My Favorite Daddy (Dark Daddies 6)

I bite my lip. “You’re not mad?”

“No, I’m not mad,” he says softly. “I just wish you’d trust me. I want to help, Aria.”

“I know. I’m just… it’s complicated.”

“He’s a client,” he guesses.

“His name’s Louis. He’s going through some stuff right now and I think he just really needs me.”

Brady goes silent for a bit. I study his face but I’m afraid to speak up again. I can’t tell if he’s angry or not.

“You should talk to him then,” he says finally. “Do you think that would help?”

“Maybe,” I admit. “But I’m afraid of him honestly. This is… a little too far. He’s unhinged.”

Brady looks at me. “I won’t let him hurt you.”

“How can you be sure?”

“I promise.”

I look back into his eyes and I believe him. We kiss gently for a moment and I feel a stirring in my chest.

“What should I do?”

“Call him,” Brady says. “Tell him you’ll meet him somewhere public. I’ll be close by, just in case. Think that might help?”

“It might.”

“Tell him whatever you need to. Get him to calm down. We don’t want him doing anything crazy.”

“Okay.” I take a deep breath and relief floods through me. “So, you’re really not mad?”

“Not at all. You said this might happen. Well, not the crazy part, but you said your clients might get upset. I’m stealing you away from them.”

I smile a little bit at the idea of him stealing me away. It’s strangely appealing.

“Okay. I’ll call him.” I sit up and frown. “I don’t know where my phone is.”

“Take a shower. I’ll find it for you.”

“Good plan.” I kiss him and smile. “Thanks for being so understanding.”

“Listen, you’re important. If this is going to help, I’ll make sure you’re safe.”

“Thanks.” I kiss him again and grin. “Daddy.”

He grins back. I get up and he slaps my ass as I head into the bathroom, a huge grin on my face.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t still very nervous about all this, but at least he’s on my side. Having him nearby will be a huge help.

I get out of the shower and he holds my phone out for me.

“We’ll do it tomorrow,” he says, “Tonight, you’re staying over at my place.”

I bite my lip. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. It’s the safest place for you.”

I sigh. He does have a point.

“Okay. I’ll set it up.”

He nods and heads back into the room to get dressed.

I sit there, afraid to make the call. I know I shouldn’t be so scared of Louis, but I can’t help it. Breaking into the apartment and trashing it like this is pretty terrifying.

But I have to call. I need to confront him, maybe talk some sense into him. Maybe he’ll still listen to me after all this.

I hold the phone up to my ear, fear ringing through my body.12BradyI sip the coffee sitting in front of me and stare across the room at Aria.

She’s sitting alone at a table in La Colombe. It’s crowded this morning, which is good, although it makes it hard to keep a close eye on her from far away. Still, I’m on top of it, and if anything goes wrong…

Nothing’s going wrong. I have to trust that she can handle herself. I mean, this guy is one of her clients. I bet he worships the ground she walks on.

I understand why they love her so much, now that I’ve been with her for a few days. Last night in particular made it so obvious, and we didn’t even do anything special. We had some dinner, drank some wine, watched some old movies on TV, and went to sleep.

It was totally mundane and boring and one of the best nights of my life.

I haven’t had a night like that in forever. Somehow, being with Aria, she makes even boring stuff seem exciting. She’s always making conversation, smiling, laughing, flirting. She’s so easy to be around and I swear, I feel lighter whenever she’s near.

Right now, though, I don’t feel so light. I’m starting to think maybe this was a dumb idea, but I know that’s just my fear talking. I don’t want anything bad to happen to her, not after I’m starting to…

I watch as Aria stands up. An older man is approaching, and I swear he looks familiar. He looks disheveled, a little twitchy, with thinning hair and suspenders. I frown as she hugs him, and he sits down across from her.

I can’t see his face. Aria looks concerned as she listens to him, leaning in to listen closely. That’s just how she is, whenever someone is speaking to her it’s like they’re saying the most important thing in the world. It’s an incredibly endearing trait to have.

The man finally stops speaking and Aria leans toward him. She takes his hand and I feel a strange pang in my gut. I don’t think I’ve ever been jealous before in my life but I’m suddenly jealous of the way she’s handling this guy, like he’s something special.