Why?” he asked, as I climbed the steps and stormed over to him.
“His address. Now!” I grabbed his collar and gave him my most menacing face. It worked.
He gave me the address and I made a mental note of it. “Thank you,” I said, letting go of him and turning away.
“Wait, where are you going?”
“To see a man about a house,” I called back over my shoulder.
I stuck the address into my phone as I walked and by the time I reached my house I was ready. I climbed into my car, praying it would survive the journey. He lived ten miles outside of town and though the engine grumbled in protest at the drive, I made it there alive. I climbed out at his gate, looking at the huge detached house in front of me. I pressed the bell on the gate and waited, tapping my foot impatiently.
“Yes?” a tinny voice said eventually.
“I’m here to see Simon Green.”
“And you are?”
“Donna from the club.”
The gates swung open a second later. I climbed back into my car and drove slowly up the drive, finally stopping in front of his front door. It opened as I mounted the steps towards it, a man appearing a second later, looking out at me with a frown on his face. “It’s too late,” he said. “I gave him a chance to give me you and he chose to sell.”
“Cancel the sale,” I said, reaching the top of the steps a second later. “Cancel it right now.”
Simon smiled back at me. “And why would I do that?”
“Because if you don’t, I’ll tell the whole world just what you like to do at the club.”
“What? You wouldn’t. You can’t. It’s against the rules.”
“I’m not a member,” I said with a smile. “So there are no rules.”
“But…but…”
“Cancel the sale or see your name on the front pages tomorrow. Understand?”
All the colour had drained from his face as he looked down at me, his eyes pleading. “But the development, I’ll lose a fortune.”
“You’ll lose a lot more if you don’t cancel.”
“All right,” he said, holding a hand out in front of him. “Just promise me, you won’t tell anyone.”
I shook his hand. “Pleasure doing business with you.”
I turned away, returning to my car with a grin fixed across my face. I set off with my heart soaring, unable to stop giggling. I was still giggling when I told George what I’d done.
“And he just agreed to cancel?” he asked, sounding bewildered. “But why?”
“Because I said if he didn’t, I’d tell the world what he does at the club.”
“How do you know what he does there?”
“I don’t have a clue but he doesn’t know that. I guess I can act, after all. B
ut what does he do that’s so bad? He looked terrified.”
“You don’t want to know,” he said with a grimace. “I can’t thank you enough, Donna, you’ve saved my home, my land. I don’t know what to say.”
“Say that you spotted that dust in the corner.”
He looked where I was pointing, a smile spreading across his lips. “You bad girl,” he said, getting to his feet. “Bend over at once.”
I did as he commanded, my heart thudding at the power in his voice. I had never felt so happy. He yanked my clothes off me, almost tearing them in his haste to get me naked. I swayed from side to side in front of him, my ass pointing at him as he brought his hand down and spanked me, the familiar heat building in me as heat spread through my buttocks. Another swat of his hand and I was in heaven, my pussy beginning to throb with desire.
He shoved my knees apart, his hand finding my clit a second later, reaching between my legs to tease me until I was begging him to fuck me. He spanked me all the harder for swearing, telling me to apologise for being a bad girl. I swore all the louder, grinning as he growled in frustration.
He spanked me until I could barely stand and when he told me to lay on my back, my ass tingled, my nerves so alive from what he’d done, my body on edge, ready for him. I watched as he undressed, seeing his cock spring out of his boxers as he slid from them. I licked my lips in anticipation, wanting to taste him.
He denied me that pleasure, instead thrusting straight into me and giving me an even greater pleasure. I stared up into his eyes, feeling an emotional connection like nothing I’d ever known. He’d told me his secrets and he knew mine. I couldn’t imagine doing this with anyone else ever again. Why would I want to? No one else would be able to give me such pleasure.
We rolled around the room, him impaling me on him time and again until I screamed for him to let me come. He teased me for what felt like hours before finally giving me permission to orgasm, his hand on my clit, taking me over the edge, his tongue slipping into my mouth as I came, his arms around me, holding me tightly in place, his cock buried in me as I came again and again.
