Daddy's Little Princess

by Rachel Burns

  He made me lots of promises telling me how much he loved me, and that he would wrap things up as quickly as possible, so he could come home to me and make me feel safe.

  Amy looked like she was going to slap me when Daddy said goodbye and hung up. “I’m sure he just wanted to talk to you when you two can be all alone,” I offered as an explanation.

  “Yes, of course.” She sat down and kissed me again. I hated that, and she did it on the lips every time too. I was counting the days until Daddy came home.

  I had nightmares again that night. Nanny stayed in bed and slept in her own room the next morning.

  Amy beat the daylights out of me for being so insensitive to Nanny.

  The same routine was repeated day for day. I really hated Amy, but I lied to Daddy every night.

  I put Daddy’s happiness ahead of mine.

  The day before Daddy came home, Amy took me out with the horses. She stopped by the pond and stepped towards me with her arms stretched wide. She reached up to me and helped me down.

  Amy didn’t let go then. Instead, she held me tightly. “If you tell him anything that happened in between us. I too will tell him how bad you really were. You’re a nobody. Just a stupid little slut that he feels he saved from the underworld. You’re just pulling him down and keeping him from happiness. I want you to leave, and take your Nanny with you. Collin is mine, and I’ll be the one who will get him in the end. His games with you will soon be over with, and you will leave here as penniless as you came.”

  She pushed me down to the ground while she went at me with a stick. “Fucking slut. How deceiving are you? Don’t you understand the rules? If you want to be a gold digger, you have to fuck the guy. You can’t even do that right.”

  Chapter 17 – The Best Thing For Daddy

  I was standing with Nanny at the bottom of the stairs waiting for Daddy. Amy had gone to pick him up. Daddy had called Nanny when they got into town, so Nanny had time to line me up. She had picked out a pretty new dress for me to wear today. I had a matching bow in my hair.

  I heard the car and asked myself if I should tell Daddy everything? It was already dark out and almost my bedtime.

  My own Daddy would be bringing me to bed tonight. Should I tell him and show him?

  What if he didn’t care? What if he chose Amy over me?

  Amy could offer him so much more than I could. He needed someone like Amy, but he didn’t need an adult woman pretending to be his daughter.

  The door opened, and a huge smile spread across my face.

  Daddy came in and opened his arms out really wide.

  I ran into his arms, and he hugged me so tightly that hurt my back where Amy had whipped me, but still, I felt safe. I had worse beatings, so I ignored the pain, and enjoyed that my Daddy was home.

  Amy would leave me alone now, and I would simply make sure that Daddy never left me alone with Amy again.

  My Daddy was home.

  “Becky, I want you to come into my office for a second.” Nanny was bringing me downstairs, so I could practice the piano.

  Daddy had been home for a week at that time. He spent all of his time with Amy. They went out late every night, and they stayed in bed most of the day when Daddy wasn’t at work. I only saw Daddy at the meals that he actually attended, and at night when he brought me to bed.

  “Yes, Daddy.” I went to him.

  Nanny kept going to the living room with her new book. She must have read hundreds in the time I lived here.

  Daddy stood me, so I was facing his desk. He moved around it, so he was behind it with his arm around Amy. Both were smiling like there was no tomorrow.

  “I have an announcement to make. I asked Amy to marry me, and she has accepted.” Daddy was bursting for joy.

  “Daddy, I’m so happy for you, for both of you. Congratulations.” I had been practicing what I was going to say if this happened, so it would sound genuine.

  Daddy tilted his head to the side and sighed happily at me. “We are going to be the happiest family in the world.”

  I had never seen Daddy happier.

  I smiled back at him, but in the back of my head I heard a clock ticking loudly. Amy would be getting rid of me soon enough.

  I thought about Rick saying the only way my buyer could get rid of me was to sell me. Would Daddy do that? Or would he make me stay here and watch his wife use him for his money.

  I truly did sound like a jealous child. Amy was making him happy, and that’s what mattered. Of course, my presents here upset her. It was too odd for it to be normal.

  She wanted Daddy all to herself.

  Did that mean that she really loved him?

  I pulled all of my courage together and knocked on Daddy’s office door. He was working at his desk, and Amy was still in bed.

  “Come in, Princess,” he called out.

  I opened the door and looked at him. “How did you know it was me?” I asked as I closed the door behind me.

  He was leaning over his work again and laughing a little. “A father knows.”

  I waited for him to look up, and really pay attention to what I was going to say. He laid down his pen and looked up at me. “Okay, Princess. I’m all ears.”

  “Daddy, we need to talk. To really talk.”

  “Is something wrong?” His jaw dropped. He looked very concerned.

  “No, not yet. But soon – with time. Daddy, the thing is.”

  He stood up and pulled me over to the sofa. I had practiced what I wanted to say in my head a million times, but now it simply wouldn’t come out right.

  “Daddy, we have a very odd relationship. And you’re going to be marrying Amy soon, and people will talk. Amy would end up getting hurt. People would wonder about us, and Amy would be made fun of. People will automatically think the worst, and it will make Amy appear to be less than your wife. Do you understand?” I bit my lips.

  “You don’t want your Daddy to get married, do you?”

  “That isn’t it, Daddy. I’m – it isn’t normal – Amy may not mind now, but she will with time. At the latest when people are laughing behind her back.”

  “Princess, the thing to do is ask Amy how she feels.” Daddy smiled at me.

  I already knew how she felt. “Daddy, if you ask her, she will lie, because she will want you to be happy, but a newlywed couple needs to be alone.”

  “You don’t want to be my little girl anymore.” He leaned away from me. His whole face had dropped, and he looked so disappointed.

  “No, Daddy. You know how much I need you, but you have to think about your wife. You have to put her first. I’d be in the way. It’s the simple truth.” I frowned at the end, because it was so obvious.

  “How do you think I should deal with this situation?” He still didn't believe me.

  “I don’t know, Daddy. Whatever you think is best.” I shrugged. I could feel tears gathering in my eyes. “Maybe I could live in an apartment with Nanny. I could write again and maybe even earn a little money, so you wouldn’t have to pay for me anymore?”

  “Becky, is this about you escaping from me?” He looked very strict then.

  I shook my head. “I would want you to visit me very often.” I started to bawl. “Please, don’t sell me, Daddy.” I brought my hand up to my mouth.

  I wanted to run out before this got any more embarrassing, but Daddy grabbed me and pulled me down on his lap.

  “Are you worried that I don’t have enough love for both of you?”

  “No, that isn’t it. But with time I’ll only be dead weight, tied to your leg.”

  “I’ll tell you what. I’ll talk to Amy –”

  “I already told you what she is going to say.” I was getting frustrated with him.

  “Don’t interrupt your daddy. I’ll talk to Amy, and we will discuss this like adults, and we will find a solution. I promise I won’t sell you. Just you wait and see, I bet Amy will say that she wants you to stay too. However, I bet she will mean it.”

  I had my head
under Daddy’s chin, so I felt safe rolling my eyes. If only he knew. “Daddy, don’t risk anything for me. You found someone you love, who loves you back. Do you know how lucky you are?”

  “Yes, but I got lucky like that when I found you.”

  “I had a talk with Becky this morning.” Collin was lying in bed with Amy and twisting a bit of her hair in his finger.

  Amy moved her head and turned, so she was looking at Collin. “What did she say?” Amy had a hard look on his face.

  “She is worried about you. About what people will say. Especially, once we are married, and she is with us. She thinks that her presence will make people think less of you, and that they won’t accept you as my wife.” Collin said this as if it was all very ridiculous.

  “Oh.” Amy rolled away from him again.

  “Amy, look at me when I’m talking to you.”

  Amy sighed and turned to him.

  Collin was already a little ticked that Amy was blowing off what Becky said. “What are your feelings for Becky?”

  “She’s right. I feel exactly like that. Would you want me as your wife or as another kid? Don’t get mad, Collin. I think that this is something that we need to talk about. Would I be Becky’s mother, or sister, or what? What is your relationship with her? I don’t understand what she is doing here. I mean I believed you when you said that your relationship isn’t sexual, but no one else will. I wish she would find someone and start her own family.”

  Collin sat up and turned away from Amy. “I had no idea you felt that way. Becky was right. I told her she wasn’t. I don’t know what to do. I love her, too.”

  “It’s only a little house, but I found someone who will come by once a week to clean for you. I don’t want you to have to do that yourself. You will also have an allowance. You can order Pizza on Friday nights. On Mondays, I’ll come by and pick you up. We will all go to the country club together. This will be the best for everyone.” Daddy was having a big problem looking me in the eye. “The house will be ready in a week.”

  He didn’t say anything more. He was quiet for so long that I thought about leaving him alone. I knew how disappointed he was. This wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted to have his cake and eat it too, but that didn’t work.

  “If you every need anything, Becky, anything at all, I want you to call me. I’ll come, no matter what. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, Daddy, I do. I’m so sorry about everything.” I turned and left then. Daddy wasn’t happy anymore. Amy was coming down the stairs as I went up. “Well Becky, looks like you lose, and I win.”

  “I love him enough to let him go. Please say that you really love him.” I looked in her eyes to see if she did. She ignored me and went down to Daddy. I hoped she really did love him.

  I was so worried about everything, but it really wasn’t any of my business. Daddy had found a way to get rid of me and keep me. I was so thankful for that.

  “Becky, are you all packed and ready to go?” Amy was leaning against my door. Daddy was at work, and Nanny was over at the new house looking it over with the doctor. They were great friends.

  My room was full of suitcases and boxes. I hadn’t realized how much stuff I had.

  “Yes, I guess so.”

  “Collin told you that you could call any time, didn’t he?”

  I nodded.

  “Don’t.” She turned to leave.

  “You don’t even love him, do you? Yet you have the nerve to call me a slut and a gold digger.”

  She was back in my room so fast and grabbing me, that my head really did spin. She had me by my hair at the nape of my neck. “You want to know what turns me on Becky? I’ll show you. I like it when a slut like you gets what she deserves.” She rammed her fist into my stomach, knocking all the air out of me.

  I bent forward with both my hands on my stomach.

  Amy still had me by my hair, and she pulled my neck back the other way, so she could hit me again. She boxed me everywhere she could, but she was careful not to hit me in the face.

  She pulled me over to the sofa, and she spanked me as cruelly as always.

  I repeated the words ‘one last time’ over and over in my head. I would make sure that I was never alone with her again.

  “Open your legs, slut.” She sounded so happy as she said that.

  I had learned to obey her immediately. This was all about power. I had to show her that I knew that I had none.

  “Make sure that I never have to see you again. And don’t be surprised when he stops giving you your allowance. You should start thinking about what job you could do. I’m sure being a prostitute or toilet lady would be something that you could get with your training, or you could go back to your favorite field and be a sex slave again.”

  Daddy hadn’t told her who I really was. I was thankful about that. I could easily picture Amy telling the tabloids where I was, and where I had been.

  I took what she dished out and cried, so she could hear me. I even apologized for smarting off to her.

  She finished and pushed me away. She quickly left my room and went to hers and Daddy’s room. I could imagine what she was doing in there. Beating on me turned her on.

  I went to my bathroom to straighten up and wash my face. It took me a while to get my shaking hands to settle down.

  Daddy came home for lunch. He was really sad that I was leaving. A truck was coming in the morning to take my things away. Daddy was going to come with me, and we would say goodbye there.

  Amy was in an extremely good mood. She was getting everything she ever wanted.

  I realized that I was losing everything that I had wanted and had.

  I prayed that Amy would be good to Daddy, and that she meant well with him. I hoped that she wouldn’t embarrass him either.

  “Becky, please eat something,” Daddy said that so tenderly. I looked into his eyes and nodded. It was so difficult to sit and pretend that I wasn’t in pain.

  “What will you do when you don’t have a cook cooking for you?” Amy sounded concerned, but I knew that she was picking on me again.

  “I’ll be cooking for Nanny and myself.”

  “You can cook?”

  “Yes, I used to cook for the entire club.”

  Daddy’s jaw tightened as I mentioned the club. Or had it clenched because of the injustice of having to cook the food and not getting any myself.

  “Becky, can take care of herself very well. I liked doing it for her.” He sounded like he was going to cry. If Amy had loved him, she wouldn’t have made Daddy go without me. I loved my Daddy so much, and I was going to miss him, but I needed to make this as easy on him as I could.

  Daddy took me riding after lunch. He wanted to talk again and again, but he couldn’t think of anything to say. He would slow his horse down and ride next to me, and then he would take off again.

  I concentrated on masking the pain.

  Dinner was even quieter than lunch had been. Amy babbled on about the wedding.

  I kept thinking that Daddy should make her sign a prenuptial agreement that when Amy lost interest that Daddy could keep his money and his factory.

  Amy wouldn’t care about all of those people losing their jobs. Daddy would be devastated.

  I played the piano for Daddy for a couple of hours.

  He was very quiet, and he didn’t look at all happy. He was thinking about something and thinking about it hard.

  I wondered if he would be happy once I was gone and everything was settled.

  He announced that it was my bedtime, and Nanny stood right up. She held her hand out to me, and I went right to her.

  Daddy was also standing. He watched me leave, and I looked over my shoulder at him too.

  I felt like waving at him like I was a little girl.

  I raised my hand and waved. I couldn’t stop myself. I scolded myself not to make this any harder for him than it already was.

  I disappeared around the corner of the staircase, and I couldn’t see him anymore. I sobbed on
Nanny shoulder in the bathroom after I had changed.

  I would never be able to see him again.

  He would probably come around a lot in the beginning, but that would quickly get less as time went on, until he stopped coming altogether.

  I could never just go to him when I wanted to either.

  I was sad beyond words. Nanny washed up my face and tucked me in. Daddy was already waiting for me in my room. I wondered if he had heard me crying. I hadn’t been loud about it, but he was right on the other side of the door.

  He was still wearing the same tortured face he had been wearing all day.

  He stepped forward and kissed me on my forehead. “Good night, Princess.” He left quickly.

  I snuggled in under my covers and continued to cry.

  “I know that the piano is a lot smaller than what you’re used to, but a big one simply wouldn’t fit.” Daddy moved onto the kitchen. “The cupboards are filled with plates and pots and pans and everything you need. I also had them stock the refrigerator for you. Do you know how to work the furnace?”

  My face dropped. It was the middle of summer. It would be months before I needed to heat the house. Was he never coming back? I shook my head.

  “Well, that has time. I’ll stop by when you need to use it and explain everything.” He must have guessed what I was thinking.

  “That was the last box. We’re finished here.” The movers looked at Daddy expectantly.

  He walked over to them, pulling out his wallet as he went. He thanked them and gave them their tips.

  I took the chance to look around my new home. Nanny was already in her room unpacking. I hadn’t seen my room yet.

  The house was really small. It was more than enough, of course, but it was a huge difference. There were no luxuries here.

  I scolded myself that it was a lot better than a dirty mattress on the kitchen floor. Daddy had made my life a lot better. He hadn’t wanted anything in return.