Stocking Stuffer

by Jisa Dean

  "Ready?"

  Yeah, I don't know if I am ready. For anything.

  Chapter Four

  ____________

  Paige

  Before we can make it to his car one of the tall blondes that give me shit sometimes comes over to us. She pushes her way in between me and Liam and I let her. I don't have a claim on the guy nor do I have the ability to tell him who to talk to and who not to talk to.

  "You're Liam Owens aren't you?" Her voice is not normally that low and soft. I'm not even sure how she's doing it.

  "Yes," his eyebrow lifts and I realize I was right, his eyes can be cold when they want to be.

  "I just wanted to let you know I am a huge fan of all that you do. My daddy says you run one of the best companies to work at and I want to go to business school in the fall."

  Well, congratu-fucking-lations on finding out what you want to be when you grow up. So far the only thing I have figured out is that I don't want to be late. Or act like her, ever. Or let myself be roped into another room with Liam and Mr. Dubois, which shouldn't be too hard since I am never going to see one of them again and the other one only has two days left to change my mind before I go on break.

  I roll my lips in and try not to shift too noticeably from foot to foot. Blondie shoots me a go to hell look and I realize I haven't been so quiet after all.

  "Do you ever do mentorships, because I would love if you were to be my mentor?"

  I finally give up and walk to the front door. If I have to bum a ride off someone maybe I can do that and leave Liam to talk about his...mentorships with the girl currently twirling her hair and pushing her shoulders so far back if she doesn't stop she's going to sprain her breast bone or something. Can you spring a bone? I guess it would be 'crack her breast bone'. It doesn't matter anyway because she seems to be proficient in the art of arching and I need to find a ride.

  Before the double doors can swing shut Liam is pushing through them the rest of the way and doesn't stop until he has my arm in his hand. He takes me like a father would a misbehaving child. The blonde is still right beside him chatting away about all of the people her daddy knows and all of the aspirations she has when she goes off to college.

  "It was nice to meet you, Nancy," is her name Nancy; I thought her name was...

  "Nicole." She doesn't even have the good sense to be upset that he called her by another name. That he was listening to her so much he didn't even remember her name. If this is what dating and flirting are supposed to be like I am so glad I stay far away from them. I have no doubt Nicole is flirting with Liam. Thinking about it, Nichole flirts with everybody, teachers, the principal, the coach, so I'm not shocked she came to seek Liam out. He's easy to flirt with.

  "Whatever," he doesn't give her a chance to let the insult of being told her name meant nothing to him sink in before he moves on, "but me and my angel really have to leave. We have to pick her sister up soon."

  Nicole's eyes slide over to mine with a confused look on her face and she isn't the only one wearing one. I look over at Liam for ideas on why he would call me angel, and I'm not even going to go into why I am his. That's too crazy.

  "Are you her...father?"

  Liam throws his head back and laughs. It's deep and rich and makes people standing around waiting for whatever reason turn and look at him, wanting in on the fun he seems to be having.

  "No. I am certainly not Paige's father but give me a few days and I hope I'll be her Daddy."

  His eyes meet mine and all traces of Santa are gone. In their place is a man who seems hungry for something.

  Nicole still has that puzzled look on her face and it just gets more and more confused the longer Liam stares at me.

  "Are you with her mother then?"

  Liam finally takes his eyes off of me and I can breathe again. I let out the huge pent up air that seemed to back up in my lungs when he stared at me the way he did.

  "What? Hell no, I'm not with her mom." He says it like Nicole might be on something to come up with such a crazy idea but I can't really follow his logic either. He shakes his head at Nicole. "Go ask your father to tell you the difference between the two I'm sure the college experience will clear that right up there."

  He brushes by her and pulls me with him. He's in a big red truck this time, probably because of the snow. It makes for one huge ass sled, he has to help me up into it. It doesn't really hit me until he shuts my door for me that I'm going to be in a truck with him. Just me and him. If I had trouble last night talking to him how in the hell am I going to think of something to say now that Mel isn't in the car with us?

  He doesn't start driving right when he gets in. He cuts the truck on and cranks the heater up, for me I'm sure since all I have on is a thin jacket and a large shirt that isn't my size at all. He leans his head back against the rest and looks at me. I stare back because I don't have any idea what I should say or do next.

  "Go out with me." Not what I thought he was going to say. It suddenly got a lot warmer in the car.

  "I, um, I can't." I stumble over the words trying to make sense of what is going on.

  "I'm not going to give up." He finally puts the truck in drive and pulls out. Why the hell would he tell me he's not going to stop asking me out? Why would he not stop?

  "I don't understand." I finally have to admit to him that I haven't got a clue what is happening or what he expects to happen.

  "What don't you understand?" He's more focused on the road for just a minute and it gives me an opportunity to study him.

  "Everything. Why do you want to go out on a date with me so bad? Why did you tell Nicole you wanted to be my Daddy? Why were you at school? Why did you just groan like you might be in pain?"

  "Have you ever had a step-daddy, Pagie? Or remember anything about your father?"

  I try to think back to the time mom was dating Mel's dad. He didn't come around much and she didn't really talk about her love life to me - thank God. Theirs was an office romance and when she found out she was pregnant he found out he should tell her he had a wife. Mom quit and started working somewhere else after that.

  I shake my head for him, wondering why he wants to know if I've had a male parental figure in my life before.

  "I'll start out by saying that I will never lie to you." He looks over with serious blue eyes and I just want to crawl in his lap. He waits until I nod telling him I accept his statement. "I want to date you because I haven't had much in my life for a very long time. Most of my waking hours consist of work and more work. But when I saw you that all changed. For the first time in twenty years I left my office early so I could come see you. When you didn't come out all I could think about was finding you and figuring out why you didn't come out with everyone else."

  He's quiet again and I'm left to my thoughts. He's told me things but I'm not sure if he's answered any of my questions. Except maybe the one about why he was at the school.

  "Daddies take care of their little girls and that is what I want to do for you. Take care of you."

  My heart sinks into my stomach and I think I might throw up. I've been having dreams of this man fucking me until I scream and he wants to be my Dad. I curl my lips over my teeth and bite down in order not to start crying at the unfairness of the world. I finally meet someone who gets me tingly and he wants to be my...what? Mentor?

  He doesn't see me as a woman, he sees me as a high school kid who needs someone to guide them through the first parts of their adult life. I'm his new charity case or whatever. I googled him during lunch on the school computers and found out how involved he is in a lot of the city’s charities.

  "I don't need a father. Or a mentor. I've spent eighteen years without both and I don't think now is going to be the time to start with one. So while what you say is flattering I don't want to be you're...student or mentee or whatever you call it."

  I tried to keep my tone even and kind the entire way through my statement but even I can hear some of the mad I feel creep in.

&
nbsp; "What?" What? Did I say something wrong again? "I don't want to be your fucking mentor or teacher or anything else in authority you won't sleep with. I want you to be my little girl." He looks like the idea of it might be something to make him sick too.

  The thought of being sick seriously takes hold in my head. Does he think I will sleep with him just because he gave me a few rides?

  "I want to take care of you like a Daddy would, not a father. I want to be there if you need me and laugh with you and your sister. I want to be the one spanking you when you've been bad." He takes one of his hands and puts it over my knee, resting it on my thigh. I can't keep from jumping at the contact. "I groaned just a moment ago because just hearing the word out of your mouth does naughty things to me."

  "You just want to have sex with me?" God my belly can't take any more of the roller coaster it goes on when Liam is around.

  "Hell no. I mean I do want to make love to you, yes. I want to be your first." My eyes grow big and round at the mention of my virginity. How the hell can he tell? "But I also want to be responsible for you. Make sure you are eating right, taking breaks from life so you don't get all used up so young, getting you back and forth to places that you need to go, things like that are also what Daddies do for their little girls."

  "Oh my God, what did you tell Mr. Dubois?"

  "I told him that I would be taking care of your college if you choose to go and if you don't I would take very good care of you. I also told him to never make you cry again."

  I try to sort out the things he is telling me. There are so many questions going through my head.

  "It probably helps that he himself is a Daddy."

  Shock, followed closely by repulsion, are my first feelings finding out anything at all about Mr. Dubois's sex life. Eww.

  "Is that why you really play Santa so you can scout for new...little girls?"

  He pulls into a slot marked for teachers at Mel's school. But when I reach for the door his hand on my other arm stops me.

  "No, I do not typically hang around malls trying to pick up women."

  He sounds a little hurt that I would think something like that about him. "Sorry."

  "I realize you are trying to understand what I want from you. There is no reason to be sorry for asking a question." He turns those blue eyes on me and their soft and laughing right now. "I have a present for you."

  Oh crap, I hate getting something and not returning the favor. "I didn't get you anything." It comes out like another question.

  He chuckles and reaches behind him to pull to the front a brightly wrapped package. "Open it before your sister gets in here." He places it in my lap. I look out the window at all of the parents going in to pick up their kids. Thanks to him I got here with a little time to spare.

  I pull the string of the bow and lift the lid of the box off. Lying inside are a pair of black panties. I don't know what to do. No other person besides me has ever bought me underwear except for my mom a long time ago.

  "I'm going to call you tonight when your mom gets home and everything settles down. You go into your room and put the panties on but not until I call you, angel. Now go on in and pick your sister up so I can take you two home."

  I open the door to do as he tells me. Am I really going to do everything he told me to do in the car and what does he have planned after I put the panties on? Is he telling me the truth about wanting me so much? It's not like we can do anything with my mom and sister at home. So what harm can it do to put them on when he calls?

  Chapter Five

  ____________

  Liam

  I really love Mel. She's sweet and smart and she invited me up to her apartment so I can spend more time with her sister. I don't know if she's trying to bring me and Paige together or if she's just naturally friendly. I don't care which one it is as long as it keeps working to my advantage. With the offer of coming up already out there, my angel doesn't know how to take it back with the dignity she seems to do everything with.

  "I'm not sure if there's anything here that you would want to eat but I can make you something if you want me too." God, she is so sweet.

  "What are you guys going to eat tonight?"

  She blushes and stammers a little before finally telling me.

  "You can stay for dinner if you want to. Paige can make extra just for you and you can meet our mom."

  Yep, definitely buying this kid a skyscraper or maybe a small island nation. I look over at Paige trying to predict if she will let me stay or if this is going too far for her. Meeting her mom will be a big step and I wonder if Paige is ready for that.

  "Um, you can stay if you want to. My mom gets home around six and I usually try to have dinner ready when she gets here."

  She goes into the kitchen and starts pulling out things for snacks when I find her. Mel is getting into play clothes so she doesn't have to worry about messing her school clothes up. I come up behind her so I can watch what she's doing. She's chopping carrots and celery into smaller chunks so Mel can dip them in sauce. She is going to be such a good mom one day. I put my arms around her waist and pull her back into me. Her gasp offers me so much satisfaction that if Mel wasn't in the next room I would have shown her just how satisfied I am. Instead, I bring my lips closer to her ear and whisper.

  "What do you think your mom is going to say about me being here? Will she worry about someone my age being alone with her little girl?"

  Her breath starts coming faster. "We're not alone and I'm not a little girl."

  I slide around her and lean back against the counter so I can see her face when I talk to her, my hands naturally gravitating to her hips which are wide and ready for me to put a baby in her. When the thought enters my head I can't seem to get the image of her stuffed full of my babies out of it. "You're my little girl."

  God, I shouldn't get all growly but I can't help feeling possessive where she is concerned. I want everyone to know she belongs to me. I don't know where that leaves me and her mom, who I am sure is not going to understand how I feel about her daughter right away.

  Mel keeps me busy until it's time for her sister to start dinner and then we all three go into the tiny kitchen, me and Mel offering our help. At about fifteen after six a key in the lock tells us her mom is home. Not too long after she is standing in front of me. Her gaze goes to Mel and Paige for answers.

  "This is the Santa I was telling you about Momma. The one that brought us home last night. He picked us up from school today too. Can he stay for dinner Momma?"

  "I guess he can. Paige, can I see you for a moment in my room please?"

  "Yes, Mom."

  I want to go with her and explain to her mother that she belongs to me and that I will take care of her and make sure she doesn't want for anything in her life ever again. I will go out of my way to keep a smile on her face and her heart safe and sound. I suddenly notice that I am in the kitchen alone. Someone really needs to be looking out for the three of them. They left a stranger in their kitchen while they all went to the bedroom. What the hell?

  I think about what I can do about security for them and set the table absentmindedly. They need help watching over themselves. Mel runs back into the room as I'm putting the glasses on the table by the plates.

  "Momma wants to know what you want with her daughter and why someone as old as you would want anything to do with someone like Paige."

  My back stiffens up at the implication that Paige isn't enough to make me want her on her own, that I have to want something from her. I take several deep breaths and sit down before I can go to Paige. She isn't completely wrong. I do want something from Paige. I want her heart, her love, her vow to love me for the rest of her life. So, yeah, I guess her mom is right about me wanting something from her -everything. I want everything from her.

  Me and Mel are sitting down at our spots when Paige and her mom come back to the kitchen. Mel leans over to me and whispers quickly, "I wasn't supposed to be listening to any of that, so don't say anyth
ing about what I told you, please." She looks hopeful I will keep her secret and I shoot her a wink telling her I will. It benefits me too in the end.

  I purposefully set things up so Paige was sitting next to me. When she sits down and finishes scooting close to the table I use my foot hooked into the spindle of her chair to slide her over closer to me. Her mother looks right at me as I do it and I don't look away.

  I'm a god damned businessman, I am well aware of how to walk into a board room and intimidate the fuck out of the person across from me. I'm not setting out to intimidate Paige's mother but she needs to understand Paige is no longer her responsibility. She's mine.

  "So, Mr. Owens, my daughter tells me you own quite a lot of businesses" Ah, the soft lead-in.