by Jane Henry
“Why would a smart, successful businesswoman like her invest time and money in a place like Centered?” he asked, frowning, as he took a turn.
Nora frowned, and her joy at recounting her experience with Diana evaporated. Everywhere Diego went, he saw ghosts, and now he was asking probing questions about Diana? Her mentor? The only mother-figure she’d ever had?
Nora’s defenses went up as she stared at him. “Because she’s a good person!” she replied, noting that her voice sounded a bit defensive. “You think it’s a waste of time for someone to invest in the future of abused women?”
He raised an eyebrow in her direction. “I’m just asking, mija. I don’t question that Centered is worth the time and effort. If I did, would I encourage the work you do?”
She frowned. Well, no. He continued. “Just not sure what’s in it for her.”
Nora inhaled with practiced patience. “Diana’s lovely, Diego. So sweet. Tessa loves her.”
He merely frowned. “Listen, honey. I admire the work you do. Honestly. And I know you girls have worked hard to make it a safe place. I just have some concerns about Diana. No one really knows who she is, and I wonder if she’s trustworthy.” He reached a hand out and placed it gently on her bare knee. “You put a lot of trust in her, and I need to know that trust is well-placed. I just want what’s best for you, Norita,” he said, and with that, her heart softened a bit.
“I know you do,” she replied, placing her hand atop his. “Thank you, Daddy.”
She looked out the window, still self-conscious of calling him daddy. She’d worked so hard to be a respected professional, and she wondered how her clients and co-workers would react if they knew she was attracted to a man who called himself daddy. But as she thought about it, she realized she didn’t much care. It felt nice to have someone care about her, to have someone she could trust. Someone who would watch over her. Besides, it gave her a little zing of excitement every time.
As he threaded his way through the lines of traffic, she remembered the one time Tessa had ever taken her to the Boston Theater District. They’d seen a play, something about bootleggers and Prohibition, but the actual play had faded from her memory. What she remembered was the song the lead actress sang, longing and need in her voice as it echoed in the small theater. Gershwin’s lyrics had burned into Nora’s heart and memory.
Someone to watch over me…
She played the words over in her head, as she thought about Diego. What would Tessa say? Was a part of her attracted to him because he was dangerous, ruthless even? Or was it something more? She had hinted to Tessa in recent texts that she’d been seeing Diego, but they hadn’t talked about it at length yet. Diego had allowed for her telling Tessa, but she hadn’t quite been up for the conversation yet.
“Let’s get some food, baby,” Diego said, coming to a stop at a small market. “Then after we eat?” He paused, his eyes smoldering as he looked to her and squeezed her hand. “I’m taking you home.”
Her palms grew sweaty and her belly clenched, a low pulse in her belly responding to his voice. She watched him as he walked to help her out of the car. God, she was so hopelessly attracted to him and at that moment, she didn’t care why.
“Come on.” He ducked in the doorway to the little store, and pulled her through behind him, grabbing a basket. He selected a few ready-made sandwiches, some sparkling water, and a bag of chips, then tossed in a small plastic bowl of ripe strawberries.
“We’ll have a picnic,” he said.
“On your couch?” she responded with a laugh.
He grinned wickedly. “No, baby. On my bed.”
Nora gasped. “Someone could’ve heard you!” she hissed. He merely shrugged and winked.
“Can I just wait in the car?” she asked, wanting to run and hide so no one could see her flushed cheeks. “Seriously, if you know what you want, I can just—”
His eyes sobered and his brow furrowed. “No.”
Suddenly, she wanted to defy him, to tell him he couldn’t tell her what to do, but his eyes narrowed on her. “Going to push me, Nora?” he asked, shaking his head. “Pretty sure you know how I’d handle that, honey.” He raised a brow, and at the same time, shoved a freezing cold can of whipped cream in her hand. “You take that. I’m gonna need it later. Take this to the checkout.” He chuckled as her mouth dropped open, shifted the food basket to his left hand and before she knew what was happening, he gave her a teasing swat with the right.
Her pulse spiked, and her lips thinned as she fought to get her shit together.
“What was that?” she hissed at him, shocked he’d spanked her ass in public, and reluctantly impressed that he had.
He leaned in and whispered in her ear. “That, honey, was me reminding you to behave yourself.” Her heart skipped a beat, and she swallowed hard. Part of her wanted to fight him, to tell him he had no business manhandling her where others could see, but she knew that if she did fight him, it would draw even more attention to them. And she also knew she didn’t really want him to stop. She flushed as he paid for the groceries, then followed him as he led her to the car, opening her door for her.
“Okay, Nora,” he said, getting in the driver’s seat and heading toward the intersection. “Let’s have a little talk.”
As she looked over at him, curious what he wanted to talk about, she traced the leather edge of his seat with her fingernail. “What is it?” she asked, her stomach knotted in anticipation. Having grown up with an alcoholic mother, she often felt guilty anticipation when someone questioned her. And this was a guy who was over-the-top dominant, sexy as sin, and made her call him daddy.
“I’m planning on taking you to bed tonight,” Diego said, his eyes still focused on the road but his spine going ramrod straight, his lips tight as he drove.
Her heart fluttered in anticipation, as her mind raced. “Oh?” she asked. “Is that right?”
He raised a brow in her direction before looking back at the main road, and she closed her eyes briefly before responding. “Yes, Daddy,” she said, enjoying how it felt, the sweet mingling of comfort and arousal, suddenly overwhelmed by the need to be held by him.
In bed with Diego Santiago. She couldn’t believe her wildest teenage fantasies were coming true.
He cleared his throat and flicked his directional as she gazed at him from the side. His lean, muscled chest stretched the t-shirt he wore, bulging at his biceps, tapering down to a trim waist and jeans that hugged his hips. His dark, longish hair hung about his face, and his jaw sported several days’ growth.
Her pussy clenched and she splayed a hand across her chest, but when she realized what she was doing, she pretended to scratch an itch on her neck. His large, powerful hands gripped the steering wheel, one finger tapping a rhythm. “Nora, are you on birth control?” he asked.
She nodded her head. Though it was the last thing she expected him to talk about, it was something that needed to be discussed. “Yes,” she said, and when he raised a stern brown, she amended, “Daddy.”
Her pulse quickened as she smoothed her hands along her thighs. She hadn't considered that Diego wouldn't want to use condoms, but the thought of him bare inside her thrilled her. The bigger question was, how would she handle sex with Diego? Would he be as sweet as he was now, or did he switch on the dom when he had her behind closed doors? Would he be a gentle lover, or would he simply take her? She replayed the past few times things had gotten hot and heavy and decided… not a gentle lover. Though, perhaps he could be if he wanted to. The three carefully-chosen men she'd slept with in the past had all been gentle, almost timid, and had been perfectly fine letting her remain in control. She knew Diego would be different. Her pulse kicked up at the mere thought.
When he didn’t respond at first, she began to grow nervous. “Um… Diego? That isn’t the answer you were looking for?” she asked. “I don’t understand. We have to use birth control.” Why was he probing? Her defenses rose.
“Were you wondering if I was
a virgin?” she asked. “Is that what this was about?” When he didn’t answer at first, her mind began to go haywire and she found herself snapping. “You’re worried that because I’m on birth control I’ve been sleeping around?”
He shook his head. “Relax, baby.”
She took a calming breath. She knew she was being unreasonable. Her mother had always screamed at Tessa for having boyfriends, and Nora remembered the horrid way her mother hurled insults at her, calling her a slut and a whore, and when Nora started dating, she’d gotten the same treatment.
“Sorry,” she said. “My mom was always on my case about who I dated, and the second we were with a guy who she thought was above us or whatever, she started calling us whores and telling us we just wanted their money.”
He didn’t say anything at first, and when he finally spoke, his voice was controlled. “I remember your mother,” he said. Diego had been to the shitty little apartment where she’d grown up. He’d seen the coffee table where her mother and her loser friends snorted lines. He’d seen her mother’s boyfriends passed out on the recliner.
He knew where she’d come from. But how much did he know? Did he know that when she was a kid, her cupboards were bare and Tessa had worked behind the scenes with the counselor at her elementary school to get Nora free breakfast and lunch? Did he know that Tessa worked little jobs whenever she could as a teen, getting cash from the landlord for weeding his garden because their mother drank every penny of her income?
She didn’t realize her hands were shaking until one of his came to rest on hers. “Hush, honey,” he said. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I just needed to know if I needed to buy protection is all. That’s why I asked. I’m not judging anything.”
“Yeah,” she said softly, her heartbeat slowing as his thumb gently circled her hand. “Just when I think I’ve dealt with that shit, it just comes right back to bite me in the ass,” she mumbled.
He squeezed her hand, turning onto the street that led to his house. “Shit like that you don’t just deal with, honey. Sometimes, it haunts you.” He grew quiet, and didn’t offer any more as he pulled in front of the house.
What were his ghosts? What were the things that came back to haunt him?
“Did you grow up poor, like me?” she asked. “What were your parents like?”
He didn’t answer at first as he cut the engine. “We weren’t rich,” he said. “But we did okay. My mom worked two jobs and so did my dad. There were a bunch of us, and I took on a lot of responsibility early. My dad died when I was twelve. When I was eighteen, my younger brother Armando got recruited to Salazar's organization, and I decided to join too, to keep him safe. I was always watching out for my siblings-like a parent. Not that it mattered. He died, and it was too much for my mom to handle. She died a year later. Heart failure. The rest of my siblings moved as far away from this town as they could, but I kept the house so that they'd always know they could come home.” He shrugged a shoulder, his eyes teasing her. “I think I learned how to boss people around real young.”
She snorted. “Shocker.”
He playfully slapped her thigh, then opened his door. “Let’s go inside and eat, honey. I’m starving. But listen, Nora. You don’t worry about that shit that haunts you. You face it. And when you do, you realize that it doesn’t define you. Got it?”
Her throat tightened and she could only nod. She wondered if Diego understood that about himself.
Dusk had fallen, and the chill fall air made her shiver. As he glanced over his shoulder, first to the left, then to the right, she felt better knowing she was beside a guy who would take care of her. Even if there was danger lurking in the shadows, she could trust him to protect her. He stood on the edge of the sidewalk nearest the street, holding her hand and pulling her close to him, as they both put their heads down against the biting wind. It wouldn’t be long now before they’d have their first frost, and shortly after that, snow would begin to fly. She thought of all the women in Boston who they wanted to help, woman after woman coming into Centered for whatever they needed. She thought of what they’d do over the cold winter months, and how she’d have to work overtime when they saw an influx of people who didn’t have shelter.
She shivered at a particularly cold gust of wind, and Diego drew her closer to him. He was warm, protective, and strong, almost making her forget the conversation she’d had in the car with him. She hated remembering her childhood and her mother. She wished she could erase it all from her memory and fill her head with peaceful thoughts instead.
What lurked in his mind? What kept him up at night? She shivered again. What did years of rubbing shoulders with evil do to a man?
He opened the front door for her, and she stepped inside. He scanned to the left and right and then back again, giving an almost imperceptible nod as if this somehow alleviated his concerns.
Would he always be troubled by shadows?
He shut and locked the door, then took the bags of groceries from her and tossed them down on the kitchen counter. Turning around, he leaned against the counter, spreading his legs wide and opening his arms. She met his eyes, warming as he looked her way. His gaze traveled the length of her body, and her heart began to beat faster.
As she stood staring, knowing he wanted her to come to him, she needed to push him a little, to draw out the dom in him. She needed to see the stern look of his eyes as they met hers, needed to hear his deep, commanding voice. It excited her.
It turned her on.
She leaned casually against the kitchen table. “I thought you were hungry?” she asked. “Then why are you standing over there? Sit down and let’s eat something.”
His eyes narrowed, and his lips pursed as he looked at her, his arms coming to cross his chest as his gaze met hers. “Come here.”
An instruction. An order, even. If she disobeyed him now, he might punish her.
Anticipation swirled in her belly, a pulse low in her gut as his eyes met hers. When she didn’t immediately obey him, he cocked a brow then uncrossed his arms, his hands going to his hips, accentuating his bridled strength. His hands were large and strong, and her gaze followed upward, the length of his dark forearms to his thicker, muscled biceps stretched against the t-shirt that hugged his arms, the muscles pulling the fabric taut. Those were hands that had done wicked, violent things. He’d hurt people. He’d broken bones. She could see scrapes along his knuckles, and a few faint bruises. She wondered how he’d gotten them. Those were the hands, though…
He’d spanked her.
What else had he done? What else had he seen?
From where she stood, the heat of his gaze made warmth flood to her chest and cheeks as she slowly dragged her feet to him. He did not move but waited for her, his gaze calculating as she moved closer, within his grasp now, her heart pitter-pattering against her chest, heat flaring in her belly.
Were those the eyes of a man who’d taken lives? All for the greater good? Was she standing on the precipice of her future—falling for a man who didn’t take no for an answer, but expected obedience? And as she drew closer, each passing second making her tremble, he reached for her, grasped her waist and yanked her between his legs.
He placed one hand on her lower back, pressing her against him, while the other went to her hair, first threading his fingers through it, combing it, the soft touch making her tremble, before slowly twirling his fist around the long blonde waves and tugging her head back.
Nora’s mouth dropped open when he pulled, and his mouth met hers in a possessive, heated kiss that made her gasp, thankful he held her upright. Under his power, surrounded by his strength, she asked herself again, Is this my future?
God, she hoped so.
The self-doubt that plagued her made her wonder sometimes. Diego could be scary. He’d done wicked things he couldn’t even talk about. Was she attracted to the danger? Did she find herself with a bad boy because that’s all she’d ever seen in her childhood, her mother bringing home one outlaw after anot
her? Is this how I’m damaged?
His mouth on hers, his hands in her hair and at her waist, she was his prisoner.
No, it didn’t feel like damage. It felt right and she fucking loved it.
He took his mouth off hers just long enough to whisper in her ear, “You playing games with me, Norita?” He underscored his question with a sharp tug of her hair.
“No,” she gasped, but another tug had her questioning her answer.
She shivered as his whiskers grazed her neck before his deep voice rumbled in her ear once more. “Are you lying to me, little girl? You know what happens to little girls who lie to their daddies.”
She shook her head, needing just enough of his attention without wanting to actually push him over the edge and earn herself punishment.
“No, Daddy,” she whispered. “I’m not lying.”
“Oh?” he asked. Still grasping her hair, he tugged so that her neck lay bare before him. Lowering his mouth, he lapped at the sensitive skin by her collarbone before slowly grazing his teeth along her skin. “When I call you, Nora,” he said, his voice deep, chiding. “You come to Daddy right away. Understood?”
“Yes, Daddy,” she whispered, reveling in the way her the words made her feel safe and secure, yet aroused. He released her hair, and she dropped her head to his chest. His hand at her back snaked downward, cupping her ass and squeezing. She drew in a breath but did not protest, enjoying the possessive feel of his touch.
“Good,” he said, his voice as deep, making her shiver. “Because if you didn’t? Then Daddy would have to spank you.” He gave her one sharp swat to demonstrate.
Her panties dampened between her thighs even as her heart tripped in anticipation. A spanking from Diego was no joke. But perhaps that was the point.
“Are you hungry, Nora?” he asked, his mouth back at her ear as he pulled the lobe between his lips and sucked. The touch of his tongue made her squirm.
She nodded, her stomach growling as if on cue. It’d been hours since she’d eaten, and even then, it hadn’t been much. “Good, then.”
