11.
WILLIAM.
The rest of the week pa.s.ses by without incident, and we spend lazy days lounging in the sun, and making love. It"s absolutely perfect, and I don"t want it to end.
"Do we have to go home, Daddy?"
Haley echoes my thoughts, and I close my eyes, loving this moment too. She lies across my chest as we cuddle in the breeze on our bungalow porch.
"I wish we could, little one, but the world awaits our return. Besides, don"t you want to see your new cake pop store?"
I feel her tense, and then she sits up, her hair is a mane of curls from swimming in the ocean. The sun streams in behind her, framing her with a halo of sunlight. She has a huge smile on her face, and she looks like an angel.
"My store?"
"Yes, your store. I had them start on it the day we left. It"s in the same building as my office, so you"ll be close. And you"ll have lots of customers what with all the people working there and the traffic going in and out."
Suddenly she looks a little unsure and bites her lip. "Do you think I"m good enough? What if people don"t like it?"
I tug one of her curls, smiling at her. "I think you are talented and wonderful and so sweet to everyone. They will love you and your cake pops. But there"s one problem. They"ll all have to wait in line behind me."
Her face beams, and she falls onto my chest, hugging me close with her whole body. I wrap my arms around her, loving this moment, loving that I"m able to make her dreams come true.
"Are you happy, little Haley?"
She pulls back and looks down at me, smiling from ear to ear. "I"m so happy, Daddy."
"Do you want to make Daddy as happy as you are right now?"
Haley giggles and nods her head. I reach under the towel beside us and pull out the small box. Her eyes grow to the size of saucers when she sees it, and I sit up, taking her hand in mine.
I open the box, revealing the heart-shaped pink diamond. I had it designed the day she turned eighteen, and I"ve been waiting for the perfect time to give it to her.
"I"ll never love anyone but you for the rest of my life. Will you marry me, Haley?"
Small tears start to stream down her cheeks, and I use my thumb to wipe them away. After just a second she nods and throws her arms around my neck, nearly choking me.
I laugh a little at her excitement, and when she pulls back, I take her hand and slip on the ring. It fits perfectly.
She looks down at the ring and moves her fingers, watching it glitter in the sun.
"It sparkles almost as prettily as you do."
"Daddy!" She blushes at my words, but wraps her arms around my neck again, this time pushing me back on the bed and kissing me all over. After a few minutes, of showering me with kisses, she pulls back and looks down at me. "I want a Christmas wedding." She"s so excited, I can already see the wheels turning in her head.
"Whatever you want, little one. Anything."
She cuddles in beside me, and I squeeze her close, thinking how lucky I am to have found the one. I"ve waited my whole life for her, and I"d do it all over again as long as I ended up with her. I kiss her forehead and close my eyes.
"I love you."
"I love you too, William."
She doesn"t call me by my name often anymore, so when she does it, I know it"s a big deal. Having her call me "Daddy" is a privilege I don"t take lightly, and I absolutely love it. But when she calls me "William", I"m reminded in those brief moments that this is forever. That no matter what happens, she"ll always be mine, and I"ll always be hers. That, while we enjoy our relationship the way it is now, as long as we are in each other"s arms, nothing else matters.
THE END.
Also by Alexa Riley
Taking the Fall Series Taking the Fall Vol 1-4 Forced Submission Series Taking What"s MINE Taking What"s OURS Taking What"s HERS And so many more...
Alexa Riley on Amazon
Chapter 1.
BRUCE.
"What am I supposed to do with a seventeen-year-old girl?" I asked, leaning forward, placing my elbows on the desk. "I"ve never even met the girl." It"s been a long f.u.c.king week and now this. I can feel the tension snaking up my spine, which I"m sure will lead to a ma.s.sive headache that will f.u.c.k up my whole day.
"You"re now her legal guardian, so you better figure out what you"re going to do with her," Jim, a junior a.s.sociate at the firm informs me. I have the urge to throw him out of my office or just fire his a.s.s, but this isn"t his fault. This was my own doing. I knew Debra, my ex-wife, had a daughter, but I"d never met her in the two years that we were married. h.e.l.l, I barely knew Debra outside of a working environment. Sure, we were married, but it wasn"t your typical marriage.
I was racking my brain, trying to remember everyone who attended. The funeral actually looked like a work meeting more than anything. The small group in attendance was made up of people she worked with and a few clients. I don"t know why I didn"t notice that before. No friends or family showed up, only other lawyers from the firm, but it made sense, neither she nor I had lives outside of this office.
Debra"s father, Steven, had pa.s.sed last year, and he was the only family member I"d ever met of hers. Steven used to be a senior partner at the firm before I took his place. The thought of Debra"s daughter not being at her mother"s funeral never crossed my mind. Debra only talked about her daughter a handful of times in the five years I knew her. I can"t even recall a time when she went to visit her, and I know her daughter never came to our penthouse.
"When will she be arriving?" I ask while pulling up today"s itinerary on my computer. My schedule, as usual, is a mess and completely full.
Ever since making senior partner and taking over Steven"s caseload, I work fifteen-hour days. He"s the reason I"m in this situation now and having to become a guardian. It should"ve been him taking in a seventeen-year-old girl. She"s was his granddaughter, after all. But now that he"s gone, I"m the only one who"s left.
It hasn"t helped that we haven"t picked a new lawyer to take Debra"s place at the firm since she died. She"s only been gone six weeks, but someone needs to be hired fast. She carried a giant workload on her own, and even distributing it amongst the staff, it"s more than we can handle on top of our own cases.
I met Debra when I joined the firm fresh out of graduate school. She had already been with them for years. Her father was a senior partner, so it was a no brainer what law firm she wanted to make partner at. I always knew there was no other firm I wanted to work for. I"d only heard great things about the place, it was known to be the best and my own father really pushed me into joining them. He and Steven had gone to college together, but my father went politics, something I had no desire to do.
After I walked in the door, we both made strides to get to the top. She"d already been trying for years but wasn"t making much progress. Case after case, we always got paired together. We were both dedicated and worked hard for years, earning our chops and making a name for ourselves. But Debra was constantly pa.s.sed over for promotions because of her s.e.x and because of her name.
If she was given a promotion it always looked like it was favoritism, so instead the b.u.mp would go to me. This frustrated both of us, as we were both friends and colleagues and each giving more than one hundred percent. It"s never fair being a woman in this line of work, and after a few years, we hit a roadblock.
The firm decided to create a new opening for a partner and I was being groomed to take it. I knew that Debra deserved it as much as I did, but I wasn"t sure what to do. Then one day Steven took Debra and me aside and we came up with a plan.
After I moved into my new role as partner, Steven would retire. The kicker was, he would only retire after Debra and I got married. After the license was signed, he would then set his retirement in motion.
Once the ink was dry, and with help from another founding partner, we had the majority vote and were able to secure Debra a spot in the firm as Steven"s replacement. Everybody won. Steven knew his family name was secure in the company, and his daughter wouldn"t have to worry about her future at the firm.
I was a workaholic already and didn"t have a social life outside of work. When I did find myself out for the evening, women were just attracted to the suit and the money. Women made things messy and complicated, and I didn"t need either in my life. Debra and I both had the same motivation and drive, and neither of us had time for love. Our arrangement was the perfect, until Debra suddenly pa.s.sed away, leaving me to pick up all the pieces of their family. A family that wasn"t even really mine.
"She"ll be here tomorrow. She"s packing up the rest of her stuff from the boarding school today. She graduated last weekend," Jim says, shaking me from my thoughts.
"I"m just supposed to take in a girl I"ve never met and let her live with me?" I snap, still agitated and taking it out on Jim. What the f.u.c.k do I know about raising a young girl, or even making a home for one? I knew nothing about family.
"The girl does have a trust fund."
"It"s not about the money. Can"t she just stay at the boarding school? She turns eighteen in a week. Legally she won"t need a guardian after that, and I"m sure she can find her own place before she starts college in the fall. She"s going to college right?"
I bring up tomorrow"s schedule. f.u.c.king h.e.l.l, I have a dinner meeting I can"t miss with one of the firm"s biggest clients.
"I"m not sure of her plans for college, but as for the next week she"s solely your responsibility. Do with her what you wish."
My c.o.c.k jerks at his offhand comment. Do with her what you wish. As if she"s mine.
Apparently I need to get laid. I"m getting hard at the idea of owning some young thing that doesn"t know what to do with a d.i.c.k. I rub my eyes and try to think of the last time I had s.e.x.
Debra and I might have been married, but we never shared more than a quick embrace for public events. All I"ve had to get me off over the years is my hand. While we were married, the last thing I needed was some scandal about how our nuptials were a sham or that I was cheating. After her father pa.s.sed, we talked about getting a divorce, but we never got around to it with our busy schedules.
We never planned for anything in the event of something happening to either of us, and now I"m a widower...and apparently a stepfather.
Well, I guess I"m a stepfather for the next week or so. I can handle her for a week. I can keep busy while she stays in the condo. I"m never there anyway, and how hard can it really be? I"ll look into helping her find a condo to stay at until it"s time for her to start college. I bet there are probably a few units available in my building, and it"s the least I can do. Her mother and I may have not been close, but we did help each other out when needed.
"Fine, I"ll leave a key for her at the front desk for when she arrives, and I"ll have one of the rooms set up for her. Is there anything else I should know? Any problems?"
"I don"t think she"ll give you any problems. Her academic records are spotless with no mention of bad behavior. She volunteered at the library, and it seems that"s where she spent most of her time, from what little info I could gather on her. h.e.l.l, I was shocked when I found out Debra had a kid, she never talked about anything but work. But she seems like a good kid. I don"t think she"ll be much of a burden."
I nod my head in agreement. I knew Debra for years, lived with her, and often forgot she had a daughter. It wasn"t until Jim was going over and settling Debra"s estate that we remembered her. It"s probably why she missed the funeral. I don"t think she knew about it.
"Well, I guess that"s settles it." There"s no point to fighting the issue and look like a f.u.c.king a.s.shole. How hard could it be to live with a seventeen-year-old girl for a few weeks?
That next evening....
The house line rings, and I know it"s the doorman calling. They"re the only ones with the number. Thank f.u.c.k she"s here before I need to head out for my business dinner. I at least want to show her the place before I have to go, but I thought the doorman would just give her the key. I don"t know the girl, but I don"t want her to be alone when she"s here for the first time. I can make some kind of effort, but I thought she would"ve been here hours ago.
"Frank," I say, knowing it"s him. He was at the lobby desk when I got home, and he informed me she still hadn"t picked up the key.
"Good evening, Mr. Archer. A Ms. Sullivan is here to see you." Well s.h.i.t, I might have welcomed this if Debra"s daughter wasn"t going to be here any minute. Holly Sullivan is the daughter of one of the firm"s biggest clients and was well aware that my marriage was one of convenience. On multiple occasions she let me know she"d love to be in my bed.
I"d toyed with the idea years ago. She was hot and exotic looking with long dark hair and even longer legs. But I always decided against it. Now that I was single, coupled with not feeling a woman"s body against mine in years, I was beginning to rethink things. She"d be discreet and the goal is mutual-s.e.x.
"Please send Ms. Sullivan up," I tell Frank before hanging up, grabbing my suit jacket off the back off my chair, and powering off my computer. I figured Holly would be meeting me at the dinner with her father, but I guess there was a change of plans.
Looking in the mirror, I adjust my tie. Maybe Holly and I could go back to her place after dinner. f.u.c.k, I don"t have any condoms, but I bet she does. Holly is walking s.e.x and just what I need. Maybe I could f.u.c.k some of the stress out of my system.
I make my way to the elevator and wait for it to arrive. I own the entire top floor of the building, but I actually might need to look into getting a new place. Debra and I got such a big place to begin with so we had our own s.p.a.ce and didn"t get in each other"s way. Now it"s entirely too large for just me.
When the door opens, Holly comes strolling in, swaying her hips right towards me. Her heels click on the marble floor, and I see the doors slide closed behind her. Her long chocolate hair is stacked on top of her head, exposing her bare shoulders. The red dress she"s wearing is pasted to her like a second skin and shows off her long legs. They are made to look even longer because she"s wearing the kind of shoes men like to f.u.c.k women in.
"Are you finally going to take me up on my offer? We have ten minutes before we need to head out, and I bet I could make you c.u.m before then," she says, getting right to the point.
Holly was never one to beat around the bush. She knew I never took her up on her offer out of respect for Debra, but now things have changed. She wraps her arms around my neck, her heels make her so tall she"s almost at eye level. It"s impressive, being as I"m six four.
"Is that so?" I tease, pulling her closer and looking into her dark brown eyes. Her tart perfume fills my lungs, but my body doesn"t seem to react. Maybe it"s been so long since I"ve had s.e.x my c.o.c.k doesn"t remember what it"s like to have a woman so close. I"m giving him the green light, but he doesn"t even move.
"Yeah," she whispers against my mouth, but before her lips touch mine the elevator chimes. I pull back from Holly. The elevator doors slide open, revealing something that makes my limp c.o.c.k finally grow with need. It presses hard against my zipper and I suddenly ache. If that"s little Sophie, I"m totally f.u.c.ked. I"ve never seen something look so perfect and pure before. She"s perfection. My whole body has come alive like a punch to my system.
"Holly, if you"ll excuse me, I need a minute," I say, pulling myself away. Before I take a step I turn around and adjust myself because my hard c.o.c.k is obscene in these pants. Holly gives me a sultry smile and an eyebrow raise, but I don"t explain that this wasn"t her doing. I"d rather her think that than the idea of my getting hard at the sight of my stepdaughter.
f.u.c.k, what is wrong with me? I just looked at Sophie and I was at full attention. Get it together, Bruce.
Taking a few deep breaths, I get my body under control the best I can. I turn back towards the elevator and walk over to where she"s standing. She"s got Debra"s blue eyes and it shocks me that they don"t look stressed or sad. I never realized Debra"s had looked like that until now, as I compare them with Sophie"s bright and happy sapphires. It"s strange how it hits me with just one look. She"s short, at around five three, and has lots of curves, the perfect size to fill my hands. Her body looks like a mature woman"s would, not something you"d expect on a seventeen-year old. She"s wearing jeans and a tank top that does nothing to hide her full b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Her long, wavy, blonde hair falls down her back and makes her look like she"s been freshly f.u.c.ked. Jesus Christ, this girl is a bombsh.e.l.l. My thoughts race, on the one hand I"m fantasizing about what I want to do to that s.e.xy little body, and on the other I"m beating myself up over how I shouldn"t be having these thoughts. Her legs are thick and my mouth waters thinking about how I could sink my teeth into the insides of her thighs. I can feel my heartbeat in my c.o.c.k, and I try to focus on anything but my forbidden fantasies.
"Please excuse me, I was expecting you earlier," I say in a clipped tone. I didn"t intend for this to be our first encounter, and it"s a bit embarra.s.sing for her if the blush on her cheeks is any indication. Her skin is so milky and pure; the slightest blush makes her look so innocent. My G.o.d, she looks untouched.
My d.i.c.k throbs at the thought but I immediately dispel it. She"s my responsibility for a week. Just one week. I can do this.
"Let me show you around a bit. I"ve got an engagement tonight and I need to leave."
She nods her head a little and follows me around the place. She seems shy and quiet, which is fine with me. I have a fleeting thought of someone taking advantage of her innocence, and I realize she"s never been on her own outside of boarding schools. She"s been in France, so coming back to America on top of being out of school must have turned her upside down.
I shake my head to banish my worry. This isn"t my problem. I"m helping her get a new place and then we"re finished. She"s on her own.
"This was your mother"s room," I say, and stop for a moment to let her look in. "You are welcome to all of her things, so feel free to go through and pick out what you want to keep. I"ll donate anything you don"t want." She looks at me peculiarly, but I keep walking.
"That"s my room down there at the end of the hall," I say, pointing, "and this is yours right here." We stop in front of her door and I open it.
She slowly steps past me, and I get a bit of her sweet honeysuckle scent. I breathe deeply and close my eyes, the throbbing in my c.o.c.k returning.
When I open my eyes, I see her looking at me, and then back to the floor. She seems so submissive, and I have the sudden urge to put her on her knees.