Possessive Daddy Next Door

He smiles. “Thank you, ma’am.”

“Just don’t let me catching you doing it again. Unless I specifically ask for it.”

He nods. “Yes, ma’am.” He walks past her and into the hallway, disappearing.

I linger in the room while mother turns back to me. Her smile disappears.

“That’s an interesting one,” she says.

“Yes,” I answer, keeping my tone flat and neutral.

“Are you spending much time with him?”

“I don’t… no?”

“You don’t know? Or just no?”

I shake my head and don’t say anything.

She lets out a sigh.

“Listen, darling. He’s handsome, I’ll give him that. And plays the piano very well. But—”

“Don’t,” I say. “Please, just don’t.”

She gives me a frown and sighs. “All right. If that’s what you need, then fine. You really do need to get over that store.”

I stare at her. “Mother!”

“I’m just saying, dear. Do us all a favor.” She turns and leaves the room.

I’m blushing like crazy and I linger for a few more minutes, getting myself together. When I finally head out through the halls, I notice a few security guys walking fast in the opposite direction. I frown and turn, following after them.

They lead me around a few turns and end up in the security room itself. The door’s open, so I linger there and poke my head inside.

Nobody notices me. They’re all crowded around the security monitors. Patricks is sitting in the center with Max right next to him. A few other men are crowded around, and they’re all staring at something I can’t see.

“Who the fuck are they?” one of them asks.

“Beats me,” another says.

“They aren’t from here,” Patricks says.

Max frowns at him. “How do you know that?”

“Look at them. It’s obvious. Nice clothes, nice watches.”

“You don’t know their watches are nice from here.”

Patricks gives him a look and shakes his head. “Look closely.”

Max is silent for a second then sighs. “Yeah. Okay.”

“They’re not from here,” he repeats. “And I don’t like that they’re lingering.”

“Should we go down there?” one guy asks.

“We should,” another says. “Right now. Shit, I wish we could carry guns.”

“No,” Max says loud enough to make them all look at him. He clenches the edge of the desk and leans closer to the monitor. “No, I think they might be leaving.”

“I’m going,” Patricks announces and stands. “Morrison, with me.”

“I’m coming too,” Max says.

Patricks gives him a look. “No, you stay.”

“I’m going.” I step into the doorway.

All four of them stare at me in surprise.

“How long have you been there?” Patricks asks, his tone annoyed.

“Long enough. There are strange men down by the front gate, right?”

“You don’t need to be here,” he says. “We can handle this. Please, let us do our jobs.”

“I’m coming,” I say again. “This is my home, remember?”

Max grins at me and shakes his head. “Let her come. She’ll be fine.”

Patricks stares at him like he’s insane. “No. This could be dangerous. They could be—”

“They’re nothing,” Max says. “Just some guys. If she wants to come, let her come.”

Patricks stares hate at him for a long moment then nods. “Come on, we need to go now.”

He hurries past me. One of the guys I didn’t recognize, apparently Morrison, follows. Max comes up next.

“You have a habit of getting into trouble, don’t you?” he asks me, voice low.

“Maybe,” I say, touching his hand with my fingertips. “But only when you’re around.”

He smirks at me then we hurry after Morrison and Patricks. They lead us outside, through a side door, and out onto the lawn. There are golf carts lined up for staff use. They hop in one and we hop in the other. Max follows close to them and I sit near him, our legs touching.

I know I shouldn’t like this. My heart’s racing with excitement. Those guys are mobsters, I know it and Max knows it. I’m not sure why he thinks they’re harmless though, but I need to find out. I need to stay close to this.

The carts tear down the driveway. Our cart bounces from side to side and I have to grab on to him to keep from flying out. He puts an arm around me as we hit a sharp turn and he holds me tight against him as we pull up behind the other cart.

He lets me go but I wish he’d keep his arm there.

The gate looms up ahead. The carts rev forward. The two men linger near the control box, but one looks up. I can’t hear what they say, but I can see them pointing. I swear one reaches behind him for something, but the other stops him and pulls his arm.

Patricks and Morrison reach the gate. “Hey!” Patricks jumps out of his cart. “Hey, you!” He runs to the gate, hits the pad on the inner side, enters the code, and the gate starts to slide in.

But the two guys are already running off. Max winks at me and swerves around Patricks, speeding through the gate. The two guys are sprinting toward a large black SUV. Max aims for one of them and kicks out with his leg, catching the guy in the ass and propelling him forward. He smashes his face in the back window as his partner reaches the driver’s seat.